The Tigers welcome in another American League East squad as the Boston Red Sox come to town. The Red Sox have been below .500 for a good chunk of the season but a 7-3 stretch has them at 18-17.
Max Scherzer has been roughed up in his last 3 starts with the Twins doing the bulk of the damage. His last start against the Indians wasn’t so hot either, but a few of the runs came in an inning that saw multiple infield hits. Not great, but not that worrisome. Still he needs to follow the lead of the Bonderman/Porcello and turn things around right quick.
Clay Bucholz has a shiny 3.82 ERA. He’s been “helped” in that 6 of the 21 runs he’s allowed have been unearned. He has 25 K’s in his 35.1 innings, but 17 of those came in 2 starts and he only has 8 total strikeouts in his other 5 starts this season. His biggest asset this year is limiting homers with only 2 allowed.
It will be interesting to see the Tigers game plan against Bucholz. Twenty-two times he’s had the first pitch put in play and the result is a .476 batting average. So aggressiveness may be in order (over his career that number is still a robust .398). On the flip side his OPS against starts to rise once he gets north of 76 pitches. So there is benefit to making him work as well.
Your lineup is:
- Jackson, CF
- Damon, DH
- Ordonez, RF
- Cabrera, 1B
- Boesch, LF
- Inge, 3B
- Sizemore, 2B
- Laird, C
- Santiago, SS
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers – May 14, 2010 – MLB.com Preview
Looks like a winning lineup to me. We just need Max to pitch a decent game. Hopefully that Yankees series will give us some momentum.
Get rid of Scherzer now……out of the game and down to the minors!
The 4th brutal start in a row……in all of those starts he hasn’t been able to fool any batters.
He needs to go get right in Toledo. Why can’t Mario and Rod ever talk about stuff like that?
It’s not a good sign for Scherzer when he has you looking forward to the Willis start…and Brad Thomas from the bullpen
The truth hurts!
I’ve come to the conclusion that Scherzer just sucks. Only consolation I have is the fact that EJackson is pitching crappy for the Snakes……
Another JL brain cramp……..3 – 0 to Big Poppy and a base open……you don’t throw him a big fat strike that he is waiting for……you walk him and pitch to the next guy and hope for a DP or an easy out.
Actually, Big Papi has been in a tremendous slump (for two years now), or likely, he’s just not that good anymore, and you absolutely pitch to him there. You don’t IBB guys batting .200 in the top of the 1st.
Does anyone know what Scherzer’s options are? It sucks to say it, but he needs to be sent down.
You know he’s due…….and it was our bad luck it happened against us at that at bat.
It would have been another story if we had a lefty going……then ok, pitch to him …..but not in the situation we had tonite…..why take the chance that he breaks out at that at bat….and look what happened, THREE RUNS.
If the Tigers get a few runs back, I’d look for Scherzer to be on a short leash. But if not, I’d rather let Scherzer get some work (within reason, not 8 or 9 runs).
Scherzer needs to go away and learn how to not pitch like he
is just waiting to get hita…and of course he does.
Another Run Boesched In!!
I like how Mario says “Inge trying to get things going, he’s currently hitting .230.”
Come on Mario. .230 is “going” for Inge.
Mario and Rod will be, to the new generation of fans, the only voice of the Tigers, they will have ever heard. I guess they’re supposed to be that generation’s “Ernie Harwell”. Things sure have changed.
Get Scherzer out NOW……..and at least give us a chance to come back.
Agreed Toronto. If Detroit wants to get after things, they need their starting rotation to pitch half as well as the bullpen has this month. Try a youngster or Gallaraga in that 3rd spot in the rotation. Hopefully Gallaraga’s start is an audition for that position. If that is not the case, get someone from Toledo.
Just one of those freak games. I’d let Scherzer get to 110 and save the bullpen for the weekend. We’ve got Willis/Galarraga going, we may need it need them.
I miss the “edit” feature.
Papi might be old and in a 2-year slump, but he can still hit a batting practice pitch out of the park.
Ernie would have been in fine form tonight with Max Scherzer on the hill:
Looong Gone!
Looong Gone!
Looong Gone!
With still more to come, I’m sure.
“Paging, Mr. Scherzer, Mr. Max Scherzer. Your ticket to Toledo is waiting for you at Customer Service.”
Scherzer has been awful tonight but the last home run he gave up to Ortiz was about 6 inches inside – not even close to a strike, much less a bad pitch.
Swinging at pitches like that – no wonder Ortiz is in a slump 😉
Brad “The Mop” Thomas is in.
Ok, so this is the inning where the B.O.O.B.s go from being the Mendoza Quadruplets to the Power Avengers.
Two walks and a HBP wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but you take what they give you.
I think they need to move Inge back to 7th in the lineup…he is a B.O.O.B at heart
Let me repeat my mantra from 2007, 2008, and 2009. This team doesn’t make the playoffs unless Inge is the 9th hitter! Dude is a .236 career hitter! Dude is hitting like .220 against right handers since the start of 2007! (Seriously, look it up) Dude has a .697 OPS for his career! Dude is only marginally better than Nick Punto! Dude will become all-time Tigers strikeout king around Sept 7! Dude uh, sucks as a hitter!
Good night.
Did not everyone, including Inge, say that he would be a better hitter, now that he is not catching anymore?
Didn’t he hit like .198 as a catcher?
I’m listening to the Red Sox announcers right now and they just said “the Red Sox need to be careful here, Inge is a big home run threat.”
(I also think it’s amusing they give Yankee score updates every few minutes. BTW A-Rod just hit a grand slam).
Is that Zooms brother pitching for Boston?
Do we go after the first batter or wait for Youkilis to come to bat and bean him in the noggin?
OK, this is really bothering me – why does Laird hold the ball up in the air, ready to throw and then PAUSE before throwing it back to the pitcher? It’s really annoying. Just throw the ball, man.
To make sure the pitcher knows it’s comin? That he has his attention?
I asked Gerald that same question a few weeks ago, and he said its just one of the many in-game rituals he employs that has helped him become the hitter he is today… that, and it pisses off Verlander.
2 good 2 be true.
Isn’t this Polish Fiesta Night?
Come one everybody I don’t think Inge is 0 for May. I know he has at least one hit and May is only half over