This thing where JV gets better as the game goes along makes me question his pre-game routine. But he was good. Hat tip to Tomlin. He was better.
It’s just one loss guys, it’s still early. We’ll get ’em today.
Got to head out, someone please post the lineup.
It’s the 9th inning, 3 run lead, time to bring in the closer. After 1 quick out, there is a single, then a home run. The fans have seen this before this season, is this another late-inning collapse? Luckily, the team still manages to sqeak out a 1-run lead.
No, this is not the Tigers and Francisco Rodriguez, it’s the Reds and closer JJ Hoover. The difference between the Tigers and the Reds though is that the Reds are used to having a Closer, the lights-out Aroldis Chapman. The Tigers are used to…well, Soria, Nathan, Benoit, Valverde, Rodney, Jones, etc. They seem to have a knack for signing very good closers exactly one year past their prime (except for Valverde, from whom they got one very good year). So, Reds manager Bryan Price had seen enough, and Hoover is out as the closer. Rodriguez will be the Detroit closer until…when? Until he retires from baseball? Last night was about the 3rd time he has had absolutely nothing out there, not even the strike zone. Two home runs and two walks in the 9th inning? Even Papa Grande is shaking his head.
Not to take away from what Jordan Zimmerman did. He is now sitting on a cool 3-0, 0.00 stat line, and quietly thumbing his nose at the Nationals.
The Tigers are national again, on FS1. If this one goes bad, the Red Wings are on. Fox Sports Detroit.
Today’s When Doves Cry Lineup:
Collins gets a start in center, because, why not? Oh, because Gose is 5-for-11 off of Volquez. But hey, it was a scheduled day off and whatnot. Watch out for Upton, who is 8-for-17 against Volquez.
To say that there were problems with runners in scoring position last night would be an understatement, but the good news is: lots of runners in scoring position. You couldn’t ask for much more than to twice have Miguel Cabrera step in with the bases loaded and less than two outs, and couldn’t have been more surprised that he struck out both times, the 2nd on 5 consecutive change up pitches (!). A .255 BA / .735 OPS is decent enough for most baseball mortals, but for Cabrera it definitely qualifies as a cold start. As far as WAR goes—which in the best of times is a statistic that triggers arguments, but at this time of the season is more of a curiosity—Cabrera is coming in with a lean 0.2, tied for 8th best on the team with Kyle Ryan.
One odd thing I noticed looking at how Cabrera has done in the past with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 out, with everything else he has done, he has never exactly been a sacrifice fly machine; last season he only had 2. The Tiger leaders were Victor Martinez with 7, Castellanos with 6, and Kinsler with 5.
Tonight they try again, with Jordan Zimmerman (2-0, 0.00) taking on Ian Kennedy, who has a WHIP of only 0.73 after 2 starts. Runs may be at a premium tonight.
Today’s Lineup:
About that lineup…
So far this season Justin Upton’s strikeout rate has been high enough to make Brandon Inge look like a contact hitter, which is not exactly helpful in the #2 spot, is it? Is it worth trying Kinsler/Iglesias at the 1/2 spots (in either order)? Iglesias is 2nd on the team with a .400 On Base Percentage, and has a history of putting the ball in play, along with better than average speed. That sounds like a top of the order guy.
The Tigers jump on I-45 and pedal from Houston to Kansas City, where they take on the reigning kings of the division.
Shane Greene takes the mound for the Tigers against Yordano Ventura, who has been having control problems, which usually means trouble for Detroit. Greene has been solid, in both his start and relief appearance, and is starting the season with an impressive 0.857 WHIP.
Baseball Reference game preview.
Ian Kinsler has had a hot bat lately, and as Kevin pointed out, figures he might as well sell them too, teaming up with a Detroit music legend to do so. Here is the Rolling Stone version of the story. But don’t confuse Kinsler’s black bat with the Black Bat Licorice; Jack don’t like that stuff. This venture still can’t compete for Detroit musician/athlete collaborations with Lem Barney and Mel Farr with Marvin Gaye. A nice story here if you don’t mind a sidetrack from Tiger business: Marvin Gaye’s tryout with the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
Blaine Hardy returns from a left shoulder impingement (why does that term make me worry that I have a bunch of “impingements” of which I am not aware?). Logan Kensing was designated for assignment to make room for Hardy. The addition of Hardy, along with Wilson and Ryan, give the Tigers a bit of a lefty-heavy relief group.
Tonight’s Royal Pain of a Lineup:
Castellanos had another nice series at Houston, going 5-for-12, but takes the bench for Aviles tonight.
Despite the abundance of inconveniences posed by the two toddlers who dominate my house, I was able to watch most of this game. A few observations:
1) Topping out a 94 on his FB is going to make for a long season for JV. He’s throwing it less and less, with good cause, but man, he’s gotta hit 95/96 on occasion. He doesn’t have the command to just “pitch.”
2) Props to the pen. 3 IP, 1 H, 2 Ks. That was a dominant pen. Good to have Wilson back.
3) The Tigers had 16 baserunners and went 2-12 with RISP. This was a hot topic last year, but as I pointed out, we were decent w/RISP last year (.265/.768 OPS). If they continue to put men on base like that, they’ll win more than they lose.
4) I think that when Castellanos was thrown out at 3rd, it should have been a ground rule double. The center fielder put up his arms. Castellanos was running all the way, but I’m wondering if he figured he had nothing to lose. Not sure what the rule is there on when an OFer signals like that.
5) Cabrera is going to be just fine.
Sanchez takes the mound in today’s rubber match. Game preview here.
Well, we’re one inning (1/9th) into the season, and we’re 3 games over. I’ll take it. Play anywhere close to like this for the remainder of the season, and there will be October baseball.
Now, it’s early, but let’s take a look at a few of the key concerns coming into the season:
1) The bullpen – the bullpen has been less than stellar. The pen ERA is 3.34, but the WHIP is 1.48 and BAA is .301. Those peripheral stats are cause for concern. We’ll revisit after another 9 games.
2) Verlander – JV has been downright awful. It’s only 2 starts, but 7 Ks to 4 BBs in 10.1 IPs is a concern. WAAAAAY too many flyballs (.38 GO/AO). Today is important.
3) VMart – VMart could use a few more hits, but the power looks to be there. So far so good.
4) Bottom of the rotation – Pelfrey was fantastic yesterday, and about what we expected in his first start. Greene was solid in his only start thus far. Too early to tell.
The DTW faithful generally find it easier to complain than to praise, but that’s what the site is here for. There are going to be many worse “innings” than 6-3, so I’m thrilled with the start.
Alex Wilson back up, Farmer down.
JV climbs the hill shortly. Baseball Reference Game Preview here.
1. 2B Ian Kinsler
2. LF Justin Upton
3. 1B Miguel Cabrera
4. DH Victor Martinez
5. RF J.D. Martinez
6. 3B Nick Castellanos
7. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
8. CF Anthony Gose
9. SS Jose Iglesias
Today the Tigers finish off their 4-game set with the Pirates, as they take the field at the unfashionable early time of 12:35, which may have caught some napping.
The Tigers have an opportunity to get to 4-0 already against National League teams in National League parks. (Last season they went 6-4).
Is it too soon to worry about Cabrera’s hitting? (Yes. But still). The light .423 slugging % and swinging at bad pitches both seem uncharacteristic. I am still waiting to see how much fun it is when the streaky Justin Upton gets hot while Cabrera is in characteristic form.
Today’s Early Bird Lineup:
The hot-hitting Saltalamacchia takes the Castellanos seat on the bench today, as the Tigers give newly-acquired Bobby Wilson a shot at catching. Andrew Romine gives Iglesias the day off at shortstop. Jordan Zimmerman takes the mound hoping that the top half of the order can give him some runs.
Today the Tigers hop on the train to Pittsburgh, to finish off that annual MLB-manufactured-rivalry home-and-home thing with the Pirates. By the end of this series the Tigers will have started the season with 67% of their games as Interleague games, and 44% of them playing without the DH.
Today’s Interleagueal Lineup:
Shane Greene has never had a hit or a sacrifice in his career. No matter, Gates Martinez is on the bench for late-inning heroics.
Today’s lineup.
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Justin Upton, LF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
8. Anthony Gose, CF
9. Jose Iglesias, SS
Well, the Tigers find themselves 8 days into the regular season with only 4 games played, due to some scheduling quirks and a rain-out (cold-out) last night. But that just means lots more baseball to come. Three other teams have only managed 4 games played thus far as well. If you can’t tell, I hate it when we don’t get a full slate the first week of the season.
Anyway, first pitch for the Pirates series is just about 30 minutes away. Verlander gets his second start after a so-so first start. JV was dominant through 5 innings last week, and really pitched better than the final box score demonstrated, but last week’s 6th inning was all too reminiscent of last year’s struggles.
Two game set in Detroit followed by two more in Pittsburgh.
Today’s lineup:
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Justin Upton, LF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. James McCann, C
8. Tyler Collins, CF
9. Jose Iglesias, SS
So much for that nationally televised game, as April in the D continues to be a cold and rainy one. No makeup date has been announced yet. Monday we are back to interleague play (Again already? What’s up with that?), weather permitting of course.
It seems almost inevitable at this time of year that the Tigers aren’t quite living up to expectations at the plate, and that it is almost obligatory to throw out the old cliche, they will start hitting better once the weather warms up. Columns, blogs, comments, you find this everywhere, often accompanied with the old one about how, you know, Latin players can’t be expected to play well until it is 90 degrees or something.
Well it was 29 at game time yesterday, and the Tiger bats seemed just fine, as Nick Castellanos (Florida native) went 4-for-4, Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) hit his first home run of the season, and Jose Iglesias (Cuba) knocked in a key insurance run. The Yankee bats were ice cold though, as Jordan Zimmerman (Wisconsin), Justin Wilson, and Kyle Ryan (short sleeves!) held the Yankees to 3 hits and no runs.
Today is another chilly one, as the Tigers send out Mike Pelfrey for his Tiger debut, and the Tigers face old nemesis C.C. Sabathia., as flurries begin to fall on Comerica Park.
Today’s Chill Lineup:
Pitching: Mike Pelfrey
This was a scheduled day off for Nick Castellanos, and a chance to get Mike Aviles some action. But do you really want to pull a guy who just went 4-for-4? Schedules can always be changed. Brad Ausmus acknowledges that he considered that, but thinks that sticking with the plan is the best thing in the long run.
