All posts by billfer

2006 Season

Home Opener Thread

7 Comments

I’m off to the home opener. This will be the 10th consecutive opener for my friends and I. We stick to the same script pretty much every year. We meet up at a coney island for breakfast, before heading down to Tiger Stadium (yep, you read that right Tiger Stadium). We used to work our way up and down Michigan Ave, but since the team moved to Comerica, we typically just hit Casey’s and Nemo’s. If you find yourself near Tiger Stadium before the game, wander into Casey’s. Chances are I’ll be marinating there for several hours before the game.

Feel free to post any thoughts about the game. Also, if you’d like to share about your Opening Day experiences, I’d love to hear it. Are you going today? How many have you been to? Do you do anything special before/during/after the game?

2006 Season, Minors

Tiger Minor League Roundup – April 9th

Charlotte 7, Toledo 1
Colby Lewis had a solid start going 4 innings and only allowing 2 hits against 5 strikeouts. Other than that the game was quite unremarkable from a Mud Hen perspective. Don Kelly who had an impressive spring training at the plate has struggled thus far and is hitting .083.

Erie 4, Harrisburg 0
Tony Giarratano, Brent Clevlen, and Vincent Blue all picked up two hits for Erie. Preston Larrison was perfect for 5 innings and 5 strikeouts.

Lakeland 3, Tampa 2
Clete Thomas homered and added a single. Jeff Frazier was 3 for 5 with 2 double and is hitting .375. Wilken Ramirez added two hits and a stolen base. Kevin Whelan retired all 3 hitters for his second save.

Fort Wayne 11, West Michigan 3
Cameron Maybin went 2 for 4 and is now hitting .462. Erik Averill struggled with his control walking 3 and allowing 5 runs in 4 innings.

2006 Season, AL Central

Tigers come home 5-1

3 Comments

It had to end sometime. The Tigers dropped their first game of the season, and their solo hold on first place. Detroit is now tied with Cleveland at 5-1, but I don’t really think anyone is complaining. The roadtrip saw far more positives than negatives.

Kenny Rogers was hit around, and balls seemed to be just out of reach of Tiger defenders instead of being tailor-made double plays that we’d seen in the first 5 games. The defense also committed their first charged error when Carlos Guillen couldn’t cleanly pick a grounder in the hole. Ramon Santiago, filling in for Placido Polanco also appeared to neglect to cover second base for a force out.

And Chris Shelton didn’t continue to do what Chris Shelton does. He was 0 for 4 with 3 strike-outs. His last 5 at-bats have been K-K-K-pop out-K. I guess a .700 batting average is a little too much to expect Big Red to sustain.

So out of all the positives that we witnessed on the road trip, what was the biggest for you? Was it Chris Shelton mashing? The Tigers offense clicking and cranking? An entire trip through the rotation where the starters picked up the wins? The debuts of Joel Zumaya and/or Jordan Tata, or Justin Verlander’s dominant performance?

Other stuff

  • John Sickels: Why I like Curtis Granderson

    Granderson was an outfielder at the University of Illinois-Chicago. I saw him play college ball and was impressed. He had a smooth swing, good command of the strike zone, and to me at least he looked like he had good tools, decent speed that helped him on the outfield and on the bases. The only tool that didn’t look at least average to me was his throwing arm.

    Granderson hit .483 with nine homers and 17 steals for Illinois-Chicago in ’02, ranking second to Rickie Weeks in the NCAA Division I batting hunt. So we had a guy with an excellent performance track record and good physical tools. I picked him in the second round of my Twins Shadow Draft. In real life, he went to the Tigers in the third round.
    He lasted until the third round because scouts didn’t like his tools. The word was that his speed and athleticism were mediocre, and that he wouldn’t hit for much power with wood. But that’s not what I saw in him. I saw a player with solid tools, a good measure of refinement, and a fine track record. He also had a good work ethic and was intelligent.

  • Don’t Count Fields out: A nice profile on former Tiger hitting coach Bruce Fields.
2006 Season

Tigers: High 5, and 0

5 Comments

I was at a function tonight that kept me from listening to the game. When I hopped in the car, I tuned in just in time to hear Dan Dickerosn and Jim Price signing off from a 5th straight Tiger victory. It wasn’t until I got home and had a chance to peruse the box score that I became downright giddy.

This was probably the best test of the season for the Tigers. After facing bottom tier pitchers in their first 4 games, Detroit went up against the Rangers ace Kevin Millwood. On the other side the Tigers were throwing a rookie against a powerful offensive team in a definite hitters environment. They also had a lineup featuring Brandon Inge hitting 3rd, and Vance Wilson in for Pudge Rodriguez. A 7-0 win easily eclipses my expectations for the game.
Continue reading Tigers: High 5, and 0 →

Minors

Tigers Minor League Roundup – April 8th

Charlotte 1, Toledo 0 – 10 Innings
Not really anything to highlight offensively. Jason Beck notes that Nook Logan has been placed on the DL with a fracture of his pinky.

Harrisburg 3, Erie 1
Brent Clevlen got the lone RBI and picked up his first hit of the season, going 1 for 4. Virgil Vazquez was strong starting for the Seawolves pitching 6 innings and allowing a single run on 3 hits while striking out 4.

Tampa 8, Lakeland 7
Jeff Larish was 1 for 3 with two walks. Wilkin Ramirez was 2 for 5 including a home run and a double. Clete Thomas and Jeff Frazier also doubled for Lakeland. Kevin Ardoin allowed 4 runs on 7 hits (2 home runs) and only struck out 1 hitter in 5 1/3 innings.

West Michigan 4, Fort Wayne 1
Cameron Maybin doubled twice in 5 at-bats. Michael Hollimon also picked up two hits, as did William Rhymes, Justin Justice and Pedro Cotto. Ramon Garcia struck out 6 and walked none in 5 innings allowing only one run and 3 hits.

2006 Season, Players, Statistics

Tigers stumble, but win

1 Comment

Okay, the title is somewhat facetious. I know they didn’t actually stumble. They did find themselves trailing for the first time this season. It was an uncomfortable half inning.

Also, Mike Maroth allowed a walk. The “incident” occured with one out in the 5th inning. It broke a string of 22 1/3 innings by Tigers starters without a free pass.

So the Tigers sit at 4-0 with two games to remain in the series. I think everybody would have been satisfied with a 4-2 roadtrip. The Tigers have at least assured themselves of that record. The next two games will be a test with Justin Verlander going today, and Sunday appears to be veteran rest day with Vance Wilson and Ramon Santiago set to get the starts over Pudge Rodriguez and Placido Polanco. On a side note, we’ve seen Santiago as a defensive replacement several times, and yet no Omar Infante at all.

Chris Shelton continued to do what Chris Shelton Ted Williams did. Maybe Gary Gillette needs to rethink his list of the top 10 young sluggers to make room for Big Red. Shelton’s major league leading 5th home run may just further validate Buc’s Dugouts assumption that the Pirates leaving Shelton unprotected was the worst move of the last 5 years in baseball.
Continue reading Tigers stumble, but win →

Minors

Tiger Minor League Wrap-April 7th

Toledo 3, Charlotte 1
Zach Miner struggled a little bit with his control, walking 3 in 4 innings. However, he also K’d 4 Charlotte Knights and allowed a single unearned run. Mark Woodyard picked up the save striking out 3. Ryan Ludwick homered knocking in two.

Harrisburg 11, Erie 7
Humberto Sanchez had an excellent start spoiled by a bad night for the bullpen. Sanchez allowed 4 hits and a walk over 5 innings while striking out 8. Eulogio De La Cruz allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk while only retiring two hitters. Offensively, Tony Giarratano was 3-5 with 2 doubles.

Lakeland 2, Tampa 1
Kevin Whelan struck out the side to save the game for Christian Martinez who pitched 5 innings of shut out ball. Jeff Larrish was 2 for 4 with a home run.

West Michigan’s game against Fort Wayne was postponed.

Uncategorized

More TV games

2 Comments

According to Rob Parker the Tigers and TV 20 will be airing 15 games. The first game that 20 will pick up is the home opener which will be a simulcast. Otherwise, the schedule hasn’t yet been made available.

There has been no word yet from either the station or the Tigers, and Parker states that calls weren’t returned. So take this information as you please.

Assuming this actually pans out, it is great news for excited Tiger fans who are bummed they can’t see their hometown team. It’s too late to see if the Tigers can extend their streak to 4-0 tonight, or for Justin Verlander’s start on Saturday, but more games is always a good thing. Also, for those that don’t have cable – or at least don’t have FSD – they’ll be able to see games for the first time in 2 years.

UPDATE: Okay, it’s official. The Tigers will have 127 games on television this year. A revised television schedule has yet to be decided. Rod Allen and Mario Impemba will be doing the broadcasts. What happened is that FSN Detroit acquired the rights to 15 additional games – starting in June – that will be aired on TV20 and a network of over-the-air stations.

Minors

Tiger Minor League Highlights

2 Comments

The biggest news was the debut of last year’s first round pick, Cameron Maybin for West Michigan. Maybin was 2 for 4 with a triple. Defensively he picked up an assist on an 8-4 double play and made a diving catch. Unfortunately the Whitecaps lost 5-3.

Mudhens lose 1-0
The offense was shutdown, but there was good news and it’s name was Wilfredo. Ledezma only allowed 3 hits and 1 run while striking out nine in 4 2/3 innings.

Erie loses 2-1
The bats were quiet, but the Seawolves received a strong outing from Nate Bumstead: 5 2/3 IP, 0 BB, 6 K, 2H. Eulogio De La Cruz took the loss in the 10th inning.

Lakeland loses 6-1
And yet again, no offense. The Lakeland Tigers only managed 4 hits while committing 4 errors. Fortunately, the good news came from 5 innings with no earned runs from starter Dallas Trahern (5 K’s)

2006 Season, Injuries, Offense, Pitching, Statistics

Pick your pleasant surprise

6 Comments

Excuse my enthusiasm, but winning is fun. I certainly thought that 3-0 was possible, but the manner in which the Tigers are doing it has certainly left surprised. Some pleasant Tiger surprises after a thumping of the Rangers:

  • Tiger starters have yet to walk a batter. While Nate Robertson wasn’t dominating like Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman were, he did extend the starter’s walkless streak to 17 2/3 innings. In the meantime the starters have racked up 17 strikeouts.
  • Pudge Rodriguez already has two walks.
  • I’m not really surprised that Chris Shelton can hit, but 4 homers in 3 games to lead the managers is a little more than I expected.
  • The Tigers homers are prime. The first game they hit 3 home runs. The second game they hit 5 home runs. Against Texas in the third game they hit 7 home runs. Now the next prime number is 11. Do you think they have a shot? In case you were wondering last year it took them 17 games before they hit their 15th homer. And the 15 homers in the first 3 games is a major league record.
  • Every decision that Jim Leyland has made has worked out. Curtis Granderson coming off a 3 for 6 day doesn’t get the start in favor of Marcus Thames – who homers. Brandon Inge takes Granderson’s leadoff spot – and homers. Later in the game Granderson comes in as a defensive replacement, and makes a diving catch. It’s absolutely uncanny.

Continue reading Pick your pleasant surprise →

2006 Season, Uncategorized

It’s only 2-0 – Recapping the Royals and Tigers series

8 Comments

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that the Tigers are 2-0. Both games were very well played both offensively and defensively, and I really couldn’t ask for anything more. At the same time, and I don’t mean to be a jerk about this, but it was the Royals. Oh yeah, and it’s only two games. I’m happy the Tigers are undefeated and atop the AL Central all by themselves – but it’s only two games. (I keep repeating this more my benefit than for yours).

That said, there was a lot to like about this series. Jeremy Bonderman and Kenny Rogers turned in the top two starting pitching performances of the season with game scores of 72 and 67 respectively. The pitching staff threw 71% of their pitches for strikes, striking out 20 and only allowing one walk.

Offensively, it is hard to find much to complain about when you hit 8 homers in two games. True, the Tigers only walked once today, but I can let that slide given the 18 hits. Curtis Granderson struggled in the first game, but bounced back with a 3-6 effort in the second game. Pudge Rodriguez today seemed like he really should be the #3 hitter with a 5 for 5 day. Chris Shelton continues to do what Chris Shelton does. Really, the only player to not get in on the action was Magglio Ordonez who is still looking for his first hit. But even Ordonez managed to drive in a run.

Now it’s only 2 games, but the series ended with the best possible outcome.

Injuries, Minors, Players, Uncategorized

Tiger Links – and quick

1 Comment

A lot of interesting stuff the last couple days, but I’m short on time so here’s a Joel Zumaya -fastball-esque link round-up:

Tiger Stuff

Other baseball stuff you might care about

  • striketwo.net: Summarizing the latest news and discussions from 678 MLB blogs: This is a newish site that I’ve become a big fan of. It tracks discussions across the blogosphere. You can view the hottest topics, or keep up to date with what others are saying about your favorite players or teams.
  • Ballbug : This is another tool that tracks discussions on the hottest topics in baseball. Ballbug just launched on Monday. If you’re familiar with memeorandum, this is the same thing but for baseball.
  • ATM Reports: Lee Sinins who publishes the very popular Around the Majors newsletter is doing it via a blog now.

detroit tigers, baseball, ballbug, striketwo