Category: Game Post

If any eyes are still open at 10:05 EST and would like to watch baseball, they will have to tune in to Oakland where the Tigers will be starting a 4-game series with the A’s in tonight’s only MLB late game.

The Athletic Brandon Inge awaits the Tigers in Oakland, although they may not recognize him.  For one thing, he is wearing his pants all the way down to his white shoes.  For another, he seems to have figured out how a baseball bat works…so far, Brandon Inge has more RBI (9) in the month of May than Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Delmon Young combined. Inge responded to being slotted 5th in the lineup with a walkoff grand slam;  with the RHP Scherzer on the mound he moves to the 6th spot for tonight.

Speaking of which, for all the the hand-wringing about the weakness of the bottom of the order boys for Detroit, the glaring weakness of the lineup has been the 5-6 spots.

Here are the BA/OBP/SLG/OPS numbers for the Tiger 5-6 hitters compared to league averages:

• Tiger 5th (14th): .205 .274 .304 .578
• League Avg:      .260 .329 .458 .787

• Tiger 6th: (14th): .178 .267 .308 .575
• League Avg:       .257 .318 .421 .739

Either is bad enough alone; together they spell Rallykill.  Where have you gone, Victor Martinez?

And it doesn’t help that the weak 5th-hitter numbers are mostly from the DH spot (more on that tomorrow).

I was going to look at Scherzer’s last start, and the Reanimated Tiger-Cuddler Bartolo Colon (he last beat Detroit in 2003), but lately it doesn’t seem to matter how well the starters do–it’s all about scoring runs right now.

Yoenis Cespedes, the Cuban phenom A’s RBI leader, is out with a strained hand muscle, but it is not fractured as originally thought so he may yet play this series.

Tonight’s Player of the Pre-game:  Ramon Santiago.  Rockin’ Ramon is 11-20 against Colon.  If he has a good game, maybe he could slide over to 2B and give Raburn a, um, rest.

Today’s Dirkiriffic Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Andy Dirks LF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Alex Avila C
7. Ryan Raburn 2B
8. Brennan Boesch RF
9. Ramon Santiago SS

15-14, 2 games behind Cle.

Boy, last night was fun. On a night when Verlander was far from his best (and apologetic for his on-field behavior), the offense came through and left just enough cushion for Valverde to load the bases on 3 walks (one intentional) before closing out the game. It’s been hashed and rehashed, but the blowpen has become a serious concern. In case you haven’t yet seen the numbers, the Tigers have already lost 4 games this year when they led after 8, which is 1 more than the last 4 years combined.

But a win is a win and the Tigers can win their second straight series tonight.

Smyly had his worst outing of the season last time out when he allowed 2 ER and 7 hits over 6 innings. Valverde calls that the 9th inning. Smyly’s ERA stands at an incredible 1.61 for the season with a 1.18 WHIP. And he’s averaging over a strike out per inning. We could not have asked for anything more out of the kid.

A few quick notes:

– Dirks and Fielder both have 4 consecutive multiple hit games.
– Fielder’s slash lines over his last four games .571/.647/1.071.
– Dirks’ slash lines over his last four games .470/.500/1.000.
– Inge hit a walk-off grand slam last night, and now has 2 HR and 8 RBIs in the last two games. Which are more than Raburn has this season.

Tonight’s what more does Andy Dirks need to do to get into the Lineup, even against Lefties Lineup is:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Boesch, RF (don’t like this)
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Raburn, LF (he had a hit last night)
7. Peralta, SS
8. Laird, C
9. Worth, 2B

Ah, memories! Doug Fister returned to the place where he began his career, was his usual effective self, and went home without a W, like he had so many times in the employ of Nintendo (a 3.33 2011 ERA was only good enough to get him a 3-12 record).

Implosion may be a fair word for the performance of Dotel last night, and with Valverde struggling, it seems the bullpen has now become a weak spot for the team.  But is it really worse than last season?  In 2011, Jose Valverde’s perfect save record overshadowed the fact that the bullpen as a whole just was not very good (remember Ryan Perry?). In fact the Tiger bullpen ERA was 3.93 last season, good for only 11th best in the AL.  The BP WHIP was 1.392, only better than the Twins.  This season so far the bullpen is giving up runs at the rate of 4.25 (10th), with a WHIP of 1.483 (worst).

So while the bullpen is struggling (it’s the W part of the WHIP that is killing them), it wasn’t exactly a strong point last season, other than Valverde’s stellar, and somewhat lucky performance.  And speaking of Valverde:  so far this season he has appeared in 6 non-save situations, vs only 7 save situations.  With the early season offensive struggles, the fact is that there are just fewer save situations this season than last.  Could the lack of a regular save situation routine be affecting Valverde?

Tonight Justin Verlander takes the mound and says bullpen? What’s that?

***

So let’s take a moment to contemplate the season Ryan Raburn is having.

He doesn’t have enough PAs to qualify for the league leaders, but if he did, he would lead the league in lowest BA, lowest OBP, lowest SLG, and of course lowest OPS.  Among all players with at least 75 PA he is by far the worst at .127 / .192 / .169 / .361, easily outpacing Seattle’s Brendan Ryan (hmm, there’s that name again) at .147 / .272 / .240 / .512, and Chicago’s Brent Morel (.182 / .217 / .205 / .422).

Jim Leyland, however, is sticking with him.  For one thing, he’s due.  For another, Leyland says, “This guy has had a pretty good track record the last two or three years.” Well…depends what you mean by track record.  Raburn has been good late in the season, but dependably bad early.

Ryan Raburn’s May track record:

• 2010 .115 BA .115 OBP .154 SLG .269 OPS 0 BB 7 K
• 2011 .113 BA .141 OBP .129 SLG .270 OPS 1 BB 22 K
• 2012 .059 BA .105 OBP .118 SLB .223 OPS 0 BB 9 K

In 114 May plate appearances since 2010, Raburn has 1 BB and 38 K. Yes, that really is a 38-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio you are seeing.

In other news, Brad Penny is available.

Tonight’s Player of the Pre-game:  Gerald Laird. With a lefty going for Seattle tomorrow, that game would have been the typical time to give Alex Avila a day off.  But Avila has been struggling mightily, striking out 5 times in his last 3 games, and has yet to plate a runner on 3rd with less than 2 out (6 attempts, 3 Ks and a GIDP). Laird looks to continue his improbable success at the plate (.316).  Although the downside is that he will not be available for pinch-running duties.

Today’s If 6th Doesn’t Work Maybe Bat HIm 4th Next Time Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Andy Dirks LF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Ryan Raburn 2B
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Brennan Boesch RF
9. Gerald Laird C

The 14-13, 2nd Place Tigers take the long bus ride to Seattle and take on the Mariners in a 3-game series.

Tonight marks the return of Doug Fister; from the DL, and to the team that traded him to the Tigers. To make room for Fister, the Tigers optioned Brayan Villarreal to Toledo.

Facing 6’8″ Doug Fister is Blake Beavan.  Taking on Fister is a tall order, but The Beave, at 6’7″ 240 could be up to the task.  It should be a big pitchers’ duel.

The Tigers headed west without broadcaster Jim Price, who is staying back for health reasons. Former Tiger pitcher Dan Petry will fill in for Price.

And it’s nice to see Dirks becoming a fixture in both left field and the two-hole.

Today’s Player of the Pregame: Ryan Raburn.  Raburn looks to get hot and work towards his career May average of .162.

Today’s Who’s On Second Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Andy Dirks LF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Alex Avila C
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Brennan Boesch RF
9. Ryan Raburn 2B

Though last night’s loss was pinned on Valverde, the offense has to take some of the blame. The offense went 2-8 with RISP and had only 2 doubles to go along with 7 singles. Other than Cabrera and Jackson, no one else has caught fire, and most of the guys are in minor slumps (Raburn is just Rayburn). I have every confidence that the team will hit. Not sure when, but we’ll be okay.

Now, let’s talk about Papa Grande. Valverde started the Sox off with 8 straight fastballs, and by the 6th one, the Sox were ahead. Valverde’s WHIP on the year is now an alarming 1.80, and he has almost as many walks (7) as Ks (8). A 6.35 K/9 is terrifying, considering his career average is over 10 per 9. A decline in K rate is usually the signal of the end for a closer. This is a small sample size, but note that Valverde has only 2 3 up 3 down innings in 12 appearances this year. We all know that Smokey isn’t reading and he’s ignoring this info as it’s being told to him internally, but I’m sure that DD is following along.

Dylan Axelrod slides into the rotation for the Sox after Chris Sale was sold to the farm. Axelrod has only three big league starts to his name, but one of them was an impressive 6 inning 6 hit 2 ER effort last September 14th against the Tigers. He doesn’t throw hard but he throws a lot of off-speed stuff which leads to swings and misses.

The Unpredictable Mr. Porcello takes the mound today for the Tigers who hope to stop their home series losing streak at 2.

In other news – Steve proposed a DTW get together over the 4th. I live in the Big D and not the D, so I would not be able to attend, but I think it’s a fine idea and I will be sure to bring it up as we get closer to the holiday. Also, if you missed it the first time around, Ed Randall, a Yankees Media guy, put some of his Tigers interviews onto DVD and offered us a discount. I’ve seen several of the interviews and they are really a great watch. More info here.

Today’s Series Clinching Lineup (as I would like to see it – I’ll post the real one when it’s up):

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Avila, C
6. Peralta, SS
7. Boesch, RF
8. Young, DH
9. Santiago, 2B

Updated lineup

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Avila, C
7. Peralta, SS
8. Boesch, RF
9. Rayburn, 2B

13-12, 2nd place, 1.5 games behind Cle

Jhonny Peralta may have hit the walk-off, but Alex Avila won that game.

On another night when the Tigers bats struggled against a front line pitcher, Avila reached base 4 times, banged out 2 XBHs, and started the 9th inning rally. Not to mention that Avila also called a tremendous game.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Avila has caught every one of Smyly’s start’s this year. Last night, Drew Smyly had another strong outing, striking out 7 and allowing only 2 runs in 6 IP.  That makes 4 straight quality starts, and his debut only didn’t qualify because of a pitch count limit.

Raburn lucked into his 2nd RBI of the season (he’s on pace for 14) when a fly ball he hit happened to be with a runner on 3rd and less than two outs. I’ve been a big Raburn supporter in the past, but this is too much. It’s only a matter of time before someone else on the farm gets a shot.

Mad Max against Gavin Floyd this afternoon. Last time out Floyd carried a no hitter into the 7th and ended up allowing 3 runs in 6 2/3 against Boston. He’s held the opposing team to 3 hits or less in 3 out of his last 4 starts, though he’s been roughed up in his other 2 starts this season.

Mad Max has been flat out awful this season. He’s posting a 2.04 WHIP through 5 starts, and while the Ks are there, he’s sporting a 7.77 ERA thus far. Part of that is bad luck, as his BABIP against him is a ridiculous .442, even though his LD% is near his career average. The BABIP and BAA (.346) will regress, but they won’t account for that much of an ERA swing. There is still plenty of time to work things out, but Jones & Smokey have got to be concerned.

Delmon Young is sorry, not a racist, and back in the lineup. He’s at least trying.

In player news – Leyland thinks that Schlereth’s shoulder injury may have had something to do with his poor performance before he was sent down to Toledo a few weeks ago.

Today’s Series Clinching Lineup Is:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Boesch, RF (I don’t like it)
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Avila, C
7. Peralta, SS
8. Dirks, LF (I like it)
9. RABurn, 2B (gonna help him get started today)

Today’s Game is the Fox Game of the Week.

(sorry for the delay, server was down, back now)

Last minute so this will be short, but a couple of newsworthy items:

– Fister is back and will start on Monday.

– Delmon Young’s suspension is over today and Leyland has said that he will DH tomorrow and Sunday.

The 12-11 Tigers, now only percentage points out of first, look to sweep the abbreviated 2-game home series with the Royals this afternoon.

Justin “No-Hitter” Verlander will take on Jonathan “No-Hitter” Sanchez.

Today’s player of the Pre-game:  Austin Jackson, who last night put up his 3rd 4-hit game already this season.

Today’s Dirks-Day-To-Day Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch RF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Ryan RaburnLF
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Alex Avila C
8. Brad Eldred DH
9. Danny Worth 2B

After a rain postponement to be rescheduled for September 24, the Tigers are still 11-11, tied for 2nd with Chicago, 1 game behind Cleveland.

Duane Below and his 0.00 ERA have been bumped back to the bullpen, and instead Rick Porcello will face off against Luke Hochevar.  Tune in early for an idea how this is going to go: Porcello has a 2012 1st-inning ERA so far of 22.50.

The lineup is pretty much the same as what was scheduled for last night, although with the extra day to mull it over Ol’ Smokey bumped Ramon Santiago in front of Don Kelly.

***

Tonight’s random fact: Last year, to solve their 3rd base problems, the Oakland A’s acquired Virginia Commonwealth product Scott Sizemore from the Detroit Tigers.  This season, with Sizemore injured, the A’s aquired Virginia Commonwealth product Brandon Inge from the Detroit Tigers.

***

Tonight’s player of the Pre-game:  Still Miguel Cabrera, who is 15-29 career against Royals starter Luke Hochevar

Today’s Best-LFielder-DHing Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch RF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Andy Dirks DH
6. Alex Avila C
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Ramon Santiago 2B
9. Don Kelly LF

11-11, tied for 2nd with Chicago, 1 game behind Cleveland.

One of the things going right for the Tigers so far this season had been the starting pitching, which has kept the team in games even as it has been unable to produce runs.

Over the last 10 games, that has all changed, with the starters going 2-6 with a 6.65 ERA.  Bad Max Scherzer was the latest victim, giving up 3 runs and a damaging 7 walks in fewer than 5 innings.  In fact there was even some speculation a trip to Toledo could be in Scherzer’s future, but Leyland has apparently put the lid on that conversation.

Tonight Duane Below will get his first start of the season and try to get things back on track.  Below has pitched 12 innings of relief so far this season, is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, and has yet to give up his first walk (0.58 WHIP), which could be a nice antidote to what we watched yesterday.

Meanwhile, sources say Delmon Young will be suspended by MLB, with an announcement coming as soon as tonight (duration unknown).  Andy Dirks has played capably in Young’s place so far, although the unaccustomed display of fielding prowess in left field that has come as a result has shocked Leyland into moving him back to the DH spot.

***

In other news, former Tiger Brandon Inge will be making his debut as an athletic Athletic tonight.  The Tigers will see him in Oakland May 10-13.  Meanwhile the first-place Indians are unveiling the newest member of the tribe, Johnny Damon.

***

Tonight’s player of the Pre-game:  Miguel Cabrera, who is 15-29 career against Royals starter Luke Hochevar

Today’s Best-Fielder-DHing Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch RF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Andy Dirks DH
6. Alex Avila C
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Don Kelly LF
9. Ramon Santiago 2B

11-10, 1st place, tied with Cle.

Two in a row.