Welcome to another edition of Five Things I Liked (Or Didn’t Like) this week
This is a strange week for the column. The All-Star break cut into the number of games available to watch; mathematically speaking, fewer games means fewer chances for weird things to happen. I took a weekend trip and didn’t watch any MLB games on Friday or Saturday. I’m also hard at work on the upcoming trade value series, which comes out between the All-Star game and the deadline every year – check back Monday for that annual exercise’s kickoff. In any case, that means this is a hodgepodge list: some stuff from this week, sure, but also plays and series that got left out last week, and some low-level baseball to boot. Thanks, as always, to ESPN’s Zach Lowe for the format idea. And two quick programming notes: I won’t be doing my regular Monday chat or Five Things next week; instead, I’ll be doing a jumbo-sized chat Friday morning.
The New Derby Format
The modern swing-happy Home Run Derby has been a great success, at least as far as I’m concerned. It’s more fun to see sluggers launch as many home runs as they possibly can than it is to see them agonize over every single swing. The format wasn’t perfect, though.
As an added bonus, with no timing restriction, players watched their last few attempts, which built the drama even further. I’m not saying that everything is perfect. The free-for-all style first round felt anticlimactic and dragged on more than you’d expect. Those are just nitpicks, though. I thoroughly enjoyed the Derby, and the final round was a great summation of what the format can be.
Ty France’s Tactical Impatience
Adam Mazur started a July 9 tilt against the Mariners shakily. In the top of the first inning, he walked a batter, hit another, and gave up a run. He was wild, obviously – the walk and the hit batter tell you everything you need to know there – and he had particularly shoddy fastball command. He started Jorge Polanco off with a lollipop curve for a strike, then eventually surrendered a single after a five-pitch battle. He didn’t throw a single fastball in that confrontation, mixing up curves, sliders, and changeups instead.
In the on-deck circle, Ty France took note. France isn’t having a great year; a league average batting line isn’t what you want from your first baseman. But he’s always been great at hitting breaking balls, and he’s an aggressive first-pitch swinger when he gets something to drive. Pitch identification is his best tool, and that’s particularly useful when you can eliminate some of your opponent’s offerings. He made up his mind that he was going to sit on something spinny and fat, and his eyes must have widened when he saw Mazur’s pitch.
The Tigers’ Gauntlet
The AL Central has been the worst division in baseball in recent years. The Twins and Guardians have traded spots at the top of the heap while the other three teams stockpile losses and draft picks. From a purely ordinal look at the standings, that’s true again this year. Cleveland is out in front and the Twins aren’t far behind. But the Royals and Tigers both look dangerous this year – the Royals are seven games over .500 and the Tigers are hanging around at 47-50. The White Sox – well, the less said about the White Sox the better.
The Tigers took three of four from the Guardians before the All-Star break in a wonderful series. They won 1-0 and 5-4, and also lost 9-8, with late-inning intrigue in all three of those games. Then they blew the doors off with a 10-1 win to close things out. The previous week, they’d gone to Minnesota in the midst of a cold streak and lost two of three, with the last game a 12-3 blowout. That seemed to leave the Tigers dead in the water – but they’ve won 8 of 10 since that series and found their way back into the race.
