How Was The Game? (August 13, 2013)
One you put on the manager.
White Sox 4, Tigers 3 (11 innings)
The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead on the Sox, but saw it vanish on one ill-conceived pitch from Max Scherzer (24 GS, 164.1 IP, 2.85 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 5.0 WAR) to Avi Garcia and then a strange defensive exchange between Infante and Cabrera that allowed Garcia to score behind the two men he knocked in. Scherzer was relatively comfortable other than those three runs as he finished with 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts and looked fine aside from the nightmare play that resulted in 3 runs. The Tigers got men on base all night but took a long time to score them as they scratched across single runs in the 6th and 8th innings to tie, the latter thanks to some wonderful pinch running by Don Kelly. As this one went to extra innings, it was Jim Leyland’s time to give the game away as he called for multiple rally killing bunts and refused to use Joaquin Benoit in a tie game on the road because he was waiting for a save that wasn’t coming. It was the third extra inning game in the last week in which Leyland didn’t use Benoit, and the Tigers lost all three. Maybe they lose them anyway, but you have to give yourself a chance. They’ll try to salvage one on Wednesday behind Rick Porcello (21 GS, 125 IP, 4.32 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 2.3 WAR).
The Moment: Pena drives in Kelly to tie it in the 8th.
How Was The Game? (August 12, 2013)
A loss, but with one heck of an exclamation mark.
White Sox 6, Tigers 2
The Tigers got to Chris Sale for two early runs courtesy of a Cabrera bomb and a Pena double, but a 3 run 5th inning doomed Doug Fister (24 GS, 155 IP, 3.60 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 3.2 WAR) and the Tigers thanks to a couple of goofy plays and some poorly timed control issues from Fister. He didn’t pitched terribly, going 6 innings and allowing 4 runs, but after three strong innings to start the game he played in traffic for most of the night. The bats had a great chance to get to Sale in the 6th as Cabrera and Fielder hit back to back hard singles, but a FC by Martinez and a fly out to the wall in center by Tuiasosopo kept the Tigers from cashing in. The story, however, was a ridiculous play by Jose Iglesias. Here is a link to a video and here is a link to a GIF (h/t @Sporer). Below is a screen shot of the basic concept. It was stupid good.
The loss is the Tigers 3rd in the last 4 games, but after a stretch where they won 16 of 17, one can’t be too upset. They’ll turn around and send Max Scherzer (23 GS, 158.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 4.8 WAR) to the mound for game two on Tuesday.
The Moment: Jose Iglesias does something that the author has a difficult time describing.
How Was The Game? (August 11, 2013)
Something you’re not going to believe.
Yankees 5, Tigers 4
It’s unclear where to start, so let’s just lay it all out. Justin Verlander (25 GS, 158.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 3.5 WAR) gave up 4 runs in 7 innings, but had a very nice afternoon courtesy of a good fastball and excellent curveball that yielding just 1 walk and induced 9 strikeouts. Verlander gave up two solo homeruns which barely cleared the short fences at Yankee Stadium and would have been easy outs in more parks, so I certainly won’t hold that against him when attempting to discern performance from statistics. The signs were all good regarding his road back to dominance as his average fastball registered 95.3 mph and his release point was in line with his most recent start.
The bats failed the Tigers early as they left a ton of men on base and gave away outs at inopportune times, but things turned late. It didn’t help that Iglesias was called out at 2B in the 8th when he was clearly safe or that Jackson made a boneheaded mistake in thinking Garder dropped a ball in the next at bat but a Pena homer to lead off the 8th and a Cabrera homerun off Rivera in the 9th to make it a one run game set up a huge bomb by Martinez to tie it against Rivera for the second time this weekend. It was a great comeback, but it was for naught as Gardner walked off in the 9th. The Tigers will head to the Windy city for a three game set against the Sox with Doug Fister (23 GS, 149 IP, 3.50 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 3.2 WAR) getting the ball on Monday.
The Moment: Cabrera and Martinez launch homers in the 9th to stun Rivera.
How Was The Game? (August 10, 2013)
Another breezy win.
Tigers 9, Yankees 3
After surrendering their 12 game winning streak on Friday in extra innings, the Tigers handled the Yankees easily on Saturday. They won the war on both fronts as Anibal Sanchez (20 GS, 125.2 IP, 2.58 ERA, 2.41 FIP, 4.2 WAR) was excellent across 7 innings (4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K) and the bats sent Hughes to the showers early. The Tigers first three hitters all homered during the game and 5 players reached base at least twice. Jackson stayed hot, Cabrera stayed hot, and Hunter, Kelly, and Iglesias also did things that improved the team’s chances of winning. It was never really in doubt as the Tigers won their 17th game in their last 19 tries and improved to 69-46 on the season. They will look to take the series on Sunday with the newly himself Justin Verlander (24 GS, 151.2 IP, 3.50 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 3.5 WAR), who lowered his ERA between starts thanks to a scoring change.
The Moment: Cabrera turned on a Hughes pitch and sent it out to left field.
How Was The Game? (August 9, 2013)
The end of a great run.
Yankees 4, Tigers 3 (10 innings)
It had to end sometime. Logic dictated that. You can’t win every game and the longer your streak goes the more improbable it gets. After 12 straight victories and a figurative funeral for the rest of the division, the Tigers finally lost on Friday. Rick Porcello (21 GS, 125 IP, 4.32 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 2.3 WAR) was solid, and a Robinson Cano double on a pretty good changeup was the difference between a very good start and a pretty good one. He only went 5 innings but struck out 6, walked 2, and surrendered 3 runs. On most nights, that’s good enough for the Tigers offense but Ivan Nova escaped a few jams against the Tigers, who only cashed in with the starter in the game during the 7th inning on a Cabrera single. Jackson had a good night, but the Tigers simply didn’t get hits with men on base, which is going to happen from time to time and especially when you’ve just completed the type of run the Tigers went on. It got extremely interesting, however, when Miguel Cabrera launched a 2 out, 2 run, game-tying homerun to dead center off Rivera and sent the game into extras. Despite the amazing turn of events, the Yankees rallied against Alburquerque in the 10th while Benoit sat alone in the bullpen waiting for a save that would never come. The streak is over, but the Tigers have still won 16 of their last 18 games and saw the Indians fall on the out of town scoreboard so they will remain 7 up in the Central with 48 to play. They’ll play a matinee at Yankee Stadium with Anibal Sanchez (19 GS, 118.2 IP, 2.58 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 4.1 WAR) on the bump.
The Moment: Cabrera hits a game tying homerun with two outs in the 9th against Mariano Rivera
How Was The Game? (August 8, 2013)
Everything you could ever want, and then some.
Tigers 10, Indians 3
So I’m going to get right to it. Yes Max Scherzer (23 GS, 158.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 4.8 WAR) was excellent and yes the Tigers scored 10 runs, but the story of this game came in the waning moments when Ryan Raburn came trotting in from the Indians’ bullpen. Ryan Raburn pitched in an MLB game which is the confluence of just about everything I love about baseball. I love Raburn because he’s the most dynamic player I’ve ever seen. He could hit a game winning homerun or he could trip down the stairs and injure the starting pitcher. The range of outcomes is so wide and so amazing. He’s a utility man, which I love. And he’s a player who fans didn’t like, which made me love him more. And then of course the simple fact that he was a position player called on to pitch, which is just about my favorite thing in the world anyway. Against his former team. A 1-2-3 inning. With a strikeout. On this day, the Tigers ran over the Indians for their 12 straight win, 16th in their last 17, and pushed their lead over the Indians to a seemingly insurmountable 7 games. It was their fourth straight sweep. It’s all going right these days, and we got to see Raburn pitch. Baseball, you guys. Baseball. The Tigers will hop a plain to the Big Apple and will give the ball to Rick Porcello (20 GS, 120 IP, 4.28 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 2.1 WAR) in game one on Friday.
The Moment: Ryan Raburn pitched.
How Was The Game? (August 7, 2013)
A giant mess, but with a great ending.
Tigers 6, Indians 5 (14 innings)
Doug Fister (23 GS, 149 IP, 3.50 IP, 3.29 FIP, 3.2 WAR) didn’t match the brilliance of his previous two outings, but he gave the Tigers 6 innings of 7 hit, 2 run, 2 walk (1 HBP) and 8 strikeout baseball. He made a few mistake pitches but holding the Indians to 2 runs in 6 innings is nothing at which to sneeze. Unfortunately, Danny Salazar was the story on the other side. Iglesias singled in a run early and Jackson hit a solo homerun but the rookie overpowered the Tigers for most of the evening. That is, of course, until he was allowed to face Miguel Cabrera with a man on base in the 8th inning down a run. That didn’t end well for Salazar or the Indians as Cabrera effortlessly swatted a go-ahead bomb to right center field. Unfortunately, the Tigers gave one back in the bottom half and left us with the score tied entering the 9th. Extra innings were a blur of failed strategy and excellent pitching. I must have dozed off because I recall Jeremy Bonderman pitching and pitching effectively. It all came crashing down on the Indians in the 14th on a two run double from Fielder that scored Jackson and Perez. The win is the Tigers 11th straight, 15th of 16, and 24th in their last 31. They are 22 over .500 and now lead the Central by 6 games with just 4 left against Cleveland the rest of the way. They’ll go for the 4-game knockout sweep on Thursday with Max Scherzer (22 GS, 151.1 IP, 2.85 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 4.5 WAR) on the mound.
The Moment: Cabrera drives a game-winning homer to right center or…. Fielder doubles in the winning runs?
How Was The Game? (August 6, 2013)
Filled with everything you could ever want.
Tigers 5, Indians 1
So let’s recap what happened tonight. Justin Verlander (24 GS, 151.2 IP, 3.74 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 3.5 WAR) had one of his best starts since April with excellent velocity (96.9 MPH average FB, up to 100.8 MPH), terrific command, and a full helping of breaking pitches that allowed him to spin 8 innings of 4 hit, 1 run, 0 walk, 1 HBP, and 7 strikeout ball. Also, the Tigers extended their winning streak to 10 games and pushed their lead in the Central to 5 games. There was also the matter of Don Kelly being amazing with a 3-4 night that included the stomach punch homerun against Masterson. At the risk of being called for using a double negative, there simply wasn’t anything not to like. Verlander was great, Don Kelly led the way, and the Tigers won. That’s the whole story and it’s all you need. The Tigers will call upon Doug Fister (22 GS, 143 IP, 3.52 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 3.1 WAR) to clinch a series victory on Wednesday.
The Moment: Don Kelly turns on one in the 5th, sending it into the seats.
How Was The Game? (August 5, 2013)
A sign that all good things don’t have to come to an end.
Tigers 4, Indians 2
You can’t win them all, but the Tigers just might. They got an excellent outing from Anibal Sanchez (19 GS, 118.2 IP, 2.58 ERA, 2.36 FIP , 4.1 WAR) who went 7.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 11 strikeouts. The bats weren’t able to back Sanchez’s gem and two key baserunning mistakes, one by Hunter in the first and one by Jackson in the eighth, kept the Tigers from cashing in on their opportunities until they unloaded in the 9th. Fielder doubled, Martinez singled, Dirks walked, and then Alex Avila stepped in and sent Chris Perez to the showers with a homerun to eruption from the Tigers bench and faithful in Cleveland. This win probability graph from FanGraphs tells the entire story:
The win is the Tigers’ 9th in a row, 13th in their last 14, and pushes them to 20 games over .500 and 4 up on the Indians in the Central. They’ll celebrate this one and get ready for Tuesday’s game that features Justin Verlander (23 GS, 143.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 3.1 WAR) facing the Indian’s Justin, this one called Masterson.
The Moment: Avila puts the Tigers ahead in the 9th with a 3 run HR.
How Was The Game? (August 4, 2013)
More of the same.
Tigers 3, White Sox 2 (12 innings)
The Tigers got another fantastic start, this time from Rick Porcello (20 GS, 120 IP, 4.28 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 2.1 WAR) who went 7.2 innings and allowed just 1 run on an Adam Dunn long ball in the 4th. Porcello continues to pitch well and improves his ERA and FIP to 3.45 and 3.23 since his laugher in LA on April 20th. He’s 16th in MLB in xFIP and continues to be baseball’s best 5th starter quite easily. The Tigers couldn’t get much going at the plate until the 7th inning when they pushed across two runs on an Avila double and Santiago sacrifice fly. Smyly got the final out in the 8th but surrendered the tying run in the 9th inning and Veras was called on to get three outs in the 9th to set up bonus baseball. Despite threatening in the intervening innings, it took a Cabrera PH single in the 12th and an eventual RBI single from Hunter to put this one away. The win is the Tigers’ 8th straight, completing a perfect homestand, and 12 wins in their last 13 games to push them 19 games over .500 with a four game set looming Cleveland starting Monday. The ball will be waiting for Anibal Sanchez (18 GS, 111 IP, 2.59 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 3.7 WAR) to start the series.
The Moment: Hunter singles in Tuiasosopo in the 12th.
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