Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted April 22, 2006 Something I never thought i'd see from ANY Tigers starter, let alone Maroth.. 3-0 0.49 ERA Zumaya killed the M's...i love it. Rollercoaster Jones is back folks, get ready to start sweat'n! For the second straight game i thought for sure they were gonna blow it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 22, 2006 Something I never thought i'd see from ANY Tigers starter, let alone Maroth.. 3-0 0.49 ERA Zumaya killed the M's...i love it. Rollercoaster Jones is back folks, get ready to start sweat'n! For the second straight game i thought for sure they were gonna blow it. Zumaya was NASTY as usual. Felix Hernandez in Seattle must be able to knock over redwoods with his fastball and direct his curveball at will with a wave of his fingers, because he sure gets a lot of hype while Zumaya works fairly anonymously out of the Tigers' bullpen. Oh well. At some point this season Zumaya will trot to the mound in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead and the outside-of-Detroit media will discover what we already know: this guy's good. And speaking of Felix, King of Baseball and Emperor of the Lone Islands, who's with me in eagerly looking forward to Sunday's game? Justin Verlander against King Felix The Magnificent! I'd give my left nut to watch. Fortunately, the cable company doesn't accept body parts as legal tender, and I already have Extra Innings anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted April 22, 2006 Zumaya was NASTY as usual. Felix Hernandez in Seattle must be able to knock over redwoods with his fastball and direct his curveball at will with a wave of his fingers, because he sure gets a lot of hype while Zumaya works fairly anonymously out of the Tigers' bullpen. Oh well. At some point this season Zumaya will trot to the mound in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead and the outside-of-Detroit media will discover what we already know: this guy's good. And speaking of Felix, King of Baseball and Emperor of the Lone Islands, who's with me in eagerly looking forward to Sunday's game? Justin Verlander against King Felix The Magnificent! I'd give my left nut to watch. Fortunately, the cable company doesn't accept body parts as legal tender, and I already have Extra Innings anyway. Im totally looking forward to Sundays game! Which by the way is on both TV20 and FSN. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 23, 2006 Leyland's got the psychological side of managing down pat - I think he's brilliant in that respect - but I sure get puzzled at his tactics. Zumaya should never have been out there in the 8th. He and Verlander are peas in a pod when it comes to their stuff. The Mariners had been looking at 98 mph gas all day, and it showed - they were way out in front of Zumaya's heater and just kept driving it to the outfield. Until Zumaya learns major-league command, he should be primarily following soft-tossing lefties Rogers and Maroth. And we finally got our wish - Guillen in the 5th spot - but Infante batting third kinda cancels that out some. OK, rant over. Tigers still won. Swept the Mariners in Seattle, where the Tigers have a sorry history of rolling over and playing dead. The dreaded West Coast swing has always been the kiss of death, but so far the Tigers have taken 5 of 6. That's all I need to know that these aren't the same ol' same ol' Tigers. FINALLY we have a rotation where 5 of 5 pitchers inspire real confidence they can win (no more Jose Lima!) and a lineup where 9 of 9 hitters do the same (no more Deivi Cruz!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted April 25, 2006 I saw this in the mailbag on the Tigers site the other day Will Joel Zumaya ever get a start this year? -- Anthony N., Middleville, Mich. Not according to Leyland, and the way it looks now, possibly not ever. I think what we've seen from Zumaya pretty much cements his future as a late-inning reliever. It certainly does for this year as long as he's in the Majors. The more he works one or two innings per outing, the more difficult it would be to stretch him out for a start. If the Tigers needed a spot starter from this bullpen right now, it would be Jordan Tata or Jason Grilli. I love seeing Zumaya come out of the pen and throw gas, but at the same time, everything I've read says he has the tools to be a great starter, why assign him to the pen already? I know there wasn't room in the rotation this year at the start of the season. I don't know...just thinking out loud here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 25, 2006 I saw this in the mailbag on the Tigers site the other day Will Joel Zumaya ever get a start this year? -- Anthony N., Middleville, Mich. Not according to Leyland, and the way it looks now, possibly not ever. I think what we've seen from Zumaya pretty much cements his future as a late-inning reliever. It certainly does for this year as long as he's in the Majors. The more he works one or two innings per outing, the more difficult it would be to stretch him out for a start. If the Tigers needed a spot starter from this bullpen right now, it would be Jordan Tata or Jason Grilli. I love seeing Zumaya come out of the pen and throw gas, but at the same time, everything I've read says he has the tools to be a great starter, why assign him to the pen already? I know there wasn't room in the rotation this year at the start of the season. I don't know...just thinking out loud here. Because his stuff, while disgustingly overpowering for an inning or two, can be caught up to. He really only has two pitches. His fastball doesn't have a lot of motion - it's just blindingly fast and "rises". His curve is absolutely filthy, but he has no change-up to speak of, or in fact any third pitch at all. If he had a change-up like Rodney has, he'd be perfect starter material, but with only two pitches, you can't consistently go a strong seven innings. Zumaya's perfect for the closer job. He's got a bulldog, I-dare-you-to-hit-my-fastball mentality. Very confident. And he wants it. His two pitches are absolutely perfect for a late inning or two, when hitters have gotten all comfy looking at a fastball that isn't quite so fast and a breaking pitch that doesn't break quite so much. Even better for some poor slob of a pinch hitter who's been comfortably rolling his chaw on the bench and then has to go up cold and face that. But for seven innings, you need at least one more pitch. A splitter, change, slider, anything. Zumaya doesn't have it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted April 25, 2006 For some reason I thought he had a change up as well. My mistake. But yeah, you're absolutely right. You can't go 7 innings in the majors with only 2 pitches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted April 26, 2006 The Tigs have won 6 of 8 on their road trip. As far as the box score goes, it looks like Bonderman had a pretty good outing last night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dallas27 7 Report post Posted April 29, 2006 Wow did the Tigers beat the Twins like a poor red-headed stepchild this afternoon. 18-1. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted April 30, 2006 The Tigs swept the Twins this weekend for the first time since April 2002. They also outscored the Twins 33-1 in three games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dallas27 7 Report post Posted April 30, 2006 Yessir. Impressive game by Kenny and the Tigers today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted April 30, 2006 Good things happen with Guillen batting 5th! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted May 2, 2006 The Tigs swept the Twins this weekend for the first time since April 2002. They also outscored the Twins 33-1 in three games. I submit that that was the greatest three-game series ever played by a team. ESPN showed four other series where one team had outscored the other by at least 32 runs, but in none of them did the losing team score as few as 1 run. Not even close. It's boggling my mind to see that the Tigers actually have pitching. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Cub 0 Report post Posted May 2, 2006 I'm not even a real baseball fan and the Tigers have me paying attention to them. I'll be going to the park way more than the once I went all last season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted May 3, 2006 Jayson Stark of ESPN.com agrees with me: • 33-TO-1 SHOT: Was that Tigers-Twins wipeout over the weekend (Tigers 33, Twins 1) the most lopsided three-game series of modern times? We're voting YES. We know there have been other series in which one team outscored another by 32 runs. But there haven't been ANY other series since 1901 in which one team scored 33 times as many runs as another team. Using baseball-reference.com's fabulous streak analyzer -- one of those tremendous Internet innovations with which you can waste countless hours of what is supposed to be a normal life -- we zipped through the last 105 seasons of baseball. (And don't ask us how long THAT took). We determined there had never been another three-game series in which a team scored 33 runs or more while giving up one run or none. The three most lopsided series we did find: Tigers over Senators, 30-1 in 1902. Expos over Reds, 27-1, in 1981. And Giants over Phillies, 27-0, in 1918. The 1906 Brooklyn Superbas once got outscored, 33-zilch, over three games -- but they were split over two series (against the Phillies and Pirates). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted May 3, 2006 The Tiger have pulled within 1/2 a game of the White Sox. Up next, two games against the Angels. Robertson against Weaver tonight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted May 4, 2006 Good night for the Tigs, they have a come from behind win against the Angels and Joel Zumaya got his first big league win Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livediehockey80 0 Report post Posted May 4, 2006 Too bad Detroit could care less about the Tigers. The attendance at Comerica Park has been pathetic regardless of Piston and Red Wings playoffs games. The state of Michigan is really turned off with the Tigers. That's OK...when the Tigers start having winning seasons, the bandwagoners will come out the woodwork. Just like with the Red Wings in the 1990s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted May 5, 2006 I havent really paid attention to the attendance...i thought they were doing well though. If they keep playing like they are those stands will be packed soon no doubt. This is a football and baseball town, theyll show up. Every time the Tigers lose one game i get scared that 7 or 8 more losses will follow it up! Like right now im thinking f*** they better win tonight!! Hard to get so many years of futility out of your head.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 Who'd'a thunk in the first 30 games, the Tigers would win 20 of them? Amazing. And speaking of amazing, Zumaya and Rodney teamed up to strike out five Twins in a row. Zumaya broke one bat and made the next two hitters look like tools. Yes, I'm still man-crushing. When the radar gun says 102, I tend to get all googly-eyed. If Kevin Youkilis is the Greek god of walks (if you've read Moneyball you know what I mean) then Joel Zumaya is the Aztec god of strikeouts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 I was looking at the box score for tonight's game and noticed this. In 12 innings, Rodney has 9 K's and has yet to allow a run, earned or unearned. Damn. However, Joel Zumaya is still my Tiger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 Please allow me to speak for a second about how annoying im starting to find Mario Impemba. The guy just does not know how to shut his trap sometimes, i dont need your constant babble! An example of whats bothering me? His constant mention of the radar gun. Ok, i understand pointing out every time Zumaya or Verlander hit 99 and above, its special and justifiably so. But I dont need to hear..."strike by Verlander...that one registering 96 on the gun." Or "Zumaya just misses off the plate...that one at 97 mph". I mean he does this with like every pitch! STFU! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 Typical Tigers broadcast: MI- Zumaya just misses on the outside, brings the count to 2-1. That one at 98 miles per hour. RA- That boy can bring it (long pause) MI- I bet you'd like to stand in there against Zumaya, Rod RA- Yeah, and i'd be duckin and coverin! (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA) MI- Strike called, 97 miles per hour. Who was the hardest thrower you ever faced Rod? RA- Thats a tough call, I bet he struck me out though (HAHAHAHAHAs by both) (camera shows Verlander in the dugout) RA- Tigers got something special with these 2 kids..boy im tellin ya. MI- Yeah to see the way these 2 dominated at the minor league level was really something RA- Pudge will probably call for something hard on the inside here.. MI- Breaking ball in the dirt, Count at 3-2. 82 miles per hour RA- The difference in velocity is the key here Mario MI- Yeah when you see a guy throwing this hard, its easy forget about that breaking ball RA- bucklin them knees, boy.. MI- You know, even Zumaya will tell you...big league hitters can hit that fastball if theyre sitting on it. You gotta have that offspeed pitch... blah blah same exact conversation rehashed 2 days later! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 Zumaya must be Mario Impemba's Tiger too. I know he's mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakChamber 8 Report post Posted May 6, 2006 Zumaya must be Mario Impemba's Tiger too. I know he's mine. You can't have him. He was mine first Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
