Author: Kevin in Dallas

A couple of hot topics from yesterday’s game.

1. Clark completely botched the 3rd out in the eighth, but I don’t see J.D. scoring there if he’s running hard. Sure, we lost an at-bat, but I don’t think it was a guaranteed run.
2. This was the third time this year that F-Rod came out 3 consecutive nights. The first time he was good, the second time he got drilled in the third game (3 hits and 2 BB in 1 IP), last night was no so good. I don’t have a problem with him coming out for the 9th three nights in a row; I do have a problem with him coming out in a non-save situation, though remember that Greene had already been used the previous two nights. You can blame this one on Kyle Ryan. Rondon was a reasonable option as well.

Maybin still out.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

2. CF Tyler Collins

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera

4. DH Victor Martinez

5. RF J.D. Martinez

6. LF Justin Upton

7. 3B Casey McGehee

8. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

9. SS Jose Iglesias

The Tigers completed the first challenge on their August pitching gauntlet, thanks to a storybook homerun from JD, and another brilliant pitching performance by Michael Fulmer. Sale was dominant, but the Tigers were even better, scratching out a 2-1 win to guarantee a third straight series win.  You really should click on the link to watch/re-watch/re-watch/re-watch the JD home run (and then tune to 2:31.31 if you want to listen to Dan’s call on the MLB.tv radio archives). Goosebumps.

Today the Tigers face Jose Quintana, tomorrow it’s Noah Syndergaard, and then Sunday it’s Jacob deGrom. (They do play on Saturday but I don’t know that Mets pitcher. The other 2 are frightening enough). We’re not gonna win every game, but we’re squarely back in the race. Still a lot of games to play.

No VMart (mild illness extra rest) or Maybin (mild thumb sprain) today. Zimmermann back on the hill.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, DH

4. Nick Castellanos, 3B

5. J.D. Martinez, RF

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Tyler Collins, CF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Andrew Romine, 1B

Another game, another easy win. Sanchez had his best outing of the year, Cabrera homered to right again, and Lowe gave up a hit, a walk, and a run. All in a day’s work.

We’re not going to win every game, but it sure is fun to try.

Pelfrey to the DL, J.D. in the clubhouse, but in a pinch-hitting role tonight.

Verlander was named AL pitcher of the month for July.

Sale vs. Fulmer. Runs could be at a premium.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Cameron Maybin, CF

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Jose Iglesias, SS

The trade deadline came and went, and the Tigers’ roster remains unchanged. I’m good with that. They should pull in a nice haul from the DL here soon, as J.D., Zimmermann, and Norris are all set to come back. Though we were about .500 at full strength so …

Zimmermann is likely to start on Thursday, and J.D. is expected back before the end of the home stand. Collins is the likely candidate to go down when J.D. is back.

Fulmer may be hitting an imaginary inning limit – he’s at 97 already; I’m guessing he’ll skip a few starts over the next few months. His minor league high is 125, spanning high A and AA last year.

Pitching prospect Drake Britton has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for amphetamines. He’s 27 and not considered a top prospect.

Nick Castellanos gets a day off after a day off.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

2. CF Cameron Maybin

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera

4. DH Victor Martinez

5. LF Justin Upton

6. RF Tyler Collins

7. C James McCann

8. 3B Andrew Romine

9. SS Jose Iglesias

The Tigers got started early yesterday, only to be Pelfried shortly thereafter. But the bats came through again and the bullpen held it together just enough to eek out a win and guaranty a series victory. A sweep would be icing on the cake, but I like our chances with the pitching matchup.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Tyler Collins, CF

Ausmus pulled the right strings last night – resulting in a 2 run HR by the #2 hitter, and a 4 out save by F-Rod. Verlander was great again, and we know he can be even better on some nights.

Maybin still out with a back sprain (is he old enough to get those?).

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Jose Iglesias, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Tyler Collins, CF

The Tigers went from a great series to a bad one in the span of about 4 hours. Poor defense and a very hittable bullpen were the culprits, as a series win was ripped from this team in true 2016 fashion.

The Tigers move on to Boston to take on the heavy hitting Red Sox. The Red Sox are dominating the majors, with 547 runs scored, nearly 50 more than the second place Rockies, and 61 more than the 2nd place AL team – the Blue Jays. BoSox team OPS is .835. Yes, team.

JV on the hill tonight. It may be time (not quite safe, but time) to call JV an ace again. Over his last 30 starts he’s striking out more than a batter an inning and has a WHIP of 1.08. This month covering 4 starts he’s allowed 5 ER in 27 2/3, with 32 Ks and a WHIP of .90.

I can’t wait to get JD and Victor Martinez back.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

2. SS Jose Iglesias

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera

4. DH Victor Martinez

5. 3B Nick Castellanos

6. LF Justin Upton

7. RF Mike Aviles

8. C James McCann

9. CF Andrew Romine

Looking forward to watching JV dominate this afternoon. Got the game on in the office. Let’s go Tigers.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Cameron Maybin, CF

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Andrew Romine, SS

I’ll go ahead and jinx it, the Tigers have yet to lose to the Twins this year.

I could recap Sanchez’s recent starts, but it wouldn’t be pretty. The guy the Twins are throwing out there, Tommy Milone, hasn’t been much better. Maybe Cabrera sprinkles in an XBH tonight?

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Cameron Maybin, CF

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. James McCann, C

9. Jose Iglesias, SS

Good series over the weekend, the walk-off was a nice touch.

Bad news is the probables are: Boyd and Sanchez the next two games. Zimmermann and Norris still need a little more time. No timeline on J.D. either.

Good news is that the AL basement dwellers, the Twins, are in town.

Baseball-Reference game preview here.

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Cameron Maybin, CF

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Victor Martinez, DH

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B

6. Justin Upton, LF

7. Mike Aviles, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Jose Iglesias, SS

We desperately needed that start from Boyd yesterday. I felt that  Ausmus used him perfectly. The bullpen was good enough as Rondon got an undeserved win. Would be nice to see the pen give us a scoreless effort today. We’ll need it.

Cabrera is in a massive slump. He’ll come out of it.

Even after my reminder yesterday I forgot about the early start. Let’s get to the break on a winning streak.