Tiger Geist

With Cleveland returning to their Division-winning form, maybe its best to escape the states for a few days and hit up Toronto.  One of the spring training games I attended this year was against the Blue Jays, and their speed (they left the big hitters at their home park that day) seemed to bother Detroit.  I think Bonderman thinks too much when speed is on first base;  as hinted by WXYT’s commentator (Jim Price I believe — mlb.tv’s quality isn’t always that great when i’m listening at work), Pudge’s throws aren’t as sharp recently — maybe he’s got a sore arm.  Well, starting the week 3 - 1 is better then they started last week, so let’s see how they bounce back.
Thoughts on the loss to Cleveland:

• Verlander needs to put it together.  Without him, there doesn’t seem to be a ’stopper’ on this team, someone to put an end to a two or three game losing streak.  Sad to think that the best pitching performance  this year has come from a minor leaguer.
• What effect, if any, does Inge catching mean to the pitcher?  Does it hurt the performance?  Verlander was just wild, but Miner got lit up pretty badly.
• Speaking of Miner, did Grilli play a game of “tag, you’re it” with him last week?
• Not to beat a dead horse, but against a big hitting team like the tribe, why isn’t rayburn playing over Santiago?  Is the plan to keep Raburn out of the infield?

Moving out of fifth place in the Central Division…  now TIED for fourth place…
….(wait for it)….

Your Detroit Tigers!
This is the game we pretty much expected EVERY game to be like this year.  Dominant pitching and power hitting.  Cabrera breaks out, Ordonez continues to hit… even Inge gets a couple of hits AND walks.

I think the big story really is Armando Galarraga.  I doubt he’ll dominate every game.. and he may not make any more starts this entire year.  But with his performance, and the solid performance by Virgil Vasquez in Toledo so far, puts some of the pitching depth questions going into the season at ease.  It appears we have some players who can make spot starts when necessary (And Bazardo probably is a better starter then reliever, if he ends back in Toledo).  They haven’t been flashy moves, but Dombrowski has made some attempt to build up pitching depth over the winter (Denny Bautista, San Francisco Cruceta, Galarraga).

Albeit a small one, Detroit sweeps Minnesota in a 2 game series.  Baby steps.

Thoughts:

• Gary Sheffield gives me the big F-U on his injuries by homering.  Or did he –  Possible injury?  (Reported here and here)
• Its nice for Miguel Cabrera to start breaking out, and it has to be nice for him to do it at home.  I wonder what it feels like doing this in Detroit vs Miami, where the crowds were much more… sparse.
• Guillen continues to murder the ball.
• Pudge walks again.  Worth mentioning, since he only walked 9 times last year… and he’s on pace to walk nearly 33 times.  Ok, thats pretty much useless information.
• Raburn gets another defense replacement inning in left.  Apparently he’s never played left before.  How bad is Jacque Jones and Marcus Thames defensively?  And would either have gotten near the snowcone almost-catch Raburn attempted (ruled a clean triple)?  Kind of bizarre.
• Speaking of bizarre, Jimmy Leyland mentioned Clete Thomas might have a place on the team in a platoon situation, which I assume means left field.  Is he serious, or is that a wake up call to Jones?

I watched the Tiger game into the 8th, at which point I had to head out to eat before I starved. I didn’t think they’d win the game at that point (down 9-5), but I really thought they had turned the corner. You could kind of see it on the field, they were embarrassed by the defensive miscues and finally did some damage offensively. I figured they’d get a few more runs and make it close and turn it into some positive momentum. Looking at my iphone with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth… yeah, i’ll take the win.

Thoughts on the game:

• Bonderman pitched very well, and held his own while his team nearly self-destructed. You could say he really put the game on his back, not Pudge. A very decent and very left-handed twins team up there.
• Guillen continues some clutch hitting. I think they’d sit him if he wasn’t the only decent hitter right now. I think you assume that, even with a short flight to Cleveland, you might not have him available for Wednesday game (leg stiffness) and you try to play him one more night tonight. Otherwise, you have to look to a possible DL stint to keep him healthy for the year. I like the idea of Larish coming up for a left handed DH / 1B platoon with Sheffield and Thames.
• Cabrera seems to be coming out of his funk. I liked the almost-double play after he took a grounder off his nuts.
• Speaking of double plays… Polanco isn’t hitting well, but he’s one tough SOB. Minnesota really took some hard slides trying to break up double plays and he really stood tough.
• Nice that Clete Thomas was able to triple in his last at-bat. His error was BAD.. but what you expect from a rookie.

Concerns

• Sheffield doesn’t look right. Sounds like he doesn’t feel right either. I think you have to find some flexibility on the team where guys can get healthy. Maybe Thomas has to go down for a power left handed bat; maybe Santiago has to go somewhere. But they have few options now besides playing guys when they’re hurt, hoping they’ll get out of their slump.
• Guillen’s hitting so well right now that he’s almost more of a liability to hurt himself batting then in the field. I haven’t read anything bad about Cabrera’s ability to play first, but its nice they have some flexibility there.
• Jacque Jones getting a late inning defensive replacement? Did he get hurt? I thought he was supposed to be an above-average left fielder? If this is all we’re getting from him, might as well play Thames or Raburn full time in left.
• I thought Raburn could play center; its time he gets some at-bats somewhere.
• How much of the pitcher’s walk problems relate to their trying to do too much? I wonder if their control will improve if Detroit got on the board with 2 - 4 runs in the first few innings. Not sure if it will help Willis.
• Not a fan of all of the booing going on at comerica park. Stand up for your team. Granted, if you pay those prices for seats I guess you can do whatever you want.
• I predict we’ll see Zumaya pitch in a game before Rodney. Its really too bad.

My father & I had some thoughts about why they’re playing baseball in cold weather cities during the first few weeks of April.  Saturday’s game in Chicago, where game time temperatures were in the mid to upper 30’s, is a reason my friends & I from the midwest live in California.  However, for the season ticket holder, its a ridiculous expense that they must absorb (similar to the fiasco NFL season ticket holders must deal with in purchasing preseason games) whether or not they can attend the game.  Good luck dumping those on craigslist or stubhub.

Another thought crossed my mind this weekend:  How dangerous is it to the players in this type of weather?  Justin Verlander nailed Orlando Cabrera in the ear flap of his helmet on a pitch that is agreed to be an accident.  However, Verlander stated after the game:

“For some reason, the balls got cold and slick,” Verlander said. “The weather didn’t change. It was the same the whole game. I couldn’t feel the ball in the eighth inning. I don’t know what happened. … They’d been a little damp the whole game, but in the eighth, they were cold, too. I know it wasn’t like that the rest of the game.”

What about other aspects, such as the outfield grass?

At what point does major league baseball (or even the teams themselves) need to do a better job of protecting their players?  

Espn magazine had a fantastic article about Greg Maddux this week.  Normally I think espn mag is a turd of journalism, but this article is well worth the trouble.  I’ve always been a Maddux fan, but this helps show the genius behind the man.

Oh, the Tigers?  I’m almost speechless.  I think the weather sucks and they are getting killed by it.  I think most of the players should be ashamed to pick up their paycheck this month.  I also think all of their big contracts and veteran players have given them some roster inflexibility to bring in some hot bats.  Raburn gets his first two at-bats and responds with a hit and a walk, but there is no guarantee he’ll still be with the team next week.

A lot to like about Friday night.  It was the warmest day of the year in SF… about time… and Detroit hung tough for a 5-2 victory over the Black Sox.  The bullpen came through in very tough circumstances — big kudos to Aquilino Lopez for getting out of the first, only allowing one (Willis) run.  Coming in cold (in the cold) against a lineup that just lit up Tiger pitching a few days earlier and shutting them down… finally.. awesome.  Even Jason Grilli helped out, in a very Todd Jones-esque fashion, with three shut out innings.

I got home from dinner and was able to turn on mlb.tv for the ninth;  Todd Jones was unhittable.  Denny Bautista holds them in the 8th — looks like he can throw strikes when it matters.  There is a lot to like about Clete Thomas as a left-handed fourth outfielder (though he looks kind of gumpy — they might need to make him wear sunglasses all the time to toughen him up, ala Guy Patterson).  Carlos Guillen and Brandon Inge are stealing bases.  Speaking of Inge, 9 RBIs to lead the team.  Learn to catch buddy if you want to stay in the lineup.  Magglio is starting to warm up, and Cabrera tacks on an insurance run with a single in the 8th.  And finally.. a goose egg in the error column.  

Not sure what to do about Willis.  I think they put him on the DL, figure out what is wrong with him, and make him turn in some rehab starts in Toledo to work on his mechanics.  It has to be maddening for both the pitching coach and the trainer with that wild delivery — neither can tell when he does something out of the ordinary to indicate an issue.  Surprisingly, Leyland only yanked him because the trainer didn’t like what he saw:

“He said he’s all right. He’s tough. He wants to compete,” Leyland said of Willis. “But Kevin didn’t like the way he was moving his knee around and the way it was landing. He didn’t like it at all. So I said that’s enough. I’m not going to take a chance.”

Next time I’d give Dontrelle two walks per game and then yank him.  Yank him immediately if he walks the lead-off batter in any inning.  Normally I’d be worried he’d start grooving pitches down the middle, but I don’t think he could find the strike zone if he tried.  Something’s wrong, and he and Nate Robertson are going to kill the bullpen if they can’t get into the sixth inning.

Jacque Jones at the DH… slightly scary.  I guess in most big games Sheffield plays, but they might need to find (Jeff Larish?) a left handed bat with power.

In Clearwater Florida during this year’s spring training trip, the crew & I came across a random liquor store.  After racking up a $80+ bar bill from the previous night, we decided it was probably a lot cheaper to just buy some Makers Mark from a store instead of from the bartender.  On the way out of the store, the father & I saw a special deal:  $50 for 1.75 liters of Johnny Walker Black.  Quick math skills said this was a fantastic deal;  good enough that both the father & I bought a bottle and smuggled it across state lines in our luggage.

After watching tonight’s atrocious loss to the Red Sox (12-6) on mlb.tv, I’m sipping my second pour of Johnny Black from said bottle, listening to Bill Simmons’ podcast, hanging pictures in my office.  So far the deal on this glass of scotch is the best part of the entire season.  Earlier in the day it was purchased, Curtis Granderson took a fastball off his hand, putting him on the DL.  Worst part about this?  Game got rained out five minutes later. 

Not much else to talk about tonight’s game.  It would, however, be pretty sweet if our pitchers could stop walking people, and maybe the hitters could attempt to stop hitting into double plays.  That might help.

I _think_ its better to lose your first 7 games and then to win one, vs winning one and losing the next seven.  At least that’s what i’m going to keep telling myself.

At least no one is talking about Bonderman’s first inning problems (or lack of), or his change-up anymore.  Thats how awesome this whole “winning thing” is.  All is forgiven.  You can sleep with another player’s wife, but all is forgiven with a ninth-inning save and a quick punch to the chin.  AS LONG AS YOU WIN.

Question: No off day for almost 3 weeks;  when is Inge going to pop a squat?  Saturday (day game in Chicago after a night game)?

Lynn Henning had a thoughtful article today, so let’s discuss it.

1. Give Marcus Thames more playing time.  Not a bad idea, since Jacque Jones isn’t doing much either.  However, it does contradict his later statements about poor defense (Thames is not a defensive stalwart).
2. Move Cabrera.  Maybe if you aren’t going to move Inge this is a good idea.  Again, maybe we’re over-rating defense;  Inge is hitting well compared to everyone else, but still only .286.  Maybe its a good idea to work more with Cabrera — he still looks (on TV, not in person) like he could lose another 20 pounds and still be powerful.
3. Put Sheffield in left field and you’ll lose him for another 40 games due to injury.  Big reason Detroit missed the playoffs last year was Sheffield playing right field and getting hurt.
4. Agree.  More later.
5. No shit sherlock.  Tigers need a catcher in the minors?  Doesn’t every team need catchers in their farm system?  No one was expecting Pudge to be the starter next year (or, if you were, you were probably mistaken).
6. More later
7. More later
8. Agreed.  Maybe they should start (and bat leadoff) Clete Thomas more.  He’s batting almost .500.  Would love to have Granderson back, but why don’t we start guys who are hitting well?
9. Not much else to say about this.  He’s had 2 errors in 2 games (listening to the game as I write this), if you think he’s hurt put in Santiago.
10. more later (agreed)

Thoughts:

So what to do about the defense?  I think a lot of it is based on the hitting.  No one is hitting well.. WAY below their average.  So every little aspect of the game is being played over and over in their head.

(interruption:  Thames homers… Lynn Henning is a genius)

There have been plenty of reports that Guillen will be a good first basemen;  he needs to start thinking less and get more time at first.  Polanco is a gold glover, so he’s either hurt (#9 on Henning’s list) or just over-thinking due to his struggles at the plate.  Cabrera just signed for more money then he ever thought possible (he’s 24), in a new league, and struggling. Not saying he’s going to be good defensively (average would be nice), but let him straighten his bat out and have Guillen get a little better at first and maybe he’ll get improve.  Maybe the coaching staff will have to re-evaluate how they position him in certain situations.

Crazy thought:  What about swapping Guillen and Cabrera eventually?  Let one play first, one play third?

I had the same thought about the first base situation.  Not sure about jumping too fast onto the Jeff Larish bandwagon, but a powerful left-hander seems like it might help the team.  But where to play him?  Does he turn into the latest prospect - for - pro player trade?  If Larish can play at the major league level, do you see if Guillen can play third on Cabrera off-days and put another left-hander into the lineup?  Maybe a left-handed DH as well?  Maybe thats a situation that can play out if they can move Inge and Thames.

Next up… I’m going to try not to analyze what’s wrong with the team until April 30.  That should give us a better data set to examine.  At that point the bullpen should be back down to 7, and we can see if Grilli continues to get drilled.