Random Thoughts On An Off Day

Yesterday, in my latest Motor City Bengals post, it was all talk about Justin Verlander and his quest for MVP. Today, I'll I'll try and reach back and crudely look back at a few offseason moves that have (or have not) shaped this season.

The easy winner here is Victor Martinez. Victor signed a 4-year, $50MM contract w/ the Tigers in the offseason, and has been worth every penny so far. The other "coveted" free agent bat of the offseason, Adam Dunn, signed a slightly larger contract with the Chicago White Sox (4 years, $56MM) was rumored to be on the Tigers radar, except word was he wasn't interested in being a full-time DH, so he was out of the Tigers plans then. Good for the Tigers too. In a tale of 2 seasons, V-Mart is batting .324, with 11 HRs and 94 RBIs (.385 with runners in scoring position), while Adam Dunn is batting a cool .165, with only 11 HRs, 41 RBIs, and 163 strikeouts. Not exactly a good return on the investment. The Tigers can only hope for this in all 4 years of this deal.

The easy loser here is Brad Penny. I actually liked this deal in the preseason when it was made. Not a ton of money invested (only $3MM for this season, incentives would have made it $6MM), and if he made it through the season healthy it would have been a good deal. Except he's had an awfully inconsistent season, and his gameday pace and lack of command haven't set well with Tigers fans this season (though I'll theorize that after only 9 starts last year he may not have had the endurance for a full season). It'll be over soon, as I'd be totally be shocked to see Dave Dombrowski re-sign him beyond this season - as Jacob Turner figures to battle for the last rotation spot next spring.

Two in-house moves I also moderately embraced in the offseason were the re-signings of Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge. In the beginning, the signing of Ordonez was great, in my opinon: Maggs was having a productive season last year when he was lost for the season with a broken ankle. This season, his bat swing is slower, and his batting average is remarkably lower as a result. The last couple of weeks for him have been better, as he's raised his batting average up to .252. As for Brandon Inge, it's been - for the most part - a season to forget. He signed a 2-year, $11MM contract just before the winter free agency period started, citing his desire to remain in Detroit. However, his putrid offense (.170 before being designated for assignment/sent to Toledo) and his declining defense have been a season-long problem for the Tigers. Fans were getting on his case, and his alleged stubborn attitude towards getting help for his hitting woes weren't helping his cause with the Tigers. They would trade for Wilson Betemit, and DFA Inge. Inge did accept his demotion to Toledo where he was a moderately productive hitter, and has since been back with the big club where he has raised his average to .200, while fielding his position well. He's not being thrown out there everyday, which is probably helping. My hope is he works on his offense in the offseason. Doing so and improving his batting average to .250 would even be relatively acceptable to me and a few legions of other Tigers fans who can't stand the strikeouts or the lazy pop ups.

Now, while I've appeared to be more negative than positive here, keep in mind that there's room for improvement here, and even winning the AL Central should be a great accomplishment in spite of some of the downfalls. I hope that they're aiming higher this postseason, because I'm going to assume that any failure in this playoff year will result in fans wanting more this offseason, and there isn't too much the Tigers can do to make any improvements.

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You can now read more of my Tigers musings on the Fansided Tigers blog, Motor City Bengals.

Speculating the Stretch Run

I'll preface this post by saying that I didn't watch today's Tigers game (if it were live, being where I am, it would have been impossible anyway), but I'll assume that Rick Porcello was serviceable in defeat, and lost to a pretty decent pitcher (Gio Gonzalez).

Phil Coke was the Phil Coke of late, and Ryan Perry was... not good.

Now that the Tigers have wrapped up the AL Central, I'm curious as to how to go about these final 2 weeks of the regular season.  They're playing teams who have no factor in their own stretch runs, or anyone else's for that matter.  Who do you rest?  Who shouldn't you rest, for fear of rust?

In an earlier post, I suggested that Jacob Turner should be shut down for the rest of the season.  I still agree with myself there, except if you're not going to use him in the postseason, perhaps a spot start, or take the last start away from Justin Verlander, who after being the total workhorse needs himself some time off.  Doug Fister looks like he's well anchored in the number 2 slot, while Max Scherzer is probably in at 3.

Which leaves Porcello, who including today has 4 quality starts in his last 5 outings, and Brad Penny, someone no one wants to see pitch beyond September.  I suppose it's not out of the realm of possibility that a strict 4-man rotation be used in the playoffs, but certainly in a short series, you may only need 3, if you're lucky.

And what about the position players? Do you rest the Miggy's, the Victor's, the Alex's, hell... even the Maggs' of the lineup?  I bring up Magglio Ordonez only because he's on a bit of a tear right now, going 3 for 4 today, and has seen his batting average rise to .252.

Personally, I believe resting the offensive players any more than is already done might be a mistake.  As for your hurlers, it may be a little more important, not to mention they'll need to run out some of those bullpen arms to see just who is worth putting on the postseason roster.  Ultimately, if complacency doesn't settle in, it should be an interesting playoff for the Tigers.  Just makes me nervous to see who they have in front of them, from a competitive standpoint.

A Bit of Redemption

No, the headline isn't for Brandon Inge, but it does involve him.

In what ended up being my most viewed/hit blog post (and thanks for reading), "Broadcast Laziness", I took some shots at last weekend's MLB on Fox Team that included Matt Vasgersian and Mitch Williams.  Their call of Miguel Cabrera's walk off home run vs. the Chicago White Sox was to say the least, uninspiring.

Yesterday, Vasgersian was back to call the Tigers game vs the Minnesota Twins, only this time Hall of Fame pitcher and Twins analyst Bert Blyleven was by his side.  Vasgersian's comment before Brandon Inge hit this week's walk off shot set himself up for what would be a very good call.

Brandon Inge's walk off home run

It was an exciting call, perhaps because of the hard luck season that is, Brandon Inge, but if you're going to call a potential national telecast, you should probably leave a mark on your audience.  And not the mark Joe Buck leaves, as he calls games in a rather monotone voice (that is, when his voice isn't injured like it is now).  Vasgersian in my mind made up for the listless call he made last Saturday, and I'm sure it was much appreciated to whoever was watching.

Random Thoughts On An Off Day

It's Thursday, September 8th, the Tigers have an off day, riding a 6-game win streak, your 2 closest competitors face off against each other in a 4-game series this weekend, with 9 games separating said competition.  Things must be going well.

And they are, albeit with a little help.  But for some reason, I am a bit concerned with Justin Verlander.

Verlander now has a 22-5 record after beating Cleveland yesterday.  He hasn't lost since July 15th vs the White Sox.  He seems to be in full control of the American League Cy Young award.

Justin Verlander

But his last 3 starts have been somewhat alarming.  His numbers in that time: in 19.1 innings, he's allowed 9 runs (all earned), 18 hits, 6 walks, has struck out 20, and given up 5 home runs.  That's good for a 4.19 ERA... but the number that jumps out is his WHIP (walks + hits / innings pitched) in that stretch is 1.24, well above his 0.91 that he's averaging for the season.

Far be it for me to assume that the staff workhorse is wearing down as the season goes by, but it's hard not to think about that.  In all 31 of his starts this season, Verlander has thrown at least 100 pitches, with 9 of those starts breaking 120 and 1 beyond 130.  No matter what kind of shape you're in, even the best of us (not me, personally) get worn down.  Let's just hope he's not completely spent by the time October rolls around.  Assuming the Tigers make the playoffs, they'll need him to be ready.  So if in the next 2 or 3 starts I pray that he's pulled with minimal damage and pitches thrown, it won't be seen as the root of all evil that he's not throwing his arm off before the post-season.

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How about that Delmon Young?

Delmon Young

While not exactly fleet-of-foot defensively (watching him run down fly balls in left field is nerve wracking), his bat has been a welcome sight since he was traded to the Tigers from the Twins early last month.  Before he was dealt, he was hitting only .266 with 4 HRs and 32 RBIs... not exactly great numbers that earned him his $5.4M contract to start the year.  But since his trade, he's batting .312, with 3 HRs and 17 RBIs.  He even drew a walk for the first time, bringing that total as a Tiger to... 1.  Okay, that's not ground-breaking, but his early returns from his change of scenery are very good thus far.  It will be interesting to see what the Tigers do with him this offseason, as the organization is left with a minor surplus in outfielders.  So far though, it looks like he likes his new digs and that might be enough for Dave Dombrowski to offer Delmon arbitration after this season is over.

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The Tigers face the Twins this weekend for the final time this season and we may not recognize most of the current Twins lineup.  Last night's Twins lineup featured only 2 players from their opening day roster in the lineup, that being Joe Mauer and Danny Valencia.  The Twins have expanded their roster a bit, bringing up players from AAA Rochester as well as AA New Britain.  With what the Tigers offense has done lately, I'm going to try and hold off reporting a future 9-game winning streak, but it sets up well for the team as the White Sox and Indians battle each other this weekend.  Two or three Tiger wins this weekend could drive those nails further into Cleveland and Chicago's coffin.

Finishing Them Off?

The Detroit Tigers open up another big series in Cleveland vs. the Indians today, 1 day after completing a big sweep of the White Sox, pasting them in the 18-2 finale last night.  With the Sox at 8.5 games back of the Tigers now, they should focus on keeping the Indians at the very least, 7.5 games back.

That would mean the Tigers would have to win 2 out of 3 in this set, which is what they should be doing anyway if they are to prove their worth as a playoff-ready team.  Not too much to ask, as 2 of your rotation stoppers will go in this series, being Doug Fister (today) and Justin Verlander (on Wednesday).  We've seen the offense do what they're doing, so there's no reason to believe the Tigers can't have an extra nice cushion with only a few weeks left in the regular season.  For today's game, it can be done... Ubaldo Jimenez goes for the Tribe, and his last outing vs the Tigers yielded 7 runs.

Of course, trying not to think too far ahead of the game here, a division lead that big of course has been erased before, as the Tigers may have the ghosts of 2009 haunting their fan base, saying nothing is imminent until it's all locked up.  Fair assessment, but while the Tigers did cough up a 7 game lead with 3 weeks to go in the season, they did it against what was a scorching hot Minnesota Twins team, who came down the stretch that season at a 42-17 mark.  Impressive, if not improbable: which is a word I'll use now.  For me, it's almost impossible to believe that either the White Sox or Indians could pull off what the Twins did 2 seasons ago, largely because neither team is healthy or hitting the ball with much consistency.  That is key when making a nice little run towards the postseason, and I don't forsee the Tigers coughing this up like they did in '09.

Far be it for me to say the Tigers will win the division right now, but for a while now, it's been their division to lose.  Imagine how different the division might look if the Tigers didn't stumble out to a slow start in April/May.  If they were playing then like they are playing now, we may be talking about a more insurmountable 10-12 game lead instead of 6.5.

The Tigers will win this division, even if I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I type this.

Broadcasting Laziness

The big buzz around the Motor City tonight was the awesome comeback the Detroit Tigers laid to the Chicago White Sox.  Down 8-1, the Tigers clawed their way back into the game... 8-5 as the teams were taken off the field in the bottom of the 8th inning for what would be a 36 minute rain delay.

Fast forward slightly to the bottom of the 9th, with the score 8-6, Ryan Raburn at the plate as the tying run, Fox broadcasters (and MLB Network talking heads) Matt Vasgersian and Mitch Williams become part of 2 of the worst HR calls in recent memory.  Raburn crushes his 2-run, game tying shot to left, only to hear Mitch (the color analyst) mutter "It's gone" before Vasgersian gives a rather spirited HR call.  Not to be outdone, Vasgersian takes Miguel Cabrera's HR call and erases his pretty good call from the previous blast and offers up this broadcasting gem:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18781581

Vasgersian

Williams

 Now, I know for a national audience, there needs to be a good balance of objectivity and good play calling.  While the former was there, the latter sure wasn't.  The bigger problem was, neither one of these guys were deep into what has really happened with either club in recent weeks, making them sound rather ignorant when it came to talking about the clubs and their tendencies.  Which leads to the next problem, this wasn't really for a national audience, more for the regional crowd instead.  Fox's three broadcasts today included the actual national broadcast, which feature the Red Sox and Rangers from Fenway Park, the Cardinals and Reds from St. Louis, and the Tigers and White Sox.  As you might imagine, the Tigers/White Sox game was delivered to the smallest audience, which begs the question, why not mix and match?

In this case, it's my assumption that Fox and Comcast Sports Net aren't at all affiliated with each other, so you wouldn't see a possibility of Ken (The Hawk) Harrelson or Steve Stone working with the likes of Mario Impemba and Rod Allen.  But it really needs to be fixed like that, because if you're going to suck the emotion out of what should be the most exciting play of the game, why the hell should anyone watch?  Vasgersian's HR call was boring, worse than "matter-of-fact" like, with he and Williams sounding like they were both at home on the couch drinking a couple of cheap beers instead of actually doing "play calling", which is what they were being paid to do.  At least if you bring in the local talent for the regional broadcasts, you're likely not going to cheat the fans who know that the people who are calling the game actually know a thing or two about how their team operates.  Except the egregious thing here is, these clowns actually work for the MLB Network, and they still called the game like they did little to no research whatsoever.  Fox would have been better off bringing in long time announcer and play-by-play dinosaur Dick Stockton to call the game.  At least for his stuttering and bouts of forgetfulness, he probably wouldn't have been any worse that the two talking heads we were forced with today.

Fox has to get this right, for the love of baseball and humanity.  If you want people to watch your sport in October, especially when those people don't necessarily have a rooting interest for who's playing, they'll need to find someone who can call the game with passion, knowledge, and a genuine love for the game.

Vin Scully comes to mind...

The Most Important Series to Start on September 2nd

Okay, there's no real research done to warrant that headline, but I suppose if you include 2011, then we're on to something.

The Tigers start up a very pivotal series this weekend with the Chicago White Sox, after a rather disappointing 4-game split with the last place Royals.  The Tigers and their pitching staff got roughed up in yesterday's 11-8 loss, though some might argue that with the abuse of the bullpen, there won't be much of a need for that for tonight's game.

Justin Verlander

Of course, that must mean Detroit Tigers workhorse Justin Verlander takes the mound, and he'll need to be at his best as he'll face White Sox starter John Danks, who after starting the season 0-8, is 6-1 in 9 starts since the end of May.  After being relatively unhittable in the months of June and July, he was touched up in August for 13 runs (12 ER) in 5 starts, compiling a 2-1 record for the month overall.  Another factor about the White Sox as a team: terrible at home, but somehow better on the road, which is what they'll be facing this weekend, and early next week when they travel into Minnesota.  The Tigers would be wise in taking care of business here, especially since the Sox will play a day-night doubleheader the day after their Sunday night ESPN telecast.  Currently the Tigers hold a 5.5 game lead in the Central over the Sox and Indians, and winning 2 out of 3 at the very least would be easier to stomach for fans than losing 2 of 3.  And if the Tigers want to convince their nervous fan base that they can compete and pull off this division, they'll hopefully do what's necessary.

John Danks

We may also be disappointed in the lack of Sox first baseman, designated hitter, and strikeout machine Adam Dunn, who has been on the bench as of late because of his horrible production at the plate.  And while it's fun to watch him windmill his way through an at-bat, they Sox have been doing some winning without him in the lineup.  For manager Ozzie Guillen, it's probably a lot easier than expected to put a guy making $12M this season on the bench... after all, he's not signing the paychecks.

Sneaky Power!

Doug Fister threw 6 perfect innings to start the game.  Broken up in the 7th, and trailing by the end of the inning. 1-0, in what looked like might be a hard luck loss for the guy who has struggled mightily to get run support all season.

Magglio Ordonez, who has certainly lost a step or four and is at the twilight of his career, had a clutch, game tying single in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at 1.  I will be quick to admit that I have said over and over, that Maggs shouldn't be in the lineup on a regular basis.  His offense AND defense are suffering.  But since Brennan Boesch is still nursing a thumb injury, we need him.  And he came through.  Then... Up came Ramon Santiago.

Ramon Santiago, walk off HR.

In the bottom of the tenth, in the game as a pinch runner in the 8th inning, connected off of Aaron Crow and sent the ball over the right field wall, sending 34,000 fans at Comerica Park home very happy.  His first career walk off home run, 4th HR of the year, 2-1 final score.

Great, because for a while it may have turned out to be one of the more egregious losses of the season.  Doug Fister pitched extremely well for his new ballclub, essentially making a mistake to leadoff batter Alex Gordon in the 7th inning, who drove Fister's first pitch into the gap in left center field, for the Royals first baserunner of the game.  He would score on a Billy Bulter sacrifice fly, and the way Royals starter Jeff Francis had started his game, it was looking like another flat performance from what is regarded to be a good offense.  The Royals pitching isn't special.  We saw that tonight, as Louis Coleman worked the 9th inning for Kansas City, walking the bases loaded with 2 outs.  Taking advantage of such an action was apparently a tall order, as Crow came in and struck out Wilson Betemit on 3 pitches to end the threat.

If it weren't for 2 clutch swings of the bat, we might be very angry with how this game could have or would have ended up.  Ultimately, the 2 bats that figured for a winning formula at Comerica tonight were probably the last 2 bats we all expected to clutch-up for the Tigers.  And for that, we thank Magglio, and Ramon... with the hopes that they contribute like that again down the stretch.

Everybody Panic! (Okay, Now Settle Down)

Last night, at least according to a couple of Twitter timelines, people were revisiting memories of a second-half collapse, when they really should have realized that they were beaten by a pretty good offensive team, on a night where Max Scherzer was downright terrible.

Perez (left) and Escobar following back-to back HRs (AP Photo)

Scherzer was flat and without command in the Royals 9-5 win over the Tigers last night.  Scherzer offered up 7 of those runs in just 3+ innings of work.  And while the Tigers offense ranks toward the top of the AL, so does the Royals offense.

After last night, the Tigers and the Royals both have a team batting average of .270.  The Tigers have only scored 16 more runs total than the Royals to this point, and the Royals have more hits than the Tigers.  All that would surprise most Tigers fans considering the Royals are sitting in the AL Central basement right now.  All that said, you can't blame the hitting for their woes, it's their pitching.  However, Luke Hochevar was good enough in last night's effort, giving up 4 runs and getting the Tigers to take some bad swings at offspeed pitches out of the zone.  That's going to happen once in a while, and fans really need to remember that.

So the Tigers need to either hit better, or pitch better in this series.  And since they didn't pitch all that well last night, we'll hope that Doug Fister goes out tonight and has himself the kind of start he did in his last outing vs. Tampa Bay.  And like the Tigers, the Royals won't always have a nasty offensive display like they did last night.  One game shouldn't turn fans against the team (or themselves), especially since they still have a 5 game lead over the White Sox in the Central.  Now I might have a different take if the Tigers get swept, but that's not going to happen.

I think...

Time To Put Turner on the Shelf

The announcement today that has a bunch of Tigers fans in an excited frenzy, is the Thursday afternoon spot start for prized prospect Jacob Turner. What fans are probably assuming, is that he is staying on for the stretch run in the hopes that he will contribute for the rest of the season, and potentially beyond. I'm here to say I hope that doesn't happen.

If the organization follows suit with the innings limits that were also used on current rotation anchors Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello, the general consensus is he is to be limited to 150 innings for this season (give or take a few innings), and then to be shut down. Currently, Turner is sitting at 136.1 innings pitched this season in his time between Erie, Toledo and his 1 start with Detroit. His minors numbers are good, posting a 3.44 ERA, striking out 110 and walking only 35. But none of this should matter, especially since the Tigers should be able to win this division without having to even feel like they should upgrade. That said, the future looks good for the 2012 Tigers rotation.

Jacob Turner

My assumption is, and I believe all Tigers fans would welcome this, is that Brad Penny will be gone after his 1 year of service to the Tigers.  The rotation would then look like this: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello, and Jacob Turner.  To me, there's no reason to throw him into a pennant race, especially if you're going to put him in a position he's not been training for, and that's bullpen duty.  If he were to stay with the Tigers, that's exactly where he'd be.  Especially if he's supposed to be on a limit of innings pitched.  Keep him doing what he's supposed to be doing, and don't ruin him with bullpen work, especially when we have seen improvement from what we have now.  Phil Coke has been very solid lately, as well as 8th inning setup man Joaquin Benoit and closer Jose Valverde.  Of course, the question marks that are Daniel Schlereth, Ryan Perry, and David Pauley shouldn't be the reason that Turner stays up and comes out of the bullpen.  I don't care to see him come in out of his element because of a few questionable arms.  They may or may not come around, but Turner shouldn't be the first choice to replace any of them.

Turner will likely throw at or around the 96 pitches he threw in his debut, assuming the Royals don't do damage off of him early in the game (and why would they, they're the ROYALS), and after that he should shake a few hands, pat a few backs, and look forward to 2012.  Because it'll be a fine rotation, if the Tigers don't burn him out first.

Not JV's Best Day, but Good Enough

Justin Verlander was quick to point out that he didn't have his best stuff vs the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, saying "name a pitch, I had trouble finding consistency with anything," after securing his 20th win of the season.  A 6-4 win, and Verlander becomes the major's first 20-game winner of the season, and for the first time in his career.  Verlander also becomes the first pitcher to hit that mark before the end of August since Curt Schilling did it in 2002.

Justin Verlander (AP Photo)

But while he wasn't at his best, he was still helped by one of the better offenses in the American League.  Miguel Cabrera had a solo HR in the first, but his RBI hit following another Delmon Young RBI single gave the bullpen just enough insurance to help close this game out.  The Tigers recent run vs the Twins, which includes an 11-3 record this year, and 15 wins in the last 18 meetings, is reminiscent of the runs that Minnesota handed to the Tigers over the course of the last decade.

The injury-riddled and otherwise snakebitten Twins will send out struggling lefty Brian Duensing to the mound to face a suddenly, but maybe only moderately consistent Brad Penny as the Tigers face the Twins for the last time at Target Field this season.  They'll do so with a 6.5 game lead over the second place Indians, with the hopes of finishing the road trip 6-1 before they go home for 4 games vs the Royals.

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As for yesterday's Fox broadcast, Fox paired Tigers play-by-play man Mario Impemba with newly inducted Hall of Famer and resident self-lover Bert Blyleven to call the game.  Even with the Dick Stockton/Rod Allen combination, which may have been the most awkward pairing ever, the game calling wasn't horrible.  However, I was disappointed with the way Bert needed take over and interject during the course of the ballgame.  I think Bert is a decent analyst, but Saturday's display made me think that Mario wasn't needed at all in the booth.  Bert was also nice enough to joke about Miguel Cabrera's "donkey strength", which after 5 years of living in his market I knew he was joking, but that doesn't mean everyone did too.  I myself am fully aware that these regional telecasts need the balance, but having 2 potential alpha-dogs talking over each other makes the broadcast messy.  And with Hurricane Irene postponing a lot of games, this was probably broadcast with a bigger audience than just the Detroit and Twin Cities markets.  Do better, next time, Fox.  Though I know that's hard to do.

Anyone who did catch yesterday's game and watched some of the advertising, probably caught an MLB postseason moment that included this:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12602373

Enjoy that.  Again and again.

Quest for 20

"Must See JV" takes its show on the road, as Justin Verlander tries for the first time in his career to win 20 games in a season.  He faces Carl Pavano and the struggling Twins, who have now lost 6 straight games, and have only scored 5 total runs in that stretch.  Pavano will essentially be asked to pitch a shutout, as he faces off with the potential Cy Young winner.

As for last night's effort, Delmon Young continues to punish his former team.  By punish, I mean having 3 softly hit balls go for singles, getting 3 RBIs in last night's 8-1 Tigers victory.  Rick Porcello, who needed a bounce-back type of outing, struggled over the first three innings, missing his spots, allowing baserunners aplenty, but getting help in each of those three innings by way of the double play ball.  Porcello only allowed a run (also helped with a blown call at first base, which would have scored the Twins second run; instead, ended the inning) and would settle down and pitch into the 7th for his first win of the month.

But for Porcello, struggling early against an offensively challenged team isn't a sign he might turn things around.  He got more ground balls last night, which is a sign his sinker ball might be working again, but his location and command are still questionable.  Naturally, run support would be the key last night, but it's not enough to convince me that he's even leaning back to his winning ways that we saw in the month of July.

Someone who might be back, as far as his control and energy might be one Phil Coke.  Coke, who came in for Porcello last night, pitch an inning and 2/3 of perfect ball, striking out 3 more, and showing Tigers fans that he may still belong in the back end of that bullpen.  Many fans loathed his time in the rotation, but this is the Phil Coke we can all appreciate.  And if the Joaquin Benoit haters can forget that April ever happened, the last 3 innings of any given game will be very much set, assuming Jim Leyland see it this way.

Lastly, for today's Fox broadcast of the game, we will be entertained by Tigers play-by-play man Mario Impemba, and Twins analyst Bert Blyleven, who may or may not remind us that he's now a Hall of Fame pitcher.  As far as these Fox combinations go, this one is tolerable as opposed to the Dick Stockton and Rod Allen experiment earlier this season.  I hate feeling awkward for the commentary when I watch a game.  We all know Rod and his penchant for certain outlandish statements, but it's broadcast dinosaur and potential dementia patient Dick Stockton who should never call a game anywhere again.  His tendency to be forgetful to go with his broken delivery is painful to watch and listen to.

Enjoy the game today.  Easy to say, of course... Justin is too good to miss.

Good Start to the Road Trip

Alright, Tigers fans, the hating on Inge can stop for now, okay?  Sure, I was rather upset at his not one, but 2 bad plays in the 10th inning of last night's loss to the Rays, but moving on is necessary.  Inge blew the last play by not throwing to first (whether he admits his faults or not) and Leyland threw him under the bus for it.  Fine.  A new day has come, and a Tigers win could quickly turn that around.

Though today's lineup wasn't exactly imposing, with Miguel Cabrera welcoming a new son to the world, Brennan Boesch still having issues with his thumb, and Alex Avila finally getting a day off.  Nonetheless...

Austin Jackson hit a no-doubter into the stands on just the third pitch of the game, and that would ultimately be the winning run (Jackson added a sac fly for good measure) as the Tigers won 2-0 today over the Rays, taking 3 of 4 at the Trop against what is deemed a pretty darn good young rotation that Tampa has.  But while 2 runs of support isn't very many, it was enough for support-starved Doug Fister, who pitched 7 brilliant innings and got his third win as a Tiger, matching the amount he had when he was traded from Seattle to Detroit (Fister was 3-12 when traded, 3-1 since).  Joaquin Benoit gave up a base hit but would strike out the side in the 8th, before Jose Valverde allowed a hit and a walk - and was bailed out by Matt Joyce's poor baserunning as he was doubled off first base after a fly ball to Ryan Raburn.  It's his 38th save of the season, as he continues to be flawless in that department.

So once again, this is why the games are played: not the best Tiger lineup, but good enough to roll.  Tigers fans can now settle down on another front: the trade that brought Fister to Detroit.  Outside of 1 bad outing, he's been exactly what the doctor ordered.  Command is there, works at a brisk, Mark Buehrle-esqe pace, and with the proper support from his offense can be a big winner despite that crooked 6-13 record he now has.

As for Brandon Inge, the next time he comes clean on his mistakes might be the first time.  If he truly believes that going to second with that throw was the right move, then he should never be allowed onto the field again.  His range is good enough to have fired that ball to first base, thus getting the Tigers into the 11th with another chance to win.  That's not to say they could have won; judging by the way they had been hitting all night long, but mental mistakes like that in this stretch run is something this already defensively challenged ballclub could do without.

Wait a minute: didn't I say it was time to move on from this?  Onward.  Next stop, Minnesota.

An Unexpected Win?

I viewed last night's game as a bit of a "throw away game," mostly because of lowering my expectations whenever one Brad Penny takes the mound for the Tigers.

Easy to think that, not just because of Penny's season-long inconsistencies, but add that the Tigers had made Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde, the back end of the bullpen, unavailable for last night's game.  Also add Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price, young stud lefty who in his short career has dominated the Tigers.

Add in the cliche, "the games aren't played on paper" and we have ourselves the Tigers 5th straight win.  I wouldn't call Penny dominant by any stretch either, as he missed the strike zone on his first pitch to almost everyone he faced.  And with a few missed opportunities against Price early, it could have spelled doom for the winning streak.  Instead, Penny gutted out 6 1/3 innings of work and only gave up 1 run.  Remarkable, as he wasn't getting adequate run support, albeit vs a good young pitcher.

The bullpen did the rest, with Daniel Schlereth and Ryan Perry pitching the rest of what would be an interesting 7th inning, as Schlereth would allow the bases to load up with Rays before Perry was brought in to get the final out.  Enter Phil Coke, who'd failed as a starting pitcher this season, to pitch what would end up being a 50 pitch, 2 inning save as the Tigers would win 2-1, also thanks in part to a 2-run seventh inning in which "Titanium Catcher" Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta drove in runs for the Tigers.  Coke struck out 5 batters, and ended the game with a 10-pitch battle against Ben Zobrist, with 2 runners on, by grounding out to Miguel Cabrera to end the game.

Nobody should expect to win every game, but in that same thinking, nobody should expect to lose what I just called a "throw away game" either.  The Tigers beat Price for the first time in his career, and have given themselves a chance to win this 4-game series tonight with Max Scherzer on the mound.  And thanks to that win, the Tigers own a 6 game lead over Cleveland (who split a doubleheader yesterday) and 6.5 over Chicago, who lost in walk-off fashion vs the Angels last night.

I myself will take victories like this all the time, even though those last 3 innings were gut-wrenching with the Tigers moderately erratic bullpen.  A win's a win, and that's ultimately what matters.

Valverde, the NON-Saver

The Tigers started their 7-game road trip on a high note, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2, notching win number 19 for Justin Verlander, the first pitcher to reach that win level this year. A rather ho-hum performance from Justin: 7 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts. You'd think it be moderately difficult to find fault in a game in which the Tigers would win their 4th straight ballgame, and increasing their division lead to 5.5 games over the Chicago White Sox AND the Cleveland Indians. But I will try my best and do it anyway.

Because all of us hate to see Jose Valverde when it is NOT a save situation.

But Jim Leyland does it anyway, because Ole Smokey doesn't really listen to what the fans have to say (not even a 6-yr-old girl), because if the fans pulled the strings, in hindsight, this team would theoretically be 127-0 right now. Leyland tends to out-manage himself on most days, such as going with lineups that might be righty-heavy for a lefty pitcher (queue tomorrow's lineup, to be sure)... And pitching match ups aren't any different in his world.

According to my quick research on baseball-reference.com, I noticed that Valverde does have 2 months out of this season where he has not given up a run in his non-save appearances (April and June). The numbers don't lie for the remaining months of the season, though. In May, he gave up 9 runs (8 earned), in July he gave up 6 runs, and so far in August he's allowed 3 runs (1 earned, and that was tonight). Overall, in a mere 19.1 innings pitched in non-save situations, he's given up 18 runs (15 ER), good for an ERA of 7.07.

Closers have a different mentality. Jose Valverde is just a different cat altogether. If you are going to send a character like that out there when he can't get the save, he may relax a bit too much, or lose focus. Either way, chances are, he's going to lob a few too many pitches, (22 tonight, only 11 strikes) and suddenly he's unavailable to pitch the next night. Who becomes the Tigers closer then? Not Joaquin Benoit either, also declared unavailable tomorrow night.

Valverde might be perfect in his save chances this year, but he's a bumpy roller coaster ride when that stat doesn't matter. Even though he won't, Jim Leyland needs to dig elsewhere in his bullpen to get those last 3 outs. As it is, should the opportunity arise tomorrow night, he's going to have to.

Sweep!

After the Detroit Tigers walked off the field Saturday night with a convincing 10-1 win over the Cleveland Indians, thoughts of a repeat performance Sunday afternoon were on display when they jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on Cleveland and newly acquired Ubaldo Jimenez. The Tigers pitcher who was given this early wealth of run support? Rick Porcello.

Porcello, who was unbeaten in July, isn't fooling anyone in August. After three scoreless innings, the third of which included an interesting pitch behind Asdrubal Cabrera, Porcello coughed up a 5-run top of the fourth inning, with four of those runs allowed coming with 2 outs. The command issues are still there, which is not a welcome sign as the Tigers march towards September and the stretch run. Just 3 2/3 innings pitched, which potentially taxes the bullpen. The Tigers would use 6 relievers today... Though some will suggest the Tigers don't need the bullpen tomorrow with Justin Verlander pitching... It's still not good heading into a 7-game road trip.

The fourth inning insurance run provided by newcomer Delmon young (who had 4 RBIs today) proved to be vital, as the Tigers would ultimately cling to a 1-run lead as the game entered the ninth inning. Enter Jose Valverde, who hasn't blown a save opportunity this season. Valverde, who lately has been making things tough on himself when he takes the mound, would walk the leadoff man Kosuke Fukudome, and on an 0-2 pitch, hit Jason Donald with a pitch. Valverde would almost blow it against someone who was TRYING to get an out, as Jack Hannahan finally sacrificed himself, allowing both lead runners to advance.

In what might be the play of the year, pinch hitter Matt LaPorta hits a relatively shallow, lazy liner to center fielder Austin Jackson. Jackson lines himself up, catches the ball, and throws an absolute DART, slightly up the third base line, and directly into the glove of Alex Avila, who was perfectly placed to catch that ball and block the attempt from Fukudome, who tagged up and tried to score. Ball beats Fukudome, tag is applied, Avila shows the umpire, DOUBLE PLAY, GAME OVER. A sellout crowd celebrated, as did the players, finishing off an incredible sweep of the Indians. With all that, the Tigers will take with them to Tampa a 4 1/2 game lead in the division, with the hopes of maintaining some of the momentum from this game on to the ensuing trip.

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Lost in that insane finish is the work of Rick Porcello.  He's certainly not proving his worth at all this month, but as mentioned in previous posts, he's young and the organization is not going to give up on this young talent.  However, mired in a pennant run, Jim Leyland is going to have to be careful with him, as he was today when he wasted very little time ripping him from the ball game.  His next scheduled start is Friday night at Minnesota, a team who has grossly underachieved this year, a team who right now isn't going to let that stop them from trying to be a spoiler.  I think Tigers fans desperately want Rick Porcello to be good, but most of those faithful aren't going to be too patient with what they are seeing now.

Big Win for Max

Last night, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians started what some are calling a very big, meaningful, August series.  Max Scherzer vs Josh Tomlin, and... Joe West.

Major League Umpire and Grimace descendant Joe West essentially got in the way of what could have been a shutout by Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer when he called a pitch that went right down the middle of the plate, at the knees, for a BALL.  The batter was Lonnie Chisenhall, who instead of striking out to end the inning, would work an infield single after Miguel Cabrera stumbled as he tossed to first for what would have been out number 3.  Carlos Santana, who singled to start the inning, would eventually score on a wild pitch, all after an obvious blown strike call.

That trimmed the Tigers lead to 2-1, but a couple of big home runs in the bottom of the 7th off of Tomlin, a moon-shot by Alex Avila, followed by a back-to-back shot - on the following pitch - off the bat of Jhonny Peralta.  A 4-1 win for the Tigers to open a 2.5 game lead over the Indians in the AL Central race.  A monumental victory coming off a disappointing series with the Minnesota Twins (losing 2 of 3) and perhaps avoiding some short-time panic amongst the knee-jerkiest of Tigers fans.  Doug Fister pitches tonight against David Huff in the hopes that Fister can find some of that command that we all thought we were getting when Seattle sent him our way.  Always good to go into Sunday with a series win in hand vs your closest opponent.

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It seems that after that game was completed, bigger that the win itself was the news that the Tigers had purchased the contract of one Brandon Inge, and he will be joining the team for Saturday night's game.  Oh, and how about starting on Saturday night too.  Yep, batting .177 this season at the Major League level, comes back from his time in Toledo, having hit .287 with 7 home runs.  He will platoon with Wilson Betemit, who will likely get his starts with right-handed pitching, and Inge against lefties.  The casualty here is Andy Dirks, who was sent back to Toledo to make room for Inge on the roster.

More importantly, Inge's return will provide him a spot on the postseason roster, should the Tigers finish off this division and make the playoffs.  Dirks will be back after major league rosters are allowed to expand from 25 to 40, on September 1st.  Inge's defense, which isn't what it used to be, is still very important here.  Since Inge was Designated For Assignment, the Tigers have used Betemit, Ryan Raburn, and Don Kelly at third, all with mixed results.  Of the 3, Kelly might be better defensively but has struggled at the plate.  Betemit, many will say, hasn't had enough playing time since he was dealt to the Tigers from Kansas City, has the offensive numbers that are decent for every day play, but his range is limited in the field.  As for Ryan Raburn, Tigers fans will be fine if I don't remind them how terrible his is defensively.

The Tigers need Inge's glove, and if he can carry some of the mild success that he did at the plate in Toledo back to Detroit, that will be an automatic bonus for this team, and perhaps he can get the critics and fans to stop booing him... after all, he had a bitterness about that.  The clear answer to avoid that is to be the player he's being paid $5.5M to be.  Tigers fans will easily forget how bad he's been if he can pull this off.

Cy Verlander

A few questions were brought to my attention following another dominant performance by Justin Verlander last night: Why does it matter if his wins come after a win or loss? Would he approach the game any differently? Do the wins mean more?

The first question is easy to answer, mostly because his winning after the Tigers lose helps put at ease the common fans fears that during this second half run, any signs of a collapse doesn't stop the bleeding if he goes and loses.  It's just one game, right?  Except that without Verlander, especially lately, the Tigers record is below .500.  As far as his approach, most of us realize that Verlander is a fierce competitor and he's going to go pitch when it's his turn the same way he would no matter what the Tigers did the game before.  But since it's happened so often this season, we have to take notice, and it has shown that it's rather meaningful since he's now 14-3 in games pitched this season following a Tigers loss.

And I'll concede to some MVP talk too, in addition to the Cy Young award he's almost certain to have won already.  I have said that the MVP award should be given to a position player, mostly since they can't win the Cy Young.  But when you talk about who you give that award to, players are brought up by not only their numbers, but on their team's successes too.  And with those 14 wins after Tigers losses, his 18 wins up to this point, there's not another player that is more important to his team's success than Justin Verlander.  Yes, he's not an everyday player.  But it's impossible to believe that the Tigers would be in first place right now without his services.  The rest of the rotation hasn't been very consistent, and never mind how badly inconsistent the Tigers bullpen has been this season.  As far as the award goes, there isn't a clear cut runaway at this point of the season from any team (that includes Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox fans: he's SUPPOSED to put up those numbers, his contract says so), so it's hard for me to even fathom anyone taking votes away from Verlander.

In the end, whether or not he goes out there one way or another, Verlander shows up and does what he's supposed to do: win games.  The dominance he brings is just a very welcome bonus.

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We all got a bit of a jolt when news of Dombrowski making a trade within the division (again) happened again on Monday, when he traded a couple of minor league pitchers to the Twins for former number 1 overall draft pick Delmon Young.  At the time of the trade, Delmon was hitting .266 with only 4 HR, and also brings with him very suspect defense out in left field.  The true definition of an underachiever, right?  Well, his first game was a relative success, as he homered in his first plate appearance vs his former team and made a nice running catch in left.  I can only hope the change in scenery will do him some good, perhaps rejuvenate his desire to play up to his potential, especially now that he's back in a pennant chase.  He's still only 25 years old, and it's hard to give up on a guy like that but the Twins (and their fan base) had finally had enough.

Of course, with a couple of the trades DD has made, it might have improved our offense, but if you downgrade an already suspect defensive unit, it may make for a few frustrating games down the stretch.  As usual, I hope I'm wrong here.

Wrapping Up the Roadie

Newly acquired Doug Fister, pitching for the Detroit Tigers today, is used to not having a whole lot of run support in his starts.  Today, 9 runs would have been a lot to ask for.

Fister's first shaky outing as a Tiger was today in Baltimore, giving up 8 runs (6 ER) on 12 hits, had no real command of his pitches this afternoon and wasn't fooling anybody.  Usually in good control, he didn't have it today as the Tigers finished up this 9 game road trip by losing 8-5 to the Orioles.  As previously posted, the Tigers road woes have been well documented in the past, but at least this season they can boast a better record on the road than last year, which for me is progress.  As for Fister, no reason to worry about him, as he had a bad day.  No need for Tigers fans to blow up about the trade being good or bad for either the Seattle Mariners or the Tigers, as there hasn't been nearly enough time passed to make that kind of judgement (get back to me in 3 years, then we can discuss that).  He'll get his next start at home, and we'll all hope it's a better outing than today.  Call off the dogs.

As for the road trip, they did go 5-4, which from here looks like a winning record... albeit I'm reaching a bit by boasting that a single victory over the losses is a successful road trip.  To a degree, I am reaching: the 2 series wins were against 2 last place teams in the American League (KC and Baltimore) but the series loss was vs AL Central competitor, the Cleveland Indians.  Sure, winning this series would have been nice, but for me it's still about road trip success.  The Tigers can take care of their business at home, and bringing home more wins than losses on a long road trip is never a bad thing.

The Tigers road show comes home to face the Minnesota Twins, a team snakebitten by injuries and relative "UnTwinslike" play in the field this season.  A real chance for the Tigers to continue their recent dominance over this ballclub, having won 8 of 9 meetings so far this season.  They play the Twins 9 more times, with 6 of those games at home.  Take care of these guys, because those Indians are back in town for another big series next weekend.  And they'll need to play better against the Tribe next weekend, with Justin Verlander pitching in the middle of the Twins series, he won't be a savior this time around.  It'll be time for someone else to step up and have a good pitching performance, against a team that seemingly won't go away.

It still sets up well for the Tigers, they just need to remember that and take full advantage of their opportunities.

Starter, Setup, Closer

Tonight was about as important game the Tigers will have on the road this month during an August pennant race: losers of the first 2 games to the Cleveland Indians, and their stopper pitching in the finale.

The game was probably a little too close for comfort in the eyes of Detroit Tigers fans, as they got out quickly vs Fausto Carmona, and staked Justin Verlander to an early 4 run lead.  A solo HR later, and a 2-RBI double in the next inning, and we have a 4-3 Tigers lead.

A score that would stick throughout the course of the game.  And to quickly summarize the type of season Cleveland has had, exciting, close, pulled it out in the end.  They have a lot of walk-off wins this season, or wins earned late in games, which made many of us nervous about the potential outcome of a game to salvage the series.

Collective moans could be heard after the 7th inning, as it became known that after 7 innings, 3 ER, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts, and 108 pitches, his day was over.  Enter setup man Joaquin Benoit, who won no fans for how he started his season.  April and May were forgettable months for him, but Tigers fans won't be so quick: 6.10 ERA in April, 5.59 in May.  Got it together in June and July, with a hiccup in this month that leads fans to be nervous when he takes the ball, especially in a close game.

Strikeout, strikeout, groundout.  The haters are nowhere to be found.

Enter Jose Valverde, who has had a knack of making his save opportunities at times, very "exciting."  At times, putting runners on via the walk, not exactly making life easy on himself.  Add to that, the fact that he still hasn't blown a save opportunity this season (32 for 32), and more anxious Tigers fans await to see if this, in fact, was the night it might happen.

Strikeout, popout, groundout.  Ballgame.

And with that, Justin Verlander wins his 100th career game, and Jose Valverde came in and converted what is now a club record 33rd consecutive save to start the season, breaking the old record held by Willie Hernandez in 1984.  Yes, 2 big milestones were had tonight, but the win is bigger.

A loss may have sent panic through Tiger-town.  Talk would have been about Verlander perhaps not being able to stop the bleeding that was 13 straight losses in Cleveland, or perhaps how the bullpen was unable to hold onto what Verlander had left them.  They would move on to Baltimore with a slim 1-game lead in the standings, perhaps wondering what might have been, especially to allow the Indians back to within striking distance.

Instead, the top-dogs of the pitching corps did what they were supposed to do: Verlander struck out 10 more and only gave up 3 hits (big hits, but only 3).  Benoit, brought in this season to set up Valverde, did just that.  And rather impressively, I might add.  Valverde did his thing, minus the crazy dance at the end, and got his save.  Everything fell into place, and now it's time to move on to Baltimore with a 3-game lead in the division.

A sweep there would be nice.  Winning and fundamental baseball would be ideal.  Finishing road trips ahead would be paramount.

The Not-So-Clutch Rick Porcello

So I see now many Tigers fans are now piling on Rick Porcello, calling him worthless, citing his now near 5 ERA is terrible, etc, etc.

Well, give up 8 ER in any given start and you'll probably see a jump in that ERA.  But chalk it up to 1 bad game, the first he has had in his last six.  People have already forgotten that he went 5-0 in July, with a 3.06 for the month.  My brain tells me those are very good numbers.

A bigger issue to me other than a bad night or two, is the timing.  I'm going to assume that no pitcher (not even Verlander) is going to pitch a perfect game every night out.  Porcello left a lot of his pitches up, the sinker fastball just wasn't sinking, and a lot of balls got his very hard, and all over the place.  Fine.  But, in the end, it was a ballgame vs. your closest division competitor, a long time rival, your hated neighbor.

After Porcello's loss last night, the Tigers have dropped 13 straight games at Progressive Field, a futile mark that dates back to last May.  It's ugly, and we all needed Rick to put out that fire, not make it bigger.  It's never a good idea to give up on a talented, very young pitcher (still only 22), but at some point he needs to be a bigger, better pitcher in the clutch when his team needs him.  The present (and future) rotation needs that presence now, especially in the middle of a pennant run.  It can't just be Justin Verlander every 5th day, or even Max Scherzer, who in my opinion could also benefit the team from pitching in clutch situations.  If Rick Porcello wants to move up to that next level, he'll need to figure out what made him so bad last night for the first time in over a month.

The Tigers have a chance to be really great with that rotation, but Porcello will need to remove the kid gloves first.  I believe he can do it, but he needs to figure it out soon.  Because this year, there are no points for second place.

Worst Blog Post Ever

Since the Detroit Tigers found a way to lose last night's game in absolutely pathetic fashion, I'll keep this short and sweet...

That might have been the worst Tigers loss.  EVER.  Although fighting with me on that claim is April 30th's Tigers loss to Cleveland.

Losing by hit batsman is embarrassing.  Losing by our offense taking hacks and terrible pitches is embarrassing.  Losing by submitting some piss-poor baserunning, is EMBARRASSING.

And kudos to our newly extended manager, Jim Leyland, for... well, nothing.  Brutal game all over.  And for those who stayed up to watch it, we're the suckers.  Clearly.  On the flip side, we might have stayed up because we as fans knew the importance of that game.  And it went down the chute on a HIT BATSMAN.  I'll have to remind myself to only put forth 9 innings of ball tonight, because all season long, we've seen the Indians do what they do.  Win close games, and win them late.  Maybe THEY have the killer instinct necessary, and the desire to win this awful division.

For the sake of me and the fan base, I hope I'm wrong.

Sure, They're Extended, But...

So earlier today, Detroit Tigers President/GM Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland were given contract extensions from the club, Dombrowski through 2015, and Leyland through 2012.  Like most fans, at least some of the fans I saw on Twitter today, were rather disgusted by the moves, myself included.  After all, I did post some dribble on here not too long ago about how Dombrowski and Leyland's time is up, and we need a new direction.

After digesting the news over the course of the day, I will admit that can come to terms with what we have with the Tigers, based on some chatter with common fans, and a journalist or two.  A few things come to mind though.

Leyland being extended is fine, mostly because you're not going to find an available manager out there who'll be a better replacement for this ball club.  I can accept that.  The problem is, most of the common fans don't see some of the successes but instead the errors in judgement, or just plain mismanagement.  The players like him, and he likes the players.  There's too much at stake to just swiftly make a change, though it wouldn't have happened until this offseason.

That said, same goes for Dombrowski.  And it's not just DD, it's the rest of the front office too.  There's a lot of potential still surrounding this team, along with a couple of expiring big contracts (Paging Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez).  DD, Al Avila, and the rest of the front office has the right hold on this team, and turning that over to someone different might be a little dangerous.  While it's not great to think of what happens IF the Tigers fail to make the postseason this year, the front office and its minions have a pitching rotation that is under club control through 2014, and the core of offensive threats are all around for at least that long too.  So in theory, there's no reason to turn all that over to another group.

So the Manager and the President are signed.  In the end, we don't have to like it, but that's what's out there.  The timing is strange, being that this could have taken place earlier this season, or at the end.  My theory is, take the stress and "lame duck" label away, and you're now focused for a stretch run.  But the common ground with this group is, that no one has won anything yet.  During the regime, the Tigers have won zero divisions, zero championships.  Sure, the wild card and pennant in 2006 was a great run, but it still came up short, and now were coming up on 5 years since that October run.  The common fan is impatient, and wants its winner now.

Random Thoughts: The Week That Was

Sitting here typing while listening to the Indians/Rangers game - a game I cannot watch because of MLB's and ESPN's "exclusive broadcast window" - wishing there was some Tigers baseball tomorrow. But, since the schedule says so, we'll have to live with the night off.  But that might be a good thing as we look at Victor Martinez.

Victor went down like a bag of stones after coming home on a grounder to second base, trying to dodge a tag.  At first glance, he had needed help off, putting no weight on his knee.  During the broadcast, we were informed that it was a sprain, and it would be further evaluated on Sunday.  Well, even as early as the post game locker room questioning, Dr. Jim Leyland had convinced all who would listen that he'd probably be fine.  I guess we'll see, when that Tuesday lineup comes out.

Here's the issue: Victor never should have put himself in that position, with the play dictating he should have stayed at third base. With a drawn in infield, the ball was hit directly to the second baseman.  Even the fastest runner probably gets thrown out.  In this case, the ball was there with plenty of time to spare.  Unnecessary.  Poor baserunning has doomed the Tigers at spots this season (Paging Jhonny Peralta), and in a pennant race, slow and steady wins the race.

Sure, we saw the successful debut of new Tigers acquisition Doug Fister earlier this week, but it may have been a little to close for comfort.  Another problem spot for the Tigers has been their defense.  Fister had some errors behind him, but held on for the win.  Run support has been an issue for Fister with his days in Seattle, but with one of the top (yet inconsistent) offenses that should ultimately change.  Ultimately, that's why I'm not worried about the fact that he's now 4-12 on the season.  Judging by his body language so far on his new team, he seems to be excited about his new role in a pennant chase.

The Rangers rallied tonight to beat the Indians, and as a result, the Tigers will have a 4 game lead in the standings over their next opponent.... the Indians, and on the road.  The Tigers recent history on the road hasn't been great, but this season they've turned a bit of a corner with their efforts.  Big wins on the road would be lovely, this week is no exception.  The Tigers are poised to finish better on the road this season than last season, and all they have to do is win 2 games (we hope more though).  The Tigers were an awful 29-52 on the road last year, and so far this year they are 28-28.  Sure, .500 ball isn't anything to write home about, but I'll accept it after what they did last season.  Sure, the Tigers lost their game today to the Royals, but they still won 2 out of 3.  Keep winning series like that, especially on the road, and the division is theirs to lose.

And it sets up well for the Tigers down the stretch.  The common cliche, "controlling your own destiny," is well in play here.  The Tigers non-divisional opponents down the stretch include the Orioles on the road next weekend and the Rays on the road later this month.  In September, they will have a 4-game series in Oakland in the middle of a 9-game road trip, and a 4-game series at home vs the Orioles before the season finale (vs Cleveland).  All teams who don't factor into the playoff chase, but can be dangerously scrappy because of that.  In short, all series that need to be won, not lost.  Easy, right?  And as we do come down the stretch we marvel at the amazement of the schedule maker, bringing Cleveland in for the final series of the year.

Stretch run time: bring on the Indians.

Leyland Shuffling the Rotation = No Brainer

Before today, Justin Verlander's turn in the rotation has him starting tonight, and then next Friday as they open a series in Baltimore.

Perhaps he's not as ornery as we have all thought he was, and he realized that pitching the future Cy Young winner would  be better off on Thursday against the Cleveland Indians in what will be an important series for the Tigers.  And he won't be losing any rest, as the Tigers are off on Monday.

But with that move for his workhorse, I hope he realizes he needs to to the same with his lineup.  Stop playing the percentages, and play who needs to be played, i.e. streaky batters, regulars who should have regular time in a stretch run.  Leyland's late-game management is always in question, as was displayed last night when he yanked starter Rick Porcello after only throwing 82 pitches.  Instead of perhaps letting his young pitcher work himself out of trouble, he allowed the bullpen (which is nothing short of awful this season) to cough up the lead, letting the game go into extra innings.  Sure, Brennan Boesch, who had a great night last night, came through last night in the top of the 10th with the game winning hit.  What I'm saying is it didn't need to come to that.

I will also say that Daniel Schlereth, who's had a rocky season out of the 'pen for the Tigers, looked sharp.  He was supposed to be the lefty specialist out of the bullpen this season, and still needs to be because of the horrid season Phil Coke is experiencing.  Valverde has been Valverde, converting his 31st consecutive save to open the season.  He and his asinine antics can tie the club record held by Willie Hernandez ('84) with his next successful save opportunity.

I shall keep hoping that Leyland figures other things out as we continue along the stretch run, as the Tigers play the Royals in the second game of the series, starting the day with a 4 game lead over second-place Cleveland.  It would be beneficial for this now .500 road team to maintain that margin before starting a series against the Indians on Tuesday.

Baseball Etiquette?

So you're mad. You just gave up a big home run. You decide to send a message.

That message was simple, throw at the next batter's head. This was done twice in three days. The cowards? Jered Weaver of the Angels, and Carlos Carrasco of the Indians.

Friday night, already down 3-0 to the Royals, Carrasco serves up a grand slam to Melky Cabrera, giving them a 7-0 lead, still in the top of the fourth inning. Billy Butler stands in, and the first pitch offered to him "buzzes the tower." Carrasco is immediately ejected for throwing at Butler's head, and the benches clear out with no further incident afterwards. Butler looked like he was ready to brawl after that pitch.

Fast forward to today's game between the Tigers and the Angels. Earlier in the game, Magglio Ordonez hits a 2-run homer off of Weaver. The ball would hook close to the line, and around the left field foul pole. The distance was there, but to Ordonez, it was a matter of fair vs foul. Because of that, he didn't take off for what would be a trot around the bases. This was twisted as a sign of showboating, something you'll never see Magglio do. Soon after Weaver would have some words with Miguel Cabrera in the ensuing at bat. In the seventh inning, Carlos Guillen hit about as much of a no-doubter as you can at Comerica Park. Unlike Ordonez, Guillen featured a pause, bat flip, and squared himself for a few shuffled steps toward Weaver, and began a nice slow trot around the bases. The home plate umpire was rather wise and issued warnings to both benches, seeing what was transpiring. No matter, as Alex Avila stepped in, on the very next pitch, threw at his head. Again, instant ejection. Angels manager Mike Scoscia is also ejected, a rule in place after warnings are issued for instances like this.

What Carrasco, Weaver, and to a certain degree Guillen did in these instances is beyond the unwritten rules of baseball. Guillen just needed to drop the bat and run. The showboating bit was not necessary, and might have saved Avila from being a headhunting victim. The two pitchers displayed absolute cowardice by throwing at opposing players heads. Clearly, if you REALY want to properly send a message, usually you're planting one of those fastballs in the batter's backside, or perhaps between the numbers. NEVER AT THE HEAD. Jered Weaver has pitched his way towards being an elite pitcher this season, but instead remembers he's a total knucklehead. What a shame, and I hope he enjoy's finishing second or third in the Cy Young voting.

And that Erik Aybar bunt in the eighth inning? Also "bush league", trying to bunt his way to a base hit in the hopes of breaking up (another) no-hit bid by Justin Verlander. It didn't work, sort of, as Verlander threw wildly to first and was charged with an error. In the end, Verlander gave up 2 runs, only 1 lousy hit, and reminded the rest of baseball who the best pitcher continues to be. If you're keeping score at home, that's three times this season he's taken a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Of course he has the one tallied vs Toronto, and we're anxiously awaiting his next one. It will happen.

But in the end, it's necessary to follow the unwritten rules. Although sometimes some people can be remembered for the times they break those rules. I'm sure Jered Weaver won't mind that.

Focusing on Jacob

Watching highly touted Tigers prospect, Jacob Turner, make his major league debut, I'll compare it briefly to that of another former super prospect, Justin Verlander.

The 2 things they have in common for their first starts, is they both pitched 5 1/3 innings, and they both lost. Verlander's day: 4 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts vs the Indians on July 5th, 2005. Turner's day was slightly better: 2 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

Admitting some nerves, and for all it's worth, he looked pretty good. One gnarly number that's concerning: the 5 stolen bases he allowed. He'll go back to the minors now, specifically to Toledo and not Erie (where he was brought up from) where I hope he'll work on holding runners close, gaining more command on what could very be a nasty curveball, and most importantly, get ready for next season.

After watching him get an ovation after Jim Leyland pulled him from his start, it's obvious that the fans are ready to watch this 20-yr-old continue to blossom. And there's no reason to believe that, like Verlander, he can't come to the big club next season and not make an immediate impact. And for those of you who think he's ready now, can take a deep breath and begin to realize that he's not there. Soon. Let him mature down the stretch.

No need to waste him. Definitely no need to trade him.

David Purcey Should Seal Dombrowski's Fate

Okay, so one deal shouldn't define the work of Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, but in the eyes of most Tigers fans, it probably should.

But I'm having trouble finding some middle ground when it comes to DD and his time with the Tigers. After picking what is left of my brain trying to find it, I gave up and came to the conclusion that he is super-aggressive, or ultra conservative. Problem is, one of those extremes is a result of the other. And it's spelling disaster for the Tigers.

In the past, his aggressive side has negotiated extensions in almost knee-jerk fashion (Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Gary Sheffield to name a few) and this past offseason and current regular season have been no different. Brandon Inge quickly resigned this past offseason at the tune of $5.5 million per year for the next 2 seasons. As the season has progressed, Inge's defense and his already horrible offense has regressed. Yet he was penciled into the lineup regularly, until he was finally designated for assignment last week. He and his contract are now playing in Toledo.

But the deal that will resonate fresh in the fans minds is the deal that sent underachieving infielder Scott Sizemore to Oakland for left-handed reliever David Purcey, with the Tigers being his THIRD team this season (traded to Oakland from Toronto earlier this year). The team saw promise in his first few appearances of his time with the Tigers, but has since forgotten how to throw a strike. His wildness and lack of command have fans calling for his removal from the roster. A player who is out of minor league options, it's not as easy as sending him to Toledo. It's either the Tigers roster, or some other franchise (or just some other *place*). Snakebitten fans may have to be resigned to the fact that Dombrowski may ultimately be stubborn enough to hold onto Purcey, thus telling fans that he just doesn't want to admit that he essentially gave away young Scott Sizemore for nothing. Except it may already be too late for that.

Despite Donbrowski's efforts to turn this franchise around after 2003, which I do appreciate, I would be at peace with my favorite team if Mike Ilitch let DD go after this season is over. He isn't under contract after this year, and even if the Tigers manage to make the playoffs, it's time to find someone else to steer us away from his vision, which has been very cloudy as of late. We've seen enough of his act... and at the risk of taking a few steps backwards in the name of progress, it's a necessary evil. I just hope Ilitch sees it the same way.

Opportunity Wasted

Because I have one of those dreaded daytime jobs, I didn't get to watch the entire effort put forth by the Detroit Tigers this afternoon. When I did get my chances, namely during a few of the middle innings, I found myself cursing at my steering wheel (I make my living as a courier). A lot, too... and impatience was the sticking point.

Watching Carlos Guillen and Wilson Betemit (among others) taking wild hacks at pitches out of the strike zone, running up a lethal stakeout total for John Danks. The White Sox hurler struck out 10 Tigers, NINE went down swinging. Most of those swings were nothing short of awful. The Tigers offense today went trigger happy, and ultimately wasted a good outing by Max Scherzer, who made only the mistake of giving up a 2-run homer.

A blown opportunity to go up 3 games in the division over the Indians, is instead just 2 over Cleveland, and only 3 1/2 over the White Sox. The Tigers now host the Angels for 4 games, which will likely be a total grind, thanks to L.A.'s starting pitching. We can take some solace that the high powered Red Sox visit Chicago this weekend. The Indians and their struggling offense host the Royals.

The Tigers had better get their bats to wake up, before the legions of fans continue to remember that they've been a failure in the second half of any season. It's been mentioned that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch will be "extremely disappointed" should they not make the postseason. I'm going to assume that's already the case.

Chris Osgood: (Should be) Hall of Famer

Most Red Wings fans over most of the last 17 seasons have seen a goaltender do nothing but his job.  Starter or not, injured or not, Cup contender or not.  Chris Osgood's career is nothing more but quiet, simple, and successful.

Yet when you hear talk about his career, many stop to wonder if he's a Hall of Famer.  The quick answer is yes.  To draw it out for you: 401 career wins, 39 shutouts, ranks 2nd all time amongst Red Wing goaltenders in victories, and retires today as 1 of only 6 goaltenders to win 3 Stanley Cups while winning 400 games.  The other 5?  Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, and Grant Fuhr.

That's a pretty good group.  Some will quip that the Red Wings were built like a dynasty in front of him for all those years, and some will also quip that his other stops in his career (Islanders and Blues before coming back) weren't productive or successful.

It's true.  It helps to have a strong foundation in front of you.  But if you move on and don't have that, no one will succeed.  Bottom line is, Osgood did his thing quietly, professionally, regularly.  He won a lot of games.  He helped the team contend for Stanley Cups.  In the end, as with most pros, the body says it's time to go.  He will move on to his next venture, and in time he will get his Hall call.

I just hope that call isn't delayed.  After Ozzie's career, he's earned a loud ovation for his accomplishments.  Even if those accomplishments have gone quiet and almost unnoticed.

Random Thoughts On An Off Day

The Tigers are off today, as they prepare for a short 2-game series with the Oakland A's starting tomorrow night. We know Rick Porcello will pitch for the Tigers in game 1.  Game 2 remains a mystery (as of this post).  A couple of names from within the system have been mentioned, namely Charlie Furbush and Duane Below, and of those 2, Below seems like the more likely candidate.  Furbush made an appearance last night for AAA Toledo, which makes any availability for a Wednesday start rather questionable.  Otherwise, trade rumors keep surfacing, bringing names like Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves, Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, Hiroki Kuroda of the LA Dodgers, and Jeremy Guthrie of the Baltimore Orioles, to name a few.  Nothing hot about any of these rumors, and it appears as of now, nothing will come of said rumors.  Usually with this we all play the waiting game.

Brandon Inge has seen a rather patient fan base in Detroit crumble away throughout the course of this season, and it has everything to do with not only his poor offensive production, but his defensive production as well.  Inge has 8 errors in his time at third base this season compared to the 9 he had all of last season.  His bat is an even bigger problem, logging a .180 batting average, 1 HR, only 10 total extra-base hits, and 38 hits overall.  He hasn't recorded a base hit since July 3rd, and he seems rather put off with said fan base over the chorus of boos he's been receiving.  Of course the simple solution is, produce more, field better, and all that goes away.  Inge is drawing a $5.5 million paycheck this season, AND next season.  At some point he has to know that what he's doing isn't alright.

Carlos Guillen made his return to the lineup against the White Sox, and for most Tigers fans his return is very much welcome.  He comes back and replaces the also struggling Ryan Raburn at 2B, who is batting only .214, and is also a defensive liability too.  Some might say Guillen is also a liability with the glove, but so far he and his damaged knee seem to be holding up.  He has made a slew of plays in the field already, and has also contributed offensively by driving in the winning run in Sunday's 4-3 against the White Sox.  Hard to predict whether or not his body will hold up for the rest of the season, but so far it's been a welcome return for Carlos.  If he's to remain healthy, that closes a giant hole in the Tigers needs come trade deadline time.

One last thought, about Austin Jackson, who's been limited with a sore wrist sustained before the All Star break.  He might find himself on the disabled list soon, and the Tigers might as well do it now, and get him healthy.  His replacement, likely Andy Dirks, isn't a big change at the plate but will be a bit of a difference in the field.  He'll likely spell time with Casper Wells who has done well in his defensive assignments anywhere in the outfield this season.

Brad Penny Loses His Beard, Wins the Game

All of those Tigers fans who were on the fence (or fell off of it) after yesterday's loss can breathe again.  The Tigers not only won their game, but thanks to the Baltimore Orioles, they are back in a first place tie with the Cleveland Indians.  All is well again, right?

Well, before we breathe too easy, it was a bit tenuous from the start.  After Brad Penny cruised with an 11 pitch 1-2-3 first inning, he had a hiccup in the second, allowing 3 runs and forcing the Tigers to once again, play from behind.  I'm sure many of us watching the game were wondering if Penny would pitch deep in the game after that, and lucky for us, he pitched a pretty solid game before giving way to rookie Al Alburquerque in the 7th, getting the last out.

But the Tigers scoring was simple: solo home run for Brennan Boesch, a two-run single for Victor Martinez (which doesn't happen unless Leyland sends the runners on 1st and 2nd during Miguel Cabrera's groundout), and the feel-good hit of the day, Carlos Guillen with an RBI single for what would be the winning run.  All that, and an Indians loss, and ALL that talk about giving up the season, just 24 hours ago, is off now the Tigers are tied for first.

Sure, it's never fun losing to the White Sox, especially 2 out of 3 in your own yard, but it happens.  They're gone now, time to forget about that and move on.  The Tigers have Monday off, and they'll host the Oakland Athletics for 2 before hitting the road to Minnesota for what will be an important 4-game series against the Twins.  Tigers fans will almost definitely give their team the business if jettisoned IF Scott Sizemore, dealt to Oakland earlier this season for RP David Purcey, has any kind of success/impact on the outcomes of these next 2 games.  In the end, the Tigers will be fine if they can win these next 2 games, thus salvaging the homestand to a degree.  Just hope that even the average fan can still keep in perspective that this is still a marathon, not a sprint.

Chin up, fans.  More consistent outings like that from Brad Penny, and Max Scherzer (who looked good despite the lack of run support) and the Tigers will be fine.  Keep the pressure off of the taxed bullpen, hit the ball like you're supposed to.  Easy, right?

Don't Jump Off the Wagon... Yet.

Alright, after viewing today's Tigers game vs. the White Sox this afternoon: via my television and through the world of Twitter, I've noticed amongst the masses of Tigers Tweeps that because of recent history of this franchise, notably from 2006-10 (omitting 2008), it's time to give up on the team because... they're a terrible second-half baseball team.

Fine. Except, even through my pessimistic mind, I have to remember that it's only the middle of July and I can't write this team off yet.  That's very dangerous.  For Example, I wrote off the Minnesota Twins on May 24th, when they were about 20 games under .500.  As of the start of action today, they were just 7 games south of .500, giving their droves of fans reason to cheer that their scrappy ball club can be a contender down the stretch.  That said, we all can't just write off the Tigers just because they came out of the All Star break with 2 losses.  Teams lose two in a row.  It happens.  That same rationale has proven that even Justin Verlander can lose, as has been proven 5 times this season.  As I type this out, the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians lost their game to the Orioles tonight, thus leaving the Tigers a mere 1 game behind them in the Central race.  Awfully hard to write off a team who's that close.

Sure, the Tigers are a flawed team.  Last I checked, every team in the division is flawed.  But for the Tigers, they have issues to fix - pitching and a couple of infield spots.  And while the offense has been lacking for the last couple of games, for the most part, minus a little consistency, has been there for the Tigers.  Going into action today they had 5 guys in the lineup batting at least .300.  People say pitching and defense win championships, and the Tigers are struggling in both.  They are the 4th worst fielding team in the AL, and their bullpen has been hopelessly inconsistent this season.  Jose Valverde might be perfect in saves/chances this season, but it's not without a challenge.  And when he is placed in the game that isn't a save chance (like today), he struggles.  The Tigers will likely try to add an arm for the rotation, which for right now lacks a mediocre 5th starter.  We'll be hearing a lot of rumors before the trade deadline, which occurs at the end of the month.

It's easier said than done, but what the Tigers must do down the stretch is simple.  Play consistent baseball, pitch well, and make sure Jim Leyland doesn't outmanage himself before any of these games start.  Because if this team does finish off another second-half fade away, it'll all be on Leyland - the orchestrator of all those second-half failures of recent years gone by.  Tigers fans all over have been calling for his head most of the season (myself included), but he needs to prove he can actually manage from ahead.  Because we as Tigers fans have seen him try and manage from behind for a few too many years now.