Phil Coke

Tigers 8 Twins 6

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This game came down to a tale of two pitchers.  Kyle Ryan came on in the eighth to preserve a tie game when three other Tigers relievers, Chamberlain, Coke, and The Amazing Al, could record only one out and surrendered the two tying runs.  Ryan relived Alburquerque an got an inning ending double play.

In the top of the ninth, Casey Fien came in for the Twins.  On three pitches he surrendered back to back home runs to Torii Hunter and Jose Miguel Cabrera.

Joakim Soria closed the game for the Tigers in the ninth.

Max was not good tonight.  He was ok through five innings but ended up giving up four runs in seven complete.  When the offense stakes you to a six run lead you can’t leave with the game that close.

I’ll take the W.

FYI: Kansas City overcame a three run deficit to beat the White Sox 4-3

Tigers 5 Pirates 2

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The offense hit well, the pitchers pitched well, and the Tigers won their second in a row.

Well, not all of the pitchers pitched well, Phil Coke was horrible, but Joba came in to clean up the mess and save the game.

Max was absolutely smokin’ balls. Fourteen Ks in eight innings. It looks like his plan for a bigger payday might be working out. I’ll bet he ends up with the Yankees next season.

J.D. Martinez was 2-3 with a bomb and two RBIs and Nick Castellanos was 2-4 with two RBIs.

Interestingly, after Coke gave up two runs in ninth and created a save situation, Ausmus called Joba’s number not Nathan’s. I was wondering what the crowd reaction was going to be if that shit dog came into the game. I was hoping he’d get booed out the stadium no matter what he did.

Also, Joba tipped his hat to the crowd after the game. I wonder if that was his version of a Bronx cheer, taking another shot at the crowd?

I really want Nathan gone. I know he apologized but I don’t care. He has shown Tigers fans, on several occasions, his true colors. (Remember when he blamed his blown save on Castellanos?)

A very wise person once told me, “when a person tells you who they are – believe them.”

Up yours Nathan you shit bird.

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

Ricky Deserved Better…

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Through 7 complete, Ricky had given up three runs, struck out 5, walked none, thrown only 77 pitches and trailed 3-2.

Somehow, through a comedy of miscues and a timely Hunter single, the Tigers took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded and two out it was Ricky’s turn to bat. Then the unthinkable happened. Brad Ausmus pinch hit Rajai Davis for Freeway Ricky.

I don’t have the words to describe Ausmus’s lunacy. After 96 games you know what you have. Regarding the Tigers bullpen, you don’t have much.

For Ausmus’s edification, you have one reliable arm in the bullpen, Joba Chamberlain. You decided he wasn’t available tonight. That leaves you with nothing. And that’s what you got.

After Davis failed to deliver, Phil Coke came in to “relieve” Ricky in the bottom of the 8th. He retired the first batter on a line shot into his stomach then walked the next two batters.

In comes The Amazing, Everyday Al. Al gets a fly ball for out number two then walks the bases loaded.

In comes Ian Krol who surrenders a two run single and game over.

Did I mention Freeway Ricky had only thrown 77 pitches?

You (BA) child.

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

Sent from my iPad

Tribe 9 Tigers 3

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Ok. What’s going on with the seventh inning? The last two games, Verlander on Sunday, Sanchez today, Tigers starters have smoked balls for six innings, then blew up in the seventh.

Tonight, Sanchez was dealing for six innings. He was tossing a shut out, striking out seven and walking one. He couldn’t record an out in the seventh. He was charged with four runs.

Did I mention, the bullpen didn’t help him out any?

  • Ian Krol was charged with a run and didn’t retire anybody.
  • Everyday Al, got two big outs then gave up two bombs.
  • Phil Coke pitched an inning, didn’t give up a run, but walked two.
  • Chad Smith pitched an inning and gave up two runs.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise but this might be the worst bullpen in history. They suck.

If the starters can’t give the Tigers seven innings, I don’t like their chances.

Double header tomorrow.

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

Tigers 5 Indians 4

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The Tigers won their third straight and second against the Indians, 5-4.

JV, was very good tonight.  He pitched seven innings, allowed two runs, one earned, struck out eight and walked one.

At first, I was annoyed that he didn’t come out for the eighth inning.  However, after thinking about it, I believe sitting him down was the correct move.

JV has thrown a lot of pitches and innings over the last five or six years.  It might be time to pull the reins in a piece. Also, he’s struggled lately, so let him come out of the game feeling good about himself.

The problem is that he has to turn the game over to one of the worst bullpens in MLB.  In fact, according to the CBS post game show, the Tigers bullpen ERA is second worst and has surrendered 10 more NINTH inning runs than the next worst team. I think the Astros are the only team with a worse bullpen ERA this season.

I’m not going to complain too much about Nathan tonight.  He blew the save but sometimes you just get a bad run of cards and there’s not much you can do about it.  Nathan struck out the first two batters in the ninth.  He had David Murphy 1-2.  Murphy worked the count to 3-2 then hit a ball off the ground into center field to extend the inning.  In fact, Nathan had Murphy, Gomes, and Bourn down to their last strike and ended up giving up three consecutive singles.

The good news is, Phil Coke was SMOKIN BALLS.  When have I ever said that before?  Have I ever said that before? He came in to pitch the 10th inning, struck out the side, and got the save.

Blaine Hardy came into relieve the The Amazing Al in the eighth and looked pretty good.  I’m not going to get too excited yet but so far so good.

One more troubling statistic that I saw on the post game show was that this isn’t the first year the Tigers bullpen has hit the skids.  They’ve been among the worst in baseball for the last five years.  This is probably a big reason why the Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984.  You’d think Dave Dombrowski would have plugged this hole by now.

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

 

 

Tigers 12 Twins 9

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The Tigers got a win but it was ugly.  They had an 11-1 lead but needed four relief pitchers to hold off the Twins.

Anibal Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings and allowed three earned runs.  He turned the game over to the pen and then the game degenerated into the theater of the absurd.

Ausmus needed Evan Reed, Phil Coke, Al Alburquerque, and Ian Krol to close out the game.

The Tigers are fortunate that Joe Mauer is struggling or this game could have slipped away.  Mauer was 0-5 and left six runners on base.

I wrote briefly yesterday about this team being out sync and it showed again today.  Luckily the offense scored 12 runs because this bullpen is horrible.

The rubber game starts tomorrow at 1:00 pm.

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

Freeway Rick does it again…

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he beat the Red Sox into a conniption one more time. Behind eight masterful innings from Tigers’ Ace, and AL Cy Young leader, the Tigers took the Red Sox out behind the woodshed and put the boots to them, but good, thoroughly thrashing them 6-1.

Ricky’s performance harkens me back to a gray, rainy day at Fenway Park in 2009. The shit birds from Boston decided to play tough guy and threw at Tigers hitters, Miggy, if my memory serves me correctly.  When it was the Sox turn to bat, a 20 year old rookie took to the hill.  He knocked down then Red Sox tough guy, Kevin Youkilis and showed the league that a crime against the Detroit Tigers would not go unpunished.  The bald, portly Red Sox hitter charged the mound.  When he arrived, he was in for a big surprise.  The fresh faced, 20 year old, rookie, Tigers, pitcher tossed Youk to the ground like a pile of trash.  And if not for outside intervention and Christian Grace, Youk would have been handed a beating he would not soon forget.

The young Tigers pitcher that day, the 20 year old from New Jersey, was non other than Frederick Alfred Porcello, aka Freeway Ricky.

Five years later, Freeway Rick put it to the Sox again in Fenway.  He threw eight complete, struck out four, walked one and allowed a lucky earned run.

Freeway Ricky was dominant.  The Red Sox didn’t belong on the same field.

If it wasn’t for Porcello’s mastery, I’d be talking about Phil Coke’s nice ninth inning or Miggy’s 3-5 day at the plate.

With no disrespect to the rest of the Tigers team, this was Freeway Ricky’s day. He reached back like a pimp and gave the Red Sox an 18th of May they will never, ever, forget.

Sanchez on the hill tomorrow for the sweep.

Has anybody noticed Miggy is 3rd in the AL in RBIs?

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

Tigers take first two games against Royals

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The Tigers have looked very good in taking the first two games of the weekend series against the Royals in Kansas City.

Last night, Freeway Rick, pitched seven complete innings.  He allowed two earned, struck out 6 and walked none.  The Tigers offense got him eight runs, and the bullpen, Krol and Reed, finished the game.  The Tigers won 8-2.

Tonight, Drew Smyly pitched seven complete, scoreless innings, the offense followed up last nights outburst with nine more runs tonight.  The Tigers won 9-2.

I’m seeing a nice recipe for success.  Strong starting pitching and a new look offense.

I’m getting more encouraged regarding the Tigers offense this year.  As, Eric Karros pointed out on the broadcast this evening, the Tigers aren’t standing around waiting for a three run homer to score.

A great example of this new, Tigers, offense was how they scored their first run.  In the fourth inning, the bases were loaded with Miggy on third, and one out. Castellanos hit a shallow fly ball to gold glove, left fielder Alex Gordon.  Gordon made the catch.  To the astonishment of everybody watching, Miggy tagged up and went home.  Gordon had flipped the ball to the infielder and by the time the ball was relayed to the plate, Miggy scored easily.

It worked this time and I like the new look, but given that situation again, I wouldn’t recommend a second try.

The only sour note of the fist two games was Phil Coke’s ninth inning tonight.  He came in with a 9-0 run lead and gave up two runs.  The most worrisome part of Coke’s pitching was that he got hit hard by left handers.  He gave up a single to Nori Aoki, a double to Eric Hosmer and a double to Alex Gordon.

In Phil’s defense, I thought he struck out Aoki but didn’t get the call.  I guess that how things go when you’re running bad.  If Coke is going to be of any value in the future however, he needs to get lefties out.

JV goes for the sweep tomorrow.

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

Twins 5 Tigers 3

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The Twins were able to even up the series with a 5-3 over the Tigers today.  Anibal Sanchez started but only lasted 2 2/3.  He had to come out of the game because of a blister problem.

The bullpen was a nightmare, Miggy was disappointing, the Tigers lost and it wasn’t pretty.

The Good:

  • The Tigers scored two early runs staking Sanchez to an early 2-0 lead.

The Bad:

  • After the first inning the offense made Phil Hughes look like Greg Maddux.

The Ugly:

  • Fours were wild for Jose Ortega, who was an abject nightmare.  He “relieved” Sanchez and couldn’t find the plate.  He allowed four earned runs in one and a third.  He allowed four hits, walked four and and struck out one.

I’m actually not sure what to say about Phil Coke.  His final line isn’t that bad.  He pitched two and two thirds.  He didn’t allow a run, struck out two, walked two, and gave up two hits.  I guess twos were wild for Phil.  Perhaps he was only half as bad as Ortega?   I guess the problem with Coke’s pitching today is that he couldn’t strand any inherited runners.  Like I said, I’m not sure what to say about Phil but he doesn’t past the eye test.

Miggy.  It is hard to pick on the back to back MVP but I was horrified with his at bat in the eighth.  He came up with bases loaded, one out, and the Tigers down by two.  All the Tigers needed was one of his patented hits to right field.  Instead, the suddenly pull happy Cabrera, hits a low, inside fastball, to third base.  The Twins turned an easy double play and the inning was over.  Again, I don’t have the words.

Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

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

 

 

Tigers 8 White Sox 6

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The Tigers bats, Miggy’s especially, came to life and put up eight runs.  Thanks to Phil Coke, they needed seven of them to get past the White Sox 8-6.

JV was pretty good.  He pitched seven complete.  He allowed two earned runs on eight hits.  He struck out seven and walked two.

The Good:

  • The Tigers offense came to life.
  • Miggy was 3-5 with three RBIs.
  • Alex Avila was 3-4 and didn’t strike out.
  • The Tigers didn’t make an error.

The Bad:

  • JV needed 119 pitches to get through seven innings and his eight hits allowed are a little high.
  • The bullpen gave up four runs.

The Ugly:

  • The White Sox took Phil Coke behind the woodshed and beat him into a conniption.  He lasted 2/3 of an inning and gave up three earned runs, two on a two run shot by Adam Dunn.  This is really ugly considering Dunn in a lefty.

In the end, a win is a win, and I’m glad to have this one.  I hope Miggy is back to being Miggy.

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