Verlander Keeps the Tigers Alive for Game 6

The Tigers came to hit in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.  Thanks to a couple of home runs from injured Tiger Delmon Young, Justin Verlander had a 4 run lead to work with and used it well going deep into the 7th inning saving the bullpen.  Young is leading all Tigers in slugging in the post-season with a scalding .767 slugging average! (see below)  Better news may also be that the big boys (Cabrerra and Martinez) are getting into the game.  Miguel Cabrerra had a hit and 2 walks in the game to bring his post-season batting average up to .290.  Cabrerra is hitting .375 against Texas in the Series so far.  Victor Martinez is also on a 3-game hitting streak that includes a triple and a home run. See below for full post-season numbers to date (as of Game 5) on all the Tiger players.

So will the Tigers live to fight for a World Series birth in Game 7 against Texas?  With Texas leading the American League Championship Series 3 games to 2, the Tigers will have to win..and win BIG in Game 6 for that to happen.  Can they do it?  "It's Possible".. IF Max Scherzer can keep the Texas from getting men on base.. and IF the Tiger batters decide to break out.. it's possible..it's just possible.  Cabrerra, Martinez, Young, Peralta, and Avila will have to lead the way.  Look for a surprise hit in Game 6 from an unlikely hero (Dirks?)...and there MAY even be an unlikely hero on the mound as well (Penny? Alburquerque? Schlereth?).  Who knows....

Whichever way it turns out.. it's been a GREAT year for TIGER BASEBALL!

GO TIGERS!    ---Rob Hall Tigers PostSeason(2011) Gm5

Fister Dominates Texas in Game 3 of the ALCS

Doug Fister or Cy Young?  I'll take Fister.  Yes the Tigers take Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in grand fashion with Fister pitching a gem of a game.  Fister only gave up 7 hits while striking out 3 and walking none in 7 and 1/3 innings, and the Tiger hitters finally came to play with Home Runs from Martinez, Cabrerra, and Peralta to give the Tigers the win.   Stats on Tiger pitchers and hitters as of the ALCS Game three follow below.  Porcello leads the board for Starters, Benoit for Relievers and Ryan Raburn followed by Delmon Young and then finally Cabrerra for the hitters (see below).   GO TIGERS!   ---Rob

Tigers PostSeason(2011) Gm3

YES! Tigers Beat the Yankees.. Now Texas?

Delmon Young - Strained Oblique

A tense Game 5 against the Yankees went the Tigers way due to great pitching and a lack of hitting by the Yankees.  Now the Tigers are on to Texas where they dropped Game 1 of the American League Championship Series to the Texas Rangers due to a lack of hitting against the Texas right-handed relievers who came in to replace the lefty-starter C.J Wilson against whom the Tigers tallied 2 runs and 6 hits until the rain delayed the game and ended his outing.

Ordonez - Finished.

Bad news followed the Division Series against the Yankees and the first game of the American League Championship Series against the Rangers.  Delmon Young who was leading all Tiger hitters except Magglio Ordonez came up hurt after the Division Series with a strained oblique muscle.  Worse yet, Magglio Ordonez, after leading the Tigers hitting .385 in the post-season so far has re-broken his right ankle and is done for the season.

That leaves Ryan Raburn, Don Kelly, and Brandon Inge as unlikely batting average leaders at .375, .333, and .333 respectively (see below).  What is unusual is the fact that Cabrerra, Martinez, Peralta, and Avila have yet to start hitting.  Yet even so, the Tigers beat the Yankees in the Division Series.  If these bats heat up (and they aren't hitting so far..see below), then the Tigers should take the Rangers if Tiger pitchers can hold the Rangers to 2-3 runs as they did in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Prediction for Game 2?  Cabrerra, Martinez and Peralta will hit big-time against the lefty-starter (Derek Holland) that the Rangers are sending out to meet them.  Avila will continue to struggle, but look for his bat to come alive against the Texas relievers who follow the left-handed starter.  Andy Dirks will get to play (and hit) against the Texas relief pitchers.                     GO TIGERS!    ---Rob

Dirks gets a shot.

Current numbers for Tiger Hitters and Pitchers...
Tigers PostSeason(2011) 2

Post Season - Can the Tigers Beat the Yankees?

 So far it's a dead heat.  After 4 games the Tigers have split with the Yankees 2 games apiece. They've also been outscored by the Yankees 26-14 thanks to a dismal outing by the bullpen in the Game 4 loss to the Yankees by a score of 10-1.  Throw that one out (don't we wish) and both teams have played pretty tight (16-13).  Can they win in Game 5?  No professional team likes to get embarrased the way the Tigers just did, so it's possible.  Below are the playoff numbers on the Tiger players to date.  We can see some issues with performances so far.  Based on how they've played, let's lay out what COULD be a good lineup and a scenario for winning Game 5.  (see below)Tigers PostSeason(2011)

Starting Pitching has actually been pretty good.  Porcello takes the lead so far after a decent outing giving up only 4 runs and walking only 1 batter facing the Yankees in Game 4.  Normally that's enough runs for a Tiger win.  Fister's first outing was the only one where a Tiger starter got hit hard with 7 hits and 2 walks in his 5 inning appearance.  Even then he looked good enough, with only 2 walks and a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio.  He should rebound in Game 5, showing more of the same high strikeout, low walk pitching we've come to expect.

The bullpen has been the big letdown so far.  Coke, Alburquerque, and Schlereth could not hold the Yankees to the 4 runs Porcello handed them.  Valverde has been VERY dangerous in the 9th-inning base runners he has allowed, even though he managed to get the Win for Scherzer in Game 2 and the Save for Verlander in Game 3.  Let's hope Game 5 will be a different story.

Hitting has been the real issue.  The numbers so far do NOT look like the Central Division Champion hitters.   Inge, Raburn, and Kelly are at the top, instead of Cabrerra, Martinez, and Avila.  The Yankees are going after Victor Martinez and it shows in his batting average (only .214 in the post-season so far).  They have also contained Cabrerra... who has only hit .250.  It appears the strategy is to pitch away from Cabrerra and take their chances with Martinez, and it's working out. In the meantime Alex Avila is 0 for 4 games.

That has to change.  For the Tigers to win Game 5, Cabrerra, Martinez, and Avila have to show up to hit.

So.. what would be the ideal?  How can the Tigers line up to win?  What pitchers need to step up?

First.. Fister has to have a good outing and get through the 6th inning, and the 7th.  If he can do that, Benoit and Valverde should be able to handle the 8th and 9th.  If he can't..and bows out early.. look for Brad Penny to step in for a couple innings, and perhaps Ryan Perry or Daniel Schlereth can get it to the 8th inning for Benoit.  I would be surprised if Coke or Alburquerque show back up after the performances in Game 4.

Hitting?  Look for some changes in the lineup.  Austin Jackson(CF) leading off, Magglio Ordonez back in the lineup in RF.  Santiago just doesn't cut it behind the plate so look for Ryan Raburn to get the start at 2nd.  Betemit is 0 for 3 games with 4 strikeouts in 8 at-bats.  Inge (or Kelly) will get the start at 3rd.  The Tigers will hope that Avila, Cabrerra, and in particular Martinez have finally figured out the Yankees.  If they come to play big.. it will be a game to be remembered.

GO TIGERS!   ---Rob

Final Regular Season Stats Posted

Folks, The Final Regular Season 2011 numbers have been posted.

See these pages:

Regular Season (2011) 

Pitcher Trends

Hitter Trends

Former Tiger Players:
Former Tigers (2011)
Former Tiger Player Trends