Det 83-66  —
KC 81-67   1.5

_________________

Oak 83-66 +1.5
KC 81-67    —
Sea 80-68  1.0
Tor 77-71   4.0
Cle  76-72  5.0
NYY 76-72 5.0

Sep-tober is in full swing.

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The Tigers fly into Minnesota for a 3 game series. They’ll have an off day on Thursday and then the weekend set in KC. Minnesota is having a hard time finding reason in baseball life right now, having lost 8 out of 10. I could say more on this, but I’ll let you look at the probables below and arrive at your own conclusions.

Tonight: Scherzer v. Swarzak – 8:10 PM
Tues: Porcello v. TBA – 8:10 PM
Wed: Price v. TBA – 8:10 PM

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

*****************

Confession – boy was I wrong about Phil Coke. Sometime in late May, I wrote something to the effect of “Phil Coke does not belong in the Major Leagues.” Well, my motivation technique (we’ll call it that in hindsight) worked, as the guy has perhaps become the most dependable arm in the bullpen. Seriously. I know that sounds crazy, but check this out. In Phil Coke’s last 42 appearances, he’s thrown 38.1 innings, with a 2.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and .666 OPS against. (You can contrast that against his first 15 appearances covering 2 months, where he gave up 13 ER in 17 1/3 for a 6.75 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and .935 OPS against). In his last 9 appearances he’s allowed 7 hits and 2 BB in 8 1/3, with 0 ER and a .515 OPS. Remember how dominant he was in the 2012 playoffs? We could be getting back to that.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Bryan Holaday, C
8. Andrew Romine, SS
9. Rajai Davis, CF

These last two games may have put the Tigers up against the ropes, but they were not a knockout blow. The Tigers have played well enough this season to still control their own destiny with 20 games left to play in the season.

As I write this, the Royals are up 2-0 in the 4th against the Yankees, but the Tigers wills start tonight’s game knowing whether the Royals will be up 2.5 or 1.5 at game time, with the possible Tiger scenarios being back 3, back 2, or back 1. Remember that the Royals still have to tidy up a game against the Indians where they will be down by 3 in the bottom of the 10th, so more than likely, there is another 1/2 game that the Tigers will pick up. But all that is to say that if the Tigers take care of business, they can be in first place by Wed night. There’s also that whole wild card thing, but the division is the goal right now.

Kyle Lobstein gets the ball tonight at the Tigers – Giants game will be the only game on Sunday night. Lots to be excited about. In three starts covering 17 innings this year, Lobstein has 13 Ks, 8 walks, and a 3.18 ERA. He’s pitched well enough, and we’ll likely need several more of those this year as there has been no news on Sanchez in weeks, which is bad news.

Baseball Reference game preview here.

I’m headed out to the Death Star to see the Cowboys most likely get murdered, so someone please post the lineups later. I’m looking forward to coming back tonight in time to watch the Tigers start their 2014 playoff march.

#DoItForTheRotation

Not a whole lot to say about last night’s game. Porcello threw BP for a few innings, as he’s done a few times recently (anyone else starting to worry?), and then the rain came. The break somehow strengthened Jake Peavy, as he looked good after the long delay, giving up only 2 unearned runs in 6 innings. Good for his 5th win of the season against 13 losses. You heard me 5-13. On a team that has the same record at Detroit.

All the while James Shields and Wade Davis pitched the Royals to a 1-0 win, and a 2 game central division lead.

Look, it’s just one game. The Tigers aren’t going to win every game from here on out. But they do need to win close to 2/3 of them, so while today isn’t a must win, it’s a really need to win.

Bumgarner v. Price in what MLB is coining an #aceoff. Baseball Reference game preview here.

In case you’re wondering, Price is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with Detroit, which is slightly worse than his #s with Tampa. However, his FIP (which removes park factors and defense by purely focusing on the pitcher’s effectiveness at things he can more directly control – HR, BB, SO, BB, HBP) with Detroit is 2.62 versus 2.93 with Tampa, so he’s actually been better with the Tigers than he was with Tampa.

#DoItForTheRotation

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (WHY???????????????????)
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Eugenio Suarez, SS
8. James McCann, C (1st ML start – this C job is likely open for auditions for 2015)
9. Rajai Davis, CF

77-63, 1 game behind KC. 2.5 games behind WC#1, .5 games ahead of Sea for WC#2.

The Tigers return home for a three game set against the Giants before the giant series vs. KC on Monday. The Tigers ended the Cleveland series in dramatic fashion, putting up 7 in the top of the 11th, to blow out the Indians 11-4, and more importantly, to take 3/4 in Cleveland. For a minute there, it looked as if the series would be an absolute disaster, having led 4-0 early in the game with the reigning Cy Young winner on the mound, and then looking like another Cle late inning come from behind victory. A split after winning the first two would have been devastating.

But then Miguel Cabrera led off the 10th with a double, and Ausmus wisely inserted Oh-E-genio Suarez, forecasting that we would need his bat in the 11th. I’ll admit, then when Dan D announced that Suarez was pinch running for Cabrera, my immediate reaction was to run to my computer to hammer out an angry DTW comment, predicting that Cabrera’s spot would come up again in a key situation in the ensuing innings. Am I right here? Doesn’t it seem like we are 0 for 100 in our last “late inning faster runner guys” replacement attempts? Only to see those guys bumbling around defensively, or worse, failing at the plate when Cabrera or MVP Mart would have been preferred?

But Suarez lined a single to left, then VMart ripped a HR to right, and then some other stuff even happened after that.

So the Tigers ended an 18 game stretch in 17 games, 15 of those on the road, with an 11-7 record. That’s what a playoff team does.

Pitching Matchups for this weekend:

Peavy v Porcello

Bumgarner v Price

Hudson v Lobstein

I gotta admit, I get sweaty palms thinking about Panda Bear and Sergio Romo. Holy cow did we get dominated in that WS.

Baseball Reference Game Preview Here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, DH
4. Victor Martinez, 1B
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Bryan Holaday, C
8. Eugenio Suarez, SS
9. Rajai Davis, CF

Derek Jeter – I’ve enjoyed watching you play for the past twenty years. Best of luck with whatever is next.

Drew Smyly has allowed fewer runs in 5 starts with the Tampa Bay Rays than David Price allowed last night in the 3rd inning.

In no way would I go back and unwind that deal. I loved it then and I love it now. But baseball is a funny game, and there are a lot of intangibles which we can’t see nor measure. For the better part of the last four years, we all took those intangibles for granted, and many of us, including me, even suggested that other teams had better intangibles than us. I blamed the manager. Though it sure did seem that things tended to fall the right way for the Tigers more often than not.

Not I’m starting to rethink whether we were missing much at all.

This team is missing something. Perhaps JV isn’t the same in the clubhouse, or Miggy’s injury means he can’t laugh as much, or the bullpen is on pins and needles and that’s hurting things. But this team hasn’t been right in a month, and I’m not sure how we get there.

Winning is contagious, Royals are showing us that. Is mediocrity the same?

There’s still time, the Royals can’t play .800 ball the rest of the way out. But they’re likely going to play better than .500 ball. Can we be 3 games better than whatever that number is?

Kyle Lobstein makes his first career start this afternoon. I’ll be tuned in all game. Let’s go Tigers.

#DoItForTheRotation

1. Rajai Davis, CF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Don Kelly, LF
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Andrew Romine, SS

71-59, 1.5 games behind, .5 WC games back.

Last night’s win was a real, professional win. 5-2 is a score that seems like an appropriate margin for a good, but not obnoxious, team. If the San Antonio Spurs played baseball, they would win most games 5-2.

Ricky P was phenomenal, again, scattering 9 hits over 8 innings and walking none. He’s only allowed 8 walks in his last 10 starts, and none (NONE!) in his last 3 games, spanning 23 innings. Keep that in mind when a reliever walks the first guy he sees tonight.

If Porcello pitches like this over the final 5 weeks, he may be slotted as the 3rd pitcher in a playoff series, or the 3rd guy to hit in a Tigers foursome caddied by JV. Note, it just hit me that there is a real chance that we don’t get to see this rotation in the playoffs. Who knows if Illitch can afford to keep Scherzer around, or of Max even wants to stay. But what a shame it would be to not give this rotation a shot. I’m going to start a movement. #DoItForTheRotation We’ll see if this picks up more steam than my last movement #StopLettingQuasimodoMakeAirplaneSeats.

The Tigers crowd last night got a little emotional with Joe, chanting “Let’s Go Joe” as he got going in the 9th. Joe heard it, and I’m sure the team loved it. We’re stuck with him, might as well see if we can help him in anyway. The crowd at Comerica is the best.

David Price takes the mount tonight, looking to rebound from a one hit complete game blowout loss.

#DoItForTheRotation

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Eugenio Suarez, SS
9. Rajai Davis, CF

70-59, 2nd place, 1.5 games back, .5 WC games back. Lots of teams to watch these days.

I gotta admit, it’s hard to find the motivation to prepare for this series. The Tigers have been in a three month tailspin, peppered with just enough respites to keep hope alive.

You know, one of the DTW posters (can someone remind me) used to do a nice write-up every 18 games, calling them innings. There are 9 innings in a season (18 games x 9 = 162). The season is in the 8th inning. We’re turning it over to our bullpen, down by a run. Chad Qualls to save the day? As Smoking Loon pointed out, we’re still in it.

Lots of baseball left.

Rick Porcello on the mound tonight.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Torii Hunter, RF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Eugenio Suarez, SS
9. Rajai Davis, CF

Gotta win series’ at home.

A few thoughts on last night’s game (repost from yesterday’s thread)

A few questions about the Vince/SL exchange from last night [regarding Nathan coming out for the 9th].

1) If Price doesn’t struggle in the 8th, does Ausmus bring him out in the 9th? Let’s say he’s at 100 pitches after a quick 8th. I feel that the right move would be to bring him back out, but based on Ausmus’ brief managerial history, I’m pretty sure he would have brought in Nathan regardless b/c “the 9th is the 9th.”

2) Assuming the 9th is the 9th, at what point in time does Ausmus bring in someone else. If Soria is healthy, does he get a chance? How many more lives does Nathan have? Statistically, I think Nathan is the worst regular reliever in the majors (no research done prior to asserting that claim). I mean, objectively, how can this be our answer? Are DD and Ausmus sharing a drink every night praying that Jim Johnson or Soria or Hanrahan are ready to take a shot?

Other thoughts:

1) Who pitches game 163? Price or Scherzer?

2) Holy cow is anyone watching the Angels? Do the Tigers have a streak like that in them? They’ve done it before (albeit 4 months ago). The Royals, Angels, and Mariners have done it.

3) Sick as Felix is, is it a relief getting to that bullpen? Tigers hit tonight like we expect them to.

4) I’ve been meaning to say this before, I don’t get ever pulling Castellanos late. Is Kelly that much of a defensive upgrade considering our bullpen liabilities? Wouldn’t it be smarter to keep that bat in the lineup?

5) The ads in between the MLB.com highlights kill me. I pay for the subscription, I should be able to skip those.

6) How awesome is beer?

Robbie Ray versus the resurgent Chris Young in the rubber match today. Game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Ezequiel Carrera, CF
3. Miguel Cabrera, DH
4. Victor Martinez, 1B
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Andrew Romine, SS
9. Rajai Davis, LF

If the playoffs started today, the Tigers would be swinging and missing at golf balls, not baseballs.

Game Preview Here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Ezequiel Carrera, CF
3. Miguel Cabrera, DH
4. Victor Martinez, 1B
5. Torii Hunter, RF
6. J.D. Martinez, LF
7. Nick Castellanos, 3B
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Eugenio Suarez, SS

(“I got this”)

The scorching hot Mariners roll into the D tonight, winners of 4 in a row and 8 out of their last 10. In fact, the Mariners are 9-3 in the Austin Jackson era, and he recently accounted for all 4 RBIs in a 4-2 Mariners win.

The Tigers counter with an impressive streak of their own, having won 2 in a row, 2 out of their last 6, and 3 out of their last 9.

What looked like an innocuous Austin Jackson returns series a few weeks ago (and should have been), is now a crucial one, as the Tigers maintain a scant .5 game lead on the Mariners for the do or die playoff spot. In fact, every game from here on out is going to be critical since the Tigers, well, you know, aren’t in first place.

There was a lot of buzz yesterday surrounding the fans booing Joe Nathan after Nathan walked the first two batters he saw on Wednesday night. I think the easiest way to appease everyone but Joe Nathan would be to release Joe Nathan, but I don’t think that is going to happen.

Nathan did not take kindly to the booing, as he Corleone-d a fan or the fans in general on his way off the mound after closing out the game. Nathan apologized Thurs morning, but I find his chin flick to be immature and indicative of a lack of focus and confidence.

Victor Martinez commented liberally on the boos after the game on Wednesday. I only heard Dan D’s recap of Martinez’s comments, but it sounded like Victor was disappointed, though understanding of the fans’ reaction. Victor, in case you haven’t figured it out, the fans are incredibly disappointed and are not understanding of the team’s sub.500 performance over the past 3 months.

I firmly believe that paying the price of admission gives any fan the right to cheer or boo, in a reasonable manner. Athletes, like CEOs, celebrities, and public figures, are well compensated (in pay or power), and absorbing frustration from constituents is part of the job. I applaud the fans that gave Nathan what he deserved, and only hope that they booed Ausmus as well. Neither have been performing to an acceptable level as of late and that type of reaction is warranted. When players and the team perform well, we cheer.

Praise needs to be earned. The players shouldn’t be surprised by the boos given the struggles over the past three months. Expectations are high because, on paper, this is the most talented team in the Majors. By a long shot. We have the past three Cy Young winners and Miguel Cabrera for goodness’ sake. Ausmus should be able to win with this team, no matter who he has in the bullpen. Other managers have made lesser bullpens look much better.

The whole team needs to look out into that sold out stadium tonight and realize that playing for such loyal and passionate fans is a blessing. They need to look at each other and recognize that playing with the teammates, and for an owner like Mr. Ilitch, is an opportunity. At the professional level, oftentimes the difference between winning and losing is effort. Not talent, not circumstance, but effort. If this team goes out and gives all the effort they have, they’ll get all the cheering they want.

****

–  Grantland recently rated Ausmus 25th out of 30 in a “manager meddling index.”

– Tigers lost 2/3 in Seattled May 30 – June 1

Baseball-Reference Game Preview here:

Rick Porcello v. M’s lefty James Paxton

1. Rajai Davis, CF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. Torii Hunter, RF
6. J.D. Martinez, LF
7. Nick Castellanos, 3B
8. Bryan Holaday, C
9. Eugenio Suarez, SS

What’s the best way to cure a struggling offense? Sit Miguel Cabrera, says Brad Ausmus.

1. Davis, LF
2. Carrera, CF
3. Kinsler, 2B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Martinez, RF
6. Kelly, 1B
7. Castellanos, 3B
8. Avila, C
9. Romine, SS

Fun win last night. I listened to the last 7 innings on the radio. Lots of constructive criticism flows from our respective keyboards, so let’s give some credit where it’s due. Joba/Soria/Nathan were brilliant last night, and we don’t win that game without Alex Avila. We don’t even get to extra innings without him.

Last night’s effort shows you what you get from David Price on an okay night. Wait till next turn.

Torii Hunter out with a contusion on his hand.

1. Rajai Davis, LF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Bryan Holaday, C
8. Andy Romine, SS
9. Ezequiel Carrera, CF