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
Flashin' Leather 
VMart is quietly putting together an MVP-worthy season. Something still doesn’t seem right with Miggy… Agreed on the bad decisions to send slower runners home. Overall I thought he was doing a good job at 3B until this week.. Hopefully they won’t repeat the mistakes.. VMart, Avila, Holiday should be off-limits on being sent home.. However, in his defense, the throws from the outfielders seem to be getting worse each year, so you have a good chance of scoring more often even when it looks bad.. And throw in the new rule about blocking home plate and the odds of scoring are pretty good.. Just a couple of bad decisions, but given the situations and the team they’re playing I’ll look the other way..
VMART has been great and so has his brother, J.D. IT is just hard for me to get too excited because we saw an extended stretch of shitty baseball.
Yeah, something is wrong with Miggy. I haven’t looked at the numbers but doesn’t it seem like he’s striking out more this year?
Sark I think you are spot on regarding the home plate rule I suspect that plays a bigger role than we realize and Crippy you are right playing from behind is not a receipt for success. That said I am still “concerned” about the pen Amazing Al did not look sharp and the press is starting to look at how BA overuses his favorites in the pen. And I do wonder about Krol and a 23 year old arm. We now have 3 new bodies in the pen that have about one week of MLS combined and after the league has seen them a couple of times the league will make adjustments and BTW Nathan gave up a run. The Red Sox DFA’d Chris Capuano yesterday and that’s a “reclamation/restoration” project I would look at. Evan Reed cleared waivers and is in Toledo. What dose this tell us?
“What does this tell us?” Hmmm. First, Evan Reed is not good. Second, we need a closer. Nathan is done. I was afraid of this when the Tigers signed him. Third, the Amazin, Everyday Al, is only slightly better than the aforementioned Evan Reed.
IMHO, I think the Tigers should just start throwing new bodies out of the pen until someone sticks. The only person with a “slot” out of the pen is Joba. He seems to be a good option for the 8th inning. He looks like he’s settled into that role.
Ok, don’t laugh, Phil Coke may have turned the corner. He has looked good for about a month now. It might have to be Joba for the 8th and Coke for the 9th. I don’t expect Nathan to be the closer much longer. If the Tigers get into one run games, he’s going to blow a lot more saves.
By my count when left side hitting superstar A. Dirks gets back we have to many outfielders…..so guess which Boras client & some lower level pitching prospects get bundled up for pen help? Who knows? D News today lists 30 possible suspects. Best rumor Street&Benoit from SD to the D. Really
I don’t want either one, Street or Benoit. We tried Benoit and Street is old. I sick of old closers.
I can see SD trading for Austin Jackson to get rid of useless Cameron Maybin… I’d even throw in all-star Dirks..