Whatever happens, other than an injury, and I'm happy with this series. Taking the first two games vs the Rangers while watching Fister be pretty decent is all that I could ever ask for.
I'd be unhappy if I'd paid to go see the Tigers and 4 regulars (Jackson, Ordonez, Avila, Peralta) were out.
I originally thought that, but...
Ordonez sitting.. whatever.
Santiago has a good track record against Ogando.
Raburn is tearing the cover off the ball.
Dirks versus Jackson right now is a toss up.
Not a bad game to get a ton of people some rest before a big trip. I would assume Peralta, Avila, and Ordonez are available to pinch hit.
Would I have rested 4? No. But this is about as best a time as any to rest 4. The series is wrapped up, you've got some pieces that can fill in easily (as listed above) and you're already drastically overmatched in the pitching matchup. This was/is going to be a tough game to win with the "A" squad.
Meh. It's a day game before a road trip. Giving some people off days in a situation like this is expected.
after a night game means avila is automatically sitting. Ordonez is practically on the same rest pattern these days. Jackson's wrist i think is still bothering him.
It's not that far out of line, but resting 4 in a day is a bit extreme.
i didnt pay, the tickets were given to me, but man that kinda sucked. i really like austin and peralta, i am glad peralta got in at the end.
If you're over the age of 15 and consider yourself a baseball fan, you should know what a "getaway day" is and avoid purchasing tickets for those games if you really care about seeing the full lineup.
Sure, it would be great to get the sweep, but Ogando is tough. Taking two of three from the Rangers is nice.
Brad Penny is awful.
No he isn't, if compared to other 5th starters. But don't let your opinion of him get in the way of facts though.
I am comparing him to major league pitchers. Granted, he is our 5th starter because we do not have anyone better. However, that doesn't change the fact that he is not a good starting pitcher anymore.
Let me preface this by saying I'm neither a Rangers nor a Tigers fan. With that said, for all the crap Leyland gets about being a sub 500 manager post-All Star game, some credit is due (team is 10-8 post-All Star game). I understand the record isn't great post-All Star game, but they have a comfortable lead in the AL Central.
I took the Rangers to win this one. Penny isn't much of an AL pitcher, he has generally thrived in the NL, absent a few bad years. Ogando has been strong this year. That coupled with the Tigers being without Peralta and Jackson today tipped the scale for me.
Is it too early to call up Turner and shift him into the rotation?
but it just makes sense to option Penny to Toledo, give Jacob Turner a brief callup, and then shift Penny back into the rotation if he works his kinks out.
Agreed, I wouldn't be surprised to see him finish the season on the ML roster, but I wouldn't expect to see him in the rotation (barring any injuries to the current rotation). My guess is that he'll be in a role similar to Furbush's (HALOL) before he got traded: long-relief with a spot start if needed. The key is going to be to not overwork him, but to still give him experience that will help mold him into a successful ML pitcher. Being able to experience a tight race for the post-season will go a long way toward doing that. I'm excited for what he'll bring to the rotation next year!
Win the series at home (2 out of three) and split on the road. Do that and you've won 93 games (53 at home and 40 on the road).
fast the fan base will suddenly go into panic mode if we lose this game.
His K/9 is 3.76. That has to be the lowest for any qualifying starter in the majors, right?
Raburn doing his normal second half thing. I'm guessing he'll be seeing more at-bats for the foreseeable future.
I think it's safe to say Boesch is going to avoid another second half collapse this year and that's great news for the future of this team.
2 out of 3 vs. a team like Texas is always a good thing.
Not to mention a 4-3 homestand, following a 4-3 road trip. It's nothing special, but they're coming out on top and gaining positive momentum. This next week/the road trip in general will be huge. I'm planning to catch next Thursday's game in Cleveland; looking forward to watching Kid Rick pitch!
Edit: It looks like they switched up the rotation. Last time I looked at the schedule, ESPN only showed Fister pitching in Tuesday's game, so I assumed Penny would be following him just like this week, with Porcello following Penny. As it stands right now, it looks like I might get to see Verlander chase another no-no!!
But I just noticed my join date for this here site is now 3 years old.
You picked a good time to join! What a fun three years it has been.
n00b
After the games stumble over to Bucharest Grill on Park Ave. and get yourself a chicken shwarma and some potato salad. Good stuff.
Are you wearing your rally cap?
Quality start for Penny. He hasn't been the epitome of "quality," but he's given us a chance to be in the game through 6 innings. With the 9-1-2 spots coming up in the 7th, I hope Leyland yanks him and brings in Pauley. Let's see what this guy can do!
Edit: Oh well.
Tigers D leaves much to be desired
In other news, exciting game going on in Tampa right now. How bout Desmond Jennings?
The speed at which you work makes me want to kill small cuddly creatures.
Interesting (and depressing) fact:
The Tigers record is 4-18 this season when the fifth starter (at this point a combination of Coke, Oliver, Furbush, Below and now Penny) pitches.
They should NOT be starting Turner for any more than an experiment. The list of good young arms wasted by impatience or overuse is far too long for the Tigers to think that's a good idea this year, no matter his talent.
Penny has definitely sucked recently, but he hasn't exactly been a human gas can (or the hopeless pitching version of Inge). They can win with him if our big boys come through at the plate.
Get to the playoffs and it's a moot point as the rotation goes down to four men.
FWIW, a teams ace and number 2 guys should get the bulk of the wins. The number 3 guy should be slightly above 500 (on average). Number 4 guy should be just below 500 (on average). Number 5 guy should be strictly an innings eater.
Boston Red Sox
1.Josh Beckett (9-4)
2.Jon Lester (11-4)
3.Clay Buchholz (6-3)
4.Erik Bedard (4-7)
5.John Lackey (9-8)
Philadelphia Phillies
1.Roy Halladay (14-4)
2.Cliff Lee (10-7)
3.Roy Oswalt (4-6)
4.Cole Hamels (12-6)
5.Joe Blanton/Vance Worley (8-3)
Detroit Tigers
1.Justin Verlander (15-5)
2.Max Scherzer (11-6)
3.Rick Porcello (11-6)
4.Doug Fister (4-12)
5.Brad Penny (7-8)
Keep in mind Bedard's and Fister's awful records are the byproduct of play with an awful team in Seattle. Porcello is a solid three guy. Penny may be lagging slightly behind his Philly and Boston counterparts, but really has done his job as number five guy. I think he was brought in as a three/four guy; in that regard, he has disappointed.
Looking at Hamels and Lee - just wow. Lee is slightly above 500 while Hamels is sporting a 750 win percentage.
Analyzing the Tigers, V and Mad Max certainly have the bulk of the starting rotation wins (54%). Porcello is an above average three guy, by far. Fister overall has looked decent thus far, even if his Seattle record suggests otherwise. Penny is probably average to above average as a five guy.
Your post is speaking a different language than mine. I am stating the team's record when a combination of guys (making up the Tigers' rotating door this year at "fifth starter") pitch, not an individual mark of any means.
As a Mariners fan I can say that Fister is a great pitcher, with the worst run support of all time. He'll do great things for you if you give him a chance. He really improved this year too, which makes it even more sad how his record stands.
I'll be at the Royals-Tigers game Saturday night. But I'm a Nats fan.