No surprise when Tigers fall to Pirates
by Kurt Mensching on May 20, 2011 10:32 PM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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PrintKEY STAT
1: Brayan Villarrreal allowed two of Brad Penny's runs to score and two of his own before getting an out in the sixth.
KEY PLAY
On a double play that could have got the Tigers out of the sixth with a 2-1 deficit, Scott Sizemore threw the ball away. Villarreal made matters much worse with a walk and two doubles a bit after it.
KEY THOUGHTS
Do me a favor. Don't read too much into tonight's recap. I'm just pissed tonight and damn it I'm blogging anyway.
Early on I tweeted:
Its like leyland is trying to lose
I wish I was being troll-ish or facetious. But a look at the team being trotted out to the field told me all I needed to know about this game, sadly.
Don't get me wrong. Don Kelly is exactly the kind of player I expect to see playing in Pittsburgh. It's just that my hope is that he's playing FOR Pittsburgh.
Brayan Villarreal? I'm glad he's got a pickoff move to get some outs, because he sure struggles to get them by throwing the ball toward the catcher. Not that he can be blamed for being rusty after not pitching since May 10. That's Leyland's fault (and the weather's. and the schedule's). But he allowed two doubles and a walk before finally getting an out.
Scott Sizemore was freed, as many in the bloggy world -- not me -- wanted. And he's striking out about a third of his at bats, hitting 204 and has an OPS of .552. I know. It's early. 50 plate appearances in all that. But I'd be quicker to write this off for small sample size if we hadn't seen it before. By the way, can't blame batting average for balls in play. Going into today's game his BABIP was .333.
Seriously. I hate interleague play. Who wants to watch pitchers hit? Hee-hee, it's cute! Look at him not swing so he doesn't get injured! Look at his feeble swing! Wow. That's fun. Not. I think we should at least force the first baseman to pitch an inning every game to even things out. I mean, when the position player has to pitch in a baseball game, it's usually because the game is an unmitigated disaster. So when a pitcher has to bat, it's pretty much the same.
The Pirates scored a season high 10 runs. Lovely. Really. Beautiful job, Tigers.
UPDATE
Jim Leyland says Brad Thomas' elbow locked up today so he couldn't enter the game. That could result in some roster movement.
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now...
Would be a good time for some bullpen moves. Our back end is garbage. And our 123 hitters are the night before trash day. To quote an 80s song…. shake it up.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 10:52 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
who’s gonna tell you when
it’s too late
who’s gonna tell you things
aren’t so great
you can’t go on
thinking nothing’s wrong
who’s gonna drive you home tonight
who’s gonna pick you up
when you fall
who’s gonna hang it up
when you call
who’s gonna pay attention
to your dreams
who’s gonna plug their ears
when you scream
you can’t go on
thinking nothing’s wrong
who’s gonna drive you home tonight
who’s gonna hold you down
when you shake
who’s gonna come around
when you break
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 20, 2011 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
sizemore.
i’m with you 100%, and non-contact hitters are’nt 2 hitters and 2 hitters are’nt automatically your 2nd basemen. sizemore is raburn 2.0…or inge 3.0. it’s time we started weeding these types out of the system+start to teach our relievers to throw strikes. i guess this bullpen fiasco of late is sort of a coaching thing and/or a starters being too good recently thing as there are only two defined roles…brad thomas being the worst pitcher ever and valverde dancing…
But CF HAS to lead off...
And 2nd base HAS to bat 2nd. Remember Granderson and Polanco???? These are practically the same guys!
more on Sizemore
Sizemore’s walking more and striking out more, but he’s not swinging at strikes. I’d be interested to see what his “strikes looking” percentage is, if possible.
Whoever suggested Sizemore should be more aggressive might be onto something.
Surfing Instructor: If you get bitten by a shark, you're not just gonna give up surfing, are you?
Peter Bretter: Yeah, probably.
by ivantopumpyouup on May 20, 2011 11:04 PM EDT reply actions
im convinced....
Our 2 and 3 hitters are the problem with our offense. Scott and brennan swing at everything. Cabby ends up leading off an inning more often than not and I think that zaps his concentration. How about peralta third, cabby, vmart, avila and then bocsh till ordonez gets back.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 11:05 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Maybe its time for a change and im a leyland fan.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 11:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
sad when a 643 OPS is a big step up.
and yet …
by Kurt Mensching on May 20, 2011 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a preparation and inexperience issue throughout this team that is sprinkled with proven vets. Its no wonder the O struggles.
1. Inexperienced
2. Inexperienced
3. Unprepared & inexperienced
4. Vet
5 Vet
6. Vet
7 Inexperienced
8. Unprepared.
9. Plain sucks. Worst contract since dtrain…sorry his d isn’t that good.
Sorry folks. We are not a contender and it makes me want cancel my mlb.tv… but alas I wont.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 11:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i take part of that back...
We are a contender because the indians are not that good… and either is the central. The indians will stumble eventually. I guarantee it. Think 06 tigers collapse.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 11:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm convinced the 25 man roster is the problem with the offense.
I’m done with the batting order suggestions. You can rearrange a bunch of bad hitters but they still have a bunch of bad hitters.
They are a healthy Magglio and a trade for a bat away from winning the division this year. Especially since Peralta and Avila are likely to regress some while it’s hard to point to players who are likely to pick it up offensively.
Whether or not you think trading prospects is the right thing to do long term is another question.
Everyone but turner… and even then im not 100%. The 2007 me said every one but maybin and… uuuuhhhh that other guy that pitched. Seriously can’t remember his name.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 20, 2011 11:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
andrew miller
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Fixed
They are a healthy Magglioand a trade for a bataway from winning the division this year.
Plugging a healthy Magglio hitting in warm weather in the 3 spot will do wonders for this team.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
concur
Your 2k11 Detroit Tigers "AL Central Division Contenders" So get over it.
by Detroitchik on May 21, 2011 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
And When It Cools Off This Fall
Hopefully we are in the play off’s, Do you think he will have problems again when it starts to cool down in the fall?
IMO, he will never be the same Magg’s. I said last winter, Pass on Magg’s, move on & play the young guy’s.
Time will show us who is right.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
At this rate
we’ll be lucky to finish the season playing .500 ball.
Your 2k11 Detroit Tigers "AL Central Division Contenders" So get over it.
Why not Cabrera third?
In my mind there is no reason why Cabrera should not be hitting third and V-Mart 4th. The 3 spot is typically held for your best hitter. When Maggs was healthy and mashing it was okay, because Maggs would hit for a very high average as well. Having said that, without a guy like Maggs, there is no one (short of V-Mart) that can hit close to the same average as Cabby. Yes, Boesch gets more to hit when he’s in the 3 hole, but while it may raise his average 10 points, it certainly, in my mind, lowers the teams ability to score runs. From now on watch the amount of the times Boesch comes up in a huge situation, and just imagine if Cabby was up with V-Mart behind him…its sickening. I know Boesch has struggled at the 5 spot, but regardless of who hits in the 5 spot, its better to have a hole there, than at the 3 spot. Look where Pujols, Bautista, A-Gon, Hamilton (when healthy) hit. I’ll say it again, there is no reason why Cabrera should not be hitting 3rd, c’mon jim.
I've been saying move Cabrera to 3rd forever
Would be one of JL’s best moves.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Cabrera used to bat 3rd
According to an interview I read, he likes batting 4th. Maggs used to bat 4th and whatever season he was out with the oblique strain, after his rehab, he and Cabrera were both asked and the stitch was made. Why not bat Vmart 3rd?
Your 2k11 Detroit Tigers "AL Central Division Contenders" So get over it.
Selig
Maybe we should ask Bud Selig if he want to play second base for us. He’s responsible for this interleague play crap so why not let him actively contribute to our losses instead of just passively?
Interleauge play
The American League is always at a disadvantage. The NL gains a hitter when going to an AL park and the AL loses a hitter going to an NL park. It’s just stupid. It was nice when this whole thing started, but now it’s dumb.
"It's 4th and inches and the Giants are going for it. You gotta love sports!"
The Tigers, though, have been interleague stalwarts.
While I don’t like it either, I’m a bit fearful of biting the hand that has fed us…
by Senor Smoke on May 20, 2011 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
i think the whole unbalanced schedule is plain dumb.
makes division matchups all-important
i sort of disagree...
Division match ups should be all important. After all the best way to the post season is winning your division by beating your division rivals.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:00 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
division matchups
don’t matter to the rest of the league, and the playoffs prove that…see:twins
Tigers Offensive Problems?
The Tigers offense has been held to only 2 shut-outs all season so far. They score enough runs most days for a win. The pitching gives up way to many runs for this team to win. The offense is Okay, Leave it alone.
Fix The Problem……….The Pitching & Management.
I have been saying these are thier problems & I still stand by it.
Well, we've scored 193 and
given up 192 so, by Jeeves, I think you’ve got it.
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
We Lose 10 to 1
And people Blog, “we need more offense”
Makes sense to me. We should have scored 11 runs today.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions
The bullpen is certainly a huge problem right now.
But you must not be watching the same team I’m watching…the offense is not nearly consistent enough, has zero depth, and is extremely frustrating to watch way too often because of the poor at bats, lack of contact, lack of timely hitting, etc.
I don’t disagree the pitching late in games has to get better, but the offense is also problematic.
Tigers score the average they win atleat 1 in boston. Tigers get a hit with men in scoring possition just once we win both. Offense is a problem. Bullpen is not good, and improvements should ne made but they should also not be the scape goat for the teams struggles.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:33 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The bullpen has given up 10 runs in their last 5.2 innings
Unless our starters go 8+ innings, there’s no shot for us to win. And, as we saw in Boston, even 8 innings out of JV wasn’t enough to get a W.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
wellllllll....
Bullpen is also the problem. And with so many arms stewing in the minors its time for moves. However the offense either scores or doesn’t, that’s a problem. 6 runs is a problem over a four game span. Period. No consistency with the O highjacks the bullpen everytime. Score alot, they don’t pitch. Don’t score there’s too much pressure.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:17 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
And were too young at the backend for constant pressure. Since our hitting is so streaky that’s exactly what happens. Pitchers press just as much as hitters.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Go Back & Look At All Game Scores
And you will see the offense scored 4 or more runs (this should be enough for a win) 22 times this year out of 44 games. that means in half of thier games they scored 4 or more runs, & they won only 16 of them, which means they lost 6 games after the offense scored 4 or more runs. So this team shold have a record of 28 and 16, instead of 22 & 22. A team that scores 4 runs or more should not loose that game.
You need to rethink things over and look at the whole picture.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
show me
A team that scores 4 runs a game and ill show you the major league average. Cleveland scores over 5 and that’s why they’re 6 up.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:46 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Were 3 – 4 in one run games. 4 wins and were 2 out not 6. Hey and guess what? Every al team over. 500 has scoed over 200 runs. Our bullpen isn’t our only problem.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 1:03 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There are 14 teams in the American League
And 10 of them are at .500 or higher right now
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
9 Now
Athletics lost & went 1 game under .500
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 2:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Take that back tampa has scored less, 191… but they’re 8/4 in 1 run games. They are a good team, we are not.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 1:09 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Runs Scored Vs. Tiger from teams at .500 or over
Rangers played 1 more game than Tigers & scored 10 more runs (8 against Detroit). We scored 8. ( Won 2 lost 1)
Indians have played 2 less games than Tigers & scored 21 more (17 against Detroit). We scored 11. ( Won 0 Lost 3 )
Yankees played 1 less than Tigers & scored 26 more ( 33 against Detroit). We scored 36. ( Won 4 Lost 3 )
Royals Played the same amount & scored 7 more ( 15 against Detroit). We scored 17. ( Won 3 Lost 2 )
Blue Jays played same amount & scored 6 more ( 18 against Detroit). We scored 30. ( Won 3 Lost 2 )
Red Sox played same amount & scored 8 more ( 5 against Detroit). We scored 3. ( Won 0 Lost 2 )
The Tigers are Won 12 & Lost 13 against these top teams.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 3:15 AM EDT up reply actions
My head is kind of spinning but
i think 2 & 3 on your list prove the point about the offense
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I have no idea what his post even means
The only thing I got was the last line, which means we’re OK.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Meaning
1) We have played some good teams this year.
2) How many runs did they score on us.
3) How many runs did we score against them.
4) What is our record against these teams?
5) How many total games have these teams played & how many total runs have they scored to find the differance in runs scored compared to the Tigers.
Understand what I was posting now?
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm only interested in the 12-13 part
We’re fine, especially considering that 25 of our 44 games have been against the top tier of the AL. We’re 14-14 if you add Texas into the mix.
Texas was already added in
The first team. Rangers We are 12 & 13 not 14 & 14.
The rest is to show blogers our offense is not as bad as they think. Cannonad03’s post stated Indians score 5 runs per game. The truth is his numbers are an average not a real accurate post. I posted the numbers showing how many times they did it & how many times the Tigers did it so we could compare.
This is my last post on the subject, time to move on for me.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Their offense only scores 4.5 runs per game
If you take out their two big outbursts of 19 and 12 runs. That’s an entire half run per game less just because they had two big nights.
How do you explain meaning with questions?
The strange part is that you guys basically agree about the pitching vs. offense – I think. All these number hurt my brain.
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
They're a good team because they have a good bullpen
Pitching wins championships. The offense is not the problem.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Runs Scored by American league Teams .500 or over
((25 & 20) Rays Runs=191 Games=45 (scored 4 or more per game= 21)
(24 & 20) Red Sox Runs=201 (but they scored 15 tonight) Games= 44 (4 or more per game=30)
(23 & 20) Yankees Runs=219 Games= 43 (4 or more per game= 30)
(22 & 22) Blue Jays Runs=199 Games= 44 (4 or more per game= 25)
(27 & 15) Indians Runs=214 Games = 42 (4 or more runs per game = 28)
22 & 22) Tigers Runs=193 Games= 44 (scored 4 or more per game= 22)
(22 & 22) Royals Runs=200 Games= 44 (4 or more per game=23)
(23 & 22)Rangers Runs=203 Games= 45 (4 or more per game= 25)
(23 & 23) Angels Runs=181 Games= 46 (4 or more per game= 25)
Runs Allowed for these teams
Rays= 168
Indians= 157
Angels= 177
Yankees= 179
Rangers= 186
Blue Jays= 189
Tigers= 192
Red Sox= 194
Royals= 206
Notice where we are on this list. No team is really running away with a division except the Indians. The rest are all bunched up as average teams I guess.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 2:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Tigers Pitching
has given up 4 or more runs in 23 of our 44 games.
The offence has scored 4 or more runs only 22 out of 44 games.
has given up 6 or more runs in 13 of our 44 games.
The offense has scored 6 or more runs 12 times out of 44 games. Not Bad.
has given up 8 or more runs in 6 of our 44 games.
The offense has scored 8 or more runs 9 times out of 44 games. Not Bad.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 2:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Scoring in a game & average are two differet things
Cleveland has scored 4 or more 27 times & won 24 of them, which means they lost only 3, and they have only played 42 games, not 44.
The Rays have scored 4 or more 21 times, 1 less than Detroit, & won 17 lost 3 in 45 games, Good enough for first place.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions
those stats dont
Tell the entire story though. Honestly how many games would we have won with just one hit. Think about it.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 1:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Cleveland gets the hits we do not.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 1:17 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
im too scared / lazy to look...
But what’s our average compared to plus. 500 teams with risp. Pretty crappy I presume.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 1:27 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
If you're too lazy to look
Don’t make the point in the first place.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Cleveland Scored 5 Or More
Cleveland has scored 5 or more runs 20 times out of 42 games & equals 48% of thier games. Out of those 20 games they lost only 1.
Cleveland has given up 4 or more runs 19 times in 42 games, they won 9 & they lost 10 of them.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 3:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Detroit Scored 5 Or More
Detroit has scored 5 or more runs 18 times out of 44 games & equals 41% of thier games. Out of those 18 games they lost 4 games.
The Tigers have played 2 more games than the Indians but Cleveland has scored 5 or more runs in a game only 2 more times than Detroit.
Notice, Detroit lost 4 of 18, while Cleveland lost 1 of 20.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 4:24 AM EDT up reply actions
This is completely unhelpful in this argument but
I was reading something about President James Garfield after the game last night and I came across this little nugget about his parents’ early struggles in Ohio:
Many did suffer, including Abram and Eliza, who settled along a stagnant and malarial bend in the Cuyahoga River not far from a village of six hundred souls called Cleveland
Later in the same paragraph, there was this – which might describe our recent visit to Cleveland but perhaps portends the future results of the Indians 2011 season:
One widely circulated woodcut showed a prosperous farmer on a sleek horse, with the caption “I am going to Ohio” – and next to that, showed a skeletal man on a broken down nag, with the caption “I have been to Ohio.”
This moment in Ohio history has been brought to you by the University of Toledo and the Belle Tire. We now return you to your regularly scheduled argument about why the Tigers stink.
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the info
Sorry you did not find any good information in my posts.
Fact is, Offense is okay, leave it alone.
Pitching sucks, fix it.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't say there wasn't any good information in your posts.
Maybe too much information – for me. All those numbers swirling around confused me.
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on May 21, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
it pretty plain to see...
Inconsistency is our problem and that’s an inexperience and coaching issue.
Jeff
by cannonad03 on May 21, 2011 12:24 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
In The Standings
The East:
4 teams are witin 2.5 games of each other & Orioles are closer tha the Tigers, only 5 out.
West:
Only 2 are at .500 or better & .5 games apart, but the last place team is only 2.5 games out.
Central:
3 teams at .500 or better but Cleveland is runnung away with it, 6 ahead of second place.
Conclusion:
of the 14 clubs, they are all still in it, Those White Sox are warming up too. Twinns, Never Count Them Out.
by TigersFan1957 on May 21, 2011 4:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Ok they are 500 after 44 games it's not the end of the world or is it.
Jl needs to keep changing the lineup intill someone starts hitting in front of Cabrera and V Mart.And i don’t mean Don Kelly.Put Santiago at second base and bat him #2 in the lineup for now.Sizemore is just not getting the job done right now.Then we need to find a #3 hitter and that is not Boesch.The bullpen is a mess right now but thats partly JL’s fault the way he is using the bullpen.The guys with experence have to be your late inning pitchers or your doomed to fail.Perry,Benoit and Valverde have to get the job done in the late innings.Coke has done a good job starting but the team needs him in the pen right now.
Would like to see Santiago lead off
and play 2nd base full time, followed by Jackson batting second, followed by Sizemore back to Toledo.
Startling stat that Dan and Jim gave on radio last night
Over the last 30 games, Tigers starters ERA is <3. Over that same stretch, the bullpen ERA is >7! (they gave the exact numbers, which I can’t remember).
I know the offense is maddeningly inconsistent, but the bullpen needs some sort of shakeup. And it seems so me that it’s the easiest thing to shake up. There are a lot of things that could be tried with various pitchers in the minors. (not a lot of obvious solutions for 2B offensive production right now)
by Ryan in Brooklyn on May 21, 2011 7:32 AM EDT reply actions
Kurt If Not Sizemore Who Would You Want At 2nd?
We know Rhymes cant handle it. Raburn? Just curious.
by BennieBladesFan on May 21, 2011 9:03 AM EDT reply actions
polanco
why didn’t we take him to arbitration? He has raked the last two years. And it can’t be money, because they spent 8 mil or whatever on Damon last year and he was useless. I just don’t understand why the tigers got rid of a good second baseman when they had no options in the minors. Unless they were so sure the Sizemore was the answer. If that’s the case, what therapist is Dombrowski seing?
DETROIT RED WINGS – "war were declared"
Unless you have a DeLorean
Shut up about Polanco. It’s been 2 years. Let it go.
by Rob Rogacki on May 21, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
why did you tell me to shutup
thats not very nice.
DETROIT RED WINGS – "war were declared"
by Eric @ PRBU on May 21, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I would have written a similar recap.
This game made me sick more than any other ghis season. I hate to lose a 0-1 or 3-4 game, but 1-10? To the Pirates? How many of the first 12 outs were give aways from our line up? That is just stupid. A sure sign of the Apocolypse, except I am still here and we have to do it again tonight.
"This is the Motor City. And this is what we do."
by murrajo on May 21, 2011 9:57 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
If anything, that bothers me the most
It’s ridiculous Valverde didn’t pitch in the 9th inning of a tie game on Thursday, then gets mop up duty because he NEEDS THE WORK on Friday. #facepalm
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
I think that point right there
is proof just how bad the management has been handling difficult situations.
I agree with Kurt—it actually looks like leyland is trying to lose ballgames, and consequently, his job too.
So let me get this straight
We’re .500 after 44 games
Our 2nd best hitter is on the DL
Our starting pitching is performing much better than expected
Austin Jackson is starting to heat up (hitting .324 in May)
We’re 6 games out of 1st place, chasing a team that has had a cakewalk of a schedule so far.
The only games we’ve played against this team so far have been on the road
We don’t need to go to Yankee Stadium or Fenway for the rest of the season; Cleveland does.
We (typically) dominate interleague play.
Brad Thomas can’t hurt us anymore (for a while, at least).
The sky is not falling, people. Well, not yet. About 13 hours to go before we know for sure.
/rapture jokes
I'm gonna be chicken little here
I think the sky is falling. The team is losing with some absolutely stellar starting pitching…I would say that translates well for the rest of the year, but when the bullpen is the exact opposite of the starters, it makes me queasy…The only way i feel comfortable with a lead is if the starter goes 8 and valverde is the only guy we see out of the pen. Even if the bats were working, can’t expect a team to win when the bullpen is getting raked. The pen is consistently giving up more runs in two innings of work than the starters give up through 6 or 7
If this is what we are going to see from the bullpen all year, then this will be a very painful season.
Here's my assessment of the article and comments:
Starting pitching is fine. Starting pitching is great. Complain about Penny and Coke all you want, but they have been above average as 4 and 5 guys.
The offense has been serviceable. Not good. Not bad. But it can keep us in a game. Some nights are better than others, but on the whole— and especially when (if?) Maggs comes back— I think it’s average.
The bullpen has a lot of young, raw talent. Keywords there are young and raw. For instance: Al Al’s slider. These kids can pitch in low-pressure situations, but they’ve struggled more often than not in tight games— and the tight games are due to the average offense. I hoped Benoit was going to be 8th inning stopper like Valverde has been in the ninth, but that hasn’t panned out.
And unfortunately for the offense, I see more regression in the future than improvement. I have a feeling Avila will see a bit of regression, as will Peralta. I think AJax should get his numbers up, but I just read an article that said his numbers now (in the past month) are similar to last year— a very high BABIP, so I’m not very sure what to expect. Maybe he’s just a line-drive hitter that delivers that ridiculous BABIP consistently. Boesch is hard to define too. No idea what to say about him. Maybe you should just use him at the beginning of the season, and when he falls flat put in Raburn for his second half surge. I was just kidding about that, but I think there might be something to it. Cabrera’s been a little cold, so hopefully he’ll warm up a bit. And Sizemore has been disappointing thus far. He’s seeing a decent amount of pitches, but I think he needs to be more aggressive at the plate.
unfortunately we are average at best...
it is very hard to win a championship however the guys running the team have mediocre records at best. dombrowski has been a GM since 1988 and has won a world series with 20 DNQ for the playoffs. he has been in Detroit since 2002 and we have the 24th ranked farm in the majors and we feature mostly power arms and many more that are not a complete pitcher package. leyland has managed for 20 years and has one world series title. we have also benefitted from a free spending owner…i think the problem starts before we hit the field.
i do not want to criticize a guy for his decisions as we have the benefit of hindsight however every good move …scherzer etc is accompanied by a bad one …polanco.
i think mr illitch might want to make a move in the office. JMHO
cheers
by Charlie Mcgeehan on May 21, 2011 3:50 PM EDT reply actions
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