Game 2 Recap

Minnesota Twins 3 (1-1) -Detroit Tigers 2 (1-1)WP: Perkins (1-0, 0.00ERA) LP: Phil Coke (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

Summary:

The Tiger's second gameof the season felt very similar to the first.  The starter, Anibal Sanchezpitched five shutout innings with an elevated pitch count while allowing onlytwo hits and walking three.  He left the rest up to the bullpen with a 2-0lead.  The Tigers were able to push a couple of runs of two outs in thethird inning and fifth innings, both off Miguel Cabrera singles.

Darin Downs relievedSanchez, tossing 1 1/3 innings, striking out three of the five batters he facedand allowing just one run in the seventh when Wilkin Ramirez doubled off BrayanVillarreal to score Trevor Plouffe.  

Tigers 2 - Twins 1 - Endof 7th Inning

Benoit pitched ascoreless eighth inning, getting through the heart of the Twins order: JoeMauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, and Ryan Doumit.  

Tigers 2 - Twins 1 - Endof 8th inning

Benoit started the ninthinning and walked the first batter he faced, Trevor Plouffe.  Leylandbrought in his guy for now, Phil Coke.  Chris Parmalee flew out on onepitch for the first out.  Next up, Brian Dozier fought off a 1-2 fastballfor a single, allowing for runners on the corners.  The next batter,Eduardo Escobar, saw one pitch, a misplaced fastball and hit it to left center,where neither Andy Dirks nor Austin Jackson could get.  Both runnersscored and the Twins walked off with a big win.

Twins 3 - Tigers 2 -FINAL

3 Alpha Cats:

• Anibal Sanchez: He pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, walking three and striking out five.  He wasn't very efficient, but he was effective.  This was a very good start considering in his last Grapefruit start, he allowed nine runs.
• Downs / Villarreal / Benoit: Despite the fact the bullpen gave up one run and Benoit issued the walk in the ninth, they did a good job of shutting down the big bats in the Twins lineup and gave the Tigers a chance to win the game at the end.
• Miguel Cabrera: After going 0-5 in the first game, Cabrera went 2-4, while driving in both Tiger runs with two-outs. 

3 Kittens:

• Phil Coke: He still cannot get right handed batters out. Parmalee, a lefty he retired.  Dozier and Escobar were both right-handed.  Last year, right-handed hitters hit .396 against him (40 for 101) and right handed hitters burned him today too.  Granted it was the bottom of the Twins lineup so I do agree with Leyland's decision to close with Coke.  However, Coke left a couple of very hittable fastballs over the plate and it cost his team the win.  He'll bounce back.
• The Tigers Offense: The Tigers managed seven hits, all singles, and a measly 2 runs against a very average Twins squad.  This team should be scoring more than 2 run with the bats they have.  It's very early in the season and they will warm up in no time.  
• Closer by Committee: This approach will be second guessed each time it fails until the Tigers have a solidified closer.  Tonight for example, Coke could have pitched the eighth to face Mauer and Morneau and Benoit could have closed it out.  But, if that does not work, fans would be asking why didn't Coke close again? It is a battle no one can win.  I think the approach can work, but it will be a hard fought road. 

Tigers claim Evan Reed off Waivers

The Tigers rounded out their 40 man roster today by claiming RHP Evan Reed off waivers from the Miami Marlins. He was assigned to Triple A Toledo and will pitch out of the bullpen.

Reed was drafted in the third round by the Texas Rangers in the 2007 draft. Last year he split time between Double A and Triple A in the Marlins organization. He appeared in 50 games, compiling a 5-4 record and 4.68 ERA. He has spent six seasons in the minors and has yet to appear in the majors. In those six seasons, he has a record of 19-19 with an ERA of 4.09.

At the age of 27, Reed may be a life time minor leaguer thus far, but he'll get his chance to impress. Bullpen depth is never a bad thing to have.

A Look at the Stephen Strasburg Treatment

     This is not Tigers specific, but it certainly is a big topic in baseball these last couple of years. Steven Strasburg being shut down even while the Washington Nationals were making a pennant push last year may have been the very reason they came up short of a World Series appearance last year. The Nationals, with Strasburg coming off Tommy John Surgery, had a innings limit of 160 innings and stuck to it, shutting him down for September and the playoffs after logging 159.1 innings in 2012.

     I will come out and say it right now, I despise the way the Nationals are treating Strasburg.  It seems like they are intending to treat him with kiddie gloves again this year as they pulled him after 7 strong innings and only 80 pitches. By treating him the way high school pitchers should be treated, the Nationals are robbing their fans of what could be one of the most dominant careers by a power pitcher in the last 20 years and the other 24 men on their roster of a chance to win a World Championship. 

Argument 1:

  

     Rick Porcello is five months younger than Stephen Strasburg. Rick Porcello was only treated with kid gloves his first year in the majors when he threw 170 innings and started the infamous game 163 against the Twins in the Metrodome. He was allowed to pitch all the way through the season and they limited his per game pitch count. He also was only 20 years old.  The result, a sub-4 ERA and health throughout the year. If I recall correctly, Porcello never been on the DL in his four year career. He has thrown between 170 and 185 innings in all of his full seasons in Detroit with the only exception being 2010 when he missed out on 4 starts as he was reassigned to Toledo to work out some mechanical issues. 

     It should also be noted that Porcello hasn't had a major arm injury, however, Strasburg at the end of 2012 was almost 2 years removed from the injury which means he was fully recovered. At 24 years old, its time for him to be a workhorse and a true ace. The Washington Nationals are claiming him to be their ace, but aren't treating him like it. Porcello has handled a larger work load at a much younger age for multiple years and had no issues. Strasburg needs to be looked at in the same way and even moreso as the team's #1. Time to treat him like a #1 Nats. 

Argument 2: 

     Maybe a better comparison to match Strasburg to is Justin Verlander. Like Strasburg, Verlander came out of college and into the pros with a ton of hype. He also is a power pitcher, just like Strasburg featuring the triple digit fastball and nasty hook. 

     Verlander's first season in the majors, 2006, he was 23 years old. He logged 186 innings. The Tigers monitored him closely during individual starts, but let him make his 30 starts and let him be the star he was becoming. Strasburg was 23 last year, his first year coming off Tommy John so it makes sense that he was on a innings limit of sorts, but to shut him down at the end of the year when his arm was fully recovered makes more sense.  

     Looking to the future for Strasburg, the Nationals should follow the Justin Verlander model.  Since his rookie season, JV has thrown 200 innings plus every season since.  He has never had an arm injury, or even been on the disabled list in his 8 year career.  With Strasburg's arm being healthy and Justin Verlander being the best comparison to him as far as style of pitching, I suggest the Nationals adopt the Tigers' path they've taken with Verlander

Conclusion: 

     If this year's season opener for Stephen Strasburg is an indicator for what we can expect to make, it is a huge mistake by the Nationals for a two main reasons:

     Reason number one is that Stephen Strasburg is going to grow tired of the kiddie treatment the team gives him.  Last season he expressed his displeasure about being shut down about every opportunity he got.  Continued treatment almost ensures that as soon as Strasburg is eligible for free agency, he's gone. Every pitcher wants to be allowed to control their game and throw 120 pitches a la Verlander. Pitchers always go out with the intention of giving the bullpen a day off and Strasburg is no different. He also has the talent and ability to do this frequently. Not giving him the opportunity to do that would most definitely force him to consider free agency.  This would be a huge blow for a franchise that would do well to keep him and Bryce Harper for the remainder of their careers. 

     The second reason is that by not allowing Strasburg to be a perennial 220 IP/season pitcher severely diminishes their chances of bringing a World Series to the nation's captiol. Pitching deep into games saves bullpens down the stretch in September when fighting for a playoff spot and also while in the playoffs when being able to stetch the pen is a huge advantage for managers. Secondly, by having an ace, like Strasburg, that can be in full form late into October can quickly make a best of five series or a best of seven series a whole lot shorter. Pitching is what wins in October, and the Nats need Strasburg in order to maintain the competitive advantage they would have almost anyone in the game should they face them in the playoffs.

     Nationals, it's time to take the kid gloves off when dealing with Stephen Strasburg. It's time for him to sink or swim. At 25 years of age, he should be able to handle a large workload and high pitch counts. Let him go for it and reap the rewards. 

     

Game 2 Preview

Detroit Tigers (1-0) vs. Minnesota Twins (0-1)

Time: 4:10 EST at Target Field (Fox Sports Detroit, Tigers Radio Network)

Pitching Matchup: Anibal Sanchez (9-13, 3.86 ERA in 2012)
                                        vs.
                                 Kevin Correia (12-11, 4.21 ERA in 2012)

     Game two of this opening series also features a returning member of the Detroit Tigers' rotation taking on a new face to the Twins organization.  Kevin Correia came to Minnesota after spending the entirety of his career to datein the National League. He had a strong start last season for this Pittsburgh Pirates which helped them jump out to seem like NL Central contenders at the All-Star Break, however, like the rest of the 2012 Pirates squad, he fizzled out down the stretch and ended with very average numbers. Correia features an average fastball and good enough secondary stuff to have lasted ten years in the big leagues.  His ground ball and fly ball percentages are about even which sometimes leads to trouble with giving up the home run.  Look for the Tigers to get their first home run of the season off of him on Thursday.
   
     Anibal Sanchez had himself an all around rough spring.  He left camp early on for the World Baseball Classic to be Team Venezuela's number 1 starter. His start in the WBC only lasted one inning and he gave up 2 runs.  He would not be called on again as Venezuela exited in the first round.  Upon returning to Tigers camp this spring Sanchez continued to struggle with consistency. He didn't command the ball well, leaving to many pitches and got knocked around a bit. His command seemed to come around a bit towards the end of spring before getting rocked in his last spring start. Sanchez will look to establish some consistency and tame his spring struggles as he enters into a season of meaningful baseball. It will be interesting to see how he handles a Twins lineup he should be able to handle.

Keys to Victory: 

• Limit the Base on Balls: It is critical for Sanchez to limit the number of walks he allows tomorrow. The weather should be 20 degrees warmer than the opener on Monday, so weather won;t be an excuse for not having a "feel" for the ball which creates control issues. Sanchez would do well to get deep into this game as the Bullpen had to pitch 4 innings Monday, and long man Drew Smyly, threw about 50 pitches which makes him unavailable for game 2.
• Keep the bases clear for Morneau/Mauer/Willingham: Again, like last game, these three are really the only members of a weak Twins lineup that can consistently hurt a pitcher if they make mistakes.  Mistakes happen from time to time, so it's crucial that the bases be clear in front of this trio in order to ensure a mistake doesn't cost the Tigers 2 or 3 runs.

Prediction:

     

     Again, I like the Tigers in this game based on the matchups. I anticipate the Tigers getting their first couple of home runs in an 8-4 victory tomorrow afternoon. Sanchez pitches good enough to get the W and Victor Martinez drives in 3 en route to player of the game honors. 

     As I said earlier, the Twins lineup will be posted as soon as it is released and I have time to update this post! What do you guys see happening, and who do you have as Game 2 player of the game!

Game 1 Recap

Detroit Tigers 4 (1-0) - Minnesota Twins 2 (0-1)
WP: Justin Verlander (1-0,  0.00 ERA) LP: Vance Worley (0-1, 4.50 ERA) 
S: Phil Coke (1)

Summary:
     
     The Tigers struck early for two runs in the top of the first and never looked back. Miguel Cabrera had an RBI fielders choice followed by an RBI double from Prince Fielder that brought Cabrera around to score. In the second, Omar Infante drove in Jhonny Peralta to take a 3-0 lead which seemed to be enough for Verlander.

     Verlander went five scoreless innings, however, he struggled with his command throughout the start and it caused him to have an earlier exit than we're accustomed to seeing out of him. It was plenty good enough though to get the win. Drew Smyly's rough sixth and beginning of the seventh tightened the game up as he allowed 2 runs to score, but Al Albuquerque came on to clean up Smyly's mess in the seventh with the lead still intact. Joaquin Benoit and Phil Coke neatly took care of the last six outs from there with a wild pitch from Minnesota allowing Prince Fielder to rumble home in the eighth with an insurance run and the Tigers prevailed on Opening Day 4-2. 

3 Alpha Cats:

• Alburquerque/Benoit/Coke: These guys provided stellar work in relief providing the final eight outs, four by strikeout, while only allowing two base runners. Phil Coke ended up with the two out save. So far, Leyland's closing committee is one for one. 

• Jhonny Peralta: Jhonny had a good day at the plate going 2-3 with a walk, scored a run, and had a steal(!). He along with Omar Infante helped set the table for sluggers at the top

• Justin Verlander: Although he only lasted 5 innings, and struggled with control, he kept the Twins scoreless while he was on the bump and did what he had to for a win. 

3 Kittens:

• Alex Avila: Really an all around brutal day for the Tigers' backstop today.  In the way only Avila can, he took a battering behind the dish. At the plate he just got battered by Twins pitchers. On the day he went 0-4 and struck out looking with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth.  With the Tigers only up one run, he moved out of the way of a pitch headed at his legs. I have two huge pet peeves that he violated in the same at bat, getting out of the way of a pitch in key situations and taking strike three with runners in scoring position and less than two out. This earns Avila kitten status for the day.

• Drew Smyly: Drew Smyly also had a rough day in relief for the Tigers. I think the disappointment from missing out on a rotation spot, in addition to the cold weather, he came out of the bullpen in shambles and never found his form. He threw 41 pitches of which only 18 were strikes. He never got into a groove and as a result of wildness allowed the Twins to score a couple of runs and get back in the game.

• Miguel Cabrera: Yes, the reigning MVP did have an RBI, but he also went 0-5 with a couple of strikeouts. The reigning triple crown winner had a rough day at the plate, but those will happen throughout the course of the season. Just consider it good that Miggy got an 0-5 out of the way in the course of a Tigers victory

Game 1 Preview

Detroit Tigers (0-0) vs Minnesota Twins (0-0)

Time: 4:10 EST at Target Field (Fox Sports Detroit, Tigers Radio Network)

Pitching Matchup: Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA in 2012)
                                             Vs.
                                    Vance Worley (6-9, 4.20 ERA in 2012)

     Vance Worley is the Twins Opening Day starter pretty much because that's how things worked out coming out of Spring Training. You are welcome to take this as a good indicator of the state of this years' Twins squad. They simply aren't very good. Worley came to them in the offseason in exchange for the Twins sending Ben Revere to the Phillies. Revere is a good riddance because he always managed to play well against the Tigers. 

     There are no secrets about Justin Verlander is anymore. The book is out on him and he still is the best pitcher in the game of baseball. Expect him the Tigers' right hander to maul this Twins lineup. Outside of Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, and Joe Mauer the twins don't have much if a threat in their lines so scoring will be a challenge for them today, especially in the cold.

Lineups:

Tigers:

1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Torii Hunter, RF (11-for-50, 9 K’s at Target Field)
3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
4. Prince Fielder, 1B (1-for-3 vs. Worley)
5. Victor Martinez, DH
6. Andy Dirks, LF
7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Omar Infante, 2B (0-for-6 off Worley)

P: Justin Verlander

Twins:

1. Aaron Hicks, CF
2. Joe Mauer, C (20-for-57, 3 HR, 9 RBIs off Verlander, but 0-for-6 last year)
3. Josh Willingham, LF (1-for-8, 3 K’s off Verlander)
4. Justin Morneau, 1B (2-for-18, 10 K’s off Verlander since 2009)
5. Ryan Doumit, DH (0-for-9, 2 K’s off Verlander)
6. Chris Parmelee, RF (2-for-6, HR off Verlander)
7. Trevor Plouffe, 3B (3-for-15, 5 K’s off Verlander)
8. Brian Dozier, 2B
9. Pedro Florimon, SS (0-for-2 off Verlander)

P: Vance Worley

*Lineups from Jason Beck at MLBlogs

Keys to Victory for Detroit:

• Do NOT pitch to Mauer with men on. Joe Mauer kills Justin Verlander. Weird typing that anyone does, however, Mauer owns a career .351 batting average off JV while slugging at a .561 clip and an OPS over 1.000. It's simple. Don't let Joe Mauer beat you. Not many other Twins can. 
• Get to Worley the second time though the order. It's cold, and the Tigers haven't seen Worley's arsenal yet. He is not a hard thrower by any means with a fastball that maxes out generally around 91-92. He throws some adequate junk with a slider and change. It's reasonable to expect the Tigers to look a little awkward in the box until they figure out Worley, but once they do they must capitalize. The Tigers want to do their damage before they get to the pen of the Twins which might be the strongest part if this club. 
• Don't play a one-run game.  The Tigers would behoove themselves by building a good lead and holding onto it. If this game is a one-run game going into the 9th all bets are off given the Tigers closing situation. Giving the person called on for the ninth some breathing room would be very helpful in getting the man Leyland calls Tim's,am the door a little acclimated to the role. 

Prediction 

     I expect Justin Verlander to go 7 strong innings raking up a fair number of strikeouts while being his normal dominant self. The pen will do just fine and the bars will do enough to make this a comfortable 6-2 Tigers win. I'll go with Miguel Cabrera as player of the game as he collects two hits and 2 RBI. To make it fun, leave your player of the game in the comments!

Waiver Wire: Casper Wells

The Seattle Mariners, as expected, have designated Casper Wells for assignment. Wells is a right handed hitting outfielder. You may remember Wells was part of the package Detroit shipped off to Seattle to acquire Doug Fister.

Seattle has 10 days to trade him, release him or outright him to the minors. If Wells clears waivers, he cannot refuse an assignment to the minors as he does not have enough service time. If Detroit plans on acquiring him, they would need to make a trade or hope for his release.

Should the Tigers go after Wells?

Tough to say. Matt Tuiasosopo earned his spot on the roster after smashing the ball in spring training. In his last 15 games he hit .455 with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 9 runs batted in. But, he is a converted infielder. His defense and instincts in the OF may be a problem.

Detroit fans should remember Wells. He was a solid 4th outfielder before the trade and has fulfilled the same role in Seattle. Last season his hitting production was average but not terrible for a reserve. He hit .228 with 10 home runs and 36 runs batted in. He is also a good defensive outfielder and makes plays.

Verdict

Give Matt Tuiasosopo the shot. He earned it.

What do you think?