Sometimes The Wayne Fontes Experience’s Big Al answers my questions, and sometimes, I answer his. His questions are a bit more thought out than “WHAT THE SAM HELL IS GOING ON??!!” admittedly.

• Sheffield to left field. Long or short term solution? (If it’s one at all)
  

I’d say a short-term solution at best. But really, poor solution overall. Gary Sheffield asked Jim Leyland to spend more time in the field, because he says he is a complete baseball player and a complete baseball player must play all available aspects of the game, such as camping out in left field and occasionally catching or throwing. That’s all well and good. Hasn’t helped yet, but OK. I guess we can let him try. Even injured, he’s got to have a better arm than Jacque Jones demonstrated this season, right?

But the thing is, THIS IS NUTS!!! The Tigers called up Matt Joyce, who earned an award in Double-A for his play in the outfield. What is the way this outfielder is used when he starts for the Tigers? Why, as designated hitter.

Of course.

This is the solution? A tri-cortisoned Sheffield plays the outfield while Joyce plays DH?? Well, OK. Maybe it’s for tonight only. Jim Leyland wanted Sheffield to play in the field three straight days before getting a rest day. And Joyce can play any of the outfield positions. But I don’t know, this seems crazy. If Sheffield isn’t playing DH, then Carlos Guillen probably should be, so the Tigers can get a good mix of defense and offense. Instead. Sheff insists he should play in the field, and Leyland’s going to let him.

Unless this is some sort of evil genius going on, as it’s sooner than later Sheff is going to hurt his shoulder out there and go on the disabled list.

• Why all the love for Brandon Inge?

Because Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera are not all that good at third base. While the Tigers lineup is seemingly a bit part of the problem, the Tigers pitching is equally a part of the problem, and the Tigers defense on the left side isn’t really helping matters. A team like Detroit’s has enough scoring ability to carry Inge’s bat at third base. Inge’s OPS of .736 is fifth among regulars in the batting order and ahead of Placido Polanco, Edgar Renteria, Pudge and Sheffield. His OPS is seventh among American League third baseman with at least 75 plate appearances (when you take Miguel Cabrera out of the mix, otherwise it’s eighth). He’s not having that bad a year. His bat is average, his glove is above average. That makes him a worthy addition to the lineup in my mind.

Secondary answer: Fans always want “the other guy” and since he’s not playing third base regularly, that makes him the perfect solution to what ails the Tigers in the fans’ minds.

• Why all the hate for Miguel Cabrera?

That I don’t get at all, either. He’s not playing like Mickey Mantle, so fans want their money back. Even though it’s Mike Illitch’s money. And it’s not $20 million per season yet. And it’s only May. So fans are thinking Cabrera is overhyped and overpaid.

And they’re wrong on both counts, as Al detailed so well I’m not going to duplicate it, just link to it again.

Detroiters, you should be happy Cabrera wil be wearing the Olde English D for quite a while. He’s going to prove his worth as the season and his career continue. Don’t judge him off of one month’s work.

• How would I characterize the Tigers’ struggles at start of the season in one sentence?

Oy vaye.

Take two? Pitching, hitting and defense have all been way too inconsistent.

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News out of Brandon Inge’s mouth is that playing catcher isn’t so bad after all.

“My heart’s definitely into it now, and that’s a big step,” Inge said. (quoted by Danny Knobler)

Which, you know, is probably a good thing because he’s under contract with the Tigers for a few more years and Pudge Rodriguez isn’t. So, somebody’s gotta crouch behind the plate, right?

While we all pine for Inge to play third base — maybe “all” isn’t completely accurate, but I bet it’s a lot closer to accurate now than say, February — his ability to play another key defensive position is much needed. And from a personal standpoint, I think any uniform with “Inge” on the back that doesn’t have Detroit on the front would just look so incredibly weird.

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I don’t listen to talk radio myself. Don’t like it. But I imagine the message boards and comments section of your favorite Tigers blogs is likely pretty representative of some popular opinions out there. I’m afraid I can’t agree with everything being batted around. Here’s my favorites:

• Trading Jair Jurrjens for Edgar Renteria was an incredible mistake. (I believe the popular terminology is something between stupid and idiotic by some guy named Dumb-rowski).
• Related: If the Tigers had reliable rookie Jair Jurrjens on the pitching staff, things wouldn’t be so bad.

I understand the idea. Tigers fans observe the Tigers pitching stinks. Which, well, it does. The team ERA is 4.98. It has allowed 185 runs (fully 20 are unearned). Meanwhile, Jurrjens, traded to Atlanta this offseason for Renteria, is having a wonderful season. His ERA is 2.84. His walks+hits per inning rate is just more than 1. He is the answer to the Tigers’ problems, right?

Well first, that trade was probably not that bad. It’s not really a winner of a trade, but I think people are overemphasizing it as a loser simply because Jurrjens isn’t here to fail with the rest of the team. Renteria’s fielding percentage (a raw, weak stat, but a stat) is second in the A.L. His range factor and zone rating are both 7th. So what’s that make him? Average I guess. Meanwhile he has the third-highest OPS among American League shortstops.

Had the Renteria trade not occured, the Tigers would probably have kept a poor-fielding Carlos Guillen at shortstop, for awhile anyway, before giving way to Ramon Santiago. Maybe they then switch Guillen to first base, I don’t know. We do know they were going to do everything in their power to play Miguel Cabrera at third base, so I suspect things would eventually have played out the same. The fact of the matter is, Guillen has to play somewhere in the field, or Gary Sheffield has to play somewhere in the field, or Miguel Cabrera has to play somewhere in the field. None of this is related to Renteria. Leave him out of this.

Now, examining Jurrjens, we find this. His numbers in the National League are fantastic. He has also faced couple of teams that have scored fewer than 150 runs: the Nationals, the Mets, the Marlins, the Rockies. I think we can agree, the Tigers pitchers might not look so bad against them. Meanwhile, Detroit has spent 25% of its games against the Red Sox (leading offense in the A.L.) and the Angels (the No. 2 offense in the A.L.). They’ve also faced the Yankees. Would Jurrjens have fared as well against that competition? We can’t say for sure, but I have to believe his numbers would likely be a bit worse. Don’t you?

And then we have the next problem. Let’s say Jurrjens is with the organization right now. Who does he replace? No, don’t say Kenny Rogers or Nate Robertson. The answer is, as the top remaining prospect, he’d already have replaced Dontrelle Willis. Armando Galarraga did that, and he did that quite well. So we have to advance the question: Would you be calling for Galarraga, some guy in the minors with sorta middling stats, to replace Robertson or Rogers? Would you have the gall to have him replace Justin Verlander or Jeremy Bonderman? I highly doubt that. So either way, what has to happen is the four horses the Tigers have must perform. Anyone who thinks one of those guys is going to lose his job is kidding themself.

And let’s face it, the Tigers are already stinking with them playing. If any of the four goes on the disabled list, it really isn’t going to matter much.

Look, I’ll agree, it sounds great. I enjoyed Jurrjens and wish he hadn’t been traded, too. But if you believe it would make that big a difference with this team — a team that struggles to score in nearly half of its games — you’re kidding yourself.

The real problem is having three designated hitters — side note: also please stop calling Ordonez a designated hitter. He is a capable right fielder — and injuries to your second baseman, center fielder and designated hitter, who suddenly wants to play the field despite two aching shoulders. This would be a better team if the Tigers could find a way to play Inge at third and Guillen at DH every day, I have no doubt.
But there’s too many big egos and big salaries getting in the way right now. That, I believe, is the true key to unlocking the Tigers.

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Boston 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, really doesn’t matter does it but for history’s sake let’s say 5
Tigers: 0.

Recap:

• Curtis Granderson.
• Carlos Guillen.
• Pudge Rodriguez.
• Thought they each deserved a line of their own because there’s really nothing else to write about this crappy game except those three got hits.
• Nate Robertson gave up four runs
• Freddy Dolsi allowed one.
• For the record, the kid gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Manny Ramirez

Analysis:

• I dislike Boston because people call Manny Ramirez, ManRam, for the record. It really has nothing to do with the actual Red Sox. I’m sure they’re perfectly acceptable people. But the media annoys by shoving the Red Sox and their cutesy nicknames down everyone’s throat.
• Had to get that off my chest. And I was working during the entire game so I can’t really say I have any observations about it.
• Anyway, the Tigers go from 19 runs and sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx to being swept by the Twins and shut out by an ancient mariner. or red sock. Whatever Tim Wakefield is.
• The team scored 19 in a game and averages nearly 7 runs a game for quite awhile and suddenly enters Minnesota and can’t score and still can’t score.
• The Tigers have gone 0-7 and 8-2 and 0-5 and the fans have gone from cautiously optimistic the team can’t suck for the whole season to despondent to happy to chagrined and now, depending on the source, we’re either pissed or depressed.
• I’m annoyed with the whole thing.
• Does Jim Leyland have any other drastic changes up his sleeve?
• Right now, I can’t even tell you if this team is good or stinks or what. That’s probably the most frustrating part. I’d like to know one way or the other. I guess ultimately it adds up to being average.
• They’re just not as good as the top tier in the American League. The results alone tell us that. But they haven’t played enough games against bad teams to be above .500 right now. So they look worse.
• So, right now, they’re average. That’s what I’m going with.
• Meh.

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Red Sox 6
Tigers 3

Recap:

• Drastic changes, still inconsistent offense.

Analysis:

• Thank goodness for playoff basketball.

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Per Danny Knobler, the lineup tonight is

1. Curtis Granderson, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 2B
3. Carlos Guillen, 3B
4. Maglio Ordonez, DH
5. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
6. Gary Sheffield, LF
7. Matt Joyce, RF
8. Edgar Renteria, SS
9. Pudge Rodriguez, C

So the lineup hardly changed. Sheffield moved into the field, for the night anyway. I don’t really see Magglio Ordonez as becoming the fulltime DH myself. Sheff also flipped lineup spots with Carlos Guillen, which makes sense.

Hopefully we get some quotes from Jim Leyland tonight to help explain the moves and if anything further will occur. Hopefully there will be more changes, anyway.

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Yup, that’s a pretty drastic start.

Danny Knobler is reporting that the Tigers designated for assignment Jacque Jones and recalled OF Matt Joyce from AAA Toledo.

Jones, as anyone who watched the Tigers knows, wasn’t cutting it. He was a left handed batter. That’s about all you can say about him. His arm was inconsistent in left field. He did show a lot of effort, running himself into the fans in a painful looking attempt at a foul ball. That deserves praise. But he just wasn’t helping the team all that much.

This allows the Tigers to think with some flexibility about moving Gary Sheffield to the outfield, putting Carlos Guillen at DH and putting Brandon Inge at third base, for instance. That’s a popular opinion among Tigers fans though I’m not sure I agree with putting Gary Sheffield in left field. Besides, the Tigers didn’t call up a catcher, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing Brandon Inge at third base for good quite yet either.

I’m disappointed Clete Thomas didn’t get called back up. I loved his defense and he could hit fine. However, Joyce is a fellow left-handed batter.

23-year-old Joyce is batting .299 AVG, .367 on-base percentage and .536 slugging according to First Inning.com. (Updated 4:19)

In April, Matt at my favorite Tigers minor league blog, Take 75 North, opined:

Matt Joyce could be a very valuable outfielder as a left-handed power bat who plays a good outfield.

Matt also profiled Joyce further over the winter. (Update 4:25)

The big jump in strikeouts is a little worrisome, but if he can keep up with the walks and the power, his defense in the outfield (voted Eastern League’s Best Defensive Outfielder by Baseball America) should make him a very useful player for the Tigers. He’ll be one of the reasons I go to watch the Mud Hens in 2008.

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Jim Leyland promises the Tigers lineup will see “drastic” changes Monday.

“There will be no personnel changes or player movement,” he said. “Same pieces, but quite a bit different (order). For whatever reason, we just haven’t had that killer instinct.”

So I guess we begin with Gary Sheffield. Why? Because his scheduled day off today meant Leyland didn’t have a chance to unveil his new lineup. That and he’s been an albatross at the top of the lineup with his lack of slugging. (.309 slugging, .185 average). Sure he gets on base (.349 OBP) and he can steal, but he’s just not getting anything done with the bat. So he can move forward in the lineup to leadoff, as Bilfer guesses (and I have thought would be a good idea). Or he can move backward. Either way, he can’t be the third batter any more in a just world.

What happens from there who knows. Again, we mention Bilfer, as his prediction is Sheffield leads off and Curtis Granderson moves into the middle of the lineup to take advantage of his hitting. I agree it would be nice if that happened.

I’m going to disagree with Kaos, who left a comment on my previous post with his batting order. I think you have to keep Miguel Cabrera high in the lineup. He does have an OPS of .835, and after the slow start in the Tigers uniform, he’s been pretty good. Not quite consistent, but pretty good.

Given what Leyland has said, I’ll just toss this lineup out there as my guess.

1. Gary Sheffield, DH
2. Edgar Renteria, SS
3. Curtis Granderson, CF
4. Magglio Ordonez, RF
5. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
6. Carlos Guillen, 3B
7. Pudge Rodriguez, LF
8. Jacque Jones, LF
9. Placido Polanco, 2B

Here’s the thoughts that went into it:

• Sheffield leading off does make sense. He has 3 steals (tied for the lead on the team) and a good OBP. He sees a lot of pitches.
• Edgar Renteria has done too good to hit as low in the lineup as he has. So Leyland will move him up.
• Curtis Granderson gives a lefty to break up the righties. He also gets to have a chance at sending some runners across the plate with his homers.
• Maggs is cleanup, no debating
• Cabrera was fine in the five hole. No reason to move him up.
• Carlos Guillen protects Cabrera
• Someone has to hit seventh. May as well be Pudge.
• Jacque Jones hits like a pitcher and Leyland’s good friend, Tony LaRussa, puts his pitcher in the 8 spot and treats his No. 9 guy as a second leadoff.
• Placido Polanco can make contact and I almost thought he’d be the leadoff guy. I guess it’s possible he and Sheffield could switch, making Polanco first and Sheffield last. But I dunno if Leyland would do that.

In any case, I don’t know if a drastic change in lineup was really needed all that bad, but I think it makes sense to try something new with Sheffield and the rest is going to help save face.

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Twins 7
Tigers 6

me: *angry face*

Recap:

• The Tigers led 6-0 after a first inning where nothing went right for the Twins.
• The Tigers led 6-0 after the second inning, and the third inning. Hard to lose, right? But the game slowly went to hell, then picked up steam.
• The Tigers lost 7-6, giving Minnesota a 3-game sweep.
• Yes, the Tigers were swept after sweeping the Yankees. (Curiously, the Yankees swept the Mariners after being swept. So that’s a lot of brooming going on.)
• Something obviously went way wrong in the middle there.
• The whole 5 baserunners after the first inning thing probably didn’t help.
• Zach Miner coming into a tough situation in the seventh inning definitely didn’t help, as he threw gas on the fire
• So did Bobby Seay.
• But oh yeah, this should not have been in their hands, because the Tigers probably should have gotten out of the inning 1-2-4. Carlos Guillen’s throwing fielding error set it all up.
• And while I’m at it, Jacque Jones didn’t get an error, but his throw that sailed over everyone’s head but a diving Kenny Rogers earlier in the game was bad defense, too.

Analysis

• Don’t blog mad. Don’t blog mad. Don’t blog mad. I think I’ve heard that on a radio show somewhere.
• That say, THEY WERE AWFUL! HOW DO YOU LOSE THIS GAME?!!?
• Why can’t the offense concentrate for nine innings?
• SIGH!
• OK.
• Jim Leyland’s ill-defined bullpen roles contributed to the loss. But so did the Tigers ill-defined version of defense. Only the first is Leylan’ds fault. The second is the fault of the players given to him and his desire to, you know, actually play them since you’re only allowed one designated hitter.
• On the other hand, Jacque Jones, I don’t know. Check his ID. He’s playing like he’s Neifi Perez in the outfield.
• No, check that. Even Neifi made a spectacular, no-hit saving play.
• This weekend was a real kick in the pants after sweeping the Yankees. Everything I would have said in a recap of that series pretty much was erased in this series. Detroit looked more like the Tigers of 0-7 than the Tigers of the second half of April.
• But Curtis Granderson, as always, did awesome. So there’s always that.

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Twins 4
Tigers 1

Recap:

• So, we had a pichers’ duel to watch for the first five innings. The Twins were up 1-0, then 2-0, in a pretty close game. Then Craig Monroe hit a home run off Justin Verlander in the sixth inning and it was 4-0.
• Well, the Tigers managed to score a run off Twins reliever Pat Neshek when Curtis Granderson homered, but they couldn’t string together any of the hits they had on Scott Baker or Brian Bass.
• The best scoring opportunity came when Granderson was stranded at third after reaching there with one out in the sixth inning. Scoring there would have tied the game at 1-1 and maybe affected the outcome.
• Tigers reliever Clay Rapada got into some trouble when he allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, but no one scored, so that seems like a successful appearance in the Todd Jonesian mold.
• The Tigers have now lost 2 in a row. They had a chance to reach and possibly leave Minnesota at .500, but now just hope to get out of town without being swept after scoring two runs in 18 innings.

Analysis

• Tigers hitting destroys bad pitching. It does really good against average pitching. And apparently it sucks against actual good pitching. I’m pretty sure that’s what we’ve seen from Minnesota. They may not be the big names, but they’re good pitchers.
• I don’t think there’s any sort of “hangover” going on after sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx. I don’t think they got all full of themselves or anything. I just thing Minnesota has put together some nice performances on the mound and the Tigers have given away some at bats — which Jim Leyland criticized Miguel Cabrera for doing, but he’s not the only one.
• Plus I think the bats were bound to have a game or two off at some point.
• So basically, yeah, I’m not making too much of this. Both teams defended their home field against the other so far.

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