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Marlins Record Rubbing Salt in Tigers Wound
It was a trade for the ages, right? It was the biggest in Tigers history, that’s for sure.
And I will begin this by stating, like virtually all baseball fans in Detroit, I was all for it.
But so far, the Tigers blockbuster trade that was supposed to bring this town a world championship, has only brought a headache for the organization and heartache for its fans.
Not only do the Tigers have a sputtering 16-22 record, which they fully deserve based on the shoddy baseball they have played, but the Marlins have baseball’s best record at 23-14 - 7.5 games better than the Tigers. And the Marlins have compiled this record with a player payroll of roughly less than $115 million than the Tigers.
While Dontrelle Willis is still floundering to find his control on rehab assignment in Triple-A, Andrew Miller is 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his past two starts. Miguel Cabrera has slumped as much as he has hit.
Throw in the Edgar Renteria trade with Atlanta and Jair Jurrgens ‘ 4-2, 2.84 record for the Braves, and consider the woes of the Tigers’ starting staff in its totality, you have a recipe for a baseball disaster.
It’s still early is one battle cry for the Tigers. Another is they are still very much alive in the American League Central race. Both true.
But it is also true, at least to this point, the Tigers’ season has been more than a mere disappointment.
It’s been an utter embarrassment.
Random Thoughts
- Mike Ribeiro should have been suspended for his two-handed slash on Chris Osgood near the end of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Stars were trying to "goon it up," but the Red Wings couldn’t afford to put their fighters on the ice because they were protecting a one-goal lead. It put the Wings in a precarious situation and the worst-run league in professional team sports acted predictably with just a slap on the wrist.
- Count me among those who didn’t think Lindsey Hunter had anything left at all in the tank. Count me among those who wrong.
- A factor that could play in the Stars’ favor as the Western Conference finals shift to Dallas are the ice conditions. They weren’t good for the Stars series vs. San Jose. They figure to be at least as bad for this series. It could be factor in slowing down the Red Wings.
And I will begin this by stating, like virtually all baseball fans in Detroit, I was all for it.
But so far, the Tigers blockbuster trade that was supposed to bring this town a world championship, has only brought a headache for the organization and heartache for its fans.
Not only do the Tigers have a sputtering 16-22 record, which they fully deserve based on the shoddy baseball they have played, but the Marlins have baseball’s best record at 23-14 - 7.5 games better than the Tigers. And the Marlins have compiled this record with a player payroll of roughly less than $115 million than the Tigers.
While Dontrelle Willis is still floundering to find his control on rehab assignment in Triple-A, Andrew Miller is 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his past two starts. Miguel Cabrera has slumped as much as he has hit.
Throw in the Edgar Renteria trade with Atlanta and Jair Jurrgens ‘ 4-2, 2.84 record for the Braves, and consider the woes of the Tigers’ starting staff in its totality, you have a recipe for a baseball disaster.
It’s still early is one battle cry for the Tigers. Another is they are still very much alive in the American League Central race. Both true.
But it is also true, at least to this point, the Tigers’ season has been more than a mere disappointment.
It’s been an utter embarrassment.
Random Thoughts
- Mike Ribeiro should have been suspended for his two-handed slash on Chris Osgood near the end of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Stars were trying to "goon it up," but the Red Wings couldn’t afford to put their fighters on the ice because they were protecting a one-goal lead. It put the Wings in a precarious situation and the worst-run league in professional team sports acted predictably with just a slap on the wrist.
- Count me among those who didn’t think Lindsey Hunter had anything left at all in the tank. Count me among those who wrong.
- A factor that could play in the Stars’ favor as the Western Conference finals shift to Dallas are the ice conditions. They weren’t good for the Stars series vs. San Jose. They figure to be at least as bad for this series. It could be factor in slowing down the Red Wings.
posted by Pat Caputo at
1:13 PM
7 Comments:
Omar Infante leads the National Position Players in Batting Average. Look it up!
Hey Pat: I like the trade at first too, I thought DW was our #2 guy not our #5 guy. One guy that might help out DW, if he still can't find the plate, is Chucky, because of Chucky standard pitching approach and DW funkiness and if they can meet each other quarter of the way then we might have a productive pitcher. I still like having Cabrera around, he should start hitting soon. The only part of the trade I did not like was trading Miller in the deal. If he ever gets it completely together, Tigers traded away a high end rotation guy. Hitters are already complaining about his arm angle and reach when he deliveries the ball. J.J threw some really good games for the Tigers last year and he should have been untouchable. I guess Braves did their homework but the Tigers needed a ss. The bright side if Renteria doesn't pan out they can let him go to free agency next year. Looks like the Tigers have a quite few ss in the minors and hopefully one of them is ready to go next year or July trading deadline. But rule of thumb, baseball is simple, it starts with pitching period. On the bright side when the Tigers sign #5 guys to long term contracts is, if they can turn it around then the Tigers can pond them off for some good prospects or others. The pitching at AA and AAA this year is not too good except for a few. They should try to trade Raburn or Thames if they can get equal value because both players deserve to play.
Mike Ribeiro's actions were not much worse then Osgoods. Osgood was just alot more sly with his spear. I didn't like the way Osgood flopped either. This opinion comes from a Wings fan by the way!
If the Wings can get through Dallas, I sure don't see much to be scared of in the Eastern conference. Those teams look like they are skating through mud compared to the Wings.
Allan
Anonymous,
I always liked Infante's talent more than the Tigers' brass did. We'll see how he does with the Braves. Certainly the Jacque Jones deal isn't looking too good, either.
Caputo
Barry,
Cabrera is the one sure thing from the trade. He is going to produce, but it hasn't been to the level expected. And they have miscalculated how good their pitching has been.
Caputo
Allen,
I couldn't agree with you more. Putting the two together like they are the sane thing is wrong. Ribeiro should have been suspended for at least a game.
Caputo
Ribiero's swing was a love tap, Osgood just sold it like he was in the EPL. Also, re: your comments on Don Cherry - while he certainly is a throw-back to the days when people didn't worry about expressing their biases, he also couldn't have given Detroit fans higher praise than to call them "rednecks." In Cherry's world, a "redneck" is a hard-working labourer who gets the back of his neck burnt from the sun, with much the same connotation as "blue collar" in the States. It's a term Cherry has always used, and he means it as the furthest thing from pejorative.
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