2015 Season, Game Post

Game 2015.78: Pirates at Tigers

48 Comments

This team seems so uninspired. We may be beating a dead horse, but how long can this go on?

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

BTW – I have a friend who works for the Indians. I texted him last night after the 2nd out of the 9th to say “looks like you’ll be busy tonight.” Next pitch was a line drive single to right.

TIGERS (career numbers off Liriano)

  1. Rajai Davis, CF (7-for-23, 3 doubles, HR, walk, 4 K’s)
  2. Ian Kinsler, 2B (3-for-20, 2 doubles, HR, 4 walks, 4 K’s)
  3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (9-for-35, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 8 walks, 8 K’s)
  4. Victor Martinez, DH (13-for-28, 6 doubles, HR, 4 walks, 6 K’s)
  5. Yoenis Cespedes, LF (1-for-12, 2 K’s)
  6. J.D. Martinez, RF (2-for-5, HR, walk, 3 K’s)
  7. Nick Castellanos, 3B (2-for-5, K)
  8. Bryan Holaday, C
  9. Jose Iglesias, SS (1-for-1, walk)

48 thoughts on “Game 2015.78: Pirates at Tigers”

  3. And Kinsler with the GIDP to empty the bases for Cabrera. It looks like it may be another one of those games.

    1. But Gibby on Ausmus, asserts, “He’s got a handle on (the situation)”.
      GOT A HANDLE ON IT?
      He doesn’t even know how to teach his bottom of the order how to bunt (and counting Kinsler in this category)!
      Then, “He’s always looking to put his players in a position to win.”
      WHAT, BY SIMPLY SHUFFLING BATTING ORDERS?

      Iagree with Kevin: Unfortunately, team looks uninspired.

  4. Pirates’ O strategy: 2-out sneak bunt, steal 2nd on 1st pitch ——almost like we’re watching a completely different game from the one we’re playing……..

  5. That successful P.O. by Tigers was nice. Good comm by Gibby in booth too.

  6. I love the way the Pirates play the game….
    1. Look like they want to be at the game
    2. Take pitches out of the zone
    3. Try stuff to manufacture runs
    4. Bunt, sometimes,even when its not called for.
    5 Try stealing when tie score or behind.
    6. Don’t swing at pitches just to swing.( or too get the game over sooner)
    7. Hustle at all times
    8 have the right personnel for the game they play.
    9.they take risks

    10. Obviously the opposite in almost every point than what the Tigers do. The fact that they are a NL team has nothing to do with any of this….just my opinion

    1. Keen observations, jud.
      I long so badly to see Tigers one day get a smart THINKING manager again. Last ones I remember are Sparky Anderson, Mayo Smith.

  7. Agree with Jud, the Pirate way is the way to play the game, hope to see the Tigers rebound and get back into it, but not holding my breath…..

  8. Awww, Brad —–5 BBs, but Ryan really wasn’t pitching that bad. Now Al Al with 2 inherited runners, 0 outs?? Hope he can do something uncharacteristic here, & get us out of the inning.
    Kirk Gibson deems this a good move by Brad…..

  9. Got out of that with just 1 run. And how was that run set up? With a BUNT!

  10. I liked that squeaker by Jose; that was a thought-out single. His head’s in the game.
    (Also, refreshing to see Ausmus animated for a change.)

  11. Tigers look like a Senior’ Citz..softball team…any less motivation and the’d be asleep!!!

  12. Nobody here is with me on Sparky and Mayo?? Some of us must be old enough to remember Mayo ——Stormin? Coleman? I was just a dumb teenager in ’68, but I can recall feeling lots of respect for Mayo Smith. In contrast, even when Leyland was taking team to W Series, I don’t think I felt the same respect…

    1. Mayo was before my time, and Sparky (like most Mgrs) was at his best when he was surrounded by talent – but his “results” speak for themselves

      at the time, i thought Ausmus was a good hire… i know longer believe that

      1. I had my doubts about Ausmus from the start, but I was going with him, giving him benefit of the doubt, until finally, too many blown opportunities to allow his team to win in late-innings, basically poor baseball philosophy (READ: I don’t wanna play any small ball, like the smart managers do, even if it means my team has a much better % chance to win), and I realized it was simply DD replacing his beloved Leyland with a younger clone.

  13. Its hard to compare Assmus with Sparky because……well you already know!!!..Mayo Smith was a brianiac like ASSMUS…another world of difference. Smith was a doer!.. Assmus is a talker!..

    1. I can’t believe they keep plugging Cespedes as an All-Star, and then add in “and maybe JD.”

  15. JD does it again. Astounding! If only they hadn’t wasted a bushel of chances earlier.

  16. How about a back-to-back adventure here, from Nick? WHO, incidentally, HAS been hitting the ball lately…..

  17. DET persists w/the ‘two steps forward, three steps back’ approach…while PIT just plays good/sound/smart baseball.

    1. Yes. And just look at the way a couple of their batters were simply sticking bat out and punching ball over 2nd base for hits. I love seeing that! Not always swinging for fences.

  18. Is there some irony in Assmus getting tossed, leaving for his cubbyhole, then the Tigers score 3…I think not!

  20. Just the fact that Ass-mus used Joba today shows you he is afraid of upsetting anybody. The inmates control the prison. Ass-mus is totally out of his league..After the game he will whine and say how good everybody did. And If I hear him say one more time that he is not worried…I will puke!

    1. I hear you, jud. I don’t watch his post-game interviews, but if I did, I would probably need to stock-up on air sickness bags.

    2. i suspect that a “key trade” is not going to ‘fix’ or jumpstart this team – and firing Ausmus, only to replace him with Lamont accomplishes nothing (or less)

      at the end of this season DET will get a sandwich pick when Price signs with someone else, but they’ll get nothing when Cespedes signs with another team. I hate to sound all gloom and doom, but if they remain on this trajectory for the next few weeks, i’d seriously consider trading Price and Cespedes – as long as they can get some long term value in return… and i’d say the same about JV, but i doubt there’d be any team willing to take on his $28M per yr through ’19 contract

      1. Spot on..Normin!…and I second the “there is no easy fix”..this team isn’t old but it plays like its an effort to even make it into the batters box, and just as bad they need a cart to drive these pitchers in…. they have to come all the way in from the bullpen…and then have to P.I.T.C.H!!!!!!!!!

      2. Agree —–Lamont sounds like he would be second-in-a-row Leyland clone.
        Detroit has burned out this experiment of the mellow (more or less) do-nothing-and-for-God’s-sake-don’t-get-creative style of manager. Now it’s time to swing 180 degrees!!! Try a new approach with someone completely different!
        No one who fits this description is available at this time, but front of’c should keep their ears and eyes open, and jump at 1st opportunity to get a “baseball-creative” thinker at the helm.

  21. Neil Walker did more in this series than the entire Sluggo team…. whatever your scouting report was on Walker…..it .sucks!

    JD..Miggy..Victor make more than the entire Pirate roster….want to trade even up!…

    1. Neil Walker is one of the more interesting men in the game. His dad played with Roberto Clemente and was with him that morning in Puerto Rico. Clemente would not let him get on the plane. If he had, Neil would not be here today.

  22. …and to add to DET fan’s depression, legendary TE Charlie Sanders died today @ 68

    RIP #88

  23. Sure glad Victors back to protect Miggy (ahem!) I almost forgot what it wa like having your 4 hitter strand 10-12 guys a series

  24. Poor Kirk Gibson. It must have been exhausting to be so positive about the team with every comment. Hopefully deep down inside he wanted to rip them, but was trying to be a good team guy. The only thing remotely like a criticism was when he suggested they needed to start laying off the low sliders, which of course they never did.

  25. KC just lost 4 in a row – scoring only 6 runs in those 4 games…KC and the rest of the AL Central still seems to have a soft-spot for DET… now will DET keep that door open, or close it themselves?

  26. The Tigers have added Will Ferrell to their bullpen. Oh wait, make that Jeff Ferrell. They have also called up Drew VerHagen, formerly a starter but working in the bullpen the last month in AA. VerHagen is still on the 40-main roster from his stint as a spot-starter last season, and there is actually a spot open on the 40-man roster for Ferrell (vacated by Joe Nathan), but two spots will have to be cleared on the current 25-man roster. Add to that that Alex Avila is supposed to return today, and there should be a lot of action on the transaction wire coming.

  28. always sucks to see a decent guy get cut or DFA’d, but the omelet just wasn’t going to get made being nice to those eggs.

    …let’s hope this type of move provides the long overdue wake-up call to the rest of the team

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