|
|
Post by Zig on Jun 5, 2014 7:52:11 GMT -5
Tigers Try A New Look At Shortstop
Entering play Wednesday, Tigers shortstops had produced a combined .191/.244/.240 batting line. Makeover time.
Danny Worth was designated for assignment on Wednesday afternoon and 22-year-old infield prospect Eugenio Suarez was called up from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding 25-man roster move. Suarez is expected to take over as Detroit’s primary shortstop, pushing Andrew Romine and his .207/.264/.259 slash line into more of a utility role.
Suarez was hitting .288/.360/.510 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, nine stolen bases, and 32 runs scored in 54 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A. He deserves a try in all AL-only fantasy leagues and is worth a look in some deeper mixed formats
|
|
|
|
Post by Zig on Jun 6, 2014 9:26:50 GMT -5
It looked like Justin Verlander turned a corner last Friday when he allowed three runs over seven innings against the Mariners. He struck out seven and walked just one batter. It was the first time he had issued two walks or fewer since April 12. However, the optimism from that outing could prove to be short-lived.
Verlander struggled once again Thursday afternoon, giving up six runs (five earned) over seven innings in a loss to the Blue Jays. He allowed eight hits -- including back-to-back homers to Juan Francisco and Brett Lawrie in the sixth inning -- and four walks while notching four strikeouts. Going back to May 1, he has yielded 33 runs in 46 innings over seven starts for an ugly 5.67 ERA. His ERA sits at 4.19 for the year and he's averaging just 6.4 K/9, his lowest strikeout rate since his rookie season in 2006.
Perhaps this is just a blip. Remember, Verlander had core muscle repair surgery in January, so maybe there are lingering effects. Still, it's worth mentioning that his fastball velocity has declined steadily in recent seasons, from 94.3 MPH in 2012 to 93.3 MPH last year and 92.2 MPH so far this season. Is this the new normal for Verlander? Who knows. I certainly wouldn't bet against him adjusting and rebounding. But the Tigers have some reason to be concerned. Verlander, 31, is only in the second year of a seven-year, $180 million extension.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zig on Aug 12, 2014 6:33:30 GMT -5
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." -Dave Dombrowski
For all the latest news and notes around baseball, keep refreshing Rotoworld's player news page and also be sure to follow @rotoworld_BB and @nate_Grimm on Twitter.
The attribution on that quote might not be entirely right, but the Tigers general manager has to feel as though the world is against him after his best laid scheme -- the acquisition of David Price to form a murderer's row of starters at the front of the Tigers' rotation -- continued to go terribly awry Monday.
A day after Anibal Sanchez was placed on the disabled list with a strained right pectoral muscle, Justin Verlander left Monday's start after one inning with right shoulder soreness. The right-hander was taken for four hits and five runs before exiting, and after the game he said he wasn't sure what to think of the ailment.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous," Verlander said. "I've never been through this before."
Verlander will have an MRI taken of the shoulder on Tuesday, after which more should be known.
More troubling than Monday's abbreviated outing is Verlander's comment after the game that the injury "has been lingering for a while." He declined to elaborate, but that it's not a new injury doesn't bode well for the idea that this may just be a minor ailment.
It wouldn't shock many to learn the former AL MVP has been pitching through an injury given his uncommon 4.76 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 118/55 K/BB ratio over 158 2/3 innings this year, but the timing is somewhat strange. Despite his poor numbers, Verlander had actually been pitching better in recent weeks, posting four straight quality starts following the All-Star break before Monday's meltdown.
However long this injury keeps Verlander out is too long for the Tigers, who suddenly find themselves without two-fifths of their starting rotation. The team recalled Robbie Ray to take Sanchez' roster spot, and minor leaguer Buck Farmer will be promoted to start Wednesday.
It's fair to assume a Buck Farmer start in August wasn't part of Dombrowski's best laid scheme.
|
|
