Tigers vs. Guards was a match to elicits the tingles and it did not disappoint. I pulled up a loveseat that is in the shape of a giant Hamburger Helper Hand that grasps my buttocks like it’s your creepy uncle. First, it was Tarik Skubal, who went 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.21. He did everything you want from your ace with the division on the line. Setting up the Tigers to do what needs to be done, but they did done not enough, as someone who chews straw might say. “Ow, that’s my arm.” That’s a scarecrow to a person who chews straw. Don’t worry, Tigers fans, you now have Keider Montero and others. Hey, can Skubal go on one day rest? So, the real star of the game, and a guy who might actually have more ledes this year than anyone else, Gavin Williams, who went 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 12 Ks, ERA at 3.06. Watched most of this game and I’m kicking myself for not watching Gavin earlier in the year. Sometimes, it’s better to watch a guy than just look at his stats. Check me out, I’m a scout! Williams can’t locate for periods of time, but he’s also not hittable when he’s not locating. He’s just missing the plate and hitters are getting free passes. It’s not the same as not locating and getting rocked because of mistakes. Gavin impressed me like my butt’s saying, “I’m pressed into this giant Hamburger Helper hand seat.” Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Lane Thomas – Underwent foot surgery and will be sidelined for three to four months. Um, okay, seems like he should be ready for Spring Training, but he hasn’t played for almost three months. He could’ve had this surgery in August. Need to buy calendars for certain teams.
David Fry – Squared to bunt and took a Skubal fastball in his face. I have a little baby belly that can’t handle bad stuff, and this was one of those things. Hopefully he’s fine.
Dean Kremer – 6 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, zero walks, 4 Ks, ERA at 4.23. He is Jewish and it was Rosh Hashanah. That makes me think, what if Koufax pitched on Yom Kippur? It would’ve been a 12-inning two-hitter, shutout. Kremer was a Streamonator call, hope you called it.
Colton Cowser – 2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 16th homer, and 3rd homer since the 14th. Meh, it’s close enough to a hot schmotato for me. Him or Nasim Nunez? Don’t make me choose!
MacKenzie Gore – Hit the IL with “he sucked on Monday and I only started him stupidly because he had two starts scheduled and I’m a moron.”
Anthony Santander – Activated from the IL, but did not play. At this time of year: Nasim Nunez or Santander? Well, Nasim’s been hot, nah’mean? Don’t go back in on guys just because they’re supposed to be good in April.
Alek Manoah – Designated for assignment. 2022 You better sit down before hearing that news. Welp, it’s too late, I see 2022 You is just shaking its head in disbelief. 2022 You muttering, “At least my keeper team still has Wander Franco.”
Lucas Giolito – 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 3.41. Streamonator has him getting one final start on Sunday, but if the Sawx are smaht, they’d let him rest for the playoffs.
Hurston Waldrep – 6 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.88. Next year he’s likely the most impossible starter to rank. He could be anything. A top 20 starter, top 40 starter, top 80 starter, a broach, a pterodactyl!
Michael Harris II – 2-for-3 and his 18th and 19th homer. The Dead Cat Bounce Braves never fail!
Ronald Acuña Jr. – 1-for-4 and his 20th homer, and 2nd homer in two games. How I’m thinking about Tildaddy for next year: Listen to this week’s podcast.
Luis Garcia Jr. – 0-for-4 as he started at 1st base for the first time in his career. How many games we got left for him to get eligibility? What if every Luis Garcia in MLB started playing 1st base for the final week, would they give him the eligibility?
James Wood – 2-for-3 and his 28th homer. A Wood homer? Oh my! Is this May or June? Next thing you’re gonna tell me Oneil or Elly homered.
Oneil Cruz – 1-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 20th homer. CMON! No way! He’s been almost as bad as…
Elly De La Cruz – 3-for-3, 2 RBIs and his 21st homer. OH MY GOD! It’s a Cruz Missile counteroffensive by another Cruz Missile! Elly and Oneil, the Cruz Brothers, have some serious soul-searching to do this final week (and hitting) if they want me to get fully invested next year. Who am I kidding?! Of course I still love them both!
Cristopher Sanchez – 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.57. I get the sense people will not be drafting Sanchez as an ace next year. Ya know, the guy who was an ace already this year. Next week I start recapping all the positions, and Sanchez is around the tenth best starter this year. I don’t see why he can’t repeat.
Otto Kemp – 1-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 7th homer. LFG, lede buy from last week!
Kyle Schwarber – 1-for-4 and his 54th homer. Stick around for my rankings in January — December for Patreon! — when I continue to underrate Schwarber!
Edward Cabrera – 4 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 3.66, as he was activated from the IL, because the Marlins only have to win six of six games and need every other team in the league to lose, I guess. I don’t know why else they’d activate him.
Brandon Nimmo – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 25th homer as he played center field to keep Starling Marte in the lineup over Cedric Mullins and I am ugh’ing very loudly I wasted FAAB on Mullins in my NL-Only leagues.
Francisco Lindor – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 29th homer. Next week I start the positional recaps and shortstops were deep coming into the year. Did they stay deep? (Spoiler Alert: No.)
Francisco Alvarez – 1-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 10th homer, 2nd homer in a week. Not bad for a guy with a broken pinkie, foot and wrist.
David Peterson – 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 4.22. He should’ve been shut down in July.
Cade Horton – Left with back tightness, i.e., Horton hears a rest before the playoffs.
Cole Ragans – 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 5.02. That’s encouraging. Will I be drafting him next year? I don’t know if it’s that encouraging.
Taylor Ward – 1-for-4 and his 35th homer. Ward has the most 9th inning homers that are meaningless to the outcome of the game. I don’t know if this is true, but it feels like it.
Corey Seager – Shut down for the season with Marcus Semien. Seager vows to pretend to be healthy next March only to hit the IL by mid-April.
Wyatt Langford – Left the game with side tightness. Langford is the first outfielder to go 20/20/20, that’s homers, steals and oblique injuries.
Joc Pederson – 1-for-3 and his 9th homer. Bochy, in his infinite head size, now has Joc, one of the worst hitters in baseball, who can only really homer and nothing else, leading off.
Zebby Matthews – 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 6 Ks, ERA at 5.56. Is it me (it’s not me) or is there three great starters, ten solid starters and 75 starters who could have or do have a 5+ ERA?
Roki Sasaki – Will return today, and Roberts said he will pitch out of the bullpen, and I said, “Anyone’s guess what they’re going to get from him but I’d say worse than their 3rd worst reliever, but not as bad as Tanner Scott or Treinen.”
Teoscar Hernandez – 2-for-4, 3 RBIs and his 25th homer. Guess who had him on his bench for this home run? Not me, suckers! Not this time!
Shohei Ohtani – 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, zero walks, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.87, 0-for-3, 1 run. He’s a top one or two best hitter and a top 10 starter. Have we fully grappled with that?
Tanner Scott – 2/3 IP, 2 ER, ERA at 4.91. Excellent stuff, Dodgers! Two billions spent on a team, and twenty-seven dollars on a bullpen. A classic build!
Brandon Pfaadt – 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 5.00. Won’t be drafting him next year, so he will be an ace finally. You’re welcome.
Dominic Canzone – 1-for-3 and his 11th homer. He got a bouncy ball meant for The Ass Man.
Ryan O’Hearn – 2-for-4, 4 RBIs and his 17th homer, as the Brewers took on the Padres in a classic playoffs preview, only in this game no one cared at all because both are set for the playoffs. Also, Luis Arraez (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) hit his 8th homer, and Randy Vasquez (7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 2 walks, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.73) pitched extremely well in a meaningless game. Woohoo, here’s to more meaningless games for my pitchers!
Jose Iglesias – 2-for-4 and his 3rd homer, and 2nd homer in two games. Drafting Austin Riley and Yordan Alvarez, hoping for the best come H2H playoffs time, which turns to picking up Iglesias and Nasim Nunez.
Nolan Arenado – 2-for-5 and a slam (11) and legs (3). Hey, you gotta check out this out! I bought one of Nena’s 99 Luftballons. It’s haphazardly sitting over by this open window–NOOOO!!! Torenado!
Ivan Herrera – 2-for-4, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and his 19th homer, 3rd homer in three games, and all three games he’s homered in come after he announced he needed elbow surgery. Can he announce he needs a new knee or something so he starts stealing bases?
Brendan Donovan – 4-for-5, 1 run, 1 RBI. All four hits were doubles as he tries to tempt you next year into thinking they will turn into homers.
Heliot Ramos – 2-for-5, runs and his 20th homer, 2nd homer in two games, 3rd homer in a week. Inner monologue, “Don’t say he was a preseason sleeper!” He was a preseason sleeper. IM, “You idiot!”
Andrew Benintendi – Hit the IL with Achilles tendinitis. That’s Benintendinitis.
Colson Montgomery – 1-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 19th homer. That’s 19 homers in the 2nd half! As a rookie! Hello!
Shane Smith – 5 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.98. Streamonator has him making a final start on Sunday, and I don’t mind it, but the White Sox also might shut him down.
Luis Gil – 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.29. Streamonator has him going on Sunday, which I don’t trust at all. Yanks would be wise to let him throw at most three innings, then do a siesta.
Rob Manfred – Has ruined baseball and should be banished to Pickleball Commissioner and have to argue with 80-year-old’s trying to salary cap their Pickleball league to allow only one turkey club per doubles partnership. “You can’t have two turkey clubs, it slows you down too much, Bertrand!” However, sometimes Manfred gets things right. He’s oversaw some of the best changes (pitch clock) and some of the worst (ghost runners). MLB announcing they will have robo-umps next season is one of the best changes.
LFG!
— Razzball (@razzball.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Even if it’s only two challenges per club, it’s a good first step. Once they see how smooth it runs, it’ll get expanded. Plus, they only get two challenges but keep them if they’re right, so don’t challenge calls that are correct. I can’t wait to see how teams try to get around the “no help from the dugout or other players on the field.” Jose Altuve on 2nd base randomly shouting, “I got hiccups!” Then the batter motions to challenge the call. Announcer, “Hmm, that’s interesting, Altuve seems to have hiccups just about every time he’s on 2nd base. He should try counting to ten while holding his nose.” How long until FanGraphs has which catchers are best at spotting missed strikes, and why is it definitely going to be Alejandro Kirk adding an extra 15 strikes per game for his pitchers? And what about Jazz Chisholm Jr. incorrectly using all the Yanks’ challenges in the 1st inning and his entire team groaning? Will “ABS Powered by T-Mobile” actually get coverage in all stadiums? When an umpire is wrong, do players demand an apology? The possibilities are endless!
