Tiger Baseball 2014

**jjw** · October-03-14, 07:22 PM

First two games. What happened?

**Danny** · October-03-14, 08:02 PM

Bullpen sucks! Bring in best pitchers first. Then the stupid pitchers later.

**Ray1936** · October-03-14, 08:12 PM

Poor management decisions. Asmus must go.

**Danny** · October-03-14, 08:20 PM

He stays, He made a mistake. He will fix it. That's what Sparky did when he become Tigers' manager in the early 1980s. and brought the 1984 World Series home. He's knows what he is doing. If he made mistakes, He'll correct it.

**ParisianLesion** · October-03-14, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

He stays, He made a mistake. He will fix it. That's what Sparky did when he become Tigers' manager in the early 1980s. and brought the 1984 World Series home. Brad Ausmus was a Tigers player during that year. He's knows what he is doing. If he made mistakes, He'll correct it.

If Brad Ausmus played for the Tigers in 1984 he would have been 15 years old. He didn't even debut in the Majors until sometime in the 90s and it wasn't for the Tigers.

**ABetterDetroit** · October-03-14, 10:58 PM

He put the same two idiots out there in the 8th that were shelled last night.... And they were shelled again today. What is that definition of insanity again?

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-04-14, 01:26 AM

First mistake was sending Miggy home when if they hold him at 3rd, they have runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs instead of just 2nd with one out. Need to make the 3rd base coach walk home from Baltimore. Second mistake was not letting Sanchez pitch the 8th as well as he was pitching. Ausmus says he was on a pitch count of 30-35. He threw 30 pitches at the end of the 7th. When you have to win a game, you pull out all the stops. Sanchez pitches the 8th, then bring in num-nuts Nathan in the 9th, and hope and pray he can get the save. Soria has been terrible as well as Joba. The bullpen, spotty defense and bad decision making is costing them this series. They can win 3 straight, but it's unlikely. Have to win one at a time starting Sunday, meanwhile.. our nemesis KC has taken a 2-0 lead on the Angels.

**softailrider** · October-04-14, 07:22 AM

I actually thought Ausmus was a decent manager until today. He mentioned something about a pitch count for Sanchez, who cares about that? The guy has five months to rest up. He was mowing them down.

Having Miggy thrown out on that play at the plate was insane for too many reasons. I can't imagine what Dave Clark was thinking, there's nothing about it that makes sense.

**Smirnoff** · October-04-14, 07:36 AM

Simple answer: we were "outmanaged".....Assmus awful

, bad/bad/bad decisions, needs to go! Did I mention bad decisions.....?

**401don** · October-04-14, 08:53 AM

What is so incredibly stupid about not allowing Sanchez to throw another 12-15 pitches is that the guy likes to warm up for about a half hour before coming in, throwing probably 70 or 80 pitches. Yes, they're only at about 75%, but it sure wouldn't hurt him to throw one more inning. Meanwhile Dave Clark sends Cabrera with nobody out, not only killing the rally but risking Cabrera's bad ankle on a home plate collision. I guess he didn't see Martinez get injured two yrs. ago. I'm sure Lamont congratulated him on the gutty call. Carrera may be the worst centerfielder I've seen in a long time. It's just a shame for the rest of the team how one or two role players on a 25 man roster can ruin a season in baseball.

**emu steve** · October-04-14, 09:45 AM

Amazing folks, but we all agree about the decisions to have Miggy try to score with no outs and Sanchez.

I would have let JV pitch through the 6th [[wasn't he around 98 pitches???) and bring in Sanchez for the 7th and 8th and let Nathan, for better or worse, close it out.

If that didn't work, throw the bullpen under the bus... and let the next starter, Price, throw 135 pitches Sunday.

Dombrowski has work to do during the off season...

**Smirnoff** · October-04-14, 11:54 AM

Biggest Assmus Bonehead Decision: 9th inning & the Tigers are 1 run behind.....instead of giving the Tigers the best odds with somebody who can actually hit, who does he designate to bat: Romine, Carrera, etc......really?

**Lowell** · October-04-14, 12:28 PM

Ugly. Our Detroit Tigers bullpen is sucking so bad that even Joe Nathan can't get in to blow the game.

We're reduced to praying for miracles like somehow all the shots our relievers will serve up will be straight at our fielders.

Ausmus will get another year regardless. That's just how Ilitch and the Tigers operate but they are probably wondering if they were right to give the keys of the Maserati to a teenager.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-04-14, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

Biggest Assmus Bonehead Decision: 9th inning & the Tigers are 1 run behind.....instead of giving the Tigers the best odds with somebody who can actually hit, who does he designate to bat: Romine, Carrera, etc......really?

Who else does he have to go to from the bench, Don Kelly?? Davis gets hurt, he has to go with Carrera who should be in the minors. That's one of the problems with the Tigers, no bench depth. The Orioles have Delmon Young [[ remember him?) Kelly Johnson, Jimmy Parades etc... They need to reconstruct the whole team this off-season providing they can do it with all the big contracts. Defense, speed, relief pitching, and bench depth needs to be addressed. Say what you want about the Royals, but they seem to have the perfect model for building a winning team in the playoffs. They're young and don't have much power, but they have everything else covered.

**Bobl** · October-04-14, 12:43 PM

I cannot blame the manager, folks. No team will win with that blowpen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhPvMcVYtk

**TheUsualSuspect** · October-06-14, 07:31 AM

The bullpen was horrific to be certain, but this Tigers team was a bad brew from the start of the season. The awful luck of losing your starting shortstop [[Iglesias), your primary set-up reliever [[Rondon) and one of your primary outfielders [[Dirks) was a gut-punch that they never really recovered from.

The additions of Joe Nathan [[arguably the best relief pitcher on the off-season free agent market) and Soria [[the best reliever available during the trade deadline) should have shored up the pen. Chamberlain, despite his season ending funk, pitched pretty well in his setup role for a good bit of the season. Signed on a 1-year contract, I'd wager given the way the season ended, Joba opts for a new city to pitch in.

Asmus will and should get another shot at it. It will be a different team without Max and possibly without either Torii or Victor.

The window for success was open as wide as it was going to be. They had a payroll which really can't be sustained and as much star-power as any team...and they crapped the bed collectively.

Should be an interesting off-season.

**Smirnoff** · October-06-14, 08:13 AM

Let's hope Avila will be gone next year, swatted & swung at enough mosquito's at the plate [[.218 avg).....and what about winning with names like; Coke, Chamberlain, Albaturkey, Nathan, Romine, Kelly?

**cassique** · October-06-14, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

Let's hope Avila will be gone next year, swatted & swung at enough mosquito's at the plate [[.218 avg).....and what about winning with names like; Coke, Chamberlain, Albaturkey, Nathan, Romine, Kelly?

So to respond to your comment about Avila......

His OBP for the season was .327 which was 10th best on the team. Got on base more than Kinsler, Davis, Hunter & Castellanos. Even though his batting average was not so great he still got on base with pretty good regularity. The strikeouts are another issue that I agree is a problem but something that can be lived with. His defense and ability to play almost everyday makes him an asset. Just looking at batting average [[admittedly low) is not a good evaluation of the total player.

**TheUsualSuspect** · October-06-14, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by cassique

So to respond to your comment about Avila......

His OBP for the season was .327 which was 10th best on the team. Got on base more than Kinsler, Davis, Hunter & Castellanos. Even though his batting average was not so great he still got on base with pretty good regularity. The strikeouts are another issue that I agree is a problem but something that can be lived with. His defense and ability to play almost everyday makes him an asset. Just looking at batting average [[admittedly low) is not a good evaluation of the total player.

While not his fault, his availability to work games is starting to come into question due to the concussability [[new word) he carries.

Frankly, I think he'll need to give up the sport to preserve his long-term health. The shots off his mask are knocking him silly and out of the game with alarming regularity.

How is one supposed to track and hit a 90mph fastball if the brain is still mis-firing at the neurological level?

His full-time catcher status days are over. He MAY platoon with McCann next year.

**Lowell** · October-06-14, 08:58 AM

The Tigers were a perfectly built house - except someone forgot to put on a big part of the roof.

Yesterday's Lions and Tigers games had a striking similarity - two powerful teams with the same glaring inability to hold leads and close out games.

They both produce league leading stats but their won-loss does not match those numbers. They can't finish.

I think this is the time for a mini-rebuild. I love both of them but time to let Torii and Victor go. Reinvest that 30+ million in younger, faster, more versatile players who don't strike out and bullpen arms. Ideal would be a 3 hitter who can score from first on a double so Miggy could bat fourth - sorry he is just too slow for 3. On the bright side JD Martinez and Castellanos emerged this year and I think their trajectory is still upward. Hopefully Iglesias will come back to fill the hole at short and Rondon will live up to his potential.

**401don** · October-06-14, 09:27 AM

Castellanos has really bad range, doesn't have soft hands and has a below avg. arm. Unless he starts pulling the ball and hitting 25+ home runs a year, he's going to be a liability. We really need Iglesias to come back and shore up the left side of the infield next yr.

**TheUsualSuspect** · October-06-14, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Castellanos has really bad range, doesn't have soft hands and has a below avg. arm. Unless he starts pulling the ball and hitting 25+ home runs a year, he's going to be a liability. We really need Iglesias to come back and shore up the left side of the infield next yr.

Pretty certain he was a shortstop in high school. I think his range can improve to average, but he still needs a lot of help with his footwork. If he listens and implements, his range will improve, his hands will look softer...but I think his arm is at least average...if not slightly better.

**emu steve** · October-06-14, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Castellanos has really bad range, doesn't have soft hands and has a below avg. arm. Unless he starts pulling the ball and hitting 25+ home runs a year, he's going to be a liability. We really need Iglesias to come back and shore up the left side of the infield next yr.

I agree that Iglesias will be a huge help defensively next year. That helps Nick C.

Dirks will help in the OF and Rondon will bloom but I don't know which year [[2015, 2016 or 2017).

I can see J.D. Martinez [[LF), Davis [[CF), and Hunter [[RF). Believe Hunter will be back one more year. Dirks can play both [[?) corner OF.

Having a Dirks on the bench would be a better PH then Perez.

We need a young OF to join these four and be Hunter's successor in 2016.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-06-14, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by TheUsualSuspect

Pretty certain he was a shortstop in high school. I think his range can improve to average, but he still needs a lot of help with his footwork. If he listens and implements, his range will improve, his hands will look softer...but I think his arm is at least average...if not slightly better.

Iglesias can't hit his weight. Need a SS that can rake and glove.

**emu steve** · October-06-14, 11:45 AM

One comment on these short series [[as compared to a 162 game series):

The difference between success and failure in a short series can be one or two good/bad breaks.

Yesterday, the out call at 1st was the difference between a 1 - 0 vs. 0 - 0 game and the O's HR was what, first row, first seat at the foul pole.

Sometimes when we are talking inches, we are talk luck and mother luck can be cruel at times.

Remember the ALCS game vs. Boston [[at Fenway) when Big Poppy hit that ball which just barely [[6"?) went over our rightfielder. If that ball is caught, the Tigers probably go to the World Series.

That play killed the Tigers.