Posts Tagged ‘Detroit Tigers’
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A View From The RavineAugust 26th, 2008
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Finally the curtain has come crashing down on the Rangers 2008 season. And while it was fascinating and gruesome, like a terrible highway accident that you couldn’t take your eyes off of, everyone did just that. They were all watching the Olympics, specifically Fishboy, Michael Phelps. I don’t want to go all Cary Lowry-Big Brown here, but if you will, indulge three quick points:
First, I get that he won a lot of medals, but they were all for the same thing. He swam really fast. Shouldn’t that be the point? I mean, Carl Lewis never had the chance to win 8 medals for running fast. He didn’t get a chance to go for the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, high jump, 400-meter relay, 100-meter backwards dash, 200-meter left footed hop, 100-meter dash w/book on head, and 400-meter handstand relay.
B, for BORING! Fast in a straight line is okay, protected from the vicious French and the nasty Belgians by plastic lane dividers. But why don’t we smear him in steak sauce and let a couple of sharks loose in the pool. Now, that’s how you decide who’s fast and who’s not.
Third, I love that idea. Americans are watching “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “I’d Eat That For A Buck” in record numbers. Wouldn’t you tune in to a reality show called “Is Michael Phelps Faster Than A Shark?” I’d watch, every single week….
But back to the point, the Ranger’s bus finally teetered over the edge after driving Speed Racer style on the rail for the majority of the season. And April’s bullies, the Tigers and the Red Sox, helped finish it. So now the club is left to play spoilers, messing with the various pennant races while finding out which young prospects can play. The only problem is that Texas has been doing that all season long.
If you are keeping track, (and seriously, you shouldn’t be. Seriously.) the Rangers will be employing player number 52 sometime this weekend. That’s more than two full rosters worth of baseball. We’ve seen Red Hawks and Rough Riders and even a few LumberKings. Really, if you didn’t get called up at some point, you might want to start rethinking career options.
Still, there are a number of questions that need to be examined and addressed over the next five weeks. Among them: Is Chris Davis a 3rd baseman or a 1st baseman? And vice versa on Hank Blalock. And where do you put Ramon Vazquez to keep him in the lineup? The middle of the infield is a little easier with two All-Star, thundering bats in Young and Kinsler, but what about the defense? Is there any way to improve that without sitting someone?
The outfield looks to be settled with Byrd breaking out of his early slump, Bradley proving to be a valuable threat, Boggs and the injured David Murphy maturing nicely. The only question is the Rangers’ ability to sign MVP-Worthy Josh Hamilton to a nice, fat, long-term deal. They simply can’t let him get away.
Behind the plate? Laird is Laird, Salty is less, and Max and Taylor are waiting in the wings. But what about next year? Does anyone feel like one of those folks is the answer at catcher right now?
Luckily we’ve seen about every pitcher in the organization. Unluckily whoever the club hires to be a pitching coach won’t have. He’ll have to waste valuable time judging their strengths and weaknesses for himself. (I’ll help. Strengths: Ability to swivel head 180 degrees repeatedly. Weaknesses: Pitching.) And then he’ll have to figure out if the hurt ones are always going to be hurt. And rebuild the bullpen. And find a reliable long-term solution at closer.
It’s going to be a dangerous looking off-season for Ron Washington and company. Honestly, I’d rather be the guy forging birth certificates for Chinese gymnasts than trying to sort this mess out. Or so I hear. I can’t really say, because I was off watching baseball.
ADDED NOTE: There still may be time to vote for the greatest Rangers player of all time on Baseball Tonight’s online poll. It closes August 24th at 1 a.m. You can vote for Nolan, Ruben, Young, Pudge, Bell, Juan, Raffy, A-Rod, Frank Howard or Mr. Knuckler, Charlie Hough. I tried to write in Curtis Wilkerson and Will Clark, but it wouldn’t let me. If its not too late, go to http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/story?page=bbtnfranchisegreats and cast your vote.
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Disappointments AboundAugust 7th, 2008
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Could it be new All-Star shortstop Edgar Renteria? What about legendary slugger Gary Sheffield or former 22-game winner Dontrelle Willis? Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers posted impressive years in 2006, but bullpen stalwarts Todd Jones and Fernando Rodney are certainly strong candidates…
If you’re still oblivious to the topic du jour, or maybe more appropriately, de la saison, who most greatly deserves the designation “biggest disappointment” in Detroit this year? Here are your candidates: Read more
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Wild Card FeverJuly 27th, 2008
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American League - Wild Card Standings
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Team |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
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59 |
42 |
.584 |
- |
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60 |
43 |
.583 |
- |
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56 |
45 |
.554 |
3.0 |
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55 |
46 |
.545 |
4.0 |
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52 |
49 |
.515 |
7.0 |
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|
52 |
49 |
.515 |
7.0 |
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52 |
50 |
.510 |
7.5 |
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51 |
51 |
.500 |
8.5 |
|
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48 |
53 |
.475 |
11.0 |
|
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46 |
57 |
.447 |
14.0 |
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|
44 |
56 |
.440 |
14.5 |
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38 |
63 |
.376 |
21.0
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That’s right. Read it and weep. If you are watching the scoreboard, you already see the future. Here come the Rangers, out of the gate after the All-Star break like a “Ron Paul for President ‘08″ campaign wagon. After crushing the Twins and the WSox, taking one out of three in each series, Texas is sitting right where they want to sit, on the fringes of the Wild Card race, lulling the 8 teams in front of them into a false sense of security and waiting to pounce. Read more
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Bonderman & Tigers Restore Winning WaysMay 24th, 2008
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Both Jeremy Bonderman’s season and career can be summed up in one word—inconsistent.
His pitching on Thursday afternoon stood more on the positive side for the Tigers. He led Detroit to a 9-2 victory over the hapless Seattle Mariners, who jerked back the trophy for Most Disappointing American League team. 40,166 fans watched Bonderman escape several early jams, three times stranding a runner on third base. Armed with one of the game’s most dominant sliders when working—the key phrase is when working—he limited Seattle to two runs on eight hits. Finally receiving sufficient run-support, Bonderman bumped his record up to 3-4, well off pace from his 10-1 streak a year ago.
Like most Tiger pitchers, control has been a major issue so far for Bonderman. In five full years with Detroit he has averaged 31 starts and 60 walks per campaign. Through nine games, he is already halfway to his normal walk total at 33. Striking out fewer hitters as well, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is roughly 1:1; that is one strikeout for every walk. Normally, Bonderman will blow away two batters for every one he gives a free pass. A 2006 runner-up to Johan Santana in strikeouts, his inability to zing strike three’s regularly has led to more hits, ground outs, and fly outs, which in turn has led to more runners advancing to score. Despite the number of prolific bats in Detroit’s lineup, the Tigers will not score 9 runs every time Bonderman takes the mound and he must regain the command he has displayed over the course of his career.
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Message for the Nats’ Three Young BirdsMay 22nd, 2008
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Singin’ don’t worry
‘bout a thing
‘cause every little thing
gonna’ be all right …
- Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
As more than 28,000 hardball enthusiasts filed out of Nationals Park on Tuesday night, the late Jamaican Rastafarian’s catchy tune permeated the ears of witnesses to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1-0 victory, a grinder of a game that went scoreless for eight full innings before the Phils broke the seal in the top of the ninth then blunted a threat in the inning’s bottom.
But the question that begs an answer: Should the implicit message of that uplifting song be taken seriously?
One: The Nats lost.
Two: They were shutout.
Three: They stranded a man on second with one out then third with two outs in the fourth inning. They stranded a man on second with two outs in the seventh inning. And, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the potential tying run walked, then stole second, then stole third before being stranded on a game-ending groundout.
Four: Their outfielders went 1-10 Tuesday night with a seventh inning double being this notable trio’s sole hit.
Five: Their make-shift closer, equipped with six saves under his belt, pitched the whole ninth inning and gave up one run to get the loss Tuesday night.
Six: They occupy the NL East cellar, looking immediately up at the New York Mets. In other words, while the Mets have sunk and the Atlanta Braves have scaled, the Nats have occupied the bottom for no one other than themselves.
Seven: Only three NL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, all coming out of the NL West (Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres).
Eight: Two AL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
Wednesday night marks the Nats’ 16th–straight game in 16 straight days, their second-longest consecutive streak of this season. They head into the series finale against the Phillies at 6-9. Four of those nine losses were one-run games, for two of the nine they were shutout. In late July through mid-August, the Nats have 20-straight games scheduled, representing their longest streak this season.
Jon Rauch, who was converted from set-up man to closer when Chad Cordero went down with a tear in his muscle earlier this season, started the ninth by giving up a double to third baseman Pedro Feliz, who was sacrificed to third then scored on pinch hitter Greg Dobbs’ single. Rauch, who gave up three hits and the decisive run, was tagged with the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season,
Wily Mo Peña doubled to left in the seventh, going 1-4 on the night. The leftfielder is yet to homer this season, one of the primary reasons the Nats brought him in when the Boston Red Sox released him last season. He was not improving while platooning in the Fenway outfield and was supposed to benefit from daily action and at-bats so that he would surmount his strike-out proclivity. One of those four at-bats was a swinging strike-out, which came in the ninth inning. He lunged and missed at first pitches in at least three of his at-bats, perhaps a sign of anxiousness. His batting average presently is .216.
Lastings Milledge went 0-4 with one strike out. The centerfielder’s positive contribution at the plate was a no-out sacrifice fly to right field, which moved Ryan Zimmerman to third. Milledge, who helped gun down what would have been a second Phils run in the ninth, left four on base and presently is hitting .235.
Elijah Dukes went 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. One of those walks came in the bottom of the ninth, when he was 90 feet from tying the game after stealing second and third bases. He presently is hitting .038 in 11 games thus far this season.
This trio that patrols the Nats outfield is expected to grow into those positions and sustain them for the Nats for years to come. Peña is 26, Milledge is 23 and Dukes turns 24 late next month, and all have plenty of room to improve their game.
‘Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin this is my message to you.’
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Randy still mows ‘em down, still wows the fansMay 21st, 2008
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Whenever you’re heading out to the park, there are always questions that come up.
“Where are we sitting?”
“How much is a beer in here?”
“Wanna try to sneak down to a box?”
“They want how much for a beer?!?”
But, ultimately, there’s always one question that’s much more important. Someone always asks it, and for good reason.
“Who’s pitching tonight?”
It’s the single most exciting variable before any game. Who’s pitching. And the answer can severely swing your interest in the game. If it’s a long reliever filling in due to injury, the intrigue severely swings down, whereas a veteran, an exciting rookie or a future Hall of Famer will always lead to greater interest and, often, more butts in the seats.
I always like to know who’s pitching, and I’ve made decisions on whether or not to head out to the park based on who will take the hill, on days when I’ve been on the fence about driving out, paying for parking and buying a ticket.
Take last season’s interleague match-up against the Boston Red Sox. Saturday featured a pitching duel of Julian Tavarez against the Diamondbacks’ Micah Owings. Sunday’s game? Randy Johnson vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka. On the surface, which game sounds more interesting to you? Me, I’m a sucker for the marquee match-up.
Which brings us to a discussion of the Big Unit and his place in baseball, its history and this current version of the D-backs.
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Indians Shoot Up the Standings, Tigers WatchMay 16th, 2008
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Don’t look now, but finally there is a team taking control of the American League Central. Unfortunately for Tigers fans, it’s not your team.
The Cleveland Indians have recovered from their first month’s struggles, taking reign over what many expected to be baseball’s most competitve division. Much press has been devoted to the remarkable string of games the Indians rotation has put together, not surrendering an earned run in 48 1/3 consecutive innings. Cliff Lee has forgotten he’s Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia has shrugged off his horrendous beginning, and Fausto Carmona has given up more than three runs in a start just once. This leads to the obvious question, why can’t Tiger hurlers overachieve?
Appearing to be destined to disappoint, Detroit starting pitching looks both inexperienced and old. Wild, ineffective, and wildly ineffective would also sum the group up. Kenny “The Gambler” Rogers is now called The Gambler because every time he takes the mound, he is gambling not giving up three runs in the first inning. Speaking of giving up a boatload of runs early, Nate Robertson has put together one good start in eight games. Jeremy Bonderman has not grown out of his first inning troubles, but is earning a hefty $8.5 million this year. And Dontrelle Willis cannot fairly be judged because of injuries, though his first start was unique and unimpressive—five innings of one-hit, seven walk baseball. That leaves Justin Verlander, the supposed ace of the staff. He is two-for-nine in quality starts and has mysteriously lost five miles per hour on his fastball.
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Scuffling Rotation Soon to Subtract Its’ Most Productive MemberMay 14th, 2008
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The Charlotte Knights shelled starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis on Monday, spoiling his second rehabilitation start for Triple-A Toledo. Expected to be his second-to-last outing before being recalled to Detroit, Willis gave up 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Against a less-than-impressive Charlotte squad, the six-year veteran and former Cy Young Award runner-up could not escape the sixth inning. After retiring three straight batters in the opening frame, Willis gave up two homers in the second. He fought back to retire the next three in sequence and did not give up another hit until the fifth. In the sixth, he surrendered four hits and an intentional walk, leading to three more earned runs. Though he pitched well through five innings, can Detroit afford to add another starter who cannot fight past the fifth or sixth inning?
Manager Jim Leyland said Willis will replace Armando Galarraga after one more rehab stint against Columbus on Saturday. Selected to remain in the rotation are Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson. Excluding Bonderman, each pitcher sports an ERA above 5.80, with Verlander topping out at 6.43.
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Julio Lugo: Another Sunk Cost At Short?May 14th, 2008
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Ever since the eleventh-hour deadline deal that shipped Nomar Garciaparra off to the Cubbies as part of a three-way trade machination and, along with it, sent a Red Sox fandom into knee-jerk hysteria—then eventual baseball ecstasy three months later—general manager Theo Epstein has aggressively engaged in a seasonal pursuit for Boston’s next long-term shortstop.
But for the past four winters—each filled and followed by one fruitless search after another—Epstein’s hunt has seemingly mirrored the life and times of Elmer Fudd. Far too elusive to nab, that wascawly shortstop has evaded the grasp of the Sox GM at every turn—only self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the form of failed signings left in all the aftermath.
So, to say the shortstop position under the Epstein-era has seen more ups, downs and (public relations) spin than a merry-go-round wouldn’t be much of an understatement. In fact, by now, some Red Sox supporters might prefer a daintily handcrafted carousel horse to the club’s incumbent shortstop, one Julio Lugo.
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Dai’secting Daisuke: Walking A Fine LineMay 8th, 2008
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A mere superficial glance over his numbers would lead very few to question Daisuke Matsuzaka’s start to the 2008 campaign. The 27-year-old Japanese import, now in his second season with the Red Sox, owns a tidy 2.43 earned run average and an unblemished record at 5-0 overall.
But while Matsuzaka’s year-to-date results have been good—if not perfect, as the Sox have won all seven of his starts—Boston’s $100 million investment is still walking a fine line between dominance and near-disaster. Literally.
After his Monday night start in Detroit—an outing in which the Dice-Man handed out eight free passes to Tiger batters—Matsuzaka’s season walk total increased to 27 in 40 and two-thirds innings pitched, an average of nearly six bases on balls per nine.
Of course, one walk-fest this early in a season can certainly skew the numbers. But a high walk total isn’t the lone red flag waiving in the case of Daisuke. Just as worrisome going forward is the combination of an absolutely unsustainable batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and a recent slide in his strikeout rate.
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