Alfredo “Big Pasta” Simon has now earned the “enigmatic” description. Apparently all he does is throw either batting practice, or shutouts.
It is easy to find a reason to watch today: Justin Verlander, who continues to impress. Verlander’s 2nd half numbers now sit at at 2.45 ERA, and a stingy 0.930, numbers which would put him in the Cy Young conversation if he had had a whole season of that.
Another reason to watch: if you have relatives from Cleveland visiting. I don’t think they care any more than I do at this point, but still….
Ian Kinsler gets a day off today. It’s worth appreciating what he has done the 2nd half, continuing to hit even as the boat sinks. He’s currently at .354, .980 OPS for the 2nd half, and now leads the team with a 5.9 WAR.
Today’s Lineup:
- Anthony Gose, CF
- Dixon Machado, SS
- Miguel Cabrera, 1B
- JD Martinez, RF
- Victor Martinez, DH
- Nick Castellanos, 3B
- Tyler Collins, LF
- James McCann, C
- Andrew Romine, 2B
Well, Coleman, Jud, anyone else here ——-want to help out Mario and Gibby? Paraphrasing, but basically, they’re saying, ” Brad’s done the best he can, with what he had to work with. So, if you say, ‘he should be fired’, then where are the red flags? IOW, what are the REASONS for wanting him fired?”
I’ll lead off by saying, Red Flag #1 = Doesn’t THINK enough about how to help his team WIN in late innings of close games, stubbornly doesn’t play much “small ball” when it could really be valuable.
Gibby endorses Brad for next year on air!
That was a perfect example. 1st and 2nd with nobody out, a Collins bunt would put 2 in scoring position and take the DP off the table. Instead Collins whiffs, and Mcann hits into the DP.
So I’d say that’s a lock on ***Red Flag #1***.
There are a few others…….
Lead runner, V. Martinez (and the two worst baserunners on the team on base). Due up, McCann and Romine. At the plate, Collins, best chance left for a double or home run. No, calling for a sacrifice bunt here is going by the old book, the thoroughly discredited one. Don’t even think about manufacturing runs with VMart and Castellanos on base. The inning would end with someone thrown out at home.
Sigh. You are right also. The choice sometimes seems to be thrown out at home/third, or wait to be taken out by a double play. There are guys who can run, but so many times they have ended up as the guys at bat when the bases are full of lead feet.
That’s a good point, Smoking, about speed of your men on base. In this case then, his lack of creativity (Or, call it = clever situational thinking, taking all elements into consideration?) could be justified.
But there have been so many other times, when factors lined up 100% in support of a sac bunt attempt, and Brad whiffed on an opportunity to put us in position to win a close game, ala Jim Leyland.
Now that the games no longer matter, I don’t feel like throwing my chair thru my computer screen, every time he sits in the dugout watching his man at the plate swing full away and ground into that all-too-predictable ———oh, what’re they called?—– DPs —– that’s it!
No sure guarantee that Tigers would have won all those games by employing some small ball, but the records give us a pretty solid indication of what generally happens when you DON’T try it.
Yeah, I’m not so much interested in exonerating Ausmus as I am in taking more than a superficial look at strategy. We fans are all too often judging in hindsight based on disappointment with the result. “Look what happened – what an idiot!” Basically, the best way to stay out of a double play is to not hit into one. Tall order for these Tigers.
Taking another look at the situation and creativity, Ausmus could have pinch-run Davis for VMart and called for a steal (Davis) or a double-steal (Castellanos notwithstanding) or a hit and run with Collins at the plate. Just having Davis at 2B can be disruptive to the opponent in itself – good things can happen – and having that guy in scoring position kind of takes the pressure off of Collins to hit the ball a mile. Is that overmanaging? Maybe. Is taking a pass lack of creativity? Maybe.
And this one’s all but over = 3 runs, and Feliz warming up.
I could write pages about Ausmus, but sum it up in one statement…Gibby its not about which 25 guys he has, which we know he doesn”t control….its about how he uses or don’t use those 25 guys!
So we could list Red Flag #2 as = Doesn’t know how to make best use of his players.
I wonder how many channels just changed when Gorzelanny just came in for Verlander.
Flag #3..poor communicator
Yes. And we could probably find a few more.
But 3 solid ones that Mario and Gibby are completely blind to.
that’s 5 straight series DET has lost, and 7th time shutout this yr
Flag #4..has zero imagination..Has no idea how to manufacture a run when tied or behind, which is basically all the time…..call it poor game management…his second most important job, after hs player management!
Agree, Jud. This lack of imagination, which he displays all the time, is a bright red flag to me. There is no GOOD manager who has this fault to such a degree as Ausmus, if they have it at all.
From what Mario and Kirk said on air, here’s the conclusions all Tigers fans are expected to draw: For the last 2 years, Brad has been getting his feet wet. 2016 is the year in which he will blossom. It takes time; let’s give him a chance to show what he can do. There haven’t really been ANY RED FLAGS, as far as his management skills or style (!!!). So let’s not fault him on record and standings. No one could have done better…..
Mario & Kirk could be acting as mouthpieces for the organization. Betting that we see Ausmus back in the driver’s seat next season.
And a LONG season it may be….
By Sep 20 he will be below .500 as a manager for his career…..Maybe thats ok in Cleveland, or Chicago, or Colorado….not in Detroit!
Today’s VMart-less lineup… apparently VMart is ill, which is why he’s not playing today. Wolf-man pitching for DET:
Davis LF
Kinsler 2B
Cabrera 1B
J. Martinez RF
Castellanos DH
McCann C
Machado SS
Romine 3B
Gose CF