2011 MLB Season Thread

[rwfan007 18]

And the season starts over as the Tigers are again tied for the division lead after the Indians drop 2 straight and the Tigers take game 3 against the sox. Some clutch hitting and good D gave us that game. Lets keep this thing rolling.

[Travis 576]

The first two games of the series were really frustrating, but it's nice to be tied for first again with the Sox 4 back now. Hopefully the Tigers can keep from skidding here and make a real push through the second half.

Really happy that Guillen is back and I hope he stays healthy, we desperately need some stability at 2B and he will bring that. Inge must be on the ropes or something, two days off to start the second half? That's not normal. I imagine the Tigers are looking for 3B options at this point.

[rwfan007 18]

And Victor Martinez with the slide of the year. Used a little of that latin swagger to get home that time lol.

[Travis 576]

And Victor Martinez with the slide of the year. Used a little of that latin swagger to get home that time lol.

What an incredible move! So nice having Guillen back to provide a solid bat at 2B.

[Travis 576]

Just missed a call from a 313 number. Called it back and the person at the other end answered, 'Detroit Tigers'. It was the switchboard operator, though, who couldn't help. They didn't leave a voicemail, so I'm real confused.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

The Tigers have acquired 3B Wilson Betemit from the Royals.

There aren't enough emoticons to express my joy in this trade.

Edited July 20, 2011 by GoWings1905

[Travis 576]

Tigers address their needs at 3B by trading for Wilson Betemit from the Royals.

Betemit is batting .281 with 27 RBIs and - at that rate - will be a huge upgrade at the bottom of the order.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Please, please give Purcey back to the A's while they are in town. This guy is garbage, can't find the strike zone whatsoever. May as well bring Schlereth back up if we want a lefty with no control. Why the hell is Leyland using Purcey in a close game anyways?

Victor Martinez is so clutch though. He always gets the big hit, which is huge batting behind Cabrera. This has the potential to be a very good lineup with Carlos back and now Betemit adding some stability to third base.

Edited July 21, 2011 by GoWings1905

[Travis 576]

Please, please give Purcey back to the A's while they are in town. This guy is garbage, can't find the strike zone whatsoever. May as well bring Schlereth back up if we want a lefty with no control. Why the hell is Leyland using Purcey in a close game anyways?

Victor Martinez is so clutch though. He always gets the big hit, which is huge batting behind Cabrera. This has the potential to be a very good lineup with Carlos back and now Betemit adding some stability to third base.

Purcey had only given up 1 run of his own previously. He's struggling as of late, though, no doubt. If we could've gotten 1 more inning out of the rookie Below, Purcey likely wouldn't have thrown, but with Coke and Alburquerque unavailable - we had little choice. Obviously, it's not Below's fault - just a thought.

Agreed about Betemit. That makes a really strong line-up:

CF Jackson

LF Boesch / Dirks

RF Ordonez

1B Cabrera

DH Martinez

2B Guillen

SS Peralta

C Avila

3B Betemit

I don't like Boesch in the 2 spot, but there's nowhere else to put him. That's a good problem to have, though. Lots of big bats up and down the line-up.

-

After the game, Brandon Inge was designated for assignment to AAA Toledo. Given his veteran status, he could have refused to report and became a free agent. Being that it's Brandon Inge, though, he'll be reporting. According to Inge, Illitch passed a message down telling him that it wasn't a personal matter and that the Tigers want to keep Brandon Inge within the organization.

Tough move for the Tigers, but a necessary one. Hard to keep Inge on the roster when we have to send guys like Casper Wells down to make room. I wish Inge all the best. He might not be a great ballplayer at this point, but no one ever said he wasn't a total class act.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Just missed a call from a 313 number. Called it back and the person at the other end answered, 'Detroit Tigers'. It was the switchboard operator, though, who couldn't help. They didn't leave a voicemail, so I'm real confused.

That was your call for "The Show". "Double D" couldn't wait, so he made the deal for Betemit.

[Travis 576]

That was your call for "The Show". "Double D" couldn't wait, so he made the deal for Betemit.

That's what I've deduced. Since they announced the trade for Betemit after my missed call - they were clearly trying to get a hold of me about taking over at 3rd. Clearly, they've seen my softball stroke.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Maybe you were being punked by Phil Coke.

[Travis 576]

Maybe you were being punked by Phil Coke.

Also acceptable.

[dropkickshanahans 463]

Start your Ingines, Brandon. You'll be on a road trip out of Detroit soon.

Edited July 21, 2011 by dropkickshanahans

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Inge may be a great guy, but he was a charity case. I don't feel that bad for him - he's making 11.5 million dollars to hit .177. The Tigers are a better team today than yesterday and that's my biggest concern. If he learns to hit the ball and comes back to the Tigers, good for him for having the dedication to figure things out. That being said, I don't see him suddenly tearning the cover off the ball like he seems to believe he is capable of. He isn't that much of a saint for going to Toledo - even if he cleared waivers and became a free agent instead of DFA, who in their right mind wants a third baseman hitting .177? He's going to Toledo because quite frankly he's a AAA player.

The Tigers need at minimum a split in Minnesota. The longer the Twins hang around, the worse the Tigers chances of winning the division become. Time for JV to dominate tonight.

[rwfan007 18]

the trade is 1 step forward on offense and 3 steps back on defense. I know batting gets all the glory, but defense is equally important and from what I saw today, Betimit is not even in the same ballpark defensively.

[Travis 576]

the trade is 1 step forward on offense and 3 steps back on defense. I know batting gets all the glory, but defense is equally important and from what I saw today, Betimit is not even in the same ballpark defensively.

Yeah, sounded like Betemit had a rough night at the bag. He's not a terrible 3B - I just think that he had a bad night. Even Inge's defense has been slipping, though, so you can't hardly compare Betemit to the Inge of old.

With that in mind, the Tigers already have one of the weakest infields in the majors defensively, so even if he's not a true standout - it won't be that big of a deal.

How about Verlander, though. Is there anything left to be said about this guy? 1 run on 5 hits and no walks? He's an incredible talent having a real special year.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Yeah, sounded like Betemit had a rough night at the bag. He's not a terrible 3B - I just think that he had a bad night. Even Inge's defense has been slipping, though, so you can't hardly compare Betemit to the Inge of old.

With that in mind, the Tigers already have one of the weakest infields in the majors defensively, so even if he's not a true standout - it won't be that big of a deal.

How about Verlander, though. Is there anything left to be said about this guy? 1 run on 5 hits and no walks? He's an incredible talent having a real special year.

Exactly. I absolutely couldn't agree more. The Tigers infield is very poor defensively with Peralta and Guillen up the middle. Inge's defense was declining very rapidly. He had the second most errors on the team after Raburn who was out of position at second base. Betemit may not make the spectacular play that Inge used to make, but I'm pretty confident he will make the routine plays just as frequently as Inge was.

I definitely don't agree that it's only "one step forward" offensively either. Betemit is batting a whopping 100 points higher than Inge. Betemit's bat more than outweighs his average defense. Where as Inge's defense in 2011 was nowhere near elite enough to keep supporting a .177 batting average. The Tigers aren't built by any stretch to be strong on defense. If anything, this trade is three steps forward on offense and a half-step back on defense.

Edited July 23, 2011 by GoWings1905

[rwfan007 18]

he only had played 56 games before he came over here, so the average is a bit skewed. 3 hr and 20 something RBI is not 3 steps ahead. Just stating facts. Mono is not something that is easy to recover from, it totally saps everything you have. Brandon will be back, he just needs to find his stroke again.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

he only had played 56 games before he came over here, so the average is a bit skewed. 3 hr and 20 something RBI is not 3 steps ahead. Just stating facts. Mono is not something that is easy to recover from, it totally saps everything you have. Brandon will be back, he just needs to find his stroke again.

100 points is an unreal difference for a number 9 hitter. I'm not too concerned with Betemit driving in runs if he can get on base at a rate that greatly exceeds what Inge was doing. Even if the average for this year is "skewed", Betemit is a far better hitter for his career than Inge. Inge had one homer and 17 RBI's in 70 games so his sample size is larger and yet Betemit has still done more with fewer AB's.

What stroke? The .210 hitting Inge before mono? He just isn't a good hitter. The mono is just another chapter in the Brandon Inge book of excuses. I know he likes to think so, but the reality is outside of 2006 and early 2009, Brandon Inge has never shown any signs of being a consistent hitter in the major leagues. If he's back, it's next season when the Tigers are still saddled with his absurd contract.

[rwfan007 18]

3 out of 4 in Minnesota and 12 of their last 13 against the Twinkies. We are now 2 up on Cleveland and it looks like our bullpen is starting to shape up, offense is clicking pretty well, we just need that #5 starter.

Oh yeah, Don Kelly is on FIRE lol. did you guys see that?

[Travis 576]

3 out of 4 in Minnesota and 12 of their last 13 against the Twinkies. We are now 2 up on Cleveland and it looks like our bullpen is starting to shape up, offense is clicking pretty well, we just need that #5 starter.

Oh yeah, Don Kelly is on FIRE lol. did you guys see that?

I saw the replay, haha. That was a really big flame for him to not notice.

Good start to this road trip by taking 3 of 4 from Minny. Remember when going to Minnesota was an inevitable series loss? So glad the Metrodome is gone.

This White Sox series is easily the biggest series of the year to this point. I'm glad that schedule worked out in such a way that we are essentially wasting their ace by pitching our #5 against him. Hopefully the Tigers are patient against Buehrle and don't feed into his quick style.

[Travis 576]

Sucks to drop the series to Chicago. At least it was still a winning road trip.

Sometimes I worry about this team. They've had chances to pull away from the Indians - but never seem to play with the urgency necessary to do so.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Sucks to drop the series to Chicago. At least it was still a winning road trip.

Sometimes I worry about this team. They've had chances to pull away from the Indians - but never seem to play with the urgency necessary to do so.

Yes. I feel the same way. I think the Tigers are the best team in a mediocre division, but I just wish they had more separation than two games considering the Indians have been brutal since the end of May and the White Sox can't even seem to get over the .500 mark. The good part I guess is the Tigers have a bunch of games remaining against the Central so they have no one to blame but themselves if the lead slips away down the stretch.

The White Sox series was pretty frustrating. I feel like a sweep was totally within reach had the Tigs just come up with some clutch hitting on Monday and Wednesday. I know the Tigers have never been built for speed lately, but going base-to-base with 13 singles and only coming up with a couple runs is tough to comprehend on a team loaded with high batting averages.

Two tough series now at Comerica. And only 4 days left to add another starting pitcher. I have a feeling the Tigers end up getting Kuroda from the Dodgers.

[Travis 576]

Yes. I feel the same way. I think the Tigers are the best team in a mediocre division, but I just wish they had more separation than two games considering the Indians have been brutal since the end of May and the White Sox can't even seem to get over the .500 mark. The good part I guess is the Tigers have a bunch of games remaining against the Central so they have no one to blame but themselves if the lead slips away down the stretch.

The White Sox series was pretty frustrating. I feel like a sweep was totally within reach had the Tigs just come up with some clutch hitting on Monday and Wednesday. I know the Tigers have never been built for speed lately, but going base-to-base with 13 singles and only coming up with a couple runs is tough to comprehend on a team loaded with high batting averages.

Two tough series now at Comerica. And only 4 days left to add another starting pitcher. I have a feeling the Tigers end up getting Kuroda from the Dodgers.

They'll definitely get someone. I just hope it isn't some of the other names (i.e. Erik Bedard) that have been floating around. We definitely need starting pitching. I'd love for Dombrowski to pull Aaron Harang out of his hat.

Cubs send CF Kosuke Fukudome to the Tribe for a pair of prospects. Good pick up for them with Choo and Sizemore on the DL.