Detroit Tigers Bounce Back From Terrible Start To Win In Down Week 9
(To read Week 8’s issue, click here.)
What a terrible week for the Detroit Tigers and their fans. The start of the week was an extension from an awful Week 8 where they dropped four straight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Then they would go on to get swept at home against the Oakland Athletics, a team with one of the worst records in Major League Baseball. After dropping the first game of the road series against the Chicago White Sox, the Tigers hit rock bottom of the 2015 season.
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Steady closer Joakim Soria blew his 2nd game of the season allowing a two-out game-tying home run to Adam LaRoche. After Alex Wilson hit former Tiger Avisail Garcia to force in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th, the Tigers had dropped eight straight games.
The last time the Tigers dropped eight straight in any season was exactly a decade ago in 2005. But that team didn’t have World Series aspirations.
This team is still stacked with talent though, there’s no denying that. It’s still a reality too that injuries have taken their toll on this team.
As the Tigers retool their team with veterans and key contributors they’ll look like a better team. For now they should tread water with their current team, which doesn’t mean they’re bad by any means.
Reinforcements are coming for the Tigers. It’s only now a matter of time before they start to win games consistently again.
And now, a look back at Week 9 for your 2015 Detroit Tigers.
Record: 2-4
vs OAK: 0-3
@ CWS: 2-1
Game of the Week: Sunday, June 7th vs Chicago White Sox 6-4 W
The Week 9 Game of the Week came right at the end of the week on Sunday. After a slow start to the game where an error skewed the results, Alfredo Simon pitched very well.
After David Price went the distance the day before, Simon threw a sparkling eight inning. He stranded doubles in both the fourth and fifth and looked smooth and in control after the shaky start to the game.
He was only tagged for one earned run as he lowered his ERA to a marvelous 2.76 ERA. He’s making General Manager Dave Dombrowski look like a genius as he’s been consistently one of the best starting pitchers on the staff.
The game also featured a comeback by the Tigers with bombs from Yoenis Cespedes and J.D. Martinez in the sixth inning. The home runs from both gave the team a quick lead which they held on to.
Soria (after blowing his second save of the season two days earlier) shut down the White Sox to earn his 16th save of the season. He allowed a one-out single but still nailed the save for the Tigers’ second straight win.
Another guy that was a huge difference maker this game was Tyler Collins. He went three-for-three with two runs and one RBI for the good guys. Manager Brad Ausmus penciled him in the fifth spot of the lineup and he really came through for the Tigers.
Overall it was a great team win and a comeback for this Tigers team. After falling flat for the last week or so after a deficit it was a refreshing scene to watch them fight and claw their way back to a win.
Tigers Pitching Performance of the Week:
David Price vs Chicago White Sox 6/6/15
Honorable Mention: Kyle Ryan vs Chicago White Sox 6/5/15
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Price Line: 9 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 11 K, 5 H, 2 BB, 110 pitches, 79 strikes
There’s no denying the Tigers ace this spot in Week 9. He pitched an absolute gem against the White Sox to stop the bleeding that was the Tigers’ eight-game losing streak.
The ace of the staff needs to be the stopper and that’s exactly what Price did. He went the distance and with the Tigers’ offensive explosion of seven runs, Price quickly dispatched of the White Sox.
These are the types of games that will be important for the Tigers going forward. Price is easily the ace of this staff and he carried them just like he did to clinch the Tigers’ fourth straight AL Central crown.
This team will need to rely on Price a lot more throughout the season. But for now Price pitched just like a real ace of a staff should during times of struggle.
An honorable mention has to go to Kyle Ryan who pitched a gem himself against the Sox. Making a spot start for the injured Kyle Lobstein, he pitched admirably. He threw seven innings of two-run ball and only made a few mistakes all night.
He would have gotten the win but Soria blew the save in the ninth with two outs. But regardless, Ryan pitched well and gave the Tigers all he could to put them in a place to win.
Biggest Takeaways from Week 9
Overall Week 9 for the Detroit Tigers was relatively terrible. They got swept by the Oakland Athletics and they blew game one of the series against the Chicago White Sox. That was a game they were one out away from winning and should have won.
But it’s at least encouraging to see that the Tigers showed some signs of life near the end of the week. They were able to steal the series from the Sox and that should inspire some confidence among fans and critics alike.
While this team is a far cry from their blazing hot 11-2 start to the season, they will only get better. As more and more key contributors get healthy it’ll only make this team look better.
One thing that the Tigers have done really well this season is their play against AL Central division rivals. They’re taking care of business against the teams that matter and that’s huge. They’re even 7-2 against the division leaders Minnesota Twins.
The only team they’re below-.500 against is the Kansas City Royals and that’s only at a 3-4 clip. They have plenty of time to improve on that as they get more chances to play them. Overall the Tigers have a 20-11 record against the AL Central.
It’s obvious how important games are against the Central and the Tigers are taking care of their business in that regard. That kind of head-to-head record will start to make a difference during the stretch run toward the playoffs.
Other than that the Tigers will have to play much better baseball from here on out. A 2-4 record over the week is unacceptable if a team is trying to make the playoffs.
If dropping game one in the White Sox series was rock bottom, the Tigers need to bounce back from that. It’s only going to help them that they’re getting players healthy. If there’s a time to rise back from the ashes, it’s now.
Upcoming Schedule 6/8-6/14
vs CHC 6/9-6/10
Game Times: 6/9: 7:08 PM, 6/10: 7:08 PM
vs CLE 6/12-6/14
Game Times: 6/12: 7:08 PM, 6/13: 4:08 PM, 6/14: 1:08 PM
The Tigers are going to be at home all week as they take on the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. This week’s a bit nice for the Tigers as they’ll have two off-days on Monday and Thursday.
Off-days at this part in the season are nice just because it gives the team a necessary day just to recover. Playing a long, grueling 162-game season takes its toll on the body and it’s necessary for them to just rest. Plus the bullpen can always use a couple of days off to get the better arms in there some days off.
For the actual opponents the Tigers will have a quick interleague series against the Cubs who have been a solid team this year under Manager Joe Maddon. The Cubs unlike recent years have legit talent in guys like Starlin Castro and Jon Lester. The Tigers need to go into this series with the mindset that they’ll have to compete.
Then it’s a home series against the Cleveland Indians. The division rival has been player better ball recently as they should be, that team is honestly too good to slump for extended periods of time.
The Tigers though, have handled them quite well so far this season. They have a 5-1 record head-to-head against the Indians which goes back to the idea that the Tigers play their division rivals well.
Just like in years past playing their division rivals strong will put the Tigers in a good place come playoff stretch time. Their dominance of the AL Central in past years really propelled them to the top. It looks like they’ll need that even more now that they’re stuck at 3rd behind the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.
With all five games of Week 9 at home it’s the perfect chance for Tigers fans to go out and watch this team at Comerica Park. Hopefully they have bounced back after a rough stretch. With more players getting healthier it’ll be key for the Tigers to do well from here on out.
They can’t be back too many games of the division leader to make a run for their fifth straight division crown.
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