Baseball is a funny sport. We have all kinds of statistics to look at how things have gone in the past, and what to expect in the future. And then you have a series like this one between the Tigers and the A’s. The Tigers are notorious for not walking, and at least this year for hitting home runs. Meanwhile the A’s have had books (or at least a book) that looks at their plate discipline. The Tigers have been labeled this year as a team that can’t score without a home run, and they are typically solo shots. In fact, coming into the series, the last Tiger runs (over two games) had all come on solo shots. So what happens when the Tigers go to Oakland to face a team they have typically struggled with?
Tigers | Athletics | |
Wins | 2 | 1 |
Offense | ||
Runs | 18 | 11 |
BA | .288 | .172 |
OBP | .377 | .245 |
SLG | .384 | .354 |
HR | 0 | 4 |
SB/CS | 0/1 | 0/0 |
Pitching | ||
BB/9 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
K/9 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
ERA | 3.46 | 5.00 |
Detroit takes two of three without slugging the ball at all. They post a .377 team on base percentage that was largely fueled by walks and 3 hit-by-pitches. They score 18 runs in the series while only slugging .384 and not hitting a home run.
On the pitching side, the Tigers pretty much kept the A’s off balance and off base. While it should be noted that the A’s had been struggling coming into the series, mustered only a .599 OPS.
Continue reading Tigers-Oakland Series Wrap