OT: Tigers vs. Royals 8/6/11 Verlander on the mound

Submitted by maizeandblue21 on

Tigers play Kansas City tonight and have taken a quick 2-0 lead as i type this. hopefully the indians lose again so the tigers can take a 5 game lead. Also looks like the Ubaldo Jimenez trade will do as many expect, he will not give the indians the boost they need because they needed hitting and he isnt going to be a good in the AL. if the indians suck into next year looks like they may have a fire sale next summer and get loaded with prospects like the royals are.

maizeandblue21

August 6th, 2011 at 7:33 PM ^

looks terrible with one of the weakest defensive alignments ive seen this year. id much rather see andy dirks starting today along with betemit with carlos getting a day off.

jmblue

August 6th, 2011 at 7:38 PM ^

I think the White Sox are going to end up being the Tigers' main competition for the division.  Cleveland is in second place but remember, they were once 30-15.  Since late May they've been playing .384 ball (25-40).  65 games is more than a simple slump.

maizeandblue21

August 6th, 2011 at 7:41 PM ^

the key difference between this year and last has been he is pitching not just throwing everything he's got at the plate for 7-8 innings. also this year he would be at around 80 pitches by the 6th innings now he's usually in the high 60s- low 70s range and a complete game takes him just over 100 pitches

Nick

August 6th, 2011 at 7:51 PM ^

GM's have to, among other things, assess where their roster lies and determine whether to re-allocate assets from future help towards immediate help and vice versa.  I think Cleveland misinterpreted their chances of competing with a star pitcher in the fold and may have mis-labeled Jiminez as a star.

yoopergoblue

August 6th, 2011 at 7:52 PM ^

Verlander is consistantly in the game for 110-120 pitches and he can go up to 130 if needed. He has gotten much better this year at going further into games and is almost guaranteed to last 7+ innings.  

blue95

August 6th, 2011 at 8:01 PM ^

GD Verlander!  When he gave up the hit?

It's almost expected that he's going to go a long way before anyone hits him, particularly against the Royals.

BiSB

August 6th, 2011 at 8:15 PM ^

How bout that Indians collapse last night? They had something like a 7-2 lead, and a 2-run lead with 2 outs in the 9th with the bases empty.

Color me unintimidated.

beevo

August 6th, 2011 at 9:53 PM ^

Not sure why I get so pissed when some bum takes JV yard.  I never tip the hat and it is always followed by vigorous cursing.  Now his ERA is a bloated 2.30!!!

bronxblue

August 6th, 2011 at 9:54 PM ^

Nice Benoit DP to end the 8th - just need an insurance run.  I have no faith that Valverde will be able to get through the inning without giving up a run.

bronxblue

August 6th, 2011 at 10:45 PM ^

I guess I just burned so often with guys like Todd Jones and Rodney that I'm leary of any reliever who comes in for the Tigers.  I actually like the Big Potato; I just don't like his penchant for letting teams stick around at the end of the game.  He was very good today, and I hope he continues.  

maizeandblue21

August 6th, 2011 at 10:07 PM ^

it looked bad in the replay but you could tell it just sorta locked up and he sprained it. i think he should get about 7-8 days off, let it heal and come back healthy again because we will need him down the stretch.

beevo

August 6th, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^

Who knew in the span of a year we would go from catcher being a liability to a strength?   We are in a position to absorb Victor's injury thanks to Avila's emergence.  Here is to hoping he isn't out too long. 

MGoBlue96

August 6th, 2011 at 10:30 PM ^

Victor and Avila are usually in the lineup. Having Avila doesn't really absorb losing Victor from an offensive standpoint. Having Victor behind Cabrera gives Cabrera the protection he has been missing in previous years. It's 3-0 Tribe now, in the 7th.

Blue boy johnson

August 6th, 2011 at 10:32 PM ^

9 over 500 for the first time this season. I feel pretty good about this team this year. We have Verlander and the Tribe and Sox don't.

I was thinking Leyland could give Cabby a rest and DH him with Victor hurt, but who would play first? Guillen maybe? I think the Tigers need to pick up a first baseman as insurance for the stretch run.

Glenn E.

August 6th, 2011 at 10:44 PM ^

"The Tigers said Martinez will be evaluated further on Sunday, but the initial word suggested some optimism that the injury wasn't as bad as initially feared."

Thank God.

yoopergoblue

August 6th, 2011 at 11:06 PM ^

If the Tigers lose Martinez for more than a few weeks I'll be worried about our lead in the division.  He has been a beast with RISP  and is second in RBIs.  The Tigers would be lacking a backup catcher and someone else who can actually hit as a DH.  It's scary.

MGoBlue96

August 6th, 2011 at 11:14 PM ^

or two given the information that has been released so far. Even if he does the Tigers would obviously bring up a another catcher to fill the backup role and a combination of guys like Dirks and Raburn could DH. Obviously those guys' aren't Victor, but they aren't useless offensively either, and the rest of the lineup would be good enough to get by in this division. Cleveland does not look like a viable threat and Chicago hasn't played good baseball all season.