Clemens Pitched for Detroit Today

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on June 15th, 2022 at 4:07 PM

That would have been a cool headline 20 years ago, but today, it just means the Tigers got their asses kicked.

The Tigers were losing so badly against the White Sox that they sent three position players to the mound, including infielder Kody Clemens, who gave up one run on three hits in the eighth. He still has a better chance of making the Hall of Fame than his dad does. 

Robbie Moore

June 15th, 2022 at 6:08 PM ^

Ain't that the case. It takes a seriously skewed view of the world to come up with that story. The head writer was also the creative force behind Perpetual Grace, Ltd. so his skewed world view is confirmed.

Get the rhythm, get the rhythm. There we go. There we fucking go. Get it. Get the rhythm.

Lou MacAdoo

June 15th, 2022 at 4:24 PM ^

This should be an opportunity for them to gain some ground. Between now and the all star break they have a bunch of division foes and teams under .500. Looked like they were starting to show signs of getting healthy, but then Mize goes out for the year and Rodriguez takes a sabbatical. This team just can't catch any breaks. Time to hire a new hitting coach, send Torkleson down to get his game right and call up Riley Greene to provide a spark. 

DennisFranklinDaMan

June 15th, 2022 at 4:35 PM ^

I think the idea that this was ever going to be an above average offense is absurd. Other than Cabrera -- and that several years ago -- how many of these guys have ever played in an All-Star game, ever batted .300, or ever hit over 25 HR? I haven't checked -- it's possible there are one or two players who have eked out one or two of those metrics, once or twice -- but honestly, there's nobody on this team that other teams would genuinely worry about facing, even before the season started.

I'm actively cheering against them now. For one thing, they need to blow this offense up and start again -- their position-player development in the minors is shockingly poor, after so many years of high draft picks -- and the worst possible result would be for them to start playing even average baseball now, allowing Avila and his staff to justify pushing this all forward yet another year.

But also, damn, let's -- I guess -- get some more valuable draft picks. We need a lot of help.

Also. Fire Avila. This is embarrassing. What has he done, exactly, that justifies any continued employment? He can't point to one player he's drafted, developed, or acquired that reflects well on him. In seven years. Pathetic.

DennisFranklinDaMan

June 15th, 2022 at 5:47 PM ^

At some point Tigers' fans are going to conclude that they're being disrespected. That their fandom and their dollars are being taken for granted, and the owners don't really care how Avila's doing. At some point soon they need to show us there's a plan. Because if there is -- other than saving money -- I sure don't see it.

ckersh74

June 15th, 2022 at 6:35 PM ^

I have no cable/streaming/satellite package whatsover. Just basic Comcast internet service with a smattering of channels (including CBC, so I do get hockey tonight). I was looking forward to Bally's launching their own direct-to-consumer app this month for ~$190/year. But seeing what I'm seeing in the box scores, on Twitter, and in the standings, I have no clue why I thought that was a good idea. 

This is flat-out pitiful. Up until the recent bedshitting that has occurred over the past week, they were a legitimate top-10 pitching staff. They're now 20th in ERA, 11th in WHIP and 16th in AVG against. 

The offense, OTOH, is abysmal at best. Dead last in OPS, OBP, SLG, and 28th in average. They're hitting a whopping .219 as a team. They're last in runs scored, 38 runs behind #29 Pittsburgh. That's about 12 games worth of runs for this offense. Dead last in HR. The Yankees have over 3x as many homers, and next-to-last KC has almost 50% more bombs. 

There are grounds right now to fire Avila, as well as Coolbaugh and Hessman (the two boobs posing as hitting coaches). It's mid-June. It's not early anymore. This isn't a little slump. This is a complete offensive failure. This team may very well not score 500 runs this year. The record for fewest runs in a season is 378, by the Cards in 1908 (154 games). We're on pace for 439.

DennisFranklinDaMan

June 16th, 2022 at 1:18 AM ^

I think I read that the Tigers' runs-per-game would be the worst since WWII. That's 80 years ago. And it's dropped in the last week.

This is ... I mean, "shocking" doesn't even cover it. I'm not one -- honestly -- for over-reactions and blame. But if Ilitch doesn't go on a firing spree soon, I don't know what that could possibly mean except that he doesn't care. How in the world is this acceptable?

Hell, even if it's only symbolic -- symbolism matters! Show your fans you're paying attention, for God's sake. At this point, he's showing Tigers fans his middle finger.

Sigh. I'm a life-long Tigers fan. I know they don't have the resources to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers every year. But Mike Ilitch clearly wanted to win one, and he authorized Dombrowski to make it happen. (He failed, but not for lack of trying). I see none of that, now.

We get rid of Scherzer, Verlander, J.D. Martinez, Castellanos, among others, for ... good God, man, for NOTHING. How is that possible? For nothing.

St Joe Blues

June 16th, 2022 at 9:22 AM ^

Sigh. I'm a life-long Tigers fan. I know they don't have the resources to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers every year. But Mike Ilitch clearly wanted to win one, and he authorized Dombrowski to make it happen. (He failed, but not for lack of trying). I see none of that, now.

You're looking at this the wrong way. Mike Illitch was a fan who bought a baseball team. Chris Illitch is a businessman who inherited a baseball team. The question Mike asked: How do we win a championship? The question Chris asks: Are we profitable?

Booted Blue in PA

June 16th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^

but who remembers Don Kelly, who became the first player in Tiger's history to play every position on the field during his Major League career?   2011 he was asked to pitch the top of the 9th, as the bullpen was depleted in a 16-9 loss to the Mets.

The pride of Butler, Pa.