My fantasy Tigers lineup against a righty:
1. Guillen, 2B. He’s second on the team in OBP. Moving him up in the lineup would mean an additional base runner every two games for Cabrera.
2. Maggs, RF. He’s hitting .321 with a .386 OPS over the past month, and though his power is gone, he can go the other way and make contact when he needs to. I realize that Peralta would be a tremendous fit here (or anywhere for that matter) but let’s not ruin a good thing.
3. Brennan Boesch, LF. I really debated putting Martinez here, but I think that Boesch is still spooked by that Tampa series last year where Cabrera was walked in three straight games to load the bases for Boesch, and Boesch struck out or meekly grounded out in each at bat.
4. Cabrera, 1B. Tough call here, but Cabrera gets the nod over Brutus from Baseball Stars.
5. Martinez, DH. I get the impression that he gets much more respect protecting Cabrera than Boesch would (for now, anyway), and he’s got a .902 OPS with RISP.
6. Peralta, SS. Speaking of RISP, dude is mashing to the tune of .337/.400/.526 with RISP. Where would we be this year without Jhonny Peralta? Not in first place, that’s for sure.
7. Avila, C. I don’t think that Avila is going to hit this half like he did in the first half, but he’ll still be an above average Catcher.
8. Betemit, 3B. Best we can do.
9. Jackson, CF. He’s an excellent defensive outfielder and one day he’ll learn how to take a pitch. That’s just not gonna happen this year.
JV versus Peavy tonight. Peavy’s numbers have been sub-par all year, and even worse as of late. His peripherals are not all that bad, posting a 1.26 WHIP and decent 7 K/9 against a 2.08 BB/9 for the year. He’s 0-3 with a 7.16 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over his last three starts.
JV is actually better on the road than at home, going 6-2 with a 1.98 ERA over 10 road starts this year. He’s in the top 3 in the AL in wins, Ks, ERA, BAA, and H/9.
Historically the Tigers do not hit Peavy, and Cabrera is a meager 2-23 against him for his career. I don’t think that lasts past tonight.
Tonight’s JL doesn’t care what I think lineup:
1. Jackson, CF
2. Boesch, LF
3. Ordonez, RF
4. Cabrera, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Peralta, SS
7. Guillen, 2B
8. Betemit, 3B
9. Avila, C
Comments
23 responses to “Game 2011.103: Tigers at White Sox”
I like that line-up. I’ll agree that dropping AJax down in the order would be the best thing to do. He’s hitting .207 with a .258 OBP since his wrist injury on July 7th.
From May 1st to July 6th, he had a .275 Avg, with a .349 OBP. That’s not bad at all, especially when you factor in his base running speed, but I’d bat him 9th anyway with this current stable of hitters. Adding Guillen and Betemit has really changed things. We have a really solid line-up now.
i love seeing the shirt choices for mario and rod
Indians get to face the brother of Jeff Weaver tonight. 0-0 after 4 innings
2-1 Angels over Indians
Wow. That ball looked gone by 10 rows.
Unfortunately, the following ball was gone by more than 10 rows deep
Not too impressed by the start of this game….
Remember past Tiger pitcher and prospect Andrew Miller? He started for the Red Sox tonight against KC – Miller’s line 3.2 IN, 9 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 HR’s. …something to remember when the Tigers trade away another young arm (and a position player) in a few days to land a starting pitcher.
This is what happens when all you can do is throw a fastball
Victor!!
This reminds me of Peavy’s last start against us. Wasn’t he pretty dominant through 5, and then he got shelled in the 6th?
This isn’t the Verlander I am used to…This team is going to have fight for him tonight.
Nice Betemit! Now, that’s what I call 3rd base production!
What about 3-4 with 1 HR, 1 2B and 4 RBI?
That was Inge’s debut with Toledo tonight.
No worries. The guy is feasting on less than major league pitching with no pressure on him. Once back in the Bigs (assming he comes back), Mr. Inge will return to his real form soon enough. .234 BA
I wasn’t trying to insinuate that Inge should still be on the Tigers; I’m glad he’s not. Betemit is clearly the superior player. I just thought it was interesting that he actually put up decent numbers in a baseball game… but he wasn’t in a Tigers uniform.
Yeah, our Minor League Bullpen pitchers prove everyday that there is a big difference between the Minors and Majors. Inge SHOULD be hitting 3-4 at Toledo.
NotInge comes through!
Cy Young!
There we go. Another win in the books.
OK, this is, perhaps, unseemly after a victory. But really…Ryan Raburn as a defensive replacement? Ryan Raburn as a defensive replacement??
Raburn has a lot more range than Boesch.
I didn’t see the game, but from what I read Verlander climbed the ladder on Konerko to K him in the 8th with fastballs of 98, 99, and a 100 mph gem to finish him off–Konerko, as good a fastball hitter in the game, and the same guy who hit a JV curveball into the stands two bats before. As I read the story, I imagined Leyland at the dugout stairs saying, “Forget the curveball, Ricky, give him the Heeeater!”. Filthy stuff, great attitude and the cajones to go mano y mano against his nemesis to close out a win (Leyland quoted as saying that Verlander wanted to take on Konerko). Man, you gotta love that.