OT: Tiger pregame/MLB open thread. Who's your Tiger tonight
Quadruple header today leading off with Reds v Giants in deciding game 5
Who is your Tiger tonight?
Tonight is the night we find out if JV is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with the incomparable Jack Morris.
Sabermetric over analysis warning: JV is 29 years old. Jack Morris was 29 in 1984.
I'm going with Justin Verlander as player of the game
October 11th, 2012 at 1:29 PM ^
Valverde
October 11th, 2012 at 1:32 PM ^
I'll double down on Valverde; but, only with the understanding that the Tigers have a 21 run lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:17 PM ^
no kidding, he was throwing meat balls last night.
Also, I want to see people get on base for Miggy, top order needs to spray the ball around tonight.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:36 PM ^
He throws like that every night. I'd say 95/100 pitches are just 93 mph fastballs somewhere near the strikezone. It's just a matter of whether the batter hits it at one of the defenders or not.
October 11th, 2012 at 4:48 PM ^
I was definitely thinking THROW A DAMN CURVE last night. Good lord was he serving up some beachballs.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
Actually, that would be worse, because much like our past closers (such as Rodney), he's much WORSE when he's not pitching in a save situation. I can't fault him for being so inconsisent, though, because almost every closer is. Even Mariano Rivera has blown some huge games.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:33 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 2:13 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 3:04 PM ^
We already have our jackass manager giving away (or almost giving away) games when he starts Laird and Garcia, and now you want Todd Jones?
"Jones? JOOOOOOOOONES?!"
October 11th, 2012 at 1:46 PM ^
him "Papa Grande", i motion that we start calling him "Caca Grande". aka spanish slang for Huge Shit or Huge Turd
October 11th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
No way!
October 11th, 2012 at 1:30 PM ^
The only confidence I have in a win tonight would be with JV. The bats are cold right now and the pen is frightening to say the least.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:30 PM ^
It has to be Verlander. There's no other choice. If he doesn't shut the A's down, the Tigers chances drop significantly. The A's find a way to win better than any team I remember
October 11th, 2012 at 1:33 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 1:37 PM ^
The place where the A's play (I'm not going to try to remember what it's called anymore. Last I checked it was O.co Coliseum?) is as much of a pitchers park as Comerica is.
There isn't a huge difference.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:33 PM ^
I was surprised that O.co is more of a pitchers' park than Comerica:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor
Comerica is pretty much middle of the pack.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
It's actually much more of a pitchers park, if for no other reason than it actually is a pitchers park.
Comerica does not benefit pitchers, it is a neutral park, and if anything, has a slight lean towards hitters.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:35 PM ^
on about a 250 pitch count tonight
My Tiger is anyone who gets an actual clutch hit with men on base
October 11th, 2012 at 1:40 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 1:40 PM ^
'Gers 11
A's 2
October 11th, 2012 at 1:41 PM ^
Tiger Woods
October 11th, 2012 at 1:55 PM ^
hmm, I like where your heads at. Maybe if he bangs all of the A's players wives, they will be too distraught and forfeit the game.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:42 PM ^
I feel that Prince will come through to knock in some extra bases for the runners, so I will go with the HOPEFUL MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera. I think if he goes 3-4 our offense will overcome any pitching problems.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:58 PM ^
Ajax and whoever we insert into the No. 2 spot need to get on base for Cabrera to do any damage. He isn't going to hit a homerun every at bat, or at all apparently in this series.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:43 PM ^
Tigers up 6-1 in the 5th.
Win 6-4.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:48 PM ^
Verlander has to get the CG for the Tigers to win. I wouldn't trust the bullpen with anything tonight. Bats need to get more than 3 runs.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:08 PM ^
I agree, JV probably need to go at least into the 8th inning. I really hope the bats wake up and we can finally get some runs going, we need to string together hits which we started to last night but still left a ton of runners on base
October 11th, 2012 at 1:48 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 1:52 PM ^
Dirks, Andy. He's the Tigers version of Zack Novak. Gritty player who fights during every at bat. Even if Verlander pitches a gem, the Tigers still have to score a run.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:48 PM ^
isn't gonna let the ball touch any of his relievers hands. Verlander goes the distance in 120 pitches. Gives up 2 runs, final score 5-2 Tigers
October 11th, 2012 at 2:00 PM ^
Tigers going down tonight. Free Pie and Gatorade for everyone.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:28 PM ^
Here we go!
October 11th, 2012 at 2:42 PM ^
October 11th, 2012 at 3:05 PM ^
If you'd get your head out of your SF ass you might know that the A's have been doing this all season after every walkoff victory.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:15 PM ^
Yeah, I give a fuck what the A's do after they win. To hell with the As, and the bail jumpers who follow them.
Go Tigers. Go Giants.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
a dick soup. Go A's. Oh, and try not to get your ass kicked tonight, get it all out here on the blog.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:15 PM ^
Based on your intel, one might surmise that the A's have been acting like chumpdicks all season then. Just saying.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:23 PM ^
Touche
October 11th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
...because they celebrate every win like it's the fucking game 7 of the World Series.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:22 PM ^
They were amateurs last year, can't blame 'em.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:43 PM ^
...there you have it.
October 11th, 2012 at 1:59 PM ^
If he pitches 9 innings and wins it will be the greatest thing I've seen in Detroit sports since Yzerman carried the Wings halfway to a Cup on one leg.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^
if you count his work in the last few years of his career, Morris's WS for the Tigers and later with the Twins puts him rarified air. JV is teh greater talent, but he needs to come up big tonight then do it a few more times to solidly overtake Morris. (I suspect he will)
October 11th, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^
Morris also was on 2 Blue Jay World Championship teams, though he didn't fare as well in the post season
October 11th, 2012 at 2:01 PM ^
and redeem himself tonight. Love that guy.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
For the rest of my days if you don't do your job I will refer to you as a Valverde (n) or if you didn't do your job; pulling a Valverde (v).
I seriously hate Valverde. Did anyone notice him on the mound last night? He threw in a little extra hip thrust in his horrible routine before his pitches. I hate him so much. It's like he tries to piss everyone off. He is the Jonny Gomes of baseball. Biggest fucking worthless piece of shit ever. Douche bag.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:13 PM ^
he isnt having the lights out season he had last year but he still put together a solid year and is a good closer. yeah he blew the game and that sucks and we should have won the series last night but he was fine the rest of the series. sometimes you just have a bad game.
October 11th, 2012 at 2:20 PM ^
I consider that to be pretty tame coming from me. I'm lucky I'm not drinking right now.
?
October 11th, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^
Valverde sucks.
And guess what? He sucked last year too.
There is hardly any statistical measure by which he is in even the top 2/3 of AL relievers.
Valverde had the 46th worst ERA and 47th worst K rate among the 54 AL relievers with more than 50IP this year.
So while he sucked last year, he's even worse this year.
He's bad, he's a very bad pitcher, and to simply rely on him because "he's the closer" is foolish.
The whole system that MLB managers have set up to run their bullpen is asinine.