Ian Kinsler knickers, is Nick Castellanos Greek, Drew Smyly ebola, Torii Hunter inflatable furniture: 2014 Tigers

Never forget:

http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2010/08/Rick%20Porcello%20Kevin%20Youkilis%20Brawl-thumb-300x401-50195.jpg

Porcello just threw a no-strikeout, no-walk, complete-game shutout.

...against the A's.

...and he has a 25-inning scoreless streak.

zero strikeouts tonight

9:4 K:BB over those 25 innings

weird

@susanslusser
Porcello the first big-league pitcher since Jeff Ballard on Aug. 21, 1989, w/ CG shutout without a walk or a strikeout.

2h13m special

that's a gregg maddux!

Third-inning bunt sacrifice against a severely struggling pitcher? It's like Leyland never left.

Detroit - Bottom of 2nd
Hyun-Jin Ryu pitching for Los Angeles
T Hunter doubled to deep right.
N Castellanos singled to right, T Hunter to third.
A Avila singled to right, T Hunter scored, N Castellanos to second.
E Suarez singled to left, N Castellanos to third, A Avila to second.
R Davis reached on infield single to shortstop, N Castellanos scored, A Avila to third, E Suarez to second.
A Avila scored, E Suarez to third, R Davis to second on wild pitch by H Ryu.
A Jackson struck out looking.
I Kinsler singled to left center, E Suarez scored, R Davis to third.
M Cabrera singled to center, R Davis scored, I Kinsler to second.
J Martinez singled to shallow center, I Kinsler to third, M Cabrera to second.
T Hunter grounded into double play, shortstop to first, J Martinez out at second.

Detroit - Bottom of 3rd
Hyun-Jin Ryu pitching for Los Angeles
N Castellanos doubled to left.
A Avila walked.
E Suarez sacrificed to pitcher, N Castellanos to third, A Avila to second.

Don Kelly got two hits off Zack Greinke.

Don Kelly was intentionally walked by Brandon League.

 	 	 W  L
Mar 31-May 18 	27 12
May 19-Jun 18	 9 21
Jun 19-Jul 12	17  4

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsbbLptCMAA4ZMo.png

Checking Justin Verlander's 2014 season, he has 1.9 fWAR...and 0.1 bWAR. 1.8 seems huge to me.

high babip, low strand rate. 4.02 FIP 4.88 ERA. SIERA's a reasonable 4.39. nothing in his batted ball profile seems to be off, he just isn't getting strikeouts and none of his pitches have positive pitch values besides the slider. fastball curveball and changeup all went from great to terrible in the past two years.

Sharp through three, gassed in the fourth and hanging damn near every curveball. He can't be fully recovered from his surgery.

Discuss: http://www.blessyouboys.com/2014/7/23/5932123/tigers-acquire-rangers-joakim-soria-for-prospects-jake-thompson-and-corey-knebel

100% in favor, given the situation.

Can't help but wonder what the bullpen would be like with a healthy Rondon, a better Nathan, Chamberlain as he is now, and Soria.

(And no Coke.)

Who woulda thunk how important Chamberlain would be for the first half?

Very entertaining game vs the Angels tonight.

~smyly's game~

http://www.freep.com/article/20140730/NEWS01/307300068/evan-reed-sexual-assault-charges

http://assets-s3.rollingstone.com/assets/images/story/jack-white-throws-first-pitch-at-detroit-tigers-game-to-santa-20140730/1000x306/jackwhite-500-1406725333.jpg

kind of unbelievable how scherzer has only thrown one complete game in his entire career.

joey pankake: .407/.470/.523 in 25 july games

Jim Leyland, is that you?

Davis 7
Carrera 8
Kinsler 4
V. Martinez DH
J. Martinez 9
Kelly 3
Castellanos 5
Avila 2
Romine 6

pinch hit for jd martinez

let don kelly hit

I'm watching the end of Jays vs Tigers and just finding out now about Joba Chamberlain's mountain man beard.

@Lynn_Henning
Ausmus concedes could be "mid-September" before Sanchez returns to Tigers rotation. Soria on DL, Nathan gassed: BP options today: Price CG.

So not the best day to go twelve innings then.

Never in a million years would I have done what Detroit just did--14th inning, man on second with two out, and they gave Cabrera and Bautista IBBs to load the bases. Ball one to Francisco, then he swings at what I think was ball two, hits a piddly little ground ball to second. The Jays have left the bases loaded three of the last five innings.

I have no idea how Munenori Kawasaki keeps his average above .225 (he's around .275 right now). Three times this game they've pulled the outfield in as shallow as you can, and three times he's hit little chip shots right into someone's glove. It's literally like he's up there with a sand wedge.

RIP everyone involved in this baseball game, apart from Brad Ausmus, who was ejected 15 innings ago.

So of course the Jays' game-winning rally in the 19th began with a Kawasaki chip shot to left...Melky Cabrera was on base eight times today (three hits, five walks--three intentional); Bautista was 0-7 until he got the game-winner.

@beckjason 10m
Pink backpack sits alone on bench in #Tigers bullpen.

robbie ray, i summon thee

I bad time to play a game with 23 players.

yikes Verlander

I ate ten tacos next to Justin Verlander last night

Ks are up.

this game might go on awhile as well

can't believe that don kelly didn't get the start in his hometown, tho

Smart of Verlander bunted at the first pitch after those two BBs to start the inning.

Also smart to send the catcher in the same (second) inning.

Just remembered Kinsler's sac bunt way back in the first.

is he hurt? i'm not actually watching

Verlander was pacing behind the mound between a lot of pitches. Had to have been taken out as a precaution, at the very least -- only one inning after the 19-inning game yesterday.

@beckjason
Verlander removed with right shoulder soreness. Will be further evaluated Tuessday.

Another weird thing is that there was a bunch of activity in the dugout prior to Verlander's second-inning at-bat. Looked like Scherzer thought he was being asked to hit...or something. Miller had been warming up in the pen. Maybe Ausmus knew Verlander was done but didn't want to waste a bench player.

In discussing the shoulder trouble that KO’d him, he said, “It’s been lingering for a little while.”

Asked to define “a while,” he declined to.

Oh?

Verlander pitching hurt all season long is the worst kept secret in baseball.

This will sound sarcastic, but it's not meant to be--sincere question: Do great pitchers ever just flat-out have lousy seasons, or is it that they're always trying to pitch through arm trouble? It seems to me that, almost without exception, when a great pitcher is having a bad year, at some point in the season they go on the DL. I know there must be examples of guys who weren't hurt but just couldn't get anybody out all of a sudden--who?

Ha -- Verlander in 2008! I think he attributed it to mechanical issues.

Mechanical and personal issues have probably contributed to a lot of bad seasons for good pitchers.