CC: Fire Brad Ausmus
Fire Brad Aumus.
8th inning, Joba & Soria, giving up 5+ runs, Tigers lose.
Deja vu.
What happened to Hardy, leaving Anibal in, or bringing in Joe Nathan?
Sad cats.
Miggy says it all:
(P.s: Look who lurks right behind him in this gif...)
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:00 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^
it's his fault for putting said gaspen in over sanchez.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
Soria is a good pitcher--until he comes here. Price is a Cy young guy--and has a 4 plus ERA here.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
I honestly believe that it was Valverde's perfect season. He was never meant to go an entire year without blowing a save. The baseball gods are smiting us as payback.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:18 PM ^
Not a Tigers fan, but I feel like every time I saw Valverde pitch that year he'd put the tying run on third with no one out and then somehow escape the inning. It was the craziest run of luck I'd ever seen.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^
i cant remember one time that season when valverde didnt at least put somebody on base
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:39 PM ^
... Hoke's first season at Michigan is a close second, but I agree. Valverde's year was remarkable.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
Soria's probably still hurt so either we traded for damaged goods or he got hurt here. Either way, it figures.
During the radio broadcast (ESPN), Rick Sutcliffe reported the Oriole players said that Soria's pitches were flat. Doesn't matter how hard you throw, if each pitch is straight or has no life, these hitters will tee off. And I remember Soria used to have great stuff.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:03 PM ^
Put in Al or ANYONE ELSE!
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:11 PM ^
At one point last night, the Orioles swung at every pitch Soria threw, except for the intentional walk. It seemed they saw something and that's what it was. I would expect the catcher to pick up on that.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
Yes, but pulling Anibal when he's rolling for Joba freakin' Chamberlain is 10000000000000% his fault.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
I can't agree more with that statement. Sums it all up right there.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:06 PM ^
Rick Sutcliffe was saying during the game on ESPN Radio that Ausmus would be smart to leave Sanchez in to finish the game if he's on. That was in the sixth inning. He just blew a chance to roll Price out there to go up 2-1 and he Scherzer finish on Monday.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^
What is he supposed to do? He doesn't have guys who can perform. Look at the pen. Look at the guys at bat in the ninth. That's not gonna get it done in the playoffs no matter who's the manager.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
Leyland left the cupboard bare.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
Some of it is not his fault. But come on. Chamberlain and Soria for Sanchez was an objectivley awful decision, especially after last night, and his 8th inning nonsense has cost us so many damn times.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^
Al Albuquerque is your guy in that situation. I know it sounds like captain hindsight, but really I don't get why you are leaving a guy in who can't keep the ball down. Sure, Al Al could have done the same thing or gave up a grand slam. Who knows. I just think he's better at keeping the ball down and he's a strikeout pitcher.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^
It's not Cpt. Hindsight. Al's been the best reliever since the all-star break, by far. HE HASN'T THROWN A GD PITCH. Joba and Joakim haven't even had a full days rest since being bombed and both have been mediocre lately. Worst Tiger managing moment I can ever remember.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:04 PM ^
10 hits and 2 runs in his last 22 appearanaces. But heavens no, Ausmus couldn't be bothered to use him.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^
Should have gone to to the ninth or even tried to finsh the game--he's well rested, used to multiple innings as a starter, and was rolling--this was a crucial game and Ausmus should have pulled all the stops to win.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:05 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
Yes. The idiot GM goes and gets a SP. We needed solid bullpen. Somehow Soria looks bad in Detroit.
They needed some sluggers with chance of HR of the bench. They have nobody.
And they keep playing that idiot Avila.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:57 PM ^
If you're criticizing Dumbrowski, you need a bigtime reality check.
This team has won the division four straight years. That's a pretty incredible feat in the modern MLB, especially when all you can offer free agents is, well, Detroit. This bullpen, bad as it is, was good enough on this team to win the division ahead of a very good KC team. To discount that based on the results of two games is foolhardy.
The worst team in baseball could win a playoff series against the best team, if they were allowed in. That's the nature of a sport where the best teams win only 60% of their games. You judge the performance of a GM on longer time scales than this, and our guy has absolutely been among the best.
October 4th, 2014 at 1:49 AM ^
"especially when all you can offer free agents is, well, Detroit."
Um. Doesn't Detroit have one of the biggest payrolls outside of the Yankees? It's not like Dombrowski has simply charmed them into coming. It's also very generous to say the bullpen was good enough to win the division. We won the division DESPITE the bullpen. I don't follow baseball enough to criticize Dombrowski but every year it's the same thing. There's no one worth a damn in the pen. And yes, baseball is wonky and upsets happen, but we're losing exactly the way it'd seem we'd lose.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^
1. Could've left a cruising Sanchez in.
2. Could've gone to any of the other relievers in the pen (Al Al has been effective) over the two guys who just yesterday blew the game wide open for the O's.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
This is just like Jim Leyland show. They should have fired all of Jimmy's coaches. Asmus keeps doing the same thing an expecting a different result. Sound familiar?
Tigers are done. I hope they lose the next one also, so they can fire Asmus and move on. Hope they clean the house, including the GM.
Man, we are having a rough 2 weeks.
Michigan sucks, Tiger sucks. We are going to have a beatdown tomorrow. Going to the hockey game. Hope they don't get blown out.
I will not be surprised if everything blows up for teams in Michigan that I root for.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^
Hmmmmm.....
Maybe we can lobby for double plays to count as a half point or something in the mlb....
*fingers crossed*
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^
zing
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
The OT rule has completely gone by the wayside this week. Guess this couldn't go into the Postgame drinking thread.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:50 PM ^
OT rule is during the season, fyi season is over.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
Yeah, right. Except for the ones that have, you know, won Cy Young awards here. Give me a break.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^
It's about time to trade Ausmus to Houston again.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:16 PM ^
Bingo.
Ausmus has been making horrible decisions all year (most notably, keeping Joe Nathan as closer but there are many more).
That said, bullpen is on Dombrowski. He's had years to fix it, but it still sinks every year. Love Dave, but it's on him.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
Who exactly should be closer other than Nathan?
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^
You could make a very strong argument for Alburquerque.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^
And a very strong argument against him. So, in that case it's not a bad thing to stick with the experienced guy.
Actually, sounds kinda familiar... If only Hoke stuck with the experienced guy...
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:33 PM ^
There are some BABIP and strand rate luck arguments you could make for Al Al, but basically, across the board, his nubmers have been better.
You can take experience. I'll take the guy with the numbers.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&t…
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:41 PM ^
Their numbers aren't directly comparable. Al Al should have better numbers since he's a specialty guy that is used in games specifically when he has a favorable matchup.
Not saying I wouldn't like to have seen him today, but given Al Al's playoff implosions in recent past, there's not many managers, maybe none, that would make that move.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:50 PM ^
It's about a 30 batter swing of lefties Nathan has had to face more of.
That said, when you split it, per wOBA against, Al Al is better against both lefties and righties than Joe Nathan is.
A 10 inning postseason sample size would not scare me away from using one of the Tigers' better (that's not saying much) RP in Alburquerque in a higher leverage situations.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
He broomed out the dead weight from last year got arguably the best off season FA closer and then traded for the best guy available at the deadline. Pinning this on Dombrowski makes no sense just as I said in the other thread on the same topic. He doesnt pitch, he just attempts to get the best guys available to put the team in a position to win. When players dont perform it isnt on him. Just like JD being the second coming isnt all to his credit either, it was surely a savvy pickup, but I doubt ANYONE saw this coming for him.
I know everyone is way pissed, I certainly am, but DD is the least to blame in all this.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^
He signed a 39 year old closer and brought in Joba Chamberlain, who stunk for years.
And that was it.
That was never gonna be enough to fix all of the bullpen issues. This collapse really isn't shocking.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:47 PM ^
and soria was probably one of the top 3 set up men this year. I am not sure its on DD to forsee they would both forget how to pitch. It also did not help that Rondon was lost for the season.
I do blame Ausmus to going back to Joba and Soria a day after they blew up.
October 3rd, 2014 at 5:10 PM ^
All fair points.
I just wish he'd do more though. Like bringing in another lefty to compete with Phil Coke in spring training. Perhaps instead of spending big on a few guys, spread it out. Sort of like what he did with SS this year, threw a bunch of guys at the wall and went with what stuck.
Maybe could have made a move for Andrew Miller too, but hard to know what they were asking for.
I've probably come off a lot stronger than I wanted too. Dombrowski is one of the best. Just wish he'd try something different for the bullpen.
October 4th, 2014 at 2:46 AM ^
a net wash in the offseason. It did not make the Tigers pen any better.The Rondon thing was a tough break I will grant you that, but where exactly did DD expect the improvement to come from coming into theseason with this pen? Taking a flyer on a guy who has been a bum the last couple of years, in Joba, is not the answerto that question
Having to give up prospects to get Soria never would of happened, if DD would have done a better job of improving the bullpen in the offseason, in the first place.