The Detroit Tigers and the Path to the Playoffs
The Detroit Tigers are heading into the second half of the season with an average record – perfectly average, to be exact. They have lost their best hitter for the next five weeks and are maddeningly inconsistent. But the goal — a playoff berth — is still in sight.
Lots of thing will have to happen in order for them to achieve that goal, many of which are out of their control (the Twins coming back to earth, an asteroid wiping out Kansas City during a home game), but they can control some of the things. Here’s what needs to be better for the Tigers to compete for a playoff spot:
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Joakim Soria must be a lights-out closer: Without Miguel Cabrera, every game is going to be a challenge. It is imperative that if they get into the ninth inning with a lead that they ultimately emerge with a victory. As we can see from the game vs. the Minnesota Twins last Friday night, late inning losses can be devastating and have a impact on future games.
Nick Castellanos has to step up his offensive game. I mean, no one is going to replace Miggy, but somebody has to make up at least a few of the RBIs that are disappearing with Miguel gone.
Quit hitting into double plays: What is the result of a team that doesn’t have a lot of speed, gets on base a lot, and hits the ball hard? Double plays. The easiest solution would be to not get onto base, but I don’t think that is going to help out much. Hitting the ball softly probably won’t fix the problem earlier. I think this one, by far, will be the biggest challenge for Brad Ausmus.
The only real options he has are to either play guys with more speed (i.e. generally who don’t hit the ball as hard) or force the issue with more aggressive base running. Since I don’t see him sitting JD Martinez for Rajai Davis or Nick Castellanos for Andrew Romine, more hit and runs might be in order — unless you simply hope regression takes effect and the rate declines.
The final thing is easy to say but hard to do: continue to do the things that you have done good, but do them better. Play better baseball! It’s a novel concept. They have a top ten defense. Their offense, even without Cabrera, is still potent. J.D. Martinez has to keep raking (official baseball term). The Tigers have to rely on strengths, and hope that it covers up their obvious weakness in the pitching department.
Can they do it? For sure. Will they? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t we will soon be discussing whether Matthew Stafford can lead the Lions to a playoff victory and I am just not ready for that.