Panic In Tiger Town | The Valenti Show with Rico

Panic In Tiger Town | The Valenti Show with Rico

Okay, here’s the show we didn’t want to do, but we got to do it. Uh, welcome in. If you’re leaving the ballpark, phone lines are open. If you’re driving around and you listen to the game on 971, we thank you. Phone lines are open. Uh, or if you just have a pulse in your body and you want to talk Tigers. Phone lines are open. Cleveland comes to town. I told you they needed a sweep to get anyone’s attention. They did exactly that. And honestly, this team can’t play worse. Um, Rico, I’ll lay it out. I hope it doesn’t come across as lazy. I just think it’s the only relevant question. What’s your panic level? Scale of 1 to 10. And if you’re not panicked, you just have to answer. And remember, while you still have an over 90% chance to make the playoffs, no one is arguing that. And while you still have a 90% chance to win the division, you now have a less than 50% chance, according to Fang Graphs, of holding on to the buy. You’re at 48%. That’s critical. It’s critical to get rest. It’s critical to set your rotation. It’s critical to just not have to play in a wacky threeame series. So, that is where concern would lie. Um, Rico, just go ahead, man. Let’s just dive in. 2485399797. I I do have one thing I want to say when you’re done. Go ahead. Uh concern level is high, Mike. It’s it’s extremely high because Scooball was supposed to be the the guy who stopped the bleeding, the band-aid, the get right person. This was the game where you would take a deep breath. Okay, we’ve now got the lead back and we’ll go ahead and cruise in. He went out there. He pitched well. He didn’t get the run support and and now you’re sitting there looking because it’s it’s a bad look. And like I said, I’m at a 10 because the Cleveland the Cleveland Indians, the Guardians are playing playoff baseball right now. The Tigers are trying to get themselves into that playoff mode. I think that they’ve been kind of in cruise control and now they see the sense of urgency is there because you’re seeing the Guardians making the big play when they needed to, scoring all the runs when they need to. And and and here’s the thing, now you get ready to take on a team that’s riding a fivegame winning streak in the Atlanta Braves who all of a sudden decided they wanted to play baseball again. So it’s Oh, if the Braves if the Braves had left-handed pitching, you’d be dead cuz apparently uh Riley Green just shouldn’t play against lefties and you know Karp doesn’t. So, I got nothing for you. Yeah. I mean, this is Wow. Uh, this weekend series will will say a lot about this team. Yes. Percentages say that they should make, you know, but I I think they’re I don’t think that they’re going to get the the the buy and Well, then then then your panic should be 10. I said it’s a 10 on their mind. Yeah, I’m with you, brother. The buy. Look, here’s the thing, Rico. Since the All-Star break, you’ve played 70 Excuse me. Excuse me. 56 baseball games. Do you know what your record is in those games? 26 and 30. What you did in April and May does not matter. And the way they’re playing now. Look, let me just make this one. I I got to say this because while I wasn’t listening to the game, I was watching it. Look, I I I’m not trying to be nasty, but I’m just going to say something like I don’t know Andy Dirks, nor do I want to. Uh, but he unleashed a take in the ninth inning of that game. And I’m sorry. A, as a baseball fan, I’m insulted. Oh, well, Jason, look at the bright side. These last nine games are now sure going to be exciting. What What fan left the ballpark with that take? What person listening on 971 or watching left their television or radio with, “Oh, hey Martha. Yeah, guess what? Tigers just got broomed out. But hey, gonna be an exciting last nine. Exactly. No one, right? That’s shameful. If that’s what you’re thinking, keep it to yourself. But come on, man. You just got swept out of town. I don’t need that. I don’t think any fan needs that. Again, I’m not trying to be nasty, but good grief. No, I’m with you. I think most Tiger fans had moved over and said, “Okay, we’re going to be in the playoffs. Let’s focus a little bit on the Lions and then after the Monday night game, we’ll pick up the Tiger team and we’ll know exactly where we are in the playoffs. Well, news flash, you better pay attention to this team because hey, these last nine games, Mike. Yeah, here you go. To win the division, 91% to clinch the buy, a top two seed, 48.1. Make the playoffs is irrelevant. It’s 96.6. We can revisit that type of panic. As Rico, you just so astutely said, if this weekend doesn’t go their way, we’re gonna have a whole different conversation Monday. But I’m not going to futurecast panic. My panic level is in a weird spot. If it’s in relation to clinching the buy and having their best chance to make an organized and impactful run in the playoffs, that’s a 10. The panic otherwise about just get in with a chip in a chair, no, it’s it’s like a two. because I don’t think Cleveland can keep doing this. This is their brand of voodoo where basically they don’t allow any runs. That that’s just not sustainable. Now against you it is because this lineup’s a train wreck. I mean whether it’s when Perez who’s like five for his last 50 or look Riley Green had some quality at bats. They just resulted in nothing but he’s not any good right now. uh you don’t play carry against lefties. It was awesome to see him last night get an at bat against a lefty and hit a double, but the rest of this lineup like yeah, this is the playoffs. Yeah, this is what teams are going to do to you. So, I I would I’m a 10 as it would relate to, hey, are they going to have their best chance to get rest, get healthy, and organize the rotation? It doesn’t look like it. See, and as it would go ahead. Oh, no. No, I’m I’m at a 10 because this I think is every Tigers today was every Tigers fan worst nightmare as far as going far. Yes, you’ll make the playoffs, but it’s what you do in the playoffs. What happens if you go out there in game one and Scubble does what he did today and only allow one run and you still walk away with a loss knowing that was your best chance for a victory. Now, what do you do? What’s plan B? Cleveland had a game plan. They waited Scooble out a lot of their damage. And when I say damage, I just in affecting the pitch count. You know, if you have a seven pitch at bat and you hit a bleeder for a single, the damage is the cumulative to the pitcher and the pitch count. He had a 20 plus pitch inning and a 30 plus pitch inning. You knew in the fourth inning Scoo wasn’t getting to the seventh and probably would struggle to get to the sixth. Now again, that’s more playofflike in that teams will value their at bats more. Um, I don’t know, man. Like I said, if you want to call up and say you’re not panicked, that has to be related to making playoffs. I and I’m with you. But as far as you were 25 games over, you were 15 games up. The thought of not having a buy in the opening round of the playoffs, it was a zero for me, provided they won a game here, getting broomed out. And by the way, Rico, and you know this, Guardians didn’t have their their compliment of bullpen arms. I mean, Cade Smith wasn’t available today. They they they had to throw her out there again. I it’s just I think at that level, no, I’m gravely concerned because they’re not now and haven’t been a very good baseball team in quite some time. Playoffs are weird. I can try to remain positive and go look. Yeah, just get in and maybe the light switch goes on, but I’m grasping at straws a little bit here because Rico, they also they don’t make the smart play right now. They’re making a lot of mental errors. They’re not playing crisp baseball. And when push comes to shove, like you look at this series, Stephen Quan, who’s a star, won the Guardians a game. JRM, who’s a superstar, won the Guards a game. You don’t have those people. You can convince yourself of Riley Green, who’s had a very nice year. I hesitate to call him a superstar. And what? Carrie, who only plays part-time, like you see it sometimes that you just need the dude. Mhm. You know, last year everybody was playing tummy sticks. Oh my god. Abanz won us a series. That is shadows and dust. Yeah. Doesn’t happen. You can’t lean on the Andy Abanzes of the world. Yeah. You need Yeah. You need that everyday dude in the everyday lineup to do something because Yeah. Your pitcher went out there did and I Mike, I think you put it best. The Guardians just waited knowing school’s not going to go nine. Keep this thing close. Let’s get to the bullpen and then we’ll do our damage. 2485399797 didn’t want to do it. All they need to do is win a game this series. If they did it, we’re not doing the show. But they didn’t. The lead’s three and a half. And yeah, this weekend, I mean, anything other than two out of three against the Braves, guys, it’s to a point now you got to you got to try to hold on to this buy. Forget about the division right now. I’m not gonna get that. Like, hey, if you enter Monday and this leads at one and a half, we’re gonna have a different conversation. But as Rico likes to yell at me about Michigan State, I want to stick to the principles. I’m not going to futurecast it. That’s personal growth. I’m trying. And you know, because again, Rico, like I can’t I can’t demand people be panicked. They are going to make the playoffs, but the best chance to win it and all the work that went in and the position you would put yourself in. No, I I I have some real doubts about their ability to get that done right now. Yeah, as you should, M. Because once it it’s it’s almost as if playing the 500 baseball is starting to catch up to them because they’re now trying to get back to where they were at the beginning of the season where they were knocking the cover off the ball where they were making the right plays where they were doing the right things. Now it’s okay. They’re like stuck in this malaise and it’s like guys you need to wake the f up. Like the playoffs are almost here and and we’re still How much of this in your mind? Hold on. I want to ask you a question and I don’t want people to misconstrue this. It’s not an insult. It’s a question. Rico Aam’s razor. How much of this is they’re just not that good? That collectively they’re better together and when it was all rolling it was kind of voodoo. They were never a 25 games over team. When you break it down individually, who on this team starts for the Dodgers? who who on this team starts for these really good baseball like who’s starting for the Phillies. Yeah. Yeah. That’s the problem is that when it comes down to it, eventually Zack McKinstry is Zack McKinstry. That’s not an insult. He’s a major league player. He’s in the 01% at his craft on the Globe. But within Major League Baseball, he’s a bottom percentile player. That’s not a real All-Star. That’s not a guy I want in a seminal moment of my season. Not an insult, it’s reality. It’s like saying that Rico is a good singer in the shower. He’s not Diana Ross. It’s not an insult. It’s just reality. I think you put it so bluntly, but I think you’re correct that maybe they’re just not that team. And we It’s a thing that we’ve been saying all year long and but they kept winning, so we had to push it to the side. But yeah, man, rubber’s meeting the road and you’re seeing that. Yeah, they’re they’re they’re just not that team. This weekend, this weekend would take on an actual panic. If it doesn’t go well and the guards keep doing their thing, we’ll have a different combo Monday. I’m not panicked about playoffs, but I am about a seven out of 10. Panic that they’re going to spit the bit and not hold on to the buy. That’s where I’m at. I’d love to hear from you guys. Apparently, we’ve got a bunch of people ready to talk. We’re here for it. Yeah. Let’s just we’re going to have a therapy session because they lost the scubble start in a must-win game that could have really ended it and yeah, they didn’t want it. 248539797. We’ll get to you guys and your thoughts next. 971.

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