Nick Castellanos

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.

Royals 5 Tigers 1

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Well this game was a cacophony of nonsense.  Verlander was just short of terrible.  The hitting was horrible. The fielding was sub-par and the base running was embarrassing.  The Tigers, tonight, were hard to watch.

The big news, however, was the release of general manager Dave Dombrowski.  I wasn’t completely surprised.  I figured that since he hadn’t been extended he was probably gone.  I just didn’t expect it to be now.

I don’t know much about Al Avila but I was hoping Dombrowski’s replacement would be an advanced metrics person. Perhaps the former Angels’ GM?  I’m sick and tired of the same old thing. I want to see something new; a change of direction. I want to see new ideas.  I’m afraid we are going to get more of the same.

Or perhaps the Tigers could get a real old school GM that believes in good base running, moving runners over, scoring runners at third with less than two outs, not bouncing into five double plays a game. I want to see something other than the garbage I’ve watched this season.  I want to see another World Series champion.

Tigers 9 Orioles 8

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With the Tigers leading the O’s 9-2 I said to sometimes contributor inlovewithbaseball, ‘what if the Tigers make a run? What if all these moves change the chemistry?  What if JV keeps pitching they way he has in three out if his last four starts and Sanchez pitches well, and Lobstein comes back? That gives the Tigers three quality starters and hey, the offense is showing signs of life’.

What an idiot!!

All it took was a nine run outburst for me to lose my head and forget what I’ve watched for 100 games.  I forgot how many times the offense has tricked me with one game explosions.  And how could I forget what was lurking in the bullpen.  I think the Shane Greene bullpen experiment needs to be over although I’m not sure there are anymore options.

Where would the 2015 Tigers be without Alex Wilson, 20 games under .500?  He has to be the team.

The ball hit in the seventh or eighth inning that ate up Nick The Quick, does anyone think that should have been an error? Would an average third basemen have made he play?  I’m not sure?  It was a shot.

Oh well, I’ll take a W anyway they can get them.  Wins are hard to come by.

Tigers Drop Two Out of Three in Boston

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The only pitching staff in the American League worse than the Tigers’ is Boston’s and the Tigers still couldn’t win a series.  Yet, I’m listening to MLB Radio and the hosts are still expecting the Tigers to acquire a pitcher and make a playoff run.  Here’s the problem; on the statistical anomalous occasion when they do get good pitching their offense decides not to score runs. There is an almost perfect discordant balance with this team that is hard to explain if you don’t watch them every game.

Rod Allen was on MLB Radio last week and he was asked if he thought the Tigers had a run in them.  He said he didn’t see it.  I agree.

I’ll be interested in seeing how Castellanos, Iglesias, and Verlander finish the season.

Twins 7 Tigers 1

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I’m late with this post.  I was under the weather most of last week and the weekend.  The Tigers play didn’t help any either.  They finished the theoretical first half .500 and were fortunate to do so.  The first few months of the season they couldn’t score consistently. Their pitching, including the bullpen, paced them to an impressive early season record.

The bats woke up the first week of June. The starting pitching imploded and the bullpen had a Fukushima like meltdown.  Since May 16th the Tigers have the worst record in the American league.  In June the Tigers bullpen ranked 29th in ERA. In July, so far, some how, they rank only 28th.

What has this taught me?  An old lesson that I guess I need to learn over and over no matter how much baseball I watch. If you can’t pitch you can’t win.  It is a lot more entertaining to watch a team that hits until you wake and realize you team sucks and isn’t going anywhere.

If your team can pitch it can win no matter how crappy the hitting is.  I guess we’ve seen this in practice over the last five to six years.  We had sit through an inconsistent offense that would score 10 runs one game then nothing for a week and they found a way to make it to the post season.  Granted, we are still waiting for a World Series but we are looking at a team right now that is scoring over six runs a game but can’t pitch a lick.  We are seeing a tale of two seasons in one this year.  The first two months of the season the Tigers could pitch and couldn’t hit but were winning.  The last month and a half they are hitting and can’t pitch and are one of the worst teams in baseball.

Here’s another conclusion i’ve come to.  I don’t want to trade Nick “The Quick” Castellanos.  I’ve been critical of him.  However, He’s young. He’s show’s flashes.  He’s homegrown.  They need somebody on this team that’s homegrown. Geez.  Look around this team  Avila and Nick.  That’s it.

Speaking of A Squared Money.  There’s no hope that Avila is going to hit if he stays behind the plate.  I don’t know why they didn’t leave him at first and leave McCann behind the plate.  They’re not getting anything from Kraus offensively.  His .135 is worse than Avila’s .192.  What exactly did they think Kraus was going to give them?  Put Avila back a first. McCann behind the plate.  Wait for Miggy to come back.  Get what you can for Price.  He’s not staying.  The Tigers aren’t going anywhere this year. Start planning for 2016.

FYI:  You need a whole bullpen.

Mariners 7 Tigers 6

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In yesterday’s post I mentioned that the Tigers have no answer for the 3-5 starting slots and unfortunately Kyle Ryan doesn’t provide one.  The offense staked him to an early three run lead that he promptly squandered.

Ryan couldn’t complete three innings and he departed the Tigers were down 5-3.

All things considered the pen did a good job. They were called on to pitch 7.2 innings, allowing 9 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, and struck out seven.  If that were the starters line the outcome would have probably been different.

Alex Wilson pitched another 2.1 strong innings last night and, ‘where would the Tigers be without him’? How many more times can they call on him and ask him to pitch multiple innings?

I’ve been very critical of Nick “The Quick” Castellanos. Last night, he followed up the first four hit game of this career with a two run shot.  I hope he stays hot and consistent. I really don’t want to see him traded.  I’d like to see some home grown talent on this team.

Tigers 12 Mariners 5

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If my memory serves me correctly, the only two places the Tigers play worse than Seattle are Anaheim and Yankee Stadium, so it was nice to start this road trip off with a win.

Alfredo Simon continues to be a mess. He allowed five runs in five and two thirds  Luckily, the bullpen showed up tonight with good performance from Blaine Hardy, Ian Krol and Bruce Rondon.

Everyone got in on the 12 run, 19 hit parade except Ian Kinsler who was an absolute abomination at the plate. He went 0-5 and hit into two double plays.

Don’t look now but Nick Castellanos has started to hit the last few games.  He had four hits tonight including a home run,

All-Star J.D. Martinez had three hits and raised his average to .290 with another homer and three more hits.  He is basically on Miggy like tear right now.  I hope he continues this pace.  With JMC on the shelf, the Tigers are going to need it.

Victor seems to finding his form again. At the risk of sending this offense into a tailspin with the my fingers and keyboard, this offense is firing on all cylinders, the only problem is the Tigers only have two starting pitchers.  After Price and Sanchez I’m not sure where they turn for the 3-5 starting slots.  I guess if they score 5+ runs a game they might be able to squeak by for a while.

Doesn’t it seem like this is 180 degrees opposite of the first two months of the season?

I’ll the take W any way they can get them.

Pirates 8 Tigers 4

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There’s an old saying in baseball, ‘if you can’t pitch, you can’t win’, and right now, the Tigers can’t pitch.  I spent the first two months complaining, rightly so, about the offense, and now the pitching staff can’t hold opposing teams to under five runs a game.  Guess what, Toronto comes to town tomorrow.  It isn’t going to get any easier.

A reliable source and friend of this blog, Nebraska, has passed along an unsubstantiated rumor. He heard that the Tigers are going to send Nick “The Quick” Castellanos, Alex “A Squared Money” Avila, and a third player to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Cueto.  If the trade happens, Nebraska’s sources are usually pretty good, I’m not sure what the purpose is.  I’m not going to cry about losing Nick the Quick or A Squared Money, but what do the Tigers need with a rental like Cueto?  Is the front office delusional? Do they really think this team can compete?  I don’t.

McFly, is anybody home?

Angles 2 Tigers 0

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Have I mentioned how much I hate attempted steals of third base?  In the case of Rajai Davis, however, I can’t complain.  Somebody, has to try something. Had he been successful, I couldn’t have complained had he tried to steal home.  There is no sense waiting around for something that rarely comes, clutch, a run producing hit.

Watching Yoenis Cespedes hit in the clutch reminds of the Tigers – A’s playoff series.  He did nothing against the Tigers then and he’s doing nothing for the Tigers now. He swings as hard as he can on every pitch, every at bat, and hopes he connects.  Hope is not a strategy.  Kinsler nothing. Castellanos takes strikes and swings at garbage.  Even though Miggy is not as good as his numbers, nobody is going to pitch to him.  Why would they?  There is nobody else that is even going to have a good at bat.

Five road games, six runs scored.

Sanchez look good for a change. But pitching isn’t the problem is it.

Tigers 5 Brewers 2

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I was fuming.  Another crappy performance by the two-run Tigers.  They’re asking too much from this pitching staff! From any pitching staff. Then it happened. Finally. From a most unexpected source. Nick “The Quick” Castellanos. A highly touted third baseman who has done virtually nothing in his sophomore season delivered the hit I have been waiting for.  A clutch, two-out, run producing, triple.  Finally, a lead.  A three run cushion.

Soria closes the ninth.

Isn’t this how it is supposed to work?