Jim Lelyand

Tigers 1 Red Sox 0

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Nebraskaknows hit it right on the head when he said he “feels like a thief in the night” after the Tigers 1-0 win in game 1 of the 2013 American League Championship Series.

The Tigers pitching staff was fabulous again tonight.  As a staff they allowed only one hit and no runs.  It would be hard to ask much more from a pitching staff.

The Tigers offense strove for an unprecedented level of ineptitude.  The Boston pitchers were good but the Tigers offense was an abomination.  They managed only 1 run on 9 hits.

Without an extra base hit it takes the Tigers 4 hits in an inning to score a single run. The likely hood of that scenario playing out is not very good and this pathetic excuse for an offense is living proof.

Miguel Cabrera hit a ball in the corner tonight.  It bounced around, the outfielder bobbled it and still Cabrera could only get to first base.

Austin Jackson is on the verge of becoming un-playable.  He is doing absolutely nothing.  He did have a single tonight but struck out 2 more times.  In six postseason games this year he is hitting .200 with 15 strikeouts.  The Tigers may not have another center fielder but Austin needs to be moved out of the lead off spot. No matter how much I like him he has become an embarrassment at the plate.

In the top of the 9th he had a chance to make up for some of his struggles by doing something useful at the plate.  Iggy lead off with a single.  The Tigers needed Jackson to move him over.  AJax tried twice to bunt him over but couldn’t get the job done.  He ended up striking out.  What made matters worse was the Torii Hunter followed Jackson with a double to left field moving Iggy to third.

At this point all the Tigers needed was a fly ball to push across a second run and give Benoit some breathing room.  Unfortunately, as a result of substitutions, Don Kelly was now hitting in Cabrera’s spot.  DK struck out on 3 pitches.

I thought Leyland managed masterfully in the last game against Oakland.  But today’s moves leave me almost in shock.  With a one run lead Leyland had Cabrera and Peralta on the bench for the remainder of the game.  He got away with it today but for me these types of moves are asking for trouble.

Back at it tomorrow.

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

A Note on Jim Leyland…

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I think it’s time for a change.  But I don’t blame Jim Leyland for the Tigers’ woes.  I think JL is a good manager and is doing the best he can with what he has.  But the Tigers need a spark and I don’t see it coming from elsewhere.

For me, it is World Series, or bust.  After 29 years, nothing but a championship will satisfy me.  I guess I’m hoping the Tigers can “catch lightning in a bottle”, similar to the way the 2003 Florida Marlins did.  After being in last place after 38 games, the Marlins fired manager Jeff Torborg and replaced him with 72 year-old Jack McKeon.  The Marlins went on to win the World Series.

I do take exception with the way Leyland is reluctant to sit “proven” players, the way he keeps putting Martinez in the 5th spot everyday despite hitting .232 with little power, for example.  But the Tigers are not struggling because of JL.  They are struggling because the bullpen is borderline horrible and the offense only plays 6 innings.

Sometimes I feel like after the offense starts out well, everybody thinks, ‘I did my job this game, let someone else do it now’.  Even Cabrera and Fielder don’t seem to have good at bats late in games.

I guess for all of my complaining a 5 game winning streak will probably get me back on the bandwagon.

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