Not a whole lot to say about last night’s game. Porcello threw BP for a few innings, as he’s done a few times recently (anyone else starting to worry?), and then the rain came. The break somehow strengthened Jake Peavy, as he looked good after the long delay, giving up only 2 unearned runs in 6 innings. Good for his 5th win of the season against 13 losses. You heard me 5-13. On a team that has the same record at Detroit.
All the while James Shields and Wade Davis pitched the Royals to a 1-0 win, and a 2 game central division lead.
Look, it’s just one game. The Tigers aren’t going to win every game from here on out. But they do need to win close to 2/3 of them, so while today isn’t a must win, it’s a really need to win.
Bumgarner v. Price in what MLB is coining an #aceoff. Baseball Reference game preview here.
In case you’re wondering, Price is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with Detroit, which is slightly worse than his #s with Tampa. However, his FIP (which removes park factors and defense by purely focusing on the pitcher’s effectiveness at things he can more directly control – HR, BB, SO, BB, HBP) with Detroit is 2.62 versus 2.93 with Tampa, so he’s actually been better with the Tigers than he was with Tampa.
#DoItForTheRotation
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (WHY???????????????????)
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Eugenio Suarez, SS
8. James McCann, C (1st ML start – this C job is likely open for auditions for 2015)
9. Rajai Davis, CF
…looks like a good day to watch college football
14 of past 16 hitters to face Price at Comerica have hits. Pulled last outing against NYY, who had nine straight
Too bad the Michigan game does not start till 7:30.
Michigan State at 6:30.
Kiss this game and the season “Hasta La Vista”!
In his 29 starts, Bumgarner has given up more than 4 runs three times.
Let’s be honest. If the Tigers do not make the playoffs this year it will be the biggest disappointment in Detroit sports history!!
That’s an understatement. It will be the greatest tragedy of all time. Everyone in the universe will die.
Hey no worries. The clutch hitting tigers will chase Bumgarner early like the do all the time.
Im sick of seeing kinsler trying to pull every pitch & hit weak popups
There’s a lot of baseball left.
TIGERS Have their 2…cash this one in!
Hey Assmus, how about a double steal!
And Assmus replies: “Dahhhhh, what’s that?”.
Despite their averages Kinsler and Hunter kill more innings than anyone on the team with runners on!…I thought Miggy WAS the lead off hitter!
Hey research department, what’s the season record for pop ups? Kinsler may be in the running.
Unresearchable, practically speaking. Rajai Davis actually pops out with greater frequency, but yes, Kinsler is well known as a pop-up guy. Rangers fans warned us in advance. 54 in 634 PA coming into today, undoubtedly most on the team by a wide margin. Sometimes they fall for hits, as in that one Kipnis missed in RF the other day.
Speaking of last night, let’s not overrate W-L for pitchers, but Peavy was 1-9 with the Red Sox (with a better ERA than Verlander), not the Giants. He’s been quite good with the Giants, nice ERA/FIP/WHIP, and FWIW, is 4-4 there. Bringing him back after the delay was brilliant.
I see why Texas didn’t mind losing Kinsler…he has a .282 Ba…but has more worthless outs then anyone on the Tigers. Plus he would have another 40 walks if he allowed ball four to cross the plate.
Low K, low BB, GIDP = Cabrera, very high ball in play but a tick below average in LD%. Only average at “worthless outs.” Romine, Kelly, J.D., and Castellanos are the worthless outs guys. Only Hunter and Avila are better R3L2O.
Rally time.
There’s one.
You called it! Go Tigers!
Now were at Miggy and Victor and sometimes JD and the nobodies!
Miggy — a major leaguer — caught that one. Whew!
Am I the only one who thinks bringing Carrera in to pinch hit is silly?
Yeah, Carrera and Avila as the pinch hitters. You just had to laugh.
Avila PH for someone…hahahaa!..I have seen it all!!!
What a shock! Ingvila strikes out. Man, when Carrera and Ingvila are your back to back pinch hitters you are in trouble. Those guys can barely make contact when they’ve seen live pitching for 9 innings.
I smell a sweep coming. Oh well. GO BLUE!
David Price is great, was great, but gave up 5 runs and put the team in a hole right away, which isn’t great. How about #DoItForTheLineup? This rotation of late isn’t giving me a great deal of hope.
Last 3 times through for Verlander/Scherzer/Price/Porcello: ERA over 5, WHIP 1.80. Lucky to be 5-6, really.
When the final game is over maybe Davis, Kinsler, Hunter and especially Assmus can get a job at Disneyland as commentators, because they TALK and amazing fantasy game.
Avila as a PH…..I am still laughing at that one!!!!!!!!!
By the end of the season Coke’s ERA will be lower than Price’s.
Since Price came to the Tigers and *before* today’s game:
Coke 3-0, 2.12 in 13 G
Price 2-3, 3.86 in 7 G
Danny Duffy left the Royals game after one pitch.
KC getting beat up by NYY. All is not lost.
(I’m gonna try blind optimism instead of candid objectivity for a while.)
For a loss, this one was a really good game loss, I think. There’s cause for some real optimism. Tigers are alive and kicking.
Price pitched so well for so much of the game that I hate to say that he gave it away… but he did.
Martinez, Martinez, Porcelllo, Hardy, and about 35 other guys who underachieved…where is the responsibility for this underacheivement. You can’t buy your way into the playoffs. You have to actually earn your way in by winning. When you pay out $200 mil for your team it isn’t about the money.
Sad state of affairs not favoring the starters joining forces with the offense to carry the team down the stretch:
http://tinyurl.com/n8pmwry
If you really want to vomit, take a look at what Smyly’s been doing as of late.
http://atmlb.com/1ucpCcu
Yes, he’s pitched well enough to win in all 7 starts for Tampa Bay, and superbly in 6 of them. The Price of Price. Meanwhile, Austin Jackson has been stroking a .590 OPS for the Mariners, so there’s that.
I certainly didn’t like seeing Smyly go, but Price makes it difficult to argue. None of us would have foreseen Smyly’s run or argued that Smyly for Price could be negative in the short term. An earlier injury to Sanchez would have changed the equation, maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe that possibility was part of the equation.
Royals blanking the Yankees, naturally.