78-69, 2nd place, 3 games behind CWS, E# 13 (same as Oak).

Well, last night was fun, but we actually lost ground if you consider the fact that we have one less game to catch-up to the White Sox. This is going to be a very tough last few weeks.

The Cabrera for MVP and Triple Crown race is in full swing. Verducci wrote this article yesterday, before Cabrera’s offensive outburst. He does make a good point about Trout’s unbelievable WAR advantage (10.2 – 6.1), but I think that a good close by Miggy and the MVP is his. He’s only 2 HR behind Hamilton for the HR and Triple Crown lead.  Despite Morosi’s claim that the MVP is a mere formality at this point in time, Dave Cameron argues that a true evaluation of all around play decidedly points to Trout.

Some outlets have suggested that JV is still among the leaders in the Cy Young hunt, and I think a dominating stretch and a Tigers playoff appearance earns him the award again. A similar performance by Scherzer could thrust him into contention.

The other subplot is Jim Leyland’s contract (or lack thereof) situation. He’s contract expires in 15 games, and to date, there have been no extension talks. Lynn Henning suggests (and stephen is dreaming of) Terry Francona. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince thinks that no playoffs means no more Leyland.

Scherzer’s MRI report came out okay. No word on his next start.

Oh, JV pitches tonight. Do your thing, JV.

Tonight’s Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Omar Infante, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
4. Prince Fielder, 1B
5. Delmon Young, DH
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Avisail Garcia, RF
8. Andy Dirks, LF
9. Gerald Laird, C

77-69, 2nd place, 3 games behind CWS.

The Tigers literally threw the game away yesterday afternoon when an errant toss from Omar Infante skipped by Prince Fielder and the tying and winning runs crossed home for Cleveland. That singular play, no more than 10 seconds long, offers a candid perspective into the team’s late season struggles.

1) The Tigers could not convert on a seemingly routine double play. This has happened time and time again this year. While failure to convert double plays are not classified as errors, they extend innings and demoralize pitchers. As Lee Panas of Tiger Tales pointed out in great detail last night, the Tigers have a significant double play problem, and that has largely contributed to costing the team an estimated 36 runs this season. I highly recommend reading the post. On the flip side, the Tigers have grounded into a major league leading 143 double plays.

2) The Tigers 2B made an error. Tigers 2B have committed 14 errors this season (3 worst than league average), and Omar Infante’s 16 (between Miami and Detroit) are tied for 2nd worst in the majors. We specifically went out and got Infante to improve all-around play at 2B, and he’s simply stayed the course. Perhaps the bag is cursed?

3) Fielder could not scoop the throw, much less get in front of it, which would have saved a run. The Tigers overall poor team defense continues to plague the team in subtle ways.

4) The White Sox scored in a bases loaded 1 out situation. Boesch struck out with the bases juiced and two outs to end the 3rd. It wasn’t a 1 out situation, but the Tigers’ inability to score with the bases loaded has been a problem all season.

5) Al Al walked the first batter he faced, which setup the Infante error. Tigers relievers average 3.31 BB/9, the AL average is 3.27/9. Considering that the Tigers are 9 games under in 1 run games, reliever walks are no small matter. Even one additional walk every week relative to playoff teams can lead to a few losses over the course of the season. Of all other playoff contending teams, only the Yankees have a losing record in 1 run games (TB does too, but I think they are toast).

Righty A.J. Griffin opposes Scherzer tonight. Griffin typifies the Athletics organization and their success this year, as the June call-up is 6-0 with a 1.94 ERA and a microscopic .91 WHIP. All the 2010 draft pick has done is throw 10 QS out of 11, and he left early in the only non-QS due to injury. Griffin has been even better in away games, posting a 4-0 record and 1.15 ERA in 5 away starts.

Looks like Avila’s sprained jaw has him out of the lineup tonight.

Tonight’s Berry Good Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Berry, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Dirks, RF
7. Peralta, SS
8. Infante, 2B
9. Laird, C

77-68, 2nd place, 2 games behind CWS.

Before we get too upset about last night’s game, let’s remember that the Tigers had won 4 in a row heading into the game, and we’re not going to win them all. Not even against Cleveland.

Jose Valverde, however, does need to be looked at. If you’re questioning your closer during a season, you’re in a bad spot. If you’re questioning him at the end of the season, you’re in a terrible spot. And I’m afraid that the Tigers find themselves in a terrible spot. After allowing 3 hits and 2 ER while only recording 1 out last night, Valverde now has a 5.79 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over his last 10 outings. He’s allowed a run in 5 out of those 10 appearances and has struck out only 6 in 9 1/3. (He’s walked 4 – but two of those were intentional.) Despite what Valverde says about his arm feeling fine after pitching for the 5th night in 6 days, those balls were rockets.

Miraculously, the Tigers have won despite Valverde’s recent struggles, but who knows how often he’ll be given multiple run leads headed to the 9th. Though I doubt that the thought of replacing Valverde has been even a fleeting whim in Leyland’s mind; so you can largely ignore what the numbers & performances are telling us.

Fister looks to close out the season series with the Sox with the Tigers’ 13th win out of 18 games vs. Chicago. Since the All-Star break, Fister is 7-2 with a 2.49 ERA and 68 Ks in 76 IPs. His BAA during the stretch is .202. Fister has been even better as of late, as he’s won 4 out of his last 5 starts, and recall his masterful 7 IP 2 H (solo HRs) 2 HR performance last Tuesday against these same Sox. Rios is batting .500 against Dougie in 14 career ABs.

Quintana responded to a lot of critics who claimed that he was tiring with a tremendous performance last Monday against the Tigers. The 7 2/3 7 hit 1 ER performance was Jose Quintana’s finest in almost two months, and Ventura gave him an extra 2 days in the hopes of a repeat this afternoon. Still, the lefty is 1-2 with a 6.39 ERA over his last five starts, so I’m saying there’s a chance.

A few notes:

– Not everyone wants Leyland fired.

– Peralta hasn’t committed an error since June 21st. That’s 73 consecutive games and the longest such Tiger streak since at least 1957 (which means that the Tigers notes researchers got a little lazy).

– Tigers starters have 17 quality starts over their past 24 outings. Detroit is 2nd in the AL with 83 quality starts this year. Whenever the off-season starts, starting pitching should be a non-starter.

– The Tigers are 31-10 against CWS since September 7, 2010.

Today’s Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Infante, 2B
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Peralta, SS
7. Boesch, LF
8. Garcia, RF
9. Laird, C

Detroit Tigers, 77-67, 2nd place, 1 back.

After 6 2/3 innings of no-hit pitching and a 5-3 victory, the Tigers continued their push for the Central division title.  And after 6 2/3 innings of no-hit pitching and a 5-3 victory, the White Sox continued their push for the Central division title.

I think I’ll go ahead and predict a 163-game season here.

Even before the no-hit bid set in, yesterday’s game was entertaining, with the Tigers posting an un-run on the scoreboard, and Quintin Berry trying to end his perfect streak not once, but twice from second base (for his part, Avila says he did touch third).  What must Berry have been thinking?

“I had a feeling on Twitter it was going crazy.”

The Tigers look to continue their Sunday dominance (17-6) in today’s 3:05 series finale, which gives Cleveland fans time to give up on the Browns at halftime and make their way out to the ballpark.

Detroit will face Ubaldo Jimenez for the 6th time this season.  Jimenez mystified them the first three times around, and the Tigers turned it around the last two.  Today they will look to even the books with both Jimenez and the Indians (9-8 vs Detroit).

Detroit arms Rick “No Run Support” Porcello with the broom.  Porcello has only gotten an average of 1.06 runs in support over his last 6 starts. Look for the bullpen to play a big role today:  Porcello tends to struggle later in games, especially with his sinker, which batters hit at a rate of .410 in innings 5-7.

Stat of the Day: Rick Porcello has the league’s highest BABIP (batting average on balls in play, which measures how effectively the defense turns plays into out) at .346. The league average is .293.  2nd worst? Max Scherzer at .337.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game: Quintin Berry.  Berry draws multiple walks from the strike-zone challenged Jimenez, and creates some havoc on the base paths. Austin Jackson is a late scratch (possibly some soreness from crashing into the wall trying to save the no-hitter), so Q-Berry will be leading off and patrolling center.

Todays Broom-Brandishing Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF  Quintin Berry CF
2. Quintin Berry LF  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. Omar Infante 2B

Detroit Tigers, 76-67, 2nd place, 1 back.

Last night again went according to plan, as Justin Verlander shook off his last start and shut out the Indians, with the help of some diving stops by the big guys on the corners.

Today Anibal Sanchez will try to do his part as the Tigers look to even up the 2012 tally with Cleveland (9-7 vs Detroit) over these last two games.

And the Tigers will be peeking at the Chicago-Minnesota game in the clubhouse, which should be ending just as their game begins.

Be aware that tomorrow’s Cleveland finale has the odd 3:05 start time.

Speaking of scheduling, the Detroit’s 2013 schedule has been released, and the Tigers have drawn the short end of the stick with the inter league scheduling, getting the only inter league season ending series, in Miami–which means they will be closing out 2013 with a possible pennant race decided by games in which their pitchers are batting.

Stat of the Day: Quintin Berry is 3-5 (.600) with 2 doubles against Justin Masterson.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game: Quintin Berry.  Berry takes advantage of the Masterson sinker to rack up multiple infield hits.

Todays Boeschberry Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Andy Dirks RF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Brennan Boesch DH
6. Alex Avila C
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Quintin Berry LF
9. Omar Infante 2B

Detroit Tigers, 75-67, 2nd place, 1 back.

OK, let’s try this again. Rained out yesterday, Justin Verlander still has the ball for tonight’s game against Cleveland and Corey Kluber. You may remember him: Cy Kluber beat Detroit (3-2, naturally) on Sept. 3 for his first, and only major league victory.

The result of pushing back the Verlander start will be that the last game against the White Sox will now feature Doug Fister against Gavin Floyd, instead of Justin Verlander vs Chris Sale, a swap that seems to favor the White Sox (despite Sale’s brilliant season he has struggled against Detroit).  Although Drew Sharp seems to think otherwise, for reasons I can’t quite make out.

As a couple of commenters here (stephen and Mark) noted, there was something odd about the moving of Ryan Raburn to the DL, now that rosters have expanded to 40.  What this move does do is actually free up an extra spot on the postseason roster.  If a player on a team’s roster is on the DL on Aug 31 he is eligible for the team’s postseason roster; if that player is also on the DL at season’s end, he can be replaced by any player who is in the team’s organization as of Aug 31.

What does this mean? It means that Al Alburquerque could replace Raburn on the eligible list.

Not that that has anything to do with the Raburn move, as Leyland says.  But if it had, he couldn’t have set it up better:  first Leyland says Raburn is “talented,” causing fans to groan everywhere.  Then he says that Raburn looks “sluggish.” Then they find a quadriceps strain (dang! and he was so talented!) that gives them some roster flexibility.

First things first though:  let’s get these guys into the postseason.

Stat of the Day: The Tigers are the only Central team with a winning record within the division–and that’s with a 6-9 mark against Cleveland.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Delmon Young. Happy Birthday!

Todays Rain-Delayed Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson 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. Omar Infante 2B

75-67, 2nd place, 1 game behind CWS.

Scherzer was spectacular again, and with his team leading 16th win, he’s got an outside shot at 20 wins this year.

“So that gets us to tonight. Regular season games don’t get any better. Division rival. Ace v. Young Phenom. Win and we’re tied for first. My plan is progressing as planned, and I fully expect JV to bring it tonight.”

If that looks familiar, it’s because it’s what I wrote 11 days ago. 11 days of downs and a few ups, and we’re right back to playing for first place. Let’s just hope that after a win tonight, we don’t have to go through another 11 days like we just did.

Verlander takes the ball tonight after failing to reach 100 pitches for the first time in 80 starts. He’s been drilled in 2 out of his last 3 starts, with an 8 inning, 1 ER, 11 K performance sandwiched in-between. A win tonight would be his first road win since July 15th. He’s also struggled in his career at Cellular field, posting a 5-6 record and 4.27 ERA. Not to pile on, but the Tigers are 7-9 in JV road games this year.

I think a JV loss would look worse on paper than it really is. 2 games back with 18 games to go isn’t a bad spot. Nevertheless, with his recent struggles, the emotional effect on JV and the team could be a big nail.

Even with a great performance by Verlander, beating the White Sox will be no small accomplishment as starter Chris Sale is 8-0 with a 1.20 ERA in his last 9 starts at Cellular Field. Boesch broke through last night with his first hit against Floyd, and he’s been rewarded with a start against the Lefty Sale. Sale has only given up 3 HRs against lefites all year, but 2 of those were to big BB.

A few notes:

– Raburn to the DL with a quadriceps strain.

– 20 of the Tigers final 23 games are against the Central, the Tigers are 9 games over in the division this year (1 game under against everyone else)

Tonight’s First Place Snatching Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Infante, 2B
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Peralta, SS
7. Garcia, LF (first time in Left…)
8. Boesch, RF
9. Laird, C

74-67, 2nd place, 2 games behind CWS.

Well, can one swing of the bat turn around a miserable two week stretch? It certainly felt like that in the 5th inning of last night’s game when AJax parked one 400 feet away in the left center field seats.  The Tigers won and remain a manageable distance behind the Sox. It’s manageable because with a win tonight, JV can bring home a 1st place tie tomorrow.

Tonight will be Gavin Floyd’s first game back from the DL. Floyd has been pretty average all year, posting a 1.43 WHIP and 4.55 ERA. He hasn’t made it into the 7th inning since July 7th, though he’s only allowed 2 ER against the Tigers in 13 innings covering 2 starts this year. Floyd is 7-2 with a 3.42 ERA against the Tigers in his career.

A Jax (.926 OPS in 19 ABs, hence the glory of a game post photo) and Peralta (.928 OPS with 2 HR in 35 ABs) have absolutely hammered Floyd in their career. Also note that Delmon has a .970 OPS at Cellular field in his career.

Despite the fact that he’s 0-17 off of Floyd lifetime, Brennan Boesch (.000 OPS) finds himself batting 6th tonight. Leyland relied on lefties’ successes against Floyd this year (.314 average and .936 OPS) and the hope that Boesch will run into a 3 run homer when he made tonight’s lineup. Quentin Berry remains a ghost on the bench.

Hopefully the Tigers won’t have to face a dreaded bases loaded situation, as they are the 2nd worst team in the Majors in bases jammed situations.

Dunn is still out, and Beckham sits tonight for the Sox.

Everyone is getting in on the lineup fun as Denny McClain thinks that swapping Fielder and Cabrera will ignite the whole offense.

Tonight’s Streaking Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Boesch, RF
7. Avila, C
8. Peralta, SS
9. Infante, 2B

73-67, 2nd place, 3 games behind CWS.

Baseball is a cruel game.

Omar Infante has played 335 innings for the Tigers, roughly 1/2 of how many he played for the Marlins. He has 6 errors so far with Detroit, compared to 8 with Miami, and a RF that has slipped almost a full point. Perhaps no error has been worse than last night’s. Infante’s error sparked a 4 run bottom of the 6th that put the Tigers in an insurmountable 3 run hole. And I don’t use that term lightly. In fact, the entire season looks to be insurmountable now. Drew Sharp may have said it best:

“When dissecting the cold corpse of a once promising season now almost certainly destined for disaster, the sixth inning at U.S. Cellular Field Monday will offer a fruitful diagnosis.”

Reciting the Tigers woes would be an extreme act of apathy, as you can find hundreds of words on the subject on any website that has “Detroit” in the URL. Some of the numbers are fascinating. In fact, the hitting incompetency has become so apparent that even Jim Leyland has caught on: “We’re not scoring very much, obviously,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Monday after a 6-1 loss to the White Sox. “It’s puzzling.”

So let’s focus on the pitching. In case you haven’t noticed, the Tigers staff is pitching like a post season staff should. Over the last 12 games, a starting pitcher has allowed more than 3 runs only twice. They have 13 QS out of the past 19, and over the last 24 games, the staff has a 2.76 ERA, and a .232 BAA.

The crazy thing is, we’re really not out of this thing. A brief 2 game win streak, and we’re playing for first place on Thursday night. First place! 

Brennan Boesch is my pick to click tonight, as an early 3 run HR ignites a Tiger win. If it doesn’t happen, remember, Baseball is a cruel game.

Tonight’s Streak Starting Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera,  3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Boesch, RF
7. Peralta, SS
8. Avila, C
9. Infante, 2B

73-66, 2nd place, 2 games back, WC is gone.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

Today’s Pre-Player of the Game is…see above.

Tonight’s Okay Jim, We Get It, You’re the Manager, You Make the Lineups Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Raburn, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Peralta, SS
7. Garcia, RF
8. Infante, 2B
9. Laird, C

Detroit Tigers, 73-65, 2nd place, 2 back.

My own game post pictures now haunt me.  I decided on a new set of pictures for this important road trip:  serious, determined faces.  Now instead they look tense, stressed.

Jim Leyland has said that he doesn’t believe in team chemistry; it may also be that team chemistry does not believe in him.

He has become increasingly frustrated in recent days, even lashing out at fans who question his lineup.  The fact that Leyland is losing his cool with the criticism, and publicly, may be reflecting–or setting–the tone for the team as the pennant race winds down.

Justin Verlander wasn’t himself, for the second time in three starts.  Austin Jackson, after resisting all season long, decided to try on the floppy shoes in centerfield. And Miguel Cabrera, after a 3-strikeout night (and after watching his chances of beating out Trout for the MVP plummet), had a meltdown on a seemingly correct strike call.  Cabrera is frustrated.

There were a couple of good things about the game:  Putkonen is quietly putting together a decent season; Infante seems to be coming out of his slump; Garcia plays with a hustle and enthusiasm that the team could really use.  And Prince Fielder stepped in to try to keep Cabrera from being tossed: he scooted all the way from the on-deck circle, and put himself in between Cabrera and the umpire, retreating when Leyland made it out to take up the argument.

In fact Fielder has been a real bright spot, despite some mildly disappointing power numbers:  he gets on base, he plays hard, he runs hard, he gets runners home from 3rd, he is very aware, and he just may be starting to take more of a leadership role with the team.

The Tigers could certainly use it.  I have a feeling the Tigers are missing the leadership of Victor Martinez, and yes, even Inge.  The look on Leyland’s face as last night’s travesty was unfolding seemed to say he’s done all he can do.

Maybe the talented Ryan Raburn will turn it around.

It is an old truism that every teams starts the season with the goal of playing meaningful games in September, and the Tigers have accomplished that. The weight of expectations may be getting to the team though; it certainly has gotten to the fans.  The four games in Chicago will determine whether the rest of the month is exciting, or whether September becomes a very, very long month.

Stat of the Day: The Tigers have yet to win a game in which they have been outscored by the opposition.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Prince Fielder. Forget the statistics; this team right now needs a leader, and Fielder is going to have to be The Man.

Todays Anibalic Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson 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. Omar Infante 2B

Normally, a Verlander start would be all about Verlander.  But recently, the Tigers have fallen into a funk where sharp starting efforts have been undone by an inability to score runs on offense.  Last night after a brief bit of trouble in the first (exacerbated by Cabrera’s failure to turn a DP), Max Scherzer settled down and had one of his best outings of the season.

After the 1st inning, Scherzer only gave up 2 hits in 7 innings, with 9 strikeouts (and 0 walks for the game), which incidentally puts him in the Tiger record book as the only Tiger to strike out 8 or more in 10 consecutive starts, breaking a tie with Hal Newhouser. Max seems to be in playoff form…if only.

Unfortunately, the Tiger offense was unable to put together a rally, settling for a couple solo home runs (the hallmark of their early season malaise), had too many strikeouts (10 from their 3-6 hitters), were unable to advance the potential winning run from 2nd with no outs in the 9th, and had the range of their infield exposed.

Result: for the 3rd time in the past week, the Tigers fall 3-2 (in fact the Tigers have had 16 3-2 games already this season). The Tigers now have a 2nd-half record in 1-run games of 3-10, which is not how one makes the playoffs.  The last 1-run game the Tigers won on the road: June 24th. Perhaps the Tigers could borrow a 1-run game or two from the Orioles.

Also notable last night: Ryan Raburn made his late season debut.  Confidently aggressive, he scorched a two-hopper to the mound on the first pitch he saw. Impressed, Leyland decided to start him tonight, and placed him in the 6th spot in the lineup.  (This may be the season where Raburn waits until the 3rd half to get hot).

I blame the fans.  Someone emailed in a lineup that had all right-handers.  I’m not blaming any of you personally, but if you confess we will go easy on you. (Luckily, Leyland scratched out “Santiago, 1B” and scribbled in “Fielder, 1B”).

Leyland also decided to take a day off from the Maybe-Boesch-Will-Run-Into-One Project (and he did run into one against Cleveland, a mammoth shot to dead center), perhaps inspired by his 4 AB, 3K performance last night, so tonight in RF we get to see Mini-Mig, Avisail Garcia.

Stat of the Day: Prince Fielder had one of the few offensive highlights last night with a solo home run. Over the past 2 weeks, Fielder has hit for .385 (1.196 OPS), with 3 HR and 6 RBI.  And 3 HBP.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Avisail Garcia.  The Halos pitch around the dangerous Raburn to get to Garcia, and he makes them pay.

Todays Almost All-Right Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Omar Infante 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Ryan Raburn LF
7. Avisail Garcia RF
8. Gerald Laird C
9. Danny Worth SS