Let's play the blame game: Rangers 5, Tigers 4

I’m going through photos now, they might not be up tonight but for sure tomorrow morning. fun times tonight despite the loss.

So, Ni was in for the 9th to face Smoak (to hit righty for the first time in his MLB career), TREANOR, and BLANCO (who was also going to hit R for the first time on the night).

99% Ni/Perry to blame. 1% Leyland (if I must place any on him).

Smoak: Good hitter no matter the side of the plate.
Treanor: Going to be pinch hit for if no one gets on, will sac bunt if Smoak gets on.
Blanco: Better against LHP than RHP all through minors (lick left/right split at top of the screen, minor league splits is not conducive to linking directly to the page), but was going to be pinch hit for if anyone got on anyways.

No reason for Ni to get the ball in the 9th period. Perry’s control is always going to be his weakness – it was in college and will be in the pro’s – so he gets blame for being erratic. But Leyland’s job is to put the team in the best position to win games, he did not.

IBB of Garko is the wrong move. 1) Why is Garko facing a LHP when he’s strictly a platoon player who – get this – is used against LHP? 2) If you get him out by utilizing the platoon splits to your advantage (why Jim Leyland didn’t do this is beyond me because he over-manages everything else ever in a game) you then have (predictably) Nelson Cruz up with 2 outs where a fly ball – a likely out come considering he only hits the ball on the ground 35% of the time he puts it in play – likely can be caught so long as it stays in the park.

Perry, Ni and Leyland all deserve blame. Ni and Perry failed to do their jobs but absolving Jim Leyland of blame (or giving him 1%) is just dumb. I see no logic behind that what-so-ever. There’s no strategical argument for what he did in the 9th, there’s no numerical argument for what he did in the 9th and there’s no logical argument for what he did in the 9th. I don’t agree with a lot of the things he does, but I can at least see his side of the decision; here, there is nothing that says “hey, I made the right moves” when everything is easily counter-acted by Ron Washington. Call it mis-managing or getting out managed, but Leyland failed just as much as Perry or Ni by putting the Tigers in a worse position to win the game.

I think he doesn’t leave well enough alone. He plays the lefty/ righty match ups too much and pulls out pitchers that are in a groove and are effective to replace them for what he thinks is a better match up. Problem is that EVERY time you bring another guy in, there is a decent chance that he just doesn’t have his A game. There is risk in every change, and if a pitcher is doing fine, he should be left the hell alone. THEN, we hear how the pen was used up and Leyland had no choice but to use this guy or that guy in a given situation. He created the situation by over managing.

I think that a huge share of blame has to go once again to Brandon Inge. One out, bases jammed, and he hits into a DP. No freaking concept of putting the ball in play to get the run home. Just hacking away, as usual, and that cost us another couple of runs.

I give the Tigers credit for battling back today. Jackson, Damon, Maggs,and Cabrera all did a nice job.

I will not feel good about this trip.

…..Love the comeback…You cant win every game….This team is going to be ok and have shown they will be in the til September.

I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!!!!!!! Tiger baseball is my life. That is all.

I think staying around .500 on this trip would be OK. That’s a good benchmark for road record.

This loss marked the 4th straight one run game. 2-2 in these.

It was good to see Avila, Boesch,Jackson and Sizemore in the lineup. Don’t know how many teams are using 4 rookies.

Nate is 2 -0 with a 2.22 ERA

I’m pretty sure this is the rule that “balk” was based upon…

One base, if a fielder deliberately touches a pitched ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person. The ball is in play, and the award is made from the position of the runner at the time the ball was touched.

I couldn’t remember for sure but that rule seems correct. But anyways, is it a balk or an error? We had a small discussion during the game thread but it’s killing me not having a full distinction. Personally I’m pretty sure it’s an error.

second:

7.05 Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out, advance—
(a) To home base, scoring a run, if a fair ball goes out of the playing field in flight and he touched all bases legally; or if a fair ball which, in the umpire’s judgment, would have gone out of the playing field in flight, is deflected by the act of a fielder in throwing his glove, cap, or any article of his apparel;
(b) Three bases, if a fielder deliberately touches a fair ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person. The ball is in play and the batter may advance to home base at his peril;
© Three bases, if a fielder deliberately throws his glove at and touches a fair ball. The ball is in play and the batter may advance to home base at his peril.
(d) Two bases, if a fielder deliberately touches a thrown ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person. The ball is in play;
(e) Two bases, if a fielder deliberately throws his glove at and touches a thrown ball. The ball is in play;

These rules are along the same lines as the one that applies to Avila and just leads me further to believe that it is indeed an error.

for anyone else interested in official MLB rules and regulations:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp

at first glance this game was mismanaged, but going through memory I don’t think Jim had much choice to pitch Ni for that second inning. Up to this point our team has had no trouble utilizing our bullpen. Being as our only other option was Brad Thomas, I’m not putting too much fault in Jim Leyland here. His main guys have been seeing too much action lately and he had to try and avoid using them.

HOWEVER….

Not pitching to Garko was a HUGE mistake. That right there was Jim’s managerial mistake and probably the real reason we lost the game.