Where do we go from here?

May 10, 2008
Yankees at Detroit
Yankees win 5-2

Back by popular demand (a total of 50% of my readers have requested a return of this blog, thank you to both of you!!!)

I'm not even sure how to write this up (and it isn't because I haven't been posting and don't have any practice). It's more because there is so little to right about. It isn't really that the Tigers stink. They don't by most measures. Except, well - how do you put this? THEY'RE IN LAST PLACE! That is kind of hard to get around when they have played almost 40 games.

The Tigers are 3.5 games out of first as I write this. Although they have beaten the Yankees 4 games out of 5 this year, they have not done well against any other team. They have scored 180 runs (averaging 4.7 runs per game) but they have allowed 209 (averaging 5.5 runs per game).

What's weird about that is the Tigers have scored more runs than anyone in the American League except the Red Sox! It's certainly not like they can't score runs. In fact they have score 1/2 runs more per game than the rest of the Central Division. But they have also been shut out 5 times out of those 38 games, which points out the other side of the stat- they have allowed those 5.5 runs per game. The Central Division average is only 4.6 runs allowed. Now that 1/2 run per game they score above the Division average doesn't seem so hot does it?

Why? Why? Why? Well, it would be easy and cheap to blame Fox network (it certainly seems like the Tigers lose every time they are on national TV). But it seems more to be the pitching and the defense. The team's ERA is 5.15 right now and has actually been worse over the last week (5.75). In fact it is 4.99 at home in Comerica Park! Ouch!

Enough- throw strikes! Catch the ball when it comes to you! Then they will win.

Gotta go.