2012 Season, Game Post

Game 2012.46: Tigers at Twins

29 Comments

Detroit Tigers, 21-24, 5 games behind Cleveland.

[Update: start of the game is delayed by rain. Tentative time for first pitch is 2:30 EST.]

Runs! And lots of them.  Alex Avila said after the game: “We have the type of offense that can make up for mistakes.” Um, let’s not get carried away here.

It still remains to be seen if the Tigers can extend a winning streak beyond one game.

Trying to make that happen is Mysterious Max Scherzer, who is himself trying to put together consecutive good outings, fresh off of a 15 strikeout gem. Trying to spoil the party for Detroit is a one-time nemesis, Carl Pavano. Pavano was 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA against the Tigers in 2009, but is 1-4 with a 6.00 ERA since then.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Quintin Berry.  While he is no Austin Jackson, Berry has provided a spark at the top of the lineup, and can do that thing where he moves his legs really fast while getting from one place to the next.

Today’s Streaking Lineup:

  1. Quintin Berry CF
  2. Andy Dirks LF
  3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
  4. Prince Fielder 1B
  5. Delmon Young DH
  6. Brennan Boesch RF
  7. Jhonny Peralta SS
  8. Alex Avila C
  9. Ramon Santiago 2B

29 thoughts on “Game 2012.46: Tigers at Twins”

  1. Already good consecutive outings are looking unlikely for “Long Fly Scherzer. I also note that Raburn is absent from today’s lineup after his breakout one-hit game last night.

  3. Popupta mired in a 1 for 21 slump.

    Berry and Dirks looking good at the top of the order. Can we move Berry to secondbase when Jackson comes back? No? Anyway, have got to keep him on the roster and somehow get him regular playing time.

    1. Put him in right, make Boesch the DH, and let Delmon go. And that way there will be no more Raburn in RF as a “defensive” replacement. (Not claiming this is a possibility…just a nice thought).

  5. How;s this for a potntial lineup when Jackson returns:
    1. Austin Jackson CF
    2. Andy Dirks LF
    3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
    4. Prince Fielder 1B
    5. Brennan Boesch DH
    6. Jhonny Peralta SS
    7. Alex Avila C
    8. _____ 2B
    9. Quentin Berry RF

    I like the Berry-Jackson-Dirks trio as they head towards the second time through the order.

    1. Scherzer’s tendency to give up the long ball also may have had something to do with it.

      1. There are some guys who always seem like they’re killing the Tigers, but when you look it up you find it’s more perception than reality. Not Denard! Pavano spent a whole season killing Detroit. Then not so much anymore. Still get a reaction when I see his name listed as the starter though.

        1. Remember Greg Norton some years ago when he was playing for the WSox? He was like a .250 career hitter but just murdered the Tigers for several years running. When the Tigers finally signed him at the end of his career, I was a bit suspicious that the reason they did so was so they didn’t have to pitch to him anymore. Then, also of the WSox more recently was Brent (“Shroom”) Morel, who did a number on us for a couple of years. Not so much lately though I think. It’s kind of funny how the “_____ Killer” myths get started and then still stick around long after the player returns to whatever their normal level of performance happens to be. Occasioanally they do last a whole carreer, but the great majority of the times it is merely a short-run statistical anomoly. Baseball and myth just seem to go together I guess.

  7. Another wasted opportunity in the top of the 6th. With Avila’s anemic .219 BA .278 OBA vs LH pitching I would have had him sacrifice there. And avoid the DP. Tigers have 47 GDP now.

  9. when its time you can see the writing on the wall…Jackson back…Rugburn kept…Berry gone………..just an absolute shame!!!! and you know it will happen!

    1. Berry needs to stay. At least until he stops producing. Rod Allen just said Leyland will have a difficult decision to make about Berry when Jackson comes back. This is not dificult at all. Send the .148 hitting Rayburn packing and keep Berry.

  11. Delmon made a really good attempt there at his 3rd GIDP of the game, but Dozier clowned it away.

    1. Victor Martinez had 4 in a game last season btw, which is a MLB record (tied).

  12. Scherzer’s 9 Ks today puts him 2nd for the league lead, 3 behind JV. Has anyone ever lead the league in Ks with an ERA over 5.00 at the end of the season?

    1. I highly doubt that. I looked up the one guy I could think of who would have had a shot at that, and the best/worst he could do was leading the league in Ks with a 4.50…Hideo Nomo.

      1. We could be seeing baseball history in the making then 😉

        I did a check from the 30’s through 70’s and didn’t find anybody.

        One of the things that makes Scherzer so frustrating is his dominance for long stretches bracketed by batting practice stretches, frequently in the same game. He now has 72 Ks in 54 IP and doesn’t walk that many, so he is getting hit really hard in bunches to give up as many runs as he does (10 HR, 64 H .296 BAA).

  13. Berry needs to stay…however Leylands loyalty to Rayburn far exceeds logic or common sense…

      1. The 6 extrabase hits in 41 games might be a concern, but his OBA of .417 looks pretty good. Even if it falls off a bit, as it should at the ML level, he should probably still be doing better in that regard than the current crop. They probably see him only as a singles-hitting reserve type in the Worth/Rhymes mold as they wait for Raburn’s long-ball bat to wake up. Unless there is an injury (or two) to one of the current 2B options, my guess is nothing happens with Henry.

        1. Hi Vince…good analysis. Yes, Henry is a tablesetter. However those are far and few and the Tigers have enough big stick to want or expect Raburn to be one.

  14. I saw Detroit play in Seattle a few weeks ago (Verlander pitched, Leyland got tossed, and Kelly went into the seats) Decided I would “adopt” this ball club for the season, I do this from time to time… Reds, White Sox, Padres, just kinda depends. Grew up a Dodger fan ( their AAA farm team was here from 58-71) and was an employee (clubbie, groundskeeper, scoreboard boy) for the 70 & 71 seasons, was around to watch what has been referred to as the greatest Minor League team in history. So, I watched and I learned. The commenters on this blog are very astute BB fans, and I love reading your stuff after every game.

  15. Thanks and welcome aboard. Don’t shy away from passing on your own observations, insights and experiences. Hopefully you also have a good sense of humor. It helps here. A lot.

  16. Thanks for letting us know Jim. I’d love to hear about some of the players you saw in the early 70’s. Did any of them ever have any staying power?

    Looking forward to a fun summer.

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