Another lackluster offensive performance coupled with a brilliant bullpen performance (which means that Lobstein got drilled) led to a 6-2 loss last night. The Tigers are now 13-14 since starting 7-0.
jud made the comment last night that the Tigers have now scored 2 runs or less in 9 out of their last 15 games. That is alarming. And he posted some scary low night game batting averages.
But honestly, I’m just not that worried right now. This is just baseball. It’s such a long season that you can find alarming trends in isolation which, over the course of the season, will be balanced out by unsustainably good ones. They’ll go on another 5-0 or 8-1 run later this summer where they put up 6+ per night.
I was listening to an interview with Ned Yost yesterday on MLB radio. The host went on and on about how the AL is really just a two horse race – Det and KC. He’s probably right. This doesn’t mean that some other teams can’t get hot, or emerge, but based on talent and recent history, Detroit is one of the best, if not the best, in the AL. And we’re basically at .500 over the course of a month…
We just need to understand that the AL is extremely competitive (aka weak) and the Tigers are one of the best of a mediocre bunch. They seemingly have the talent to be better, and with some decent managing, perhaps they can be. But they’ll be in it until the end, with a lot of frustrating runs in-between, and we’ll have to hope that they can get hot at the right time. Baseball is a long season.
But it would be nice to take a series at home from the Twins…
I’m hitting the open road today – headed to Big Bend with some guys. Someone please post the lineups when available.
Today’s Wow He Did It! Brad Actually Did It! Lineup:
1. Gose, CF
2. Kinsler, 2b
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, as in JD Martinez, DH
5. Cespedes, LF
6. Castellanos, 3B
7. Davis, RF
8. Holaday, C
9. Iglesias, SS
The Twins might protest Brads lineup without the .115 hitter in the 4 spot. Also Goss and Davis in the same game. We here at DTWB applaud you Brad for actually trying sonething that just might work!
I think I am having a dream that the Tigers scored 3 runs in a game….wait…an inning …1 inning??….no way, it must be a dream….the Brad line up is working already…the guy is a genius!
Watch ESPN tonight!..if that DP isn’t the #1 web gem, something is seriously wrong…..amazing!, and Iggy does that on a daily basis…Kinsler too!
Someone should cut down the light towers so all games have to be day games…
i believe Jud may be on to something w/the light towers…at least going by Cabrera’s stats (‘prior to’ today’s 2 HR 5RBI GAME):
Day: AB – 63; AVG – .460; OPS – 1.380, RBI – 20
night: AB – 57; AVG – .158; OPS 4.72; RBI – 1
All 8 of Cabrera’s HR’s have been in the day…its early, but this disparity is unbelievable, but true.
Josh Hamilton had a similar, reverse problem, and went so far as to claim it was genetic. Maybe I’ll look that up for tomorrow’s post. At any rate the day/night split thing to me is interesting, because hitting is so tied into vision, so it’s entirely plausible that guys hit differently in different lighting conditions.
tis a crazy game – MIN best starter (Pelfrey) today, and DET puts up 13 runs against him and the Twinkie bullpen…after the offense being MIA lately.
Cespedes was the only Tiger w/o a hit today – need to get him going
Tigers are averaging 4.5 runs lately now after today….so whats the problem guys?
I agree with Stormin this is crazy. Didn’t we have the opposite problem 2-3 years ago when the Tigers couldn’t hit during day games ( research dept). Cespedes even looks bad at the plate. JD looks like he has turned the corner. But we are far from out of it with Cespedes and Victor And McCann Maybe having the weekend off will help Victor!!!..I predict Miggy has a big weekend. Usually teams that don’t face him often, do not do a very good job pitching to him……lets hope
I do remember in 2006 Sean Casey had a big positive split in night games.
Here’s one I can’t answer: is a 4:00 game a day game or a night game, statistically?