Game 2017.153: Twins at Tigers

The Tigers are only a game out of 3rd (that is, in draft pick terms).

Just a random fact I ran across: Nick Castellanos now has a 17-game hitting streak. The last Tiger with one longer was Magglio Ordonez, who ended his career with an 18-game hitting streak active.

Today’s Lineup:

  1. Ian Kinsler 2B
  2. Jeimer Candelario 3B
  3. Miguel Cabrera 1B
  4. Nick Castellanos RF
  5. Mikie Mahtook LF
  6. James McCann C
  7. John Hicks DH
  8. JaCoby Jones CF
  9. Jose Iglesias SS

Pitching: Jordan Zimmermann vs Adalberto Mejia

15 thoughts on “Game 2017.153: Twins at Tigers”

  1. Back when the schedule for 2017 first came out, I can imagine some Tiger fans thinking: “We got a break in the schedule. If we’re in contention in late September, 7 of our last 10 games are with the Twinkies. We should be a lock.” I wonder if the Twinkies fans are now thinking the same thing in reverse. What happened is the first 152 games have made the Tigers irrelevant and the Twinkies a contender. The Twinkies have made things a little harder for themselves by dropping 3 to the Yankees and they still have 3 left with the Indians. Tigers could be spoilers.

  2. Good to see that the dream of 900 runs allowed is still alive. Don’t give up, boys.

    I’m afraid that the Tigers are only going to be spoilers for the Angels, which is kind of sad.

  3. The team with the worst pitching staff in all of baseball continues to parade the worst pitchers in all of baseball out there game after game.lead by the worst pitching coaches and pitching managers in all of badeball…… …I get it!!.

  4. Brad Fired… This just in.. Brad Fired!…….
    I take no personnal pleasure in this firing.
    Its just wrong guy.. Wrong situation and I wish him the best with the right team….

  5. Meanwhile we need a guy that can relate to the young pkayers, but more important is the boss and acts like the boss!..you are Miggy, VMart, Kinslers BOSS.You decide when and if the play, abd when they should sit… not them. Would help if he knew pitching….please teach the team HOW to run bases, there is a skill to it.
    .. Id keep Vasquel and maybe Clarke, maybe Martin… The rest can go…

    1. I think Brad is good with pitching. I remember him catching both Shane Greene and Anibal Sanchez bullpen sessions and both improving after. I think he managed the veterans and the lineup badly. I guess the Cabrera plays every day and bats 3rd thing worked for Leyland, because Cabrera was playing MVP level ball. This year it was just silly.

  6. freep reporting: Al Avila said internal candidates that express desire to manage @tigers will be considered. Lloyd McClendon is an obvious internal choice

    to which I would say, “thanks Lloyd, but no thanks”

    1. They basically have a minor league team now, with one or a few hugely paid vets. I live in Cincinnati right now, and it’s the same deal. They fired Dusty Baker and brought in a minor league guy, and just extended him. Because, minor league team. Brad should be that guy–new manager in rebuilding team–but somehow he isn’t.

      (By the way, their version of Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, is having a career year. That’s not easy to do on a last place team).

  7. I give credit to Chris Ilitch for ending the suspense and stating that Brad will not be retained past the end of this season. Now that CI has made the first big decision here are my thoughts what should be done next. Of course everyone on the coaching staff should also go. The new guy should pick his own coaches. Brad and his coaches should NOT be kept around unless the new manager hires them. . See my comment on Leyland below. I thought Al Avila might also go but apparently CI will keep him. Since he is staying, I think he must become better at the “big picture” items affecting the club.

    Jim Leyland, Alan Trammel and all the other old Tigers hanging around MUST leave and NOT be connected in anyway. They can be scouts far away from Detroit but nowhere near or have contact with the owner or GM. How would you like to be the new Tiger manager and have that group around second-guessing everything you might do and having the ear of the GM/owner. It’s a recipe for failure.

    The other thing CI must do (I’m not sure Big Al has the cojones to do this) is to FIRE most and revamp the Tiger medical and fitness staff. Do I have to repeat all the crap that has gone on with Miggy, Zimm, Victor, Maybin, Fulmer, Norris and on and on. Get that part of the club into the 20th century.

    As he starts, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do some brain-storming with top people from the other Ilitch enterprises like Jimmy Dellavano who lived through the Red Wing rebuild.

    1. I was in Northern California when Harbaugh took over Stanford. Number one thing he did to improve the team? Attitude! That’s what everyone said. What he actually did is bring in a state of the art physical training staff, with a plan (flexibility over strength). They did yoga. And Stanford had fewer serious injuries than other PAC 12 teams. Sometimes you can be old school and new school at the same time. Ausmus was sold that way, but he got all old school at the worst times.

        1. Good points, you guys. I especially agree that the old crowd should go away, even crusty but lovable Leyland. Don’t want no holdover coaches. Clean sweep.

          Before the trade of Verlander, I thought that there was no need to tear down the house in order to rebuild it. After the trade and this September down elevator, I think differently. I truly want the one-domesinsonal old guard gone, including “Old Man” Castellanos. He ain’t no cornerstone.

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