The Tigers are losing because they are collectively not hitting. Not hitting is defined when ythe club can't hit with authority against any kind of pitching.
That's where they are right now. Towers??
We have 3 regulars hitting over .250 and 3 regulars hitting below the Mendoza line.
C'mon--they aren't hitting. Is that concerning or is it reactionary to voice your opinion about it at this stage.
It's concerning--darn right it is. If they collectively go into a mode where you know they won't be able to orchestrate an attack now then what is going to prevent this from occurring later?
Let's scrap the notion that the weather is to blame.
Sheffield's presence in the lineup is crucial. He provides something that can help the whole lineup (if he hits better than his weight).
I think the club has looked to him for some kind of catharsis that has not materialized yet. Get over it. He will hit but in the meantime everyone else has to go to work.
We have had 2 of our better pitchers suffer this weekend because of lack of hitting. It has to be demoralizing for them and that is a danger zone whe don't want to visit.
No looking for through rose coloured glasses here- the team is showing signs of futility and lack of confidence. We know where that kind of play can lead--remember september last year?
They need to pick up their game and JL needs to find a way to make them do it. They are very lucky to be 7-5 they way they have played.
Agreed Dan.
The team has a VERY low on-base percentage. Is this due to impatience at the plate? Let me offer another point for your consideration: This lineup scares no one. The pitcher can pound the strike zone, without fear.
Asking our hitters to walk more often, assumes the opposing pitcher is willing to throw balls.
Case in point:
Ninth inning today, our 4th and 5th hitters up, in a one run game.
Sheff, hitting clean up, takes 2 straight balls. Now, it was my understanding, that Sheff is a feared hitter. It was apparent, the Jays pitcher didn't get the memo. On a 2-0 pitch, in a one run game, in the ninth, he poured a very mediocre fastball right down Main street.
I wouldn't suggest doing that if ARod, or Wells, or Thome, or Dye, or Konerko, or Howard.............or many other examples were at bat.
Of course, Sheff didn't swing. He swung later, and hit another of what seems to be his patented "handle shot".
Next up, was Maggs. 9th inning, down one run, and the pitcher pounds the strike zone, unafraid. The third strike was(once again), right down Main...........belt high over the fat part of the plate.
We can't ask this team to walk more often. That would mean "taking" pitches............and if we did that, we'd have 27 strike outs a game(a little sarcasm for ya, but not TOO far off............lol).
This habit of scoring 10 in one game a week, and then taking the rest of the week off, is gonna get old real fast.
First off, and as I said the other day, this lineup is overrated, regardless of how many platitudes Rod Allen tosses out. Don't expect that to change. I think we saw that last August and September. The Tigers excel at getting the timely hit, IF they can get baserunners. Some days, that just doesn't happen much. They are also good at scoring runs after there were two out and nobody on, without benefit of homeruns. Some days that doesn't happen either. Bottom line for me is that I don't expect them to score bunches of runs, I expect them to grind out wins somehow, someway.
Re Sheffield, the opposing pitchers are basically pitching around him. The obvious reason for that is, as mentioned above, they don't fear anybody else in the lineup. Perhaps a lineup switch would have a positive effect on that. Until Ordonez starts driving the ball to the opposite field, they will continue to prefer facing him over Sheffield.
Now, I'm just talking hitting here, not condemning the team or any individuals. There will be plenty of wins. There will also be streaks where these guys can't hit themselves out of a paper bag.
And no, it's not the weather.
Good job by Nate today. It appeared he didn't have his real good stuff but still turned in a sterling pitching effort. This kind of thing will keep the Tigers in games, then anything can happen.
At the risk of being accused of "Yankeeism":
The Tigers are losing because they are collectively not hitting. Not hitting is defined when ythe club can't hit with authority against any kind of pitching.
That's where they are right now. Towers??
We have 3 regulars hitting over .250 and 3 regulars hitting below the Mendoza line.
C'mon--they aren't hitting. Is that concerning or is it reactionary to voice your opinion about it at this stage.
It's concerning--darn right it is. If they collectively go into a mode where you know they won't be able to orchestrate an attack now then what is going to prevent this from occurring later?
Let's scrap the notion that the weather is to blame.
Sheffield's presence in the lineup is crucial. He provides something that can help the whole lineup (if he hits better than his weight).
I think the club has looked to him for some kind of catharsis that has not materialized yet. Get over it. He will hit but in the meantime everyone else has to go to work.
We have had 2 of our better pitchers suffer this weekend because of lack of hitting. It has to be demoralizing for them and that is a danger zone whe don't want to visit.
No looking for through rose coloured glasses here- the team is showing signs of futility and lack of confidence. We know where that kind of play can lead--remember september last year?
They need to pick up their game and JL needs to find a way to make them do it. They are very lucky to be 7-5 they way they have played.
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Agreed Dan.
The team has a VERY low on-base percentage. Is this due to impatience at the plate? Let me offer another point for your consideration: This lineup scares no one. The pitcher can pound the strike zone, without fear.
Asking our hitters to walk more often, assumes the opposing pitcher is willing to throw balls.
Case in point:
Ninth inning today, our 4th and 5th hitters up, in a one run game.
Sheff, hitting clean up, takes 2 straight balls. Now, it was my understanding, that Sheff is a feared hitter. It was apparent, the Jays pitcher didn't get the memo. On a 2-0 pitch, in a one run game, in the ninth, he poured a very mediocre fastball right down Main street.
I wouldn't suggest doing that if ARod, or Wells, or Thome, or Dye, or Konerko, or Howard.............or many other examples were at bat.
Of course, Sheff didn't swing. He swung later, and hit another of what seems to be his patented "handle shot".
Next up, was Maggs. 9th inning, down one run, and the pitcher pounds the strike zone, unafraid. The third strike was(once again), right down Main...........belt high over the fat part of the plate.
We can't ask this team to walk more often. That would mean "taking" pitches............and if we did that, we'd have 27 strike outs a game(a little sarcasm for ya, but not TOO far off............lol).
This habit of scoring 10 in one game a week, and then taking the rest of the week off, is gonna get old real fast.
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First off, and as I said the other day, this lineup is overrated, regardless of how many platitudes Rod Allen tosses out. Don't expect that to change. I think we saw that last August and September. The Tigers excel at getting the timely hit, IF they can get baserunners. Some days, that just doesn't happen much. They are also good at scoring runs after there were two out and nobody on, without benefit of homeruns. Some days that doesn't happen either. Bottom line for me is that I don't expect them to score bunches of runs, I expect them to grind out wins somehow, someway.
Re Sheffield, the opposing pitchers are basically pitching around him. The obvious reason for that is, as mentioned above, they don't fear anybody else in the lineup. Perhaps a lineup switch would have a positive effect on that. Until Ordonez starts driving the ball to the opposite field, they will continue to prefer facing him over Sheffield.
Now, I'm just talking hitting here, not condemning the team or any individuals. There will be plenty of wins. There will also be streaks where these guys can't hit themselves out of a paper bag.
And no, it's not the weather.
Good job by Nate today. It appeared he didn't have his real good stuff but still turned in a sterling pitching effort. This kind of thing will keep the Tigers in games, then anything can happen.
Report any abuse or spam