The Stretch Run
August 19th, 2009 Posted in 2009 Season, Aubrey Huff, Curtis Granderson, Jarrod Washburn, Justin Verlander, Miguel CabreraLast season is beginning to feel more and more like a distant memory. It was around this time last season that the Tigers began their swan dive that ended with them finishing in last place. What a difference a year makes. Here we are in the second half of August and the Tigers have made meaningful changes to their roster that bolster what is already a first place club.
Gone from last season are Gary Sheffield, Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones. New to the club are glue guys like Adam Everett and Geralod Laird. Add to that the midseason additions of Aubrey Huff and Jarrod Washburn and you have a brand new team.
Huff made his Tigers debut last night as the designated hitter. Huff hit fifth and and went 1-4 with a single. Most importantly though, he provides some protection for Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the lineup. Cabrera has had a monster season, but just imagine who big his numbers would be if he was surrounded by guys a bit better than Clete Thomas, Ryan Raburn, and Magglio Ordonez. Yikes.
Washburn struggled in his first two starts with the Tigers, but bounced back in his last start as he threw 8 scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals. With these new pieces coming into their own, the Tigers have to be increasing their odds of walking away with the AL Central.
The Tigers currently hold a three game lead in the AL Central over the Chicago White Sox, however, they have a four game lead in the loss column. There are 44 games to go and 23 of them will be played at Comerica Park where the Tigers are 39-19, easily the best home record in the AL Central and the third best in all of baseball.
Who’s Hot?
- Miguel Cabrera is hitting .377 since July 28th and has nine hits in his last 14 at-bats (spanning 3 games).
- Placido Polanco is starting to hit like Placido Polanco. Over his last 18 games, Polanco is hitting .329 and that has to help guys like Cabrera.
- Carlos Guillen has been an on-base machine over his last 12 games with an OBP of .412.
- In case you didn’t know, Alex Avila is hitting .450 with 3 HR in 20 AB. Gerald Laird has one more homer than the 22-year-old Avila.
- While he hasn’t been as lights out as he was earlier, Edwin Jackson has not allowed more than 4 earned runs in a start since May 4th.
- Rick Porcello has an ERA of 2.21 over his last 20.1 innings. Opponents are hitting only .183 against the rookie.
- Justin Verlander is almost always hot. He has an ERA of 2.60 over his last seven starts and has 53 Ks in 52 innings of work.
- Brandon Lyon has an ERA of 0.77 since the calendar turned to June. Like it or not, the guy is due a huge raise next season.
Who’s Not?
- Gerald Laird is hitting only .164 since July 19th and has not homered since July 3rd. Good thing Alex Avila can hit.
- Brandon Inge has 3 hits in his last 28 at-bats. Good thing Aubrey Huff can play a little bit of third base.
- Curtis Granderson is hitting only .205 in his last 10 games and has an on-base percentage below .300. Not what you want from a your leadoff hitter.
- Since July 31st, Marcus Thames is hitting only .107 with 14 strikeouts in 41 at-bats.
- Armando Galarraga has an ERA of 6.75 over his last 4 starts.
- Zach Miner has a 7.15 ERA in August. He’s not fooling anyone as opposing batters are hitting over .350 against him.
- Bobby Seay has an ERA of 5.59 over his last 10 appearances.
The Tigers have two more games this week against the Mariners before heading out west to take on the Oakland Athletics and the Angels. Following that series with the Angels the Tigers will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Detroit, so they are entering a bit of a tough patch.
2 Responses to “The Stretch Run”
By Lance on Aug 19, 2009
Good Article. Seeing Lyon’s stats caught me offguard, I knew he was on fire, but geez. And I had no idea Minor was doing that bad. I was in Detroit this past weekend and caught Friday and Saturday’s Games. Go Tigers!
By Pat on Aug 26, 2009
A truly objective writer would also mention in “Who’s Hot / Who’s Not” that Mags is hot, but since you clearly despise him so much and spend 100 times as much energy obsessing about his 2010 contract than Ilitch, Dombrowski, and Boras combined, it’s not surprising that you left him off the “Who’s Hot” list. Just for the record (and I know you’re aware of all of this, but sometimes it’s good to remind a fellow Tigers’ fan to get off the hatewagon, if only for an instant), that’s the guy who:
1) Is hitting .362 in August, with a .439 OBA and a .586 Slg. Pct. And yes, that includes 3 2B’s, 2 3B’s, and 2 HR’s. Not only is he having his best month, but he’s having one of the best months of any Tiger other than Cabrera ALL YEAR.
2) Not counting Avila, who has only played 11 games, has the 3rd highest August OPS on the team (1.025), 6 points behind Raburn (and it’s probably not humanly possible to be hotter than Miggy, even if your name is Joe Mauer!).
3) Is a force in the local community, and has done innumerable things for the Detroit school system and kids in general
4) Is NOT a cancer in the clubhouse or in the community, a la Sheffield. He listens to Leyland, acts as a true professional, and is a loyal Tiger, just like Kaline or Trammell before him
5) Despite his slow start (and honestly, wouldn’t YOU have been distracted if YOUR wife were in the hospital battling cancer?) and waning power #’s, is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate if he retires tomorrow. I’m by no means suggesting we should live in the past, but simply put, based on his production over the past 3 years, and his performance in the 2006 playoffs, I’d rather have him up in key situations in September than Raburn, Thomas, or Huff.
More importantly, when he starts, we win, and when he sits, we don’t (note the 3 games in Oakland this weekend; only one start, only one win). And apart from all the conjecture regarding the width of Ilitch’s wallet, isn’t that what we play the game for - to win?
We Tiger fans are a loyal bunch, and it’s likely Comerica will sell out down the stretch either way, but even in our current economic state, the draw will be larger if we’re in first than if we’re chasing Chicago or the Twins. So in reality, the economic liability of such a decision is actually significantly less than $15 million, when you include gate, parking, concessions, etc.
To cheat the Tigers and the city out of a AL Central crown or even a possible return to the World Series simply due to a contract clause is short-sighted. I’d feel differently if we had different youngsters out there with Granderson-like skills to replace Mags, but neither Raburn nor Thomas (or even Brent Clevlen) is Cameron Maybin. Neither has any legitimate future in the major leagues as more than a 4th OF, and they shouldn’t be given key AB’s in a stretch run simply because they earn less money. We fans simply deserve better than having to watch Clete Thomas strike out over the next 40 games, especially when it means benching arguably the 2nd best hitter on the team in order to do so.
I’m a Tigers’ fan, and I want to win in 2009, not down the road. We have good pitching, and our window of opportunity is now, especially if Bondo comes back strong in relief down the stretch. You and Neyer can argue your “saving the company money” theory until the cows come home, but the truth is that a World Series victory will bring a lot more than $15 million to the local economy. Play Mags now, and figure out the 2010 payroll later! Enjoy your day, and GO TIGERS!!!