Victor Martinez

Tigers End Skid…

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using familiar formula, Starting Pitching + Cabrera + Fielder, beat Rays 6-3.

Max Scherzer pitched seven good innings, allowing three earned while striking out 9 and walking 1.

Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder provided just about all of the offense.  Cabrera was 4 for 4 with two home runs and 3 RBIs and Prince Fielder went 2 for 3, driving in 2 and smashing a majestic home run.  This was enough offense to win but it came from the usual suspects.  Besides Cabrera and Fielder, nobody else could deliver a clutch hit or even a productive out.

Victor Martinez dropped his average down to .225 as he went 0 for 4 leaving 3 runners on base.

The bullpen looked pretty good, Alburquerque, Smyly and Benoit pitched the 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively, without giving up any runs.

It was nice to stop the skid.  It was nice to get the win.  It was nice to move Scherzers’s record to 12-0.  It was nice to get good pitching again, but if nobody but Fielder and Cabrera is going to get a timely hit, the 29 year long World Series drought isn’t ending anytime soon.

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

The Time Has Come For DK

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As we are approaching the mid-way point of the 2013 season, it should be apparent that all is not well in Tiger Town.

Right now, the Tigers are 42-35 with a 3 game lead on the Cleveland Indians but something needs to be done with the Tigers if the this 29 year World Series drought is going to end.

The Tigers are getting no production from the 5th spot in their lineup.  I wanted to give Victor the benefit of the doubt but we are running out of time.  In addition to hitting a paltry .228, his on base percentage is .286.  This is ridiculous.

If there is no appetite for a trade or a trade to be made, the Tigers need to try something new, something unconventional.  I don’t want to tinker with the slots Peralta and Infante are hitting in, because if something is not broken, don’t fix it.   But the 5 slot is broken and must be fixed.

I offer you my solution, Don Kelly, DK.  I know what you are thinking, DK?  He’s not an everyday player, he doesn’t have the power.  These things may be true but is he going to do any worse?  In only 92 at bats DK is hitting .228 the same as Martinez.  DK’s OPB is .333 compared to Victor’s .286.  DK is slugging .380 to Victor’s .337.  And what is even more important, DK busts his ass down the line where VMART acts like he’s skipping through a flower bed.

Some may say, VMART can’t run, he’s knees are shot.  I say, I can tolerate that if you’re hitting over .250 with power but not when you’re hitting .228 and slugging .337.  The Tiger’s need to find a different way, a new alternative, to the conventional thinking of the last 29 years.  DK might not be a classic 5 hitter, and he might not even work out, but at this point Victor is not working out either and the Tigers just finished a 10 game home stand 4-6.

To add insult to injury the Tigers just got swept, in the 6 game season series, by an Angels team that BLOWS.  This is the same Angels team that got swept in a four game series, at home, by the Houston Astros.  And to really rub salt in the wound, game two was decided by a two run homer by that sawed off, little, jerk, Erick Aybar after a visit to the mound by pitching coach Jeff Jones.

And here’s some advice for Jeff Jones, next time you get a good idea, like the one you had before the Aybar at bat, sit back down and chew on tin foil, you Dummy!

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

THEY’RE MAKIN’ ME MAD!

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Well, the Tigers got swept this afternoon by the lowly Angels.  Yep, the Angels don’t seem to beat anybody but the vaunted Tigers with their deadly offense and lights out pitching.

This afternoon, the Tigers got pitching, but the offense could score only one run in 10 innings.

I know, it is easy to blame Phil Coke, and the has been HORRIBLE, but 1 RUN IN 10 INNINGS!

The Tigers winning philosophy reminds me a lot of the average investor’s investing philosophy.  While the average investor buys, holds and prays, the Tigers pitch (starters), hold (bullpen) and pray (offense).

When are the Tigers going to win a 14-8 ballgame to bail out their pitching staff?  If this year and last year on any indicators, the answer is NEVER!

I’m sick and tired of this overpriced, under performing garbage that I’ve had to watch lately.

FYI: the Tiger’s 5th hitter is hitting .228.

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

I HATE THE ANGELS…AND

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The Tigers are on the verge of makin’ me MAD!

The Angels made it eight in a row over the Tigers today with a 7-4 win.  Spot starter, Jose Alvarez did an ok job going 5 and 2/3 surrendering 4 earned.  Things looked ok in the top of the 6th.  The Tigers had a 3-2 lead.  With two outs Chris Iannetta singled.  This brought out pitching coach Jeff Jones for a visit with Alvarez.  Whatever Jones said, he should have kept it to himself because on the next pitch, that sawed-off, little, jerk Erick Aybar, hit his third home run of the season, giving the Angels a 4-3 lead.  Drew Smyly came in to relieve Alvarez and struck out Brenden Harris to end the inning.

Smyly came out for the top of the 7th and it was his turn to take a shit.  He walked the lead off batter, Shuck and Mike Trout followed with a bloop double.  Before the top of the 7th was over, the Angels were ahead 7-3.

The offense was pathetic today as well, grounding into three double plays, with Fielder the only one hustling down the line to try to beat the relay.

It’s time to do something about the 5th spot in the Tiger lineup.  Victor Martinez is not doing the job and is really irritating me with his lack of hustle.  He never busts his ass down the first base line, in fact, most of the time he looks like he’s skipping.

This team is looking a lot like last year’s team, if the starting pitching has an off day, the bullpen or the offense doesn’t seem able to bail them out.  With the way Verlander has pitched the last two months and Dotel still hurt, I’m getting less optimistic by the day.

The last two games have been an embarrassment and now the best the Tigers can do on this home-stand is go .500, but they have to beat the Angels and Jeff Weaver tomorrow afternoon to do it.

One bright spot has been Bryan Pena.  He had two hits tonight and is hitting .297 on the season.

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

Tigers Dust Red Sox…

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assure series split.

Well, after the top of the first I was wondering if it was going to be Max Scherzer’s turn to have a bad start.  Scherzer gave up a two run homer to David Ortiz and the Tigers were behind before they got to hit.

The offense, however, came back in the bottom half of the first, scoring 4, on a grand slam by Victor Martinez and Scherzer put up 6 consecutive zeroes to improve his record to 11-0.

Alburquerque pitched a scoreless eighth walking one and striking out one and Putkonen pitched the ninth allowing one earned.  The Tigers took game three of this four game set with the Red Sox 10-3.  With a win tomorrow they could win the series 3-1.

It was nice to see some power from Victor who has been slumping most of the season.  Also, Jackson, Hunter and Dirks had three hit apiece and Omar Infante hit his 5th homer run of the season, a two run shot, in the bottom of the seventh.

I’m anxious to see JV start tomorrow.  He is going up against the AL’s number one offense and he struggled his last time out.  Are we going to get the JV of the last couple years or the JV that we’ve seen for the last month and a half.

It would be nice to take this series and a good performance from JV can lead the way.

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

Orioles Chase JV after 5

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Justin Verlander lasted only five innings tonight and gave up five earned runs as the Orioles evened the series beating the Tigers 5-2.

The bullpen came in and shut down the Orioles and gave the Tigers a chance to come back, and they had their chances, but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit.

After starting the game 2 for 2 Cabrera came up with two on and two out in the bottom of the 5th and grounded out.

In the bottom of the 7th the Tigers got a break.  After three consecutive hits from Infante, Pena, and Jackson cut the O’s lead to 5-2, Torii Hunter hit a ground ball to third baseman Manny Machado.  Machado appeared to tag Pena then threw to second to double up Jackson.  However, the umpire called Pena safe at third, I’m not sure why, but that break brought Cabrera up with runners on first and third and only one out.  Cabrera then fouled out to first baseman Chris Davis and Fielder followed with a pop out to Machado.

The Tigers had another chance in the bottom of the 9th.  With one out, Jackson walked and Hunter singled.  Cabrera stepped to the plate and grounded into a game ending double play.

Today’s game was a reversal of a normal Tiger game.  JV had a terrible start, the offense got no clutch hits and had few good at bats but the bullpen was solid pitching 4 scoreless innings.

I’m not sure what is wrong with JV but he needs to make some adjustments and fast.  It doesn’t seem like anybody fears him anymore.  His ERA is up to 3.72 which isn’t bad for a normal pitcher but horrible for JV.

Victor Martinez continues to struggle at the plate.  He is something like 5 for his last 33.  His average is down to .228 and he’s hit with little power.

I was willing to give Martinez some time to get his stroke back but this is nearing the end of June.

From what I see, the Tigers might have more to worry about then their closer.  They need more production from Martinez and JV needs to get his act together.

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