Category Archives: 2010 Season

2010 Season, Game Post

Frustration 101

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Well, at least Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen made significant returns to the lineup. Beyond that the theme of the night was frustration. Despite Cabrera’s 3 homer heroics the Tigers managed to repeatedly come up short in most facets of the game.

Cabrera was spectacular. Each of the 3 homers were crushed no-doubters. Unfortunately the rest of the team didn’t follow suit.

And then there is Dontrelle Willis. Once again he wasn’t good, but once again he wasn’t the reason the team lost. It’s safe to say that the game was close in spite of Willis rather than because of him.

As for the bullpen management, I have a hard time complaining about this one. I like that Ryan Perry was thrust into a difficult 2nd and 3rd situation. Because of the 9th inning it’s easy to forget that Perry escaped the 8th without incident.

The 9th inning was just a disaster, but only one of those pitches I can hang on Perry and that was the Mark Ellis HBP. The double was a fluke. Ordonez was playing deep, Guillen was playing up the middle. It truly was no man’s land.

The swinging bunt was a fluke, though the fact that Fu-Te Ni gave up on the play was frustrating. I don’t know that they can get an out on that play, but Ni didn’t give himself a chance.

In the end the pitching wasn’t quite good enough, the fielding wasn’t quite good enough, and the hitting certainly wasn’t good enough. For the 4th time in 5 games the Tigers came up on the wrong end of a close game.

  • Magglio Ordonez didn’t have a particularly good game. It’s rare he strikes out twice. And while he was active in right field with 7 outs recorded, his inability to get to the double or gun out the runner on the sacrifice fly in the 9th hurt. I think Maggs catches too much flack for his defense as there is nothing wrong with being okay. But he didn’t play well last night. The 8th inning double he didn’t read well and the throw to the plate was accurate but without zip.
  • Phil Coke escaped scrutiny because nobody scored in the 8th inning but he faced 4 batters and all 4 laced line drives.
  • Alex Avila has often hit the ball hard right at people this season (he’s also struck out a lot so I’m not saying his batting average is all bad luck), but he managed 3 dribblers tonight and a catchers interference.
  • Not everything was bad though. Guillen played fine at second base and worked 3 full counts at the plate. The time he didn’t work a full count he ripped a double.
2010 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.28.2010

Toledo 7 Buffalo 3
Alfredo Figaro was roughed up for 5 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks in 4.1 innings. Ryan Strieby and Casper Wells each homered. Scott Sizemore doubled and singled.

Harrisburg 4 Erie 7
Andy Oliver fanned 6 and walked none, limiting Harrisburg to 1 run in 7 innings. Matt Hoffman struggled in relief allowing 3 runs while only recording 2 outs. Audy Ciriaco hit a 3 run homer and Josh Burrus had 2 hits.

Lakeland 7 Palm Beach 2
Kody Kaiser continues his hot hitting with 3 more hits including a double. Billy Nowlin also had 3 hits including his 2nd homer. Alden Carrithers walked twice and singled. Brayan Villarreal went 7 innings with 9 strikeouts and a walk and 2 runs allowed.

Dayton 5 West Michigan 4
Jamie Johnson tripled and singled. Jordan Lennerton had 2 hits and a walk and has reached base 20 times in his last 8 games including 5 doubles. Jade Todd went 8 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, 1 walk, and 4 K’s. Kevin  Faulk blew the save and took the loss.

2010 Season, Game Post

Game 2010.047: A’s at Tigers

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The Tigers have dropped 4 of their last 5 games. They’ll try to right the ship tonight with Dontrelle Willis on the mound as they welcome in the Oakland A’s.

Willis was good and bad in his start against the Dodgers last weekend. He was getting ground balls, and then he got wild. With Max Scherzer throwing bullets down in Toledo Willis may be in a competition with Armando Galarraga for a spot in the rotation. Willis has the advantage of contract status and left handedness, but one wouldn’t think he can’t afford too many outings like his last one.

The A’s send out a former NL pitcher turned reclamation project of their own in the form of Ben Sheets. Sheets hasn’t pitched through the 7th inning, but he is starting to rack up some strikeouts with 8 K’s in 3 of his last 4 games.

Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers – May 28, 2010 – MLB.com Preview

2010 Season, Injuries

Carlos Guillen is back

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Carlos Guillen has been activated from the disabled list. Danny Worth is the odd man out and will return to Toledo with an impressive week of MLB experience under his belt.

Guillen will slide into the 6th spot in the lineup behind Brennan Boesch. Worth meanwhile played defense that was impressive enough to give many pause about Adam Everett’s longevity with the team.

Everett isn’t expected to hit much, but like Gerald Laird he’s expected to hit more than he is. It’s one thing to trade some offense for defense, it’s another to forfeit a spot in the batting order. Despite Worth’s ability to pick up some singles in his short stint, he isn’t a good bet to hit much more than Everett. Worth has the benefit of being the new guy and the possibility of the new guy is certainly more intriguing than the reality of the current guy.

On the other hand we’ll see how much defense fans are willing to sacrifice for offense with Guillen moving to second base. I have a feeling the experience won’t be nearly as bad as many feel it will. At the same time I’d take slightly below average defense for Guillen’s offense at the position.

2010 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.27.2010

Toledo 6 Buffalo 7
Mike Hessman did in the Mud Hens with 2 homers. Ruddy Lugo allowed 4 runs on 5 hits on a day he didn’t strike out or walk anyone. Daniel Schlereth allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in .2 innings. Jeff Frazier his a 3 run homer. Ryan Strieby had 2 hits and a walk. Ben Guez doubled twice.

Erie – Suspended

Lakeland 4 Palm Beach 5
Alden Carrithers had 2 doubles. Kody Kaiser and Francisco Martinez each doubled and singled. Billy Nowlin homered. Mark Sorensen allowed 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings.

West Michigan 4 Lansing 2
Avisail Garcia went 2 for 3 with a walk. Jacob Turner allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and he fanned 5 in 5.1 innings. Jose Ortega pitched 2.1 innings of relief and he walked 3 but struck out 5.

2010 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.26.2010

Toledo: It was an off day for the Mud Hens. But for those interested MILB.tv will have their Thursday game on at 10:35 this morning.

Trenton 7 Erie 6
Wilkin Ramirez seemed to enjoy himself immensely with a 3 homer day, bringing his season total to 13. Cesar Nicolas also had 3 hits but he was hitting behind Ramirez meaning the bases were mostly empty. Cale Iorg picked up 2 hits. Jon Kibler walked 4 and was knocked around for 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings. Luis Marte blew the save allowing 2 runs and a homer.

Lakeland 7 Tampa 2
Kody Kaiser notched 3 more hits and is hitting 476/531/667 over his last 10 games. For May his OPS is 1.011. Alden Carrithers and Gustavo Nunez each had 2 hits. Luke Putkonen went 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

West Michigan 5 Lansing 9
Jordan Lennerton went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk making it 4 straight multi-hit games for the first baseman. Michael Rockett, Wade Gaynor, and Mike Gosse all had 2 hits.  Ramon Lebron was rocked for 8 runs in just 2.1 innings.

2010 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.25.10

Toledo 6 Syracuse 3
Carlos Guillen picked up 3 doubles, and the dinner tab. Max Scherzer went 7 innings and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and a walk with 7 K’s. Scott Sizemore was 2 for 4. Ryan Strieby had 2 hits and drove in 5.

Erie 0 Trenton 4
Thad Weber gave up 10 hits and fanned only 1 but allowed just 4 runs in 6.2 innings. Shawn Roof had 2 of the 3 hits for the Seawolves.

Tampa 3 Lakeland 10
It was yet another electric night for Charlie Furbush. He went 8 innings and allowed a solo homer along with 3 other hits. But he walked none and fanned 12! That’s 44 strikeouts and 2 walks in his last 28 innings. Brent Wyatt and Rawley Bishop had 3 hit nights. Kody Kaiser and Daniel Fields each went 2 for 4.

West Michigan 3 Lansing 0
Giovany Soto pitched the 7 inning complete game shut out notching 6 K’s. Michael Rockett doubled in 2 runs.

West Michigan 1 Lansing 7
Avisail Garcia, Luis Palacios and Billy Alvino had the 3 hits. Victor Larez didn’t make it out of the 3rd inning before surrendering 6 runs on 9 hits.

Scoreboard – MiLB.com Scoreboard – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball

2010 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.24.10

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Toledo 3 Syracuse 6
The Tigers faced uber-prospect Stephen Strasburg, and managed to score. Deik Scram tripled and scored on a wild pitch. In the 4th inning Carlos Guillen singled (1 for 3 with a walk and 2 6-4-3 GIDPs on defense), Jeff Frazier doubled (3 for 4), and Casper Wells followed with a ground ball between third and short. LJ Gagnier allowed 6 runs in 5.2 innings but only 1 was earned, but a couple came around after his own error. Robbie Weinhardt faced one batter and was removed after the ominous “injury delay” according to the game recap.

Erie 4 Trenton 6
Duane Below allowed 5 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 3.2 innings with only 2 strikeouts. Anthony Shawler ate 3.1 scoreless innings. Cesar Nicolas and Michael Bertram each doubled and singled. Josh Burrus hit his 5th homer.

Lakeland 4 Tampa 1
Adam Wilk starred with 8 innings of 1 run ball on only 4 hits. He didn’t walk a batter and he fanned 8. Julio Rodriguez had 2 hits. Alden Carrithers reached base 3 times with a single and 2 walks.

West Michigan 2 Fort Wayne 3 (10 innings)
Jordan Lennerton doubled twice as part of a 3 for 5 day. Alexis Espinoza also picked up 3 hits. Trevor Feeney went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 6 K’s. Melvin Mercedes walked 3 and had a wild pitch in 1.2 innings and took the loss.

2010 Season, Injuries, Managing & Strategy

Postcard from LA

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No, I wasn’t in Los Angeles for this series. This is more of a collection of postcard sized thoughts from the Tigers weekend series against the Dodgers.

Armando Galarraga

The theme for Galarraga was inconsistency with the slider. There were times that it was awesome, like when he got Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp flailing at pitches well outside of the strike zone. And then there was the at-bat where he hung multiple ones in the middle of the plate to Casey “freaking” Blake. It’s likely that Galarraga has one more start to make a statement before Max Scherzer is busting down the door to come back. Of course there is that other factor known as…

Dontrelle Willis

Willis looked terrific at times. He was getting ground ball after ground ball. He was working efficiently. And then things got funky with 2 outs in the 4th innings. A single, a wild pitch, and a walk seemed to set things in motion. Willis did hang in against Reed Johnson who worked a 9 pitch walk. But then it was  HBP and Willis never looked comfortable again.

That seems to be the story with Willis this year. It is a pretty fine line that Willis walks between effective and excruciating.

Strategery

I’m not so much a fan of National League baseball. I don’t care to see pitchers hitting, or being lifted while they are still effective for a pinch hitter. That said, Saturday and Sunday provided some interesting maneuvering by Jim Leyland. It worked on Sunday, not so much on Saturday.

Saturday we all understand the ramifications of Magglio Ordonez being lifted earlier in the game so he wasn’t available in the 9th inning. It’s kind of the nature of the beast and Leyland went all in earlier in the game. It happens. But I think back to a moment in the top of the 4th inning where the Tigers had 2 on and 2 outs and Armando Galarraga up. I understand wanting more than 3 innings from a starter, but Galarraga hadn’t been particularly effective and the Tigers needed runs. Leyland let Galarraga hit, the inning ended, and Galarraga came back and gave up 3 runs in the bottom half of the inning.

I’m not saying that Leyland messed up. It was the 4th inning after all. But with the benefit of hindsight it is easy to look back and say what if. I guess that’s the draw of NL ball.

Things went better in the 9th inning of Sunday’s game where Dontrelle Willis played a key role without getting in the batters box. It forced Torre’s hand and he did what Leyland wanted by bringing in the lefty. That Sherrill fell behind 2-1 and set up the perfect squeeze situation certainly made everyone look smarter.

R3L2O

The Tigers were remarkably efficient in the famous runner-on-third-with-less-than-2-outs scenarios this weekend. They capitalized in such a scenario in the first inning in each of the 3 games. For the season the Tigers have had 98 R3L2O scenarios and have scored 46 runs. The 47% success rate is below the league average of 49%.

Odds and Ends

  • Danny Worth played some dazzling defense. The fact he has chipped in some singles is gravy at this point. He’s bringing to the table what Adam Everett is supposed to. This is probably premature, but how much more time does Everett have to get his batting average into the .220 range?
  • The Austin Jackson play was scary, but fortunately there doesn’t appear to be physical damage beyond swelling which will hopefully go down quickly. Coincidentally enough there was a segment on Baseball Tonight on Thursday about David Wright’s struggles with the low and outside pitch since his beaning last season. I don’t know about the statistical relevance of those struggles, but it was the first thing that I thought of after seeing Jackson get up and walk off the field.
  • Joel Zumaya was pretty nasty, but his fastball was down in velocity. He was sitting at 98-99mph and only hit 100mph once. I don’t know if this is cause for concern, or if it was done by design. It is something to watch though. Clearly, he was still effective, but he’s had a lot of multi-inning relief appearances and it bears watching.
2010 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5.23.2010

Toledo 8 Syracuse 5
Carlos Guillen homered and walked in his second rehab game. Both games they’ve kept him to 3 plate appearances before lifting him. Ryan Strieby hit his second homer after coming off the disabled list. Scott Sizemore doubled twice and Jeff Frazier, Brent Dlugach, and Casper Wells each had 2 hits. Enrique Gonzalez  allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 K’s in 5 innings. Daniel Schlereth was roughed p for 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk in 1.1 innings.

Altoona 2 Erie 1
Andy Oliver was terrific, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 6.2 innings while fanning 9 and walking 1. Christopher White went 2 for 3 and had 2 of the Seawolves 3 hits. Wilkin Ramirez drew 2 walks.

St. Lucie 4 Lakeland 10
Alden Carritthers doubled, singled, and walked. Rawley Bishop had 2 hits. Kody Kaiser homered. Francisco Martinez doubled and walked and his first week in Lakeland was a breeze as he posted a .375/444/438 line. Brayan Villarreal struck out 6 in 6 innings while allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Matt Hoffman went 2 scoreless innings of relief. Lester Oliverson, off the disabled list, allowed 4 baserunners and a run while recording 2 outs.

West Michigan 6 Fort Wayne 7
Jamie Johnson went 3 for 5 with a double. Jordan Lennerton, Avisail Garcia, and Mike Gosse each had 2 hits. Jade Todd didn’t make it out of the 4th innings before allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks though he did fan 4. His early exit was due to injury and not ineffectiveness.