2014 Season, Game Post

Game 2014: 39 Tigers 6, Red Sox 2

115 Comments

A 5-game winning streak, a 10-game road winning streak, 26-12, a 6 1/2 game division lead. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Rick Porcello also hasn’t been much better than he’s been this year. Here  is a nice story about Porcello, where Jeff Jones talks about how much better Porcello’s secondary pitches have gotten.

Tonight the Tigers pursue the difficult task of pulling off a Fenway Park sweep; the last time the Tigers even won a series there (which is a given now) was in the magical season of 2006; the last sweep was…well I don’t know when. The preview said Sept 28-30 1993, but when I look back at that season I see that they actually split a doubleheader on the 28th. The Research Department will have to look into this.

Their hopes will rest on newly returned Anibal Sanchez, making his first start since leaving his April 26th start with a lacerated finger. To make room for Sanchez, Justin Miller was sent packing to Toledo. I had assumed it would be Robbie Ray heading back to Toledo, where he could continue to get work in as a starter. Combine this with seeing Ray get up in the bullpen in the 8th inning last night, and it looks like Ray is going to stick around in the bullpen for now, a move I don’t like. He is going to be a starter, he should be in Toledo starting. But that’s just me (obviously).

The Red Sox will send out Jake Peavy, the last man standing in the Peavy-Garcia-Iglesias trade. Seeing Jake should bring a smile to the face of Torii Hunter, who is 8-for-18 career (.444) against Peavy, with a 1.307 OPS.

Tonight’s Sunday Night Baseball Lineup:

  1. Kinsler, 2B
  2. Hunter, RF
  3. Cabrera, 1B
  4. V Martinez, DH
  5. Kelly, 3B
  6. Jackson, CF
  7. JD Martinez, LF
  8. Avila, C
  9. Romine, SS

The Tigers seem to do the opposite of whatever I through up there in the lineup header: when I called them Green Monster bashers they squeaked out a 1-0 win; when I called them one-run wonders they blasted Boston 6-0. I’m trying to figure out how they will not be a Sunday Night Baseball lineup.

Postgame

The Tigers are now a ridiculous 14-4 on the road.

3-sew-whisk-broomOf course we have been beating up on the weak division: currently the AL Central is 32-18 against the AL East.

 

115 thoughts on “Game 2014: 39 Tigers 6, Red Sox 2”

  1. I agree about Robbie Ray, but maybe they’re going to try the Smyly Method (though not precisely, since Smyly spent the better part of 2012 as a starter with Detroit first). There’s obviously not a lot of confidence in the current supply of LHP relievers between Detroit and Toledo. Coke is a given there, but the way they use Krol suggests he’s hard to trust with an entire inning, and one is inclined to agree.

      1. We sort of have a 6-man rotation. Porcello may get a start off, he has soreness in his side. And there may be concern about Anibal re-injuring his finger, so it may make sense to keep an extra starter around for a bit.

        1. At least for ten days, which is how long Miller will have to remain in Toledo unless…take a deep breath… AS or RP go on the DL

  2. The last time the Tigers swept the Red Sox at Fenway was 4 games, June 6-9, 1983. The famous 1984 rotation got all the wins – Berenguer, Wilcox, Morris, Petry – and Detroit scored 29 runs in support. It was a bit of a crossroads series for both teams. Boston came in 28-23 and in 2nd; Detroit was 26-25 and in 6th. When it was over, the Tigers were in 2nd and the Red Sox in 4th, and Detroit’s fortunes continued to rise while those of the Red Sox sank. The Tigers had most of their 1984 elements in place, but in those days 92-70 was “nice try.” Then Guillermo Hernandez (Joe Nathan?) came along and Kirk Gibson (Austin Jackson?) got it together, and with some magic and some luck…

    More magic and luck, please. The 1984 team didn’t have a Sombreomine and Ingevila. Then again, they didn’t have the 2014 starting rotation, either.

      1. True. The comparison fails on several levels, but Jackson having a truly marvelous season instead of just solid would definitely tip the scales in favor of having the 2014 outfield compare with 1984.

  3. 1. Ian Kinsler, 2B (2-for-7, triple, walk, 2 K’s)
    2. Torii Hunter, RF (8-for-18, 2 doubles, triple, HR, walk, 2 K’s)
    3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (14-for-47, double, 3 HR, 4 walks, 15 K’s)
    4. Victor Martinez, DH (3-for-9, HR, K)
    5. Don Kelly, 3B (1-for-9, walk, 4 K’s)
    6. Austin Jackson, CF (10-for-29, 2 triples, HR, 3 walks, 9 K’s)
    7. J.D. Martinez
    8. Alex Avila, C (4-for-22, double, HR, 5 walks, 5 K’s)
    9. Andrew Romine, SS

    Well, we get the Kelly start at 3B, and J-Mart auditioning for continued presence on the roster, but unfortunately Romine back at SS so he can work on a Platinum Sombrero no doubt. And HHSR back at catcher.

    1. It’s funny, but the way Castellanos has been playing at 3B, I worry about Kelly being deficient there tonight.

    2. Avila had 2 good at bats yesterday, the beat the shift double and a 10-pitch walk that got Lackey all wound up. Plus Romine made him look good.

    3. This is a “Sunday game throw away line-up” if I have ever seen one!

      1. For the sake of Research Dept accuracy and trustworthiness, let me point out my error above: Detroit came into the 1983 sweep 25-25, and Boston 28-22.

  4. Why not try Kelly at SS if we want a lefty bat? Since Romine’s lefty bat has a virus or something.

  7. The BOBS have a seriously hard task ahead of them when you look at their numbers!

  8. Romine now batting .167 vs. RHP (10 for 60). He does have 6 BB to go with his 18 Ks though.

  10. Luckily Victor has the Donkey batting behind him, so he gets good pitches to hit.

  11. Plus there is extra pressure on Donkey today, because with this line up the way it is written he is the lead off hitter for the BOBs

        1. I’m amusing myself by wondering where the stats would say to position guys for a Romine shift. Definitely a 2nd catcher in case he strikes out on a ball in the dirt.

          1. Pitcher, catcher, middle infielder, and first baseman. With none on, the other guys can head back to the dugout. The Romine Shift.

  13. I don’t like the absence of his bat, I do like the presence of his glove. That one was a gem by Romine (er, Somberomine).

  20. You think that was a challenge-able call (the Avila missed catch)? Should be an error, no?

      1. I guess it’s not a transfer. But I seem to remember an OFer making a catch, then swinging his glove and dropping the ball, and the play still being considered an out.

  22. They gave Kelly the error huh’!!.. Avila caught it clean, not a great throw but the error is AA dropping it out of his glove ..don’t you think???

    3. They are going to take it easy with Sanchez at first I think. The feeling may have been that the Sox were getting to him.

  27. Maybe this bullpen is coming together, eh? I still want more runs. Desperately. The first Fenway sweep in 31 years cannot be left to chance.

    What’s the weather forecast?

    1. I would feel better if they scored 6 or 7 more runs. That way, if the bullpen blows it, it would at least be historic and entertaining.

      1. Last year’s 20-4 loss was… well, I’m set for life on Fenway entertainment already.

        1. Maybe “entertaining” was a bad choice of words. At this stage of the game blowing a double digit lead would be epic, but not entertaining.

        1. I count 2, but they’ve also held 7 fairly precarious leads among the 16 wins. They are far and away the best bullpen in MLB for the month of May.

  31. I was wondering if, with runners on 1st and 2nd and Romine up, if the Tigers could trade the baserunners back for additional at bats, conceding the Romine out, of course.

  32. Do you think Avila knows he is hitting .467 when he goes after the first pitch and. .121 when he doesn’t..Obviously he doesn’t read DWB….Someone should tell him!!!….really!!!
    Do any of you Detroit guys see him on the streets..or live by him??

  33. So, after the Tigers started 35-5 in ’84, they only went 69 – 53 after that. You think there were some groans on the DetroitTigersMailboxlog forum back then?

    1. Yeah, they were a mediocre .566 team after that start. That always was the knock on that team as they cruised to the finish line.

      1. They lost a World Series game, too. Underachievers. I could never really embrace that team, to be honest with you.

  34. Ausmus having fun managing the bullpen tonight. The question is does he have Coke, Chamberlain and Nathan all come in in the ninth for one out each.

  35. More runs! I remember ALCS Game 2 all too well. It must be avenged. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. More runs.

      1. This is easy to forgive when they score 6. Unless the other team scores 7, of course. But they either scored runs or had a runner in scoring position every inning. Impressive.

        No babying Sanchez next time out. I want to see that he’s all the way back.

  36. This ain’t Coke proof…I am saying it right now…Last night he got lucky and gave up a single and three line shots….so everybody goes gaga over him now!!!!

    1. I don’t want to give him too much credit or overrate his contribution, but Coke has inspired me to continue living. As his 6.00 ERA for the month shows, he’s been absolutely lights out in May, with no WP and not a single ROE. Impressive.

  38. Did we kick some east coast butt ….. or ….. Did we kick some east coast butt ….. OH YEA!

      1. Not a pitch to contact guy. Any hard contact always a sign of worse to come with him. Had it been a 1-run game, I would have pulled him after the line drive Cabrera knocked down. Brought in Nathan.

        1. He might have better luck just holding the bat in the strike zone, maybe raising or lowering it slightly and randomly as the spirit moves him.

    1. Cleveland just got spanked good by the A’s, who have turned into a West Coast Juggernaut.

      1. CLE starters are getting hammered, so jumping out to a quick lead would be a good thing.

    2. If there’s a doable road sweep to extend the streak, Cleveland is it. It’s tailor-made. Aside from the fact that the Indians were just humiliated at home by the A’s, which always makes me worry (irrationally) about, well, you know. The Indians get angry and play out of their minds, or the ever-mysterious regression to the mean strikes.

      1. Keep an eye on it when they shift to the camera which shows the ball land over the monster.

      2. Aaargh! Where’s that Hunter HR highlight? (I was blacked out on mlb.tv.)

          1. I can’t catch SC in the morning. I work, and also, I have no TV. I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow evening.

  44. Victor now has 10 home runs and 9 strikeouts. If he can continue to have more home runs than strikeouts it will be the first time since Barry Bonds did it in 2004, which was the first time since the 50’s.

    Joe DiMaggio did it 6 times in his career (see StorminNorman’s link in yesterday’s thread). The amazing one was 1941, the year of his 56-game hitting streak. He had 30 home runs and 13 strikeouts. 13! I know it was a different era, but still.

    1. I don’t think it can be done, but I’d gladly take 40 HR from Victor at the price of, say, 50 K.

      1. He’s never had more than 25, he mostly hits them accidentally. But he has hit .330 before, I’ll take that. The Tigers will be awfully tough if he hits .330 all year.

    2. To put that in context, 13 is how many J.D Martinez has so far this season. Of course, it’s always possible he’ll hit a bunch of home runs and go the rest of the season without another strikeout.

      1. To put it another context, Alex Avila struck out for the 13th time (in 23 AB) on April 12. Game 9.

          1. Unfortunate that there was no “statement” from Worth in the second game. Our willingness to settle for defense-only from the SS position will be put to the test, and the Drew chorus will again be heard, elsewhere if not here.

  45. How humiliating for the Red Sox. Coleman only brought out the little whisk broom for ’em. Having a little “Chamberlain” label on it would have been a nice touch. But you did say they were friends…

  46. The 109-game road win streak is gone, apparently, but I’m glad the 45-game win streak overall has been preserved.

    1. Hey, you try to edit a post from an iPhone sometime, and then we’ll see who’s laughing.

    2. But if they DO end up with a 45-game winning streak, you heard it here first!

  47. Focused on Romine tonite, trying to see where he’s going wrong: too upright, so bat takes too long to get to the ball, steps in, closing his stance, which also locks up his hips, very visible weight shift to back foot, tries to muscle the ball.. so if I, a 61 year old beat up grunt firefighter liver transplant survivor can discern this, where are the Tigers coaches? Now, I have seen and heard of players at every level who ignore coaches advice, but as was said earlier SS should not be an automatic out, we have a catcher to do that job.

  49. powered by Zubaz – I love it! Chamberlain started this by buying his new team mates Zubaz pants during spring training.

    Soon Comerica will be littered with these fashion faux pas…in the stands – be prepared.

    1. We can live with clown shows off the field as long as they keep it to a minimum on the field.

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