PREGAME The Tigers will try and recover from last night’s extra-inning loss to take the series. Zach Miner will make his 3rd start and we’d all be happy if he could repeat his performance from Toronto. Casey Fossum will pitch for the Devil Rays.
And in case anyone noticed, the Tigers no longer have the best record in baseball. The Tigers and Mets are both 18 games over .500, but the Mets edge the Tig’s by .005 in winning percentage.
POSTGAME: So if I were to say one Tiger would go 0 for 5 with 3 stikeouts, you might guess it was Chris Shelton. And if I told you one Tiger doubled and walked twice, you might guess Curtis Granderson. Well, it was role reversal day. I’m not at all worried about Granderson, but I am hopeful about Shelton. Last night he only K’d once and was at least putting the ball in play. Today he drew a couple walks and had a bloop drop in. Maybe he’s turning it around?
I don’t think we could ask anymore from Zach Miner in his first 3 starts. Today he didn’t allow an earned run. Early on he was far from efficient, but managed to get through 7 innings on 100 pitches. Wil Ledezma also got his first action and had a walk and 2 strikeouts.
And in an oddity, the Tigers didn’t homer in the 4 game series.
Pudget gets the day off, as expected. Thames batting third. Here’s hoping they can beat up on the left hander the Rays are throwing out today.
Any thoughts on trying to trade for Miguel Cabrera before the 7/31 deadline? I like Brandon’s fire, athleticism and versatility, but I don’t think he’s the long term answer at third base. Too many errors and not enough hits.
I think the only way we’d be able to get Miggy would be to somehow convince the Marlins to hire Dave Dombrowski as a consultant for advice on the trade.
obviously, depends on the cost. would you trade inge & zumaya for cabrera?
personally, I think brandon will continue to improve…he’s shown stretches where he can hit for high average, he’s shown he can hit for power, he’s still learning 3rd base, but there’s no denying he’s a tremendous athlete. I think he’ll put it all together one day and turn into a very good guardian of the hot corner.
Don’t just look at errors. Inge’s range is spectacular and the more advanced fielding metrics always put him near the top of the league.
The Marlins wouldn’t want Inge for Cabrera. They’d want Sanchez, Zumaya, and probably Tata. I wouldn’t doubt they’d ask about Verlander. I’m just saying, he would be costly, and it would be paid in propspects. Actually, it might even cost more than that.
I like Miggy. Everyone has to like Miggy. Would it be worth it? Hard saying. (Definitely not for Verlander.) He’s a heck of a player.
I love Inge–perhaps my favorite player. But he is 29–not sure how much more he’s going to improve.
Saw Knobler reported the other day that Pudge says he wants to retire as a Tiger. If, for some reason, that doesn’t happen, moving Inge back to catcher is the obvious move. You could live with his offensive production at that position.
As far as Miggy, I’ve still got a nagging doubt after hearing some complaints about his work ethic from McKeon’s regime.
And I’d worry about putting Inge back behind the plate as well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence his batting improved when he stopped having to keep track of every aspect of the game.
The marlins aren’t going to trade Cabrera without getting at least 1 ML ready player (probably one with star potential) and 2 top flight prospects. Why would they right now?
As much as they rave about Inge’s athleticism, he’s hardly a top flight 3rd baseman, especially offensively. And at 29, he’s not the prospect he once was.
I don’t know if everyone remembers how bad the Tigers farm system has been, and for how long, but I wouldn’t set about gutting them just as things start to recover. You deal prospects when you’re busting at the seams with guys at every position and you’ve got too many. I’d be hesitant to start gouging already.
If we need anything for a playoff push it’s a contributing (as opposed to franchise) LH bat and more pitching depth. I think the recent injuries, Jones as closer, slump by Shelton, and holes in some guys game (Inge – avg, Granderson – K’s as examples) show weakness in the team.
just watched Ledezma pitch – after he walked the first guy, he settled down nice; he looked good. And Rodney even pitched ok. But the real reason the Tiges won today: they didn’t use Jones…. 🙂
As for trades…no friggin’ way! Pitching is the heart of the game; no way would I trade anyone of consequence for a 3rd baseman. I’d trade a pitcher for Pujols (maybe). And I wouldn’t trade Z for anybody; he’s got too much potential. Not many out there with 100 mph heat and a ball that moves like that. No way.
I gotta agree with Scott – “As for trades…no friggin’ way!” I want to see the Tigers be successful for years to come, not just this year.
To me, I think the key is how long a guy is going to be around. I wouldn’t want to mortgage the future for a half-year mercanary. There’s no predicting the results. But if you’re giving up a good prospect or two and getting a proven major leaguer who’s going to be around for awhile, even if his salary is going to go up during that time, it may be worth it. It depends on the exacts of the deal and the contracts. I’m going to refer back to for this one. ” In the case of Dontrelle Willis, he can’t be a free agent for 3 more years after this, and he’s only 24 years old. So it’s much easier to consider trading a top young player for him, because he is a top young player – and one who has already enjoyed big-league success.”
To me, that’s the best kind of deal for a team who can afford to pay more. So I’m not sure the exacts of Cabrera, but he’d probably be a guy who had to stay around. You’re trying to get the highest aggregate value, so it really depends if he’s that much of a step up versus the value of the guy(s) you’re trading. I think Cabrera or Willis would likely cost too much to make them worth while, but you never know.
I don’t think there is a player in our system that I wouldn’t trade straight up for Cabrera right now. Zumaya is great, but he’s a relief pitcher at this point, and unless he turns into Mariano Rivera he’s not close to as valuable as Cabrera. Verlander is also great, but between injury risks and the inconsistency young pitchers typically have, we’d be crazy not to deal for a guy like Cabrera (who, btw, is about the same age as Verlander and certainly fits into the long term plans of the team).
That said, I doubt we could swing a one for one trade for Cabrera anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.
So with interleague coming up at Wrigley who sits since there is no DH? My guess is Thames will sit over Monroe, unless Craig is still hurting. I bet Thames starts only one game this weekend series.
The best part of yesterday’s game, besides the win for Miner, was the solid performance from the bottom of our line-up. Shelton, Inge and Wilson went a combined 5-for-8 with three runs and four RBI’s, plus two walks for Shelton. Nice game, guys.
I can’t believe Leyland would bench Thames in favor of Monroe. Thames has been out best hitter over the last week or two. Rest Monroe and make sure’s he’s 100% going forward.
i don’t know…Thames is very streaky, and the games i’ve watched lately he’s had some really ugly swings.