2014 Season, Game Post

Game 2014.145: Royals at Tigers

70 Comments

What I liked most about last night’s win was how it drove home the point that the Royals just can’t hang with Detroit’s offense. When present, that attack is going to be the death of KC. Really, it was a very solid win overall, though not the kind of stomping it was shaping up to be. However…

Kinsler’s mysterious failure to seize the triple play in the 6-1 win over the Giants left a slightly sour taste, but Kelly running into Hunter on the play that became Lorenzo Cain’s inside the park HR took a lot out of the wind out of this game’s sails as I felt it.

We call every error and anything close to it a clown show, but really, most of that is just physical accident plus happenstance. The essence of Clown Show is lack of preparedness, lack of awareness, and lack of communication. (And sometimes lack of effort; see Infante. Thanks for the big inning, Omar!) You can shrug it off when your team wins, but you can also realize that it might happen again at a much worse time. It could cost a game. It could cost a season. And sometimes, someone could get hurt pretty badly. It really chaps my hide, that Real Clown Show. The Tigers have very little margarine for that sort of error, wouldn’t you agree? In other words: Butter safe than sorry.

Max has been flying under the radar as far as his consistency goes. Here’s to a mammoth outing from him to put him back on the map. We’re taking him for granted just a little bit, what with new kid on the block David Price and all. Go Max.

Baseball Reference Game Preview

Jason Vargas vs. Max Scherzer

70 thoughts on “Game 2014.145: Royals at Tigers”

    1. Well, you know, most of us have to do that in the morning. No big deal.

      KC tried to out-Coleman you, but it didn’t work. Wasn’t that one of Jack White’s songs, somethng about a Seven Coleman Army?

        1. Good name for the Tigers bullpen, all things considered. The Seven Nathan Army. It’s like a box of Cracker Jack. Never know what prize you’re gonna get.

  3. From MLB TradeRumors:

    “Drew Smyly is benefiting from the Rays‘ focus on analytics. Upon joining the team, the Rays gave the 25-year-old some keen instruction and asked him elevate his fastball more.  Those tips have led to some great work by Smyly in Tampa Bay and Rosenthal wonders why the Tigers didn’t pick up on some of the same things”.

    Analytics, keen instruction – who’d have thunk it?

    1. So frustrating to hear that. I wish we could combine the Tigers payroll with the Tampa Bay brain trust. Can we expect a decline in David Price now that he is with the analytically deficient Tigers?

      1. Perish the thought, but there is more to pitching than just individual talent. At least TB seems to buy into the idea of “play smarter”, but maybe they are in the minority in that approach.

        1. Just listen to Joe analize a game after is amazing . He gives great insites. Rather than Assmus saying over and over..”.yep! Thats baseball”!

          1. Maybe the franchises could merge. Perhaps there will be an era of downsizing and consolidation in the baseball industry. Mergers and acquisitions.

  4. I saw Vargas go against Verlander in game 26 in KC. Tigers spanked him for 7 ERs in 5 innings while Verlander took a no-no into the 6th. Castellanos and Avila with ding-dongs.

  6. Kinsler since the AS break:
    .239/.267/.330/.597 (8 BB)
    Davis since the AS break:
    .270/.311/.375/.686 (8 BB)

    Granted, 100 fewer ABs for Davis, but one has to wonder what even a platoon with him in the leadoff spot would do.

    And it isn’t like Kinsler has been hit with a bad streak in the last 50+ games (unless you want to call it a 50 game slump), since he has been pretty consistent at that level the whole time.

    1. The baseball gods are with us in this series. As Jim Price sez, bring MoJo back into the Tiger’s dugout.

  8. Casty says: “Watch out Alekks, I’m right behind you in strikeout department!”
    Alekks responds: “Ha ha, take that rookie!”

  9. I’ve got the KC feed (on MLB network), the KC announcers were just detailing what a proficient striker-outer (?) Avila is …and they also were goofing on Castellanos for ‘getting the hat tricK’

    …guilty as charged

  10. Scherzer at 98 pitches through 6…I’d feel much better if DET had KC’s bullpen at this point

  12. We need to create the Golden Bandana; Kinsler hadn’t gotten the recognition he deserves for his 4-popup games

      1. I can’t vouch for this, but I’m told Miller and Ortega were DFA to clear space on the 40-man for Joba’s beard.

  16. Hey Avila…nevermind!!..oh Alex by the way when you swing down the middle and the pitcher throws the pitch someplace else your bat is going to miss it, like it has 2-300 swings this year,

  25. That might have been Nathan’s best appearance of the year: 2 ground balls, 2 strikeouts, 1 pickoff.

    1. Eh…arguably. For sure the Joe Nathan “Fun and Games!” basket just got a whole lot more valuable.

      1. I went for the Avila “Swinging Third” basket myself. Nice selection of Swiss cheeses, and a cool set of miniature bat- and baseball-shaped magnets that repel each other.

  29. We (and KC) are now tied with Seattle and 1 game behind Oakland in the wild card race. One wonders if the A’s are even going to make the playoffs. What a collapse so far. And in the NL, Milwaukee is having an epic collapse as well (losing tonight also). Baseball is a funny game.

    2. The Angels are VERY scary right now. Let ’em keep rolling and burn it out before the playoffs. One would think they have to cycle eventually. I wouldn’t want to face them in a series right now…

  31. I think Loon took a shot at me for mi espanol speak… I speak baseball and Horse racing Spanish, and not a lot of it… Anywho, was in Seattle last nite( monday ) and saw 11 (!) relievers parade to the mound. One of them was my new best friend, Kevin Chapman (LHP) from Houston. It boggles my mind that the M’s are in the post season wild card sweepstakes. I was impressed by something I saw Lloyd do. During BP, he walked through the shaggers in the outfield, hugging, laughing, and just being real with his players. Never have seen any MLB (or minor league) skipper do that in my 40 plus years of watching BP. FYI: if you ever go to a game with me, expect to be there very early.

    1. Best part of the game is getting there early for BP and enjoying the sites as you fill out your scorecard.

    2. Not a shot, Jim. A tip of the cap. I like en fuego.

      It would be nice to see the M’s in the playoffs. Not at the expense of the Tigers, one hopes.

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