Tiger Geist

Detroit’s domination over two very good pitchers (and a division rival at that) brings them to a gave over .500 on Easter.  Its still early to figure out the contenders vs pretenders in the AL Central, but beating guys like Jackson and Buehrle is impressive.  Detroit still doesn’t know what they have in terms of their pitching and their lineup (Are Penny and Porcello for real?  How will the bullpen hold up), so its extremely important to not dig themselves into a hole as they figure it out.

The second base situation is bizarre:  Detroit is keeping a one-dimensional player on their roster (Will Rhymes, who can only play second base) with a guy who didn’t play an inning of spring ball at second base (Ryan Raburn).  So far, its working (offensively and in the win column).  John P asks the question:  WTF Why not Scott Sizemore? The logic is sound; Kurt hypothsizes that the coaching staff might have a reason (Sizemore isn’t ready yet, etc).  I think its pretty easy:  Its Carlos Guillen’s job.  Though Guillen hasn’t been working out*, Detroit either needs to eat his salary or find a position for him.  Having a hole both offensively and at second base, maybe they don’t want to promote Sizemore just to demote him in June when Guillen returns.  Also — this division is up for grabs; Sizemore hitting .350 in Toledo remains trade bait.  A slow start in the big leagues ruins Sizemore’s immediate trade value.  So I think its a calculated move — get Casper Wells & Brennan Boesch more at-bats, ride the offense and see where it takes you.  If Raburn continues to warm up, it might be a big win.

If you want to play “Dave Dombrowski takebacks”, just take a look to see how Placido Polanco is doing, both 2010 and his hot start in 2011. Would have been an easy solution to the batting order and the infield.

(*Hat tip to Jennifer C, where I found the link for Guillen’s status)