Blog Feed: motorcitybengals.com

Down on the Farm: 2012 Tigers Sleeper Prospects

Published on 2012-02-27 23:20:44

Tigers Prospect Steven Moya / photo credit: Roger DeWitt   The Detroit Tigers Minor League Affiliates have officially begun their spring training. The future stars of tomorrow are perfecting their craft on the backfields of Tiger Town. Here at MCB we do our best to stay ahead of the curve with our Down on the Farm series. In addition to covering the top prospects,we strive to cover some of the projectable lower level prospects. Similar to last season, I decided to roll out a list of lower level [..]

Optimism Abounds at Tiger Town

Published on 2012-02-26 20:01:37

Spring training exhibition games start in less than a week, but fans of the Detroit Tigers not fortunate enough to make a trip to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida to catch the club live will have to endure an agonizing wait–until March … [visit site to read more]Optimism Abounds at Tiger Town - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Bobby Abreu and Tigers Make Perfect Fit

Published on 2012-02-26 19:29:05

Bobby Abreu and Tigers Make Perfect Fit - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Another Sad End For Zumaya

Published on 2012-02-26 13:25:30

  Yesterday, it was reported that Joel Zumaya left the mound with a trainer, cutting short a throwing session. Today, we learned why. … [visit site to read more]Another Sad End For Zumaya - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Ex-Tigers Dropping Like Flies

Published on 2012-02-25 23:04:25

  The last 24-hours has been a bit rough for a few ex-Tigers. … [visit site to read more]Ex-Tigers Dropping Like Flies - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

2004 Draft Review

Published on 2012-02-24 11:00:19

A little bit ago, I did a 2003 draft review. Following that dismal season, the Tigers of course had a very high selection in 2004, the 2nd pick overall. It was a pick , given the state of the franchise, that had quite a bit of importance to the … [visit site to read more]2004 Draft Review - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Expect a Bounce-Back Year from Delmon Young

Published on 2012-02-24 09:02:24

As the first full-squad workout takes place for the Detroit Tigers today, the club begins Spring Training with only a few questions about the roster. One of the more glaring is how manager Jim Leyland will use the vacant designated hitter role. There are many who assume Miguel Cabrera will be so poor defensively at third base that Leyland will have no choice but to abandon the experiment and use Cabrera and Prince Fielder in a first base/DH platoon. My guess here, however, is that Leyland will g [..]

Brandon Inge Arrives in Lakeland

Published on 2012-02-23 10:42:40

The great nightmare appears to be over. At long last, and on the day he was scheduled to,Brandon Inge Arrives in Lakeland - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

MCB Prime 9: A.L. Rookie Of The Year Candidates

Published on 2012-02-20 10:48:46

Continuing a series that wasn’t supposed to be a series, I take a look at some upcoming Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2012 season. These are obviously a little tougher to pick, as we don’t know if all of these guys are even going to make … [visit site to read more]MCB Prime 9: A.L. Rookie Of The Year Candidates - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

A Look At Tigers Prospects Let Go

Published on 2012-02-19 19:25:39

A Look At Tigers Prospects Let Go - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Projecting The West Michigan Whitecaps Position Players

Published on 2012-02-19 10:11:43

Having recently took a look at the potential starting rotation for the Whitecaps, I didn’t want to take too long before I got to the rest of the team. Projecting rosters is always difficult, but a little fun as well, and should be interesting to see … [visit site to read more]Projecting The West Michigan Whitecaps Position Players - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Will Cy Verlander Regress?

Published on 2012-02-18 16:00:29

As all Detroit Tigers fans are well aware, Justin Verlander‘s almost completely unstoppable performance last season won him the AL Cy Young award (as well as MVP). His 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts were worthy of a unanimous vote, the first such distinction since Johan Santana was a 2006 unanimous winner. But with such dominance over the league last year, there’s certainly no way he can get better, right? … [visit site to read more]Will Cy Verlander Regress? - Motor [..]

Ranking the AL’s Super Six: Rotations

Published on 2012-02-18 05:00:28

The Super Six of the American League have been established. Everyone knows who they are. An underdog challenger may surface–the Cleveland Indians, maybe–but for now, the teams to take seriously in the AL are the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, … [visit site to read more]Ranking the AL’s Super Six: Rotations - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Projection Series: CF Austin Jackson

Published on 2012-02-17 13:02:24

Over the next few weeks, I will review Tiger players by position and try to project, using modern day baseball metrics, their expected performance for the upcoming season. Like John Verberg’s Prospect Series, this should be a fun exercise that … [visit site to read more]Projection Series: CF Austin Jackson - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Projecting the West Michigan Whitecaps Rotation

Published on 2012-02-17 12:40:06

As spring training approaches quickly, the major league roster isn’t the only thing that will be taking shape. Guys will be trying to prove themselves across the organization, in hopes to get that aggressive promotion and to impress the Tigers front … [visit site to read more]Projecting the West Michigan Whitecaps Rotation - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Charlie Furbush Turns in Non-Disaster Start

Published on 2011-07-05 05:57:40

It wasn’t a quality start for Tigers southpaw Charlie Furbush, but it could have been a heckuva lot worse. Furbush, who made his first career start Monday night in Anaheim, threw only 65 pitches in 4.2 innings. He fanned six Angels batters and

Fans Unhappy that Knapp was Only Coach to Go

Published on 2011-07-04 05:41:23

When the general manager stepped into Jim Leyland’s office after the game on Sunday, you knew something was up. Dave Dombrowski delivered the news that the organization had just parted ways with their pitching coach, Rick Knapp. Knapp leaves

Down on the Farm: The Best and Worst Pitchers of June

Published on 2011-07-04 05:00:08

Lakeland Flying Tigers pitcher Kenny Faulk / photo: James Chipman   The month of June is officially in the books, bringing us to yet another monthly prospect report. Following the same outline as before, I will highlight the previous months be

Struggling Ryan Raburn Saves the Day

Published on 2011-07-03 22:47:28

For my first post to MCB, I could dazzle you with any number of captivating topics surrounding the Detroit Tigers right now.  What do I chose from: the starters flounder while Rick Knapp takes the bullet; Alex Avila overcomes a near half million v

Get Well Soon Al Al

Published on 2011-07-03 03:00:32

Alburquerque’s first game on the DL ended in a Tigers loss on Friday night, due in large part to a failure on behalf of the bullpen (and a fortuitous snag of a Boesch liner, but that isn’t the topic at hand here). The Tigers bullpen has b

AA-Erie Sending Four to the 2011 Eastern League All-Star Game

Published on 2011-07-02 20:48:22

The AA-Erie SeaWolves will be sending four players to the 2011 Eastern League All-Star Game in Manchester, New Hampshire on Wednesday, July 13th. Jacob Turner, Chance Ruffin, Francisco Martinez and Justin Henry were all rewarded with an invite due to

Down on the Farm: Tigers Sign 16-Year-Old Adelin Santa

Published on 2011-07-02 19:28:41

The Tigers signed 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Adelin Santa for $750,000 yesterday. Ben Badler of Baseball America had this to say about Santa. Santa, a 16-year-old from Santo Domingo, is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound righthanded hitter who stands out

At the (second) Quarter Pole: The Starters

Published on 2011-06-30 07:50:05

The first part of the season featured some pretty solid starting pitching. At least every time through the rotation, the starters made a positive impact on the game. That hasn’t been the case of late. Besides Justin Verlander, the second quarte

At The (Second) Quarter Pole: The Bullpen

Published on 2011-06-30 05:00:00

We have reached the halfway point in the Tigers’ season, and it’s time to do our second quarterly review. We’ll kick this off with the bullpen, about which we were more than a little concerned about after the first quarter. 40 games

Tigers Option Schlereth, Recall Villarreal, Thomas in Limbo

Published on 2011-06-30 00:13:28

In the wake of the Tigers latest drubbing at the hands of the New York Mets, manager Jim Leyland announced a roster move. Optioned to Triple-A Toledo was left hander Daniel Schlereth and recalled to take his place was right hander Brayan Villarreal.

MCB Testing New Commenting System

Published on 2011-06-28 16:46:38

The wonderful folks at Fansided are always looking for ways to improve and one of the biggest complaints we’ve gotten is about our commenting system. Well, your cries have not fallen on deaf ears, my friends. This new system should allow us to

Destiny in Our Own Hands

Published on 2011-06-28 15:09:32

The only team that the Detroit Tigers need to be concerned with at this point in time is the Detroit Tigers. If they continue playing good baseball, the Tigers should run away with this weakened AL Central division. Winners of 31 of their last 50 gam

Down on the Farm: Danry Vazquez Begins His Journey to the Show

Published on 2011-06-28 14:26:10

Danry Vazquez has officially begun his journey to the show. In July of 2010 the Tigers spent $1 million on the highly touted 16 year-old Venezuelan outfielder. The projected five-tooler is finally playing stateside for the first time in his young

Down on the Farm: Guillen Returns to Game Action

Published on 2011-06-27 21:09:25

Over the weekend our very own Chris Hannum discussed the return of Carlos Guillen. Monday evening Guillen began his rehab stint with the Advanced-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. … [visit site to read more]

Down on the Farm: Crosby Off DL, Simons Released

Published on 2011-06-27 18:33:58

After a brief stint on the disabled list Casey Crosby was recalled earlier today. Earlier this month Crosby found himself on the DL with a strained left rotator cuff. In 12 starts this season Crosby is 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA. Crosby has racked up 55 s

Brad Thomas Update

Published on 2011-06-27 16:38:20

Rehabbing southpaw Brad Thomas turned in a 1-2-3 eighth inning in today’s 7-2 win for Toledo over Louisville. Included in his inning was a pair of strikeouts, both coming against left handed batters in Juan Francisco and Yonder Alonso. John W

Carlos Guillen Heads To Lakeland

Published on 2011-06-26 11:53:59

Now this might complicate things a bit (or wind up being completely irrelevant):  Carlos Guillen begins his rehab assignment in Lakeland tomorrow.  There are, of course, plenty of questions: starting with ‘for how long?’ and ending with

Rapid Reactions: Verlander Continues to Amaze

Published on 2011-06-25 21:34:10

Amazing. That’s the word Tigers catcher Alex Avila has been using to describe right hander Justin Verlander. That’s the word he picked again tonight after catching JV’s latest gem. Eight innings, four hits, no runs and a career-hi

So… How About That Kelly Johnson?

Published on 2011-06-25 01:13:55

I’m sure this is going to get me a lot of negative feedback: Diamondbacks second sacker Kelly Johnson went hitless in the Tigers shocking (from my perspective, and probably Phil Coke’s as well) 7-6 loss last night and is having possibly t

The Detroit Tigers 2003 Season: Was it Worth It?

Published on 2011-06-24 16:05:07

Justin Verlander is having that kind of season where there really isn’t much to be said that hasn’t already been. The stretch he has been on is the kind of special treat that requires no words, just sit back, relax and enjoy. I was reflec

Perry Up, Wilk to AAA-Toledo

Published on 2011-06-22 23:11:19

(Robin Buckson/The Detroit News)   Shorty after the Tigers defeated the Dodgers on wednesday Jason Beck reported that Ryan Perry would join the team for their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. … [visit site to read more]

No Way, Jose? Perhaps We Should Think Again

Published on 2011-06-22 13:54:02

Late this morning, Ken Rosenthal penned a piece foretelling of the possible end of the Jim Leyland era in Detroit. Lost in the piece, almost as a throw away line, Rosenthal mentioned a handful of other Tigers that would be on the way out as well. Rig

The Pure Power of Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera

Published on 2011-06-22 10:48:23

ESPN’s HitTracker is an incredibly fun data center for fans of the long ball. This site shows you the “standard distance” of home runs, but also the “true distance”, which calculates how far a ball would have gone if not

Daniel Schlereth and the Four-Seam Fastball

Published on 2011-06-21 13:27:26

Last night, while Tigers left hander Daniel Schlereth was avoiding the strikezone at seemingly any cost, Rod Allen began discussing that in his previous outing, Schlereth had been throwing harder. According to Allen, Schlereth told him that while war

Rapid Reactions: Kershaw Dominates Tigers

Published on 2011-06-21 00:04:11

We don’t get to see a lot of guys like Clayton Kershaw, but I sure won’t miss seeing him face the Tigers. This guy is like a left handed Justin Verlander. Well, except that Kershaw can hit a little bit, too. His two-run single gave in

Tigers Put Lefty-Bashing Reputation To The Test

Published on 2011-06-20 19:33:43

In a couple of hours the Detroit Tigers will begin game one of a three game series in the smoldering mess of Dodger stadium (you know, fires, beatings and an inability to make payroll). They will be going up against Clayton Kershaw, a genuine ace, on

Indians Name Former Tiger as Hitting Coach

Published on 2011-06-20 14:54:14

The Cleveland Indians stand alone in first place in the AL Central once again, thanks to winning three straight from Pittsburgh over the weekend while the Tigers dropped two of three in Colorado. That recent string of games wasn’t enough to sav

Down on the Farm: Flying Tigers Impressive in the 50th FSL All-Star Game

Published on 2011-06-20 01:54:11

  Saturday evening the Florida State League held it’s 50th All-Star Game at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fl. With the weekend off, I had the opportunity to make the two hour drive to the beautiful stadium.  The Lakeland Flying Tigers

Coke Gives Up 4 In 5, Could’ve Been Worse

Published on 2011-06-19 12:52:19

As you may have already come to realize, Coors Field is a tough place to pitch and an easy place to hit. It inflates everything, including your ability to drop singles into the outfield or shoot them between infielders. The Tigers haven’t yet w

Down on the Farm: Prospect Crosby Moved to 7 Day DL

Published on 2011-06-19 10:51:11

  photo:David Heck/ErieSeaWolves.com   Yesterday the Erie SeaWolves moved Casey Crosby to the 7-day disabled list. Moments later it was announced that Crosby had strained his left rotator cuff. Neither the severity of the injury or timetab

MCB Prospect Recap: Jacob Turner’s ERA Dips Back Below Three

Published on 2011-06-18 10:32:36

  Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collecti

Did You Catch This Detroit Tigers Content on Detroit Jock City?

Published on 2011-06-17 21:59:16

Detroit Jock City, FanSided’s new local Detroit hub, officially launched yesterday. Did you bookmark the new site and add it to your web browsing routine yet? If not, here are a couple Tigers-related recommendations to get you going with DJC: &

This Time Is Different

Published on 2011-06-17 17:56:42

Bob Wojnowski made an interesting observation in his column for the Detroit News today: the Tigers had exactly the same record (38-31) after 69 games in 2010. In his opinion, the existence of Victor Martinez will be enough to allow the Tigers to main

Applause for Jim Leyland

Published on 2011-06-17 10:54:25

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said following yesterday’s win over Cleveland that he plans to start catcher Alex Avila at third base tonight in Colorado. With interleague play upon us again, the Tigers must do something to keep both Avila a

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Reclaim Sole Possession of First

Published on 2011-06-16 16:26:36

Max Scherzer was anything but sharp today. While his final line … [visit site to read more]

Tigers Approach To Rotation Depth Looking Smart

Published on 2011-06-16 13:30:21

We’re far enough along in the season that it can be interesting to look back at what folks thought about a team in the blogosphere or the mainstream media, to compare expectations to reality.  I remember reading a thoughtful and well-written p

Brandon Inge to Begin Rehab Stint

Published on 2011-06-16 09:56:36

Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge will begin a rehab assignment with … [visit site to read more]

The Last, Greatest Post About Austin Jackson & BABIP: Part 4 – Variance

Published on 2011-06-15 22:18:05

This one is, in fact, the last of the series – attempting to uncover why it is that BABIP is thought of as a less ‘reliable’ skill by statheads, to the extent of alleging that BABIP is really just luck in disguise, and whether BABIP

Tigers’ Verlander Might Be Best in Baseball

Published on 2011-06-15 09:00:31

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the FSD broadcast team have as much fun in the booth as they did last night. While they didn’t mention it until after Cleveland’s Orlando Cabrera singled up the middle with one out in the eighth

Down on the Farm: Chance Ruffins’ Hat is Running out of Real-Estate

Published on 2011-06-15 06:35:07

photo by: Thao Nguyen/American-Statesman     In February I completed a prospect profile on reliever Chance Ruffin. Ruffin was the 48th overall pick in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Tigers. The most random yet amazing tidbit of

The Last, Greatest Post About Austin Jackson & BABIP: Part 3: BABIP Projectability

Published on 2011-06-14 15:19:02

We have pretty much settled on the idea that Austin Jackson has one skill (in a statistical sense) and that skill is a high batting average on balls in play.  Not only did he lead the league in BABIP last year as a rookie, but his career minor leagu

Down on the Farm: Ryan Perry Quietly Putting in Work

Published on 2011-06-14 12:00:20

  On May 27th 2011, Ryan Perry was optioned to AAA-Toledo to make room for Andy Oliver. The Tigers first round selection of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft posted a 12.19 ERA in 10 1/3 innings for the Tigers. He was walking nearly a batter

Down on the Farm: Austin Wood is Grindin’

Published on 2011-06-14 01:00:39

Detroit Tigers Prospect Austin Wood photo:MySanAntonio.com       Back in April I did a piece on three recovering SeaWolves pitchers that could make an impact for Erie this season. Casey Crosby has been outstanding this season and Cody

Drew Smyly Named FSL Pitcher of the Week

Published on 2011-06-13 19:26:45

Detroit Tigers Prospect Pitcher Drew Smyly photo: Mark LoMoglio/MiLB.com   Earlier today Drew Smyly was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. In his third start since returning from the disabled list Smyly dominated the Daytona Cub

Magglio Returns to Lineup Tonight, Indians Shuffle Order

Published on 2011-06-13 15:14:15

Although Tigers manager Jim Leyland was non-committal was approached on the subject last night, he has seen fit to insert right fielder Magglio Ordonez into the starting lineup for this evening’s game with Tampa Bay. The Free Press broke the ne

Rapid Reactions: Taylor Swift Sucks, Detroit Tigers Don’t

Published on 2011-06-11 22:26:19

Tigers 8, Mariners 1 (box score) Matt and I went to the game tonight which meant we had to deal with the increased traffic, understaffed eateries and general annoyance that came along with a Taylor Swift concert at Ford Field scheduled for the same n

The Last, Greatest Post About Austin Jackson & BABIP: Part 1 – BABIP Throughout The Ages

Published on 2011-06-11 14:00:50

Exhibit A:  Austin Jackson is a man of his era. If you take a look at the career leaders in BABIP, at least among those guys who had at least 1000 career plate appearances to their names, you’ll see a lot of currently active players.  Of cour

MCB Prospect Recap: Brantly and Castellanos Pound the Ball in the MWL

Published on 2011-06-11 09:05:09

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection o

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Can’t Scratch Out Enough Offense, Fall to M’s

Published on 2011-06-10 21:14:03

Mariners 3, Tigers 2 (box score) Brad Penny gave the ball club a pretty good start — 7.0 IP with only three runs allowed — but the bats didn’t back him up. The Tigers could only manage five hits and two runs, both of which came on a

Scared to Death of What Happens Next

Published on 2011-06-10 14:34:44

I’ll admit it; I’m worried. I haven’t been this uncomfortable with the Tigers for as long as I can remember, at least not in this way. This weekend will be filled with three more Tigers/Mariners games before we’ll find out wh

Down on the Farm: The Best and Worst Batters of May

Published on 2011-06-09 21:19:05

The future third-baseman for the Detroit Tigers NICK CASTELLANOS had an amazing month of May for the West Michigan Whitecaps. photo:JAYRC The month of May is officially in the books, bringing us to yet another monthly prospect report. Following the

Rapid Reactions: Justin Verlander is a Good Pitcher

Published on 2011-06-09 20:34:07

Tigers 4, Mariners 1 (box score) Both starting pitchers lasted through eight innings, but while

Alma College Remembers former Detroit Tigers Outfielder Jim Northrup

Published on 2011-06-09 17:30:34

The news of Jim Northrup’s death has brought a number of articles recalling his time as a Tiger, particularly his heroics during the 1968 series. Rather than rehash what can be found there I thought I would bring to your attention a video tribu

MCB Seeking Writers

Published on 2011-06-08 11:43:38

The Motor City Bengals writing staff has undergone three expansions since May of last year, adding a total of four writers to their ranks during that period. Now, the widely-read Tigers blog is looking to expand again. Coming off a … [visit sit

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Beat Rangers, Clinch Third Straight Series

Published on 2011-06-07 22:20:51

Tigers 8, Rangers 1 (box) The win brings the Tigers’ road record to .500, it gives them three consecutive series wins, and it makes 11 wins in the last 15 games. Their current record puts them on pace for 89 wins. Not too much to say about the

Magglio’s Return Delayed, Schlereth on Hot Seat

Published on 2011-06-07 10:18:35

Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez is pretty much all set to return to the lineup. He’s spent the past four days on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo and the plan was to have been to activate in time for tonight’s game. That timetabl

Down on the Farm: Q&A with Rob Brantly

Published on 2011-06-07 02:35:23

Photo: John T. Greilick / The Detroit News   Last month I did a small piece about the early season production from our prospect catchers. The article highlighted the growth and development of the Tigers young catchers. An organization that was o

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Use Long Ball to Steamroll Rangers

Published on 2011-06-06 22:43:22

Tigers 13, Rangers 7 (box) Texas starter

Down on the Farm: The Best and Worst Pitchers of May

Published on 2011-06-05 21:23:38

SURPRISE! Prospect Jacob Turner turned in yet another successful month of baseball down on the farm. photo: Erie SeaWolves The month of May is officially in the books, bringing us to yet another monthly prospect report. Following the same outline as

Rapid Reactions: Ryan Raburn Put it on the Board

Published on 2011-06-05 16:35:26

Tigers 7, White Sox 3 (box score) Pitching around one of this season’s best hitting catchers to face a guy hitting .199 is a sound decision. Ryan Raburn made Ozzie Guillen pay for that decision in a big way with his fourth inning grand slam. Pl

The Summer Of Raburn May Have Already Begun

Published on 2011-06-05 14:38:08

Don’t look now, but Ryan Raburn as a 5-game hitting streak… After Raburn’s grand slam today, he’s 3 for 10 in the month of June with only a single strikeout to his name.  During his 5-game streak he’s 5 for 18 with 2 Ks

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Bounce Back To Top White Sox

Published on 2011-06-04 21:51:20

Tigers 4, White Sox 2 (box)

MCB Prospect Recap: Martinez, Fields, Brantly Get it Done at the Plate

Published on 2011-06-04 12:08:57

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection of s

Rapid Reactions: Oliver Struggles, Tigers Fall to White Sox

Published on 2011-06-03 22:16:42

White Sox 6, Tigers 4 (box)

Low-A and Advanced-A All-Stars Announced

Published on 2011-06-03 21:38:41

            Recently the Mid-Season All-Stars were announced for both the Mid-West League and Florida State League. … [visit site to read more]

Tigers Place Brandon Inge on DL, Recall Santos

Published on 2011-06-03 13:46:13

The Detroit Tigers announced today that third baseman Brandon Inge was … [visit site to read more]

Down on the Farm: Duane Below

Published on 2011-06-03 06:14:08

  DUANE BELOW photo: THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT   BACKGROUND: Duane Below was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th-round of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The 6′ 3″ southpaw is a starting pitcher in the Tigers farm syst

What the Motor City Bengals Staff and Adam Dunn Have in Common

Published on 2011-06-02 12:42:10

We don’t usually toot our own horn around here but we’re now two months into the 2011 baseball season and there is just something bubbling inside of me that I can’t suppress any longer. In truth, I’m quite proud of the entire

Al Alburquerque on Pace for Historic Season

Published on 2011-06-02 09:51:01

The Tigers bullpen has been pretty good of late. Part of that, as far as I can tell, is due to the removal of both Brad Thomas and Ryan Perry. In their stead, newcomers David Purcey and Charlie Furbush have both been outstanding. Part of that is th

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Make it Nine Straight Over Twins

Published on 2011-06-01 21:46:47

Tigers 4, Twins 2 (box) It was a good (not great) start by Rick Porcello. He threw 60% of his pitches for strikes, which isn’t the worst ratio ever, but he seemed to pitch into too many hitters counts. He walked three hitters, again not the wor

AL All-Star Balloting Lacks Tigers

Published on 2011-06-01 15:04:17

Major League Baseball unveiled the first on what will be weekly updates on the all-star balloting today. Toronto’s Jose Bautista leads all vote getters with over 1.2 million votes, but as one might expect, there is a distinct Yanks/Sawks feel t

Magglio Ordonez Nearing Return

Published on 2011-06-01 14:46:53

The Tigers announced yesterday that injured starter Phil Coke will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Friday. Today, the club announced that Coke will have some help in paying for the post-game spread. Magglio Ordonez, sidelined for t

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Hold Off Lowly Twins

Published on 2011-05-31 21:37:33

Tigers 8, Twins 7 (box) I’m about ready for Max Scherzer to stop giving up a billion and a half home runs every time out. It was nice to see that the walks were kept in check, but the home runs are killing me. Charlie Furbush entered the game a

Former Tiger Scot Drucker Heads East

Published on 2011-05-31 20:36:52

Tigers Trot Out Sunday Lineup Tonight

Published on 2011-05-31 15:29:11

The Tiger take on Twins left hander Brian Duensing tonight, but the lineup sure doesn’t look like one that should strike fear into his heart. Until you look a little closer anyway. Duensing comes into the game tonight with a 2-5 record and 4.83

Down on the Farm: Casey Crosby is Climbing the Prospect Rankings…Again

Published on 2011-05-30 06:17:20

  Casey Crosby missed the entire 2008 season due to Tommy John Surgery. In 2009, his only injury-free season, Crosby posted a 2.41 ERA in 24 starts, while averaging better than a strikeout per inning for the West Michigan White Caps. In 2010, th

Down on the Farm: Drew Smyly Returns From the DL

Published on 2011-05-29 08:55:37

The Case of Brandon Inge and the Missing Home Runs

Published on 2011-05-29 01:00:48

It’s no secret that Brandon Inge hasn’t been pulling his weight on offense this year.  The problem is so pronounced that we have seen Don Kelly (he of the noodle bat) getting more PT at 3rd, and fans applauding.  So what exactly is our

MCB Prospect Recap: Castellanos Contines Hot May

Published on 2011-05-28 22:34:20

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection of s

What Do You Do With A Problem Like Ryan Raburn?

Published on 2011-05-28 15:38:47

And to that I have no answer, just a poll. A brief introduction, then follow through the jump to get your vote in. Ryan Raburn, though one might get the impression that he is a ‘young guy’ is actually a 30-year-old with a pretty decent tr

Rapid Reactions: Red Sox Take Season Series Over Tigers

Published on 2011-05-27 20:51:00

Red Sox 6, Tigers 3 (box) Not a good start by

Scott Sizemore Traded to Oakland

Published on 2011-05-27 16:33:58

This moves comes as a surprise, to me at least. The Detroit Tigers today traded second baseman Scott Sizemore to Oakland in exchange for reliever David Purcey. Sizemore was hitting .222 with four RBI in 17 games with the Tigers after being recalled o

Don’t Look Now, But White Sox Gaining Ground

Published on 2011-05-27 09:37:27

The American League Central was supposed to be a three-team race. Early in the season, the standings have been quite the shock to most pundits. With Cleveland and Kansas City running in front for most of the year, while Detroit has hovered in the mid

Wilk Gets It Done, Perry & Gonzalez Do Not

Published on 2011-05-26 16:11:53

As I write this, the Tigers and Red Sox are delayed by rain in the middle of the eighth inning. If the gods of baseball are merciful, this game will not be resumed – as the Tigers chances of coming back from 13 runs down are no greater than the

Down on the Farm: Francisco Martinez Heating Up

Published on 2011-05-26 13:56:51

3B Francisco Martinez at-bat for the Advanced-A Lakeland Flying Tigers last season.

Baseball Prospectus Backs Leyland’s Decision to Pull Porcello

Published on 2011-05-26 08:10:50

I was very surprised that there was any debate about this, actually, but some Tigers fans believe that Jim Leyland’s decision to pull Rick Porcello in the ninth inning in favor of Jose Valverde last Sunday was the wrong move. I’m not sure if oppo

Alex Avila and Winning Games You Shouldn’t

Published on 2011-05-25 09:54:14

Sometimes, if you are going to be a good ballclub, you have to win games that you probably shouldn’t win. Last night in Detroit, the Tigers won a game in which Justin Verlander allowed six earned runs in just six innings of work, a game that sa

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Defeat Rays in Circus-like Affair

Published on 2011-05-24 21:42:56

Tigers 7, Rays 6 (box) There were errors, there were home runs, there was an inside the park out. Matt Joyce went 3-4 with a homer, and got hurt twice. J. Peralta squared off against J. Peralta. Justin Verlander allowed six earned runs, but the bullp

Kirk Gibson Turns Instruction into Humor

Published on 2011-05-24 19:42:09

Former Tiger, and current manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kirk Gibson tried giving his club a demostration in bunting and running to first but ended up providing more comic relief. Check out the … [visit site to read more]

Adam Wilk Won’t Be Here Long

Published on 2011-05-24 16:09:27

FSD play-by-play man Mario Impemba got this nugget from Tigers manager Jim Leyland and then tweeted it to the masses: Clipped from: twitter.com (share this clip) If this holds true, it means the Tigers would have risked losing right hander Robbie Wei

Jose Valverde is Poor When the Game’s Not on the Line

Published on 2011-05-24 05:00:19

Jim Leyland brought Jose Valverde into the game to pitch the ninth inning last night. The Tigers were ahead 6-1 at the time. Perhaps he didn’t have time to get another pitcher warmed up — the Tigers lead 2-1 heading into the bottom of the

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Finally Score, Win Second Straight

Published on 2011-05-23 21:55:52

Tigers 6, Rays 3 (box) What an offensive outburst! The Tigers had scored three runs or fewer in each of their last eight games coming into the evening. The last time they had surpassed three runs was on May 11 in a 9-7 win over Minnesota. They were 3

MCB Visits PNC Park

Published on 2011-05-23 16:14:30

Friday night, my wife asked about our weekend plans. I mentioned that the Tigers game wouldn’t be on TV thanks to those jerks on Big Fox claiming the broadcasting window. Seeing as how I have wanted to see Pittsburgh’s ballpark since it o

Furbush Can’t Save The Bullpen

Published on 2011-05-22 01:22:03

The Tigers bullpen is in sad shape. Though they’ve only blown four save opportunities, a 4-9 record and last in the league WHIP and ERA make the Tigers’ faithful extra glad that relievers have been needed so rarely.  The bullpen can̵

MCB Prospect Recap: Jacob Turner Continues to Dominate in AA

Published on 2011-05-21 12:00:15

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection of s

Charlie Furbush Officially Recalled By Tigers

Published on 2011-05-21 09:49:52

We had the word that was coming for a few days now, but per a tweet by the Toledo Mud Hens, the move is official. Clipped from: twitter.com (share this clip)   Charlie Furbush has been dominant in AAA Toledo. His ERA sits at just 2.91 in 46.1 in

Rapid Reactions: Losing Streak Continues as Pirates Thrash Tigers

Published on 2011-05-20 21:19:54

Pirates 10, Tigers 1 (box score)

Pitching to Contact is Probably Not the Answer for Justin Verlander

Published on 2011-05-20 10:00:32

Ever since Jack Morris made the comments about Justin Verlander “enjoying strikeouts” too much and needing to get quicker outs, I’ve been uncomfortable. I was pretty sure that the last thing Justin Verlander needed to do to get bett

Pittsburgh Pirates Can’t Beat MLB Teams, Take On Bar Owner Instead

Published on 2011-05-20 07:30:39

I found this story to be quite amusing. No other MLB team has lost as many games as the Pirates have since 1992, and apparently that’s a touchy subject. A local Pittsburgh bar named the “Stroll Inn” began advertising a promotion in

Poll: Should Interleague Play Stay Or Go?

Published on 2011-05-20 03:00:13

The Tigers begin interleague play tonight as they travel to Pittsburgh for a three game set with the Pirates. We heard Jim Leyland speak negatively about interleague play earlier this week. His mini-rant against the meeting of the two leagues drew pl

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Lose to Red Sox in the Bottom of the Ninth

Published on 2011-05-19 21:32:14

Red Sox 4, Tigers 3 (box score) First of all, great start by

Rapid Reactions: Offense Doesn’t Support Phil Coke

Published on 2011-05-18 21:58:47

Red Sox 1, Tigers 0 (box) The Tigers had four extra base hits tonight, but couldn’t scratch out even one … [visit site to read more]

Scouting Clay Buchholz

Published on 2011-05-18 14:31:53

The Tigers begin a two-game series with the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park. Here’s the scoop on Boston starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, who takes the ball tonight to face Detroit. You may remember Clay as the guy who threw a no-hitter in his

Pre-Series Q&A with BoSox Injection

Published on 2011-05-18 13:30:45

I had a chance to catch up with Derek Stykalo, a Red Sox blogger with BoSox Injection, for a (very) little Q&A session. He was kind enough to answer my outsider perspective questions on the Boston Red Sox. Check out my questions and his answers

SERIES PREVIEW: Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers

Published on 2011-05-17 22:49:36

    Damn, I wish Porcello was pitching this series! The Detroit Tigers (22-19) visit bean town for a two game series against the Boston Red Sox (21-20). The Red Sox are 12-9 at home this season and 7-3 in their last ten games. The Tigers ar

Tigers and Blue Jays Postponed Due To Rain

Published on 2011-05-17 20:28:42

After two hours of rain and no sign of relief on the weather radar, Tuesday’s game between the Tigers and Blue Jays was postponed. This was supposed to be the only time the Blue Jays came into Comerica Park, but they’ll return on Monday J

Ryan Raburn Through the Years

Published on 2011-05-17 11:36:54

As Jay wrote earlier, Ryan Raburn has given us a typical Ryan Raburn first quarter. That means he’s been consistently inconsistent, and downright disappointing. But can Raburn’s past give us any insight into what we can expect in the imme

At the Quarter Pole: Tigers Outfielders Mediocre at Best

Published on 2011-05-17 06:28:50

Ryan Raburn is an Awesome Outfielder! *Note Sarcasm Photo: BYB Game-thread   Hey….it’s report card time or um progress report time! Either way, I’ve been assigned the duties of grading the Tigers outfielders. So those of you d

At the Quarter Pole: Tigers Infield Leads the Offense

Published on 2011-05-17 05:00:17

Yesterday, Zac offered up grades on the Detroit Tigers starting pitchers, John rated the bullpen, and Chris took on the management. Later on, Jay will chime in with his grades of the outfielders. So make sure to check back as we round out the grades.

Rapid Reactions: Offense, Bullpen Let Scherzer Down

Published on 2011-05-16 21:00:18

Blue Jays 4, Tigers 2 (box)

Tigers Attendance Lagging

Published on 2011-05-15 17:48:37

You may remember hearing a few weeks back about the Tigers strong early attendance, bucking a negative trend for the league as a whole and strong season ticket and package sales. As of mid-April, attendance was indeed quite a bit above last years lev

Fan Gets Creative After Running on the Field

Published on 2011-05-15 17:41:00

Television broadcasts never show the chase that ensues when fans run on the field. The policy is in place so that these law-breakers don’t get the full attention they seek by hopping the rails. It’s just as well, the chase is often short

Down on the Farm: Top Catching Prospects Producing Early

Published on 2011-05-15 06:23:22

Rob Brantly / Photo:Detroit News Draft strategies typically revolve around simply selecting the best player available. Last year the Tigers drafted highly touted catchers Rob Brantly and Bryan Holaday early. While the selections may have been a mere

Rapid Reactions: First Inning Runs are Enough to Beat Royals

Published on 2011-05-14 17:35:00

Tigers 3, Royals 0 (box) Jeff Francis looked to be on the ropes early when the Tigers used five first inning hits to push across three early runs. The … [visit site to read more]

MCB Prospect Recap: Young Hitters Bust Out

Published on 2011-05-14 10:20:14

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on throughout the year. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection of s

Rapid Reactions: That Verlander Guy is Good

Published on 2011-05-13 21:01:54

Tigers 3, Royals 1 (box score) I doubt anything more can be said about

Magglio Ordonez Hits the DL, Andy Dirks Heading North

Published on 2011-05-13 14:13:25

Anyone that has watched Magglio Ordonez bat this year has been able to tell that his ankle is still bothering him. Ordonez has shown very little power and routinely grounded … [visit site to read more]

SERIES PREVIEW: Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers

Published on 2011-05-12 22:10:08

Fresh off a solid 5-1 road trip, the (20-18) Tigers square off against the (20-17) Kansas City Royals in Comerica Park. The Royals just took two of three from the Yankees in New York–improving their road record to 5-9. Nearly tied for second pl

MCB Blogging Brothers Podcast: We’re Almost to the Quarter Pole

Published on 2011-05-12 19:42:47

The off-day has provided me an opportunity to spend some time with Matt to talk over the Tigers season so far. We started by discussing the possibility that Alex Avila lands a spot on the AL All-Star team and meander our way from … [visit site

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall… The Minnesota Twins Are The Luckiest Of Them All

Published on 2011-05-12 16:11:53

Bet you never would have guessed. For a little off-day statistical thought exercise I decided to calculate out a version of ‘third-order wins’ for all of the teams in the majors to see who had been the most ‘lucky’ in a statis

(Not So) Rapid Reactions: Tigers Win See-Saw Affair To Sweep Twins

Published on 2011-05-11 22:10:37

Tigers 9, Twins 7 (box) Move

No News is Bad News for Joel Zumaya

Published on 2011-05-11 14:05:48

Tigers right hander Joel Zumaya underwent exploratory surgery on his ailing right elbow on Tuesday and according to Tigers Head Trainer Kevin Rand, there are still no answers as to what has caused the lingering pain in the joint. Zumaya, who shattere

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Roll Over Twins

Published on 2011-05-10 23:28:34

Tigers 10, Twins 2 (box) The Twins are in a very bad place right now. They’re last in the AL in hitting … [visit site to read more]

Drew Butera and Dombrowski’s Genius

Published on 2011-05-10 20:24:53

Watching the Twins miserable spring has provided me with a not-too-uncommon moment as a Tigers fan:  admitting to myself that Dave Dombrowski might make a better GM than I would.  There are basically no moves that he has ever made about which I was

John Farrell’s Move Backfires in Tigers Rout of Jays

Published on 2011-05-10 09:38:46

Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow had it working last night. Well, at least through three innings. He had looked every bit as good as he can when he’s on, and this is a guy who last year threw a one-hit, 17-strikeout shutout against the Rays. Th

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Hand Toronto a Beating

Published on 2011-05-09 21:40:15

Tigers 10, Blue Jays 5 (box) Brandon Morrow was dealing through three innings. He entered the fourth having already recorded five strikeouts while only allowing one hit and one walk, but then the wheels fell off. Brennan Boesch lead off the inning an

No-hitters, Raburn’s D & Other Statistical Errata

Published on 2011-05-08 14:16:17

In the midst of all this euphoria over Verlander’s no-hitter and this season’s magic moment – don’t forget the batters! The Tigers scored 9 runs, took some pressure off JV and made sure the outcome was never in doubt. Oh, and

What They’re Saying About Justin Verlander’s Second No-Hitter

Published on 2011-05-08 10:58:18

Clipped from: mlb.sbnation.com (share this clip) … [visit site to read more]

Nothing Surprising About Justin Verlander Throwing Another No-Hitter

Published on 2011-05-07 22:24:34

Sure, it’s easy to say Justin Verlander’s second no-hitter isn’t surprising now that he’s actually thrown another. That being said, it really doesn’t surprise me. I was at Comerica Park for Verlander’s start agains

Justin Verlander Twirls Second Career No-Hitter

Published on 2011-05-07 18:09:02

The Tigers offense contributed nine runs in support of their ace today at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

David Wright Trade Idea is Delusional

Published on 2011-05-07 09:37:45

Yesterday, Lynn Henning took up the case to make a trade for Mets third baseman David Wright. I’m not sure what this says about Henning, but I had read the same idea hours earlier over at Bleacher Report, a site known for it’s outlandish

The Sports Pages: Jake Peavy, Eric Hosmer, and Anthony Young?

Published on 2011-05-06 11:36:20

“I always turn to the sports pages first, which records man’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” – Earl Warren The big news in the past 24 hours is that Kansas City has brought top prospect Eric Hosmer up from

Down on the Farm: The Best and Worst Pitchers of April

Published on 2011-05-06 06:50:42

Lakeland Flying Tigers Prospect Cole Nelson/photo: JAYRC April is officially in the books and our prospects have finally provided us with a decent size of data to chat about. At the beginning of every month I will highlight the previous months best

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Take Finale Versus Yanks

Published on 2011-05-05 15:19:38

Detroit 6, New York (AL) 3 (box) Rick Porcello battled through a long, difficult third inning but otherwise was very impressive in holding the Yankees to two earned in seven innings today. That’s four straight strong starts for Porcello and six

Poll: Austin Jackson Riding Pine, Who Should Be Hitting First?

Published on 2011-05-05 11:44:58

Today’s lineup was greeted with a predictable amount of eye rolling (in the virtual world, of course) when fans started seeing that Don Kelly is in the lead off spot. In case you missed it, here is today’s lineup: Kelly 8, Sizemore 4, Boe

Rapid Reactions: Max Scherzer Dominates Yankees

Published on 2011-05-04 20:56:27

Tigers 4, Yankees 0 (box) I posted about Max Scherzer and his troubling secondary numbers earlier in the day, but he certainly stepped up his game tonight. He finished with nine strikeouts and only two walks in eight innings, and didn’t allow t

On Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Expectations

Published on 2011-05-04 15:06:33

I happened across an MLive.com article by David Mayo last night, and while there were several things in it that I disagreed with, one point stuck out to me in particular. The cold fact about the Tigers is that, excluding relievers, only four players

Joel Zumaya Going Back Under the Knife

Published on 2011-05-04 13:36:45

News broke this afternoon that Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya will indeed … [visit site to read more]

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Snap Losing Streak

Published on 2011-05-03 21:18:58

Tigers 4, Yankees 2 (box) We can all take a deep breath right now and take a look around. We’re all still here. Hopefully the world will stop ending in the Tigers’ corner of the internet and we can all think and interact rationally again.

2010 Scott Sizemore was Bad, But September Scott Sizemore was Good

Published on 2011-05-03 10:00:28

We really appreciate receiving comments on our articles. It is fun when a post turns into an opportunity for a discussion and comments can even serve as inspiration for a post. This post comes as a result of the following comment received on yesterda

When Twitter Goes Bad

Published on 2011-05-03 09:04:33

One of the great things about social networking is that so many of today’s athletes have taken to using it and interacting with fans. By and large, the fans that I have seen have been nothing but gracious and supportive of the athletes they fol

Tigers Recall Scott Sizemore, Option Will Rhymes

Published on 2011-05-02 22:13:26

Tigers manager Jim Leyland wanted to make it a point to talk about Will Rhymes, the second baseman optioned out to Toledo after tonight’s loss. Rhymes got caught in a numbers game, Leyland said, and no one is blaming Rhymes for the poor offensi

Tigers Drop Seventh Straight

Published on 2011-05-02 21:43:11

I don’t have the patience to hash out the details of this game. The end result is what I have come to expect from the Tigers these days, and a performance by the starting pitcher that has become all too familiar as well. Justin Verlander is the

Tigers, Twins, Sox Digging Deep Holes

Published on 2011-05-02 19:35:54

As it stands today, Cleveland has moved to the #2 spot in MLB.com’s power rankings, with the best record in the American League.  The heavy favorites before the season started, all of them, Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago are far behind.  The

Down on the Farm: The Best and Worst Batters of April

Published on 2011-05-02 03:12:51

April is officially in the books and our prospects have finally provided us with a decent size of data to chat about. At the beginning of every month I will discuss the last months best and worst prospects briefly to keep you the reader advised. I pl

Don Kelly Hits 3rd, Jim Leyland Declared Genius

Published on 2011-05-01 19:46:44

Sure, that headline is a bit tongue-in-cheek – but the point is serious. Magglio Ordonez went 0-6 in the 3 hole on Saturday, so there was nowhere to go but up. As we have discussed at great length, Jim Leyland’s modus operandi is to give

Just Wait �Til They Come To Detroit

Published on 2011-05-01 15:19:54

Few things are worse, as a Tigers fan, than watching the seemingly inevitable loss in Cleveland. These Indians were awful last year, yet somehow the Tigers managed to lose 8 of 9 in Cleveland. Every time it seems like I’m watching Major League

Doom and Gloom From a Dismal Scientist

Published on 2011-05-01 00:24:48

The month of April has reached an end, and a significant number of important Tigers have underwhelmed at the plate.  Is this a sign of things to come?  It should be no secret to readers of this blog that statistical performance is dominated by vari

Stretch Break: Brennan Boesch

Published on 2011-04-30 18:09:39

Is this actually the same batter that we saw last year, and that the Tigers developed all these years?  I for one, expected nothing whatsoever from Brennan Boesch this year – but I have been impressed (and downright amazed) by how he has perfo

MCB Prospect Recap: Oliver and Turner Get Hit Around, Furbush Shines

Published on 2011-04-30 03:00:29

Here’s your weekly report on some of the top prospects in the Detroit Tigers system. Week of April 23-29, 2011 Andy Oliver – LHP (AAA – Toledo Mud Hens) This Week: 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 3 SO, 4 BB, 1 HR, 5 ER Season: 4 GS, 22.2 IP, 25 SO, 10 BB, 2

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Blow 3-Run Lead Versus Tribe

Published on 2011-04-29 21:19:41

Indians 9, Tigers 5 (box) SCHERRRRRZERRRRR! (with exasperation) — Max was incredibly effective until the seventh inning. A solo shot, a walk, and a two-run bomb changed the complexion of the game. The quality of Scherzer’s start went from

Tigers Banking that the Book Holds True for Magglio Ordonez

Published on 2011-04-29 08:49:42

Seattle’s Michael Pineda made a lot of Tigers look silly at the plate yesterday, but perhaps none had a more disappointing day than former batting champ Magglio Ordonez. Magglio’s 0-for-4 included three strikeouts and a weak ground ball t

SERIES PREVIEW: DETROIT TIGERS vs CLEVELAND INDIANS

Published on 2011-04-28 20:50:52

Fresh off a sweep by the Seattle Mariners, the (12-13) Detroit Tigers travel to Cuyahoga County to take on the division leading (16-8) Cleveland Indians for a three game series. The Tigers have lost three in a row and are 5-5 in their last ten game

Tigers Attempt To Save Face Versus Mariners

Published on 2011-04-28 11:30:15

I don’t think you’re every in a “must win” sutuation in April, but nobody wants to get swept by the Seattle Mariners. That’s what the Tigers are trying to avoid this afternoon. Here’s the lineup for the 1:00 PM sta

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Forget They’re Facing Mariners

Published on 2011-04-27 21:24:21

Mariners 10, Tigers 1 (box) The Mariners have scored seven or more runs four times this year. Three of those games were against the Tigers (who they’ve played five times). Ryan Raburn isn’t very good in the field (captain obvious, I know)

Don’t Free Scott Sizemore

Published on 2011-04-27 01:00:29

Or: At Least Know What You’re Getting Into if You Do. Scott Sizemore is killing the ball right now in AAA. Through 17 games and 66 plate appearances, he’s hitting .411/.500/.554 (AVG/OBP/SLG). So it’s no wonder that, with Will Rhyme

Rapid Reactions: King Felix Slays the Tigers

Published on 2011-04-26 21:09:22

Mariners 7, Tigers 3 (box) Ryan Raburn is going to catch a lot of flack for the second inning home run that he “helped” over the fence, but it wasn’t his fault. He was attempting to make an extremely difficult catch and just couldn&

A Wacky and Zany (but Reasonable) Playoff Expansion Proposal

Published on 2011-04-26 16:01:15

It appears that a ten team playoff is all but set for the 2012 season. Most experts seem to be under the impression that the two wild card teams in each league will square off in a one-game playoff with the winner advancing into the �series’ roun

Series Preview: Detroit Tigers vs Seattle Mariners

Published on 2011-04-26 06:21:32

  After sweeping the Chicago White Sox the (12-10) Detroit Tigers host the (8-15) Seattle Mariners for a three game series. The Tigers are on a four game win streak and are 7-3 in their last ten games. The Mariners are 4-6 in their last 10 games

Detroit Tigers Trivia

Published on 2011-04-25 12:06:16

We haven’t given out over $20,000 in prizes over the last year but that doesn’t mean we can’t team up with a group that has. Motor City Trivia and Glass City Trivia bring quality trivia entertainment to a host of locations throughou

Alex Avila’s Success is Just a Mirage

Published on 2011-04-25 09:06:13

When Tigers catcher Alex Avila began the season 1-for-10 with four strikeouts, there was a lot of chatter (including some by yours truly) that the Tigers could pick up more offense by using Avila less and allowing the DH role to be given to one of th

Bullpens of the AL Central

Published on 2011-04-24 20:07:24

If anybody remembers the AL Central season’s retrospectives I posted back when the weather was equally cold and wet but leaves were falling rather than sprouting, you’ll remember that I labelled the 2010 Tigers’ chief failings relat

Around the Central: Tigers Sweep Sox, Twins Sweep Tribe

Published on 2011-04-24 17:02:54

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy seeing the White Sox not just beaten, but dominated, in Detroit.  The series is over, Tigers 3-0 in the game and 3-0 in the series.  Over three games, the Tigers allowed only 3 runs and scored 21.  Our bigge

The Detroit Tigers and Playoff Expansion: Friends or Foes?

Published on 2011-04-24 14:49:04

Expansion of MLB playoffs to ten teams or beyond has been bandied about for a while now, but Selig has as much as said it is ‘inevitable’, not this year but probably next.  The biggest reason seems to be loud and persistent grumbling fro

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Take Series Over ChiSox

Published on 2011-04-23 18:51:51

Tigers 9, White Sox 0 (box) The White Sox do not appear to be a very good fielding team. An error by Juan Pierre and a misplay by Alex Rios in the 4th lead to a huge inning for the Tigers. They’ve committed the fourth most errors in baseball an

Down on the Farm: Drew Smyly Shut Down

Published on 2011-04-23 15:51:55

Early today, Mark Anderson–TigsTown.com Managing Editor –reported that last seasons second round draft pick Drew Smyly has been shut down. As of right now there is no news exactly why he has been shelved. However, it is worth noting that

MCB Prospect Recap

Published on 2011-04-23 10:29:48

Here at MCB, we’ve thrown together a list of ten Detroit Tigers prospects that we’re going to follow and keep you updated on. This isn’t meant to supplant your favorite prospect list, it’s merely meant as a collection of some

Rapid Reaction: Verlander Reaches Milestone, Tigers Back to .500

Published on 2011-04-22 22:01:30

Tigers 9, White Sox 3 (box) I’ll admit it, I considered the possibility that Justin Verlander had no-hit potential as early as the second inning. Carlos Quentin took care of that when he turned on a 3-2 fastball that JV left up in the zone. In

A DIPS View of the Tigers Starting Rotation

Published on 2011-04-22 12:28:19

I really enjoy looking at DIPS (defense independent pitching statistics) numbers for pitchers. I think they give a good look at how the pitcher has actually pitched without worrying too much on the outcomes. Some folks find it hard to buy into the id

The Sports Pages: Charlie Furbush Tosses One-Hitter, Plus the Links

Published on 2011-04-22 09:39:16

“I always turn to the sports pages first, which records man’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” – Earl Warren The Toledo Mud Hens split a doubleheader with Indianapolis last night, winning the first game 6-0 b

Offday Musings: Free Agency

Published on 2011-04-21 13:12:58

I was reading something recently that got me a little bit irritated, and you’ll never guess what it was:  the ‘Boston Red Sox Offseason in Review’ on MLBTR.  Why so irritating?  For starters, they’ve got our draft pick.  A

If Ryan Raburn at Second, Why Not Scott Sizemore?

Published on 2011-04-21 11:02:47

Before giving Ryan Raburn his second start at second base yesterday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was looking to add “a little thump” to the lineup. Will Rhymes has been struggling at the plate and Raburn’s versatility provide

Down On The Farm: Q&A With Zach Simons

Published on 2011-04-21 06:32:28

Zach Simons came to the Detroit Tigers organization in the Jason Grilli trade in April of 2008 from the Colorado Rockies. Drafted in the second round of the 2005 first year player draft, Simons was born and raised in Glenns Ferry Idaho, a town with a

Poll: Porcello’s Pitching Performance

Published on 2011-04-20 17:37:45

Tigers 3, Mariners 2 (box) There was a lot to like about the Tigers’ victory over the Mariners today, most notably the performance of Rick Porcello. He finished with a line of 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K and got the win.

Enrique Gonzalez Outrighted to Toledo

Published on 2011-04-20 13:49:45

The corresponding roster move in conjunction with Ryan Perry‘s activation from the disabled list was announced this afternoon and as we had speculated, it was Enrique Gonzalez getting the boot. Gonzalez was not designated for assignment however

Down on the Farm: Gustavo Nunez

Published on 2011-04-20 01:00:50

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Gustavo Nunez made his debut in the Detroit Tigers farm system back in 2008. That season he split 58 games between the Gulf Coast League and Advanced-A Lakeland. The following season Nunez had a breakout season in

Detroit Tigers Trivia

Published on 2011-04-19 15:02:21

We haven’t given out over $20,000 in prizes over the last year but that doesn’t mean we can’t team up with a group that has. Motor City Trivia and Glass City Trivia bring quality trivia entertainment to a host of locations throughou

Tigers Went West, Paws Went East

Published on 2011-04-19 13:16:24

The Tigers headed west for Oakland but that doesn’t mean their mascot, Paws, was just sitting at home. What does a mascot do when the team isn’t around? Apparently go to a birthday party for a fellow mascot, the Phillie Phanatic in this c

Rapid Reactions: Finally Some Runs!

Published on 2011-04-19 01:11:03

Tigers 8, Mariners 3 (box) The eight runs didn’t all come via pure offensive production, the Mariners pitching and defense helped out a bit. One Tiger run scored when the left fielder couldn’t cleanly scoop the ball off the grass, and two

Down on the Farm: Ryan Perry Rehab Update

Published on 2011-04-18 23:40:30

Detroit Tigers reliever Ryan Perry was placed on the disabled list earlier this month due to a corneal abrasion in his left eye. Perry was recently assigned to AAA-Toledo and  is eligible to return from the DL on Wednesday, April 20th. In his first

MCB User Manual: Prospect Profiles

Published on 2011-04-18 17:57:39

I hope you’ve been enjoying the Jay’s minor league coverage as much as I have. Having a man on the ground in central Florida for spring training and the ensuing minor league season at Tiger Town definitely adds a wrinkle to our coverage t

Series Preview: Detroit Tigers vs Seattle Mariners

Published on 2011-04-18 06:16:32

The (7-9) Detroit Tigers visit the Emerald City for a three game series against the (5-11) Seattle Mariners. Finding bright spots in a Mariners squad whose offense has managed to score just 52 runs in pretty difficult. As a team Seattle has hit jus

Wait, WHO is Leading the Central???

Published on 2011-04-17 14:30:52

The Indians and Royals both won again yesterday, to rise to 10-4.  They beat some good pitchers to do so, with the Royals getting to Felix Hernandex and the Indians knocking the stuffing out of Jeremy Guthrie.  As I write this, the Indians lead the

Austin Jackson Back in Lineup, Struggles Again

Published on 2011-04-17 13:42:18

The box score will tell you that Austin Jackson had an RBI in Oakland last night, but don’t let that fool you.  It was another poor showing at the plate, and he’s still hitless since Tuesday.   Worse still, he looked tentative to me, t

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Drop A Downer Versus The A’s

Published on 2011-04-16 23:28:13

Athletics 6, Tigers 2 (box) Just not a fun game to watch. The offense was quiet for most of the game, and the pitching became shaky after Verlander’s solid first three innings. Magglio Ordonez rejoined the lineup, and picked up a hit (1-4), but

How Leyland is Using His Bullpen

Published on 2011-04-16 17:58:46

Managing a bullpen is a balancing act. You need to find everyone work, you need to plan ahead to find the platoon advantage, but really, all you’re trying to do is win the game (or, perhaps, get through a blowout without burning any of your 

Brennan Boesch, Miguel Cabrera Lead Tigers to Offensive Awakening Late

Published on 2011-04-16 09:50:30

I could write three posts dedicated to how well Rick Porcello pitched last night. He found himself in trouble on multiple occasions and he found a way to get a groundball or a strikeout almost every time he needed one. It was easily his best outing o

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Make it Back-to-Back Wins in Oakland

Published on 2011-04-16 00:47:08

Tigers 8, Athletics 4, 10 innings (box) It ended up 8-4, but it was actually 1-1 after nine innings. Kind of a weird game. It was a much better result for Rick Porcello tonight. 6 innings, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 ER. He worked in and out of some trouble early,

Far Too Early to Count Out Twins

Published on 2011-04-15 13:50:13

The Minnesota Twins have spent the better part of the last decade outperforming expectations. It is far, far too soon to count them out for this year already. News came down this morning that all-world catcher Joe Mauer will spend the foreseeable fut

Rapid Reactions: Tigers Take Game One Out West

Published on 2011-04-15 00:56:24

Tigers 3, Athletics 0 (box) West coast trips always seem hard on the Tigers, but it was good to see them start off this one on the right foot tonight. Phil Coke was pretty darn good for his second start. I’ll admit that I didn’t think the

Series Preview: Detroit Tigers vs Oakland Athletics

Published on 2011-04-13 23:17:02

The Detroit Tigers (5-7 ) visit the west coast for a four game series against the Oakland Athletics (6-6 ). SERIES PITCHING PREVIEW: Thursday, April 14, 10:05 PM ET, Oakland Coliseum Phil Coke, LHP 0-2, 4.00 ERA Career stats VS Gio Gonzalez, LHP 2

Tigers Walk-Off a Winner on Inge’s Blast

Published on 2011-04-13 15:47:02

It took 12 games, but the Detroit Tigers finally won a series. And they did it against the reigning AL Camps, who just so happened to have the league’s best record this season as well. Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge caught a hanging slider

Free Stuff from MCB

Published on 2011-04-13 11:12:56

One of the really cool things about this gig is that I get contacted frequently by people wanting to partner up with my site in order to help promote their own products. This process usually entails me checking out the product and offering a link to

Detroit Tigers Trivia

Published on 2011-04-11 20:52:06

We haven’t given out over $20,000 in prizes over the last year but that doesn’t mean we can’t team up with a group that has. Motor City Trivia and Glass City Trivia bring quality trivia entertainment to a host of locations throughou

Miguel Cabrera Can’t Do it Alone

Published on 2011-04-11 14:57:34

The Detroit Tigers lost the opening game of a three game set to the Texas Rangers today in large part because the hitters couldn’t solve the Rangers’ pitching. While Justin Verlander was tremendous today, Rangers right hander Alexi Ogando

AL Central Week in Review

Published on 2011-04-11 11:36:06

The talented writers of the FanSided AL Central teams have put together a comprehensive detail on the happenings of each of its member clubs over the past week. Wally Fish of Puckett’s Pond is hosting this week’s recap, which can be found

Series Preview: Detroit Tigers vs Texas Rangers

Published on 2011-04-10 18:40:11

For the third series in a row the Detroit Tigers (3-6) managed to win just one game. The Tigers have dropped to three games below .500 and are quickly digging themselves a deep hole. The Texas Rangers, who are a Major League best 8-1 come to town to

Down on the Farm: Casey Crosby Gets Clobbered By The Curve

Published on 2011-04-10 17:03:25

A few days ago, I discussed three recovering arms in AA-Erie to keep an eye on this season. While Austin Wood has already logged an inning of scoreless ball, today Casey Crosby began his return from the disabled list. Unfortunately today Crosby poste

Sizing Up the Central After 8

Published on 2011-04-10 01:55:10

I said to myself before yesterday’s game began that if the Tigers couldn’t win this one, the season would have gotten off to a disappointing start. And so it went. Regardless of what happens today, the Tigers will be under .500 going into

Down on the Farm: Three Recovering Erie Arms to Keep an Eye On

Published on 2011-04-09 19:02:53

Unfortunately last season three promising pitching prospects in the Detroit Tigers organization lost their seasons to injury. All three injuries were different, the results however were the same. The journey to the show would be put on hold for Cas

Seventh Inning Job Wide Open for Tigers

Published on 2011-04-09 08:04:38

For the second time in three days the Detroit Tigers have lost a key member of their bullpen. This time, with left hander Phil Coke set to make his first start of the season, the change was anticipated. That won’t mean it will be easier to ha

Mismanaging the Bullpen: A Look at Leverage Index

Published on 2011-04-08 11:11:33

I’m not going to berate Jim Leyland for the use of Brad Thomas to begin the seventh inning (even though I think it was a poor choice in a high leverage situation). He was down a man in the bullpen because Ryan Perry had just been placed on the DL a

Jacob Turner Dominates In AA Debut

Published on 2011-04-07 20:20:02

It was opening day across the minor leagues today, and that meant the first start of the season for top Tiger prospect Jacob Turner. He’s still only 19 years old (until May 21), but that didn’t stop the organization from plugging him in a

Jim Leyland Rolls out B-Squad for Finale Against Orioles

Published on 2011-04-07 15:03:44

It’s an annual rite of being a Tigers fan to second-guess the lineups that Jim Leyland runs out there. Leyland is famous (or infamous, rather) for his “Sunday Lineups” in which he gives regular guys a day off for seemingly no good r

Ryan Perry Disabled, Tigers Recall Robbie Weinhardt

Published on 2011-04-07 14:14:07

The Detroit Tigers made their first roster move of the season this afternoon when they place reliever Ryan Perry on the 15-day disabled list with an infection in his eye. The move is retroactive to April 5 meaning that Perry could re-join the club on

In Which I Eat a Healthy Amount of Crow Thanks to Alex Avila

Published on 2011-04-07 04:00:49

You see? This is why people shouldn’t make rash, sweeping statements after all of four games have been played. Yesterday, I said that I agreed that Brennan Boesch should be in the lineup on a regular basis, but that the at bats he receives shou

About That Whole Ryan Raburn as an Everyday Player Thing

Published on 2011-04-06 14:29:49

Kurt of Bless You Boys spent some time this morning discussing the Brennan Boesch situation. More accurately, discussing the idea that Jim Leyland will put the lineup out there that gives him the best chance to win each day, as Leyland has stated, an

Detroit Tigers Trivia Coming to Motor City Bengals

Published on 2011-04-06 10:00:30

We haven’t given out over $20,000 in prizes over the last year but that doesn’t mean we can’t team up with a group that has. Motor City Trivia and Glass City Trivia bring quality trivia entertainment to a host of locations throughou

Rick Porcello: This Year and Last

Published on 2011-04-05 12:35:40

No single Detroit Tigers pitcher will be picked apart this year as much as Rick Porcello. After a “good” rookie year and a “bad” sophomore season many (most) fans were left wondering if Rick would ever turn into the guy were p

The Sky Isn’t Falling… Yet

Published on 2011-04-05 08:47:06

It’s been a pretty rough start for the Detroit Tigers. After allowing 11 home runs to the New York Yankees in the season’s first three games, Detroit fell victim to the long ball once again in Baltimore yesterday. The 5-1 loss dropped the

On Boesch’s Big Day

Published on 2011-04-04 10:11:58

The Tigers escaped from New York by salvaging the final game of the opening series of the season with a 10-7 victory on Sunday. Miguel Cabrera connected with a pair of two-run homers, but the biggest reason for the Tigers success was the perfect day

Detroit Tigers vs Baltimore Orioles: Series Preview

Published on 2011-04-04 00:14:53

The Detroit Tigers (1-2) visit Camden Yards this week to square off against the Baltimore Orioles (3-0). That’s not a typo, the Orioles are fresh off a series sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays. A win for the O’s on Monday would make them 4

Musings on Jim Leylands Lineups

Published on 2011-04-03 13:45:25

Or: What makes a ‘tough righty’ tough? John has already addressed the questionable start for Alex Avila on opening day against ‘tough lefty’ C.C. Sabathia. Will Rhymes got the start too, Leyland seemingly determined to go with

Penny Shelled, Tigers Drop To 0-2

Published on 2011-04-02 23:31:06

To be frank, this is nothing entirely unexpected. To start the season on the road against the Yankees is, in all likelihood, to start the season in a bit of a hole. I wouldn’t have been unsatisfied, before this series began, to get out of it wi

Minor League Rosters Taking Shape

Published on 2011-04-02 10:31:21

I don’t think they’re quite official yet, but the rosters of the full-season squads are taking shape. The roster of the Erie SeaWolves only lists 14 players, but the others all list at least 25 guys, so I’m guessing those are more o

Revisiting the Opening Day Loss

Published on 2011-04-01 14:56:43

With now close to 24 hours to digest the first game of the 2011 season, I’ve realized that there are a few more things to discuss here. First there’s Justin Verlander‘s pitch count. He tossed 114 pitches in his inaugural start yes

Tigers Done-in by Old Friend, Drop Opener to Yankees

Published on 2011-03-31 15:33:04

Detroit 3, New York 6 (box) Curtis Granderson was a fan favorite in his days in the Old English D. With his go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning today, Granderson is doing his best to remove all those happy memories. With the score tied at 3-

Opening Day

Published on 2011-03-31 10:49:42

As I sit at my computer and scour the internet for stories this morning, I feel an almost unnerving calmness. My morning routine went better than usual, which is saying something considering I have four children ages five and under to get ready to go

Welcoming Opening Day, Ernie Harwell Style

Published on 2011-03-31 08:17:01

Happy Opening Day!

MCB Predictions are Set in Stone!

Published on 2011-03-31 05:00:55

We’ve each had a chance to submit our fearless predictions for the upcoming baseball season and it is time to set them in stone. After the season we will give one point for each correct pick and add it all up to see whose predictions came close

Series Preview: Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

Published on 2011-03-30 15:52:15

The Detroit Tigers begin the 2011 season on the road against the New York Yankees. Andrew from Yanks Go Yard was kind enough to discuss this opening series with me and share a six-pack of questions. Series Pitching Preview: Thursday 1:05 pm RHP Justi

Tigers in NYC, At Risk of Snake Bite

Published on 2011-03-30 15:47:02

Zac Snyder has already addressed the rainy forecast for New York over the next week, perhaps the rain is a blessing in disguise for the Detroit Tigers and their fans. As most of you are no doubt aware, the Bronx Zoo has recently misplaced a venomous

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 1 Day

Published on 2011-03-30 04:00:59

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turnerfor Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Rook

Prediction Time! or Everyone Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t I?

Published on 2011-03-29 16:23:29

This week at Motor City Bengals, we will be going on the record with our season predictions. Over the course of the week, each MCB staff member will “Put Up Or Shut Up” with their thoughts on how the MLB season is going to play out. Once the seas

Max Scherzer’s Poor Spring

Published on 2011-03-29 08:53:38

Much of the chances for success for the Tigers this year are pinned on having elite-level starting pitching from the first two starters. Justin Verlander has been, by and large, one of the best right handers in all of baseball since joining the rotat

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 2 Days

Published on 2011-03-29 04:00:09

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turnerfor Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Rook

Motor City Bengals’ MLB Season Predictions: Matt Snyder

Published on 2011-03-29 00:00:31

This week at Motor City Bengals, we will be going on the record with our season predictions. Over the course of the week, each MCB staff member will “Put Up Of Shut Up” with their thoughts on how the MLB season is going to play out. Once the seas

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 3 Days

Published on 2011-03-28 16:29:01

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turnerfor Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Rook

Fearless Predictions for 2011, Born of Ignorance

Published on 2011-03-28 02:00:32

In the American League, the Rays fall off just enough (though they won’t be awful) to be uncompetitive in their division.  The Yankees almost miss the playoffs, but don’t in the end.  As much as I want the Tigers to win the Central, thi

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 4 Days

Published on 2011-03-27 17:09:23

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Roo

You Can Take Part in the 2011 Community Playing Time Forecast

Published on 2011-03-27 16:00:32

Every year Tom Tango, author of “The Book”, uses the “wisdom of the crowd” to forecast player playing time. The results of this survey will be used as inputs to his Marcel the Monkey (Marcels) player projections for the year.

Attacking the Central From the Right Side

Published on 2011-03-27 02:16:20

Mark Buerhle, John Danks, Francisco Liriano

Motor City Bengals’ MLB Season Predictions: JAYRC

Published on 2011-03-26 19:13:44

This week at Motor City Bengals, we will be going on the record with our season predictions. Over the course of the week, each MCB staff member will “Put Up Of Shut Up” with their thoughts on how the MLB season is going to play out. Once the seas

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 5 Days

Published on 2011-03-26 13:00:33

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Roo

Motor City Bengals’ MLB Season Predictions: Zac Snyder

Published on 2011-03-26 05:00:54

This week at Motor City Bengals, we will be going on the record with our season predictions. Over the course of the week, each MCB staff member will “Put Up Of Shut Up” with their thoughts on how the MLB season is going to play out. Once the seas

Despite Rough Spring, I Expect Big Things From Ryan Perry

Published on 2011-03-25 18:40:14

It has been a rough March for the flame-throwing, late inning reliever Ryan Perry. However, Spring Training numbers are sometimes a bit misleading. It is a small sample size of data and pitchers are often working on things. Not that I am making an e

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 6 Days

Published on 2011-03-25 16:27:48

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Roo

Porcello Roughed Up in Tigers Loss to the Nationals

Published on 2011-03-24 23:03:28

Thursday evening-in a rare night game-the Detroit Tigers lost to the Washington Nationals 5-2. BOX Notes after the jump…. ON THE BUMP: Last night Rick Porcello was hit hard and often. Sadly, he never really found a groove and departed after o

Worth, Wells, and the Handedness Problem

Published on 2011-03-24 17:38:59

The Tigers mauled lefties last year, and they looked set to do it again this year – no matter what decisions are made regarding reserves. Even with Granderson leading off (and honestly, why did it take Leyland so long to figure out that he coul

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 7 Days

Published on 2011-03-24 11:01:19

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Roo

Down on the Farm: My First Impression of Nick Castellanos

Published on 2011-03-23 20:45:05

Nineteen year-old Nick Castellanos was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the first round–44th overall–of the June First-Year Player Draft. He decided to snub the University of Miami and sign with the Detroit Tigers for $3.45 million. That

Scherzer solid in Minor League Game vs Astros

Published on 2011-03-23 16:05:19

Today was a rare off day for the majority of the remaining Detroit Tigers still in camp.  However, Max Scherzer was pitching on a practice field behind Joker Marchant Stadium in a minor league game against the Houston Astros. What exactly is that li

Forbes Values Detroit Tigers at $385 Million

Published on 2011-03-23 13:34:04

Well Tigers fans, let’s hope the final standings make the Tigers look a lot better than the organization’s valuation according to Forbes. $385 million is a lot of money but it places the Tigers as the 21st most valuable MLB franchise. The

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 8 Days

Published on 2011-03-23 06:00:24

15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts by Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Franchise Playoff Appearances 11 Days: Number of Tigers Rookie Debuts i

Who Should Hit Second For Detroit?

Published on 2011-03-23 01:05:35

Note that I didn’t write ‘who will hit second’, it looks pretty certain to be L’il Will Rhymes.  But that’s just Jim Leyland, and what does he know about filling out a lineup card, am I right?  So the question is:  if

Down on the Farm: Sleepers to Keep an Eye on this Season

Published on 2011-03-22 18:03:16

Minor League camp is now officially in session. We are now less than a month away from the beginning of the regular season for the Detroit Tigers Minor League Affiliates. I have composed a list of the “sleeper prospects”–in no parti

Tigers Announce Starting Rotation

Published on 2011-03-21 16:04:59

There wasn’t much regarding the starting rotation that was in question during camp for the Detroit Tigers this year. We have long since known the names of the five starting pitchers. Today, we learned the order in which those men will take the

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 10 Days

Published on 2011-03-21 13:33:41

We’re continuing the countdown to opening day with only ten days remaining. Here’s a look at the topics that the countdown has addressed so far: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Tiger Cards Released with the Top

Second Base Opening Remains Unclear for Detroit Tigers

Published on 2011-03-21 09:04:11

We first discussed the possibility of a trade involving Ramon Santiago a couple weeks back. Yesterday, the folks over at MLive and Bless You Boys got in on the fun as well. The reason? Santiago made consecutive starts at second base for the Tigers.

Bad Things Happen to Twins, Sox

Published on 2011-03-21 01:15:26

As Tigers’ fans we’ve had our share of bad news so far this spring, what with Cabrera’s fall from the wagon and Zumaya’s popping scar tissue. Now, that’s really nothing like the misfortune Cardinals fans have felt, but s

Cuts Continue

Published on 2011-03-20 15:57:19

According to MLB.com, four more players have been cut from the Tigers’ spring training roster: Charles Furbush, Scott Thorman, Argenis Diaz and Alberto Alburquerque. Furbush and Alburquerque remain on the 40-man roster. This leaves 33 players i

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 11 Days

Published on 2011-03-20 07:00:07

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Home Runs hit by Ryan Raburn in 2010 14 Days: Number of Detroit Tiger Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts Made By Jacob Turner for Lakeland in 2010 12 Days: Number of Playoff Appearances in Franchise

AL Cy Young 2011

Published on 2011-03-20 01:47:15

Does Justin Verlander have a chance? Lately I’ve been working on my predictions for what you might call our MCB office pool for the 2011 season, and one of the questions to answer is who will win the Cy Young award next year.  The AL field see

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 12 Days

Published on 2011-03-19 07:00:49

Previously: 15 Days: Number of Ryan Raburn Home Runs in 2010 14 Days: Number of Cards in 2003 Topps Base Set 13 Days: Number of Starts Made By Jacob Turner in Lakeland in 2010 I’m certain that all of our readers are smart enough to figure out what

Should the Tigers Go After Luis Castillo?

Published on 2011-03-18 18:32:41

Today the New York Mets released 2B Luis Castillo.  A .290 career hitter with 370 stolen bases, the three-time National League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner has had a productive spring. In 28 Grapefruit League at-bats, Castillo hit

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 13 Days

Published on 2011-03-18 07:00:15

Previously: 15 Days: The number of Home Runs Ryan Raburn Hit in 2010 14 Days: The number of Detroit Tigers Cards in the 2003 Topps Base Set We’re rolling along with the countdown. As of today, only 13 days remain until the Tigers open the season ag

Joaquin Benoit Quietly Putting in Work

Published on 2011-03-17 21:19:56

This off-season the Detroit Tigers signed reliever Joaquin Benoit to a three-year, $16.5 million contract. The contract raised eyebrows all around the world of baseball. GM Dave Dombrowski rarely tenders three-year deals to relievers, let alone deals

Detroit Tigers Will Get In St. Patrick’s Day Spirit

Published on 2011-03-17 10:30:59

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We can take a look inside the Tigers dressing room at the uniforms hanging today courtesy of Casper Wells on twitter: The Tigers will be wearing their green and so am I. Are you? Check out Jim Leyland in his fancy green

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 14 Days

Published on 2011-03-17 07:00:26

We’re only 14 days (two weeks!) away from opening day! But what does the number 14 have to do with the Detroit Tigers? As it turns out, 14 is the number of Detroit Tiger cards that Topps bothered to release with their 2003 base set of trading cards

Detroit Tigers Opening Day Countdown: 15 Days

Published on 2011-03-16 15:36:19

The last bit of snow is still clinging to the ground here in Grand Rapids, but it seems that the weather is taking a turn for the better. We hit the mid 50’s today, and tomorrow’s forecast calls for temperatures in the 60’s. It’s really start

More Fantasy Baseball with Motor City Bengals

Published on 2011-03-15 21:10:27

I was super excited when Yahoo! Fantasy Sports opened up their 2011 fantasy baseball leagues. I was so excited that I immediately created a league for Motor City Bengals readers and it filled rather quickly. With interest exceeding the number of spot

Jacob Turner Among 18 Tigers Cuts

Published on 2011-03-15 11:38:57

The Detroit Tigers have wrapped up the split-squad portion of the spring schedule, so there is little need to keep extra bodies around. Detroit made it’s first round of roster cuts today, including the optioning of right hander Jacob Turner to

March Madness has a Tigers Flavor

Published on 2011-03-15 10:40:44

The NCAA Tournament gets underway tonight and you can bet that several members of the Tigers will be keeping close tabs. This will be especially true for a handful of guys on the 40-man roster. When the field of 68 begins play in Dayton, Ohio, a pair

Down on the Farm: Adam Wilk

Published on 2011-03-14 15:00:07

Adam Wilk warms up in the Tigers bullpen in a game against the Houston Astros on March 12, 2011. 2010: Advanced-A Lakeland & AA-Erie 167.1 innings  11-5  2.74 ERA  1.03 WHIP  1.3 BB/9  6.1 K/9 BACKGROUND: Adam Wilk was drafted in the elevent

DOWN ON THE FARM: Q&A WITH SCOT DRUCKER

Published on 2011-03-13 17:00:11

Scot Drucker was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 13th round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft. In six seasons of professional baseball Drucker is 40-22 with a 4.45 ERA. After a successful stint in 2008 with the Grand Prairie AirHogs-Americ

Tigers Clean The Orioles Clocks 9-1

Published on 2011-03-13 15:50:52

Today in Sarasota the Tigers also took on the Baltimore Orioles. The tigers scored nine runs off SEVENTEEN hits today against Orioles pitching. Shortly after turning the clock forward, Detroit cleaned Baltimore’s clock 9-1. I was obviously not

Tigers Bats Forgot About Daylight Savings Time In Lakeland Loss to the Astros 3-1

Published on 2011-03-13 15:31:12

The Tigers managed to score just one run off of six hits and four walks today against the Houston Astros. The Astros held on in the ninth inning and defeated the Tigers 3-1 in Lakeland. BOX Details after the jump… AT THE PLATE: Will Rhymes spri

The Importance of the 6th Starter

Published on 2011-03-13 05:47:39

There has been an ongoing discussion at FanGraphs, Bless You Boys and elsewhere about the dangers of a lack of rotational depth – and specifically the Detroit Tigers offseason strategy regarding the rotation. At FanGraphs, what we read sums up

Scott Sizemore & Ryan Strieby lead the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Jays.

Published on 2011-03-12 17:18:58

For the fifth time this spring the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays played baseball. The Blue Jays sent a split-squad team to Lakeland for their final meeting of the spring. Awakening the quiet Tiger bats was a seventh inning solo home-run by Sco

Questioning the Elite-ness of Justin Verlander

Published on 2011-03-12 10:04:13

After an incredibly disappointing 2008 season, Justin Verlander took a big step forward for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. I don’t think anyone would deny that he’s now among the top class of American League pitchers, but I get the sense that many Ti

Miguel Cabrera Breaks Out in Tigers Win

Published on 2011-03-11 15:47:12

Amid the latest revelations of an alcohol-fueled evening that lead to his arrest on DUI and resisting charges last month, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera made a statement today. Not from behind a podium, as he did when he reported to camp a week

Your Vote Determines All-Division Team World Series

Published on 2011-03-11 09:35:30

The MLB side of the FanSided Network has spent most of spring training working on a special collaborative project. The blogs within each division were tasked with creating an all-division team made up with players from their division. Reader polls pi

Ramon Santiago on the Trading Block?

Published on 2011-03-10 08:55:46

The Philadelphia Phillies could be in the market for an infielder as second baseman Chase Utley continues to suffer from tendinitis that has surfaced in his knee. One possibility, as named by CBS Sports‘ Danny Knobler, is Tigers utility man Ram

Events of Cabrera’s Evening Come to Light

Published on 2011-03-10 08:32:11

The Associated Press, is reporting that Miguel Cabrera was involved in a verbal run-in just before his arrest on suspicion of DUI last month. According to the report, Cabrera entered a Fort pierce restaurant at approximately 10:15 pm on the evening o

More Fantasy Baseball with Motor City Bengals

Published on 2011-03-09 11:21:27

I was super excited when Yahoo! Fantasy Sports opened up their 2011 fantasy baseball leagues. I was so excited that I immediately created a league for Motor City Bengals readers and it filled rather quickly. With interest exceeding the number of spot

Scherzer Shelled, Marlins Top Tigers 9-5

Published on 2011-03-08 17:05:00

ON THE BUMP: Max Scherzer had a bit of a rough day today. Mad Max allowed nine base-runners, and 5 runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work today. He never really found a groove and gave up some deep hits. One of which took place in the third inning when

Brad Penny… So Far, So Good

Published on 2011-03-08 11:00:45

I realize that we’re still in the beginning of March. I understand that things also often appear a little better when viewed in small sample size. However, so far so good for starting pitcher Brad Penny. In two starts this spring-a span of 5 1

Don Kelly Starts at Second, Avisail Garcia Strikes Out

Published on 2011-03-08 06:00:05

Now probably this is nothing, but if anyone likes to overstate the importance of spring training signals, that guy is me. At second base we have a tight race due to a hobbled favorite. The question all along has not been whether Carlos Guillen will b

The Curious Case of Fu-Te Ni

Published on 2011-03-07 14:53:59

In 2009, Taiwanese relief pitcher Fu-Te Ni was a pleasant surprise for the Detroit Tigers. In 31 innings the rookie southpaw reliever posted an impressive 2.61 ERA and 1.00WHIP. Despite a miserable spring training last year, Ni was a member of the op

Bad News for Joel Zumaya

Published on 2011-03-07 13:34:29

This certainly isn’t good news for Tigers fans, but MLive’s Steve Kornacki is reporting that Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya is still suffering from soreness and discomfort around his forearm and surgically-repaired elbow. Clipped from: www.

Tigers beat Split-Squad Phillies 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth

Published on 2011-03-06 17:17:12

For a day that boasted an 80% chance of showers it sure was beautiful in always sunny Lakeland, Fl. 6,693 people showed up to watch the split-squad Phillies take on our Detroit Tigers. ON THE BUMP: In his third start this spring, Phil Coke continued

Weekend Exhibition Storylines

Published on 2011-03-06 15:37:48

The Tigers played a couple of games yesterday, a split-squad win over the Astros that Jayrc has already covered & a split-squad 7-4 loss to Toronto.  In a game against the mighty Phillies (or at least, half of the mighty Phillies) Detroit rallie

Tigers Top Astros 5-0

Published on 2011-03-05 17:17:07

I decided to head to Kissimmee to watch the Tigers take on the Astros today. For just $22 I was able to walk up and by a ticket to sit behind the bullpen on the first base side. A crowd of just 2,724 showed up to watch the game today. I’m not

Hey Tigers Fans, You Wanna Be Cool? Use Sabermetrics

Published on 2011-03-05 05:00:45

Nerdy is the new cool. That’s how things go. Who used computers everyday in the 80’s and early 90’s? Nerds. Now computers are everywhere. Who was it that invented fantasy baseball and played the game in the face of ridicule until the internet m

Furbush, Alburquerque Pitching Their Way Out of Camp

Published on 2011-03-04 15:15:17

A pair of Tigers pitching prospects got roughed up by the Baltimore Orioles today. Southpaw Charlie Furbush and right hander Al Alburquerque each allowed long home runs in their Grapefruit League action today. Furbush entered the game with the Tigers

John Henry v. Jeff Loria: Pick a Side

Published on 2011-03-03 17:53:42

As John pointed out today, if we look at the NFL and their grim horizon it makes one thing starkly clear for Major League Baseball: the owners are not at war with the MLBPA. Owners and players are, broadly speaking, satisfied with the way things are.

MLBPA, Owners Not Talking Salary Cap

Published on 2011-03-03 11:33:14

Major League Baseball and the MLB Player’s Association held their first bargaining session Wednesday in Florida, this according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Union chief Michael Weiner called the session “introductory”, b

Detroit Tigers Spring Training Saber Storylines To Follow

Published on 2011-03-03 05:00:53

Ah, spring training. The time of the year when fan optimism runneth over and small sample sizes reign supreme. Isn’t it great? It’s time to get myself out of the NFL and NCAA hoops rut of only one or two games per week (a Tigers game every day? B

Should You Really Be a Tigers Fan?

Published on 2011-03-02 16:34:54

This is a fun little thing that @Detroit4lyfe passed along on twitter. It’s a flow chart (aren’t those fun?) that will tell you which baseball team you should be rooting for. I answered each question as honestly as possible and depending

Detroit Tigers Fans Should Be Grateful for Legitimate Opening Day Starter

Published on 2011-03-02 11:11:50

I’ll admit I have a problem. I’ve got a thing for random former Detroit Tigers. I suppose when one’s childhood is littered with bad professional baseball one must find alternate means of entertainment. Fortunately, that is largely a

Breaking News: Eddie Bonine Still Not Good!

Published on 2011-03-01 15:01:59

Tigers rock Eddie Bonine for 4 runs on five hits in two innings to beat the mighty Phillies 6-2 in a split squad game. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the story of the day. I wish Eddie Bonine well, and I hope he finds a club that wants h

Jim Leyland and the LOOGy

Published on 2011-03-01 10:44:48

Yesterday afternoon, in the wake of Daniel Schlereth‘s injury, I wrote of possible replacements for Schlereth’s role should the hamstring cause him to miss Opening Day. Withing an hour, I had multiple folks respond to my piece and my co

Rock the Vote for the AL Central!

Published on 2011-03-01 07:53:28

Remember that project the FanSided bloggers have been talking about for the last couple weeks? You know, the one where we create an all-division team? Well, the time has come to let our awesome readers vote on which AL division roster deserves the ri

Who is this Andy Dirks guy?

Published on 2011-03-01 05:52:35

photo by: James R. Chipman Within the last week Andy Dirks has become a household name amongst Tigers fans. His performance both at bat and in the outfield has certainly won me over. I’ve observed him make amazing catches in the field look rout

Paging John Bale

Published on 2011-02-28 16:12:23

In the eighth inning of Detroit’s 6-2 win over the Yankees in Lakeland this afternoon, Tigers left hander Daniel Schlereth had to leave the game with a  left hamstring injury. On a ground ball wide of first, Schlereth raced to cover the bag bu

The Tigers Outfield Candidates

Published on 2011-02-28 13:45:45

Maybe someone else will enter the picture, but at this point the candidates for the Tigers outfield reserve slot(s) appear to be Don Kelly, Clete Thomas, Brennan Boesch, Casper Wells & Andy Dirks. With the exception of Dirks, all have seen at lea

Tigers top Jays 1-0: The LateNight Recap

Published on 2011-02-27 23:18:43

BOX SCORE For a second straight day the Tigers held the Blue Jays scoreless. To bad these games don’t count because I sure have enjoyed these first few blowouts. The box-score is linked above, so I’ll stay away from regurgitating the stat

Down on the Farm: Q&A with Brandon Douglas

Published on 2011-02-27 18:00:42

Chances are, if I were to ask you to name a prospect second baseman in the Tigers organization you would most likely tell me about Will Rhymes or Scott Sizemore. A die hard Tigers fan might even suggest Danny Worth who was recently added to the 40 ma

Tigers On Unbelievable Hot Streak!

Published on 2011-02-27 17:48:07

Tigers win again! 1-0 over the Toronto Blue Jays to start the exhibition season 3-0! Another exhibition shutout means that Lester Oliveros (and honestly, I mean no disrespect to Mr. Oliveros) remains the only Tigers pitcher to allow a run. Continuing

Tigers Win Again!

Published on 2011-02-27 02:04:10

4-0 over the Toronto Blue Jays in the first ‘official’ exhibition game of spring training. I suppose that means it ‘officially’ doesn’t count? Obviously a Tigers’ win is always better than a Tigers’ loss, eve

Grapefruit League Action Begins Today

Published on 2011-02-26 10:53:06

For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The Tigers travel to Dunedin this afternoon for a 1 pm tilt with the

Tigers over Mocs 17-5

Published on 2011-02-26 02:09:12

JP already broke down the game with great detail in his earlier post. Rather than regurgitate the box score, let me touch on a few things and share a few photos. Nothing to in depth, it’s been a long day. Enrique Gonzalez tossed two solid innin

Tigers Pounding Florida Southern

Published on 2011-02-25 14:00:46

As I write this, the Detroit Tigers lead Florida Southern College 11-0 at the end of five innings. At this point in the game, most (if not all) of the names you’ll recognize have already done their work for the day and have been replaced in the

Tiger Town: 2/24

Published on 2011-02-25 02:27:42

The practice today was short due to the 16th Annual Major League Scramble that several players were attending. However, I was able to take in some action at the minor league camp over at Kaline Field. Other items of interest were a bullpen session fr

Cabrera Apologetic, Will Undergo Treatment

Published on 2011-02-24 16:30:20

The much maligned slugger of the Detroit Tigers reported to camp this afternoon, one week late. After meeting with Tigers management, Miguel Cabrera addressed the media on the field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Cabrera, speaking mostly through an inter

Miguel Cabrera to Meet with Media Today

Published on 2011-02-24 13:15:07

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is on his way to Lakeland as I write this and will meet with the media at 4:30 Eastern today, so says Tom Gage. Clipped from: twitter.com (share this clip) It is unknown yet when Cabrera will be available

Tigers Have Three of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects

Published on 2011-02-23 10:36:00

Baseball America released their much-anticipated Top-100 prospect rankings today. Topping the list was Washington’s Bryce Harper, followed by fellow teenager Mike Trout of the Angels. Yankees catcher Jesus Montero ranked third. Kansas City̵

Don’t Blame Ty Cobb For Tigers’ Embarassing Loss Last Night

Published on 2011-02-23 09:16:32

It isn’t often that two of my passions, the Detroit Tigers and NCAA Division III basketball, intersect in historic ways but it happened last night. Do you remember reading that Tigers legend Ty Cobb’s great-grandson is playing college bas

Tiger Town: 2/22

Published on 2011-02-22 21:35:41

With my vacation from work officially here, I was finally able to take in some action down in Lakeland today. After stopping by Starbucks to grab an iced latte, the forty-five minute fog filled commute was underway. I arrived early and coincidentally

Carlos Guillen’s Depressing Comps

Published on 2011-02-22 01:14:35

I’ve read what’s been posted here and everywhere else lately on Carlos Guillen‘s pain-free workouts, gobbled it up, really. I too have caught the bug, of enthusiasm for our newly healthy second basemen.  Wouldn’t it be great

FanSided’s All AL-Central Team is Set

Published on 2011-02-21 12:13:54

FanSided’s MLB bloggers have been hard at work creating an All-Star team of players from their respective division. The AL Central bloggers are now done with that process and ready to announce the players selected to our all AL-Central team. Po

Carlos Guillen Pain-Free in Camp

Published on 2011-02-21 10:56:21

Tigers bloggers all over the land probably have a month’s worth of updates planned about the second base competition. From updates on the spring of Scott Sizemore and his battle to fulfill the promise that allowed Placido Polanco to leave town,

Things to Pin Your Hopes On, Part 1: Andy Oliver

Published on 2011-02-21 01:00:35

Lest you think, based on my last post, that I see no hope for the Tigers this year I assure you that I have plenty of hope – just not faith. The Tigers are going to be a team that needs some things to go very right to make a playoff run, a situ

Down on the Farm: Drew Smyly

Published on 2011-02-20 19:57:32

2010: University of Arkansas 103 IP  9-1  2.80 ERA  1.17 WHIP  3.15  BB/9  9.96 K/9 BACKGROUND: Lost in last years draft was a pitcher that hasn’t gotten much love in my opinion. With the excitement of Detroit drafting household names lik

Why the Tigers Won’t Win the Division in 2011

Published on 2011-02-20 01:00:52

‘Tis the season for optimism.  Spring training has begun, and for the next month you’re going to be hearing a lot of people saying a lot of good things about the Tigers chances this season.  Tigerdog1 over at Bless You Boys thinks they&

Cabrera to Meet with Doctors Next Week

Published on 2011-02-19 12:22:36

Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has not yet reported to camp in Lakeland. Today is the first full squad workout, but the Tigers squad won’t be full for several more days at least. General Manager Dave Dombrowski spoke today and gave a few more de

Music To My Ears

Published on 2011-02-18 19:06:35

[WARNING: the following post contains schadenfreude. If anyone is uncertain what that means, this post should provide you with a textbook example] What is music to my ears? Any sentence that contains the words Liriano and Sore Shoulder. Sore anything

Mitch Albom and Irresponsible Journalism

Published on 2011-02-18 09:48:03

If you haven’t read Mitch Albom’s column in today Free Press, don’t waste your time. Today he attacked Miguel Cabrera for the drinking issues that lead to the arrest of the star first baseman. There’s no real harm in that. Peo

Cast your Vote for the All-AL Central Squad

Published on 2011-02-18 08:59:57

If you’ve been following along, we here at FanSided are in the middle of a group project where the writers from each division are putting together the best possible team to compete with all other divisions. Last week, we settled the position pl

Dombrowski Adds Little to Cabrera Story

Published on 2011-02-17 16:12:22

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski addressed the media in Lakeland today regarding the Miguel Cabrera arrest. Here are the highlights as tweeted by MLive’s Steve Kornacki. Dombrowski: “I was completely shocked. I had no idea. I didn’t think

Tigers Players Shocked By Cabrera News

Published on 2011-02-17 14:26:14

Once the media was again allowed access to the team, a few players spoke up about the Miguel Cabrera situation. Tigers catcher Alex Avila, who has been training with Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez this winter in Miami didn’t see this coming. ̶

Cameron Maybin Probably Wouldn’t Like a Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready Pizza

Published on 2011-02-17 12:55:00

Cameron Maybin hasn’t done anything to make Tigers fans regret the organization’s decision to deal him to prior to the 2008 season. Lately, his biggest headlines are for his words rather than his play. Maybin found himself with an opinion

Down on the Farm: Casey Crosby

Published on 2011-02-16 05:00:39

Casey Crosby was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of Kaneland High School (Ill.). The 6-foot-5, 22-year-old southpaw has been labeled as high as number two in prospect rankings. However, his unfortunate injuries hav

Leyland Compares Rick Porcello to Hall of Fame Hurlers

Published on 2011-02-15 14:30:42

The Detroit Tigers are wearing a patch on their uniforms this year to honor the memory of the late Sparky Anderson. Current Tigers manager is apparently paying homage to Sparky in his own way; by making profound statements about his players the way A

Fantasy Baseball with Motor City Bengals

Published on 2011-02-15 10:26:02

We have had a good response to last week’s invitation to join us for fantasy baseball. I set up an initial league for 12 players and those spots have all been filled. However, if there is still interest we can open up another league. I don̵

FanSided Bloggers Announce All-AL Central Position Players

Published on 2011-02-14 14:25:35

The AL Central bloggers on the FanSided Network have spent the last week discussing who should represent our division on the All-AL Central team for our collaborative project that was announced almost two weeks ago. Some lobbying proved successful in

Down on the Farm: Chance Ruffin

Published on 2011-02-13 18:30:52

Down on the Farm: Chance Rufin 2010: University of Texas 64 IP   1.11 ERA  0.94 WHIP  2.64  BB/9  13.5 K/9 BACKROUND: Chance Ruffin was drafted in the  first round-48th overall- of the 2010 draft, out of the University of Texas. The 6-foot-1, 2

Yeah…ummm I’m finally on Twitter!

Published on 2011-02-13 14:39:18

Well I finally joined twitter folks! I guess I am only about four years behind the rest of the world. Go ahead, point and laugh everyone. I promise I’ll take it like a man… well sorta. I encourage all of you to head on over to twitter so

Fun With Projections: Batting Order 2011

Published on 2011-02-13 02:17:55

If you’re anything like me, this time of year is the true sports dead zone. Football is gone, spring training games won’t start until the end of the month, and the NBA and NHL bore me to tears. To get my fix, I went so far as to watch Pue

Know Your Enemy: Kansas City Royals

Published on 2011-02-12 14:55:43

The Royals found themselves in the divisional cellar for the fifth time in the past seven years in 2010, then they spent the off-season trading away the face of the franchise in 2009 Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. Kansas City used the savings of the G

Tempering Our Expectations For Austin Jackson’s Sophomore Season

Published on 2011-02-12 08:52:16

I had my first intense baseball conversation of the year yesterday. It was three guys tossing ideas around about prospects, the starting rotation, the bullpen situation, and everything else under the Tigers’ sun. It was awesome. One of the thin

Know Your Enemy: Cleveland Indians

Published on 2011-02-11 14:41:00

Indians fans probably weren’t expecting a very good season in 2010, but injuries quickly turned that campaign into a disaster. The Tribe was without the services of former all-star Grady Sizemore for most of the year and shortstop Asdrubal Cabr

Brandon Inge Needs Your Vote… Again

Published on 2011-02-11 09:18:39

Over the past week or so, the writers covering AL Central clubs here at FanSided have been working had to settle arguments over the starting lineup for our all-division squad. We’ve come to a consensus on most of the roster, but third base rem

The Number One Reason for Joaquin Benoit Signing

Published on 2011-02-11 05:05:30

If you’ve been around these parts for the past six months or so, you’re already aware of my stance on ERA for relief pitchers and how generally useless I think the stat is. The long and short of it is that on many occasions throughout the

Know Your Enemy: Minnesota Twins

Published on 2011-02-09 11:15:52

This is the first of a short series of posts where I will take a look at each of the Tigers AL Central rivals in advance of Spring Training. Since they are the two-time defending division champs, it seems fitting to start with the Twins. Minnesota mo

I Need Detroit Tigers Baseball, IMMEDIATELY!

Published on 2011-02-09 05:00:50

We’ve reached the point in the off-season that I usually start to go slightly insane. Spring Training is just around the corner but we’re still dealing with snow back home and the sight of Comerica Park’s green grass still feels a l

Let’s Play Ball, Join MCB for Fantasy Baseball

Published on 2011-02-08 12:01:10

Today is a great day. Fantasy baseball is finally available on Yahoo and we are celebrating by beginning the first ever MCB fantasy baseball league. There are a variety of formats to choose from but we will go with a point league. Points will be awar

Down on the Farm: Brayan Villarreal

Published on 2011-02-08 05:05:37

2010:A-Lakeland & AA-Erie 129.1 IP 3.55 ERA 9.5 K/9 2.7 BB/9 1.15 WHIP BACKGROUND: At just 17 years old, Brayan Villarreal was signed as a non-drafted free agent on October 25th 2005. The 6-foot, 23-year-old Venezuelan is quickly emerging as a to

Down on the Farm: Now available on MotorCityBengals.com

Published on 2011-02-07 21:24:14

Prospect ranking can be a tedious, next to impossible task in my opinion. Pegging the next can’t miss prospect is often the equivalent to a novice tossing darts at the old dartboard. However, talking prospects is by far my favorite hobby. For t

Magglio Ordonez Vs Delmon Young: A Study

Published on 2011-02-07 14:41:57

As Zac alerted you to last week, we have a fun project taking place within the virtual office that is FanSided right now. Each division is busy assembling the best roster they can in order to compete against the other divisions. As a part of selectin

The Development of the 20-year-old Pitcher

Published on 2011-02-06 16:00:35

Since 1995 the number of pitchers who saw big league action at age 19 or 20 has not been large.  We average no more than 3 such rookies each year.  What this means, in part, is less that Rick Porcello is in ‘elite’ company as it does th

The Riddle inside the Enigma inside the Mystery inside Rick Porcello

Published on 2011-02-06 01:00:01

Tom Gage recently published an article for the Detroit News arguing that Rick Porcello is 2011′s most important Tiger. While we might split hairs over the (perhaps) equal importance of Jhonny Peralta‘s glove or Austin Jackson‘s stri

Phil Coke Must Work Ahead In The Count To Be Successful

Published on 2011-02-05 11:13:28

Phil Coke seems all set to join the Tigers starting rotation this spring, but does he “have what it takes” to be a successful starter? I’m not sure anyone can know that answer for sure, but we can look at how Coke attacks hitters to

Miguel Cabrera Graces Cover of MSP Tigers Annual

Published on 2011-02-04 15:31:55

As I mentioned earlier, the 2011 Maple Street Press Tigers Annual will hit newsstands on March 1. Kurt Mensching of Bless You Boys fame headed up the project and he has revealed the table of contents. This project features two pieces authored by you

The Sports Pages: Anniversary Edition

Published on 2011-02-03 11:14:57

“I always turn to the sports pages first, which records man’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” – Earl Warren Today marks my one year anniversary with the FanSided Network and as the lead writer for this sit

FanSided Making Friends of Foes Leading up to Spring Training

Published on 2011-02-02 05:00:34

OK Tigers fans, who is your most hated team? Is it the evil empire of the New York Yankees? Those pesky Minnesota Twins? Both would be good answers, however one will become an ally for the next couple weeks. Spring Training is just around the corner

About That Whole Bonderman to the Tigers Thing… Nevermind

Published on 2011-02-01 15:07:50

Such is life during the hot stove season I suppose, but mere hours after I waxed philosophical about the Tigers odds of re-signing Jeremy Bonderman, Tom Gage dropped this nugget today. Bonderman will not be returning to Detroit. Gage’s post tod

Bonderman Still in Play for Tigers

Published on 2011-02-01 09:04:34

Word filtered out late yesterday afternoon that the New York Yankees have signed former Tigers hurler Freddy Garcia to a minor league contract. The Yankees have been seeking low cost rotation depth in hopes that one of their reclamation projects can

Twins to Use Brian Duensing in Relief?

Published on 2011-01-31 11:38:44

The Minnesota Twins have won the AL Central two years running, but they face the 2011 season without many key members of a previously outstanding bullpen. Even with the return of closer Joe Nathan, the Twins will be without the services of Jon Rauch,

Baseball is Coming! (to Puerto Rico)

Published on 2011-01-30 06:00:08

Just two more days and it will be February… two weeks after that Spring Training will begin… but we don’t have to wait that long to watch some quality baseball.  I’m not talking about Magglio Ordonez serving up fries with the

Projecting Alex Avila For 2011

Published on 2011-01-29 08:49:32

Alex Avila struggled at the plate last year, there’s no getting around that, but as we examined back in the fall, some of those struggle could be attributed to poor luck on balls in play. But what can we expect from the Tigers’ anointed c

Pitcher Wins and Armando Galarraga

Published on 2011-01-28 10:57:33

I really thought we had gotten past this. In 2009, both Cy Young winners combined for all of 31 wins. Last season, Felix Hernandez won the award with only 13 victories. If we are comfortable looking beyond wins to determine which pitcher had the best

Mike Maroth’s Retirement Should Not Go Unnoticed in Detroit

Published on 2011-01-26 11:45:19

The retirement of Mike Maroth may not even register as a blip on the run-of-the-mill baseball fan’s radar but that doesn’t mean it isn’t newsworthy, especially to baseball fans in Detroit. Maroth came to the Tigers from the Red Sox

Jeremy Bonderman Still an Option for Tigers

Published on 2011-01-25 14:38:17

Tom Gage got word from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski that the club remains open to bringing right hander Jeremy Bonderman back to Detroit. Dombrowski said the club wouldn’t give him a major league deal. This situation was first mentioned as a poss

Jhonny Peralta’s Bat Must Overcome His Glove

Published on 2011-01-25 12:07:02

This is supposed to be the time of the year when optimism abounds. Pitchers and catchers report in just about three weeks, after all. Yet as I look at the Tigers roster, there are a couple of things that stand out as huge potential problems. I’

Diamondbacks Acquire Armando Galarraga

Published on 2011-01-24 15:26:09

The deal is official, according to multiple outlets. The Detroit Tigers today traded right handed pitcher Armando Galarraga to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right hander Kevin Eichhorn and lefty Ryan Robowski. Eichhorn is just 20 years old and was Ari

The Sports Pages: Cleaning up from TigerFest

Published on 2011-01-24 05:05:36

“I always turn to the sports pages first, which records man’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” - Earl Warren Let the countdown officially begin. With the annual TigerFest over the weekend at Comerica Park, th

Ground Balls and Line Drives

Published on 2011-01-23 17:30:56

This is a response to the article “Batted Balls: A Quick Study” by Nathaniel Stoltz at Call to the Pen, which argued that a big reason ground ball pitchers are desirable is that they allow fewer line drives and line drives are most likely

Austin Jackson and the Magical BABIP: Caravan Edition

Published on 2011-01-23 06:00:17

All offseason long I hear and read two very different things about Austin Jackson: 1. He’s a budding star and the most exciting player the Tigers have (often combined with ‘he’s my favorite player’) 2. There’s absolutely

Lynn Henning Drinking the Kool-Aid

Published on 2011-01-21 14:10:49

It seems everyone is getting into the spirit of the upcoming baseball season. With the Detroit Tigers roaming all over Michigan during Day Two of the winter caravan, everyone is optimistic about their chances this year. Not one to be left behind, thi

Notes from Tigers Winter Caravan

Published on 2011-01-20 15:31:00

It’s that time of year, people. Very soon, you will be overwhelmed with stories about how you favorite player is “in the best shape of his life” as Spring Training is set to open in a matter of weeks. The Detroit Tigers set about th

Tigers Played Hardball a Year too Late

Published on 2011-01-20 05:00:29

Yes, the Tigers organization probably look like big meanies. Professional sports is a business and the Tigers are finally acting like it. Yesterday’s shocking news that the Tigers had designated Armando Galarraga for assignment just hours after

Twins (finally) Take Care of Business

Published on 2011-01-19 20:38:41

They’ve finally signed Tiger-killer Carl Pavano, like we expected they would all along, for a near-bargain price of $16.5 million over two years. That should help ease the pain of Matt Capps‘ hefty raise. With a little less than a month t

Dombrowski Confident He Can Trade Armando Galarraga

Published on 2011-01-18 16:00:38

Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski discussed the Brad Penny signing and the DFA of Armando Galarraga via conference call with the media this afternoon. While I wasn’t privy to the call, here’s what I’ve been able to put togeth

Tigers Designate Galarraga to Make Room for Penny

Published on 2011-01-18 14:16:14

Just hours after the Detroit Tigers came to terms on a one-year, $2.3 million deal with pitcher Armando Galarraga, the club designated the right hander for assignment in order to clear space on the roster for pitcher Brad Penny. In a move that can on

Tigers Avoid Arbitration with Armando Galarraga

Published on 2011-01-18 09:07:56

The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have signed their last remaining arbitration-eligible player in pitcher Armando Galarraga. the two sides agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal. The ramifications of this pact aren’t as bad as one m

Dissecting Brennan Boesch

Published on 2011-01-17 12:09:59

Possibly the biggest story of the 2010 Detroit Tigers was the meteoric rise and subsequent fall of outfielder Brennan Boesch. Called up in late April, Boesch wasted little time claiming an everyday day role for the Tigers, be it as the left fielder

Addressing the Left-Handed Problem

Published on 2011-01-16 16:38:41

One thing has become official this week: the Twins have resigned Jim Thome. At $3 million he got far less than Lance Berkman, and he played far better last year, so one has to assume that no matter how bad you are in the field the ability to do somet

An Oft-Injured Joel Zumaya is Well Worth The Risk

Published on 2011-01-15 12:29:02

There was some discussion among bloggers and fans this offseason whether or not the Tigers would bring back the injury-prone Joel Zumaya for another year. The general consensus was that they would (or rather, should) either offer him salary arbitrati

Flamethrowers Joel Zumaya and Matt Anderson Sign New Deals

Published on 2011-01-14 14:52:08

A pair of guys that are members of the triple-digit club are in the news today. The Detroit Tigers have avoided arbitration yet again by signing reliever Joel Zumaya to a one-year, $1.4 million deal for the 2011 campaign. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia

The Sports Pages: Fun with WAR, Sweet Lou and Raburn, too

Published on 2011-01-14 10:57:17

“I always turn to the sports pages first, which records man’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” - Earl Warren Fangraphs came out with a new toy that will provide countless hours of fun for any baseball fan. With

Welcome Back Timo Perez

Published on 2011-01-14 09:31:13

A very interesting nugget passed along by Mark Anderson of TigsTown via twitter today. Mark keeps us all updated on minor league transaction year-round. Ordinarily, the names he mentions are only vaguely familiar, if at all, to me. Today brought a we

Fangraphs Looks Back on Three-Team Blockbuster

Published on 2011-01-13 09:07:34

This morning, R.J. Anderson at Fangraphs took a look back at the blockbuster three team trade completed at the 2009 Winter Meetings. The trade, which sent Curtis Granderson from Detroit to New York, also saw the Yankees  sent pitcher Ian Kennedy to

Tigers Sign Minor League Lefty Mariano Gomez

Published on 2011-01-12 16:06:21

Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets an agreement between the Tigers and minor league southpaw Mariano Gomez this afternoon. Gomez, 28, has spent 11 seasons toiling in the bush leagues. He’s spent time with the Cleveland, Minnesota, and Atlant

Tigers Sign Ryan Raburn for Two Years

Published on 2011-01-12 14:21:21

The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have reached agreement on a two-year contract with OF Ryan Raburn. Raburn, 29, was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this year, this new contract eliminates the possibility, but Detroit wi

Phil Coke Vs Armando Galarraga

Published on 2011-01-12 11:44:30

With Brad Penny now in the fold, the Tigers have six starters for five rotation spots. Obviously, the top three are set with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Rick Porcello. I am in agreement with Kurt that Penny is all but assured a spot in the ro

Penny Deal Done, Pending Physical

Published on 2011-01-11 09:53:49

According to MLB.com, the Tigers have reached an agreement with right hander Brad Penny. As I noted earlier, the deal is believed to be a one-year pact that will pay him $3 million in base salary, plus an additional $3 million possible through incent

Tigers “Close” to Brad Penny Deal

Published on 2011-01-11 08:31:23

FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi is reporting today that according to sources, the Detroit Tigers are on the verge of inking free agent right hander Brad Penny to a contract. Morosi lists the financials as one year and $3 million with more p

Tigers Announce 18 Non-Roster Invitees

Published on 2011-01-10 15:19:22

If you’ve been scouring the internet for Tigers news, you’ve already heard all about this by now, but today the Tigers announced 18 players who will be attending major league camp in Spring Training as non-roster invitees. Each year, the

Joaquin Benoit Really Will Play for the Detroit Tigers

Published on 2011-01-10 10:42:24

The Chicago Sun-Times recently put together a large spread following the Cubs’ big acquisition of a pitcher. The large photo featured the player wearing the uniform of his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays. Who is the player that was so prominent

Several Tigers Could Reach Rarified Company in 2011

Published on 2011-01-10 05:38:09

I like lists. I’m fairly sure most folks do, especially when it comes to baseball. Heck, the MLB Network spend the vast majority of the off-season airing shows that are really nothing more than lists. “Prime 9″, “Right NowR

Central Horses Still Jockeying for Position

Published on 2011-01-09 12:36:08

Things have definitely slowed in the 3-horse race that is the AL Central, but they haven’t stalled entirely.  Here’s a brief recap of what we’ve seen this past week: The Tigers are still contemplating adding (depending on how you l

Cubs Close to Trading Away Their Future

Published on 2011-01-07 10:46:54

A while back, I opined that the Tigers should be at least looking into trading for Rays right hander Matt Garza, and no, it wasn’t just because he threw a no-hitter against them. The Tigers are said to be looking for a rotation upgrade and were

There’s a Troubling Trend on the Writers’ Ballots

Published on 2011-01-06 10:15:26

I want to begin this post with a confession. No, not like the one made by a Boston sportswriter this morning, but by saying that I have never been to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the rate the writers are going, as far as their voting practices

Jack Morris Deserves a Look Back, Hall Call or Not

Published on 2011-01-05 04:25:31

As you all know from John’s recent article, today is the day that the results of BBWAA’s Hall of Fame balloting will be announced. Former Tigers Jack Morris and Alan Trammell are not expected to make the cut. Morris is the more likely of the

Former Tigers Trammell, Morris Won’t Get Hall Call This Week

Published on 2011-01-03 10:55:37

The Hall of Fame will welcome a new class with the announcement of the BBWAA’s balloting this Wednesday. It is expected by many that this year’s class will feature only two player, second baseman Roberto Alomar, and pitcher Bert Blyleven.

The Tigers May Need to Gamble

Published on 2011-01-02 17:44:50

If we take what Matt has relayed to us at face value, the Tigers are currently projected to finish a close third in the AL Central.  On the one hand, that could be comforting since our third place finish in 2010 wasn’t close at all.  On the

Early Projection Predicts Tight AL Central Race

Published on 2011-01-01 16:50:20

The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog has released their first set of projected 2011 MLB standings earlier in the week. The standings use CAIRO player projections to predict team results. Of course, it’s much to early to carve these into stone.

Tigers’ Clete Thomas Facing Career Crossroads this Spring

Published on 2010-12-31 12:45:27

Detroit Tigers outfielder Clete Thomas has long been one of manager Jim Leyland’s favorite players. During Spring Training last year, Thomas was locked in a battle with utility-man Don Kelly for the club’s final roster spot. A shoulder

Zach Miner Signs with Royals

Published on 2010-12-31 10:21:48

Another month passes and another long reliever leaves the Tigers. MLBTR passed along today that the Kansas City Royals have signed now former Tiger Zach Miner to a minor league contract. Miner missed all of 2010 with a elbow injury, which lead to To