Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

[kalinecountry]

Tigers make most of time to review close calls.
DETROIT -- During Wednesday 3-2 win over the Astros, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus approached second-base umpire Mike Winters and made no false pretenses about his reasons for leaving the dugout.
"I'm just waiting for a signal from [bench coach Gene Lamont]," Ausmus told Winters.

Andrew Romine had been called out on a steal attempt at second base, and video review coordinator Matt Martin was busy watching replay angles, determining whether he should advise Ausmus to use a challenge. Martin eventually decided in favor of challenging, informing Lamont, who gave the signal to Ausmus, ending the charade of an argument.

Ausmus added that the levity is probably welcomed by the umpiring crew.
"My guess is they probably appreciate the fact that, instead of having the manager scream at them, most of the managers are pretty civil about it," Ausmus said. "It doesn't make sense for me to scream at the guy when I have a challenge."

According to Ausmus, umpires have "quickly become receptive" to the fact that their calls might not be correct, as challenges have become a part of the game. The Tigers skipper is 4-for-7 on challenges this season.
from the Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

For Tigers, shifting pays off only to a point.
DETROIT -- Mirroring their aggressive approach at the plate, the Astros shifted the Tigers liberally during the first three games of this week's four-game series at Comerica Park.
"They do extreme shifts," catcher Alex Avila said. "A couple of times, it worked out for them, but I would say quite a few times this series it hasn't worked out for them."

Avila is one of the batters that has seen a shift used against him this week, and it has paid off in the sense that it frustrates Avila. In eight at-bats this series entering Thursday, Avila was batting .250, though he's raised his on-base percentage on the season to .346.

Avila said, however, that when a team shifts as often as Houston, the impact over the course of a 162-game season may be negligible.

"It's probably a wash as far as the advantage it creates for you," Avila said.
Detroit may be one of the most conservative American League teams when it comes to defensive positioning. Manager Brad Ausmus said the Tigers don't track the effectiveness of the shifts they do employ, though he guesses the Astros might, given their tendencies.

Ausmus added that teams can study spray charts all they want to try to estimate where a particular hitter might drive the ball, but the most important factor is the game situation.
"The game can dictate as to whether you shift or not," Ausmus said.
from the Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

Ausmus knows value of extra BP firsthand.
DETROIT -- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus remembers a special gesture a coach once showed him when he was a young player.
Gene Glynn, who spent the 1993 season as a roving instructor in the Rockies organization, tossed Ausmus early batting practice before a game one day.
"He said, 'Let's go out there and hit. You and me. Don't think about mechanics. I'll throw, and you hit until you're happy,'" Ausmus said, recalling his time at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

That extra work was in Ausmus' mind when he asked slugger Miguel Cabrera to work with him before Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Astros. Ausmus took the same approach in pitching to Cabrera, who seems to have turned a corner after slumping through the start of the season.
"The difference is, in the Minor Leagues, you have to go pick up your own balls," Ausmus joked.
The early swings seemed to help Cabrera in Wednesday's game -- he drove a first-inning fastball on the inner part of the plate over the right-field fence for his second homer in as many games.
from the Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/05/tigers_astros_drew_smyly.html
Astros 6 - Tigers 2: Houston avoids four-game sweep, snaps Detroit's eight-game winning streak.
from Mlive

http://www.freep.com/article/20140508/SPORTS02/305080193/detroit-tigers-houston-astros-recap
Houston 6 - Detroit 2: Astros use long ball to snap Tigers' 8-game win streak.
from the freep

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...0104/Astros-snap-Tigers-eight-game-win-streak
Astros snap Tigers' eight-game win streak.
from the detnews

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/inde...014_05_08_houmlb_detmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=det
Tigers' win streak falls at eight despite fast start.
Offense stifled; first deficit since last week too much to overcome.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/inde...d=det#gid=2014_05_08_houmlb_detmlb_1&mode=box
Boxscore.
from the Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://newenglishd.com/2014/05/08/how-was-the-game-may-8-2014/
How Was The Game? (May 8, 2014).
from the NewEnglishD-Tigersblog

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2014/5/...gers-2-detroit-winning-streak-ends-at-8-games
Astros 6 - Tigers 2: Dallas Keuchel shuts down Detroit offense, win streak snapped at 8 games.
from bybtb

http://www.sportsmedia101.com/detro...-three-home-runs-end-five-game-losing-streak/
Houston Astros Suprise Detroit Tigers with Three Home Runs, End Five Game Losing Streak.
from Tigers101

 

[kalinecountry]

May 9 in Tigers and mlb history:

1871 - The first Hispanic player in major league baseball is Esteban Enrique Bellan. The 21-year old Cuban infielder plays for the Troy Haymakers of the National Association.

1927 - Pounding five Boston pitchers for 22 hits, the 2nd-place Tigers outlast the Red Sox, 17 - 11. Harry Heilmann leads the cat attack with two homers and two singles.

1930 - The Yankees' and the Tigers' outfielders make only two putouts for an American League record which has never been equaled. The National League record for outfield idleness is one chance (Pittsburgh versus Brooklyn on August 26,1910). Detroit's George Uhle strikes out 8 in winning, 5 - 4, and dropping the Yanks to 7th place. Hank Johnson (7 innings) and George Pipgras are the New York hurlers.

1943 - Due to the poor grade of rubber cement used to make baseballs because of wartime rubber shortages, a different type of baseball is put into play today with dramatic results. In eight games, six home runs are hit compared to a total of nine homers tallied in the season's first 72 games.

1949: At Detroit, the Tigers set back the first-place Yankees, 4 - 1, behind the five-hit pitching of Ted Gray. Vic Raschi also allows just five hits, including a homer by Dick Wakefield, in taking the loss.

1984: Umpire Joe West ejects two television cameramen from Shea Stadium when they allow the Mets to view replays of a controversial play at the plate in which Hubie Brooks is called out. The Mets beat Atlanta, 3 - 1.

1988: Oakland beats Detroit, 3 - 1, to extend its club-record winning streak to 14 consecutive games, the longest in the majors since 1977. The A's will finally lose tomorrow, 8 - 2 to the Tigers, after starting the skein on April 23rd.

1989: For the first time since April 10th, no major league games are shutouts, ending a streak of 29 consecutive days with at least one shutout.

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/drillle01.shtml
Lew Drill 1904-1905.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yewcito01.shtml
Tom Yewcic 1957.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jacksro02.shtml
Ron Jackson 1981.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schleda01.shtml
Dan Schlereth 2010-2012.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Prince_Fielder
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fieldpr01.shtml
Prince Fielder 2012-2013.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/krolia01.shtml
Ian Krol 2014-present.

from Baseball Reference

 

[kalinecountry]

http://newenglishd.com/2014/05/08/detroit-tigers-podcast-new-english-d-audio-episode-6-5-8-14/
New English D Tigers Blog Audio Episode 6 (5-8-14).

 

[kalinecountry]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/47028/dombrowskis-offseason-moves-look-good
Dombrowski's offseason moves look good.
espn

 

[kalinecountry]

http://newenglishd.com/2014/05/08/one-quick-thing-smylys-high-pitch-to-altuve/
One Quick Thing: Smyly?s High Pitch to Altuve.
from the NewEnglishD-Tigersblog

 

[kalinecountry]

http://newenglishd.com/2014/05/08/one-quick-thing-smylys-high-pitch-to-altuve/
One Quick Thing: Smyly?s High Pitch to Altuve.
from the NewEnglishD-Tigersblog

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/05/analysis_drew_smyly_loses_batt.html
Analysis: Drew Smyly loses battle to ex-roommate, but hardly to blame in Detroit's loss to lowly Houston.
from Mlive

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/05/on_deck_detroit_tigers_welcome.html
On deck: Tigers welcome slumping Minnesota Twins; Detroit might avoid six-time All-Star Joe Mauer.
from Mlive

 

[kalinecountry]

http://motorcitybengals.com/2014/05/09/birth-star-detroit-tiger-nick-castellanos/
Birth Of A Star? Detroit Tiger Nick Castellanos.
from mcbtb

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140508/SPORTS02/305080193/detroit-tigers-houston-astros-recap
Why the Tigers lost Thursday afternoon.
from the freep

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140509/SPORTS02/305090029/detroit-tigers-max-scherzer-AL-MVP
Max Scherzer among SI writer's top five AL MVP candidates (right now).
from the freep

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20140508/awards-watch-most-valuable-player/#all
MVP candidates from SI.

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140509/SPORTS02/305090046/detroit-tigers-brad-ausmus-replay
Detroit Tigers' Brad Ausmus: Replay cooling down umpire relations.
from the freep

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140509/SPORTS02/305090051/detroit-tigers-victor-martinez
Detroit Tigers' Victor Martinez continues hot hitting, blasts another homer.
from the freep

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...ld-work-re-sign-Victor-Martinez-sooner-better
Tigers should work to re-sign Victor Martinez, sooner the better.
from the detnews

 

[kalinecountry]

Slugging V-Mart also striking out infrequently.
DETROIT -- Victor Martinez doesn't want to talk about history, especially not in May. But it's no secret he's on pace for a special season.
"I always say I'd rather be lucky than good," Martinez sheepishly said after Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Astros, in which he went deep for the third time in four games to increase his season total to seven. The year he hit his career high of 25 homers, Martinez had only four at this point in the season.

The most impressive thing about Martinez's start, though, isn't the two homers he's hit when facing an 0-2 count or even the way he does it from both sides of the plate so effortlessly.

It's that he hardly strikes out. Martinez has two more home runs on the year than he does strikeouts (five). If he can keep that up, he'll find himself in rare company.
Only 45 times have batters homered more than they've struck out (minimum of 20 homers), and only twice since 1957 has the feat been accomplished. The most recent slugger to do it is Barry Bonds, who in 2004 hit 45 long balls and whiffed 41 times.

"I'm just making sure I go up there and be a tough out," Martinez said. "I'm not really looking at numbers or history. Just go out there and put myself in a position to help this team win."

Martinez's humility aside, the company he'd join would also be elite: Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams are all members of the exclusive club. DiMaggio managed to do it a record seven times. No player has accomplished it as a member of the Tigers.

Martinez's younger teammates, like second-year third baseman Nick Castellanos, are soaking up the 35-year-old's approach to hitting.

"To see how he works at it, day in and day out -- don't let Victor's success fool you," Castellanos said. "He works hard every day, from when he does tee work in the morning to when he watches video to how he studies pitchers.
"It's amazing how much of a mirror image he is from the left and right side of the plate."
from the Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-freaks-and-the-runts-fun-with-hitting-mechanics/
The Freaks and the Runts: Fun with Hitting Mechanics.
from the Hardball Times