When we started this nine-game road trip, I concluded that four wins would be a win. Facing three league leaders with some of the best home records in the Bigs, the Tigers just needed to survive until they could get back to the friendly confines. After six games, the Tigers have exactly two wins and if they can pull off two wins in Minnesota, will head back home in first place.
That being said, this is Minnesota and we have one exactly two series there in the last five years. It is hard not get a sinking feeling when I look at tonight's matchup of Bonderman vs. Liriano. I typically feel the camera guy in this video after a three-game set with the dreaded Twinkies.
When the Lions play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, I know they are going to lose. I hold out zero hope and subject myself to viewing only because I have nothing better to do on a Sunday. The Packers are normally better at nearly every position on the field, offensively and defensively. It's not a fair matchup, I understand it, and I don't harbor any illusions that the Lions have a chance. This should not translate to the Twins and Tigers. The Tigers can match the Twins for talent at just about every position on the field (except catcher). I would give the nod to the Tigers starting rotation and bullpen. Seriously, name more than three total Minnesota pitchers. You can't, because they are no-talent journeymen and kids fresh from AAA just like every year. I like our offense as much if not more than the Twins and the only thing they have on us is defense and base running, which shouldn't be enough to overcome areas 1, 2 and 3.
Just take a look at the comparison in lineups:
1. Denard Span vs. Austin Jackson
Span is a contact hitter that will make you throw him strikes. He's batted .294 and .311 in two seasons as lead off hitter and is incredibly hard to strike out (only 37 in 309 at bats in 2010). He has above average speed and has swiped 15 bases so far this year. Jackson has been dynamite as a rookie. In spring training, most fans were not sure if he would still be with the club in May. I personally thought we would see Damon as a fixture at leadoff in 2010 but AJ never gave Leyland a chance to bench him. He is leading Span in batting average (.305 vs .275), on-base percentage (.335 vs .346) and slugging percentage (.408 vs .369) but lags in strikeouts (73 vs 37), walks (18 vs 31) and stolen bases (12 vs 15). Both excel in the field and are capable of the highlight reel catch. Span may be more proven but AJ has been electric this year.
Advantage: TIGERS
2. Johnny Damon vs. Orlando Hudson
Hudson is a talented second baseman who fields his position well and does everything right in the two-hole. Damon is always dangerous in any spot in the lineup and can do just about anything except throw. Their stats have been comparable this season. Damon leads in slugging percentage (.391 vs .387), OBP (.365 vs .356) and walks (38 vs 23) and they are comparable in runs scored, average and doubles. Damon probably offers more versatility as he can play all three outfield positions and DH.
Advantage: TIGERS
3. Joe Mauer vs Magglio Ordonez
I was surprised to put their 2010 stats side by side. Mauer is everybody's All American and the new poster boy of MLB. He is a hitting machine and plays the game hard on every play. But, he is lagging Maggs in every meaningful statistic leading up to the All Start Break. Maggs leads in average (.319 vs .304), slugging (.504 vs .433), RBI (49 vs 33), OBP (.394 vs .381) and home runs (10 vs 3). In fact, you can't really find a stat that Mauer is leading Maggs so far in 2010.
Advantage: TIGERS
4. Justin Morneau vs Miguel Cabrera
Morneau is a ridiculous athlete and a much better fielder than Miggy. That being said, you don't pay max contracts to first basemen for their gloves. This blog has already made the case for Cabrera over Morneau for MVP in 2010, though I piss my pants every time we have to pitch to this guy.
Advantage: TIGERS
5. Michael Cuddyer vs Brennan Boesch
I can't stand Cuddyer which is all you need to know about his skills. The guy is good and he is clutch. This guy routinely breaks your back after you throw 25 pitches to Mauer and Morneau, contain them and then allow Cuddyer to take you deep. That being said, our Rookie of the Year is better. Just like with Mags and Mauer, Brennan leads Cuddyer in every single offensive category. He is ahead in average (.338 vs .259), RBI (43 vs 33), HR (12 vs 7), OBP (.389 vs .327), SLG (.621 vs .409). Actually, this is a slaughter and Boesch wins going away even with 15 less games played than Cuddyer.
Advantage: TIGERS
6. Jason Kubel vs. Brandon Inge
As I lament about every week, this is where things get dicey for the Tigers. Kubel is another clutch ball player that takes advantage of tired pitchers who just spent all of their energy to get the M&M boys out. Kubel scares the hell out of me and I was the least bit surprised when he hit the first grand slam off Mariano Rivera in ten years. Inge, not so much and the stats are fairly lopsided. Kubel wins in home runs (10 vs 6), RBI (41 vs 29) and SLG (.448 vs .429). The six-spot gets a lot of RBI opportunities and Kubel makes the most of his changes while Inge leads the league in runners stranded.
Advantage: TWINS
7. Delmon Young vs Carlos Guillen
Though Guillen prefers the six-spot, he's rarely healthy enough to be in the lineup consistently. Guillen is a true professional and sports our highest baseball IQ. His versatility is apparent in the field and at the plate as a switch-hitter. Carlos makes pitchers work at the plate and can deliver the dramatic, clutch hit. That being said, Young is having the better year. Young has played in 20 more games, leads in average, home runs, slugging, and has more than doubled Guillen's RBI totals.
Advantage: TWINS
8. J.J. Hardy vs Ramon Santiago
Ramon may be a utility player but he has been a regular in our lineup all year, mainly because Leyland can't afford to do without his bat. Ramon is disciplined at the plate and will make a pitcher throw him strikes. He is also more than satisfactory in the field at either 2B or SS. Hardy is a liability and that is putting it nicely. His .217 average and .265 OBP are worthy of the Pirates lineup. Ramon dominates in every offensive category.
Advantage: TIGERS
9. Nick Punto vs Gerald Laird
Punto is a scrappy ball player with a great mitt but I don't worry much about making some nachos while he is at the plate. Gerald Lard is a similar player in that he is golden defensively but awful with a piece of maple in his hands. Punto leads Lard in every offensive category unless you're comparing them in bathing suits on a beach.
Advantage: TWINS
After going through that exercise, I feel that the Tigers have facts on their side but can't say that I feel any better about winning a series in Minnesota. Here's hoping they aren't as worried about recent history as I am.
Showing posts with label Boesch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boesch. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ten for the water cooler - 6/20/2010
1. This exceptional home stand was led by our 7-8-9 hitters who delivered consistently for the first time this season. Brandon Inge hit .400 in his last ten games, and .354 with men in scoring position in June. Inge raised his average thirty points in June and only needs to hit .250 to .275 for this offense to rise above average. Our catchers finally woke up, both Avila and Laird are batting over .300 in the last ten games. "Young" Ramon Santiago raised his batting average thirty points in June, adding a 4-hit game and several impressive sacrifice bunts to his production. I'm not sure why Leyland doesn't give Ramon a shot at the starting SS position . . .
2. Ricky Porcello takes his turn in Toledo. Like Scherzer and Gallaraga before him, Ricky will spend the next several weeks in Toledo. I applaud the move just as I did when Dumbrowski cut Dontrelle and Everett. Championships are won when the best available players are on the field and the Tigers are finally making the tough decisions to ensure our competitiveness. In Everett's place, Santiago has blossomed and is hitting a full .100 points higher than Adam before he was cut. Our pitching coach in Toledo is strong and will help Ricky's mechanics as he is not fooling big league hitters relying on an average fastball because his off-speed stuff is not accurate enough to throw in a tough count. I expect Ricky will be back with the club just after the All Star break and in much better form.
3. Sunday was second straight sell-out at Comerica Park and third this season. The Tigers sold nearly 120,000 tickets over the weekend series with the Diamondbacks. Hard to argue the passion of Detroit fans given that turnout amidst a decimating job market with unemployment approaching testing 20%. Kudos to the best people on Earth - the good folks in Michigan.
4. The Tigers have fourteen wins when once trailing by at least two runs. They have come from behind in 21 games total, including today when Kennedy was looking more like Koufax until he made several mistakes to the wrong guys in the 7th inning. Brennan Boesch's two-run, go-ahead shot was impressive given how strong Kennedy had pitched thus far and the pitch that he hit. Kennedy served up a hanging breaking ball and Boesch had to supply all the power which is not difficult given his farmboy frame. Boesch's stats have been silly this year. He is second on the team with ten home runs and third in RBI's, though he has only played in little more than a month's worth of big league games. He also has the most majestic home run swing in the bigs now that Griffey has retired. The Tigers may have the best 3-4-5 combination in the league right now, with Maggs, Cabrera and Boesch all hitting over .330.
5. My boy Giovani Soto continues to roll for Class A West Michigan. He just fired his second complete game shutout and has allowed zero earned runs in four of his last six starts. He is averaging one strikeout per inning and his 2.01 ERA is among the best in Class A for starters. This 19-year old is high voltage and should be moving up to AA or AAA in 2011. Our other phenom in West Michigan, Jacob Turner, has been turning the corner, allowing two earned runs or less in four of his last five starts. He is also leading the club with a WHIP of 1.15 and should move up the system in 2011 as well.
6. With men on first and third base today in the third inning, Diamonback pitcher Ian Kennedy tried the old "fake to third and turn back to first pick-off play". Are you crapping me? That didn't work in my little league with 12-year olds and you're trying that in the bigs? That's just Bush League Kennedy. Go shame yourself in the corner. You deserved to be booed by the home fans for that nonsense.
7. Scherzer was solid on Sunday, battling almost every inning and finishing the day by striking out the side just before the Tigers rally in the 7th inning. Since being recalled from Toledo, Scherzer is 3-2 and has struck out 41 batters in 30 innings of work. Mad Max is finding his stroke at a good time with a tough road trip ahead.
8. About that road trip . . . the Tigers now travel to face the Mets, Braves and Twins in a nine-game road trip. I'm scared. The concern for most Tiger fans is our 8-1 home stand was built against the league's weakest teams (no offense Baltimore). We'll learn much more about the Tigers in the next ten days than we did in the last, especially against the Twins who understand how to bury league opponents head to head and just took two impressive wins from the Phillies on the road.
9. Diamondback third baseman Mark Reynolds is my kind of ballplayer and hearkens back to one of my all-time favorite Tigers, Rob Deer. Like Deer, Reynolds has ridiculous power and also like Deer, he swings and misses more than anyone in the league. Reynolds has 16 strikeouts in his last 21 at-bats. He led the league in strikeouts in 2008 and 2009 with 204 and 223 strikeouts, the latter being an AL record. That wouldn't keep most in the league but Reynolds pairs his glorious K's with some raw power. He hit 44 home runs in 2009 and currently ranks 2nd in the NL with 16 home runs, including a bomb in the Dbacks win on Saturday. Rob Deer posted 150+ strikeouts in seven seasons, leading the league four times. My favorite year was 1991 in which his strikeouts almost eclipsed his batting average (175 SO, .179 BA). In that campaign, Deer was punched out in 39% of his at-bats. Why would a guy like this be one of my favorites? He swung like a softball player all 25 of his home runs that year were of the tape measure variety. In fact, Deer has the longest home run in the majors in 1992 with a 483-foot shot at Tiger Stadium, as measured by the "IBM Tale of the Tape".
10. The White Sox are making a case for a three-team race. The South Siders have put together win streaks of four and six in June, winning ten of their last eleven games. Sox pitching has been lights out and they've had some timely hitting. It is entirely way too early to count out the White Sox, who were favored to win more games than the Tigers in pre-season and have clawed their way back to a .500 record. I hate you White Sox - I hope a swarm of fire ants find their way into Ozzie Guillen's jock strap during their upcoming series with the Braves.
2. Ricky Porcello takes his turn in Toledo. Like Scherzer and Gallaraga before him, Ricky will spend the next several weeks in Toledo. I applaud the move just as I did when Dumbrowski cut Dontrelle and Everett. Championships are won when the best available players are on the field and the Tigers are finally making the tough decisions to ensure our competitiveness. In Everett's place, Santiago has blossomed and is hitting a full .100 points higher than Adam before he was cut. Our pitching coach in Toledo is strong and will help Ricky's mechanics as he is not fooling big league hitters relying on an average fastball because his off-speed stuff is not accurate enough to throw in a tough count. I expect Ricky will be back with the club just after the All Star break and in much better form.
3. Sunday was second straight sell-out at Comerica Park and third this season. The Tigers sold nearly 120,000 tickets over the weekend series with the Diamondbacks. Hard to argue the passion of Detroit fans given that turnout amidst a decimating job market with unemployment approaching testing 20%. Kudos to the best people on Earth - the good folks in Michigan.
4. The Tigers have fourteen wins when once trailing by at least two runs. They have come from behind in 21 games total, including today when Kennedy was looking more like Koufax until he made several mistakes to the wrong guys in the 7th inning. Brennan Boesch's two-run, go-ahead shot was impressive given how strong Kennedy had pitched thus far and the pitch that he hit. Kennedy served up a hanging breaking ball and Boesch had to supply all the power which is not difficult given his farmboy frame. Boesch's stats have been silly this year. He is second on the team with ten home runs and third in RBI's, though he has only played in little more than a month's worth of big league games. He also has the most majestic home run swing in the bigs now that Griffey has retired. The Tigers may have the best 3-4-5 combination in the league right now, with Maggs, Cabrera and Boesch all hitting over .330.
5. My boy Giovani Soto continues to roll for Class A West Michigan. He just fired his second complete game shutout and has allowed zero earned runs in four of his last six starts. He is averaging one strikeout per inning and his 2.01 ERA is among the best in Class A for starters. This 19-year old is high voltage and should be moving up to AA or AAA in 2011. Our other phenom in West Michigan, Jacob Turner, has been turning the corner, allowing two earned runs or less in four of his last five starts. He is also leading the club with a WHIP of 1.15 and should move up the system in 2011 as well.
6. With men on first and third base today in the third inning, Diamonback pitcher Ian Kennedy tried the old "fake to third and turn back to first pick-off play". Are you crapping me? That didn't work in my little league with 12-year olds and you're trying that in the bigs? That's just Bush League Kennedy. Go shame yourself in the corner. You deserved to be booed by the home fans for that nonsense.
7. Scherzer was solid on Sunday, battling almost every inning and finishing the day by striking out the side just before the Tigers rally in the 7th inning. Since being recalled from Toledo, Scherzer is 3-2 and has struck out 41 batters in 30 innings of work. Mad Max is finding his stroke at a good time with a tough road trip ahead.
8. About that road trip . . . the Tigers now travel to face the Mets, Braves and Twins in a nine-game road trip. I'm scared. The concern for most Tiger fans is our 8-1 home stand was built against the league's weakest teams (no offense Baltimore). We'll learn much more about the Tigers in the next ten days than we did in the last, especially against the Twins who understand how to bury league opponents head to head and just took two impressive wins from the Phillies on the road.
9. Diamondback third baseman Mark Reynolds is my kind of ballplayer and hearkens back to one of my all-time favorite Tigers, Rob Deer. Like Deer, Reynolds has ridiculous power and also like Deer, he swings and misses more than anyone in the league. Reynolds has 16 strikeouts in his last 21 at-bats. He led the league in strikeouts in 2008 and 2009 with 204 and 223 strikeouts, the latter being an AL record. That wouldn't keep most in the league but Reynolds pairs his glorious K's with some raw power. He hit 44 home runs in 2009 and currently ranks 2nd in the NL with 16 home runs, including a bomb in the Dbacks win on Saturday. Rob Deer posted 150+ strikeouts in seven seasons, leading the league four times. My favorite year was 1991 in which his strikeouts almost eclipsed his batting average (175 SO, .179 BA). In that campaign, Deer was punched out in 39% of his at-bats. Why would a guy like this be one of my favorites? He swung like a softball player all 25 of his home runs that year were of the tape measure variety. In fact, Deer has the longest home run in the majors in 1992 with a 483-foot shot at Tiger Stadium, as measured by the "IBM Tale of the Tape".
10. The White Sox are making a case for a three-team race. The South Siders have put together win streaks of four and six in June, winning ten of their last eleven games. Sox pitching has been lights out and they've had some timely hitting. It is entirely way too early to count out the White Sox, who were favored to win more games than the Tigers in pre-season and have clawed their way back to a .500 record. I hate you White Sox - I hope a swarm of fire ants find their way into Ozzie Guillen's jock strap during their upcoming series with the Braves.
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