Detroit Tigers Links: Using Joakim Soria, Brad Ausmus is doing it wrong(but it could be worse)

Aug 9, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher J Soria (38) walks off the field during the tenth inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Tigers still don’t know how to use Soria – Kurt Mensching, The Detroit News

Joakim Soria warmed up, then sat down. Then warmed up, then sat down.All the while, the Tigers nursed a narrow lead against the Royals Saturday in a key game in a key series in a key time of year.Soria’s job was not to hold onto the lead. It was not to close out the game. It was not to earn the 179th save of his career.Soria’s job was to pitch if, and only if, the game was already blown. He stood warming up while Joe Nathan allowed runners, while Brad Ausmus did nothing in the dugout, while fans paced and somewhere a former manager smoked. But Soria did not play.In July the Tigers traded for a closer, but they still don’t know what to do with him.

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When the bullpen is rested, Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has consistently stuck to one plan for the final two innings of the game. It’s been Joba Chamberlain in the eighth and Joe Nathan in the ninth all season.It doesn’t appear as if that plan will change anytime soon. But it should. Joakim Soria deserves a shot. He has for a while.Chamberlain surrendered a run and Nathan survived a rocky ninth inning Saturday as the Tigers held on for a crucial 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals and built their lead in the division to 2 1/2 games. Soria warmed up in both the eighth and ninth innings, but he never got into the game.

Tigers benefited from Brad Ausmus’ hands-off approach in series win over Royals – Rob Rogacki, Bless You Boys

Tigers fans have given manager Brad Ausmus a healthy dose of grief over the past few weeks. From puzzling bullpen management to questionable defensive replacements to bizarre pinch-hitting decisions, many fans believe that Ausmus is not the right man for the job in Detroit. However, this weekend’s series showed that the grass is definitely not greener on the other side. For all the complaints Tigers fans have about Ausmus, Royals fans deserve to file 10 times as many about their skipper, Ned Yost.As fans, we tend to overestimate a manager’s impact on a big league team. While a great manager can alter the course of a team’s season via clubhouse management — something we like to credit Jim Leyland for in 2006 —there are very few instances where his in-game tactics make the difference on the scoreboard. It’s possible that one of those instances occurred on Saturday, when Yost’s tinkering put the Royals in a bad position.