Still Perfect But…

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.

The Answer to Left Field May Be in Erie…

His name is Daniel Fields and he is a Detroit native.  He is also hitting his way into the major league conversation.

Here’s a story from the Detroit News, courtesy of Nebraskaknows.

Double A Erie

Who’s hot …

Daniel Fields, CF: .302, with an .868 OPS, in his last 10 games. Fields has played his way into contention for a center-field job in Detroit should Austin Jackson depart as a free agent in a couple of seasons. Fields, 22, is 6-2, 215, bats left-handed, and was signed out of University of Detroit Jesuit High.

Melvin Mercedes, RH reliever: Having a superb summer, Mercedes, 22, has an 0.56 ERA in 18 games, with 15 strikeouts and five walks in 16 innings. Opposing batting average: .226.

Tyler Collins, LF: .282 in his last 10 games. Collins, 23, is a left-handed batter, and was the Tigers’ sixth-round pick in 2011 (Howard Junior College).

And who’s not …

I commandeered this section.  Andy Dirks, aka, Dirksy.  He’ not getting it done.  He needs to make adjustments or the the Tigers need to move on.  And, I’m sorry, I don’t want Delmon Young back.  I also don’t want Clete Thomas back but I might give Casper Wells another shot.  But, I think before anything is done, DK deserves a shot at the left field position.

In case I forgot to mention this, the Tigers left 23 runners on base in the last game in the Bronx. Couple this with Hunter and Dirks leaving 15 on, between themselves, in the first game, and you have the anatomy of a series debacle against a team that is decimated by injuries and for lack of a better term, sucks, this year.

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