The Baseball Thread Titled IX - play fair

It's not as if Davis was completely horrible before 2004-2005. 2001 was the only other year where he was given a consistent chance to be a starting pitcher and he went a respectable 11-10 with a 4.45 ERA (league average that year was 4.48). So if you look at years where Davis was given a fair chance to pitch day-in and day-out, this year is the aberration. I'm not sure he will ever return to the levels of the past two seasons, but I think he can be a slightly above-average pitcher. And for the first time since 1992, that means he can be a 4-5 starter rather than a 2-3 starter for the Crew.

 

Tigers win 9-3 and improve to 40 games over .500 AND 10-game lead over the White Sox.

 

Those are Bobby Witt numbers.

 

Twins outhit, outpitched and outmanaged by the Tigers tonight.

I don't think Liriano had arm trouble, I think the Tigers used an amazingly sound approach to beat him.

That is; Hit the get me over fastball. Twins pitchers always try to work ahead, and will leave pirst-pitch fastballs, if not over the meaty part of the plate, too thick for big league hitters.

If you don't hit that, sit on the change, because it's the only thing you're hitting. Leave the slider alone altogether.

Both of those things go against every thing everyone's ever been taught about hitting, but if you can do them against Liriano and Santana, you'll have success, at least somewhat.

Toronto did the same thing to Santana earlier this season.

Hank, your boys are for real. If it can't be the Twins, I hope they win the whole fuckin' thing. [MajorLeaguevoice]

 

Keep it up Tigers. They and the Devil Rays are keeping the Sox atop the wild card.

As for the Sox, I'm ready for McCarthy to replace Buehrle in the rotation. Buehrle's got a dead arm.

 

Liriano didn't have the same command that he did in the last game at the MetroDome. Still pretty good stuff, but like you said the Tigers were aggressive and went after that fastball and hit it hard.


And zeke, hopefully the Twins can take the wild card. That would likely have the Tigers facing the AL west winner in the first rounds.

 

Of all the people worthy of being replaced in that rotation, Buehrle ranks about fourth.

Javier Vazquez sucks. Freddy Garcia has no fastball. I have no idea how Jon Garland has won eight decisions in a row.

 

W.Sox face the Yankees next and then the Tigers this weekend. Potentially could be a tough stretch for them.

 

Buehrle's 9 and frikkin' 10 now. He' spitched too many innings the last 5 years. Your hatred for Vazquez is well-documented, but despite his usual fifth-inning homer last outing, he did pitch a two-hitter. His problem is upstairs. Garcia can still be effective, and question Garland all you want, but he's mentally tougher than Vazquez and has consistently better stuff than anyone else on the staff not named Contreras.

 

I've liked Davis from the time he was with the Rangers, but I'd be worried about him. Looks to me like he's hurt -- he's pushing the ball up there, not throwing free and easy with nice movement.

That's why his walk/strikeout numbers -- not to mention, his ERA -- have gone askew.

 

How many times this year has Buehrle gotten blasted early in the game, only to keep pitching and pitching?

I can just hear Ozzie in the dugout: "Seis! Seis! No problemo! Esta bien! Y Jay Mariotti es una puta! Puta!"

 

Yes, one of Ozzie's managerial flaws is his willingness to leave his starters in too long. It was fine last year when they weren't giving up any runs, but he needs to adjust. Of course, the bullpen has sucked, too, but if a pitcher doesn't have it, go to someone else.