Detroit Tigers End Miserable First Half Of Season With Week 14 Losing Skid
(To read Week 13’s issue, click here.)
With Week 14 of the 2015 MLB season officially over, the Detroit Tigers hit the All-Star break at a perfectly mediocre 44-44.
To put it frankly, the Tigers have been average thus far this season. After their red-hot 11-2 start to the season their play has been uninspiring, to say the least. The quick math says they’ve played .440 ball (33-42) since those torrid first two weeks.
The starting rotation has disappointed and the offense has been inconsistent for long stretches at a time. And then there’s the bullpen.
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This team sits a season-high nine games out of the first place Kansas City Royals in the AL Central. The Tigers also sit three-and-a-half games out of the second wild card spot. This is not where the Tigers want to be as they prepare for a postseason stretch run.
There’s something about the .500 mark that the Tigers just can’t seem to escape. Every time they seem to break out on a winning streak they buckle down back to mediocrity.
The All-Star break just right around the corner should be the perfect chance for Tigers players and fans to relax for a bit. After such a long, grueling season it’s a much-deserved break.
And now, a look back at Week 14 for your 2015 Detroit Tigers.
Record: 3-4
@ SEA: 2-1
@ MIN: 1-3
Game of the Week: Thursday, July 9th vs Minnesota Twins 4-2 W
The Week 14 Game of the Week featured the Tigers’ dominant starter once again. David Price didn’t allow a single earned run as he went eight innings of two-run ball.
If it wasn’t for a fifth inning error Price would have been absolutely flawless against the Minnesota Twins. With the start he lowered his ERA all the way down to 2.38 in a contract year.
For as bad as the Tigers pitching staff has been all year, Price has been the complete opposite. He’s been the shutdown starter the Tigers desperately need.
He’ll get paid a hefty sum this year as baseball contracts are getting more and more absurd. Pitchers are always at high demand and Price is going to be one of the most sought after starters on the market.
For the game, Joakim Soria also earned his 20th save of the season allowing just a mere hit. Manager Brad Ausmus really has to give Soria more opportunities to pitch.
Using Soria in only save situations is a terrible idea because he’s still the best relief pitcher in the bullpen. While he will undoubtedly have bad games (see: Friday’s meltdown), all players will have the occasional bad games.
Ian Kinsler also had a big game going 2-4 with 3 RBI’s and a lead-off home run. Kinsler has really struggled thus far this season. If he can start to pick it up for this Tigers team he’ll add a new element from the lead-off spot.
Tigers Pitching Performance of the Week:
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Motor City Bengals
Justin Verlander vs Minnesota Twins
Line: 7.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 5 H, 1 BB, 116 pitches, 74 strikes
While the ending of this game was an absolute mess, Verlander’s start against the Twins looked just like his old self. He was hitting his upper-90’s fastballs just like he was a few years ago.
In many ways, he looked like vintage Verlander from his dominant seasons of 2011 and 2012. With the Tigers rotation in absolute shambles now a resurgent Verlander is exactly what this teams needs.
Verlander returning to being the autumnal god he pitched like just mere seasons ago could have a huge impact on the Tigers’ postseason aspirations.
While 116 pitches might be a bit on the high side, this is Verlander we’re talking about. His stamina is one of the best in the game and he’s itching to be a competitor day in, day out.
Fans could make the argument that Price’s start against the Twins was more impressive, but Verlander’s performance is just too good to ignore. He needs to pitch like this if he wants to get his team back to the promise land of October.
Verlander’s just too much of a competitor to not come back without a vengeance. With all the talk about how serious he takes his game days, Verlander pitching with a chip on his shoulder is a prospect that should terrify AL Central opponents.
Biggest Takeaways from Week 14
One of the biggest takeaways from Week 14 has to be the starting pitching and its fall. The starters have just been flat out disappointing outside of the always consistent David Price.
While Verlander had a great start against the Twins last time out, a more consistent effort is needed. Anibal Sanchez though has picked it up recently which bodes well for this staff.
The two disappointing starters though have to be a mix of Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene.
Greene had a red-hot start in his first three appearances only to cool down extremely quickly. He was sent down to Triple-AAA Toledo to work on some things and pitched decently there. He had a 3.42 ERA with a 1-1 record in 5 starts for the Mud Hens.
He pitched well enough and the Tigers needed a starter for Sunday. So as a result, he got called up. Unfortunately for him and the Tigers, he struggled real hard.
Greene allowed seven runs in just a mere 4.2 IP ballooning his ERA to 6.32. He just seems like a young Rick Porcello at this point (which isn’t terrible), but he’s also already 26.
And then there’s Simon. Simon had a much longer hot stretch to start the season than Greene did. But he’s also fallen apart recently.
Dating back to his start against the New York Yankees June 20th, he’s allowed a total of 30 runs in a span of 22.2 IP. His ERA has also shot up to its current 4.53.
The regression monster is hitting Simon real hard now and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The once reliable Simon is now a shaky reliever-turned-starter who is becoming a liability.
The Tigers really need both Greene and Simon to pitch better. If not, this starting staff is going to have to pick up a huge part of slack for them.
Sanchez, Verlander, and Price at their top-form is undoubtedly a talented top three for any starting staff. And the argument can be made that the fourth and fifth starter aren’t nearly as important as the top three.
However, with the Tigers digging themselves in a hole thus far, they can get any help they can get their hands on. And with General Manager Dave Dombrowski, who knows what he has planned for the July 31st trade deadline.
Upcoming Schedule 7/13-7/19
All-Star Break: 7/13-7/16
Game Times: 7/14: 7:00 PM
vs BAL: 7/17-7/19
Game Times: 7/17: 7:08 PM, 7/18: 7:08 PM, 7/19: 1:08 PM
Mercifully for Tigers fans, the first half of the season has come to a conclusion. Heading into the All-Star break this is the perfect chance for everyone involved with the Tigers to take a break.
Except for the Tigers’ All-Star representatives of Price, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias, and J.D. Martinez, of course. The All-Stars (except for Cabrera obviously) will compete on Tuesday against the National League All-Star team.
Tigers fans can tune in on FOX to view the match-up. After all, the exhibition game (for some reason) decides which league gets home-field advantage in the World Series.
After the All-Star break, the Tigers will kick off their second half of the season against the Baltimore Orioles. The re-match from the ALDS from 2014 has much less stakes now. Both teams will enter the game with same records of 44-44.
The Orioles though are still a talented team and the Tigers will have to take care of their business. If they can start strong against the O’s, they can set the tone of for the rest of the season.
And being nine games out of first place in the Central, they’ll have to win as many games as possible. To reach even 88 wins on the season, the Tigers will have to go 44-30 from here on out.
Will they be able to do it? Well, it’s only a matter of time to see if they can. They have absolutely have the talent to do so. It’ll just be a matter of execution at some points.
Next: Detroit Tigers Trade Rumor: David Price Might End Up On Block