The Tigers seek their fifth consecutive win

Posted on May 25, 2013 by

Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Game Time: 4:08 p.m. EDT
(MIN) P.J. Walters (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(DET) Doug Fister (5-1, 3.62 ERA)

 Here is today's Detroit Tiger's starting lineup:   
 
 Andy Dirks LF
 Torii Hunter RF
 Miguel Cabrera 3B
 Prince Fielder 1B
 Victor Martinez DH
 Jhonny Peralta SS
 Brayan Pena C
 Omar Infante 2B
 Don Kelly CF

I am still recovering from all the excitement after last night’s game. I tend to get worked up when things such as a no-hitter or perfect game are in progress.

I have to admit, I was pretty sure the nono was going to happen. Sanchez was in such complete control of the game; how could it not? Too bad for Sanchez who had to face Joe Mauer in the ninth inning. Anibal knows that Mauer has broken-up previous no-hit bids at least twice before in his career. Both of the them in the ninth. Add Anibal’s to the list.

Some quick hits about the near accomplishment…

  • This was the third time the Tigers had a no-hit bid broken-up in the ninth. I’m sure you remember Armando Galarraga and his near-perfect game, right? The other was Verlander’s May 18, 2012 game against the Pirates.
  • Sanchez is the third pitcher in Tiger’s history to throw a shutout in which he allowed one hit or fewer and struck out at least twelve. Verlander and Jim Bunning are the other two.
  • This was Anibal’s third ten-strikeout game in 22 starts.
  • He had three ten strikeout games in 132 starts with the Marlins.
  • He has had two no-hit bids broken up that late within a three-year span.
  • He has thrown five complete games in which he allowed one hit or fewer.

(Stats are from ESPN Stats and Info)

I remember a lot of people who were questioning his acquisition in a trade that included Jacob Turner last season. That trade also brought Omar Infante back to Detroit.  In December, Sanchez agreed to a five-year, 80 million dollar contract with Detroit.

Aren’t you glad we kept him?

TODAY’S GAME

Doug Fister gets the late afternoon start for Detroit. Fister hasn’t faced the Twins, who have lost 10 straight games, yet this season. He is 6-3 against Minnesota with a 3.13 ERA.

The Twins will counter with PJ Walters. He will make his season début. In four starts against the Tigers last season, he is 1-1.

The Tigers are back in first place after the Indians lost to the Red Sox, 8-1. They will be looking to hand the Twins their 11th consecutive loss whilst racking up their fifth win in-a-row.

As always…

GO GET ‘EM TIGERS!!

~Skip

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Mauer breaks up Sanchez no-hit bid in the 9th

Posted on May 24, 2013 by

Anibal Sanchez pitched brilliantly. He was hitting his spots and exercising terrific command. He was firmly in control after giving up a walk in the first two innings.

This was a much different Sanchez from last week – much different from the Sanchez who could barely get through 2 2/3  innings against the Rangers on May 18 in Arlington, Texas.

This Sanchez threw a complete game shut-out of the Twins, 6-0, their tenth loss in-a-row. This Sanchez retired 18 batters in row before issuing the next walk in the eighth. He came within two outs of a no-hitter at Comerica Park this evening. He gave up one single – just one. That was to Joe Mauer in the top of the ninth. There was one out.

He walked three batters and struck out 12 in securing his fifth win of the year.

As for his thoughts about Joe Mauer? He took it in stride and joked a bit. He said, “Mauer got a hit at the worst moment.”

Have a good night!

As always,

GO GET ‘EM TIGERS!!

~ Skip

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Miguel Cabrera homers again in Tiger’s win over the Twins

Posted on May 24, 2013 by

Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Game Time: 7:08 p.m. EDT
(MIN) Samuel Deduno (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(DET) Anibal Sanchez (4-4, 2.77 ERA)

 Here is tonight's Detroit Tiger's starting lineup:   

 Andy Dirks LF
 Omar Infante 2B
 Miguel Cabrera 3B
 Prince Fielder 1B
 Victor Martinez DH
 Jhonny Peralta SS
 Alex Avila C
 Don Kelly CF
 Avisail Garcia RF

Entering Thursday’s contest, the Twins had lost eight games in-a-row. Good thing for the Tigers things didn’t get better for them. Even Josh Willingham with his two homers couldn’t help. Detroit launched a comeback victory, spiraling Minnesota even further down in the loss column, losing their ninth, 7-6.

They’re record now stands at 18-26. They are 8 ½ games in back of Cleveland.

English: Miguel CabreraLast night, Miguel Cabrera – The Sequel – homered again! The guy is unbelievable. This was the fourth straight game that he has hit a home run. He had three in Sunday’s ESPN game. All-in-all that’s six and 13 RBI’s.

Oh, and let’s not forget about Prince in all of this! He singled in the winning run last night after Cabrera drew an intentional walk. In fact, Cabrera has been walked five times in the last five games and Fielder has batted in a run each time. There isn’t too much that opposing pitchers can do with Miggy at the plate. Regardless, they will pay.

Prince has great numbers, too. In the first 45 games this season he is 23-for-47 and has driven in 41 runs. He has nine home runs. His stats could be inflated beyond what they are had he not walked 31 times!

By the way, Prince has a five-game hit streak!

Getting back to Miggy – did you know…

(From Elias Sports Bureau) In Tigers history, the only other player to register six or more homers and 13 or more RBIs over a four-game span while hitting at least one home run in each game was Willie Horton in 1965. From May 11-14 that year, Horton pounded out six home runs and drove in 15 runs. He homered once in each of the first two games and twice in each of the last two games.

NEXT UP…

Anibal Sanchez will start game two for the Tigers. After seven quality starts, he was kicked around a little bit by the Rangers his last time. He gave up six runs on nine hits before leaving the game after 2 2/3 innings. Over his last four games he is 1-3 and carries a 4.98 ERA.

He has been on the losing side in two appearances this year against Minnesota.

For the Twins, Samuel Deduno will get his first start of the 2013 season after suffering from a strained groin in the World Baseball Classic. Many of the current Detroit players have never faced him. Of the ones who have, Prince Fielder and Jhonny Peralta have had the most success.

Deduno pitched for the Colorodo Rockies and San Diego Padres before coming to the Twins in 2012.

LINEUP ALERT!

You’ll notice that Alex Avila is back behind the plate. Torii Hunter will sit this one out. Infante will bat in the 2-hole, and Avisail (Little Miggy) Garcia will play right field.

The Memorial Day weekend is here! I hope that whatever your plans are you have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

As always…

GO GET ‘EM TIGERS!!

~Skip

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Tigers to face the Twins for the first of four games

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Game Time: 7:08 p.m. EDT
(MIN) Scott Diamond (3-4, 4.99 ERA)
(DET) Rick Porcello (2-2, 5.92 ERA)

 Here is tonight's Detroit Tiger's starting lineup:  

 Omar Infante 2B 
 Torii Hunter RF
 Miguel Cabrera 3B
 Prince Fielder 1B
 Victor Martinez DH
 Jhonny Peralta SS
 Matt Tuiasosopo LF
 Brayan Pena C
 Avisail Garcia CF

Justin Verlander is still battling… well… something. Maybe mostly himself. He still looked shaky last night against the Indians. He had all kinds of trouble in the first few innings of the game before settling down during the third and fourth innings. Then just when it looked like he was recovering and returning to the Verlander we all expect him to be – he faltered in the fifth. Just before the start of an hour or so rain delay, he gave up three runs.

His final line for the five frames was 10 hits, five runs and nine strikeouts. He walked one. Still, he is confident he will get back to form.

“I feel like my past experience allows me to come out of this quicker than I would before,” Verlander said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work the last eight years. My feel for my body is much better now than it was back then. Years ago, I don’t know how I would have fixed this quickly.”

I don’t doubt that it won’t be long until this is nothing more than a bad memory.

Did you stay up to watch the completion of the game?

If so, you saw Miguel Cabrera hit his 13th homer of the year. It might have been an out had Michael Bourn not helped it out. It hit his glove and went over the fence. If you missed it you can watch it here. CLICK

NEXT UP…

The Tigers face the Minnesota Twins for the third time this season. It is a four game series. So far, the Tigers have a 3-3 record against them. Porcello last faced the Twins in the third game of the year on April 4. He suffered his first loss, 8-2, after giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Two of those runs were home runs from Josh Willingham (.600 vs Porcello) and Trevor Plouffe (.267 vs Porcello).

This time around, Plouffe won’t be facing Porcello. He was hit in the head on Tuesday during the Twins game with the Braves. Although he is fine, as a precaution, he has been placed on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion.

As for Willingham, he has been a disappointment. He is hitting .156 this month. He is .200 against Detroit. But don’t figure for him to be an easy out. He is hitting really good off of Porcello.

Other threats for Porcello include Ryan Doumit and Brian Dozier.

Finally, the Detroit Red Wings continue in their quest for the Cup. Tonight, they will be facing the Blackhawks at the Joe in Game 4 of Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are hoping to bring Chicago to their knees by increasing their lead to 3-1.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a hearty GO WINGS before closing out this post.

As always…

GO GET ‘EM TIGERS!!

~Skip

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Scherzer nearly goes the distance in Tiger’s win

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers
Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT
(DET) Justin Verlander (4-4, 3.17 ERA)
(CLE) Ubaldo Jimenez (3-2, 5.31 ERA)

 Here is today's Detroit Tiger's starting lineup:   

 Andy Dirks LF
 Torii Hunter RF
 Miguel Cabrera 3B
 Prince Fielder 1B
 Victor Martinez DH
 Jhonny Peralta SS
 Brayan Pena C
 Don Kelly CF
 Omar Infante 2B

What did you think about Max Scherzer’s pitching performance last night? It has spawned a lot of discussion today about who is really the ace for the Tigers. Has Justin Verlander been replaced? Hardly. But still people were talking.

Scherzer picked up his sixth win. He gave up a single to Michael Bourn and Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning. The next batter to reach was Carlos Santana.

Max ScherzerHe drew a base-on-balls. Afterward, Max retired the next 22 batters. Seven of them went by way of the strikeout. And, he lasted eight innings. Something we haven’t seen from the starters in a while. I know the bullpen was grateful for the day of rest.

But overall, pretty impressive, huh?

You betcha it was.

Scherzer has six wins and no losses in nine starts. In 62 1/3 innings he has allowed 44 hits, 25 earned runs and he has fanned 75 batters. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is a very low 0.914.

By comparison, Justin Verlander’s win/loss record is 4-4 over nine starts. He has pitched less innings than Scherzer – 54.  Justin has allowed 19 earned runs on 50 hits. He has 60 strikeouts with a WHIP of 1.296. That’s a little high, but still not bad. Keep in mind his Cy Young and AL-MVP year his WHIP was 0.920. That’s close to what Scherzer has right now!

You can understand why people were talking.

Justin Verlander will start tonight’s game against Ubaldo Jimenez. Verlander’s last few starts have been rough – to say the least. In the last three he is 1-2 and has allowed 11 earned runs on 14 hits. He walked nine batters. Struck out 19. His ERA is an obese 6.75.

After the last start he said he was going back to the drawing board to fix a couple of things mechanically – specifically spotting his fastball. He threw two bullpen sessions over the weekend. Has it helped? We’ll find out tonight.

Jimenez, on the other hand, is 3-0 in his last four starts with a 1.90 ERA.

LINEUP ALERT!

You’ll notice that Alex Avila is not starting tonight. Because he is struggling lately (1-for-21), Brayan Pena will bat 7th and catch tonight. Pena is 6-for-12 with a home run and three RBI’s in his last three games. His slugging percentage is .750. So, it isn’t a bad idea to give Avila a rest and some time to clear his head while his back-up is hitting the ball decently.

As always…

GO GET ‘EM TIGERS!!

~Skip

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