Detroit Tigers News: Andrew Romine might play every position in 1 game

If Thursday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox hasn’t alerted you to the fact that the Detroit Tigers have mailed in this season, manager Brad Ausmus has an even more obvious ploy. Since this season is a clownshow anyway, let’s play Andrew Romine at every position! Because everything is made up and the points don’t matter.

Honestly, I’m fine with it. Embrace the suck. Tank. Get a better draft pick, but have fun while you’re doing it.

If we are employing gimmicks to keep people interested, I have some other brilliant ideas:

1. Bring back Don Kelly. Because duh.
2. Four words: Miguel Cabrera, player manager.
3. You know how some sportswriters are always complaining about how Comerica Park is too much of a pitching park. And how that somehow costs the team wins, players in free agency, and generally makes the whole team bad? Guess what. Now is the time to test that theory. Move the fences in. All the way in. Past the Yankees’ right field porch and Pesky Poll in Boston. Make everything 300 feet deep. Let’s see how much that really fixes.
4. Live tigers.
5. Jim Leyland Appreciation Night with a smoking bobble-head.

Or you know, win some baseball games. But if the team is going to get creative, at least go for it.

Top pick here we come

Or close to it.

It will be tough catching the San Francisco Giants, but don’t count this Tigers team out yet. I’m morally opposed to rooting for a team to lose, but that’s an enticing picture right there.

No sale

Chris Ilitch vehemently denied that the team was up for sale despite rampant speculation that the shrinking payroll might be the precursor to a big move. But there is something very wrong about this statement.

“My father would have done the exact same thing that we are doing at the Tigers,” Ilitch said. “And ya’ know how I know that? Because he did it at the Red Wings and he did it at the Tigers. The approach that they’re taking right now is exactly the approach that he followed.”

No, not the Tigers’ rebuild. That is completely fine and needed to happen.

No, it’s Ilitch talking about how his father built the Red Wings. This is true; when Mike Ilitch first bought the team he did start at the ground floor. This is why you should be rebuilding the Red Wings, Chris! #FireHolland.

Anyway, as long as they are all-in on eventually building the spending back up, I’m happy to keep the Tigers with the Ilitch family.

The Ian Kinsler dilemma

There isn’t a lot of confusion on what would ideally happen with Kinsler. Hopefully, a contending team in need of a second basemen swoops in this winter and plucks him from Detroit in exchange for a decent prospect or two. Unfortunately, most contenders do not need a second baseman and Ian Kinsler has had a terrible year. I think he still has plenty of trade value and is significantly better than he showed in 2017, but it’s doubtful that any suitors will be offering much in return. Kinsler will be here in 2018, or he’ll end up as a salary dump.

The Indians won game 22 but it’s not a record

So the Cleveland Indians continued like a glitch in baseball’s Matrix, racking up their 22nd consecutive victory in ridiculous walk-off style on Thursday. There are three week old babies (and possibly even players on the team) who can’t remember what it was for the Indians to lose a baseball game.

But no, this is not the all-time record winning streak. It’s just the new American League record, which, hey, is pretty darn good. The 1916 New York Giants are still the king, for a little while anyway.

Here is the aggravating and historic game winner for your viewing pleasure.

Around the horn

The Tigers have been eliminated from postseason contention. Victor Martinez’s surgery was a success. The Tigers released Arcenio Leon and he is now a free agent. Yoan Moncada was on base six times against the Tigers on Thursday. Everyone already has big plans for the Royals’ soon-to-be free agents. The Indians are going to be good for a while.

Baseball is awesome