Tigers vs. Cubs May 16, 2021 Game 40

[kalinecountry]

https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/matthew-boyd-continues-to-evolve-against-cubs
Boyd's talent runs deeper than wins, losses.
Tigers official site

https://www.blessyouboys.com/2021/5...cap-matthew-boyd-miguel-cabrera-harold-castro
Cubs 5 - Tigers 1: Offense, defense let Detroit down in loss.
Several little mistakes added up in Sunday?s loss.
BYBTB

Following today?s game, the Tigers optioned RHP Alex Lange to Triple A Toledo. A corresponding move will be made prior to tomorrow night?s series opener at Seattle.

Miguel Cabrera collected two hits, bringing his career total to 2,883. He is now 117 hits away from 3,000.
Cabrera is 11-30 since they pronounced his career over.

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs...nal,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=634083
Boxscore.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/s...rs-matthew-boyd-loss-chicago-cubs/5119444001/
'We didn't play clean': Defense lets down Tigers, Matthew Boyd in 5-1 loss to Cubs.
Detnews

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...detroit-tigers-score-chicago-cubs/5118452001/
Detroit Tigers can't solve Chicago Cubs, Kyle Hendricks in 5-1 loss of series finale.
Freep

https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2021/0...osing-note-fall-to-cubs-in-series-finale.html
Tigers hit the road on losing note, fall to Cubs in series finale.
Mlive

 

[kalinecountry]

Tigers have scored two runs or less in five of Matthew Boyd's eight starts, including Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Cubs.

Seen for the first time in the Detroit Tigers' dugout: coaches using tablets and reviewing information with the players during game time. This is what happens when you get younger guys running the team.....

On MLB Radio yesterday, one of the analysts mentioned a frank discussion a GM had with him about a team's finances and winning. The analyst said he was rather shocked at what was being shared. Left no doubt that baseball teams are focused first on money, then on winning.

The GM went on to say that you never want to keep putting a competitive team on the field every year because then fans come to expect a winning team every year and get mad when, after continuous years, the team doesn't do well.

The GM also approved of the art of tanking. If you're not going to win, why spend? He also said that a team has about 5 years of non-competitiveness before you start doing real and lasting damage to the fan base.

Totally Tigers

 

[turok]

Tigers had scoring opportunities in the 1st, 6th, 7th, and 8th with a runner on second with 0, 1, and 2 outs (twice), Yet each time they were stranded. They also just barely managed to avoid being SHO by a split-second in the 9th. The Cubs SP hendricks had given up the most homers in MLB, (11) (along w/3 others including the Tigers' Skubal) and Boyd only 1, yet the latter gave up the only (solo) homer in the game, and just b/c his SS had put on a one man clownshow prior. Its almost like the team only tries to match the output of their opponents, but often fails, and especially when their opponents begin to extend their leads, then they most often turn into blowouts. Tigers have won by 3 or more runs just 6x in 40 games, and their widest margin of victory was 6 runs @ astros. They have been SHO 6x, but have yet to record a SHO themselves.

 

[turok]

Its on to Seattle tomorrow for a late Monday night start, and we all know that the Tigers WC swings don't very often result in series wins, much less sweeps.

 

[turok]

Wilson Ramos still leads the Tigers w/6 homers, but he hadn't hit any since the astros series...and has been the the IL for 10 days. Akil Baddoo is tied for second with 4, but he ALSO hasn't hit one since the astros series....came close a few times since then, but close in games only counts in horseshoes.



Boyd has been pitching well so far this season, and may be more desirable by contending teams needing a SP later this season if it continues, but if he is traded we certainly cannot count on the Tigers FO getting anything of equal or fair value in return, except maybe "lucky". Their largely shitty trade history over the past 5 years obviously bears that out.

 

[turok]

On MLB Radio yesterday, one of the analysts mentioned a frank discussion a GM had with him about a team's finances and winning. The analyst said he was rather shocked at what was being shared. Left no doubt that baseball teams are focused first on money, then on winning.

The GM went on to say that you never want to keep putting a competitive team on the field every year because then fans come to expect a winning team every year and get mad when, after continuous years, the team doesn't do well.

The GM also approved of the art of tanking. If you're not going to win, why spend? He also said that a team has about 5 years of non-competitiveness before you start doing real and lasting damage to the fan base.

Totally Tigers

Hmm...obviously that GM isn't/hasn't been employed by the AL Yankees or Red Sox, or the NL Cards, Dodgers, or Giants, for that matter. It will be 5 years in which the Tigers haven't been competitive after the '21 season, but since Chis Ilitch has become the only owner in MLB to partner w/a sportsbook, he may never need to care if Tigers fans are angry and many/most become apathetic to his baseball franchise, fielding uncompetitive teams year after year.

 

[kalinecountry]

https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2021/0...ame-will-they-have-3-catchers-in-seattle.html
Tigers demote rookie pitcher after game; will they have 3 catchers in Seattle?
Mlive

 

[byco42]

Tigers BAbip is .295 or 70 points higher than team BA. Not being an expert "sabermetrician", I wonder if the higher-than-expected number is due to high number of strikeouts.

 

[turok]

https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2021/0...ame-will-they-have-3-catchers-in-seattle.html
Tigers demote rookie pitcher after game; will they have 3 catchers in Seattle?
Mlive

If Hinch pencils Haase in LF, and has Ramos DH after his coming off the IL, then that means that the Tigers are going to be carrying 3 catchers on the 26 man....but for how long and what happens when Greiner becomes eligble to return? I suppose that Greiner and Rogers are their best defensive catchers, and Haase and Ramos their best on "offense" (a pretty low bar for sure) then they might go back to a 2 position catcher list, a starting C and his backup.

 

[kalinecountry]

May 16: Cubs 5 - Tigers 1 -- Miguel Cabrera racking up the hits.
Miguel Cabrera's two-hit game Sunday was his fifth multihit effort in his past eight games. It also pushed his career hit total to 2,883. His next hit will tie him with Hall of Famer Zack Wheat for No. 41 on the MLB all-time list.

 

[kalinecountry]

https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-tigers/episode/defense-optional-84016029
Locked On Detroit Tigers Podcastefense Optional. 34 minutes.
A little bit of good, and a lot of bad over the weekend from the Tigers.
Chris recaps last weekend's series against the Cubs.
He gives a Minor Leaguer report and talks about what he's seen out of Spencer Torkelson and Matt Manning so far.
In segment three, he previews tonight's pitching matchup as the Tigers head west to face the Mariners.