Game Post

Game 2014.116: Tigers at Pirates

39 Comments

I don’t know about any of you, but I’m still exhausted from last night’s game, and the disappointing road trip as a whole. I can imagine how some of the players feel this morning.

The road trip finally comes to a close with two in Pittsburgh, the front end of an unusual 4-game home and away match up with the Pirates, as the Tigers cling to a dwindling 1/2 game lead over the red-hot Royals who have won 7 straight.

There were a whole host of moves made in the aftermath of the Sanchez/Soria injuries and burning of the bullpen arms last night:

  • The Tigers officially place Soria on the 15-day disabled list (left oblique strain) retroactive to yesterday.
  • The Tigers optioned the contracts of Blaine Hardy and Patrick McCoy (each of whom threw 3 innings last night) to Toledo.
  • The Tigers recalled our old friends Ian Krol and Justin Miller from Toledo (well, maybe not exactly friends, especially in Krol’s case. But fresh arms).
  • The Tigers purchased the contract of RHP Kevin Whelan from Toledo. Whelan, a career minor-leaguer, had a 1.85 ERA and 20 saves with the Mud Hens.
  • To make room on the 40-man roster for Whelan, the Tigers released once-heralded prospect Casey Crosby.
  • The Tigers announced Robby Ray will start Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Ray was originally scheduled to take the Sanchez slot in the rotation (Wednesday), but bumped up into Porcello’s spot after he finished off last night’s marathon.

Another spot on the roster has to be cleared before Ray pitches on Tuesday. If today’s game happens to get rained out (rain is in the forecast) and made up as a double-header Tuesday, Ray could be added to the roster under double-header rules without having to return any of the new call-ups to Toledo until later.

Tonight’s Pitcher-Gets-To-Bat Lineup:

  1. Davis, CF
  2. Kinsler, 2B
  3. Cabrera, 3B
  4. V Martinez, 1B
  5. Hunter, RF
  6. JD Martinez, LF
  7. Avila, C
  8. Suarez, SS
  9. Verlander, P

For some reason Carrera, the only player with fresh legs on the team, starts this one on the bench. Cabrera moves over to the hot corner to keep Victor’s bat in the lineup.

39 thoughts on “Game 2014.116: Tigers at Pirates”

    1. Really good start: Rajai getting on base and Cabrera with the RBI is how it’s supposed to work.

  6. Hopefully it will be like a NASCAR race where your driver gets knocked out on the first caution but comes back and gets on the lead lap late in the race for a respectable finish. JV normally bounces back after a bad start, plus Ausmus never pulls a starter until they get there 115 pitches unless you are Scherzer.

  7. Perfect example of what is wrong with the Tigers. Total chaos in the dugout. Shown on TV. No one knows who’s batting three different pitchers have helmets on. what a joke

  9. This game and that inning shows ausmus is in way over his head. No one knew who was batting. 4 different guys had helmets on. Scherzer looked totally perplexed. This could be ausmus’ last game

    2. “This could be ausmus’ last game”

      Haha, firing a manager when they’re in first place or even a half-game back? I agree he’s in over his head, but that’s wishful thinking at this point in the season.

  11. Chris Iott ‏@Chris_Iott 1m
    Justin Verlander left the game tonight due to right shoulder soreness. Further evaluated Tuesday.

  12. Verlander : I pitched really well today.. My fastball was fast and my slowball was slow. My curve ball was really curvy…
    ASMUS:..ya I thought he threw really well also..but I’m not worried!!!!

  15. 4 ERRORS, Yes that ball to Hunter easily was an error, by the worst outfield in all of baseball, at least they are consistent..

  20. Asmus will remark after the game how well the new guys threw tonight…and how “he’s not worried”

    .Capt Mumbles is at the game tonight can he take back over tomorrow. All if us will tell him were sorry

  21. This is turning into an absolute disaster. I should have better things to do with my time. It sucks being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.

    Now I know what Angie Taylor, my first girlfriend felt like.

    *Made up name and I reversed the truth, but you guys know what I mean. Hello Skoal my old friend…

  25. Apologies to David Price and Joakim Soria who thought they were traded to a contending team.

  26. The Brad Asmus experiment has failed . Team blows 8 game lead twice. Under .500 for 3 months. Offers NO solutions other that 1. That’s baseball. And 2. I am not worried.
    Nice guy but he is so far over his head he may never dig his way out…yesterday 27 runners and he can’t manufacture 1 run. Team shows total lack of discipline. Very poor fundementals, worst outfield and bullpen in baseball. Constant base running blunders.. Very shakey coaching decisions.
    He has to go!..he doesn’t have the ability to right this sinking second place ship!

  28. Crap, I have been without access to info ( on the Hood Canal and in the Olympic Mountains,( google map them- truly beautiful) and I get back to see we are in a dark place and sinking fast. What the devil is going on? Do we really want Smokey back? Are we done?

  29. Jim heres how bad it was. 5-1 second inning runners on 1+2 no one out. Smarty was going to replace JV but he was up to bat. Instead of using a position player he had Porcello, Scherzer with helmets on ready to pinch hit…he finally just put JV up to sac bunt and then took him out of the game……….this move goes right along with the other bonehead moves this weekend…Yesterday 27 runners and they couldn’t figure out a way to manufacture 1 stinkin run and went 16 innings without scoring, stranding 22….Friday saturday he pinch hit Cabrerra for JD Martinez and let Kelly hit in the next spot…..thats all you need to know….the guy is off the deep end!!!!!

  30. Early last May I attended the three game series in Kansas City in which the Tigers swept the Royals. In that series, the Tigers couldn’t do anything wrong, while the Royals were pathetic. During the games, the Royal fans, who are a good lot, were telling me that their season was already over as their team was hopelessly bound for the cellar. Funny how things can change. No doubt both teams are cyclic with wide swings of either winning or losing. So what’s a manager, or for that matter, a fan to do? While he can manage the games, can he do anything to bring them out of a funk and position them to win? Or, is it simply the chemistry of the team? It does appear that when the Tigers are off for an All Star break or even a day off they seem to lose their MoJo as their bats go south. I do believe guys like Sparky Anderson did something to avoid this but it takes more than one season to do such. I still read words these days on how Trammell and Gibson “bought in on what Sparky was selling” when it came to preparing for and “how to play the game.” When coming to Detroit, Sparky said such would take five years. Maybe there is some truth and value to such, but does such magic take a long time to develop in a team? That is, something that the owner’s pocketbook can’t buy, rather must be simply and deeply be instilled in a player’s heart? And is this edge the winning difference? I believe I may have saw such in the 2013 Red Sox.

    So during the remaining quarter of this season it looks like we will see what’s in our team’s heart. They proved they can hit and pitch, but do they want to work together to win? What stat measures such?

    Always a Tiger.

  31. The Tigers should consider forfeiting a game in order to allow enough time for all the replacemant players coming from West Michigan, Lakeland and Connecticut to get to the team in time to field a full 25-man roster.

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