It's officially a winning streak! Phil Coke leads Tigers to 3-0 win
by BigAl on Apr 15, 2011 2:02 AM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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PrintKEY STAT
Phil Coke's pitching line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
KEY PLAY
Ryan Raburn's 7th inning, two out, RBI double to score Ramon Santiago, breaking up a scoreless tie.
KEY THOUGHTS
Yes, it's an official winning streak! A streak of three. One win can be a fluke. Two is a trend. But three? That's a streak! After the slow start to the season, putting a few wins together was much needed, if only to calm the badly frayed nerves of the Tigers' fanbase.
Coke has a sore left arm and a sore throat tonight...from pointing out lazy fly balls to his outfielders while yelling "Can of corn!" The A's could do little with the converted setup man, a dominant performance by Coke. Going into the season, many thought Coke would be the weak link in the rotation. In posting a 2.25 ERA and 0.94 WHIP since becoming a starter, Coke has been anything but. Admittedly, he has been missed in the pen. But Coke can be much more valuable overall as a middle of the rotation starter. So far, so good for the Phil Coke experiment.
The A's did more than their fair share to give the Tigers the game. A's pitching gave up 11 base on balls, though the Tigers weren't into cashing in on their charity for much of the night. Most glaringly, the Tigers squandered scoring opportunities the A's handed...or should I say, walked...over in 5th and 6th. But the A's were not to be denied. The Tigers manufactured a pair of 8th inning runs without a base hit, with lots of help from the opposition. The A's walked the bases loaded, including Brandon Inge when he was doing he damnedest to lay down a bunt, and gifted the Tigers an insurance run thanks to a botched cutoff throw on Santiago's sac fly.
All in all, it was a good night for Tigers Nation, as the west coast swing gets off to a nice start. But there was a Tiger who had a game to forget. That would be one Victor Martinez, who grounded out to SS and 2B a combined five times. To top off his forgettable evening, V-Mart (who got the start was behind the plate) took a painful foul ball to the nether regions in the 9th. Let's move on...
Official attendance in Oakland was 11,129. Sure, if you counted...there was...what about....nah, there's no good explanation. There were more of you in the game thread than there were A's fans at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. On FSD, it looked like a ghost town...and I'm being generous to ghost towns.
On a personal note, this is my first baseball related post at BYB since the end of last season. I'm thrilled to be back! I'm recovering well from my health issues, I've badly missed writing about baseball, and I'm looking forward to spending quality time with the best Tigers community on the web!
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Nice to have you back, Al.
Glad you’re in better health. And nice recap to boot.
You got the Rangers box up there though
Nice as it is to see their past wins.
Thanks, Alli!
It was 2AM when I posted this, I was a little bleary eyed….
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
It would have been nice if they mattered more
They’re not really a key stat if they don’t end up scoring, eh?
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Not sure but those base hits we got probably wouldn't of scored the runs if they weren't walked on
so I would say yes, walks are a pretty key stat…
And to argue with myself
They helped us get Gonzalez out of the game early enough to score on the bullpen. Without the walks, he could have carved us up with that wicked hook for another 2 innings and they would have gotten into the back end of the pen instead of the front end.
Jeez, momo, what a moronic comment.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
by momotigers on Apr 15, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey Al!!!!!!!!!!
Great to have you back.
Good post too
Tigers are doing well. Seems like a real team effort lately.
Everyone is contributing
welcome back, Al
Glad to see you are on the mend. :)
Random Ramblings from a Somewhat Scattered Mind
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." --Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
This lineup is working, please don't change it.
As much as I love Rhymes, Santiago is EARNING playing time with clutch hits. Boesch is hitting and getting wwalks. Raburn shows why he should play EVERY day. Coke, the guy the Tigers got for minus is a 7 inning performer. With 6innings, Villarreal , the guy “who throws strikes, gets people out, and pitches without fear” is why you give the Kids a chance.
by StephenGrosberg on Apr 15, 2011 8:40 AM EDT reply actions
Agreed.
I’ve always always wondered why Santiago isn’t considered for the 2B job….he’s leylands kind if player too—plays hard, very selfless, and has only been described as a team kinda guy. I also think mags needs to be on the bench until he is beyond 100%. Boesch ad Rayray are more than capable in the corners and mags has been a slow starter the last few years. Let him rest till it gets warm—it would be senseless to send him out hurting with viable options and we sure as heel will need him later in the year.
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
13 games in
And the best starthog the year so far goes to Coke last night. What an amazing job he did and good job to vmart for calling that game. Maybe the tigers brass really did know something we didnt about Coke. That’s 2 quality starts and appears to be the real deal on the hill as a starter…..now I only hope penny follows suit….
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
Agreed. Thus far the Tigers Brass is looking pretty smart.
Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Fight!
by Brand New Hero on Apr 15, 2011 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
More like Rick follows suit.
Penny can lead us to a 6 game win streak!
I'm thinking.....
Ricky has more issues than can be solved this year. I won’t call his rookie year a fluke by any means, but I think the rush to the big leagues, the added pressure of living up to years past, the fact that he is still adjusting to a frame that’s different from that rookie season, and his inability to fix issues and adjust to hitters will be putting him in Toledo by the end of may…not that I wish ill on the kid, I just think Oliver will prove to be a better choice by the end of the next 60 days.
Ricky’s got and had some issues for a while and a major league roster is no place to fix pitching mechanics on the fly…I hope he figures it out but I fear he’s bound for Toledo with what I’ve seen from him this early in the year compiled with his less than stellar spring…
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
Welcome back!
I’m really looking forward to the game when the offense busts loose. We’re due for a couple 15 run affairs. Miggy is slumping a bit, and V-Mart is really not making good contact. The guys will come around and it’s going to be fun when they do.
Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Fight!
Fell asleep before the first pitch
woke up in time to hear Raburn’s double and promptly fell back asleep. But it was the first thing I checked this morning. Phil Coke — who woulda thunk it?
And great to see you writing here again, Al. Always enjoyed your persective and hope to read more of it.
"Some guy told me I should walk with the Lord. I'd rather walk with the bases loaded" Ken Singleton
welcome back Al
now to find some caffeine, I am draaaaaaaaging at work today. Stupid West Coast.
"I'm a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast food" - Ron Swanson
by rock n rye on Apr 15, 2011 10:35 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I watched the Oakland network last night...
… and they were none too happy with Potato’s dancing last night. I’m curious to see if anything happens tonight.
"All aboard! There is plenty of room."
Brennan Boesch Bandwagon Conductor
I'm guessing Papa Grande's out
He’s come in three nights in a row, and even though they’ve been short outings, he probably deserves a night off.
That may not stop Miggy from taking a pitch in the ribs.
"All aboard! There is plenty of room."
Brennan Boesch Bandwagon Conductor
Also
Porcello is pitching tonight. I’m not sure anyone in the A’s lineup is going to want to deal with him in a scrap.
Just ask Youk....
Charge the mound on a 20 year old kid like a bully and Ricky will punk your ass like a legitimate MMA fighter….
I still have that clip on my computer…it was epic.
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
Oh hey!
It’s a Friday! Which means I can stay up and watch the game!
"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke
Contributor, Bless You Boys
Welcome back, Al.
This streak is just what we need, and proof that I just need to stay the heck away from the game threads. I missed my first one three games ago and haven’t been in on one since.
"What does a momma bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? - NO CUBS!" - Harry Caray
by 77bestrookieclassever on Apr 15, 2011 11:54 AM EDT reply actions
Coke was solid.
Benny and Papa were shut down. Loved to see Papa skippin and dancin out there.
And Raburn coming through in the clutch. Dude’s legit.
Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
Damn right Raburn's legit
"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on Apr 15, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
i hope he doesn't quit
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on Apr 15, 2011 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
not too many people besides us seem to think so
Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
Something I feel is overlooked....
Is how the tigers manufactured the first run….single, sac bunt, then a double. It was really refreshing to see the tigers score when hits were at a premium. Not too often leylands plays small ball but it did the trick last night.
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
I have seen this a lot
Not too often leylands plays small ball
I have seen this comment a few times this year, and it is almost always after we bunt, sac fly, or do some other small ball thing. Might be time to start rethinking the statement.
He doesn't....
“a couple times a year” does not mean he likes small ball. Infect, leylands has said on more than one occasion “I don’t like giving (opponents) free outs”
Not saying he won’t do it again either—-but there have been two times already this year that a sac bunt after a leadoff double makes too much sense to ignore and leyland just wont do it.
JL doesn’t send runners, rarely sacrifices by the way of bunts, and almost never puts the hit and run on. He’s just not a small ball manager.
Point being—I was stoked to see him use it effectively when the situation DESPERATELY called for a run to get Coke te win, not just a good no decision.
Thoughts should be reserved for those that can use them.
gotta agree with wilson though
tigers are at the top of the AL in sac hits and sac flies (don’t see a category for sac bunts specifically). Last year they were in the middle of the league.
If you’re comparing Leyland to the era of 2-0 games, he’s not a small ball manager. But in this era the way he approaches the game isn’t unique.
by Kurt Mensching on Apr 15, 2011 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
A couple times in a 2 week old season
I am not saying he is a small ball manager either. Not even the NL is that small ball anymore, at least not like the old days. I am saying he does the little things more often than I have seen him in the past.
Small ball isn’t just laying down a bunt, or stealing a base (especially when you only have two guys in the starting roster that can do that consistently) it is faking the bunt to pull in the third baseman. It is setting up pick-off plays to keep the other team off balance. IT is Inge trying to take the ball to right field.
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