Comments on: Junkballing: riding the river of news

By: greg

greg — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:34:25 +0000

Amen Chris. Pitching has had a number of problems, but among the worst is the porous defense, and the biggest culprit of the porous defense is Guillen, again, its not just his limited range, its that he refuses to fully bend over most of the time for routine plays. Its why he HAS to DH or the pitchers are in for long and frustrating year.

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:51:17 +0000

Given Leyland’s comments on Cabrera at 1B, how is it that they didn’t see all that history of baseball stuff right away, or at least realize it during the spring? Is it Guillen’s early season play at 1B that forced the move, then?

By: Chris in Dallas

Chris in Dallas — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:06:54 +0000

I’ve long lamented the fact that the Tigers infield defense sucks, and that can partially be to blame for the lackluster starting pitching. I don’t know if this means anything, but the Tigers pitching staff is yielding a .251 opponents average on ground balls. For perspective, the league average is .224. Teams with what’s generally considered good pitching fare better here (Toronto – .200, Oakland – .199, Halos – .218). To me this seems to indicate that the below average ability of Tiger infielders to convert ground balls into outs takes its toll on the Motor City Five. (Sorry, couldn’t resist an MC5 reference)

By: jason

jason — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:55:13 +0000

Why do people on TV and radio keep insisting that the Tigers should get Barry Bonds? Even if he wasn’t a total jackass and distraction to the team and the organization, where would fit into our lineup? We have 3-4 DH’ers already. I don’t think all the people who say such things even stop to think what exactly that would mean for the team.

Having to put Guillen/Cabrera/Sheff on the field just so you can have Bonds in the lineup doesnt sound like fun for whoever on our team is pitching that day. Especially when it would likely mean that Inge would be the one who finds the bench.

Anyway, I’ve heard multiple people mention this in the last few days, and I just don’t understand it.

By: scotsw

scotsw — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:55:06 +0000

Brandon apparently has a very cool old farmhouse out in Dexter that is in the middle of some extensive renovations and expansion. It’s in a lovely spot near the Huron River, and if I were Brandon, I’d be looking for ways to stay put, too.

By: Mike R

Mike R — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:34:39 +0000

Great links, Bill. Kurt is 100% spot on with his assessment of Jurrjens.

And can we just have Brandon Inge stop talking? I like him talking almost as much as I like watching Leyland construct a lineup and a defensive alignment.