Rick Porcello

Freeway Ricky Porcello…

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is the new ace of the Tigers staff. He pitched his second consecutive complete game shutout as the Tigers beat the A’s 3-0 at Comerica Park.

I think the most impressive part of the game was that Ricky needed only 95 pitches to get through all 9 innings.

One interesting / odd thing about FR’s line is that he didn’t walk or strike out anyone.

Ricky’s last two starts reminded me of JV, vintage 2012, except that Ricky is a ground ball pitcher and JV tends to get more fly outs.

In any case, Ricky has to be in the CY Young discussion, at this point in the season, at least.

The Tigers go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with a former ace on the hill.

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

Sent from my iPad

Freeway Ricky Porcello…

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lead the Tigers to their 7th consecutive victory and series sweep of the Texas Rangers.

Freeway Ricky, pitched his second career complete game. This time it was a shutout. Ricky is 10-4 on the year with a 3.41 ERA.

The Tigers are running well right now. I know they can’t win out the rest of the season but I’d like to avoid another .333, 30 game run.

It’s off to Houston for three with the Astros.

On another note, if you’ve been reading the comments, you might have noticed trade rumors. In fact, the one most mentioned is with San Diego for Huston Street and Joaquin Benoit. I would like to go on record right now as opposed to this moved. Benoit was already here and Street is too old. Well, I guess I’m wrong on that, Street is only 30 but I’m still against it. Unless the Tigers can Street only for a humpty dumpty. Dirks perhaps? 🙂

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

Whew!

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The Tigers survived another miserable performance from Ian Krol to take the first of a nine game road trip.

Despite Krol giving up four runs in 2/3 of an inning, the eighth, the Tigers beat the Indians 6-4.

I was at a restaurant, celebrating my birthday, so I was watching the game with the sound turned off. There are a few things that I wished I had an explanation for.

First, why was Don Kelly trying to steal third base in the third inning?  Was this some kind of missed hit and run?  He led off the inning with a double.

I’m a DK fan but WTF?

Second, why did Ian Krol come in to pitch the eighth inning?

Third, why did Ausmus leave Krol in after he gave up back to back singles to lead off the inning?

Fourth, why did Ausmus leave Krol in after Cabrera hit a three run homer?

Fifth, why did Ausmus leave Krol in after Santana cut the lead to one run?

Ausmus is beginning to worry me.  While Krol threw batting practice to the Indians, Ausmus had the deer in the headlights look?

Didn’t he go to Dartmouth?

On the bright side:

  • The Tigers have won back to back games.
  • Freeway Rick was great for six innings.  I would have liked to get at least seven out of him but you can’t complain about six scoreless innings.
  • Victor and J.D. Martinez continue to get it done and carry this team offensively.  I’m not sure how long the ride is going to last with J.D. but I hope the Tigers ride it for as long as they can.
  • Miggy FLASHED LEATHER in the sixth, he started and finished, a 3-6-3 double play.  The finish was sweet.  He dove for the ball but kept his foot on the bag just long enough to get Asdrubal Cabrera called out at first.
  • The Amazing Al pitched a clean seventh.
  • Joe Nathan got his second save in a as many games by pitching a scoreless ninth.

One more thing, at the beginning of the season, I was on the DD band wagon proclaiming his genius.  I should have listened to my gut, my first reaction.  Dave Dombrowski traded Doug Fister for three humpty dumpties.  We’re reminded of this every time Ian Krol takes the mound.

The Tigers, for the second game in a row, were able to win in spite of themselves.

I hope the ship has turned in the right direction.

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

The Tigers Are In Trouble…

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After winning the first two against Boston I thought the Tigers were going to turn it around.  Instead they proceeded to lose two in a row.

The Tigers don’t have a closer.  Nathan hasn’t been good and Joba failed a test on Sunday, giving up three runs in the ninth to take the loss.

They followed that debacle up with a loss to the White Sox yesterday.  Ricky pitched horribly and I’m getting worried he’s not going to have the season I thought and hoped he would.

Perhaps today’s rain out is a good thing.  Maybe it will break the bad mojo.

The one thing that perplexes me is why the Tigers can never seem to find a closer.  In contrast, the A’s never sign a closer and always seem to find someone to pitch the ninth inning.  Maybe DD should take a look at what they do.

In any case, all we have now is to hope this team can somehow put it together.

Maybe it can start with a ball smokin performance from JV tomorrow.

We’ll see.

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

Tigers earn split with A’s 5-4

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Despite Joe Nathan’s best effort to blow his third save in the last 10 games, the Tigers found a way to squeak out a 5-4 victory and split the four game series with the A’s.

What makes this win more impressive is that they Freeway Ricky Porcello failed to provide a quality start despite winning his eighth game of the season.  Ricky’s performance was maddening. He pitched in and out of trouble all day long and gave up seven free passes, six walks and one HBP.  What was even more exasperating than the free passes was giving up a two run homer to Nick Punto. NICK PUNTO!?

The last two times through the rotation, Tigers starters, with the exception of Sanchez, have blown.  They better right the ship soon because like Peter Gammons says, “if you can’t pitch, you can’t win.”

With the exception of Joe Nathan, the bullpen was adequate.  However, the Amazing Al walked two in his inning of work.

That brings me to Nathan.  He has three blown saves and has a 5.23 ERA.  I hope Brad Ausmus has a plan B for the closer role.  Additionally, after his post game comments yesterday, I’m beginning to question his character.  I’ll be the first to admit that Castellanos is not good at third but he didn’t give up the home run to Donaldson.  So man up, JACKASS, and accept the fact that you’ve blown this year.  Instead of blaming the rookie start earning your money suck-hole.

On the flip side of the coin, this Tigers team has shown a type of resiliency that I haven’t seen for a long time.  They play for nine innings and on most nights, I get the feeling that they expect to win.  I guess time will tell.

 

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

I HATE THEM!

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The Tigers lost their fifth of their last six games and looked like a complete and utter pile of shit doing it. This game was a national embarrassment.

For 3 and 2/3 Freeway Ricky looked like the pitcher I thought he was. Then he completely fell apart and fell in line with the rest of his his rotation mates their last time through, save Sanchez.

Add to the the 2003-esq pitching, horrible defense, terrible base running and a tad bit of bad luck and you have the elements of this afternoon’s game.  The Tigers BLEW!!!!

To Torii Hunter: Nobody thinks your stupid deke moves are cute.  Get your head out of your old, bald, fat ass and run down balls in the outfield.  You JACKASS!!!!!

To the officials scorer: Explain how Austin Jackson wasn’t charged with an error in the sixth inning. Please.  I don’t give a shit how far he had to run for Moreland’s ball, he caught up with it, the ball was chest high and it hit him in the glove.  THAT IS A AN ERROR!!!!!!!  JACKASS!!!!!!

I’m glad I didn’t make it to the ballpark for this one.

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

Much Better…

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The Tigers got great starting pitching and timely hitting and halted their four game losing streak by beating the Rangers 7-2.

Anibal went seven innings and was very good.  He allowed only two runs on five hits, struck out five and walked zero.

Ian Krol pitched a scoreless ninth but he doesn’t make me feel comfortable.  I can’t put my finger on it, and his line looks good, but I get an odd feeling when he toes the slab.

The Good News:

Freeway Rick is pitching tomorrow’s game.

The Bad News:

I can’t go.  I’m still having back problems and can’t sit upright long enough to make it through the game.

Such is Life.

I’m expecting Ricky to be smokin balls tomorrow afternoon.

“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

Make it 8 in a row Tigers beat Astros 3-2

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Pitching and home runs gave the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros and made it eight in a row for the TIgers.

Freeway Rick pitched 6 and 2/3.  He allowed two earned runs on seven hits, a little high, he struck out five and walked two.

Ricky turned the game over Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan to close the game out.

What can I say about Joba, he continues to get it done, striking out the side in the 8th.

Joba is SMOKIN BALLS!

The Good:

  • The Tigers got their eight in a row and 20th win of the season.
  • Ricky put in another good outing.
  • Joe Nathan got his seventh save.
  • Joba continues to smoke balls!
  • Miggy and Victor went deep.
  • Rajai Davis stole his 12th base of the season and Don “DK” Kelly stole a base and got two hits.

The Bad:

  • The Tigers managed only five hits but the Houston pitcher, Brad Peacock, had a lot to say about that.  He pitched well for a bad team.
  • Joe Nathan walked a runner with two outs and allowed two stolen bases but was able to strand the tying run at third.

The Ugly:

  • Not much today or lately.  The Tigers have been playing pretty clean and came away with another win in a close game.

Don’t look now but Freeway Rick is 5-1 on the season.  Now if he can lower his ERA by a run he might make me look like Nostradamus.

Also, I liked Miggy’s homer the opposite way, he might be rounding into his MVP form.

Smyly pitches tomorrow afternoon as the Tigers for a four game sweep and ninth in a row.

“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