PART 1 OF AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
REVIEWING THE DISASTROUS 2008 DETROIT TIGERS SEASON

With 31 games left in the schedule, the Tigers are winding down what has been a season of bitter disappointment. 

One can only wish to turn back the clock in hopes to re-analyze the prospects of this season.  Perhaps we would have taken a good, hard look at some of the issues heading into this season.  I’m sure someone would have been able to realize that this season was bound for disaster right from the get-go.

We had fantasies of how many runs we’d score, and how many games we cross double-digit runs across the plate.  How many batters would hit over .300, bash in 30+ home runs and knock in 100+ RBI’s.  But let’s be honest with ourselves folks, (and count me in with the guilty…) you can’t ignore the fact that the Tigers pitching staff was mediocre at best and certainly flawed.  However, no one could have imagined that the wheels would’ve fallen off the way that they have.

For instance, Justin Verlander was supposed to take the next big step in his career.  A step that would allow him to compete for the AL Cy Young Award, lead the team to the playoffs en route to post-season MVP status and be counted on each and every time he takes the mound.  Instead, it has been a struggle with his control, concerns about his delivery and hints of tipping to hitters what pitch is being thrown.  Apart from a stretch of about 12 starts from late May to July, Verlander has been a different pitcher than the consistent hurler displayed in his first two full seasons in the majors.  With a 10-13 record and an ERA of 4.42 he hasn’t exactly been awful, but certainly not worth a sniff at a major award.

One of the most drastic differences from his previous seasons work is a lack of control over his stuff.  Already walking more batters than in either full seasons total, Verlander is on pace to walk nearly 85 batters, an increase of his previous career high of 67 set last season. 

While this isn’t drastic, nor alarming, consider the fact that his strikeout total is down as well.  Put those two together and the fact that his hit totals are somewhat in line, the only explanation for his ballooned ERA (prior to this season J.V. had a career ERA of 3.68, nearly a full run lower than this seasons output) would be the fact that he isn’t getting the big strikeout when needed and not being able to strand runners on base.  Some of those extra runs are a result of a walk.  Meaning, that the runners that are on base are actually cashing in; whereas in previous seasons, Verlander would throw something nasty across the plate and he’d make the batter look foolish swatting wildly, or freeze’em still having a called 3rd strike to end an inning.

“STUPID BALL!  Do what I tell you.”  (insert sad face…)

It’s not all #35’s fault though.  He doesn’t exactly get an overwhelming amount of run support, as it seems the Tigers bats lack a clutch hit to pull out a victory for him here and there.  Perhaps the Tigers are guilty of looking to Justin to stop the bleeding of a tough streak, or pull them through a game on his own.  Not one to shy away from the pressure, Verlander knows that he hasn’t been great and has embedded his own high level of expectations which have surely come up short.

With all this being said, should the Tigers assume one area to mend heading into the 2009 season, it should go without saying that their starting five is going to be critical if they plan on having any success.  Consistency is a must, and if you starting arms aren’t giving more quality starts than duds which hasn’t exactly been the case this season, than you aren’t going to be too successful.

Hopefully 2009 will bare more happy moments for JV

Hopefully for Justin (as well as Tigers fans…) this season is only a slight blip in the progression of a Hall of Fame career.

Next, I’m going to take a look at Kenny Rogers.

After salvaging a victory from a four game set that can only sum up the entire season, the Toronto Blue Jays were able to beat up on the Tigers, who showed us that they are waving the white flag in anticipation of getting done with the 162 game sked.

Alright, alright…we give up!

Worn down, worn out, nonchalantly meandering about the remainder as only a formality and instead of competing hard and showing that pride is still something to play for, they are now showing signs that they are more concerned about the sounds coming from frustrated fans in the stands than going out and competing hard to the end.

The usually quiet Seay must have felt compelled to stick up for the youngster

This reference is in response to a post game interview with lefty reliever Bobby Seay in protecting young fire-baller Joel Zumaya who couldn’t record an out, walking a trio of Jays henchmen and giving up a pair of runs en route to yet another Tigers’ bullpen collapse.  The usually supportive (at least to Zoom-Zoom) crowd seemed to show signs of disdain to the fastball specialist.

Fans love watching the radar when #54 hits the mound

Zumaya was almost immediately placed on the DL and has since confirmed to have some torn scar tissue from his repaired shoulder.  Nothing drastic, but certainly a sign that all wasn’t right.  Without a real reason to hurry back, I know see the Tigers doing the right thing and shutting him down until next year, with a winter regimen to be ready to go, healthy and 100% come spring.

Shutting it down early…again, due to injury

Many fans are starting to be frustrated by the teams inconsistencies and may have put too much expectations on the three-digit fastball throwing phenom.  Truth be told, that since the magic displayed in the 2006 season, Zumaya has disappointed and frustrated with multiple injuries and middle of the road stuff and big league hitters are realizing that with his location problems, if he isn’t hitting the plate, they can sit on a fastball and connect for power off of him, something that a year or two in the show will do to a guy with his skill set.

He’s ultimately going to have to learn to pitch, and not just pull back and throw the ball as hard as he can, and many who know and love the game have thrown out there that perhaps they should condition him to be a starter.  I’m not opposed to that, as being able to strut out every fifth day would be valuable for sure, should he be able to harness his goods into effective and controlled situations.

What to do Zumaya?  Starter, closer, underachieving bullpen commodity?

With all of this being said, as a whole we should give the youngster some credit, considering that he is such a competitor and at 24 may have once again had his ego win out over reality by returning a bit earlier than his tender shoulder could handle.  Clearly, no one wanted to resume pitching more than anyone else to get back to doing what he does best.

Since returning he has shown that he can still rev up the gun; however, the main problem is the fact that he is experiencing major control issues.  Issues that can be clearly indicative of his 1:1 K/BB ratio and the fact that his ERA has raised from 1.88 to 3.47 over his last 9 innings of work.  Someone who throws that hard shouldn’t be flirting with the even numbers like that, let alone become as hittable as he has.

Thus, the tattoed wonder has fallen from grace and for the time being has become human again.  These happenings have put the finishing touches in nailing the last nail on the coffin of the Detroit Tigers 2008 season.  All that’s left is finishing up the last month and a half and watching the team disassemble in the off-season.  With several players becoming free-agents, as well as team options look for the Tigers to make some tough decisions.

I will be blogging about that in the near future, so keep your eyes out for that.

In the meantime, should you be able to stomach any more games, watch them for the joy of the game and not for the hopes that tonight is the night they turn it around.  They don’t deserve that from us as fans anymore, because it has been a painful and disappointing season and it’s time to move on.

Another day, another pair of blown saves.  With that, so is another opportunity for the Tigers to gain a bit of momentum in what is turning into a big farce of a race for the divisional title.

THUMBS DOWN TO THE TIGERS BULLPEN!I’m not quite sure what it is about save opportunities and the Tigers bullpen, but I am getting extremely tired of writing about it, but even more sick to my stomach watching it unfold.  Now, I wasn’t one of the crazies that stayed up and watched into the wee hours of the night; however, I did catch bits and pieces up to the 12th inning and to be completely honest, it was more or less to be able to see how the Tigers were going to blow it on this occasion.

Watching the Tigers ‘pen is equal to waiting for a bomb to go off…

At least they didn’t disappoint me, and continued with their newfound success of finding new ways to collapse, as once again  Kyle Farnsworth (who has officially pitched 3.1 innings this go ‘round with the Tigers and has been bombed for three rockets in key situations) co-stars in the production. Just a thought, but does something happen when players suit up in the old English ‘D’ and have to enter the game when it is on the line?

Yesterday chalks up the 20th blown save (in 42 opportunities, for the 3rd worst conversion percentage of 52%) the Tigers have experienced this season.  Can you believe that?  20 games the Tigers have led in the latter portion of the game only to have the bullpen allow their opposition to take them over. Mind you, blown saves do occur, but the Tigers save opportunities are few and far between, and when you want to act like you are in a pennant race, blowing half of the games that you have an opportunity to lock up is purely unacceptable.

Just imagine if the Tigers had locked up somewhere around the league average of about 71% conversion.  That would equal 30 wins of the 42 opportunities (rounded up from 29.68) which would represent an extra 10 wins from the 20 they have successfully coverted.  You do the math, as they are presently 55-57 and an extra 10 wins puts them at 65-47 or 2.5 games up on the White Sox for the Central lead.

Makes you think upcoming free-agent K-Rod would look nice in Tiger colours, doesn’t it?We have been hard on Todd Jones for his inability to have a clean finish; and while I won’t let him off the hook one bit, the rest of the Tigers arms have provided a measly 2 saves in 21 opportunities.

Trust me, I’m not begging for Jonesy to re-take the reins!It has gotten so bad that in listening to last nights’ game, even when up 6-1 I had a feeling that it just wasn’t going to be enough.  Slowly; but surely, the Sox starting chipping away and I knew the inevitable would happen.  No one in the ‘pen wants to be designated the closer, because no one is ready, or able to do so.

So that’s it folks, officially write the season off if you already haven’t, because the rest of the games are just a formality.  This team deserves everything that this season has brought them as they have “dodged, ducked, dipped, dived and dodged” every chance and opening possible.  There are obviously some elements missing with this team and while an increased payroll provides the aw factor and the potential on paper, the character and unity that championship teams emit has to be considered priceless.