Last night had a retro feel and it wasn't just the Elvis Night promotion. The Tigers entered a series with a hated rival a slight lead in the Division. This Tigers team has been riding it's offense to the Division lead and were facing the Twins during a stretch where they have seemed, well ordinary. I was at Comerica after flying in from D.C. for my best friend's wedding (he was genious enough to host his rehearsal dinner at the ballpark). The Tigers pounced on a dominant pitcher in Liriano, scoring early and keeping the crowd into the game throughout. Verlander went to work and our bullpen held Minnesota off for the win. After the game, the capacity crowd was treated to fireworks and more Elvis music.
Flash back to June 11, 1993. The Tigers were hosting a four-game series to a hated rival with a slight division lead against a dominant pitcher. This time we were playing the Toronto Blue Jays and the opposing pitcher was none other than Jack Morris. Once Jack Morris left the Tigers, I always looked at him like Hulk Hogan after he went Hollywood. It was surreal to see Jack as the bad guy and I was always waiting for him to shave the beard and switch back from the dark side. That night, my best friend and two other guys headed to Michigan and Trumball on a perfect summer night and watched the Tigers rock the Blue Jays. My hero, Mickey Tettleton, hit a bomb to deep right field off Morris and the party was on. After the game, the capacity crowd was treated to fireworks and Elvis music. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
What I don't want is a repeat of what came next. The Tigers took three of four in that series and then feel apart. Starting with a four game lead in what was then the AL East, the Tigers won two more series before losing 13 of 14 games in a murderous stretch that exposed an average pitching staff with such intimidating figures as Doherty, Gullickson and Mike Moore. The Tigers contended some through July but were never the same team and Toronto ran up the scoreboard for several months with what I feel is the best lineup ever put together. The Tigers finished 10 games above .500 but that didn't get you much other than a 3rd place finish in the league back in those days.
The 2010 Tigers can hit like that team, though with considerably less power. The difference in these teams is the pitching staffs. That team did not sport a legitimate ace or even a legitimate #2. With Scherzer emerging, I think this year's team can boast both. That team had a lame bullpen at best. Henneman was our best reliever and he posted a 2.46 ERA versus Papa Grande at 0.95. That team would roll out Buddy Groom, Sean Bergman and Storm Davis whereas this team can hit you with a plethera of arms. Above all, that team had to contend with a truly dominant team in their Division. The Blue Jays of early 1990's were akin to the Yankees of today. Dominant in every fashion and clear cut above the Tigers who valiantly hung with them through four months of that season. This year's Division is a toss-up with the Twins, Sox and Tigers all sporting strengths and obvious weaknesses. I don't believe anyone is running away with this Division.
That 1993 weekend series is cemented in my head like as a snapshot of how beautiful baseball can be and how perfect a game it is. It's also a picture of how I want to remember my youth, let the rest of that season be damned as we were #1 that night while listening to "Jailhouse Rock" and watching fireworks. I will have the same great memories of last night however the rest of this season finishes. A night with great friends and family, capped off by Elvis and a decent little fireworks show. That's summer at it's best.
Showing posts with label Minnesota Twins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota Twins. Show all posts
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Verlander becoming a legitimate ace - Tigers now in 1st place
1. JV was exceptional tonight, twice striking out the side and working his entire repertoire of pitches all night. He threw 15 pitches at 95 MPH or higher in the first inning and then went to work with his off-speed stuff. His most devastating pitch was his slide. This is a nasty pitch and must have the same arm motion and look as his fastball as opponents are swinging at some terrible pitches that reach the catcher in the dirt. He also used a nice changeup to entice Figgins into a soft ground ball to end the 7th with bases loaded. With a 100 MPH fastball, anything in the 80's with the same arm motion is going to be lethal. If Verlander can continue to perfect these pitches, he may ultimately become a true Cy Young candidate and not simply a strike out pitcher.
3. Great two-out rally in bottom of 4th inning capped by an improbable Inge single for two ribs after he got down 0-2. Brandon laid off two high fastballs and fouled off two more strikes before smacking a hanging curve ball through past a diving Jack Wilson at shortstop. Kudos Brandon, I will refrain from trashing you until tomorrow. Speaking of trash, Lard struck out swinging the very next at bat, stranding two runners.
4. I found it interesting in the 5th inning when Mario called a ground ball to second base "routine". There has been nothing "routine" about the Tigers defense this year. With 55 errors this year, they are among the Top 10 worst defensive teams in MLB and 3rd worst in the American League. Conversely, they were among the Top 10 best in 2009 which is why they led the Division wire to wire (almost). Compare this crappy fielding to the Twins who have only made 31 errors, which is tied with the Yankees for best in MLB. This is also why Minnesota is in the race every single year. Teams that field their position tend to be in the hunt late into September.
5. JV "shut the door" in the 5th inning which is what an ace does. After a great rally in an inning where your offense made their starter work, your ace needs a 1-2-3 inning. Put your opponent right back on the mound without rest - almost like an extension of the last bad inning. Vargas had to run right back onto the mound and proceeded to surrender four more runs before getting the axe for the night. Baseball is a game of moments that change the outcome of the game. JV's 1-2-3 5th inning might not have been memorable but it was the most important moment in the game.
6. Brennan Boesch is silly - hitting .450 against lefties with .850 SLG and had another two hits against Vargas tonight. He narrowly missed pulling a deep home run in the 5th (just foul) and adjusted at the plate to take an outside slider to the opposite field for a single. Seriously Brennan, cut it out.
7. Ryan Perry made his first appearance since June 7th tonight. His fastball was overpowering at 94-97 MPH. He threw five straight, well place fastballs to Milton Bradley, the last being of the swing and miss variety. His curve ball was average which is about all it needs to be for a middle reliever. Given the loss of Zumaya for the year, Perry will need to be solid for the Tigers to continue to dominate out of the pen.
8. Minnesota lost, Tigers won. We are now in first place, albeit tied with those bastards up North. I don't give a damn, I'm smoking a victory cigar and enjoying it as they play at 1PM tomorrow and I might not have time to enjoy this with Cliff Lee scheduled to start. I hope Lee spends some quality time at Bouzuki tonight and isn't feeling up to snuff tomorrow.
3. Great two-out rally in bottom of 4th inning capped by an improbable Inge single for two ribs after he got down 0-2. Brandon laid off two high fastballs and fouled off two more strikes before smacking a hanging curve ball through past a diving Jack Wilson at shortstop. Kudos Brandon, I will refrain from trashing you until tomorrow. Speaking of trash, Lard struck out swinging the very next at bat, stranding two runners.
4. I found it interesting in the 5th inning when Mario called a ground ball to second base "routine". There has been nothing "routine" about the Tigers defense this year. With 55 errors this year, they are among the Top 10 worst defensive teams in MLB and 3rd worst in the American League. Conversely, they were among the Top 10 best in 2009 which is why they led the Division wire to wire (almost). Compare this crappy fielding to the Twins who have only made 31 errors, which is tied with the Yankees for best in MLB. This is also why Minnesota is in the race every single year. Teams that field their position tend to be in the hunt late into September.
5. JV "shut the door" in the 5th inning which is what an ace does. After a great rally in an inning where your offense made their starter work, your ace needs a 1-2-3 inning. Put your opponent right back on the mound without rest - almost like an extension of the last bad inning. Vargas had to run right back onto the mound and proceeded to surrender four more runs before getting the axe for the night. Baseball is a game of moments that change the outcome of the game. JV's 1-2-3 5th inning might not have been memorable but it was the most important moment in the game.
6. Brennan Boesch is silly - hitting .450 against lefties with .850 SLG and had another two hits against Vargas tonight. He narrowly missed pulling a deep home run in the 5th (just foul) and adjusted at the plate to take an outside slider to the opposite field for a single. Seriously Brennan, cut it out.
7. Ryan Perry made his first appearance since June 7th tonight. His fastball was overpowering at 94-97 MPH. He threw five straight, well place fastballs to Milton Bradley, the last being of the swing and miss variety. His curve ball was average which is about all it needs to be for a middle reliever. Given the loss of Zumaya for the year, Perry will need to be solid for the Tigers to continue to dominate out of the pen.
8. Minnesota lost, Tigers won. We are now in first place, albeit tied with those bastards up North. I don't give a damn, I'm smoking a victory cigar and enjoying it as they play at 1PM tomorrow and I might not have time to enjoy this with Cliff Lee scheduled to start. I hope Lee spends some quality time at Bouzuki tonight and isn't feeling up to snuff tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Slowey delivers a Jean Claude kick to the schwantz
Kevin Slowey held the Tigers to one earned run over six innings. Of course, he did. This was his fourth over-powering outing in a row except in his last three starts, he gave up a total of 17 earned runs with that weak arsenal. Nice job making this bum look like a major leaguer Tigers. The only positive I can take this from this horrible performance is the consolation that this outing will ensure that he starts three more times for the Twins which gives the Twins a great chance to lose some games.
We held the lead in the AL Central for a grand total of 21 hours and boy did it feel great. I had a little bounce to my step on Tuesday until about 8:10PM that evening. The way I feel now can best be compared to the way it must have felt to bet on the biker in black leather against Van Damme in this classique.
We held the lead in the AL Central for a grand total of 21 hours and boy did it feel great. I had a little bounce to my step on Tuesday until about 8:10PM that evening. The way I feel now can best be compared to the way it must have felt to bet on the biker in black leather against Van Damme in this classique.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Mags picking daisies and f-ing Nick Punto
1. Mags has braces. I noticed in the first inning today and wasn't sure where I was going to go with it. Then came the 3rd inning when Mags must have been distracted by some beautiful butterflies as he let a duck snort from Morneau drop five feet in front of him to let the tying run cross the plate. I love you Mags, but quit picking daisies like a pre-pubescent little leaguer out there. If you're worried about cutting your lips with those braces, just get a mouth-guard.
2. Bonderman acted like a professional last night. He clearly didn't have his stuff and battled through 5 1/3 innings with a chance at a win. He threw only eleven strikes in his first 37 pitches and what was crossed white was not impressive. That being said, he kept the game in check with three double plays in the first four innings in a game that could have easily gotten away from him. The old Bondo would have caved mentally in at least one of those innings, knowing he couldn't rely on his natural gifts. He would have squandered that four run lead and been pulled in the third inning. Alas, this is not the old Bondo. He worked the corners and kept the Twins swinging at his offspeed pitches, staying in just long enough to hand the ball to the best bullpen in the American League. Kudos to you Bondo - you're still my Tiger.
3. Cabrera has a ten-game hitting streak to go with his 67 RBI. If you reading this blog, get to MLB's site and vote. I simply will not stand for the ass clown from New York making the team over Miggy.
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2010/ballot.html
4. Armando, you can't walk mainstay #9 hitter Nick Punto with two outs and a man on first base. It normally leads to a triple by leadoff hitter Denard Span and a two run deficit. Next time you're in that situation, heed this sage advice.
5. The Tigers are 6-17 in Minnesota since the start of the 2008 season. Our pitchers are sporting a 6+ ERA during that time, two full runs more than Twins pitchers. In addition, the Twins stole the AL Central Division from the Tigers in 2006 and 2009 on the last game of the season. Even when we beat this team, they keep it interesting until the last pitch of the game; no lead is ever safe. I hate these assholes.
6. The Twins have hit into a league-high 88 double plays this year. That is a staggering number that is doubtless higher due to the arrival of Jim Thome. Another way to look at this stat is that the Twins get men on first base with less than two outs more than any team in the league, a situation that puts high stress on starters and leads to high scoring games. If the Twins ever stop killing their own rallies, they are going to be dangerous. Great article on www.twinkietown.com if you want to read more on this topic.
http://www.twinkietown.com/2010/6/1/1495457/why-are-the-twins-grounding-into
7. Note to Fu Te Ni, you can't walk #9 hitter Nick Punto with two men on and two outs. It normally leads to a triple by leadoff hitter Denard Span and a seven-run deficit. In fact, you should stay in the bullpen unless we are facing the Pirates, Nationals, Diamondbacks or Royals.
Seriously, Nick Punto . . . WTF?
8. This shitty outing by Tigers pitching makes me miss Zumaya already and now a quick work on Zoom. His injury is probably best case scenario. After the scene last night in Minnesota, I was certain that Zoom tore a ligament and would need Tommy John surgery. That kind of pain normally signifies the last time you'll see a pitcher on a mound. Fortunately, Zoom merely fractured his elbow which will not require surgery and he should be back at Spring Training next year. This must be getting old for Joel by now but it's understandable given the pressure an arm like his is subjected to on a regular basis. Joel has thrown over 400 pitches over 100 MPH in 2010 alone; the next closest pitcher has thrown less than half of that. Good luck with your rehab Zoom - we'll miss you.
9. Ricky Porcello Update: My old man and roving www.ianjr.com reporter Barry Mazeroski, scouted Ricky in Toledo tonight as he made a start for the Mud Hens.
"Looked like more of the same. He went six innings, gave up ten hits and five earned runs. Everything was up and he'd have given up more runs if not for some great defense behind him. He's not ready."
10. Ramon Santiago is looking more and more like a starting shortstop every game. He made an incredible play in the 6th inning, ranging deep into the hole off his backhand and firing a hose to first. He has been impressive at the plate as well, hitting .270 and shows the bunting skills of someone who should be hitting in the two-hole on a regular basis.
2. Bonderman acted like a professional last night. He clearly didn't have his stuff and battled through 5 1/3 innings with a chance at a win. He threw only eleven strikes in his first 37 pitches and what was crossed white was not impressive. That being said, he kept the game in check with three double plays in the first four innings in a game that could have easily gotten away from him. The old Bondo would have caved mentally in at least one of those innings, knowing he couldn't rely on his natural gifts. He would have squandered that four run lead and been pulled in the third inning. Alas, this is not the old Bondo. He worked the corners and kept the Twins swinging at his offspeed pitches, staying in just long enough to hand the ball to the best bullpen in the American League. Kudos to you Bondo - you're still my Tiger.
3. Cabrera has a ten-game hitting streak to go with his 67 RBI. If you reading this blog, get to MLB's site and vote. I simply will not stand for the ass clown from New York making the team over Miggy.
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2010/ballot.html
4. Armando, you can't walk mainstay #9 hitter Nick Punto with two outs and a man on first base. It normally leads to a triple by leadoff hitter Denard Span and a two run deficit. Next time you're in that situation, heed this sage advice.
5. The Tigers are 6-17 in Minnesota since the start of the 2008 season. Our pitchers are sporting a 6+ ERA during that time, two full runs more than Twins pitchers. In addition, the Twins stole the AL Central Division from the Tigers in 2006 and 2009 on the last game of the season. Even when we beat this team, they keep it interesting until the last pitch of the game; no lead is ever safe. I hate these assholes.
6. The Twins have hit into a league-high 88 double plays this year. That is a staggering number that is doubtless higher due to the arrival of Jim Thome. Another way to look at this stat is that the Twins get men on first base with less than two outs more than any team in the league, a situation that puts high stress on starters and leads to high scoring games. If the Twins ever stop killing their own rallies, they are going to be dangerous. Great article on www.twinkietown.com if you want to read more on this topic.
http://www.twinkietown.com/2010/6/1/1495457/why-are-the-twins-grounding-into
7. Note to Fu Te Ni, you can't walk #9 hitter Nick Punto with two men on and two outs. It normally leads to a triple by leadoff hitter Denard Span and a seven-run deficit. In fact, you should stay in the bullpen unless we are facing the Pirates, Nationals, Diamondbacks or Royals.
Seriously, Nick Punto . . . WTF?
8. This shitty outing by Tigers pitching makes me miss Zumaya already and now a quick work on Zoom. His injury is probably best case scenario. After the scene last night in Minnesota, I was certain that Zoom tore a ligament and would need Tommy John surgery. That kind of pain normally signifies the last time you'll see a pitcher on a mound. Fortunately, Zoom merely fractured his elbow which will not require surgery and he should be back at Spring Training next year. This must be getting old for Joel by now but it's understandable given the pressure an arm like his is subjected to on a regular basis. Joel has thrown over 400 pitches over 100 MPH in 2010 alone; the next closest pitcher has thrown less than half of that. Good luck with your rehab Zoom - we'll miss you.
9. Ricky Porcello Update: My old man and roving www.ianjr.com reporter Barry Mazeroski, scouted Ricky in Toledo tonight as he made a start for the Mud Hens.
"Looked like more of the same. He went six innings, gave up ten hits and five earned runs. Everything was up and he'd have given up more runs if not for some great defense behind him. He's not ready."
10. Ramon Santiago is looking more and more like a starting shortstop every game. He made an incredible play in the 6th inning, ranging deep into the hole off his backhand and firing a hose to first. He has been impressive at the plate as well, hitting .270 and shows the bunting skills of someone who should be hitting in the two-hole on a regular basis.
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