2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.102: Phillies at Tigers

40 Comments

56-45, 1st place, 3 games up on Cleveland.

Well, it was almost euphoria. Maybe you have to live in the Chicago area to relate, but sweeping the White Sox 4 straight in Chicago would have been the equivalent of a World Series championship to me (no matter how the White Sox – or the Tigers for that matter – happen to be doing this season). OK, almost. Hard to believe that JV and Dirks would be the goats keeping such a prize from us, but hey, let’s count our blessings. Heck of a good series, most of it minus Miggy. Bravo, Tigers.

Philadelphia at Detroit. Wow. How often do you get to say that? Philadelphia Athletics? No, Phillies. Hmmm. If the information I have is correct, these two teams have only played each other 12 times. Ever. Last in 2007. Series tied at 6. This weekend’s featured ex-Tiger (there’s always at least one) is “natural RF” (according to the Phillies GM) Delmon Young, who is having a Delmon Young-like season overall and is on a bit of a tear, batting .340 (.809 OPS) over the past month or so.

There’s certainly plenty to discuss. Cabrera’s hip flexor, Omar’s slow recovery, JV’s struggles, Bonderman, Jurjjens (will the Tigers sign Brandon Inge to a minor league deal next? I wouldn’t bet against it), red-hot Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter, the bullpen again though less than before, the bench (a very good bench in my view – wish Lee Panas would write a feature offering comparative analysis here) … the list goes on and on. I’ll get to it. Maybe. Feel free to start without me. Meanwhile, I thought I’d update you on standings in the Game Poster League:

Coleman 21-14
Smoking Loon 17-14
Kevin in Dallas 18-17

I’m counting on this series to position me for the stretch run. (Of course, I’m hoping we all tie at around 33-21.) The good news is that Justin Verlander won’t be pitching. Fister-Scherzer-Porcello. Sounds good to me.

40 thoughts on “Game 2013.102: Phillies at Tigers”

  1. Oh no ….. Omar has reinjured his ankle! And there is no good news about Miggy! Smokey will be so confused on what to do, I hope the ship does’t start sinking.

    1. He probably has at least another 2 weeks and then rehab…the bottom of the lineup will be seriously hurting. We really need a spark from someone: Avila? Dirks? Tui?

  2. No Torii either! This bandaid lineup does not instill much confidence. Lets see what happens?

  4. Can someone please explain WHY Smokey keeps playing AA against lefties, never mind putting him in the lineup at all.

  5. hey Dirks nice situational hitting there driving the ball all the way to the catcher!!!

    1. Dirks has been a big disappointment this season, after his great 2012. There should be an award for this every year, for the young player with a breakout year who subsequently disappoints the most (last year Boesch would have won, but I would understand votes for Avila). We could call it the Shelty, named after Chris Shelton.

  6. Today’s Lineup:
    1. Austin Jackson, CF
    2. Andy Dirks, RF
    3. Matt Tuiasosopo, LF
    4. Prince Fielder, 1B
    5. Victor Martinez, DH
    6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
    7. Hernan Perez, 2B
    8. Ramon Santiago, 3B
    9. Alex Avila, C

  7. AA is catching because Pena did a good job again yesterday…….and we can’t have players showing up our number one catcher, …right Mumbles!!!

  9. absolutely…un…frickin…believable…starting with strike three right down the middle tto….no jump be Perez….to jhonny being god awful slow….Class 1 clown show +

    1. It’s called playing National League ball with an American League team. (Otherwise known as “Fail”).

  10. funnny thing about Dirks also is he has hit everywhere he has played…and all of a sudden he looks as lost as Avila at the plate…when he does have a good at bat very seldom is it a big one in the game…

  11. I take exception to the Game Poster League stats b/c I get more of Verlander’s starts.

      1. I’m just bitter because I keep losing my Beat the Streak streaks in annoying ways.

        1. Don’t feel bad, Kevin. Early in the season, I bore the brunt of Humiliated By Angels, Part 1, and had to endure a losing record until fairly recently. It’s true about JV, though. 9 games, 2-6 W-L. He’s just not performing for you, and I don’t know how we can blame him for that. It’s on you, man. What have you done to him?

          Coleman, you got 7 straight Astros games. That was the real genius of “letting” Kevin set the rotation. Of course, I deserve credit for letting you let him.

  12. Smokey is an absolute MORON ….. hands down …… no questions asked ….. period!!!!!

  13. what makes this feel like it will be shutout number 8 or 10 or 50…By a guy with 12 losses

  14. That wasn’t Bilfer getting an error on that Fielder foul ball?

  15. I try to be patient…I could see right away this season that VMart was a huge problem, but figured it made sense to wait until the All-Star break and see…Avila though…am about done with him.

    1. And yes, I realize that Pena is hitting above his head. That will level out. But he has–dare I say?–intangibles, as the football fans say. Sprinting around the bases after a home run, running across the infield to tag Nick Swisher, etc. Even if he dropped below the Inge line, I’d rather watch Pena than Avila right now.

      1. I’m with you, Alex’s nice clutch knock tonight notwithstanding. Pena isn’t salvation, but he wouldn’t hurt the team as a starter. Or maybe, please, just getting more starts.

    1. It does. But for it to stick, you have to rag on him in game posts. I’m taking credit for Martinez. Avila is your project. You could always hand it off to Kevin, but I think he’s busy with JV.

  20. the 20 million dollar four hitter is down to ..265 and dropping…seems a little low to me…just sayin!

    1. Yeah, it’s been pretty alarming for a while. You only have to watch him to know that he’s not the guy he was in April. The numbers are no surprise in that sense.

      First 40 games: 272/404/517/921 9 HR 33 RBI

      Last 40 games (not counting tonight): 234/305/367/672 5 HR 23 RBI

      Where’s the beef?

  21. i try…I always hope AA reads us!!..we can motivate anyone …except Capt Mumbles

  23. now We see why Hammels has, 13 now, losses…his team sucks…..guess we should be elated, wecould be white Sox or Phillie fans!!!……..

    P.O. G……Avila….way to go!!!

  24. I like the way the Tigers recovered from the early bumbling. This is the sort of game we’re starting to gain some confidence that the Tigers can win now. Yeah, it’s the Phillies. Even so.

    Doug Fister is good. And he works so fast. I think he’s my new favorite.

    I think all the worry about the B-team in for certain games (and whole series now, apparently) is exaggerated. The Tigers have capable reserves and role players. We’ve seen enough flat A-team games to know that that lineup is well short of dominant – or consistent. So relax, I say. It’s mostly up to the starting rotation, and they’ve been A-team overall without a doubt.

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