Apparently there are some players-only behind closed doors meetings going on at Comerica Park, and Ron Gardenhire doesn’t care.
In what might seem like a move of disrespect to a different manager, the team is having their own private meetings to discuss how the remainder of the 2018 season will play out. And what precisely does that mean? Matthew “I was programmed for this” Boyd told the Detroit News, “We just want to play our brand of baseball.” And that brand is basically “play hard, play well, and finish strong.
Gardenhire, who knows about the meetings, said he likes them, and they keep the guys on plan.
Whatever works, right?
Artie Lewicki out until 2020
Lewicki has made the decision to have his second Tommy John surgery, which ends both his 2018 season and will see him benched for recovery in 2019. His first TJS occurred while he was still attending the University of Virginia.
What began as mere elbow inflammation and wasn’t expected to keep him out longer than a start, soon became a “looseness” in the ligament of the elbow.
“It’s a big decision for him, but the right one,” Ron Gardenhire told reporters.
For his part, Lewicki told Evan Woodbery that he could have played out the rest of the season and hoped for the best, but decided to take a precautionary measure and go ahead with the surgery. “It’s not completely blown, but my flexor is strained and there’s a lot of laxity in my joints. Over time, it’s only going to get worse. Long term, getting it fixed is the best option so I can get back in 2020.”
Bits and Bites
Speaking of getting back into the game, JaCoby Jones will start a rehab stint with the Mud Hens on Friday, likely for three games. Michael Fulmer will be toeing the rubber in Detroit tonight.
The Tigers are hosting an Arab-American night on September 22 at the park with special ticket packages that include a halal meal option.
The new t-shirt cannon car is truly ridiculous and I sort of love it?
The Tigers have a new cart that shoots t-shirts.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 23, 2018
Lights, smoke, gas, a horn, and a t-shirt cannon all included. pic.twitter.com/lrVvpKBWwn
Around baseball
The Women’s Baseball World Cup is on right now in Florida (go team Canada!) and all eyes will be on beating Japan. The games are ongoing from August 22-31 and most are available to stream for free on YouTube.
Mike Fiers is on fire in Oakland and Jeff Sullivan took a look at what’s going on with him over at Fangraphs.
A good Garden-hire for the Tigers?
At the beginning of the season, no one would have expected the Tigers to be cruising towards September in third place in the Central. Now, no one would have predicted how bad the AL Central would be, either, but that’s not the point. The Tigers have not been as bad as many predicted and a lot of that falls to the decision to hire Ron Gardenhire as the man to steer the ship through troubled waters. Lynn Henning wrote about the season in depth for the Detroit News.
Our question of the day, though: do you think Ron Gardenhire has been a good manager for the Tigers this season?