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Very interesting interview with radio PBP man Dickerson. An interesting perspective from someone very close to the team and players.
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I know this is a few days old, but I’m behind on my link posting, so check out the genius of Samara.
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Also a few days old, but Eddie takes a look at Detroit’s tendency to GIDP.
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Good news I suppose. Plus Bautista is close to starting a rehab assignment.
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I just don’t see the logic in sending Galarraga to the pen. Keep him starting at Toledo so he can be plugged in as needed.
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A look at the Mud Hens offense. Most startling is their team lead in homers. The Hens have 82 and the next team has 51.
Monthly Archives: May 2008
Tigers Minor League Wrap 5-19-08
Toledo 10 Columbus 0
The homer barrage continues with Mike Hollimon hitting 2 (10 in the last 8 games) and Timo Perez and Nick Trzesniak joining him with a pair apiece and Freddy Guzman hit one. So today the Mud Hens hit as many homers as the Tigers have since May 3rd. Casey Fossum fanned 10 in 7 shut out innings.
Erie 10 Binghamton 5
Max St. Pierre homered, walked, and added 2 singles. Wil Rhymes had a 3 hit day and Wilkin Ramirez had 2 hits and a walk. Danny Christensen allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings.
The homer barrage continues with Mike Hollimon hitting 2 (10 in the last 8 games) and Timo Perez and Nick Trzesniak joining him with a pair apiece and Freddy Guzman hit one. So today the Mud Hens hit as many homers as the Tigers have since May 3rd. Casey Fossum fanned 10 in 7 shut out innings.
Erie 10 Binghamton 5
Max St. Pierre homered, walked, and added 2 singles. Wil Rhymes had a 3 hit day and Wilkin Ramirez had 2 hits and a walk. Danny Christensen allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings.
Palm Beach 0 Lakeland 4
Jonah Nickerson allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while fanning 8 in 7 shut out innings. Brennan Boesch had 3 hits. Jeramy Laster homered, singled, and walked.
West Michigan 4 Lansing 2
Jon Kibler pitched a complete game allowing only 2 hits. He walked 1 and fanned 8. Casper Wells walked twice and singled. Jordan Newton tripled and drove in two runs.
Game 44: Tigers at Diamondbacks
PREGAME: If the Tigers keep playing like they have over their last 1 games, they’ll be back to .500 9 games from now. The Tigers will try to turn a win into a winning streak behind Nate Robertson.
Robertson took a no decision in his last start, one that saw him allow only 2 runs while scattering 10 hits over 7 innings. It was the first time this season he hadn’t allowed 4 or 5 runs.
The Tigers get to face a lefty in the form of Randy Johnson. Johnson has allowed quite a few hits this year, but is still fanning a batter an inning. Left handed batters have exactly 1 hit and 2 walks off of Johnson this year. So it’s probably a good idea that Curtis Granderson and Matt Joyce are out of the lineup. But with Carlos Guillen also getting the day off, the 3 spot looks empty with Edgar Renteria and his 633 OPS.
- Rodriguez, C
- Polanco, 2B
- Renteria, SS
- Ordonez, RF
- Cabrera, 1B
- Thames, LF
- Raburn, CF
- Inge, 3B
- Robertson, P
DET @ ARI, Sunday, May 18, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com
POSTGAME: Robertson looked dominant for a big chunk of this game, but in the end it was a typical Nate start with 5.2 innings and the customary 4 runs allowed. The only moment of the game where I can really fault him came in the 6th inning, where after an Ordonez error a third run scored. Following an intentional walk, an unglued Robertson walked Randy Johnson. Otherwise Nate pitched fine, but again it would have taken a shut out to even have a chance at a no decision.
In typical fashion the offense generated scoring chances early but did nothing with them. At least they got some doubles instead of the single-per-inning approach they took in Kansas City.
Last night it was Rodriguez who routinely killed scoring chances. Today it was Ordonez’s turn. In the first inning he ended a two-on, 1-out threat with a double play. In the 3rd it was a 2-on, 2-out situation ending in a full count tapper to the pitcher. He ended the day with a 1-on, 2-out, comebacker as well.
Game Time 4:10
Tigers Minor League Wrap 5-17-08
Toledo 8 Columbus 5
Dontrelle Willis made another rehab start and stuck around for 96 pitches this time. He only allowed 1 run but he walked 4 in 6 innings and fanned 4. Jeff Larish is trying to catch-up to Mike Hessman and he knocked 2 more homers. Mike Hollimon added his 9th dinger and Brent Clevlen his 6th.
Erie 0 Binghamton 2
Wilkin Ramirez had a rough night with 3 K’s in 3 at-bats. Andrew Kown went 4.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, a walk and 4 K’s.
Erie 5 Binghamton 7
Danny Worth tripled and homered and Ryan Roberson added a homer and a single. Wil Rhymes and Justin Justice each had multi-hit games. Jon Connolly allowed 7 runs on 10 hits in 4 innings and owns a 7.07 ERA.
Dunedin 4 Lakeland 2
Ryan Strieby doubled, homered, and walked. James Skelton and Jeramy Laster each added 2 hits and a walk. Cale Iorg tripled and singled. Duane Below allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, no walks, and 5 K’s in 6 innings of work.
Lansing 5 West Michigan 3
Chris Carlson had 2 hits including a double. Ronnie Bourquin also doubled. All the runs allowed in this game were unearned coming on the heels of 3 errors. Lauren Gagnier allowed 1 unearned run on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts in 7 innings.
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POSTGAME: For those wondering, no we won’t be doing every game in reverse-text until they lose again. This was a one time slump busting move. Though I do expect the Tigers socks to remain high for the time being.
The Tigers seemed to have rubbed off some on the D-backs. It was Arizona biffing a bunt and then Orlando Hudson having the brain fart and not running to first while the Pudge Rodrgiuez made the heads up play to turn 2. It was Connor Jackson letting a routine dribbler extend an inning leading to the Tigers first runs. It was Arizona pitching walking 6 batters. It was Arizona hitters failing to deliver with runners in scoring position and hitting into double plays.
Okay, the Tigers still did most of that stuff too. They walked 6. Ryan Raburn dropped a double play throw. It appeared there was another pop-out that went uncalled. The Tigers still struggled with RISP. But a win is a win. And there was stuff to be encouraged about. Miguel Cabrera continued to hit the ball hard. Curtis Granderson managed a couple hits. And Matt Joyce looks completely unfazed despite hitting 4 homers in 10 games.
Armando Galarraga could probably be described as effectively wild last night. He wasn’t particularly sharp in issuing 5 walks, but he did only allow 1 hit. It was the 4th quality start in the last 5 games for Tigers starters who appear to be turning things around as a group.
Evidence of bizarre strike zone disappears
In last night’s Detroit-Arizona game there were several moments where I was completely befuddled by CB Bucknor’s strike zone. But I was going to just consider my bias as a frustrated fan and let it go. Then I saw Tom Gage’s game story and a ball-strike call was the lead for his story. So I thought I would go back to the pitch f/x data and post a couple of the at-bats in question. Except for one thing. The pitch f/x data that had been there throughout the game had disappeared this morning.
One of the moments in question was in the top of the 7th inning when Jeremy Bonderman appeared to freeze Justin Upton with a called third strike on a 2-2 count. Except it was called a ball and Upton would later go on to walk. I was IM’ing with Ian and couldn’t believe the pitch, but I chalked it up to being the frustrated fan of a floundering team.
The other egregious call was in the top of the 8th inning when Curtis Granderson was called out an a fastball that was borderline low, and at least 6 inches off the plate. The frustration of the one call combined with the crappy play of my team had me furious at this latest call. But I thought I would give it some time before posting. I try not to blog angry.
But when I went to post the at-bats in question this morning, the pitch f/x data is gone. There are still plots of the pitches, but not as tracked by pitch f/x and not where the actual pitches were. The system was working last night. It worked the night before at Chase Ballpark and the data still persists. It worked in other ballparks last night where the data still exists.
Perhaps it is some kind of data glitch where things were broken only at Chase only after that game. And in fairness I checked the other games that Bucknor has done this year, and all the data is there. So maybe I’m just irrational frustrated fan guy right now who is pissed because his team isn’t playing better, but I did want to graphically show how bad the calls were. Plus I have a long running disdain for Bucknor for other reasons.
C.B. Bucknor’s umpiring acumen has been well documented. In a 2003 Sports Illustrated survey of players he was voted worst umpire. In a 2006 Sports Illustrated survey of players he was voted worst umpire. So at least he’s consistent in his sucking.
Tigers Minor League Warp 5-16-08
Toledo 3 Durham 9
It wasn’t a good night for Virgil Vasquez who allowed 6 runs on 3 homers in just 3 innings. Yorman Bazardo came on in relief and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in 4.1 innings while fanning 5 and walking none. And in an odd night, Hessman, Larish, and Hollimon didn’t homer. But Erick Almonte did.
Erie – PPD
Dunedin 1 Lakeland 4
Rick Porcello went 5.2 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, a walk, and 5 K’s. Brennan Boesch had a 3 hit game while Cale Iorg and Scott Sizemore had 2 hit games. Jeramy Laster homered and singled.
Lansing 3 West Michigan 6
Joe Tucker had 3 hits. Audy Ciriaco and Justin Henry had 2 hits each. Alredo Figaro allowed 3 runs on 6 hitsand 3 walks while fanning 5.
Lansing 5 West Michigan 0
Only 3 hits for the Whitecaps in this half of the DH. Manny Miguelez didn’t make it out of the first inning surrendering 4 runs and only recording 2 outs.
Game 42: Tigers at Diamondbacks
PREGAME: Frequently fans will complain when their struggling team has to go take on the best team in the league. I say bring on the Diamondbacks. It’s not like Arizona is going to “cool-off” Detroit. Might as well play them now because it doesn’t actually matter who the Tigers play given their recent production.
The 0-4 skid is awful. Maybe it’s a case of booty tightness that can only be remedied by a visit from Jason Giambi’s thong supplier. (I’ve been waiting all afternoon to write that)
As for the match-up, it will be Dan Haren for the Diamondbacks and Jeremy Bonderman for the Tigers. We’ll see if Bonderman will be more willing to come inside, or if he’s staying away because he’s lost 2.5 mph on his fastball.
As for Haren, he’s been awesome per usual fanning 4 for every guy he walks and only allowing 4 homers in 50.1 innings this year. And at home opponents have mustered only a .518 OPS though Haren has benefited from an unsustainable .227 batting average on balls in play.
The first pitch is pretty important in general, but the numbers are remarkable for Haren. Batters who see a first pitch ball post a 854 OPS but those who see a first pitch strike manage only a .327. The Tigers have been fairly passive on first pitch strikes this year and it will be interesting to see if they deviate in their game plan to be more aggressive.
DET @ ARI, Friday, May 16, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com
Game Time 9:40
POSTGAME: How do they lose thee? Let me count the ways…
Once again it was another game that flat out blew, and it’s not like the Diamondbacks played well. What team successfully sacrifice bunted leading to one of those manufactured runs? The Tigers. What team failed to properly execute a sac bunt leading to an out at third? The Diamondbacks.
What team made a big baserunning gaffe on a missed bunt attempt? The Diamondbacks.
I don’t want to hear how they did it the right way. The Diamondbacks won because the Tigers once again completely broke down in the field. A lazy effort on a foul pop up by Miguel Cabrera wasn’t costly, but Carlos Guillen and Edgar Renteria failing to call for a foul pop ended up costing Bonderman big. And to cap it off Guillen bounced a routine throw to first which plated the losing run.
It was a punch in the gut killing a team that had otherwise played a decent game. Miguel Cabrera hit a 2 run homer which was the first homer the Tigers hit with someone on base since May 1st and the first homer by a right hander since May 2nd.
Jeremy Bonderman was awesome and deserved a better fate than 3 runs in 6 innings. He was pitching to both sides of the strike zone and mixing his pitching well. Yet he has a very generic no decision quality start to show for it.
This season and this game somehow simultaneously blows and sucks.
DTW Live Chat
Starting at 12:45 today we’ll try something new. I’ll do a live chat. Ask your questions and we’ll see how it goes.
POST CHAT COMMENTS: Thanks to everyone who participated. There were some great questions, and fortunately I think I was able to keep up pretty good. Please let me know what you though of this. It was a spur of the moment decision I made when I had 45 minutes and couldn’t decide what topic to cover today so it seemed like a good time to try this.
Is this something I should do again? Maybe once a month or so?
Programming Note
I’ll be on WDET 101.9 FM talking about the Tigers and their losing ways at 10:40 this morning. If you’re so inclined you can flip the dial there, or hit a preset, or get the stream from WDET.org
UPDATE: Here’s the audio. I’m on about 45 minutes in.
[audio:http://www.wdetfm.org/audio/detroittoday/386/FRI_full_show_5-16.MP3]
Game 41: Tigers at Royals
PREGAME: Kenny rogers hopes to not be the latest pitcher to receive no run support and Gil Meche will look to extend the Tigers 16 inning scoreless streak. I wish I had something more encouraging to say.
DET @ KCR, Thursday, May 15, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com
Game Time 2:10
POSTGAME: Umm. Again, not a lot to say. I listened to most of this game and it sounded by Dan and Jim’s call that some bad pitching was compounded by some bad luck. Once again stuff happened to the Tigers instead of the Tigers happening to another team. They managed some extra base hits later in the game, but when given a chance to actually climb back in they failed.
Kenny Rogers walked in a run which was the 8th time a Tigers pitcher has done that this year. Last year it happened a total of 9 times. What’s disappointing is that looking at the strike zone (the graphic below is Granderson leading off the game, those strikes were all called), in this game it should have played to Kenny’s strengths. Strikes were being called outside off the plate, but Rogers couldn’t take advantage.
I’m just speechless.
Leyland abandons logic in Sheffield mess
The announcement came out last night that Gary Sheffield’s switch to full time left fielder had come to an end after only 5 games. This latest turn of events isn’t surprising, but the aftermath makes no sense. The Tigers are relegated to carrying a player on the roster who can’t even DH everyday. If only there was some sort of way to deal with injured players so that they wouldn’t take up a roster spot and you could have a substitute for them…
When the news came out that Sheffield was switching to left, it made little sense from a baseball standpoint. Especially since it meant moving better fielding players like Matt Joyce to the DH role. But there was some merit in the move. Given Sheffield and the Tigers problems if there was a chance to get either going I’m all for it. Sheffield didn’t have any miscues in the field, and since the switch he hit 278/458/389 so it cost the team little.
The other reason to be in favor of the move is that it seemed like it would force an action one way or the other. Either Sheffield would respond and show he was okay and get rolling. Or he’d show that he’s not healthy finally prompting what seems to be an inevitable trip to the DL.
But instead we have a player who can’t take warmup tosses between innings and who by his own admission is restricted in his swing and that he “isn’t getting to certain pitches I’d like.”
Now let’s take a step back and look at Sheffield’s recent performance with the nice OBP and empty slugging percentage. In Leyland’s post game presser after Tuesday’s loss he said it’s nice that the Tigers have a good OBP, but he likes slugging and bringing runners around. And yet he continues to trot out a player who admits he can’t drive the ball, who Leyland recognizes can’t drive the ball.
This is bizarre, befuddling, and downright stupid. I understand that Leyland has respect for Sheffield and is trying to do what he can to get him going. But a quarter season of on the job rehab isn’t helping Sheffield and it isn’t helping the Tigers. DL him now. Call up Jeff Larish or Mike Hessman. Larish is left handed and is entirely capable of slugging. Hessman is right handed but can play a couple positions and is entirely capable of slugging. But don’t carry a player who is only capable of playing once a series.
Shoulder relegates Sheffield to the DH