The Tigers lost to the Twins again today at Comerica Park, falling to 1-4 on their current 13-game homestand and 19-18 at the CoPa this year.
Entering today, Detroit was hitting .289/.355/.475 at home this season and .291/.351/.468 on the road; not much of a difference, although the road numbers include pitchers batting. The staff at home has a 4.85 ERA/1.47 WHIP/ and a .271 BAA compared to road marks of 4.11/1.40/.267. The Tigers are 27-15 on the road.
Last year, Detroit was 46-35 at home and 49-32 on the road, so it's no fluke the Tigers play well away from Comerica. The team hit .273/.327/.424 at home in 2006, marks this season's team has surpassed across the board. The pitching, though, was better, too with 3.92/1.33/.259 numbers at Comerica. No one can explain why the Tigs are struggling at home.
The Angels are 29-13 at home this season while Cleveland is 28-12 and Boston is 24-12; all are in first place in their respective divisions. Obviously, the Tigers are going to have to turn around this situation or they are in trouble.
Another reason for concern: Detroit is only 3 games above .500 vs. the AL this season. The Tigers' 46-33 record was helped greatly by going 14-4 in interleague play.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Pray for rain
That's what the Tigers probably were doing today, and their prayers were answered. After an 8-1 road swing against the NL East, Detroit returned to Comerica and watched errors and dismal relief pitching doom it in consecutive losses to Texas. While the Monday defeat can be excused because the team returned from the road at something like 4 a.m., Tuesday's setback was bad. A day off could be just what the doctor ordered.
Detroit's bullpen was solid on the back half of the road trip, but Fernando Rodney went back on the DL and the struggles of old returned as well. Todd Jones has 18 saves, but I fear that at 39 years old the tank is nearing empty. Jones has given up 16 ER in his last 11.1 IP, sending his ERA from 2.37 to 6.23. He's given up 8 BB during the span, which is alarming.
In 2005, Jones held foes to a .230 BA, had 62 K and 14 BB in 73 IP. In 2006, opponents batted .276 while Jones had 28 K and 11 BB in 64 IP. This year, he's giving up a .302 BA with 16 K and 14 BB in 30.1 IP. Jones' success in the past largely was the result of him not walking batters. His K-BB ratio is cause for concern. (Now, maybe he can pull a Casey and prove me an idiot.)
Jason Grilli needs to step up, too. Maybe Zach Miner's return can help. Or maybe this is just something the Tigers are going to have to scuffle with this season. Detroit has used 21 pitchers this season compared with 19 for all of 2006. The starters are going to have to go at least 7 and then hope for the best. And the offense will need to continue to mash.
Detroit's bullpen was solid on the back half of the road trip, but Fernando Rodney went back on the DL and the struggles of old returned as well. Todd Jones has 18 saves, but I fear that at 39 years old the tank is nearing empty. Jones has given up 16 ER in his last 11.1 IP, sending his ERA from 2.37 to 6.23. He's given up 8 BB during the span, which is alarming.
In 2005, Jones held foes to a .230 BA, had 62 K and 14 BB in 73 IP. In 2006, opponents batted .276 while Jones had 28 K and 11 BB in 64 IP. This year, he's giving up a .302 BA with 16 K and 14 BB in 30.1 IP. Jones' success in the past largely was the result of him not walking batters. His K-BB ratio is cause for concern. (Now, maybe he can pull a Casey and prove me an idiot.)
Jason Grilli needs to step up, too. Maybe Zach Miner's return can help. Or maybe this is just something the Tigers are going to have to scuffle with this season. Detroit has used 21 pitchers this season compared with 19 for all of 2006. The starters are going to have to go at least 7 and then hope for the best. And the offense will need to continue to mash.
Charlie's Best So Far...
Last nights line up was the best so far from Charlie Manuel. Now that Pat Burrell has officially become the highest paid pinch hitter in MLB, young Michael Bourn has been given the opportunity to grab a hold on to left field. What makes last nights line up great was speed. Rollins, Bourn, and Victorino are three of the fastest players in the league, and combined with Utley’s hustle and Carlos Ruiz’ s surprising speed for a catcher, the team can put a lot of pressure on a defense. It showed last night as Bourn stole his 11th base (11 for 13 on the year), and Ruiz stole home.
As much as I like seeing Victorino batting second, if Bourn is playing sixth is a great spot for Shane. Shane is starting to hit for power, (especially when he bats from the right side) and he brings great speed to the bottom of the line up and that should help Dobbs (or Nunez) and Ruiz to be productive.
As much as I like seeing Victorino batting second, if Bourn is playing sixth is a great spot for Shane. Shane is starting to hit for power, (especially when he bats from the right side) and he brings great speed to the bottom of the line up and that should help Dobbs (or Nunez) and Ruiz to be productive.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Vlad is bad
Most writers and commentators are focused on Magglio Ordonez and Alex Rodriguez as the top candidates for the AL MVP at this point of the season. This is not to be unexpected as both are having great -- OK, incredible -- years. But according to the win shares posted at Hardball Times, neither is No. 1 in the league.
The top spot belongs to Vladimir Guerrero. Vlad has 17 total win shares and 12 win shares above bench while Maggs is at 16/11 and A-Rod is 15/10. Actually, Orlando Cabrera is between Maggs and A-Rod with 16/10. Ichiro Suzuki and Victor Martinez are even with A-Rod at 15/10 and Grady Sizemore is 14/9.
It's a shame Guerrero plays on the West Coast. If he played in NY, could you imagine how big he would be? The median Vlad season since his first full year in 1998 is .329-39-111 with 15 SB and a .978 OPS. He led the AL in intentional walks in 2005 and 2006 (and is tops so far this year). He also is annually above the league average for range factor among right fielders (although below the average for fielding percentage) and contributes 10 assists per season in his median line.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, the three most similar hitters to Vlad through the age of 30 are Willie Mays, Duke Snider and Frank Robinson.
The top spot belongs to Vladimir Guerrero. Vlad has 17 total win shares and 12 win shares above bench while Maggs is at 16/11 and A-Rod is 15/10. Actually, Orlando Cabrera is between Maggs and A-Rod with 16/10. Ichiro Suzuki and Victor Martinez are even with A-Rod at 15/10 and Grady Sizemore is 14/9.
It's a shame Guerrero plays on the West Coast. If he played in NY, could you imagine how big he would be? The median Vlad season since his first full year in 1998 is .329-39-111 with 15 SB and a .978 OPS. He led the AL in intentional walks in 2005 and 2006 (and is tops so far this year). He also is annually above the league average for range factor among right fielders (although below the average for fielding percentage) and contributes 10 assists per season in his median line.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, the three most similar hitters to Vlad through the age of 30 are Willie Mays, Duke Snider and Frank Robinson.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Killer B
Craig Biggio entered tonight needing 4 hits for 3,000 in his career. Biggio is an interesting player when looking at his place in history.
He started his career as a catcher before winning 4 Gold Glove awards at 2B; only Sandberg, Morgan and Mazeroski won more in the NL. He leads all active MLB players in doubles with 658, is 6th in history, and is the tops among right-handed batters in history.
Biggio led the NL in runs twice and scored 100 or more 8 times; his 1,820 runs are 15th in history. He was a top base stealer in his prime and got hit by an unusually high number of pitches.
On the downside, he struck out frequently and never had an MVP-type season; his highest finish was fourth in 1997. His career BA is .282 and he had only four .300+ seasons.
Nonetheless, he compares favorable to several Hall of Famers (not all second basemen, but contemporaries). He has more homers (286) than Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Joe Morgan and Ryne Sandberg. His BA is better than Morgan's (.271) and comparable to Yount's and Sandberg's (both .285). His .800 OPS is better than Sandberg's .796 and Yount's .772. In fact, his BA and OPS both are better than Cal Ripken's (.276 and .787). But Yount, Morgan and Ripken all won multiple MVP awards and Sandberg won one. Molitor finished second once and had an .817 OPS.
According to Hardball Times, Biggio ranks second in win shares for all active batters, behind only Barry Bonds. He is third among all active players; Roger Clemens is the only pitcher ahead of him. Hardball Times also came up with a calculation for "win shares above bench," which ranks Biggio as the fifth greatest second baseman in history. It's an interesting list and you can check it out here.
He started his career as a catcher before winning 4 Gold Glove awards at 2B; only Sandberg, Morgan and Mazeroski won more in the NL. He leads all active MLB players in doubles with 658, is 6th in history, and is the tops among right-handed batters in history.
Biggio led the NL in runs twice and scored 100 or more 8 times; his 1,820 runs are 15th in history. He was a top base stealer in his prime and got hit by an unusually high number of pitches.
On the downside, he struck out frequently and never had an MVP-type season; his highest finish was fourth in 1997. His career BA is .282 and he had only four .300+ seasons.
Nonetheless, he compares favorable to several Hall of Famers (not all second basemen, but contemporaries). He has more homers (286) than Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Joe Morgan and Ryne Sandberg. His BA is better than Morgan's (.271) and comparable to Yount's and Sandberg's (both .285). His .800 OPS is better than Sandberg's .796 and Yount's .772. In fact, his BA and OPS both are better than Cal Ripken's (.276 and .787). But Yount, Morgan and Ripken all won multiple MVP awards and Sandberg won one. Molitor finished second once and had an .817 OPS.
According to Hardball Times, Biggio ranks second in win shares for all active batters, behind only Barry Bonds. He is third among all active players; Roger Clemens is the only pitcher ahead of him. Hardball Times also came up with a calculation for "win shares above bench," which ranks Biggio as the fifth greatest second baseman in history. It's an interesting list and you can check it out here.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
You had your chance, Phillies and Braves
This week began just like any other in June with the Mets losing a series, this time to the Twins. The offense came to life in a game one win, but they were unable to repeat the performance in game two or three. But over the weekend they bounced back at long last, sweeping the A's for their first series win in seven tries.
Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and John Maine each pitched excellently against Oakland and the offense scored at least nine runs twice. No one hitter carried the offense as nine men had at least one multi-hit game with Carlos Beltran doing it twice. Every spot on the diamond had one except for catcher and Ramon Castro did provide a double and score the only run of Saturday's game after Paul Lo Duca got ejected for acting like a jackass. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran each had five hits on the weekend including a home run by Beltran and two doubles by Reyes.
The rest of the NL East has completely failed to take advantage of the Mets' (41-32) poor June and as a result they were able to stretch their division lead back to three games over the Phillies (39-36) with their modest win streak. The series with Oakland began a stretch in which the Mets will play at least one game on seventeen straight days including a doubleheader this Friday. So they picked a pretty good time to start playing well again.
This difficult stretch of games, which in no way resembles the Bataan Death March, continues with four games against that team that got lucky last October and isn't even ahead of the Cubs in the standings right now, the St. Louis Cardinals (33-39). Jorge Sosa (6-3, 4.05), Oliver Perez (7-6, 3.16), Glavine (6-5, 4.38) and El Duque (3-3, 2.77) will start for the Mets. Mike Maroth (5-2, 5.06) will make his first start for St. Louis since being acquired from the Tigers and will be followed by Todd Wellemeyer (2-1, 6.65), Anthony Reyes (0-9, 6.64) and Adam Wainwright (6-6, 4.58).
Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and John Maine each pitched excellently against Oakland and the offense scored at least nine runs twice. No one hitter carried the offense as nine men had at least one multi-hit game with Carlos Beltran doing it twice. Every spot on the diamond had one except for catcher and Ramon Castro did provide a double and score the only run of Saturday's game after Paul Lo Duca got ejected for acting like a jackass. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran each had five hits on the weekend including a home run by Beltran and two doubles by Reyes.
The rest of the NL East has completely failed to take advantage of the Mets' (41-32) poor June and as a result they were able to stretch their division lead back to three games over the Phillies (39-36) with their modest win streak. The series with Oakland began a stretch in which the Mets will play at least one game on seventeen straight days including a doubleheader this Friday. So they picked a pretty good time to start playing well again.
This difficult stretch of games, which in no way resembles the Bataan Death March, continues with four games against that team that got lucky last October and isn't even ahead of the Cubs in the standings right now, the St. Louis Cardinals (33-39). Jorge Sosa (6-3, 4.05), Oliver Perez (7-6, 3.16), Glavine (6-5, 4.38) and El Duque (3-3, 2.77) will start for the Mets. Mike Maroth (5-2, 5.06) will make his first start for St. Louis since being acquired from the Tigers and will be followed by Todd Wellemeyer (2-1, 6.65), Anthony Reyes (0-9, 6.64) and Adam Wainwright (6-6, 4.58).
Roaring
The Tigers completed their 9-game NL swing with an 8-1 record and 7-game win streak. One of the more remarkable features of the streak is the fact Detroit batted around in 6 of those games, all without the benefit of the DH. The offense simply continues to be scary good. The Tigs went 14-4 in interleague play.
Making the situation better (at least for Tig fans, perhaps not the AL) is the staff is coming into form. Kenny Rogers returned and immediately recaptured his 2006 brilliance. Nate Robertson is slated to come off the DL and start Tuesday. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman keep winning. Chad Durbin got a three-inning save in his first appearance out of the pen. Over the last 5 games, Detroit gave up just 6 runs -- and 4 of those came in one game. Granted, the span came against the Nats and struggling Braves, but it's still a good sign. (And the Nats, it should be noted, took 2 of 3 from Cleveland over the weekend.)
After being a sore spot much of the season, the bullpen is enjoying one of its best stretches. Over the last 5 games, the relievers tossed 15 IP, giving up 8 hits and 1 run while striking out 14 and walking 5. That's a 0.60 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
The Tigers will have to make some more moves with Robertson and Zach Miner returning to the staff. I'm interested to see what becomes of 23-year-old Eulogio De La Cruz, who has been sharp in 3 relief appearances. He's supposed to have a 95+ mph fastball and big league curve and change. Plus, his numbers in the minors show him to be a groundball pitcher. Detroit might have another unheralded weapon in its arsenal.
Detroit now returns to Comerica for a 13-game homestand. The Tigers could really help themselves in the AL Central race if they continue to play well the next two weeks. It begins with a 4-game set against Texas, and for the first time this season the rotation will resemble 2006: Bonderman - Robertson - Rogers - Verlander.
The Tigers have been coming through in clutch spots this season. The hitters are batting .313 with a .963 OPS with 2 outs and RISP (387 plate appearances). The pitchers are allowing a .244 BA and .722 OPS in that situation (308 PA).
Making the situation better (at least for Tig fans, perhaps not the AL) is the staff is coming into form. Kenny Rogers returned and immediately recaptured his 2006 brilliance. Nate Robertson is slated to come off the DL and start Tuesday. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman keep winning. Chad Durbin got a three-inning save in his first appearance out of the pen. Over the last 5 games, Detroit gave up just 6 runs -- and 4 of those came in one game. Granted, the span came against the Nats and struggling Braves, but it's still a good sign. (And the Nats, it should be noted, took 2 of 3 from Cleveland over the weekend.)
After being a sore spot much of the season, the bullpen is enjoying one of its best stretches. Over the last 5 games, the relievers tossed 15 IP, giving up 8 hits and 1 run while striking out 14 and walking 5. That's a 0.60 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
The Tigers will have to make some more moves with Robertson and Zach Miner returning to the staff. I'm interested to see what becomes of 23-year-old Eulogio De La Cruz, who has been sharp in 3 relief appearances. He's supposed to have a 95+ mph fastball and big league curve and change. Plus, his numbers in the minors show him to be a groundball pitcher. Detroit might have another unheralded weapon in its arsenal.
Detroit now returns to Comerica for a 13-game homestand. The Tigers could really help themselves in the AL Central race if they continue to play well the next two weeks. It begins with a 4-game set against Texas, and for the first time this season the rotation will resemble 2006: Bonderman - Robertson - Rogers - Verlander.
The Tigers have been coming through in clutch spots this season. The hitters are batting .313 with a .963 OPS with 2 outs and RISP (387 plate appearances). The pitchers are allowing a .244 BA and .722 OPS in that situation (308 PA).
Friday, June 22, 2007
Goodbye, Mike
This is a sad day for me as a Tigers fan, having to bid the expected farewell to pitcher Mike Maroth. When I was deciding to buy a jersey last year, Maroth was the player's I picked; no one better symbolized the team's rise to success from the despair of 2003. Maroth lost 21 games in 2003, the first 20-game loser since 1980, and never once complained or asked to be taken out of the rotation to avoid the ignominious distinction.He was a man, on and off the field. The past two seasons, Maroth was the Tigers' nominee for the Clemente Award for his charity work in Detroit.
"Mike Maroth is class personified," Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said, "he and his wife, Brooke -- the whole family. He's grown into an established Major League pitcher. He's gone through a lot of adversity. He dealt with it front and center. He's first-class in every regard."
I hold a special place for the guys from 2003 that got to be a part of last year's AL champions, particularly Maroth, Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe, and Jeremy Bonderman.
There was no spot left for Maroth with Kenny Rogers' return to the rotation, plus the expected returns of Nate Robertson and Zach Miner, and the emergence of Chad Durbin as a (so far) reliable arm and promotion of young Andrew Miller.
Maroth was 50-62 for the Tigers, but 24-18 since the start of 2005. He's not overpowering or flashy, he's just Mike Maroth, and that's why I loved him. Had it not been for elbow trouble that derailed him last season -- while pitching the best ball of his career -- this trade probably doesn't happen.
The Tigers will get a player to be named later from the Cardinals for Maroth. As for Maroth, he will get a chance to remain a starter and should benefit the St. Louis rotation. Here's wishing him all the best and thanks for being a great Tiger.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
No relief
I love this note from Philly.com:
Charlie Manuel has had to mix and match 14 relief pitchers at different times this season.
Just two pitchers have been in the bullpen since the start: Geoff Geary and Antonio Alfonseca.
Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, Ryan Madson and Francisco Rosario have spent time on the disabled list. There is Clay Condrey, who was designated for assignment once and outrighted once. There are Yoel Hernandez, Mike Zagurski, Matt Smith, Fabio Castro, Brian Sanches and Joe Bisenius, who have either been called up from the minors or optioned to the minors.
The scary thing is the Tigers and Phils have remarkably similar numbers from their relievers, as far as BA/OBA/SLG:
Detroit .275/.351/.437
Philly .278/.364/.430
Those numbers are fairly dreadful. Here are relief numbers for all teams, clumped somewhat by effectiveness:
San Diego .216/.279/.312
Toronto .218/.296/.333
Boston .232/.319/.349
Angels .232/.302/.370
Dodgers .233/.292/.344
Yankees .235/.338/.360
Seattle .239/.333/.339
San Fran .240/.323/.376
Mets .240/.324/.403
Texas .240/.325/.375
Milwaukee .241/.307/.367
Arizona .241/.324/.395
Oakland .242/.312/.359
Atlanta .244/.330/.361
Cleveland .246/.324/.368
St. Louis .247/.312/.381
Minnesota .248/.322/.368
Cubs .248/.328/.383
Florida .258/.344/.382
Washington .259/.327/.409
Cincy .263/.347/.399
Houston .264/.342/.429
Baltimore .267/.356/.380
KC .267/.343/.428
Colorado .269/.345/.400
Pittsburgh .273/.349/.449
Detroit .275/.351/.437
Philly .278/.364/.430
White Sox .289/.381/.441
Tampa Bay .292/.376/.458
Charlie Manuel has had to mix and match 14 relief pitchers at different times this season.
Just two pitchers have been in the bullpen since the start: Geoff Geary and Antonio Alfonseca.
Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, Ryan Madson and Francisco Rosario have spent time on the disabled list. There is Clay Condrey, who was designated for assignment once and outrighted once. There are Yoel Hernandez, Mike Zagurski, Matt Smith, Fabio Castro, Brian Sanches and Joe Bisenius, who have either been called up from the minors or optioned to the minors.
The scary thing is the Tigers and Phils have remarkably similar numbers from their relievers, as far as BA/OBA/SLG:
Detroit .275/.351/.437
Philly .278/.364/.430
Those numbers are fairly dreadful. Here are relief numbers for all teams, clumped somewhat by effectiveness:
San Diego .216/.279/.312
Toronto .218/.296/.333
Boston .232/.319/.349
Angels .232/.302/.370
Dodgers .233/.292/.344
Yankees .235/.338/.360
Seattle .239/.333/.339
San Fran .240/.323/.376
Mets .240/.324/.403
Texas .240/.325/.375
Milwaukee .241/.307/.367
Arizona .241/.324/.395
Oakland .242/.312/.359
Atlanta .244/.330/.361
Cleveland .246/.324/.368
St. Louis .247/.312/.381
Minnesota .248/.322/.368
Cubs .248/.328/.383
Florida .258/.344/.382
Washington .259/.327/.409
Cincy .263/.347/.399
Houston .264/.342/.429
Baltimore .267/.356/.380
KC .267/.343/.428
Colorado .269/.345/.400
Pittsburgh .273/.349/.449
Detroit .275/.351/.437
Philly .278/.364/.430
White Sox .289/.381/.441
Tampa Bay .292/.376/.458
June boom
Here's what the Tigers have done so far in June:
Magglio Ordonez .500-1-18
Brandon Inge .373-3-17
Placido Polanco .370-0-7
Gary Sheffield .369-5-19
Omar Infante .343-0-6
Curtis Granderson .342-1-11
Carlos Guillen .326-5-13
Ivan Rodriguez .322-2-13
Sean Casey .321-1-15
Surprisingly, the only time the Tigers have been shutout came in June. Detroit is 1-5 in June when scoring 5 or fewer runs. Kenny Rogers return, hopefully, can help remedy that.
Magglio Ordonez .500-1-18
Brandon Inge .373-3-17
Placido Polanco .370-0-7
Gary Sheffield .369-5-19
Omar Infante .343-0-6
Curtis Granderson .342-1-11
Carlos Guillen .326-5-13
Ivan Rodriguez .322-2-13
Sean Casey .321-1-15
Surprisingly, the only time the Tigers have been shutout came in June. Detroit is 1-5 in June when scoring 5 or fewer runs. Kenny Rogers return, hopefully, can help remedy that.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Left out
The Tigers traded lefty reliever/starter Wil Ledezma to the Braves for lefty reliever Macay McBride today. The move is billed as giving Detroit flexibility as Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson get ready to return to the staff because Ledezma is out of options and McBride is not.
I hate to see Wil go, but this deal seems to make some sense for the Tigers, although given the bullpen woes, I’m not sure about McBride’s future. It seems he could help now, rather than be sent to the minors.
McBride, a 24-year-old former No. 1 draft pick, is great against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .176 BA and giving up 2 HR. His WHIP is 0.93 vs. lefties. He was 6-1 with 2 saves and a 3.99 ERA in 112 career games for the Braves, all in relief. He reportedly struggled with his control earlier this season and was sent to the minors for a stint.
Lefties hit .293 with 8 HR off Ledezma, who is 26. Ledezma was 15-18 with a 5.15 ERA in 106 games, 33 starts, for Detroit.
"We could do nothing with Wil," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We wish we could have sent him out and started him. It was just one of those deals. He's been very good on some occasions and just OK on others, but there's a lot of potential there."
I hate to see Wil go, but this deal seems to make some sense for the Tigers, although given the bullpen woes, I’m not sure about McBride’s future. It seems he could help now, rather than be sent to the minors.
McBride, a 24-year-old former No. 1 draft pick, is great against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .176 BA and giving up 2 HR. His WHIP is 0.93 vs. lefties. He was 6-1 with 2 saves and a 3.99 ERA in 112 career games for the Braves, all in relief. He reportedly struggled with his control earlier this season and was sent to the minors for a stint.
Lefties hit .293 with 8 HR off Ledezma, who is 26. Ledezma was 15-18 with a 5.15 ERA in 106 games, 33 starts, for Detroit.
"We could do nothing with Wil," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We wish we could have sent him out and started him. It was just one of those deals. He's been very good on some occasions and just OK on others, but there's a lot of potential there."
A vote of confidence
Somewhere around April 21, old Sparky declared Sean Casey a dead man walking. The Mayor was hitting .158-0-1 at that time and his .238 OBA and .193 SLG didn’t help. That’s a .431 OPS for those unwilling to do the math.
Since then, Casey is batting .333-1-25 in 37 games and his OPS is .825. He even has a stolen base!
One of the stats to most concern me at the beginning of the season was Casey’s lack of doubles. Since April 21, he has 14, which translates to 1 every 11.3 AB. His best rate was in 2004 when he hit one double every 13 AB. It also was the second-best season of his life (.324-24-99).
Granted, his power is lacking for a corner position, but the Tigers don’t need power from that spot. Maybe, just maybe, Casey is the player we thought prior to the season. (Count on a prolonged slump from here.)
Since then, Casey is batting .333-1-25 in 37 games and his OPS is .825. He even has a stolen base!
One of the stats to most concern me at the beginning of the season was Casey’s lack of doubles. Since April 21, he has 14, which translates to 1 every 11.3 AB. His best rate was in 2004 when he hit one double every 13 AB. It also was the second-best season of his life (.324-24-99).
Granted, his power is lacking for a corner position, but the Tigers don’t need power from that spot. Maybe, just maybe, Casey is the player we thought prior to the season. (Count on a prolonged slump from here.)
The Runs Created All-Stars
NL
C: Russell Martin, LAD, 39.6
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL, 62.1
2B: Chase Utley, PHI, 62.1
SS: Jose Reyes, NYM, 57.6
3B: Miguel Cabrera, FLA, 58.2
OF: Matt Holliday, COL, 61.6
OF: Eric Byrnes, ARI, 52.9
OF: Ken Griffey Jr., CIN, 51.3
AL
C: Jorge Posada, NYY, 47.1
1B: Kevin Youkilis, BOS, 54.3
2B: Brian Roberts, BAL, 46.9
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY, 51.3
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYY, 68.9
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET, 69.8
OF: Grady Sizemore, CLE, 58.9
OF: Vlad Guerrero, LAA, 58.3
C: Russell Martin, LAD, 39.6
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL, 62.1
2B: Chase Utley, PHI, 62.1
SS: Jose Reyes, NYM, 57.6
3B: Miguel Cabrera, FLA, 58.2
OF: Matt Holliday, COL, 61.6
OF: Eric Byrnes, ARI, 52.9
OF: Ken Griffey Jr., CIN, 51.3
AL
C: Jorge Posada, NYY, 47.1
1B: Kevin Youkilis, BOS, 54.3
2B: Brian Roberts, BAL, 46.9
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY, 51.3
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYY, 68.9
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET, 69.8
OF: Grady Sizemore, CLE, 58.9
OF: Vlad Guerrero, LAA, 58.3
The OPS All-Stars
NL
C: Russell Martin, LAD, .824
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL, 1.023
2B: Chase Utley, PHI, .967
SS: Edgar Renteria, ATL, .915
3B: Chipper Jones, ATL, 1.014
OF: Barry Bonds, SF, 1.067
OF: Matt Holliday, COL, 1.019
OF: Ken Griffey Jr., CIN, .965
AL
C: Jorge Posada, NYY, .965
1B: Casey Kotchman, LAA, .967
2B: B.J. Upton, TB, .941
SS: Carlos Guillen, DET, .938
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYY, 1.107
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET, 1.115
OF: Vlad Guerrero, LAA, .992
OF: Gary Sheffield, DET, .945
C: Russell Martin, LAD, .824
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL, 1.023
2B: Chase Utley, PHI, .967
SS: Edgar Renteria, ATL, .915
3B: Chipper Jones, ATL, 1.014
OF: Barry Bonds, SF, 1.067
OF: Matt Holliday, COL, 1.019
OF: Ken Griffey Jr., CIN, .965
AL
C: Jorge Posada, NYY, .965
1B: Casey Kotchman, LAA, .967
2B: B.J. Upton, TB, .941
SS: Carlos Guillen, DET, .938
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYY, 1.107
OF: Magglio Ordonez, DET, 1.115
OF: Vlad Guerrero, LAA, .992
OF: Gary Sheffield, DET, .945
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Pitching in
Since the start of the 2000 season, 16 pitchers have won at least 100 games. Here’s the list, with their record and ERA.
Randy Johnson 124-61, 3.17
Greg Maddux 118-80, 3.59
Tim Hudson 114-62, 3.54
Curt Schilling 114-59, 3.54
Bartolo Colon 110-68, 3.98
Andy Pettitte 109-62, 3.67
Tom Glavine 108-80, 3.66
Barry Zito 108-70, 3.60
Mike Mussina 106-71, 3.85
Roy Oswalt 105-51, 3.09
Jamie Moyer 104-70, 4.13
Mark Mulder 103-57, 4.11
Roger Clemens 102-45, 3.28
Mark Buehrle 101-69, 3.80
Livan Hernandez 101-95, 4.14
Freddy Garcia 100-68, 4.07
Only one pitcher on the list has a save (actually 9 of them) – Curt Schilling. Bartolo Colon caught me by surprise. It's also easy to forget how remarkable Maddux is; he tossed 210 IP last year at the age of 40. It was his fourth consecutive 200+ effort. The only time he threw fewer than 200 IP since his rookie year in 1987 came in 2002, when he went 199.1 IP. He might not be great anymore, but he's still good. Or maybe Woody Allen was right that 80% of success is just showing up.
Pedro Martinez (2.78 ERA) and Matt Morris have 99 wins.
Randy Johnson 124-61, 3.17
Greg Maddux 118-80, 3.59
Tim Hudson 114-62, 3.54
Curt Schilling 114-59, 3.54
Bartolo Colon 110-68, 3.98
Andy Pettitte 109-62, 3.67
Tom Glavine 108-80, 3.66
Barry Zito 108-70, 3.60
Mike Mussina 106-71, 3.85
Roy Oswalt 105-51, 3.09
Jamie Moyer 104-70, 4.13
Mark Mulder 103-57, 4.11
Roger Clemens 102-45, 3.28
Mark Buehrle 101-69, 3.80
Livan Hernandez 101-95, 4.14
Freddy Garcia 100-68, 4.07
Only one pitcher on the list has a save (actually 9 of them) – Curt Schilling. Bartolo Colon caught me by surprise. It's also easy to forget how remarkable Maddux is; he tossed 210 IP last year at the age of 40. It was his fourth consecutive 200+ effort. The only time he threw fewer than 200 IP since his rookie year in 1987 came in 2002, when he went 199.1 IP. He might not be great anymore, but he's still good. Or maybe Woody Allen was right that 80% of success is just showing up.
Pedro Martinez (2.78 ERA) and Matt Morris have 99 wins.
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Gambler returns
Kenny Rogers is slated to pitch Friday for the Tigers after two rehab starts in the minors. Hopefully, he is ready and not rushing. Detroit is still winning games, thanks to its mind-boggling offense, so the team could afford to be cautious.
But this comment from Jim Leyland is telling:
"Anytime you get some guy back with the quality of a Kenny Rogers, obviously you're tickled to death, because it solidifies your rotation more and you're not grasping for straws like we have been all year," Leyland said. "We need to get our pitchers straightened out. It's still a mess."
But this comment from Jim Leyland is telling:
"Anytime you get some guy back with the quality of a Kenny Rogers, obviously you're tickled to death, because it solidifies your rotation more and you're not grasping for straws like we have been all year," Leyland said. "We need to get our pitchers straightened out. It's still a mess."
Philly
I think I've finally figured out Philly fans. They want their teams to be good enough to keep them interested, but bad enough so they can complain. It's fitting that "Rocky" was from Philly. He is quintessentially what Philadelphia loves -- someone who tries earnestly and fails.
Poor Charlie Manuel can't get a break. He managed the 7th inning of Sunday's loss to Detroit, from my perspective, perfectly, except his players failed to execute. So Philly fans continue to howl Manuel is a moron. He was ultimately done in by Craig Monroe lining a single off Abraham Nunez's glove after an intentional walk to Placido Polanco. Monroe was in a 2-for-15 slump with 8 strikeouts prior to the single. In fact, Monroe was just 5-for-35 going back to June 6.
To quote from the AP account of Sunday's game:
Then came the sound as familiar in Philly as the vendors shouting "Hot dogs!"
Boooo!
Now, I don't necessarily blame the fans for booing or being upset. But take it out on the players, not Charlie. Ultimately, I think Manuel will go because the organization will need to do something, and firing the manager -- in this case one that has become hated by the fans -- is the only move. But a new manager isn't going to make the bullpen better. Look at Jim Leyland; he doesn't look like the genius he was last year when Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney were lights out in the late innings. Funny how good players, performing well, make you smart.
Poor Charlie Manuel can't get a break. He managed the 7th inning of Sunday's loss to Detroit, from my perspective, perfectly, except his players failed to execute. So Philly fans continue to howl Manuel is a moron. He was ultimately done in by Craig Monroe lining a single off Abraham Nunez's glove after an intentional walk to Placido Polanco. Monroe was in a 2-for-15 slump with 8 strikeouts prior to the single. In fact, Monroe was just 5-for-35 going back to June 6.
To quote from the AP account of Sunday's game:
Then came the sound as familiar in Philly as the vendors shouting "Hot dogs!"
Boooo!
Now, I don't necessarily blame the fans for booing or being upset. But take it out on the players, not Charlie. Ultimately, I think Manuel will go because the organization will need to do something, and firing the manager -- in this case one that has become hated by the fans -- is the only move. But a new manager isn't going to make the bullpen better. Look at Jim Leyland; he doesn't look like the genius he was last year when Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney were lights out in the late innings. Funny how good players, performing well, make you smart.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Kill me now
The Mets are just awful at everything right now. They lost five of six games this week, outscored 37 to 17. Only once did a Mets starter pitch more than 5.2 innings or allow fewer than four runs. The team hit just .243/.285/.328. And the bullpen ERA was 4.41. Oliver Perez pitched a heck of a game against Roger Clemens, though.
The Mets scored three or fewer runs in five of these six games, with an eight-run outburst on Saturday padding the team's averages considerably. Right in the middle of the ineptitude were Carloses Delgado and Beltran. Delgado's been "slumping" more or less all season long while Beltran is playing hurt, just as he did in his disappointing 2005, with similar results. This week the pair had just six hits with a combined line of .157/.157/.196. That's right, neither of them even drew a walk. The Carlos Of The Week Award clearly goes to Mr. Gomez, who had seven singles and one free pass in these six games. A lot of Mets had a bad week, but this team is never going to turn things around with Delgado and Beltran playing this poorly. If the Mets weren't already down three outfielders it would probably make sense for Beltran to hit the DL and rest his sore quad for a couple of weeks. Since that's out of the question, I'm not sure how this team is going to regain its stroke.
Facing a Twins team (34-33) with one of the top few pitching staffs in the American League is probably not going to help. The Mets (37-30) are still atop the NL East, but their margin over the Braves is down to just 1.5 games. John Maine (6-4, 3.05), Jorge Sosa (6-2, 3.42) and Oliver The Great (7-5, 2.93) will take the mound for New York in this series. Carlos Silva (4-7, 4.07), Johan Santana (6-6, 3.19) and Scott Baker (1-2, 7.33) will likely have some of their best starts of the year in opposition.
The Mets scored three or fewer runs in five of these six games, with an eight-run outburst on Saturday padding the team's averages considerably. Right in the middle of the ineptitude were Carloses Delgado and Beltran. Delgado's been "slumping" more or less all season long while Beltran is playing hurt, just as he did in his disappointing 2005, with similar results. This week the pair had just six hits with a combined line of .157/.157/.196. That's right, neither of them even drew a walk. The Carlos Of The Week Award clearly goes to Mr. Gomez, who had seven singles and one free pass in these six games. A lot of Mets had a bad week, but this team is never going to turn things around with Delgado and Beltran playing this poorly. If the Mets weren't already down three outfielders it would probably make sense for Beltran to hit the DL and rest his sore quad for a couple of weeks. Since that's out of the question, I'm not sure how this team is going to regain its stroke.
Facing a Twins team (34-33) with one of the top few pitching staffs in the American League is probably not going to help. The Mets (37-30) are still atop the NL East, but their margin over the Braves is down to just 1.5 games. John Maine (6-4, 3.05), Jorge Sosa (6-2, 3.42) and Oliver The Great (7-5, 2.93) will take the mound for New York in this series. Carlos Silva (4-7, 4.07), Johan Santana (6-6, 3.19) and Scott Baker (1-2, 7.33) will likely have some of their best starts of the year in opposition.
Keystone combo
Since the start of the 2005 season, Placido Polanco ranks tied for 7th in MLB with a .320 batting average. Carlos Guillen is No. 10 at .317. Here’s the top 10:
Miguel Cabrera .332
Derek Jeter .329
Derrek Lee .328
Matt Holliday .326
Albert Pujols .326
Vlad Guerrero .325
Placido Polanco .320
Joe Mauer .320
Ichiro Suzuki .319
Carlos Guillen .317
The Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez is 14th at .314, behind Freddy Sanchez, Michael Young and Miguel Tejada.
Polanco has struck out just 65 times since the start of 2005, a span of 1221 at-bats. Mike Lieberthal has struck out only 57 times during the time frame, the best in MLB, but in just 629 AB.
Miguel Cabrera .332
Derek Jeter .329
Derrek Lee .328
Matt Holliday .326
Albert Pujols .326
Vlad Guerrero .325
Placido Polanco .320
Joe Mauer .320
Ichiro Suzuki .319
Carlos Guillen .317
The Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez is 14th at .314, behind Freddy Sanchez, Michael Young and Miguel Tejada.
Polanco has struck out just 65 times since the start of 2005, a span of 1221 at-bats. Mike Lieberthal has struck out only 57 times during the time frame, the best in MLB, but in just 629 AB.
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