Detroit/Boston MLB

[Valuist]

The one thing that stands out, IMO, is the big numbers Tiger hitters have put up against Lester. Also, Sanchez really had a big year. Kind of under the radar, but he was really good. Tigers or pass in game 1.

[Valuist]

Real easy to root for the visiting teams in MLB. Nothing more annoying than seeing all the towel waving. Steelers fans are exempted, because they came up with the idea. Everyone else looks like copycat/idiots.

[Stillriledup]

Boston gets to see Verlander in Game 3 in Detroit....it would behoove them to win the first 2 games of this series.

Pressure on Boston to hold serve, should be a fun series.

[Valuist]

Had to sweat this one out. Had all the markings of a wasted opportunity for Detroit; all those runners on base that they couldn't capitalize on. Its not going to get any easier for the Red Sox. 0 hits vs Sanchez and now they get Scherzer and Verlander.

Have a feeling we are looking at yet another St. Louis-Detroit World Series.

[wiffleball whizz]

Shove it right uo the Boston fans asses......keep showing the faces of fans after after every pitch

[Stillriledup]

Shove it right uo the Boston fans asses......keep showing the faces of fans after after every pitch

TELL ME ABOUT IT!

I yelled out loud STOP SHOWING RANDOM PEOPLE!

Geez, i didnt tune in to see random mass holes, if i want random mass holes i'll hit up google, i tuned in to see ball game and ball players. Geez, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE FANS.

[Stillriledup]

Had to sweat this one out. Had all the markings of a wasted opportunity for Detroit; all those runners on base that they couldn't capitalize on. Its not going to get any easier for the Red Sox. 0 hits vs Sanchez and now they get Scherzer and Verlander.

Have a feeling we are looking at yet another St. Louis-Detroit World Series.

Prince would have scored in the 8th inning on that double and some home fan interfered with play...that's a rule they need to revisit, Detroit had a bad beat there.

[Valuist]

TELL ME ABOUT IT!

I yelled out loud STOP SHOWING RANDOM PEOPLE!

Geez, i didnt tune in to see random mass holes, if i want random mass holes i'll hit up google, i tuned in to see ball game and ball players. Geez, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE FANS.

Agreed. The crowd kept blaming Joe West, and the blame should've been squarely on the Red Sox hitters, who struck out 17 times and walked 6. They did a great job of NOT making contact. A sabermatricians dream.

[MutuelClerk]

If you put Miguel Cabrera in the lineup. You don't pull him. Especially when the other team can hardly put the ball in play. He would have come up to the plate 2nd and 3rd one out. Granted they walk him which means Prince up with the bases loaded. Instead? Don FREAKING Kelly. Three pitches. K.

Tigers kind of scrambled last series with Max pitching from bullpen in game 4 against the A's. We open up this series with the AL leader in ERA. Tomorrow the probable CY Young award winner. Game 3 back at home with possibly the best pitcher on the planet. Our pitching is hopefully kicking in. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!!

[Stillriledup]

If you put Miguel Cabrera in the lineup. You don't pull him. Especially when the other team can hardly put the ball in play. He would have come up to the plate 2nd and 3rd one out. Granted they walk him which means Prince up with the bases loaded. Instead? Don FREAKING Kelly. Three pitches. K.

Tigers kind of scrambled last series with Max pitching from bullpen in game 4 against the A's. We open up this series with the AL leader in ERA. Tomorrow the probable CY Young award winner. Game 3 back at home with possibly the best pitcher on the planet. Our pitching is hopefully kicking in. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!!

I was texting a buddy during the game and i was telling him that i think Leyland is a clown and he's going to cost them a game or a series...i was shocked he took the kid out after the 6th because it was the right thing to do...the kid was on empty and Leyland let him pitch to one batter too many and he got lucky and survived that inning.

[cj's dad]

TELL ME ABOUT IT!

I yelled out loud STOP SHOWING RANDOM PEOPLE!

Geez, i didnt tune in to see random mass holes, if i want random mass holes i'll hit up google, i tuned in to see ball game and ball players. Geez, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE FANS.

You don't get it; according to the networks, these are the greatest and most baseball savvy fans playing in the best stadium in the universe .:rolleyes: I wonder how many "fans" committed suicide last night ?

[lamboguy]

i picked up the boston newspaper for no reason yesterday and they were comparing the Tigers and Red Sox position by position. when they got to the manger they gave a thumbs up to the Red Sox manager. i dropped the paper and knew the Sox were not going to win this series.

being a long time Yankee fan, there is hardly anything that would make me happier than the Red Sox losing this series in 4 straight games without getting 1 hit. if i didn't have a horse running tonight, i would be at Fenway dressed up as a tiger from the first row of the Red Sox dugout.

[Valuist]

If you put Miguel Cabrera in the lineup. You don't pull him. Especially when the other team can hardly put the ball in play. He would have come up to the plate 2nd and 3rd one out. Granted they walk him which means Prince up with the bases loaded. Instead? Don FREAKING Kelly. Three pitches. K.

Tigers kind of scrambled last series with Max pitching from bullpen in game 4 against the A's. We open up this series with the AL leader in ERA. Tomorrow the probable CY Young award winner. Game 3 back at home with possibly the best pitcher on the planet. Our pitching is hopefully kicking in. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!!

What is it with Kelly? Why is Leyland always trying to get him into the game?

[MutuelClerk]

I think he's his illegitimate son. Kelly is born in Pittsburgh while Leyland managed there. Leyland even named one of his daughters Kelly. Coincidence? Maybe. Lifetime OPS .640. The better NL pitchers hit better than that. The media seems to love Kelly 90% of the fans cant stand him. It's amazing how he seems to get in the lineup. One of the main reasons I can't stand the managing of Jim Leyland ( who loves horse racing btw). This team is winning despite it's management. We're the real life Major League. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!!!

[Stillriledup]

Austin Jackson, you gotta run harder son.

Had a 'basehit' to the hole that the little weasel stopped with a diving play and he (Jackson) was just dogging it to first, would have beaten that easily if he ran hard.

[MutuelClerk]

Peralta out.

Don Kelly STILL in the game.

Your witness.

[lamboguy]

sickening :(

[Valuist]

Huge hitter-pitcher edge to Detroit for game 3. Tigers hitters crush Lackey historically, and the Red Sox have not figured out Verlander. Minus 145 isn't too much at all, IMO.

[Stillriledup]

Huge hitter-pitcher edge to Detroit for game 3. Tigers hitters crush Lackey historically, and the Red Sox have not figured out Verlander. Minus 145 isn't too much at all, IMO.

Verlander has been money recently, and the Tigers are really mad at themselves for losing that game. Also, another factor was that the Sox celebrated so hard, you have to think that they might be a bit emotionally drained, people think that they have "momentum" but its like Mike Tyson famously said "everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth". Verlander comes out and blows those guys away 1-2-3 in the first inning and you know, the momentum changes a bit. Little things can change momentum, i have a good feeling about Detroit and Verlander today.

[Stillriledup]

sickening :(

When i saw Ortiz walking up to the plate to face a righty (since the main lefty was burned pitching to ellsbury) i was already thinking this might not end good. Why would you toss a meatball down the middle of the plate to a guy who knows he has to hit a HR for them to have any chance? It wasnt like Ortiz was up there to be selective, he was swinging at SOMETHING, he wasnt up there to take a walk, if there was ever a case where you could have gotten him to swing at stuff out of the zone, this was it, in this exact situation.

[Stillriledup]

Det is going to kick themselves for making Lackey look like a good pitcher. Cmon guys, lets go.

[Valuist]

Runner on 2nd with nobody out last inning and they couldn't score. You HAVE to score in that situation. Just make f-ing contact. Stop trying to be the hero and swinging from one's heels. But Infante couldn't help himself.

[Stillriledup]

Runner on 2nd with nobody out last inning and they couldn't score. You HAVE to score in that situation. Just make f-ing contact. Stop trying to be the hero and swinging from one's heels. But Infante couldn't help himself.

Totally agree, you have to find a way to not strike out, you shorten your swing, and guys hardly ever do that. Its called Baseball IQ and if you don't have a high one or, you're not a good teammate, this its what will likely happen.

[Stillriledup]

I also HATE when a pitcher is struggling and guy's help him out by swinging at 3-1 pitch. You take another strike, Peralta swung 3-1 and popped out, its highly likely he would have gotten a walk.

[cj]

Runner on 2nd with nobody out last inning and they couldn't score. You HAVE to score in that situation. Just make f-ing contact. Stop trying to be the hero and swinging from one's heels. But Infante couldn't help himself.

I tend to agree. I'm an old school baseball guy. I HATE striking out. But for whatever reason, baseball has changed. Fundamentals like bunting, choking up and shortening the swing with two strikes, things like that, are gone.

So are things like taking until you get a strike when trailing late. I can't tell you how many guys I've seen swing 1-0 or 2-0 leading off the 9th when down 3-0. And not just swinging, but swinging from the heels. I think it boils down to players having a lot more power than managers.

[MutuelClerk]

Cabrera and Fielder. Had a chance to win or tie. Agree with above about moving the runners along. Far from old school though. More sabre influenced. Regardless, I love Austin Jackson but he's a disaster leading off right now. Terrible time to slump. He has to be dropped in the order. Fister is a solid #4 but Peavy is a better pitcher. Advantage Sox.

Without a healthy Cabrera we can't score runs. It seems Fielders divorce has put his head in his.....We're in trouble. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!

[RXB]

Koji Uehara has entered a zone this season that even Mariano Rivera would envy. I've never seen anything like it. "Astonishing" is the word that comes to mind.

[Stillriledup]

Koji Uehara has entered a zone this season that even Mariano Rivera would envy. I've never seen anything like it. "Astonishing" is the word that comes to mind.

Its good for him he's on the Red Sox, nobody would ever question PED use for such breathtaking and otherworldly performance on that team. Other teams yes, those guys, absolutely not.

[Stillriledup]

Cabrera and Fielder. Had a chance to win or tie. Agree with above about moving the runners along. Far from old school though. More sabre influenced. Regardless, I love Austin Jackson but he's a disaster leading off right now. Terrible time to slump. He has to be dropped in the order. Fister is a solid #4 but Peavy is a better pitcher. Advantage Sox.

Without a healthy Cabrera we can't score runs. It seems Fielders divorce has put his head in his.....We're in trouble. GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!

Fielder is a clown, he's not a "gamer" and acts like he doesnt even want to bet there. Cabrera is injured so he sorta gets a pass, but that guy isnt a "heart and soul" guy either. Tigers have a better team, but the Sox "want it more" it seems.

[Valuist]

I tend to agree. I'm an old school baseball guy. I HATE striking out. But for whatever reason, baseball has changed. Fundamentals like bunting, choking up and shortening the swing with two strikes, things like that, are gone.

So are things like taking until you get a strike when trailing late. I can't tell you how many guys I've seen swing 1-0 or 2-0 leading off the 9th when down 3-0. And not just swinging, but swinging from the heels. I think it boils down to players having a lot more power than managers.

I blame part of it on the Boo Yahs, for all the highlight reels of long home runs, and sabermetrics. While I agree with much of the sabermatricians theory, they are 100% wrong that an out is an out, and a walk is as good as a hit. Wrong and wrong. Strikeouts don't advance runners, and walks don't in many cases. As for ESPN, the obsession with the home run has produced a generation of hitters with bad fundamentals, unable to hit situationally. You very rarely see a hitter choking up with two strikes. About the last guy I remember doing that a lot was Barry Bonds.

[cj's dad]

Pitching for the Tigers next 2 games - Scherzer & Verlander ? If so, I give the Tigers a reasonable shot,

one glaring weakness for Detroit is lack of team speed.

[Quagmire]

Pitching for the Tigers next 2 games - Scherzer & Verlander ? If so, I give the Tigers a reasonable shot,

one glaring weakness for Detroit is lack of team speed.

I was able to drink a beer and eat a sandwich while watching Cabrera try to score from 2nd in the 1st inning last night.

[Valuist]

Pitching for the Tigers next 2 games - Scherzer & Verlander ? If so, I give the Tigers a reasonable shot,

one glaring weakness for Detroit is lack of team speed.

Absolutely. They have trouble manufacturing runs. Without the long ball they are in trouble. And they aren't very good defensively, either.

[Stillriledup]

Pitching for the Tigers next 2 games - Scherzer & Verlander ? If so, I give the Tigers a reasonable shot,

one glaring weakness for Detroit is lack of team speed.

I just have to question if Boston is really going to lose THREE home games to the Tigers. Anything is possible, but i really think the MLB wants (cue in Whizz!) the Sox in the series, better for ratings. :D

Detroit seems "off" to me, this Prince Fielder is a huge anchor, his body language and his facial expressions indicate to me that he really doesnt care or want to be there and he would be just as happy to go home for the winter. Same with Cabrera, injured or not, he's not "battling" in his ABs..last night he grounded into the DP with first and 3rd and no outs in a crucial situation, the announcers were saying that if anyone loves hitting with 2 strikes, its Cabrera, and yet, there he was, swinging weakly at a bad ball with a 1-0 count......he should have "been cabrera" and waited till he got 2 strikes, wait for your pitch, he swung at the pitchers pitch there, it was a weak try and that, in a nutshell, is why the Tigers are down in the series.

[RXB]

While I agree with much of the sabermatricians theory, they are 100% wrong that an out is an out, and a walk is as good as a hit. Wrong and wrong.

Legit sabermetricians would never tell you that walks in sum are as good as singles in sum. In the long haul, 100 singles ~ 140 walks.

[jballscalls]

Prince seems like he's grounded to second in about 38 straight at bats. Big hole in the middle of the line up right now.

[Stillriledup]

Prince seems like he's grounded to second in about 38 straight at bats. Big hole in the middle of the line up right now.

Guys with "big swings" struggle in the playoffs, its the grinders and the slap hitters who have great success. Also, the other segment of players who have great success on occasion is the 'no names' (think Scott Brosius) because the lineup is SO jam packed with great players (as playoff teams usually are) that the pitcher and scouting report is this "dont walk the 8th or 9th man no matter what" and those guys get meatballs down the pipe and they KNOW they're coming, that's why the guy you never heard of can be a playoff hero.

Prince is a HR hitter and RBI guy, players like that get exposed by scouting reports in the playoffs and this is a perfect example of that.

[MutuelClerk]

Our backup catcher Pena has more RBI in two AB's ( one) then Prince does his last EIGHTEEN games. Prince has packed it in. 4AB's saw only 6 pitches the other night. He's walked over 100 times a season before. You may not value walks but I'll take anything from Fielder right now.

Cabrera is a completely different Hitter. He used to crush the outside pitch. Right center is his power alley. That's when he swung a followed through with only one hand on the bat. now he corkscrews himself into the batter box and swings two handed trying to pull. He can't hit the outside pitch right now and he's crushed it his entire career. WE have the Cy Young award winner in game 6. and maybe the best pitcher on the planet if we get to Game 7. Like they said in Dumb and Dumber......So you're sayin there's a chance..GO GETTEM TIGERS!!!

[elysiantraveller]

Guys with "big swings" struggle in the playoffs, its the grinders and the slap hitters who have great success. Also, the other segment of players who have great success on occasion is the 'no names' (think Scott Brosius) because the lineup is SO jam packed with great players (as playoff teams usually are) that the pitcher and scouting report is this "dont walk the 8th or 9th man no matter what" and those guys get meatballs down the pipe and they KNOW they're coming, that's why the guy you never heard of can be a playoff hero.

Prince is a HR hitter and RBI guy, players like that get exposed by scouting reports in the playoffs and this is a perfect example of that.

A rare time I agree with you. Being able to play small-ball is a big advantage in the playoffs.

[MutuelClerk]

Don't be fooled by Prince's 105 RBI's. He has stunk this year. With the years Hunter and Cabrera had in front of him he gets 105 by accident. His SLG PCT down nearly 100 pts. His divorce has messed with his head. He checked out a long time ago. It's just really magnified in the playoffs.

[RXB]

Guys with "big swings" struggle in the playoffs, its the grinders and the slap hitters who have great success. Also, the other segment of players who have great success on occasion is the 'no names' (think Scott Brosius) because the lineup is SO jam packed with great players (as playoff teams usually are) that the pitcher and scouting report is this "dont walk the 8th or 9th man no matter what" and those guys get meatballs down the pipe and they KNOW they're coming, that's why the guy you never heard of can be a playoff hero.


http://www.captainsblog.info/2012/06/27/are-power-hungry-yankees-better-off-as-bronx-bunters/16248/

Indeed, the data shows that teams reliant upon the home run actually fare better in the postseason than those who don’t... According to Baseball Prospectus’ Ben Lindbergh, of the 132 postseason teams in the Wild Card era (since 1995), the half who were more reliant upon home runs for their scoring, with an average Guillen Number of 40 percent, saw their scoring drop by 18 percent from the regular season to the postseason. The half less reliant upon homers, with an average Guillen Number of 33 percent — and a scoring rate already four percent lower — saw their scoring drop by 27 percent. All told, the homer-reliant teams outscored the less powerful ones by 17 percent in postseason play.

[MutuelClerk]

Peralta out.

Don Kelly in.

Again.

Your witness.

Terrible.

The joke in Detroit area is.....Who bats after Prince fielder?

Boston. :)

[Stillriledup]

Leyland biggest clown in the game, this should have been a 4 game sweep for detroit and Boston is somehow on the verge of winning the series IN SIX

[TheEdge07]

Leyland biggest clown in the game, this should have been a 4 game sweep for detroit and Boston is somehow on the verge of winning the series IN SIX

In baseball managers mean very little..

Ill say a million times in order to win a world series you MUST HAVE
1.bullpen
2.the long ball

Need both

[Stillriledup]

In baseball managers mean very little..

Ill say a million times in order to win a world series you MUST HAVE
1.bullpen
2.the long ball

Need both

I think that managers mean more than meets the eye, they need to know exactly when to make pitching changes, pinch running changes, to bunt or not to bunt and defensive positioning. This is a game of inches, one player one foot out of place can cost a team a game or a series.

[Valuist]

Leyland quits.

[lamboguy]

he's a good man, sorry to hear that. he did a great job putting the Tigers together. he ran into a team that has a good organization and probably the best baseball fans in North America, and i am not one of their fans even though i live here and have season tickets to them for the last 40 years. i haven't been to a game since 1978.

[MutuelClerk]

Good man. I agree. Good manager? I disagree. good luck to him. hope he quits smoking.

[MutuelClerk]

This has to be just a terrible day for Don Kelly baby. Good.