Dailies

Tigers 5 Angels 0

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JV’s third no-hitter would have been a nice saving grace to an otherwise dismal season. It was no to be.  However, I think it is safe to say Verlander is back to being a legitimate ace.  He was smokin balls, all night. He had legitimate no-hit stuff.  He made one mistake to a .188 hitter and didn’t get any luck. That’s the way this season has gone for him.  The Tigers did get him some runs so got his second win of the season.

Yes my friends, Miggy is that damn good and for the last two seasons, J.D. is just a notch, maybe two below; he’s pretty damn good too.

Miggy, J.D. and Castellanos each hit conniption shots. Do you remember yesterday when I asked why would the Angels pitch to Cabrera in the eighth? Why would they pitch to him with first base open today? They must don’t know.  They got burned today.

I’d like to see Miggy win the batting title at .350 +. I’d like to see J.D. drive in 100+ runs. I’d like Castellanos to get to 20 home runs and JV finish with an ERA at 3.20 or less. These are the things that keep me watching.

Jose Miguel Cabrera is that damn good. Let’s hope he stays healthy.

Nebraska, I wish I could have joined you Pal. I miss you! You didn’t by any chance cough up $12 for 3 chicken fingers did you? 🙂

Angels 8 Tigers 7

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Seven runs should be enough to win a game but you know the story.  Basically, I’m tuning in to watch J.D. Martinez, James McCann, hopefully Miggy win a batting title, and perhaps JV return to an ace level pitcher.  Other than that, there’s not a whole lot to watch.

If the Tigers were getting anything out of Victor, this offense would be putting up numbers like the Blue Jays, but he’s is just a wasted spot in the order.  He is very difficult to watch. He’s doing nothing.

If I were Huston Street I wouldn’t have pitched to Miggy in the eighth.  I don’t care if he were 0-20 against me.  He’s hitting just under .500 since his return from the DL and Victor was on deck. No way. Actually, I don’t care who was on deck. The Angels are lucky Miggy didn’t burn them.

VerHagen looked pretty good tonight.

FYI: Nick Castellanos’s base running is exponentially worse than his fielding.

I wonder how playoff ticket sales are going?

Reds 12 Tigers 5

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Ugly.

There is no need to talk about the pitching. We’ve beaten that horse to death.

Although they weren’t charged with an error they make enough mistakes on a game by game basis, that aren’t recorded on the scoresheet, that make it nearly impossible to win.

Why was Castellanos two feet in front of the bag on the double steal with one out in the sixth?

Why did J.D. throw to second instead of home?

Isn’t Gorzelanny’s new arm angle fantastic?

How many more more double plays are the Tigers going to hit into?

Is anybody interested in $12 chicken fingers? They give you fries along with three pieces of chicken.

How about playoff tickets?

I hate them.

Tigers 4 Rangers 0

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Where did this come from? A winning streak?  Three games in a row?  A complete game, one hitter from Alfredo Simon?  Wow! Victor Martinez Flashin’ Leather ? For one game the seventh grade band class looked like a symphony.

On the same day the Tigers put both Daniel Norris and Anibal Sanchez on the DL, Alfredo Simon came up with his first complete game and first shut of his career, and gave the Tigers their first three game winning streak since the end of June.  It is probably too late to mean anything but it’s always nice to win games.

JV pitches tonight and I’ll be there.  Four in a row perhaps?

Tigers 15 Cubs 8

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The Tigers completed a mini two game sweep of the Cubs by pounding their pitching staff into a conniption for the second straight night.  There was a lot to like on offense, not the least which was Nick Castellanos’ two home runs, his second a grand slam.

I really like Tyler Collins.  He had a double in the eighth inning that drove in a run but what really impressed me was his ability to bunt runners to second and third in seventh.  He seems like he is a good guy to have off the bench. I remember his pinch hit home run in Cincinnati a few months ago. He seems like he can do things at the plate that not lot of other guys on this team can do.  He may not be an everyday player but like I said, a good guy to call upon when needed.  (I didn’t like the fly ball that fell between him an Gose in the eighth but I’ll give him a Mulligan for getting that bunt down.)

Fifteen runs today. Ten runs yesterday but no amount of runs makes me feel comfortable.

How about Miggy flashin’ leather at first?

It looks like Daniel Norris is done for the season with an oblique strain.

Just when I start bragging about Kinsler he makes two bone head plays at second.  I thought, for sure, the second one was going to blow up.

Two in a row.  A win tomorrow makes a winning streak.

Tigers 10 Cubs 8

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I was listening to MLB radio yesterday afternoon, I guess like every afternoon, and they were discussing what went wrong with the Tigers in 2015.  One host said that basically it is starting pitching. It isn’t the bullpen because they have never had a bullpen. The difference between this year and the past few years is starting pitching.  I guess you don’t have to be a genius to figure that out. When you don’t have good starting pitching it taxes your bullpen even more, not good, especially when it’s weak, and it demands that your offense produce everyday, and produce a lot.  Tuesday night, the Tigers’ offense, despite a two hour and sixteen minute rain delay, produced a harvest and the pitching staff needed it.

Kinsler had five hits, Iggy had two and J.D. had a conniption shot in the first.  Kinsler has really turned a miserable season around.  Too bad it isn’t in the middle of a playoff run.

Can the Tigers afford J.D. now?

Astros 5 Tigers 1

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Well I didn’t give the Tigers much of a chance to win this game going into it. Astros’ starter Dallas Kuechel was undefeated at home and I didn’t think the Tigers offense, even with the return of Jose Miguel Cabrera, was much of a threat to change that.

I was correct.

Alfredo Simon wasn’t good and neither was the offense.

The best offensive play came from the Astros. They executed a beautiful safety squeeze, a play I wish the Tigers would try, in the sixth to extend their lead to 4-1.

JV pitches tomorrow.

Cabrera was 0-3 with a walk and two strike outs.  He hit the ball hard his last time up but lined out to I believe short or second.

Red Sox 7 Tigers 2

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Daniel Norris’ second start didn’t go as well as his first.  In fact, he needed 40 pitches to get out of the first inning.  His offense didn’t show today either but that’s another story.

I have tried to defend Brad Ausmus and give him the benefit of the doubt but I am at my end with this team’s base running.  This has to be the worst base running team I’ve ever seen an I have seen some abominations.  How many double plays and does this team have to hit into? How many line drives have to not get through, with runners taking off, do we have to sit through for something to change? Can’t they at least try sacrificing? Can’t they at least try to move runners over?

Tempers flared in the dugout.  Jose Iglesias shoved James McCann after they exchanged words over something apparently regarding defense.  I like Iggy but he may need an attitude adjustment.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/141789874/jose-iglesias-james-mccann-exchange-words

The Tigers just can’t win three in a row.

Tigers 8 Royals 6

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Ian Kinsler has turned what started out as a miserable season completely around. Sort of under the radar, well at least under mine, his batting average is up to .296, he’s hitting in Miggy’s old #3 spot, and he knocking in some runs. He’s making me forget that 4-50 streak, or whatever it was earlier in the season, where he was just an automatic out.

Let’s turn to Victor now. Since Miggy went on the DL he has been horrible. This afternoon, however, he hit two bombs and drove in five runs. The Tigers needed every one of them and more because Anibal wasn’t very good and didn’t get any help from Neftali Feliz or Blaine Hardy.

Blaine Hardy gets a pass, he has been excellent all season but why is Feliz still around? He wasn’t good in Texas. He has been worse here. Why not go through growing pains with someone else?

Big Nice series win.

Tigers 2 Royals 1

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The bi-polar Tigers, behind new acquisition Matt Boyd, put in a masterful performance tonight and downed the Kansas City Royals 2-1 tonight at Comerica Park.

This game was the complete opposite of last night’s game. They got great starting pitching, executed on offense and flashed leather on defense.

Speaking of Flashin’ Leather, J.D. Martinez doesn’t get enough credit for the way he plays right field.  He made a catch in the ninth inning that looked like it was headed for the gap.  Physically, he doesn’t look like he should be a good fielder but he always seems to make nice, if not incredible, catches.

http://m.mlb.com/det/video/topic/8877502/v336051883/?c_id=det

It’s either J.D. or Alex Wilson for team M.V.P. (Blaine Hardy could be a close third.)

How about Matt Boyd?  He out duels Johnny Cueto in his third career start going seven innings allowing only one run and walking ZERO!  Walking ZERO is the most impressive stat in my humble opinion.

Anthony Gose gets an honorable Flashin Leather mention for his catch in the ninth as well.

Two of the last three games the Tigers have sent rookies to the hill and they’ve delivered gems.  Let’s hope they can continue because I’m not sure what to expect from Sanchez, Simon, and Verlander.

I can’t say BIG win any more so I’ll say NICE win.

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