OT: Tiger pregame/MLB open thread. Who's your Tiger tonight
Quadruple header today leading off with Reds v Giants in deciding game 5
Who is your Tiger tonight?
Tonight is the night we find out if JV is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with the incomparable Jack Morris.
Sabermetric over analysis warning: JV is 29 years old. Jack Morris was 29 in 1984.
I'm going with Justin Verlander as player of the game
October 11th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^
but he clearly did not suck last year until struggles at the very end. Every team expects their closer to be Mo Rivera and there was only one of those.
At this point it appears that, with a very few exceptions, closers are disposable. Maybe get a good to great year or two or maybe three out of them then their arms are fried. MLB managers have their pens set up the way they do because it wins games even while it shortens the careers of guys that throw one inning of pure gas 3-4 days/week. The alternative is losing more often.
October 13th, 2012 at 2:32 AM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 3:47 PM ^
But he is not good. He should try something besides <95 mph fastballs which everyone tees off on.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:47 PM ^
But he is not good. He should try something besides <95 mph fastballs which everyone tees off on.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
lol Jonny Gomes of baseball
October 11th, 2012 at 2:37 PM ^
I'm glad someone got that. You know you hate Jonny Gomes. Admit it. He does nothing, ever but if there is a celebration to be had WELL YEEE HAAAAAW THAT'S JONNY GOMES' MUSIC!!!!!
October 11th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
Nah I don't hate him. His average is, well, average. Hit 18 bombs this year. I mean, you are right in that he doesn't play a lot, mostly used as a platoon guy.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 2:04 PM ^
giants
Cardinals
Yankees
Tigers
October 11th, 2012 at 2:09 PM ^
Air it out tonight JV, air it out.
October 11th, 2012 at 5:21 PM ^
a 1st inning lead-off tater. I will not get comfortable until the 3rd or 4th inning. JV's first innings are thinning my hair. Is it Kate Upton's fault?
October 11th, 2012 at 11:09 PM ^
Whatever she's doing, I like it. Which could really be said in all instances when talking about Kate Upton.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:11 PM ^
Half way through Reds v Giants game, no score and only 4 hits. The tension is building. October baseball is fantastic
October 11th, 2012 at 2:39 PM ^
Posey
October 11th, 2012 at 2:16 PM ^
The four hottest bats in the ALDS for the Tigers have been Avila, Cabrera, Dirks and Peralta, but we need a few more to come alive as we've gone 5 for 23 with runners in scoring position in this series (and 23 LOB), so hopefully Fielder (.188, 3-16) and Jackson (.200, 3-15) can find a groove tonight and we build a comfortable lead so Verlander can lead us on to victory.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
I wouldn't be shocked to see Doug Fister come out of the bullpen if the game is on the line and Verlander has thrown 130-140 pitches.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:23 PM ^
Along the same lines, I've been wondering if Verlander should have pitched the 9th last night. I know that's out-of-the-box crazy thinking but they had a lead and only needed 3 outs.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^
LET'S GO!
October 11th, 2012 at 2:28 PM ^
is my Tiger. I will settle for Valverde doing a Hernandez impersonation.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:32 PM ^
We already know that JV can be mentioned in the same breath as Morriss...in fact, we already know he's far better than Morriss ever was.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
Paws is my Tiger. To hell with the rest of them (and Notre Dame).
I take it back. JV pitches nine, strikes out ten, and three hits those %$#!ers. I'd seriously like to see Josh Reddick get ear holed today. Without getting injured, of course.
October 11th, 2012 at 4:58 PM ^
I'm mildly disappointe Reddick hasn't been earholed already. Probably because Al-Al darn well shouldn't have kissed the baseball and the Tigers likely had a private conversation with him about that, but preaching about maturity after throwing a hissy fit in the dugout can't have sat well either.
If no chin music, I'll settle for the golden sombrero. Dude has 8 Ks in 14 at-bats, so a few more won't hurt. He's got a Rob Deer Average of .667, which is awesome.
October 12th, 2012 at 3:55 AM ^
Pitches nine, strikes out eleven, four-hits 'em.
Pretty darn close. Except for the Reddick thing.
October 12th, 2012 at 7:50 AM ^
HA, yeah. The sun shines on a dog's ass, some days.
No ear hole for Reddick, but he struck out twice. Home slice hit .118 for the series. Maybe he needs a haircut. The flo is not for jackasses.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
Giants have broken it open 6-0 as MVP candidate Buster Posey clears the bases with a Grand Slam. Hope Miggy duplicates.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
It's gotta be JV tonight. We need a shutdown performance so that we can build a lead that not even the Big Potato can hand over. Can Al-Al close out the game? I haven't been happy with Benoit or Valverde lately.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:55 PM ^
6-2 Giants after 5 in Cincinnati
October 11th, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^
in DC covering the nats/cards for work, but hoping my yanks can close this series today so we don't have to pitch sabathia tomorrow.
as for the tigers, want the tigers to pull out the victory tonight and have their rotation blown up for the ALCS. if the yankees do make it to the LCS, I do not want anything to do with the A's... a tigers team with a messed up rotation is much more appealing.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:05 PM ^
Fister, Sanchez, Scherzer, Verlander..... hardly blown up.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:08 PM ^
ill take two Sabathia/Fister matchups over two Sabathia/JV matchups anyday. And there's the prospect of JV only getting one solid start (maybe 2, but on short rest)
October 11th, 2012 at 3:11 PM ^
It would be JV on short rest. Game 7 at NY, he'd be amped and ready to go.
I'd agree with saying having to pitch JV isn't ideal. I'm just saying it doesn't blow up our rotation.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:13 PM ^
i think it does, from a matchup perspective.but we can agree to disagree.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
IF the Tigers play in the ALCS, they would just continue with the rotation they have already established. Fister starts Saturday, Sanchez on Sunday, and Verlander is ready for game 3 on Tuesday. Scherzer starts game 4 on Wednesday. Games 5, 6 and 7 have Fister, Sanchez and Verlander. Nobody needs to pitch on short rest. Verlander pitches today (Thursday), game 3 (Tuesday) and game 7 (Sunday)--all on the regular 5th-day rest.
I know I shouldn't be projecting pitchers for the next series, but there won't be any problem with a "messed up" rotation for Detroit if they do advance.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
yes, you are correct, but that game 7 has a very big asterisk next to it. if JV was pitching game 1 rather than 3, you would have your best pitcher available for a game 4 or game 5 - two games which are much more likely to happen than a game 7.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^
That's kind of a circular argument, though, isn't it? If the series doesn't go 7 games, then one more game pitched by Verlander wouldn't make any difference anyway, because the result of the series would be the same...
In other words, exclude Verlander's second start in the series (ignoring whether it's game 4, 5 or 7). Does it matter whether we start Verlander or Porcello in that game? The answer--it only matters if the other 6 games are split 3 to 3. If the other 6 are 4 wins to 2, it doesn't matter who pitches, because the team with 4 wins has won the series.
To summarize the summary, one single game never matters in a best-of-seven, unless the other 6 games are split 3-3. So having Verlander pitch games 1 and 5 gives the Tigers the exact same value as having him pitch games 3 and 7.
October 11th, 2012 at 4:30 PM ^
If Verlander was winning a blowout early in game 5, you would have the option of taking him out early, so he could be available to relieve in game 7. Also, you can at least argue that Verlander is most valuable when matching up with the other team's ace.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
Inge.
/s
October 11th, 2012 at 3:24 PM ^
6-3 Giants after 6, as the Reds kinda ran themselves out of a rally with strikem' out throwem' out double play, with runners on first and second and nobody out.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:24 PM ^
JV and Dirks.............JV needs to go 8+, and I think the big hit comes from 'the ball player' tonight.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
Probably Delmon Young who hit the big home run.
Or maybe it should be a pitcher, who is starting tonight? That'd probably be a good choice.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:38 PM ^
but our anemic and incredibly-expensive bats will do nothing to support him. A's will win.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:40 PM ^
is no doubt the worst playoff manager i've seen. completely out managed by bochy.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^
...baseball is beyond awful
October 11th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^
My player of the game is going to be either Miggy or a bottle of Jack Daniels depending on how things go.
October 11th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
Prince, Miggy, and JV will be good as expected in this game. I think we need a bomb or some other big hit from one of the unsung guys a la Don Kelly in game 2. Maybe Avila or Delmon Young.
October 11th, 2012 at 4:24 PM ^
Giants up 6-3 heading to the ninth. Great defensive plays by Shortstop Brandon Crawford and Centerfielder Angel Pagan, short circuited a would be rally by the Reds in the 8th
October 11th, 2012 at 5:02 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 5:03 PM ^
The Giants win 6-3. Reds fought hard to the end but couldn't catch a break or get the big hit they needed.