Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Right is wrong

One (or do I mean another) reason for the Tigers' struggles this season seems like it can be traced to the predominantly right-handed lineup struggling against right-handed pitching.

Magglio Ordonez's .833 OPS against righties is the tops among RHB (not counting switch-hitters). Brandon Inge, who sees more time in the dugout than on the field now, is the only other RHB above .800, checking in at .803. Miguel Cabrera is next, at .764.

Ordonez's career OPS vs. RHP is .874, Cabrera's is .902, Pudge Rodriguez's is .806, Gary Sheffield's is .905.

Against left-handed pitching, Edgar Renteria, Ordonez, Marcus Thames and Cabrera all have an OPS above 1.000. Unfortunately, only 14.5% of the team's at-bats have been against lefties so far this season, so it's a very small sample. Last season, 23% of at-bats were against LHP.

The more I write about this team, the more it becomes clear: A lot of stuff is wrong.

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