Monday, May 17, 2010

Some Food For Thought On The Tigers' Start

Like most in this town, I have been impressed with the Tigers’ start. I like the way they have rallied from behind to win several games. There is good energy on this team, both on the field and in the clubhouse. It’s fun to watch players, who enjoy playing what I think is the beautiful game (No, it’s not soccer). The bullpen and Miguel Cabrera have been terrific. The championship pedigree of Phil Coke and Johnny Damon is rubbing off. Rookies Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson have been a big cause for the energy surge.
But are the Tigers really that good? I’m not sure. It’s still early in the season. The jury is still a long way from coming in. And there is some evidence to suggest, well, the Tigers’ start ultimately may not be much more than, well, a good start:
- Last year at the this time, the Tigers had the exact same 22-16 record. They were 24-16 at the 40-game mark everyone pays so much attention to since Sparky Anderson made such a big deal of it when he was the Tigers’ manager.
- How many people in this town talk about the remarkable Blue Jays or the amazing Padres? Those two clubs have better records than the Tigers, and the Reds have the same number of losses.
- The Tigers are 14-5 at home. They are 8-11 on the road. They head out West to play Oakland and the Dodgers, the latter in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, after a two-game series at Comerica Park with the White Sox.
- Now the Tigers did reasonably well on their last West Coast trip, 5-6. They will get a break in LA because Andre Ethier, the best player in the major leagues this season (.392, 11 HR, 38 RBI) will likely miss the series because of hand injury.

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm with you.

I'm still concerned about the starting pitchers ...

Willis and Bonderman are suspect. And Percello is a 11-13 game winner.

But the moxey of the Tigers is good. Got to admit, the addition of Damon has been good.

We'll see in the heat of the summer and what the Tigers organization does at the trade deadline.

But so good so far. It looks like the Tigers could go above 0.500 for the season.

9:02 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No doubt, the 2010 version of the Tigers is fun to watch. It looks to me like they will finish a tad below the Twins, unless we do better in our season series with them. The Valverde addition gives them a chance. And Armondo Galarraga could be key. Dave

9:19 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Anonymous,
Trade deadline will be very interesting for the Tigers if they stay in contention. They have obvious needs, but they aren't so obvious. It's kind of strange that way.
Caputo

2:00 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Dave,
Agree with you about Galarraga. He did pitch really well in 2008 and did look good the other day. Maybe he has returned to form.
Caputo

2:01 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's been a fun ride so far. Dombrowski's moves re the pitching staff seemed mostly coherent, but there were so many of them that fans were likely confused.

Who woulda thunk that the Tigers could lose their top 3 relievers, Rodney, Lyon and Seay, and not lose any ground? Those guys were good enough to compete with, but Dombrowski's vision (and Seay's bad luck) led them down another path, and it's working out so far.

If their starters get consistent, the Tigers will be a tough out for any team.

Book, any chance they come up with a hitting shortstop?

8:47 AM 

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