Detroit Tigers Have to Beat the Bad Teams

Well, that was disappointing. The Detroit Tigers fell AGAIN to the bottom-dwelling Los Angeles Angels.

The Detroit Tigers didn’t lose to hits by just Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. They lost to the other guys that no one really knows.

They lost to Jefry Marte. Yes, the Jefry Marte that was once a Tiger. He had three RBIs today. In his 179 at bats prior to today’s game, he had only 27 RBIs. Those three extra RBIs against a team that is/was making its way to the playoffs must have felt good to Mr. Marte.

They also lost to C.J. Cron, who has been a Tigers killer all season. In 30 at bats, he has a slash of .333/.323/.567 with an OPS of .889. He has two home runs against Tigers pitching, eight RBIs, and 4 strikeouts.

What Were the Issues?

So, what happened? The pitching was good. Anibal Sanchez wasn’t brilliant, but he ok. His final line in 5.2 innings was eight hits, two strikeouts, and five earned runs. He did not give up any walks. The Angels left five men on base. Bruce Rondon, Mark Lowe, and Kyle Ryan, three names that do not instill trust in Tigers fans, did not allow any runs. Lowe actually had four strikeouts and allowed only one hit. He did receive a nice round of applause from the fans and few even stood (not many, though).

The fielding was so-so, especially in the sixth inning. Cameron Maybin tried to do a little acting to cover up a fly ball off of Pujols. He didn’t earn an award for his performance; but instead, he was featured in a review that ended up putting Pujols on first and Trout on second. With no outs, the Angels capitalized on the misplay and they ended up manufacturing runs on sharp line drives and sac flies.

Also, there were a few balls that were hit hard up the middle and despite Ian Kinsler‘s solid attempts, the hits were earned. And, why oh why can’t Justin Upton catch a fly ball without it bouncing first??

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Same Old Troubles, Different Game

The trouble came in the form of no offense. On a team that has some of the best hitters in the game, they sure do have trouble manufacturing runs. There were so many opportunities with lead-off batters getting on base. In all cases, no one could capitalize. Jose Iglesias was hit by a pitch, Miguel Cabrera got a lead-off single and double. Both men were left on base because no one could make anything else happen. It was truly disappointing.

Now, the Angels are 20.5 games back and in last place in the AL West. After the two losses to this sad, sad team, the Tigers are now 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians and two games back in the Wild Card standings.

Next: Mike Everitt Called an Unforgettable Game

These types of losses will not sustain a playoff run. The Detroit Tigers have shown us they really do know how to play. It’s time to play to their potential. For 32 more games.