Category Archives: 2013 Season

2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.7: Blue Jays at Tigers

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I know. It’s invisible ink, that’s all. Hold a candle to it.

After a Monday off for both teams, the Toronto Blue Jays (2-4) come to Detroit (3-3) for a three-game series. There is rain in the forecast for the Detroit area Tuesday through Thursday, and cooler temps those last two days, so the weather is likely to become a factor in the games at some point. Game time is 1:05 PM ET each day.

Probable starters for the series:

Tuesday, April 9: RHP Brandon Morrow vs. RHP Anibal Sanchez

Wednesday, April 10: LHP Mark Buehrle vs. RHP Rick Porcello

Thursday, Aptil 11: RHP Josh Johnson vs. RHP Doug Fister

The Blue Jays, like the Tigers, are a star-studded team with big fan expectations that has scuffled a bit out of the gate. Maybe more than a bit. Toronto’s team BA is .223 and OBP .295; fully half their runs (of 3.7 per game) are home runs, which doesn’t even include from home runs. Pitching? Team ERA of 4.82 and WHIP of 1.5. Compare Tigers: BA .282 & OBP .341 (but only 9 of 58 hits were XBH), ERA and WHIP of … um, OK, it’s a wash, 4.64 and 1.41. The Blue Jays have been sloppy defensively and erratic overall. The Tigers have been good defensively, and are technically without an error through 6 games (but we know better). Detroit’s major weakness has been a shaky bullpen, one game blown and two more put out of reach. If it’s less who you’re playing and more when you’re playing them, in Toronto’s favor is that they may choose this time to get it together. In Detroit’s favor is that the Jays will be attempting this in the face of better starting pitching than they’ve faced in three consecutive games so far this season. I like Tigers chances for a series win, myself. The Tigers have stolen as many bases as Toronto this year, by the way.

Brandon Morrow’s OPS-against vs. current Tigers (61 PA) is .635 vs. his career .695. He’s also struck out this bunch at a higher clip than his already impressive 9.6 K/9 would suggest. Anibal Sanchez’s OPS-against vs. current Blue Jays (113 PA) is .858 vs. his career .712, and he’s a bit more walk-happy against them as well. All this can only mean one thing: Anything. My guess is that Sanchez dominates and Morrow doesn’t make it through the 5th.

Back later with the post-game.

And now, may I present the up-to-the-minute and accurate starting lineups, courtesy of the wildly amusing and highly mobile…

POST-GAME: Detroit 7, Toronto 3. Wins don’t get much more satisfying than this. Sanchez got better as the game went on and showed off his considerable arsenal of pitches. Cabrera was just plain great.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Miguel Cabrera, Anibal Sanchez

HONORABLE MENTION: Don Kelly, Torii Hunter (who picked up career hit #2,000)

NOT SO GOOD: Jhonny Peralta, Joaquin Benoit

A turning point: Don Kelly’s tremendous HR-robbing catch of Arencibia’s smash to LF in  the 2nd. A potential turning point: Another questionable attempt to take an extra base by Hunter, nailed at the plate in the 3rd. The game winner: Miguel’s sneaky 2-out, 3-run HR in the 4th. Backbreaker: Izturis’s throwing error in the 8th.

2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.6: Yankees at Tigers

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When I first took a look at the schedule, I thought that the Tigers should be able to take each of the first 2 series, and get out of the gate 4-2. After a disappointing games 2 and 3, the Tigers can get to 4-2 with a sweep today, which would be the first regular season sweep of the Yankees since ’08, and first in Detroit since 2000.

The Tigers face Yankees ace CC Sabathia. In his career, Sabathia is 18-12 with a 4.43 ERA against the Tigers. Over his last 8 starts at Comerica, he’s 2-5 with a 6.80 ERA. Which segues nicely into my next point – is Sabathia losing his stuff?

Looking at Fangraphs Pitch f/x data, you can see that Sabathia’s fastball has lost a few mph. Early in his career he averaged about 94 mph and topped out at 99. Last year he averaged 92.4 and topped out at 96.3. He looked slow in spring training, and in the Yankees opener, his fastball averaged 89.9 mph and topped out at 91.3. I recognize that one game doesn’t make a sample size, but his 2011 and 2012 have begun the downward trend. I don’t know if he can reverse it at this point in time. As we’ve discussed here before, losing a few mph on your fastball is killer for a starting pitcher, and low 90s got Jose Valverde booted from the big leagues.

This is CC’s 10th time to match up against JV, he’s 4-4 with a 5.01 ERA. Both Cabrera (1.147 OPS) and Fielder (1.098) rake against CC. Peralta (1-17) not so much.

Let’s see if JV can pitch into the 6th today.

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

A few notes:

– Austin Jackson has led off each game by reaching base, and has scored 4 times. He has 7 runs scored in 5 games this season. And he’s Kd 2 while walking 3 times.

– ESPN did a touching article on Max Scherzer and his brother yesterday.

– I’ve gotta take back my “6.74” post yesterday. The Tigers bullpen ERA is actually a bit lower because none of the ERs were charged to Al Al yesterday, despite a 3.0 WHIP performance.

– Off day tomorrow – so root extra hard today.

Today’s Series Sweeping Lineup (coming soon – update, gotta jet, someone please post). I think we’ve established that Pena will be starting, look for Tuiasosopo to start in left.

 

2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.5: Yankees at Tigers

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Now that was a Hope Opener.

Like most of you, I surmise, I came into baseball consciousness well before the internet, streaming scores and instant updates. Growing up in Arlington, the only way I could get Tigers scores was to maybe catch a glimpse on the evening news (if I was allowed to stay up that late), or hopefully catch the “out of town scores” during the Rangers radio broadcast. I didn’t understand how they got those scores, but I wasn’t complaining. I don’t remember the TV guys being too concerned with the AL East back in the day (or AL Central post 1994). Typically, I did not get the Tigers score until the next morning when it was a race against my brother downstairs to grab the sports page and dive into the box scores. I used to stare at them for what seemed like an hour a day.

Then, however, there was the magic of the ballpark – and the out of town scoreboard. I didn’t quite understand how, but ballparks had mystical powers which allowed them to get updated scores every inning! And they would even let you know who was pitching (if you knew their numbers)! I yearned to see the wormhole in time which allowed the scoreboard guy at Arlington Stadium to get instant score updates; but I was content to just watch the numbers roll over.

Well, I went out to the Ballpark yesterday, and thanks to cell phone connectivity issues in crowded places, I was transported back to my childhood and found myself scoreboard watching. And it was fantastic.

2-0. Nice start.

2-3!?! I hate the Yankees!

5-3!!! There must have been a home run, right? 5th inning – I wonder if one of the big boys hit one out? Did Cabrera get another RBI?

6-3! That was fast. Maybe a solo shot? A double then single? Not enough time to load the bases and WP one in. When did I last check the scoreboard?

8-3. Final. I couldn’t wait to get home and read about it.

Just like I had hoped.

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

Remember that today’s game is the Fox Game of the Week.

1. Jackson, CF
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Dirks, LF
7. Peralta, SS
8. Avila, C
9. Santiago, 2B

2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.4: Yankees at Tigers

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Being a fan is tough. In baseball, even in the best years, it means you’re going to have at least 70 lousy baseball days, and a few dozen of those will rip your sports heart out.

I just want you to know, that however frustrated/angry/disappointed/amused you feel regarding yesterday’s bullpen (lack of) effort. I feel the same way.

Hope opener today. Short and Sweet for the Win.

I’m headed out to Rangers Ballpark for their home opener, someone please post the lineups when they are released.

2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.3: Tigers at Twins

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Since the big question going into the season was the Tiger bullpen, it was almost inevitable that the big topic of discussion early on would be bullpen problems. These sorts of things become self-perpetuating don’t they? At the first sign of trouble it becomes “see, look, it’s happening!”

I am not the only person who suspects that Jim Leyland really isn’t buying the Closer by Committee business, and is itching to slap the closer tag on the back of someone’s warmup jacket.  And if you were going to try one guy to start with, who better than Phil Coke, he of the postseason heroics?

Well, the first go of that did not work out so well.  Coke hung fastballs on two consecutive bottom of the order boys and before you knew it the Tigers’ bid for an undefeated season was finished at one game (that last fly by the way was frustratingly an almost-playable one).

It is hard to blame anyone for remembering what Coke did in the playoffs, but it is also worth remembering this: Coke gave up a .396 average against right-handed hitters last season. One of the advantages to a Closer by Committee system is the ability to play match ups. Maybe let’s give that a try.

The game yesterday was only partly about the bullpen though. The basic story was that the Tigers just didn’t score enough runs to win a Major League baseball game, struggling against the very ordinary Kevin Correia. In fact, the vaunted Tiger offense has managed to grind out a paltry season OPS of .542 so far. This won’t continue, although hopefully they won’t have to wait for warm weather.

The good news from yesterday: the Tigers’ starters now have a season ERA of 0.00, as Anibal Sanchez turned in 5 innings of two-hit baseball.  The rubber game mound belongs to Rick Porcello, he of the sparkling Spring Training.  So when he leaves the mound with the lead after 5 innings, try not to think “oh no, here it comes.”

Today’s Not-So-Fun Fact: Tiger left-handed hitters so far this season are 3-for-27 (.111), with an OPS of .291.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Don Kelly, who becomes the first bench player to get a start. The Donkey will bat 6th, naturally, because that is where the Left Fielder bats.

Today’s Chillin’ With DK Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson, CF
  2. Torii Hunter, RF
  3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
  4. Prince Fielder, 1B
  5. Victor Martinez, DH
  6. Don Kelly, LF
  7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
  8. Alex Avila, C
  9. Omar Infante, 2B
2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.2: Tigers at Twins

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Well after a day to savor their Opening Day victory, and to let Minneapolis warm up a bit (game time looks to be a relatively balmy 45), the Tigers hand the ball to Anibal and look to keep their perfect record intact.

Today’s Tigers-Twins game is also the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day.

While most of the talk about the opener was related to the bullpen use (or misuse, if you prefer). The play of the game may have been in the first inning, when the Tigers took an early lead and never looked back. After Austin Jackson led off with a single, he took off for 2nd, and Torii Hunter executed the hit-and-run to perfection, and before you knew it the Tigers had runners at the corners with nobody out.

As it turns out though, Jim Leyland said that there was no hit-and-run called on the play. Jackson was stealing second, and when Hunter saw the space open up between first and second he reacted; it was just something Hunter did on his own. I am looking forward to having a real #2 hitter this season, which the Tigers have been missing since the days of Placido Polanco (who, by the way, opened the season for the Marlins batting clean-up. Oh dear).

Speaking of the Marlins, the Tigers claimed pitcher Evan Reed off waivers from Miami and assigned him to Toledo. This tops off their 40-man roster at 40.

Today’s fun fact: According to Baseball Prospectus, the Tigers have a 76.1% chance of making the playoffs.  The Twins chances are a slim 0.9%.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Miguel Cabrera, who is 9-for-19 lifetime against Correia.

Today’s Undefeated Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson, CF
  2. Torii Hunter, RF
  3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
  4. Prince Fielder, 1B
  5. Victor Martinez, DH
  6. Andy Dirks, LF
  7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
  8. Alex Avila, C
  9. Omar Infante, 2B
2013 Season, Game Post

Game 2013.1: Tigers at Twins

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For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Once the turtle has had his say he is likely to duck back into his shell, and wait out the cold Minnesota winds there. But winter weather or not, it is still Opening Day, which should warm the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. Let’s Play Ball!!

Series Summary:

Mon Apr 1 4:10 pm: Verlander vs. Worley

Wed Apr 3 4:10 pm: Sanchez vs. Correia

Thurs Apr 4: 1:10 pm: Porcello vs. Pelfrey

Well, this looks to be a cold one (game time temperature is predicted to be 34, and that is before wind chill is figured in), so let’s get this out of the way now:  don’t worry, the Tigers will start hitting once the temperatures warm up.  There does seem to be a slight advantage to the pitchers in colder weather (slight).  Here are the average OPS numbers by month:

  • April .727
  • May .731
  • June .734
  • July .737
  • Aug .734
  • Sept/Oct .723

This particular Twins pitcher, Vance Worley, has the added advantage of being unfamiliar to the Tiger hitters: only 2 Tigers have faced him before, Prince Fielder (1-for-3) and Omar Infante (0-for-6). And I’m sure the Twins hitters wish they had never faced Justin Verlander before. Joe Mauer is the exception, who is a career .351 against Verlander (although it should be mentioned he was 0-for-6 last season).

Speaking of Verlander, his new contract carries a $22 million vesting option for 2020–and the deciding vesting clause is how he finishes in the 2019 Cy Young voting. If he makes the top 5, the contract vests. This could make for a rather uniquely suspenseful Cy Young vote

Today’s fun fact: today will be the first opening day in Target Field history.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Torii Hunter. Torii returns to the city (if not the stadium) of his heyday, and tries to start up a little Ducks on the Pond (or Ice).

Today’s Defending AL Champions Lineup:

  1. Austin Jackson, CF
  2. Torii Hunter, RF
  3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
  4. Prince Fielder, 1B
  5. Victor Martinez, DH
  6. Andy Dirks, LF
  7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
  8. Alex Avila, C
  9. Omar Infante, 2B

Today’s Seriously, We Have to Face Verlander in this Cold? Twins Lineup:

  1. Aaron Hicks, CF
  2. Joe Mauer, C
  3. Josh Willingham, LF
  4. Justin Morneau, 1B
  5. Ryan Doumit, DH
  6. Chris Parmalee, RF
  7. Trevor Plouffe, 3B
  8. Brian Dozier, 2B
  9. Pedro Florimon, SS
2013 Season, Previews

Spring Springs Hope

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Ahh, Opening Day. Every team is in first place. Every fan has hopes for the post season. If at least for one day.

I remember the start of the ’07 season. Coming off a 2006 WS appearance (which looked inevitable mid-season, impossible in September, and then undeniable in October), I hoped the addition of Gary Sheffield and another year of experience for Robertson, Maroth and Verlander would put the team in prime position for a return trip. But I was nervous, very much so. The ’06 playoff run felt like a perfect storm, and honestly, I didn’t think we could repeat it.

I remember the start of last season. A recent ALCS appearance. The addition of Fielder. JV coming off of one of the greatest pitching seasons in recent history. A very weak AL Central. “Detroit Tigers” essentially etched into the AL Central Crown in March. But I was nervous, very much so. We all saw Valverde’s decline in the playoffs. We all knew that Avila and Peralta had to regress. And the regular season played out that way. Heck, the overall tone of the discussions on this site last season anxious and skeptical, at best.

It seems as if that kind of nervous anticipation has been the rule around the team for a while…but this spring has been different. It’s as if in the past the Tigers had to prove that they were a good club, but know they know it. The spotlight (or lack thereof) has been on the team. The Hunter and Sanchez signings seem like an eternity ago. For all of the expectations and accompanying pressures of a WS team, this has been a relatively quiet spring. And I think this evidences the maturation of a club into a good one. This is reflected not only in the manner in which the team carries itself, but also in how the beat writers and fans approach the team. There really hasn’t been any negativity. The Bruce Rondon demotion was warranted, and perhaps planned long ago. In other seasons, such a hole would have sunk the ship. In fact, I can’t remember a spring so devoid of position battles and controversy; but I also can’t remember a team so stacked.

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

So on to the 2013 season.

’35, ’45, ’68, ’84. I find myself repeating those years at night like Arya Stark repeats her enemies; only I dream for more joyous thoughts.

Let’s have an objective discussion (as objective as a discussion on a blog dedicated solely to the Detroit Tigers can be) about the club. I’m going to avoid the obvious – Cabrera, JV, Fielder, etc. (Before I get going – there as a great article on Fangraphs a few days ago discussing Verlander’s new contract in comparison to those of Felix & Kershaw (contract coming soon), and other dominant pitchers in recent history. Jeff Sullivan ends with “Verlander Porn” which is JV making Asdrubel Cabrera look like a little leaguer. The comments are great as well.)

1) The Tigers have the best rotation in all of MLB. Or at least in the AL. Bless You Boys backed this claim up last December with a mass of sabermetric support, and I don’t think I could do it any better. Smoking Loon laid out his comparisons against the Central here. There’s a decent chance that Max Scherzer could get some Cy Young consideration this year. And it’s not ludicrous to think that Porcello can develop into a top of the rotation pitcher. But the great thing is, that even if Scherzer and Porcello simply stay within their expected range, the Tigers starters would be enough to carry this team throughout the season.

2) The Bullpen is better by subtraction. Benoit has been worth every bit of his $16.5M, and I think we all have confidence that Dotel can close. It’s arguable that Phil Coke should be given a chance to close based on his October alone. And Al Al may have the sickest stuff in the pen. If Rondon gets his act together, even better. But I don’t think we need him just yet.

3) The lineup is going to be a blast to watch day in and day out. If AJax can keep improving upon his plate discipline, 2012 will be the norm and he’ll be a superstar. Hunter and Martinez will be significant upgrades over those lineup spots last year, and history tells us that Avila and Peralta have to bounce back. But even if they don’t, this lineup is so deep that we can deal with those holes (though it would be difficult to justify Peralta anymore).

4) The defense will be better. Fielder and Cabrera are improving, and full seasons from Omar Infante, Torii Hunter (barring injury) and Andy Dirks will significantly improve the team defense.

A WS team is now better in every facet of the game, not to mention that Lamont is now on the bench.

Make sure you check out frequent commentor and numbers guru Lee Panas’ 10 predictions for Tigers Batters and Tigers Pitchers. Lee’s predicting 95 wins. I’ll go one better. A weak Central and 7 games against the Astros gets us to 96 wins, good for 2nd best record in the AL. Playoffs?…I’m hoping for one for the thumb.

2013 Season, AL Central

How the Central Was Won and Where It Got Us

One way of measuring the Tigers against the other AL Central teams is to judge which of those opposing players could crack Detroit’s lineup. These guys aren’t necessarily “better than,” but I would argue that they are all “as good as” or darned close. (This kind of comparison doesn’t really work for pitching staffs; if you disagree, by all means have a go at it yourself.)

C Joe Mauer* (TWINS), Carlos Santana (INDIANS), Salvador Perez (ROYALS)
1B
2B Jason Kipnis (INDIANS)
SS Asdrubal Cabrera (INDIANS), Alcides Escobar (ROYALS), Alexei Ramirez (WHITE SOX)
3B
LF Josh Willingham (TWINS), Alex Gordon (ROYALS), Michael Brantley (INDIANS)
CF Michael Bourn (INDIANS)
RF
DH Billy Butler (ROYALS)

Clearly, the Tigers have the best overall lineup. Defense is being considered here as well as hitting, in case you’re wondering. (The White Sox, however, deserve some honorable mentions in 1B Paul Konerko and their OF of Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza, and Alex Rios.) But Detroit thoroughly outclasses the rest of the division at only (or “only”) 3 positions. Close to it at 3 more, however. Yeah. Strong lineup. (The 900-run lineup, possibly.)

* Joe Mauer hasn’t been anything close to a full-time catcher since 2010, but a healthy Mauer gets the nod over Alex Avila. Admit it.

What does pitching (measured by team ERA) mean in the AL Central? Well, from 2008-2012, the division winner had the best team ERA 4 out of 5 times, and the ERA ranking matched the team’s position in the final standings 21 out of 25 times (I called the 2009 last place tie a wash), and the only somewhat significant flip-flop was 1st for 3rd in 2009.

Bullpens are volatile. I won’t attempt any detailed breakdown. (You try it.) On paper, Cleveland and Kansas City appear to come into the season with the best frontline bullpens, and the Tigers are in the muddle with the other 2 teams. On the other hand, the Tigers’ only rival for bullpen depth appears to be the White Sox. The bullpen shouldn’t be a weakness for Detroit, certainly. But bullpens are volatile.

No detailed breakdown is necessary to assert with confidence that the Detroit Tigers have the best starting rotation in the division. But I’ll line up ranked 1-5 starters (best on down, regardless of designated order position) to see who wins the statistical head-to-head just the same, TIGERS-ROYALS-WHITE SOX-TWINS-INDIANS:

#1. Verlander-Shields-Peavy-Diamond*-Jimenez
#2. Scherzer-Santana-Sale-Worley-Masterson
#3. Fister-Davis-Danks*-Correia-McAllister
#4. Sanchez-Guthrie-Floyd-Pelfrey-Myers
#5. Porcello-Mendoza-Quintana-Hendriks/DeVries-Kazmir

* Currently on DL.

Certainly Jake Peavy, Chris Sale, and James Shields give their Tigers counterparts a bit of a run for their money. (JV? A bit, I said.) But it’s not home bias that makes me call the Tigers starters the unequivocal class of the division. Kansas City and Chicago run a rather distant second. On paper, only a divisional All-Star rotation (Shields-Peavy-Sale-Santana-umm…-Diamond or Danks or Davis, let’s say) could compete. There again, paper doesn’t get sore or injured. Let us hope for unusual good fortune as far as the flesh and blood arms (and other parts) of all Tigers pitchers are concerned.

There isn’t much correlation between team defensive statistics and making the playoffs. The Tigers had a remarkably bad defensive year in 2012 by a number of measures (check out team DP, rTot, and DefEff on baseball-reference – ugh). From 2008 to 2010, Detroit was actually quite strong defensively. 2011 was poor (went to ALCS) and 2012 was abysmal (went to WS) – go figure. While the Chicago White Sox appear to be the class of the division in defense, and any of the other teams are possibly superior to the Tigers, let’s not worry about it. Poor defense taxes pitching, true, but the Tigers won 88 in 2012 regardless, and with Infante and Hunter added, the defense will unquestionably be better.

Now, since the only gateway to the playoffs from the AL Central would seem to be winning the division – and consider the “Astros Effect” this season, which could well send as many as 3 teams from the AL West to playoff spots – it would help and possibly behoove the Tigers to beat up on their divisional rivals, to the tune of 50-26, say. (They were 50-22 in 2011.) But is there really a correlation between how the Tigers fare in the division and how they finish in the standings? In a word, yes. From 2008 to 2012, Detroit has played very close to .500 ball outside the division each and every season (and something like .501 cumulatively). The divisional record has made the difference, best records corresponding exactly to best finishes. So, I’m counting on the Tigers to make the following happen:

DET 99-63 (let’s not get greedy)
KCR 85-77 (held back from glory only by those mean, mean Tigers)
CLE 83-79 (ah, my kingdom for a starting rotation)
MIN 79-83 (the Miracle Twins)
CHW 70-92 (sometimes standing pat bodes ill)

This (the part that counts, anyway) will require a 49-37 record against the rest of MLB. Doable? Imagine the Tigers blowing through Houston (7 games) and Miami (3 games), and yes, I think it is.

Your AL Central outlook and predictions?

2013 Season, Roster Management, Spring Training

2013 Roster Is Set

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STARTERS: C Avila, 1B Fielder, 2B Infante, SS Peralta, 3B Cabrera, LF Dirks, CF Jackson, RF Hunter, DH Martinez.

BENCH: C Pena, IF Santiago, IF/OF Kelly, IF/OF Tuiasosopo.

ROTATION: Verlander, Sanchez, Fister, Scherzer, Porcello, RHPs all (the precise order remains undisclosed as far as I know).

BULLPEN: RHPs Dotel, Benoit, Alburquerque, Villareal; LHPs Coke, Downs, Smyly.

To the delight of some and the dismay of others, Quintin Berry was optioned to Toledo and Don Kelly made the team. In news that surprised no one, Bruce Rondon, Luis Marte, and Danny Worth were also sent to Toledo. There’s still a chance Ramon Santiago gets traded soon, but it’s a very slim chance indeed. That slimness is diminished still further by the question: Traded for what and who, exactly? Prospects? A draft pick? The Tigers are set. Until further notice.

The lame duck session of spring training has commenced. Only 2 Grapefruit League games remain to be played. (The Tigers can still get to 20 wins. Woo-hoo!) If there’s anything left to look for or at in them, please tell us what it is. I’m really, really tired of those Jaguar commercials. Is that going to go on all season? (Sorry. I guess that was another Jaguar commercial.)

I’m entirely pleased with the pitching staff selections. (Really happy to see Justin Verlander make the team.) I’m somewhat less than pleased by half of the bench, but must grant that the odds of Kelly hitting respectably are greater than those of Matt Tuiasosopo (one of “my” candidates and an even better feel-good story than Kelly ever was) continuing to rake in limited ABs, not to mention proving in the first place that he can hit MLB pitching when it counts.

It will be “closer by committee” to begin the season, apparently. Think that’s gonna last long? It could, you know, although I don’t think Jim Leyland would be happy with it.

What about the order of the starting rotation? Is that significant to you? Care to speculate?

Here’s a fun one: Guess the first 10 roster moves of the season. Including DL stints. As I go over the more likely DL, sent down, and called up scenarios, the good news is that I can’t think of a single DFA candidate. I suppose that if Santiago had an unfathomably horrid first couple months, he might be designated for assignment, but that is even less likely than a trade.

Are the Detroit Tigers ready? I think the Detroit Tigers are ready. The question is, is the rest of MLB ready for them? Right?

2013 Season, Roster Management, Spring Training

Late Spring Roundup

36 Comments

Lots of news over the past 4-5 days. You’re already aware of these items, most likely, but here’s a little roundup to “put them in the paper,” so to speak:

ROSTER MOVES: IF Jeff Kobernus was sent back to the Nationals. The Tigers retained the rights to Rule 5 LHP Kyle Lobstein by trading C Curt Casali to the Rays for them. IF/OF Matt Tuiasosopo has made the team and claimed a bench spot. Today, RHP Luke Putkonen was optioned to Toledo, while RHP Jose Alvarez, C Brad Davis, and 3B Kevin Russo were assigned to minor league camp, and OF Avisail Garcia was placed on the 15-day DL retroactively (heel contusion that he suffered March 16). The Tigers also released a boatload of minor league players, 20 to be exact.

More of a roster decision than a roster move, but Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly will both be on the pitching staff, Porcello in the rotation and Smyly in the pen.

It looks like there’s a decision to be made on Don Kelly (RHP Shawn Hill will likely be sent out to Toledo soon) and then 3 spots left to trim to 25. On the bubble, most likely, are pitchers Bruce Rondon, Darin Downs, and Luis Marte, and position players Danny Worth, Quintin Berry, and Ramon Santiago. One of the former and two of the latter (barring Kelly’s return) should head north with the team.

DON KELLY: But wait – there’s news on Mr. Don. He’s not opting out. This isn’t bad news, regardless of your position on Kelly.

JV: The Justin Verlander contract extension talks deadline is nearly upon us.

VIRGIL TRUCKS 1917-2013: Not only two no-hitters, but…

EX-TIGERS: Brandon Inge (Pirates) and Ryan Raburn (Indians) will both start the season on MLB teams, and the Tigers could end up seeing quite a bit of both of them.

ANDY DIRKS has been out of the starting lineup the last couple games, just a “precautionary measure” (related to the knee contusion Dirks suffered in the March 19 LF wall collision) according to Jim Leyland.

And in Grapefruit League action the past couple days, a little road trip resulted in a win over the Marlins and a loss to the Braves. I’ll be back with some items of note from those games. If you watched them, chime in. It’s still spring training, they’re still exhibition games, but they’re getting a bit more momentous now (aren’t they?) with less than a week to go until you know what.

TIGERS 6, MARLINS 3: The Miami Marlins don’t feature the most imposing lineup, but still, Porcello looked good, Brayan Villareal was good Villareal (three groundouts showing that the benefit of well-thrown heat doesn’t always show up in the K column), and Putkonen did a nice job getting out of the first and third, no outs trouble he got himself into in the 9th… The first pitch curve Porcello threw to Wilson Alvarez in the 3rd was really something to see (backed Alvarez out of the box and landed for a strike)… Rob Brantly’s home run was pretty much all to his credit, not a bad pitch by Porcello, though maybe not one he’ll throw Brantly again… The foul pop in the 3rd that Miguel Cabrera couldn’t find in the sun: Shouldn’t someone have been over there with him – Avila, maybe? It was up there long enough. Oh well. Maybe no one saw it. And speaking of “up there,” Cabrera’s RBI double in the 1st wasn’t your typical Cabrera double. Giancarlo Stanton must have been positioned in LF for that to drop and bounce over the wall… Brayan Pena made some nice plays at first, and the Tigers defense was nice and crisp overall. Coolest was in the 4th, when Casey Kotchman’s sharp grounder was deflected by a diving Pena to (or near) Omar Infante, who found it and threw in time to Porcello racing over to cover 1B… Most of the early 4-run damage the Tigers did was from RHBs off a RHP who wasn’t coming inside to them… Steven Moya’s 6th inning sliding catch in RF: That’s one graceful 6’7″ guy. I like this kid. Latest prediction: In the Tigers outfield by 2015. If he stays healthy… Nice inning of (sort of wild) small ball in the Tigers 2-run 7th. Kotchman had Russo nailed at the plate, but Brantly was cautious and Russo was tricky with hesitation and a good evasive slide. We won’t mention Moya getting caught in a rundown between 3rd and home to end the inning.

BRAVES 6, TIGERS 5: Not on MLB.TV. Oh well. The bullpen let this one get away after one rally and another. Hill, Rondon, Phil Coke, all good. Villareal one HR pitch away from being OK, I guess. Octavio Dotel was making up for WBC lost time and decided to save some by having one great outing and one flameout, both in the same inning. Don Kelly 4 for 4! Trade value soaring. All the bench contenders are now batting over .300.

2013 Season, Game Post, Spring Training

Tigers 9, Mets 4

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Doug Fister turned in another rather belabored start (88 pitches in 4.2 and not a great strike ratio) but avoided getting hammered, and Tigers hitters – the A-team regular season lineup – were able to solve the Mets’s talented young righty Matt Harvey just enough to keep Fister ahead. The Tigers jumped all over Brandon Lyon in the 7th, to the tune of 5 runs, putting the game out of reach. There was a constant strong wind blowing out to right at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie that had some effect on the game, but not in terms of home runs, surprisingly enough, with Don Kelly’s shot off Lyon the one and only. Some games elsewhere in central Florida were stopped on account of even stronger winds. The Tigers improved to 17-11 in the Grapefruit League with the 9-4 victory, their third straight win, while the Mets fell to 12-12.

1ST INNING: The much-ballyhooed Harvey (10.6 K/9 in his 2012 rookie season) humbled the top of Detroit’s order right away, with 3 consecutive punch-outs, including a called third strike on Miguel Cabrera. Fister issued a leadoff walk to New York’s weak-hitting Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who made it as far as third base but no further. Cabrera made a nifty play on the good sacrifice bunt by Justin Turner, and Prince Fielder made a nice recovery on a bad hop grounder that he bobbled but stayed in front of.

2ND INNING: The Tigers began to make contact – hard contact – and Harvey struggled with his control, issuing two consecutive walks and handing Omar Infante a bases-loaded RBI on one of them. Mets CF Matt den Dekker limited the inning’s damage considerably by running down Victor Martinez’s shot to deep right-center in Quintin Berry-esque fashion (so said because AJax makes it look easier). Detroit was forced to settle for one run when Austin Jackson popped out to the catcher with the bases still loaded. Fister sandwiched alternating walks – another leadoff one – and strikeouts to get into trouble for the first time, and then two wild pitches followed to first advance the runners and then score the tying run. The first WP was really a case of Alex Avila phoning it in as catcher, while the second appeared to be a matter of signals getting crossed, though again Avila’s effort was questionable (and Fister didn’t even attempt to cover home plate for some reason).

3RD INNING: Torii Hunter reached second on 2B Turner’s throwing error, and a weak but productive at bat by Cabrera advanced him to 3B. Fielder’s broken-bat single plated Hunter to make it 2-1, but Martinez grounded into a DP to kill what was shaping up to be a nice “make them pay” inning. Fister was touched with a couple hard liners by Turner and Ike Davis that tied the score at 2, but bailed himself out by inducing a Marlon Byrd 6-4-3 DP.

4TH INNING: Detroit came up with a pair of two-out runs to recapture the lead, staying out of the DP nicely with a stolen base from Jhonny Peralta. Infante’s gap shot into right-center was misjudged by a diving and missing den Dekker into an RBI triple. Harvey had gotten away with a mistake pitch in Jackson’s first AB, but not this time, as Jackson scorched a 2-0 fastball to left for a double and the 4-2 lead. Fister gave up a hard single and then erased the Mets with a couple grounders.

5TH INNING: Cabrera, not having much of a day at the plate, reached nonetheless on SS Omar Quintanilla’s error. Martinez ended the inning with another GIDP. One might ask whether the Tigers, with pinch runner (for Cabrera) Danny Worth on 1B, couldn’t have tried harder to stay out of the DP here. After two quick outs, Fister began to hurry his pace. Never a good sign, whether it’s between pitches or in the delivery itself. A walk and a single followed, and Fister’s day was done. Darin Downs came in with men on first and third. Skating on thin ice, as is his wont, Downs ran the count to 3-1 on LHB Davis before getting a hard hit ball straight at Jackson in CF for the out.

6TH INNING: Peralta drew a walk from Bobby Parnell after falling behind 0-2, but Avila followed with an inning-ending GIDP. Al Alburquerque, after getting burned by a first-pitch double by Byrd, struck out the side. Sub RF Berry’s fleet pursuit to the RF line on the Byrd double probably saved a base.

7TH (KEY) INNING: The new Mets battery of Lyon and Landon Powell came on, and the Tigers proceeded to rock Lyon without delay. Infante hit a liner that went untouched past 3B Brandon Hicks – a bad-effort error that wasn’t scored that way – and hustled it into a double. Jackson followed with a wind-blown drive to deep CF, and CF den Dekker must have misjudged where the wall was, leaping for the ball, gloving and dropping it, before coming down in a heap upon his wrist (he had to leave the game). Jackson, meanwhile, stood on 3B with an RBI triple. Berry slapped an RBI single to right-center. Sub 3B Worth slammed a pitch into the left-center gap that was cut off nicely by LF Andrew Brown, and basepath hesitation by Berry would have had him thrown out at home but for C Powell’s mishandled catch of the relay throw. As it was, Worth was on second with a double, and the score was 7-2 Tigers. Kelly followed on the very next pitch from Lyon with a two-run homer to right-center. The wind might have helped a bit, but it was a very well-hit ball and something of a reminder to the Kelly naysayers (like me). It took a bang-bang (or more accurately, bang-bloop, with expert timing on the latter) 1B Davis-P Lyon play to get Martinez for the first out of the inning (hard to see the Tigers turning that one). Sub LF Matt Tuiasosopo finished Lyon’s day with a near-homer CF double off the wall. Sub SS Ramon Santiago greeted Scott Atchison with a single, but the Tigers threat ended with runners at the corners on weak outs by sub C Brayan Pena and Infante (10th batter of the inning). Jose Alvarez pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half.

8TH INNING: Atchison, also rather tough on the Tigers while with the Red Sox, retired the side on strikes. In the bottom half, Alvarez’s fastball started looking flat and the Mets began to hit him hard. Turner, Tigers ST nemesis, whacked a double after falling behind 0-2. Sub RF Cory Vaughan singled in Turner, and sub SS Matt Reynolds doubled to left to narrow the Tigers lead to 9-4 before Luis Marte came in to strike out Hicks for the third out. Tuiasosopo booted the LF double, but no damage done – it was an RBI double one way or the other.

9TH INNING: The Mets sent out minor league southpaw Jack Leathersich, who struggled with his control and possibly his nerves as well but who also recovered nicely. The Tigers loaded the bases on two walks and a Santiago single, but for the second time in two innings two weak outs by Pena and Infante ended the threat. Marte pitched what could be a called a Jose Valverde (of old) 9th, three well-hit but harmless outs, all to RF Berry, who seemed a bit shallow and out of position on the first one, considering the strength of the wind out to right. Berry did make a fun show out of his backpedaling, as he seems to do with most of his putouts.