Detroit Tigers Week In Review: Week 6
(To read Week 5’s issue, click here.)
Week 6 of the 2015 MLB Season zoomed by with the Detroit Tigers still in the thick of the AL Central race with the Kansas City Royals.
The Tigers handily took care of the Minnesota Twins who seem to struggle only against the Tigers. With the surprising Twins also involved in the AL Central race the Tigers’ recent dominance over them is huge.
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The Twins are 2-7 against the Tigers while 19-10 versus everyone else. Their inability to do muster up wins against the Tigers has the very real possibility to come back and haunt them this summer.
Versus the St. Louis Cardinals this week the Tigers did a skillful job. No team in the Majors was able to win a series at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals all year. Until the Tigers did just that this past weekend.
The Cardinals, going in, were the class of the MLB with the best record to back up that statement. It’s huge for a team like the Tigers (who were struggling a bit for stretches) to go in there and capitalize on a winning week.
With each passing week the playoff picture looks like it’s unfolding with 3 clear teams vying for that one playoff spot in the AL Central. While it’s hard to ignore the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox with all the talent they have, they aren’t winning and that’s what counts in the Majors.
As the Tigers roll into Week 7, here’s a recap of Week 6 of the 2015 MLB Season:
Record: 4-2
Opponents
vs MIN: 2-1
@ STL: 2-1
Game of the Week: Saturday, May 16th vs St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 W
While Week 6 featured a walk-off win earlier in the week, the Tigers squeaking out a quality win against a quality opponent on the road speaks for itself.
Perhaps though the highlight of the game was still Miguel Cabrera blasting his 400th career home run off Tyler Lyons in the 1st inning. A blast to straightaway center field only seemed fitting for (arguably) the best hitter in Detroit Tigers history.
Coupled with a rain delay mixed in, the game took a long time to finish from its originally scheduled start time. Surprisingly was David Price pitching 6 2/3 IP of 3-run ball after the lengthy delay.
Besides the highlight of Cabrera’s home run though was Jose Iglesias coming through in the clutch in the top of the 10th inning. On a 2-2 count with 2 outs Iglesias would line a blooper that would find some green to take the lead.
With Joakim Soria confidently saving the game and slamming the door on the Cardinals the Tigers closer simply continues to prove how good and valuable he is to this team.
All in all, the Week 6 “Game of the Week” had plenty of dramatic moments against one of the best teams in baseball.
Tigers Pitching Performance of the Week
Live Feed
Motor City Bengals
Anibal Sanchez vs Minnesota Twins 05/14/15
Line: 8 IP, 1 ER, 1 R, 9 K, 5 H, 1 BB, 111 pitches
Anibal Sanchez’s season thus far has been pretty disappointing to say the least. He started off well against the Minnesota Twins on the second game of the season but other than a few moments his performance has been concerning overall.
That’s why his line against those same Twins is the line of the week. While seeing the same opponent possibly helped Sanchez, there’s no denying how much Sanchez has struggled thus far to start the season.
If the Tigers are going to win their 5th straight AL Central Sanchez is going to be very important. He entered the season as the #2 starter and he hasn’t performed to those expectations yet.
Starts like this are important to get Sanchez back on track. It’s a long season and he has plenty of time to contribute to this Tigers team.
Biggest Takeaway from Week 6
The difference even just one week can make in MLB is amazing. Just earlier this week the Tigers’ bats seemed cold and misplaced. The entire offense was in a funk and fans were calling for very premature benching and firings.
Week 6 though was a completely different story. The Tigers looked dominant and rejuvenated on the offensive side of things. While the starting pitching still treads water, it was a refreshing sight to see the offense pick up the slack a bit.
After a 2-4 record last week where they seemed to struggle, a week like this will increase confidence among the fans.
One thing to keep an eye out though is the health of Shane Greene. Greene in his last start against the Cardinals had to leave early because of mild ulnar neuritis. The good news though is that it looks like the MRI looks good and the concern of the injury is down.
Any blow to this starting rotation will be huge. A big reason that the bullpen has looked adequate and serviceable is because of the starters. Soria has been dominant and Angel Nesbitt has looked good and getting those guys the ball instead of the broken Al Alburquerque will be important.
One reason that the Kansas City Royals look fragile is because of their starting rotation. For as much change the Tigers’ starters have gotten over the years there’s no doubt they’re still good.
The more the starters pitch the less reliance they’ll need on the bullpen, which for this team is huge.
Upcoming Schedule 5/18-5/24
vs MIL 5/18-5/20
Game Times: 5/18: 7:08 PM, 5/19: 7:08 PM, 5/20: 7:08 PM
vs HOU 5/21-5/24
Game Times: 5/21: 1:08 PM, 5/22: 7:08 PM, 5/23: 4:08 PM, 5/24: 1:08 PM
The Tigers in Week 7 will continue interleague play but this time at Comerica Park. With the DH in AL ballparks fans will again be able to see Martinez bat.
The past few games against the Cardinals though were a blessing in disguise as Martinez was able to rest his knee while the Tigers had the added benefit of winning their games.
This week they’ll face the struggling Milwaukee Brewers from the NL Central. While they’ve been adequate recently they have yet to shake off their horrid start to 2015. They were one of the surprising teams of last year looking like they’ll clinch a playoff spot.
Unfortunately for them though they fell apart down the stretch relinquishing their NL Central lead. The Brewers are a team that the Tigers should have no problem winning the series as long as they execute correctly.
Then brings the Houston Astros from the AL West. The Astros have been the surprise story of 2015 as they pace the struggling AL West. Fans and pundits thought that the Astros were at least a few years from contention. But in the early parts of 2015 they look like contenders.
They could be like last year’s Kansas City Royals and sneak into the playoffs in a feel-good story. The 4-game set against the Tigers should be an entertaining one for fans of both sides. It’ll be an important series against one of the hotter teams in baseball.
All 7 games of Week 7 will be at Comerica Park so it’ll be the perfect opportunity for fans to go ahead and catch a game. The Tigers look to be back on track after stumbling a bit in Week 5.
Next: Detroit Tigers Alex Avila: Surgery Good Or Bad?