33-35, 3rd place, 3 games behind Cle.
The Jacob Turner Experience 2012 kicks off this afternoon. Smyly has been pitching well and looks to be ready for his next start, so this is likely just a spot start (or could it be an audition?). Though Turner had a great ERA at Lakeland (1.66) and a good one in Toledo (3.43), his lack of strikeouts (44 in 63 2/3) and high walk rate (4.07 at Toledo) are cause for concern. The Cardinals are one of the most free-swinging teams in the league (they swing at more first pitches than the Tigers), so that should help. But we should have a pretty well rested pen (other than Valverde – who is not available) should Turner get into any trouble. Turner has been awful at Comerica in his young career, posting an 8.53 ERA over three starts.
The Tigers need to win today to increase their series streak to 4.
A few notes:
– Avila up, Holaday down.
– Putkonen down with Turner’s call-up.
– Smyly is slated to throw three innings tonight in Toledo.
– No word on Laird’s hamstring, yet.
– Cabrera is 4-10 lifetime off of Lohse with 2 HR.
Today’s Could Berry Be the Everyday Left Fielder? Lineup is:
1. Jackson, CF
2. Berry, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Boesch, DH
6. Raburn, 2B
7. Avila, C
8. Santiago, 2B
9. Kelly, RF
I’m guessing Laird is fine, or they wouldn’t have sent Holaday down.
These are the times I love being a 9th grade teacher…ask me weeks before the State Test and kids ask things like “does this test count?” and I may give you another answer. Hope all are well, I want to thank you for giving me a place to rant and discuss Tigers…I am a displaced Michigander. I have been looking a lot at Fangraphs and Yunel Escobar is only signed through 2013 and his defensive numbers are great. His average has dipped, but, I really belive that when V-Mart returns and we add a real corner OF (Or Boesch turns into a decent player) he will have enough hitting. How much do you think a guy like Escobar from the Blue Jays would cost? They need more defense or else they will never get consistent. Look at that play by Fielder, that was awful. he needs to make that play, or we need flyball strikeout pitchers like Max and JV..Rick Porcello’s numbers need to be taken w/ a grain of salt.
The Tigers have 2 of the worst outfielders in all of the AL in OPS
Boesch is 42nd at .644 and Delmon Young is 38th out of 47 at .688
Raburn of course is last at .462
That is terrible, so, each of these guys will be given an opportunity. Raburn has an advantage in my mind, because his defensive numbers are decent…Boesch (according to fangraphs) he is nearly the worst outfielder in the AL. Young is a DH,so, if he doesn’t hit, it seems you could take a flier on somebody if V-Mart doesn’t return. Now, if they play Raburn at 2B, then he obviously won’t replace either guy. Raburn’s numbers are so bad that it is almost impossible for him not to have a decent 2nd half (Just to reach a normal bad year). Make no mistake about it, this team would be way ahead in this division, IMO, if they got even average contributions from their DH and RF. 2B is a talking point, but, lots of teams don’t get much from 2B. They need defense from 2B and at least average production from those two positions. They can not be patient forever.
Hopefully, Cabrera will stop swinging at that pitch 6 inches outside and he will break this mini-slump. 2 straight days of terrible at-bats. He needs to get back to taking his walks.
Kyle Lohse has good numbers,but, in the AL he was bad and he is not very good. He never even pitches inside, he has good control..but, the Tigers are making it easy on him..Ryan Raburn has actually had 2 of the best at-bats in the game. Hopefully, we can keep throwing up zeros because, if somebody would just take his stuff to the opposite field, we can push a couple across….It seems everybody is trying to drive the ball out of the park and that plays right into Lohse’s hands.
This is the game. The pitching has been amazing. The pen, just dominated. They have Miggy and Fielder due up in the bottom of the 9th…They need to win this game. End of Story.
Q-Berry!
Man that was fun watching Berry’s excitement after the walk off single. That guy is doing something for this clubhouse.
couldn’t be happier for Berry! up until then, he had a pretty rough day at the plate.
i’m hoping he continues to hit in the neighborhood of .300 and remains on the roster, and in the lineup (at least) against righties, because he provides the Tigers with something they have not had in quite a while…speed…on offense and defense.
Another series win – this one against a good (hitting & pitching) team…and DET will be seeing more of those (good teams) in the near future…the next 10 games, on the road against PIT, TEX and TAM… DET better bring their “A game”
Well, That was a bit of a seeing-eye single, but, one thing that you can’t take away from Q, is, he has been absolute money w/ R3L2O. I think he is like 6 runs scored in 8 Attempts. His reward, will be on the bench, so we can play two of the worst hitting OF in all of baseball. I am under no delusion that Berry is the second coming of Scott Podsednik (2005 Chisox version) But, we are getting pretty late in the year, to be accepting the absolute garbage numbers from D. Young and B. Boesch…Not sure, why Young and Boesch MUST play in the NL park.
That was scoring a run regardless if it got through–now way they were doubling up
Berry on that one.
Also “no” way
Reality imposed on me today and I had to work, so missed the game. Looks like it was a pretty exciting low-scoring affair, with Extra Berry coming through. So who got dirty?
Checking the box i wouldn’t exactly characterize it as a pitching duel – though maybe half a pitching duel, and I don’t mean Turner. So he still can’t find the strike zone, base runners in every inning (9 in 5) and maybe a little lucky in giving up only 1 run. So far the ace of the future hasn’t been particularly impressive. I don’t think it is a wise idea to count on him giving any support down the stretch. I have a niggling suspicion that, like Oliver, he will never amount to very much. I know it is early in his career and it is possible that he could turn into another stud like JV, who also had his troubles early on, but I am really skeptical. He might just turn out to be a righthanded version of Andrew Miller, a AAAA pitcher who just can’t make it over the hump. My inclination is to sell while the blush is still on the rose, hopefully for a promising OF or especially 2B, since there doesn’t seem to be much in the pipe there. Hide him at Toledo until the right moment and then, toodles.
I get the biggest laugh out of all the “sports writers and even Motor City Bengals that Berry will never amount to much cause he basically sucked as a minor league player….well heres my observation..for what its worth.. Berry has accomplished more in two months than Rayburn and Inge have in two years…so for a guy making the major league minimum..hes, doing just fine….
Those anti-Berry blogs were ridiculous because in OPS Boesch and Raburn are the worst in baseball and Young is in the bottom 10%…Boesch is considered by Fangraphs as THE WORST fielding OF in baseball, neither he nor Young are hitting for power..so, there was no controversy it was all created. Jim is doing what he can because we are really handicapped at corner OF and DH…We just get nothing from those positions..These writers are pretending like a career minor leaguer would be playing if we had good options. We don’t…it’s the same reason Inge is batting 5th in Oakland…I do not understand why the media has fawned all over Boesch (He has shown some signs of potential) I hope he becomes something, but, this is the major leagues and he has been ridicuolusly bad…DY has some track record, so, I agree w/ trying to get him going. If Boesch is not careful he could spent time in the minors, when Dirks gets back…I am not saying he will…but the media in Detroit treats him as an established player. The fact is, He has not and the jury is still out on whether or not he is even a Major league player (He plays corner OF, he has yeat to even be as good as Thames or Monroe and look how long their careers lasted) Go with the guy producing…
Not sure why fister wanted to throw to 3rd..it was the 2nd out of the inning and the pitcher was running to first, it was an easy play to first…I know he had him at 3rd, but, really, w/ 2 outs..You never see anybody go to 3rd on that play. As bad as that play was. Delmon Young let a catcher score from 1st because he is the worst fielder that I have ever seen. His bat is not much better, but, it’s comical to think the Tigers played him in left and played Dirks at DH, until he was arrested. Who in their right mind would do that for a player that has a 1 year contract and really no plans to sign long term. Boesch and Young are the biggest reasons why we are where we are…They have sucked in all aspects of the game this year. They need to trade for a corner OF, a 2B is unnecessary because none of the guys you will get are any good. Raburn getting hot is your best bet at 2B.
Fister can’t even hit 90 MPH and they have twice as many errors as hits through 1/3 of the game. I assume this one is done. Another giveaway..how many games can we gift wrap and still win the division? I would be offended if I were the other teams in the AL Central…to think that the Tigers take so many games off and act as if all is well because they are only 2.5 games out in the worst division in baseball. Great teams play to a certain standard, the Tigers seem to just assume they will win the division because they are good. They didn’t even show up for this game.