On Saturday, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander took a perfect game into the 8th inning in Toronto. It didn’t happen, but he did close out the no-hitter, the second of his career. He joins Mark Buerhle of the White Sox and Roy Halladay of the Phillies as the only active MLB pitchers with two. For Tigers fans, it was a nice distraction from how mediocre their season has been thus far.
The Tigers have posted a record of three and three in their last six entering Saturday’s play. The one consistency that they have demonstrated this season is a sense of malaise. Every time that they seem poised to make a run and turn things around, an obstacle inevitably blocks their path to success.
Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez have carried their fair share of the load recently. It seems as if Cabrera has struck out or walked half the time over the last handful of games. This could be due to the fact that pitchers are facing him with the philosophy of heaving their best stuff at him regardless of whether they are serving up strikes or not.
This situation brings back memories of the “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas of the White Sox. His plate discipline was a big part of his success at the plate because he was able to get good wood on the pitches he chose to hit. The Tigers have almost been the equivalent of a National League team over the last week because designated hitter Magglio Ordonez has been near the Mendoza line.
His low average and lack of power remind fans of his colleague Justin Morneau a little to the North. Both are coming off injuries and Ordonez could also be battling Father Time. Things could be worse though. Reference the Chicago White Sox recent games.
Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, and (obviously and especially) Justin Verlander have been solid. This could be a harbinger of success or bad news depending on one’s perspective. If the team is only marginal over recent history and these three starters have been up to snuff, then where do they go positively in the future?
Or, the flip side is that things are bound to turn around if they are getting solid starts out of their rotation. The town needs the team to catch fire with no other squads coming with good news. The Lions draft choice of defensive lineman Nick Fairley is promising if the team actually sees action at Ford Field this year. Kid Rock needs to listen to winning games when he is out on the lake “All Summer Long.”
What could impress the ladies on his pontoon boat more than some winning baseball?