Drop 2, win 2 in Baltimore
Justin was outstanding on Saturday and Jackson unbelievable on Sunday to allow the Tigers to pull out a split against the Orioles. It all continues to be about starting pitching as the stats for the 4 starters in this series show:
Galarraga
7.0 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Willis
5.0 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Verlander
6.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
Jackson
8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
Dontrelle was really the only one of the 4 to struggle, but Armando got severely out pitched in the opener also.
On Sunday, Curtis hit cleanup as both Miguel and Placido had the day off. It is great to give these guys a day off and still get a win.
Day off on Monday, then 3 big games against the Red Sox. Only bad thing about this series is that neither Edwin nor Justin will be pitching.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Game 45: Record 26-19
Porcello, Polanco secure series win in KC
Rick Porcello won his 6th game of the year and it isn't even June yet. I had predicted that the 20 year old would win 5 for the year. He looks fantastic and seems to be getting better. I'm sure he will hit "the wall" at some point, but Leyland would undoubtedly give him some extra rest before and/or after the All Star break to hopefully minimize that effect.
Placido Polanco went deep for the first time in 2009. Josh Anderson, hitting leadoff, went 4-5 and stole a base. He could be a great leadoff hitter on a day-to-day basis. If Curtis continues to hit with the power he has shown so far, he seems to be well suited for the 5 hole, where he was today. Miguel hit another loooong HR and is hitting a cool .374.
They now play 4 against the Orioles.
Rick Porcello won his 6th game of the year and it isn't even June yet. I had predicted that the 20 year old would win 5 for the year. He looks fantastic and seems to be getting better. I'm sure he will hit "the wall" at some point, but Leyland would undoubtedly give him some extra rest before and/or after the All Star break to hopefully minimize that effect.
Placido Polanco went deep for the first time in 2009. Josh Anderson, hitting leadoff, went 4-5 and stole a base. He could be a great leadoff hitter on a day-to-day basis. If Curtis continues to hit with the power he has shown so far, he seems to be well suited for the 5 hole, where he was today. Miguel hit another loooong HR and is hitting a cool .374.
They now play 4 against the Orioles.
Game 44: Record 25-19
Greinke is simply unbeatable again
Zack Greinke was dealing some serious stuff that made the Tigers look bad doing it. Edwin Jackson pitched well, but not nearly well enough. You almost have to be perfect when Greinke is pitching against you and I imagine Jackson was thinking that when he made a few bad pitches and 2 throwing errors.
Two good performances, but one is clearly superior to the other:
Jackson: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
Greinke: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
Gotta win Wednesday afternoon to win the series or else they drop two straight series and the Royals would pull to within 2 games in the AL Central. Porcello is pitching and Greinke is not. I like our chances.
Zack Greinke was dealing some serious stuff that made the Tigers look bad doing it. Edwin Jackson pitched well, but not nearly well enough. You almost have to be perfect when Greinke is pitching against you and I imagine Jackson was thinking that when he made a few bad pitches and 2 throwing errors.
Two good performances, but one is clearly superior to the other:
Jackson: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
Greinke: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
Gotta win Wednesday afternoon to win the series or else they drop two straight series and the Royals would pull to within 2 games in the AL Central. Porcello is pitching and Greinke is not. I like our chances.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Game 43: Record 25-18
Verlander = awesome
JV was unbelievably dominant again! His last 6 starts have been incredible. Stats in the last 6 outings:
IP: 42.1
H: 24
ER: 4
HR: 0
BB: 10
SO: 60 (wow!)
ERA started this stretch at 9.00 and is now 3.55.
Offense scored a lot of runs, Miguel is a beast...yada yada yada. Justin is the story everytime he goes out.
HUGE matchup tonight. Zack Greinke against Edwin Jackson. ERA of 0.82 versus 2.55.
JV was unbelievably dominant again! His last 6 starts have been incredible. Stats in the last 6 outings:
IP: 42.1
H: 24
ER: 4
HR: 0
BB: 10
SO: 60 (wow!)
ERA started this stretch at 9.00 and is now 3.55.
Offense scored a lot of runs, Miguel is a beast...yada yada yada. Justin is the story everytime he goes out.
HUGE matchup tonight. Zack Greinke against Edwin Jackson. ERA of 0.82 versus 2.55.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Game 42: Record 24-18
Lack of offense + good pitching = loss
Low scoring game and another good outing by Dontrelle. Our Tigers had lots and lots of opportunities to put runs on the board that would have gotten them a win today, but could not come up with the big hit they needed.
D-Train's like: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO. Start #2 is quality start #2 for Willis. But the offense was quite offensive today. For the 2nd straight game, the top 3 spots in the lineup did not produce a single hit. This is not how you set the table for Miguel and allow him to do what he does. When Miguel is consistantly coming up to bat with nobody on base, the opposition is quite happy. This is what the Rockies did the last two games and they got two wins to show for it.
Huge 3 games against Royals begin tomorrow.
Verlander v Meche on Monday, then Jackson v Grienke on Tuesday. Outstanding. Cannot wait.
Low scoring game and another good outing by Dontrelle. Our Tigers had lots and lots of opportunities to put runs on the board that would have gotten them a win today, but could not come up with the big hit they needed.
D-Train's like: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO. Start #2 is quality start #2 for Willis. But the offense was quite offensive today. For the 2nd straight game, the top 3 spots in the lineup did not produce a single hit. This is not how you set the table for Miguel and allow him to do what he does. When Miguel is consistantly coming up to bat with nobody on base, the opposition is quite happy. This is what the Rockies did the last two games and they got two wins to show for it.
Huge 3 games against Royals begin tomorrow.
Verlander v Meche on Monday, then Jackson v Grienke on Tuesday. Outstanding. Cannot wait.
Game 41: Record 24-17
Galaraga continues to struggle.
Armando was not bad by any stretch, but he was not real good either giving up 1 run in each of the first 3 innings. His final line was 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO. Normally that kind of a line will be good enough for this team because the offense will come through but in this game the Rockies pitching did the job.
Miguel hit a solo HR in the 2nd inning, his 9th of the year. Decent length bomb that hit off the roof of the bullpen area. After going 1-3, his average dropped to "only" .370.
So, the winning streak is over. Time to start a new one with Dontrelle back to the hill Sunday afternoon. Then a huge series with the Royals in which they will face Greinke.
Armando was not bad by any stretch, but he was not real good either giving up 1 run in each of the first 3 innings. His final line was 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO. Normally that kind of a line will be good enough for this team because the offense will come through but in this game the Rockies pitching did the job.
Miguel hit a solo HR in the 2nd inning, his 9th of the year. Decent length bomb that hit off the roof of the bullpen area. After going 1-3, his average dropped to "only" .370.
So, the winning streak is over. Time to start a new one with Dontrelle back to the hill Sunday afternoon. Then a huge series with the Royals in which they will face Greinke.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
1/4 of the season is over - 40 game evaluation
OK, this is the ceremonial "quarter pole" of the season. This is the point where Sparky Anderson would say was the first time in the season to really take stock of your team and see where it ranks and what it can do that year. 40 games into 2009, things look good.
Some team stats:
Tigers are 24-16, solidly in first place with a 4 game lead in the AL Central.
15-5 at home! Outstanding!
Runs scored - 218
Runs allowed - 179.
Run differential of +39. Only Toronto has a better differential in the American League.
Team ERA is 3.96. This is 3rd in the AL.
Starters ERA is 3.85 - good for 2nd in the AL behind only the Angels.
The Tigers as a team have 18 errors. Only the Twins have fewer in the AL. Of course, this is misleading and somewhat useless statistic because there have been dozens of misplays by Tigers players that were not scored as errors. However, if you assume this is similar with other teams, then the stat is at least something to compare the Tigers against the competition.
Some individual stats:
Brandon Inge is 3rd in the AL in HR with 12. He is up there with big sluggers like Morneau, Bay, Teixeira and our old friend Carlos Pena.
Miguel Cabrera is hitting .371. Good for 4th in the AL.
Edwin Jackson's ERA is 2.55. Also good for 4th in the AL. (Note: Royals Zack Greinke has an unworldly ERA of 0.82. Can you say "starter in the all star game"?)
Grades for first quarter of the year:
Starting pitching: A-. Mostly oustanding, with a few clunkers thrown in.
Bullpen: B-. Good, but most of the losses (not all) were on their watch.
Offense: A. Consistently good.
Defense: C. A lot to improve on.
Results: A. Cannot argue with first place!
Some team stats:
Tigers are 24-16, solidly in first place with a 4 game lead in the AL Central.
15-5 at home! Outstanding!
Runs scored - 218
Runs allowed - 179.
Run differential of +39. Only Toronto has a better differential in the American League.
Team ERA is 3.96. This is 3rd in the AL.
Starters ERA is 3.85 - good for 2nd in the AL behind only the Angels.
The Tigers as a team have 18 errors. Only the Twins have fewer in the AL. Of course, this is misleading and somewhat useless statistic because there have been dozens of misplays by Tigers players that were not scored as errors. However, if you assume this is similar with other teams, then the stat is at least something to compare the Tigers against the competition.
Some individual stats:
Brandon Inge is 3rd in the AL in HR with 12. He is up there with big sluggers like Morneau, Bay, Teixeira and our old friend Carlos Pena.
Miguel Cabrera is hitting .371. Good for 4th in the AL.
Edwin Jackson's ERA is 2.55. Also good for 4th in the AL. (Note: Royals Zack Greinke has an unworldly ERA of 0.82. Can you say "starter in the all star game"?)
Grades for first quarter of the year:
Starting pitching: A-. Mostly oustanding, with a few clunkers thrown in.
Bullpen: B-. Good, but most of the losses (not all) were on their watch.
Offense: A. Consistently good.
Defense: C. A lot to improve on.
Results: A. Cannot argue with first place!
Game 40: Record 24-16
7's are wild
Seven wins in a row now. Rick Porcello wins his 4th straight, 4-3 over the Rockies. Ramon and Brandon are the offensive hero's of the night. Outstanding pitching on both sides, except for the 9th, when Joel Zumaya nearly blew his first save opportunity of 2009. But, he got the last out with men on 1st and 3rd after giving up 2 runs. I was sweating bullets, but Zoom got the job done in the end.
Porcello's line: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO. Then Ryan Perry came in and pitched two nearly perfect innings, giving up only 1 walk and zero hits. Very impressive job by the two youngsters. This should make all Tigers fans excited about 2009 and beyond.
Seven wins in a row now. Rick Porcello wins his 4th straight, 4-3 over the Rockies. Ramon and Brandon are the offensive hero's of the night. Outstanding pitching on both sides, except for the 9th, when Joel Zumaya nearly blew his first save opportunity of 2009. But, he got the last out with men on 1st and 3rd after giving up 2 runs. I was sweating bullets, but Zoom got the job done in the end.
Porcello's line: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO. Then Ryan Perry came in and pitched two nearly perfect innings, giving up only 1 walk and zero hits. Very impressive job by the two youngsters. This should make all Tigers fans excited about 2009 and beyond.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Games 36-39: Record 23-17
Sweep, swept, sweep, sweep
What a run for our Tigers lately. 6 wins in a row and 9 out of 12. Just those couple horrible losses in the dome has gone wrong lately. The pitching continues to be unbelievable, espcially the starters. Edwin was outstanding again today. JV was the Ace yesterday again, Porcello was really good, Dontrelle Willis returned to his 20-win form. Armando is the only starter struggling right now and he WILL get things back on track again soon.
Starters runs allowed in this win streak: Jackson 1, Porcello 1, Galarraga 5, Willis 0, Verlander 1, Jackson 3.
Keep it coming guys. Colorado comes in and the Tigers have torn it up in interleague play the last few years.
What a run for our Tigers lately. 6 wins in a row and 9 out of 12. Just those couple horrible losses in the dome has gone wrong lately. The pitching continues to be unbelievable, espcially the starters. Edwin was outstanding again today. JV was the Ace yesterday again, Porcello was really good, Dontrelle Willis returned to his 20-win form. Armando is the only starter struggling right now and he WILL get things back on track again soon.
Starters runs allowed in this win streak: Jackson 1, Porcello 1, Galarraga 5, Willis 0, Verlander 1, Jackson 3.
Keep it coming guys. Colorado comes in and the Tigers have torn it up in interleague play the last few years.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Game 35: Record 19-16
Porcello and offense kill the A's again.
Miguel Cabrera had a 3 hit, 4 RBI game. He is now hitting an incredible .389 for the year. Other offensive hero's of the day: Ryan Raburn with a 3 run bomb, Placido with 3 hits and Gerald Laird with 3 hits. Lots of offsense to go around.
Add that to a very good starting pitching performance by young Mr Porcello and the outcome was predictable as the Tigs whipped the Athletics 9-1. These two games against Oakland, the combined score is 23-2!
Porcello's line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO. Really, really good. He only threw 86 pitches and if the game had been close, I'll bet Leyland sends him back out for the 7th inning. No need to do that in this situation. The bullpen took over and kept the door closed on them.
Nice team win. Now lets get the sweep!
Miguel Cabrera had a 3 hit, 4 RBI game. He is now hitting an incredible .389 for the year. Other offensive hero's of the day: Ryan Raburn with a 3 run bomb, Placido with 3 hits and Gerald Laird with 3 hits. Lots of offsense to go around.
Add that to a very good starting pitching performance by young Mr Porcello and the outcome was predictable as the Tigs whipped the Athletics 9-1. These two games against Oakland, the combined score is 23-2!
Porcello's line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO. Really, really good. He only threw 86 pitches and if the game had been close, I'll bet Leyland sends him back out for the 7th inning. No need to do that in this situation. The bullpen took over and kept the door closed on them.
Nice team win. Now lets get the sweep!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Game 34 : Record 18-16
Jackson and offense > rain and Athletics
Edwin Jackson was simply outstanding Friday night as the Tigers pummelled the A's 14-1. The game's start was delayed by rain for 1 hour and Mr Jackson came out and pitched 4 strong innings. The Tigs led 9-1 when another 1 hour delay came after 4 innings. Amazingly, Leyland ran Edwin back out there after the 2nd delay. This is something you just do not see in the big leagues - after a pitcher has had to wait and get cold, he comes out of the game 99.9999% of the time. But Edwin picked up right where he left off and finished with an outstanding line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 SO, 0 BB. Very, very impressive.
When you score 14 runs, there are a lot of offensive hero's. Brandon and Ryan Raburn both hit grand slams and both had 5 RBI. Magglio had 3 hits, scored 3 runs and drove in 2. Miguel had 3 hits and scored 4 runs. Good complete team win to stay in first place.
The Athletics had a pathetic 4 errors in the game that definitely helped build the huge lead. Fielding, fielding, fielding. Often overlooked, never forgotten by me.
Edwin Jackson was simply outstanding Friday night as the Tigers pummelled the A's 14-1. The game's start was delayed by rain for 1 hour and Mr Jackson came out and pitched 4 strong innings. The Tigs led 9-1 when another 1 hour delay came after 4 innings. Amazingly, Leyland ran Edwin back out there after the 2nd delay. This is something you just do not see in the big leagues - after a pitcher has had to wait and get cold, he comes out of the game 99.9999% of the time. But Edwin picked up right where he left off and finished with an outstanding line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 SO, 0 BB. Very, very impressive.
When you score 14 runs, there are a lot of offensive hero's. Brandon and Ryan Raburn both hit grand slams and both had 5 RBI. Magglio had 3 hits, scored 3 runs and drove in 2. Miguel had 3 hits and scored 4 runs. Good complete team win to stay in first place.
The Athletics had a pathetic 4 errors in the game that definitely helped build the huge lead. Fielding, fielding, fielding. Often overlooked, never forgotten by me.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Games 31-33: Record 17-16
Swept away in the dome.
I hate the Metrodome. I hate everything about it. I hate watching games played there, I hate the supid hops in the infield, I hate the singles up the middle that would be a routine out at a normal stadium. I hate the fact that 1987 Twins won the World Series without winning a single playoff game away from that place.
I also hate the fact that the Tigers get owned in that place. Ever since Jeremy Bonderman had that horrible brain fart and baulk in 2006, it seems that nothing goes good for them there.
JV was outstanding in the last game in the series. Again. But the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. He left the game after 6 1/3 innings with a 5-0 lead. He had given up only 5 hits and 3 walks, he had 13 strikeouts ... but had thrown a whopping 122 pitches. He is a great, great pitcher. He clearly has his mechanics in order and looks dominate at times.
I hate the Metrodome. I hate everything about it. I hate watching games played there, I hate the supid hops in the infield, I hate the singles up the middle that would be a routine out at a normal stadium. I hate the fact that 1987 Twins won the World Series without winning a single playoff game away from that place.
I also hate the fact that the Tigers get owned in that place. Ever since Jeremy Bonderman had that horrible brain fart and baulk in 2006, it seems that nothing goes good for them there.
JV was outstanding in the last game in the series. Again. But the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. He left the game after 6 1/3 innings with a 5-0 lead. He had given up only 5 hits and 3 walks, he had 13 strikeouts ... but had thrown a whopping 122 pitches. He is a great, great pitcher. He clearly has his mechanics in order and looks dominate at times.
Games 26-30: Record 17-13
Sweep of pathetic Indians highlights nice stretch by the boys.
Lots of strong pitching, especially Justin Verlander who is firmly back in shape as the Tigers ace. Quite frankly, the way JV has pitched lately, he is looking like an All Star. Edwin Jackson continues to have solid start after solid start. Young Mr Porcello has been a very pleasant surprise.
The offense has been interesting with Leyland changing things up. The main problem with the offense is Magglio. He is just not getting the job done and this has caused the skipper to drop him in the lineup for the first time as a Tiger.
The Tigers were looking outstanding heading into their personal house of horrors - the Metrodome.
Lots of strong pitching, especially Justin Verlander who is firmly back in shape as the Tigers ace. Quite frankly, the way JV has pitched lately, he is looking like an All Star. Edwin Jackson continues to have solid start after solid start. Young Mr Porcello has been a very pleasant surprise.
The offense has been interesting with Leyland changing things up. The main problem with the offense is Magglio. He is just not getting the job done and this has caused the skipper to drop him in the lineup for the first time as a Tiger.
The Tigers were looking outstanding heading into their personal house of horrors - the Metrodome.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Game 25 : Record 13-12
Jackson has first bad outing for the Tigers.
Edwin's line isn't horrible, but not good enough especially against Minny.
6.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 SO. The bullpen allowed 2 tack-on runs which always hurts.
The offense left a lot of runs out there. Miguel came up to bat in the 8th with the score 6-2, two men on and two outs. If he can get a big hit there, perhaps he drives in two or perhaps a 3 run HR...this would have made the 9th much more interesting. Instead, he grounds out weekly to end the inning.
Tigers were severely out pitched in this game as Francisco Liriano was very good. He looks like he is creeping back towards 2006 form. Scary proposition for the rest of the AL Central.
Edwin's line isn't horrible, but not good enough especially against Minny.
6.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 SO. The bullpen allowed 2 tack-on runs which always hurts.
The offense left a lot of runs out there. Miguel came up to bat in the 8th with the score 6-2, two men on and two outs. If he can get a big hit there, perhaps he drives in two or perhaps a 3 run HR...this would have made the 9th much more interesting. Instead, he grounds out weekly to end the inning.
Tigers were severely out pitched in this game as Francisco Liriano was very good. He looks like he is creeping back towards 2006 form. Scary proposition for the rest of the AL Central.
Game 24 : Record 13-11
Justin serves the Ace card again.
Two awesome, dominating performances in a row for JV. 11 SO through 7 complete. Outstanding and just what they needed to take the series from the Indians.
They got just enough offense for the 3-1 win. Cliff Lee looked good, but has already lost more games (4) than he did all of 2008 (3). Crazy, but it shows that teams need to capitalize when guys have career years. Ask the Tigers of 2006 about that. Lee has a Cy Young award, but nothing else to show for last year.
Brandon went deep yet again and Curtis had a huge - HUGE - hit in the 7th for the game winning hit.
Two awesome, dominating performances in a row for JV. 11 SO through 7 complete. Outstanding and just what they needed to take the series from the Indians.
They got just enough offense for the 3-1 win. Cliff Lee looked good, but has already lost more games (4) than he did all of 2008 (3). Crazy, but it shows that teams need to capitalize when guys have career years. Ask the Tigers of 2006 about that. Lee has a Cy Young award, but nothing else to show for last year.
Brandon went deep yet again and Curtis had a huge - HUGE - hit in the 7th for the game winning hit.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Game 23 : Record 12-11
More bad defense saved by the bats
In the 5th inning there was a horrible misplay by Raburn that I cannot believe was not called an error. It should have been E7 and all 5 runs unearned. Not that that matters to the final score, but it just makes the box score misleading. A second bad play of the inning - this one by Magglio - allowed the last 2 runs to score.
Raburn has just not been good since being called up. He played RF and had two bad plays, now he plays LF and nearly costs them a win.
Offense was awesome in this game with the big hits coming by Adam Everett with the grand slam and then Curtis with a 2 run HR in the 8th inning that gave the Tigs the win.
In the 5th inning there was a horrible misplay by Raburn that I cannot believe was not called an error. It should have been E7 and all 5 runs unearned. Not that that matters to the final score, but it just makes the box score misleading. A second bad play of the inning - this one by Magglio - allowed the last 2 runs to score.
Raburn has just not been good since being called up. He played RF and had two bad plays, now he plays LF and nearly costs them a win.
Offense was awesome in this game with the big hits coming by Adam Everett with the grand slam and then Curtis with a 2 run HR in the 8th inning that gave the Tigs the win.
Game 22 : Record 11-11
Next verse, same as the first.
Another game where they were seriously out pitched and only made it close by means of a late inning rally. Armando had is first bad outing of the year, giving up 5 run in 5 innings. Nate pitched OK but the one tack-on run he allowed ended up being the difference in the game.
Miguel hit a awesome 3-run HR in the 8th to make it 6-5. It was a long shot, but it was also a line drive into the seats beyond the Tigers bullpen in left field. Deep shot, but it never got much air because of the way and the power he hit it. The guy is an amazing hitter.
Three game losing streak brings them back to .500. They need to turn this around immediately. Today.
Another game where they were seriously out pitched and only made it close by means of a late inning rally. Armando had is first bad outing of the year, giving up 5 run in 5 innings. Nate pitched OK but the one tack-on run he allowed ended up being the difference in the game.
Miguel hit a awesome 3-run HR in the 8th to make it 6-5. It was a long shot, but it was also a line drive into the seats beyond the Tigers bullpen in left field. Deep shot, but it never got much air because of the way and the power he hit it. The guy is an amazing hitter.
Three game losing streak brings them back to .500. They need to turn this around immediately. Today.
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