Monthly Archives: October 2006

2006 Season, Injuries, Playoffs

ALCS Playoff Miscellaney

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I’m taking advantage of a break in the schedule to get some sleep tonight. But I will share this mish mash of information:

The Zumaya Injury

Detroit Tiger Tales has the Joel Zumaya situation thoroughly covered. Essentially it isn’t that serious, but Joel is worried, and he shouldn’t be out that long, but we don’t know how long that long is. And Carmen Harlen said on tonight’s local 4 broadcast that the MRI was encouraging.

Game Time Change

As you’ve probably all heard the first pitch will now be thrown at 4:30 tomorrow in an effort to keep the rather from being really freaking cold. Instead it will just be really cold. As for how this effects the team, we learned last night that Alexis Gomez likes hitting at 5:00pm.

Billfer on the radio

If you wonder what I sound like, I can be heard on today’s episode of Sports Bloggers Live. I’m on with the esteemed Blez of Athletics Nation.

Oh no, Deadspin likes the Tigers

Way back on the morning of August 8th things were sunny in Tiger Town. They had just knocked off Francisco Liriano and taken a 10 game lead and Deadspin gave the Tigers permission to print playoff tickets. They then went 19-31.

Well today Will Leitch once again endorsed the Tigers.

The Tigers look like they’re not gonna be beaten by anyone, in either league. Before the NLCS has even had a chance to start yet — more on this later — the Tigers have sucked the life out of the A’s and the ALCS like a grizzled, mustachioed, Olmos-faced manager pounding down some Winstons before taking questions for Thom Brennaman.

Festivities

Here’s the scoop on the events at Comerica this weekend:

  • Friday, Game 3: Mickey Lolich throws out the first pitch. National Anthem by The Temptations Review
  • Saturday, Game 4: George Kell throws out the first pitch. National Anthem by Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
  • Sunday, Game 5: Ernie Harwell throws out the first pitch. National Anthem by Josh Gracin

The gates open at 2pm each day.

The Lions are playing on Sunday as well. If you are a Lions fan with a parking pass for the Tigers garage, you are to park in the Compuware garage and there will be a shuttle available to take you to Ford Field.

2006 Season, Playoffs

ALCS Game 2 – The day after

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The Tigers just took the first 2 games on Oakland’s turf. In the first game they won despite a pitching match-up that didn’t appear to tilt their way. In the 2nd game they did it with an unconventional lineup on a night when their starting pitching was merely average. And yet I’m still nervous.

It was only 2 weeks ago that the Tigers played a home weekend series against the worst team in the league needing merely 1 win. They couldn’t do it. Now the Tigers need 2 wins against a team that has proved to be very good, even if they haven’t shown it yet this series. Some people are saying that the Tigers learned from that series, and that it made them a better team. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but as fans it would be silly to forget what went down.

There’s no denying the Tigers are in the best position possible. They’re coming home for 3 games and the A’s needing to win 4 of the last 5 games to knock off the Tigers. They’re hitting well, playing solid defense, doing enough on the mound, and they have momentum. But this series is far from over. We’ve seen how tenuous even a sizable lead can be and how easily things can change. Last night the Tigers had a 3 run lead with 2 outs in the 9th inning having struck out 6 consecutive A’s batters. Five minutes later Todd Jones was throwing a belt high fastball to Frank Thomas with the bases loaded. Be happy, but remember that the Tigers have 2 more wins to go and I’m pretty sure the A’s aren’t just going to lay down.

The Injuries

Joel Zumaya’s absence was definitely conspicuous last night. We saw Grilli, we saw Ledezma, we saw Rodney. All were very good, but where was #54? It turns out that the forearm stiffness he experienced late in the season has crept back. Extent and timelines aren’t available yet. When he does pitch again, I’d be surprised if Leyland went multiple innings with him.

One thing that was not conspicuously absent last night was Sean Casey’s jersey which Fox repeatedly showed hanging in the dugout. I thought was a nice gesture by the team to kind of keep Casey’s spirit around while he was back in Detroit getting treatment. Only he wasn’t in Detroit. He was in the Coliseum. Why they just didn’t show Casey I can’t figure out. In any case he appears to be done for the season with an outside shot at the World Series should the Tigers be participating.

As for Craig Monroe who received some treatment on the field for what appeared to be his calf (what is it with calves in this series), I didn’t see any news this morning. Seeing that he stayed in the game, I’m guessing he’s fine.

What others are saying

Mack Avenue Tigers: A Detroit Tigers Blog » ALCS Game 2: Alexis WHO?

And so Detroit returns to the cold confines of Comerica Park with a 2-0 lead in the ALCS. That’s not insurmountable in its own right. But right about now, it looks like the Tigers are not going let this series even get back to the west coast. I’m starting to get that team-of-destiny feeling. I keep trying to push it away for fear of disappointment. But it’s there. This is getting pretty fun.

Athletics Nation :: An Oakland A’s Blog

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like going down 2-0 at home. The A’s are now officially the underdogs in the series no matter how you slice it, having simply been outpitched, outhit, and outfielded in two home games, off to face their nemesis, Kenny Rogers, in less friendly confines.
But tonight’s game was a microcosm of why there is hope for the series as a whole. Tonight, the A’s looked like they were cooked only to rise up and get Milton Bradley to the plate representing the tying run, only to go a step further and get Frank Thomas to the plate representing the winning run. Perhaps the series will follow the same script and the A’s have some rising yet to do.

Baseball Toaster: Catfish Stew : No Satisfaction

Perhaps I felt a sense of redemption, that even though the A’s were losing, they were going down fighting. Things have not gone the A’s way so far this series; the hits aren’t quite timely enough, the defense always seems just half an inch from making a play, and the starting pitchers have let them down. The A’s could have easily rolled over and let the Tigers just walk away with this game, but they slogged their way back into the game, with the help of some home runs by Eric Chavez and Milton Bradley.

Bob Wojonowski: DAZZLING! – 10/12/06 – The Detroit News Online

It’s all working now, all the magical stuff and all the practical stuff, and even the bizarre stuff. Seriously. When a seldom-used hitter bounces off the bench to become the star of the game, the Tigers are living right and playing right, and looking more unbeatable by the inning.

DREW SHARP: Roarin’ home!

The Tigers are very good, but they also understand the importance sometimes of being charmed. They won’t fight it. They’re perfectly content riding this wave of momentum until it throws them.

Ray Ratto: Looks like the end is nigh for A’s

So now the A’s go east to either cheat fate or meet it face first. Teams don’t spot the other team two at home and hit the road thinking that it’s clear sailing and free beers all around. It is not accurate to say that the A’s are finished (Chavez said, “All that stuff is numbers and percentages, but it doesn’t mean anything until we’re eliminated”), but it is fair to say they can see “finished” from here. They have reached this point by being a radically different team than the one that got them here — they are the A’s of April trying to make October last a little longer than two or three days in Greektown.

Inside Bay Area – Strengths shockingly failing A’s

The teams that move on at this time of year are the ones that show themselves best. Oakland is completely out of mulligans. Now it’s time to get it in gear or call it a year.

ALCS: Tigers vs. A’s: Tigers Take Control — The Hardball Times

Detroit is in very good position to take control of this series when Kenny Rogers takes on Rich Harden in Detroit on Friday. Harden has awesome stuff—maybe better than Verlander—but he last pitched on Oct. 1, when he overthrew his fastball and left it up in the zone while struggling with his command. It’s not over for Oakland yet, but Detroit has thus far pitched better, hit better, and fielded better in the series.

FOX Sports – Playoffs – No easy outs in Tigers’ lineup

That’s a long-winded way of saying that you won’t find many easy outs in the Detroit lineup. That’s why the Tigers in the 2006 postseason are averaging almost six runs per game. The rotation and bullpen have been solid since the calendar flipped to October, but mostly it’s because of the offense that the Tigers are two wins from their first World Series since 1984.

The Aftermath: Game 2 « Baseball By Paul

I said before the game that the lineup construction was absolutely awful and I was, of course, referring to Neifi Perez’s presence not only in the lineup, but in the ever-crucial #2 slot! Despite that horrendous error in judgement, the lineup worked, to the tune of eight runs as the Tigers leave the Bay Area with a 2-0 lead in the League Championship Series! One lineup adjustment that did favor the team was the insertion of Alexis Gomez. Gomez took home player of the game honors with a 2-for-4, 4 RBI performance that included a home run. Placido Polanco remained white hot with another three hits driving his postseason average to .440 (11-for-25).

2006 Season, Game Post, Playoffs

ALCS Game 2

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PREGAME: First of all, thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Cory Lidle and the other individuals who were killed today in a plane crash. It’s simply awful news and truly a tragedy.

On to the matter at hand, the Tigers will be playing game 2 tonight against the A’s. The Tigers will send out Justin Verlander and the A’s will counter with Esteban Loaiza.

Last night we saw the Tigers exercise a great deal of patience at the plate. I’m sure that was by design. Like Joe Sheehan, I’m wondering if the Tigers will mix things up by being particularly aggressive on fastballs early in the count. In terms of scouting a preparation the Tigers seem to have had an edge so far in their 5 playoff games. We’ll see if they can continue that trend against Loaiza.

In terms of individual match-ups, Carlos Guillen is 11 for 16 off of Loaiza while Ivan Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson have also had success. Like with Barry Zito, Inge and Monroe have had little to no success against Loaiza. Of course that kind of changed last night for Inge.

There is a huge platoon advantage for lefties against Loaiza who have an 886 OPS versus a 684 OPS for righthanders. Sean Casey would have been helpful in this regard and is probably the reason Alexis Gomez is starting at DH in place of Marcus Thames. Of course Alexis Gomez has no track record of success against Loaiza or any other pitcher for that matter.

The Tigers faced Loaiza twice scoring 3 runs in 6 innings the first time and torching him for 8 runs in 3 innings the second time.

Justin Verlander made a couple solid starts against the A’s this year. In the first he was undone by 2 Nick Swisher homers and 2 Carlos Guillen errors. In the second he allowed a single run over 6 innings.

**A note on Neifi Perez**
Neifi Perez is in the lineup. Neifi Perez is hitting second. This is a bad decision regardless of what Neifi does tonight. I can understand having Perez in the lineup, but maximizing his potential at-bats is a poor move. Leyland doesn’t have confidence in Infante’s ability to play short (I disagree with this, but it is what it is). When it comes down to Santiago or Perez, Perez has a better track record against Loaiza (3 for 10 versus 2 for 18). You can place as much value on those numbers as you choose. Perez brings playoff experience (according to Leyland’s presser). That playoff experience is all of 4 plate apperances. And he brings energy and he likes to play the game. That is the Perez reasoning.

On another note, the complete lack of playoff experience for Alexis Gomez doesn’t appear to be a concern.

The Tigers are going to have to make due without Casey so things are going to get shuffled. Perez and/or Santiago will be playing and thus weakening the lineup. That’s the way it goes. But make no mistake, this is bad lineup construction.

Detroit Lineup

CF – Granderson
SS – Perez
2B – Polanco
RF – Ordonez
1B – Guillen
C – Rodriguez
LF – Monroe
DH – Gomez
3B – Inge

Oakland Lineup

C – Kendall
CF – Kotsay
RF – Bradley
DH – Thomas
3B – Chavez
LF – Payton
1B – Swisher
SS – Scutaro
2B – Jimenez

Game Time 8:19

POSTGAME: With an 8-5 win the Tigers are coming home up 2-0. Things look pretty good, but this is far from a done deal. As for tonight’s game, here’s what jumped out at me:

  • That whole patience thing was back to normal tonight. Part of that may have been due to Loaiza. He was continually getting first pitch strikes. As a result he had a couple single digit pitch count innings. Only 6 Tiger PAs resulted in 3 balls, and one of those was an intentional walk to Polanco.
  • Polanco took a first pitch strike each of his first 3 times up and singled all 3 times.
  • Alexis Gomez was quite good today. Even his first out was hit hard. The platoon paid off tonight.
  • Neifi Perez looked awful but got better as the game went on. First was the K, then the ground out to the pitcher, then the ground out to second, and after a sac bunt he got a flyball to the outfield.
  • Todd Jones made things interesting, but to fully appreciate the situation you need to realize what transpired prior. After the Bradley homer Jason Grilli, Fernando Rodney, and Todd Jones fanned the next 6 batters. The benefit was that even after a couple singles, Bradley was coming up with 2 outs. Now Bradley got lucky with his at-bat, and Todd Jones got lucky leaving a ball up to Frank Thomas.
  • I’m concerned about Joel Zumaya. He clearly wasn’t available tonight, and I didn’t even see him in the bullpen. It would be one thing if it were a rest issue, but he’s only pitched once since last Friday and there is an off day tomorrow. Something’s fishy.

I’ll have the “Day After” post up early tomorrow morning. Until then, sleep well. Your Tigers are up 2-0 in the ALCS.

2006 Season, Injuries, Playoffs

Casey at the Bench

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In the 6th inning of game 1 Sean Casey’s left calf muscle went all broken-rubber-band. He of course had to leave the game with Carlos Guillen assuming first base duties and Ramon Santiago taking shortstop.

It’s moments like this that make one question the decision to take 3 back-up infielders – none of whom play first base. Chris Shelton would be looking like an attractive option right about now.

Now the impact of Casey’s loss could certainly be tempered if Omar Infante were slotted into the starting shortstop role. Infante is capable of providing Casey-type offense and is slick enough defensively to compensate for Guillen. However, like when Polanco was injured, we know how much Jim Leyland is fond of Neifi Perez. Perez of course is a switch-batter (notice I said switch batter instead of hitter) and Leyland loves platoon advantage – even if it isn’t an advantage. I fear that Perez who is inadequate defensively and poor offensively will get the bulk of the playing time.

Now if the Tigers survive the ALCS and make it to the World Series, Chris Shelton could be added at that time. But he wouldn’t be replacing Sean Casey, he’d be replacing Ramon Santiago. Only one of Santiago/Shelton can be on the roster at a time because they are using the Tony Giarratano exemption as neither was on the 25 man roster until after September 1st.

2006 Season, Game Post, Playoffs

ALCS Game 1

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PREGAME: It’s 1972 all over again as the A’s and Tigers hook up in the American League Championship Series. Tonight will feature Nate Robertson taking on Barry Zito and his curveball of doom.

Nate lasted 7 innings in each of his 2 starts against the A’s this year. In one game he surrendered 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks while taking the loss. In the other he surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits and no walks.

Barry Zito only faced the Tigers once this year and held them to a single run before his bullpen let him down by surrendering 3 runs in the 9th inning. Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe, and Magglio Ordonez are a combined 8 for 66 off of Zito. Fortunately Placido Polanco and Pudge Rodriguez don’t seem to be at all bothered by him.

The umpiring match-up – yes the umpiring match-up – would seem to favor the A’s. Homeplate umpire Jerry Crawford’s games have seen an ERA substantially higher than the league average and there tend to be more walks in his games. This would seem to favor the more patient team. (Hat tip Knuckle Curve)

And because this doesn’t fit anywhere else, Placido Polanco turns 31 today. (funnily enough, Ramon Martinez who was part of the trade to acquire Polanco from the Phillies has the same birthday)

Detroit Lineup

CF – Granderson
2B – Polanco
1B – Casey
RF – Ordonez
SS – Guillen
C – Rodriguez
LF – Monroe
DH – Thames
3B – Inge

Oakland Lineup

C – Kendall
CF – Kotsay
RF – Bradley
DH – Thomas
LF – Payton
3B – Chavez
1B – Swisher
SS – Scutaro
2B – Jimenez

Game Time 8:19

POSTGAME: One of baseball’s least patient teams took on one of baseball’s most patient teams. Yet it was the Tigers who found themselves regularly in hitters counts and full counts forcing Barry Zito out in the 4th inning. The Tigers made it all the way through the lineup the first time with every hitter seeing at least 4 pitches. Granted, it was a tight strike zone and Zito got a raw deal on a full count pitch to Polanco. But Nate Robertson was working with the same strike zone and didn’t reach his first 3 ball count until the third inning.

Robertson picked up where Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman left off and he attacked the strike zone. That wasn’t to say it was an easy go. Once again, started and failed to make it through a single inning without pitching from the stretch. And for what seems like the 6th or 7th time this season Nate Robertson put a man on third with nobody out and pitched out of it.

Now the Tigers did quite a bit right. They had a great approach at the plate, they played solid defense, and took advantage of their opportunities. Some of those opportunities were gift wrapped by the A’s. They didn’t field the ball particularly well and hit into 4 double plays.

The end result is the Tigers take an early 1-0 lead in the series and pick-up homefield advantage in the series. It also shows that Leyland must have known something by starting Robertson.

2006 Season, Playoffs

World Series Ticket Information

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I’m not sure how this ties together, but there appear to be 2 methods to get World Series tickets.

One method is to register in a lottery for the right to buy tickets. That registration can be done online at tigers.com but must be completed by 5:00pm today. I’m sorry about the late notice. This one totally slid by me.

But fear not. There will also be a regular public sale. Those tickets will go on sale October 16th at 10:00am and will only be available online (tigers.com) or over the phone (248-25-Tiger). You’ll be allowed to buy a maximum of 4 tickets with prices starting at $90.

2006 Season, Fan Experience, Playoffs

ALDS Final Celebration Tidbits

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Here are some celebration miscellaney…

First, Joey C found this YouTube video of the celebration. It was somebody with a camcorder recording the TV broadcast so the quality isn’t the best, but you definitely get the gist of what’s going on.

You can download the whole game 4 for free from MLB.com. Or if you prefer, for $0.99 you can get 4:48 of bliss that includes the last out and celebration.

Buster Olney called it “perhaps the greatest team celebration you will ever see.” While Jerry Green said it brought back memories of the 1968 party that spilled from the clubhouse to the Lindell AC.

Some may have been put off by the celebration, but The Bleacher Guy explains that those who didn’t appreciate the celebration didn’t experience the depths of despair this team had encountered.

Finally, Peter Gammons weighs in. It’s premium content, but I’ll excerpt the sweetest stuff below:

Those were the Tigers of 1984, of Alan Trammell and Jack Morris, Sparky Anderson and Kirk Gibson, and they may or may not have meant more to the city’s psyche than the Tigers of 1968. Yankees or no Yankees, these 2006 Tigers are summed up by manager Jim Leyland’s simple phrase, “We showed we belong,” which may not sound like much in New York or Boston or Chicago, but to a franchise that hadn’t had a winning season since 1993 in a town where baseball not only mattered but was Cobb, Gehringer, Kaline, Lolich, et al — lords and masters — just to “belong” with the Yankees is a measure of the self-respect that somehow got lost.

So to hear the chants for Kenny Rogers, the 23rd winningest left-hander in history yet an abused postseason figure, was a wonderful thing. To watch the standing ovations for Craig Monroe, Todd Jones and Carlos Guillen made them all the stars that went on top, and, best of all, seeing Leyland carried off the field like Knute Rockne made the weekend.

2006 Season, Pitching

Tigers set ALCS rotation

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The Tigers are sticking with what worked in the ALDS in terms of their rotation. Nate Robertson will pitch game 1 and he’ll be followed by Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, and Jeremy Bonderman. This will be ripe with second guessing.

First of all, Robertson had the least success against the Yankees, and he’s had the least success against the A’s this season.

Second, everyone by now is aware that Kenny Rogers has proven to be nearly invincible pitching in Oakland.

Third, the A’s have hit lefties better this season with a 790 OPS against southpaws as opposed to a 740 OPS against righties.

Despite all that, I don’t think it will make that much of a difference. As I said prior to the Yankees series, the Tigers have 4 very good pitchers that are all pretty similar. That right there negates some of the impact of the ordering.

As for Kenny Rogers success in the Coliseum, it is true that he has a 26-4 record with a 3.46 ERA. His other Coliseum stats are K/9 – 5.0, BB/9 – 3.4, HR/9 – .88, and K/BB – 1.47. The thing is, Kenny Rogers is pretty good in Comerica Park also. There he posts a 3.32 ERA, K/9 – 4.6, BB/9 – 2.7, HR/9 – .69, and K/BB – 1.72. In fact there’s really no drop off.

As for Leyland’s reasoning, I can only speculate. Maybe he wanted to show confidence in Robertson, or avoid a long lay off for him. Maybe he didn’t want to saddle Verlander with the pressure of a game 1 assignment, or he wanted to still try and limit his workload. Maybe he wanted Jeremy Bonderman Kenny Rogers to be pitching in a potential game 7.

Now if I were picking a rotation (knowing that Bonderman can’t go in either game 1 or 2) it would be Verlander-Rogers-Bonderman-Robertson. But in the end, I don’t really see it being a big deal.

2006 Season, Playoffs

ALDS Aftermath

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Very rarely am I right. That’s why I see no shame in pulling this out from last Monday:

At the same time, the mere fact that the Tigers are still playing means they have a shot. If the Tigers can find a way to take one of the first 2 games I actually believe the Tigers will win this series. This is fully a homer pick and not based on anything resembling solid logic. I’m confident that Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman can pick up wins against the Yankees 3rd and 4th options.

Sometimes it’s good to be a homer. I wasn’t expecting the complete shutdown of the Yankee bats, but I’ll just attribute this to Blind-Squirrel-Nut.

A link-a-thon of who’s saying what about our Tigers… Continue reading ALDS Aftermath →