Brad Ausmus

White Sox 8 Tigers 7

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This game had to end this way.  How could it end any other? When a mistake is so egregious, so odious, karmic law requires that the committer of said infraction is harmed by his own misdeed.  That’s exactly what Brad Ausmus and the Tigers got today.

I’m a believer in liberty and the free flow of information.  However, if there is a “book” that told Brad Ausmus he needed to pinch run for Victor Martinez, in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he was on first base, with two outs, that “book” is the first one in history that I want burned.  Please.  Every copy needs to be collected. Placed into a fire place.  Doused with gasoline and set ablaze.

Brad.  Didn’t you go to Dartmouth?  Isn’t Dartmouth an Ivy League School?  Aren’t we told that Ivy League Schools are elite (eyeleat) institutions?  Don’t you have to be smart to get into those schools?

There was less than a 31% chance that Cespedes was going to hit safely?  Much less than a 31% chance that he was going to hit for extra bases.

Where did you learn your trade?

For as mad as I am at Ausmus, did anyone hear Kinsler’s comments after the game?  The little baby doesn’t like the fans booing the team.  Generally, I’d agree with him, but it comes with the territory. Fans pay a lot of money to watch jackasses like him play.  While I chose not to boo, because I think it is rude, it is classless for babies like him to complain about it.  He should take lessons from Ryan Rayburn.  Rayburn took a lot of crap when he was here and he took it with class.  I’ll always have respect for him.  Kinsler, on the other hand, is on the Joe Nathan list.  Get your head out of your ass jackass, hit better than .257, come up with a clutch hit once in a while, the 10th inning today would have been nice, and maybe you won’t get booed. – Jackass!

This video is for Brad Ausmus and Ian “Diaper Boy” Kinsler.

Astros 10 Tigers 8

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Sanchez can’t be allowed to give up the tying home run. I’m not saying things would have worked out any differently because on queue, just as I start to praise them, the pen collapses. But Ausmus has to take some blame for leaving Anibal in too long. I know he looked good in innings two through six but look at his season in total.  Pitching against any team other than the Twins he has been an abomination.  And his home runs allowed have been staggering.  This was was a tough loss to swallow.

I’m willing to bet that this is the worst four game series of Ian Kinsler’s career, all things considered.  At the plate he finished 1-17, including a triple play and a least one couple play. On defense he did make a nice play or two but was also responsible for two unearned runs. But looking at more than this series he still doesn’t have a home run and I’m beginning to think he needs to move down in the lineup.  Someone hitting in the second spot needs to get on base in front of Miggy, to state the obvious.

White Sox 7 Tigers 6

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Perhaps Brad Ausmus is trying to unseat Robin Ventura as the dumbest manager in baseball.  I can think of no other reason for leaving Joba in the game to give up the go-ahead run in the 8th. I can’t fault him for the bomb off the bat of Melky Cabrera.  He should have been out of the inning.  I’m not sure how the official scorer gave Eaton a hit on the ball that went through Castellanos’ glove but he bottom line is Chamberlain should have been in the dugout with a three run lead.

Speaking of Castellanos, what happened to late inning defensive replacements? Andrew Romine?

This was another sub par performance from Alfedo Simon.  Like Shane Greene yesterday, he had little control. It looks like the three and four spots in the rotation are going to be problems.

There is more blame to go around.  Although the offense scored six runs they left 12 men on base,  Miggy looks horrible and they ran themselves out of the ninth.

Hmmm, has anybody noticed the runs the Twins are scoring.

On the bright side, the bullpen has looked good lately with the exception of The Amazing, Everyday Al and Joba.  Also, Victor drove in four runs and hit his first homer today.

Lober tomorrow to salvage one.

Tigers 2 Royals 1

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The offense is still AWOL.  However, last night, the CY Young Award winner, David Price, showed up and shut down the Royals.  Thanks to Price, the Tigers have a chance to salvage a split in this series.

In my post yesterday, I lamented the inconsistency of the Tigers offense.  Prior to the game, Mario and Rod showed a statistic validating my complaint.  I don’t have the number committed to memory but I believe the graphic showed that the Tigers lead the league both in games scoring two runs or less and games scoring 10 runs or more.  Like I said yesterday, this goes beyond this year, this is a problem with philosophy.  It is a stubborn philosophy that has plagued this team for the last 5-8 years and they refuse to change.

Victor can’t hit right now, left handed, to save his life.  Defenses play “the shift” on him and give him the entire left side of the field but he won’t take his single. I know he can run but with the way the defense is playing him he doesn’t have to.  Same thing with Avila.

I believe someone a lot smarter than me once said “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.”

Mr. Illitch, I know you are a regular reader, it is time for a different direction.  Start with DD and BA.

Tigers 5 Twins 4

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The Tigers scored five runs in the first two innings then held off the Twins for a one run victory.  They had chances to add on runs but three more double plays and bad base running killed potential rallies.

Note to Miggy. You can’t or won’t run out ground balls.  Why do you think you have the wheels to steal third?  Don’t be asinine.

The double plays are really getting on my nerves.  Perhaps Brad Ausmus should consider sacrificing?

I’m rambling. David Price only lasted 6.2 innings today. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t the Twins beat him into a conniption last year at Target Field or am I hallucinating?

I’ll take the W.

Still Perfect But…

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not pretty.

The weakness preventing the Tigers from winning a World Series in the last five years has been the bullpen.  After last season, I didn’t think the pen could get any worse, and with Joe Nathan’s early absence I was optimistic. I was wrong.

My biggest issue with David Price last year was that he rarely, if ever, but together two consecutive solid starts.  It was generally one superb outing followed by garbage.  I’m reserving judgement because today’s start was skewed by his own throwing error that allowed three unearned runs. Seriously, what is the issue with Tigers pitchers throwing to bases? That being said, Price only lasted five and two thirds.  That’s a problem because, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, the pen is a Carnival of Asses and the Soria experiment might need to be over.  I know we are only five games in but his leash is as short as Nathan’s.  At least Shit Bird Nathan had the decency to go on the DL.

The offense is SMOKIN BALLS!  Getting two runs off of Kluber was impressive but continuing to come back after losing the lead or having the lead shortened was even more so.  In fact, even though they struck out 10 times against him they were able chase Kluber after 6.2. Hey, I just thought of something, the Indians pen is worse than the Tigers.

One more thing, I’ve had it with Ausmus’s stupid late game substitutions.  This is an asinine habit he picked up from Jim Leyland or Gene Lamont or both.  Look we know you went to Dartmouth but you are making things more complicated than they need to be, and you don’t have Ryan Rayburn and Clete Thomas, defensive specialists, sitting on the bench. Remember Occam’s Razor.  More to the point, knock off the college boy antics jackass.

I’ll take 5-0.

Orioles 7 Tigers 6

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“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

The Tigers bullpen has been its Achilles heal for the past four years. The genius Dave Dombrowski, has done nothing to remedy the issue.

Oh, I know he made a half hearted attempt with the acquisition of Soria. But he knew Soria didn’t work out almost immediately and did nothing.

The TBS broadcast showed a statistic of the Tigers bullpen ERA during the last three post seasons. It wasn’t pretty. If I’m not mistaken, the 2011 ERA was over eight. Dennis Eckersley made the comment that the pen has been the single reason the Tigers haven’t won the World Series. (No kidding.)

For some reason, Ausmus keeps sending out the same parade of idiots. I know, ‘what can he do? That’s all he’s got’. I thought you’d never ask. How about leaving Sanchez in for the 8th or how about Kyle Lobstein? How about Porcello? Anybody but Soria, Chamberlain, Coke, Nathan, et al.

Now JV wasn’t good. I thought the home plate umpire was a joke but JV wasn’t good. He got picked up by his offense and Anibal Sanchez who was brilliant.

Do you remember a few months ago when I said third base coach Dave Clark was the second worst third base coach in the history of baseball behind Tom Brookens? I was wrong. He’s worse than Tommy Brookens. His asinine send of Cabrera in the eight with nobody out proved to be a dagger in the heart.

Given the deficiencies this team has it is a wonder they have won four division titles.

I’m sick.

Tigers 4 White Sox 3

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The Tigers have held onto first place for another day.

The offense is still MIA. Although they scored four runs, the White Sox tried to give them a big inning in the 7th, but the Tigers refused to take it. That being said, they had a 3-0 lead going into the top of the 9th.

I have to give a partial hat tip to Brad Ausmus. He left David Price pitch in the 9th until the game was tied. I would have done the same thing. Did he have a choice? During BA’s first trip to the mound I thought Price looked winded but a winded David Price is better than ANY option out of the pen.

I only gave BA a partial hat tip because of his unnatural love affair with Joe Nathan. Was Nathan his only option? What in the sam hell did the Tigers acquire Soria for? I rarely see him warm up. This would have been the perfect opportunity to see what Soria is. It wasn’t a save situation so he could have explained away his decision not to bring in his “closer”.

I don’t get it.

I feel bad for Price in that he lost his shutout and win. He was smokin balls all game and in the 9th he just got unlucky.

In the end, despite the lack of relief pitching, suspect defense and inconsistent offense, the Tigers still have Miguel Cabrera. And he might be getting healthy.

On another note, Avisail Garcia continues to the hurt the Tigers. Last year, his off the field shenanigans got Miggy hurt for the stretch, today he drives in two runs in the top of the 9th in a game the Tigers had to have. As far as the Tigers are concerned, Garcia is a low-grade infection that keeps flaring up.

They had to have this game and they got it.

Tigers 3 Yankees 2

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It would have been criminal to lose this game. After the last two call-up starts by Ray and Farmer, Lobstein comes in and gives you six innings and one earned run, you better win.

For a while it looked like the shitty offense wouldn’t come through but key hits from unexpected places, Avila and Davis, were enough to pull this one out in the ninth. Avila actually drove in two of the three runs. In the ninth, it looked like he was looking for the slider on the first pitch.

Is it as painful for anyone else, as it is for me, to watch Miggy this year? I feel bad for him. He’s just not his old self.

The substitutions have become a farce. BA pretty much emptied the bench today. I’m not sure what he would have done if the game went extra innings. Perhaps he would have had the turd catch. In any event, like Sark said, all these moves are just silly.

I’ll take the W.

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