Game 11 Postgame: Indians 3, Tigers 2

Wednesday night’s game started off badly, then looked better, then looked even better, then ended in a somewhat disappointing fashion.

Anibal Sanchez averted a near-disaster after starting the game with back-to-back-to-back walks (the Research Department tells us he has only given up 10 leadoff walks his entire career; it is holding out on whether he has ever started a game with 3 consecutive before; but in fact he is averaging only 11 first inning walks per season). But he got the dangerous Carlos Santana to change his evil ways and ground into a DP.

The second inning started just as badly: Cabrera booted a play at first, and Sanchez followed it up with yet another walk. Gomes cleared the bases with a triple and Detroit was down quickly 3-1. Sanchez found his groove though, retiring the next 9 in a row, and striking out 5 of the last 7 batters he faced. The bullpen (Reed/Krol/Alburquerque/Chamberlain) was strong and shut them out over the last innings. Aside from the shaky start, the pitching was solid.

And the hitting wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t timely. There were 4 Tigers with 2 hits, but they just couldn’t combine them in a way that turned into runs. The game-tying run was left on 3rd with 1 out, and that was that.

Thumbs down:

• They lost, so automatic thumbs down on that. Extra down on the R3L2O fail.
• Austin Jackson caught stealing. Apparently not all fast guys are base-stealers. I get the sense he doesn’t like stealing bases. Maybe he doesn’t like to slide.
• Anibal Sanchez: Anibal walked 4 of the first 6 batters he faced, and 2 of those 4 scored.

Thumbs up:

• Anibal Sanchez: Sanchez recovered from his bad start and looked very good by the time he left. He kept the Tigers in the game.
• Alex Avila: If Alex can have one game like this a series, or even a week, it will make a huge difference.
• The bullpen: 4 innings, no runs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Game 12 Pregame:

This is the lucite game of the weather-shortened two-game series. Don’t worry, we will see plenty of Cleveland later.

As Detroit faces another right-handed pitcher this afternoon, there has been some concern and frustration that Detroit can’t find another left-handed bat for the lineup. And certainly there are times when it would be good to be able to go to a lefty: some pitchers are particularly tough on guys of their own persuasion. But after hearing an announcer say that Detroit has trouble with right-handed pitching this season, I looked at the numbers and it doesn’t really work out the way I expected.  Here is the general breakdown:

vs RHP  .251 BA .707 OPS

vs LHP  .267 BA .756 OPS

But when we look at who is doing what we see:

RHB vs RHP .270 BA .763 OPS

LHB vs RHP .200 BA .557 OPS

In other words, it’s the left-handed batters in the lineup who are struggling with right-handed pitching. In fact, the Tiger right-handed batters are 4th best in the league right now against right-handed pitchers–and that’s with Miguel Cabrera having the slowest start of his career. I think the Tigers will do fine against right-handers, and it would be a mistake to add just anybody to the lineup for the sole reason that he swings the other way. This applies mostly in left where platoon-bait Rajai Davis has been going against career norms and hitting .281 against RHP, and adding a real threat on the bases (and a good glove in left also).

Today’s Same-as-Yesterday Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Castellanos, 3B
7. Avila, C
8. Gonzalez, SS
9. Davis, LF

DET P: Justin Verlander (RHP)

CLE P: Danny Salazar (RHP) The Tigers will be facing some heat this afternoon with Danny Salazar on the mound. You may still remember the game last August when Salazar struck out Miguel Cabrera 3 times. Salazar faced the Tigers again in September, but Cabrera sat out. So this is the re-match, and should be one worth watching.

Despite a division lead that was as big as 8 1/2 games in September, the Tigers ended up barely edging out the Cleveland Indians by one game–this despite the fact that Detroit owned the Indians themselves, putting up a remarkable 15-4 record against their rivals.

The much anticipated rematch of last year’s Central Division contenders had to wait until today, due to snow, rain, ice, cold, and general non-baseball-friendly conditions.  Yesterday’s cancellation was in fact the 3rd already this season for the Indians (they made up one in a double-header), the 2nd for the Tigers, and the 9th overall in MLB. If the weather continues to be tricky it should make for some interesting scheduling down the line.

The Tigers decided to move Sanchez from Tuesdays start up to today and to keep Verlander starting Thursday as scheduled. This means that Drew Smyly has been bumped from the starting rotation for the 2nd time in as many attempts. Back to the bullpen for Drew.

Today’s DH-is-back Lineup:

1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Castellanos, 3B
7. Avila, C
8. Gonzalez, SS
9. Davis, LF

DET P: Anibal Sanchez (RHP)

Sanchez handled the Indians well last season, going 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA and WHIP of 0.879.

CLE P: Zach McAllister (RHP)

Last season McAllister was 0-2 vs. Detroit with a 9.00 ERA, lasting less than 4 innings in his last 2 starts. Hitting him particularly well were Andy Dirks and Brayan Pena. Oh. Well Martinez hit him well too: 3 doubles in 7 at bats. So we will go with V-Mart as the Player of the Pregame.

SOUP DU JOUR

Coleman April 13, 2014 at 6:48 pm [edit]

Chase Headley was wearing his stone glove again, and that lent a wee bit of excitement to the top of the 9th, but otherwise, if you saw the 4th, you saw the game. Tigers had momentum, Max Scherzer gave it right back.

Scherzer had a better day at the plate than on the mound, and showed that you can strike out 10 and still beat yourself. 105 pitches in 5 innings. A great catch by Rajai Davis in LF spared him from getting rocked completely. Tyson “Tyler” Wood was good, with a lot of help from his defense, and through 10 games, good is all you have to be to handcuff this Tigers lineup, top to bottom.

Good news in a boring game: Davis is getting on base and looking good in LF. Joba Chamberlain continues to pitch well, better than the ugly cumulative numbers show right now. Alex Avila didn’t strike out. (The team is 6-1 when he starts, 0-3 when he doesn’t.)

It’s the first rubber game of 2014, and hopefully it will satisfy our rubber soul, as the Tigers (6-3) make another day trip to San Diego (4-7) and then get their ticket to ride back home for a day off and then the Cleveland Indians. Max Scherzer will face Tyson Wood.

The Incredible 2014 Detroit Tigers are on pace for 108 wins, and I’ll have you know that the 7-3 we’re hoping for is only two games off 9-1. Alex Avila only needs 32 HR and 93 RBI to catch up with Lance Parrish’s 1984*, and I expect him to get there by the end of 2016 or 2017, easily. No, seriously, this year’s team has a ways to go (a funny expression I grew up with that people who didn’t may legitimately question – a ways??) to show that they have “team magic” (and the team stats) to compare with the 1984 Tigers. My main point in the comparison, however, remains that 1984 was very much a team thing, no future HOFers or HOF seasons, and that the 2014 Tigers might have a bit more of that team thing going for them than they did in 2012 or 2013. Along with a couple (at least) future HOFers.

*I think it’s only fair to include Alex’s spring numbers: 1 HR, 4 RBI, plus 1 RBI that he would have had if a runner had been on 3B with a really big lead.

This first West Coast swing has not been without difficulty, but it looks like it might end better than last season’s first (9-game) trip. Remember? Prince Fielder, fresh off AL Player of the Week, struck out 4 or 5 (or 6 or 7) times in a game v. Seattle, and he was never really the same after that. Then there was the Angels debacle, Part 1. It was rough.

A win today spreads optimism across the land. A loss will bring soul-searching, presumably about either the offense or the bullpen. I would bet on the win, not that we’re done with the soul-searching for a long time yet.

مشاهدة المباراة، الاستماع إلى اللعبة، اتبع اللعبة. دعونا نرى بعض ردود الفعل هنا. جوائز قيمة في انتظارك لحساء اليوم.

SOUP DU JOUR

Vince in MN April 12, 2014 at 9:41 pm [edit]

Time for the postgame. You saw it and reacted. Now you’ve had a chance to reflect and hopefully have more to say. Have at it. But I’ll go first.

RANDOM NOTES:

Not a good idea, the pickoff throw from C to 1B that allowed the steal of 3B. I can see a bluff in that situation, not an actual throw, unless you’re Salvador Perez and can actually get the out. I also thought a throw down to 2B recently (v. Dodgers maybe) – yeah, it was VMart, and a run scored – was dumb. Another good time for a bluff and see if the lead runner takes the bait. Wouldn’t that be smart baseball?

Wow, we got see JV get not only his first but first two MLB hits. Solid, too.

Austin Jackson was very much in the news today. Kept a double to a double, a double to a single, and tracked down a liner that could have gone over and past him. Fleet of foot and sure of glove, except for one instance where he was looking throw before looking ball into glove. That could have been costly, but wasn’t. I like him batting behind Miggy, and the insurance runs in the 9th showed why.

Looks like Kinsler should have gone to Gonzalez rather than try to tag the runner, but at least he had the smarts to be decisive and get the one out.

Defensive plays of the game: Miggy on the catch and tag at 1B (on Gonzalez’s errant throw), LF Seth Smith taking a double away from smiling in disbelief AJax, 1B Yonder Alonso’s circus catch of the foul pop (AJax victimized again), and Castellanos’s barehand play. Miggy has been Gold Glove at 1B.

Castellanos was asleep at 2B. Not the first such lapse we’ve seen.

Some crucial turning points were the Hunter 2-run single (Verlander obviously well aware that he had Davis running behind him), and Verlander’s strikeout of Chase Headley with men on 1st and 3rd. The best moment was the Jackson ground rule double after the IBB to Miggy. It gave you that “game in hand” feeling, a good one to have in the 9th inning.

Howdy, friends and neighbors. The Tigers (5-3) try to get back on the righteous path tonight against the Padres (4-6), with our hero Justin Verlander carrying the bulk of our hopes for putting up a W to counter the L. He’ll be facing Ian Kennedy, who has the possible misfortune of facing a lineup thoroughly outdone the day before. Or the good fortune of extra motivation due to Detroit’s reputedly fearsome offense. It certainly does seem as if almost all of the starters the Tigers have faced so far have kicked it up a notch. It remains true that good pitching beats good hitting, so while being shut out on one hit is no fun, it’s too early to be worried about the hitting. It’s too early to be too worried about anything, really, including the bullpen. The season is young.

The last time (before last night) Detroit lost to San Diego, it was a good year for DTW and a bad one for the Tigers. P Eddie Bonine made his second career start/appearance, and the only current Tiger in the lineup was Miguel Cabrera (0 for 4). Bonine was much better through 7 than he’d been in his debut win v. the Dodgers, though he gave up two long balls (one to Chase Headley). Fernando Rodney, Casey Fossum, and Joel Zumaya teamed up to blow the game in the 8th, with a bit of help from erroneous RF Magglio Ordonez – right after Placido Polanco had tied it at 2 with a solo HR. Curtis Granderson led off the game for the visiting Tigers with a home run off none other than Greg Maddux.

In other (good) news, Miggy describes his ailing swing in an apt and funny way, which tells me it’s going to get better soon.  Maybe real soon. In what might not seem like good news, the Padres have demonstrated that they are (or can be) a better and smarter hitting team than, say, the Dodgers, and perhaps JV and Max had better watch their step – but the good part is that this might bring out the best in them. The bats are due. Not sure if this evening’s epilogue will be “they came out swinging and it paid off” or “they were too anxious and aggressive,” but there’s nowhere to go but up from zero. I don’t think consecutive shutouts are allowed. I’d definitely throw a challenge flag to that.

Sehen Sie das Spiel an, hören Sie das Spiel, folgen Sie das Spiel zu. Sehen Sie hier einige Reaktionen. Wertvolle Preise warten auf Sie für die “Suppe des Tages.”

SOUP DU JOUR

jud April 11, 2014 at 10:29 pm [edit]

Things go well for Porcello until he starts leaving pitches up. RF Kelly raced back and had 2B Jedd Gyorko’s flyball in his glove momentarily as he neared the wall, but it popped out, hit the ground, and Kelly hit the wall. RBI triple. Kelly was down for a bit, trainer out, but he stayed in the game. Every out in the inning (and even Headley’s RBI double that Jackson flagged down) involved a fine defensive play (Romine, Kinsler, a charging-in Jackson), but the Padres are up 2-0.

2nd INNING: Headley is having trouble as Romine is nearly safe on another bad throw, but Cashner’s having no trouble at all.

Porcello gives up a hit on a hanger, but the pitcher’s bunt strikeout and a line shot straight at Cabrera bail him out.

3RD INNING: Cashner strikes out the side, all on called thirds. The Tiger appear to be waiting for something to hit. Maybe it’s all they can do today.

The Padres are not letting Porcello get away with any mistakes. A big threat is ended on an alert play by Avila, who jumped on Headley’s somewhat uncertainly fair tapper in front of the plate to initiate a sharp 2-6-3 DP. Don’t see those every day.

4TH INNING: The Tigers are hitless and clueless through four. Heart of the order up, three weak grounders, two to the pitcher.

Porcello gets a break when the R3L2O situation ends on C Rene Rivera’s hard liner straight at Miggy for an unassisted DP.

5TH INNING: Kelly’s deep flyball to LF is the best contact the the Tigers have made. (Or will make.)

Rick has a nice 1-2-3, good pitch inside to nail SS Everth Cabrera.

6TH INNING: Davis breaks up Cashner’s no-hitter and steals his way to 3B. The speed and the good jumps are obvious, but his sliding technique is now catching my eye. Kinsler can’t touch Cashner, but at least he draws a walk. Now there’s a real threat brewing. Ended by Miggy grounding into an inning-ending 5-4-3 DP. Not even hard hit. Here the game ends, essentially.

Porcello continues to pay the maximum XBH premium for the occasional BP pitches (he’s been throwing strikes and more often good ones), as Headley leaves no doubt on contact with the 2-run HR out to RF that overshadows a nice snag by Cabrera at 3B and a charge on a soft pop by Romine that I’m thinking Gonzalez could have muffed. 4-0 Padres. Bleak.

7TH INNING: Jackson almost recovers from a terrible gift swing – must have been a total guess, wasn’t even close – but then gets absolutely frozen on the 3-2 strike from Cashner. OK, maybe I’ll go with Chet Lemon instead.

Luke Putkonen’s alien abduction ended well, and he was here in relief after Porcello allowed the single to Cashner, which might have rolled all the way to the wall in the gap but for the speed of Davis. The rest of the inning was a pretty ridiculous way for the Padres to extend the lead to 6-0. Nothing but infield, and 2 runs score! Kinsler can’t quite glove one that goes through. Romine makes a nice play with the glove but can’t get the throw home in time, all safe. A potential 3-6-3 evaporates, V-Mart’s tentative throw leading to Romine’s hurried and high one. Not a clown show, really, but frustrating.

8TH INNING: Cashner v. Avila, Romine, and Holaday. Some real high drama there, eh?

Reed comes on in relief. Indicative of the whole evening, Romine makes a sliding play to glove a ball in the hole, but there’s nowhere to go with it, now men on 1st and 2nd, and then Avila’s PB puts men on 2nd and 3rd. By the grace of 2 outs having happened somehow, the batter being Cashner, and Martinez’s nice running catch of a foul pop, it ends without further insult.

9TH INNING: Nothing happening, Cashner puts the finishing touch on a masterpiece by striking out Cabrera with ease. Miguel Cabrera, I might add. You know, the Triple Crown, MVP guy.

The Tigers (5-2) are in San Diego, where it’s always baseball weather, for three against the Padres (3-6). Rick Porcello makes the start for Detroit, facing Andrew Cashner.

Obviously, not much history between these two clubs, but there was one famous series (famous if you’re a Detroit or San Diego fan, anyway) back in 1984. I followed the Tigers’ magical season game in and game out that year by way of the newspaper (remember those?). Watched the World Series on TV. I was in for some surprises 30 years later when I had a look at the bbref franchise encyclopedia for that season (for instance, how many team SB there were with only one guy any good at it, and how miserable the success rate was – different game then, maybe). I recommend it. Could lead to some interesting discussion and recollections.

At any rate, my recollections were a bit off, to say the least. I had come to believe that the 1984 Tigers were The Little Team That Could. Not so, even though they were without any true superstars and none of the players had what could be called statistically amazing seasons. They were the class of MLB in 1984 in all sorts of ways. They had no one even close to Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, and Tigers teams of recent vintage have it all over them in terms of talent (and yet… Rusty Kuntz, .805 OPS!), but they put up 111 wins. I think the 2011-2013 Tigers lose a theoretical best-of-seven with the 1984 Tigers, 4 games to 2. The 2014 Tigers stand a better chance.

Yes, I think the season is off to a good start. This team is putting on a much, much better show through 7 games than last year’s. Hear me now and believe me later.

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4-2, 1st place, .5 games up. Magic number is 155 (I think).

I managed to catch the Crawford double right as I went to bed last night. Needless to say I didn’t sleep well.

Sanchez v. TBD tonight. Someone please post the lineups. I’m traveling, so the post-game may be a little late.

Interesting stat of the day: A Sanchez W today would be the first of the season for any of Verlander, Scherzer, or Sanchez.