Saturday, July 25, 2009

Game 95: Record 51-44

Boy is it nice to sweep a double header, especially against the White Sox

JV pitched is butt off in the day game on Friday and Eddie Bonine pitched very well in a no decision Friday evening. The bullpen was the big story in the evning game with 3 complete inning pitched, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk. Brandon Lyon got the win and Fernando picked up save #21.

Tigers are now 2 games free of the White Sox with 2 more to play against them this weekend. EJ pitches Saturday and RP on Sunday. If they can win 1 or perhaps both of these games, things will look really good.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Game 94: Record 50-44

JV comes through when needed most!

Justin was simply oustanding in a complete game, 127 pitch performance to help the Tigers win the first of two today. He only allowed 6 hits and 1 unearned run.

Plus, the offense finally scored more than 1 run. They smacked 10 hits and 5 runs against the White Sox.

Make no mistake. This was a game they needed to win and they did. Good job.

Another game tonight as Eddie Bonine makes his first start of 2009.

Games 89-93: Record 49-44

How can a single team...any team...have four 2-1 losses in a span of five games???

Is this even possible? Even legal? In the 6 games since the All Star break, The Tigers have scored the following runs: 3, 1, 1, 9, 1, 1. Record in that span: 1-5 with the only win being the only game they scored over 3 runs. Suffice to say...actually a major understatement to say that the pitching has been solid-to-outstanding and the offense has been bad-to-horrible-to-embarrassingly pathetic.

Does not matter who pitches, they have all been dealing good stuff. Does not matter the lineup that Leyland cobbles together, they have all sucked at the plate lately. They are now .001 percentage point ahead of the White Sox. They start a 4 game series against that team beginning with a double header today. JV pitches the opener, which they must win. Eddie Bonine pitches the nightcap.

Huge series? Yes. But, what they do in terms of shoring up the lineup and offense is more important than these four games. Even if they got swept, they would only be 4 games out and if they could get Matt Holliday or some other corner outfielder who can hit, I would still like their chances of winning the AL Central.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Game 88: Record 48-40

Zoom, zoom, there goes another win.

Joel Zumaya let another one get away Friday night after Luke French pitched really well again. French only gave up 1 earned run in 5 strong innings and then Fu-Te Ni pitched 1 scoreless inning, so the Tigers led 3-2 heading into the 7th when Zumaya took over.

Joel promptly allowed a single, then a double and finally a 3 run HR to Mark Teixeira. He rightly took the loss. Very frustrating for all Tigers fans. With Justin and Edwin pitching the next two in New York, it would have been outstanding to win that game with the youngster starting. But, the bullpen blew another one. They gotta get these next two.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Games 85-87: Record 48-39

Tigers take 2 of 3 against the Indians and head into the break in first place by 3.5 games!

All-stars Edwin and Justin beat Cleveland while Aramando's good performance is not good enough. EJ pitched outstanding on Friday as he got his 7th win, then AG pitched 6 strong innings but got the loss on Saturday. The series ended with a dominating performance by JV, who pitched 7 complete innings of shutout ball. He is clearly the ace of this staff and clearly a deserving 2009 American League All Star.

The lines:

EJ on Friday 7/10: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
AG on Saturday 7/11: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
JV on Sunday 7/12: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO

Really good pitching all the way around. They are set up for a good second half and a strong run at the AL Central crown.

They now get 4 days off. They start the 2nd half in New York against the evil empire. Time to relax, enjoy watching the All Star game.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Game 84: Record 46-38

French fries Greinke

Luke French, in his second career start, beat 2009 All-Star (and likely AL Starter) Zack Greinke. As I said yesterday, this was a mismatch on paper but luckily they do not play the game on paper.

The Tigers got 3 runs early against Greinke and that was all they needed because of the steller pitching that French, Ni, Lyon and Rodney provided. Really good pitching. And a series win when they needed it...after 3 straight series where they lost 2 of 3.

They now have three games against the Indians to complete the first half of the season and head into the All Star game. EJ goes first, then AG and finally JV pitches on Sunday.

Four Tigers will be competing in the mid summer classic - Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge. With Justin pitching Sunday, I highly doubt that we see him pitch much if at all on Tuesday. If he enters at all, it'll be 1 inning maximum or else Leyland and Tigers fans will kill Joe Madden.

Brandon won the fan voting to fill the last spot on the AL roster. I voted probably 200 times and am really happy for him to make it.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Game 83: Record 45-38

Good complete team win when they needed it

After giving away Friday's game and facing Greinke Wednesday, Tuesday's game with JV on the mound became a critical game that the Tigers needed to win. And they got it.

Justin pitched 6 strong innings, striking out 11 along the way. Unfortunately, once again, Justin just simply threw too many pitches. 114 pitches in 6 innings is too many. The amazing thing about this game is that he didn't walk anybody and still threw that many pitches. One of these days, JV is going to be pitching a 1 hitter or a no hitter or a perfect game and will not be able to complete it because he'll have thrown 130 pitches in the 7th inning.

Nice to see the offense come alive. Miguel with a solo HR that, in part, helped setup Marcus's three run HR in the big 5th inning. KC intentionally walked Miguel and then Marcus made them pay big time. This is what protection can do for you. If Leyland puts Marcus in the 4 hole again today, they'll think twice about walking Miguel. Placido also went deep, but this concerns me because he is still just hitting .262 and is pulling the ball way too much for him.

One quick note on defense. Leyland, in this game, put Josh Anderson in as a defensive replacement for Magglio in the 8th inning. Had he done that Friday, they would have had a better shot at winning because the leadoff man in the 8th would not have gotten on and would not have scored the tying run. Glad to see that he learned something.

Rubber game in the series with Zack Greinke against youngster Luke French. On paper, this could be ugly. But they play the game on grass, not paper. I am hoping for some patient at bats, some hits, some walks. Get Greinke out of the game by the 6th or 7th and win it in the late innings. French just needs to keep them in it, he doesn't need to win it.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Game 82: Record 44-38

Absolutely disgustingly frustrating loss

This game, more than any other so far this season has highlighted the differences between the 2006 and 2009 Detroit Tigers.

In 2006, Magglio Ordonez was a decent fielder with a strong arm.
In 2006, Joel Zumaya & Fernando Rodney were lights-out 99% of the time.

On July 6, 2009 Magglio has a "hit" fall two steps in front of him to the leadoff hitter of the 8th inning with the Tigers nursing a 2-1 lead. That run, of course, scored to tie the game. In 2006, Magglio makes that catch. In 2009 he doesn't even make an effort ... cannot make the play. Any other defensive replacement in the 8th (Kelly, Anderson, Raburn) make that play.

On July 6, 2009 Joel enters the game in the 8th with a 2-1 lead. He gives up 2 runs and the Royals take a 3-2 lead. Tigers then tie it in the bottom of the 8th.

On July 6, 2009 Fernando enters in the 9th with the score tied and gives up a solo moon shot and they lose 4-3.

This was a game they gave away after an outstanding performance by Armando. His line was impressive:

7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO. They need this out of him, especially with RP starting to show some rookie wear and tear.

Adam Everett continues to ... uhh.... NOT be my Tiger. Grounding into a DP with the bases loaded and 1 out, misplays in the field with the occassional nice play that he is supposed to make. I am just not a fan of his.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

1/2 of the season is over - 81 game evaluation

With game number 81 in the books, it is time to evaluate our beloved first place Detroit Tigers and make some predictions on the second half.

All Stars:
The Detroit Tigers will send Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson to St Louis for the All Star game on July 14. Brandon Inge is one of the 5 finalists for the last spot on the team that is voted on by the fans. Go to MLB.com and vote for Brandon today. Vote Inge, vote often.


Team stats:
Record - 44-37 (Home - 23-11, Away - 21-26)
Runs scored - 385. Number is far too low.
Runs allowed - 369. Far too high.
Run differential of +16 is better than only 6 other AL teams.
Team ERA - 4.20
Total wins by 5 opening day starters (JV, EJ, RP, AG and Zach) - 32.

Individual stats:
Brandon Inge had a HUGE first half with 19 HR and 52 RBI.
Miguel cooled off after a really fast start, but is still hitting .323 and has 16 HR and 47 RBI.
Carlos Guillen hardly played or contributed anything this season yet.
Magglio is hitting .266 and Placido is hitting .255.
Carlos, Mags and Placido have been a huge part of the Tigers success since they arrived in town and they need to get things turned around.
Curtis has also had a huge first half with 18 HR, 43 RBI, 15 steals and 51 runs scored.
Edwin has the 5th best ERA in the American League with 2.59.

Grades for first half:
Starting pitching: B+. Top 3 get an A, Armando gets a C and the 5th spot gets an F.
Bullpen: B
Offense: D. Has been really bad and extremely inconsistent.
Defense: B. Improved a lot from last year and even within the season, but not good enough. Still too many mistakes.
Results: A-. First place after 81 games is nothing to sneeze at, but their record should be better and they are not doing well enough against the AL elite.

Predictions:

Tigers are buyers at the trading deadline and acquire one bat and one arm. They probably trade away one or two major leaguers and some prospects to get major league players for a second half push towards a division title.

Second half record of 46-35 for a final record of 90-72.

90 wins is just barely enough for the Tigers to win the AL Central by 1 or 2 games. Twins finish in second.

Other divisional winners will be Boston and LA Angels.

Wildcard winner will be Tampa Bay Rays.

Playoff success is based on pitching matchups, so it is hard to predict playoff results without knowing who, where and when they would be playing. However, I will go ahead and guess that they would beat any of those teams in the ALDS, but lose the ALCS. The top of their rotation is as good as anybody, so a short series will favor the Tigs.

Game 81: Record 44-37

One big inning is all the Twins need

After giving up a 2 run HR to Justin Morneau, RP gave up a couple more walks and a hit to make it 3-0 Twins. Then came the huge play. Ball hit into the hole between SS and 3B. Adam Everett fields it and throws it wild to Ramon covering second, allowing 3 runs to score. Horrible mistake. This is an error regardless of how it is scored. 3 runs scored on that play when it should have been 1. Horrible. Now it is 6-0 instead of a more manageable 4-0 deficit.

Offense was non-existent until the 9th, when they had a few hits including Brandon going deep for a 2 run HR. With two men on and two out, Leyland let Adam Everett hit instead of pinch hitting Marcus or Placido or even Ryan Raburn. Adam grounded out meekly to SS to end the game. Do not understand that move.

Three against KC next. I will be at Comerica tomorrow to see Armando against Gil Meche.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Game 80: Record 44-36

Another QS for EJ results in another ND

Edwin Jackson pitched really well on Saturday, only giving up two solo HR's and left the game with a 3-2 lead, but Bobby Seay quickly allowed one inherited runner to score and tie the game. The tying run was scored by Span after he was walked by EJ to start the inning. Leadoff walks = trouble! Especially to a speedster like Denard Span.

The Tigers offense was completely dormant and trailed 2-0 heading into the 7th inning, when they got two hits on the first two pitches of the inning from Marcus Thames and Ryan Raburn. Then after Brandon was retired, Magglio hit a fast ball deep to Center and the Tigers suddenly had a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately, that lead lasted only a few batters.

Brandon Lyon then allowed a couple hits in the 8th to let the Twins take the lead. And it also allowed Joe Nathan to come into the game in the 9th with a 1 run lead and a save opportunity.

Nathan did his normal job of shutting down the Tigers in order.

Game 79: Record 44-35

It is good to win a marathon

Really good win in a 16 inning game that lasted over 5 hours. Tigers blew a 6-0 lead and didn't score a run from the 4th inning, when they took a 7-1 lead, until the 14th inning when they took a 8-7 lead. Then after Freddie Dolsi allowed the Twins to tie it in the 14th, the Tigers won it with 3 runs in the 16th.

Placido had the RBI in the 14th as well as one in the 16th. Marcus and Gerald both hit home runs.

Luke French pitched well in this game, but didn't last long enough. He only got through 4 2/3 of an inning, but left with a lead. Zach came in and really was bad.

Zach's line: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO. Quite bad.

After Zach left, the bullpen was steller until Freddie gave up the tying run in the 14th. Good job by him in the 15th and 16th, though and he got the win. Leyland was forced to have Armando ready in the bullpen in case Freddie had to get yanked. The bullpen was empty at that point and I'm not sure what that would have done to the rotation, but luckily that did not happen.

Huge game Saturday on the 4th - Edwin is pitching against Liriano. Should be fun.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Game 78: Record 43-35

Justin loses and the Tigers drop another series

JV pitched OK, but not good enough as the Athletics hit a couple of long balls to beat the Tigers 5-1 Wednesday afternoon. The offense continues to struggle and is becoming more and more of a concern as we approach the season's halfway mark.

So, they lose 2 of 3 to lowly Oakland and now travel to the crappy dome in Minneapolis. They lead the Twins by 3 and the White Sox by 2.5 games. After these three games, what will the lead be? These three games conclude the first half of the season.

Luke French makes his first start of 2009 in the big leagues, then we have Edwin and Rick pitching. Hopefully we can win this series, extend the lead in the AL Central and conclude the road trip on a positive note.

Game 77: Record 43-34

Two words I have been wanting to say since April - Armando dominates!

Armando Galarraga was really good in a nice Tigers win on Tuesday. He overcame more bad defense by Adam Everett (one error and another misplay that wasn't called an error) and Ryan Raburn (error). AG's line:

6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO. Too many walks, but very good job and much needed win for him.

F-Rod pitched the ninth and nearly blew it, but got out of the game to preserve the win...barely.

Placido went deep yet again. This is nice when he clears the fence, but makes me nervous that he his pulling the ball so much. He will not be hitting .300 come October if he continues to try to be a power hitter. He needs to dink and dunk the ball around for base hits and let Miguel drive him in.