The Tigers stroll into LA on the tail of another JV masterpiece. The last time the Tigers had multiple 9 game winners this early in the season was 1985, when they had 3. Can you name them?
For the Tigers, tonight’s game is all about Brad’s balls. How many, to be exact. Did you know that when he gives up more than 2 walks he’s 0-3 with a 9.73 ERA? On the flip side, when he allows 2 or fewer BBs he’s 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA.
Penny will be opposed by Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is a mid-90’s lefty who relies heavily on his fastball with a good slider out pitch. On the year he’s 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He strikes out a ridiculous 9.67/9 (contrast that against JVs 8.20/9) against less than 3 walks per 9. He had his two worst outings of the season on June 4th and June 9th, but then righted the ship with a 7 inning, 4 hit, 1 ER performance last time out.
A few notes:
– JV was named co-player of the week in the AL (second time he’s shared the award this season) alongside James Shields.
– Inge is hitting .176 through four games at Toledo.
– Clayton Kershaw has 9 hits and is second in the majors among all pitchers with a .290 BA.
– The Tigers are batting .312 with 95 runs scored, 31 doubles and 20 home runs in 18 games during June.
Today’s pre-game player of the game is Ryan Raburn. For no reason other than he’s on my Scoresheet team.
Your Maggs is Due Lineup:
1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Casper Wells, LF
3. Magglio Ordonez, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Ryan Raburn, 2B
8. Danny Worth, 3B
9. Brad Penny, P
I like this line-up vs Kershaw. He’s very tough against lefty hitters. Magglio, career wise, usually crushes lefty pitchers. Boesch can hit lefties, but Casper gives us a much more defense.
I’m going with Petry, Wilcox, and some other guy. Can’t think of his name.
Two of those are right.
It’s Petry, the obvious other guy, and the less obvious other guy.
Was it Juan Berengar? It seems like I remember him doing something. Dave Rosema would be my other guess.
Think Howard Johnson
I forgot about him and that Mets trade.
debating which broadcast i should listen to tonight
ok got tired of non stop chatter of vin
I see Penny has already started the night off with a bang…
The way we are batting against Kershaw, I don’t think it particularly matters
Yeah…so far the offense has been stellar…
Is Furbush available?
Cleveland lost, time for us to win!
strike out some more please
Oh come on, Raburn, who gets picked off of 3rd?
Darrell Evans
Gene Lamont waved him in!
Juan Berenguer and Darrell Evans reunited in one thread!
That’s a benchable offense.
Rayburned
lol raburn
As Penny walks Kershaw….this is the beginnings of a clown show….
Apparently Verlander was the only Tiger pitcher to get the memo about pitching to Nat’l league pitchers… you’re not supposed to walk them (with bases loaded – Porcello, or on 4 straight balls – Penny)
Still no offense….our big hitters are absolutely impotent against Kershaw…
Maggs fields the ball in right field like my wife picks up dog crap. Slow and unsure.
I can’t help but think that his time is limited with the Tigers…He really hasn’t started hitting yet and he is a liability in the field.
Whatever happened to the seasons we had dominating the NL?
but we were playing teams like Pittsburgh and Washington at home.
West Coast road trips usually suck anyway. The Rockies are a good team at Coors and this Kershaw guy is one of the best pitchers in the game.
We should do well vs D’Backs and Mets when we get back home. Then the Giants will give us some tougher games.
Sometimes you get Clayton Kershaw. Props to Penny for keeping it close.
But he did walk three…
a game like this makes me think why are we poor on the road.
would you believe the tigers hit .275 on the road, and .260 at home. that seems amazing to me
(our road era is 3rd worst in baseball at 4.83, compared to a 4.33middle of the pack home era.)
didnt mean to cut short kershaw, dude is a stud. but those hitting numbers stunned me.
Kershaw was the #7 pick of the 2006 draft. With the #6 pick, the Tigers took Andrew Miller. (And shortly after with the #10 pick, the Giants took Tim Lincecum).
No Peralta or Cabrera for tonight; it’s Smoking Man’s patented rest-the-best strategy.
FYI – having trouble with Word Press, will get a thread up as soon as I can.
FYI – having trouble with Word Press, will get a game 74 thread up as soon as I can.