| 17 June 2009
The Tigers lost their 31st game of the season tonight to the St. Louis Cardinals, by a score of 4-3, which just so happened to be their 30th game of the year scoring three runs or less. Now, not all of those 30 three runs or less games have been losses (22 of them have been), but you get the picture. That's 30 of 65 games the Tigers hitters have failed to produce more than three runs. 46% of their games! Chip has more runs after a long night of drinking--although that's a different type of runs. Seriously, it's pathetic.
However, somehow, the Tigers still rank in the top half of the Major Leagues in runs scored (14th with 309 runs which is good for 4.75 runs per game). Don't let that number fool you, though. That ranking and run total is largely thanks to a sweep of Oakland in the middle of May where the Tigers averaged 11.33 runs per game and a handful of other games where the Tigers gratuitously poured on the runs like it were chocolate sauce on your vanilla ice cream.
Honestly, it's like the Tigers flip a coin on game day: Heads we hit and tails we all switch correctve lenses and give it our best shot. It's a bold strategy and I like being bold, but it's starting to fuel my drinking problem.
Now I realize it actually has nothing to do with the bats or a pre-game coin flip and has everything to do with the hitters themselves. They just aren't producing. The Tigers have a .257 team batting average, which isn't helped by the .222 average for the month of June. The problem in the past two months is the Tigers keep failing to get the big hit. In the Cardinals series alone, the Tigers are 0-9 with runners in scoring position. The Tigers really need to get a clutch bat and until cloning Miguel Cabrera becomes legal, I think they'll need to go outside the organization to get one. If not, there needs to be a whole lot of stepping up to be done.
Just how bad and unreliable has the hitting been for the Tigers this season, especially of late? Take an example from tonight's broadcast.
The Tigers had their most reliable hitter of the night up, Curtis Granderson with 2-outs in the 9th, down just a run. CJ, as Rod Allen calls him, "got off" on the day, going 3-3 with 2 HRs. Yet, Fox Sports Detroit seems to feel a loss as if it smacked them in the face with a soldering iron. There would be no 2-out rally or Curtis Granderson heroics in FSN's opinion. Cue the Tigers Live Post Game advertisements and consider this game dead and lost:
Despite Detroit's wintery hitting, the Tigers are managing to cling to a 2.0 game lead in the Central Division over the Minnesota Twins. It may be a testament to just how bad the Central Division is this year as the Tigers are 6.0 games back of Boston for the best record in the AL, but it's first place nonetheless.
Also, the pitching has not done the hitters any favors. Aside from the fact the Tigers have Dupree and I holding down the 4 and 5 spots (and it's debatable as to whether or not we could actually do a better job in the rotation), according to a tweet I saw from Billfer of Detroit Tigers Weblog, the Tigers staff has walked in 13 runs this season. That's bad in and of itself, but it's even more eye opening to hear that 9 of them come in the month of June. That's a bases loaded walk every other day!
Hopefully the Tigers can snap the four game losing streak and turn it around tomorrow when they finish up their three-game series with the Cardinals. First pitch is slated for 8:15 PM EST. The game can be seen live on MLB Network.
Fun Facts:
- Only two hitters on the Tigers have a better batting average than Miguel Cabrera's .325: Wilkin Ramirez (.333) and Rick Porcello (.667). They only have three at bats apiece, but it's interesting nonetheless. The reason their at bats are so scarce is because one is in the Minor Leagues right now and the other is our 20-year old starting pitcher. Porcello will be starting tomorrow night and since he won the game in Pittsburgh all by himself could we see him in the 3-hole tomorrow?!? I keed. I keed.
- Brandon Lyon has not given up a run since May 26th and has 8 K's in his last 4 outings. He also likes to drink beer
Not So Fun Facts:
- Magglio Ordonez has not hit a home run since April 27. He has two on the season. It might be time to cut those "power" locks.
- Joel Zumaya has walked at least one hitter in 10 of his last 11 outings.
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