AL Central: Tito and His Tribe

By Jesse Dougherty

Even though the start of the 2013 MLB season is still months away, fans in Cleveland have something to look forward to, and that is the arrival of manager Terry Francona to the Progressive Field dugout. 

(AP Photo/Dave Richard)

Since finishing first in the AL Central in 2007, and later losing to Francona’s Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, the Indians have had a hard time capturing success that has been rather rare in the franchise’s history. Since ’07, the club’s best finish was in 2008, 81-81, which was just enough to earn them third place in the division.

And they haven’t finished with a winning record since. 

We all know the story with the Indians, it all happens like clockwork at the start of each baseball season. They come out of the gates hot, hitting the ball, winning close games, pitching well enough, and cracking the MLB headlines by raising questions like, “could this be the Indians year?”

Then the All-Star break rolls around and the Indians are annually grounded, and reminded that they don’t spend near enough money to compete with the league’s best, and young, potential talent is exactly that; young potential talent.

A roaring start turns into a roaring fan base, and the Tribe slides down the mountain they once sat atop.

Manager Eric Wedge was around in ’07, the club’s best year in a lot of years, and that earned him a prolonged stay despite a string of losing campaigns. After Wedge’s departure after the 2009 season, the Indians brought in Manny Acta, an experiment that almost lasted three years until Acta was fired with six games left in 2012. 

After interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. closed the year and helped the Indians clinch a 68-94 record, the search for a new manager began but wouldn’t last long. After a year on ESPN, Terry Francona got the job. 

Francona joined the Red Sox in 2003, on the heels of an ALCS loss to the Yankees (remember Aaron Boone, Wakefield, and the knuckleball that would have hung forever), and led Boston to a World Series title the next year. While in Boston, Francona won that title in ’04, another in ’07, and never had a losing record at the end of the regular season. 

So if he really never fell short, why’d he ever leave? Well Francona, who is well known for developing a sound clubhouse relationship with his team, seemed to lose control of the Red Sox in 2011. After a historic collapse that had them finish third in the AL East, reports surfaced that members of the pitching staff had been drinking beers on their off days, and that “ace” Josh Beckett made a lackluster effort to rehab an injury throughout the season.

The once player manager was now the face of a team that was disrespectful to the game, and Boston got rid of Francona and brought in militant Bobby Valentine to turn the ship around, and we all know how that turned out. 

After a year as an analyst Francona decided to publicize himself as a manager once again, and that led him to Cleveland, where he hopes to be the manager that can sustain their success beyond the All-Star break. 

A loyal fan base may be wondering why they are so loyal to a team that constantly disappointed. It is now Tito’s tribe, and the city of Cleveland is anxiously waiting to see what he will do with it. 

Not Enough Gas

The Tigers are on the brink of elimination heading into Game 4

(AP Images/Michael Silverman)

By Jesse Doughtery

The Detroit Tigers were shut out twice in the entire 2012 regular season, and so far in the World Series, they have matched that number. 

Down 3-0 to the Giants, the Tigers have given us every indication that they will not capture the franchise’s first World Series crown since 1984. 

Aside from Verlander’s Game 1 blunder, the Tigers’ pitching has been far from the problem. In Game 2, Doug Fister yielded one run in six innings pitched en route to a 2-0 Detroit loss. In Game 3, Anibal Sanchez yielded two runs over seven innings en route to another 2-0 Detroit loss. Even with their backs against the wall, Tigers manager Jim Leyland is still rightfully confident in his starting staff. 

“I have total confidence in anybody we send out there,” said Leyland in an MLB.com interview. “When you send out Verlander and Fister and Sanchez and Scherzer, you know, you feel pretty good. You feel pretty good about any of those pitchers.”

But the Tigers offense has been lackluster, anything but clutch, and above all else, unproductive.

For an offense that finished top 10 in the league in both hits (8th) and batting average (6th), and just outside the top 10 in runs (11th), we all thought they could shoulder enough production to compliment a pitching staff that has mowed down opponents throughout the post season. 

But now we are all being told to think again.

The Tigers plated three runs in Game 1, but that mediocre offensive effort was overshadowed by an uncharacteristic start by ace Justin Verlander, where he gave up five earned runs in only four innings pitched.

Since Jhonny Peralta’s hollow home run in the ninth inning of Game 1, the Tigers have been shut out for 18 straight innings at the hands of Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, and a solid Giants bullpen. 

When asked by MLB.com about their team struggles this World Series, members of the Tigers’ lineup have different things to say. 

“It’s baseball,” said catcher Alex Avila. “A little bit of them making good pitches, and us not taking advantage of mistakes.”

“They’ve played outstanding defense,” added outfielder Andy Dirks. “They’ve got guys making players all over the field. That’s just the way it goes.”

And when asked about his personal struggles Prince Fielder said, “I’m just trying to get a good pitch to hit. I’m just unfortunately not getting it on the barrel.” 

Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have combined to hit 3 for 19 with two walks. Cabrera hitting .267 and Fielder an astounding .188. Without those two bats the Tigers are going to have a hard time climbing back, but as the team’s manager Jim Leyland is refraining from pointing any fingers. 

“Maybe I need to be a little more creative,” Leyland said to ESPN.com. “Like I said, we talk about us. We don’t talk about individuals. So basically, as a team, as manager, coaches and team, we’ve obviously got to do a little better.”

The Tigers haven’t shown anything to lead us to believe that they can pull of an unprecedented comeback, but if there’s a chance, it has to all come together. 

Now. 

Tigers Sweep the Yankees

The Tigers will be advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2006

By Jesse Dougherty 

(REUTERS/Mike Cassese)

Mariano Rivera tore his ACL on May 4 and missed the remainder of the season.

Derek Jeter missed the last three games of the ALCS after breaking his ankle. 

Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, and Curtis Granderson forgot how to hit a baseball.

Alex Rodriguez was more interested in getting girls, than getting wins. 

These are the things that will surface in the New York media, as the obvious excuses for the Yankees’ shortcomings this October. But at the end of the day, the Tigers were just the better team. 

On Thursday evening, with a full house at Comerica Park salivating for victory, the Tigers completed a 4-game sweep of the Yankees and punched their ticket to baseball’s biggest stage in style.

Contrary to the first three games of the season, the Tigers offense called upon the long ball to take down the Yanks in Game 4. With New York ace C.C. Sabathia pitching, the Tigers took a patient approach to try and tire his arm, and with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, their offense exploded. 

It all happened very fast. Omar Infante single, Miguel Cabrera home run. Prince Fielder strikeout. Delmon Young single, Jhonny Peralta home run. In the span of five batters, the Tigers posted four runs and expanded their lead to 6-0, and didn’t look back. 

Nick Swisher provided the only offense for the Bronx Bombers, who were silenced at the plate for the series’ entirety. His RBI double that scored Eduardo Nunez in the top of the sixth simply wasn’t enough. 

The game ended on a putout by Tigers’ first basemen Prince Fielder, who they acquired for over $200 million dollars last off-season. Once Fielder reeled in Jayson Nix’s infield fly, the Tigers rejoiced around the mound, collectively celebrating an unprecedented ALCS performance. 

“We did it,” said Miguel Cabrera in an ESPN interview after the game, “It’s an unbelievable feeling... Four more wins, guys. Four more wins.”

Cabrera is looking ahead to a World Series date with either the St. Louis Cardinals or the San Francisco Giants, but before we look ahead, let’s look back at a dominating performance by a team that deserves supreme recognition. 

In 4 games, the Tigers outscored the Yankees 19 to 6, and while their offense was certainly human, it was enough to support a pitching staff that brought its ‘A’ game. When asked about the Tigers’ pitching throughout the series one word came to Miguel Cabrera’s mind. 

“Unbelievable.” said Cabrera to ESPN. “It’s why we’re here right now, because of pitching. Wow.”

Cabrera’s “unbelievable” could be an understatement for a starting rotation that dazzled a lineup consisting of Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, and Curtis Granderson, among others, for four straight games. As a group, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer pitched 27.1 innings and yielded just two earned runs to the Yankees in the ALCS. 

You should probably read that again slowly: they pitched 27.1 innings and yielded just two earned runs to the Yankees in the ALCS. 

Offensively, Delmon Young’s clutch bat earned him ALCS MVP honors. Young went 6 for 17 in the series with two home runs and six RBI’s. He is now the Tigers all-time franchise leader in post-season home runs, and provided the go ahead RBI for Detroit in all four games.

The six runs Young produced for the Tigers equal the entire offensive output of the Yankees in the series, and if that doesn’t describe a dismal offense, what else could?

Yankees’ hitting coach Kevin Long will most likely be fired in the weeks to come, Joe Girardi’s job will be put into question on multiple occasions, and let’s face it, Alex Rodriguez has a long off-season ahead of him. 

But for once, let’s forget about baseball’s Evil Empire and focus on a different American League team. After all, the Tigers are going to the World Series. 

Tigers Survive Game 1, Jeter Doesn't

The Detroit Tigers somehow win Game 1, stealing home-field advantage from the New York Yankees

By Jesse Dougherty

(AP Photo/Al Bello)

Jose Valverde is not the kind of closer that blows four run leads, that is something that Tigers manager Jim Leyland would take to the bank nine times out of ten. But after two two-run home runs in the ninth by Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez, the unthinkable deed was done. 

A 4-0 Tigers’ lead turned into a 4-4 tie, and Game 1 of the ALCS rolled into extra innings. 

In the end, the Tigers would survive the Yankees rally on the heels of two scoreless by the unlikely Drew Smyly and a misplayed ball by Nick Swisher off the bat of Delmon Young. Young’s double gave the Tigers a 5-4 advantage that would lead to a 6-4 win, and Swisher talked about the game-changing play in an MLB.com interview after the game. 

“I just got caught right up in the lights, and I just went completely blind,” said Swisher, “It kind of handcuffed me, and I didn’t see it for the last five, 10 feet.”

And as the lights handcuffed Swisher in front of a full house at Yankee Stadium, the Tigers, Valverde, and manager Jim Leyland were all able to all let out a sigh of relief. The Tigers have been facing adversity all season along, and for one more night, they prevailed. 

“I didn’t know we had to take that many, but we have been taking punches all year,” said Jim Leyland in anMLB.com interview, “If we are going to be good enough, we have to be able to take a punch, and we took a big punch. We took a right cross in the ninth and we survived it.”

But as far as right crosses go, the Yankees were hit way harder than the Tigers on Saturday night. 

With one out in the 12th Jhonny Peralta hit a ground ball to shortstop Derek Jeter and while fielding it he rolled on his left ankle. As he hit the ground Jeter was wincing in pain and would later be carried off the field as more than 47,000 fans watched in utter disbelief. 

The diagnosis? A broken ankle. The implications? Unspeakable amongst a Yankees nation that lives and dies with their shortstop that will soon find himself in the Hall of Fame. 

“They talked about a three month recovery period,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi to ESPN.com, “Won’t jeopardize his career, but he will not be playing any more for us this year.”

With closer Mariano Rivera already on the shelf for the entire 2012 season, Girardi is managing the Yankees team without two of his stars, who (with starter Andy Pettitte) have more October experience than the rest of the roster combined. 

“It was kind of a flashback to when Mo didn’t get up,” said Girardi to ESPN.com, connecting the two injuries, “Oh boy, if he’s not getting up, something’s wrong.”

Now the New York Yankees are Jeter-less, Rivera-less, and facing a 1-0 deficit after a roaring comeback in Game 1 of the ALCS. So when Jim Leyland talks about taking punches, Joe Girardi and the gang may have something to say to that.

Motor City Mojo

Justin Verlander shuts down the A's in Game 5 of the ALDS

By Jesse Dougherty

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

For a small while, the Oakland A’s were starting to convince the baseball world that they had what it took to compete in October. Down 2-0 to the Tigers in the ALDS, they won Game 3 behind a strong outing by Brett Anderson, and Game 4 on a ninth-inning comeback that was capped by a walk-off single by Coco Crisp. 

But with the series knotted at 2-2, the odds were still heavily against them. With Jarrod Parker going for the A’s, Justin Verlander was scheduled to take the hill for the Tigers. 

And with 36,393 fans in attendance at Comerica Park on Thursday night, Justin Verlander put the Oakland Athletics World Series hope to bed while sending the Tigers through to the ALCS. 

“I think this is No. 1,” said Verlander when asked where Game 5 ranks in his career in an ESPN interview after the game. “The two no-hitters are obviously up there, but that’s something a little bit different. This was ‘win or go home, my team needs me.’ And I was able to go out there and have one of the better performances I’ve had.” 

The performance he is talking about was a complete game shutout on one of baseball’s biggest stages. Verlander gave up only four hits in nine innings of work on Thursday night, striking out another 11 batters in the process. 

On offense, lead-off man Austin Jackson set the tone for for an outpour that led to a 6-0 Tigers win. Jackson doubled in Omar Infante in the top half of the third, scored on a wild pitch later in the inning, and singled in Johnny Peralta in the bottom of the seventh. When Jackson was through, he was single handedly beating the A’s 3-0, and that’s all Verlander would need. 

“When you’re facing that kind of pitching, you just try to get the runs in whenever you can,” said Prince Fielder in an MLB.com interview, “Today, they were facing our guy as well. We knew if we got him a couple, we had a good shot. I’m just glad we were able to come away with it.” 

You have to think that Justin Verlander knew that Jackson’s RBI single in the third would be enough. When asked about the game by MLB.com, Jim Leyland said that he knew all along. 

“He had that look in his eyes today,” said Leyland, “He was determined. He had a complete-game look in his eye. And we were thankful to get that.”

On the series, Verlander posted a 2-0 record and gave up just one run over 16 innings pitched. He also fanned eleven and only allowed a combined 12 batters to reach base in two games. 

With two outs in the ninth he got A’s outfielder Seth Smith to roll over on a breaking ball on the outer half of the plate. As Omar Infante scooped it up Verlander prematurely raised his hands in the air in celebration. When Prince Fielder closed his mitt on the final out of the ALCS he embraced with catcher Alex Avila and the rest of his team; but he couldn’t have been surprised. 

Verlander knew that this would happen. It was all part of his plan. 

A's Get Aced

The Tigers have a 2-0 lead on the Athletics in the ALDS thanks in large part to Justin Verlander's big victory in Game 1

By Jesse Dougherty

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

It began all too perfectly for the Athletics against the Tigers on Saturday in Detroit.

After whiffing on a 95 mph offering Coco Crisp dug in and took the next pitch over the right field wall. It was the top of the first and Crisp had led off the entire 2012 MLB playoffs with an improbable solo home run, single handedly giving rookie Jarrod Parker the early lead that he desperately needed.

But as Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander watched Crisp circle the bases, he knew that that was all the A’s would get, and he was right.

Now let’s not get carried away; nothing about Justin Verlander’s pitching performance was picturesque in Game 1 on Saturday. The patience of the A’s lineup was frustrating him early, he was having trouble locating his curve, and his pitch count ran past 50 by the third inning. In seven innings he never exactly settled in, 
but only yielded one run on three hits, and fanned eleven in a process that included 121 pitches.

“We were trying to see how aggressive they were going to be, especially early on,” said Tigers catcher Alex Avila in an MLB.com interview. “That, coupled with not being able to get ahead of some guys early in the count, led to that pitch count. But once we got the lead, I think he was able to relax a little bit, and then they started swinging the bat a little more and then we were able to get them to chase a little bit.”

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Even with early struggles, Avila kept Verlander in the game, and when he homered in the fifth he gave his battery mate a comfortable 3-1 lead that would hold as the final score.

Verlander 1 A’s 0.

On the season, Verlander wasn’t his MVP-self, but an ace among aces nonetheless. He finished the year with a 17-8 record, a 2.64 ERA, a 239-60 strikeout to walk ratio. In his last six starts he was absolutely stellar, winning four straight decisions while only giving up two earned runs in 28.0 innings pitched.

So it was to no surprise when Verlander bounced back and fell into one of his vintage strikeout grooves in Game 1 on Saturday, and in an MLB.com interview after the game he talked about how he was able to do so.

“That was one of the places I was able to kind of feel my spot a little bit, execute my pitch. I felt like my ball was running a lot tonight, so down and away to a lefty or down and in to a right was an easier spot for me to hit.”

If he can continue to locate his pitches and dominate opposing lineups even when he’s off his game, the Tigers should be regarded as serious contenders this October.

When Justin Verlander is on the mound, they are as good as they come.

All About Miguel

Last night, Miguel Cabrera won the AL Triple Crown for the first time since 1967 as the Detroit Tigers are headed to the postseason. 

By Jesse Dougherty

The Tigers are heading to the  playoffs for the second straight year, but that’s not the news that will eclipse the baseball headlines in Detroit over the next couple of days. 

When Tigers’s manager Jim Leyland pulled Miguel Cabrera from the game in the fourth-inning in Kansas City Wednesday night, the Kauffman crowd rose to their feet and three numbers took center stage. 

.330, 44, and 139.

(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Despite an 0 for 2 night, Miguel Cabrera captured the sixteenth Triple Crown in Major League Baseball history, and the first since 1967. At Yankee Stadium, Curtis Granderson’s two home runs inched him within one of Cabrera’s mark of 44, but when he was pulled for a pinch hitter Cabrera was left standing alone. 

 “The entire baseball world should be here right now,” said Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander in an ESPN interview shortly after the game Wednesday night. 

Verlander was among the selected few that was on hand to witness history unfold at Kauffman Stadium. For Cabrera himself however, it was just the end to another year, since his Triple Crown stats are nothing out of the ordinary amidst a career of supreme offensive success. In 2011, Cabrera posted an average of .344 with 30 home runs, and 105 RBI's.

Royals outfielder Alex Gordon addressed Cabrera’s unprecedented consistency in an ESPN interview following the game. 

“It’s pretty amazing. Honestly, his numbers are like that every year. He has a great average, great home runs, and great RBI’s. He’s a guy who can pull this off, and it’s great for the game.” 

As a Triple Crown winner, Cabrera joins the likes of Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, and Ty Cobb, a shortlist of baseball immortals. At twenty-nine, Cabrera has already cemented himself in League history, but he can’t stop now. The Triple Crown may be his, but the Tigers begin their World Series quest Saturday at home against the Oakland A’s, a team they should not take lightly. 

As for personal battles, Cabrera and Mike Trout will battle it out for the AL MVP award. Since post season play isn’t factored into the MVP voting process the race between the two concluded Wednesday night, and only time will offer the much anticipated results. Trout had what some may tab as the greatest rookie season of all-time, clubbing 30 home runs, posting a .324 average, and leading the league in both runs scored and stolen bases. 

But with a Triple Crown under his belt, you have to think that Cabrera will cross the finish line ahead of Trout when the time comes. 

When ESPN asked Royals manager Ned Yost about the AL MVP race he said, “I think they’re both fantastic players, tremendous players, both of them. But if Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, he has to be the MVP, absolutely.”

And while Yost watched his team lose 1-0 in the final game of the season Wednesday night, Cabrera did just that. 

With the playoffs approaching and the AL MVP debates picking up steam, let’s use this time to commemorate the remarkable achievement of a remarkable young baseball player. Here’s to Miguel Cabrera, and .330, 44, and 139; three numbers that will never be forgotten.