Detroit finished off its road trip in grand style, sweeping the White Sox and Royals in back-to-back series. Now without so much as a day off in between, the Tigers return home for a 7-game stand before heading out to the East Coast, also without a day off in-between. This will give the Tigers 13 total games in a row without a day off.
Home stand schedule and prospective starters:
Astros at Tigers
Monday May 5 7:08 Max Scherzer vs Jarrod Cosart
Tuesday May 6 7:08 Robbie Ray (L) vs Brett Oberholtzer (L)
Wednesday May 7 7:08 Rick Porcello vs Brad Peacock
Thursday May 8 1:08 Drew Smyly (L) vs Dallas Keuchel (L)
Twins at Tigers
Friday May 9 7:08 Justin Verlander vs Phil Hughes
Saturday May 10 1:08 Max Scherzer vs Kyle Gibson
Sunday May 11 1:08 Robbie Ray (L) vs Samuel Deduno
The interest in the current Astros series of course (besides featuring two lefties for each team) is the debut of Robbie Ray, the key piece in the Doug Fister trade.
As Ray comes up of course, the key question is who will go down? It’s got to be Phil Coke, right? The story linked above points out that dumping Coke will leave the Tigers with only one lefty reliever in the bullpen, but if Ray stays, won’t Smyly be back in the pen? Besides, Coke doesn’t get out lefties any better or even as well as any of the right-handers, so I don’t consider him a lefty in the bullpen. At any rate, it would be logistically easier to simply demote Jose Ortega or Justin Miller; I expect Ortega to get the short straw this time. (The team has already made room on the 40-man roster by outrighting Jordan Lennerton to Toledo).
At 26%, the Astro–otherwise known as Bud Selig’s gift to the American League– have the 3rd highest swing-and-miss percentage in all of baseball. Look for Max to light up the K column of the scoreboard.
Postgame
When Prince Fielder was traded, there were some people (not here, to our credit) who wondered where the RBIs would come from, and who suggested that everyone would just walk Cabrera without a Big Batsman behind him.
The season is now exactly 1/6 of the way over, and the 1/6 MVP of the Tigers is Victor Martinez, who is quietly picking up the slack from the denatured Miguel Cabrera, and who turns out to be the one they all pitch around–Martinez is now 2nd in the AL with 7 intentional walks (2nd only to Prince Fielder, who has been intentionally walked more than any .690 OPS batter in history).
At any rate, in addition to leading the team with a healthy .901 OPS, Martinez has been the hardest man in baseball to strikeout–only 3 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances–and has been about perfect with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 out. Tonight he added a huge insurance home run to tilt the scales in Max’s favor in a great pitching battle, and here are the Tigers with a 6th consecutive win.
Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen. Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen. Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen. Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen. Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen. Ray will not stay. Smiley will not go to the pen.
Repeat mantra as needed.
Ray for a few days. Drew a starter stays. Coke has reached N/A. JH months away.
Nice haiku.
Thanks, but I think haiku is 5-7-5. I’ll work on it. I was going to make “Game Haiku” a regular feature, but it sort of fell off the table.
Baseball haiku should be 4-6-3.
Good call.
Twelve left on base
Max Scherzer on his game
Equals win
Ray is with the Tigers for one and possibly two spot starts, and that is all. I doubt that the Tigers have any intention of making Smyly a reliever again, now or later. It’s not the left-handedness of Coke that needs to be replaced, but there are lefties to call up from Toledo. Putkonen will be back, and that is probably the deadline on releasing Coke, though it may happen sooner, in which case Ortega and Miller might get a couple more chances to compete for the final spot. Unless the Tigers are set on a 2nd lefty. Crosby, Hardy, Robertson?
I have been gone a couple of years, trying to catch up on the conversation. For what is worth I am in Houston where there is no baseball.
They’ll be fine. Not every team has to go through rebuilding under new ownership while getting kicked over into a stronger league.
Welcome back! At least they are in the AL, which means the Tigers will be coming to town.
I don’t remember the last time I saw the Tigers clicking so well in so many parts of the team. Is it just me?
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No, they’re clicking. Mostly.
Except the bullpen. But when you’re scoring a bunch of runs that doesn’t matter.
The “new look” is a big improvement IMO. At season’s end they may not have scored as many runs as previous Leyland editions, but they have a much more flexible/balanced offense now, with lots of ways of putting on the pressure and wearing the opposition down; they run, they steal, and they can put plays on that were virtually unheard of before this season. No more waiting for the 3-run homer, which was OK during the regular season, but that one dimensionality pretty much doomed them in the post season (over and over) and I think management finally decided to take a more nuanced approach. The defense may not be as good as hoped with the loss of Iglesias and Dirks, but is still an improvement over last year, and the starting staff is still one of the best, if not the best, despite the Fister trade. The new approach seems to be working and I for one think they are more fun to watch now too. We’ll still have plenty to worry and complain about (bullpen especially, so far), but it should be a good ride this season. Join the party and welcome back.
Yup, totally.
Last time Scherzer faced Houston in Detroit, J.D. Martinez hit a 3-run HR off him, AlburCokey blew the 5-5 tie, and Jose Veras got the save. Only 3 current Tigers were in the lineup. Altuve didn’t play for the Astros – I’m not sure if it was because of that RF collision in a previous Astros-Tigers game where he hurt his jaw or some other injury.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140505/SPORTS0104/305050094/1129/rss15
I suspect that Bryan Holaday might be behind this somehow.
My gosh Cabrerra..hit the frickin ball!!!! Half swing no finish ground ball. To first…and everyone says Miggy is back…theres proof hes not even close to being back..
Tigers have been scoring at a rate of 3.5 per 9 inning while – key word *while* – Max is in the game.
Didn’t he have the most run support for a starter in the AL last year? Maybe things are just averaging out….
Yeah, stats like that are kinda random, but fun to pull up. In the short run they just tend to confirm or deny memory of recent observations.
In their last 10 games Tigers have scored 6.9 runs per game. Before that in their first 16 games they scored only 3.9 runs per game. So all pitchers were being abused.
The abuse of Max continues.
At least I was right about Max’s Ks. Unfortunately, he drew Cy Cosart.
Now would be a good time for Ty Cabrera to do something good.
He’s a GIDP machine so far.
Miggy has more awful at bats this year than the last 4 years added together!
Mad Max was dealin right there..strike em out throw em out!!!
Thanks Mr Gonzalez for helping our gassed pitcher get out of that inning.
For $30 mil I guess I don’ t expect a guy to take a night off. Miggy did that tonight…3 crappy swings and a called third that was the 5th pitch of the at bat in the same place…..that was so little effort he should have sat…at least try!!!
Victor….nice insurance run!!!!
Glad to see the Fox TV crew talking good about Trenton native Bass. I grew up in next door Grosse Ile but we never played mighty Trenton in sports.
One heck of a close play, but I think they got it right.
A tip of the cap to Cosart. 16 groundball outs including the 2 double plays. Not to take anything away from Max, but he wasn’t facing the Detroit Tigers. But a tip of the cap to Max, too. He’s pretty good.
The Tigers might be scouting the Astros again (Veras, J.D. Martinez). Who will they be after this time?
Cosart and Bass, maybe.
Just how good is the Tigers starting pitching lately……Wow!
Robbie Ray will atempt to get us to forget…whats-his-name tomorrow!
I can’t remember his name, either. But he hasn’t started a game yet. Ray will beat him to it.
I am really digging this single digit in the loss column…..lets keep it for awhile longer!
It does have a nice look to it. Let the others have their digital symmetry. I like bucking this fashion trend.
Rebel Tigers, your record’s best
Rebel Tigers, your pen is a mess
Rebel Tigers, how could they know?
Hot team, I love you so
Iggy played shortstop
jamming good with Prince and Miggy
and the Tigers from Mars…
oh never mind I forgot about the memo about not doing fake lyrics this season.
I didn’t get that memo. I must be exempt.
His was a blast
Off Anthony Bass
Came on so loaded, man
Well-hit, Wearing-White Man
The great thing about a 6-game winning streak, DTW-wise, is that all the post headers across the top have the Tigers first in the score.
I like that part, too. Of course, if things should change for the Tigers, we control the scores here. Worst-case scenario, we shift to an alternate-universe Tigers blog where things are going much better. I know just the GM who could help us.
Tifers Tigets your the best
Your nine losses tops all the rest
Do keep up this winning!
My phone letters are so small I goof constantly as you well know….let me try that again
Tigers Tigers you’re the best
Those nine losses top all the rest
Each win is a test!!!
I hereby sentence you to listen to “Rebel, Rebel” by David Bowie.
This was a really good game. It’s too bad there’s not a way to both know that the Tigers will win and have some suspense at the same time, but this game was sort of like that, the next best thing.
What I’d like to know is: Who outfighted Jordan Lennerton to Toledo?