The Tigers completed the first challenge on their August pitching gauntlet, thanks to a storybook homerun from JD, and another brilliant pitching performance by Michael Fulmer. Sale was dominant, but the Tigers were even better, scratching out a 2-1 win to guarantee a third straight series win.  You really should click on the link to watch/re-watch/re-watch/re-watch the JD home run (and then tune to 2:31.31 if you want to listen to Dan’s call on the MLB.tv radio archives). Goosebumps.

Today the Tigers face Jose Quintana, tomorrow it’s Noah Syndergaard, and then Sunday it’s Jacob deGrom. (They do play on Saturday but I don’t know that Mets pitcher. The other 2 are frightening enough). We’re not gonna win every game, but we’re squarely back in the race. Still a lot of games to play.

No VMart (mild illness extra rest) or Maybin (mild thumb sprain) today. Zimmermann back on the hill.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, DH

4. Nick Castellanos, 3B

5. J.D. Martinez, RF

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Tyler Collins, CF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Andrew Romine, 1B

Another game, another easy win. Sanchez had his best outing of the year, Cabrera homered to right again, and Lowe gave up a hit, a walk, and a run. All in a day’s work.

We’re not going to win every game, but it sure is fun to try.

Pelfrey to the DL, J.D. in the clubhouse, but in a pinch-hitting role tonight.

Verlander was named AL pitcher of the month for July.

Sale vs. Fulmer. Runs could be at a premium.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Cameron Maybin, CF

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Jose Iglesias, SS

The trade deadline came and went, and the Tigers’ roster remains unchanged. I’m good with that. They should pull in a nice haul from the DL here soon, as J.D., Zimmermann, and Norris are all set to come back. Though we were about .500 at full strength so …

Zimmermann is likely to start on Thursday, and J.D. is expected back before the end of the home stand. Collins is the likely candidate to go down when J.D. is back.

Fulmer may be hitting an imaginary inning limit – he’s at 97 already; I’m guessing he’ll skip a few starts over the next few months. His minor league high is 125, spanning high A and AA last year.

Pitching prospect Drake Britton has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for amphetamines. He’s 27 and not considered a top prospect.

Nick Castellanos gets a day off after a day off.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

2. CF Cameron Maybin

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera

4. DH Victor Martinez

5. LF Justin Upton

6. RF Tyler Collins

7. C James McCann

8. 3B Andrew Romine

9. SS Jose Iglesias

That’s four in a row for the guys with the D on their hats (I’ll take a moment to think how easily it could have been 7, if a couple of plays in Chicago had gone differently. OK, now I can move on). They didn’t gain any ground on Cleveland, because, hey, Oakland A’s, but they didn’t lose any either. And since this series and the last were against Wild Card contenders, they have moved up in the Wild Card standings (currently a half game behind Houston, and 2 out of a spot). I’m with Craig Monroe on that though, the heck with the Wild Card, these guys can win the division, as long as they can get over the idea that they can’t beat Cleveland–7 head-to-head left at the end of the season.

Jason Beck raises the possibility that Tyler Collins might stick around even after JD Martinez makes it back; the Tigers have been carrying an extra reliever for 2 months, and that doesn’t seem as necessary now—when Lowe and Molleken made an appearance last night it was kind of an “oh yeah, I forgot we had those guys” moment. I like the idea, especially since Maybin seems pretty fragile. With Romine as the best backup infielder and Collins as the best back up outfielder, what would the point of Aviles be?

Today’s good news: Justin Verlander is on the mound. In the month of July he is 3-0 with and ERA of 1.60 (4th best in the AL), and a WHIP of  0.950 (tied with Michael Fulmer for 4th best in the AL). His 37 strikeouts are 3rd best in the AL. If the season had started in July Verlander would be on the top of the list of Cy Young candidates.

Today’s Let’s Keep Streaking Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Maybin, CF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. V Martinez, DH
5. Castellanos, 3B
6. Upton, LF
7. Collins, RF
8. McCann, C
9. Iglesias, SS

Continue reading Game 2016.103: Astros at Tigers →

The Tigers got started early yesterday, only to be Pelfried shortly thereafter. But the bats came through again and the bullpen held it together just enough to eek out a win and guaranty a series victory. A sweep would be icing on the cake, but I like our chances with the pitching matchup.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Tyler Collins, CF

Ausmus pulled the right strings last night – resulting in a 2 run HR by the #2 hitter, and a 4 out save by F-Rod. Verlander was great again, and we know he can be even better on some nights.

Maybin still out with a back sprain (is he old enough to get those?).

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Tyler Collins, CF

The Tigers went from a great series to a bad one in the span of about 4 hours. Poor defense and a very hittable bullpen were the culprits, as a series win was ripped from this team in true 2016 fashion.

The Tigers move on to Boston to take on the heavy hitting Red Sox. The Red Sox are dominating the majors, with 547 runs scored, nearly 50 more than the second place Rockies, and 61 more than the 2nd place AL team – the Blue Jays. BoSox team OPS is .835. Yes, team.

JV on the hill tonight. It may be time (not quite safe, but time) to call JV an ace again. Over his last 30 starts he’s striking out more than a batter an inning and has a WHIP of 1.08. This month covering 4 starts he’s allowed 5 ER in 27 2/3, with 32 Ks and a WHIP of .90.

I can’t wait to get JD and Victor Martinez back.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

2. SS Jose Iglesias

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera

4. DH Victor Martinez

5. 3B Nick Castellanos

6. LF Justin Upton

7. RF Mike Aviles

8. C James McCann

9. CF Andrew Romine

The last game of this oh-so-entertaining series gives Anibal Sanchez a chance to convince us that his last outing was not a mirage, against the tough Jose Quintana. Whenever yesterday’s game finishes. The Tigers should definitely have an advantage when it comes bullpen time.

Yesterday’s game featured another big hole in the middle of the batting order (but hey, that one’s not over yet!). Today they get another good chance: Cabrera is hitting over .370 against Quintana, and Victor (who may have been the only guy in the park sad not to see Sale) is hitting .424 against him.

Today’s Let’s Play Two! Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Iglesias, SS
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. V Martinez, DH
5. Castellanos, 3B
6. Upton, LF
7. Aviles, RF
8. McCann, C
9. Romine, CF

The Tigers take the first two of four, and now go for the creosote game of the four-game series.

As frustrating as this season has been as a Tiger fan, how would you like to be a White Sox fan? In the offseason the team added a bona fide home run crown threat in Todd Frazier (he is currently 2nd in the majors with 28), and added Mat Latos and James Shields to a rotation that already included Jose Quintana and bona fide Cy Young contender Chris Sale, who takes the mound tonight (currently 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.01 WHIP). Then in the first 30 or so games they run out to a 6 game lead on the division. Then…it all fell apart. They lost 11 of their last 14 in May, and haven’t recovered.

They seem to be hexed in this series as well: Mike Pelfrey somehow managed to crawl through 5 1/3 with only 1 run, despite giving up 8 hits and a walk. The Tigers had to hit the bullpen early, but the rain bailed them out and gave Pelfrey the W. Then last night, after being the first team to really hit Fulmer and taking a 5-4 lead, Cabrera came out of a month long slump and the Tigers pulled out a 2nd one. Now the word “sell” can be heard murmured in Chicago, even in conjunction with the word “Sale.”

As for the Tigers, If Victor Martinez can break his slump also, the team will have a rather formidable 1-5 in the lineup. Victor and his binoculars are a ridiculous 18-for-36 lifetime with a 1.453 OPS against Sale. If I were a White Sox fan I would have a bad feeling where this is going.

UPDATE: The Sox snakebite continues (or, perhaps, something else is up). Sale scratched for Albers, with “flu-like symptoms.” throwback uniform rage.

Today’s Miggy’s Back Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Maybin, CF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. V Martinez, DH
5. Castellanos, 3B
6. Upton, LF
7. Aviles, RF
8. Saltalamacchia, C
9. Iglesias, SS

Rain, rain, go away. But we like that thing you did yesterday.

Tonight we get Fulmer, the serious Rookie of the Year candidate, and best Tiger rookie pitcher since Mark Fidrych, unless I’m forgetting somebody. The two couldn’t be more different though; Fulmer doesn’t even have a nickname yet. I was trying to find a new picture of Fulmer for the game post, something more exciting, and…there’s not much there. He doesn’t even show up in the top results in Google image search for “Mike Fulmer.” He only has two expressions, and he’s saving the second one for later. Still, where would the Tigers be without him this season?

If you believe in WARcraft, here are the most valuable Tigers this season:

• 4.1 Ian Kinsler
• 3.6 Michael Fulmer
• 2.7 Justin Verlander

Today’s Glass Half Fulmer Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Maybin, CF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. V Martinez, DH
5. Castellanos, 3B
6. Upton, LF
7. Collins, RF
8. Saltalamacchia, C
9. Iglesias, SS

Collins is back.