Dailies

Tigers 5 White Sox 1

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Another good effort today by the Tigers.  They swept a short two game series from the White Sox via their 5-1 victory in the Windy City this afternoon.

The Good:

  • The pitching.  Max lasted “only” six innings but he kept the Sox scoreless, striking out seven and walking three.
  • Five runs should be enough to win most games.
  • Bryan Holaday continues to come up big at the plate.  He was 1-3 with 2 RBIs.
  • Victor is still raking.  He drove in two and went 1-3
  • AJax had three walks.  Can you imagine what his numbers will be if he walks 100 times this season.
  • The Amazing Al and Joba were smokin balls out of the pen.

The Bad:

  • Hunter, Cabrera and Castellanos each struck out twice.
  • Evan Reed allowed a run in the ninth.

The Ugly:

  • The Tigers, as a team, struck out 10 times this afternoon.  I hate strike outs almost as much as GIDP.

Does it seem like there are a lot of two game series this year?

Off to Kansas City.

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

Tigers 4 White Sox 3

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This was a nice come from behind win.  After the Sox put up three on JV in the third the Tigers battled back to tie.

In the top of the ninth, with two out and AJax on third, Bryan Holaday put down a bunt single that scored Jackson and gave the Tigers the lead for good.  Holaday’s bunt looked like the final inning scene from Major Leagues.

The Good:

  • The Tigers fought back after falling behind and found a way to win.
  • The Tigers scored the winning run on an unconventional play rarely seen by a Tigers team in recent history.
  • Joba Chamberlain continues to get it done out of the bullpen.
  • Joe Nathan recorded his fifth save.

The Bad:

  • Not too much today.

The Ugly:

  • Rajai Davis took the golden sombrero, striking out four times and generally looking off balance all night.

Max is on the hill for tomorrow’s finale, a 2:10 EST start.

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

 

 

Twins 5 Tigers 3

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The Twins were able to even up the series with a 5-3 over the Tigers today.  Anibal Sanchez started but only lasted 2 2/3.  He had to come out of the game because of a blister problem.

The bullpen was a nightmare, Miggy was disappointing, the Tigers lost and it wasn’t pretty.

The Good:

  • The Tigers scored two early runs staking Sanchez to an early 2-0 lead.

The Bad:

  • After the first inning the offense made Phil Hughes look like Greg Maddux.

The Ugly:

  • Fours were wild for Jose Ortega, who was an abject nightmare.  He “relieved” Sanchez and couldn’t find the plate.  He allowed four earned runs in one and a third.  He allowed four hits, walked four and and struck out one.

I’m actually not sure what to say about Phil Coke.  His final line isn’t that bad.  He pitched two and two thirds.  He didn’t allow a run, struck out two, walked two, and gave up two hits.  I guess twos were wild for Phil.  Perhaps he was only half as bad as Ortega?   I guess the problem with Coke’s pitching today is that he couldn’t strand any inherited runners.  Like I said, I’m not sure what to say about Phil but he doesn’t past the eye test.

Miggy.  It is hard to pick on the back to back MVP but I was horrified with his at bat in the eighth.  He came up with bases loaded, one out, and the Tigers down by two.  All the Tigers needed was one of his patented hits to right field.  Instead, the suddenly pull happy Cabrera, hits a low, inside fastball, to third base.  The Twins turned an easy double play and the inning was over.  Again, I don’t have the words.

Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

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

 

 

Tigers fans, we have a problem…

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it’s called the bullpen.  Although, to be fair, Freeway Ricky wasn’t much better.

The Tigers put up 10 runs and jumped out to a 10-1 lead but Tigers pitching and Twins resilience made this game more interesting than it needed to be.

The Good:

  • The Tigers picked up their 12th win with a 10-6 victory over the Twins.
  • Nick Castellanos had three RBIs, two hits, including a two run homer.
  • Andrew Romine flashed some leather at shortstop today.
  • Brian Dozier made an nice running, over the shoulder, basket catch in the top of the ninth and robbed Austin Jackson of a lead off hit.

The Bad:

  • Ricky gave up four earned runs in five plus innings.  He left in the sixth with two on and nobody out.  Justin Miller came in and couldn’t preserve Ricky’s line.  He gave up a single and a double to score the inherited runners.
  • Joe Nathan had to come in for the ninth in a non-save situation.

The Ugly:

  • While the bullpen only gave up one earned run, the Tigers needed five relief pitchers to close out the Twins.

On another note, while Miggy had two hits and an RBI, his ground out in the third was my favorite at bat.  The score was 2-1 entering the third.  Torii Hunter lead off with a double.  Miggy got an inside fastball and was able to pull his hands in and ground out to second allowing Hunter to advance to third with one out.  A week or so ago, he might have pulled that to short and Hunter would probably not have advanced.  It’s early but the little things add up during the course of a 162 game season.

Sanchez goes tomorrow.

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

 

 

Tigers 7 White Sox 4

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Behind six good innings from 2013 Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer, the Tigers earned a split with the White Sox in this four game series.

The only thing I don’t like about Max’s line, while it is hard to complain when he strikes out 10, is that he only lasted six innings.  Max needed 110 pitches to get through six complete.

The Good:

  • The Tigers won.
  • The Tigers scored in five different innings, the second, third, fifth, seventh, and eighth.
  • The Tigers put up seven runs.
  • Max struck out 10 and walked only one.
  • Miggy had three RBIs.
  • Castellanos and Holaday had two hits.
  • Rajai Davis had three hits and two RBIs.
  • Joe Nathan earned his 4th save without surrendering a run.

The Bad:

  • Joba got roughed up today. He allowed two earned runs on three hits in one inning of work.

The Ugly:

  • Nothing today.

The Tigers go to Target Field for a weekend series with the Twins.  Freeway Rick Porcello is on the mound in Minnesota tomorrow.

 

 

White Sox 6 Tigers 4

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I didn’t see the game but it looks like Smyly turned a 4-2 lead over to the bullpen and the pen couldn’t hold it.

Smyly’s line looks pretty good.  He went six complete allowing two earned runs on six hits.  He struck out seven and walked one.

The Good:

  • Four runs should be good enough to win with good pitching.
  • Ajax was was 1-3 with a two run homer.
  • Victor had two hits.
  • J.D. Martinez had a hit and two RBIs.
  • Justin Miller pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two.

The Bad:

  • The Tigers lost the game and will have to win tomorrow afternoon to split the series
  • The bullpen gave up four earned runs.
  • The Tigers only scored in one inning, the fourth.

The Ugly:

  • Even Reed allowed three earned runs in a third of an inning.
  • Ian Krol gave up a grand slam in the seventh to Marcus Semien.

The Tigers need a shut down game from Max tomorrow to split the series.

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

 

White Sox 3 Tigers 1

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This is looking like an old, familiar, theme.  All pitching and no offense.  Like most of the last few years, if the Tigers don’t get shut down pitching, they aren’t going to win.

Anibal wasn’t great, but holding the opposition to three runs, ain’t bad either. Unfortunately, the Tigers could only manage one run.

The Good:

  • He only lasted 6 and 1/3 but Sanchez’s outing should have been good enough.
  • The bullpen. Ian Krol, Even Reed and Justin Miller shut the Sox out for 2 and 2/3.

The Bad:

  • This offense is embarrassing.  The Tigers managed only one run on five hits.
  • The defense, two more errors today.

The Ugly:

  • Miggy took another ofer and is now hitting .206

I know we’re only three weeks in but, THEY’RE MAKIN’ ME MAD!!!

On another note, I just finished Bob Feller’s Little Black Book of Baseball Wisdom, and found another great quote.  Feller said trying to throw a fastball by Teddy Ballgame was like trying to get a ray of sunlight past a rooster at 4:30 am.

 

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

Behind Feeway Rick, Tigers take series 2-1

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This was a big win.  Not only did the Tigers win the game but they won the series with the Angels, 2-1.  Prior to yesterday’s game, the Tigers had dropped 10 in a row to the Angels.

The Tigers got seven strong innings from Ricky then turned it over to the pen.  Ian Krol, the Amazing Al, and Joe Nathan finished out the game and series.

The Good:

  • Freeway Rick
  • The Bullpen
  • Alex Avila threw out Howie Kendrick at second in the fourth inning.

The Bad:

  • The offense was horrible.  They managed only five hits and two runs and were aided by four Angels errors.

The Ugly:

  • Alex Avila was 0-3 with two backwards Ks.
  • Miggy was 0-3 with two backwards Ks
  • The Tigers as a team left 18 runners on base.

Chisox come to town tomorrow.

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

Tigers Finally Beat Halos…

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with a little help from an old friend.

In the bottom of the third, Miggy lead off with a routine fly ball to right field.  Former Tiger, Brennan “B Squared Money” Boesch, dropped the ball.  Miggy eventually came around to score what proved to be the winning run.

The bigger story of course, is for the first time in 11 games, the Tigers were able to defeat the Angels, 5-2.

After surrendering a lead off home run, Max Scherzer was “smokin’ balls”.  He pitched seven complete, walked two and struck out nine.

The Good:

  • Max Scherzer had a nice outing and the Tigers needed it.
  • Joba Chamberlain was good again pitching a clean 8th inning and striking out two.
  • Nick Castellanos hit his second home run of the year to put the Tigers in the lead 2-1.
  • Victor and AJax each had two hits

The Bad:

  • I’m beginning to worry about Castellanos at third.  He bobbled a ground ball that was hit right to him.  He got the guy at first but should have been able to turn a double play.
  • Joe Nathan, although getting the save, gave up a homer to Albert Pujols.

The Ugly:

  • Brennan Boesch was not good.  I’m glad he’s with the Angels.  🙂

It would be nice to take the series tomorrow.  We need a big game from Freeway Rick.

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

 

Angels Dust Tigers…Again!

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Make it 10 in a row for the Angels over the Tigers and this one wasn’t even close.

The Tigers fell behind 11-1 before scoring five runs to make the final score somewhat respectable.

Drew Smyly’s first start was horrible.  He needed 82 pitches to get through three innings and gave up four earned runs. Luke Putkonen came in for long relief and was worse.  Putkonen was charged with seven earned.

I can’t do a Good, Bad and Ugly on this game for two reasons.  First, the entire game was an abomination.  Second, I woke up late and am getting ready go down to game two of this series.

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