You can't win if you don't score...or get pitchers out: Dodgers' Kershaw shuts out Tigers, 4-0
by BigAl on Jun 21, 2011 1:51 AM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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KEY STAT
P Clayton Kershaw: 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB.
Kershaw's night at the plate was indicative of the Tigers inability to get National League pitchers out on this road trip. In four games, the opposing pitchers have a pair of bases-loaded singles, three walks, and five RBI in four games.
Ridiculous.
You'd think National League teams would start batting their pitchers cleanup against the Tigers. Hell, the Tigers seem to pitch around them like they're Babe Ruth reincarnated.
KEY PLAY
Juan Uribe homered in the 1st inning, giving Kershaw and the Dodgers all the runs they would need.
DUMB PLAY
With the game still in doubt, in the 3rd inning of a 1-0 game, Ryan Raburn got himself picked off of 3rd base by Dodgers catcher Dioner Navarro, ending the Tigers' only real scoring threat.
We already knew Raburn is no Kershaw at the plate. Turns out Kershaw is a batter base runner too!
KEY THOUGHTS
It was Kershaw's night. The Dodgers' starter threw a two hit, 11 K, complete game shutout, dominating the Tigers. An ace showed up with his ace stuff. Sometimes that happens...just ask any team having to face Justin Verlander.
Brad Penny had a quality start for the Tigers (6 IP. 7 H, 2 R), but got no run support. Penny deserved better.
Daniel Schlereth relieved Penny. Yes, it went just as you would expect. He walked the lead off man in the 7th. Not cool. Schlereth got out of trouble thanks to Victor Martinez throwing out Dee Gordon stealing.
But Jim Leyland must have felt like living dangerously, sending Schlereth back out for the 8th. The lefty wasn't so lucky this time around. As usual, he walked the lead off man. The Dodgers went on to load the bases, so Joaquin Benoit had to come in and try to clean up Schlereth's mess. But Kershaw got his bat on a good pitch (low and inside), grounding it through the hole in the right side of the infield. If the game wasn't over beforehand, it was when it became apparent Schlereth couldn't throw strikes...again.
I'll give Leyland, who was asked about him in the post game, the final say on Schlereth:
"You got to throw your fastball for strikes. You can't, then you got issues."
Schlereth's got issues.
But it's all moot, because Kershaw was lights out. If the Dodgers could get one run, the Tigers weren't going to beat him. The Dodgers did, and the Tigers didn't.
On the bright side, both the Indians and White Sox lost. No changes in the standings tonight. The Tigers remain one game back in the Central.
The only good thing about tonight's game? Those of you with one of the MLB TV/internet packages got to hear the great Vin Scully call the the game on the Dodgers' feed.
As a diehard American League fan, I don't enjoy at all the Senior Circuit's style of baseball. The games are slow, the strategy is overrated (OMG, a double switch!) and pitchers batting is as silly as letting NFL place kickers play every down as running backs.
Unless those pitchers are facing the Tigers, of course.
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Kershaw can do this
I really believe that he is a star in the making. Jason Beck had a couple of Leyland quotes on Twitter:
The way Kershaw was pitching, Leyland said, “We had no shot.” Can’t remember last time I heard him say that about opposing pitcher.
Leyland: “We could’ve played another three or four innings and we weren’t going to hit that guy. Not tonight. He was tremendous.”
That pitch that Kershaw hit through the gap on the right side for a two run single was literally an inch or two off the ground. Can’t fault Benoit for that.
Got my tickets for tomorrow night’s game. Tigerdog’s birthday party is at Chavez Ravine!
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
You're going too?
Nice! We’ll be off in the left field pavilion, a group of nine of us rooting for Detroit!
Vin Scully is one of the best things about the Dodgers, hands down.
(So, Tigerdog1, go to the Coney in WeHo yet?)
I'll be there too...
Rollin Solo Though…. so I’m gonna find the cheapest ticket I can… the closest to the visitors dugout.
"Lemme Tell you why I have confidence in the long term future of this team... It's #9, That's why I have confidence in the long term future of this Team." - Jim Schwartz
Left Field it is!
Sec 307, row B- six of us
I will probably have my Tiger jersey on with No. 68 and the name “Harwell” on the back
I’m coming up from the OC, so haven’t been to West Hollywood for a while. Is it good?
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
307!
We’re in Row G. I’ll be wearing a tigers cap (obvs) and will be bearded. I’ll try to keep my girlfriend from wearing her Indians cap.
I haven’t made it over there yet — the Coney just opened on Sunday — but my friends say it’s good. I want to go because they have Michigan beers.
No Scully
I have the package (TV) and it was the FSD broadcast in HD…I was upset about this, I am stuck listening to any number of awful announcers any time the Tigers are on the road, yet they go to LA and give the Detroit broadcast so I can’t listen to Vin do his one man show thing
by WorldSeriesTiger on Jun 21, 2011 9:16 AM EDT reply actions
Schelerth? Really?
Why is he still in the mix here?
Raburn getting picked off was absurd.
There was no reason for him to be straddling off the bag with 2 outs. Just when you think he can’t f*&^ things up anymore between his feeble .200 average and shitty fielding, he finds another way to do it…on the basepaths.
Schlerath looks to me that he is overthrowing his fastball. He has a much more fluid motion with his other pitches, but he is trying to get something extra on his heater or something and invariably throws it for balls.
As great as Scully is, and I agree he is amopng the best ever, he’s been losing ita bit lately. Living in So Cal. I hear him often and he consistantly makes a number of mistakes. F’rinstance, yesterday he referred tio the Tigers as the Pirates once, and the Indians another time. He also confused a couple players with each other. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a true treasure and when he retires, it will truly be the end of an era. But he’s in his 80’s now, and he simply is not as sharp as he has been in years past.
"i think it will be mostly feast the rest of the year,"
The best part of the Raburn pickoff
Is that the catcher looked around Jackson and nodded to the 3B, who then patted his glove to accept the sign. How much more obvious did it have to be for Ryan? You know, aside from the 3B coming over and telling him.
I hate Jonathon Ericsson.
Absolutely
When are the TIgers going to be tired of his BS play?
It's completely inexcusable.
Little leaguers wouldn’t make that mistake.
I didn’t see the head nod but it makes sense with the mindtrust of Raburn and Lamont at third neither would pick it up. Not to mention it was Dodger backups at both positions pulling it off.
"i think it will be mostly feast the rest of the year,"
I've seen it happen plenty of times in MLB
In the same game, VMart almost picked-off Matt Kemp at 2B, but made a wild throw.
Pudge was famous for picking off runners. Some catchers have a knack for it.
Dioner Navarro, the Dodgers catcher, is a solid defensive catcher, and a former All-Star when he was with Tampa Bay.
Have you seen it happen plenty of times at third...with 2 outs?
What possible advantage would Raburn have had getting a large lead in that situation? Why was he so far off the bag with a non-contact hitter up, and the third baseman playing close to the base because of AJ’s speed?
"i think it will be mostly feast the rest of the year,"
If there was a wild pitch or passed ball, he was ready to score.
That was probably the only way he was going to score.
Well, he sure wasn't gonna give AJ a chance to knock hiim in.
And considering Kershaw hasn’t thrown a WP this year and there was “a solid defensive former all-star catcher” behind the plate, maybe it was a tad unwise to be so far off the bag.
It was a bonehead, terrible baseball play. And if you asked me before the game what Tiger would have gotten picked off in that situation, I would have only needed one guess to get it right. Hmmm, maybe not. The thought of Raburn being on third in the first place is pretty extraordinary.
"i think it will be mostly feast the rest of the year,"
I would of guessed Cabrera
He easily makes the most base running mistakes on the team.
Exactly
How do Lamont AND Raburn both miss that? Is anyone paying any attention to what is going on around them? How much longer do we let this crap go? Are there not better alternatives out there for everyday second base? It is a joke, it has to be some kind of joke. If he hadn’t been one of the only two players to get a hit last night it would of been all the more hilarious right?
Trapped a Detroit Sports Fan Forever
by Panic in Detroit on Jun 21, 2011 12:59 PM EDT reply actions
Honestly, what else is Lamont doing?
I don’t think he was busy flashing squeeze signs to AJ with 2 outs. Maybe he couldn’t see the Dodgers backup-backup catcher over his overextended gut.
Crap like that makes me frigging sick. I don;t get that upset that Kershaw pitched great and shut us down…it’s part of the game and he threw a gem. But STUPID baesball drives me absolutely crazy.
"i think it will be mostly feast the rest of the year,"
Baseball is game of mistakes and stupid plays.
In baseball, no 2 plays are exactly the same. At one moment a difficult play might look routine, the next moment it can look like a failed juggling act. I think the game is amazing in that it can take all the chaotic randomness that happens and simplify it down into a box score. We can understand the box score, but we usually won’t understand how it got there.
If baseball is a game of mistakes and stupid plays,
then the Tigers would have a many more wins, and Leyland would have been Manager Of The Year for the past 4 years. If this is your conception of the game of baseball, you are probably the happiest Tiger fan on the planet, and are probably guaranteed to be in a perpetual state of bliss as long as Leyland is managing.
I wish for the Tigers to play the Reds in the 2011 World Series. And Sparky will be in heaven.
by Eye of the Tiger on Jun 21, 2011 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Well then
Just look at some box scores. Does it ever list the great plays that a fielder makes? No it doesn’t, but it does tell you if a player made a fielding error. Many people call it the game of failure.
And Raburn is an All Star
I wish for the Tigers to play the Reds in the 2011 World Series. And Sparky will be in heaven.
by Eye of the Tiger on Jun 21, 2011 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Raburn and Casper Wells had our only 2 hits.
Without them, Kershaw probably would of had a no hitter.
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