Matt Boyd wasn’t good but the story of this game was plenty of hits but none in the clutch.
The good news is that the bullpen looked good. I have to say Jeff Ferrell and Kyle Lobstein were smokin’ balls. They pitched 5.1 shutout innings and only allowed a hit and a walk apiece.
The highlight of this game however, was, brace yourself; this is something I’ve never written before, Nick “The Quick” Castellanos flashin’ leather.
If you didn’t see the game, this is not a mistake.
The Tigers failed to complete their first three game sweep since very early in the season. The Rays absolutely mutilated Tigers pitching and the offense did nothing. The game was pretty much decided when Miggy struck out in the bottom of the fifth with the score 3-0, with runners on second and third and two out. After that, the Rays added on and the Tigers never threatened again.
I heard a rumor. Supposedly Ron Gardenhire will be the next Tigers manager. Again, supposedly, it is a “done” deal and will be announced shortly after the season is over. The comments are not too complimentary of the former Twins manager on the site the rumor is posted on.
I’m not sure what to think to think anymore. Gardenhire was one of my favorite managers for a long time but Sark made me rethink that position. Paul Molitor seems to have done a good job with the same team Gardenhire had problems with. Also, I’m not really sure what to think about the job Ausmus has done. The Tigers have had horrible injuries to key players with no farm system. Ausmus can only call on who he has available. What else is he going to do?
After the first two months of the season, the Tigers have had two reliable arms out of the pen, Wilson and Hardy. They had 1.5 reliable starters, David Price and Alfredo Simon. After Price got traded, Verlander became serviceable but Simon fell from half a reliable starter to a quarter of a reliable starter.
The offense has been pretty much feast or famine. I guess the one thing I could put on Ausmus is the atrocious base running. The Tigers make so many outs on the bases that it is hard to stomach and it costs them especially in close games. Also, Dave Clark might be the worst third base coach in the history of baseball. But it is hard to put this abomination of a season on the shoulders of BA.
This team is a mess and I’m not sure a new manager is going to fix anything. This team seems to play hard for BA for whatever that is worth.
They’re back! After a brief hiatus, the two-run Tigers, returned to Comerica Park. The Lobber was fine. The bullpen was fine. The bats were an abomination. There is no excuse for offensive production, or lack there of, of this magnitude. Victor needs to sit down for a month. He can’t hit left handed. He can’t run, although I thought he was safe at first. I sound like a broken record but you can’t ask a pitching staff to hold other teams to two runs or less every night. Somebody has to step up and get a clutch, two-out, run producing, base hit, like Iggy had a few nights ago.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone, I’m always looking to Miggy, but it doesn’t look like anybody is going to pitch to him even if his numbers aren’t great in night games; not with Victor hitting .216. J.D. seems to be coming out his funk but he’s not driving in a lot of runs and I’m not exactly sure what Castellanos is doing. The middle of this lineup looks bad.
Despite giving up four runs and 10 hits in 7.1 innings, I thought Kyle Lobstein pitched very well. We has the victim of Eric Hosmer beating “the shift” with a bunt and a few seeing eye base hits. I guess that’s what happens when you put the ball in play. For a fifth starter, I’m not sure you can ask for more than Lobstein has given the Tigers this season.
The offense is maddening. I know statistically they are in the top of every category but it is the same song and dance every year, inconstancy. Ten runs one game then nothing for a week. Even tonight when they didn’t get a hit until the eighth inning, they had base runners courtesy of walks but couldn’t even put the ball in play to plate a run. This team is striking out at an alarming rate. The strikeouts combined with the double plays does not bode well for winning close games. Again, it is the same old story. Nothing changes. I think it is time to clean house from Dombrowski all the way down. This formula is has not, is not, and in my humble opinion, will not work.
What is the story with hitting Chris Young? Miggy is hitting under .200 for his career against him. Ok, perhaps he’s got Miggy’s number but what about everybody else? Is he suddenly Greg Maddux? WTF?
At the time, I thought J.D. Martinez’s 5th inning at-bat was the the decision point of the game. He came up with a big two out hit that drove in two runs extending the Tigers lead to 5-2 after Miggy had struck out.
I thought Miggy’s subsequent sixth inning, two-run homer further extending the Tigers lead to 7-2 was insignificant, window dressing. For a brief, delusional, moment, I forgot what was lurking in the Tigers bullpen. They would need the additional runs.
Kyle Lobstein started and gave the Tigers a quality start plus. He gave up three runs in seven innings. Nesbitt came in for the the eighth and gave up two runs in one third of an inning but was bailed out by Blaine Hardy. Soria came in to close the ninth and was shaky. He gave up a run and was bailed out on a spectacular, back to the infield, basket catch, in shallow left field by Jose “Iggy” Iglesias. Iggy’s catch salvaged the game and the series. The Indians were coming and there was nobody to put out the fire.
I’ll take it.
Alfredo Simon, Rajai Davis, and Victor Martinez put a stop to the madness we saw at Comerica Park the past four games. Simon pitched 6.2 innings allowing only one earned run. Rajai scored three and Victor drove in three.
Indians manager Terry Francona walked Miggy every time he had first base open and Victor made him pay but I understand the strategy.
Forgive me if I’m not elated.
Lobstein pitches today.
On a cold, nasty, night, at Comerica Park, the Tigers fifth starter, Kyle Lobstein gave them a chance to win. Lobstein gave up only one run in six complete then handed the ball over to the bullpen. No need to say more.
The bullpen, however, isn’t the story of this game or series, the lack of offense is. The Tigers have grounded into seven double plays in two games against the Yankees and 17 for the season, tied with Baltimore for most in the majors. I love double plays when the Tigers turn them but the hate them when the Tigers hit into them. I don’t know, is it good pitching or bad (selfish) hitting?
In any case, 11-3 isn’t that much to cry about.
The Tigers move to 6-0 and Nebraska still looks like Nostradamus.
The offense continues to impress. Jose Miguel Cabrera was 4-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Isn’t he usually a slow starter?
In the first six games of 2015 we have seen a role reversal. Success in the last five seasons consisted of the pitching bailing out an erratic and often stagnant offense. This year the offense is mashing regardless of what the pitching does.
Here’s what concerns me, it doesn’t look like the Tigers are going to get a lot of length out the fourth and fifth starters. That means more bullpen innings which means disaster. It isn’t an issue now because the Tigers are scoring 7+ runs a game but if the offense slumps it is going to be tough to win when the starters only pitch five innings.
I’ll take 6-0.
“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.
Not this again. Just when I was starting to praise the offense they play a game like this.
Ian Kinsler was a one man offense sabotage unit. He was 0-4, reached on an error in the first, was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. Then he killed a rally by bouncing into a double play in the third.
To show you the sorry state of affairs, the Tigers lead-off man, Kinsler, is hitting .273. His OBP is .305 and he has struck out 77 times. The worst part is, he’s the best the Tigers have.
A great outing by Kyle Lobstein went to waste and to make matters worse, the Royals won.
Flashin' Leather 