Comments on: Game 3: Royals at Tigers

By: ron

ron — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:09:20 +0000

Anyone got a defibrillator?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:10:25 +0000

Sorry Mike R, but you missed moving the decimal point. We are 1.8% thru the season… And yes, I’m worried. If this horrible start continues then they can lose ground on games that they will need in September, if they are to make a run. And also, it seams that the slump of last August has not been left behind. The Tigers have got to stop getting their butts handed to them by their divisional opponents. Suddenly, this series against the Sox is a must-win. But I’ll back away from the edge if they only win one game this weekend….. This team is really struggling.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:41:30 +0000

The Tigers are on pace to score 270 runs

By: David

David — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:53:14 +0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....=rumblings

bobo and inge

By: Mike R

Mike R — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:49:34 +0000

I’m still not worried. We’re exactly 0.185% through the season. And the offense, or lack there of, does not bother me either.

In April last year, the Tigers offense posted a .251/.321/.405 hitting vital as a team (5.08 runs/game). The rest of the way, they hit: .293/.349/.467 as a team and scored 760 runs in 137 games (5.55 runs/game).

So, to me, it’s more that the Royals pitched solidly, hit when they needed to hit, and some balls aren’t falling/the Tigers aren’t making a ton of solid contact. It happens.

The Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) for the 3 game set so far is .261 (’normal’ is around .300 and this is such a small sample that even taking the 30 seconds to figure it out was kind of stupid of me).

Comparatively, April of 2007, the Tigers team BABIP was .315.

Like I said, terrible sample size, but some good KC pitching, a bit of luck for them (bad luck for us) and some mediocre middle/late innings pitching and the Royals get the sweep. Not a big deal, to me, at least.

Edit: And my only question about acquiring Bonds would be: (1) The cost and (2) What happens when Sheffield comes back? Obviously that’s counting all the chickens before the eggs have even arrived, let alone have they been hatched. Then again, big bats (like pitching) can never be too much of a surplus, I suppose. And I’ve done a 180 on my stance on steroids (not to turn this into a roids discussion) so i think i wouldn’t have a problem rooting for him as I just consider this another ‘era’ of baseball, much in the way the dead ball era, the era of 550 ft. CF’s, the mound being higher, baseball’s being used all game until they were brown, hard to see, soft and just a mess, etc etc.

By: David

David — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:37:17 +0000

Stephen - yes,

even though I’m no fan of Bonds, I figure if we have Shef, and Pudge (and others?) why not pick up Bobo Bonds

Considering the fact that the last time his OBP was under .440 when he had more than 300 AB in a season was 1999 and he hit 28hrs last year

I mean think about it,

How ridiculous would that be to stick him right after Poly - and he is a lefty and he has history (be it good or bad) with Leyland

I figure this lineup can’t get any more artificial unless they dump Inge and Granderson

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:02:10 +0000

I watched the game in a tiny little bar in Marshall, MI today. Everyone was watching and talking Tigers. I have no idea what’s going on. Thames made some great catches! Also, I agree with Steve that a little small ball was in order and they weren’t even thinking about it.

By: Cameron in Singapore

Cameron in Singapore — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:08:09 +0000

Wow…this stinks…
But I liked Bilfer’s comment about it being a good thing it wasn’t Zumaya…is skepticism starting to set in?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:57:05 +0000

Is it too early and too cold for it to be August (a.k.a. the month when the Tigers go into their annual big slump)?

By: Mark in Chicago

Mark in Chicago — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:54:55 +0000

We get Contreras, Danks and Burrly, while we run Robertson, Willis and Verlander out there. The first two guys are completely hittable, so hopefully Nate and Dontrelle can give us some innings and we can turn over a 6-7 run lead to our “bullpen”. Winning anything less than 2 of 3 is a disappointment. That might be unrealistic, but the earlier we get back to .500, the better.