Tigers vs Rays recap posted by aj wilbur

On a cool April day with snow in the air the Tigers again railed in late innings to beat the Rays and improve to 4-0 on the season. Rick Porcello gave a strong quality start of 7 innings with 2 earned runs, 7 hits, and a walk. The sinker was working well for Porcello when he saw the rays lineup for the second and third time. The only mishap in Porcello's day was a bases loaded walk in the 3rd inning but was able to limit any more damage when he got Matt Joyce to ground out. Matt Moore went 6 2/3 innings with 2 earned runs, 4 hits, and 5 walks. Moore pitched strong with a solid fastball but was a little erratic.

The Tigers big 2 of Cabrera and Fielder once again came through in the clutch. Cabrera led off the 8th inning with a long double of the right field wall and Fielder did what he is paid to do and hit a sharp line drive single up the center to drive in Cabrera standing up for what would be the game winning run. Austin Jackson again looked strong going 1 for 2 with two walks, two runs scored and a clutch home run in the 7th inning.

The Tigers play the Rays again tomorrow at 1.05 with Justin Verlander facing James Shields

Tigers vs Rays Preview posted by aj wilbur

The Tigers will take on the Rays today at 1:05 in Comerica park

Tampa bay comes in with an undefeated record after sweeping the Yankees.

The Rays phenom Matt Moore will take on Rick Porcello. Matt Moore looked dominating at the end of last year when he was called up. Moore features a lot of different pitches but mosty relies on a mid 90's fastball with some movement. Porcello is facing a little more pressure then we thought he would on opening day with Fister now on the DL. Porcello must stick to what has gotten him mild success, which is forcing ground balls. When Porcello is on the sinker is down in the zone and hopefully the defence is on there toes and can turn a couple double plays.

Keys to the game:

Make Moore works to get his outs. The Tigers need to be patient and make Moore throw a lot of pitches. The Rays bullpen is not as strong as the Tigers and if we can knock him out in the 5th or the 6th we should be in good shape.

My prediction:

Matt Moore looks good today and goes 6 six solid innings only giving up 2 runs but has to work hard to get through 6. I think Porcello will pitch well and keep the game close, final line 6 1/3 pitched with 3 earned runs.

I see the tigers pulling away with a big hit in the 8th or 9th in a lower scoring game winning 4-3

The Detroit TIgers Must Approach This April Like the Playoffs posted by Joe Halstead

It is said- and correctly so- that while a pennant may not be won in April, a pennant may be lost in April.

On this note, the Detroit Tigers have immediate cause for concern. Their early schedule- in the month of April alone- includes two more games against Boston, a three-game home series with the Tampa Bay Rays (April 10-12), a four-game home series against the American League Champion Texas Rangers (April 19-22) and, just to pour a bucket of salt water over the wounds incurred, a three-game series in the Bronx Apr. 27-29.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland is known for using his entire roster liberally. OFers Clete Thomas and Andy Dirks, and 2Bmen Danny Worth, Ramon Santiago and, eventually, Brandon Inge, might see significant playing time.

But, should they?

The Tigers made substitutions in the 2011 post-season out of necessity. They were beat up, and running out of players. Luckily, some of those substitutes stepped up in a big way, such as UT Don Kelly and Santiago.

However, the Tigers are at nearly 100% health, and they need their front line to do battle with the American League's best. 

So, here's hoping that Leyland doesn't tinker with his team too much. Obviously, he wants OF Delmon Young to continue what he's been doing for the Tigers since last August, which is to drive in runs. Surely, Leyland would also like to see one of his second basemen grab the brass ring. So far, all we have are multiple second basemen who play competently enough to hit .250 and turn the double play when necessary.

Ah, maybe, that is, until now. 2B/OF Ryan Raburn had the Spring Training of his life, batting over .400 for a stretch, eventually cooling a bit to a .268 average. However, he still slugged .661, having hit 6 HRs, 2 2Bs and a 3B. That accounts for nine of his 15 hits in the spring.

The Detroit TIgers Scratch Out Gutsy Win on Opening Day Versus Boston Red Sox posted by Joe Halstead

It's really refreshing to see the Detroit Tigers win on national televison. Aside from September's telecasts last year, the Tigers usually play just poorly enough to remind ESPN and Fox National to stop carrying Tigers games.

Not so on this chilly but sunny- and sold out- Thursday afternoon.

Justin Verlander cruised along on the strength of a devastating back-door curve ball, mixing in his fastball mostly to keep hitters honest or to get a two-strike count. According to MLB Network's Mitch Williams, Verlander never topped 94 mph.

Cruise control- 8 innings pitched, zero earned runs, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts and a walk. The MVP has returned, although he earned a no-decisoin. Interestingly, it was closer Jose Valverde who notched the win, after blowing his first save opportunity of the 2012 season. Valverde was perfect in 49 save opportunities last year, and in 3 opportunities in the playoffs.

The other Detroit Tiger of note today has to be Austin Jackson, who was 3-5 and, notably, did not strike out a single time. Of course, this is a small sample size, just as small a sample size as if he'd gone 0-4 with 4Ks. It's one game. However, his muted footwork at the plate seems to have led to a faster bat and better pitch selection. AJ looked really, really good.

In fact, it was Jackson who shot a hard grounder just inside third base and past a drawn-in Nick Punto for a walk-off single, scoring pinch runner Danny Worth. The Tigers will need plenty more of this from Jackson if they are to compete in what looks like a more competitive scene throughout Major League Baseball.

This Year's Detroit TIgers Will Not Repeat 2008 posted by Joe Halstead

Detroit Tigers fans are justifiably too excited for words about the Tigers' prospects for the 2012 season.

The Tigers added Prince Fielder to an already-strong core comprised of superstars Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. RF Brennan Boesch is back, and will play right field every day. Up and down the lineup are dangerous, powerful hitters like the aforementioned Boesch, as well as SS Jhonny Peralta, C Alex Avila, LF Delmon Young and even 2B Ryan Raburn- hitters who should do well to complement the explosiveness of Cabrera and Fielder.

Then, there is the Tigers bullpen, featuring returnees such as closer Jose Valverde and setup man Joaquin Benoit. Joining them will be journeyman Octavio Dotel and youngster Colin Balestar, whose spring training performance suggests that he left his control problems behind when he was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Tigers.

But, I know that many fans are already feeling something tugging at the fringes of their subconscious minds. They've seen this sort of high-powered team before. Once upon a time, and recently, the Tigers fielded a team that should have won upwards of 100 games. 

Yes, it was in 2008. That year, the Tigers had a lineup that featured a superstar at virtually every position except for left field, and in left field, they had Marcus Thames, who averaged a home run every 12 at-bats or so. They had four young, talented pitchers surrounding the legendary Kenny Rogers.

Their record that year? 74 wins, 88 losses.

DH Gary Sheffield batted .225. SS Edgar Renteria had an on-base percentage of .317. Rogers had 9 wins against 13 losses. Justin Verlander, you may remember, had 17 losses. In fact, only RHP Armando Galarraga had a winning record. He was also the only Tigers starter with an ERA under 4.00.

Detroit TIgers Place Inge On 15-Day DL, Defer Final Cut For a Week posted by Joe Halstead

Second baseman Brandon Inge has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 30th. That means he'll be eligible to play on April 14th against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. 

Non-roster invitee Drew Smyly, the young left-hander who won the fifth spot in the Detroit Tigers rotation this spring, is not yet on the roster. He'll start the season with the Triple A Toledo Mud Hens. The Tigers will carry 11 pitchers until Smyly's start comes up. RHP Al Alburquerque, you'll remember, won't be back until somewhere around the All-Star Bfreak, at the very least. 

The end result of all of this is that OFers Clete Thomas and Andy Dirks are both on the active roster for Opening Day. However, one of them will have to go to Triple A when Smyly makes his first start, or when Inge returns, whichever happens first. Likely, Smyly will join the team first. Moreover, since it now appears clear that the Tigers are committed to using Inge in the last year of his contract, 2B Danny Worth will be bumped to the minors.

The question is, which outfielder should be sent down? It appears that Andy Dirks, who went 22-52 this spring with an OPS of .956, three stolen bases and ten runs scored, shoiuld be the mainstay when it's time to make room. That would mean Clete Thomas would be optioned to Toledo.

Some may note, though, that Clete Thomas possesses a bit more power, and has more experience. In any case, neither player will see much playing time at first, so it might be wise to take advantage of Dirks's higher number of remaining minor league options.

With So Much Utility, the Detroit Tigers Should Carry 13 Pitchers posted by Joe Halstead

Tomorrow, the Detroit Tigers will likely announce their 25-man roster. Assuming that they don't pull any administrative tricks with number-five starter Drew Smyly in order to artificially keep injured 2B Brandon Inge (groin) on the roster, it is likely that Inge and OF Andy Dirks will remain on the roster, while OF Clete Thomas and 2B Danny Worth are sent to Triple-A Toledo. 

Inge-haters and even non-Inge-haters will note the unfairness in that, since Inge continues to struggle at the plate, but the Tigers don't seem too motivated to find a creative way to trade Inge, and other teams don't want to pay him $5.5MM so that he can strike out for them instead of the Tigers.

However, the Tigers should be looking at a more creative, more productive option: carry thirteen pitchers.

How would this happen? Well, here's the first thing: since the Tigers are going to eat the rest of Inge's salary in any case, general manager Dave Dombrowski ought to consider offering other teams the option of taking on Inge for a minor league player, and he ought to offer to cover a portion of Inge's remaining salary on a contract that expires after this season. This way, we get a fresh player with minor league options and a clean career outlook, while the other team would be one that needs a player with utility value, which Inge has.

Second, the Tigers should option Clete Thomas and Danny Worth to Triple-A Toledo. Finally, the Tigers should fill the 25th roster spot with LHP Duane Below.

With all of the utility the Tigers have, it can be done. Don Kelly can play practically all nine positions, although we'd prefer not to see him as a member of the battery. Second basemen Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago can play multiple positions, as well. On any given day, no matter who is resting, we'd have the necessary coverage, with four position players on the bench. As it is, with 12 pitchers on the roster, a team only ever has five position players on the bench.

Up and Down White Sox All Season posted by Richard Kagan

The White Sox seem on the verge of beating Minnesota for the third straight time.  There was a time when the Sox couldn't beat the Twins.  They did beat them in a one game playoff a few years back to get into the playoffs.  Since then,  Minnesota has been dominant.  It looks like Chicago is getting a measure of payback.  It's about time.  I don't know if its all too late for this season.  Detroit leads the Sox by eight games and there aren't many left.  Chicago can't hope to go .500 and gain ground. And, that's what they've been doing all season.  Win four games here, lose 5 straight, pick up a few wins, drop a few...back and forth.  When a team does that, it's hard to gain ground.  It's like climbing a mountain and not going anywhere or walking in quicksand.  You get the picture. 

Losing 3 straight games on the road to the Tigers hurt this team.  That all but ended their playoff hopes.  The Tigers played like a better team and it has Jason Verlander, arguably the best pitcher in the American League.  The Tigers don't lose 4 in a row.  They have Verlander, who stops losing streaks cold.

It would be nice to see the White Sox play over their heads and make it interesting.  But, I don't think that can happen.  Chicago hasn't been firing all year.  Don't expect them to start with three weeks left in the season.

Chicago takes Game 1, Now Do it Again posted by Richard Kagan

Chicago Whte Sox won their matchup with Detroit on Monday night 4-2, courtesy of pitcher Mark Buerhle and some key hits by the Sox. Buerhle went six innings and kept the Tigers at bay.  They had runners on most of the game. Carlos Quinton doubled in two runs to break a tie, and Paul Konerko added a 7th inning blast.  The Sox did enough to win the game.  Now, can they repeat it?Continue reading "Chicago takes Game 1, Now Do it Again"

Buyer or Seller? posted by David

With the Dog Days of August about to begin, now is the time for teams to decide whether they are buyers or sellers – that is, whether they should mortgage their future and go for it this year or trade away their veterans for up-and-coming prospects.  “Going for it” says to a team’s fans that the organization thinks it has a legitimate chance to win it all, but a more conservative approach can send just as strong a message.  While a middle-of-the-pack team may have to acknowledge that this isn’t the year, going out and building for the future – as long as it is not the distant future – can usually be taken to mean that the front office is willing to sacrifice an outside shot at the playoffs in order to increase its chances of winning in the long term.  Buyer or seller, every GM will be busy until tomorrow’s trade deadline.

How ‘bout that?

How about Buster Posey?  The 22-year-old rookie has been on fire since taking over as the Giants’ starting catcher when Bengie Molina was traded to the Rangers.  Though his 21-game hitting streak came to an end on Thursday, Posey has helped San Francisco go 17-8 in the month of July, in the process taking the lead in the Wild Card race.  It won’t be easy to edge Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg, but Posey has a legitimate chance to claim the National League Rookie of the Year award.

How about José Bautista?  Bautista leads the power-happy Blue Jays with 75 RBI and a .585 slugging percentage (teammate Vernon Wells, who is second, has driven in 55 and slugged .515), but more impressively, leads the majors in homers.  The journeyman played for Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh before finding a home in Toronto, and while he has always shown some pop, the Dominican native’s previous career highs were 16 homers (2006), 63 RBI (2007), and a .420 slugging percentage (2006).

2012 MLB All-Star Game: Who Else Other Than Justin Verlander is All-Star Worthy for the Detroit Ti

COMMENTARY| Players and coaches vote pitchers into the All-Star Game, so Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is safe. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

2012 MLB All-Star Game: Who Else Other Than Justin Verlander is All-Star Worthy for the Detroit Ti

COMMENTARY| Players and coaches vote pitchers into the All-Star Game, so Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is safe. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Tigers rally, fend off White Sox late

Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Raburn and Austin Jackson homered during aneight-run rally in the sixth inning Tuesday and the Detroit Tigersbeat the Chicago White Sox 10-8. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for MLB

Tigers-White Sox Preview (The Associated Press)

A chance to face the Chicago White Sox couldn't come at a much better time for struggling Detroit Tigers slugger Prince Fielder. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

The Juice: Brandon Inge slam rocks Blue Jays, Giants get just enough of Clayton Kershaw (Big L

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. Tiger left in thetank: Brandon Inge has two homers and eight RBIs over his past two games after lining a game-ending grand slam Tuesday night to beat the Blue Jays at Oakland. The A's scored five times in the ninth against Francisco Cordero to win 7-3. The Detroit Tigers seemed to agonize over releasing Inge two weeks ago, even though he's 35 years old, they had no playing time for him and he was coming off a season where he hit .197. Oakland, on the other hand, was desperate for help at third base and willing to give Inge a shot. He's appreciative that two troubled parties could agree : ''I'm so happy here right now,'' Inge said. ''I fit in. It's a new start for me. I welcomed it. I know we have a young ballclub, but they can play. I'm honored to be a part of this ballclub and trying to help them win. That's what feels the best.'' Do it, Butler: The Royals are in position to finish a homestand against the Yankees and Red Sox with a winning record after Billy Butler drilled a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth against Boston, leading to a 6-4 victory . Right-hander Daniel Bard was the guilty party for the Red Sox, completely melting down while taking seven-plus innings to do it. He allowed five runs, six hits, four walks, a wild pitch and two balks —during the same at-bat. And yet, if he keeps Butler in the yard in the eighth, the Red Sox probably win. Fourth to be reckoned with: In case you missed it, Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in history to hit four home runs in a game. How did he approach his final plate appearance? He was chill. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports