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Losing to bad teams at home a formula for disaster for Detroit Tigers
This isn't meant to necessarily defend Rick Porcello, the Tigers' starting pitcher Wednesday night, but that was "no-chance-for-the-pitcher" fielding by the Tigers. Porcello and Doug Fister get a lot of ground balls. Nobody is expecting the Tigers to display great range, but they must make the routine plays.
Porcello didn't react to it well. There is no excuse for him to have an ERA over 5. His two-seam (sinking) fastball is as good a pitch as there is in the game when it is working. But if it isn't, there is still a lot there (a 94 mph four-seam fastball, decent off speed pitches). He is just 23, but has a wealth of experience in the major leagues and a top amateur pedigree. He should be better at this stage. But Wednesday's game would have taken on a completely different complexion for him had the Tigers just made the routine plays behind him.
The Tigers must nip the habit of losing to bad teams at home in the bud. The series sweep by Seattle at Comerica Park was disturbing. It would be even more so if the Tigers were to lose today and be swept by the floundering Twins.
posted by Pat Caputo at
10:46 AM
5 Comments:
No doubt - it's been kind of ugly.
No doubt - a lot of people are calling for Leyland or someone on the coaching staff - hitting or pitching - to be fired.
No doubt the boys are 18-19, 1 game under .500.
But - no doubt - they are still 3 games shy of 40 games into the season.
Yeah - I know - the Sparky rule - but was Sparky right? Righter than rain.
But it sure does help beer sales when they're playing this bad.
Fred Brill,
The 40-game thing by Sparky was just this deflector thing. It would get to 40 games and he'd say come back to me in July. Actually June and July are the movement months. If the Tigers are still floundering as it gets toward midseason, or if another AL Central team takes off, then you start looking at more desperate measures. Right now, it's disconcerting how the Tigers have played, but shouldn't be to the point of panic.
Caputo
40 games is a pretty good sample. However, spring is cold. Tigs should settle in in the summer heat. I look for Prince Fielder, in particular, to come alive.
The lack of defense and speed is troublesome however. And the pitching is unsettled. Dave D. might have some work to do.
Book - in this case we agree to agree - I am worn out on talk of firing managers and pitching coaches and hitting coaches - I see it really this way as far as Leyland's decisions go - He has the luxury in the early ganmes of the season to push his envelopes and try combos - testing what he did last year to see if it works this year and to try new combos and substitutions - like Dotel versus Benoit (with a name like Benoit you really should be a goalie in Montreal - but I digress) - I trust Skip to get all these tests out of the way now and not do the same stupid thing twice - and some would say he has done the same stupid thing twice - and I answer - nope they were different stupid things that just seemed the same.
Now lets find a dead chicken and start rubbing some bats
Great blog, Fred. You add so much clarity to Leyland's decisions .. his testing is really timely because it's early in the season and doesn't count. My gosh, he does have to test the players that he has been given.
I feel so much better now.
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