YOU SAID IT

Vince in MN April 22, 2014 at 10:25 pm [edit]

With the loss out of the way and no Sale to face, the stage is set for Detroit (9-7) to be Detroit (12-7).

Avila.

Cabrera.

J.D.Martinez.

Panas on Porcello.

To take our mind off the offense, let’s have a word on defense. And it will be words. I wish I had numbers, but I don’t yet have a handle on a good statistical presentation on defense. It will have to be anecdotal and observational.

Observationally, I would judge the Tigers’ defense to be average. There’s really no scathing criticism to be leveled at any one defender. The worst I could say:  Alex Gonzalez was surprisingly unreliable. Victor Martinez wasn’t ready to catch out West.  Nick Castellanos is a bit clunky over there at 3B sometimes. Austin Jackson has lost his above-average rating (admit it). The occasional flash from Rajai Davis, well… you get the impression that his defense is a lot like his hitting, if you catch my drift. On the other hand, Ian Kinsler has been brilliant, and the same can be said for our erstwhile MVP at 1B. Andrew Romine has been mostly impressive (work on tags, please). The oft-criticzed Alex Avila is underappreciated for a lot of defense that flies under the radar.  In all, I can’t think of single guy who’s played the field and hasn’t done something notably good defensively. Even forgotten man Torii Hunter, who seems to be fielding more hits in RF than putout chances, has shown that he still has the arm. No one is awful, or even often awful.

But the notion of average is countered by the team DefEff (Defensive Efficiency) score, a stat I think I can get my head around. As I understand it, you turn balls in play into outs at a goodly rate, you get a good score. You don’t, you don’t. Simple. The Detroit Tigers don’t get a good score. Worst in the AL, last I checked. Why?

Can’t think of any major clown shows through 16. All those little things add up, I guess. The double play that almost gets turned, etc. etc. etc.. Not all of it will figure into DefEff, I suppose, like the throw to the wrong base, the missed cutoff, and suchlike. After only 16 games, “luck” could still be a factor, as well. But the Tigers aren’t playing a bunch of rangeless stiffs out there, are they? I’m wondering about positioning and whether we should be expecting better, what with the new “defensive coordinator” thing going on. Too early to expect dramatic results? I also wonder about the effect of coordinating defensive positioning strategy with pitching strategy. Maybe there’s some disjoint, similar to the way the “runner control” had until recently seemed to be every man for himself? I don’t know. I’m only speculating.

I should mention that the notion of average is also countered by what I often see from Tigers opponents. We’ve seen some bad days at the office from the other side – Hank Conger and Chase Headley come to mind – but on balance, my observation has been that the opposition has been smoother, sharper, and crisper than the Tigers at all the routine business of defense. It’s a bit of a letdown that the New Tigers we were bracing ourselves for, leaner but possibly meaner on offense, same great starting rotation, don’t yet have the defensive part of that potential winning equation together (yet?). The loss of Jose Iglesias and Andy Dirks is keenly felt.  But Kinsler is certainly providing the kind of defensive energy that can raise a team, and if the Romine/Worth tandem can follow suit, it might be contagious. Let’s see how the Tigers’ DefEff looks at the end of May. Nowhere to go but up.

POSTGAME:  In a game where so much is going right, my reaction is greed. 6-1? I want 12-1 (and not 12-2). Every run counts. Those “add-ons” often turn out to be game-winners, don’t they?

As the Tigers’ first six opponents caught a break by facing an offensively challenged Miggy, Detroit caught a break by not having to face newly-DL’d Chris Sale, and rookie call-up replacement Charles Leesman was in the wrong place at the wrong time against an awakening Tigers offense. For most of the game, all a White Sox fan had to hold onto were Jose Abreu’s blast to dead center in the 1st and fairly impressive work from a lot of bullpen, especially Zach Putnam. Justin Verlander was at normal efficiency and command, which is to say that he was fabulous in the way we’ve learned to take for granted.

That 3rd inning explosion was something. 9 batters with nothing but hits or walks or productive outs. I was ready for more when Andrew Romine struck out with runners at the corners to end it. But the 2 runs tacked on in the 5th, scored with two outs, turned out to be oh so vital. Infield single, steal and advance on throwing error, double, walk, double. Nice.

Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila stole the show, the former with his sudden resurgence, and the latter with his “surgence.” Who is this guy with the same name as our old catcher? He sure can hit.

However. [pause] With an 8-2 lead, the bullpen nearly gave it all right back. Oh, nothing went right. Alburquerque’s 8th was a debacle. The Tragedy Of Phil Coke was briefly interrupted by two strikeouts. A commercial break, I guess. 0-2 on Adam Dunn, 8-4 Tigers now, come on and let’s get this one in the books. Oops, gone, 8-6. Joba Chamberlain comes in and walks the first batter on four pitches. There was even some doubt and drama to the final out, with J.D. Martinez having a difficult time on the shallow flyball (lights?).

It wasn’t easy like it should have been. But it was a win. We’ll take it. And MIGGY IS BACK!

YOU SAID IT

Coleman April 21, 2014 at 8:41 pm [edit]

First of four against Chicago in Detroit, last of the homestand before Lazy April is over and the Tigers transition into a road-heavy month of May.

But he’s a professional. Minus the quotes and below the Joba, this is the kind of postgame I aspire to. Well, maybe I like to cover a little more, but it’s cool to read something that makes you go both “That’s what I was thinking!” and “Why didn’t that occur to me?”

We’re all baffled.

It’s raining outfielders.

Know thy opponent.

SOME PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THROUGH APRIL 19:

You might say that the White Sox are overmatched. Concede the loss to Chris Sale and take 3, right? But notice that Detroit hasn’t been getting XBH and Chicago hasn’t really been giving them up, as lousy as their staff appears. Sox pitchers have trouble throwing strikes, but don’t forget that, just yesterday, the Tigers failed to drive in a single hitting run through 5.2 IP and 100+ pitches (119! 62 strikes!) off of a Hector Santiago-type fellow who could not throw a strike – except when he had to. Neither team has been any great shakes defensively, so maybe we can expect a number of games like the 2nd against the Indians. Watch out for a Chicago offense that just stomped the Texas Rangers 16-2.

No, I don’t think this is going to be easy. My hopes for an early statement on who owns the AL Central rest on the shoulders of the Detroit Tigers pitching staff and team defense that could be – and should be – trending upward.

POSTGAME: Anibal Sanchez is the ace on a tightrope. He’s more dazzling than Scherzer or Verlander on a merely good day, but when he slips, it’s not a stumble, but a fall. The fall came in the 7th, when Ausmus should have pulled him tout suite after the Abreu double (wow, did Ausmus waste a challenge on that one), or at least after the faux strikeout of Dunn. Rajai Davis added insult to injury with a miserable throw to the plate from LF (valiant effort from Sanchez and Avila to second-chance it) that resulted in a backbreaker run, but I’m still looking straight at Anibal. The White Sox are no joke at the plate, and they showed up in the 7th.

Ian Kinsler has built up a considerable good will buffer, so I’m only pointing out fact when I say two of the three Tigers rallies died with him at the plate.  The more frustrating one might have been loading the bases, no outs, only to see the bottom of order (which includes Davis no matter where he bats) plate only one… on an out (Avila hits it hard but into the shift). Falling considerably short against mediocre pitching has become a trend.

Avila crushed a pitch – for an XBH. 0-4 Miguel Cabrera did not, but hey, he’s pretty darn good at 1B. Reed good, Miller good, Krol, um, well, hard tellin.’

Happy Easter everyone. Hopefully you’re spending the day relaxing with family (or without – which may be the shorter route to relax).

Porcello takes on Hector Santiago in the actual rubber match of the series. This is a rematch of a late July game last summer when Santiago was in a White Sox uniform. The Tigers took advantage of 5 BBs in 6 innings to score 6 runs (3 earned) on their way to a 6-2 run.

Porcello has had one great start and one awful one, as he continues to earnestly spin the this could be his year hamster wheel (TIL that “hamster” doesn’t have a ‘p’).

In other news:

– Alex Gonzalez’s Tigers’ career is over. Worth up.

– Valverde out as the Mets closer already.

– I love the NFL Wild Card and Division round weekends b/c of the two games per day, but this may be my favorite sports time of the year. NBA/NHL playoffs and spring baseball. It’s hard to beat. I’ll be settling in for a nice afternoon here in a few hours.

1. Davis, LF
2. Kinsler, 2B
3. Cabrera, DH
4. Martinez, 1B
5. Hunter, RF
6. Jackson, CF
7. Castellanos, 3B
8. Avila, C
9. Romine, SS

Game 13 Postgame: Well, that sucked.

Game 14 Pregame:

You know, you gotta win series at home, so today is the linoleum game of the series if they are gonna have a chance at winning the series.

Rationally, if you’re going to lose a game, it may as well be their 1 v. your 5. Smyly was in trouble early, as he got out of a runner on 3rd 1 out situation in the first before the floodgates opened in the 2nd and 3rd. The Tigers gave the fans something to cheer about with rallies in the 7th and 9th, but the game was never really in question. Cabrera, uh, needs a few hits.

In case you are wondering, the Tigers have only given up the 2nd most stolen bases this season in the American League. The .810 success rate against is 4th worst in the AL. It’s early, but this could be a problem. The throwing arms aren’t going to get any better, so the pitchers will have to a) give up less hits and b) pay even more attention to runners. Even those on 2nd.

I had to look this up – the Tigers threw the 4th most pitches in the Majors last year. Once we catch up on games I’ll be curious to see where we stand as a staff. I watch a lot of Rangers games and a number of other games, and I don’t see many other teams wasting as many pitches as we do. I wonder if going for Ks or painting corners is a club philosophy; or if this is simply the innocent byproduct of having two tremendous power pitches on the staff. I’m leaning towards the latter, but man am I tired of starters not ever reaching the 7th.

Davis into the lead-off spot. I’m not crazy about Martinez/Hunter/Jackson. They just don’t seem to fit. I really want Jackson to learn to take a walk and steal a base and bat lead-off. Is that possible?

1. Davis, LF
2. Kinsler, 2B
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Hunter, RF
6. Jackson, CF
7 .Castellanos, 3B
8. Holaday, C
9. Romine, SS

Game 14 Postgame: 

That’s pretty much what I expect every game to be like. Scherzer was tremendous. He was really only ever in trouble in the 4th when he walked two and a steal of 2B was overturned in the Angels favor. 3 H, 2 BB, 9 Ks in 7 innings. Salty.

Joba Chamberlain has become the defacto 8th inning guy. This isn’t necessarily good news, but just news. Good job tonight Joba, keep it up. Nathan can give up all the 4 run lead HRs he wants. Better than bad walks.

Castellanos’ bat is quick.

BOOBs – 6-14 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs.

Gotta win the series tomorrow.

Tigers made a move today to replenish a worn out bullpen, by bringing up righty Justin Miller from Toledo and sending down Tyler Collins. Since they have 10 games left on this home stand, and Collins has to stay down for 10 days, Miller should get a nice audition before the Tigers have to think about making another move.

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Kelly, 3B
7. Avila, C
8. Romine, SS
9. Davis, LF

Castellanos gets the day off against the tough righty Weaver.

Game 11 Postgame: Indians 3, Tigers 2

Wednesday night’s game started off badly, then looked better, then looked even better, then ended in a somewhat disappointing fashion.

Anibal Sanchez averted a near-disaster after starting the game with back-to-back-to-back walks (the Research Department tells us he has only given up 10 leadoff walks his entire career; it is holding out on whether he has ever started a game with 3 consecutive before; but in fact he is averaging only 11 first inning walks per season). But he got the dangerous Carlos Santana to change his evil ways and ground into a DP.

The second inning started just as badly: Cabrera booted a play at first, and Sanchez followed it up with yet another walk. Gomes cleared the bases with a triple and Detroit was down quickly 3-1. Sanchez found his groove though, retiring the next 9 in a row, and striking out 5 of the last 7 batters he faced. The bullpen (Reed/Krol/Alburquerque/Chamberlain) was strong and shut them out over the last innings. Aside from the shaky start, the pitching was solid.

And the hitting wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t timely. There were 4 Tigers with 2 hits, but they just couldn’t combine them in a way that turned into runs. The game-tying run was left on 3rd with 1 out, and that was that.

Thumbs down:

• They lost, so automatic thumbs down on that. Extra down on the R3L2O fail.
• Austin Jackson caught stealing. Apparently not all fast guys are base-stealers. I get the sense he doesn’t like stealing bases. Maybe he doesn’t like to slide.
• Anibal Sanchez: Anibal walked 4 of the first 6 batters he faced, and 2 of those 4 scored.

Thumbs up:

• Anibal Sanchez: Sanchez recovered from his bad start and looked very good by the time he left. He kept the Tigers in the game.
• Alex Avila: If Alex can have one game like this a series, or even a week, it will make a huge difference.
• The bullpen: 4 innings, no runs.

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

Game 12 Pregame:

This is the lucite game of the weather-shortened two-game series. Don’t worry, we will see plenty of Cleveland later.

As Detroit faces another right-handed pitcher this afternoon, there has been some concern and frustration that Detroit can’t find another left-handed bat for the lineup. And certainly there are times when it would be good to be able to go to a lefty: some pitchers are particularly tough on guys of their own persuasion. But after hearing an announcer say that Detroit has trouble with right-handed pitching this season, I looked at the numbers and it doesn’t really work out the way I expected.  Here is the general breakdown:

vs RHP  .251 BA .707 OPS

vs LHP  .267 BA .756 OPS

But when we look at who is doing what we see:

RHB vs RHP .270 BA .763 OPS

LHB vs RHP .200 BA .557 OPS

In other words, it’s the left-handed batters in the lineup who are struggling with right-handed pitching. In fact, the Tiger right-handed batters are 4th best in the league right now against right-handed pitchers–and that’s with Miguel Cabrera having the slowest start of his career. I think the Tigers will do fine against right-handers, and it would be a mistake to add just anybody to the lineup for the sole reason that he swings the other way. This applies mostly in left where platoon-bait Rajai Davis has been going against career norms and hitting .281 against RHP, and adding a real threat on the bases (and a good glove in left also).

Today’s Same-as-Yesterday Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Castellanos, 3B
7. Avila, C
8. Gonzalez, SS
9. Davis, LF

DET P: Justin Verlander (RHP)

CLE P: Danny Salazar (RHP) The Tigers will be facing some heat this afternoon with Danny Salazar on the mound. You may still remember the game last August when Salazar struck out Miguel Cabrera 3 times. Salazar faced the Tigers again in September, but Cabrera sat out. So this is the re-match, and should be one worth watching.

Despite a division lead that was as big as 8 1/2 games in September, the Tigers ended up barely edging out the Cleveland Indians by one game–this despite the fact that Detroit owned the Indians themselves, putting up a remarkable 15-4 record against their rivals.

The much anticipated rematch of last year’s Central Division contenders had to wait until today, due to snow, rain, ice, cold, and general non-baseball-friendly conditions.  Yesterday’s cancellation was in fact the 3rd already this season for the Indians (they made up one in a double-header), the 2nd for the Tigers, and the 9th overall in MLB. If the weather continues to be tricky it should make for some interesting scheduling down the line.

The Tigers decided to move Sanchez from Tuesdays start up to today and to keep Verlander starting Thursday as scheduled. This means that Drew Smyly has been bumped from the starting rotation for the 2nd time in as many attempts. Back to the bullpen for Drew.

Today’s DH-is-back Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Castellanos, 3B
7. Avila, C
8. Gonzalez, SS
9. Davis, LF

DET P: Anibal Sanchez (RHP)

Sanchez handled the Indians well last season, going 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA and WHIP of 0.879.

CLE P: Zach McAllister (RHP)

Last season McAllister was 0-2 vs. Detroit with a 9.00 ERA, lasting less than 4 innings in his last 2 starts. Hitting him particularly well were Andy Dirks and Brayan Pena. Oh. Well Martinez hit him well too: 3 doubles in 7 at bats. So we will go with V-Mart as the Player of the Pregame.

SOUP DU JOUR

Coleman April 13, 2014 at 6:48 pm [edit]

Chase Headley was wearing his stone glove again, and that lent a wee bit of excitement to the top of the 9th, but otherwise, if you saw the 4th, you saw the game. Tigers had momentum, Max Scherzer gave it right back.

Scherzer had a better day at the plate than on the mound, and showed that you can strike out 10 and still beat yourself. 105 pitches in 5 innings. A great catch by Rajai Davis in LF spared him from getting rocked completely. Tyson “Tyler” Wood was good, with a lot of help from his defense, and through 10 games, good is all you have to be to handcuff this Tigers lineup, top to bottom.

Good news in a boring game: Davis is getting on base and looking good in LF. Joba Chamberlain continues to pitch well, better than the ugly cumulative numbers show right now. Alex Avila didn’t strike out. (The team is 6-1 when he starts, 0-3 when he doesn’t.)

It’s the first rubber game of 2014, and hopefully it will satisfy our rubber soul, as the Tigers (6-3) make another day trip to San Diego (4-7) and then get their ticket to ride back home for a day off and then the Cleveland Indians. Max Scherzer will face Tyson Wood.

The Incredible 2014 Detroit Tigers are on pace for 108 wins, and I’ll have you know that the 7-3 we’re hoping for is only two games off 9-1. Alex Avila only needs 32 HR and 93 RBI to catch up with Lance Parrish’s 1984*, and I expect him to get there by the end of 2016 or 2017, easily. No, seriously, this year’s team has a ways to go (a funny expression I grew up with that people who didn’t may legitimately question – a ways??) to show that they have “team magic” (and the team stats) to compare with the 1984 Tigers. My main point in the comparison, however, remains that 1984 was very much a team thing, no future HOFers or HOF seasons, and that the 2014 Tigers might have a bit more of that team thing going for them than they did in 2012 or 2013. Along with a couple (at least) future HOFers.

*I think it’s only fair to include Alex’s spring numbers: 1 HR, 4 RBI, plus 1 RBI that he would have had if a runner had been on 3B with a really big lead.

This first West Coast swing has not been without difficulty, but it looks like it might end better than last season’s first (9-game) trip. Remember? Prince Fielder, fresh off AL Player of the Week, struck out 4 or 5 (or 6 or 7) times in a game v. Seattle, and he was never really the same after that. Then there was the Angels debacle, Part 1. It was rough.

A win today spreads optimism across the land. A loss will bring soul-searching, presumably about either the offense or the bullpen. I would bet on the win, not that we’re done with the soul-searching for a long time yet.

مشاهدة المباراة، الاستماع إلى اللعبة، اتبع اللعبة. دعونا نرى بعض ردود الفعل هنا. جوائز قيمة في انتظارك لحساء اليوم.

SOUP DU JOUR

Vince in MN April 12, 2014 at 9:41 pm [edit]

Time for the postgame. You saw it and reacted. Now you’ve had a chance to reflect and hopefully have more to say. Have at it. But I’ll go first.

RANDOM NOTES:

Not a good idea, the pickoff throw from C to 1B that allowed the steal of 3B. I can see a bluff in that situation, not an actual throw, unless you’re Salvador Perez and can actually get the out. I also thought a throw down to 2B recently (v. Dodgers maybe) – yeah, it was VMart, and a run scored – was dumb. Another good time for a bluff and see if the lead runner takes the bait. Wouldn’t that be smart baseball?

Wow, we got see JV get not only his first but first two MLB hits. Solid, too.

Austin Jackson was very much in the news today. Kept a double to a double, a double to a single, and tracked down a liner that could have gone over and past him. Fleet of foot and sure of glove, except for one instance where he was looking throw before looking ball into glove. That could have been costly, but wasn’t. I like him batting behind Miggy, and the insurance runs in the 9th showed why.

Looks like Kinsler should have gone to Gonzalez rather than try to tag the runner, but at least he had the smarts to be decisive and get the one out.

Defensive plays of the game: Miggy on the catch and tag at 1B (on Gonzalez’s errant throw), LF Seth Smith taking a double away from smiling in disbelief AJax, 1B Yonder Alonso’s circus catch of the foul pop (AJax victimized again), and Castellanos’s barehand play. Miggy has been Gold Glove at 1B.

Castellanos was asleep at 2B. Not the first such lapse we’ve seen.

Some crucial turning points were the Hunter 2-run single (Verlander obviously well aware that he had Davis running behind him), and Verlander’s strikeout of Chase Headley with men on 1st and 3rd. The best moment was the Jackson ground rule double after the IBB to Miggy. It gave you that “game in hand” feeling, a good one to have in the 9th inning.

Howdy, friends and neighbors. The Tigers (5-3) try to get back on the righteous path tonight against the Padres (4-6), with our hero Justin Verlander carrying the bulk of our hopes for putting up a W to counter the L. He’ll be facing Ian Kennedy, who has the possible misfortune of facing a lineup thoroughly outdone the day before. Or the good fortune of extra motivation due to Detroit’s reputedly fearsome offense. It certainly does seem as if almost all of the starters the Tigers have faced so far have kicked it up a notch. It remains true that good pitching beats good hitting, so while being shut out on one hit is no fun, it’s too early to be worried about the hitting. It’s too early to be too worried about anything, really, including the bullpen. The season is young.

The last time (before last night) Detroit lost to San Diego, it was a good year for DTW and a bad one for the Tigers. P Eddie Bonine made his second career start/appearance, and the only current Tiger in the lineup was Miguel Cabrera (0 for 4). Bonine was much better through 7 than he’d been in his debut win v. the Dodgers, though he gave up two long balls (one to Chase Headley). Fernando Rodney, Casey Fossum, and Joel Zumaya teamed up to blow the game in the 8th, with a bit of help from erroneous RF Magglio Ordonez – right after Placido Polanco had tied it at 2 with a solo HR. Curtis Granderson led off the game for the visiting Tigers with a home run off none other than Greg Maddux.

In other (good) news, Miggy describes his ailing swing in an apt and funny way, which tells me it’s going to get better soon.  Maybe real soon. In what might not seem like good news, the Padres have demonstrated that they are (or can be) a better and smarter hitting team than, say, the Dodgers, and perhaps JV and Max had better watch their step – but the good part is that this might bring out the best in them. The bats are due. Not sure if this evening’s epilogue will be “they came out swinging and it paid off” or “they were too anxious and aggressive,” but there’s nowhere to go but up from zero. I don’t think consecutive shutouts are allowed. I’d definitely throw a challenge flag to that.

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