considering what a mess EJack is right now, Leyland's definately going with Porcello. I really want to face Detroit and I have no desire to face Minnesota. That nightmare scenario where Carl Pavano shuts down the Yanks in 2 games keeps replaying in my mind. Not to mention the top 4 offensive players for Minnesota are posting the following: Mauer: .366/.442/.591 177 OPS+ Kubel: .297/.367/.522 138 OPS+ Cuddyer: .297/.367/.522 128 OPS+ Span: .314/.393/.420 121 OPS+ While in Detroit: Cabrera: .327/.398/.548 144 OPS+ Rayburn: .282/.345/.508 119 OPS+ Magglio: .301/.370/.407 103 OPS+ Granderson: .249/.326/.457 102 OPS+ Even without Morneau Minnesota displays some nice pop from their front 4, while Maggs is getting old and Granderson keeps getting exposed (.183/.246/.240 vs LHP) :rofl: Then there's the matter of pitching where, despite Verlander's apparent decline (3.74 era in Sept), Verlander is posting a 2.29 FIP, so you figure he's going so lock it down in the playoffs. The rest don't look as good Tigers Pitching(Sept/Oct): Verlander: ERA: 3.76 FIP: 2.29 Edwin Jackson: ERA: 6.14 FIP: 4.76 Rick Porcello: ERA: 3.22 FIP: 4 Compare that with Minnesota's top 3: Blackburn: ERA: 3.41 FIP: 3.93 Pavano: ERA: 4.86 FIP: 3.72 Baker: ERA: 3.97 FIP: 4.33 Then there's a matter of the bullpen, which is part of the reason for Minnesota's surge in the second half: Code: Name K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 AVG WHIP BABIP LOB% ERA FIP Jose Mijares 8.71 2.61 3.33 0.87 .255 1.26 .320 79.4 % 3.48 3.58 Jesse Crain 5.27 4.61 1.14 0.00 .135 0.95 .164 92.9 % 0.66 3.68 Brian Duensing 5.05 3.03 1.67 0.50 .279 1.43 .315 80.9 % 2.78 3.71 Joe Nathan 11.30 4.40 2.57 2.51 .148 0.98 .118 95.7 % 3.77 5.89 That's shutdown. Meanwhile Detroit has: Code: Name K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 AVG WHIP BABIP LOB% ERA FIP Bobby Seay 6.43 2.57 2.50 0.00 .397 2.14 .469 61.1 % 9.00 3.81 Brandon Lyon 6.60 4.20 1.57 0.60 .175 1.07 .204 82.2 % 2.40 3.90 Fu-Te Ni 4.05 5.40 0.75 0.00 .210 1.35 .240 77.8 % 2.70 4.00 Not quite as good. So. yes, I'll take my chances with Verlander, as I'd rather face a starting rotation of Ver(2x)-EJax(2x)-Porcello + anemic offense + weak bullpen than Blackburn(2x)-Pavano(2x)-Baker + better offense + strong bullpen. We need Detroit to win on Tuesday. If they win with the 1 game playoff, we'll get to face Edwin Jackson games 1+4, Verlander 2+5, and I'd rather have that than Porcello 1+4, Verlander 2+5.
Whatever, hopefully Girardi doesn't make the same mistake Torre did and not have them practice on Monday and Tuesday. It isn't like they look anything close to razor sharp...far from it.
No, but at this point, I'd be really shocked if they went with the shorter one that requires a fourth starter.
7-0. But those games were all in the first half of the season, when Minn was battling injuries and whatnot. Now they are healthy and have been on an absolute tear the last month or so. They are getting hot at the right time.
Well, Joba was certainly effective out of the pen, which was nice to see, but it's not old Joba. He topped out at 95.
Actually, the Tigers really don't have that much in the way of pop, and I wouldn't say they're better offensively than the Twins. The Tigers have Miguel Cabrera, Granderson (who can't touch lefties), and Inge. That's about it. The Twins have Mauer, Cuddyer, and Kubel.
Does anybody other than me realize those 2 HRs and 7 RBIs gave Arod 30 and 100 for the 12th straight year?:
I would give Detroit a slight edge on offense. Minnesota put up somewhat better stats, but the vast majority was with Morneau. Now they're without their cleanup hitter. Granderson doesn't hit lefties, but Kubel can't really hit lefties either.
No, Don, you're the only one who has figured that out. Maybe you should call Reuters or the Associated Press and let them know. True, but Granderson, like, REALLY doesn't hit lefties. ETA: Kubel vs. Lefties: .240/.296/.342/.639 Granderson vs. Lefties: .183/.246/.240/.486
