Victor Martinez

Tigers 4 Yankees 1

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The Tigers have started this road trip off well.  With Today’s 4-1 victory, they took a series in the Bronx two games to one.

Once again, Michael Fulmer was smoke balls! He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 28 1/3.  Everyday Ian Kinlser had two more RBIs today giving him seven in the last two games.

This series win game without much help from Jose Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.

It is off two Chicago for a series with the White Sox.  Tomorrow the Tigers have a date with “Big Game?” James Shields.

Tigers 7 White Sox 4

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The Tigers earned a split in the four game series with the White Sox and they did it the hard way. After losing a doubleheader on Monday they won in extra innings yesterday and evened it up this afternoon in the finale behind another quality start from Justin Verlander.

JV lasted seven innings and allowed three earned.  He was impressive in the seventh. Knowing it was his last inning he left it all on the mound. He pounded Sox hitters with high nineties fastballs reminding us all he can still bring the heat.

More good news.  The offense showed up today and scored some runs. J.D. drove in two and brought is RBI total up to 98 on the season and Victor hit his 11th home run.

The Twins come to town this weekend and it is a big series for the Minnesotans.  They’re still in the wild card hunt.  Perhaps the Tigers can play spoiler?

Miggy rested a sore back today. I’m a little worried about him. He hasn’t hit with much power and I’m wondering if we’ll ever see the Mighty Miggy again.

Royals 10 Tigers 3

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The four game winning streak came to an end today.  Alfredo Simon was atrocious and the offense couldn’t come up with 11 runs to complete the sweep.

On the bright side, Miggy had another hit and RBI, although he was only 1-4 and did leave four runners on base. Victor had another hit and RBI and was 1-2 with a walk.  Additionally, this was the second straight series win.

Simon is a free agent at the end of the season and I’m wondering if the Tigers are going to make him an offer. He does have 13 wins but his ERA is 5.21 and he is wildly inconsistent.  Perhaps, for the right price, he’d be ok for a fifth starter or long relief, but I don’t think he can be counted on for much more.

The White Sox come to town tomorrow and it looks like the Tigers might miss Chris Sale which I’m not sure is much of a break. Sale has really struggled down the stretch, as he did last season, which probably cost him the 2014 A.L. Cy Young Award.

Is it just me or does it seem like J.D. is struggling?

Tigers 6 Royals 5

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I never thought I’d be typing this but more good news from Comerica Park.  For the second straight night, the Tigers beat the Royals in extra innings, making it four wins in a row.  This is the first four game winning streak since starting the season 6-0.

The good news keeps on coming.

Ian Kinsler had the walk off solo shot in the bottom of the 11th.  After a rough start Kinsler is staying hot. He’s hitting .348 since the all-star break and leads baseball in multi-hit games.

Miggy had two more hits and drove in two more runs and all of the sudden Victor’s bat has heated up. Vmart was 2-2 with two walks and a two run-homer.

There is even good news out of the pen. No not Bruce Rondon, who struggled again tonight, but Neftali Feliz and Tom Gorzelanny got the job done in extra innings and held the Royals down until the offense could win it in the 11th.

If you missed the game, the Tigers thought they won in the bottom of the ninth, but for the first time in MLB history, in the re-play era, a walk-off win was reversed.  Kinsler was originally called safe at home on a sac-fly by Andrew Romine but was called out after re-play.

I guess that’s why we continue to tune in, you never know what you’re going to see.

Tigers 5 Twins 4

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Alfredo Simon pitched well, better than his final line indicated.  He ran into some bad luck in seventh but this was a quality start. Both VerHagen and Simon’s outings would look and feel better if they had a little luck but both pitched well.

Victor Martinez had three hits and should have, should have, had four. This is his first three hit game since July according to Mario Impemba.

James McCann had three hits, raising his batting average to .276. I didn’t realize, he hasn’t made an error all season.  This is a very impressive rookie campaign.

Drew VerHagen and Alex Wilson both looked good out of the pen and the Tigers have a chance for a series win tomorrow night.

The Twins missed a chance to pick up a game on the Yankees and Blue Jays who both lost tonight.

UPDATE: I almost forgot to mention the perfectly executed hit and run and safety squeeze the Tigers pulled off in the top of the ninth inning. These two plays resulted in the fifth and winning run.  My first thought was, bravo.  My second thought was, ‘where has this been all year?’ In any case, I guess it is better late than never.

Angels 8 Tigers 7

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Seven runs should be enough to win a game but you know the story.  Basically, I’m tuning in to watch J.D. Martinez, James McCann, hopefully Miggy win a batting title, and perhaps JV return to an ace level pitcher.  Other than that, there’s not a whole lot to watch.

If the Tigers were getting anything out of Victor, this offense would be putting up numbers like the Blue Jays, but he’s is just a wasted spot in the order.  He is very difficult to watch. He’s doing nothing.

If I were Huston Street I wouldn’t have pitched to Miggy in the eighth.  I don’t care if he were 0-20 against me.  He’s hitting just under .500 since his return from the DL and Victor was on deck. No way. Actually, I don’t care who was on deck. The Angels are lucky Miggy didn’t burn them.

VerHagen looked pretty good tonight.

FYI: Nick Castellanos’s base running is exponentially worse than his fielding.

I wonder how playoff ticket sales are going?

Tigers 4 Rangers 0

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Where did this come from? A winning streak?  Three games in a row?  A complete game, one hitter from Alfredo Simon?  Wow! Victor Martinez Flashin’ Leather ? For one game the seventh grade band class looked like a symphony.

On the same day the Tigers put both Daniel Norris and Anibal Sanchez on the DL, Alfredo Simon came up with his first complete game and first shut of his career, and gave the Tigers their first three game winning streak since the end of June.  It is probably too late to mean anything but it’s always nice to win games.

JV pitches tonight and I’ll be there.  Four in a row perhaps?

Red Sox 7 Tigers 2

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Well JV looked pretty good although his pitch count was too high and he had to turn it over to the pen and we all know how that turns out more times than not.

I didn’t see the end of the game but it looked like Krol imploded.

What is the story with giving up home runs and waking number nine hitters? Especially number nine hitters batting under .200?

For me not scoring runners at third with less than two outs is an abomination. In the third, I know Davis eventually scored, but it took a two out hit by Victor, but Iggy and Kinsler had horrible at-bats. They have to find a way to hit a ground ball to shirt or second. Boston was conceding the run and they refused to take it. They can’t just tip their cap to the pitcher game after game.

Another series loss to a bad team.

Tigers 8 Royals 6

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Ian Kinsler has turned what started out as a miserable season completely around. Sort of under the radar, well at least under mine, his batting average is up to .296, he’s hitting in Miggy’s old #3 spot, and he knocking in some runs. He’s making me forget that 4-50 streak, or whatever it was earlier in the season, where he was just an automatic out.

Let’s turn to Victor now. Since Miggy went on the DL he has been horrible. This afternoon, however, he hit two bombs and drove in five runs. The Tigers needed every one of them and more because Anibal wasn’t very good and didn’t get any help from Neftali Feliz or Blaine Hardy.

Blaine Hardy gets a pass, he has been excellent all season but why is Feliz still around? He wasn’t good in Texas. He has been worse here. Why not go through growing pains with someone else?

Big Nice series win.