Kyle Lohse had to wait until almost the end of spring training to get signed by anyone. There weren't any restrictions in place for him, it's just that no one wanted to pay him the "Gil Meche money" he was seeking.
Right now any teams that were courting him probably aren't overly disappointed with their decision. That's not to say that some of them shouldn't be.
In 16 starts (94.1 innings) Lohse is 9-2, with a respectable 3.63 ERA. He's actually been St. Louis' 2nd best starter behind converted reliever Adam Wainright. But when you look just underneath the surface, Lohse isn't exactly a world-beater. His .277 BAbip isn't amazing, but it's still about 30 points lower than his career average (and this is a 29 year old). The strikeout rate has absolutely fallen off the table as he's down to little more than 4 K/9 (career 5.6 K/9). Having said that, he's helping himself out with only 2.3 BB/9 (down from 2.8 for his career). Staying away from the longball has also been quite a help. His HR rate is down from a little over 1 per 9 to a thin .6 HR/9.
Over his last 7 starts, Lohse has been nothing short of phenomenal only allowing 10 earned runs over that span. The more shocking thing is that he's only walked SEVEN in those starts as a whole. The good news for Tigers fans is that there were only 20 Ks in those seven games, so the ball will be around the plate (though that hasn't been good news for the 2008 Tigers for the most part).
With all of that positive must come a negative, right? Yes, it really does. Kyle Lohse has had a horrendous career against the Detroit Tigers. In a little over 100 IP, he sports an OPS against of .849 and an atrocious 5.74 ERA. In those innings he's allowed 17 HR and struggled to a 7-6 record against the boys from Detroit. The decent news for him is that half of his innings against the Tigers have come in Comerica (where the game is played tonight), and his stats are a tad bit more respectable there. The ERA drops a little over a full point, and only 6 of those 17 HRs came in Detroit.
Triumphant or not, Kyle Lohse returns tonight!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The State of the Tigers
The Hitters: May was a down month for the Detroit Offense. Their team OPS dropped by almost .100 points, they hit nine less home runs, and their walks fell off the face of the Earth (122 in April, 67 in May)
Curtis Granderson - After a blazing hot start in his first six games back from the DL, Granderson hit a wall. Everyone knew that he wouldn't keep up a 1.49 OPS, but a .585 OPS was absolutely out of the question. His BAbip was .266, but that's nothing that's absolutely crippling. The crippling thing is that he only had six extra base hits all month, and actually struck out more than he hit (25 to 24).
Placido Polanco - Placido looked much more like himself in May. He doubled his hit total, while only taking four walks in the month. The ten doubles helped get his May slugging to .425 (compared to .342 in April).
Gary Sheffield - A .355 OBP is nothing to scoff at for a major league ballplayer. But if you're a #3 hitter on a ballclub that also sports Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen, and Magglio Ordonez, you should probably sport a better slugging pct. than a paltry .354. Age and injuries may have finally broken Sheffield down completely.
Magglio Ordonez - Outside of Detroit (and very possibly even in Detroit), Maggs went completely under the radar in May. He put up an excellent .940 OPS, and even though he took half the walks that he did in April, his .381 BAbip made that a non-issue. He just keeps rollin'.
Carlos Guillen - After carrying the Tigers for most of April, Carlos regressed quite a bit in May. His OPS dropped from .938 in April to a below-league average .721 in May. He's beginning to show that his years of hitting more than 20 HRs in a year may be behind him with only five in the first two months.
Miguel Cabrera - I've spent quite a good portion of this young season defending Miguel, and it's beginning to get harder. You can't knock the guy for being inconsistent as far as his OPS goes, it's just that people would like it to be about .150 points higher. They don't pay the man the way they do for an above average OPS. Ten extra base hits a month just won't do the job.
Edgar Renteria - E6 had a horrible month of May. He had a decent, if only around average, April. But that fell completely off and he couldn't even manage to break a .300 OBP or slugging pct. One bad month doesn't make a player, but with Edgar's best years behind him and average defense at the best, his trade is going to look worse and worse as time passes.
Brandon Inge - Brandon only managed to get around 50 ABs, and he really didn't make them count. He put up an unimaginable .495 OPS and struck out twice as many times as he hit. And after that excellent showing of patience he had in April, he only walked once in May. It's hard to justify playing someone for their glove when they're putting up worse numbers offensively than a slumping Edgar Renteria.
Matt Joyce/Marcus Thames - Joyce looked phenomenal until major league pitchers learned to just give him the Pedro Cerrano treatment and throw him breaking balls. After he was sent down, it seemed as though Marcus Thames would see a big increase in ABs. This wasn't really the case, as he only had four more plate appearances in May than April. He made the most of those plate appearances though, rocking a .911 OPS. Two of his three home runs came in one game, but with a season as bad as this one, you take the good where you can.
The Starters: April was a horrible, horrible time to be a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. For whatever reason, May wasn't a whole lot better (oh wait, the reason is they suck).
Justin Verlander - While Verlander wasn't amazing in May, he was a hell of a lot better than April. He allowed more hits, but reduced his walks, and halved his runs allowed. The most odd thing about Verlander's May was that his BAbip went up by almost 40 points and yet his opponent's OPS dropped by .100. With his BAbip returning to normal and him getting better luck, this may be the start of something positive.
Jeremy Bonderman - Despite pitching six less innings in May, Bonderman walked 10 less, struck out 3 more, and allowed 3 less hits. Through all that, his ERA actually went up by 1.05. Bad luck was certainly part of it, and that's really nothing new for Jeremy.
Kenny Rogers - Three of Kenny's five starts in May were quality ones, but the other two were nothing to write home about. He didn't let the hits hurt too much, and his walks weren't too much of a problem either. Unless he gets injured, Rogers will continue to be very feast or famine.
Nate Robertson - You can count on two things. The sun will rise, and Nate Robertson will give up four runs in a start. Nine of his eleven starts have resulted in four earned runs or more. The positive for Nate in May was that lowered his ERA from 6.91. A May ERA of 5.15 isn't very pleasant though. He had one more start than in April, and allowed ten more hits and had four less strikeouts. The five home runs were kind of unsettling, and Nate is showing us all that 2006 was a nice fluke.
Dontrelle Willis - The D-Train was on the DL for much of May, and the Tigers didn't miss him at all. Sad but true. The fact that he just threw his first strikeouts of the season only after he'd walked eleven should tell you all you need to know about how his pitching has been.
Armando Galarraga - Galarraga has performed far better than anyone could've hoped, sporting the only ERA+ north of 100 (league average) on the staff. Having said that, his May was more along the lines of what people expected as his ERA shifted to 4.55. Basically multiply all of his April stats by three (other than IP), and you've got his May performance. Expect the regression to continue.
The Relievers: While the beginning of the season made it look like the Detroit bullpen was going to be some unlikely bright spot. Unfortunately regression has set in (shocker there), and they've turned into the house of horrors that everyone suspected they would be.
Casey Fossum - Fossum is absolutely terrible. Don't let anyone try to sway you into thinking any differently. At 29, he's not going to "figure" anything out as far as his terrible stuff. People can gander at the pretty AAA stats all they like, but a look at his career MLB stats will bring tears to your eyes (the despair kind).
Aquilino Lopez - Aside from one season that he pitched 70+ innings with the Blue Jays, he's a 33 year old reliever who hasn't ever really been amazing. He's been one of the better Detroit relievers this season, but will not be a guy who can be counted on to shut down an opposing team in any situation. He'll be a decent bullpen piece if he doesn't regress too hard.
Freddy Dolsi - Don't let the good ERA (1.54) fool you. He's only pitched 11 innings, and in those innings he's walked seven batters and only struck out 6. He gets hit around a good amount, to the tune of a 1.62 WHIP (sample size, I know).
Clay Rapada - A guy who's used as a lefty specialist, but awkwardly enough has a much higher batting average against with lefties (.273 against lefties, .200 against righties). Only 10 innings pitched, but he's been up and down.
Denny Bautista - Bautista is a nice example of people falling in love with a quick fastball. Yes it's fast, and his slider isn't too shabby either. Problem is, he's the same pitcher that he was in KC and Colorado. He doesn't strike out as many as his stuff would indicate, he walks too many batters (13 BB in 13 IP), and for whatever reason he's very hittable (12 H in 13 IP). It's only 13 innings, but a 1.875 WHIP is pretty eye-popping.
Bobby Seay - The great year that Bobby had last year in his age 29 season may have given some people unrealistic expectations. His stuff isn't overpowering, and he's been hit around pretty well so far. He's only walked eight in 17 innings, so I guess that's something.
Zach Miner - Miner has already allowed more earned runs in 31 innings than he had all of last season (53 innings). Mario and Rod will tell you all day that his stuff is excellent, but he hasn't translated that to a whole lot of success so far. He would probably do himself a favor if he had a bigger gap in his walks and strikeouts (18 BBs to 19 Ks).
Todd Jones - Walks have been more of a problem for Todd Jones than in recent years (he's on pace to walk 30% more batters than last year). Add in the fact that he still gets hit around pretty well, and this year has been pretty typical Todd Jones. He's already allowed three home runs, which is as many as he allowed all last season
The return of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya seems like it would be a shot in the arm for this horrible crew. Though Tigers fans would probably do themselves well to temper their excitement until they actually make it up to the bigs again.
Overall, Tigers fans are going to continue to hope for what they have all season. For the team to not only play up to expectations, but anywhere near shouting distance of them.
Curtis Granderson - After a blazing hot start in his first six games back from the DL, Granderson hit a wall. Everyone knew that he wouldn't keep up a 1.49 OPS, but a .585 OPS was absolutely out of the question. His BAbip was .266, but that's nothing that's absolutely crippling. The crippling thing is that he only had six extra base hits all month, and actually struck out more than he hit (25 to 24).
Placido Polanco - Placido looked much more like himself in May. He doubled his hit total, while only taking four walks in the month. The ten doubles helped get his May slugging to .425 (compared to .342 in April).
Gary Sheffield - A .355 OBP is nothing to scoff at for a major league ballplayer. But if you're a #3 hitter on a ballclub that also sports Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen, and Magglio Ordonez, you should probably sport a better slugging pct. than a paltry .354. Age and injuries may have finally broken Sheffield down completely.
Magglio Ordonez - Outside of Detroit (and very possibly even in Detroit), Maggs went completely under the radar in May. He put up an excellent .940 OPS, and even though he took half the walks that he did in April, his .381 BAbip made that a non-issue. He just keeps rollin'.
Carlos Guillen - After carrying the Tigers for most of April, Carlos regressed quite a bit in May. His OPS dropped from .938 in April to a below-league average .721 in May. He's beginning to show that his years of hitting more than 20 HRs in a year may be behind him with only five in the first two months.
Miguel Cabrera - I've spent quite a good portion of this young season defending Miguel, and it's beginning to get harder. You can't knock the guy for being inconsistent as far as his OPS goes, it's just that people would like it to be about .150 points higher. They don't pay the man the way they do for an above average OPS. Ten extra base hits a month just won't do the job.
Edgar Renteria - E6 had a horrible month of May. He had a decent, if only around average, April. But that fell completely off and he couldn't even manage to break a .300 OBP or slugging pct. One bad month doesn't make a player, but with Edgar's best years behind him and average defense at the best, his trade is going to look worse and worse as time passes.
Brandon Inge - Brandon only managed to get around 50 ABs, and he really didn't make them count. He put up an unimaginable .495 OPS and struck out twice as many times as he hit. And after that excellent showing of patience he had in April, he only walked once in May. It's hard to justify playing someone for their glove when they're putting up worse numbers offensively than a slumping Edgar Renteria.
Matt Joyce/Marcus Thames - Joyce looked phenomenal until major league pitchers learned to just give him the Pedro Cerrano treatment and throw him breaking balls. After he was sent down, it seemed as though Marcus Thames would see a big increase in ABs. This wasn't really the case, as he only had four more plate appearances in May than April. He made the most of those plate appearances though, rocking a .911 OPS. Two of his three home runs came in one game, but with a season as bad as this one, you take the good where you can.
The Starters: April was a horrible, horrible time to be a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. For whatever reason, May wasn't a whole lot better (oh wait, the reason is they suck).
Justin Verlander - While Verlander wasn't amazing in May, he was a hell of a lot better than April. He allowed more hits, but reduced his walks, and halved his runs allowed. The most odd thing about Verlander's May was that his BAbip went up by almost 40 points and yet his opponent's OPS dropped by .100. With his BAbip returning to normal and him getting better luck, this may be the start of something positive.
Jeremy Bonderman - Despite pitching six less innings in May, Bonderman walked 10 less, struck out 3 more, and allowed 3 less hits. Through all that, his ERA actually went up by 1.05. Bad luck was certainly part of it, and that's really nothing new for Jeremy.
Kenny Rogers - Three of Kenny's five starts in May were quality ones, but the other two were nothing to write home about. He didn't let the hits hurt too much, and his walks weren't too much of a problem either. Unless he gets injured, Rogers will continue to be very feast or famine.
Nate Robertson - You can count on two things. The sun will rise, and Nate Robertson will give up four runs in a start. Nine of his eleven starts have resulted in four earned runs or more. The positive for Nate in May was that lowered his ERA from 6.91. A May ERA of 5.15 isn't very pleasant though. He had one more start than in April, and allowed ten more hits and had four less strikeouts. The five home runs were kind of unsettling, and Nate is showing us all that 2006 was a nice fluke.
Dontrelle Willis - The D-Train was on the DL for much of May, and the Tigers didn't miss him at all. Sad but true. The fact that he just threw his first strikeouts of the season only after he'd walked eleven should tell you all you need to know about how his pitching has been.
Armando Galarraga - Galarraga has performed far better than anyone could've hoped, sporting the only ERA+ north of 100 (league average) on the staff. Having said that, his May was more along the lines of what people expected as his ERA shifted to 4.55. Basically multiply all of his April stats by three (other than IP), and you've got his May performance. Expect the regression to continue.
The Relievers: While the beginning of the season made it look like the Detroit bullpen was going to be some unlikely bright spot. Unfortunately regression has set in (shocker there), and they've turned into the house of horrors that everyone suspected they would be.
Casey Fossum - Fossum is absolutely terrible. Don't let anyone try to sway you into thinking any differently. At 29, he's not going to "figure" anything out as far as his terrible stuff. People can gander at the pretty AAA stats all they like, but a look at his career MLB stats will bring tears to your eyes (the despair kind).
Aquilino Lopez - Aside from one season that he pitched 70+ innings with the Blue Jays, he's a 33 year old reliever who hasn't ever really been amazing. He's been one of the better Detroit relievers this season, but will not be a guy who can be counted on to shut down an opposing team in any situation. He'll be a decent bullpen piece if he doesn't regress too hard.
Freddy Dolsi - Don't let the good ERA (1.54) fool you. He's only pitched 11 innings, and in those innings he's walked seven batters and only struck out 6. He gets hit around a good amount, to the tune of a 1.62 WHIP (sample size, I know).
Clay Rapada - A guy who's used as a lefty specialist, but awkwardly enough has a much higher batting average against with lefties (.273 against lefties, .200 against righties). Only 10 innings pitched, but he's been up and down.
Denny Bautista - Bautista is a nice example of people falling in love with a quick fastball. Yes it's fast, and his slider isn't too shabby either. Problem is, he's the same pitcher that he was in KC and Colorado. He doesn't strike out as many as his stuff would indicate, he walks too many batters (13 BB in 13 IP), and for whatever reason he's very hittable (12 H in 13 IP). It's only 13 innings, but a 1.875 WHIP is pretty eye-popping.
Bobby Seay - The great year that Bobby had last year in his age 29 season may have given some people unrealistic expectations. His stuff isn't overpowering, and he's been hit around pretty well so far. He's only walked eight in 17 innings, so I guess that's something.
Zach Miner - Miner has already allowed more earned runs in 31 innings than he had all of last season (53 innings). Mario and Rod will tell you all day that his stuff is excellent, but he hasn't translated that to a whole lot of success so far. He would probably do himself a favor if he had a bigger gap in his walks and strikeouts (18 BBs to 19 Ks).
Todd Jones - Walks have been more of a problem for Todd Jones than in recent years (he's on pace to walk 30% more batters than last year). Add in the fact that he still gets hit around pretty well, and this year has been pretty typical Todd Jones. He's already allowed three home runs, which is as many as he allowed all last season
The return of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya seems like it would be a shot in the arm for this horrible crew. Though Tigers fans would probably do themselves well to temper their excitement until they actually make it up to the bigs again.
Overall, Tigers fans are going to continue to hope for what they have all season. For the team to not only play up to expectations, but anywhere near shouting distance of them.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Laying Eggs
A series that had so much promise for 6 innings on Friday night ended with a thud in the afternoon on Sunday.
The Tigers were shut out for the seventh time only a month and a half into the season by father time himself, Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was far from dominant, allowing seven baserunners in seven innings. He did strike out five, but the Tigers helped him along by stranding runner after runner (including a no out double by Miguel in the 4th).
Nate Robertson was hit around pretty well, giving up seven base hits and four walks in just 5.2 innings. He was having decent luck until he gave up a two-run double to Chris Young in the 5th. In the 6th Robertson loaded the bases full, with one of those being a walk to Randy Johnson after intentionally walking Miguel Montero. Freddy Dolsi came in to relieve him, and immediately walked Chris Young to bring in a run. The D-Backs tacked on another run off the Tigers bullpen before Zach Miner shut them down for the remainder.
In addition to the offensive ineptitude, Jim Leyland provided a nice head scratcher as well. He batted Pudge Rodriguez leadoff again because of the lefty on the mound (which he's done before, so it wasn't so surprising). But the problem was in the three-hole. Rather than just moving Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera up in the order, he hit Edgar Renteria third. Edgar has been good this season against lefties in a pretty small sample size at only 20 ABs. Over his career he slugs around .450 against southpaws, but with Cabrera and Ordonez around he shouldn't be hitting any higher than 5th.
Next on the agenda? A series with that other disappointing AL team, the Seattle Mariners.
The Tigers were shut out for the seventh time only a month and a half into the season by father time himself, Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was far from dominant, allowing seven baserunners in seven innings. He did strike out five, but the Tigers helped him along by stranding runner after runner (including a no out double by Miguel in the 4th).
Nate Robertson was hit around pretty well, giving up seven base hits and four walks in just 5.2 innings. He was having decent luck until he gave up a two-run double to Chris Young in the 5th. In the 6th Robertson loaded the bases full, with one of those being a walk to Randy Johnson after intentionally walking Miguel Montero. Freddy Dolsi came in to relieve him, and immediately walked Chris Young to bring in a run. The D-Backs tacked on another run off the Tigers bullpen before Zach Miner shut them down for the remainder.
In addition to the offensive ineptitude, Jim Leyland provided a nice head scratcher as well. He batted Pudge Rodriguez leadoff again because of the lefty on the mound (which he's done before, so it wasn't so surprising). But the problem was in the three-hole. Rather than just moving Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera up in the order, he hit Edgar Renteria third. Edgar has been good this season against lefties in a pretty small sample size at only 20 ABs. Over his career he slugs around .450 against southpaws, but with Cabrera and Ordonez around he shouldn't be hitting any higher than 5th.
Next on the agenda? A series with that other disappointing AL team, the Seattle Mariners.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Brooms Ahoy
Confidence isn't a word I would really use too often when talking about the 2008 Detroit Tigers. But going into Thursday's finale in KC, it was pretty safe to assume that the Tigers were probably pretty confident in their chances. They wouldn't be swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals. Kenny Rogers was taking the hill, on a roll with three consecutive quality starts. And they were facing a starter that they victimized in the season opener.
All that came to a screeching halt as the Gambler fell victim to a three run first inning, and a two run second shortly thereafter. By the time he'd exited after the fourth inning, KC had a seven-spot on the board, and fourteen men had reached base.
Gil Meche gave one back in the second inning, but looked nothing like the man Detroit had seen the first go round. It was just another day at the office for a Kansas City pitcher, going seven strong and keeping the foot on the Tigers' throat all day.
You know there is something seriously wrong when Matt Joyce (not really trying to slight the man too hard here) is seemingly the entire offense. Another home run was crushed to the right field grass, and he also added a sac fly.
The AL Central is still a jumbled mess, with first place and fourth place only 2.5 games apart. But the Tigers aren't even in that discussion because they're sitting in dead last, 3.5 games away from the nearest team (the Royals). The Indians have claimed first place, already have a six game cushion to work with, and all of their pitchers throwing zeros.
If Detroit doesn't make some sort of adjustment soon (cough, Gary Sheffield DL, cough), they could be in severe trouble. A visit to arguably the best team in the NL (the Snakes) is not going to help matters at all, and interleague play as a whole is not going to be a laugher for the AL this season.
All that came to a screeching halt as the Gambler fell victim to a three run first inning, and a two run second shortly thereafter. By the time he'd exited after the fourth inning, KC had a seven-spot on the board, and fourteen men had reached base.
Gil Meche gave one back in the second inning, but looked nothing like the man Detroit had seen the first go round. It was just another day at the office for a Kansas City pitcher, going seven strong and keeping the foot on the Tigers' throat all day.
You know there is something seriously wrong when Matt Joyce (not really trying to slight the man too hard here) is seemingly the entire offense. Another home run was crushed to the right field grass, and he also added a sac fly.
The AL Central is still a jumbled mess, with first place and fourth place only 2.5 games apart. But the Tigers aren't even in that discussion because they're sitting in dead last, 3.5 games away from the nearest team (the Royals). The Indians have claimed first place, already have a six game cushion to work with, and all of their pitchers throwing zeros.
If Detroit doesn't make some sort of adjustment soon (cough, Gary Sheffield DL, cough), they could be in severe trouble. A visit to arguably the best team in the NL (the Snakes) is not going to help matters at all, and interleague play as a whole is not going to be a laugher for the AL this season.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Falling Down
After a heartbreaking loss on Tuesday, the Tigers absolutely needed a good start from Justin Verlander. Only one of his starts has been quality, and the rest (seven of them) have been at least four earned runs or more. He was not the problem today.
The offense, on the other hand, was.
Kansas City rookie pitcher Luke Hochevar pitched six very strong innings of shutout ball. He threw less strikes than Verlander on a comparable amount of pitches, but was bailed out routinely by the Tigers thin bats. He walked three batters, but only allowed four base hits (none for extra bases), and struck out five. Detroit's bats looked, for the lack of a better word (by my choice), pathetic. In the season series so far against the Royals, the Tigers are 3-36 with runners in scoring position.
The Tigers young ace looked good, but not quite as good as his counterpart. The only real mistake came on a two RBI single by Joey Gathright in the second inning. It wasn't really a mistake as much as it was a decent piece of hitting on a very low breaking ball by the KC speedster. After that blip, he didn't allow another run to score in his 6+ innings of work. It really was just what the Tigers needed from him. It would be nice to see him throw more first pitch strikes, and not get behind on hitters that he should be challenging, but this start was very encouraging nevertheless.
Down 2-0 in the top of the 8th inning, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen both got on with singles. On the first pitch of the next at bat, Magglio Ordonez grounded into a double play. A Miguel Cabrera ground out later, and the mild crisis was averted. After that poor showing by the heart of the order, it was left up to six, seven, and eight hitters in the 9th to salvage something. That was put to rest before anyone could blink. Joakim Soria struck out the first two batters he faced, and got a groundout to record his 10th save of the season.
That, my friends, is how you completely waste two quality starts from a couple of struggling starting pitchers.
The offense, on the other hand, was.
Kansas City rookie pitcher Luke Hochevar pitched six very strong innings of shutout ball. He threw less strikes than Verlander on a comparable amount of pitches, but was bailed out routinely by the Tigers thin bats. He walked three batters, but only allowed four base hits (none for extra bases), and struck out five. Detroit's bats looked, for the lack of a better word (by my choice), pathetic. In the season series so far against the Royals, the Tigers are 3-36 with runners in scoring position.
The Tigers young ace looked good, but not quite as good as his counterpart. The only real mistake came on a two RBI single by Joey Gathright in the second inning. It wasn't really a mistake as much as it was a decent piece of hitting on a very low breaking ball by the KC speedster. After that blip, he didn't allow another run to score in his 6+ innings of work. It really was just what the Tigers needed from him. It would be nice to see him throw more first pitch strikes, and not get behind on hitters that he should be challenging, but this start was very encouraging nevertheless.
Down 2-0 in the top of the 8th inning, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen both got on with singles. On the first pitch of the next at bat, Magglio Ordonez grounded into a double play. A Miguel Cabrera ground out later, and the mild crisis was averted. After that poor showing by the heart of the order, it was left up to six, seven, and eight hitters in the 9th to salvage something. That was put to rest before anyone could blink. Joakim Soria struck out the first two batters he faced, and got a groundout to record his 10th save of the season.
That, my friends, is how you completely waste two quality starts from a couple of struggling starting pitchers.
Friday, May 9, 2008
May 9th-11th Pitching Matchups
Finshing up the season series with the Boston Red Sox was an exercise in futility, as the Tigers only managed to win two out of six overall. Detroit will have the opportunity to play the aggressor this weekend as they close out their season series with the other AL East power, the New York Yankees.
The bombers come in just as hobbled as they were before, and maybe even more so. Alex Rodriguez is still out, as is Jorge Posada. The pitching staff has become even more thin, with Phil Hughes making a trip to the disabled list, and Ian Kennedy being sent down.
Friday: Kenny Rogers vs. Kei Igawa
Kenny had one of his better starts this season in his first encounter with the Yankees, allowing only two earned runs in six innings of work. That was Rogers' second quality start of the season, and he followed it up with his third in the very next start (against the free swinging Twins). Eating innings and giving a quality start here and there is all the Tigers have asked of Rogers, and he hasn't been worse than most of the other Detroit starters.
Kei Igawa's rookie season didn't go the way anyone in New York would've liked it to. He had pretty good strikeout numbers with 54 punchouts in 67.2 innings, but was very prone to the longball and the walk. He walked almost five batters per nine innings, and the 15 home runs allowed in that sample size is astounding. This season for Scranton-Wilkes Barre (Yankees AAA affiliate) Igawa hasn't been very dominant. In almost 40 innings he's sporting a 3.86 ERA, and walking three batters per nine innings. It's not all dreary though. He's only allowed 3 home runs in those innings, and has struck out a batter per inning. This is probably going to be a high scoring affair.
Saturday: Jeremy Bonderman vs. Darrell Rasner
I'm not quite sure what to think of Rasner's only start of the season for the Yanks. It was indeed a quality start, but it was against the vaunted Seattle Mariners juggernaut. His groundballs and flyballs were almost half and half, and he did allow a home run. At the same time he managed to strike out four batters, walk no one, and only gave up five hits. The fact that he's been in the Yankees system for 3 years now and has only had 20 innings of work at a time leads me to believe that his ceiling is a league average starter. If that is indeed the case, this may be the only favorable pitching matchup of the series.
The more I look at his stats, the more I wonder if Nate is just the victim of a high BAbip. He's on pace to strike out more batters than any point in his career, and he's keeping his walks at about the same rate as he ever has (maybe even less, surprisingly enough). Even the 6 home runs he's given up aren't really out of the ordinary for him. Nate Robertson: Enigma
Pettitte had arguably his worst start of the season in his last tango with the Tigers, getting touched up for 5 runs in 6 innings of work. Other than that game, and an earlier encounter with the Cleveland Indians, he's been excellent. His last start against the aforementioned Indians was a 6.1 inning affair in which he struck out a season high 6 batters. As always, he can almost certainly be counted on for a quality start.
It may be a blessing in disguise that the Tigers are getting the Yankees season series out of the way in these first two months, because they won't be struggling this much for the rest of the season. If Detroit doesn't manage at least two, I will be a very shocked young man. But these are the Tigers, and they care not about your foolish predictions and expectations.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wild Night
If Kevin Youkilis would've had a day off, Armando Galarraga's start probably would've looked a whole lot better.
As it stands though, the young righty was touched up for 5 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk in 5.1 innings. The aforementioned "Youk" smacked a pair of home runs totaling three RBIs. While Armando was touched up a little bit in the hit column, he only walked one batter, and brought his strikeout total back up to six. The bullpen provided him no relief as far as a decision is concerned, giving up a grand total of four runs in only 3.2 innings. Zach Miner gave up two runs in only an inning of work, and Francisco Cruceta proved that he can be shaky as well. Cruceta walked two (and struck out two), and gave up a 3-run home run to Mike Lowell (one of the baserunners belonging to Miner). Todd Jones had his normal scary ninth, but didn't allow any runs to cross the plate, and kept Detroit within one run.
Young ace Clay Buccholz showed why his off-speed stuff has earned him the Red Sox minor league pitcher of the year for two consecutive seasons. The fact that he couldn't locate his fastball took away from the effectiveness of his excellent breaking stuff, and allowed the Tigers to pick him apart. Ten hits, one walk, and five runs chased Buccholz from the game.
The Tigers offense exploding in a game where their pitcher wasn't dominating was a welcome respite. Placido Polanco and Gary Sheffield were the unlikely heroes of the day, going 5-6 and 3-4 (with a walk) respectively. Polanco's final hit being the game winning bloop over the head of Julio Lugo, to cap the victory and Jonathon Papelbon's first blown save of the season. That hit moved the Tigers to five games under .500, and Josh Beckett is tabbed for tomorrow.
As it stands though, the young righty was touched up for 5 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk in 5.1 innings. The aforementioned "Youk" smacked a pair of home runs totaling three RBIs. While Armando was touched up a little bit in the hit column, he only walked one batter, and brought his strikeout total back up to six. The bullpen provided him no relief as far as a decision is concerned, giving up a grand total of four runs in only 3.2 innings. Zach Miner gave up two runs in only an inning of work, and Francisco Cruceta proved that he can be shaky as well. Cruceta walked two (and struck out two), and gave up a 3-run home run to Mike Lowell (one of the baserunners belonging to Miner). Todd Jones had his normal scary ninth, but didn't allow any runs to cross the plate, and kept Detroit within one run.
Young ace Clay Buccholz showed why his off-speed stuff has earned him the Red Sox minor league pitcher of the year for two consecutive seasons. The fact that he couldn't locate his fastball took away from the effectiveness of his excellent breaking stuff, and allowed the Tigers to pick him apart. Ten hits, one walk, and five runs chased Buccholz from the game.
The Tigers offense exploding in a game where their pitcher wasn't dominating was a welcome respite. Placido Polanco and Gary Sheffield were the unlikely heroes of the day, going 5-6 and 3-4 (with a walk) respectively. Polanco's final hit being the game winning bloop over the head of Julio Lugo, to cap the victory and Jonathon Papelbon's first blown save of the season. That hit moved the Tigers to five games under .500, and Josh Beckett is tabbed for tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
April Progress Reports: Offense
With the first month of the season coming to a close, there has been more than enough of a sample size to get an idea of what the offense should look like. David Dombrowski saved me a good chunk of negativity, and showed mercy on Tigers fans, by cutting Jacque Jones (a whole barrel of awful). I'll start from the top:
1. Curtis Granderson - 32 PA, 11 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 8 BB, .531 OBP, .958 SLG
Despite only starting six games in April, Curtis scored as many runs as Gary Sheffield, and more than Brandon Inge. Seven of his nine hits went for extra bases, and he's showing that last year was no fluke. He also walked more times than he struck out, which is a tremendous sign as far as his patience is concerned. The fact that he's tearing the cover off the ball, and is in his prime, make it very disappointing that Jim Leyland will never move him down in the order.
2. Placido Polanco - 93 PA, 12 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 12 BB, .344 OBP, .342 SLG
If it weren't for the twelve walks, Polanco's April could have been a lot worse. The .686 OPS is terrible, but with the hitting he's been displaying lately, his slugging should pick up and bring him around. I'd highly doubt he would keep up a .222 BABIP for the whole season.
3. Gary Sheffield - 87 PA, 9 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 14 BB, .333 OBP, .310 SLG, 3 SB
Folks, Gary Sheffield has been outslugged by Placido Polanco. His OBP is lower than Polanco's (and Placido is not a man known for his walks). Gary Sheffield hit in the three hole all month. What is wrong with this picture? It wouldn't be a good idea to give up on Gary, though. He hit almost exactly like this in April of last season, and proceeded to go on an absolute tear for the next few months.
4. Magglio Ordonez - 119 PA, 16 R, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 15 BB, .387 OBP, .515 SLG
Magglio has really continued the roll he was on last season. A .313 BABIP shows that he could easily keep this up, and could even improve. I don't really know what else to say, because I really think that his numbers do a pretty good job of describing him.
5. Miguel Cabrera - 117 PA, 15 R, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 14 BB, .359 OBP, .470 SLG
Magglio and Miguel's lines look very similar, but Magglio has about a point of OPS on him. Some of this may be because of Miguel's .279 BABIP. You can't really look down on someone who's got an .829 OPS. But when that person is going to be your franchise for the forseeable future, it's concerning.
6. Carlos Guillen - 100 PA, 15 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 14 BB, .414 OBP, .524 SLG
After starting the season white hot, and doing his best to keep the Tigers afloat, he's returned to Earth. This isn't a bad thing, as he's still got an OPS above .900. When your 4-5-6 hitters (now 3-4-5) can do that, you're obviously in good shape. His home run total is a little low, but he's not a guy who's going to hit 30 or anything.
7. Edgar Renteria - 116 PA, 15 R, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 5 BB, .336 OBP, .436 SLG
Edgar has a decent line so far. Nothing as earth-shattering as his performance last year (and if David Dombroski though he was trading for that, he's got another thing coming), but decent. The bad thing is that he's only taken as many walks as Pudge Rodriguez. So when his .344 BABIP comes down, so will that already league average OBP. He's in his mid thirties now, so we're probably looking at production somewhere in between his only season in Boston, and his first in Atlanta. Nothing to scoff at from the seven spot, but certainly nothing to write home about.
8. Ivan Rodriguez - 107 PA, 12 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, .302 OBP, .388 SLG
Pudge's offensive decline is proceeding on schedule. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it's accelerating pretty quickly. His OBP is below average as usual, but there are a couple more walks mixed in. It's a good thing he was cool with moving to the bottom of the order, because that's where he belongs at this point.
9. Brandon Inge - 93 PA, 10 R, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, .374 OBP, .446 SLG
That OBP figure is not a typo, people. Brandon Inge has seemingly learned how to take a walk. The fact that Inge is not the worst hitter on this team so far is baffling to me. If he were to start for the whole season, he's on pace to rack up 120 Ks.
I would do something like this for the pitching staff, but I may wait until they (possibly) see some better times so I don't pull my hair out.
1. Curtis Granderson - 32 PA, 11 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 8 BB, .531 OBP, .958 SLG
Despite only starting six games in April, Curtis scored as many runs as Gary Sheffield, and more than Brandon Inge. Seven of his nine hits went for extra bases, and he's showing that last year was no fluke. He also walked more times than he struck out, which is a tremendous sign as far as his patience is concerned. The fact that he's tearing the cover off the ball, and is in his prime, make it very disappointing that Jim Leyland will never move him down in the order.
2. Placido Polanco - 93 PA, 12 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 12 BB, .344 OBP, .342 SLG
If it weren't for the twelve walks, Polanco's April could have been a lot worse. The .686 OPS is terrible, but with the hitting he's been displaying lately, his slugging should pick up and bring him around. I'd highly doubt he would keep up a .222 BABIP for the whole season.
3. Gary Sheffield - 87 PA, 9 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 14 BB, .333 OBP, .310 SLG, 3 SB
Folks, Gary Sheffield has been outslugged by Placido Polanco. His OBP is lower than Polanco's (and Placido is not a man known for his walks). Gary Sheffield hit in the three hole all month. What is wrong with this picture? It wouldn't be a good idea to give up on Gary, though. He hit almost exactly like this in April of last season, and proceeded to go on an absolute tear for the next few months.
4. Magglio Ordonez - 119 PA, 16 R, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 15 BB, .387 OBP, .515 SLG
Magglio has really continued the roll he was on last season. A .313 BABIP shows that he could easily keep this up, and could even improve. I don't really know what else to say, because I really think that his numbers do a pretty good job of describing him.
5. Miguel Cabrera - 117 PA, 15 R, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 14 BB, .359 OBP, .470 SLG
Magglio and Miguel's lines look very similar, but Magglio has about a point of OPS on him. Some of this may be because of Miguel's .279 BABIP. You can't really look down on someone who's got an .829 OPS. But when that person is going to be your franchise for the forseeable future, it's concerning.
6. Carlos Guillen - 100 PA, 15 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 14 BB, .414 OBP, .524 SLG
After starting the season white hot, and doing his best to keep the Tigers afloat, he's returned to Earth. This isn't a bad thing, as he's still got an OPS above .900. When your 4-5-6 hitters (now 3-4-5) can do that, you're obviously in good shape. His home run total is a little low, but he's not a guy who's going to hit 30 or anything.
7. Edgar Renteria - 116 PA, 15 R, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 5 BB, .336 OBP, .436 SLG
Edgar has a decent line so far. Nothing as earth-shattering as his performance last year (and if David Dombroski though he was trading for that, he's got another thing coming), but decent. The bad thing is that he's only taken as many walks as Pudge Rodriguez. So when his .344 BABIP comes down, so will that already league average OBP. He's in his mid thirties now, so we're probably looking at production somewhere in between his only season in Boston, and his first in Atlanta. Nothing to scoff at from the seven spot, but certainly nothing to write home about.
8. Ivan Rodriguez - 107 PA, 12 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, .302 OBP, .388 SLG
Pudge's offensive decline is proceeding on schedule. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it's accelerating pretty quickly. His OBP is below average as usual, but there are a couple more walks mixed in. It's a good thing he was cool with moving to the bottom of the order, because that's where he belongs at this point.
9. Brandon Inge - 93 PA, 10 R, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, .374 OBP, .446 SLG
That OBP figure is not a typo, people. Brandon Inge has seemingly learned how to take a walk. The fact that Inge is not the worst hitter on this team so far is baffling to me. If he were to start for the whole season, he's on pace to rack up 120 Ks.
I would do something like this for the pitching staff, but I may wait until they (possibly) see some better times so I don't pull my hair out.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Tigers/Red Sox Pitching Matchups
Monday- Jeremy Bonderman vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka
Jeremy Bonderman is on pace to strike out 108 batters. That would equal his career low, set in his rookie season of 2003 (and that's IF he throws 210 innings). He only has 18 Ks in 35 innings (with 7 of those coming against Texas), leaving many to wonder what the problem is. Jeremy's start earlier this season against the Sox doesn't look too shabby, on paper. One earned run in five innings is very respectable, but asking the bullpen to throw four scoreless innings was too much (Tigers loss 2-1). He walked four batters in those five innings, allowed another five hits, and only struck out two (all while throwing 90 pitches).
Strikeouts have not been a problem for Boston's Matsuzaka, as he's fanned 32 in 35.2 innings. His control has been spotty on occasion, with games featuring four, five, and six walks. But even in those starts (with a game against the Yankees being an exception), he's been masterful. The highest hit total in one game against him is five, and he's doing a decent job of reigning in the longballs (only three this season). The Red Sox are getting their money's worth.
Tuesday- Nate Robertson vs. Tim Wakefield
Nate had arguably his best start of the year against the Red Sox. However, this isn't saying much, as he still allowed four runs in 5.1 innings. It was way too many baserunners on way too many pitches. There hasn't been a whole lot of good to say about Nate's season up to this point.
The last time the Tim Wakefield saw the Tigers he had his shortest start of the season, but didn't see any repercussions in the loss column. Only three men reached via base hit (a season low for Wakes), but the knuckler walked five and mixed in a couple of hit-by-pitches as well. Wakefield has gone at least five innings in every start this season, so a patient approach like last time would serve well.
Wednesday- Armando Galarraga vs. Clay Buchholz
People are still waiting for Galarraga to have that one horrific "blowup" start, but it hasn't happened yet. The positives are that he's keeping his walks down, his WHIP is still paper thin at 0.87, and that his ERA is sitting at 1.88. The bad news is that his strikeout numbers have gone down in each successive start, and he's been giving up more hits in each start as well. These don't seem to be good indicators, and the league may be catching up to him. The fact that Boston is not only patient, but can hit with the best of them is probably not going to help matters either. I don't do predictions, but keep an eye on this one.
Clay is the other reason to keep an eye on this young pitching duel. While Josh Beckett may be the Red Sox ace at the moment, he's keeping the seat warm for Mr. Buchholz. At only 23, the Boston righty is striking out everything he sees (33 Ks in 34 IP). The 3.71 ERA is nothing to scoff at since he's so young, but the fact that there's room for improvement is scary. He's been hit around a decent amount, which has led to his 15 runs allowed. But his walk total has been pretty good, and he's only allowed three home runs so far.
Thursday- Justin Verlander vs. Josh Beckett
Justin was having himself a pretty darn good game against the Twins on Saturday. That was until Craig Monroe deposited a two-run home run into the Left Field seats. He allowed seven hits in that game, but only walked two. It may just be one of those two steps forward, one step back things, but he'll get there eventually.
To close out the series, Boston will send Josh Beckett to the hill. The only concern Red Sox fans may have is if Beckett approaches the number of home runs he allowed in 2006 (36, wow). He's been tagged for four of them in only five starts. Luckily for him, that has been darn near the only negative. His 4.17 ERA is very deceiving. He's sporting 0.96 WHIP, has struck out a batter per inning (34), is not walking anyone, and has gone at least 6.2 innings in each start since his first. He's going to be the same horse this season that he has in the past, and the Tigers had better take notice.
Jeremy Bonderman is on pace to strike out 108 batters. That would equal his career low, set in his rookie season of 2003 (and that's IF he throws 210 innings). He only has 18 Ks in 35 innings (with 7 of those coming against Texas), leaving many to wonder what the problem is. Jeremy's start earlier this season against the Sox doesn't look too shabby, on paper. One earned run in five innings is very respectable, but asking the bullpen to throw four scoreless innings was too much (Tigers loss 2-1). He walked four batters in those five innings, allowed another five hits, and only struck out two (all while throwing 90 pitches).
Strikeouts have not been a problem for Boston's Matsuzaka, as he's fanned 32 in 35.2 innings. His control has been spotty on occasion, with games featuring four, five, and six walks. But even in those starts (with a game against the Yankees being an exception), he's been masterful. The highest hit total in one game against him is five, and he's doing a decent job of reigning in the longballs (only three this season). The Red Sox are getting their money's worth.
Tuesday- Nate Robertson vs. Tim Wakefield
Nate had arguably his best start of the year against the Red Sox. However, this isn't saying much, as he still allowed four runs in 5.1 innings. It was way too many baserunners on way too many pitches. There hasn't been a whole lot of good to say about Nate's season up to this point.
The last time the Tim Wakefield saw the Tigers he had his shortest start of the season, but didn't see any repercussions in the loss column. Only three men reached via base hit (a season low for Wakes), but the knuckler walked five and mixed in a couple of hit-by-pitches as well. Wakefield has gone at least five innings in every start this season, so a patient approach like last time would serve well.
Wednesday- Armando Galarraga vs. Clay Buchholz
People are still waiting for Galarraga to have that one horrific "blowup" start, but it hasn't happened yet. The positives are that he's keeping his walks down, his WHIP is still paper thin at 0.87, and that his ERA is sitting at 1.88. The bad news is that his strikeout numbers have gone down in each successive start, and he's been giving up more hits in each start as well. These don't seem to be good indicators, and the league may be catching up to him. The fact that Boston is not only patient, but can hit with the best of them is probably not going to help matters either. I don't do predictions, but keep an eye on this one.
Clay is the other reason to keep an eye on this young pitching duel. While Josh Beckett may be the Red Sox ace at the moment, he's keeping the seat warm for Mr. Buchholz. At only 23, the Boston righty is striking out everything he sees (33 Ks in 34 IP). The 3.71 ERA is nothing to scoff at since he's so young, but the fact that there's room for improvement is scary. He's been hit around a decent amount, which has led to his 15 runs allowed. But his walk total has been pretty good, and he's only allowed three home runs so far.
Thursday- Justin Verlander vs. Josh Beckett
Justin was having himself a pretty darn good game against the Twins on Saturday. That was until Craig Monroe deposited a two-run home run into the Left Field seats. He allowed seven hits in that game, but only walked two. It may just be one of those two steps forward, one step back things, but he'll get there eventually.
To close out the series, Boston will send Josh Beckett to the hill. The only concern Red Sox fans may have is if Beckett approaches the number of home runs he allowed in 2006 (36, wow). He's been tagged for four of them in only five starts. Luckily for him, that has been darn near the only negative. His 4.17 ERA is very deceiving. He's sporting 0.96 WHIP, has struck out a batter per inning (34), is not walking anyone, and has gone at least 6.2 innings in each start since his first. He's going to be the same horse this season that he has in the past, and the Tigers had better take notice.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Weekend Pitching Matchups
Friday- Armando Galarraga vs. Livan Hernandez
Despite becoming somewhat of a joke in the last few years, Hernandez had actually pitched pretty well in his first three starts of the season for the Twins. He's always been known to eat up innings, and he's doing more of that this year as five of his six starts have been for six or more innings. In his last three starts, however, the wheels have started to come off. His ERA has ballooned to 5.05 (up from 2.57), he's not striking many out, and his groundball/flyball rate is getting worse. Facing the rolling Tigers offense may not be the cure for what ails him.
Galarraga, on the other hand, has not allowed more than three hits in any of his three starts. His strikeout numbers won't wow anyone, but he doesn't walk a ton either. The Twins are not a team with a ton of punch in the lineup, so if Armando keeps the ball over the plate and doesn't beat himself with walks, he should be in good shape.
Saturday- Justin Verlander vs. Scott Baker
Like Hernandez, Scott Baker has shown that he's able to go deep into a game as well. He hasn't been amazing, but he's been consistent. Unfortunately, when he's consistent, it's mediocre. He's had one nice outing, but other than that it's been four starts of three runs or more. One of those three run games was an April 15th start against the Tigers. There wasn't a whole lot of offense in that game, but Baker did show one weakness, and that was the longball. He's been taken deep six times this season (three in that game against Detroit). His strikeout numbers are good, with three games of seven or more, and he doesn't walk many. All this means is that the ball will be there, and the Tigers aren't slumping like they were before.
This doesn't need to really be said, but I'm going to say it anyway. Justin Verlander has been absolutely atrocious so far. In his six starts he's allowed at least four runs five times, and has only gone past the 7th inning once. This all adds up to a 6.50 ERA, a WHIP that would make Daniel Cabrera blush (1.47), and a strikeout to walk ratio that is almost 1:1. Simply put, he needs to stop walking so many batters (consistently) and start throwing strikes. And one other thing that might help is not allowing a HR per game (he's got at least one in five starts)
Sunday- Kenny Rogers vs. Boof Bonser
Bonser's season so far has reminded Minnesota fans why they had hope for him after the 2006 campaign. He's brought his WHIP back down to around 1.22 (it was 1.57 last year), and his ERA is sitting at 3.75. The only start where he didn't go at least six innings was a rough tango with the Tampa Bay Rays (don't worry, I almost typed it wrong) where he got roughed up for six runs in four innings. With the pace he's on, he'll walk about 20-25 less batters this season, and his strikeout rate is the same as it has been. As another feather in his cap, he hasn't been overly susceptible to the home run so far either. Boof could prove to be Detroit's toughest task of the weekend.
Imagine everything I said about Justin Verlander, but worse. With the way Kenny is pitching (pretty well below league average), he may finally be breaking down. In his best moments this year, he's only been able to muster six innings with a couple of earned runs allowed. For some icing on the cake, he's also walked more batters (19) than he's struck out (13). His last start against the Yankees was encouraging, but be prepared for this one to get ugly.
Despite becoming somewhat of a joke in the last few years, Hernandez had actually pitched pretty well in his first three starts of the season for the Twins. He's always been known to eat up innings, and he's doing more of that this year as five of his six starts have been for six or more innings. In his last three starts, however, the wheels have started to come off. His ERA has ballooned to 5.05 (up from 2.57), he's not striking many out, and his groundball/flyball rate is getting worse. Facing the rolling Tigers offense may not be the cure for what ails him.
Galarraga, on the other hand, has not allowed more than three hits in any of his three starts. His strikeout numbers won't wow anyone, but he doesn't walk a ton either. The Twins are not a team with a ton of punch in the lineup, so if Armando keeps the ball over the plate and doesn't beat himself with walks, he should be in good shape.
Saturday- Justin Verlander vs. Scott Baker
Like Hernandez, Scott Baker has shown that he's able to go deep into a game as well. He hasn't been amazing, but he's been consistent. Unfortunately, when he's consistent, it's mediocre. He's had one nice outing, but other than that it's been four starts of three runs or more. One of those three run games was an April 15th start against the Tigers. There wasn't a whole lot of offense in that game, but Baker did show one weakness, and that was the longball. He's been taken deep six times this season (three in that game against Detroit). His strikeout numbers are good, with three games of seven or more, and he doesn't walk many. All this means is that the ball will be there, and the Tigers aren't slumping like they were before.
This doesn't need to really be said, but I'm going to say it anyway. Justin Verlander has been absolutely atrocious so far. In his six starts he's allowed at least four runs five times, and has only gone past the 7th inning once. This all adds up to a 6.50 ERA, a WHIP that would make Daniel Cabrera blush (1.47), and a strikeout to walk ratio that is almost 1:1. Simply put, he needs to stop walking so many batters (consistently) and start throwing strikes. And one other thing that might help is not allowing a HR per game (he's got at least one in five starts)
Sunday- Kenny Rogers vs. Boof Bonser
Bonser's season so far has reminded Minnesota fans why they had hope for him after the 2006 campaign. He's brought his WHIP back down to around 1.22 (it was 1.57 last year), and his ERA is sitting at 3.75. The only start where he didn't go at least six innings was a rough tango with the Tampa Bay Rays (don't worry, I almost typed it wrong) where he got roughed up for six runs in four innings. With the pace he's on, he'll walk about 20-25 less batters this season, and his strikeout rate is the same as it has been. As another feather in his cap, he hasn't been overly susceptible to the home run so far either. Boof could prove to be Detroit's toughest task of the weekend.
Imagine everything I said about Justin Verlander, but worse. With the way Kenny is pitching (pretty well below league average), he may finally be breaking down. In his best moments this year, he's only been able to muster six innings with a couple of earned runs allowed. For some icing on the cake, he's also walked more batters (19) than he's struck out (13). His last start against the Yankees was encouraging, but be prepared for this one to get ugly.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Bonderman Not Bombing
The bullpen was one man lighter upon hearing the news that Jason Grilli had been traded to Colorado (thank goodness), so the Tigers needed a good outing from Jeremy Bonderman.
Needless to say, Mr. Bonderman delivered.
The first inning was a good sized roadblock, as it usually is for Jeremy. He loaded the bases with no one out, and two of the runners came in to score. Playing behind the Yankees in the Bronx usually leads to bad things, but Bonderman never allowed them to get going again. After the patient lineup worked his pitchcount very high in the first four innings, they lost it for whatever reason. Bonderman threw less than 40 pitches in the following 3.2 innings. Since I'm ever the pessimist, I did find the fact that Jeremy only struck out one batter very alarming. As concerning as that is, to only walk two batters against the Yankee lineup is impressive nevertheless. Hopefully this start will be something that Bonderman can gain confidence from.
Andy Pettitte was very good until the fifth inning, when Detroit started to really make him work. Marcus Thames and Placido Polanco both had big home runs to snatch a lead that wouldn't be relinquished. Gary Sheffield went 2-4 with a run scored, and Curtis Granderson came in after Pettitte left the game and reached base twice.
Since the Tigers have had quality starts in their last two outings, there won't be quite as much pressure on Nate Robertson to have an amazing start. If he can manage to keep the Tigers in the game, the bullpen will be rested enough log some innings if needed (Francisco Cruceta? Yes please) and possibly guide the Tigers to a series sweep.
Needless to say, Mr. Bonderman delivered.
The first inning was a good sized roadblock, as it usually is for Jeremy. He loaded the bases with no one out, and two of the runners came in to score. Playing behind the Yankees in the Bronx usually leads to bad things, but Bonderman never allowed them to get going again. After the patient lineup worked his pitchcount very high in the first four innings, they lost it for whatever reason. Bonderman threw less than 40 pitches in the following 3.2 innings. Since I'm ever the pessimist, I did find the fact that Jeremy only struck out one batter very alarming. As concerning as that is, to only walk two batters against the Yankee lineup is impressive nevertheless. Hopefully this start will be something that Bonderman can gain confidence from.
Andy Pettitte was very good until the fifth inning, when Detroit started to really make him work. Marcus Thames and Placido Polanco both had big home runs to snatch a lead that wouldn't be relinquished. Gary Sheffield went 2-4 with a run scored, and Curtis Granderson came in after Pettitte left the game and reached base twice.
Since the Tigers have had quality starts in their last two outings, there won't be quite as much pressure on Nate Robertson to have an amazing start. If he can manage to keep the Tigers in the game, the bullpen will be rested enough log some innings if needed (Francisco Cruceta? Yes please) and possibly guide the Tigers to a series sweep.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Quality Control
The setup to this series with the hobbled Bronx Bombers was, in all honesty, kind of scary. The Tigers went in with the three starting pitchers they would be sending to the hill having only *one* quality start between them. Mind you, the state of the Yankees pitching staff (sans the back end of the bullpen) isn't a whole lot better. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are experiencing their rookie growing pains, and Andy Pettitte hasn't been his usual ace/#2 self.
Hughes got into trouble early, with Magglio Ordonez driving in a couple on a double in the first inning. By the time he was pulled in the in the middle of the third inning, he had walked more than he'd struck out (three to two), and six runs had come in to score. There would be no runs after that, with the most effective reliever being 25 year old Ross Ohlendorf for 3.1 innings.
Kenny Rogers cruised through six innings on his way to a second quality start of the year. Other than a two-run home run slapped by Robinson Cano, the only rocky part of the start came in the third inning. He quickly got the first two outs, then proceeded to walk the bases full. He did manage to get the final out, but that inning accounted for three of his four walks on the day.
The bullpen was very up and down. Bobby Seay looked good, and Clay Rapada did his job in cleaning up a mess in a very crucial situation. The ugly takes the form of Denny Bautista and frequent offender Todd Jones. Bautista walked the first batter he faced, got two outs, then walked the next two men. With the bases loaded, he hit Derek Jeter to bring in a run and cut the lead to 6-3. In the ninth, Jones showed why he's garnered the contempt of many a Tiger fan. He walked Hideki Matsui, and allowed him to advance on a wild pitch to the next batter. Jason Giambi drove in the runner to cut the lead to 6-4. Todd retired the next three in order to seal the deal.
Yes, it was a save. But therein lies the problem with that stat. If that was a tie ballgame, the Tigers lose the game. Even if it was a one run lead, the game would've radically shifted.
Hughes got into trouble early, with Magglio Ordonez driving in a couple on a double in the first inning. By the time he was pulled in the in the middle of the third inning, he had walked more than he'd struck out (three to two), and six runs had come in to score. There would be no runs after that, with the most effective reliever being 25 year old Ross Ohlendorf for 3.1 innings.
Kenny Rogers cruised through six innings on his way to a second quality start of the year. Other than a two-run home run slapped by Robinson Cano, the only rocky part of the start came in the third inning. He quickly got the first two outs, then proceeded to walk the bases full. He did manage to get the final out, but that inning accounted for three of his four walks on the day.
The bullpen was very up and down. Bobby Seay looked good, and Clay Rapada did his job in cleaning up a mess in a very crucial situation. The ugly takes the form of Denny Bautista and frequent offender Todd Jones. Bautista walked the first batter he faced, got two outs, then walked the next two men. With the bases loaded, he hit Derek Jeter to bring in a run and cut the lead to 6-3. In the ninth, Jones showed why he's garnered the contempt of many a Tiger fan. He walked Hideki Matsui, and allowed him to advance on a wild pitch to the next batter. Jason Giambi drove in the runner to cut the lead to 6-4. Todd retired the next three in order to seal the deal.
Yes, it was a save. But therein lies the problem with that stat. If that was a tie ballgame, the Tigers lose the game. Even if it was a one run lead, the game would've radically shifted.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Offensive Obscenity
Remember yesterday when I said that the offensive output wasn't an aberration? I knew that there would be fireworks in Detroit with Kenny Rogers squaring off against Luis Mendoza. But I had no clue that it would be this bad (I promise).
Every Tiger in the starting lineup collected at least one hit, and the only player that didn't manage an RBI was Edgar Renteria. Carlos Guillen is really stretching out that hot start, as he reached base four times and notched five RBIs. Anyone who questioned the ridiculous contract that Miguel Cabrera received is probably pretty quiet by now. And just to prove himself a little more he flipped another ball into the right field seats.
The starting pitching was, for the lack of a better word, horrendous on both sides. Kenny was chased after only 3.1 innings, and Mendoza couldn't even manage two innings. The Texas bullpen made any bad showings by the Tigers earlier in the season look pedestrian in comparison. Nine walks, two hit by pitches, and nine runs.
On the Tigers bullpen front, they were pretty darn good today. Clay Rapada completely bailed Kenny Rogers out of a bases loaded situation, and Aquilino Lopez was brilliant throught three innings.
I'll go out on a limb and say that the fireworks in this series aren't done, and that tomorrows game is going to be very entertaining one way or another.
Every Tiger in the starting lineup collected at least one hit, and the only player that didn't manage an RBI was Edgar Renteria. Carlos Guillen is really stretching out that hot start, as he reached base four times and notched five RBIs. Anyone who questioned the ridiculous contract that Miguel Cabrera received is probably pretty quiet by now. And just to prove himself a little more he flipped another ball into the right field seats.
The starting pitching was, for the lack of a better word, horrendous on both sides. Kenny was chased after only 3.1 innings, and Mendoza couldn't even manage two innings. The Texas bullpen made any bad showings by the Tigers earlier in the season look pedestrian in comparison. Nine walks, two hit by pitches, and nine runs.
On the Tigers bullpen front, they were pretty darn good today. Clay Rapada completely bailed Kenny Rogers out of a bases loaded situation, and Aquilino Lopez was brilliant throught three innings.
I'll go out on a limb and say that the fireworks in this series aren't done, and that tomorrows game is going to be very entertaining one way or another.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Terrific Tuesday Indeed
Today the Tigers came one step closer to .500. The pitching and hitting were both in synch, and it was cruise control all day (with the exception of the 1st inning).
Justin Verlander really needed a good start for both himself and for the team. He managed a quality start, only allowing a Frank Catalanotto solo HR in the second. It was a nice start, but a negative can be found once more. He only walked two batters, but also only struck out three. Zach Miner was the only member of the bullpen to let a runner cross in three innings.
Vicente Padilla was tabbed to try to shut down the Tigers, but instead allowed eight baserunners and seven earned runs in three innings of work. Josh Rupe seemed to be up to the task, cruising very easily through three innings. In the fourth inning, however, he loaded the bases with no one out and was given the hook. Wes Littleton allowed all three to score, putting the game even further out of reach.
The offense had another bizarre game where the role players seemed to be doing most of the mashing. Ramon Santiago crushed his first home run in five years, while also driving in three. Edgar Renteria showed that it wasn't just Rogers Centre keeping him hot, with ANOTHER four hit game. The guys who are supposed to be beasts didn't do too shabby either as Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez both smashed solo shots.
With the next two starters for Texas being Luis Mendoza and Jason Jennings, don't expect this to be an aberration.
Justin Verlander really needed a good start for both himself and for the team. He managed a quality start, only allowing a Frank Catalanotto solo HR in the second. It was a nice start, but a negative can be found once more. He only walked two batters, but also only struck out three. Zach Miner was the only member of the bullpen to let a runner cross in three innings.
Vicente Padilla was tabbed to try to shut down the Tigers, but instead allowed eight baserunners and seven earned runs in three innings of work. Josh Rupe seemed to be up to the task, cruising very easily through three innings. In the fourth inning, however, he loaded the bases with no one out and was given the hook. Wes Littleton allowed all three to score, putting the game even further out of reach.
The offense had another bizarre game where the role players seemed to be doing most of the mashing. Ramon Santiago crushed his first home run in five years, while also driving in three. Edgar Renteria showed that it wasn't just Rogers Centre keeping him hot, with ANOTHER four hit game. The guys who are supposed to be beasts didn't do too shabby either as Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez both smashed solo shots.
With the next two starters for Texas being Luis Mendoza and Jason Jennings, don't expect this to be an aberration.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Granderson Trip Report
My girlfriend and I took time out of our busy schedules to see Curtis Granderson in rare low A ball action on Friday night.
His first at-bat was decent, as he saw a couple of pitches. He hit the ball almost straight into the ground and managed to leg out an infield single. Actually, he managed the only two hits the Whitecaps had up until the 7th inning. The second hit was a laser beam triple hit to right-center field. I don't think that 10,000 people could cheer any louder than they were at that moment. He got a nice standing ovation as he exited from his final at-bat.
In the field, he didn't seem too hampered by his legs. He didn't have to make any strenuous throws, so that'll be something saved for another day I suppose. The most nervous moment of the night, for me, came when he was making a running catch in left-center field. There was a good amount of momentum, and it carried him all the way into the wall. He stopped himself with both hands forward, but didn't seem to have any ill effects. It's A ball, Curtis! Jesus Christ.
We didn't get there early enough to get any decent, up close pictures of him. But we did get some pretty good action photos. Unfortunately the pictures will have to wait for a bit while my girlfriend's scanner gets off the fritz.
His first at-bat was decent, as he saw a couple of pitches. He hit the ball almost straight into the ground and managed to leg out an infield single. Actually, he managed the only two hits the Whitecaps had up until the 7th inning. The second hit was a laser beam triple hit to right-center field. I don't think that 10,000 people could cheer any louder than they were at that moment. He got a nice standing ovation as he exited from his final at-bat.
In the field, he didn't seem too hampered by his legs. He didn't have to make any strenuous throws, so that'll be something saved for another day I suppose. The most nervous moment of the night, for me, came when he was making a running catch in left-center field. There was a good amount of momentum, and it carried him all the way into the wall. He stopped himself with both hands forward, but didn't seem to have any ill effects. It's A ball, Curtis! Jesus Christ.
We didn't get there early enough to get any decent, up close pictures of him. But we did get some pretty good action photos. Unfortunately the pictures will have to wait for a bit while my girlfriend's scanner gets off the fritz.
Afternoon Delight
While most people were eating their lunch, the Tigers were feasting on Shaun Marcum.
Marcum almost doubled his walk total for the year with four free passes, and the Tigers made him pay to the tune of five runs in only five innings.
Pudge had a nice 4-5 day, Edgar Renteria hit his 3rd home run in a week, and Ryan Raburn came up big with a two RBI single in the 2nd.
Armando Galarraga made his second start of the year and looked much less consistent. He also walked four batters, and had bases loaded situations in back to back innings. He obviously has god on his side, as no runners came in to score in either situation. A control pitching soft tosser cannot afford to get himself into situations like that, and it really stirred visions of Chad Durbin from last year.
The bullpen was solid, but unspectular. Aquilino Lopez gave a solid 1.1 innings, Clay Rapada was used for only for a couple of matchups, and Denny Bautista got himself in and out of a jam. Todd Jones, of course, allowed the only run of the day on a Gregg Zaun home run in the 9th.
Marcum almost doubled his walk total for the year with four free passes, and the Tigers made him pay to the tune of five runs in only five innings.
Pudge had a nice 4-5 day, Edgar Renteria hit his 3rd home run in a week, and Ryan Raburn came up big with a two RBI single in the 2nd.
Armando Galarraga made his second start of the year and looked much less consistent. He also walked four batters, and had bases loaded situations in back to back innings. He obviously has god on his side, as no runners came in to score in either situation. A control pitching soft tosser cannot afford to get himself into situations like that, and it really stirred visions of Chad Durbin from last year.
The bullpen was solid, but unspectular. Aquilino Lopez gave a solid 1.1 innings, Clay Rapada was used for only for a couple of matchups, and Denny Bautista got himself in and out of a jam. Todd Jones, of course, allowed the only run of the day on a Gregg Zaun home run in the 9th.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Back to Back
After exploding yesterday for six runs in the 8th inning, the thing that was on everyone's mind was whether or not it would be a catalyst for the Tigers offense as a whole. Whether it was that, or if it's just Twins pitching (or more specifically non-Joe Nathan Twin relievers) is debatable. The one thing that can't be denied is that the Tigers bats looked damn good tonight.
Gary Sheffield hushed the talk of those saying he should be on the DL (that includes me), if only briefly, with a solo shot in the 1st inning. The four, five and six spots provided the rest of the offense with a home run apiece, and five RBIs to their credit. The last of those shots, a Miguel Cabrera 2-run bomb, was the deciding blow.
Nate Robertson ate up 6.1 innings, but had to leave with a strained lat. Hopefully it's nothing that will ail him for too long, because the Tigers simply cannot afford more pitching injuries. The bullpen was strong with the exception of Todd Jones. If not for a phenomenal defensive effort from Ryan Raburn (aren't you glad he got called up?), Jones would've given up a home run to Delmon Young. As it stood, Young still came around to score on a Craig Monroe single. Jones closed the door lightly from there to give the Tigers their first back to back wins this season.
Gary Sheffield hushed the talk of those saying he should be on the DL (that includes me), if only briefly, with a solo shot in the 1st inning. The four, five and six spots provided the rest of the offense with a home run apiece, and five RBIs to their credit. The last of those shots, a Miguel Cabrera 2-run bomb, was the deciding blow.
Nate Robertson ate up 6.1 innings, but had to leave with a strained lat. Hopefully it's nothing that will ail him for too long, because the Tigers simply cannot afford more pitching injuries. The bullpen was strong with the exception of Todd Jones. If not for a phenomenal defensive effort from Ryan Raburn (aren't you glad he got called up?), Jones would've given up a home run to Delmon Young. As it stood, Young still came around to score on a Craig Monroe single. Jones closed the door lightly from there to give the Tigers their first back to back wins this season.
Monday, April 14, 2008
A Wild Night
When many fans and media spoke of the Detroit Tigers in the pre-season, the most common thing they would say is "They're built to win a lot of games 10-9". As everyone knows, it's gone like that, but without any offense.
Once again, it was more of the same. Jeremy Bonderman pitched decently well, but a dropped pop-foul by Pudge Rodriguez continued an inning and allowed two runs to score. Bondo let another three cross the plate in the 6th, and the deficit ballooned to 5-0.
In the bottom of the 6th, it finally happened. Gary Sheffield hit a two out infield single, and Magglio Ordonez came right back with a single into center field. Miguel Cabrera managed to shoot one past Mike Lamb's outstretched glove into left field, and Gary Sheffield came in to start the scoring. Carlos Guillen mashed a 2-run double down the left field line, and scored on a line drive Edgar Renteria single. Spirits were up as the score was cut to 5-4.
With two guys on in top of the 7th, Bonderman got the hook, and last year's bullpen hero Bobby Seay came in to face Twin lefties Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer walked to load the bases. Before it was all said and done, the Twins stretched their lead back out to five.
After a somewhat uneventful bottom of the 7th (in which Pudge Rodriguez hit a comical home run off of Denard Span's glove), the Tigers absolutely exploded in the bottom of the 8th. Six hits (including two doubles and two triples), a throwing error, and a sac fly gave the Tigers the lead 11-9.
But as any Tigers fan knows, no lead is safe as long as Todd Jones is around to close. Two men on base, two outs, a long flyball, and an excellent Ryan Raburn catch. A typical Jones outing.
Once again, it was more of the same. Jeremy Bonderman pitched decently well, but a dropped pop-foul by Pudge Rodriguez continued an inning and allowed two runs to score. Bondo let another three cross the plate in the 6th, and the deficit ballooned to 5-0.
In the bottom of the 6th, it finally happened. Gary Sheffield hit a two out infield single, and Magglio Ordonez came right back with a single into center field. Miguel Cabrera managed to shoot one past Mike Lamb's outstretched glove into left field, and Gary Sheffield came in to start the scoring. Carlos Guillen mashed a 2-run double down the left field line, and scored on a line drive Edgar Renteria single. Spirits were up as the score was cut to 5-4.
With two guys on in top of the 7th, Bonderman got the hook, and last year's bullpen hero Bobby Seay came in to face Twin lefties Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer walked to load the bases. Before it was all said and done, the Twins stretched their lead back out to five.
After a somewhat uneventful bottom of the 7th (in which Pudge Rodriguez hit a comical home run off of Denard Span's glove), the Tigers absolutely exploded in the bottom of the 8th. Six hits (including two doubles and two triples), a throwing error, and a sac fly gave the Tigers the lead 11-9.
But as any Tigers fan knows, no lead is safe as long as Todd Jones is around to close. Two men on base, two outs, a long flyball, and an excellent Ryan Raburn catch. A typical Jones outing.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Just Another Day at the Office
When a team is trying to get on a roll, it doesn't help facing the opponent's ace in their park. Javier Vasquez has the second most strikeouts in the majors since 2000, and got himself another eight today.
Another game goes by, and one still has to wonder when it is that the Tigers bats will finally wake up and give their horrendous pitching staff some support. Clete Thomas got the opportunity to leadoff again, and he answered the call with four strikeouts. There wasn't a single Tiger hitter with more than one hit, and they were shutout for the major league leading fourth time this season.
The pitching staff somehow found a way to be more atrocious. Kenny Rogers walked four batters, allowed seven hits, and seven runs came in on his watch (including a Paul Konerko grand slam). Zach Miner came in to relieve, but provided no relief. Two inherited runners score on a double, and he walked the next two White Sox before Joe Crede came up to bat. On the third pitch of the at-bat he took a hanging sinker deep into the left field seats for the second grand slam of the game for the Sox.
With the game fully out of hand, Clay Rapada was summoned for some garbage time work. Ironically enough, Rapada was the only Detroit pitcher all day to consistently throw strikes. He cruised through the final two innings, not allowing a single hit.
Another game goes by, and one still has to wonder when it is that the Tigers bats will finally wake up and give their horrendous pitching staff some support. Clete Thomas got the opportunity to leadoff again, and he answered the call with four strikeouts. There wasn't a single Tiger hitter with more than one hit, and they were shutout for the major league leading fourth time this season.
The pitching staff somehow found a way to be more atrocious. Kenny Rogers walked four batters, allowed seven hits, and seven runs came in on his watch (including a Paul Konerko grand slam). Zach Miner came in to relieve, but provided no relief. Two inherited runners score on a double, and he walked the next two White Sox before Joe Crede came up to bat. On the third pitch of the at-bat he took a hanging sinker deep into the left field seats for the second grand slam of the game for the Sox.
With the game fully out of hand, Clay Rapada was summoned for some garbage time work. Ironically enough, Rapada was the only Detroit pitcher all day to consistently throw strikes. He cruised through the final two innings, not allowing a single hit.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dueling
Gavin Floyd vs. Justin Verlander. A matchup that you would think would be very one-sided. The Tigers offense didn't feel it should be that way.
Floyd went 7.1 innings allowing only one hit (an Edgar Renteria single in the 8th). Gavin only allowed 5 baserunners total and had the Tigers reaching all day. Verlander on the other hand, allowed only an Orlando Cabrera home run in the 3rd inning until the 8th inning. But in the 8th inning he loaded the bases up, hit Paul Konerko on the elbow to bring one run in (on a questionable call), and allowed AJ Pierzynski to hit a 2-run single to stretch the deficit from 1-0 to 4-0.
So Jim Leyland came out one hitter too late (he should have brought lefty Bobby Seay in to face Pierzynski in the first place), and called on journeyman Francis Beltran. Beltran allowed two inherited runners to score, and one of his own on a Juan Uribe single to further the damage to 7-0.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers offense is really starting to take shape. It's just too bad that it's an ugly shape. No Carlos Guillen in the lineup because of a sore leg, and with each passing day, one has to wonder whether Miguel Cabrera's leg problems aren't more serious than he's letting on. Gary Sheffield continues to hit third when he should probably be on the disabled list, and not hitting like a more patient Juan Pierre. Brandon Inge continued to be a bright spot in the young season going 1-2 and taking another walk (furthering that trade value). And a fun fact, the Tigers grounded into three more double plays, making the season total a league leading 19.
As ugly and as sloppy as the last two days have been for the Tigers, there is still an opportunity for a series win tomorrow as Kenny Rogers takes the hill against Mark Buehrle.
Floyd went 7.1 innings allowing only one hit (an Edgar Renteria single in the 8th). Gavin only allowed 5 baserunners total and had the Tigers reaching all day. Verlander on the other hand, allowed only an Orlando Cabrera home run in the 3rd inning until the 8th inning. But in the 8th inning he loaded the bases up, hit Paul Konerko on the elbow to bring one run in (on a questionable call), and allowed AJ Pierzynski to hit a 2-run single to stretch the deficit from 1-0 to 4-0.
So Jim Leyland came out one hitter too late (he should have brought lefty Bobby Seay in to face Pierzynski in the first place), and called on journeyman Francis Beltran. Beltran allowed two inherited runners to score, and one of his own on a Juan Uribe single to further the damage to 7-0.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers offense is really starting to take shape. It's just too bad that it's an ugly shape. No Carlos Guillen in the lineup because of a sore leg, and with each passing day, one has to wonder whether Miguel Cabrera's leg problems aren't more serious than he's letting on. Gary Sheffield continues to hit third when he should probably be on the disabled list, and not hitting like a more patient Juan Pierre. Brandon Inge continued to be a bright spot in the young season going 1-2 and taking another walk (furthering that trade value). And a fun fact, the Tigers grounded into three more double plays, making the season total a league leading 19.
As ugly and as sloppy as the last two days have been for the Tigers, there is still an opportunity for a series win tomorrow as Kenny Rogers takes the hill against Mark Buehrle.
Relief?
The Tigers went down to Chicago to start a weekend series with the White Sox. Dontrelle Willis didn't make it out of the first inning with a hyper-extended knee after slipping on a wet mound. And the bullpen had to pick up the slack for the rest of the game.
Recipe for disaster? Most times, yes. But somehow they pulled it out.
The bullpen was solid (with the exception of Jason Grilli), only allowing seven baserunners to reach in all nine innings. And the only Tiger in the lineup that didn't join in the hitting was Pudge Rodriguez, with an 0-4 outing.
Even though it was against arguably Chicago's weakest starting pitcher, Jose Contreras, a victory is a victory.
Recipe for disaster? Most times, yes. But somehow they pulled it out.
The bullpen was solid (with the exception of Jason Grilli), only allowing seven baserunners to reach in all nine innings. And the only Tiger in the lineup that didn't join in the hitting was Pudge Rodriguez, with an 0-4 outing.
Even though it was against arguably Chicago's weakest starting pitcher, Jose Contreras, a victory is a victory.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
If it Isn't One Thing it's Another
One of the main problems the Tigers have run into this early in the season is lack of patience. This has led to quick outings for mediocre pitchers, and lots of low batting averages and OBPs.
Patience wasn't a problem today.
Seven walks were taken, and two Tigers batters were hit by pitches (both by veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield). But the theme of the young season is where there is a positive, there are plenty of negatives. Tigers pitching issued nine walks of their own (seven coming from the bullpen), and eight of those came around to score.
Just as the game seemed out of reach, Julian Tavarez entered. Two walks and a hit later, the bases were loaded. Singles from Brandon Inge and Ivan Rodriguez scored two to trim the lead to 8-5. In a bases loaded, no out situation, Gary Sheffield grounded in to a crippling double play. Through all of it, Marcus Thames was allowed to score from third to make the score 8-6.
Then in came Jonathan Paplebon.
He quickly disposed of Magglio Ordonez to end the threat in the 8th.
Just as the hope seemed to be overflowing since the game was in reach, the Red Sox (or Tigers bullpen, whichever you choose) exploded. The Sox scored four more to stretch their lead to 12-6.
The 9th was a formality from there.
1-8
Oh, and a decent sidenote would be that Magglio Ordonez got his first home run of the season. That's pretty cool I suppose (not really).
Patience wasn't a problem today.
Seven walks were taken, and two Tigers batters were hit by pitches (both by veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield). But the theme of the young season is where there is a positive, there are plenty of negatives. Tigers pitching issued nine walks of their own (seven coming from the bullpen), and eight of those came around to score.
Just as the game seemed out of reach, Julian Tavarez entered. Two walks and a hit later, the bases were loaded. Singles from Brandon Inge and Ivan Rodriguez scored two to trim the lead to 8-5. In a bases loaded, no out situation, Gary Sheffield grounded in to a crippling double play. Through all of it, Marcus Thames was allowed to score from third to make the score 8-6.
Then in came Jonathan Paplebon.
He quickly disposed of Magglio Ordonez to end the threat in the 8th.
Just as the hope seemed to be overflowing since the game was in reach, the Red Sox (or Tigers bullpen, whichever you choose) exploded. The Sox scored four more to stretch their lead to 12-6.
The 9th was a formality from there.
1-8
Oh, and a decent sidenote would be that Magglio Ordonez got his first home run of the season. That's pretty cool I suppose (not really).
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
About Darn Time
You can't lose em all.
You certainly wouldn't think that's the case with what people and the media have said. Nevertheless, the Detroit Tigers got their first win today.
While not happening exactly how it was supposed to, the Tigers scored 7 runs off of Jon Lester and the scrubs (no Papelbon or Okajima) of the Red Sox bullpen. It wasn't the usual suspects with Edgar Renteria, Brandon Inge, and Marcus Thames providing the bulk of the offense. Carlos Guillen added a home run late to put the game fully out of reach. The patience was a welcome respite from the aggressiveness as the Tigers took 8 walks in the game.
The pitching was spotty as Jeremy Bonderman had his usual one earned run, over 1.5 WHIP performance. He only had two strikeouts, but got out of the jams that he got himself into. Bobby Seay provided another excellent inning, and the rest of the bullpen held the fort until Todd Jones made his way to the mound.
There is nothing more terrifying than a Todd Jones save. Two outs, bases loaded with a 7-2 score, and David Ortiz on deck. A Kevin Youkilis popup. Thank god.
At the very least, something to build on.
The series slows down tomorrow as Tim Wakefield goes for the Sox, and Nate Robertson takes the hill for the Tigers. Nate will look to lower his 9.00 ERA, but Boston may not be the place to do that. Wakefield is as inconsistent as they come (knuckleballers), so at the very least it'll be an entertaining game.
You certainly wouldn't think that's the case with what people and the media have said. Nevertheless, the Detroit Tigers got their first win today.
While not happening exactly how it was supposed to, the Tigers scored 7 runs off of Jon Lester and the scrubs (no Papelbon or Okajima) of the Red Sox bullpen. It wasn't the usual suspects with Edgar Renteria, Brandon Inge, and Marcus Thames providing the bulk of the offense. Carlos Guillen added a home run late to put the game fully out of reach. The patience was a welcome respite from the aggressiveness as the Tigers took 8 walks in the game.
The pitching was spotty as Jeremy Bonderman had his usual one earned run, over 1.5 WHIP performance. He only had two strikeouts, but got out of the jams that he got himself into. Bobby Seay provided another excellent inning, and the rest of the bullpen held the fort until Todd Jones made his way to the mound.
There is nothing more terrifying than a Todd Jones save. Two outs, bases loaded with a 7-2 score, and David Ortiz on deck. A Kevin Youkilis popup. Thank god.
At the very least, something to build on.
The series slows down tomorrow as Tim Wakefield goes for the Sox, and Nate Robertson takes the hill for the Tigers. Nate will look to lower his 9.00 ERA, but Boston may not be the place to do that. Wakefield is as inconsistent as they come (knuckleballers), so at the very least it'll be an entertaining game.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Trip Report #1
The day didn't really start off all that hot.
We hit the road around 2:30pm or so, so we could get to the ballpark by 5:00 or 5:30 and catch some batting practice. Everyone was hungry so we thought we'd get something to eat at a sitdown type joint. Arnie's was the choice.
It was the wrong one.
The service was horrible, the food took forever, and they even got my friend Josh's order wrong. We left there at almost 4:00!!
The drive wasn't too bad. Good conversation, and it actually went rather quickly.
We got to Comerica Park around 6:30 or so, and my girlfriend Stephanie was taking it and, and taking some photos. She'd never been to Comerica before, and it was only my friend Chris' second time. Josh and I, however, are grizzled veterans.
We trolled around, and looked for a Brandon Inge jersey (before he gets traded) for Josh. He couldn't find any replicas and wasn't really up for paying 130 dollars, so he called that search off early.
After walking around the concourse some more, we decided to go to our seats and check out the view. Only being three rows from the field, in the right field grandstand, is a good place to be. We managed to miss the Tigers taking BP, but saw the White Sox probably only 15 minutes out from finishing theirs.
It was scary. It seemed like every guy that stepped up was Hank Aaron or Willie Mays. Jim Thome took three different trips, and crushed every. single. time. Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye. All of them. It certainly didn't seem like a good omen.
And it wasn't.
The game was mainly comprised of the Tigers being impatient some more (sans Carlos Guillen), and making another pitcher look like Cy Young.
Justin Verlander couldn't get his control together all day, and it seemed like every hitter had 3 balls on them before they knew it. Nick Swisher led the game off with a Solo shot. Verlander held it together for a while, but got absolutely touched up in the 6th inning. He left with the bases loaded, and in came Aquilino Lopez.
Hello bases clearing double from Nick Swisher (it may have even been a triple).
Lopez went on to allow another of the same, and before we knew it we were down 13-1.
By the 8th inning, it was so ridiculous that we didn't even bother heckling. We just made jokes for the remainder.
Either way, we still had a good time. There will be plenty more games this season, and it can only go up from here.
We hit the road around 2:30pm or so, so we could get to the ballpark by 5:00 or 5:30 and catch some batting practice. Everyone was hungry so we thought we'd get something to eat at a sitdown type joint. Arnie's was the choice.
It was the wrong one.
The service was horrible, the food took forever, and they even got my friend Josh's order wrong. We left there at almost 4:00!!
The drive wasn't too bad. Good conversation, and it actually went rather quickly.
We got to Comerica Park around 6:30 or so, and my girlfriend Stephanie was taking it and, and taking some photos. She'd never been to Comerica before, and it was only my friend Chris' second time. Josh and I, however, are grizzled veterans.
We trolled around, and looked for a Brandon Inge jersey (before he gets traded) for Josh. He couldn't find any replicas and wasn't really up for paying 130 dollars, so he called that search off early.
After walking around the concourse some more, we decided to go to our seats and check out the view. Only being three rows from the field, in the right field grandstand, is a good place to be. We managed to miss the Tigers taking BP, but saw the White Sox probably only 15 minutes out from finishing theirs.
It was scary. It seemed like every guy that stepped up was Hank Aaron or Willie Mays. Jim Thome took three different trips, and crushed every. single. time. Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye. All of them. It certainly didn't seem like a good omen.
And it wasn't.
The game was mainly comprised of the Tigers being impatient some more (sans Carlos Guillen), and making another pitcher look like Cy Young.
Justin Verlander couldn't get his control together all day, and it seemed like every hitter had 3 balls on them before they knew it. Nick Swisher led the game off with a Solo shot. Verlander held it together for a while, but got absolutely touched up in the 6th inning. He left with the bases loaded, and in came Aquilino Lopez.
Hello bases clearing double from Nick Swisher (it may have even been a triple).
Lopez went on to allow another of the same, and before we knew it we were down 13-1.
By the 8th inning, it was so ridiculous that we didn't even bother heckling. We just made jokes for the remainder.
Either way, we still had a good time. There will be plenty more games this season, and it can only go up from here.
Friday, April 4, 2008
More of the Same
Tigers Wish List:
1. Strong Outing from Jeremy Bonderman
2. Offensive Awakening
3. Healthy Lineup
How does 0-3 sound? Sounds exactly like the Tigers record up to this point, actually.
None of those calls were answered, as it was more of the same from the boys of Motown. Bonderman went six innings, but allowed four earned runs, with two coming from the longball. The offense did nothing, again. To round it out Miguel Cabrera was scratched before the game with a strained quad, and Gary Sheffield tore a ligament in his ring finger on a slide.
Zack Greinke was phenomenal, only allowing a HR in seven innings pitched. Jeremy Bonderman had similar stats, with the exception of only giving up one more hit. The difference between the two was the severity of the home runs. Bonderman allowed three earned runs on two longballs, while Greinke just had the one solo shot. Aquilino Lopez came in for the remainder of the game, and while he only allowed 3 hits in 2.1 innings, he was hit VERY hard. Comerica is a kind park in that respect.
And in the midst of a lineup baffled by Zack Greinke, there was a shining light.
He goes by the name of Brandon Inge
Wait, what? Yes, I said Brandon Inge. You can stop laughing now. A single, a walk, and a home run. Sounds kinda like a line Sheffield or Cabrera should be having, doesn't it?
Other than Mr. Inge, it was a whole lot of stranded baserunners. Better than yesterday, of course. But when you're still not scoring any runs, it really doesn't matter in the scope of things (and no, that doesn't lend any credence to the "clogging the bases" philosophy).
The day was topped off by Gary Sheffield sliding head-first into second base in an attempt to make the Royals pay for a fielding error. He was tagged out, and also managed to tear a ligament in his finger. He says he's going to try to play through the injury. If last year is any indication, he shouldn't.
The most positive thing that will likely come from this day is that it's something for Brandon Inge to build upon, and furthers his trade value. David Dombrowski can only hope.
1. Strong Outing from Jeremy Bonderman
2. Offensive Awakening
3. Healthy Lineup
How does 0-3 sound? Sounds exactly like the Tigers record up to this point, actually.
None of those calls were answered, as it was more of the same from the boys of Motown. Bonderman went six innings, but allowed four earned runs, with two coming from the longball. The offense did nothing, again. To round it out Miguel Cabrera was scratched before the game with a strained quad, and Gary Sheffield tore a ligament in his ring finger on a slide.
Zack Greinke was phenomenal, only allowing a HR in seven innings pitched. Jeremy Bonderman had similar stats, with the exception of only giving up one more hit. The difference between the two was the severity of the home runs. Bonderman allowed three earned runs on two longballs, while Greinke just had the one solo shot. Aquilino Lopez came in for the remainder of the game, and while he only allowed 3 hits in 2.1 innings, he was hit VERY hard. Comerica is a kind park in that respect.
And in the midst of a lineup baffled by Zack Greinke, there was a shining light.
He goes by the name of Brandon Inge
Wait, what? Yes, I said Brandon Inge. You can stop laughing now. A single, a walk, and a home run. Sounds kinda like a line Sheffield or Cabrera should be having, doesn't it?
Other than Mr. Inge, it was a whole lot of stranded baserunners. Better than yesterday, of course. But when you're still not scoring any runs, it really doesn't matter in the scope of things (and no, that doesn't lend any credence to the "clogging the bases" philosophy).
The day was topped off by Gary Sheffield sliding head-first into second base in an attempt to make the Royals pay for a fielding error. He was tagged out, and also managed to tear a ligament in his finger. He says he's going to try to play through the injury. If last year is any indication, he shouldn't.
The most positive thing that will likely come from this day is that it's something for Brandon Inge to build upon, and furthers his trade value. David Dombrowski can only hope.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Humble Beginnings
Tuesday had the makings of a good day.
Brian Bannister was on the hill for the Royals. A man who was projected to have a large comedown this season after a breakout rookie campaign. A man who doesn't blow opponents away, but rather out-thinks and hits his spots. A man who throws strikes, so hitters know that they're going to have things to hit through the course of the game.
Kenny Rogers was making his first start of the year. With this being possibly his last season, and with the urgency to not start the season with 2 losses, he had to come up with a solid start.
And he did.
The neighborhood was safe until Mark Grudzielanek, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler doubled in succession in the 6th inning to break a scoreless tie and put the Royals up 2-0.
Unfortunately for Kenny (and everyone else in Detroit), Mr. Bannister proved everyone wrong and was more than up to the task. Consistently throwing first pitch strikes, and having the Tigers guessing all day long.
There was some hope when Zach Miner came into the game and cruised through one inning. But his second was problematic. With men on first and third with no outs, he got two straight Ks. Just as it seemed like trouble was averted, he allowed both runners to score, and put the game out of reach 4-0.
Being that the Royals bullpen is much improved, the rest was a formality. Leo Nunez came in, and even though he's a vastly different pitcher than Bannister, it was more of the same. Joakim Soria then entered, and struck out the bottom of the order with ease.
Of course it wasn't ALL negative. Edgar Renteria eased the feather further into David Dombrowski's cap by providing ALL of the Tigers offense for the day, with a whole 3 singles. Aside from an 8th inning Carlos Guillen walk, there was NOTHING else for the Tigers offensively.
So the series rides on the flu-ridden Jeremy Bonderman, and Zack Greinke will be eyeing a start of the season sweep for the boys from KC.
Forecast in Detroit, Rainbows and sunshine.
Brian Bannister was on the hill for the Royals. A man who was projected to have a large comedown this season after a breakout rookie campaign. A man who doesn't blow opponents away, but rather out-thinks and hits his spots. A man who throws strikes, so hitters know that they're going to have things to hit through the course of the game.
Kenny Rogers was making his first start of the year. With this being possibly his last season, and with the urgency to not start the season with 2 losses, he had to come up with a solid start.
And he did.
The neighborhood was safe until Mark Grudzielanek, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler doubled in succession in the 6th inning to break a scoreless tie and put the Royals up 2-0.
Unfortunately for Kenny (and everyone else in Detroit), Mr. Bannister proved everyone wrong and was more than up to the task. Consistently throwing first pitch strikes, and having the Tigers guessing all day long.
There was some hope when Zach Miner came into the game and cruised through one inning. But his second was problematic. With men on first and third with no outs, he got two straight Ks. Just as it seemed like trouble was averted, he allowed both runners to score, and put the game out of reach 4-0.
Being that the Royals bullpen is much improved, the rest was a formality. Leo Nunez came in, and even though he's a vastly different pitcher than Bannister, it was more of the same. Joakim Soria then entered, and struck out the bottom of the order with ease.
Of course it wasn't ALL negative. Edgar Renteria eased the feather further into David Dombrowski's cap by providing ALL of the Tigers offense for the day, with a whole 3 singles. Aside from an 8th inning Carlos Guillen walk, there was NOTHING else for the Tigers offensively.
So the series rides on the flu-ridden Jeremy Bonderman, and Zack Greinke will be eyeing a start of the season sweep for the boys from KC.
Forecast in Detroit, Rainbows and sunshine.
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