Tyler Collins

Tigers 7 Rangers 4

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The Tigers opened their final road trip of the 2015 season with a win over Texas.

The turning point of game came in the bottom of the fourth.  With the Tigers leading 1-0, Prince Fielder leadoff with a solo-shot off of Justin Verlander.  The next three Rangers then reached base loading the bases with nobody out.

For the second game in a row, however, J.V. gave us a glimpse of the Cy Young winning pitcher of prior years.  He was able to retire the next three Rangers without surrendering another run. He retired the side on a pop up to second and two strikeouts.

The inning did take its toll on JV.  He needed 30 pitches to get through the fourth.  He lasted six complete and gave up just the single earned run, striking out five and walking two.

The Tigers scored five in the top of the fifth, three of which came on a conniption shot off of the bat of Tyler Collins.

Game notes:

  • J.D. drove in his 99th run of the season.
  • Victor left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury.  They might as well shut him down for the rest of the season.
  • With their 73rd win, the Tigers will avoid a 90 loss season.

Tigers 7 Twins 4

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Daniel Norris looked good in his first start coming off of the DL.  He only gave up one run in 4.2 innings.  It is a shame he was on a low pitch count and had to come out of the game because the pen couldn’t hold his slim 2-1 lead, nothing new here.

The Tigers offense battled, despite hitting into four more double plays, and finally took the lead for good in the top of the 12th.  They also got a huge boost from Ian Krol who picked the entire bullpen up, including VerHagen and Hardy who were not good tonight. Krol pitched three scoreless innings, the 10th, 11th, and 12th, after Bruce Rondon blew a 4-3 lead in the 9th.

Blaine Hardy has been struggling for the last week or so.  Yesterday’s and tonight’s outings may not show up in his numbers but he’s not getting the outs he’s called upon to get and not stranding runners.

J.D. hit his 37th homer of the year and recorded his 95th and 96th RBIs.  With Miggy struggling, I guess J.D.’s quest for 100 RBIs is what I’ll be tuning in for.

Tyler Collins had a good night, he drove in two runs and had a nice outfield assist.

This game meant and series meant nothing to the Tigers but the Twins missed a chance to improve their position in the Wild Card race.

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.

Tigers 3 Royals 2

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The Tiger survived terrible fielding by Ian Kinsler and Eugenio Suarez, and terrible relief from Joba and the turd, and squeezed out a narrow victory in KC.

The win increased the Tigers lead to 2.5 games in the AL Central.

A few things to note:

  1. I think this is the first time I’ve seen a starting pitcher, who wasn’t injured, ask to come out of a game. Is Scherzer just playing for his contract as it has been suggested on this site? It appears so,. For as horrible as JV has been I have never seen him ask to come out of a game. In fact, JV reminds me of Jack Morris, who had a conniption anytime he was removed.
  2. I’m starting to like Tyler Collins.
  3. I’m beginning to question the value of replay. Baseball headquarters said that the play where Perez didn’t tag up was not reviewable. Really? Why?
  4. Romine has to be the regular shortstop. Neither he nor Suarez is much of a hitter, but Suarez looks like an asshat in the field.

Joba and Nathan were not good. That’s why the Tigers need the starters to go as deep into games as humanly possible. Any started that would willingly give way to this bullpen deserves his fate.

How long is this team going to sick with Nathan? Does he have cost the Tigers a Pennant or World Series for BA and DD to admit they made a mistake?

WTF?

Thank You Victor!

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Victor hit a solo shot in the 10th to bail out Tigers closer, Joe Nathan, and give the Tigers a split of the two game series with the Dodgers, 7-6.

After blowing his second save in a Tigers uniform, Tigers closer Joe Nathan, picked up a bat and headed to the on deck circle in the top of the 10th.  As he was heading up the stairs of the dugout he had a short conversation with Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus.

Ausmus: What are you doing?
Nathan: Getting ready to hit.
Ausmus: Sit down.  You’ve done enough.

Early on, I was afraid Ausmus was going to let Anibal go too long so he could qualify for the win. I thought he should have come out after Crawford’s double with two out in the 5th. But, Sanchez was able to get out of it.  He was shaky at first, throwing 63 pitches in the first two innings, but settled down to retire nine in a row before Crawford’s aforementioned double.

Ausmus probably wanted to save Smyly, who was warming up, for the Dodgers left handers coming up.  Whatever the case, it worked out, although Sanchez didn’t get the win.

Thanks Joe!

Despite Nathan’s heroics, there was a lot to like in this game, not the least of which was Victor’s game winning solo shot in the 10th.

The Good:

  • The Tigers manufactured a run with steals in the first.
  • Sanchez had a nice, unexpected double in the second.
  • Dee Gordon’s costly error to extended the second inning.
  • The Dodgers squeeze play in 2nd with a 3-2 count on Beckett, while not good for for the Tigers, was still a pretty sweet play.
  • Nick Castellanos hit a three run shot in the third, his first MLB homer.
  • The Tigers stole three bases.
  • Ajax had a big sac fly in the 7th to increase the Tigers lead to 6-3.
  • Tyler Collins got is first MLB hit in the 8th and added his second in the 10th.
  • Drew Smyly and Ian Krol were smokin’ balls out of the pen. Smyly pitched three complete, allowing only one hit in relief of Sanchez.   Krol came on to relieve Joba in the 10th and struck out Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Eithier.
  • The Amazing Al came into relieve Krol and got the final out.

The Bad:

  • Anibal Sanchez was shaky in the first two innings throwing 63 pitches.
  • The Tigers bounced into three double plays.
  • Joe Nathan.
  • Joe Nathan got the win.

The Ugly:

  • Joe Nathan blew another save by giving up three runs in the 9th.  I don’t have the words.  He was horrible.

Quietly, Ian Kinsler seems to be a nice addition to the Tigers.  Whether it is hitting, fielding or running, he seems to do something good to help the Tigers win.  However, the best part about the Kinsler acquisition is that Prince in not in a Tigers uniform anymore.

Trivia: The Dodgers have now played longer in LA than they did in Brooklyn. (H/T Shannon Hogan)

The Answer to Left Field May Be in Erie…

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His name is Daniel Fields and he is a Detroit native.  He is also hitting his way into the major league conversation.

Here’s a story from the Detroit News, courtesy of Nebraskaknows.

Double A Erie

Who’s hot …

Daniel Fields, CF: .302, with an .868 OPS, in his last 10 games. Fields has played his way into contention for a center-field job in Detroit should Austin Jackson depart as a free agent in a couple of seasons. Fields, 22, is 6-2, 215, bats left-handed, and was signed out of University of Detroit Jesuit High.

Melvin Mercedes, RH reliever: Having a superb summer, Mercedes, 22, has an 0.56 ERA in 18 games, with 15 strikeouts and five walks in 16 innings. Opposing batting average: .226.

Tyler Collins, LF: .282 in his last 10 games. Collins, 23, is a left-handed batter, and was the Tigers’ sixth-round pick in 2011 (Howard Junior College).

And who’s not …

I commandeered this section.  Andy Dirks, aka, Dirksy.  He’ not getting it done.  He needs to make adjustments or the the Tigers need to move on.  And, I’m sorry, I don’t want Delmon Young back.  I also don’t want Clete Thomas back but I might give Casper Wells another shot.  But, I think before anything is done, DK deserves a shot at the left field position.

In case I forgot to mention this, the Tigers left 23 runners on base in the last game in the Bronx. Couple this with Hunter and Dirks leaving 15 on, between themselves, in the first game, and you have the anatomy of a series debacle against a team that is decimated by injuries and for lack of a better term, sucks, this year.

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