How Was The Game? (May 18, 2013)
Just an ugly one.
Rangers 7, Tigers 2
If I was asked to describe what went wrong today, I’d probably mumble “defense” and walk away angry. The Tigers made 2 errors, allowed a run scoring passed ball, lost a ball in the lights for a triple, and probably did something else I’m forgetting to churn out 7 runs for the opposing team. Anibal Sanchez (4-4, 55.1 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.79 FIP, 2.6 WAR) wasn’t that sharp, but his 2.2 innings, 9 hits, 6 runs (5 ER), 2 BB, 2 K line belies his true effort. He wasn’t good, but he wasn’t that bad. The offense didn’t really deliver, but those kinds of nights are easier to shake off than ones that were wrought with miscues on defense. Yet the 23-18 Tigers will still head into tomorrow’s game with a chance to split a 4 games series on the road against one of the best teams in the league and will send Doug Fister (5-1, 50 IP, 3.06 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 1.5 WAR) to the mound on Sunday Night Baseball to do so. If you haven’t already, I’d also recommend you check out my piece from Saturday on Rick Porcello, whom I argue is on his way to a breakout year.
The Moment: Torii Hunter strikes out, but then singles after the HP umpire rules it a foul ball.
How Was The Game? (May 17, 2013)
The pitchers’ duel we didn’t get yesterday.
Tigers 2, Rangers 1
The duel we were promised on Thursday came on Friday with Nick Tepesch and Rick Porcello (2-2, 38 IP, 5.92 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 0.3 WAR) fronting the effort. Porcello only went 5.2 innings but he allowed just one run on a solo homerun and struck out 6 Rangers, who happened to be the team with the lowest K% in MLB entering the day. The offense came primarily from Cabrera (185 wRC+, T-1st in MLB), who had 3 hits and a walk as he scored one of the Tigers’ runs and drove in the other. Both bullpens held serve and the Tigers won their 23rd game in 40 tries, which put them on pace for about 93 as we arrive at the Sparky Anderson threshold. Through 40 games, the Tigers look to be one of the best teams in baseball featuring the top pitching staff and a top five offense. They will look to win their 24th game tomorrow behind Anibal Sanchez (4-3, 52.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.45 FIP, 2.6 WAR) who will look to guarantee the Tigers leave Arlington with no worse than a split.
The Moment: Tom Brookens sends Dirks home in the 3rd despite a very low chance of success – and having a Lamont moment.
How Was The Game? (May 16, 2013)
A wacky disaster.
Rangers 10, Tigers 4
When you see Verlander and Darvish in the program, you expect a level of pitching that you did not receive on this night. Darvish struggled early, allowing 4 runs in 8 innings including a homerun to Don Kelly, but the story was Justin Verlander’s (4-4, 54 IP, 3.17 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 1.9 WAR) meltdown in the 3rd inning. He walked in two, allowed two to score on a double, and surrender a 3 run homer and was pulled after 2.2 innings and just 70 pitches. You don’t often see Verlander get taken out for being ineffective, but it happened today. His velocity was there in spades, but his command was lacking like it was against the Indians and there will be a lot of whispers about something being wrong with Verlander. It’s likely a mini-funk and a reminder of how spoiled we are to rely on him start after start. He’ll try to wash this one out of his mind and get back on track for his next outing. The game also featured Ian Kinsler giving new meaning to “head first slide” and Lance Berkman striking out on a pitch that hit the backstop on the fly. The Tigers will try to do the same and will be back at it tomorrow with Rick Porcello (1-2, 32.1 IP, 6.68 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 0.3 WAR) on the hill coming off three solid outings.
The Moment: The Rangers chase Verlander after just eight outs and as many runs.
How Was The Game? (May 15, 2013)
A near miss.
Astros 7, Tigers 5
The Tigers entered today’s game going for the series and season sweep of the Houston Astros and came up just short. The Tigers got out in front early, but allowed the Astros back into the game and would have to settle for 6 wins against the Astros in 7 tries. The Tigers are now 22-16 as they prepare for a four game series against the Rangers this weekend in Arlington. Max Scherzer (5-0, 54.1 IP, 3.98 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 1.9 WAR) was good except for the fourth inning in which he allowed 4 runs, finishing with 7 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Avisail Garcia made his mark on the young season by powering his first major league homerun in the 2nd inning to deep left centerfield that put the Tigers on top, but Alburquerque walked the leadoff man in the 9th and Coke allowed him and another to score to put the Tigers behind 7-5. In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers loaded the bases for Miguel Cabrera who crushed a ball to the wall in deep RCF, but Barnes ran it down and made a leaping catch to end the game. The Tigers will begin the Rangers’ series in style tomorrow with Justin Verlander (4-3, 51.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 2.10 FIP, 2.1 WAR) lining up against Yu Darvish for one of the premier pitching matchups of the young season.
The Moment: Garcia hits his first ML homerun in the 2nd
How Was The Game? (May 14, 2013)
Not surprising.
Tigers 6, Astros 2
With a 6-2 win today, the Tigers improved to 22-15 and a robust 6-0 against the Houston Astros. Outside of a rough 2nd inning, Doug Fister (5-1, 50 IP, 3.06 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 1.5 WAR) performed well, posting a final line of 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, and 7 strikeouts against the swinging ‘Stros. The offense was very quiet early, but came alive with three runs on four straight hits in the 5th to take the lead for good before adding on in the late innings. One can’t get too excited about defeating the Astros, but one also can’t expect your team to do anything more than beat the Astros, as there is not a category of outcomes better than winning. With Fister’s solid performance, there are now 21 major league teams that do not have one starting pitching who has a higher WAR than the Tigers’ 4th best starter this season. The four Tigers starters are 1st, 5th, 6th, and 13th best baseball at about 10pm on May 14th. If you’re wondering how the Tigers are doing it, this should probably tell you most of the story (team stats entering today):
The Tigers will attempt to complete their second sweep of the Astros in as many weeks Wednesday behind Max Scherzer (5-0, 47.1 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.89 FIP, 2.0 WAR).
The Moment: Dirks doubles in the go-ahead run in the 5th by bouncing the ball over the RCF wall.
How Was The Game? (May 13, 2013)
It’s always fun to play the Astros.
Tigers 7, Astros 2
The Tigers performed against the Astros as a team should. Behind a strong start by Anibal Sanchez (4-3, 52.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.42 FIP, 2.6 WAR) in which he went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, struck out 8 and walked 1. In addition to Sanchez’s strong outing, Andy Dirks’ 4th inning grand slam backed Victor Martinez’s 2 run homer in the same inning to give the Tigers plenty of offense with which to work. The Tigers didn’t miss Jackson with Dirks providing three hits from the leadoff spot and Sanchez maintained his position atop the pitcher WAR leaderboard – actually by a lot. After today’s start, Sanchez now owns a 11.28 K/9 and 2.05 BB/9 in 8 starts, which if you’re new to baseball, is very good. Both numbers, in addition to the ERA and FIP, are on pace to be career bests. Should Sanchez keep anything close to this pace up for the rest of the season, this will certainly be Sanchez’s career year. One of the things that is contributing to Sanchez’s success this year is his increased reliance on his changeup as opposed to in the past (as illustrated below by yearly averages):
It’s too early to say for sure, but it looks like trading a few sliders for some changeups is helping Sanchez perform above his career norms early in 2013. He’s also allowing fewer homeruns per flyball (2.6%) than his career average (8.2%) which could be good fortune or the result of the new approach. The Tigers will look to take the series tomorrow night with Doug Fister (4-1, 43 IP, 3.14 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.2 WAR) toeing the rubber.
The Moment: Dirks hits a no doubt grand slam – the first of his career – in the 4th.
How Was The Game? (May 12, 2013)
Great, until Valverde time.
Indians 4, Tigers 3
On Mother’s Day, the Tigers lost the rubber match of the three game series against the Indians despite a strong effort from Rick Porcello (1-2, 32.1 IP, 6.68 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 0.2 WAR) who allowed 2 runs in 6 innings of work while limiting the Indians to 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. This marks his third consecutive quality start and during those three starts he has averaged 8.4 K/9, which is very good for a groundball pitcher. The offense was provided mostly by backup catcher Brayan Pena, who had three hits including a 2 run homerun, but also via an Infante sacrifice fly. Valverde entered the game in the 9th win a one run lead and gave it away with two walks and a single, forcing the Tigers to deliver in the bottom of the 9th which they were unable to do, sending the game to the 10th inning where they gave up a run and couldn’t match it. The loss drops the Tigers to 20-15 and just their 4th series loss in 12 tries this year. They will welcome the Astros to Comerica Park for three starting tomorrow behind Anibal Sanchez (3-3, 45.2 IP, 1.97 ERA, 1.48 FIP, 2.2 WAR), the league’s best starting pitcher by WAR so far this season despite having one fewer start than his competitors Wainwright, Buchholz, and Verlander.
The Moment: Pena’s homerun just clear the right centerfield wall.
How Was The Game? (May 11, 2013)
Out of sorts early.
Indians 7, Tigers 5
Justin Verlander (4-3, 51.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 2.08 FIP, 2.1 WAR) was not on his game early against the Indians and found himself 60 pitches deep after two innings and trailing 3-0. He had trouble locating his fastball and worked his way into an offspeed heavy approach that limited the damage, but his early struggles delivered a final line that was just 5 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), 5 walks, and 7 strikeouts. He left trailing 4-1, which was closer than it felt, but it was close enough to allow for a rally. The bullpen ballooned the deficit to 6-1 before a big 4 run 7th narrowed the gap. Alburquerque surrendered a run in the 8th to make it 7-5 and Tuiasosopo came to the plate as the go-ahead run in the 8th but hit into an inning ending double play. In the 9th, the Tigers put two on with one out and Jackson hit into a fielder’s choice followed by a Hunter RBI single to bring Cabrera to the dish with the tying run at 2nd. Unfortunately, he grounded out to end the game. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 20-14 on the season and will try to take the series tomorrow behind Rick Porcello (1-2, 26.1 IP, 7.52 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 0.1 WAR).
The Moment: Infante triples in two to make it 6-4 in the 7th
How Was The Game? (May 10, 2013)
A demonstration of offense.
Tigers 10, Indians 4
In the first meeting of the season between the Tigers and the Indians, the Tigers unleashed an offensive assault that would make the hard-hitting Tribe proud. Fielder, Cabrera, and Dirks homered as part of nine Tigers extra base hits and 15 total. The Tribe, for their part, did get 4 runs off Max Scherzer (5-0, 47.1 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 2.0 WAR) in 8 innings, but he held them to 5 hits and struck out 7 while walking none. Scherzer’s pitch count was low enough that Leyland could have sent him out there for a shot at his first career complete game, but instead had to settle for his 13th career outing of 8 innings or more. Any of the big homeruns might stand out, but Torii Hunter delivered a baserunning miscue in the second inning that cost the Tigers a run. With two outs, he singled to right field and Avila scored ahead of Infante who was right behind him. However, Hunter rounded the bag carelessly and was tagged out by the cutoff man, Mark Reynolds, before Infante could score. That isn’t the kind of mistake you usually see from a veteran like Hunter. The victory gives the Tigers their 20th win on the season and they will look to take the series tomorrow night behind Justin Verlander (4-2, 46.1 IP, 1.55 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 2.0 WAR).
The Moment: Prince Fielder’s 3rd inning homerun travels ~460 feet to right center.
How Was The Game? (May 9, 2013)
Came up short.
Nationals 5, Tigers 4
Doug Fister (4-1, 43 IP, 3.14 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 1.2 WAR) must be a creature of habit. He was out of sorts today in a big way after the extra day off, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits in just 3 inning of work. But the Tigers didn’t go quietly as the bullpen allowed the Nationals to go no further, getting zeros from Downs, Putkonen, Smyly, and Valverde as they waited for the offense to come. They got a single run in the 2nd on a Fister single, but the big hit came from Tuisasosopo as he delivered a pinch hit 3 run homerun in the 6th inning to get the Tigers within a run. They wouldn’t be able to push the equalizer across in the final three, but they made it close. The loss drops the Tigers to 19-13 on the season and they will head home to face the Indians this weekend with Max Scherzer (4-0, 39.1 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 1.6 WAR) set to take the hill in the opener tomorrow night at Comerica Park.
The Moment: Tuiasosopo delivers the Tigers’ first pinch hit homerun of the year in the 6th.
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