Tigers score 8 unanswered runs, beat the Twins
by Kurt Mensching on Sep 9, 2011 11:18 PM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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MAGIC NUMBER
10. By the way, the Tigers and Phillies are tied at 10 for the lowest magic number in the MLB.
KEY STATS
8 unanswered runs scored by the Tigers after Brad Penny falls behind 4-0 in the first.
7 consecutive wins by the Tigers put them 20 games over 500 for the first time since July 2007.
KEY PLAY
Among several keys, Alex Avila's 3-run home run in the second inning stands out. It got the Tigers back into the game after they trailed by four. Wilson Betemit's triple tied the game at 4-4 in the fourth.
I'll list Ramon Santiago's and Delmon Young's home runs as well to remind you Detroit hit three in a game. Use that info to your advantage if you can. Santiago's accounted for the game-winning runs.
KEY THOUGHTS
I don't think I can say Holy Cow often enough with this team. Or any other kind of holy, to be honest. I mean, at this point you're almost waiting for a loss. More than once the team has fallen behind pretty good and you think, This is finally the game they lose. Yet the batters find their giddyup and the next thing you know Detroit's leading. You can't explain it other than to thank the baseball gods and credit everything for going right at the right time.
Brad Penny started off pretty awful, you can't deny. For awhile you wondered how he'd make it out of the first inning as the Twins pushed the lead to 4-0 before the Tigers even batted. The second inning didn't start off much better for him when the first two Twins batters reached base. Then a funny thing happened. An out. Then a double play. Then a three-batter third. Then a 1-2-3 fourth and a 1-2-3 fifth. Before you knew it, Penny had 12 outs in 11 batters and made it through five innings. Where was that Penny in the first inning? Who knows. But he bared down and gave his team a chance to come back. Commendable. That helped Brad Penny reach the 10 win mark on the year.
Bonus info: Neither Daniel Schlereth nor Ryan Perry walked anyone in a combined 2 innings on the mound!
Naturally the batters did what the batters do. This team has been hitting the ball quite well since mid-August. (You can pretty much trace it back to the addition of Delmon Young, though you don't want to give him all the credit. Pretty much everyone has been hitting the ball well since then.)
Tigers are on the Fox Saturday game tomorrow. I'll be enjoying an afternoon with the puppy and his littermates for a 6-months-old reunion, but Al will be your host.
COOL CHART
I love it when the chart does an about-face like that. So you know I have to post.
via fangraphs.com
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Comments
The Tigers are like zombies
You can’t stop them- they just keep coming.
"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke
Contributor, Bless You Boys
what team. what a month of baseball.
My only concern is the quality of teams they’re playing now vs. what they’ll face in ALDS. This might be the best Tigers team we’ve seen since ‘84. Or they’re just playing Minnesota, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore, etc etc. No doubt they’re really good.
But I really don’ t know, anymore, how they match up against the BoSox, Rangers, and Phillies (their most likely path to a championship).
The way the Red Sox have been lately, don't be surprised if the Rays overtake them.
I’d even go so far as to give them a 10% chance of pulling it off, given that the Rays have been playing better than every non-Detroit team over the past month. Wade Davis (who has been their Brad Penny in terms of effectiveness) shut that Boston lineup down tonight.
by thepartybird on Sep 9, 2011 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Angels have a shot too, only 6.5 back
Fan of the Tigers ~ Red Wings ~ Lions - No Better Town to be a sports fan of!
Avid Gamer and Anime Junkie
and the Rays and Bosox play each other seven games in the next week and a half.
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
I think Boston's going to recover
but anything is possible still.
by Kurt Mensching on Sep 9, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions
They suddenly have serious issues in their rotation
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
Which is why I want to see them in the ALDS
God ain't got no use for a 180 lb bag of sugar.
except
For the last few years the less talented teams have seemed like the bigger challenge for them. They would “get up” for the best teams, play well, and give them fits if they didn’t win, and then play poorly against the teams they “should” be beating handily.
This time, they are winning against the teams they should be winning against. I think it might show a greater focus on the end result of “just get a dang win” instead of “get a win against this specific team.” That can’t be anything other than a good thing.
Random nonsense at @Baroque97
"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)
I think we're seeing the effects of buyers vs. sellers
Although the Tigers haven’t been sellers in a long time, we haven’t exactly been big-time buyers either…not like this year (adding Fister, Young, Betemit, and Pauley). At the trade deadline (and shortly after) our team addressed four holes. Meanwhile, teams like Minnesota created a hole or four by dealing their players. Our soft schedule has given us a bunch of sellers to play for the last month of baseball and it’s like a MLB team vs. a AAA team on most nights.
That being said, we’re still playing great baseball. I don’t want to take credit away from the team and what they’ve accomplished. We’re a much better team than we were before the deadline and it shows.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Pauley
Anyone know why Pauley is not being used? Injury? In Leyland’s doghouse? I thought he was a great pickup
He usually only pitches when he we are losing
That hasn’t happened much lately.
by Keith-Allen on Sep 10, 2011 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
my guess
Is that he’s just the new guy who Leyland hasn’t quite figured out yet. The other bullpen arms are known quantities, he isn’t so much. Probably why Leyland wants to get him some innings in less important situations, so he can figure him out a bit more and decide where to use him most effectively.
He’s got a couple years on his contract, too. I think he’ll find a spot. Just easier to slot in a starting pitcher because their role is more defined, I think.
Random nonsense at @Baroque97
"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)
Also
The Tigers are 20 games above .500, 17-4 streak, whoda thunk it
Fan of the Tigers ~ Red Wings ~ Lions - No Better Town to be a sports fan of!
Avid Gamer and Anime Junkie
Is that an accurate stat?
If the Tigers lost 10 of the games they had won, they’d be at .500. Doesn’t it make more sense to say they are 10 games over?
they'd have to lose 20 straight to be at a .500 record
so yeah. but you’re right in saying if 10 wins were losses they’d be .500.
So really, it looks like this in the standings.
GB
Tigers —
.500 10
by Kurt Mensching on Sep 10, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
That's just how people say it.
The differences between that and being “10 games back” is kind of weird, though.
Guess it makes sense though.
.500 isn’t going to come up and catch you, you have to lose 20 to get there. The team 10 games back could catch you in 10 games.
What an amazing roll
and what a great time for it. This is some of the best baseball that the Tigers have played this century.
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
Schlereth did have a HBP
but no BB’s. He’s a work in progress, we hope.
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
the bullpen in generals
pitched a lot better the last 3 weeks, definetly can’t complain
Fan of the Tigers ~ Red Wings ~ Lions - No Better Town to be a sports fan of!
Avid Gamer and Anime Junkie
Helps that the starters are going deeper into games
and that the lineup gives them eight to eighteen runs a night lately.
I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!
or the fact that the lineup can clear you of any screwups
aka Penny as of late (last Saturday and tonight being PRIME examples)
Fan of the Tigers ~ Red Wings ~ Lions - No Better Town to be a sports fan of!
Avid Gamer and Anime Junkie
I can't even believe some of the stuff that's been happening
4 down.
No problem.
We need the top competitors to split.
No problem.
You know I'm right about this.
Some local morning show guy came on the PA last night before the fireworks
And his line was something to the effect of “What a great team we’ve got, we can even spot the opposing team four runs in the top of the first and go on to win big.”
God, this schedule
I knew it would be easy, but I didn’t know it would be this easy.
Now I know...
…we like to use expressions like ‘dumpster fire’ and ‘has no idea what a strike zone is’ when describing Schlereth, but since his last call up, he has been almost irreplaceable in the pen and seems to be the guy who has picked it up an AlAl’s absence and really bolstered the bullpen with Coke in a platoon 7th inning guy. He has been rock solid and is making the guy who graded him at a ‘B-’ earlier in the year less and less retarded.
God ain't got no use for a 180 lb bag of sugar.
I agree, Schlereth has been nearly unhittable since coming back
In 18.1 IP, 9 hits, 1.96 ERA, 0.98 WHIP.
I don’t mind the walks if he’s getting guys out.
He’s probably better than Mitch Williams ever was.
No
I’m still pretty mind-numbingly dumb for that move. Schlereth will crap the bed soon enough, and people will be calling for his head.
Yes, I’m still unconvinced that he can find the bloody strike zone.
"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 Sep 10, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
You don't need to throw strikes all the time
The best way to get batters out to get them to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone. Mix in some deception with the wildness, and the outs get easier.
See: Alburquerque, Al
His control isn’t good, but his stuff is filthy and he hits the zone enough to make the hitter take the bat off their shoulder. And if you strike out every other batter, not many of your BB will score.
Schlereth, however, doesn’t have the luxuries that AlAl has. He doesn’t have quite as good of stuff. He doesn’t K as many as Al does and he gets hit harder when he does get hit. The key is keeping the walks down.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
The key is to prevent baserunners.
Schlereth is a great LOOGY. He has a .154 AVG and .507 OPS against Left Handed Hitters. He also has a 3.1 K/W ratio vs Lefties. It’s the Righties he has problems against.
by Keith-Allen on Sep 10, 2011 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I said LESS retarded
im still giving you plenty of credit, but if he goes the last part if the season and keeps his current pace, we may have to herald you a genius…
You walked that fine line between madness and brilliance and there is still time to see what side you are on
God ain't got no use for a 180 lb bag of sugar.
There is still plenty to root for
Tigers chasing the Yankees.
Rays chasing the Red Sox.
Angels chasing the Rangers and Red Sox.
Wouldn’t it be funny to see the Red Sox bounced from the playoff picture?
We're 5.5 games back of the Yankees
While it’s definitely not out of the question, I’d be fine with simply holding Texas off for the #2 spot and home field in the first round. Still, it would be nice to finish the season with the best record in the AL.
It's funny
Time spent worrying and/or wondering which team would rattle off a 17-4 run to chase down the Tigers……………..and it was the Tigers who ran off the streak.
It wasn’t the Twins, it wasn’t the White Sox. It was the Tigers. That.just.feels.good.
"The rose goes in the front, big fella"
by Singledigit on Sep 10, 2011 1:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
As Leyland would put it, we were due.
We payed our dues.
What's even more impressive
41-21 against our own division
The only team better against their division is Milwaukee at 45-26
Don't Panic!
Oh wait..no it's not!
Tigers are at 66% winning against while the Brewers are at 63%
Go Tigers Go!
Don't Panic!
Which division is worse?
It’s a toss-up….
"I believe in a good kick in the ass. This— I believe. " -- Walker Percy
I tweet about stuff sometimes @jackhitts.
I'm watching the archived game on MLB.tv
Best Rod quote of the day (even better than the “midget” kerfuffle): “There’s that sneaky power again! Sneaky, sneaky sneakyyyyyyy!” The vocal tone (in that sing-song-y voice) is priceless.
"I believe in a good kick in the ass. This— I believe. " -- Walker Percy
I tweet about stuff sometimes @jackhitts.
Big Fan
I was born a Tiger way back in 1979 and my first tattoo was an Olde Englishe D because I love the Tigers that much. I get p!$$ed off if they lose, but doesn’t everybody. Through bad times and good, I stuck thru it. This is like heaven right now for me. I work the 2nd shift and cant watch them as I’d like to but I follow them on my phone religiously.
I am an avid follower of Bless You Boys but I rarely comment because by the time I get home from work You All have expressed similar rants or raves on OUR TIGERS.
Magic Number of 10. LETS GO TIGERS!!!!
#crickets
Random nonsense at @Baroque97
"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)
I still think Leyland's a tactical retard
But then again, no manager (save for maybe Manny Acta or Joe Maddon) does a good job with tactics.
"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 Sep 10, 2011 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions
No one said anything about how nice it is to CRUSH the Twins.
And i should add the White Soxs and Indians too.This is the way it should always be.
Got it rolling!, Keep it rolling!
Go Tigers!
Reporter: What would you say a Greg Studrawa offense is like? Stud:
"Attack and be very physical…fly around…attacking, come after you and come after you and come after you…." Me: I love this answer.
GET TO THE RIM HEAT (and SKY)! ATTACK THE PAINT!
of course
It’s in the nature of fans to worry.
Random nonsense at @Baroque97
"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)
Never much cared for
the “5th starter” excuse.
Why does any starter have to be “good for a 5th starter”?
Why not a true #1, and bunch of guys pitching their brains out trying to be #2’s? Or, #1’s?………heaven forbid.
The run starts in 2012. A true #1, and four guys pitching like crazy trying to be #2’s. Max, Rick, Jacob, and Doug. JV leading the way. To hell with that “good for a #5” thing.
A 5 year run…………………….and it’s coming soon.
Justin can now let the fungus grow back on his shower shoes.
by Singledigit on Sep 10, 2011 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
That's fine
You can keep dreaming. I’ll chill here in reality.
Generally, teams don’t have an Ace with four #2 pitchers behind him. That’s why it matters to have a good fifth starter.
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