Category Archives: Injuries

2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Rehab and Minor League Wrap 8/4/09

Toledo 10 Buffalo 6
Nate Robertson started and went 2.2 innings. He allowed 1 a run on 4 hits, including a homer, with 2 K’s. Jeremy Bonderman went 1 perfect inning throwing 13 pitches. He was in the high 80’s and mostly threw a slider. Max St. Pierre homered again as part of a 4 for 4 day. Jeff Frazier and Mike Hessman each had 3 hits and Scott Sizemore had 2.

New Britain 2 Erie 7
Michael Bertram homered, singled, and walked. Casper Wells had 2 hits and a walk. Cale Iorg homered. Jonah Nickerson went the distance despite not striking out a single batter.

Lakeland 0 Tampa 4
Jordan Newton and Audy Ciriaco doubled. Charlie Furbush fanned 4 and walked 3 in 5 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits.

South Bend 6 West Michigan 0
Brayan Villarreal started and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 K’s.

Jameston 5 Oneonta 3
John Murrian and Alexis Espinoza each had 2 hit games. Jose Siso allowed 5 runs in 5 innings, but only 2 were earned. Kevan Hess pitched 3 shutout innings allowing just a walk and a hit.

GCL Tigers 2 GCL Pirates 3
Julio Rodriguez doubled. Ramon Lebron walked 5 and fanned 5 in 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits.

2009 Season, Injuries, Pitching, Statistics

Infirmary report and other thoughts

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Aside from Joel Zumaya’s season ending surgery, the news is actually pretty good on the injury front. So much so that the only wound licking to take place should be residual pain of a 2-4 road trip.

  • Carlos Guillen, already swinging a productive stick from the left side, could be playing in left field by the end of the week. Now Guillen in left isn’t necessarily good news from a defensive perspective but it also means he isn’t locked into the DH role. Beck’s Blog: Guillen close to playing in field
  • Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson had good reports the day following their simulated game and head out on rehab assignment. Both will be in Toledo starting Tuesday (so the Mud Hens should eat well) with the goal to stretch Robertson out as a starter while Bonderman will be pitching out of the pen. I wouldn’t expect Robertson back before September 1st when the rosters expand. Tigers Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson to pitch in Toledo on Tuesday | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
  • After Saturday’s effort I’m in no hurry to bump Porcello from the rotation, but the addition of either pitcher, or someone else after September 1st could help to curtail Porcello’s workload down the stretch. With a bigger roster to work with Leyland could do some split starts with Porcello if need be.
  • Brandon Inge’s balky knees have bothered him less of late due to a change in his treatment regimen, and the fact he’s been working with a specialist on a way to put the pain out of his mind.
  • Gerald Laird has been the Tigers best baserunner. Who knew? Tiger Tales: A Detroit Tigers Blog: Gerald Laird Leads Tigers in Base Running
  • Speaking of Gerald Laird, i was wondering if he might have any soft of advantage working with Jarrod Washburn since they spent several years in the AL West together. Turns out Laird only has 16 plate appearances against him. And in case you were wondering, Luke Scott is only 1 for 3 off of Washburn lifetime. 
  • Finally, a look at Rick Porcello’s awesome outing through the lens of pitch f/x. Fire Jim Leyland: Rick Porcello’s Start Through PITCHf/x
2009 Season, Injuries

Oh them injured arms

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Two injured Tigers pitchers are on the way back, and one is on the way back to Alabama.

Joel Zumaya

Zumaya started to feel pain again in his shoulder and with that comes a “diagnostic” trip to see Dr. James Andrews. There is a possibility that Zumaya will need surgery to clean up bone shards that is a part of last year’s stress fracture.

While I hope for the best for Zumaya, this story is probably a non-factor for the Tigers and their chances this year. If Zumaya can come back that’s great, but it shouldn’t even factor into the Tigers plans one way or the other.

Jeremy Bonderman

Rod and Mario mentioned during the telecast that Bonderman was set to pitch a simulated game prior to the Indians game on Friday. Bonderman is supposedly feeling great and Dave Dombrowski has said that a bullpen role could be in Bonderman’s future. With Porcello’s recent struggles and the uncertainty around what Luke French can contribute down the stretch, I have to think the Tigers need to at least explore Bondo starting down the stretch.

Nate Robertson

Robertson, like Bonderman will throw a simulated game before the weekend. Robertson is recovering from a procedure to clean out his elbow. I have no idea if it would be a successful endeavor, but the Tigers should look at an extended rehab session for Robertson to stretch him out as well.

Fu-Te Ni and Bobby Seay have made a nice left-handed tandem out of the pen and I can’t see Robertson dislodging either one of them at the moment. The mission to make him a starter does a)buys the team more time with him in the minors and b) if he pitches well it’s another potential starting option.

2009 Season, Injuries, Trade Rumors

Frustration

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When things start to get really dire for the Tigers, I usually use this space to try and provide some perspective. This isn’t only for you the reader, but for me the Tigers fan as well. I’m really having to scrounge for perspective right now as the team has tanked since the All Star Break and have surrendered sole possession of 1st place.

There are cliches that I can always employ, about it being a long season and what not. It rings a little bit hollow today though. But…it is a long season. Losing 4 out of 5 games 2-1 is freakishly consistently bad. So freakishly and consistently bad it is hard to sustain – which could be the good news. As is usually the case, when the team is playing bad it is easy to assume things will stay bad or get worse. Just like when things are going well, people can’t imagine the team tanking.

It’s hard to believe that the offense will get better given what has been on display lately, but it will. Everything is going wrong when the Tigers are at the dish, everything won’t continue to go wrong. The team will score more runs and it is probably not best to make rash decisions based on 6 games. Of course this isn’t just a 6 game thing. The offense has been bad for a month and isn’t showing signs of getting better.

I’d like to see the Tigers add a bat as much as anyone, but the bulk of the improvement will need to come from the current roster. I don’t know what Clete Thomas will provide, or Ryan Raburn, or Marcus Thames. But I still believe that Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, and Miguel Cabrera will produce more than they have been. Beyond that where can the Tigers find help?

Carlos Guillen

I don’t think the Tigers are putting all their eggs in the Carlos Guillen basket, but it’s worth checking out the Guillen basket before surrendering limited resources for another basket. Guillen is close to coming back, I think he’ll be back for Saturday’s game and the Tigers sent scout Dick Egan to see Guillen’s 3 hit night tonight. He doesn’t have the extra base hits yet, but he’s been on base in half of his plate appearances.

The problem with Guillen though is that he is likely limited to DH duties as he hasn’t played the field on his rehab assignment. That means the at-bats would come from some combination of Raburn and Thames, two of the hitters that have been producing somewhat. It could also mean the end of Josh Anderson.

Trade

The non-waiver trade deadline is fast approaching, but I think the deadline isn’t that critical. I’d anticipate that a number of players would clear waivers and be movable until August 31st. Of course the trade deadline is the MLB sanctioned portion of a deadline. The Tigers may feel the need to accelerate the timeline if they continue to struggle. Matt Holliday has been a hot rumor, and the Tigers have expressed interest, but it doesn’t seem that the Tigers are willing to meet the A’s price. And for a farm system that isn’t exactly flush, the Tigers probably shouldn’t wipe it out. At least not for this team.

I don’t think this is a World Series team, but they are a team that is strong enough to compete and make the playoffs. I don’t think that Holliday would push them into the WS team category either.

But the Tigers do need to remain competitive. The Tigers have a ton of payroll, and will next year as well. The best thing for business would be a sustained pennant race and not a firesale (which I’ve heard people calling for already). They are going to be limited in terms of cost cutting, but they do have a chance for a nice revenue bump. Attendance is down 10K, but that is off a record setting year. Attendance is still quite good relative to the AL and the Tigers own history.

The Inge Factor

And then there are Inge’s knees. They are in bad shape, though there seems to be a little confusion on the actual injury. Inge said one was 75% torn, but I don’t know that is accurate. Kevin Rand said there were significant microtears, which is different than the condition that Inge was describing which would be more of a ruptured tendon. In any case, he’s not moving well and the Tigers don’t have great options to take his place either in the field or the lineup. The situation either makes getting a bat more important, or perhaps it changes the focus of what they are looking for.

2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7/22/09

Syracuse 3 Toledo 2
Brent Dlugach went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles. Jeff Frazier doubled twice. Wilkin Ramirez homered, but fanned 4 times. Carlos Guillen went 1 for 3 with 2 walks. Brooks Brown allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks with 3K’s in 7 innings.

Erie – suspended in the 4th inning

Lakeland 8 Jupiter 6
Michael Bertram and Chris Carlson both doubled and singled. William Alvino went 3 for 4 wiht 2 doubles. Lauren Gagnier allowed 6 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings.

West Michigan 4 Quad Cities 0
Ben Guez homered. Jordan Lennerton went 3 for 4. Brandon Hamilton pitched 6 shutout innings, fanning 4, walking 2 and only allowing 3 hits.

Batavia 7 Oneonta 6
Michael Rockett tripled twice and is hitting 342/370/475 for the season. John Murian went 3 for 5 with a triple. Alexis Espinoza doubled and singled. Clemente Mendoza struck out 5, but also walked 4 in 4.2 innings. Kevan Hess fanned 3 in 1.1 innings.

GCL Tigers 1 GCL Blue Jays 3
Alexander Nunez an deddie Rush each went 2 for 3. Jose Diaz struck out 7 in 7 innings, allowing 3 runso n 5 hits and 2 walks.

2009 Season, Injuries, Roster Management

Injury Updates Galore

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With the Tigers home for the first time since before the All Star break, there are a bevy of injury updates as the team gets reacquainted with the walking wounded who have stayed behind to work on getting better.

Carlos Guillen

Tigers fans, media, and bloggers alike got a little tutorial on roster designations yesterday when the team announced that Guillen was being recalled from his rehabilitation assignment. Being recalled as we found out is very different than being activated. A recall of a rehab assignment is kind of like suspending the rehab assignment as opposed to a player having their contract recalled after being optioned out to a minor league club. Got it? Doesn’t matter.

Guillen was recalled to have his shoulder examined after experiencing soreness. But it checked out and he’s heading to Toledo for more at-bats.

My guess is he gets activated between Friday night’s game and Saturday’s game. The Tigers will be calling up a pitcher from Toledo to pitch game 2 of the double header (Eddie Bonine would be a good guess). So the Tigers will need to clear a player to make room for the mystery starter, and presumably the mystery starter would then be optioned back to Toledo after the game opening a roster spot for Guillen. As for who gets moved out in the first place? I’m guessing Josh Anderson.

Nate Robertson

Robertson has resumed throwing activity following his elbow surgery. Robertson is interested in stretching out to 5 or 6 inning, 100 pitch type work levels. This might not be a bad idea as there are questions about the back end of the Tigers rotation, and it also would likely mean a longer DL stint which would serve the Tigers well. With Ni and Seay pitching well, a lefty pen arm isn’t a pressing concern. Whether the surgery helps with the shallow slider remains to be seen.

Jeremy Bonderman

Bonderman is throwing again, but not pitching yet. No return is imminent.

Joel Zumaya

Further tests failed to reveal additional damage to Zumaya’s shoulder so the diagnosis remains “soreness” and his prognosis remains ambiguous.

2009 Season, Injuries, Offense, Pitching, Trade Rumors

Lost weekend and other ramblings

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9-5. That was the series score. Tigers pitchers kept a very good offensive team to just 9 runs and yet were swept because Detroit went 1-26 with runners in scoring position. The numbers are pretty much mind boggling. And 3 of the Tigers 5 runs came on solo homers. The White Sox took 2 out of 3 games in their weekend series meaning that the Tigers lead is down to a slim 1.5 games. It was a crappy weekend for Detroit baseball. They got swept, they didn’t score, and they lost a relief pitcher for who knows how long. But I’ll find some good news in here somewhere.

Pitching is still good

The Tigers continue to get good pitching. Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson came out strong and pitched the way they had for the bulk of the first half of the season. Sustained success for both is key to the Tigers playoff chances and with Verlander’s history of second half struggles, and Jackson’s history of never having been this good before, those are both question marks where the early returns are promising.

Also, outside of Joel Zumaya’s blow-up, the bullpen was just as good as the starters. Fu-Te Ni is probably benefiting somewhat from being the new funky-delivery lefty, but his results have been as impressive with the big club as they were with Toledo. I guess the other good news is that the bullpen is nice and rested.

Unsustainable pace

Fortunately for the offense, they won’t continue to be that bad. Going 1 for 26 in any situational split, or any situation period, isn’t a sustainable pace. They’ll at the very least accidentally get a hit at some point in time. But here is the other side of the coin. The Tigers did a good job early in each of the 3 games of making the opposing starter work hard. They were taking pitches, drawing walks, and putting pressure on the starter and thus creating all those scoring opportunities in the first place. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the lineup got destroyed later in the game and the outs came quicker and easier. The Tigers hitters need to carry the types of approaches they were taking early in the game and sustain them throughout and continue to generate the scoring chances.

The Tigers need more offense, and I’d love to see them add a bat, but it goes way beyond that. Even if they trade for a stud, left handed hitting corner outfielder (which is unlikely), he is only going to hit once each time through the lineup. The Tigers have legitimate offensive threats already in the lineup that aren’t producing. One bat isn’t going to have a big impact as long as Granderson/Polanco/Cabrera continue to struggle.

What is Josh Anderson doing in the starting lineup?

One thing the Tigers could do to improve the offense is to remove Josh Anderson from the equation. Anderson had seemingly played himself out of a starting role before the All Star break with Ryan Raburn getting the bulk of the playing time in left field. From June 29th through the break Raburn had 9 starts, Anderson 5 (and one of those was in centerfield to spell Granderson). Raburn hit 323/364/581 over that span and Anderson hit 200/238/350 with no stolen bases. Yet the team gets to New York and Anderson starts 2 of the 3 games.

Raburn is OPS’ing over 800 against both lefties and righties and he has a pretty even mix of plate appearances this year. Anderson is OPS’ing under 650 against both lefties and righties while drawing 88% of his plate appearances against his favorable platoon side. While he is fast, he isn’t a good baserunner. The glaring mistakes are well known, but there are smaller ones as well. On Sunday he slid into second on a fly ball to centerfield. He was stealing and never saw the ball. Plus he had 2 defensive miscues this weekend. One cost the team runs, the other only cost Jackson 6 pitches. Outside of a late inning pinch runner he should have no role on this team, yet he continues to get starts.

Other Stuff

  • The extent of Joel Zumaya’s injury still isn’t fully known but it is a re-aggravation of his stress fracture. I’m sure the 3 inning outing in Minnesota didn’t help the situation, but I wouldn’t blame it either. That shoulder has experienced a ton of trauma. I think there are only so many times Zumaya can throw the ball 100mph before the next injury occurs.
  • The Tigers were 1 of 7 teams to have scouts on hand for Halladay’s outing yesterday. The White Sox weren’t. I don’t think the Tigers have the pieces, or at least pieces they’d be willing to part with, to get Halladay so I’d chalk up yesterday’s appearance to either due dilligence or gamesmanship.
  • What is the smarter financial move for Mike Ilitch, who is faced with decreased revenue due to lower ticket sales and decreased corporate sponsorship, dumping payroll or adding players to keep the Tigers in the hunt? Extended contention and a possible playoff birth will do more to help the franchise’s economic outlook than trying to save on salary. The Tigers need to get through 2010 and then there is considerable salary relief coming.
  • Brandon Lyon has added a cut fastball and he has tweaked his delivery.
  • Curtis Granderson is holding a wine-tasting charity event this Thursday that features a bachelor auction. For more information on purchasing tickets, or if you’d like to learn how you can take home your very own Granderson or Jackson head over the Grand Kids Foundation site.
  • FS Detroit has started to replay each Tiger game at midnight with the Tigers live postgame show to air at 3 a.m. So if you miss either the first time, you have a second chance to DVR it.
  • Also coming up on FS Detroit is Batting Stance Guy. He’ll be recreating Magglio Ordonez’s ALCS homer and Justin Verlander’s no hitter. For more on Gar Ryness, check out his appearance on Letterman. He’s already got a compilation of Tigers past and present.
2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7/19/09

Toledo 0 Buffalo 1
Don Kelly and Brent Dlugach had the only hits for Toledo. Chris Lambert allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk with 3 K’s in 6 innings.

Toledo 0 Buffalo 2
Don Kelly and Max St. Pierre went 2 for 3. Scott Sizemore doubled. Scot Drucker allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 K’s and no walks in 5 innings.

Erie 2 Binghamton 4
Brennan Boesch went 2 for 4. Santo De Leon homered. Jonah Nickerson went 7 innings and allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, 2 of which were homers.

Charlotte 12 Lakeland 11
Michael Bertram hit for the cycle. Carlos Guillen was 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Jordan Newton, Jeramy Laster, and Devin Thomas each had 2 hits. Charlier Furbush fanned 4 in 4.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk. Scott Green allowed 4 runs, none of which were earned and recorded just 1 out. Jared Gayhart fanned 3 in 1.1 innings.

Kane County 1 West Michigan 7
Billy Nowlin, Joe Bowen, and Hernan Perez each had 2 hits. Mark Sorensen pitched 8 shut out innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk while fanning 6.

Oneonta 2 Mahoning Valley 3
Eric Roof homered. Rawley Bishop doubled. Andy Wilk allowed a run on a walk and 4 hits in 5 innings.

GCL Tigers 3 GCL Yankees 2
Gustavo Nunez and Francisco Martinez each had 2 hits. Jacob Cruz tripled. Zach Samuels fanned 5 in 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks.

2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7/17/09

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Erie 7 Binghamton 8
Casper Wells homered and went 3 for 5. Alex Avila had 2 hits. Santo De Leon homered and walked. Pat Stanley was rocked for 8 runs on 5 walks and 7 hits in 3.1 innings. Robbie Weinhardt fanned 4 and allowed just 1 hit in 2.2 innings.

Dunedin 8 Lakeland 11
Carlos Guillen went 1 for 3 with a walk, but there are reports he’s sore. Joe Ducker doubled and tripled and Audy Ciriaco went 2 for 4 with a homer and a walk. Devin Thomas had 2 singles and 2 walks. Lauren Gagnier allwoed 4 runs on 2 homers in 5.2 innings. Ryan Ketchner allowed runs on 4 hits in .2 innings.

Peoria 0 West Michigan 9
Brayan Villarreal fanned 6, walked 1 and allowed 6 hits in 5 shut out innings. Mike Gosse went 4 for 4. Ben Guez had 3 hits. Avasail Garcia doubled and singled.

Oneonta 8 Mahoning Valley 10
Shawn Roof and Carmelo Jaime each had 3 hits. Michael Rockett went 2 for 3 with a walk. Jeff Gerbe didn’t make it out of the first inning before allowing 3 runs.

GCL Braves 7 GCL Tigers 4
Edwin Gomez doubled and walked. Jose Siso allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, a walk, and a strikeout in 5 innings.

2009 Season, Injuries

Zumaya injured, planet continues to rotate

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UPDATE 9:24 Zumaya has been placed on the DL with right shoulder soreness. Ryan Perry has been recalled.

Tigers-Yankees
Mark Teixeira destroys a Joel Zumaya fastball to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead

Joel Zumaya is jetting back to Detroit today to get an MRI on his throbbing shoulder. Really, this was probably just a matter of time given Zumaya’s injury history and the chances of an injury-free season from the fireballer are pretty much non existent.

Zumaya said the pain is so intense he can’t lift his arm over his head. Hopefully the injury isn’t too serious, but some time away from late inning leads might not be the worst thing in the world either.

Zumaya has been mostly brutal lately. He’s had some moments to be sure, but they are in between late inning meltdowns. His latest came against the Yankees when tasked with a 3 run lead it went single-double-homer and didn’t get better. Lee has a diary of Zumaya’s recent implosions.

It’s hard to say whether the arm pain has played into any of those or not. Zumaya is still throwing the ball hard and the fact he has all his velocity after his litany of injuries is amazing in and of itself. But if he isn’t walking guys, he’s getting hit way too hard for someone who can throw that fast.

The fact that Zumaya was being used in the 7th inning last night instead of the 8th inning may have been an indication of Leyland’s wavering confidence. It appears that Brandon Lyon/Bobby Seay were set for the primary set-up duties, and this was before the blow-up.

2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7/15/09

INT 6 PCL 5
Brent Dlugach went 0 for 1. And that was it for Tigers reps.

South 5 North 3
Deik Scram doubled in 3 at-bats. Alex Avila went 1 for 3. Zach Simons allowed 2 hits, but struck out 2 in his inning of work for the South All Stars.

Carlols Guillen with the Lakeland Flying Tigers - cr Roger DeWitt
Carlols Guillen with the Lakeland Flying Tigers - cr Roger DeWitt

Dunedin 8 Lakeland 0
Carlos Guillen went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts as the left fielder. Chris Carlson and Chris White each had 2 hits. Andrew Hess allowed 5 runs in 5 innings. Brett Jacobson allowed 3 runs in 2.2 innings.

Peoria 4 WEst Michigan 2
Ben Guez doubled. Joe Bowen went 2 for 4. Casey Crosby only went 3 innings. He allowed 3 hits and a walk with 2 K’s.

Oneonta 8 Auburn 4
Alexis Espinoza continues to rip the ball. Tonight he was 1 for 3 with a homer. Michael Rockett and Rawley Bishop each had 2 hits. Luis Angel Sanz fanned 3 and allowed 4 runs in 7 innings on a walk and 6 hits.

GCL Tigers 6 GCL Phillies 5
Francisco Martinez doubled, singled, and drove in 3. Jacob Cruz went 2 for 4. Jose Diaz allowed 5 runs on 10 hits and no walks in 5.2 innings.

2009 Season, Injuries, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7/13/09, Guillen’s rehab

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Toledo – DNP

Akron 5 Erie 7
Deik Scram hit his 12th homer. Jeff Kunkel also homered. Andy Dirks, Cale Iorg, and Santo De Leon each had 2 hits. Thad Weber allowed 9 hits and 4 runs in 6.1 innings.

West Michigan 7 Beloit 3
Ben Guez doubled, singled, and walked. Luke Putkonen allowed just 1 run on 7 hits, 1 walk, and 6 K’s in 7 innings.

Lakeland 0 Brevard County 7
Carlos Guillen DH’d and led off and went 0 for 3 before he was pinch hit for. Joe Tucker and Christoper White had the only hits. Matt Hoffman fanned 5 in 5.1 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 walks and 8 hits.

Oneonta DNP

GCL Pirates 3 GCL Tigers 2
Julio Rodriguez homered. Zach Samuels fanned 4 and walked none in 4 innings.