Game Post

Game 2014.157: White Sox at Tigers

90 Comments

Apologies to Torii Hunter, but last night looked like Septaugust baseball.

Kyle Lobstein continues to be a very promising rookie: he made one mistake, but rebounded with composure and pitched 7 strong innings, after which Joba Chamberlain pitched a good 8th, and Soria came on looking like a closer in the 9th. Unfortunately, rookie Chris “Cy” Bassitt hounded the Tiger bats into submission, and Detroit failed to put up even a single run against him or the 2nd worst bullpen in the league. (The Twin pitching staff and bullpen are even worse, but we saw what Ricky Nolasco was able to do to the Tigers last week).

So far The Lobster has started 5 games, with a 3.38 ERA, and a 1.154 WHIP, which puts him here:

  1. 1.096 Anibal Sanchez
  2. 1.154 Kyle Lobstein
  3. 1.166 Max Scherzer
  4. 1.209 Rick Porcello
  5. 1.216 David Price (as a Tiger)
  6. 1.348 Drew Smyly (as a Tiger)
  7. 1.419 Justin Verlander

Speaking of Price, there is some concern that he will get bombed again tonight. Here is what happened his last 6 starts:

8/21  0 earned runs

8/27  8 earned runs

9/01  1 earned run

9/06  5 earned runs

9/12  1 earned run

9/17  5 earned runs

You see where I’m going with this. It’s Jekyll time, we should have a good start to look forward to.

90 thoughts on “Game 2014.157: White Sox at Tigers”

  1. Thanks for the good write up Coleman. If we follow your above ERA data it trends for Price to give up 0.67 runs tonight (an every other game thing). Perhaps more important, can the Tigers bats provide him with at least one run tonight? JD has proved he can hit Carroll so I am putting the onus on him. Meanwhile my pick to shine is Mr. Sep-tober Hunter!

    1. It doesn’t really make any sense. But as I learned many years ago when I followed horse racing, when you notice a pattern, you are a fool to just ignore it.

      1. There are three types of ways to determine probability; classical, empirical, and subjective approaches. Baseball, and most on this website, deal mainly with empirical evidence to infer what will happen in the future. Leyland earned his spurs when he subjectively went out on a limb to put somebody in the line on a warm and fuzzy.

        2. Probability works best over large sample sizes. Leyland was actually pretty good at doing the “”yeah, but” thing with his substitutions, especially in 2006. Maybe it was random luck, but until the World Series he was always putting the right guy in the right place at the right time.

          1. Big fan of the oboe.

            I could be wrong, but it seems to me that John Bonham completely eschewed the cowbell. Odd. Name a Zeppelin song with cowbell. Maybe I’m forgetting something.

            It’s funny that the song in the SNL bit that made “More cowbell” famous is an example of outstandingly lame and needless use of a cowbell. But of course that was probably the point.

            It’s too bad Corey Knebel is gone. He would have come in handy for “More Knebel!” Kinda close…

              1. Ah, that’s right. I was thinking about various rock song cowbell parts (favorite is “We’re An American Band”) and how those simple quarter-notes can add so much to a heavy drum part… started thinking Bonham = heavy drum part, and was surprised to draw a blank on a Led Zep cowbell tune. I stand corrected. There might even be more. I have it all, I should know, but I don’t listen as much as I used to. Memory fails me.

              2. Ever seen a video of the live version where he tosses the sticks and plays half the solo with his bare hands?

              3. I’ve seen that video – hence the nickname “Bonzo”.

                Coincidentally 34 years ago today, Bonham plowed through over a quart of vodka (and whatever else), went to bed and never woke up again. I was planning on going to see them at the Joe (DET) at the end of Oct ’80 – in a US “In through the out door” tour, that never happened.

              4. Ah, I didn’t realize this was the anniversary, just one of those coincidences. Your story reminds me that I had tickets to see Joy Division in Detroit in 1980; obviously they never made it. And of course I exchanged my ticket, which would be a collector’s item now.

              5. Coleman: the movie “24 hour party people” is a comedy that touches on the beginnings of Joy Division and what evolved (New Order) – good flick starring Steve Coogan…

  3. 2nite’s lineup – against RHP Scott “cy” Carroll 5.10 ERA 5-10 record
    1. 2B Ian Kinsler
    2. RF Torii Hunter
    3. 1B Miguel Cabrera
    4. DH Victor Martinez
    5. LF J.D. Martinez
    6. 3B Nick Castellanos
    7. C Alex Avila
    8. SS Eugenio Suarez
    9. CF Rajai Davis

    I guess since Carroll is a RHP is why Avila’s back in the lineup

  5. How bad are things when your best hope is you #1 competition losing because you can’t beat the worst two teams in your division???

    2. Being the best player on the best team in the AL might be a factor. Not that the MVP award means anything in particular to me.

  11. In the past 5-6 years I have watched Miggy bat at least 1500 times on TV..that at bat is the difference in him since last Aug. Two hanging breaking balls right down the middle. He fouled one off and swung and missed the other….he never did that prior to the core injury at the end of last year. He hit those mistakes a country mile..he is just not the same…

  12. I don’t feel like the Tigers have the lead. It feels like they’ve been behind all evening. Price notwithstanding.

  13. This is weird. This series is weird. If decent offspeed stuff was all it took to shut down Detroit, wouldn’t the league have figured that out about 100 games ago?

    1. I don’t think anything will help. Time to relax and enjoy David Price’s complete game shutout. Forget about the offense. They have.

    1. True. Proved to be a big run in the end, too. I hope he gets every start at SS from here on out. Even if that means he will have to reach base to be on base.

  18. BFT!!

    now my concern suddenly shifts from offense to the anxiety of the 9th inning (Nathan)

    Price 84 pitches through 7 – I’m hoping for a smooth 8th, then back out for the CG

  21. Both CLE and SEA getting hammered tonight. Looks like the wild card teams will be DET/KC and OAK. What are the odds the Tigers and Royals will have to play a 1 game playoff for the division title?

      1. Leaving in Price too long. Just like leaving Porcello in too long the other night. This is a pattern with him and his Aces.

        1. I think it has more to do with the options (or lack thereof) coming out of the bullpen

          if DET had a bullpen similar to KC, Price would have been pulled after the leadoff guy got on in the 9th

          1. When your starter is throwing BP, you have to pull him. Even with an iffy bullpen your chances are better. And why not Nathan after the Garcia hit; or Soria. Oh wait, I forgot, he got wasted in yesterday’s loss.

            1. I have to disagree that leaving Price in was dumb. Price did not stand and deliver. That simple. Fortunately, Cabrera (and Kinsler and Hunter) did.

  25. Wow, look how wrong you can be. All of us would have howled if Price hadn’t come out for the 9th… or stayed in there.

    Don’t blow this, Joe.

  28. Nathan is gonna step up when we need him, and the bats will bail Price out in the bottom of the 9th. Price gave it his all, if we had more confidence in Nathan this wouldn’t have come to pass.

      1. unfortunately ‘the confidence’ for Soria is only slightly higher than Nathan… but at least its on the upswing

  29. Cabrera has a shot at redemption… after K’ing w/runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out in the 7th

  34. Cleveland with everything to lose can’t score in two days and the SUX play like its the frickin World Series!….

    1. …this ‘is’ their (CWS) WS, and DET appears content on making it an exciting one for them

      …and DET will also be working another team’s WS this Thurs – Sun …and let’s hope DET is not so accommodating in those 4 games with the Twinkies

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