The Tigers won today and sweep the series from Cleveland Central Division rivals . The Tiger’s pitching was supreme..Cleveland could only amount 3 runs in three games. Although it was a nail biter in the ninth inning when Rodney came in today’s game.
Porcello was masterful but in my opinion he needs more seasoning. He is raw talent. The hitting was light but timely, small ball type.I cannot understand why Leyland continues his passover of Brent Cleven. brent is a solid right handed hitter and strong defensively. He would be a better call up than Ryan Rayburn.
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On the mound, I like Verlander, as number 1, followed by impressive Jackson as number 2, although I would like a southpaw, Willis would have been ideal but he needs paxil. Bonderman has problems too..Why does the Detroit pitchers all have anxiety disorders and suffer from a lack of confidence? (LEYLAND Pulls his pitchers too early!) They can bearly throw past the fifth inning. They are looking in the dug-out for Leyland to pull the plug. Mickey Lolich did 300 innings a year! Galarraga replaces injury prone Bonderman. Robertson goes fourth or fifth in the rotation if he is not traded. We need more pitchers! I like Rincon in the bullpen..I believe he has not allowed a run in ST..
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I guess Robertson wins the starting rotation by default, unless the Tigers decide to go with an all righty starting rotation.Bloom never rose to the occasion in a Tiger uniform, the lanky lefty was returned to the Pirates pretty touched up….
It is good to see the meat of our batting order back from The World Baseball Classic!I feel the WBC is not worth the effort! There is no reason why front line players need to play in the WBC…They need pratice to play against major league baseball players…Besides, we are paying them to play here not in WBC!
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Jackson was outstanding….He will be in our starting rotation…I believe Bloom should be in the starting rotation..Robertson by default…Verlander and Bonderman are mainstays ( but I hope they bounce back) Willis is history….Gallarraga is fine trade material for a pure lefthanded hitter…
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The tigers have major problems…Guillen should be DH( for the record, I hate the DH rule) and bat third, forget left field. Sheffield should retire. Gomez should play Left field…He is the only pure left handed hitter aside from Timo Perez…We deperately need pure left handed bats in the lineup. Granderson and clete Thomas bat lefty but are right handed..not pure leftys.The only bright spot is a rookie by the name of Kelly, a player who deserves a watchful eye.
The pitching staff is another matter, we need a leader! Verlander needs to regain his form..He needs to throw hard! Bonderman would be my number two but he is a question mark…Jackson might replace Bonderman if Bonderman has shoulder problems. Willis is the biggest question???? He has lost his composure..He needs to throw strikes and throw hard I believe he can be the left handed Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson was all over the place with his windup, but he was always was around the plate. Robertson is in consistent, but we need two leftys…My starting rotation : Verlander, Bloom, Jackson, Robertson,Bonderman…Galaragga & Willis in pen.
Our bullpen can be overpowering if Zumaya can come back. Rodney is strong set up man but Who would be our closer? I like zumaya. Galarraga would be best in the pen he could be a closer too. This new guy, Lyon needs to prove himself…I hear he pitches like roller- coaster Jones. I have not seen Lyon pitch, therfore I will reserve judgement.
Overall, I predict the Tigers will be a 500 club in 2009…Jim Leyland will be gone after the frst two weeks!
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But now a new year is upon us! Spring training is in full swing! It was a great day for baseball in Lakeland, a few white puffy clouds in a Steel blue sky, temps in 70’s, green grass, freshly cut, and the Tigers beat the Braves, the highpoint of the day….Adam Everett And Gerald Laird hits were a bright spots for the Tigers..Hello, my name is Joe and I will be Blogging with you this year!
]]>Jackson has great velocity on the ball but also lacks some command. The good thing is that Jackson is only 25 years old and has pitched the last couple of seasons in the major leagues so he will being a little bit of experience with him.
Joyce should get a crack at the starting lineup down in Tampa so I think it is a good trade for him as he would have been a fourth outfielder at best in the Tigers lineup.
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]]>Everett hit .213 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in just 48 games of an injury-plagued 2008 season for the Twins. The one year deal is rumored to be worth $1 million plus some incentives.
Now management will turn their attention to signing a closer for the 09 season. J.J. Putz and Kerry Wood are at the top of their list.
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