Once again the Tigers capped off what could have been an impressive homestand with a loss. If it feels like a recurring theme, well it is. The Tigers have had 5 homestands this year, and have lost on get-away day 4 of the 5 times. Mike Maroth picked up the loss yesterday, despite keeping Baltimore off balance. The Orioles used a combination of tweeners, dribblers and defensive miscues to scratch out a 6-2 victory. Most disturbing is that this marked yet another game in which the Tigers defense played poorly.

Throughout the first quarter of the season, the Tigers ranked in the top 3 in the American League in defensive efficiency. They were hovering a little over the .7110 mark against a league average of .6974. However, they have now slipped to 6th in the AL at .7020. This is due to a 12 game stretch, starting with the New York series, where there defensive efficiency has been an abyssmal .6544. While these numbers all seem pretty close, the impacts can be significant. In the case of this 12 game stretch, Tiger pitchers allowed 353 balls in play. If they had been average defensively, that would have been 15 fewer baserunners.

During this time period, the Tigers also have committed 16 errors – and 9 have come in the last 4 games.

What’s causing this defensive collapse? Part of it probably has to do with Carlos Guillen being unable to play shortstop on a regular basis. Tony Giarratano had a couple rough games as Guillen’s replacement, and Ramon Martinez has struggled as well. Even with Guillen playing yesterday, his range and ability to plant and throw is probably being hindered by his knee. I think the Tigers have also already started to experience the downside of life without Carlos Pena at first base. There have been a number of throwing errors that may have been negated by Pena’s foot work around the base. Fortunately, with the exception of a couple of plays, the outfield defense has been quite good.

Another explanation may be that the Tigers defense was playing over their heads for the first quarter of the season. What we may be seeing is a regression back to their true playing level. The Tigers were 3rd worst in defensive efficiency last year, and by and large brought back the same club. While Nook Logan is definitely an upgrade in centerfield, and Brandon Inge has more range than Munson at 3rd, the Tigers have mostly incumbents playing the positions.

In any case the Tigers continued their love-hate relationship with .500. They love getting there, but they hate getting past it.

Dodger Time
Now this is one of the cool things about interleague play. The Tigers head out west to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles. It will be the first time the Tigers have ever played in Dodger Stadium, so naturally the game isn’t televised in Detroit. As Tiger fans, we don’t get alot of exposure to the Dodgers on a regular basis. The first thing I’d recommend you do is listen to this. It is Vin Scully calling the 9th inning of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game. If that gives you chills – as it should – go out and get Jane Leavy’s biography of Sandy Koufax. In the meantime, check out Dodger Thoughts where there is a break down of what the Dodgers have done the first third of the season.

Oh Say Can You Sing
Good Sports Recordings has made a CD featuring 10 current major leaguers and Ozzie Smith performing various songs. Included on the CD is the Tigers’ own Matt Ginter playing banjo on Dooley. Now I’m not an afficionado on banjo music, but it sounded pretty good. Also included on the disk are some decent performances by Jeff Conine (STP – Plush), and Aubrey Huff (John Michael Montgomery – Letters from home). The CD also comes with a behind the scenes DVD, and a portion of the proceeds benefit various charities. If you’re a fan of one of the players on the disc, it could be a cool collectible. For the complete list of who and what are one the CD, or to purchase one, click here.