Monthly Archives: July 2011

2011 Season, Game Post

Game 2011.100: Tigers at Twins

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Make that 11 straight against the Twins, and 21-10 against Central opponents.  The 11 straight also happens to tie the longest current streak any one team has against any other team, for what that’s worth (the Yankees have 11 straight vs the A’s).  And perhaps more importantly, the Tigers now have a winning 2nd-half record, and a 1.5 game division lead.

The Twins have always been a nemesis;  suddenly Minnesota is more like a friend with benefits.

Let’s go for 12.  Tonight Brad Penny takes on Scott Baker, friend of Magglio Ordonez (.469).

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Jhonny Peralta

Can you imagine where the Tigers would be with Adam Everett at SS instead of Peralta? Guess his batting average against AL Central opponents…sorry, my friend, not even close.  Try .429 for the H-Factor.

Today’s Leftist Lineup:

  1. Andy Dirks CF
  2. Brennan Boesch LF
  3. Magglio Ordonez RF
  4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
  5. Victor Martinez DH
  6. Jhonny Peralta SS
  7. Carlos Guillen 2B
  8. Alex Avila C
  9. Don Kelly 3B

 

2011 Season, Minors

Minor League Wrap 7.22.2011

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Toledo 3, Durham 4 (Rays)

Andy Oliver (LHP) started and took the loss after posting the following line: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. Scherleth relieved Oliver and threw 2 scoreless innings allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 2.

Timo Perez and Ryan Strieby each homered. Max St. Pierre was 1-3 with and RBI. Inge DNP.

Erie 5, Akron 6 (Indians)

Brooks Brown (RHP) threw 6 innings as the Erie starter and allowed 5 ER on 11 hits. Tyler Stohr (RHP) allowed an ER on 3 hits in 2 innings of relief work. Luis Marte (RHP) pitched a scoreless 9th and K’ed 2.

Michael Bertram (DH) was 1-2 with a walk, a HR, and 2 RBI. Rawley Bishop (1B) was 1-4 with a home run and 2 RBI. Henry (LF) was 1-4 with an RBI double.

Lakeland 1, Jupiter 4 (Marlins)

Trevor Feeney (RHP) dropped to 7-9 after giving up 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings. Morrison and Samuels combined to throw three scoreless innings of relief.

Tony Plagman (DH) drove in the only Lakeland run and went 2-4 with a double. I have been singing the praises of catcher Rob Brantly for most of the year. DD finally took my advice and promoted the 21 year old from West Michigan to Lakeland. In his high A debut, Brantly was 2-4. Hopefully Hernan Perez and Nick Casteallanos are not too far behind.

West Michigan 4, Kane County 1 (Royals)

Alex Burgos (LHP) is now 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA in 8 starts after he held Kane County to 1 run in 5 innings on 1 hit and 2 walks. Burgos struck out 6 in a dominant, minor league sweep saving, performance. Carreno earned his first save after 4 scoreless innings of relief.

Ryan Hamme (DH) was 3-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI. Jones an d Machado picked up one RBI apiece. Hernan Perez and Nick CAstellanos each went 1-4, Perez scored a run.

2011 Season, Game Post

Game 2011.99: Tigers at Twins

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Whatever spell the Twins had cast over the Tigers in recent years seems to have been broken.  Last night’s 6-2 victory over Minnesota–with old nemesis Carl Pavano on the mound–was the 10th straight for Detroit in the rivalry, and also brings their record against Central Division rivals to a division best 20-10.

Justin Verlander did what Verlander does, showing that his previous rough outing was just one of those things, and for now the 2nd-half-collapse-panic can be shelved. Verlander struck out 9 in 8 innings, and walked nobody.  In fact this is the 3rd time in the past 5 games a Tiger starter gave up no walks.  Is this a Jeff Jones thing?

Tonight’s matchup features Max Scherzer of the improbable won-loss record (10-5, 4.53) vs Brian Duensing (7-7, 4.14), who has won his last 3 starts.

Newest Tiger Wilson Betemit tries to follow up on a record-setting debut which saw him shatter the Detroit baseball-skipping record with his 11-hop throw in the 9th.  Victor Martinez, meanwhile, will try not to continue his GIDP hot streak–Martinez has grounded into 5 double plays already since the All-Star break.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Alex Avila

Avila is the subject of a nice profile piece on the ESPN site.

Today’s Raburn’s Batting Where? Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson CF
  2. Ryan Raburn LF
  3. Magglio Ordonez RF
  4. Miguel Cabrera DH
  5. Victor Martinez 1B
  6. Jhonny Peralta SS
  7. Carlos Guillen 2B
  8. Alex Avila C
  9. Wilson Betemit 3B
2011 Season, Game Post

Game 2011.98: Tigers at Twins

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Inge.  Binge.  Cringe.  Player of the Game.  Bane of stephen’s existence.  And soon to be Mudhen.  The demise of Brandon Inge is the hot talk of the town (and a sweltering town it is).  Inge has played more games at Comerica than any Tiger;  he has struck out more than any Tiger in history;  he has for better or worse represented the team through good times and bad;  he has gone from promising catcher to slick-fielding 3rd baseman to outfielder to clutch slugger to all-star to an automatic out who has lost a step in the field, all with those ingetangible qualities of hustle, fearlessness, conceit, stubbornness, and above all a real devotion to the Tigers and to the Detroit area.  His absence will be celebrated.  He will be missed.

And he will be back.  Likely when the rosters expand in September.  Still under contract for next year, he could easily re-emerge as the 2012 starting 3rd baseman.  Unlike a younger, less mature Inge who griped when replaced by both Pudge and Cabrera, Inge now seems to have one objective in mind:  being a Tiger for life.  A 10-year player being demoted may not be unheard of, but Dave Dombrowski couldn’t recall the last time it had happened. Most players in that situation would have refused the assignment and tried their luck as a free agent.  For better or worse, Inge seems to be wedded to the Tigers.(Athough, supposedly, The Marlins want Inge, and we know how the Tigers like to do business with the Marlins). He is, in the words of the legendary Billfer, the Eningematic One.

Well, tonight we get to see what Wilson Betemit can add to the mix.  Smokey has him slotted in the 9th spot.  Whether this is an automatic move (that’s where Inge batted), an assessment of his abilities, or an attempt to make his debut low-pressure, it seems like a good idea.

And Justin Verlander is on the mound, which is as good a way as any to forget the game Detroit frittered away last night.  With a solid debut performance by Duane Below and a 5-3 lead against the offensively hapless A’s, things looked good.  And then…Purcey.  Back-to-back-to-back-to-back walks later, Benoit came in to be dinked and dunked until the game was gone.  Purcey used to be an A.  He still knows people there.  I’m just saying…

The Tigers may want to pursue some bullpen help after all.  Unfortunately, the Pirates may have beaten them to the punch by snagging Jason Grilli for their improbable pennant run.

Verlander will be opposed by the old Tiger nemesis, Carl Pavano, aka Water Rat. Magglio could be the key to taking out Pavano:  he has a career .429 avg vs The Rat.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Justin Verlander

He had a rare rough start last outing.  Give the man some slack;  he can’t be Cy Young every night.  However, another rough outing tonight, and it’s official 2nd-Half-Collapse-Panic-Time.  Not that you should feel any pressure or anything, Justin. Judging by the look of concentration on his face in the game post photo, I think he is up to the task.

Today’s Welcoming Wilson Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson CF
  2. Brennan Boesch LF
  3. Magglio Ordonez RF
  4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
  5. Victor Martinez DH
  6. Jhonny Peralta SS
  7. Carlos Guillen 2B
  8. Alex Avila C
  9. Wilson Betemit 3B

 

2011 Season, Minors

Minor League Wrap 7.20.2011

Toledo 4, Norfolk 3 (Orioles)

Toledo scored all 4 runs in the 1st and hung on to win. Wilk only lasted 4 1/3 as the starter and so Ryan Perry took credit for the win. Perry threw 2 innings of 2 hit ball with a walk and 2 K’s. Chance Ruffin protected the 1-run lead in the 9th to earn his 7th save.

One RBI each for Salazar, Worth, and C. Thomas. Thorman (DH) was 2-3 on the night. Argenis Diaz (3B) was 2-5. In his last ten games he’s hitting .390 with a .444 OBP. In 64 games with Toledo, Diaz is hitting .320. His only downside is a complete lack of power (0 HR and .387 SLG).

Erie 12, Trenton 13 (Yankees)

Ramon Garcia (LHP) gave up 6 ER over 5 innings as the starter. He walked 2, gave up 5 hits and K’ed 5. Rob Waite (RHP) blew a save opportunity and gave up 4 ER on 6 hits over 2 IP. Austin Wood (LHP) took a double whammy: BS and L. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) without recording an out and Trenton walked-off with a W.

John Murrian (C) was 4-5 with a double and 3 RBI. Deik Scram (OF) was 2-6 with 3 RBI.

Lakeland 11, Charlotte 0 (Rays)

Drew Smyly (LHP) pitched well over 6 innings: 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Smyly earned the win and was replaced by Faulk and Little who combined to K 4 while allowing only 2 base runners.

Tony Plagman (DH) was 2-4 with 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, and 2 BB. Wade Gaynor (3B) was 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI.

West Michigan 6, Kane County 7 (Royals)

After a 3-run 9th inning rally from WM, this game was scoreless through 14 innings. Kane County scored the winning run in the top of the 15th off of Jade Todd (LHP), who took the loss.

Kevin Eichhorn (RHP) started for WM and allowed 4 ER on 9 hits over 6 2/3 IP. HE was relieved by Torrealba who gave up 2 unearned runs. Rondon and Mendoza held Kane County scoreless until Todd came on in the 14th.

Rob Brantly (C) was 4-8 with a  run scored. Steven Moya (RF) was 3-7 with 2 runs and a RBI.

2011 Season, Game Post, Trades

Game 2011.97: A’s at Tigers

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Today’s starter: (see Below)

**Breaking News**

The Tigers have obtained 3B Wilson Betemit from the KC Royals for minor leaguers Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.  The real issue isn’t who they traded;  it’s who is going to go to make room for him. What does this mean for Brandon Inge, Ryan Raburn, Don Kelly, Ramon Santiago? On 97.1 Dave Dombrowski said “We’ll make a decision when the player reports.”  Stay tuned.

Betemit is currently at .281 / .341 / .409 / .750, which is a huge upgrade over the Detroit combined 3B line:  .186 / .251 / .249 / .500.

***

The Tigers fell behind early last night, but didn’t quit and pulled out a convincing victory.  They did however give up The Ghost:  Casper Wells and Adam Wilk were optioned to Toledo to make room for today’s starter Duane Below, and Charlie Furbush, who has been pretty much commuting between Detroit and Toledo.

Casper had been looking forward to playing this series against his good buddy Scott Sizemore, but that went wrong almost immediately when Sizemore had to leave the game after taking a pitch off the jaw.  Then his night got worse.

The evening went well for the team overall though:  from Victor Martinez’ winning game of tag, to Cabrera’s why-are-you-pitching-to-me-with-first-open towering home run, to Guillen’s first home run of the year, altogether a pleasant night.

The Tigers send lefty Duane Below out to make his debut and try to keep Detroit in first place.  Below went 9-4 with a 3.13 ERA at Toledo, with 83 Ks in 115 innings, with opponents batting just .225 against him (which, coincidentally, is the Oakland team road batting avg). He’s known as a strike thrower who gets ahead in the count.

Brandon McCarthy will be pitching for the 4th time in his career at Comerica Park.  He gave up 3 runs in each of the other 3 starts.  I’m putting him down for 3 tonight.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Duane Below

Below, who makes his MLB debut tonight, is from tiny Britton, MI in Lenawee county. Britton was originally named Balch, until a guy named John Britton paid $500 to rename it after himself.  If Below has a successful career, perhaps he could afford to rename the town Below…it is, after all, at the very bottom of the state.

Today’s Lucky Lefty Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson CF
  2. Brennan Boesch LF
  3. Magglio Ordonez RF
  4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
  5. Victor Martinez DH
  6. Carlos Guillen 2B
  7. Alex Avila C
  8. Don Kelly 3B
  9. Ramon Santiago SS
2011 Season, Minors

Minor League Wrap 7.19.2011

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Toledo 7, Norfolk 1 (Orioles)

Fu Te Ni made his third start of the year on Tuesday and earned the win after throwing 7 innings and allowing just 1 ER on 8 hits and no walks. Ortega and Hoffman combined to throw two scoreless innings of relief.

Max St.Pierre (C) was 1-4 with a three run homer. Diaz (SS) was 2-2 with 2 runs scored, a double, and a walk. Ryan Strieby (1B) homered in 4 ABs and drove in 2.

Erie 2, Trenton 9 (Yankees)

Jay Voss took the loss after lasting 6.2 innings as the Erie starter. He gave up 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks. Wise and Stohr allowed 2 and 3 ER, respectively, over the remaining 1.1. Wise did not actually record an out but faced 4 batters.

Rawley Bishop (1B) was 2-3 with a double, an RBI, and a walk. He’s hitting .287 on the year.

Lakeland 0, Charlotte 9 (Rays)

Jared Wesson (LHP) started and lost for the Flying Tigers. He lasted just 4 innings while giving up 5 R (4 earned) on 5 hits and 4 walks. Luke Putkonen (RHP) was charged with the remaining 4 ER.

Tony Plagman (1B) was 2-3 and Eric Roof (C) was 2-4 in an otherwise anemic offensive box score.

2011 Season, Game Post

Game 2011.96: A’s at Tigers

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We here at DTW may need to look into getting the game posts up earlier in the day.  It does a great disservice to our faithful followers to fail to get them the timely information they need to plan their days.  Yes, earlier today Ryan Raburn was the celebrity root beer float server at A&Ws in both Berkley and Dearborn.  We apologize to all of you who were unable to attend these important events.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been busy working out the starting rotation:  tomorrow’s spot in the rotation, the Phil Coke spot, has been being staffed by the Toledo Temp Agency.  Tomorrow’s shift will be taken by Duane Below in his first MLB appearance.

In the meantime, a more permanent bolster to the rotation is still rumored to be something Dave Dombrowski is working on.  In addition to the Tigers’ interest in Hiroki Kuroda,  the Tigers are rumored to be also looking into Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie and Derek Lowe, as well as the good-luck-with-that pursuit of Ubaldo Jimenez. (And yes, the Tigers are allegedly still in the list of suitors for Carlos Beltran).

In potentially related news, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports lists Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski in his “less than secure” category, although not quite yet on the hot seat.

Speaking of hot,  tonight’s hot evening game will feature Rick Porcello on the mound, who has historically performed worse in hotter temperatures.  The A’s will feature Guillermo Moscoso, who is from Venezuela and will hopefully pitch to his elder countrymen Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen with great deference.  Moscoso actually came up with the Tigers, but was traded to Texas for Gerald Laird.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Ryan Raburn

Sure, he is not in the lineup.  But on a hot July night, Ryan will keep the guys cool by serving root beer floats between innings.

Today’s AJax is Back Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson CF
  2. Brennan Boesch LF
  3. Magglio Ordonez RF
  4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
  5. Victor Martinez DH
  6. Jhonny Peralta SS
  7. Carlos Guillen 2B
  8. Alex Avila C
  9. Brandon Inge 3B

 

2011 Season, Minors

Minor League Wrap 7.16.2011

Toledo 7, Scranton 4 (Yankees)

Brayan Villareal (RHP) started and lasted 5 1/3 innings while giving up 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks. Fu Te Ni (LHP) threw 1.1 innings in relief, holding Scranton scoreless. Enrique Gonzalez got the win and Chance Ruffin picked up his sixth save after the two combined for 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.

After a stellar 1st half at Erie, Ruffin was promoted to AAA Toledo and has appeared in 7 games. In 8 innings of relief work, he has a 2.25 ERA with 11 K’s and 4 BB’s.

Ryan Strieby (1B) was 1-4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Danny Worth tripled in 2 ABs, drove in 2 runs, and drew a walk. Timo Perez was 2-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Will Rhymes also had 2 hits in 4 ABs and drove in 2. Rhymes is hitting .324 in Toledo.

Erie 8, Altoona 11 (Pirates)

LJ Gagnier posted a quality start for the SeaWolves: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. However, his performance was not enough to save the ‘Wolves from the implosion of Brendan Wise (RHP).  With Erie up 2 in the top of the 9th, Wise came on to close out the game. Instead, he gave up 5 ER and took the loss with the blown save.

Gustavo Nunez (SS) was 2-4 with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI. Justin Henry (RF) was 2-4 with 2 2B and 2 RBI.

Lakeland 2, St. Lucie 8 (Mets)

Shawn Teufel (LHP) started, and lost, for the Flying Tigers. He posted the following line: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. He has a 2.50 ERA over 36 IP.

Corey Jones (2B) had the only RBI and went 2-4 from the plate. Avisail Garcia (RF) was 2-4 with a run scored, a double, and a strikeout.

West Michigan 5, Beloit 2 (Twins)

Josue Carreno (RHP) pitched well as the WM starter and improved his record to 5-9. Over 6 IP, he held Beloit to just 4 hits and 2 ER while striking out 5 without walking a batter. Torrealba and Rondon earned a hold, and save, respectively, as they held Beloit scoreless over 3 IP.

Clay Jones (DH) was 2-4 with a homer, a RBI, and 2 runs scored. Machado (SS) was 0-4 but picked up the only other WM RBI. Castellanos and Perez each went 1-4.

2011 Season, Game Post

Game 2011.94: White Sox at Tigers

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Well, there are two ways to look at last night’s loss.

One, this is a sign of the apocalypse.  With all of their recent 2nd half struggles, last night was a harbinger of things to come.

  • Our ace was beat up for 4 ER in 6 innings, the first time in 10 games that he hasn’t gone at least 7 innings.
  • Our bullpen posted a 9 ERA and 2.67 WHIP while striking out none in 3 innings.
  • Raburn and Inge were a combined 1-5 with 4 LOB.
  • Avila looked as confused as ever at the plate going 0-3 with 2 Ks.
  • Raburn had a bad error which led to an unearned run.

On the other hand, it’s just one game.  Lots of baseball left, and the Tigers should be in the thick of a pennant race for the next 2 and a half months.  JV’s worst outing in recent history was a bloop single or squeezed strike call away from another dominant outing.

So which one is it?  I really liked JV’s reaction after the game – “It happens,” he said afterward. “It’s just one game. You shake it off and move forward.”  But it’s hard to ignore the  past, writes Bob Wojnowski.

On to the good news – Carlos Guillen and Al AlB were activated last night (Worth and Perry down), and Guillen will bat 7th today.  If he can hit for an average OPS+ and field the balls that come to him, that will be worth a win or two right there.

Apparently Ozzie Guillen gave this pep talk before the game last night –  “There are a lot of rumors out there you are going to get traded. Well if you don’t play well, of course you are going to get traded. This is baseball. This is a business. If you don’t play up to your potential … you’ll be out of here.”  It worked.

A Jax still out of the lineup with a sore wrist, I’ve seen DL mentioned in a few places.  Though at this point in time it would be retroactive to last weekend.  And Kelly starting again at 3rd.  Looks like Inge has officially lost that starting job.

1. Dirks, CF
2. Boesch, LF
3. Ordonez, RF
4. Cabrera, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Peralta, SS
7. Guillen, 2B
8. Avila, C
9. Kelly, 3B

2011 Season, Minors

Minor League Wrap 7.15.2011

Toledo 3, Scranton 7 (Yankees)

This one was tied at three until the top of the 8th inning when Scranton put up 4 and hung on to win by that margin. In a starting role, Duane Below looked good and threw a quality start: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5K. His ERA on the year is 3.13.

Ortega took the loss after allowing 3 of the 4 ER in the 8th inning.

Carlos Guillen played 2B and went 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Guillen is hitting .316 in the minors. Cale Iorg (SS) drove in 2 runs to lead the Mud Hens but was 0-2 from the plate.

Erie 1, Altoona 3 (Pirates)

Jacob Turner took the loss in this one: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. In his last 10 starts Turner has posted a 4.01 ERA over 67 1/3 innings. In that same stretch, he’s K’ed 50 and walked 21. Turner has a high ceiling, which is not in question; however, I’ve been hearing rumors that he may get a mid-season promotion to fill in as the 5th starter. Given his inconsistency, I think Turner needs to continue to develop at Erie. If I was DD, I would be looking at trying Duane Below for a start or two – then looking to acquire a SP before the 7/30 deadline if Below is not ready to produce at the major league level.

In any event, the sole RBI for Erie came by way of Bryan Holaday (C) who went 1-2 on the night.

Lakeland 2, St. Lucie 1 (Mets)

The 4 Lakeland pitchers all looked great. Drew Smyly (LHP) improved to 5-3 after 5 innings of 1-run ball in which he struck out 7 batters. He was replaced by, in order, Morrsion, Putkonen, and Little who combined to allows 4 hits over 4 innings with no runs. Matt Little (RHP) earned his second save.

Jordan Lennerton (DH) had the only RBI and went 1-2. Julio Rodriguez (C) and Brent Wyatt (LF) scored Lakeland’s 2 runs. In addition to the R, Wyatt was 1-2 with a double and a walk

West Michigan 5, Wisconsin 4 (Brewers)

Alex Burgos (LHP) did not factor in the decision as the SP for West Michigan. Over 4 1/3 IP, he allowed 5 hits and 3 walks which turned into only 1 ER. Impressively, he struck out 9 batters over that span. Reliever Clemente Mendoz (RHP) earned his 2nd win after throwing 2.1 scoreless innings.

James Robbins (1B) had the by far the best night offensively. He was 3-5 with a run scored, a double, and two RBI. Jason Krizan (RF) was 2-5 with an RBI. Hernan Perez (SS) was 1-3 with a double, a RBI, run scored, and 2 walks. Castellanos was 0-4 with a walk, 3 K’s, and a run scored.