Game thread CXL - Tigers at Royals

Vinnie Pasquantino came back from the injured list last night and all he did was pick up right where he left off with another double. He slots back into the lineup again this afternoon as the cleanup hitter. Here’s hoping he can hold that position for years to come.

In other lineup analysis, Hunter Dozier gets his second game off in three days. Hunter hasn’t hit a home run since July 31st and has an abysmal 21 wRC+ over that time period. He has one hit in the month of September. That’s the only time he’s reached base in his last 28 plate appearances. He’s pretty much become Omar Infante but slower and worse at defense.

Someone getting the day off that’s a little more disappointing is Nate Eaton. I know he slumped for a while, but even including that period he’s got the fourth-highest wRC+ among players with at least 10 plate appearances since his first true promotion on August 8. He’s been better than MJ Melendez, Michael A. Taylor, and even Bobby Witt Jr. who has quietly been slumping for the past month. Not to rag on the guy, but Hunter Dozier has been worth -0.9 fWAR over that same period thanks to his own, much louder slump.

Jonathan Heasley will take the mound for KC, today for his second straight Saturday start. It is also his second straight start against the Tigers. He’s probably going to need to hit his spots better this time if he doesn’t want to endure a repeat of last night’s performance. Last week he pitched seven innings and allowed only two runs which sounds good, but his Game Score was a mere 51 because he was constantly pitching around baserunners and not getting any strikeouts. That’s what we call a lucky day. It would be silly to look for the same luck to happen in back-to-back starts against the same opponent.

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