How Was The Game? (June 8, 2013)
Another stellar day.
Tigers 6, Indians 4
The Tigers sent Rick Porcello (3-3, 63 IP, 4.86 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.0 WAR) to the hill in the middle game of the series with the Indians today and things went exactly according to plan. Porcello continued to impress after allowing hits to the first two batters of the game, he allowed just 3 more baserunners before he left the game after 6 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 2 BB, and 7 K. With another great start under his belt Porcello continues to compare himself nicely to the previous versions of himself and the rest of the league, as he now ranks 8th in xFIP with 2.97, which is better than any qualifying pitcher from 2012.
The offense also performed well, delivering 4 runs in the 2nd, mostly on a Prince Fielder double, and 2 in the 3rd, while keeping pressure on the Indians pitchers all game long. Ryan Raburn also had fun with the Tigers bullpen by hitting a 2 run HR to make it a 2 run game in the 7th. The win gives the Tigers the series, a 34-26 record, and a 4.5 game lead in the AL Central heading into Sunday’s finale looking to sweep behind Jose Alvarez (5-4, 74.1 IP, 2.42 ERA, 2.50 FIP at AAA Toledo) who will make his MLB debut in place of Anibal Sanchez (6-5, 78 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.79 FIP, 3.4 WAR), who hopes to miss just one start with shoulder stiffness.
The Moment: Fielder clears the bases in the 2nd.
How Was The Game? (June 7, 2013)
Full of good signs.
Tigers 7, Indians 5
Up 2.5 in the Central and looking to burn the candle at both ends, the Tigers welcomed the Indians to Comerica Park hoping to pad their lead. They did so with a solid outing from Justin Verlander (8-4, 80 IP, 3.71 ERA, 2.57 FIP, 2.8 WAR) who went 7 innings, only allowing 3 runs that all came in the same inning that featured two infield hits and a botched flyball. The stat lines haven’t looked VERLANDERISH, but he does look to be past the three or four start run of iffy command and bad results. Both Hunter and Martinez both had 3 hit games and the only Tigers not to register a hit were Cabrera and Fielder. Martinez’s 3 hits featured one of each variety of which he is capable – a single, double, and homerun – indicating that his luck is starting to turn. Jose Valverde did his best to spoil it, but he was only able to turn a four run lead into a 2 run victory after two 9th inning homers and a single. The win moves the Tigers to 33-26 and gives them a shot to win the set with Cleveland tomorrow afternoon behind breakout pitcher Rick Porcello (2-3, 57 IP, 5.21 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 0.8 WAR). Of note, below is a list of pitchers with lower xFIPs than Porcello (min. 50 IP):
- Sanchez, 2.41
- Hernandez, 2.50
- Darvish, 2.54
- Wainwright, 2.54
- Scherzer, 2.80
- Cobb, 2.91
- Harvey, 2.92
- Porcello, 3.03
The Moment: Verlander attempts to avoid the Handshake of Doom by trying to enter the dugout via the auxiliary entrance.
How Was The Game? (June 6, 2013)
A cleaner affair.
Tigers 5, Rays 2
After struggling on the last trip, the Tigers looked poised for a good homestand after a big win against the Rays on Tuesday, but yesterday’s loss dampened those hopes for some. Max Scherzer (8-0, 77 IP, 3.24 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 3.0 WAR) was undeterred, however, and mowed down the Rays hitters across 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 run while getting 9 K and 2 BB to make the angles on these graphs even steeper:
But also of note is this graph, which shows that Max Scherzer did not miss the strikezone inside once during this start. Not once:
The bats stayed quiet early, but awoke in the later innings, scoring in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th innings led by big days from the 3-6 hitters, especially Victor Martinez, who drove in 3 runs on a single and a bomb. Benoit and Valverde meandered through the 8th and 9th innings, allowing a run, and gave the Tigers their first series victory since they beat the Twins on the last homestand. The Indians come to town for a weekend series and the Tigers will look to add some separation in the standings with Justin Verlander (7-4, 73 IP, 3.70 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 2.4 WAR) on the bump for game one.
The Moment: Don Kelly makes a diving catch in the 4th (see below)
How Was The Game? (June 5, 2013)
A gem, wasted.
Rays 3, Tigers 0
When Doug Fister (5-3, 77 IP, 3.27 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 2.5 WAR) takes the hill, you’re usually treated to a fast moving, efficient performance and today was an exceptional lesson in said qualities. Fister cruised through the first 7 innings in just 72 pitches causing the present author to remark:
and
Fister would finish the game with a marvelous 8.1 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 1 walks, and 4 strikeouts after surrendering all three runs on three hits, a sac fly, and a wild pitch in the 9th. That performance on most days will bring you an easy victory, but Mr. Fister had to sweat as his counterpart was also quite good. Cobb kept the Tigers at bay over 7.2 and got help from his bullpen to blank the Tigers. Fister succeeded with his usually excellent command and excellent separation among his four pitches, the latter is illustrated here:
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 31-26 and will try to take the series with the Rays tomorrow afternoon with Max Scherzer (7-0, 76.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 2.6 WAR) on the hill.
The Moment: Doug Fister doing anything.
How Was The Game? (June 4, 2013)
Just what the doctor ordered.
Tigers 10, Rays 1
After a road trip to forget, the Tigers returned to Comerica Park and enjoyed some home-cooking at the expense of the Rays’ interim ace Matt Moore. Anibal Sanchez (6-5, 78 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 3.4 WAR) took care of business on the mound over 7 innings of 1 run, 9 K baseball and got out of the way for the offense to do their thing. And do their thing they did. They got 4 in the 2nd from Tuiasosopo, Infante, and Fielder RBI hits and 2 in the 3rd from a Garcia hit and Infante walk. For good measure, the tacked on runs in the 5th, 6th, and 8th to put this one out of reach and hopefully started a new winning streak. With the win, they improve to 31-25 and will look to take the series tomorrow behind Doug Fister (5-2, 68.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 2.2 WAR).
The Moment: Prince singles in a pair in the 2nd.
How Was The Game? (June 2, 2013)
Another good outing for Porcello, but the bats let him down.
Orioles 4, Tigers 2
The Tigers entered today’s rubber match trying to win the series from the Orioles despite losing a game they absolutely should have won on Friday night. Rick Porcello (2-3, 57 IP, 5.21 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 0.8 WAR) did his part with 6+ innings strong innings in which he allowed 3 runs (all in the 7th inning) and struck out 7 while walking 1. Porcello dominated the Orioles for 6 innings and gave up a homer and a couple quick hits to start the 7th before he was pulled, but the whole of his performance was very strong against one of the league’s better offenses. His progression into a very good major league starter continued as he used all his pitchers effectively and made these graphs look even better after this start:
Coke allowed two inherited runners to score in the inning, but holding the Orioles to 4 runs should usually be enough (Downs allowed a run in the 8th). It wasn’t however on this day. Fielder hit a solo homer in the 4th and the Tigers were on pace for a big inning in the 7th before it fell apart. With two on, a run in, and no out, Leyland called for a bunt with Avila at the plate and Martinez as the lead runner. Needless to say, it went poorly and the Tigers ended up with a runner on second and two outs and would end the inning without scoring again. They were up against top prospect Kevin Gausman, who was relatively strong, but they needed to provide more than 2 runs for Porcello. The Tigers end the weekend 1-2 in Baltimore despite the fact that they should have won all three games. They’ll take Monday off and will get back at it Tuesday against the Rays behind Anibal Sanchez (5-5, 71 IP, 2.79 ERA, 1.87 FIP, 3.0 WAR).
The Moment: Hunter makes a leaping catch to rob Hardy in the 2nd.
How Was The Game? (June 1, 2013)
A nice correction.
Tigers 10, Orioles 3
After last night’s Valverde meltdown and the offensive struggles of the last few games, Saturday adjusted the averages back to normal as the Tigers crushed the Orioles and finally won their 30th game after five tries. Justin Verlander (6/7-4, 73 IP, 3.70 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 2.5 WAR) was solid, even if he was unimpressive, over 7 innings, allowing 3 runs while striking out 5 and walking 1. But the story of the day, no doubt, was the Tigers massive 8 run 4th inning. It started with a Martinez homerun. Then a Peralta homer. Then Avila joined the party with a bomb of his own. It was at this point that Hammel put one in Tuiasosopo’s ear and was ejected from the game to the disappointment of Tigers hitters, who didn’t mind his replacement. Garcia singled. Infante doubled. Dirks walked. And then Miguel Cabrera walked to the plate and whacked a 3-2 pitch into the left field seats to complete the rally. Fielder would add a solo shot later, but it was over when Cabrera fired off the grand slam. The Tigers are now 30-24 on the year and will look to take the series Sunday behind Rick Porcello (2-2, 51 IP, 5.29 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 0.7 WAR) who will look to build on his fantastic outing last time out and continue his breakout season.
The Moment: The Tigers deliver four HR in the 4th.
How Was The Month? Detroit Tigers May Report
Excellent, until the very end.
14-14 (29-24 overall)
The Tigers entered May on a hot streak and ended it on a cold streak losing four in a row, even if most of the month was very strong.
They end May fourth in MLB offensively with a 108 wRC+ after hitting 110 wRC+ during the month of May. On the bump, the Tigers are far and away the best staff in baseball with a 13.4 WAR overall thanks to a 6.5 WAR month of May in which they struck out 9.9 batters per 9 and walked just 2.44 per 9, good for a 2.92 FIP and 2.99 xFIP.
To no one’s surprise, Miguel Cabrera led the way during May with 2.1 WAR thanks to an otherworldly 224 wRC+ and .379/.455/.767 line during the month to go with his 12 HR, but Jhonny Peralta stood out as well. Peralta put up 1.3 WAR in the month and hit .362/.413/.543 good for 160 wRC+. The Tigers also had decent months from Dirks (0.7 WAR in May), Infante (0.5), Pena (0.4), and Kelly (0.4). Hunter, Avila, Fielder, and Martinez combined to cost the Tigers -1.0 WAR in May.
The pitching ERAs belie how good the staff was during the month thanks to about one poor start each, but the other numbers are great. Sanchez (1.4 WAR, 2.26 FIP), Fister (1.3 WAR, 2.08 FIP), Scherzer (1.2 WAR, 2.95 FIP), Verlander (0.9 WAR, 2.42 FIP), and Porcello (0.7 WAR, 3.25 FIP) all had strong months thanks to big strikeout totals, low walk rates, and a limitation of the longball. Three of the seven best pitchers in baseball during May and four of the top ten overall this season play for the Tigers.
Of MLB pitchers with 50 or more innings so far this year, the Tigers 5 starters rank 2, 5, 6, 12, and 13 in xFIP, which is FIP adjusted for park, league average, and HR/FB%.
It’s hard not to like what the Tigers are doing, as they lead MLB in WAR at the end of May and are in first place despite finishing the month with four straight losses. Fans sometimes have a tendency to focus on your team’s struggles without realizing that your team is one of the best teams in the league because you don’t watch every other team day in and day, thus failing to notice their flaws. The Tigers are very, very good. Their starters are on another level and their offense is also deadly. Teams will go through poor stretches throughout a 162 games schedule and will not play at the exact same pace for an entire year. There will be variation, and you have to be able to see the forest rather than the trees.
The Moment: Sanchez nearly no-hits the Twins, coming within two outs, on May 24th.
How Was The Game? (May 31, 2013)
A return to hitting, and a return to the other thing…
Orioles 7, Tigers 5
After struggling to score over the previous three games, they Tigers returned to form against the Orioles on Friday and matched it with another good start from Max Scherzer (7-0, 76.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 2.7 WAR). Scherzer gave the Tigers 7 strong innings of 3 run baseball featuring 2 walks and 10 strikeouts, while retiring the final 16 he faced. It wasn’t quite as dominant as his previous two outings, but it was certainly very good and it was against a very strong offense. The Tigers offense came from Cabrera and Garcia HRs and Garcia and Martinez RBI hits and the Tigers almost got their 30th win, if not for the horrendous pitching of Jose Valverde. He entered the game in the 9th up 2 runs and allowed a homerun, a single, a single, a popup, a popup, and then a 3 run HR complete his meltdown. They’ll look to get back on track Saturday afternoon behind HR Derby hopeful, Justin Verlander (6-4, 66 IP, 3.68 ERA, 2.26 FIP, 2.5 WAR), who thankfully, will likely stick to pitching.
The Moment: Cabrera starts the game off right with a 2 run HR.
How Was The Game? (May 30, 2013)
Another pitchers’ duel that needed a run.
Pirates 1, Tigers 0
This game was many things. It featured good pitching led by Doug Fister’s (5-2, 68.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 2.3 WAR) 7 strong innings of 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, and 12 K baseball and it also featured a play in which Travis Snider made two outs and was called for neither (On a popout to 2B, Snider, running from first, passed 2B, didn’t retouch, and was tagged out returning to first). This game was also the first one in which Jhonny Peralta was ejected from play in his 1,300+ career games. His offense was disagreeing with a called third strike and apparently gesturing slightly with his hand while walking to shortstop. Additionally, this game featured Doug Fister hitting a batter, but also walking one, updating his HBP and BB totals to 12 and 11, respectively. As you may recall, no one has ever hit more than they have walked in a full season:
But this game was also another 0-0 extra inning affair that ended in the 11th inning with a Pirates run. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 29-23 and lose the four game set with the Pirates. They will head to Baltimore for three starting on Friday and will be led by Max Scherzer (7-0, 68.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 2.4 WAR) who is looking to build on a couple of excellent starts (see here, and also here). Fister’s great start also gives the Tigers 4 of the top 8 pitchers in MLB by WAR and 4 of the top 6 in the AL. Also of interest to Tigers fans might be yesterday’s post on the team’s increase use of the changeup over the last few seasons.
The Moment: Fister makes a diving stop in the 6th.
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