Month: June 2014

Huge Win!

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This might be the best win, by far, of the season!

After falling Behind 4-1, Rajai Davis, hit a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th.

This is big for a few reasons. First, the Tigers haven’t played well at home. Second, they got to a closer who has been lights out this year. Third, it was against the A’s, probably the best team in the AL this year. Fourth, Rajai has kind of sucked recently. Fifth, BIG WIN!

On another note, Eugenio Suarez better go on a Miggy like tear for the rest of the season because he plays short like Tommy Brookens coached third.

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

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Astros 6 Tigers 4

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It’s hard to complain about a 7-2 road trip.

The Tigers didn’t have the winning recipe today. Smyly was bad and Miggy and Victor were worse.

In fact, Miggy and Vmart were a combined 1-25 for the series. This is worst three game stretch I’ve ever seen from Miggy. The Tigers won’t be playing in November if he goes through too many stretches like this.

I hope it is just a short lived spell.

Don’t look now but Oakland is in town.

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

Tigers 4 Rangers 3

Crippy Baseball

Ian Kinsler’s three run homer, with two outs in the ninth, prevented the Tigers from losing their second straight to the Astros.

Max was fantastic. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst offensive games I’ve seen this season.

Miggy was 0-4, 0-9 for the series.

Victor was 0-4.

Rajai Davis had two chances to tie the game with a runner at third and one out and couldn’t come through either time. In the fifth, he had runners at second and third with one out and popped out to the third baseman. In the seventh he had the bases loaded with one out and grounded to third base. The third baseman threw home to get the force on Castellanos.

In the ninth Davis had runners on first and second with one out and tried to bunt his way on. He advanced the runners but was out at first. Fortunately, Kinsler picked him up but he is showing the Tigers who he is. They’d be wise to believe him.

On another note, why was Davis allowed to bat in the ninth?

Nathan got another save but gave up another run. How long does he last as the closer.

A win is a win but the holes in this team are showing. How long can they win without plugging them?

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

Astros 4 Tigers 3

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The Tigers seven game win streak ended at the hands of the Astros last night in 11 innings.

The Tigers, technically, got a quality start from Justin Verlander.  He pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs.  But that’s not a $30 million start.  I have no problem when players, or anybody else, make as much as they can, but “to whom much is given, much is expected.”  I expect more than six innings and three earned runs for $30 million.

JV struck out 8 and walked only 1 but had to throw enough pitches to get through 6 that he couldn’t come out for the seventh.  I guess he’s been better recently but not $30 million better.  His ERA is down to 4.80.

I’m hoping that the Tigers can take at least one game in Houston.  Remember the last road trip the Tigers started 6-0?

Let’s not repeat that.

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

 

Freeway Ricky Porcello…

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lead the Tigers to their 7th consecutive victory and series sweep of the Texas Rangers.

Freeway Ricky, pitched his second career complete game. This time it was a shutout. Ricky is 10-4 on the year with a 3.41 ERA.

The Tigers are running well right now. I know they can’t win out the rest of the season but I’d like to avoid another .333, 30 game run.

It’s off to Houston for three with the Astros.

On another note, if you’ve been reading the comments, you might have noticed trade rumors. In fact, the one most mentioned is with San Diego for Huston Street and Joaquin Benoit. I would like to go on record right now as opposed to this moved. Benoit was already here and Street is too old. Well, I guess I’m wrong on that, Street is only 30 but I’m still against it. Unless the Tigers can Street only for a humpty dumpty. Dirks perhaps? 🙂

“God I love baseball.’ -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

Tigers 8 Rangers 6

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The Tigers were able to win their sixth straight game despite not getting a quality start from Anibal Sanchez.

Sanchez lasted 5.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 1.

One thing that I’ve really like about the Tigers lately, is that they have scored early, during the first three innings of the game. It might be a hangover from the hockey season, but scoring first / early, seems to give the game a better feel than falling behind early.

On another note, Tigers, third base coach, Dave Clark, is trying to unseat Tom Brookens as the worst third base coach in baseball history. During the last two games, Clark has gotten runners thrown out at the plate by 30+ feet. It hasn’t cost the Tigers a game yet, but I don’t like to play with fire.

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

Tigers 8 Rangers 2

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Well, after going 9-21, the Tigers have won their fifth straight, returning the beating the Rangers put on them a few weeks ago, in game one at least.

Like I said previously, I’m reluctant to start screaming about he merits of this team, five in a row is nothing to sneeze at.

At the center of the Tigers resurgence is, J.D. Martinez. Who is J.D. Martinez? Is he a revamped slugger that can fill one of the holes in the outfield, or his he guy the Astros released?

I don’t know the answer but he’s been able to put this team on is back and carry them out of the abyss.

I hope he’s the revamped slugger to studied Miguel Cabrera’s swing to take his game to another level.

I guess time will tell.

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

 

The Third Best Hull…

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by Dennis Hull.

I’m reading this book on the plane on my way to work yesterday and couldn’t stop laughing at the exchange below between Dennis Hull and Chicago Blackhawks coach, Billy Reay.

” ‘What happened?’ Billy asked. ‘Did Jarrett get hit in the ankle again?’

‘No Billy, he got hit in the head.’ I replied.

‘Oh good.’ He said.”

The background to this is that Dennis Hull’s friend and teammate Doug Jarrett kept getting hit in the ankle by shots.  This time, however, he got hit in the forehead and was knocked unconscious.

I was laughing, almost out loud, for about five minutes after I read this.

Tigers Sweep Tribe 10-4

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I’m not going to get too excited about the sweep and the four game winning streak.

I’m not really sure what to make of this team.  This is the same team that was 9-20 in their last 29 games before winning the last four.

The difference, I guess, is the starting pitching.  They’ve been getting quality starts, scoring enough runs, and winning in spite of their bullpen.

I think one of things I’ve noticed in the last few games, is that Miggy has starting coming up big again with both his glove and his bat.  Although, he was never one the Tigers really had to worry about, when he would strike out, ground into a double play, or hit a rocket right at someone, it was magnified because the team was running so bad.

I’m not so sure the bad run is behind the Tigers but Miggy has been flashin leather and getting big hits.

On another note, I’m a little surprised that Alex Avila got two starts in a row.  Perhaps it was wishful thinking but I kind of got the impression that Avila was going to be the defacto backup while Ausmus rode Holiday while he was going well. I can see giving Holiday a day off, but two starts in a row for A Squared Money?  He is hitting .218.

Anyway, needless to say, I’m glad to be talking about a four game winning streak, than the nightmare run we endured for the month prior.

On another note, did you know that the Tigers own Freeway Ricky Porcello’s maternal, grandfather, Sam Dente played in the 1954 World Series for the Cleveland Indians? H/T – My Sister

“God I love baseball.” -Roy Hobbs | The Natural

Tigers 5 Indians 4

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The Tigers won their third straight and second against the Indians, 5-4.

JV, was very good tonight.  He pitched seven innings, allowed two runs, one earned, struck out eight and walked one.

At first, I was annoyed that he didn’t come out for the eighth inning.  However, after thinking about it, I believe sitting him down was the correct move.

JV has thrown a lot of pitches and innings over the last five or six years.  It might be time to pull the reins in a piece. Also, he’s struggled lately, so let him come out of the game feeling good about himself.

The problem is that he has to turn the game over to one of the worst bullpens in MLB.  In fact, according to the CBS post game show, the Tigers bullpen ERA is second worst and has surrendered 10 more NINTH inning runs than the next worst team. I think the Astros are the only team with a worse bullpen ERA this season.

I’m not going to complain too much about Nathan tonight.  He blew the save but sometimes you just get a bad run of cards and there’s not much you can do about it.  Nathan struck out the first two batters in the ninth.  He had David Murphy 1-2.  Murphy worked the count to 3-2 then hit a ball off the ground into center field to extend the inning.  In fact, Nathan had Murphy, Gomes, and Bourn down to their last strike and ended up giving up three consecutive singles.

The good news is, Phil Coke was SMOKIN BALLS.  When have I ever said that before?  Have I ever said that before? He came in to pitch the 10th inning, struck out the side, and got the save.

Blaine Hardy came into relieve the The Amazing Al in the eighth and looked pretty good.  I’m not going to get too excited yet but so far so good.

One more troubling statistic that I saw on the post game show was that this isn’t the first year the Tigers bullpen has hit the skids.  They’ve been among the worst in baseball for the last five years.  This is probably a big reason why the Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984.  You’d think Dave Dombrowski would have plugged this hole by now.

“God I love baseball.” Roy Hobbs | The Natural