2014 Season, Game Post

Game 2014.23: Tigers 5, White Sox 1

54 Comments

Jim EggersUSMC April 30, 2014 at 1:41 am [edit]

Impressive move by Holaday, that is how you do it. Noticed on the Quick Pitch (with my late night Heidi, what the Mrs. doesn’t know etc) that Mr. Clark said something to Ajax, so it may have been called. My rule on squeezes was that only I as 3b coach could call it, did not want to kill any ball players. Heidi also mentioned that we are 6-2 in one run tilts.

(I haven’t figured out how Smoking Look does the picture inserts)

Comment of the game was the last one, for a few reasons. First of all, the underhanded MLB.tv on-air mistress reference is simply hilarious, but more importantly, letting us know about the Clark to Jackson whisper. This morning’s report is that Holaday called it on his own, despite some suggestion from the dugout. Regardless, it was a fine play and a fantastic way to cap off the series opening win.

Ian Krol mentioned that the off-days and rainouts are screwing things up, presumably in the bullpen. Well, it’s gotta be that or a lack of talent.

Remember that Max Scherzer SI cover story I mentioned over the weekend? Apparently Max didn’t like it. Scherzer is frustrated that the cover story was his contract. I don’t think it made him out to be a bad guy at all. In fact, the article was quite flattering.

Scherzer v. Noesi today at 2:10 PM ET. Noesi is the dreaded hasn’t started in 2 years spot starter who always seem to have the Tigers’ number.

If someone could please post the sweep lineup when it’s avail, we would all be grateful.

 POSTGAME:

– The Tigers are a season high 5 games over .500.

– Gotta admit, the win feels a little empty after Cabrera’s K with the bases loaded in the 9th. Is that rational? Cabrera was batting .280 for a brief moment there. Doesn’t really feel like he’s out of this slump yet though.

– Scherzer says 7/$144M is gonna look like a joke by the end of the season.

– Solid game for Holaday again.

Off to KC for the weekend.

54 thoughts on “Game 2014.23: Tigers 5, White Sox 1”

  1. Tiger’s lineup:
    1. Kinsler 2B
    2. Hunter RF
    3. Cabrera DH
    4. V. Martinez 1B
    5. J. Martinez LF
    6. Jackson CF
    7. Castellanos 3B
    8. Holaday C
    9. Romine SS

    Holaday earns himself back-to-back starts. The Tigers try to confuse the White Sox with back-to-back Martinezes.

  3. Holaday did not earn back to back starts , thats beyound Tiger thinking.. The Tigers do not ever think like that evan though we do. He could have hit 3 dingers yesterday and would be back on the bench today if Avila was ready to go today. The Tigers base this totally on Avila and not Holaday. TOO BAD actually!

    1. Ausmus indicated that Avila wasn’t available to pinch-hit for Holaday yesterday. Note to Ausmus: please make Avila never available to pinch-hit (career PH: .208, 13Ks in 24 AB).

  4. I like it!!! for the simplest reason there is…cuz it worked.

    “9th inning, game tied 2 outs” runner at 3rd and “the catcher” lays down an excellent bunt for a hit!!! What are the freakin odds against that type of move? …and how many of the so-called tv experts would have been collectively asking ‘WTF was the strategy behind that?’

    There may have been some near brain implosions from the Saber & algorithm-types regarding the mile-long odds associated w/that play.

    NOTE to Alex Avila (who has 23 K’s in 50 ABs) – good things can happen when you put the ball in play

    1. I don’t know if the saber (saber?) guys are down on smart strategic bunting like that, necessarily.

  5. Nick C is getting swing happy..as that average slowly drops..he swings at everything. That at bat was good example …..not one pitch was a strike….K

    1. I think you are correct about this recent development. Either someone is whispering in his ear about “more aggressiveness” or he’s just, oh, I don’t know, feeling a bit restless at this moment in his young career and wanting to let ‘er rip more often. I hope he’ll get back to where he was.

  6. This shouldn’t amaze me but it does…how easy it is to get the Tigers out if you do not throw many strikes.

  9. another big 2-out hit from Holoday… I wonder how many DET fans (besides me) would like to see him continue to hit .275 plus and continue to be as good as Avila behind the plate… and start pushing AA for more playing time

    1. It sounds like maybe Avila’s back was too bad to play today. It could mean something that Holaday is in today after Max raved about him last start.

  10. In the post game last night at least 4 diffetent Tigets including Asmus and JV remarked how much Holaday studies hitters and how good he is at calling a game. JV even said in the big pitch to end the seventh last night at a meeting on the mound JV asked Holaday what pitch…Holaday said slider….K ….ball game

    1. I like Jobaquerque.

      Krol and Coke are so similar that they should merge. Krolke. Phillian Krolke.

  12. We have watched Miggy bat 2-3000 times in the past 4-5 yeats. He has had more crappy at bats than all 4-5 of those yeas added together so far this year. This is for the few who believe Miggy is squared away now

    1. He’s never hit well at DH, .239 lifetime before today, so today doesn’t count (the question comes up though, why DH him then? I thought Ausmus was supposed to be up on this sort of stuff.

      1. Why DH Cabrera? I wondered, too (and also the last time, not so long ago). Maybe Victor is lobbying for more time on the field?

    1. Complaint about Cabrera is warranted. He’s perplexing everyone, including himself.

      Come on back, Chris in San Diego. Your moment in the sun has arrived. Hurry, before Miggy starts hitting again.

        1. Ha, I thought it was by 2010. But maybe the prophesies continued though 2010.

          Good prophecy on the Holaday bunting, by the way. Minor disagreement in that, if Holaday can also hit a bit, that bunting skill is going to put the opponents in a bind.

  14. – The Tigers are again a season high 5 games over .500.

    No “again” – it’s a first.

    The top of the 9th inning was a great disappointment in an otherwise satisfying game.

        1. True. You still haven’t fixed that top of the 9th inning, though. I want 3 more runs and a corrected score, please. Make it a shutout while you’re at it. Doggone Reed.

  16. How about Doc Holaday…4 hits GWH…RBIs..runs scored…it was like a month of Avila in two days…oh ya! This just in from Smokey Jr…hey Doc your back on the bench tomorrow!!!

  17. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&type=1&season=2014&month=0&season1=2014&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=25%2cd

    Link above is to a Fangraphs Fielding Leaderboard showing our own Torii Hunter to be, statistically, the worst defensive player in the major leagues. How does a nine-time Gold Glover get so bad? I knew he wasn’t playing well but I didn’t suspect his. I know defensive statistics can be a little fuzzy and subject to interpretation but ranking dead last is hard to misunderstand. Tigers may have to address this if it becomes more obvious and starts costing them games.

    1. Jackson close to the bottom in CF also. Miggy ranks 1st at 1B though. Kind of makes me suspicious of the whole thing.

  18. Watching Hunter play everyday it seems his ability to pick up the flight of the ball is deteriating fast. It was noticeable last year but not near as bad as this year..his jump ot lack of..his line to the ball…his directional throwing…all of it!..Maybe he is a DH waiting to happen!

  19. When Hunter was playing for MIN and LAA it seemed that he always covered so much ground, and would make at least one spectacular catch every series against DET… haven’t seen much of that since coming to DET.

    This year in the field, I agree w/Jud’s analysis, especially the part about not picking up the ball and getting a good jump on it… but compared to some of the pre-Hunter DET right-fielders, Hunter has been par for the course (defensively)

  21. DD signs Hannrahan…maybe it works and maybe not, but we here at the Blog really appreciate your effort to make the team better with this move!!!

    1. That looks like a no-lose situation: he is only costing 1 mil, with a lot of incentives. He won’t be ready until June, but if he does work out, he would be a great addition to a playoff bullpen.

      2. A good signing, not taking too much of a chance for a potentially big upside. The key will be his command, which seems to be the big bugaboo with pitchers returning from TJ surgery.

  22. when looking at current DET roster to see which pitcher is going to be sent packing when Hanrahan is added to the roster and Sanchez comes off DL, I noticed that JV, Scherzer, Sanchez and Porcello will make a combined $60M this year… just sayin.

    …anyway Coke & Reed get my vote for the two pitchers replaced by Hanrahan and Sanchez… though Hanrahan may not be ready for 30-45 days (and that’s if there’s no problems w/his rehab)

    1. By the middle of June when Hanrahan is ready, someone on the current pitching staff may be on the DL…so I’m not thinking about it yet.

      On another note, they must really think Robbie Ray is ready to bring him up for a start when they don’t need him. If that’s true by July he may be the 5th starter, Smyly may be in the bullpen, and Coke gone.

      1. What makes you say we don’t need Ray at the moment? We are a starter short until Sanchez gets back and there is nobody else in the minors producing, so by default, whether they want to or not, he gets the call. I think his tenure will be short though, similar to the way Verlander was introduced, with a few short stints and only in a starting role. He is held in higher regard than Alvarez was last year say, so I doubt they move him to the bullpen when Sanchez returns, but return him to Toledo to get regular starts and continue his ‘education’. Smyly stays in the rotation. Hopefully we don’t have to wait until mid-June or July for Choke to be disappeared. The question that has to be asked though is, since the bullpen isn’t any better today than it was yesterday, now what?

    2. I look at Hanrahan in much the same way as I see Dirks (remember him?), as someone who it would be nice to have on the ML roster at some unknown time in the future. A possible return time of mid-June/July is an eternity away in the course of a baseball season and waiting 60 games for bullpen help to materialize doesn’t address the present difficulty. I like the deal, but, in the meantime, who is there to help NOW. And I wouldn’t wait for Hanrahan and Sanchez to return to jettison Coke and Reed. But perhaps I am being a bit harsh.

      1. Sanchez will be back soon, but who knows about Dirks. Or Iglesias. Or Hanrahan.

        1. Sanchez should be back soon, and hopefully this condition won’t be a recurring issue. As for the other three, until they suit up, are non-entities. We can only play the hand we are dealt.

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