Can I get a little love for my Tiger!!
I mean there's something going on up in The D.
16 pages for the Brave but I'm happy with a few crumbs off the baseball banquet table.
"We're all behind our baseball team...Go Get'em Tigers!!"
Can I get a little love for my Tiger!!
I mean there's something going on up in The D.
16 pages for the Brave but I'm happy with a few crumbs off the baseball banquet table.
"We're all behind our baseball team...Go Get'em Tigers!!"
Love my Tigers. Well, I have to hold my nose at Cabrera, who has some real issues, but perhaps not giving up on him is the right thing. Of course they need him badly, too, so let's not brand them humanitarians.
Without Verlander they're a .500 team. Not even, actually.
I hate to say it but I think even if they make the playoffs - and it looks like they will - they're going nowhere after that. They'll be the worst of the playoff teams in the AL by a MILE. Just look at their RS-RA differential: +11 over 139 games. Boston is +157 and they're a wildcard team now. Even the Rays are +61.
Well, I suspect the Tigers will make the playoffs -- the key is to clinch early enough that they don't have to use Verlander on the last weekend to make the playoffs.
In the playoffs, Detroit will meet either Boston or New York. It's impossible to tell which of those two will be the wild card and which will be the East winner (they are seperated by half a game), but since they can't meet in the first round one will play Detroit and one will play Texas. The interesting thing is the race between Detroit and Texas for the best overall record (other than New York/Boston). Right now, Texas leads by a game in the loss column. That's important because the one with the best record gets the wild card team with homefield advantage. The one that finishes with the third-best division winning record gets the East winner and will have the homefield disadvantage.
Detroit starts the playoff with one great addvantage -- the Tigers have the best starting pitcher in baseball (this year at least). That's a pretty big edge in game one of any series ...
That said, I still think the Tigers are underdogs in a playoff with either the Yanks or the Red Sox, but in a short series, anything is possible ... especially with Verlander lined up to start twice.
Sorry to follow my own post, but after leaving this thread, I stumbled across this article on ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...aid-three-ways
Points out that the off-season deal that Detroit-New York-Arizona worked after the 2009 season has paid big dividends for all three teams -- all three of which are headed for the playoffs.
The Tigers gave up Granderson, who is having an MVP year with the Yankees, and Edwin Jackson (a bust), but got a fine young CFer in Austin Jackson (who is one of the big reasons Paul Hewitt is no longer the Georgia Tech basketball coach) and several good young arms -- Phil Coke, Max Scherzer (their No. 2 starter) and Daniel Schlereth.
The Diamondbacks gave up Scherzer and Schlereth, but got Ian Kennedy, having a Cy Young type season (he leads the NL in wins), and Jackson, who they flipped for Daniel Hudson (14-5).
The Yankees gave up Jackson, Coke and Kennedy and while I'm sure they'd like to have Kennedy back, they got more than they bargined for with Granderson.
All-in-all, I pretty good three-team trade.
I wouldn't start counting my Tigers out of a playoff series with NY or Boston just yet. First, let's make the playoffs. We're not in until we're in (see: 2009). Once we're in, I recall 2006 when the entire world outside of Detroit wrote off the Tigers against the Yankees. We crushed them in 4 games on our way to the pennant and the World Series.
With Verlander on our side, we ALWAYS have a chance. They'll set it up where he can pitch 2 games in the ALDS and 3 games in each series after that. The man is not only the best pitcher in baseball, he's also a workhorse who wants the ball. Gotta love JV35!
The Tigs brought that wood tonight!! Complete bombardment of the ChiSox, completing the sweep. Looking good, Billy Ray!!
Why thank you weezie...I'll take this one...
Was there any conviction of cheating? Nope. When Kenny Rogers wiped the substance off his hand, what did he do? Pitch 7 more scoreless innings. Even LaRussa said it was no problem, so dunno what you're trying to say with that one.
Sure, our pitchers had some problems throwing it to first base. While you're dissing Verlander, keep in mind he was a rookie that season that won 17 games and helped carry us to the pennant and the World Series. And, he's been bo-beasting the major leagues ever since, including this year where he's a shoo-in for Cy Young and getting some mention for MVP. I'll take Verlander over any player in baseball (yes, player). And, I have a feeling that one of these years, Verlander will get the WS ring he seeks.
Now, please enjoy the final 21 games of the Cardinals' season. The good thing about being eliminated early is that they can make their tee times and reserve their fishing charters before most of the major leagues.
No conviction, but the ESPN montage of each postseason Rogers game with the gunk on his hat and in his hand was pretty convincing. LaRussa didnt make a big deal about it because A) they caught it before it really impacted the game, and B) Jim Leyland is his BFF (no, really, I mean it).
I have nothing against the Tigers, I actually like them and pull for them in the AL central...just having a little bit of fun at your expense. I will never forget that World Series. Sophomore year in college, watching in the dorm with my friends and popping the champagne afterwards...
Yeah the Cardinals are dead in the water this year, thanks to a scorching hot Brew Crew. Still we were missing our CY Young contender ace Wainwright (who has better career numbers than Verlander) who has been injured all year -- you throw his 20 wins vs a replacement pitcher, and instead of 10 games out we are right in the mix.
You so sure about that? In one more year of MLB action (this year), Verlander has 38 more wins than does Wainwright. He has more career complete games, more shutouts, more innings pitched per year, a better career WHIP, less hits per 9 innings, more strikeouts per 9, more strikeouts, and a better K/BB ratio. They're very close in win % and HR's per 9 and Wainwright has better numbers in a few categories too. One could certainly make the case that Verlander's numbers are better than Wainwright's, but at worst, they appear to be pretty even by the numbers.
Verlander is definitely a work horse, and his strikeout numbers are unreal, but Wainwright has been a better pitcher. Your use of aggregate wins shows no understanding of the situation, because Adams first year in the majors he was a reliever our playoffs/world series winning CLOSER. So when you throw out 38 more wins in two more seasons of starting thats negligible, and wins are a terrible stat anyway because they are a function of the teams offense.
This is Verlanders best year, and he is about even with Wainwright last year. Wainwright beats him on ERA+ 4 of 5 years. So while Verlander is right now as good as Wainwright, over the course of his career Wainwright has been the better pitcher. Not detracting from Verlander at all -- just pointing out that my Cardinals are not contending for a reason -- just imagine the Tigers without Verlander.
If you really want to compare AL vs NL pitching, bring me your division opponents runs scored. You guys arent playing the Yankees and RedSox everyday, not every team is in the AL East.
Over the last 3 seasons against AL teams, Wainright's ERA is right around 4.50 and didn't face the Yankees or Red Sox. It's only 7 starts so not a big sample but I don't see a sub 3 ERA if he pitched full time in the AL. I agree, Wainright is one helluva pitcher and I'd take either one!
Don't mistake my wishes - I hope to be proven wrong on my prediction. Would love to see Leyland win one with Detroit for a change!
Porcello has had a couple good outings of late, and this Fister guy is really coming on strong down the stretch. So yeah, they have a chance, but you look at the body of work and it looks to me like every other AL playoff team is better. (NL too, but barely).
Granted, they are coming on strong of late. But then again, there's Brad Penny, who, well, not so much.
Holy smokes! The Tigs just keep on coming. Down three in the ninth, tie it up and win in the 10th?!
It's hard to stay calm and reasoned during a run like this!
I'ma go ahead and take credit for this victory. I popped on ESPN Gamecast at the end of the 8th inning, while I was on a conference call for Duke DC. Had to mute the call a few times to shout at my screen as it told me that Rayburn homered and then AVILA! Both pinch-hit homers too! As soon as that happened, I knew we were going to win, and sure enough, kept the Gamecast on to see us get out of the jam in the 9th, take the lead in the 10th and then Valverde time.
You're right weezie, it's hard to maintain a straight face through all of this. Magic number, by my recollection, is down to 3 and could soon be two since the Indians are getting bootstomped right now. We could have this thing wrapped up by the weekend! *knock on wood*
And, the most important part of this: we just passed Boston by a half game for the 2nd best record in the AL. Still 5 games behind the Yankees for the best record, but we keep this up, we will have homefield advantage!