SOUP DU JOUR

Coleman April 13, 2014 at 6:48 pm [edit]

Chase Headley was wearing his stone glove again, and that lent a wee bit of excitement to the top of the 9th, but otherwise, if you saw the 4th, you saw the game. Tigers had momentum, Max Scherzer gave it right back.

Scherzer had a better day at the plate than on the mound, and showed that you can strike out 10 and still beat yourself. 105 pitches in 5 innings. A great catch by Rajai Davis in LF spared him from getting rocked completely. Tyson “Tyler” Wood was good, with a lot of help from his defense, and through 10 games, good is all you have to be to handcuff this Tigers lineup, top to bottom.

Good news in a boring game: Davis is getting on base and looking good in LF. Joba Chamberlain continues to pitch well, better than the ugly cumulative numbers show right now. Alex Avila didn’t strike out. (The team is 6-1 when he starts, 0-3 when he doesn’t.)

It’s the first rubber game of 2014, and hopefully it will satisfy our rubber soul, as the Tigers (6-3) make another day trip to San Diego (4-7) and then get their ticket to ride back home for a day off and then the Cleveland Indians. Max Scherzer will face Tyson Wood.

The Incredible 2014 Detroit Tigers are on pace for 108 wins, and I’ll have you know that the 7-3 we’re hoping for is only two games off 9-1. Alex Avila only needs 32 HR and 93 RBI to catch up with Lance Parrish’s 1984*, and I expect him to get there by the end of 2016 or 2017, easily. No, seriously, this year’s team has a ways to go (a funny expression I grew up with that people who didn’t may legitimately question – a ways??) to show that they have “team magic” (and the team stats) to compare with the 1984 Tigers. My main point in the comparison, however, remains that 1984 was very much a team thing, no future HOFers or HOF seasons, and that the 2014 Tigers might have a bit more of that team thing going for them than they did in 2012 or 2013. Along with a couple (at least) future HOFers.

*I think it’s only fair to include Alex’s spring numbers: 1 HR, 4 RBI, plus 1 RBI that he would have had if a runner had been on 3B with a really big lead.

This first West Coast swing has not been without difficulty, but it looks like it might end better than last season’s first (9-game) trip. Remember? Prince Fielder, fresh off AL Player of the Week, struck out 4 or 5 (or 6 or 7) times in a game v. Seattle, and he was never really the same after that. Then there was the Angels debacle, Part 1. It was rough.

A win today spreads optimism across the land. A loss will bring soul-searching, presumably about either the offense or the bullpen. I would bet on the win, not that we’re done with the soul-searching for a long time yet.

مشاهدة المباراة، الاستماع إلى اللعبة، اتبع اللعبة. دعونا نرى بعض ردود الفعل هنا. جوائز قيمة في انتظارك لحساء اليوم.

SOUP DU JOUR

Vince in MN April 12, 2014 at 9:41 pm [edit]

Time for the postgame. You saw it and reacted. Now you’ve had a chance to reflect and hopefully have more to say. Have at it. But I’ll go first.

RANDOM NOTES:

Not a good idea, the pickoff throw from C to 1B that allowed the steal of 3B. I can see a bluff in that situation, not an actual throw, unless you’re Salvador Perez and can actually get the out. I also thought a throw down to 2B recently (v. Dodgers maybe) – yeah, it was VMart, and a run scored – was dumb. Another good time for a bluff and see if the lead runner takes the bait. Wouldn’t that be smart baseball?

Wow, we got see JV get not only his first but first two MLB hits. Solid, too.

Austin Jackson was very much in the news today. Kept a double to a double, a double to a single, and tracked down a liner that could have gone over and past him. Fleet of foot and sure of glove, except for one instance where he was looking throw before looking ball into glove. That could have been costly, but wasn’t. I like him batting behind Miggy, and the insurance runs in the 9th showed why.

Looks like Kinsler should have gone to Gonzalez rather than try to tag the runner, but at least he had the smarts to be decisive and get the one out.

Defensive plays of the game: Miggy on the catch and tag at 1B (on Gonzalez’s errant throw), LF Seth Smith taking a double away from smiling in disbelief AJax, 1B Yonder Alonso’s circus catch of the foul pop (AJax victimized again), and Castellanos’s barehand play. Miggy has been Gold Glove at 1B.

Castellanos was asleep at 2B. Not the first such lapse we’ve seen.

Some crucial turning points were the Hunter 2-run single (Verlander obviously well aware that he had Davis running behind him), and Verlander’s strikeout of Chase Headley with men on 1st and 3rd. The best moment was the Jackson ground rule double after the IBB to Miggy. It gave you that “game in hand” feeling, a good one to have in the 9th inning.

Howdy, friends and neighbors. The Tigers (5-3) try to get back on the righteous path tonight against the Padres (4-6), with our hero Justin Verlander carrying the bulk of our hopes for putting up a W to counter the L. He’ll be facing Ian Kennedy, who has the possible misfortune of facing a lineup thoroughly outdone the day before. Or the good fortune of extra motivation due to Detroit’s reputedly fearsome offense. It certainly does seem as if almost all of the starters the Tigers have faced so far have kicked it up a notch. It remains true that good pitching beats good hitting, so while being shut out on one hit is no fun, it’s too early to be worried about the hitting. It’s too early to be too worried about anything, really, including the bullpen. The season is young.

The last time (before last night) Detroit lost to San Diego, it was a good year for DTW and a bad one for the Tigers. P Eddie Bonine made his second career start/appearance, and the only current Tiger in the lineup was Miguel Cabrera (0 for 4). Bonine was much better through 7 than he’d been in his debut win v. the Dodgers, though he gave up two long balls (one to Chase Headley). Fernando Rodney, Casey Fossum, and Joel Zumaya teamed up to blow the game in the 8th, with a bit of help from erroneous RF Magglio Ordonez – right after Placido Polanco had tied it at 2 with a solo HR. Curtis Granderson led off the game for the visiting Tigers with a home run off none other than Greg Maddux.

In other (good) news, Miggy describes his ailing swing in an apt and funny way, which tells me it’s going to get better soon.  Maybe real soon. In what might not seem like good news, the Padres have demonstrated that they are (or can be) a better and smarter hitting team than, say, the Dodgers, and perhaps JV and Max had better watch their step – but the good part is that this might bring out the best in them. The bats are due. Not sure if this evening’s epilogue will be “they came out swinging and it paid off” or “they were too anxious and aggressive,” but there’s nowhere to go but up from zero. I don’t think consecutive shutouts are allowed. I’d definitely throw a challenge flag to that.

Sehen Sie das Spiel an, hören Sie das Spiel, folgen Sie das Spiel zu. Sehen Sie hier einige Reaktionen. Wertvolle Preise warten auf Sie für die “Suppe des Tages.”

SOUP DU JOUR

jud April 11, 2014 at 10:29 pm [edit]

Things go well for Porcello until he starts leaving pitches up. RF Kelly raced back and had 2B Jedd Gyorko’s flyball in his glove momentarily as he neared the wall, but it popped out, hit the ground, and Kelly hit the wall. RBI triple. Kelly was down for a bit, trainer out, but he stayed in the game. Every out in the inning (and even Headley’s RBI double that Jackson flagged down) involved a fine defensive play (Romine, Kinsler, a charging-in Jackson), but the Padres are up 2-0.

2nd INNING: Headley is having trouble as Romine is nearly safe on another bad throw, but Cashner’s having no trouble at all.

Porcello gives up a hit on a hanger, but the pitcher’s bunt strikeout and a line shot straight at Cabrera bail him out.

3RD INNING: Cashner strikes out the side, all on called thirds. The Tiger appear to be waiting for something to hit. Maybe it’s all they can do today.

The Padres are not letting Porcello get away with any mistakes. A big threat is ended on an alert play by Avila, who jumped on Headley’s somewhat uncertainly fair tapper in front of the plate to initiate a sharp 2-6-3 DP. Don’t see those every day.

4TH INNING: The Tigers are hitless and clueless through four. Heart of the order up, three weak grounders, two to the pitcher.

Porcello gets a break when the R3L2O situation ends on C Rene Rivera’s hard liner straight at Miggy for an unassisted DP.

5TH INNING: Kelly’s deep flyball to LF is the best contact the the Tigers have made. (Or will make.)

Rick has a nice 1-2-3, good pitch inside to nail SS Everth Cabrera.

6TH INNING: Davis breaks up Cashner’s no-hitter and steals his way to 3B. The speed and the good jumps are obvious, but his sliding technique is now catching my eye. Kinsler can’t touch Cashner, but at least he draws a walk. Now there’s a real threat brewing. Ended by Miggy grounding into an inning-ending 5-4-3 DP. Not even hard hit. Here the game ends, essentially.

Porcello continues to pay the maximum XBH premium for the occasional BP pitches (he’s been throwing strikes and more often good ones), as Headley leaves no doubt on contact with the 2-run HR out to RF that overshadows a nice snag by Cabrera at 3B and a charge on a soft pop by Romine that I’m thinking Gonzalez could have muffed. 4-0 Padres. Bleak.

7TH INNING: Jackson almost recovers from a terrible gift swing – must have been a total guess, wasn’t even close – but then gets absolutely frozen on the 3-2 strike from Cashner. OK, maybe I’ll go with Chet Lemon instead.

Luke Putkonen’s alien abduction ended well, and he was here in relief after Porcello allowed the single to Cashner, which might have rolled all the way to the wall in the gap but for the speed of Davis. The rest of the inning was a pretty ridiculous way for the Padres to extend the lead to 6-0. Nothing but infield, and 2 runs score! Kinsler can’t quite glove one that goes through. Romine makes a nice play with the glove but can’t get the throw home in time, all safe. A potential 3-6-3 evaporates, V-Mart’s tentative throw leading to Romine’s hurried and high one. Not a clown show, really, but frustrating.

8TH INNING: Cashner v. Avila, Romine, and Holaday. Some real high drama there, eh?

Reed comes on in relief. Indicative of the whole evening, Romine makes a sliding play to glove a ball in the hole, but there’s nowhere to go with it, now men on 1st and 2nd, and then Avila’s PB puts men on 2nd and 3rd. By the grace of 2 outs having happened somehow, the batter being Cashner, and Martinez’s nice running catch of a foul pop, it ends without further insult.

9TH INNING: Nothing happening, Cashner puts the finishing touch on a masterpiece by striking out Cabrera with ease. Miguel Cabrera, I might add. You know, the Triple Crown, MVP guy.

The Tigers (5-2) are in San Diego, where it’s always baseball weather, for three against the Padres (3-6). Rick Porcello makes the start for Detroit, facing Andrew Cashner.

Obviously, not much history between these two clubs, but there was one famous series (famous if you’re a Detroit or San Diego fan, anyway) back in 1984. I followed the Tigers’ magical season game in and game out that year by way of the newspaper (remember those?). Watched the World Series on TV. I was in for some surprises 30 years later when I had a look at the bbref franchise encyclopedia for that season (for instance, how many team SB there were with only one guy any good at it, and how miserable the success rate was – different game then, maybe). I recommend it. Could lead to some interesting discussion and recollections.

At any rate, my recollections were a bit off, to say the least. I had come to believe that the 1984 Tigers were The Little Team That Could. Not so, even though they were without any true superstars and none of the players had what could be called statistically amazing seasons. They were the class of MLB in 1984 in all sorts of ways. They had no one even close to Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, and Tigers teams of recent vintage have it all over them in terms of talent (and yet… Rusty Kuntz, .805 OPS!), but they put up 111 wins. I think the 2011-2013 Tigers lose a theoretical best-of-seven with the 1984 Tigers, 4 games to 2. The 2014 Tigers stand a better chance.

Yes, I think the season is off to a good start. This team is putting on a much, much better show through 7 games than last year’s. Hear me now and believe me later.

Regarder le match, écouter le jeu, suivre le jeu. Nous allons voir certaines réactions ici. Des prix vous attendent pour “Soup Du Jour.”

Tigers go for the sweep today, with Anibal “The Third Tenor” Sanchez going up against some guy in a cap we’ll pretend is not an “unknown” rookie, just to be safe.  No, he’s a grizzled veteran with a long history of success against Detroit. He’s virtually unhittable and it’s probably not even worth trying. Kelly at 1B, Miggy’s gonna sit. That’s the ticket.

The last time these two teams played on a Thursday, the Tigers pummeled Jeremy Guthrie with hits and yet not many runs, but Prince Fielder’s two-run shot early would be all they needed in a 4-1 win, with the aforementioned Sanchez turning in a typical gem (and a pretty gaudy 81 strikes in 115 pitches).

Obserwują grę, słuchają gry, następują gra. Niech widzieć niektórą reakcję tutaj. Wartościowe nagrody czekają na was dla “Post of the Game.”

POST OF THE GAME:

We’ll probably never know if Vince did that on purpose.

1: Scherzer was lost and a bit flustered. Hard to believe only 4 batters in this long inning. Billy Butler really did us a favor.
1: Jason Vargas did a number on Cabrera for the called third.
2: Collins comes in hard and leaves his feet for the catch, and Max is fired back to form – we hope.
2: Jackson hits the ball hard for an out (there wouldn’t be much of that against Vargas.)
3: Nice K on Nori Aoki for Max.
3: Avila drawing a walk is becoming a rally-starting pattern. Oh, not today. But the SB attempt by Avila wasn’t bad, but good. It was close, friends.
4: Oh! Sweet to see an opponent do the inning-ending line drive to 1B lightning-quick double play (Butler scorched it right at Miggy.)
4: Kinsler looked like AJ on that home run swing. 1-0 with runs at a premium!
5: Salvador Perez struck himself out, but Max, really in command now, did the rest.
5: Tigers struck out in order. Did I mention that Avila will never hit above .220 again?
6: Fine play and well-bounced throw by Castellanos to get Omar Infante, Scherzer retires the side in order.
6: Gutsy challenge by Ausmus overturns the call! Rally. Miggy lets us down, Mike Moustakas makes smart choice and goes home for the out, rally fizzles to zip.
7: Max only getting stronger, pitch count in great shape.
7: Did I mention that Avila will never hit above .200 again?
8: Give Perez full credit for that double on a good pitch. This guy is dangerous. Now imagine trying to finish this inning with PR Jarrod Dyson behind you at 2B. Scherzer was just superb.
8: The bats sleep on, Kelvin Herrera makes Collins look like a rookie.
9: OK, Nathan is in, rest easy. Right? Wrong. Joe has the kind of 9th Scherzer had in the 1st, only worse. Yes, the Royals really had to scratch and scrape for their run, but the inexplicable balk right after? What up, Nathan? Darn good thing Brett Hayes was batting instead of the lifted C Perez, eh? 1-1.
9: You can’t often say Cabrera had a crap day at the plate, but you can today. Wade Davis made a fool of him. I really didn’t want extra innings. I watch late. I work in the morning.
10: Al-Al done good, again. Should Gonzalez have charged? I think Lorenzo Cain flat out beats it regardless. Cain gets to 2B despite Avila’s first good throw of 2014, and it’s getting nail-bitey again. Aoki tapper, beats it out, steps on Miggy’s foot – WAIT! Brad’s gonna challenge again!! OVERTURNED, INNING OVER! Damn good judgment by Ausmus and his support crew, game-changing good. I love replay!
10: Wow-whee! I thought Kinsler’s hit was gonna leave the park, but the LF gap was far enough. Jackson scores, Tigers win.

Max Scherzer deserved the W and got most of it. Just-in-time hitting and smart challenges by Ausmus got the rest of it. Woo-hoo! Oh, and Ian Kinsler drove in all the runs. (And I love the way he throws.) How ya doin’ there today, Prince (0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts) Fielder?

They’re back at it today, with lefty Jason Vargas opposing Max Scherzer.

The last time these two teams faced each other in game two of a three-game series, it was another 2013 nail-biter pitched by a couple guys since departed for the NL. Ervin Santana (so glad he’s gone) stymied the Tigers as usual, while Doug Fister (not so glad he’s gone) was putting ’em on (8 H, 4 BB) but not letting ’em in over 7.2. Detroit came out on the losing end by virtue of a 1st inning run. The game ended with Prince Fielder being thrown out at home trying to score on an Omar Infante double. I’m sure Tom Brookens had nothing to do with this.

Ver el partido, escuchar el juego, seguir el juego. Vamos a ver alguna reacción aquí. Valiosos premios te esperan para “Post of the Game.”

POST OF THE GAME: (You do need to step it up, though, guys and gals. Regular season now. Spring training is over.)

Started off with great Opening Day enthusiasm. 90 minutes later I was in a bad mood, and the Tigers hadn’t even relinquished the lead yet. It wasn’t the game. It was the inability to watch it. Don’t know if it was the network, my ISP, or mlb.tv itself, but after 3+ innings of hiccups and start-overs, I settled on radio.

0-0: Verlander started off throwing strikes and getting hit in about equal measure. Nice early outs v. Billy Butler and Alciedes Escobar were about as good as it got for Justin… When the game is still tied at 0, you can overlook things like a misplayed attempt at a shoestring by Jackson, or a routine flyball dropped by Hunter. And forget them when Martinez homers to RF in his first AB of the season.
1-0: Not an easy 4th inning to watch (or watch by listening). Verlander really scuffled. (A scuffling 6 innings overall for JV.) Gonzalez raised the doubt level by bobbling the bases loaded and keeping the inning alive, but walking Omar Infante to drive in the 3rd KC run – that’s on Verlander…. Salvador Perez was hitting everything all game.
1-3: There was a bit of good fortune going for James Shields, especially in the 4th inning, but for the game, he pretty much owned the Tigers. Tough luck for Detroit, with a near 2-run homer by V-Mart going just foul and a bad 3rd strike call on Jackson with Cabrera standing at 3B. Cabrera left standing on 3B as Avila swung through a breaking ball, well, that’s not luck. Did I mention Perez was hitting everything?… So the game started to get that flat, we can’t win this feel, despite a pretty close score. Watching for encouraging signs, or at least interesting ones, there was JV making a fine play to start a 1-6-3, Castellanos testing Alex Gordon’s arm and paying the price (mixed feelings about that one, however dumb it may have looked), and Davis flashing that speed to make Eric Hosmer work for an out that would have been easy in 2013 (unless it was Iglesias). .. 7th inning rolls around. Reed has a slider? No one told me. Kinsler and Gonzalez make a couple great plays behind Evan. The tide may be turning. Tigers up, and Shields is starting to come down to earth. Jackson smashes a triple to the LF gap, Avila walks. Tigers favorite Aaron Crow comes on in relief (goody!). Castellanos strikes out, but oh no becomes oh yes when the afore-praised Mr. Perez lets strike three (swinging) get away, and Jackson scores. And then Alex Gonzalez – yes, that one – triples in the tying run! It’s a game again.
3-3: Alburquerque and Nathan get the job done handily, and it’s down to the bottom half. Jackson is again burned by a strike zone apparently reserved for him alone. Facing Wade Davis, Avila draws his second walk in a clutch situation (kudos). Collins comes in to pinch-run (kudos to Ausmus). Castellanos singles Collins to 3B – this is MAKING IT HAPPEN! And then, facing Greg Holland, who needs no introduction to Tigers fans, Alex Gonzalez does make it happen, singling in Collins to win it. Welcome to Detroit, Alex Gonzalez. To think that I doubted you. (And still do.)

A game won by a bullpen that was everything Verlander wasn’t, and by late-inning offense (and some +1 managing by Ausmus) – how about it? A game taken back from an opposing starter who was largely dominant. Sweet, that too.

(Read Kevin’s “Realism” first. It’s better, especially when you consider that he wrote it without looking, not even once. I am continually amazed by touch-typists. How do they do it? I’m all hunt and peck.)

Here we go! The next “Play Ball!” and the 114th season of Detroit Tigers baseball will commence. The last 29 have gone by without a World Series championship, and yet we find ourselves in something of a Golden Age: Only 3 losing seasons over the past 10 (and only 1 over the past 8), 2 World Series appearances in that span of time, and ownership of the AL Central from 2011 to the present day, not to mention 3 consecutive ALCS appearances. Despite a new manager (and a rookie manager at that) at the helm, a new approach (particularly on the offensive side), and a fair amount of turnover in personnel, it is safe to say that most of us will be disappointed if the Tigers don’t at least advance to the ALCS come October. Pessimist and optimist alike. The reason is spelled s-t-a-r-t-i-n-g r-o-t-a-t-i-o-n.

This season’s quest begins at home against the Kansas City Royals. That’s got to mean Shields vs. Verlander, and it does. Tigers-Royals made for a challenging and interesting rivalry last season. Detroit has become a bit more like KC, perhaps, while the Royals have countered by snagging Omar Infante, the only Tiger who could hit the Royals in 2013.

The last time the Tigers faced the Royals on Opening Day, Zach Greinke outpitched an ineffective Justin Verlander, but the hapless KC bullpen collapsed and the Tigers exploded for 6 runs in the 7th inning on their way to the 8-4 victory. Joel Zumaya picked up the win for his 1+ inning of work. I remember it well.

OK, we know who The 25 are now. Any votes of “no confidence”? Mine would have to go to Phil Coke, Al Alburquerque, Alex Gonzalez, and Alex Avila’s hitting. But they are Tigers, so this can only mean “show me.” Not looking forward to any I-told-you-so’s.

Watch the game, listen to the game, follow the game. Let’s see some reaction here. Valuable prizes await you for “Post of the Game.”