Category Archives: 2008 Season

2008 Season

Let sarcasm rain down

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Some observations from last night’s game that help to express just how sad things have become for the Tigers and their fans…

It could be worse…

…You could be a Yankees fan sitting around wondering “How the hell did we get swept by these guys?”

…You could be rooting for the team that let Gavin Floyd carry a no hitter into the 9th inning. That’s gotta suck and it’s way worse than the time the Tigers broke one up in the 8th inning.

The Tigers offense was so bad…

…That the only situational stats that the scoreboard operator could display were “Career with nobody on base.” (Shockingly enough the HR total always matched the RBI total. Like every single time. Talk about your statistical anomalies.)

…The scoreboard operator celebrated a Dustin Pedroia error resulting in the Tigers 2nd baserunner with a great big flashing “OH YEAH!”

…The folks at MLB.com felt the need to celebrate the Tigers first extra base hit in 25 innings with a pity highlight.

Did you know…

That the largest possible improvement in ERA occurs when a pitcher who has given up one run before recording an out then records a triple play? It goes from infinity to 9.00. My friend Russ and I realized this last night when Freddy Dolsi’s ERA went from infinity to 27.00 when he recorded his first out. Three more outs later and it was lower than Zach Miner’s. By the time he was done he had recorded 5 outs and his ERA was lower than 60% of the starting rotation.

Some people go to games to watch baseball and drink beer. I go to baseball games to watch baseball, drink beer, and do math.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 34: Red Sox at Tigers

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PREGAME: Here we are with another extended losing streak and the light at the tunnel to .500 just keeps getting dimmer. Tonight it will be Tim Wakefield going up against Nate Robertson.

With Wakefield you don’t know what you’re going to get, aside from a bevy of knuckleballs. The last time the Tigers faced Wakefield they drew 5 walks, but like we saw last night it doesn’t translate to runs without some extra base hits.

Robertson had a typical Nate outing allowing 4 runs. He’s allowed 4 runs in 4 of his last 5 outings.

I’m off to the game!

BOS @ DET, Tuesday, May 6, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: It’s a tardy postgame report because I make a rule to try and not blog angry. Plus I couldn’t even muster the words to express my disappointment in that game. And the morning after I still can’t. So just some bullets will need to suffice:

  • I saw cib and tiff and Samara prior to the game. So a lovely early summer night started off lovely.
  • Robertson struck out the lead off hitter on 3 pitches. That seemed like a good omen.
  • Nate is at least remarkably consistent. My friend and I debated how he would give up the 4th run of the night in the 7th inning. He had Manny going deep. I had a double to Pedroia that would be let in by the bullpen. We were both wrong.
  • I feel I bear some responsibility. When Carlos Guillen singled in the first I said “at least we don’t have to worry about the no hitter tonight.”
  • Curtis Granderson saw 23 pitches in his 3 ab’s against Wakefield
  • Pudge’s double was the only time a Red Sox outfielder had to make a movement away from the infield.
  • Can you believe that Manny Ramirez swung at the first pitch from Freddy Dolsi. What was he thinking?
  • Being in the stands it was hard to judge the effectiveness of the knuckle ball except to say it was slow. But I can recall only one pitch at all getting by catcher Kevin Cash which seems remarkable.
  • There are times that I think the batting order doesn’t matter that much. Tonight was one of those times.
2008 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor Leauge Wrap 5-5-08

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Lehigh Valley 7 Toledo 11
Mike Hessman, Jeff Larish, and Timo Perez all homered. Hessman and Larish now have 20 combined homers. For Perez his was part of a 4 for 4 day. Mike hollimon had two hits and a walk. Brent Clevlen was 3 for 5. Virgil Vasquez returned to the rotation and fanned 6 in 5 innings while allowing 3 runs.

Trenton 9 Erie 5
Wil Rhymes and Deik Scram had 2 hits a piece. Jon Connolly was knocked around for 13 hits in 6 innings including 2 homers.

Lakeland 9 St. Lucie 2
Cale Iorg homered and singled driving in 3 runs. Ryan Strieby added 2 hits. James Skelton went 0 for 4 and saw his average slip to .262. Rick Porcello threw 6 shut out innings allowing only 3 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 2 and picked up 12 ground ball outs.

Kane County 2 West Michigan 1
Kyle Peter doubled, walked, and stole two bases while being caught once. Manny Miguelez scattered 8 hits over 5.2 shutout innings. Noah Krol took the loss allowing 2 runs on a hit and 2 walks.

2008 Season, Managing & Strategy, Roster Management

Thoughts on Jones and the lineup shuffle

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Isn’t it something that we waited and waited to get the anticipated lineup together. First Granderson was injured, and then Sheffield and Polanco. And then everyone was set to come back and Carlos Guillen missed a couple games. Finally, on April 27th the 1000 run lineup took the field. And 8 days later on May 8th it’s been altered because it just wasn’t working. In that 8 day span was an off day and a sweep of the Yankees. Part of me can’t help but think it’s a little bit of an overreaction.

Now the Jacque Jones dismissal is a smart move and I applaud the relative swiftness of it. The Tigers gave him a month to do something, and it just didn’t happen. And this was with Jones facing almost exclusively right handed pitching. He only had 4 plate appearances against lefties, all of which result in strikeouts. His arm was as bad as advertised and Leyland respected his defense so little that he was always lifted for Ryan Raburn in late innings. If you can’t play defense and you can’t hit and you’re track record is marginal there is little to contribute and little reason to expect it to change. Jones amassed 5 line drives in his very brief Tigers career.

As for the “drastic” lineup move I hardly consider the swap of Carlos Guillen and Gary Sheffield to be drastic. The more drastic move is Gary Sheffield assuming left field duties. Sheffield had surgery to repair a torn labrum which you’d think would inhibit his throwing ability. But even odder is that the DH rotation will be between Sheffield and Ordonez.

Ordonez is an average fielder, and hardly a liability. There is talk about his bad knees, but in actuality he has 1 surgically repaired knee. The injury hasn’t appeared to be chronic and he isn’t as close to DH-dome as many make him out to be. While the semi-rest is probably a good thing, it does nothing to help the infield defense. An area of concern that could be remedied by rotating DH duties to Carlos Guillen (who does have bad knees) and Miguel Cabrera.

So like the Guillen-Cabrera switch, this realignment seems to be a reactionary move that solves little. The move was at Sheffield’s request because he thinks he can focus better by playing the field. That may be the case, but if he’s not healthy the focus part won’t make a big difference. Like Lee, I’m skeptical that it will result in an increase in his numbers.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 33: Red Sox at Tigers

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PREGAME: It will be Daisuke Matsuzaka taking on Jeremy Bonderman. Matsuzaka shut out Detroit for 6.2 innings despite walking 4 the last time the two teams met. Bonderman is coming off a start where he went 7.2 innings and only allowed 2 first inning runs to the Yankees.

The Tigers unveil their new look lineup which has Carlos Guillen and Gary Sheffield flipping spots in the order. Matt Joyce who has been with the team about 2 hours will get the start in right field while Sheffield will man left. (I’ll have extended comment on this later tonight)

  1. Granderson, CF
  2. Polanco, 2B
  3. Guillen, 3B
  4. Ordonez, DH
  5. Cabrera, 1B
  6. Sheffield, LF
  7. Joyce, RF
  8. Renteria, SS
  9. Rodriguez, C

BOS @ DET, Monday, May 5, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: Well, they grinded out at-bats. Matsuzaka made lots of pitches and the team drew 10 walks. The trouble is they only had about 5 line drives (the same number that Jacque Jones had this season BTW). The Tigers couldn’t muster an extra base hit meaning it was hard to get people in motion. And with out a speed team the Tigers are more reliant on things like the hit-and-run. But with a pitcher nowhere near the strike zone, it’s a tough play to call.

Highlights were a Marcus Thames pinch hit single and a Curtis Granderson diving catch. And Jeremy Bonderman fanned 4 while only unintentionally walking 1. A definite improvement. Unfortunately Clay Rapada and Todd Jones allowed runs to score as the bullpen has allowed runs in the last 4 games. I just dont’ know where this team is headed.

2008 Season, Managing & Strategy, Offense

Leyland to make drastic change to lineup

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Following last night’s game a frustrated Jim Leyland suggested that he “might shake up the lineup a little bit” for Sunday’s game. He did just that with Sheffield getting the day off and Miguel Cabrera assuming the third spot in the order. But more changes are a-coming starting on Monday. Changes so drastic that Leyland suggested they might be termed drastic.

Now in Jason Beck’s blog he indicated that there wouldn’t be changes in personnel, meaning that Jacque Jones will continue to flail away at the bottom of the order. But aside from that, what could these dramatic changes be?

Shuffling Sheffield, Ordonez, Cabrera, and Guillen would probably be noteworthy, but hardly dramatic. With Pudge Rodriguez and Jones hardly distinguishing themselves at the bottom of the order, it’s not like they would be deserving of a more prominent role. That would probably be more shocking than dramatic. And I have to believe that Placido Polanco is firmly entrenched in the 2-spot.

That leaves me with this thought for the dramatic move. Gary Sheffield to lead-off and Curtis Granderson to the middle of the order. That would certainly count as dramatic, and there would be some logic behind it as well.

Sheffield’s power is lacking. Whether it is age, or injury, or slump he has not been able to drive in runs. But, he hasn’t been totally unproductive with a .340 OBP. He sees a lot of pitches, and when he gets on he’s a smart baserunner. And if you’re wondering if Sheffield has ever hit leadoff before, well he has but only in 10 games. Plus it takes Sheffield out of the 3 hole without significantly disrespecting him.

Meanwhile Curtis Granderson established himself as an extra base machine. The quad-20 trick aside, Granderson gets on base and he does it with power. Plus depending on the sequencing the lefty-righty match-ups in the middle of the order could make things more difficult on opposing managers.

So that’s the move I’m looking for. It would qualify as dramatic and it makes sense. Of course Leyland’s lineups don’t necessarily make sense so maybe Timo Perez will be your new clean-up hitter.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 32: Tigers at Twins

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PREGAME: Coming into this series I was hoping to be talking about a sweep today. Of course I didn’t anticipate it being about sweep-avoidance for the Tigers.

It will be Kenny Rogers taking on Boof Bonser. Bonser is coming off his best start of the year. A 1 run, 7 inning, 8 K game. Rogers is also coming off a solid start where he held the Yankees to 2 runs in 6 innings.

Jim Leyland hinted at a lineup shake up last night, and it sounds like it is still coming. For today anyways it will only be Miguel Cabrera moving to the 3 hole as Gary Sheffield gets the day off.

  1. Granderson, CF
  2. Polanco, 2B
  3. Cabrera, 1B
  4. Ordonez, DH
  5. Guillen, 3B
  6. Thames, RF
  7. Renteria, SS
  8. Rodriguez, C
  9. Jones, LF

DET @ MIN, Sunday, May 4, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 2:10

POSTGAME: Things looked so good to start. Curtis Granderson, frustrated over being stranded at third on Saturday night started the game with a homer (he finished Saturday night’s game with a homer also). And then things went really right for the Tigers and really wrong for the Twins. Five runs later Boof Bonser was at 45 pitches and the Twins were just coming to bat.

But then the offense went to hell. I defended the approach in many of the games saying that the Tigers were working the pitcher (their pitch/pa has been near average all season). Today was indefensible. They swung at the first pitch of the inning in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th innings. And that just set the tone. Bonser managed to pitch through 6 innings despite throwing half a games worth of pitches in the first.

The decision to go to Miner is certainly debatable – but not awful. Miner had been pitching well of late. They needed one out. Miner got Gomez to pound the ball into the ground, unfortunately it hit the plate and went for an infield single. That’s bad luck more than bad strategy. But the subsequent line drive to the wall resulting in a double was bad pitching.

Kenny Rogers was fine. The bullpen wasn’t. But the biggest problem was the offense. And that’s a mighty strange thing to say when they plate 6 in the first inning.

2008 Season, Injuries

Freddy Dolsi? Really?

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Freddy Dolsi cr Roger DeWittThe curse of Jason Grilli? A couple days after the Tigers had to clear a spot in the bullpen to make room for Francisco Cruceta the Tigers place Denny Bautista on the DL with the ambiguous shoulder tendinitis. He’s expected to be able to throw again in a week. Just ask Fernando Rodney about those timetables though.

Freddy Dolsi will take his place. If you ask many fans of the Lakeland Flying Tigers they would tell you that Dolsi would fill Grilli’s role in the bullpen nicely. But his numbers at high A weren’t bad last year with a 7.7 K/9 rate and only 17 walks in 51.2 innings as their closer. He has 4 innings of experience above Lakeland though so this is still kind of a surprise despite the favorable impression that Dolsi made in spring training.

Beck’s Blog: Bautista DL’ed, Dolsi called up

2008 Season

How much of the offenses success is attributable to Granderson and Leyland

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In a recent blog post for The Freep, Jamie Samuelson wondered about the impact that Jim Leyland’s tirade and Curtis Granderson’s return to the lineup had on the team’s recent success (this was written on Friday morning before the Twins games). In fact he said:

Look, the odds were that the bats would come around. But sorry, you just can’t ignore the tirade and the centerfielder as having some impact. I’ll leave it to the stat gurus to figure out the why (I’m sure detroittigersweblog.com is at it as we speak!) Maybe Polanco feels less pressure with Granderson in front of him, or with Granderson on base.

I wish I could deliver the stats like Jamie suggested I could. But there simply isn’t the data to prove or disprove the value of the rant or the cascade effect of Granderson on the rest of the lineup. But that won’t stop me from opining.
Continue reading How much of the offenses success is attributable to Granderson and Leyland →

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 31: Tigers at Twins

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PREGAME: It will be Justin Verlander taking on Scott Baker at the Metrodome tonight.

Baker faced the Tigers once and he limited the Tigers to 3 runs over 7 innings before the explosion. On the season Baker is striking out more than 5 batters for every walk he issues. Baker has allowed 6 homers but they’ve all been solo.

Verlander has one quality start on the season. Now would be a good time for a second.

DET @ MIN, Saturday, May 3, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:10

POSTGAME: Well, Verlander pitched pretty good. Marcus Thames made some nice plays. Curtis Granderson had a real nice at-bat culminating in a home run (only the second run of the series for Detroit). That’s it for highlights. Again. Ergh. Three games below .500 again. Ergh.

2008 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5-2-08

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Rochester 6 Toledo 4
Mike Hessman hit his 10th homer and added a walk. Dane Sardhina doubled and singled. Willis was the starter on his rehab assignment and allowed 2 runs in 4.2 innings.

Erie 9 Altoona 10
Wil Rhymes was 4 for 4. Kody Kirkland homered, singled, and drove in 4. Josh Rainwater allowed 6 runs and didn’t make it out of the 3rd inning.

Lakeland 5 Dunedin 4
Scott Sizemore had 3 hits and a walk. Ryan Strieby and Mike Bertram also had 3 hits apiece including a homer for Strieby. Jonah Nickerson allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 K’s in 5.1 innings.

Quad Cities 3 West Michigan 16
Jordan Newton had a single, a double, and two triples. Audy Ciriaco also had 4 hits. Cory Middleton homered. Jon Kibler pitched 7 innings allowing only 1 run on 2 hits, 4 walks, and 7 K’s.

2008 Season, Injuries

Dontrelle Willis finds strike zone in Toledo

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Dontrelle Willis made his first rehab start for the Toledo Mud Hens. The one thing everybody should be looking for was to see if Willis had regained any modicum of control. I haven’t seen postgame reports or interviews yet, but the box score tells a favorable story.

Willis pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 4 hits and two runs. But the big numbers were 0 walks and 4 strike outs. He threw 72 pitches and 71% of them went for strikes. Encouraging signs to be sure.

My guess is that Willis makes one more start and if the results are similar he would rejoin the Tigers rotation in Kansas City. If you’re wondering what would happen to Armando Galarraga, I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t coincidence that Willis made a start the same night that Galarraga did. Things could get shuffled and maybe someone else in the rotation develops a tired arm, but otherwise Galarraga would be the one heading out.