OT: Detroit Tigers 8/26
Well guys, we've finally won a road series. This is a chance at our first road sweep since early May!! Edwin Jackson steps on the slab. I'm going to edit this post in moments to include lineups and each hitters career numbers vs the opposing pitcher, but I'm going to post this now in case anyone wants to begin discussing. Go Tigers!
August 26th, 2009 at 3:10 PM ^
Nate Robertson will be replacing Armando Galarraga in the starting rotation. Armando has inflammation in his shoulder. He's going down to Toledo for awhile.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:12 PM ^
And do you have the link to it? Nate has been pitching well in Toledo lately. He can't do TOO much worse than Armando, can he? Either way, at least the biggest concern in the rotation is a 5th starter right now.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:32 PM ^
Appreciate that link.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
This is horrible news. Robertson and Bondo's good...descent days are far behind them. I'd love Robertson to prove me wrong but I just don't see it happening. Get better soon Armando!!
August 26th, 2009 at 3:13 PM ^
I'm sure this thrills you, right?
August 26th, 2009 at 3:25 PM ^
I'm looking for my cyanide capsules as I post this.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:15 PM ^
I'm sure I'll get negged for talking about points, but have you been crowned chief dictator of the WLA or something? Everytime you speak round these parts your post's points jump into the double digits, and I think you are numero dos behind Brian. So I was just curious if you have been giving out free fruit roll ups or something, cause hey dude, I want a free fruit roll up.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:44 PM ^
Don't worry, he'll probably pass Brian soon.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:53 PM ^
Why not Miner, dang it?!?
August 26th, 2009 at 3:10 PM ^
Man I love this time of the year, especially when my Tigers and Yankees are winning. College football, cooler weather damn Im lovin it.
Tigers pitched solid yesterday with bend but dont break pitching/defense. Offense has played better as of late. Cabrera is always coming through in the clutch! So glad he's a Tiger for the next 7 years. The pitching continues to be great and hopefully the other bats step it up some (Granderson, Maggs, Guillen, Polanco, Inge). They should be scoring slightly more but if they do in Sept/October I think the lack of offense the first 4-5 months of the season can be forgiven.
Go for the sweep E Jack!
August 26th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ^
what? is notre dame your other favorite college football team?
August 26th, 2009 at 11:54 PM ^
You're lame. I have family in the Bronx and go there a lot so yea Yankees are my other favorite team.
The Yankees ad Tigers arent considered rivals. You probably hate them but Detroits rivals are the White Sox, Indians, and Twins. I happen to hate Boston but thats got nothing to do with Tigers rivalry.
So good try there.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:11 PM ^
All batting totals are career vs opposing pitcher. Pitching totals are career vs other team.
1. Granderson, CF: 4-13
2. Polanco, 2B: 4-14
3. Ordonez, RF: 7-19
4. Cabrera, 1B: 3-8
5. Thames, DH: 4-12
6. Raburn, LF: 0-12
7. Inge, 3B: 3-13
8. Laird, C: 5-18
9. Everett, SS: 3-7
1. Figgins, 3B: 7-13
2. Abreu, RF: 5-28
3. Hunter, CF: 4-12
4. Guerrero, DH: 5-16
5. Morales, 1B: 2-6
6. Izturis, 2B: 6-18
7. Aybar, SS: 2-3
8. Napoli, C: 1-6
9. Matthews, LF: 6-10
Pitching:
Jackson: 2-3, 4.50 ERA
Saunders: 0-1, 5.40 ERA
August 26th, 2009 at 3:14 PM ^
Finally won a game when the ChiSox1 lost -- I thought we'd be 2.5-3.5 till September. Now the footcovers1 are tied with the gene splitters2. More evidence of South Side Sox's assertion that the 2009 Milks of the Midway1 have some sort of magnetic/gravitational pull toward .500.
And with hitting, too, prompting a Yahoo! Sports cover on BigMig3.
Okay, you know baseball is making me happy (and sleep-deprived) when I get nickname nutters.
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1st baseman of the Detroit Tigers
August 26th, 2009 at 3:14 PM ^
You are the best formatter on MGoBlog. No Sugarcoat.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:16 PM ^
his diaries are by far the most interesting to read.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:21 PM ^
You shoulda seen me back in nursery school. They would pay big money to see my sandbox creations.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:16 PM ^
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ps_odds.php
Woo! I like those odds!
August 26th, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
...on that link:
Playoff chances-
22.0% for Minnesota
13.6% for Chicago
I wonder what the main factor attributing to this difference.
My guess:
1) Chicago's head-to-head against Twins and Tigers: they have been 10-14, so it projects them to be unable to win a majority of their head-to-head games later in the season to hurdle both teams.
2) Strength of schedule
August 26th, 2009 at 3:36 PM ^
I think it follows trends. The Twins have been trending upwards since the ASB -- as if that's really news.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:38 PM ^
the remainder of the season based on how players perform in certain situations. So I'm certain SOS is a major factor.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ^
Chicago has an extremely tough SOS the rest of the year. They have another series against the Red Sox as well as the Yankees in addition to going head to head with the Tigers and Twins. Minnesota is definitely the team that scares me more from here on out.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:43 PM ^
They have a series of algorithms (undisclosed) that simulate the season to the end 1000 times every morning. 22% of the time they simulated the end of the season, Minnesota made the playoffs.
Their algorithms are base, I believe, primarily on their Pecota forecasts (they do a forecast for each player at the beginning of the year) marginally adjusted for the season-to-date's results. Other factors include opposing schedule, etc.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:01 PM ^
The one that was linked doesn't use PECOTA -- there's a separate odds report for that.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
IIRC there are two odds reports - one based exclusively on performance this season and one that mixes this season with PECOTA projections or something like that.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:33 PM ^
Yep, and a third that uses an ELO-type system.
The first one, not PECOTA or ELO, uses BP's third-order standings as a major component. Those standings (which are explained on the site) have the Tigers as actually the fourth-best team in the division, even behind the Indians, though it's clustered pretty close at the top -- it has the Sox and Twins as less than 2 games above .500 and the Tigers as 4 below.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:46 PM ^
Suddenly a top 3 of Verlander, Washburn, and Jackson doesn't look very formidable.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:57 PM ^
It has turned into a top 1 of Verlander followed by mediocre pitching
August 26th, 2009 at 5:30 PM ^
I was waiting for Jackson to start falling back to earth. He had a tremendous start to the season and was pitching out of his mind, but this also meant he was vastly outperforming his career averages. I do think that he has matured, even over last season, but E-Jax is still a work in progress. He is young, though, and I think he has a good future ahead of him yet.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:47 PM ^
Chicago lost 3-2 and Minnesota is trailing 5-1 heading to the 9th. So we should maintain our lead of 4.5 over both squads with 1 less game to play, thus increasing our playoff odds.
August 28th, 2009 at 7:47 PM ^
Nate is good, brahs. He will win.
Or not.