Daniel Norris

Tigers 6 White Sox 0

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The Tigers ended a miserable season on a positive note by taking the season finale 6-0 over the White Sox. Daniel Norris and the much maligned bullpen combined on a three hit shutout.

The 74th win of the 2015 campaign was good for a last place Central Division finish and will provide the Tigers with a top 10 draft pick next season.

Here is my Good, Bad and Ugly for the 2015 season:

The Good:

  • James McCann finishes the year without making an error.  He has taken over the #1 catcher position
  • J.D. Martinez followed up last year’s impressive year with another one finishing with 102 RBIs, not bad for a guy the Tigers got for virtually nothing.
  • Justin Verlander looks like he will come back and be the Ace of Tigers staff in 2016
  • Nick Castellanos had a good year at the plate.  Remember this was only his second year.
  • Drew VerHagen, Alex Wilson, and Blaine Hardy look like they will be competent arms out the pen
  • Miggy won is fourth batting title

The Bad:

  • Victor Martinez’s injury riddled season
  • Miggy’s injury ridden power numbers
  • Castellanos’s play at third base
  • The inability to play as a team.  No part of the team “picked up” the other
  • Finishing in last place in the AL Central

The Ugly:

  • The base running – leading baseball in runners thrown out at home plate and just the overall incompetence on the base paths.
  • Hitting into the most double plays in baseball
  • Pitching – 28th in ERA 4.64
  • Bruce Rondon being sent home

The season in over for the Tigers but I’ll still be posting throughout the post season.  I’m predicting a Mets | Blue Jays World Series.  I’d like to see Granderson get a WS ring.

A big Flashin’ Leather Thank You to everyone that reads and comments!  I really appreciate your support!

Rangers 7 Tigers 6

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If you score six runs off of Cole Hamels you probably had a pretty good night.  Not last night.  The Tigers were charged with four errors and probably should have been charged with six. This was a cacophony of nonsense redux.

J.D. hit a two-run homer giving him 101 RBIs on the season. That’s about all I can stomach to write about this one.  It was disgusting. I felt bad for Daniel Norris who struggled but was kicked in the stomach by his pals playing the field behind him.

Tigers 2 White Sox 1

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Daniel Norris was smokin’ balls for five innings. In fact, he had a perfect game going but was lifted after throwing just 62 pitches.  I’m not sure how I feel about that. I understand trying to protect a young arm but how many more times in his career will Norris be perfect through five complete.  Couldn’t they have extended his outing and then skipped his next start?

In any case, the Tigers were two outs away from completing their first combined no-hitter in team history until Neftali Feliz allowed a triple in the ninth and eventually blew the save.

Fortunately, they rallied in the 10th for the win. It was least the offense could do.  They have scored a combined four runs in the first three games of this series while they have pitched well enough to be 3-0. They will try for a series split tomorrow with JV on the hill.

Bruce Rondon was dismissed from the team. Brad Ausmus cited “lack of effort” as the reason but refused to elaborate. I wonder what his issue is?  I had heard he was upset about losing the closer’s role but can what he was doing be considered closing? He was atrocious.

Tigers 7 Twins 4

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Daniel Norris looked good in his first start coming off of the DL.  He only gave up one run in 4.2 innings.  It is a shame he was on a low pitch count and had to come out of the game because the pen couldn’t hold his slim 2-1 lead, nothing new here.

The Tigers offense battled, despite hitting into four more double plays, and finally took the lead for good in the top of the 12th.  They also got a huge boost from Ian Krol who picked the entire bullpen up, including VerHagen and Hardy who were not good tonight. Krol pitched three scoreless innings, the 10th, 11th, and 12th, after Bruce Rondon blew a 4-3 lead in the 9th.

Blaine Hardy has been struggling for the last week or so.  Yesterday’s and tonight’s outings may not show up in his numbers but he’s not getting the outs he’s called upon to get and not stranding runners.

J.D. hit his 37th homer of the year and recorded his 95th and 96th RBIs.  With Miggy struggling, I guess J.D.’s quest for 100 RBIs is what I’ll be tuning in for.

Tyler Collins had a good night, he drove in two runs and had a nice outfield assist.

This game meant and series meant nothing to the Tigers but the Twins missed a chance to improve their position in the Wild Card race.

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.

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.