Tigers less worse than Twins, come back from 3 runs down in 8-7 win
by BigAl on May 31, 2011 11:50 PM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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PrintKEY STAT
An 8-0 W/L record.
The Tigers are undefeated against the Twins this season, and have beaten them eight consecutive games going back to 2010. This 8-0 streak is not even close to making up for all the bad, bad things the Tigers suffered at the hands of the Twins over lo these many years...but it's a start.
KEY PLAY
Any play not involving Ryan Raburn on defense. Other than that, lets go with Brennan Boesch's 8th inning sac fly, knocking in Danny Worth with the game winning run.
KEY THOUGHTS
For a win, there's plenty to be uptight about.
First, we have to talk about the .195 hitting Raburn...and I'm not going to bitch about his bat, easy target it may be.
His glove, or to be correct, the lack thereof, directly cost the Tigers three runs tonight. Amazingly, he wasn't charged with an error, meaning Raburn put the hurt to Scherzer's ERA.
In the 1st inning, Raburn misplayed Danny Valencia's two out liner into a double. The inning extended, he scored on Delmon Young's single
In the 2nd, Raburn broke in on Matt Tolbert's fly, misplaying what should have been out number one into a double. Tolbert would go on to score on a sac fly. As Raburn's misplay again extended an inning, Justin Morneau came to the plate with two outs. He took Scherzer yard for the first of his two home runs on the night.
Raburn's awful defensive play single handedly put the Tigers in a 3-0 hole. A hole they were ultimately able to climb out of...but one they shouldn't have had to climb out of in the first place.
Wasn't it just a few days ago Jim Leyland said (with extreme conviction, mind you) Raburn was his starting 2nd baseman for the foreseeable future? Then why was Raburn back in left field four days later? (Answer: Because Leyland wanted extra RH bats in the order...even if those bats were the light hitting Raburn and Worth) The guy has enough trouble playing one position, let alone two. Moving him around the field is only asking for trouble...and Raburn, as is his wont, found it.
As a public service, I'm posting this list for Leyland.
Things Ryan Raburn can catch: A predator, a cold, a bus, a cab, a fish, a wave, a ride, a thief. Things Ryan Raburn can't catch: A baseball.
I have to ask. How can a team expecting to compete for a division title hope to win games with a .195 hitting defensive butcher in the everyday lineup?
Leyland sure knows how to lie convincingly. His quote from the post game about Raburn's misadventures proves it:
"He's played good left field this year."
Max Scherzer again struggled: 6.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO. But I'm willing to cut Scherzer a little slack for a couple of reasons. One, Raburn. Two, Leyland allowed a visibly struggling Scherzer to pitch into the 7th, where he was ultimately dinged for three additional runs.
With a runner on 2nd, and 1st base open, Leyland never should have allowed Scherzer to pitch to Morneau. It's even more questionable strategy considering the Tigers have eleventy-billion LH relievers. But he left Scherzer in, and Morneau hit a game tying two run home run. In relief, Charlie Furbushg came in to face the LH hitting Jim Thome...and made him look silly on a swinging strikeout. Couldn't Furbush have pitched to Morneau? If he wasn't ready, what about using David Purcey, who the Tigers were oh so desperate to acquire? I'm just asking, they're legit questions.
Given a real left fielder and if he had been pulled after muddling through six innings, Scherzer's start wouldn't have looked nearly so bad.
But the Tigers somehow came back from the early three run deficit, and won the game. You can thank Boesch (2 RBI), Miguel Cabrera (didn't have a hit...because the Twins would rather walk him 3 times than have him swing the bat) Victor Martinez (2 hits, 1 RBI) Jhonny Peralta (2 hits, 2 RBI), the Tigers' effective bullpen (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R), along with the Twins' not-so-effective pitching staff (8 R, 12 H, 5 BB) and their Raburn-like defense (2 errors).
The Tigers are winning games again, and not a moment too soon.
But it's funny how a come from behind, last at bat win can be so unsatisfying. I think it's because it didn't need to be a come from behind, last at bat win. Managerial decisions made it one.
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at the point
we start criticizing Leyland for pitching to a guy hitting .247, who isn’t taking walks, and has 3 HR in 200 PAs we have jumped the shark.
But it's Justin Morneau
He’s not some no name with those numbers. He’s a veteran guy who, pinched nerve or not, had already hit a home run earlier in the game. There’s no reason to pitch to him in that situation.
Exactly
It wasn’t Adam Everett up there. It was a recent MVP who is still in the prime of his career. No, he’s not MVP caliber right now, but he still has the tools and shows those flashes from time to time. You know, like he did last night.
I hate Jonathon Ericsson.
ok
so pitch around him to get to a better hitter right now, because he won an MVP in 2006…Jimmy Rollins won an MVP in 07 guess teams should pitch around him all the time too.
We're not talking all the time
We’re talking about a specific situation where first base was open and a right handed hitter who was having trouble with Scherzer was hitting directly after Morneau. There was no reason whatsoever to pitch to him. You would pitch around Rollins to get to Howard in the same situation if you had a lefty on the mound.
Miggy vs Vmart
Miggy is hitting 286/407/473 in May
Vmart is hitting 337/406/547 in May
People would still rather pitch to Vmart than Miggy, and rightfully so. There is no question that Miggy is bar far the bigger threat, just like there is no question that Morneau is the bigger threat.
Even without hindsight, walking Morneau, when your pitcher is starting to struggle a bit and you just want to milk one more out from him, was the right move. Or bringing in one of the 3 left-handers you have in the pen if you insist on pitching to him.
Leyland addmitted he screwed up in the post game
Leyland talking about using Furbush against Morneau, Via Beck’s Blog: "I mean, it was set up perfect, and I blew it. It was my fault. Nobody’s fault but mine. And the guys picked me up tonight. That’s a good feeling. They picked the manager up. It was a bad decision."
At least Leyland knows it was the wrong decision…even if hindsight is 20/20.
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
I dont disagree
that having Furbush pitch there would have been a good decision. I took the original comment as meaning Morneau should have be put on base, I may have been mistaken.
I think we all agree, bringing in Furbush makes this all moot
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
My point was...
If Sherzer stays in, Morneau should be walked. Sherzer was shaky, Morneau already took him deep, he has the ability to do it again, and the game is potentially on the line. But if Furbush were coming in, then you pitch to Morneau. Not only was the better option not taken (Furbush) but the 2nd best option was not taken (IBB).
I hate Jonathon Ericsson.
The Reason I Would Have Pulled Him
He did not have his best stuff yesterday. He was looking tired to me, but I’m watching on TV, A left handed batter who had already gone deep once, Bring in Furbush would have been my choice. This was not 20/20, it was what I would have done. Even after the wild pitch & a run scored, go get him right then. I was not blaming anyone, I just thought he looked tired
by TigersFan1957 on Jun 1, 2011 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Too many excuses being made for Max tonight.
I’m as big a Scherzer fan as anyone, and he certainly wasn’t getting any help from Raburn in those first two innings, but he didn’t pitch well, either. Raburn didn’t make him throw 2 awful pitches to Morneau that ended up in the seats. Scherzer should have been able to handle the 7th inning.
I agree that Scherzer should have been able to handle the 7th inning
But he shouldn’t have had to pitch to Morneau during that inning. That situation was tailor made for an IBB so that he could face face the righty Cuddyer instead (who he plunked anyway, but whatever). This decision is just mind-boggling when you consider how often Leyland likes to tinker with his lineup to get the right matchup (see: Raburn, Ryan in LF)
Raburn's making me feel good
I played second for a handful of games in my RecEd softball league, and managed to play about as well as Raburn — batted around .195, cost the team three runs — pretty much nightly.
In my defense, I was usually drunk, don’t get paid to play softball, and was one of the better players on the team.
by Joshsteich on Jun 1, 2011 12:46 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Best comment of the night. Kudos.
Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Drink, and Fight!
by Brand New Hero on Jun 1, 2011 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
There is a lot to be happy about tonight
- The Tigers finish May with a win pct of .592- that’s tops in the Central and 2nd in the AL
- Eight straight over the Stinkin Twinkees! Gotta love that
- Benoit gets a save. Very Rodney like indeed, but a save is a save.
- BTW, the Tigers improved on their league leading save pct, now 79%
- And the Tiger bullpen vacated last place in Bullpen ERA, now occupied by the Twinkies
That combination of high pen ERA and league leading saves indicates that the back end of the pen is better than the “soft under belly” of inexperienced pitchers in middle relief. I’m betting that this talented young crop of relievers will be impressive before the season is over.
- AJax is starting to come out of his funk. .321 OBP for May, not great but better. .333 the past week is more like it.
- Leyland actually used a defensive replacement for Raburn. Not long ago, Raburn WAS the defensive replacement. Did JL start ignoring RZR?
- Inge and Raburn actually got back to back hits, and there was nobody coming up to strand the runners!
- The offense bailed out a shaky starting performance for the second night in a row. That has been all too rare this season.
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
One more thing
Detroit leads the majors in slugging at C, 1B, and SS. VMart comes in at 3 for DH.
The other players are practically nonexistent, but I have faith that things will come around. If they just approach league averages, things will be okay.
don't forget
Furbush and Wilk pitched almost 13 of those relief innings that has lowered that bullpen era, in fact the only run given up by the bullpen in a while was Valverde’s HR to Ortiz, don’t over sell the back end of the pen they have been good as late but I don’t even know that it’s a strength.
Bizarro Leyland am say Ryan Raburn am good fielder.
Bizarro Leyland am say Ryan Raburn never strike out. Bizarro Leyland now stay to not smoke and hates Twinkies!
I have a grand idea: let's win a game.
C'mon defense and catching the ball
is way overrated.That’s just the kind of thing that guys who don’t know bleep about baseball
complain about when they call radio talk shows to hear themselves talk. Y’know Kurt, if you had
played six years of minor league ball like Jimbo you would understand that. :p
Actually, I just think that Leyland didn’t get a chance to finish his thought. What he meant to say was “He’s played good left field this year…when he’s been at second base.”
I'm encouraged by the bullpen.
Alburquerque is beginning to look like the real thing—something special. And in context, Benoit’s performance was huge. The guy is struggling with his problems—but beating them.
Agree about the pen
Alberquerque’s too young to be intimidated so he’s just going out there and throwing strikes for the hell of it. It may be different the next time these batters see him, but it’s sure fun now.
I’m impressed with Benoit, too. He could have folded completely after that stretch of gruesome outings and just taken his money to sit these games out. But he faced his demons, didn’t make excuses to the media and looks better every time he’s out there.
"Some guy told me I should walk with the Lord. I'd rather walk with the bases loaded" Ken Singleton
Lots of encouraging signs
They came back twice in the game something they haven’t been doing much all year. I agree with rea that AA looks like the real deal too. They scored 8 runs and Cabrera didn’t get a hit. Boesch hit a long fly when we needed a long fly. Inge had a two-hit game (his first since the George W. administration, I believe).
That's George Washington, right?
Rooting for Tiger stripes, not pinstripes
by JerseyTigerFan on Jun 1, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Dirks is going to be a hero, assist to smokey
maybe Leyland wants to set Dirks up for cult status, that is the only thing that makes any sense with his comments but then again he isn’t that smart, maybe Lamont suggested it. The kid plays a good leftfield, above average but compared to Raburn he looks a cross between God, Ty Cobb, Brooks Robinson and a young Barry Bonds. Boesch isn’t exactly a wizard either so if he plays 2 thirds of the time and they stick Raburn and Boesch in there on other days it will only make his good D look historically great.
Plus the kid can swing the stick a little. Everybody already knows Raburn sucks in the field , actually 2nd is his best position which isn’t exactly saying much but if Leyland is trying to build confidence in Dirks it was a great comment.
Lamont suggested for Leyland to stop talking.
Leyland talked through the sign.
I hate Jonathon Ericsson.
by Brion on Jun 1, 2011 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
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