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

Final Week of the Season! BIG Cats? Kittens?

Who are the BIG Cats?

Yes.. the final week of the Regular Season is upon us!  So.. who on the Tigers are the BIG Cats?  Who are the Kittens?  How was July, August, and now September?  Have they been BIG Cats the entire second half?  Who has been.. and when?  Are they peaking now? (too soon? too late?)..or are some BIG Cats showing up just in time for the Post-Season?  Are some of the Tigers turning into Kittens.. exactly at the WRONG time?  or are they turning from Kittens into BIG Cats just in time?  Who were the Kittens of July and August?  Are they still?  We will answer these questions and MORE in the final Regular Season posting of..  "The Rob Hall Report"..  Enjoy!

Who are the kittens?

  
So who was a BIG Cat in July? Who wasn't? Coming off a record 5 players going to the All-Star game the Tigers had a few Big Cats acting like kittens.  Miguel Cabrerra only hit .250 for July after a great June.  Alex Avila definitely wasn't feeling like an All-Star either.. since he hit a major slump and could not even hit .200 for July, registering a record low for him hitting only .197 for the month.  Brandon Inge continued his terrible slide only managing 0.059 in July precipitating what would happen next.

As hard as it may seem to believe there WERE some Big Cats stepping up for the Tigers in July.  Starting Pitcher Rick Porcello for instance was 5-0 with a 3.06 ERA.  Right-fielder Magglio Ordonez looked to be totally over his injury as well, hitting .294 for the month, and journeyman infielder Ramon Santiago hit .346 in games he played.

Weaver complains.

Perhaps the Biggest Cat of all in July though was Justin Verlander.  "JV" went head to head with the next best pitcher in all of baseball at the time Jered Weaver for the Angels on July 31st.  Verlander won that game almost throwing a no-hitter (the Angels got one hit), with help from veterans Magglio Ordonez (2-run home run) and Carlos Guillen (solo home run) and a notable stare-down from Guillen to Weaver who complained about Ordonez watching his home run earlier in the game. (Ordonez was looking to see if it stayed fair and went out.)
That game was a turning point for the Tigers season.  They beat the one of the best pitchers in baseball with a better pitcher.. Verlander.. and from then on there was no turning back, and no 2nd half slump as in previous years.

Big changes were coming for the Tigers.. starting with the July moves that set up August and September. The first of which was to send down to AAA the pitcher they got from Oakland in the Scott Sizemore trade. David Purcey had a horrendous July with the Tigers giving up a 15.00 ERA and getting hit at a .360 rate by opposing batters resulting in 6 loses in the 8 games he pitched in relief, and the Tigers couldn't get him off the team fast enough.  Purcey was the first to go, but other changes would have even more impact.  Quality starting pitcher Doug Fister pitching at a 3.33 ERA clip for Seattle was picked up with fellow Mariner right-handed reliever David Pauley in a trade that sent lefty starter Charlie Furbush to the Mariners with outfielder Casper Wells.  Brandon Inge was mercifully given the option to clear waivers or go to AAA Toledo.  He chose to go to Toledo to work on his hitting.  Switch-hitting third basemen Wilson Betemit was obtained from Kansas City to replace Inge at 3rd.   July also saw the debut of rookie phenom Jacob Turner who pitched 5 quality innings in his MLB debut.

August came in with a bang, and the new look Tigers took off.  Some very Big Cats came to play, and play they did.  Led by Alex Avila who threw off his July slump like he was tossing off an ill-fitting coat.  Avila hit .360 for the month of August while catching every game after Victor Martinez sprained his knee.  Miguel Cabrerra came to play as well, hitting even better for a .390 average in August!  Even Ryan Raburn found his 2nd half stride hitting .323, and newcomer Wilson Betemit hit .310 over the same time span.  Reliever Phil Coke finally settled into his relief role with a passion posting a 0.00 ERA in August while the Tigers went 11-2 for games in which he appeared.  Setup man Joaquin Benoit followed suit holding opposing hitters to a .125 average against him while the Tigers went 12-2 in his games.

Who were the kittens in August? How about the same two hitters that helped Justin Verlander beat Jered Weaver at the end of July?  Carlos Guillen hit only .094 in August while dealing with an injured wrist, and Magglio Ordonez could only manage .213 prompting another move by the Tigers.  Starting Pitcher Rick Porcello had his worst month yet posting a 6.82 ERA for the month and allowing a .353 average to opposing batters, only winning one decision in the 6 games in which he started.

Delmon Young

The biggest change for the Tigers in August was the acquisition of Left-fielder Delmon Young who arrived in town with the Minnesota Twins for a game against the Tigers, only to appear in the Tiger clubhouse in a last-minute trade that found him in the opposing clubhouse and Tiger reliever Lester Oliveros being sent to Minnesota.  Magglio Ordonez was suddenly looking at minimal playing time, until lefty slugger Brennan Boesch develped an issue with a ligament in his thumb needing surgery sending him to the DL.  August also saw the return of Brandon Inge to the lineup after hitting over .400 while in AAA Toledo.  Now suddenly the Tigers had left or right handed hitting at 3rd base, and with the addition of Delmon Young hitting permanently in the 3rd spot of the lineup the Tigers were set for September.

September has found the Tigers hitting on all cyclinders.  Big Cats this month are almost too numerous to list.  Miguel Cabrerra is chasing a hitting title and has hit .405 in September.  Magglio Ordonez is making the most of his time in the field as well, hitting .405 too!  Carlos Guillen may have gotten over his wrist issue, hitting .385 before being sidelined with a calf issue.  Ryan Raburn continues his 2nd half spectacular hitting .378 for the month.  Brandon Inge has shown he CAN hit, hitting .355 part time while getting more time with Wilson Betemit (hitting only .233 for the month) out with a tweaked knee.

Fister 0.69 ERA in Sept.

Doug Fister has shown why he is the #2 guy in the Tigers rotation since being picked up from Seattle in July.  So far in September, Fister has posted a 0.69 ERA going 4-0 with opposing batters only hitting .132 against him.  Those are Verlander numbers!  Jose Valverde appears ready for the post-season posting a 0.90 ERA for the month while the Tigers are 10-0 in games he closed, and opposing hitters only managed .118 against him.  Al Alburquerque is back in the bullpen after recovering from an elbow issue briefly in July and being hit in the head with a ball in August, and looking just as good with an 0.00 ERA and .200 average against in the 5 games he appeared in during the month.

Concerns?  Who's turning into a kitten at the wrong time?  Starter Brad Penny posted a 5.83 ERA in August and made an even worse showing with a 7.20 ERA in September to finish out the season (probably his career) as a Tiger.  Lefty reliever Duane Below pitched in 3 games and posted a horrendous 12.00 ERA (4 runs in 3 innings) in September.  Let's hope he has it out of his system, the Tigers will need lefty relief in the playoffs.  Right handed reliever Ryan Perry took a nose-dive as well giving up 4 runs, 4 walks and 8 hits in 7 innings of relief in September.  There may be a concern about hitting too.  A KEY player is bordering on changing from a Big Cat into a kitten in September.  Jhonny Peralta has gone from hitting .316 at the end of July to .270 by the end of September.. a 46 point drop!  He could become the weak link in the post-season lineup if he doesn't turn it around.

September changes show the Tigers bringing up catching relief in Omir Santos (.306 for Sept), and infield relief in Danny Worth (.143) and Will Rhymes (.273).  Jacob Turner joined the club again as well and posted two starts, not faring as well this time out, 11 runs on 14 hits and a walk over 7 and a third innings for a 12.27 ERA in September.  Rhymes and Santos may have a chance to make the post-season roster because of needs at 2nd base and catcher.

Predictions for players on the post-season roster?  Jacob Turner won't be on the roster, and Danny Worth won't be either.  After that it's a toss up.  Ryan Perry still is not consistent enough in relief, and Duane Below had a terrible couple of outings.  The lefty Below is needed.. with Alburquerque back, the right-handed Perry is not.  Omir Santos as mentioned above might make the roster as injury insurance for Avila.  Will Rhymes won't make it either if Guillen is healthy.  If not, then another 2nd basemen hitting left handed allows Leyland to take Raburn out of the lineup when facing a good right-handed pitcher.


That's it for now.  I'll try an post final numbers for the season before starting something for the post-season.  Enjoy!  and....

GO TIGERS!   ---Rob

Mo-town and Chi-town Showdown in the Motor City!

Welcome Back Sports Fans!  Yes, the Rob Hall Report has been on a unplanned Hiatus since just after the All-Star Break this year..SO there's some catching up to do!   Posted this past month were the numbers and trends for the Tiger Players for the Month of July.  I'll start this article with a "story so far" description of what happened in July, followed by August and bring you up to the Playoff run here in September.  Which started with a BIG weekend SWEEP of Chicago in Comerica Park...the Tigers won BIG outscoring the White Sox 35-11 in the three game series.  GO TIGERS!