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Morning Prowl: Guillen in the Outfield, Who Gets the Call-Up, French Loves Seattle, and Going to Bat For Lloyd

  I'm a couple of days late with this, but Jason Beck reports that Carlos Guillen is throwing the ball well and might be ready to play left field by the end of the week. 

To me, this presents yet another example of how superficial coverage of the Tigers can be in Detroit.  I'm not criticizing Beck.  This was the story, and he passed it along.  That's his job, and he does it very well.  But could someone - anyone - explain why exactly Guillen can throw a ball, but not hit right-handed?

The right arm and shoulder provide the "punch" when you bat from the right side, correct?  So Guillen can't do that, yet he can make throws from the outfield?  I'm just curious, as a baseball fan.  I would like to read that article, and I bet the Boston Globe, for example, would write it about a Red Sox player.

  Another catch-up item: Nate Robertson and Jeremy Bonderman are scheduled to begin rehab assignments with Triple-A Toledo tonight.  Bondo is set to throw 25 pitches or one inning, whichever comes first.  Robertson, meanwhile, is slated for two to three innings or 30-40 pitches. 

Both limits give you an idea of the roles the Tigers have in mind for each player if either or both is able to come back.

  Lynn Henning runs down a list of prospects who could get a call-up to the big leagues in September.  While the Tigers typically haven't added many minor leaguers when rosters can expand, at least a couple of names could provide some help for the stretch run.

  Over at Roar of the Tigers, Sam got out the pens and illustrated Clete Thomas's walk-off heroics.  This could be a comic book cover.  All Clete needs is a cape.

  Lloyd McClendon has come under a lot of scrutiny as the Tigers continue to struggle scoring runs.  Jim Leyland is sticking up for his hitting coach, however, telling the Oakland Press's Jim Hawkins that perhaps the players need to simplify their approach at the plate right now.

Star-divide

  Brandon Inge seems to agree with his manager's assessment, according to Tom Gage.  Guys are over-analyzing and "chewing up too much."

  Luke French is thrilled to have been traded to Seattle, as he rooted for those Mariners teams with Ken Griffey, Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Jay Buhner while growing up in Colorado.

  If you haven't read them yet, check out Take 75 North's thoughts on the Jarrod Washburn trade, particularly the perception of Mauricio Robles and his chances of being a player the Tigers could regret trading.

  Old English D attended her first Midwest Sliders game in Ypsilanti over the weekend, and posts an account of her experience.  The Sliders are a Frontier League team, playing this season at Oestrike Stadium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. 

I need to get over there, man.  When it was announced a minor league team would be playing nearby, I figured I'd go to at least a dozen games.  So much for that.

  Who is the Tigers' best baserunner?  Lee has the answer for you at Tiger Tales, and it just might surprise you.

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Bah

Rod and Mario aren’t stupid…

by demondeaconsbaseball on Aug 4, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

One word analysis = Zero credibility

They’re not great, but “Stupid” means nothing.

by rcpratt on Aug 4, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ridiculous ranking

4 teams make tier 1… One being his favorite team and another based on one call from a Nationals game, with that specific announcer no longer with the team. Nothing productive/interesting to say about half of the teams. I agree… no credible analysis.

by TMadison25 on Aug 4, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That's awful

Scully should be in a tier of his own and then he ruins the entire piece by putting his annoying announcers as No. 1.

I don’t think Mario and Rod are Tier 1, maybe not even Tier 2, but to label them as stupid just means he doesn’t listen and is stupid in and of itself.

Motown String Music- SB Nation's Detroit Pistons Blog

by Packey on Aug 4, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

lol whut

I would not in a million years rank Rod and Mario below the Yankees. Admittedly the Yankee radio broadcasts are worse than their TV broadcasts, but Rod and Mario are still infinitely more watchable than than YES.

by Roar of the Tigers on Aug 4, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Like ive sid al along with Lloyd....

….The players need to look in the mirror

by BennieBladesFan on Aug 4, 2009 12:23 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

It Might be the same hitting coach

but msybe he isn’t doing the same job….Chuck was the same pitching coach we had in ’06 as we did in ’08 when our pitching sucked. So I disagree. Lloyd is doing his job poorly. Period. I will stand by it til the death.

Welcome to Detroit>>Where the weak are killed and eaten.

by Detroitchik on Aug 4, 2009 12:27 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

He fixed Ingey

For that, I will be eternally grateful.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Aug 4, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

can he fix him again?

And besides, if the manager is saying that the players need to simplify their approach at the plate, isn’t it the hitting cocah’s job to implement that advice, to pass it along to the hitters, to make them consciusly aware of what they’re doing wrong, so that they might do their job more effectively?

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Aug 4, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Inge is injured

It’s not his swing- he’s supposedly feeling better and he hit .300 in CLE. The power dropoff is to be expected- Inge’s fly ball rate points to a lower amount of HR than he has (at least I think that’s what it is, it could be his True HR rate) so he’s regressing to the mean there.

And I’d say that the hitting coach is responsible for fixing swings when they need fixing and, yes, helping players through problems. But who exactly is slumping? Maggs is broken, Polanco’s been getting unlucky on balls in play, Inge is hurt, Granderson went power-crazy on his own and has never been able to hit LHP and Miggy is still one of the best hitters in baseball.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Aug 4, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

as you know, I agree with this assessment

Some guys are up. A couple guys are down. And some guys are injured.

Granderson and Polanco are both .050 below their career BABIP. That would suggest to me bad luck is a factor.

by MackAveKurt on Aug 4, 2009 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

"who exactly is slumping", taken to its logical conclusion...

…means that this Tigers team just isn’t that good offensively, and the first place standing is entirely the product of being in a bad division while possessing decent pitching.

If that’s the case, the first question becomes, what are we, as fans complaining about?

Regression to means aside, bad luck aside, the Tigers were hitting well enough to give the illusion of offensive competence the first half of the year. That illusion is being challenged, mightily, the last few weeks. When the manager and players are talking about simplifying their approach at the plate, they’re admitting something is wrong, and it’s the job of the hitting coach to suggest, to alter, to do whatever’s needed to allow the hitters to set that right, and right now, it doesn’t seem like McClendon’s got an answer.

As far as Inge being injured and maybe feeling better now…stats say he’s off 15 points on teh batting average and 50 points on the OPS since the all-star break, with a single RBI for a guy who was elected to the all star game on the strength of his offense (and us going nuts on the final vote thing). I’m hoping he’s regressed to his mean, and can start hitting again, and soon, otherwise I’m going to start thinking those folks saying he should have gone on the DL already might have a point.

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Aug 4, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

We aren't very good offensively

We’re dependant on a very good first baseman and center fielder who are hitting, a second baseman who has been incredibly unlucky, a left fielder who has been injured and a right fielder who has lost all ability to hit for power and seems to have a fetish for the double play. If it wasn’t for Brandon Inge, we’d be even worse off now. Luckily, Polanco should regress toward his mean and get a little better, and once Inge gets better (he still isn’t 100 percent) he should be back to hitting .260-.270 with a decent amount of power.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Aug 4, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

can he fix him again?

Only if he’s gone to medical school in his spare time.

by rea on Aug 4, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'll bet I know about Carlos

He’s using one of those plastic ball-launchers to throw from the outfield. It works out great for savign wear and tear on my shoulder when I throw tennis balls for my parents’ dogs! :)

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -- Philo of Alexandria

by Baroque on Aug 4, 2009 12:28 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

re McClendon

Maybe the Tigers do need a different batting coach. But they had a different coach last season, and they had the same lack of production. And until Inge’s knees started hurting, he was hitting much better under McClendon’s coaching.

by leu2500 on Aug 4, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bondo in september

Perhaps this has already been posted and if it has I apologize. However, any thoughts on bringing Bonderman into the 8th inning role in September? If he succeeds then he could hold down the 8th inning in October? I know his shoulder is questionable, but the though of his slider coming out of the pen sounds pretty sweet.

by jkagey on Aug 4, 2009 1:55 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

eh, I'm liking the seay-lyon the way it is

they’ve been getting the job done.

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Aug 4, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I really hope Bondo is doing better

but based on his last outing, I would have to go with the seay / lyon approach too. I was iffy on Lyon all season, but he hast started to grow on me and I concur, those 2 have been getting the job done

Welcome to Detroit>>Where the weak are killed and eaten.

by Detroitchik on Aug 4, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

If he actually has his stuff back

I can see him being next in line for Rodney’s job.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Aug 4, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Happy birthday, Ray Oyler.

I remember seeing him in the clubhouse celebration after the WS in 1968. He was whoopin’ and hollerin’ it up, all .135 BA of him. He was drafted that same year by the Seattle Pilots (google Ray Oyler Fan Club) and once they disappeared (or moved to Milwaukee after one year) he played 24 games for the Angels. When he retired in 1973 he worked in a Safeway store and managed a bowling alley. He died in 1981 of a heart attack. He was 42 years old. According to wikipedia, he’s buried in an unmarked grave in Seattle.

That makes me so sad. Everyone one of those boys of the Summer of ’68 were my Tigers, even no-bat Ray Oyler. I can still see him in that clubhouse, that big grin, part of a World Championship team.

Happy birthday, Ray.

by NCDee on Aug 4, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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