Jhonny Peralta hit a tie-breaking home run in the bottom of the 8th inning. It was his 21st of the season. He had 2 RBIs on the night. Victor Martinez was 3-3 with an RBI. He ends the season with a .330 batting average, 4th in the American League. Alex Avila also drove in a run.
Miguel Cabrera was 2-4 with a double. He wrapped up the American League batting title with a .344 batting average. Wilson Betemit was 2-3 with a double and a triple.
Rick Porcello allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings pitched. He lost a chance at the win when Ryan Perry gave up a run in the 8th. Jim Leyland had wanted to rest Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde tonight. Benoit got his rest. Valverde came in to close out the 9th to end the season with a Detroit Tiger record 49 saves. Detroit won it 5-4.
They won the A.L. Central by 14 games.
Next up is the New York Yankees in the ALDS. Texas won tonight, and won 14 of their final 16 to finish one game ahead of Detroit for the 2 seed in the playoffs. That gets them the Rays, while Detroit gets the Yankees.
Justin Verlander will take the hill at Yankee Stadium at 8:37 PM on Friday night.
Having won the batting title, to go along with the home run title in 2008 and the RBI crown last year, Cabrera joins Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez as active players with a career Triple Crown.
Showing posts with label Detroit Tigers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit Tigers. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
the Tigers defeat Cleveland again
They won 9-6 tonight. Magglio Ordonez was 2-3 with a double and 3 RBIs. Delmon Young was 3-5 with his 8th home run as a Tiger, a double, and 3 RBIs. Wilson Betemit played for the first time since September 16th due to knee pain. He crushed a 423 foot home run, his 6th Tiger home run. Jim Leyland had said yesterday he was concerned about Betemit's knee and his availability for the ALDS. Hopefully this means the knee is doing better.
Ryan Raburn delivered an RBI double. Miguel Cabrera was 2-5. He hit his 30th home run of the season and had a double. His batting average is .353. he's got a 5 point lead over Boston's Adrian Gonzalez with one game to play. Barring some sort of monster day by Gonzalez tomorrow and a big o-fer by Cabrera, he will be the American League Batting Champion.
Victor Martinez was 3-5 with 2 doubles.
Max Scherzer gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He struck out 7 and won his 15th game of the season. He'll end the regular season 15-9, second on the team in wins.
Jose Valverde closed out the 9th with 2 strikeouts for his 48th save of the season.
Ryan Raburn delivered an RBI double. Miguel Cabrera was 2-5. He hit his 30th home run of the season and had a double. His batting average is .353. he's got a 5 point lead over Boston's Adrian Gonzalez with one game to play. Barring some sort of monster day by Gonzalez tomorrow and a big o-fer by Cabrera, he will be the American League Batting Champion.
Victor Martinez was 3-5 with 2 doubles.
Max Scherzer gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He struck out 7 and won his 15th game of the season. He'll end the regular season 15-9, second on the team in wins.
Jose Valverde closed out the 9th with 2 strikeouts for his 48th save of the season.
Monday, September 26, 2011
some post season baseball thoughts
I'm torn right now as I watch the drama continue to unfold in the American League Wild Card race. Boston lost again, as their freefall continues. They lost to Baltimore tonight. Tampa beat the Yankees, so the Rays and Red Sox are now tied for the wild card. The Angels remain alive 2.5 games back. They're trailing Texas right now. If they don't come back to back to win they'd be eliminated I believe.
As for Boston and Tampa Bay I'm torn on who to root for. The Tigers will be taking on the Wild Card winner. Do I root for the battered and fading Red Sox instead of the hot Rays? My gut says yes? But the Red Sox also have a veteran team with alot of post-season experience. They have a bunch of clutch bats in that lineup. They have an offense that can explode at Fenway especially. Wounded, but they were the best team in baseball for a chunk of time so they're still dangerous. Boston is also good at taking pitches, fouling off pitches, and running up pitch counts. That's especially dangerous against Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, who seem to get especially sloppy as their pitch counts go up. Justin Verlander is capable of digging deep for big pitches, and even 100 mile an hour fastballs after the 100 pitch mark. But Boston could potentially work him enough to get him out of the game after the 6th on a high pitch count then work over the Tigers bullpen in the 7th before Benoit and Valverde can get into the game.
The Rays are hotter. They still have post-season experience but a good number of guys from their World Series run are no longer with the team. Joaquin Benoit is a Tiger. On the other hand Matt Joyce has pounded the Tigers, as if proving a point for trading him away to get Edwin Jackson a couple years ago. The Rays also have Johnny Damon, another clutch hitter, who may just be extra motivated against the team that didn't want him back after last season.
So I 'm torn. There are pros and cons to each matchup for Detroit. In either case Detroit's pitching should be superior. My gut says avoiding Josh Becket, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and the October aura of Fenway Park may be better, even with Boston struggling with offense, pitching, and general health right now.
As for Boston and Tampa Bay I'm torn on who to root for. The Tigers will be taking on the Wild Card winner. Do I root for the battered and fading Red Sox instead of the hot Rays? My gut says yes? But the Red Sox also have a veteran team with alot of post-season experience. They have a bunch of clutch bats in that lineup. They have an offense that can explode at Fenway especially. Wounded, but they were the best team in baseball for a chunk of time so they're still dangerous. Boston is also good at taking pitches, fouling off pitches, and running up pitch counts. That's especially dangerous against Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, who seem to get especially sloppy as their pitch counts go up. Justin Verlander is capable of digging deep for big pitches, and even 100 mile an hour fastballs after the 100 pitch mark. But Boston could potentially work him enough to get him out of the game after the 6th on a high pitch count then work over the Tigers bullpen in the 7th before Benoit and Valverde can get into the game.
The Rays are hotter. They still have post-season experience but a good number of guys from their World Series run are no longer with the team. Joaquin Benoit is a Tiger. On the other hand Matt Joyce has pounded the Tigers, as if proving a point for trading him away to get Edwin Jackson a couple years ago. The Rays also have Johnny Damon, another clutch hitter, who may just be extra motivated against the team that didn't want him back after last season.
So I 'm torn. There are pros and cons to each matchup for Detroit. In either case Detroit's pitching should be superior. My gut says avoiding Josh Becket, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and the October aura of Fenway Park may be better, even with Boston struggling with offense, pitching, and general health right now.
14-0 was a magic number for Detroit tonight
That was the final of Detroit's rout of Cleveland, in the opening game of the regular season ending series. 14-0 is now the combined record of Justin Verlander and Doug Fister since August 16th. Add a combined 1.61 ERA to that.
Tonight Fister pitched 8 innings of 3 hit ball, striking out 9. He's now 8-1 as a Tiger, 7 of those wins as a starter.
For the second time this season Fister outpitched Ubaldo Jimenez. Detroit beat Jiminez for the third time since he was acquired in an effort to tilt the A.L. Central in Cleveland's favor. Jimenez was 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA against the Tigers.
Alex Avila was 2-3 with a double and 3 RBIs for Detroit. Andy Dirks was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBIs. Delmon Young was 2-4 and hit a 3-run home run, his 7th as a Tiger and 11th of the season overall.
Ryan Raburn was 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Miguel Cabera was 3-5 to lift his A.L. leading batting average to .344. He also drove in a run.
Victor Martinez was 2-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. Don Kelly was 2-4 with a double and an RBI. In all Detroit pounded out 18 hits. Every starter had a hit, and 7 had multi-hit games. Even Wil Rhymes got into the act with a rare start at second. He batted leadoff tonight and was 2-6.
Tonight Fister pitched 8 innings of 3 hit ball, striking out 9. He's now 8-1 as a Tiger, 7 of those wins as a starter.
For the second time this season Fister outpitched Ubaldo Jimenez. Detroit beat Jiminez for the third time since he was acquired in an effort to tilt the A.L. Central in Cleveland's favor. Jimenez was 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA against the Tigers.
Alex Avila was 2-3 with a double and 3 RBIs for Detroit. Andy Dirks was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBIs. Delmon Young was 2-4 and hit a 3-run home run, his 7th as a Tiger and 11th of the season overall.
Ryan Raburn was 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Miguel Cabera was 3-5 to lift his A.L. leading batting average to .344. He also drove in a run.
Victor Martinez was 2-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. Don Kelly was 2-4 with a double and an RBI. In all Detroit pounded out 18 hits. Every starter had a hit, and 7 had multi-hit games. Even Wil Rhymes got into the act with a rare start at second. He batted leadoff tonight and was 2-6.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Tigers outslugged the Orioles today
Miguel Cabrera was 2-3 with his 29th home run of the season.and 2 RBIs. He raised his batting average to .341 to pass Boston's Adrian Gonzalez for the AL lead with 3 Tigers games to play.
Victor Martinez hit his 12th homer of the season, a 3-run shot that pushed him to 101 RBIs, joining Cabrera at the 100 RBI plateau. Don Kelly hit a 3-run home run, his 7th of the season (I think I'd credited his last homer as 7 but it was actually 6). Jhonny Peralta added his 20th homer of the season.
Delmon Young drove in a run. Austin Jackson was 2-5, and Magglio Ordonez added a hit to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Detroit won 10-6.
Brad Penny labored his way to his 11th win. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 5.1 innings pitched. He was victim to 1 poor inning once again. He leveled his record at 11-11 in his final regular season start.
This could be Penny's last start as a Tiger, since he's likely to get bumped from the shortened Tigers post-season rotation and isn't expected to re-sign for next season.
He wasn't great, but he stayed healthy and pitched 187.2 innings this season, his most since 2007. So he did add stability to the rotation and didn't wear out the bullpen too badly overall since he usually made it 6 innings at least. They didn't sign him to an expensive contract and only expected him to provide stability to the 4 spot in the rotation and if they were lucky catch lightning in a bottle. They didn't get lightning but they at least got a spark. He gave them more than Armando Galarraga would have likely.
It's not going to be a smooth transition to one of the young arms in waiting for next year, as was hoped. Phil Coke looks like he's going to be a bullpen ace rather than a starter. He was too poor in his turn as an early season starter and too sharp when they moved him back to the pen. Jacob Turner doesn't seem ready yet. Andy Oliver is walking many batters in Triple A so he doesn't seem ready. I doubt Penny would take less money to re-sign. He probably wants a raise and I doubt Detroit will do that.
In other news David Pauley surrendered a 3-run homer. His ERA is nearly 5 since he came over, after being right around 2 as a Mariner. It doesn't seem like he'll be a factor in the playoffs other than in a mop up role if at all. That's probably okay with Coke, Alburquerque, Benoit, and Valverde all providing solid work, with Daniel Schlereth and Ryan Perry being pretty solid more often than not lately, though I wouldn't bring either in with the bases loaded and one out and the World Series on the line at this point.
Victor Martinez hit his 12th homer of the season, a 3-run shot that pushed him to 101 RBIs, joining Cabrera at the 100 RBI plateau. Don Kelly hit a 3-run home run, his 7th of the season (I think I'd credited his last homer as 7 but it was actually 6). Jhonny Peralta added his 20th homer of the season.
Delmon Young drove in a run. Austin Jackson was 2-5, and Magglio Ordonez added a hit to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Detroit won 10-6.
Brad Penny labored his way to his 11th win. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 5.1 innings pitched. He was victim to 1 poor inning once again. He leveled his record at 11-11 in his final regular season start.
This could be Penny's last start as a Tiger, since he's likely to get bumped from the shortened Tigers post-season rotation and isn't expected to re-sign for next season.
He wasn't great, but he stayed healthy and pitched 187.2 innings this season, his most since 2007. So he did add stability to the rotation and didn't wear out the bullpen too badly overall since he usually made it 6 innings at least. They didn't sign him to an expensive contract and only expected him to provide stability to the 4 spot in the rotation and if they were lucky catch lightning in a bottle. They didn't get lightning but they at least got a spark. He gave them more than Armando Galarraga would have likely.
It's not going to be a smooth transition to one of the young arms in waiting for next year, as was hoped. Phil Coke looks like he's going to be a bullpen ace rather than a starter. He was too poor in his turn as an early season starter and too sharp when they moved him back to the pen. Jacob Turner doesn't seem ready yet. Andy Oliver is walking many batters in Triple A so he doesn't seem ready. I doubt Penny would take less money to re-sign. He probably wants a raise and I doubt Detroit will do that.
In other news David Pauley surrendered a 3-run homer. His ERA is nearly 5 since he came over, after being right around 2 as a Mariner. It doesn't seem like he'll be a factor in the playoffs other than in a mop up role if at all. That's probably okay with Coke, Alburquerque, Benoit, and Valverde all providing solid work, with Daniel Schlereth and Ryan Perry being pretty solid more often than not lately, though I wouldn't bring either in with the bases loaded and one out and the World Series on the line at this point.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
tonight Justin Verlander could not win his 25th game
Verlander has his worst outing of the season, though he did settle down and right the ship. He gave up 5 runs in the first 3 innings pitched, including 2 home runs and a stretch of 4 hits and a walk in a 5 batter stretch. He did settle down to retire 13 of his last 14 batters and went 7 innings. Verlander went at least 6 innings for the 42nd straight start, which is the longest streak by a Tiger pitcher since at least 1919.
The offense came back to get him off the hook for the loss. Miguel Cabrera was 3-4 with his 28th home run of the season. Jhonny Peralta was 2-3 with 2 RBIs. Alex Avila drove in a run as did Austin Jackson.
But Detroit lost on a suicide squeeze in the top of the 9th, to go down 6-5. Daniel Schlereth took the loss to fall to 2-2 on the year. He was hurt on a wild pitch during a strikeout, which allowed a runner on first go go all the way to third.
With the loss Detroit fell a game behind Texas for home field advantage in the ALDS.
The offense came back to get him off the hook for the loss. Miguel Cabrera was 3-4 with his 28th home run of the season. Jhonny Peralta was 2-3 with 2 RBIs. Alex Avila drove in a run as did Austin Jackson.
But Detroit lost on a suicide squeeze in the top of the 9th, to go down 6-5. Daniel Schlereth took the loss to fall to 2-2 on the year. He was hurt on a wild pitch during a strikeout, which allowed a runner on first go go all the way to third.
With the loss Detroit fell a game behind Texas for home field advantage in the ALDS.
last night Detroit nipped Baltimore in extra innings
Victor Martinez hit a walk-off double to win the game for Detroit in the 11th inning, 4-3. That put Ryan Perry, who pitched the 11th for Detroit, in the win column for 2011. He's 1-0 on the season.
Miguel Cabrera was 3-5. He hit his 27th homer of the season, a 2-run shot, which gave him 100 RBIs on the season. It's Cabrera's 8th straight 100 RBI season, including all four as a Tiger.
He also became the first Tiger to drive in 100 runs, walk 100 times, and score 100 runs in a season since Norm Cash and Rocky Colavito both did it in 1961.
Ramon Santiago was also 2-4 with an RBI for Detroit
Miguel Cabrera was 3-5. He hit his 27th homer of the season, a 2-run shot, which gave him 100 RBIs on the season. It's Cabrera's 8th straight 100 RBI season, including all four as a Tiger.
He also became the first Tiger to drive in 100 runs, walk 100 times, and score 100 runs in a season since Norm Cash and Rocky Colavito both did it in 1961.
Ramon Santiago was also 2-4 with an RBI for Detroit
In Game Update: Baltimore at Detroit
The Tiger offense will likely get one more shot to bail out Justin Verlander and give him win 25. Verlander gave up 4 hits and a walk in a 5 batter stretch with 2 outs in the second inning. He also has surrendered a pair of long balls, to fall behind 5-0 after 3. The offense has clawed back. Verlander has settled down but it's still 5-4. Verlander is over 100 pitches through 6.2 innings so I don't see him coming back out for the 8th inning.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Detroit lost the first game of its final homestand last night
Baltimore jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Jacob Turner, who was making his third big league start. Turner lasted only 3 innings. He's not showing any indication that he's ready for the 5 spot in the rotation next season, but spring training and possible winter ball may have something to say about that.
Detroit's offense rallied to get Turner off the hook for an L, but David Pauley gave up the deciding run in 2 innings of work. He fell to 0-3 since he came over with Doug Fister from Seattle.
Delmon Young hit his 6th homer as a Tiger, a 3-run shot. Magglio Ordonez added an RBI. Ryan Raburn was also 3-4 with a double.
Detroit's offense rallied to get Turner off the hook for an L, but David Pauley gave up the deciding run in 2 innings of work. He fell to 0-3 since he came over with Doug Fister from Seattle.
Delmon Young hit his 6th homer as a Tiger, a 3-run shot. Magglio Ordonez added an RBI. Ryan Raburn was also 3-4 with a double.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
thelast two nights Detroit split their last two road games of the season at Kansas City
Last night Brad Penny got bombed again. 7 runs on 10 hits in 4 innings pitched. He fell to 10-11 on the season. That's got to be the death knell for any spot in the playoff pitching rotation. Given that starters don't usually fare well in a relief role in the post season, and Penny's stuff seems to be gone I wouldn't be surprised if he's left off the ALDS roster entirely. Detroit would be better served with another actual relief pitcher or another position player. I'd guess a relief pitcher since they already have Ryan Raburn, Don Kelly, and Ramon Santiago who can play multiple positions if needed.
Detroit got pounded 10-2. Austin Jackson was 2-5 with a double and an RBI. Delmon Young added a sac fly.
Tonight Detroit won 6-3. They scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to break a tie. Victor Martinez was 2-5 with 3 RBIs. Don Kelly was 3-5. He hit his 7th home run of the season, a 2-run shot, and added a double.
Miguel Cabrera got a rare night off but delivered a pinch hit RBI double. Alex Avila was 2-5. Andy Dirks was 2-2.
Doug Fister got the win, making his first relief appearance as a Tiger. He allowed a run on 2 hits in 3 innings of work. He improved to 7-1 as a Tiger and 10-14 overall on the season. I guess he threw few enough pitches that the coaches felt comfortable pretty much letting him do his side work in a game situation. Weird decision though. Maybe they really, really wanted the win but didn't trust anyone else to do the long relief after Brad Penny's short outing yesterday. Max Scherzer started but went only 5 innings. He allowed 2 runs.
Jose Valverde came on to close out the 9th. He allowed a couple hits but sealed the deal for his 47th save of the season. Detroit won its 90th game of the season.
Detroit got pounded 10-2. Austin Jackson was 2-5 with a double and an RBI. Delmon Young added a sac fly.
Tonight Detroit won 6-3. They scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to break a tie. Victor Martinez was 2-5 with 3 RBIs. Don Kelly was 3-5. He hit his 7th home run of the season, a 2-run shot, and added a double.
Miguel Cabrera got a rare night off but delivered a pinch hit RBI double. Alex Avila was 2-5. Andy Dirks was 2-2.
Doug Fister got the win, making his first relief appearance as a Tiger. He allowed a run on 2 hits in 3 innings of work. He improved to 7-1 as a Tiger and 10-14 overall on the season. I guess he threw few enough pitches that the coaches felt comfortable pretty much letting him do his side work in a game situation. Weird decision though. Maybe they really, really wanted the win but didn't trust anyone else to do the long relief after Brad Penny's short outing yesterday. Max Scherzer started but went only 5 innings. He allowed 2 runs.
Jose Valverde came on to close out the 9th. He allowed a couple hits but sealed the deal for his 47th save of the season. Detroit won its 90th game of the season.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
a neat little stat to come of out the recent Detroit sports success.
The Lions and Tigers had not won a game on the same day since 2007 before last week. Now they've done it two straight weeks.
Obviously the NFL and baseball regular season overlaps cover only 3 or 4 football games per year, but that was still 12-16 opportunities over the past four years. Obviously the Lions have been bad and piling up Ls. The Tigers also haven't been good in September in a number of years either.
Now I wonder when the last time is that the Tigers and Lions have won on the same day 2 straight Sundays.
Obviously the NFL and baseball regular season overlaps cover only 3 or 4 football games per year, but that was still 12-16 opportunities over the past four years. Obviously the Lions have been bad and piling up Ls. The Tigers also haven't been good in September in a number of years either.
Now I wonder when the last time is that the Tigers and Lions have won on the same day 2 straight Sundays.
Justin Verlander is dominant again to win his 24th game.
Verlander pitched 8 innings of shutout 3-hit ball to improve his record to 24-5 on the season. He's now won 13 straight starts. He'll get one chance to win 25 I'd say. Other than Bob Welch winning 27 games for Oakland during their late 80's/early 90's little dynasty during the Canseco and McGwire Bash Brothers Days, I can't think of any other pitchers exceeding 24 wins. I recall Roger Clemens and Dwight Gooden both going 24-4 but nothing else better than that other than Welch.
Detroit was being no-hit until the top of the 6th. Austin Jackson broke that up with a solo home run, his 10th of the year, to dead center field. It wasn't a cheapie - it went over the 400 foot sign. Jackson ended up being 2-4 on the game with 2 runs scored. That's good because his bat has cooled off again after he went on a 5 or 6 tear that pushed his batting average over .260. It' s now back below .250 again. They need him to help fuel the offense if they're going to make some serious noise in October.
Brandon Inge had a pinch-hit RBI double. Ramon Santiago added an insurance run by executing a suicide squeeze in the 9th inning on a very tough high and away pitch to bunt. It looks like Oakland detected the squeeze after the pitcher started his motion and he tried to adjust the pitch to something impossible to bunt to either get a popup, a foul ball, or a chance to tag out the runner, but Santiago got it down.
Jose Valverde locked down the 3-0 victory. He closed out the 9th for his 46th save of the season. He now has 48 straight dating back to the end of last season. That gives him sole possession of the third longest consecutive save streak in baseball history.
Only Flash Gordon, with 54 straight in 1998-99 and Eric Gagne's unreal streak of 84 straight for the Dodgers from 2002-2004 have been longer.
These games are still important. Detroit holds a 1 game lead over Texas right now. Keeping that lead would give them home field advantage over the wild card winner out of the AL East. Boston's lead in that department has been trimmed to two as Tampa Bay completed winning 3 out of 4 against them in a weekend series today. Detoit is 2 games back of the Yankees for the American League's best record, which would give them outright home field advantage until the World Series.
Detroit was being no-hit until the top of the 6th. Austin Jackson broke that up with a solo home run, his 10th of the year, to dead center field. It wasn't a cheapie - it went over the 400 foot sign. Jackson ended up being 2-4 on the game with 2 runs scored. That's good because his bat has cooled off again after he went on a 5 or 6 tear that pushed his batting average over .260. It' s now back below .250 again. They need him to help fuel the offense if they're going to make some serious noise in October.
Brandon Inge had a pinch-hit RBI double. Ramon Santiago added an insurance run by executing a suicide squeeze in the 9th inning on a very tough high and away pitch to bunt. It looks like Oakland detected the squeeze after the pitcher started his motion and he tried to adjust the pitch to something impossible to bunt to either get a popup, a foul ball, or a chance to tag out the runner, but Santiago got it down.
Jose Valverde locked down the 3-0 victory. He closed out the 9th for his 46th save of the season. He now has 48 straight dating back to the end of last season. That gives him sole possession of the third longest consecutive save streak in baseball history.
Only Flash Gordon, with 54 straight in 1998-99 and Eric Gagne's unreal streak of 84 straight for the Dodgers from 2002-2004 have been longer.
These games are still important. Detroit holds a 1 game lead over Texas right now. Keeping that lead would give them home field advantage over the wild card winner out of the AL East. Boston's lead in that department has been trimmed to two as Tampa Bay completed winning 3 out of 4 against them in a weekend series today. Detoit is 2 games back of the Yankees for the American League's best record, which would give them outright home field advantage until the World Series.
the Tigers fell 5-3 at Oakland yesterday
If my personal memory serves, yesterday was Detroit's first "game after clinching" since 1984. In 1987 I believe they clinched the AL East on the last day of the season after beating second place Toronto in the final game of the season.
In 2006 they lost their final game to lose the Central to Minnesota, but they still claimed the AL Wild Card.
Rick Porcello was sharp, allowing 3 run in 7 innings pitched. He didn't get any early run support though and fell to 14-9 on the season. Ryan Perry gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in a third of an inning to extend the Oakland lead. Detroit rallied in the 9th on a 2-run pinch hit single by Don Kelly, but it wasn't enough.
Jhonny Peralta also drove in a run. Magglio Ordonez was 3-4. He's now got his batting average up to .252 on the season.
In 2006 they lost their final game to lose the Central to Minnesota, but they still claimed the AL Wild Card.
Rick Porcello was sharp, allowing 3 run in 7 innings pitched. He didn't get any early run support though and fell to 14-9 on the season. Ryan Perry gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in a third of an inning to extend the Oakland lead. Detroit rallied in the 9th on a 2-run pinch hit single by Don Kelly, but it wasn't enough.
Jhonny Peralta also drove in a run. Magglio Ordonez was 3-4. He's now got his batting average up to .252 on the season.
Friday, September 16, 2011
the Tigers are the 2011 American League Central Champions!
Doug Fister was dominant once again. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 8 innings pitched, throwing only 92 pitches.
He upped his record to 6-1 as a Tiger. Jose Valverde closed out the 9th of the 3-1 victory over Oakland for his 45th save.
Don Kelly was 2-4 with his 5th homer of the season and an RBI single. Wilson Betemit had an RBI triple. Ramon Santiago also added a triple for the Tigers.
He upped his record to 6-1 as a Tiger. Jose Valverde closed out the 9th of the 3-1 victory over Oakland for his 45th save.
Don Kelly was 2-4 with his 5th homer of the season and an RBI single. Wilson Betemit had an RBI triple. Ramon Santiago also added a triple for the Tigers.
the White Sox have been mathematically eliminated
Kansas City beat Chicago 7-6, which eliminates the White Sox from the AL Central race. Cleveland squeaked by Minnesota 7-6 to stay alive, as Jim Thome hit his 603rd career home run in the 9th inning.
Cleveland is alive for now. Detroit is leading Oakland 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 7th. If the Tigers hold on to win, they clinch.
Cleveland is alive for now. Detroit is leading Oakland 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 7th. If the Tigers hold on to win, they clinch.
Detroit's winning streak finally came to an end last night in Oakland
Oakland handcuffed the Tiger offense last night, holding them to 1 run on 5 hits. Delmon Young hit his 5th Tiger home run. Max Scherzer allowed 5 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings of work to fall to 14-9 on the season. That's the only concerning thing to come of of the game. Detroit needs Scherzer to bring his A-Game if they're going to make a run in the playoffs.
Miguel Cabrera had a double, but Detroit couldn't string together hits last night. They fell 6-1. Despite that, their Magic Number to clinch the A.L. Central dropped to 1, as both Chicago and Cleveland lost last night. So one more Tiger win or one more loss by co-second place teams Chicago and Cleveland clinches Detroit's first ever A.L. Central title, and first division crown since they won the A.L. East in 1987, then there were still 2 divisions in each league.
Miguel Cabrera had a double, but Detroit couldn't string together hits last night. They fell 6-1. Despite that, their Magic Number to clinch the A.L. Central dropped to 1, as both Chicago and Cleveland lost last night. So one more Tiger win or one more loss by co-second place teams Chicago and Cleveland clinches Detroit's first ever A.L. Central title, and first division crown since they won the A.L. East in 1987, then there were still 2 divisions in each league.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
the Tigers just can't lose right now
The Tigers stunned the White Sox again, to win another game against them in an epic rally. Carlos Guillen won it for them in the 10th inning with an RBI single. He was 3-5 on the game with his 3rd homer of the season and 2 RBIs. It was Guillen's first start since September 3rd. With the rosters now expanded Detroit has 5 guys who can play second base, now that Wil Rhymes and Danny Worth have been called up. Ramon Santiago has been hitting well lately and has gotten most of the starts, with Ryan Raburn mixed in.
But the big rally came in the 9th. Detroit was down 5-2. What do they do? Summon some pinch hitters. Ryan Raburn pinch hit for Omar Santos, who was catching to give Alex Avila a rare day off. Raburn promptly hit his 14th homer run of the season. Magglio Ordonez came on to pinch hit and drew a walk. Alex Avila then came on to pinch hit for Brandon Inge. He's got more power and was now needed to catch the 10th. Avila delivered a pinch-hit 2-run home run, his 19th of the season, to tie the game. The homer was off the same reliever that Ryan Raburn and Miguel Cabrera stunned with homers to complete the rally from 8-1 down a week and a half ago or so. Just like that the game was tied at 5 and the winning streak was alive.
Phil Coke ended up getting the win. He induced an inning inning double play with runners on the corners and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Coke is now 3-9 on the season. Jose Valverde struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th to earn his 44th save.
Brad Penny gave up 5 runs, 1 earned, in 6 innings pitched. As is normal for him, he gave up 1 big inning but then settled down as he was on the ropes. His error on a bunt led to 4 unearned runs in the 2nd inning.
Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez were both 2-4 with a double. Delmon Young also had a double.
The 12 game winning streak is now Detroit's longest winning streak in 77 years. They had the second of the two 14 game winning streaks in franchise history in 1934. This is the 3rd longest winning streak in franchise history. They won 12 straight games in 1927.
All 12 wins in the streak have come against the White Sox (6), Cleveland (3), and Minnesota (3). This is the second longest streak that comes entirely within a division since divisional play began in 1969. With the win Detroit became the 4th team in history, and first since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, to extend a winning streak to 12 or longer with a 3-run on larger rally in the 9th inning.
By my count, if Cleveland loses to Texas tonight Detroit's Magic Number will be 1. They'll have a chance to clinch the division while in Oakland.
But the big rally came in the 9th. Detroit was down 5-2. What do they do? Summon some pinch hitters. Ryan Raburn pinch hit for Omar Santos, who was catching to give Alex Avila a rare day off. Raburn promptly hit his 14th homer run of the season. Magglio Ordonez came on to pinch hit and drew a walk. Alex Avila then came on to pinch hit for Brandon Inge. He's got more power and was now needed to catch the 10th. Avila delivered a pinch-hit 2-run home run, his 19th of the season, to tie the game. The homer was off the same reliever that Ryan Raburn and Miguel Cabrera stunned with homers to complete the rally from 8-1 down a week and a half ago or so. Just like that the game was tied at 5 and the winning streak was alive.
Phil Coke ended up getting the win. He induced an inning inning double play with runners on the corners and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Coke is now 3-9 on the season. Jose Valverde struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th to earn his 44th save.
Brad Penny gave up 5 runs, 1 earned, in 6 innings pitched. As is normal for him, he gave up 1 big inning but then settled down as he was on the ropes. His error on a bunt led to 4 unearned runs in the 2nd inning.
Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez were both 2-4 with a double. Delmon Young also had a double.
The 12 game winning streak is now Detroit's longest winning streak in 77 years. They had the second of the two 14 game winning streaks in franchise history in 1934. This is the 3rd longest winning streak in franchise history. They won 12 straight games in 1927.
All 12 wins in the streak have come against the White Sox (6), Cleveland (3), and Minnesota (3). This is the second longest streak that comes entirely within a division since divisional play began in 1969. With the win Detroit became the 4th team in history, and first since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, to extend a winning streak to 12 or longer with a 3-run on larger rally in the 9th inning.
By my count, if Cleveland loses to Texas tonight Detroit's Magic Number will be 1. They'll have a chance to clinch the division while in Oakland.
I figured it would be Brad Penny who would put Detroit's winning streak at risk
The winning streak is just a nice cherry on Detroit's September sundae. They're not going to end the year on a 25 game winning streak by winning out, so it's going to come to an end sometime. You'd think anyway since a 25 game winning streak would be a Major League record, beating the existing record by a number of games.
So Penny's start today is more of a post-season audition more than anything. Detroit's magic number is 3 and with the other four arms in the rotation that have been clicking of late, the division race is over. Detroit won't need a 5 man starting rotation in the playoffs, especially in the short ALDS series, so it comes down to figuring out which one pitcher or maybe even 2 is left off that roster or put in the bullpen.
Penny is likely with a 10-10 record and an ERA over 5. He also labors more than any other starter and would put more wear and tear on the bullpen. Today he's given up 4 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings pitched.
While everyone else is getting stronger, Penny isn't keeping up. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball right now. Doug Fister has an ERA below 2 in his Tiger starts. He looks like the second best pitcher on the staff. Scherzer can labor at times but he's had stretches of dominance. Porcello has gotten bombed in some starts and has a high ERA but he too has had stretches of dominance.
Penny looks like the obvious odd man out.
Carlos Guillen has hit his 3rd home run of the season for Detroit, but if they're going to stretch the winning streak to 12 it will be in spite of the pitching, which has been a rarity over the last 25 games or so.
Even with a loss, taking 2 of 3 in their last matchup of the season ends any chance of a comeback for the ages from the White Sox.
So Penny's start today is more of a post-season audition more than anything. Detroit's magic number is 3 and with the other four arms in the rotation that have been clicking of late, the division race is over. Detroit won't need a 5 man starting rotation in the playoffs, especially in the short ALDS series, so it comes down to figuring out which one pitcher or maybe even 2 is left off that roster or put in the bullpen.
Penny is likely with a 10-10 record and an ERA over 5. He also labors more than any other starter and would put more wear and tear on the bullpen. Today he's given up 4 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings pitched.
While everyone else is getting stronger, Penny isn't keeping up. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball right now. Doug Fister has an ERA below 2 in his Tiger starts. He looks like the second best pitcher on the staff. Scherzer can labor at times but he's had stretches of dominance. Porcello has gotten bombed in some starts and has a high ERA but he too has had stretches of dominance.
Penny looks like the obvious odd man out.
Carlos Guillen has hit his 3rd home run of the season for Detroit, but if they're going to stretch the winning streak to 12 it will be in spite of the pitching, which has been a rarity over the last 25 games or so.
Even with a loss, taking 2 of 3 in their last matchup of the season ends any chance of a comeback for the ages from the White Sox.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
a couple other tidbits after Detroit's game tonight
Justin Verlander won his 11th straight start tonight. He's the first Tigers pitcher since at least 1919 to win 11 straight starts.
Detroit's 12.5 game lead in the AL Central is also its largest division lead since the end of the 1984 season, which ended with them holding a 15 game lead over the Blue Jays on the way to winning the World Series.
Detroit's 12.5 game lead in the AL Central is also its largest division lead since the end of the 1984 season, which ended with them holding a 15 game lead over the Blue Jays on the way to winning the World Series.
Tigers win their 11th straight, as Justin Verlander wins number 23
I think we can refer to Justin Verlander as Mr. American League Cy Young Award Winner. He pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing 6 hits and striking out 6, to improve to a Major League best 23-5 on the season. Verlander is the first American League pitcher to win 23 games since Oakland's Barry Zito in 2002.
Detroit won 5-0. Victor Martinez hit a 3-run homer, his 11th of the season, in the 6th to break open a 1-0 pitchers dual. Alex Avila had put Detroit up 1-0 in the first on an RBI groundout.
Miguel Cabrera was 2-3 with 2 doubles and an RBI.
Detroit is now 86-62. They have a 12.5 game lead in the Central with 14 games to play. They've won 11 in row, 13 of 14, and 21 of their last 25. They're also 30-11 since the trading deadline when they acquired Doug Fister.
I did some research and found that the longest winning streak in Detroit Tigers history is 14. It was accomplished twice, in 1909 and 1934.
Detroit won 5-0. Victor Martinez hit a 3-run homer, his 11th of the season, in the 6th to break open a 1-0 pitchers dual. Alex Avila had put Detroit up 1-0 in the first on an RBI groundout.
Miguel Cabrera was 2-3 with 2 doubles and an RBI.
Detroit is now 86-62. They have a 12.5 game lead in the Central with 14 games to play. They've won 11 in row, 13 of 14, and 21 of their last 25. They're also 30-11 since the trading deadline when they acquired Doug Fister.
I did some research and found that the longest winning streak in Detroit Tigers history is 14. It was accomplished twice, in 1909 and 1934.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)