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Myths and reality about the Detroit Tigers
When the Tigers lose a series like they just did to the Baltimore Orioles, ending a three-game set with two losses after winning the first game, there tends to be this over-analysis as to why.
It is automatically assumed they lost because of weaknesses that has haunted the Tigers all season.
That wasn't true in the last two games.
The Tigers didn't lose either game because the fifth hitter and beyond in the batting order didn't come through, or their bullpen collapsed, which have been the Tigers' biggest problems overall this season.
The 5-to-9 hitters in the order produced 6 runs in the two losses. The bullpen pitched 8 1-3 scoreless innings in the two defeats.
Jhonny Peralta hit fifth the last two games and delivered a three-run homer Sunday and a clutch late-inning, two-run single Saturday. Jeff Baker had an RBI double Sunday.
Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Austin Jackson were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position the last two games. They aren't exactly "problems" for the Tigers, are they? Sunday, the Tigers could have gotten more out of a 5-run first inning against Baltimore starter Bruce Chen. Baker was stranded at second base with one out because Chen retired Gerald Laird on a line out to left and struck out Quintin Berry. Both Laird and Berry have had surprisingly good seasons for the Tigers, and have been more solutions than problems.
The biggest reason the Tigers didn't win their series against the Orioles is Doug Fister. He had a horrible start Sunday, especially by the high standards he has set lately. He had a 5-0 lead and essentially gave it right back. He looked like he had pulled himself together, but walked two hitters in a row with two outs in the fourth inning, and the predictable disaster ensued. But is Fister a problem for the Tigers? Hardly.
There isn't much complexity to the Tigers. They are high-end team, centered around a core of stars, either high-priced players and/or players they paid baseball's version of king's ransom to acquire via trade. The Tigers will only do as well as those players perform. Saturday and Sunday, that wasn't particularly well.
It is automatically assumed they lost because of weaknesses that has haunted the Tigers all season.That wasn't true in the last two games.
The Tigers didn't lose either game because the fifth hitter and beyond in the batting order didn't come through, or their bullpen collapsed, which have been the Tigers' biggest problems overall this season.
The 5-to-9 hitters in the order produced 6 runs in the two losses. The bullpen pitched 8 1-3 scoreless innings in the two defeats.
Jhonny Peralta hit fifth the last two games and delivered a three-run homer Sunday and a clutch late-inning, two-run single Saturday. Jeff Baker had an RBI double Sunday.
Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Austin Jackson were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position the last two games. They aren't exactly "problems" for the Tigers, are they? Sunday, the Tigers could have gotten more out of a 5-run first inning against Baltimore starter Bruce Chen. Baker was stranded at second base with one out because Chen retired Gerald Laird on a line out to left and struck out Quintin Berry. Both Laird and Berry have had surprisingly good seasons for the Tigers, and have been more solutions than problems.
The biggest reason the Tigers didn't win their series against the Orioles is Doug Fister. He had a horrible start Sunday, especially by the high standards he has set lately. He had a 5-0 lead and essentially gave it right back. He looked like he had pulled himself together, but walked two hitters in a row with two outs in the fourth inning, and the predictable disaster ensued. But is Fister a problem for the Tigers? Hardly.
There isn't much complexity to the Tigers. They are high-end team, centered around a core of stars, either high-priced players and/or players they paid baseball's version of king's ransom to acquire via trade. The Tigers will only do as well as those players perform. Saturday and Sunday, that wasn't particularly well.
posted by Pat Caputo at
1:43 PM
1 Comments:
good reality check. Disappointing losses, but not end of the world. Baltimore is high-effort team this year. [not Bruce Chen, but Wei-Yin Chen, a good foreign pickup this year for O's]
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