Monthly Archives: April 2009

2009 Season, Injuries

Zumaya and Willis rehab progress

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Joel Zumaya is taking his rehab up I-75 to Toledo and Dontrelle Willis will join up with Lakeland next week.

Zumaya hasn’t been particularly effective or accurate in his 2 appearances in Lakeland, and I’m a little surprised he’s moving up so soon. I thought they would have at least wanted him to throw on back to back days.

Willis hasn’t been anywhere on the field, but he’ll take those first potential steps back on Tuesday.

Zumaya and Willis taking next steps in rehab | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

2009 Season, Game Post

Game 2009.010: Tigers at Mariners

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PREGAME: When one looked at the Tigers early schedule, it was full of teams that finished in the bottom half of their divisions in 2008. The Blue Jays, the Rangers, and the Mariners. So far some of those teams have been pretty good, including the Mariners that are 7-3 and the run-preventingest team in the American League.

The Mariners are only allowing 3.2 runs per game. Their pitching staff is headlined by Felix Hernandez (more on him in a minute) but he’s backed up this season with Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard. They were there last year, but not so much effective. Between the staff and an outfield defense featuring Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez gaps are hard to find and opposing teams are only slugging .316. Now those teams have been the A’s, Angels, and Twins. Make of it what you will, but basically we don’t know a lot yet.

Tonight’s match-up is ace on ace with Justin Verlander taking on Hernandez. Verlander is looking for some efficiency after getting knocked about before the 6th inning in his first 2 starts. The Mariners see only 3.61 pitches per plate appearance, the lowest in the AL, so he may find some. In 7 starts against Seattle Verlander has a 1.252 WHIP and 2.91 ERA.

Hernandez has fanned 14 in 13 inning this year. In terms of Tigers with Success, Granderson and Polanco have both hit well against Hernandez in limited at-bats. It would be nice to get off to a quick start on the road trip with those two at the top of the order.

Kenji Johjima has hit the DL, but Ichiro is back from his ulcer issues.

Game Time 10:10

Detroit vs. Seattle – April 17, 2009 | MLB.com: Gameday

POSTGAME: Ugh. If you went to bed and didn’t watch this one, you wouldn’t believe how good Justin Verlander looked by looking in the box score. If you watched the whole thing, you wouldn’t believe how things unraveled in the 5th.

Verlander retired 12 straight and fanned the side in the 4th. But then the Mariners started swinging at first pitches. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out and one run in. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a ground ball to third and Russel Branyan broke for home. He was out by a mile, or would have been if Brandon Inge hadn’t bounced the throw. Instead of a 3-1 game with runners at the corners and 2 outs and the number 9 hitter up, it was 3-2 with runners at the corners and 1 out. A suicide squeeze went for a hit and tied the game. Then there were more hits and 5 runs scored. Four of the runs ended up being earned, but the error completely changed the complexion of the inning and subsequently the game.

  • The Tigers got their 3 runs in the 2nd, and really only hit one ball hard.
  • Cabrera continues to mash with 3 more bullets and he missed a homer by about 2 feet.
  • The Tigers managed 9 hits, but all were singles and two were eliminated via GIDPs.
2009 Season

Live Chat – 9 games in edition

It’s been awhile since we’ve done one of these, but we’ll do a live chat (not the video version) at 11am today. Hope you can make it.

2009 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 4/16/2009

Columbus 2 Toledo 1
Ron Chiavacci fanned 5, but he also walked 3 and allowed 5 hits for 2 runs in 5.2 innings. Fu Te Ni pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout. Wilkin Ramirez had 2 hits and drove in the lone run. Wil Rhymes tripled.

Erie 3 Altoona 0
Erie nearly pulled off the a no hitter. Alfredo Figaro went the first 7 innings allowing 3 walks while fanning 5. Zach Simons got through his one inning. But Brett Jensen allowed a double with two outs in the 9th inning. Scott Sizemore went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and a walk. Cale Iorg went 0 for 4 with 3 K’s.

Lakeland 0 Clearwater 1
Kyle Peter, Andy Dirks, and Kody Kaiser had the only 3 hits and they each stole a base. Duane Below struck out 9 and walked none in 5.2 innings of work. Brett Jacobson got the other out.

Lakeland 6 Clearwater 3
Michael Bertram homered as part of a 3 for 4 day. Andy Dirks and Shawn Roof each had 2 hits. Patrick Stanley pitched a 1 hitter for 5 innings. Lester Oliveros got the hold, but he allowed 2 runs on 4 hits in 1.2 innings.

West Michigan DNP

2009 Season, Statistics

Off day open thread – statistical nuggets

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With no game on the schedule today, I figured we could open things up a little bit. Discuss whatever you’d like in this space. But…to seed the conversation a little bit here are some early season statistics to ponder:

  • Justin Verlander has only stranded 42.3% of runners
  • Fernando Rodney and Bobby Seay have combined to record 21 outs on only 63 pitches
  • 42.9% of the flyballs Eddie Bonine have allowed have flown over the fence for homers
  • Ryan Perry has thrown more balls than strikes
  • Armando Galarraga, Bobby Seay, and Nate Robertson have gotten hitters to chase balls out of the zone over 40% of the time
  • Over half the pitches to Carlos Guillen, Miguel Cabrera, and Magglio Ordonez have been out of the strike zone
  • Only 5 different Tigers have homered this year, but their team total has them tied for 5th in MLB
  • Only 4 different Tigers have grounded into a double play this year
  • Ordonez hasn’t had an extra base hit yet, but he does lead the team in walks. And he’s hitting in front of a very hot Cabrera
  • The top two offensive teams in MLB this year have been the Blue Jays and the Rangers. Are they the top teams because they’ve each played the Tigers or would the Tigers ERA (4.58 overall, 5.39 when Galarraga isn’t pitching) be better if they hadn’t played such juggernauts?
  • If Placido Polanco were a tree, what kind of tree would he be?

All of these stats and many more can be found at Fangraphs

2009 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 4/15/2009

Toledo 4 Louisville 3
Mike Hessman went 3 for 5 and Clete Thomas added 2 hits. Ryan Raburn walked 3 times. Scott Drucker pitched 6 innings of shutout 3 hit ball with 2 walks and 7 K’s. Casey Fien allowed a run on 2 hits in 1.1 innings.

Bowie 9 Erie 3
Max Leon, Jeff Frazier, and Cale Iorg each went 2 for 4. Jon Kibler was roughed up for 6 runs in 5.2 innings. Jay Sborz allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk with 2 K’s in 1.2 innings.

Lakeland 1 Clearwater 6
Joel Zumaya made his second rehab appearance, and he allowed 3 runs on 3 walks and 2 hits in 1.1 innings. Kody Kaiser and Shawn Roof had the only extra base hits for Lakeland.

West Michigan 6 Great Lakes 2
Ben Guez, Billy Nowlin and Gustavo Nunez each had 2 hits. Jordan Newton homered for the first time and added 2 walks. Casey Crosby allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 5 K’s with 1 homer in 3.1 innings. Matt Hoffman came on in relieve and allowed only 2 walks in 3.2 innings while fanning 4. Tyler Stohr recorded all 3 outs via the K while allowing one hit in one inning of work to earn the save.

2009 Season, Game Post

Game 2009.009: White Sox at Tigers Redux

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PREGAME: The weather didn’t cooperate yesterday, but things look much better for today with things drying off around game time and even a little sunshine.

The rainout did have one effect and that was to provide the Tigers with a match-up that at least looks more favorable on paper. Instead of going up against the Sox staff ace John Danks (and really, he’s a better pitcher than Buehrle), they will be facing Jose Contreras.

Contreras allowed 10 base runners in 5 innings of work in his first start of the year. Current Tigers hitters have an 841 OPS against Contreras in their careers.

The Tigers will skip Rick Porcello and instead send Armando Galarraga to the mound. On Opening Day Galarraga shut down a hot hitting Texas Rangers and went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 8 K’s.

Game Time 1:05

Chicago White Sox vs Detroit Tigers – April 15, 2009 | MLB.com Gameday

POSTGAME: What’s my favorite part of this win you ask? It is putting to rest for the time being the talk of “the Sox own the Tigers.” If they lose the series, then it starts to become “a thing” and then it starts to become annoying. For now anways, they are all square.

As for the game, I caught the first 5 innings of this one on the radio, and missed the rest while in a meeting. So I missed the part where it turned into a laugher and banged my keyboard a little too hard when every pitch was a moment of tension.

Unlike his firsst start, he had to work through this one. I’m not saying he wasn’t good, but listening to the game it sounded like the command wasn’t quite as good at times and it required a few more pitches, many under duress where it seemed that one run might be enough to win or lose this game. but when he needed a strike out, he found a way to get it. He pitched out of a runner on third one out situation and a 2nd and 3rd one out situation. In the end it was a 6.1 inning 4 hitter with 5 K’s and 2 walks. Tremendous stuff.

The Tigers only had one real scoring chance prior to breaking through in the 6th. A 2nd and 3rd none out situation that they weren’t able to take advantage of when Ramon Santiago struck out and Curtis Granderson popped out. And Contreras was cruising. Through 4 innings he only needed 52 pitches. So in my mind the at-bat of the game was…

Josh Anderson’s 10 pitch walk. It was the first at-bat where Contreras really had to work, and it put him in the stretch. It led to a Placido Polanco 2 run double blasted to centerfield. And while the game would get out of hand, it was all the Tigers needed.

  • Bobby Seay faced a batter and got 2 outs. Fernando Rodney pitched a 1-2-3 9th, just trying to get work in. Ryan Perry? He pitched a scoreless inning but a walk and 2 wild pitches made things a little interesting.
  • Josh Anderson and Ramon Santiago were both outstanding again today. Santiago got the start when Adam Everett was told to stay home with the flu.
  • Curtis Granderson is really fighting it right now but he did pick up his 3rd hit of the homestand.
  • Miguel Cabrera not fighting it at all, and he teamed up with Galarraga to turn in another nice defensive play. It’s too soon to make stat based defensive judgements, but the eyeball test has him improved in my opinion.
  • That Brandon Inge play in the 3rd was sick. The highlights are here.
2009 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 4/14/09

Toledo 5 Louisville 0
Ryan Raburn homered twice and added a double. Mike Hessman also went deep twice, his first 2 of the year. Chris Lambert was outstanding with 8 innings of 1 hit ball while picking up 11 K’s. That lone hit didn’t come until the 8th inning.

Bowie 7 Erie 2
Scott Sizemore, Alex Avila and Jeff Frazier collected the only 3 hits for the Seawolves. Jonah Nickerosn allowed 5 runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings

Lakeland – PPD

West Michigan 7 Great Lakes 3
Ben Guez was a homer short of the cycle. Jordan Newton singled and doubled and dropped his average to .429. Jade Todd allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings.

2009 Season, Managing & Strategy, Pitching

Rotation shuffle

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With today’s rain out, the Tigers have changed their rotation, or have they demoted Zach Miner to the bullpen?

The two different stories have a different feel to be sure. First though, the upcoming pitchers are: Galarraga, Verlander, Jackson, Porcello. That’s what we know for sure. The Tigers are effectively skipping Rick Porcello this turn through the rotation. And with an off day Thursday, and another off day on Monday, Galarraga is expected to start the Tuesday game in LAAnaheim. Which means Zach Miner is being skipped in the next turn through the rotation.

I really think this is more a matter of maximizing the starts for the Verlander/Galarraga/Jackson triumvirate than it is a relegation of Zach Miner to the bullpen. Miner wasn’t good on Monday, but not many pitchers were good in that weather and I can’t see that as a reason for him to lose a spot in the rotation. But…who knows what will happen between now and the next time the team needs a 5th starter.

Links

links for 2009-04-14

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2009 Season, Game Post

Game 2009.009: White Sox at Tigers

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PREGAME:  This is more of a theoretical game post, because the chances of this game being played are pretty slim. But…if they do play it will be Rick Porcello making his home debut against John Danks.

Porcello was hurt by a couple homers in his first start against the Blue Jays. He surrendered 7 other hits, but all were singles and most were ground balls.

Danks picked up his 2009 season where he left off his great 2008 season by blanking the Royals for 6 innings of 3 hit, 5 K ball in his first start of the year.

Game Time 1:05

Chi White Sox vs Detroit – April 14, 2009 | MLB Gameday

2009 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap – 4/13/09

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Toledo 6 Louisville 5
Wilkin Ramirez hit his first homer of the season, and Ryan Raburn hit his second. Wil Rhymes added 2 doubles. Ruddy Lugo went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, no walks, and 3 K’s. Scott William pitched a shaky 9th inning allowing 2 runs but getting the save.

Bowie 2 Erie 1
Luis Marte took a hard luck loss allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and no walks in 5.2 innings while striking out 4. Zach Simons and Josh Rainwater added scoreless innings of relief. Mike Hollimon had two hits and two walks. Cale Iorg doubled.

Lakeland 2 Tampa 4
Andy Dirks was 2 for 4. Kody Kaiser had the Flying Tigers only extra base hit. Lauren Gagnierpitched 5 innings and allowed just 1 earned run on 5 hits and a walk with 3 K’s. Trevor Feeney took the loss surrendering 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 2 innings.

West Michigan 2 Great Lakes 4
Jordan Newton doubled for the only extra base hit for the Whitecaps. Brandon Hamilton had a rough start walking 4 and allowing 5 hits leading to 4 runs in 3 innings.