Time to shuffle the deck

[hellifino]

and have Santiago lead-off, throw the Bum Jackson on the bench and have Dirks play CF.

 

[byco42]

Oh, hell no. You lose aggregate OBP, defense and speed on the paths. Jackson is the best of a bad situation that needs resolution in the OS.

 

[hellifino]

OBP and speed on the paths, lol he has to be the worst lead-off hitter in both leagues, he doesn't hit for average, he Ks way too much, he doesn't even bunt well. if it wasn't for 3 or 4 nice catches in the outfield a year, he'd be worthless.

 

[turok]

Too late, gotta try to get it done with what remains of who got us here, AJax is what he has been for most of the regular season, its the middle of the lineup and Avila turning into the abjectly worst games of '10 Laird who bear the brunt of responsibility for what, if any, success or failure the team has at the plate for the remainder of this ALCS.

 

[byco42]

It's like shooting a second hole in the boat to let out the water. Dirks has an OBP of .296. That's Neifi Perez territory.

 

[hellifino]

Too late, gotta try to get it done with what remains of who got us here, AJax is what he has been for most of the regular season, its the middle of the lineup and Avila turning into the abjectly worst games of '10 Laird who bear the brunt of responsibility for what, if any, success or failure the team has at the plate for the remainder of this ALCS.

I agree, but the middle of the lineup has been carrying us all year, you have to get something from the top of the lineup sometimes.

 

[jimrice]

If you're going to use 6 games as a benchmark in which to set your line up, then go all the way with it. The top OBP guys have been Magglio, Raburn, and Inge.

So make a line up of

Maggs rf
Inge 3b
Raburn 2b
Cabrera 1b
Martinez dh
Peralta ss
Avila c
Kelly LF
Jackson cf

If you want to rearrange based on the playoffs so far, remove your prejudices against certain guys and do it based on stats.

Santiago is getting on base less than Jackson, as Santiago is allergic to walks. And Dirks is not a real answer out there, In my opinion.

 

[turok]

As can be seen in the image below, the Rangers' pitchers appear to have been squeezed by the POS HP ump Welke slightly more than the Tigers' pitchers were. Unfortunately for the Tigers' pitchers and especially their hitters, it was WHEN the (I reiterate POS HP ump Welke) had called them wrong, which was MOST likely during crucial ABs by the Tigers' uhhh...what presently passes for their "best" hitters, and during/after Verlander had become frustrated and then gave up some damaging hits.

Surely this completely used douchebag of an umpire must have been aware of the fact that Verlander and to a lesser degree, Wilson had been amongst the best pitchers in the AL during the regular season, with Justin extremely likely to be voted and awarded the AL's Cy Young, if not also standing an excellent chance to also be voted and perhaps win his league's MVP award as well.

Yet Welke obviously decided that HE would, instead of calling the game fairly and squarely, negatively affect the outcome of the first game of what might perhaps end up going all 7 games in the ALCS.

" title="" border="0"/>

 

[hellifino]

a lead-off guy should not have 181 Ks on the year, at least make contact. with his speed all he has to do is put the ball in play and he'd hit .280, Ichiro has been doing that for years.

 

[turok]

a lead-off guy should not have 181 Ks on the year, at least make contact. with his speed all he has to do is put the ball in play and he'd hit .280, Ichiro has been doing that for years.

Isn't the first, and likely won't be the last awful leadoff hitter that the Tigers have had and will have going forward. Jackson will likely get another try at leadoff next season, for at least the beginning of it, unless the Tigers somehow manage to trade for or sign a player that can do a better job of it. Based on Austin's horrific stats, that actually would/should not be that difficult, if it were not for where their real weaknesses are on the field/at the plate (2B-3B), and whether or not they intend to retain Delmon Young in LF, and to perhaps a lesser degree, Betemit, the latter of whom I believe will very probably be history, prior to next season.

 

[byco42]

Jackson has a high BABIP, so Hellifino's point about making better contact is a valid one. If he could only cut down on the pitches he swings at out of the strike zone, that would make a big difference. There's a concern, though about his ability to hit a fastball with consistency. He gets thrown a lot of them.

 

[mikem2780]

Jackson needs a whole new approach with 2 strikes. He needs to cut down on his swing and just try to go the other way. His 2 strike approach is the same as his 2-0 approach. That doesn't work for people not called Albert Pujols

 

[turok]

Jackson needs a whole new approach with 2 strikes. He needs to cut down on his swing and just try to go the other way. His 2 strike approach is the same as his 2-0 approach. That doesn't work for people not called Albert Pujols

I'm almost certain that our esteemed hitting coach, "Legendary Lloyd McClendon" is at this very moment, studying/reviewing filmed recordings of our CFer's recent ABs, and then preparing to work with Jackson this afternoon on a one-on-one and very intense training session, to successfully correct his batting mechanics and approach while at the plate, prior to tonight's game, and we will quite likely see the positive results of same this evening, weather permitting, of course...

 

[@Stakesarehigh]

people's obsession with dirks is mystifying

 

[hellifino]

what this team needs is a kick in their butts, everyone wants to be a star instead of playing like what got them here, swinging for the fences instead of doubling down the line. those HRs that Kelly and Young were nice, but it tells you where they are thinking as a team. they are trying too hard to make something happen instead of letting the game come to them.

 

[tomdalton22]

what this team needs is a kick in their butts, everyone wants to be a star instead of playing like what got them here, swinging for the fences instead of doubling down the line. those HRs that Kelly and Young were nice, but it tells you where they are thinking as a team. they are trying too hard to make something happen instead of letting the game come to them.

Actually, Kelly wasn't swinging for the fence. He went down and put the bat on the ball and it happened to go out. Now Miggy on the other hand.....it seems like he is swinging for the fence in every AB. I think he is having a terrible post season

 

[biggunsbob]

The team just needs to have Magglio, Miguel, and victor to show up... Theses three cost the Tigers the game last night... Raburn was 3 for 4... Jackson had a rbi. But the big guns are failing big time... I think the last three or four times in the playoffs the tigers have left a running on third with less then two outs we have failed ... Last three were Peralta, Magglio, and Victor. Maybe another I am missing.. Just terrible at bats when all you need is a deep fly for a sac... If i was Jim the time behind close doors to rip into our plate approach is right now....

 

[biggunsbob]

And No Dirks has no business verses Left's for sure and probably not verses righty's either.. His OBP is worse then jackson's but we all know AJ is just a 9th hole hitter anyway... Not sure hat has happened to Alex.. I guess playing so much has wore him out but that is no excuse for poor plate discipline with the bases loaded a a 1-0 count... That pitch he swung at was terrible. Don't get me started on Single-Le-O. It really is to bad because a once great hitter just cannot elevate the ball much anymore... Maybe tonight they will all put it together. I have seen enough of Wilson B. Holy crap he is missing pitches by a foot at least... to see Victor fail in the clutch is so frustrating after the year he has had!!!

 

[Mitchrapp]

Its not just about swinging at bad pitches for AJ but he swings right through good pitches, especially on the outside corner. He needs a new batting stance IMO. Maybe stand closer to the plate or choke up a bit. He lead the league in BABIP last season and is doing decent this year as well.

 

[jimrice]

biggunsbob[/color]]The team just needs to have Magglio, Miguel, and victor to show up... Theses three cost the Tigers the game last night... Raburn was 3 for 4... Jackson had a rbi. But the big guns are failing big time... I think the last three or four times in the playoffs the tigers have left a running on third with less then two outs we have failed ... Last three were Peralta, Magglio, and Victor. Maybe another I am missing.. Just terrible at bats when all you need is a deep fly for a sac... If i was Jim the time behind close doors to rip into our plate approach is right now....

I would refer you to the stats where you'd find that Magglio is having a great post season. He's not batting 1.000, so he has made some outs, but to pin anything on him is crazy.