After a whole lot of rain in Cincinnati, some of which I wore personally, the Tigers should have a dry evening in New York. Justin Verlander will be pushed back after the rainout last night and get the start. The game will be broadcast on the MLB Network, but don’t think that ESPN won’t be cutting in each time Alex Rodriguez comes up to the plate, since A-Rod now has 2,999 base hits.
The big news for us Detroit fans though will be the return of Victor Martinez, who is back in his accustomed clean-up spot in the lineup. The activation of Martinez means the return of Tyler Collins to Toledo. Collins did a reasonable job filling in, leaving with a .275 BA / .805 OPS, and will probably be seen again at some point this season. I expect it to take a little while for V-Mart to get up to speed (OK, maybe that is a bad phrase to use with him), but with V-Mart back and Verlander on the mound tonight’s Tigers lineup is back to looking like the one we expected to be watching this season.
Tonight’s Biting the Big Apple Lineup:
- Anthony Gose, CF
- Ian Kinsler, 2B
- Miguel Cabrera, 1B
- Victor Martinez, DH
- Yoenis Cespedes, LF
- JD Martinez, RF
- Nick Castellanos, 3B
- Bryan Holaday, C
- Jose Iglesias, SS
Thanks for taking one for the team, hope you are dry now. We could use some rain out this way, you guys seen that “Golf Course” over in Tacoma? I am of the opinion too that the 3K hit for A fraud is not something that will be noted that much. I read that him and the Yankees are in a dither as to what to do with the bonuses he has “earned”. Give it to a charity and move on. You know the only Broadway play ever about baseball was called “Damn Yankees” for a reason right?
That’s DUMB basepath decision by Kinsler. After ball skipped past 3rd baseman, it only had about 30 ft to roll before it can be played off wall. Kinsler, on the other hand, had to pick himself up and run 90 ft and beat a short throw from 3rd.
Aggressive SMART baserunning is one thing —-that has maybe a 60% success rate, but I can’t stand aggressive STUPID baserunning…
Tigers have a habit lately of killing any chance they have to recover in a game. Self-destruct so many times.
And he wasn’t sent, he ran on his own.
Yeah. What the #@$% team is Kinsler rooting for??? Or is he just plain non-medically-correctable brain-dead?? Now I also see why Texas was quick to dump him. And look at Prince —–leading A.L. in hitting —–what a crazy game!
I am so sick of just another no name pitcher handling the Sluggos like they are a Little League team….this is beyond getting old!
Cy Whatshisname.
That being said, Cabrera would have 50+ HR a year if he played in Yankee Stadium.
40 of them opposite field.
Brilliant, brilliant, absolutely brilliant managerial no-decision again with Casty AB. Do Ausmus and Tigers coaches learn absolutely nothing from in-game experience??????
Castellanos needs to dine on a big plate of Toledo for a while.
I can’t agree more with you.
JV gonna be allowed 120 tonite? With Gorzy in the warmups, I’m all for it, long as Ver doesn’t hurt himself.
I don’t get leaving him in here. Joba should have been getting warm with ARod coming up.
Right, Kevin —–Joba, NOT Tom G. This way I agree with you…
Nick C down to Toledo; Kinsler down to Little League (to learn some basics).
Its bad enough when Cassty makes 4 outs in 4 trips…now he makes 5 outs in 4 trips!!
This Gorzelanny is a hot reliever. Smart, Brad, for often going to him; he always saves the day for us.
Q: Was that good positioning by Holliday on that throw from left?
JV looked out to seewho was warming up and said “I am good to stay” ……..can’t possibly use Joba here it isn’t the 8 th inning!
Oh yeah —-that’s right! Another of those boxes Brad is locked inside.
Highlight of this game was Cabrera congratulating/hugging A-Rod at end of game.
they could be under .500 by Sunday…
up until recently i believed DET was significantly underachieving… lately i’m not so sure
Last three games now…4-9 spots in the batting order added together 8 hits.in 68 at bats..2 runs….2 RBI….and thats not counting Kinsler…………..2 runs tonight ….wow!…raise your hand if that surprizes you!!!
Matt Williams called out the Nats for their lackluster play. They responded with a win….Brad Assmus called out…….no I am just kidding.!!!!!!! ASSMUS doesn’t have the cahones to call out the lackluster Tigers….
I have been wondering for some time, what it was about Brad Ausmus’ job interview 2 yrs ago, that impressed DD, over all other candidates. Any guesses here?
…i’m just guessing here, but DD loves JL…and although Ausmus is likely a lot more personable and interactive with his players than JL, but to me Ausmus manages much like JL
Oh, definitely! I said that before here —–B A is practically a younger clone of J L, except that J L would sometimes get passionate, animated, riled-up (especially before replay reviews, when arguing with umps was still fashionable), B A is totally placid.
And that just might be the answer to my Q……
Josh Wilson hitting .429 rots away on the Tiger bench while Castellanos now batting .135 in July plays everyday…..cuz our great manager doesn’t want him to feel bad by sitting him!!!…Jim Leyland Jr…..no question about it!!!
Right or wrong, if DET continues to flounder, soon DET’s payroll will take a more pronounced place in the discussion.
DET has the 4th highest team payroll, and yes, large salaries don’t necessarily translate into better production on the field, but the weight of some underperforming players salaries is bound to factor into the dialogue.
For example, if JV stays healthy and doesn’t miss another start, he’ll have another 18-19 starts this year – which means DET will end up paying him about $1.4M per start. Sanchez will make about $700K per start if he stays healthy. Not just singling out these two players, but DET’s ROI this year on JV and AS is pretty dismal, when considering their contribution ‘thus far’ (and yes, they both could turn it around).
Fortunately for DET, the train-wreck that is BOS (3rd largest payroll) makes DET’s ROI seem a little less glaring.