OT: Pre-Football Tigers Thread (Potentially 3 GB Red Sox after tonight)
Tigers have a big weekend in addition to our boys in blue. Figured I'd get a thread in now during the calm before the storm since tomorrow (and sunday) is out of the question.
On a 6 game winning streak the Tigers currently trail the Red Sox by 4 games (and Yankees by 6.5) for second best (best) record in the AL.
Sox currently trail Tampa 7-2 in the eighth. Tigers are up 7-4 on the Twins in the sixth.
Tigers' lineup and rotation seems to have been solidified. One thing of note: Don Kelley came in as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning tonight. It'll be interesting to see how much Leyland will be considering defensive lineups with Boesch gone and what affect that has on the team. You have to assume for now it is just to rest Maggs and once playoffs come JL will trust the veteran bat. But if Don Kelly can get hot, that would be a big help for the team.
EDIT: Tigers not really chasing the Sox (see below).
Tigers currently .5 games ahead of Texas. Both teams hold solid leads late in their games tonight. Winner of this race hosts Boston, loser visits NYY.
September 9th, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
I don't think the Tigers lose much offensively when inserting Kelly replaces Mags.
Playoff implication question: Should the Tigers pitch Verlander in the season finale if they need the victory to clinch home field in the first round? I am thinking no because the Tigers could win the game without JV and I really really want JV pitching the opener regardless of where it is.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:01 PM ^
Aren't the Tigers guaranteed homefield against the wild-card winner, if that's who they play? If so, the only race that really matters is with Texas.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
This suggests HFA is based solely on record:
The first round is the Division Series, which is a best-of-five series that matches up the top four teams in each league. The team with the best overall record gets the top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. It hosts Games 1, 2 and 5 in the Division Series round. The team with the second-best record will hosts Games 1, 2 and 5 in its series. Typically the wild-card team plays the team with the best overall record. But if those teams are in the same division, then the wild-card team will face the team with the second-best record.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
Here's the run down:
Let's assume that the Yankees win the AL East (with a better record than Texas and Detroit) and the Red Sox win the wild card.
If Texas finishes with a better record than Detroit:
Texas will play Boston with home field advantage
Detroit will play at NYY
If Detroit finishes with a better record than Texas:
Detroit will play Boston with home field advantage
Texas will play at NYY
September 9th, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
Yes, that's my question. If the Tigers need to win the last game to finish ahead of Texas, should JV pitch it
September 10th, 2011 at 1:05 AM ^
Are you fucking serious?!?!?!
September 10th, 2011 at 7:56 AM ^
Is this your first post since the Tigers started the 7 game winning streak? I thought he'd wait until the Tigers lost a game to come back.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
That depends on what the game could gain them. If JV can come back and pitch in game 2, then maybe?
It's all who you want to throw at home and who you want to throw away.
Assuming the Tigers play the Red Sox to start, and assuming they do not have homefield advantage, I would go with:
Verlander @ Boston
Porcello @ Boston
Fister @ Detroit
Verlander if down in series, Sherzer if up in series @ Detroit
I'd lean towards Porcello @ Boston because he's a groundball pitcher and less likely to give up the long bomb in hitter-friendly Fenway. It's not a very ideal lineup though. It'd be nice to have Fister in the second game and Porcello in the third, allowing Fister to potentially pitch a Game 5. If home field advantage:
Verlander @ Detroit
Fister @ Detroit
Porcello @ Boston
Verlander/Sherzer @ Boston
Fister @ Detroit
I'm much more confident in that second rotation. The question is, what does homefield advantage look like if JV is unavailable for, say, the first game (due to pitching the last game of reg season). Maybe:
Fister @ Detroit
Verlander (if lose G1) / Sherzer (if win G1) @ Detroit
Porcello/Verlander @ Boston
Fister/Sherzer @ Boston
Verlander @ Detroit
I don't know. It gets tricky if you can't throw Verlander first. So I guess I've talked myself into: No, don't burn Verlander's shot at the first game for potential HFA.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:09 PM ^
Can the Wild Card have home field advantage?
September 9th, 2011 at 10:18 PM ^
Ack...
This from wikipedia, suggests that the Wildcard cannot have HFA over a division winner, making this race with the Red Sox moot. It's all about finishing ahead of Texas to avoid the Yankees.
If [Billy Bean's playoff proposal] had been in place in 1998, 2004, or 2007, a wild-card team, with the second-best record in their league, would have had home-field advantage in the Division Series over a division champion, which is also impossible under present rules, though wild-cards hosted the first two games of their series from 1995 to 1997.
So in the past a wildcard could have HFA, but not anymore it would appear.
September 10th, 2011 at 3:52 AM ^
The playoffs used to be a 2-3 format, with the team with hfa hosting the final 3, rather than the current 2-2-1.
September 10th, 2011 at 6:51 AM ^
no Porcello.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^
To answer my own question. According to Wiki
A wild-card team must surrender home-field advantage the first two rounds of the playoffs. For the World Series, however, home-field advantage is determined beforehand, without reference to wild-card status. Prior to 2003, it was decided by alternating each year between the American and National Leagues. Since 2003, it has been granted to the winner of the All-Star Game. In the 2002 World Series, both the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants were wild-card teams. The World Series champions in 1997, 2003 and 2004 were also wild-card teams.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_card_%28sports%29
September 9th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
Ok now that we got HFA settled, I still would not pitch JV in the season finale. I would take my chances with anybody but Penny. No offense to Penny, he is just too hard to watch pitch.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:29 PM ^
I think the advantage Verlander brings to the table, anywhere he pitches, is more valuable than homefield in Game 1 with a different pitcher. It'd be nice to finish ahead of Texas but if not, it's not the end of the world.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:32 PM ^
Magic Number will be down to 10 unless White Sox and Twins make major comebacks.
Texas looks as if they will win tonight to stay within a half game of the Tigers.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:41 PM ^
the Yankees than BoSox. Yankees starting rotation, other than Sabathia, is medicore at best. If JV can beat CC in head to head twice, Yankees are in trouble.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:51 PM ^
Boston is struggling lately.
- They're 3-7 in their last 10 games.
- Jon Lester is solid, but they're other pitchers are hurt/struggling
- Beckett has a bum ankle.
- Lackey has an ERA above 6.
- Wakefield has an ERA above 5 and Bedard has a hurt knee.
I'd much rather take Boston on at home.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:08 PM ^
I would take BoSox over Yanks when it comes to postseason. If I was the Yanks fan, I don't trust any pitchers beside CC. For BoSox, I would trust Lester, Beckett and Wakefield since they have proven that they can perform in the playoff. Both lineups are lethal. Given the choice, I'm taking Yankees over BoSox for the Tigers.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^
Valverde with a perfect inning in a non-save situation... so you KNOW things are clicking.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^
Easy Papa Grande. Easy. Tigers win 8-4
September 9th, 2011 at 10:44 PM ^
20 games over .500! They are on fire.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:47 PM ^
WIth HFA settled, I would also not waste Verlander for it.
If at the Yankees:
Game 1: Verlander
Game 2: Fister
Game 3: Sherzer (much better versus lefties than Porcello)
Game 4: Porcello, if we're ahead. Verlander if trailing.
Game 5: Verlander/Fister
In fact, the more I think about it, I like this rotation regardless of opponent or location. Maybe Porcello over Sherzer depending on the more batter specific stats.
September 10th, 2011 at 12:47 AM ^
i dont see penny on here :)
September 9th, 2011 at 10:51 PM ^
I am not sold of Fister yet, but he is certainly changing my mind.
FYI there is a c in Scherzer. I don't really care except my damn eyes zero in on it every time I see it spelled wrong
September 9th, 2011 at 10:58 PM ^
The bad thing is I knew it was wrong, had a tab open with Scherzer's career stats, but was just to lazy/tired to realize the mistake and fix it.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:58 PM ^
Tigers are now +44 in runs scored and 9-1 in their last 10
Dombrowski: Executive of the year
Leyland: Manager of the year
Verlander: Cy Young
Verlander: MVP
Valverde: Rolaids whatever it is award
Avila: some type of award
McClendon: Batting coach of the year
Lean Gene Lamont: Third base coach of the year.
Cabrera: Statue
September 9th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^
I'm fairly certain half those awards you referenced do not even exist. But I get it, you're a slap. How about V Mart for the Selke?
September 10th, 2011 at 8:01 AM ^
Chill out man. I think you need to call a repair man for your
September 10th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^
Hippie
September 9th, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
Cabrera: Title of Most Interesting Man in the World.
September 9th, 2011 at 10:59 PM ^
cant you find somewhere else to post info about the dumbest sport in america? i thought this was a football blog, during college football season, on the eve of a special night at michigan stadium and we get this?
...or i could just ignore this and shut up
September 9th, 2011 at 11:02 PM ^
I forgot all about M football. Who they playing?
September 9th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^
"cant you find somewhere else to post info about the dumbest sport in america?"
No one here is talking about NASCAR.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:05 PM ^
Here's my dream scenario:
-
Red Sox win AL East, so we can host the Wild Card Yankees.
-
That makes it Red Sox/Rangers in the LDS, so hopefully they'll beat the hell out of each other while we take care of the Yanks in a hopefully short series. (I like our chances of a 3-game sweep if we pitch JV in Game 1, Fister in Game 2, and hopefully we get "Good" Scherzer and not "Bad" Scherzer for Game 3 in the Bronx.)
-
That would mean we'll be in the LCS, taking on a hopefully worn out winner of an arduous 5 game series between Boston and Texas. (I would prefer Texas over Boston because we have the better record against the Rangers than we do the Red Sox)
- Should that happen, I like our chances in that series, simply for the fact that with Verlander possibly 3 times (Game 1, 4 or 5, and Game 7) we have a chance to get to the WS.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, and just focus on officially closing out this division first, and then worry about that other stuff later.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:14 PM ^
September 9th, 2011 at 11:20 PM ^
Do you live in the Boston area? If so, where are you watching the game tomorrow?
September 9th, 2011 at 11:31 PM ^
September 9th, 2011 at 11:33 PM ^
I just moved to the area.
I'll be trying out Tavern on the Square in Cambridge.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:42 PM ^
September 10th, 2011 at 1:07 AM ^
Somewhat more relevantly, with the Angels win over the Yankees tonight, they're only 5.5 out of the top record in the AL and home field in a potential ALCS. Yankees schedule is much, much harder than the Tigers (3 against Boston, 7 against the Rays) so it's not completely absurd to think they could pull that off.
September 10th, 2011 at 3:29 AM ^
September 10th, 2011 at 8:16 AM ^
A lot of people worry about the Yankees and Sox lineups (and rightfully so), but the Tigers' lineup is in the same league.
| RK | TEAM | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 1 | Boston | .280 | .349 | .459 | .809 |
| 2 | Texas | .278 | .336 | .450 | .786 |
| 3 | Detroit | .275 | .337 | .427 | .764 |
| 4 | St. Louis | .271 | .339 | .422 | .761 |
| 5 | Kansas City | .269 | .326 | .405 | .731 |
| 6 | NY Yankees | .266 | .347 | .450 | .797 |
Tigers are 3rd in AVG, 3rd in AVG, 4th in OBP, 4th in SLG, and 4th in OPS. Around the All-Star break they were hovering around 8th in all these categories. Cabrera has heated back up, Avila has turned it on, and even Santiago is chipping in.
The problem is the lack of a left-handed bat at the top of the lineup. Losing Boesch really hurts; but at the same time, this offensive surge has come without him. Rotating Inge and Betemit has been successful, giving us another lefthanded bat. Santiago has been hitting the ball well. Add in VMart and Avila and you have 4 viable left-handed bats. However the top of the lineup is righty heavy. If Don Kelly can overtake Magglio and win that #2 spot he'd be a left-handed bat and an upgrade in right field. I wonder if his early defensive replacement last night is part of an audition to see if he can overtake Maggs. As soon as the Tigers got the lead, Kelly was in. His BA is low, and Maggs has the veteran experience, but many it would be nice if we could upgrade RF.