***Officialish Detroit Tigers Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[Doctor Detroit]

So Armando going into the rotation? Brad thomas? Eddie bonine? throw in dontrelle and yikes the back of that rotation is scary.Bullpen and top of the order have to carry them.

Willis has been fine this year, tonight was by far his worst game. He's pitched well twice vs the Twins (once holding them scoreless over six) and he has been pretty steady in his other outings. Galarraga can't be worse than Scherzer. max has given up five or more earned runs and hasn't made it past the fifth in his last four outings. I was reading he is having mechanical issues and he's leaving his pitches up, hence all the HRs. He absolutely needs to be fixed because we can't have this guy becoming a head case in his second full season. It has to be a physical or mechanical issue though, even with the move to the AL he still should have relative K/9 stats and he's way off his minor league and ML averages. Armando was a savior two years ago, and he's been pretty good at Toledo this year as he looks like he's got that good control back. Also what is wrong with Eddie Bonine? Guy has been the best pitcher on the team this year. Thomas sucks, I can't believe he is rostered but they are using him as a mop-up guy and emergency starter.

Didn't get to see Leyland's comments. Guillen to play 2nd? Has to be the thinking, yes? I didn't think that was an option as I don't believe he's ever played the position. Sizemore was average at best, I suppose the fall-off shouldn't be enormous. If that's what the plan is. Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Probably will go with a rotation of Guillen, Santiago and Worth playing SS and 2B and also play Guillen at 3B at times. Sizemore will likely be back up at some point but it is evident he needs some more seasoning and a month or more in Toledo is only going to help him.

 

[Finless]

Boesch....is this kid for real?

 

[Greco]

Detroit LF Casper Wells made his major league debut, batting second. Wells, called up Friday, was scheduled to return to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday to make room for RHP Armando Galarraga, but those plans changed after the game. Instead, the Tigers promoted Galarraga and infielder Danny Worth, and demoted Sizemore and RHP Max Scherzer.

 

[Greco]

Boesch....is this kid for real?

Well documented

 

[Greco]

Good thing they didn't keep Polanco.

 

[Da Guru]

Boesch....is this kid for real?

I keep saying no, but Boesch keeps saying yes.

 

[Da Guru]

The Cabrera-Willis for Maybin-Miller trade may go down as one of the most lopsided in history.

Saw a stat last night that Cabrera is just about #1 in every offensive catagory in the AL since the trade and on his way to his best year ever at only 27 years of age! While Miller is in the minors and Maybin still struggling to make consistant contact. If Dombrowski would have let Willis walk it would have been even better.

On another note. The Tigers have to get some more punch out of the infield and catcher. Inge, Everett and Laird will be the demise of this team if they don`t start hitting. The Tigers 3-4-5 hitters are the hottest in MLB right now, you can`t expect them to stay that way all year.

 

[whoknew]

Boesch....is this kid for real?

I keep saying no, but Boesch keeps saying yes.

I have to imagine his approach at the plate is going to hurt him eventually.Then again, Vlad Guerrero made a pretty good career out of swinging at everything. So it's possible he could be good long term - just unlikely. His BABIP is .426 so that will come down. When that does, how does he fare? Again - maybe he'll be Vlad.

 

[Hellfire Snail]

The Cabrera-Willis for Maybin-Miller trade may go down as one of the most lopsided in history.Saw a stat last night that Cabrera is just about #1 in every offensive catagory in the AL since the trade and on his way to his best year ever at only 27 years of age! While Miller is in the minors and Maybin still struggling to make consistant contact. If Dombrowski would have let Willis walk it would have been even better.On another note. The Tigers have to get some more punch out of the infield and catcher. Inge, Everett and Laird will be the demise of this team if they don`t start hitting. The Tigers 3-4-5 hitters are the hottest in MLB right now, you can`t expect them to stay that way all year.

If the Tigers make the playoffs, Cabrera should be the unanimous MVP. It's ridiculous how good he is. Agreed that the bottom of the line-up is bad enough to cost this team a trip the postseason. The front office knows it which is why Sizemore is being shipped. Inge is bad, but he isn't the biggest of the concerns. He can still hit for power, which is something. Laird/Avila, Everett and Sizemore were starting to seem more and more like lost causes. The problem is SS and C are such difficult holes to fill. Playing Santiago more could help. Not every day, but more. With Guillen and and Santiago in the line-up, the only truly hideous bat is at catcher, and with this team I think that can be overcome.

 

[MAC_32]

Is Guillen really going to be playing the infield? He'll be on the DL again before Memorial Day...

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Is Guillen really going to be playing the infield? He'll be on the DL again before Memorial Day...

Considering he is scheduled to return on the 28th of May, this gives him three full games. Sounds about right.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Is Guillen really going to be playing the infield? He'll be on the DL again before Memorial Day...

Considering he is scheduled to return on the 28th of May, this gives him three full games. Sounds about right.

Considering he'll be getting used to 2B during his rehab, he'll probably be hurt during a AAA game.

 

[Greco]

Is Guillen really going to be playing the infield? He'll be on the DL again before Memorial Day...

Considering he is scheduled to return on the 28th of May, this gives him three full games. Sounds about right.

Playing 2nd base and not moving laterally, I'll take the over.

 

[Bojang0301]

Why was Bondo in relief today? What is going on? How are they winning when half the team is in dissarray? When do I hit the panic switch?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Boesch....is this kid for real?

Finless #1 fan of Brennan Boesch

 

[skillz]

Why was Bondo in relief today? What is going on? How are they winning when half the team is in dissarray? When do I hit the panic switch?

Bullpen was spent - a result of the doubleheader on Wed. and the poor starts by Dontrelle and Scherzer in the first two games of the Boston series. Bondo actually volunteered to pitch yesterday but Leyland didn't use him. Today was his normal day to throw between starts so they let him in to face a few batters. He is still scheduled to pitch his next scheduled start on Wed. in Oakland despite the relief appearance. Right now they are winning because the bullpen has been stellar, rookies like Jackson and Boesch have played out of their minds, and Magglio is playing like he did near the end of '09. Will be interesting to see how Galarraga fares while Scherzer is in Toledo as he may end up staying in the rotation instead of Dontrelle or Scherzer. They need better starting pitching otherwise the bullpen is going to wear down.

 

[skillz]

The Cabrera-Willis for Maybin-Miller trade may go down as one of the most lopsided in history.

Saw a stat last night that Cabrera is just about #1 in every offensive catagory in the AL since the trade and on his way to his best year ever at only 27 years of age! While Miller is in the minors and Maybin still struggling to make consistant contact. If Dombrowski would have let Willis walk it would have been even better.

On another note. The Tigers have to get some more punch out of the infield and catcher. Inge, Everett and Laird will be the demise of this team if they don`t start hitting. The Tigers 3-4-5 hitters are the hottest in MLB right now, you can`t expect them to stay that way all year.

If the Tigers make the playoffs, Cabrera should be the unanimous MVP. It's ridiculous how good he is. Agreed that the bottom of the line-up is bad enough to cost this team a trip the postseason. The front office knows it which is why Sizemore is being shipped. Inge is bad, but he isn't the biggest of the concerns. He can still hit for power, which is something.

Laird/Avila, Everett and Sizemore were starting to seem more and more like lost causes. The problem is SS and C are such difficult holes to fill. Playing Santiago more could help. Not every day, but more. With Guillen and and Santiago in the line-up, the only truly hideous bat is at catcher, and with this team I think that can be overcome.

I was at the game Sat. night and the scoreboard showed that the best average out of the 6 though 9 hitters was .224 (Inge). Pitiful. Bottom of the lineup is a black hole - the C position really seems like a lost cause now. Avila has no confidence and really needs to spend time in AAA but Laird is so bad and there are no other viable options so they are keeping him up.

 

[skillz]

Can someone tell me how Matt Joyce circa 2008 and Brennan Boesch compare? Seems like they are comparable players (left handed bat that can hit for power) but is Boesch projected to be better than Joyce? Just curious. Everyone was so up in arms when Joyce was traded and it seems like we already have a home grown player that has filled that void.

 

[skillz]

Wow - Scherzer and Sizemore sent down.

They both need the work.

I am surprised they had enough nerve to send Max down but he has a lot of work to do.

 

[Bojang0301]

Wow - Scherzer and Sizemore sent down.

They both need the work.

I am surprised they had enough nerve to send Max down but he has a lot of work to do.

It was that or the pen and Arizona did enough fooling around with that, that I'm glad he is going down to Trip A to get work. If Armando can be just decent it will help the team out a lot. Guillen to second (once again) should have been experimented with in the offseason.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Can someone tell me how Matt Joyce circa 2008 and Brennan Boesch compare? Seems like they are comparable players (left handed bat that can hit for power) but is Boesch projected to be better than Joyce? Just curious. Everyone was so up in arms when Joyce was traded and it seems like we already have a home grown player that has filled that void.

In the minors they were pretty similar players. Boesch hit for more power but Joyce drew more walks and had better OPS numbers. Joyce probably doesn't have the upside Boesch has (I think Joyce is at best a #4 OFer) but Boesch has always been a hacker returning at best 3ks to every BB which means if he's not hot, he looks like a lot of other Tiger hitters over the past years who don't like the walk. I think he's gonna be a streaky player and right now he's just white hot. He really came out of no where last year when he hit 28 HRs in Erie and then he was just raking to start the year in Toledo and got the promotion. i think we know what Joyce's ceiling is but I'm not sure that we know what Boesch's is and I think he may have better long-term potential. hard to say though, I think he's one of those the "light switch just went on" kinda guys, but he has had 1.25 terrific seasons and meh. from minor league ball.com

Long-term, despite the fast start I still see Boesch as a .230-.250 hitter with a weak on-base percentage, albeit with enough power in his bat to be useful if deployed properly in a platoon role. He has a decent throwing arm and can swipe a base occasionally, but isn't going to keep himself employed with his defense alone. Tigers fans should enjoy the hot start while it lasts, but eventually Boesch will come to earth.

I think most knowledgeable fans will just expect him to at some point hit a wall and look more like Chris Shelton but you just never know with these guys. He's at the perfect age for a breakout and he is a big and strong guy, but he just doesn't walk enough. Walks are so underrated because they come in handy when a player isn't hitting well making him a guy you can still run out there. For now I'll just enjoy the ride, he's been great for the team thus far.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

 

[whoknew]

Can someone tell me how Matt Joyce circa 2008 and Brennan Boesch compare? Seems like they are comparable players (left handed bat that can hit for power) but is Boesch projected to be better than Joyce? Just curious. Everyone was so up in arms when Joyce was traded and it seems like we already have a home grown player that has filled that void.

In the minors they were pretty similar players. Boesch hit for more power but Joyce drew more walks and had better OPS numbers. Joyce probably doesn't have the upside Boesch has (I think Joyce is at best a #4 OFer) but Boesch has always been a hacker returning at best 3ks to every BB which means if he's not hot, he looks like a lot of other Tiger hitters over the past years who don't like the walk. I think he's gonna be a streaky player and right now he's just white hot. He really came out of no where last year when he hit 28 HRs in Erie and then he was just raking to start the year in Toledo and got the promotion. i think we know what Joyce's ceiling is but I'm not sure that we know what Boesch's is and I think he may have better long-term potential. hard to say though, I think he's one of those the "light switch just went on" kinda guys, but he has had 1.25 terrific seasons and meh. from minor league ball.com

Long-term, despite the fast start I still see Boesch as a .230-.250 hitter with a weak on-base percentage, albeit with enough power in his bat to be useful if deployed properly in a platoon role. He has a decent throwing arm and can swipe a base occasionally, but isn't going to keep himself employed with his defense alone. Tigers fans should enjoy the hot start while it lasts, but eventually Boesch will come to earth.

I think most knowledgeable fans will just expect him to at some point hit a wall and look more like Chris Shelton but you just never know with these guys. He's at the perfect age for a breakout and he is a big and strong guy, but he just doesn't walk enough. Walks are so underrated because they come in handy when a player isn't hitting well making him a guy you can still run out there. For now I'll just enjoy the ride, he's been great for the team thus far.

Not to mention, walks show patience at the plate, which get a hitter in a better count. Much easier to hit when its 3-1 and you know you will get a fastball then an 0-2 anything.Let's hope it lasts and he turns into a really good player, but I'd be surprised if it does. I think minorleagueball.com is probably correct.

 

[meeka]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

Maybe Greco can confirm this, but I think there would still be a hole in the #7 spot as well.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

Maybe Greco can confirm this, but I think there would still be a hole in the #7 spot as well.

Better @ 7 than 6?

 

[meeka]

I was watching Saturday's game and when they fell behind 6-1 my first thought was, "It does no good to win 3 of 4 against NY if you are going to get swept by the Sox." It was huge for them to come back and get the W in that game. Then to see Galaraga have a nice outing yesterday was a bit unexpected. It has been another great year to be a Tigers fan. I said heading into the year that as long as they are competitive and get some youth on the team some experience I would be happy. I wish Sizemore was able to get off to a better start, but I am glad they are sending him down to get more work.

Think about the week for BB. A double and HR against CC and a 2 run triple against Lester that started the comeback. Another hit in the 12 to help set up the walk off walk. White hot is right.

 

[meeka]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

Maybe Greco can confirm this, but I think there would still be a hole in the #7 spot as well.

Better @ 7 than 6?

For sure, but still a hole. I just asked my friend earlier this week if there was anyway Guillen could play on the left side of the infield (poor defense and all they are getting nothing from SS and 3rd). I guess filling the batting hole at 2nd makes sense too.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

Maybe Greco can confirm this, but I think there would still be a hole in the #7 spot as well.

Better @ 7 than 6?

For sure, but still a hole. I just asked my friend earlier this week if there was anyway Guillen could play on the left side of the infield (poor defense and all they are getting nothing from SS and 3rd). I guess filling the batting hole at 2nd makes sense too.

Yes, either way there is an O problem but I think there would be less dropoff on defense with Inge at third.

 

[Greco]

Jackson - Damon - Ordonez - Cabrera - Boesch - Guillen looks pretty good to me. Boesch is out of his mind right now.

Yes, with Ramon hitting decent in the 9 hole it really just leaves an big offensive hole at the #8 spot of catcher, the position that would be most normal for.

Maybe Greco can confirm this, but I think there would still be a hole in the #7 spot as well.

Confirmed.

 

[Greco]

Yes, either way there is an O problem but I think there would be less dropoff on defense with Inge at third.

None of this will matter if the starting pitching is Verlander and a bunch of inconsistency.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Yes, either way there is an O problem but I think there would be less dropoff on defense with Inge at third.

None of this will matter if the starting pitching is Verlander and a bunch of inconsistency.

Only bright spot is they have played so well without a lot of good starting pitching thus far. Willis has probably been the second best starter and Bondo after him. Bullpen has been phenominal, that will not last. I think they'll be good all year, just not as good as they have been so far. The catching situation is hard to believe. I mean if Laird hits .230 with a little power I can accept that. But he and Avila are hitting .150 with 3 Hrs 7 RBI and a slugging percentage of around .270. I mean if they were gold glove catchers this still would be unacceptable yet these two have thrown out just 13 of 37 runners this year. Avila is probably the better defensive catcher at the moment, I say play him because he has actually shown the ability to hit some and he's a LH bat. They both draw some walks though and thank goodness they do.

 

[Greco]

Maybe Guillen can play catcher, too?

 

[Greco]

Detroit (22-16) is 14-5 at Comerica Park and went 10-3 in its last 13 at home, winning series against Minnesota, Los Angeles, New York and Boston. The Tigers are the first team to win four straight home series against reigning playoff teams since 1995, when baseball began putting four teams in the postseason.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Detroit (22-16) is 14-5 at Comerica Park and went 10-3 in its last 13 at home, winning series against Minnesota, Los Angeles, New York and Boston. The Tigers are the first team to win four straight home series against reigning playoff teams since 1995, when baseball began putting four teams in the postseason.

pffft.........That's based on last year. Look at what happens when you play a real baseball team

 

[Greco]

Detroit (22-16) is 14-5 at Comerica Park and went 10-3 in its last 13 at home, winning series against Minnesota, Los Angeles, New York and Boston. The Tigers are the first team to win four straight home series against reigning playoff teams since 1995, when baseball began putting four teams in the postseason.

pffft.........That's based on last year. Look at what happens when you play a real baseball team

Freddy Garcia owns the Detroit Tigers. He's 16-6 with a 3.76 ERA in his career against the Tigers.

 

[Da Guru]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.

Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

 

[whoknew]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

It's just amazing that this guy is going to have a 10-15 year career with the Tigers. And have a lifetime OPS+ of 80. Amazing.He's the new Ray Oyler.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.

Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

It's just amazing that this guy is going to have a 10-15 year career with the Tigers. And have a lifetime OPS+ of 80. Amazing.

He's the new Ray Oyler.

I hope this means he gets benched in a Tigers World Series.

 

[igbomb]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

Inge may stink, but he's only second or third on the list of terrible players. Everett has been worth less than one win above replacement total over the last three years. If they could find a real third basemen, they could move Inge to short. I'd love to see Lowell if he could even move laterally or outrun Sean Casey. There just aren't a lot of options out there, or in the farm for that matter.

 

[skillz]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.

Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

Inge may stink, but he's only second or third on the list of terrible players. Everett has been worth less than one win above replacement total over the last three years. If they could find a real third basemen, they could move Inge to short. I'd love to see Lowell if he could even move laterally or outrun Sean Casey. There just aren't a lot of options out there, or in the farm for that matter.

Which will make things interesting when he becomes a FA after the season. Do they re-sign him or not given the lack of other options out there? I think he is fine as our 3B as long as he's batting 8th in the order instead of 6th as he currently is. The team can keep him at 3B for next year and beyond as long as it is somehow able to get a better bat at other positions like SS, and C. I was thinking about Lowell too - a huge problem with Inge IMO is that he has no one else to seriously push him for playing time so I think his motivation is lacking (but who knows, I am sure others like Greco will say it is simply his talent that is lacking). He knows no matter how bad he is playing that he is guaranteed to play every day. He really has no incentive to improve his game.

 

[Gopher State]

How many other MLB teams would stick with Inge as an everyday player? I like Inge and know he is a fan favortire but the guy is a .234 lifetime hitter who strikes out way too much.Inges niche should be a utility guy who gets plugged in once or twice a week to rest other players.

The Tigers are luckly to have Inge, you could have Punto or Harris from the Twins, then you have a matched pair with Everett.

 

[whoknew]

According to Rod, Worth got fisted during that last at bat.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

According to Rod, Worth got fisted during that last at bat.

Interesting that "Rod" would say something of that nature.

 

[Hellfire Snail]

According to Rod, Worth got fisted during that last at bat.

Caught that too. Mario:

 

[Da Guru]

AJax took a fastball right in the forehead, hope this does not affect him at the plate.

On another note is was a nice way to end the game. Bases loaded and Inge leaves the bat on his shoulder and takes a called third strike right down the middle of the plate. Inges average is under .220 now.

 

[Greco]

Good way to end the weekend, anyway.

 

[Da Guru]

What did Casey Blake do? Hear Rod and Mario saying that the Tiger pitchers should bean Blake for something he did on Sat.

 

[Greco]

When was the last season a Tiger team was any good at getting a runner in from third with less than two outs?

 

[Leroy Hoard]

When was the last season a Tiger team was any good at getting a runner in from third with less than two outs?

Gates Brown was pretty good at that.

 

[Greco]

When was the last season a Tiger team was any good at getting a runner in from third with less than two outs?

Gates Brown was pretty good at that.

So, 1972, then?