Interesting Watch

If you were to tell me this I would have laughed in your face…

If you would have told me the Detroit Tigers would be 0-3 in the World Series this fall I would not believe you. Are the Giants a good team? Yes. Every major league baseball team is good. Are they good enough to sweep the Tigers, no. I disagree. The Tigers have underachieved this whole season, and even with doing so here they are in the World Series. Winning four straight to take the World Series Championship has never been done, but it’s certainly not impossible.

I would love to see the Tigers scratch and claw themselves into making this a series. I want Max Scherzer to have electric stuff today, and battle his heart out to keep this team in the game. And what I want even more than to see Scherzer pitch the game of his life, is Prince Fielder to hit a bomb in his first AB of the game and get out if this horrible postseason slump he’s in.

Our offense has been quite a conundrum this season, and I can’t really tell you why. These boys can hit, and they sure know we know that, but they are not putting it together with any consistency. This isn’t the first year they’ve had this problem either. Remember in 2010? Grr. And even in 2009. Great hitters and ugly numbers with RISP for certain. Please, get a run on the board boys. This pitching staff has been working its butt off for the last two months, so we could get to where we are, and here you boys are swinging at pitches out of the zone and making yourself look like fools. Barry Zito is no Nolan Ryan, and you’re making him look like a stud. Same for the rest of the Giants pitching staff. Yes, their arms are more than serviceable  but by no means should we have been held scoreless at all in this postseason.

Now lets play like a team. My dad always told me you build a championship team on pitching and defense, yet we’ve had both this season and I’m seeing the championship being taken away from my city! 

 

It All Starts Tomorrow

The 2012 World Series begins in San Francisco tomorrow night where the Detroit Tigers finally get back onto the field (that is a real field, not one filled with instructional league players). Tigers manager Jim Leyland knows his players need to stay sharp, and to avoid a repeat of 2006 Leyland decided to have his team scrimmage on their break before the championship series. 

A lot of critics think the scrimmage idea won’t have an impact on the way the Tigers play on Wednesday, but I think it can’t hurt. I don’t mind seeing the guys taking live batting practice and taking ground balls, over sitting on their butts and sleeping in late like it’s the off season. 

Justin Verlander takes the mound tomorrow night facing Barry Zito’s Giants in Game 1. Zito, who wasn’t originally placed to start in the NLCS, but got a start in Game 5 because Madison Bumgardner has struggled mightily this post season. Zito’s response to his spot start involved 7 2/3 innings pitched with no ERs. 

Do I think Zito is unhittable? Not at all. He had a great Game 5, but I think the Tigers have the ability to see him once through the line up and then start getting some hits on him.

Lets get this series started!

Post Season Preview- How the Tigers got this Far

It’s time to start talking Tigers with the Internet world once again (instead of just with my baseball friends and random customers at the Olive Garden). Postseason is here, and there’s nothing better than seeing the Detroit Tigers representing the American League. Can’t say I’m surprised.

It hasn’t been the postseason that’s been difficult for the Tigers. Actually, it’s been pretty easy. But, instead it was the 162 games they had to play to get here. It wasn’t as easy of a season as everyone anticipated for the Tigers. They certainly had this moments of disappointment and I know I scratched my head numerous times when I saw their standings in the division. However, they got hot when they needed to and played solid ball down the stretch. All has been forgiven by fans and the baseball world because here the boys are headed to the Fall Classic.

Now, the ALDS went to the 5th game of the series, but I can’t really say I was ever afraid that the Oakland Athletics were actually going to come back and beat the Tigers. Maybe I wasn’t worried because someone by the name of Justin Verlander was toeing the rubber in that fateful game 5.

The ALCS was an even easier series. We beat up on a completely depleted and disheveled New York Yankees team, which ended with a four-game sweep. Yes, I did just say depleted and disheveled in the same sentence where YANKEES is the noun. That was pretty priceless to witness.

Now, onto the World Series. First appearance since that sad run in 2006. It’s about time the Tigers get back to the WS and it’s about time they have a legitimate chance of winning rings for their faithful owner Mike Illitch. The man is in his 80’s, christ he needs a championship, like yesterday!

The Tigers found out tonight that they’ll be facing the San Francisco Giants, after the Giants took out the Tigers’ ’06 opponents the St. Louis Cardinals by an impressive Game 7 victory tonight. The Giants handed the Cardinals a nice 9-0 butt whooping.

Game 1 of the World Series is Wednesday night in San Fran and JV will be on the mound. Tigers has quite a lengthly rest before this series, so we’ll see if there’s any rust to shake off. bonus for us though is that Giants lack of rest means they don’t get to set up their starting rotation as nicely as the Tigers get to set up theirs. Arguably their best pitcher this season will get the start in Game 4 (most likely) and will only be seen once, unless the Giants decide to start Matt Cain on three days rest for a decisive Game 7 match up.

After Verlander the rotation is as follows: Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer. I see this rotation as the backbone of this championship team. Bring it on Giants. We’ll see you Wednesday.

First Spring Training Game

Today was the first real spring training game for the 2012 Detroit Tigers (they played Florida Southern University for their annual first game of spring, yesterday). The Tigers went up against the Atlanta Braves and ended victorious by a score of 2-0. Although neither of the Tigers’ runs were from star players (a home run by Jerad Head to start things off, then a sac fly by Argenis Diaz scored the second run) there were some positives that came out of this game.

A combined eight Tigers pitchers worked together to throw a one-hitter. Prince Fielder went 2-2 with a walk in 3ABs, and Brandon Inge started at second base and made two good defensive plays.

Side notes from Spring Training

Reacquainting himself with third base, Miguel Cabrera made a solid defensive play during the game against FSU on Friday. Teammate Prince Fielder said that he was excited to see Cabby make a tough play look easy, explaining that if he does this people will take all of his hard work and dismiss it, even though his performance is a direct reflection of his eagerness to develop and improve at 3B.

It was alleged that during batting practice this week Fielder hit a home run that was measured at 611 feet. People around Major League Baseball know how strong Fielder is, and they know his record of hitting balls far, but speculations of a 611 foot HR has left people debating the sheer posibility of this happening. In any case, Fielder is a beast no matter how far he hits a ball.

Spring is in the Air

Spring Training Update

Lakeland, Florida has been buzzing with Detroit Tigers fans since mid-February. Pitchers and catchers have been down in the sunshine throwing for a couple of weeks, while position players reported about a week ago. It’s no surprise that excitement trickles through Tigers camp, both on the side of the fans and the players and staff. Prince Fielder, the Tigers newest member, was welcomed by a large crowd of media members as well as Tigers diehards, which was no surprise to anyone. Hopes and expectations are always high for teams (they say spring is the one time of year where every team thinks they’ll win it all). Why not have high hopes? What are you playing for if you’re not hoping to win it all?

The Injury Bug has Struck Already

Luckily for the Tigers (fingers crossed) we haven’t been like some of our division foes as far as pre-season or off-season injuries go. With the acception of Victor Martienz, the Tigers are starting off campus is good shape, health and spirits. Some baseball commenters and writers believe that the Cleveland Indians are a team that will be competing with the Tigers strongly for the American League Central crown. Unfortunately, for them (fortunate for us) the decision to sign their beloved, but oft-injured center fielder, Grady Sizemore, to one more contract has already been discouraging. He’s injured again, this time with a lower back issue, and is sidelined for Opening Day, with no specific time table to get back. Also, the Indian’s All-Star closer, Chris Perez, is out for the next couple of weeks with a strained oblique. These are two key pieces the Indians will be without on Opening Day. Of course, the Indians cannot forget that starter Fausto Carmona (or Roberto (Heredia) Hernandez, which ever name you use to refer to him) is on the restricted list to start the season. The team is not really sure what is going to happen to Carmona, or when he’ll be elegible to play again, all they no is he’s not 28 like they thought he was!

Tigers 2012

     It’s the new year and with 2011 in the rearview mirror so is the Detroit Tigers admirable season. So many positives came out of ’11 for Detroit, including: a Silver Slugger, the Delivery Man on the Year, American League Batting Champion, Cy Young Award winner, and Most Valuable Player. Now, that’s a lot for one team to accomplish in a single season and the Tigers did it. Thanks to Miguel Cabrera having an “off” year (to some), and Justin Verlander having, hands-down, the best year of his career thus far, as well as Alex Avila having a break out season and Jose Valverde being “perfect” throughout his ’11 campaign the Tigers clinched the American League Central. They then went on to beat out the New York Yankees in six games to make it to the American League Championship series, where they lost to the reigning American League Champion Texas Rangers in an injury-ridden, tough fought, six game series where two of the six games ended in extra innings.

     This was the first time the Tigers went into the playoffs as the champs of the AL Central since 1987 (before I was born!), and it was much needed. A lot of professionals in the baseball world tried to play off the toughness of the Central division and by doing so took some shine away from Detroit’s title. Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland wouldn’t stand for that, confronting media members who blamed the Tigers lack of competition the reason for their 95 wins. This, of course, was coming out of the mouths of the same media members who expected the Tigers to finish third in the division behind the likes of the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox.

    Injuries can field mos of the blame for Minnesota’s poor year, but a giant question mark can still sits in place of where the answer for the White Sox poor season would stand. Injuries and underachieving, both of which the Tigers have had their fair share of in the past couple of seasons, was a minute issue in ’11. Overall, the best team won, and even if the Twins and Sox had solid seasons, it seems as though the Tigers would have been in it, if not on the top, by seasons end anyway.

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TIGERS?

     One thing is on my mind to begin 2012 and that includes one man’s name, Yoenis Cespedes. A Cuban born outfielder, and five-tool player, that many teams in the MLB are interested in. The Tigers did not make any serious acquisitions this off season, and I myself am wondering if it’s because they are holding out in hopes of signing Cespedes. All in all, without Cespedes the Tigers are still a very formidable team. However, with Cespedes is the Tigers have the potential to be even better. That is, of course, if his skill set can transfer into the MLB. Cespedes has spent his entire baseball career playing in South America, which is not the same as the Major Leagues. But, Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski and other front office staff believe that Cespedes’ skill are solid enough to make him virtually big-league ready. Now that it’s officially 2012, and Cespedes have all but sured up his citizenship in the Dominican Republic he and his agent will soon be listening to offers from Major League clubs. 

    Reports say the Tigers are one of the front runners for Cespedes, and the large amount of Latin influence in Detroit’s organization is a plus for all of us Tigers fans. However, the snow I saw outside my window this morning is a big minus too. It has been stated that cold weather is a Latin player’s enemy, but is it a big enough factor to deter a player from being part of a team that plans of contending for the next few years, was in the playoffs just a season ago, and have some of the biggest names in baseball on the line-up card every game day? We’ll see. 

     Until the signing if official, I’ll hold out hope that my last Christmas present of the year is just coming later than December 25.

What’s goin’ onnnnnnn?

Disclaimer: Sorry for the lack of posts, but the new job has kept me busy. Not like anyone but myself knows this blog exists, so I guess, in essence, I’m apologizing to myself for not being consistent. The whole reason I deleted all of my previous blogs and the reason I think Twitter is a waste.

Anyone who claims to be a follower of the Detroit Tigers knows that this week’s series against the Cleveland Indians was a big deal, and frankly, so is next week’s series, and the other two series we have against them!

Tigers only took the last game in that 3-game set, and yes, Justin Verlander was toeing the rubber.

Fortunately for the Tigers though, we left Progressive Field three games ahead of Cleveland and four games ahead of the looming Chicago White Sox.

Both teams make me nervous, but at the same time, if you look at the teams in the American League Central, the Tigers should win the division.

Both the Tigers and Sox had good teams coming into the season, but only one of those teams has shown any glimpse of their talent. That team being Detroit.

Unless Chicago goes on a sickening good winning streak, they should finish no higher than second in the division.

Now, with a team as good as the Tigers are on paper, why are they just a few games above .500, with the lowest winning percentage of any division leader?

This question is the one every player, manager, owner, fan and fantasy guru wishes they could answer, but what it comes down to is consistency.

The Tigers have failed to be consistent in any way, shape or form this year.

This has been an issue in the past, and couple that with major injuries to key players, and we’ve missed the post-season every year since the World Series appearance in 2006.

The only thing the Tigers are consistent at are being inconsistent.

Well, that doesn’t get you very far, does it?

It actually gets you to 63-55 almost halfway through August.

With the set backs of Victor Martinez’s sprained knee, Brennen Boesch’s sprained thumb, and Al Alburquerque’s recent concussion, the Tigers have started to show their not invincible when it comes to the injury bug.

Unlike last year, however, nothing too serious has come about.

Losing Martinez would have been devastating. With his run production and protection for Miguel Cabrera, he’s done wonders for the Tigers batting order.

Arguably the Tigers’ best defensive player, Austin Jackson, is still struggling with a sore wrist, and has shown that in his offensive numbers, but his defense it too important to sit him frequently.

The Tigers’ pitching staff, with the exception of the last round through the rotation, really looked like it took a turn for the better in the month of July.

Both Ruck Porcello and Max Scherzer has a string of good outings, which stopped with both of their last appearances. Porcello’s in Cleveland and Scherzer’s in Kansas city.

Even JV had a poor outing his last time out, but fortunately for the Tigers, a poor Verlander outing is three runs in seven innings and a W.

What we need

Overall, the one thing the Tigers need is what most ball clubs need and that’s consistency.

If the Tigers can get any kind of rhythm going they’ll be in the post season.

In my opinion, the end of the season is an up hill battle, but once the Tigers solidify a post-season spot, they’ll pull it together and have the potential to do something really special come October.

 

Don’t mess up a good thing

While reading an article on the Detroit Tigers’ website, which discussed switching up the starting rotation, I started to think that this is a prime example of where manager Jim Leyland can do no wrong, or do a lot of wrong.

The article discussed how the current rotation set up means Tigers’ ace, Justin Verlander, will not be in line to start in either of the two upcoming three-game series against the second place Cleveland Indians.

This is what I think:

Don’t mess up a good thing.

Verlander has been pitching tremendously this entire season, and off days are hard to come by, so give him an extra day off. It’s August, and the team has already been through five months of grueling baseball and a tight division race.

Reasons why:

Tigers pitchers Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello have all been performing well as of late. I, personally, feel comfortable with these pitchers going up against a weak Cleveland offense. Two ground ball pitchers and a big strikeout pitcher.

The only one of the three that could get into trouble would be Scherzer giving up the long ball. Ground ball pitchers, like Fister and Porcello, are good match ups for Cleveland, a team whose won a few games this year with big hits that land outside the ballpark.

Also, after these next two off days in the next two weeks the Tigers start a stretch where they play 20 games in 20 days, due to a make up game verse Kansas City on September 1.

Best case scenerio:

Tigers win the next two games against KC, and Cleveland and Chicago White Sox lose these next two games, which would put the Tigers up six games on Cleveland.

Not only would six games be the biggest gap between first and second in the Americal League Central this year, it would put less pressure on the Tigers to sweep the Indians in their next series meeting.

If the Tigers are up six games, and the rotation stays the same, the Tigers would put up Fister, Brad Penny and Porcello against Cleveland. Both Fister and Porcello, as mentioned, have been pitching well. I don’t see a need to force JV into this series.

Worst case scenerio:

Tigers lose these next two games against KC, Cleveland and or Chicago win their next two games, and the standings go back to being too close for comfort.

If this is the case, then it may make sense to inject JV into the Tigers series against Cleveland next week.

If this is the case, and JV finds himself starting against Cleveland, then this is what I suggest:

Switch Porcello and Verlander.

Give Verlander his usual four days rest, and give Porcello six days instead of the usual four.

This is turn puts Porcello in the second spot in the starting rotation, and as of late, he’s pitching well enough to be in that spot.

Not only is he pitching just as good as Scherzer, who is currently in our 2 spot, but it would give the youngster extra rest, which has proven in the past to help out his arm.

This would knock Penny down into the 5th starting spot (where he belongs in my opinion), puts Scherzer in the 3rd spot, which is respectable, and puts Fister in the 4th spot, which is also respectable.

Not only would this pit JV against Central division opponents in eight of his remaining starts, it also sets him up the face the White Sox and the Indians at least two more times a piece.

This also sets him up to start the last game of the season, against Cleveland, if for some reason it comes down to game 162 this year.

 

If you can’t take the heat…

Today’s Detroit Tigers verse LA Angels game was the epitome of pennant race baseball.

Two teams still very much in it to win it.

Emotions ran high on the mound and at the plate.

Moral of the story, a team wins games when their focus is on winning.

It seemed like Justin Verlander, the Tigers’ ace, was fortunate enough to receive run support early off of a 2-run home run off the bat of Magglio Ordonez.

But, it wasn’t until the 7th inning solo blast by Carlos Guillen that we saw the game-winning run.

Verlander, who battled potential Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver, no-hit the Angels through 7 2/3rds innings.

Weaver, who was ejected from the game after throwing a ball at catcher Alex Avila’s head, was visibly frustrated early on in the game.

Seen mouthing comments at Tigers Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, Weaver was set off by the Guillen home run that processed the throw at Avila.

Guillen flipped his bat and proceeded to watch the ball leave the park that could be perceived as taunting Weaver.

Fortunately the Tigers went on to win the ball game 2-3, as Detroit’s closer Jose Valverde came on in the 9th inning to close out the game.

 

Unethical baseball at its finest

It started with Angels’ starting pitcher Weaver exchanging words with Tigers’ Ordonez and Cabrera early on in today’s game.

Then some more curse words from the mouth of Weaver at Cabrera after Ordonez’s 2-run shot in the 3rd.

Next was Guillen’s flipped bat and staring side-step toward first once his ball left the park in the 7th.

Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt felt the heat rising as he walked to the mound to warn Weaver and issue warnings to both benches.

Next, Weaver threw the ball at Avila’s head and gets ejected.

Aybar then bunted in the 8th inning, which is supposedly an unwritten rule when a no-hit bid is occurring.

Finally, the bad throw or potential interference call where Aybar runs into Verlander as he drops the ball in the pickle attempt and Aybar scores.

All in all, there were many shady acts that took place during this game.

But, the most unusual act might have been closer Valverde’s lack of celebration after today’s win.