If you still win games by scoring runs, I don't like the Tigers chances...
By Kyle Bauer, Sports Director
The Tigers early first place run of 2009 has nowhere near felt the magic of 2006. Because like the like the number '09 by comparison this team has been upside down.
How is a team with a two game lead in mid-June, generated no buzz? You would think its 2005 again with how flat the coverage has been.
It could be attributed to the Red Wings run. More so I believe its that even the "slapiest" fan can see right through this ball club. Not too many for see the Tigers anywhere near first come October.
There are reasons to be excited about this team though.
Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson are both putting on all-star displays. Jackson ranks third in the MLB with a 2.39 era and fourth in whip at 1.06. Verlander is coming down off of one of the most dominant stretches in Tigers history. He went 10 starts without a loss and leads the MLB in K's with 110.
Then theres Rick Porcello. The 20 year old rookie who had a May which seen him go 5-0 with an era around 1.20.
These top three starters are well capable of creating electricity that can power a candle lit city such as Detroit. But the power outage at the plate has rendered Tigers optimism in the dark.
Seven games in a row and counting have seen the Tigers score three runs or less. In the midst of Interleague play, Detroit will continue to struggle to score runs without the luxury of a DH batting four times a game, in National League parks. Not that this team looks much better with a DH.
Last year, fans rallied around the Toledo call-ups. Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas, Jeff Larrish and "insert leaft fielder here" generated a spark in what was a dismal season.
This year, we are seeing why they were simply call-ups and not trade bait or willing everyday players. With injuries to Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen and a struggling Magglio Ordonez, those same cast of characters have been called upon and exposed for the minor leaguers that they are.
Without a slugging Ordonez, .300 hitting Polanco, then healthy Cabrera and Guillen, you've seen Brandon Inge become the Tigers most consistent offensive threat. That scares the hell out of me and it should scare the hell out of you too.
The answer could be rather unconventional. With the current make-up of this ball club, offense could be found in once again reshuffling the order. And no, I'm not talking about Don Kelly leading off. Here's my ideal line up with the DH.
1. Granderson- We've all heard it before. Yeah yeah hes not a lead off hitter. Well whatever, he seems comfortable there and an occasional lead off homer or extra base hit doesn't hurt.
2. Maggs- This is the unconventional part. His power is gone, he can still get on base at a .347 clip and has a .277 avg. The key is that the Tigers need someone on base. While Maggs is way slow for the 2 spot, he can do what Polanco used to be able to do and single himself on.
3. Cabrera- While hes gripping with a hamstring injury, he remains the teams best hitter and on base threat. He can sustain rallies and drive the ball, not with home run power right now but just enough to move runners.
4. Inge- This is another peculiar call of mine but no matter what the order, there will be holes in the lineup. True Inge is a windmill, he can still hit with power and as much power as anyone on the team. Hes come up with some timely hits this season and while I'm scared of him going into a major slump that will knock his avg. done to an expected .240 range, hes still been consistent.
5. Thames- Much of what I said for Inge can be said for Marcus. Hes another strikeout machine. Putting him in the line up everyday would likely up that. Still hes hitting well since returning and I would ride that out. He tore up the NL last year, hitting home runs in five straight games at one point, so when he gets back to playing AL teams regularly, that may be another circumstance that finds him struggling.
6. Polanco- Whatever Polanco's deal is, I would rather have him work it out away from his typical spot in the line up. Sixth still bares some importance but it's less pressure. Such as you expect Inge's avg. to fall, you expect Polanco's to rise. Poly dosent draw walks, so his recent lack of contact creates a deeper impact when he's at the top of the line up.
7. "Insert left fielder here"- Whoever this may be, I believe 7th and 8th in the order are spots that can be sacrificed to a poor hitter. Every once in a while Raburn or Anderson can deliver a surprise big hit, but there is no need for them to be counted on, such as them at the top end of the order.
8. Laird/Sardinha- Both are trainwrecks at the plate. I have to believe Laird will snap out of this at some point. There has to be at least a .250 hitter in there some where. At this point I would love that.
9. "Everetago"- Adam Everett is coming back down to earth from his hot start. If he can pull some more unexpected magic, its a bonus at the bottom of the order. Ramon Santiago has been hitting well most nights. He may get a substantial amount of playing time if this continues. Hes batted as high as second some nights and I don't mind that necessarily but I would rather be safe and play him down in the order.
Another idea could be to swap Inge and Maggs. Inge has speed for a second hitter with some pop and is second on the team with a surprise .367 obp. I believe it would be more productive to get him in the middle of the order to utilize his power though.
Either way there's holes and holes and holes. My figuring is that this is a lineup to try in the home stand against the Brewers and Cubs to see how it goes. If it continues to flounder, the debate on whether to keep or cut Maggs will likely be more clear and the Tigers can either try to improve through trade or bringing up top pro ready prospect Wilken Ramirez (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ramire002wil.)
Also by the All-Star break, Cabrera may be healed up and the Tigers will also know Carlos Guillen's fate in regards to his bum shoulder.
The simple answer could lie within the four mentioned players. Maggs picks up the inexplicable power loss, Cabrera becomes 100% and a miracle happens and Guillen returns. I am not sure why it hasn't been theorized that Ramirez should be brought up soon and play left field or have him play right with Ordonez DHing. My only guess is that Wilken only has two minor league options left and the Tigers want to be conservative. Any one of those simple solutions could be the difference, but they're lofty and only simple in fan blogs and on paper.
The pitching south of Rick Porcello is another bleak situation. My only comment at the moment is the Tigers bullpen is fine. Not strong, but the lesser of major concerns. Zach Miner and Alfredo Figaro (http://www.baseballamerica.com/statistics/players/cards/?pl_id=83029) should be considered as interim fourth and fifth starters.
I could go on about the Tigers issues forever. Unfortunately the positives only went on about as long as a Dontrelle Willis start.
The Tigers early first place run of 2009 has nowhere near felt the magic of 2006. Because like the like the number '09 by comparison this team has been upside down.
How is a team with a two game lead in mid-June, generated no buzz? You would think its 2005 again with how flat the coverage has been.
It could be attributed to the Red Wings run. More so I believe its that even the "slapiest" fan can see right through this ball club. Not too many for see the Tigers anywhere near first come October.
There are reasons to be excited about this team though.
Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson are both putting on all-star displays. Jackson ranks third in the MLB with a 2.39 era and fourth in whip at 1.06. Verlander is coming down off of one of the most dominant stretches in Tigers history. He went 10 starts without a loss and leads the MLB in K's with 110.
Then theres Rick Porcello. The 20 year old rookie who had a May which seen him go 5-0 with an era around 1.20.
These top three starters are well capable of creating electricity that can power a candle lit city such as Detroit. But the power outage at the plate has rendered Tigers optimism in the dark.
Seven games in a row and counting have seen the Tigers score three runs or less. In the midst of Interleague play, Detroit will continue to struggle to score runs without the luxury of a DH batting four times a game, in National League parks. Not that this team looks much better with a DH.
Last year, fans rallied around the Toledo call-ups. Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas, Jeff Larrish and "insert leaft fielder here" generated a spark in what was a dismal season.
This year, we are seeing why they were simply call-ups and not trade bait or willing everyday players. With injuries to Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen and a struggling Magglio Ordonez, those same cast of characters have been called upon and exposed for the minor leaguers that they are.
Without a slugging Ordonez, .300 hitting Polanco, then healthy Cabrera and Guillen, you've seen Brandon Inge become the Tigers most consistent offensive threat. That scares the hell out of me and it should scare the hell out of you too.
The answer could be rather unconventional. With the current make-up of this ball club, offense could be found in once again reshuffling the order. And no, I'm not talking about Don Kelly leading off. Here's my ideal line up with the DH.
1. Granderson- We've all heard it before. Yeah yeah hes not a lead off hitter. Well whatever, he seems comfortable there and an occasional lead off homer or extra base hit doesn't hurt.
2. Maggs- This is the unconventional part. His power is gone, he can still get on base at a .347 clip and has a .277 avg. The key is that the Tigers need someone on base. While Maggs is way slow for the 2 spot, he can do what Polanco used to be able to do and single himself on.
3. Cabrera- While hes gripping with a hamstring injury, he remains the teams best hitter and on base threat. He can sustain rallies and drive the ball, not with home run power right now but just enough to move runners.
4. Inge- This is another peculiar call of mine but no matter what the order, there will be holes in the lineup. True Inge is a windmill, he can still hit with power and as much power as anyone on the team. Hes come up with some timely hits this season and while I'm scared of him going into a major slump that will knock his avg. done to an expected .240 range, hes still been consistent.
5. Thames- Much of what I said for Inge can be said for Marcus. Hes another strikeout machine. Putting him in the line up everyday would likely up that. Still hes hitting well since returning and I would ride that out. He tore up the NL last year, hitting home runs in five straight games at one point, so when he gets back to playing AL teams regularly, that may be another circumstance that finds him struggling.
6. Polanco- Whatever Polanco's deal is, I would rather have him work it out away from his typical spot in the line up. Sixth still bares some importance but it's less pressure. Such as you expect Inge's avg. to fall, you expect Polanco's to rise. Poly dosent draw walks, so his recent lack of contact creates a deeper impact when he's at the top of the line up.
7. "Insert left fielder here"- Whoever this may be, I believe 7th and 8th in the order are spots that can be sacrificed to a poor hitter. Every once in a while Raburn or Anderson can deliver a surprise big hit, but there is no need for them to be counted on, such as them at the top end of the order.
8. Laird/Sardinha- Both are trainwrecks at the plate. I have to believe Laird will snap out of this at some point. There has to be at least a .250 hitter in there some where. At this point I would love that.
9. "Everetago"- Adam Everett is coming back down to earth from his hot start. If he can pull some more unexpected magic, its a bonus at the bottom of the order. Ramon Santiago has been hitting well most nights. He may get a substantial amount of playing time if this continues. Hes batted as high as second some nights and I don't mind that necessarily but I would rather be safe and play him down in the order.
Another idea could be to swap Inge and Maggs. Inge has speed for a second hitter with some pop and is second on the team with a surprise .367 obp. I believe it would be more productive to get him in the middle of the order to utilize his power though.
Either way there's holes and holes and holes. My figuring is that this is a lineup to try in the home stand against the Brewers and Cubs to see how it goes. If it continues to flounder, the debate on whether to keep or cut Maggs will likely be more clear and the Tigers can either try to improve through trade or bringing up top pro ready prospect Wilken Ramirez (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ramire002wil.)
Also by the All-Star break, Cabrera may be healed up and the Tigers will also know Carlos Guillen's fate in regards to his bum shoulder.
The simple answer could lie within the four mentioned players. Maggs picks up the inexplicable power loss, Cabrera becomes 100% and a miracle happens and Guillen returns. I am not sure why it hasn't been theorized that Ramirez should be brought up soon and play left field or have him play right with Ordonez DHing. My only guess is that Wilken only has two minor league options left and the Tigers want to be conservative. Any one of those simple solutions could be the difference, but they're lofty and only simple in fan blogs and on paper.
The pitching south of Rick Porcello is another bleak situation. My only comment at the moment is the Tigers bullpen is fine. Not strong, but the lesser of major concerns. Zach Miner and Alfredo Figaro (http://www.baseballamerica.com/statistics/players/cards/?pl_id=83029) should be considered as interim fourth and fifth starters.
I could go on about the Tigers issues forever. Unfortunately the positives only went on about as long as a Dontrelle Willis start.
You can hear more of my opinions on the Tigers and other Detroit area sports in this blog but also every Thursday on The Real Deal on Sports with Neal Ruhl and Mike Parsons, 11 to 1 pm on 88.3 fm Auburn Hills and streaming live online at WXOU.ORG.
Labels: American League Central Division, Baseball, Detroit Tigers
posted by Kyle Bauer at 1:27 PM
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