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.
Showing posts with label Brandon Inge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Inge. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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.
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.
-----
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.
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