Jeff Riger: Tigers Are Rolling
After losing 7 in a row and looking like they were destined for the cellar the Tigers have bounced back and now have won 3 straight, including taking a series from the Yankees. So what has been the major different between the Detroit team that lost 7 consecutive compared to the Tiger club that now has won 3 in a row? The answer is offense! In the 7 game skid, Detroit failed to score 4 runs or more in 5 of the 7 contests while during the last 3 they put up at least 4 runs in each game. In addition to the run support, Detroit has received good performances from some of their stars that have not been producing early on. Austin Jackson and Magglio Ordonez have slowly started to come out of their hitting slumps and Scott Sizemore has the Tigers undefeated since coming up from the minors. Brennan Boesch has been moved to the 3rd spot in the batting order which has paid major dividends already including a 3 RBI day on Thursday while Victor Martinez is off the disabled list and ready to play after suffering from a sore groin.
Of course offense is not the only thing that has gone right in this last impressive stretch. Detroit has also got quality pitching which, as Jim Leyland constantly reminds people is the reason a team wins or loses. On Tuesday night, Brad Penny was in and out of trouble early but was able to last 6 innings of 1 run baseball while out dueling C.C Sabathia. On Wednesday, Max Scherzer was simply sensational lasting 8 frames and striking out 9. Scherzer is 5-0 on the year. On Thursday, Rick Porcello was also adequate holding the Yankees to just a couple of runs while registering his 4th quality start in a row.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that during the course of 162 games you will see major ups and downs. When the team you root for is winning, they seem unstoppable and it's hard to comprehend how they will not make the postseason or win the World Series. When that same team is losing it's hard to imagine winning another game or even getting another hit. So the next time Detroit drops 3 or 4 or even 5 in a row, I hope people remember this blog and maybe just maybe not freak out. But you know you will and so will I, just making the next winning streak that comes after all the more sweeter.
Check out the Rick Porcello and Victor Martinez videos below for what the players think of their new winning streak and the upcoming road trip to Toronto and Minnesota
