Tigers looks to get to .500 today with Brad Penny on the mound versus AJ Burnett. I believe that Penny is going to be a critical factor in the Tigers’ hopes to compete this year, so I’m really looking forward to this game. Penny had a decent spring with a 1.34 WHIP in 25 1/3 innings, striking out 15 and walking only 8. Penny gets a lot of ground balls, holding a 1.35 career GB/FO ratio.
AJ Burnett’s 2010 was…not good. An article in today’s New York Post said it best: “After a strong start in 2010, nearly everything about Burnett’s season looked awful. He finished the year with a 10-15 record, a 5.26 ERA, 16 wild pitches, 19 hit batsmen, one lost fight with a clubhouse door, one mysterious black eye and just one postseason start after manager Joe Girardi deemed him untrustworthy.” The article goes on to mention that Burnett’s 2010 was one of the worst statistically in Yankee’s history.
On the other hand, this is a guy with a career ERA just under 4, a 1.32 WHIP, and a 8.22 K/9 ratio over 12 seasons. That’s pretty salty. The boys will definitely have their work cut out for them today.
Boesch will be in left field instead of Raburn, batting sixth, and Avila and Inge will flip flop in the 8 and 9 spots in the lineup.
Check out this article that Joe Posnanski wrote on SI.com covering the 32 best players in baseball. JV and Miggy made the list.
My enthusiasm for this years Tiger season is starting to disappear very quickly.
I am even thinking of cancelling my baseball package. Just pathetic, frustrating and disappointing…….and it’s only the second game of the season. Is this the type of baseball we will have to watch and put up with for the rest of the season?
Yes! This is what I’ve been saying for years now. Until we solve this ongoing triangle of failure in our infield, and replace DD and Leyland who are very bad at their jobs, we are not going to be a respectable baseball team! DD is a bad GM that doesn’t know roster strategy or how to oversee all the elements of the game that he needs to take responsibility for, and Leyland is oblivious to everything that is going on around him. An irresponsible and illogical GM coupled with the same for a manager, and combined with the inefficient roster design we have = baseball nightmare. This team has to make major changes or we are not going to be able to dominate the game, let alone be arguably amongst the best. We should be the clear cut #1 team, and there’s no excuse except incompetence for not doing so! Hire me to be the GM and I will fix it, and then in due time nobody will be able to touch us, but if not then I expect Illitch to find somebody of equal or greater value, and he’s not doing it!
the biggest reason EVERYONE loves to play for Leyland is he never holds you accountable for not doing your job….no wonder everyone loves him
Well that’s because he just doesn’t understand the fundamentals of the game on any aspect of baseball and thus doesn’t know how to teach or instruct players on how to improve what they are doing wrong, he’s just clueless and oblivious to a dozen key things that are correctable, and his sense of strategy and baseball science are completely non-existent.
he is the EXPERT of “He’s due”…….seldom works but he is an expert at going to it!!!!
the first 8 Tiger batters took the first pitch,,,,all were strikes….nice philosophy when the pitcher isn’t throwing a first pitch strike…Look at Penny he is behind everyone in the count….
Well we were chipping away at them, but they keep coming back with 3 run homers. That’s a rough tradeoff, especially when it’s the worst hitter in the lineup doing that, yikes! Can’t wait to get to Baltimore, we need a change of scenery.
sure do
Why? They are even hungrier than the Yankees. Look what their manager has them doing.
Looks like we got a bad penny today and not a shiny new penny
We still have a 50-50 shot that the other side is shiny. It’s not over yet!
It’s a little early to give up on the boys. We’re gonna have several games like this. Let’s get through April before we make any rash decisions.
We’ll be alright.
Why does anybody think this team will contend? They have Cabrera, Verlander and a bunch of question marks. Even Valverde ended last year w/ a 6.00 ERA in the 2nd half.
They have the ancient Maggs batting 3rd and playing RF, They basically replaced Guillen w/ Martinez (which is a good trade) Peralta is an upgrade offensively but a minus defensively. Rhymes at 2nd, gives us among the worst #2 hitter in the AL and one of the worst defensive 2b in the AL…to go along w/ a SS who has amongst the worst range in the majors.
LF is Raburn or Boesch..both guys inconsistent average baseball players at best and adventurous in the field to say the least. Avila is a huge question mark and Inge is Inge (an aging career .230 hitter w/ average power) AJ has the potential to have another good year. Overall, our offense is marginally better than last year…but, weaker than the Twins and Chisox. The starting pitching…who knows? JV will be good, but, probably below the other great aces in the game. He continues to struggle in the division. Porcello has a 50/50 shot of being great or bad…Scherzer will probably be pretty strong. Coke is a crap shoot, and Penny will get hurt. Its an insult for DD and JL to pretend as if this is the best team they have had…This team pales in comparison to 2006-2007. The Tigers needed a Miggy type trade in 2006 or 2007 (instead we got Sean Casey and kept our prospects, that we ended up trading away anyhow)…This team is not even close to being a serious contender…unless 84-85 games can win the Central. DD and the Lynn Hennings of the world have exagerated big time…the talent level on this team and in this organization and we all know it. Even they know it.
Yawn.
I yawn and roll my eyes at Mr. X’s yawn.
It appears the Yankees begin the season on par with the past several seasons – with their continue success against the AL Central – this should not come as a surprise to Tiger (and Twin, Royal, etc) fans.
It’s a long season folks, and the Tigers will compete for the AL Central title – whether that continues into Sept and Oct remains to be seen.