Tiger Geist

Lynn Henning talks about a proposed move of putting Inge back at third, Guillen to DH, and Gary Sheffield to left field.  Boy howdy lets talk about this one.

Defensively, is Detroit a better team with Brandon Inge at third base?  Absolutely.  Offensively?  No.

Offensively, is Detroit a better team with Gary Sheffield in the lineup?  Absolutely.  Defensively at left?  No.

Where is the trade off?  Do you take some lumps with an infield of Guillen, Renteria, Polanco and Cabrera?  Or do you take the lumps of an outfield featuring Sheffield, Granderson, and Ordonez?  I’m not even sure Ordonez is actually a better outfielder then Sheffield, but I do know that a few games in the field last year was enough to put Sheffield’s season on ice.  This argument is lost on me when you figure the size of Comerica Park’s outfield.

It appears we can’t have it both ways.  And the media has gone back and forth as to the defensive value vs offensive value of a player… and a third baseman at that.  Which is it?  Is defense so important that maybe we should dump Renteria and move Ramon Santiago as a full time short stop?  Would that be a better infield — Guillen, Santiago, Polanco, Cabrera?  Defensively, probably.  Defensively and offensively, moving Jacque Jones to “left out” would improve the team with either Raburn or a return of Clete Thomas.

What is this all trying to solve?  The weak starting pitching.  And… no matter how many switches you make, no matter how many defensive replacements you make.. you will only go as far as your starting pitching will take you.  And right now, in a playoff series, the person playing third base is Mr. Irrelevant if the starting pitching doesn’t start safely getting into the seventh inning.

I do agree, however, that Sheffield should be doing his rehab in Toledo, not Detroit.

One of my high school football and baseball coaches, Coach Clark, had a saying:

“When you’ve got the other team down… you kick them in the balls”

Well, this is what is expected against a Yankees team without A-rod and Posada.  Both have a combined 287 home runs and 1509 RBIs against Kenny Rogers, but they couldn’t be in the lineup tonight.  I’m not shedding any tears.  Detroit jumped on mediocre Phil Hughes early and often.  Polanco gets four hits — hopefully he’s coming out of his funk (and feeling better).

Gary Sheffield homers, but who knows if thats good news or not.  Curtis Granderson also homered;  just as important, he walked twice and didn’t strike out.  Curtis has three home runs in just six games… Gary has two homers in 19.  I’m still not convinced Sheffield’s healthy, but maybe if he has to play he should stay in the #3 spot.

Jacque Jones:  0-4 with two strikeouts.  Pulled again for Ryan Raburn as a defensive replacement.

Yeah… this is really getting weird.  Would anything else surprise you?  Bizarre.