Detroit Tigers Finish With Sub-.500 Record In Mediocre Week 15-16
(To read Week 14’s issue, click here. Note: Because of the All-Star break, the shortened Week 15 will look be added to the Week 16 Week In Review.)
The biggest buzz around the 2015 Detroit Tigers recently has been what they’ll do at the July 31 Trade Deadline. And there’s a reason for that.
Because of the second Wild Card spot, the Tigers still have a legitimate chance at sniffing the playoffs. And it’s not as if the Wild Card never wins. Both World Series contestants last year played in the Wild Card game.
As of this writing, the Tigers stand a mere four games out of the second Wild Card spot. Coupled with the Minnesota Twins being 3-6 since the All-Star break, the future is as uncertain as it gets.
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It’ll really be up to the Tigers’ front office to see if they’d be willing to be buyers or sellers. It’s not as if the Tigers’ offense is any bad, they’re still consistently one of the best in the league.
The real problem lies in the starting rotation. Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon have been disappointments all year to the point that the starting rotation is a shell of its former self.
Also, both Yoenis Cespedes and David Price are free agents this winter. Both could be shipped off to another team as a rental which will bring some value back the Tigers’ way.
And in all honesty, if the team doesn’t plan on re-signing either of them, they should trade them both away.
The Tigers’ lineup even without Cespedes is formidable and one of the best in the league. While they could use Price, if he can bring back a good haul it could be huge.
The reality of the situation too is that if the Tigers could get some solid starting pitching, they could be contenders again in 2016.
And a lot of money is coming off the payroll this winter so it’ll be interesting to see what the Tigers will do just four days away from July 31st.
But for now, here’s a look back at Week 15 and 16 for your 2015 Detroit Tigers:
Record: 4-6
vs BAL: 1-2
vs SEA: 2-2
@ BOS: 1-2
Game of the Week: Monday, July 20th vs Seattle Mariners 5-4 W
The Week 15-16 Game of the Week features the heroics of none other than Ian Kinsler. Kinsler would go on to hit two home runs this game in the first and eight inning.
But the big storyline is the homer that came in the eight inning. Kinsler would send a moon shot over the left field fence into the stands to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run advantage.
Al Alburquerque would earn the win and Joakim Soria would go on to nail the game for his 21st save of the year.
Unfortunately for him, Simon was knocked out after 5.2 IP of four-run ball. The bullpen surprisingly was able to nail things shut after some disastrous performances recently.
Overall though, it was a great game to watch if you were a Tigers fan. Post-game, Kinsler would talk about the buy/sell dilemma the Tigers faced day-to-day.
He would go on to mention that the players are just trying to send a message to the front office. While it’s hard to blame the offense (3rd in runs scored in MLB), it’s really up to the front office.
Still, Kinsler had himself the game from the plate. He’s started to heat up recently and that’s only going to help the Tigers. With Miguel Cabrera out all the offense they can get will be superb.
Tigers Pitching Performance of the Week:
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Justin Verlander vs Boston Red Sox
Line: 8 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 7 H, 0 BB, 111 pitches, 79 strikes
Gotta give credit where it’s due, Justin Verlander has been pitching well recently. While it’s a shame that the offense couldn’t back him, he still pitched himself quite the game.
Surprisingly Verlander only had three strikeouts. But because of that he was able to eight innings and limit the amount of innings the bullpen pitches.
While Verlander wasn’t exactly lighting it up on the radar gun (don’t expect him to), he still pitched a fine game. And at this point the Tigers might start to depend on Verlander more and more.
They don’t exactly have a choice because of his contract status, but if Verlander could be the Verlander of old this starting rotation changes dramatically.
Verlander’s still one of the most competitive guys in the game day in and day out, so that wouldn’t even be surprising.
Performances like this are only going to help the Tigers not just this year, but next. If he can be a competent #2 starter or even an ace, the Tigers’ need for starting pitching will go way down.
For now, this is just a step in the right direction. He has a long way to go before he’s the 2011/2012 form of JV. The only problem is, he may never be.
Biggest Takeaways from Week 15-16
Perhaps the biggest storyline recently in the past few weeks have been the questionable calls by Manager Brad Ausmus. There were a few times where he had Tigers fans shaking their head because of some calls.
One instance was the game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. He elected to use Neftali Feliz in the eight inning role. While that alone isn’t terrible, it’s what happened after that has so many Tigers fans wondering “what if?”.
Feliz would go on to load the bases and Ausmus didn’t even either Wilson or Soria warming up. That’s correct, Tigers fans.
The pitcher that recently got released by the Rangers was pitching in an eight inning. And once he loaded the bases, Ausmus didn’t even have a reliever warming up.
After the game, Ausmus claimed that he didn’t use Alex Wilson (1.88 ERA in 52.2 IP) because he was saving him for extra innings. The problem with that though is the Tigers were already up two runs at the time.
Now, Ausmus has been downright questionable at times throughout the season. This still isn’t to say that the players don’t have some blame to share too.
The offense inconveniently disappears at times when the starting pitching goes well. Or at other times the bullpen blows it when the offense put up five-or-more runs on the board.
But still. Ausmus’ decisions have lacked sometimes. While he does have good moves (sometimes), the way he handles his bullpen is extremely confusing.
Overall though, the Tigers still need to make a decision for the Trade Deadline on July 31st. Buyers or sellers? Or just standing pat? The Tigers stand now four games back of the last Wild Card spot.
Both sides of being a buyer and a seller has its perks. But at this point it’s up to General Manager Dave Dombrowski and his associates. Owner Mike Illitch still hasn’t won his World Series ring, and unfortunately, he’s not getting any younger.
Upcoming Schedule 7/27-8/2
@ TB: 7/27-7/29
Game Times: 7/27: 7:10 PM, 7/28: 7:10 PM, 7/29: 12:10 PM
@ BAL: 7/30-8/2
Game Times: 7/30: 7:05 PM, 7/31: 7:05 PM, 8/1: 7:05 PM, 8/2: 1:35 PM
Week 17 will be a huge week for the Detroit Tigers and their fans. Quite bluntly, the July 31st trade deadline is sandwiched in between games.
Last year, fans witnessed ex-Tiger Austin Jackson jogging off the field mid-game after being traded to the Seattle Mariners.
While that is unlikely to happen this year (7:05 start time on 7/31), there could still be moves made this week.
The great debate of whether the Tigers will be buyers or sellers will be talked about and discussed. Even after the deadline, their decision will be assessed.
And with the Tigers so close to Wild Card contention, that decision just keeps getting harder and harder.
As for the games, the Tigers head east to face off against both the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. Both teams are at around the .500 mark just like the Tigers have been.
And for that reason, these games will prove to vitally important. That race for the second Wild Card might go down to the wire and the Tigers will need to face off against other contenders.
The last thing you need is to struggle against these kinds of teams, especially if the Tigers brass decides this team are considered contenders.
All in all, baseball fans should be extremely excited for this week. The Trade Deadline is an exciting time for when rumors are either confirmed or are just plain wrong.
The hectic-ness of the day is a joy to watch as General Mangers of various teams look to revamp their team either in the long-term of the short-term.
Now, your thoughts. Will the Tigers be buyers or sellers? Which one do you think they should be? Whatever the case, it’ll be an exciting and decisive week for Tigers baseball.
Next: Detroit Tigers Trade Rumor: David Price to Dodgers?