Bless You Boys: All Posts by Kurt MenschingA detailed list of nope about the Detroit Tigershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47585/default.png2018-02-22T10:52:15-05:00https://www.blessyouboys.com/authors/kurt-mensching/rss2018-02-22T10:52:15-05:002018-02-22T10:52:15-05:00This time, it’s goodbye
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<p>This is my final post at Bless You Boys after more than seven years. It’s been an honor and a pleasure</p> <p id="nm0gys">Like a player or manager, I knew this was a day that would come. That doesn’t make it any easier. </p>
<p id="t0B69I">I started writing about the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> in 2006, with the philosophy I’d write the stories I wanted to read. In late 2009, I took over as the editor of Bless You Boys. In the years after that, I played an ever-changing role with SBNation.com, helping to find and develop so many of the voices you can read there today. In doing so, I had to cut back the time I could spend at Bless You Boys, but with Rob and his team it was always in good hands, and I tried to contribute behind the scenes and write when I could. </p>
<p id="glrgmt">Wednesday, I was laid off by Vox Media. as they went in a different direction from my department. As such, I have no role that I can play at Bless You Boys. Last time was “you’ll still see me around.” This time, it’s goodbye. This chapter in my life was a happy one, but now it’s over.</p>
<p id="T6KJ99">I cannot yet tell you what the future will bring. Maybe I’ll still be in the business writing, editing, or helping the next generation learn the ropes. I’d like that. Maybe I should take this as a signal it’s time to get out and see how to apply my abilities in other ways. I hope the coming days and weeks will help me decide.</p>
<p id="BSP6tU">I want to thank each and every one of you who read my words along the way. Writing is a funny, solitary thing, you type words onto a screen and somewhere people who don’t even know you find them and read them. I am always amazed to hear the impact I’ve had on people’s lives. </p>
<p id="yXKmb4">It’s been an honor to have you as readers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2018/2/22/17040062/this-time-its-goodbyeKurt Mensching2018-01-03T10:38:01-05:002018-01-03T10:38:01-05:00Baseball America names top Tigers prospects for 2018
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<figcaption>Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The site announced their top ten prospect rankings Wednesday</p> <p id="8EWjX3">Baseball America announced its <a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2018-detroit-tigers-top-10-prospects/">Detroit Tigers 2018 prospect rankings</a> on Wednesday, and you can begin to get a sense for how the franchise’s rebuild might pay off. Franklin Perez, acquired when Detroit traded <span>Justin Verlander</span> to the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> at the last minute in August, and 2017 first-round draft pick Alex Faedo were atop the list. Both are talented young pitchers leading the charge as the organization’s arms-first philosophy begins to take shape.</p>
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<p id="O7MgU6">In fact, four of the top ten prospects on the list are right-handed starting pitchers, and three of them were drafted in the first round, with Matt Manning and Beau Burrows rounding out BA’s top four. Manning was the Tigers’ 2016 first-round pick. A year earlier, the team drafted Burrows. </p>
<p id="3J1UvR">You can also see how important trading Verlander appears to be for the team’s future. Perez instantly became the organization’s top prospect, while catcher Jake Rogers ranks fifth and outfielder Daz Cameron ranks sixth. </p>
<p id="dBZE4Y">Although pitching is a strength, Baseball America writer J.J. Cooper notes what the list is missing: run-producers. “Paced by <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> and <span>Victor Martinez</span>, the Tigers' lineup has been potent for years,” Cooper writes. “The foundation of the next great lineup isn't here yet. Detroit does have some up-the-middle prospects who could be big league regulars, but there are few players in the system who project as potential above-average hitters.” </p>
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<p id="TTJ2lZ">Infielder Isaac Pardes came to Detroit in the trade of <span>Justin Wilson</span> and <span>Alex Avila</span> to the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> at the July deadline; and infielder <span>Dawel Lugo</span> came to the organization in the <span>J.D. Martinez</span> trade. </p>
<p id="qZObMJ">Rounding out the list are a pair of players <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/27/16375184/detroit-tigers-mlb-prospect-pipeline-gregory-soto-and-christin-stewart-milb-awards">the Tigers recognized as their Minor League Players of the Year</a>, outfielder Cristin Stewart and left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto. BA calls Stewart the best power hitter, but says Soto most likely ends up as a good bullpen arm.</p>
<h3 id="TEthMm">Remember: all prospect lists are a little biased </h3>
<p id="UERIP8">A word of caution about lists like this though: you can always tell they’re at least partially influenced by how the organization talks up their players to prospect writers behind the scenes, and Detroit has a lot of marketing to fans to do after trading almost everyone they knew and loved away. </p>
<p id="VaMDzV">And all prospect rankings tell a bit of a narrative, too. As much as we’d like to say they’re pure objective measures, both the people who rank things and the people who play the game are human. </p>
<p id="U5ec8B">Still, it’s easy to see things are looking up down on the farm.</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2018/1/3/16844866/tigers-prospect-rankings-baseball-america-franklin-perez-alex-faedoKurt Mensching2017-10-06T14:44:55-04:002017-10-06T14:44:55-04:00Tigers thank their fans with special video
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<p>The 2017 season wasn’t great fun, but the Tigers found some good moments to share</p> <p id="pvHweT">The <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> thanked their fans in a video they sent out Friday, following a 2017 season in which the team struggled to put wins on the board and began a rebuild in earnest. </p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/10/6/16438896/detroit-tigers-video-fan-thank-youKurt Mensching2017-10-04T07:00:01-04:002017-10-04T07:00:01-04:002017 was an unintentional success for the Tigers
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<figcaption>Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>98 losses may not seem like cause for celebration, but it is</p> <p id="kV8Vv6">It doesn’t seem like a good thing when your description of a <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> season features the line “the worst since 2003.” That was the year the Tigers hit their high (or low?) mark for futility. The year when they lost 119 games, just one shy of the record set by the 1962 <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. </p>
<p id="HjQUXg">The 2017 Tigers were the worst since 2003. They had the ninth worst winning percentage and seventh most losses in a year in franchise history. They played .200 ball (!) during their last 30 games — .200! </p>
<p id="mTkKLB">And that’s just fine. </p>
<p id="CZDXp0">Though it might not appear so, 2017 can be seen as a success for the Tigers. This season was the end of something, yes, but also the start of something new; a year when the window that opened fully beginning in 2011 or 2012 finally came to a close so a new window could be carved out. And it needed to happen, arguably even sooner than it did. </p>
<p id="EdiZme">There were only two ways this could have gone: a slow, painful slide through mediocrity into irrelevance, like we’ve seen during the past few years since the Tigers last played in the postseason in 2014 — a year in which they didn’t even win a single ALDS game. Or a sudden collapse. </p>
<p id="AehXZI">Since 2015 it’s been clear the Tigers couldn’t keep doing what they’d been doing. Gambling on lengthy, expensive free agent contracts, re-signing aging stars, and mortgaging the farm year after year can keep the window propped open a little longer than it would naturally stay. </p>
<p id="QJx7Ja">But it comes with a gravity, and those contracts weigh heavier year after year. With few internal solutions to fill holes as they developed on the roster — whether due to poor drafting, poor development, or just trading them away — the pressure could only build and build until it broke. </p>
<p id="ZmzjVR">In 2017 it broke, and the window slammed shut with great force. Position players like <span>J.D. Martinez</span> and <span>Justin Upton</span> gone. A closer in <span>Justin Wilson</span> gone. Then finally franchise star <span>Justin Verlander</span> — gone. “In reality, there was no choice,” GM Al Avila said. “The other choice was to keep on adding (payroll), and it would have been suicide.”</p>
<p id="TCNZej">Ninety-eight losses and a reason for excitement.</p>
<p id="7ZTp8x">The Tigers’ total collapse in September<a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/10/1/16389858/2018-mlb-draft-order-detroit-tigers-san-francisco-giants-philadelphia-phillies"> netted them the No. 1 draft pick in 2018</a>. While baseball does not deal in immediate draft gratification like the NFL or NBA, analysis has shown the value of top picks to<a href="https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2013/6/25/4457048/2013-mlb-draft-how-valuable-are-draft-picks"> far exceed the cost to the team</a>. It also gives the Tigers’ the highest draft budget of any of the 30 teams next year. </p>
<aside id="egqMmY"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"MLB draft 2018: Baseball America projects Tigers will select Brady Singer 1st overall","url":"http://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/10/2/16403654/mlb-draft-2018-baseball-america-mock-draft-brady-singer-detroit-tigers"}]}'></div></aside><p id="mxcpcm">Couple that to the prospects they’ve already acquired and you’ve got a great foundation to build from. Third baseman Jeimer Canedelario, the 23-year-old acquired from the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> hit .330/.406/.448 during his time with the Tigers. Daz Cameron, at age 20 and the son of former major league <span>Mike Cameron</span>, has a chance to be above average both at the plate and in the field. Jake Rogers, who came to the Tigers’ organization along with Cameron in the Verlander trade, is ranked by MLB Pipeline among the top 10 catching prospects. And then there’s 18-year-old Isaac Paredes, a well-regarded shortstop expected to <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/7/31/15808982/jeimer-candelario-isaac-paredes-scouting-report-justin-wilson-trade-detroit-tigers">develop additional power</a> and penciled in for a 2020 MLB debut.</p>
<p id="0UdylI">And then you get to what’s really exciting, all of the pitchers. Let’s dispense with the famous line “there is no such thing as a pitching prospect” which some mean to imply they’re all failures until they’re successes because the success rate seems so low. Some pitchers will turn out. Some won’t. Just like any other prospects. <span>Michael Fulmer</span> was once one of the Mets’ top prospects, and he became the Tigers’ first Rookie of the Year winner since Justin Verlander. </p>
<aside id="aaf2l0"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 Detroit Tigers prospects you need to know","url":"https://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/9/20/16324224/isaac-paredes-jake-rogers-sam-mcmillan-scouting-report-detroit-tigers-verlander-trade"}]}'></div></aside><p id="fW0vjk">Matt Manning, Beau Burrows, and Alex Faedo were drafted by the Tigers already — all pitchers currently <a href="http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=det">among the top 100 prospects</a> in the game, all estimated to make their MLB debuts in 2019 or 2020. More exciting than any of them, however, is Franklin Perez, another pitcher who came over thanks to the trade of Verlander. Age 19 (!) and eating up Double-A, MLB Pipeline has him ranked as high as 40th overall and estimates a major league debut as soon as 2018. While it’s unlikely all of those prospects go on to become frontline starters, mix a few of them in behind <span>Fulmer</span> and you’ve got the start of something pretty great — at a nice low cost.</p>
<p id="1iKfnP">Owner Chris Ilitch need not spend like his father to try to buy superstars. He may only need to open the checkbook to add a few experienced role-players around a young core to see his team back in the playoffs by 2020. And there was no way you would have even been able to dream about Detroit being in the playoffs in 2020 before with the downward direction the organization was going.</p>
<p id="hU4Lkj">If losing in 2017 was going to happen, and it was, losing so dang hard in 2017 just made the future a little bit brighter. For that we should all be thankful.</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/10/4/16411054/detroit-tigers-2017-rebuild-analysisKurt Mensching2017-09-17T15:57:25-04:002017-09-17T15:57:25-04:00Matt Boyd nearly no-hit the White Sox
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<p>Detroit Tigers starter Matt Boyd allowed his only hit with two outs in the ninth.</p> <p id="WslLvu">Matt Boyd gave us reason to watch the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. We could have been enjoying a nice, late-summer day in Michigan, with the sun shining and temperatures in the 80s. Eyes could have turned to Week 2 of the NFL season, though thankfully the home team’s scheduled called for a Monday night game instead. </p>
<p id="styT1w">But against the White Sox, Boyd was near perfect, and you had to find a radio or television to follow what was going on. Boyd got the first eight batters he faced out, walked catcher Rob Brantley with two outs in the third inning, then got the next 18 batters he faced out to nearly no-hit Chicago, en route helping the Tigers to a 12-0 win. Tim Anderson doubled with two outs in the ninth to end the bid.</p>
<p id="gVKdE2">The <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> offense backed him early. <span>Jeimer Candelario</span> drove in <span>Ian Kinsler</span> in the first inning for a 1-0 lead after just two Detroit batters stepped to the plate. Nicholas Castellanos made it 3-0 in the third with a double, then 9-0 with a home run just three innings later because the offense had been busy. In the middle JaCoby Jones doubled in a run and Mikie Mahtook homered, too. Finally in the eighth Candelario finished the scoring with a big three run shot -- “right over Miggy’s Bit Bits,” Rod Allen noted on the Fox Sports Detroit telecast.</p>
<h3 id="NQy1kd">Roars</h3>
<p id="P7KMES"><span><strong>Matt Boyd</strong></span><strong> </strong>— 1 hit, one walk, five strikeouts. Shutout.</p>
<p id="3DlrUp"><span><strong>Nicholas Castellanos</strong></span> — A home run, a double, and four RBI. </p>
<p id="59tJ9Q"><span><strong>Jeimer Candelario</strong></span><strong> </strong>— Hit his second home run as a Tiger, drove in four runs total, and knows how to play third base. </p>
<p id="Nb6g5B"><strong>Your favorite Tiger here</strong> — Roars all the dang lineup today. This was a group effort on offense and defense alike. </p>
<h3 id="MzWxYa">Hisses</h3>
<p id="KWDGx8">eh</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/17/16322954/tigers-12-white-sox-0-matt-boyd-near-no-hitterKurt Mensching2017-09-12T07:00:04-04:002017-09-12T07:00:04-04:00Detroit Tigers news: Hurricane Irma impacts Lakeland, Tigers
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<img alt="Powerful Hurricane Irma Slams Into Florida" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uP72pJDMm3UsfnFgu5mBenMhh4c=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56629691/845597210.0.jpg" />
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<p>The Category 4 storm arrived in Florida on Sunday, and the Tigers’ lent a hand to those in need</p> <h3 id="qCsYE3">Hurricane Irma hits Florida, <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> take action</h3>
<p id="3NSbBn">That photo above isn’t the Tigers’ facility at Joker Marchant Stadium, but it is a scene from Lakeland, Fla., on Monday, as Hurricane Irma continued to batter Florida as it slowly moved north. </p>
<p id="Rx8DvQ">The Tigers did their part by <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/09/10/tigers-convert-lakeland-headquarters-public-shelter-irma/105469504/">turning the stadium into a shelter</a> by those escaping the storm. Per Lynn Henning, writing before Irma struck: </p>
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<p id="jnDLI7">The 84-acre Tigertown complex’s dormitories and cafeterias will be a local headquarters for emergency personnel in Lakeland and Polk County.</p>
<p id="BLqfxj">“We’re on the front lines, and we’re prepared,” said Ron Myers, director of Florida operations for the Tigers, speaking by phone Sunday morning from his office in a building that was completed only last winter as part of a $40-million-plus Tigertown renovation.</p>
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<p id="LaOIrb">Jason Beck reported on Twitter Monday:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lots of downed trees and other debris around Tigertown in Lakeland, but hearing no major damage. Everybody who stayed there for Irma is ok.</p>— Jason Beck (@beckjason) <a href="https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/907313605594566656">September 11, 2017</a>
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<p id="8BymFc">Irma also affected <span>Jose Iglesias</span>, who was in Florida on paternity leave while his wife gave birth. He’s expected to be back with the team on Wednesday, but was forced out of Miami due to evacuations last week.</p>
<p id="l0MKkr"><a href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2017/09/jose_iglesias_baby.html#incart_river_index">Evan Woodbury noted</a>: </p>
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<p id="gHHY8F">Iglesias and his family evacuated inland from their home in Miami and were unharmed by the storm. He wants to get power restored to his home before heading back.</p>
<p id="CZZ4ve">"He's trying to get his new baby, son and wife into the house and set up," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who recently spoke with Iglesias.</p>
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<h3 id="YTpd8d">Flying Tigers’ attendance soars</h3>
<p id="A6Frxn">This one shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but the Lakeland Flying Tigers’ saw their attendance rise by 156 percent this season, <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/business/tebow-goats-lead-to-minor-league-attendance-rise/#RRPBpYEXOq0kFIIC.97">Baseball America noted</a>. The main reason? Joker Marchant Stadium was undergoing renovations last year, so the team had to play elsewhere. This season the Flying Tigers returned home and the fans followed. Sorta. The team brought 815 fans in per game, compared to 334 last year.</p>
<p id="Wjj9B2">The SeaWolves (2.1%) and Mud Hens (0.2%) both saw minor gains, while the WhiteCaps saw an insignificant dip of -0.6%. The short-season Connecticut Tigers dropped 11 percent, however.</p>
<h3 id="mYRBQ3">Matt Hall grabs’ Baseball America’s attention</h3>
<p id="CimNAm">Baseball America began naming its classification all-star teams, noting: “We slant our coverage of the minors toward player development, and as such we reward the best performances by prospects on our all-star teams. That way, we look back at the 2017 season with one eye—and forward to the future with the other.” The Tigers had no represenative at Triple-A, surprising no one. But <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-high-class-classification-star-team/#46Q7hzfULgz6xzXW.99">they did get one in High-A:</a> Pitcher Matt Hall. </p>
<p id="jEYlN3">The 23-year-old starter had a 2.44 ERA and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.</p>
<h3 id="E3YJLT">Around the horn</h3>
<p id="7LXWvR">Fangraphs discusses how one team — the Indians in this case — <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-one-club-integrates-analytics-into-player-development/">integrates analytics into player development</a>. ... The Dodgers are <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/9/10/16285142/dodgers-losing-streak-facts-best-mlb-record">awful right now</a>. ... It’s a good thing the All-Star Game no longer decides home field advantage, because suddenly w<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/9/11/16287906/dodgers-losing-streak-indians-winning-streak-world-series-home-field-advantage">e have some standings to watch</a>. ... <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2017/9/11/16286270/cardinals-playoff-chances-good-if-they-get-in">LOOK OUT FOR THE CARDINALS</a> ... <a href="http://m.mlb.com/mia/news/article/253728494/marlins-park-ok-after-hurricane-irma?topicId=27118122">Marlins Park had minor roof damage</a> but was otherwise fine. </p>
<h3 id="SOlUds">Baseball is ... awesome?</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This play is legen…wait for it…DARY. <a href="https://t.co/RoXsrgni5q">pic.twitter.com/RoXsrgni5q</a></p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/907397483151720448">September 12, 2017</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/12/16292456/detroit-tigers-news-hurricane-irma-lakeland-help-jose-iglesiasKurt Mensching2017-09-09T19:29:54-04:002017-09-09T19:29:54-04:00Blue Jays 5, Tigers 4: Miguel Cabrera returns with a homer, but Detroit loses anyway
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<p>The (insert nickname here) C’s couldn’t overcome the deficit the Tigers bullpen put them in</p> <p id="1UdTNW">After six games off serving a well-earned suspension, <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> came back to the lineup with a bang. <span>Nicholas Castellanos</span> continued to show why his bat is worth finding a place for in the lineup in the future. But Cabrera and Castellanos alone couldn’t pull the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> back into the game in the ninth inning, and a rally fell 90 feet short with the <a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> taking a 5-4 victory.</p>
<p id="8Vy1Vy">Cabrera hit a two-run bomb to left field in his first plate appearance since the suspension to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. </p>
<p id="GHIAOG">Making his second career start for Detroit, <span>Chad Bell</span> ended up giving both runs back before finishing his day at 4-2/3 innings and two runs allowed. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three. <span>Warwick Saupold</span> relieved him but soon after allowed two runs of his own, including a solo homer by <span>Kevin Pillar</span>, to put the Tigers in a 4-2 hole. <span>Blaine Hardy</span> allowed an extra run to give Detroit a three-run deficit entering the ninth.</p>
<p id="nuURyi">That’s when it got a little fun. <span>Jeimer Candelario</span> walked, Cabrera singled, and Castellanos doubled to put the Tigers on the board in the inning without an out recorded. Then James McCann brought Cabrera home to make it 5-4 with still two outs to go. But neither <span>JaCoby Jones</span> nor <span>Andrew Romine</span>, who struck out looking to end the game, could get him home. </p>
<h3 id="Ad60NT">Roars</h3>
<p id="UAUlS8"><strong>Miguel Cabrera</strong> — 2-for-4 in his first game back, including a home run and a single. Two runs scored.</p>
<p id="KJpAx9"><span><strong>Jeimer Candelario</strong></span> -- 2-for-3, including a double, plus a walk. Two runs scored.</p>
<p id="kzkod2"><strong>Nicholas Castellanos</strong> — 2-for-4, including a double</p>
<h3 id="K5bbUw">Hisses</h3>
<p id="8ZQJFJ"><span><strong>Warwick Saupold</strong></span> — Took the loss after allowing two runs in relief of starter <span>Chad Bell</span></p>
<p id="rSA631"><strong>Andrew Romine</strong> — 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. K’d looking for the final out.</p>
<p id="ox8ksB"><strong>JaCoby Jones </strong>— Hit a pop up to second with the game-tying run on third base in the ninth inning. Went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/9/16281838/blue-jays-5-tigers-4-miguel-cabrera-home-runKurt Mensching2017-09-08T21:16:26-04:002017-09-08T21:16:26-04:00Watch the Tigers turn their first triple play since 2001
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<p>Candelario to Kinsler to Navarro, 5-4-3 for the first triple play in 16 years</p> <p id="P6iFnc">With a nifty play at third base, <span>Jeimer Candelario</span> started the first <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a>’ triple play in 16 years. <a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> center fielder <span>Kevin Pillar</span> hit a sharp ball to third, which <span>Candelario</span> dove to snag before touching third. He threw to <span>Ian Kinsler</span>, who threw to <span>Efren Navarro</span> to complete it 5-4-3. </p>
<p id="resultsTable">The last Tigers triple play occurred on Aug. 1, 2001: <span>Damion Easley</span> to <span>Deivi Cruz</span> to <span>Shane Halter</span> against Seattle.</p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/8/16279354/detroit-tigers-vs-toronto-blue-jays-triple-playKurt Mensching2017-09-06T22:38:16-04:002017-09-06T22:38:16-04:00Royals 13, Tigers 2: At least there were dogs
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<p>Bad Tigers! Good dogs!</p> <p id="9ZN7rL">Hours ago this game was tied in the seventh inning. We were young once. And now we are all a little older, a little wiser, a little more hardened by the passing of time. The Tigers fell to the Royals 13-2.</p>
<p id="FBzhn5">But there were dogs. Oh there were dogs. Dogs keep us young. Dogs make us happy. Bad Tigers. Good dogs.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's Bark at the Park tonight and we're underway vs. the Royals! <br><br> : <a href="https://t.co/Db3Egp2UEQ">https://t.co/Db3Egp2UEQ</a> <br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/FS1">@FS1</a> <br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/971theticketxyt">@971theticketxyt</a> <a href="https://t.co/xbaxh7O3wF">pic.twitter.com/xbaxh7O3wF</a></p>— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers/status/905570815529365505">September 6, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">You already know that River is at <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers">@tigers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BarkAtThePark?src=hash">#BarkAtThePark</a>. <a href="https://t.co/CfFDWKPpOl">pic.twitter.com/CfFDWKPpOl</a></p>— Mike Mulholland (@mulho2mj) <a href="https://twitter.com/mulho2mj/status/905586982591574016">September 7, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Awww a Tiger cub This is Penny and Gracie <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BYBATP?src=hash">#BYBATP</a> <a href="https://t.co/w0dvqCE4Ic">pic.twitter.com/w0dvqCE4Ic</a></p>— Peter K (@FrogTownTigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrogTownTigers/status/905580794445488128">September 6, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Staring contest! <br><br>The winners? All of us. <a href="https://t.co/M8vpeEmpm5">pic.twitter.com/M8vpeEmpm5</a></p>— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers/status/905610745789939716">September 7, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">There's 106 feet to the water bowl, we've got a section full of dogs, a couple of them with bats, it's dark out & we're wearing sunglasses. <a href="https://t.co/FP3eD7kzam">pic.twitter.com/FP3eD7kzam</a></p>— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers/status/905590797583732737">September 7, 2017</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/6/16265118/royals-13-tigers-2-dogs-woof-that-was-a-bad-game-huhKurt Mensching2017-09-05T07:00:02-04:002017-09-05T07:00:02-04:00Detroit Tigers news: Pitching prospects already ranking high
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<img alt="SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XEOI2iAlxlZO07JrwVHlt4poPBM=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56513819/811488732.0.jpg" />
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<p>Minor League Ball ranked the Tigers’ pitchers fifth </p> <h3 id="ttQaOU">The youngsters can pitch</h3>
<p id="MVarZP">The Detroit Tigers might just have a future after all. SB Nation sister site <a href="https://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/9/4/16249558/ranking-the-five-best-farm-systems-pitchers">Minor League Ball ranked Detroit among the top five</a> farm systems for pitchers in a post Monday, writing</p>
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<p id="Eqw96Z">The Tigers have moved on to this radar just based on the last three months. Drafting Alex Faedo and trading for Franklin Perez in the Justin Verlander deal accounts for two of the top three prospects in the entire system.</p>
<p id="9iZBW4">The Tigers also have Matt Manning, last year’s top pick, and 2015 top pick Beau Burrows as third and fourth Top 100 arms.</p>
<p id="B1MEul">Kyle Funkhouser isn’t quite a Top 100 prospect, but he’s still a very good prospect who should be at least a middle of the rotation arm if he stays healthy. The same can be said about Grayson Long, who was just added in the last week in the deal which sent Justin Upton to the Angels.</p>
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<p id="T1nJFx"><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/09/03/detroit-news-updated-top-tigers-prospects/105262428/">Lynn Henning has his Top-20 prospect list</a> out, too. </p>
<h3 id="rIlDNp">Mud Hens’, SeaWolves’ seasons wrap up</h3>
<p id="OFXxp1">The minor league season is quickly coming to an end for most teams. The Flying Tigers already wrapped up, and the SeaWolves and Mud Hens joined them by closing the books on Monday. Their records were ... well, who knows and who cares, honestly? That stuff doesn’t matter.</p>
<p id="ZipYOQ">We <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/4/16239982/justin-verlander-trade-franklin-perez-daz-cameron-jake-rogers-scouting-report">scouted new Tigers prospects Franklin Perez and Daz Cameron</a> on Monday. However, Perez’s debut in the Tigers organization will have to wait He was <a href="https://twitter.com/erie_seawolves/status/904750439668834304">scratched Monday with a blister</a>. </p>
<p id="F0E4Lu">Cameron and <a href="http://www.mlive.com/whitecaps/index.ssf/2017/09/late_surge_gives_whitecaps_4-1.html#incart_river_index">the Whitecaps will open their postseason</a> at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Comstock Park. </p>
<h3 id="MsWRgl"><strong>Kinsler and Iggy are probably gone </strong></h3>
<p id="AbWmjq">With the rebuild in full effect and both players eligible to be free agents after next season -- the Tigers have a $10m option for Kinsler for next season, and Iglesias will be in his last year of arbitration next year — it seems likely neither player will be seen as must-haves for when the Tigers make their next run at contention. They might not fetch much, but that would be better than nothing.</p>
<p id="Obmeyw">Read <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/columnists/kurt-mensching/2017/09/04/mensching-kinsler-iglesias-likely-gone-rebuild/105267142/">more of my thoughts in the Detroit News</a>. </p>
<h3 id="kV6MrD">Meanwhile, Zimmermann is hurting</h3>
<p id="OtQgky">Jordan Zimmermann isn’t right. That much has been true since, oh, last May. That’s May <em>2016</em>, not this year. Manager Brad Ausmus said <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/09/04/zimmermann-miss-start-maybe-neck-pain/105267716/">Zimmermann’s neck is to blame</a>. Chris McCosky wrote in the News:</p>
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<p id="zQ2FAz">The pain in his neck that vexed him nearly all last season has returned with a vengeance, and it will shut him down for at least one start, and very possibly for the rest of this season.</p>
<p id="dMo8xL">“The pain has returned and started to radiate down his right trapezoid (muscle),” manager Brad Ausmus said before the game Monday. “He has to go see the doctor he saw this winter.”</p>
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<h3 id="xHjWQS">Other Tigers quick hits</h3>
<p id="VhPkhx">The <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/3/16240506/justin-verlander-trade-analysis-detroit-tigers-payroll">Tigers reduce their payroll by $100 million</a> with all the trades. ... Starting pitcher Artie Lewicki<a href="http://m.tigers.mlb.com/det/news/article/252419254/lewicki-learns-lessons-in-big-league-debut?topicId=27118376"> learned the big leagues are a lot harder</a> than Triple-A. Victor Alcantara — the guy the Tigers received for Cameron Maybin last winter — is <a href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2017/09/tigers_bringing_up_victor_alca.html">the last expected player to get a September call-up</a>. So Bruce Rondon, Jim Adduci, and July acquisition Dawel Lugo will see their seasons end ... Anibal Sanchez is <a href="http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/252343260/vargas-sanchez-set-to-duel-in-detroit/?topicId=26688732">back in the Tigers’ rotation </a>tonight. </p>
<h3 id="XCBf3p">Baseball is awesome</h3>
<p id="AoaP5K">/sobbing emoji</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ARE YOU KIDDING?!?<a href="https://twitter.com/JDMartinez14">@JDMartinez14</a> homers for the 4th time tonight! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JUSTDINGERS?src=hash">#JUSTDINGERS</a> <a href="https://t.co/CzUDEJ1PSG">pic.twitter.com/CzUDEJ1PSG</a></p>— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/904901903527452673">September 5, 2017</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9/5/16252324/detroit-tigers-news-prospect-rankings-pitchingKurt Mensching