Tigers Racing For Survival

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There are certain checkpoints in the baseball season which are good gauges for which a team can determine whether they'll be buyers or sellers.

First, Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone as Auto Racing fans had their share of excitement with the Indianapolis 500 along with the Coca Cola 600.

Second, there is Fathers Day and it won't be very long until the All-Star Break takes place in early July at Marlins Park in Miami.

During Spring Training, the Detroit Tigers had high hopes that they would be playoff contenders as they nearly made the postseason in 2016.

The Tigers brought back a familiar face in Lloyd McClendon to be their hitting coach.

McClendon was a finalist for the job when Jim Leyland retired but Detroit hired Brad Ausmus to manage the club. McClendon would later manage the Seattle Mariners then proceeded to be fired after the Mariners brought in a different General Manager.

McClendon told me that the only thing he would predict is that "we'll score a lot of runs."

Time will tell during the course of the 162-game season whether McClendon's prediction comes to fruition. The recent loss of DH Victor Martinez due to an irregular heartbeat hasn't helped matters.

To date, the Tigers record is 32-37 following a 6-2 loss Monday Night in Seattle against the Mariners.

They're currently fourth in the AL Central ahead of the last place Chicago White Sox (31-37) by a half game.

Detroit is 5.5 games behind division leader the Cleveland Indians (37-31). This is a division which is definitely there for the taking providing the Tigers can put together a sustained winning streak and then play more consistent baseball in the second half of the season.

By now the Tigers problems are well documented as the lingering dilemma Detroit has faced the past several years remains a concern, The Bullpen.

Former closer Francisco Rodriguez has been replaced by Justin Wilson.

Shane Greene has done a nice job, while Alex Wilson has been solid at times.

Detroit has had a Super Shuttle to Triple A Toledo as there has been plenty of movement as the Tigers continue to find answers for The Bullpen.

Since trading away centerfielder Cameron Maybin to the LA Angels, there were hopes that Jacoby Jones could become his replacement. That hasn't transpired and Tyler Collins had an opportunity to win the job but he was sent packing to Toledo.

The most common name who has been in centerfield is Mr.Versatility, Andrew Romine.

This is a guy that hit a grand slam homer early in the season then was drug tested and he passed the test. No harm, no foul.



Romine could have played in any era even at a time when there was a 24-man roster many years ago. For a team loaded with many high profiled players, this guy is so valuable because he plays so many positions.

The only position Romine has never played is catcher.

During Spring Training, I spoke with Romine and he took a lot of pride about this and he said, "I'll do whatever it takes to help the team. I enjoy playing different positions because you get a different perspective of each game and are exposed to different positions."

When I asked Romine about playing catcher, he smiled and laughed then said, "One of these days I wouldn't mind catching. But it would have to be the right situation for Brad (Ausmus) to do this."

One of the interesting story lines in Spring Training was Detroit experimenting with the idea of converting outfielder Andrew Gose to a relief pitcher, figuring it would be an everything to gain and nothing to lose approach.

Ausmus said that he figured "Anthony would be a one inning pitcher, not two. We'll just see what happens."

Gose is currently pitching for the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League, Detroit's Advanced Class A- Affiliate.

It will be interesting to see how this experiment plays out as time progresses.

Since the passing of Owner Mike Ilitch on February 10, 2017, it has been an emotional year for the Tigers. There have been patches on the team's jersey's, as well as tributes on the team's flag at Comerica Park and in the on deck circle.

Ilitch's Son Chris is running the show and now it remains to be seen what will happen in his regime.

Tigers Bench Coach Gene Lamont said, "It will be an emotional season for us. Mr. Ilitch meant so much to the city, fans, and everybody around him. I enjoyed working for Mr. Ilitch. He's treated me great and wasn't afraid to spend the money to make us an upper echelon team."

There is no question that the Tigers have a lot to do to make the playoffs and over the next month or so we'll find out whether J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler will be playing in new area codes and perhaps others.

Unfortunately for the Ilitch family, the Detroit Red Wings 25-year playoff streak came to an end this Spring.

But Manager Brad Ausmus and General Manager Al Avila definitely have a lot of work to do and it seems like they have their work cut out for them.

I and everybody else will be curious to see how the Tigers Race For Survival Turns Out to make the playoffs, or whether they'll be headed for a long rebuilding process.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Talking Tigers With Jim Leyland

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
LAKELAND, FL

While I enjoy going to different Spring Training Stadiums around Florida, it's always neat returning to Lakeland. The best part about seeing other stadiums is having the ability to interact with other National Media Members and talking with Tigers' transplants.

But it's unlikely you'll see Al Kaline (Mr. Tiger) travel to places like Lake Buena Vista (Atlanta Braves), Jupiter (Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals) or Port St. Lucie (New York Mets).

One guy that does travel from time to time is former Tigers Manager Jim Leyland.

When we went up to see the Tigers host the Houston Astros on Sunday March 8th at Joker Marchant Stadium, Kaline and Leyland (in the photo) were at the batting cage talking. It's great to see these two baseball minds in your organization exchanging ideas.

Kaline is A Special Assistant To The President, while Leyland is Special Assistant To The General Manager. Leyland is in his second year in that role. For Leyland, he can be relaxed since he's not going to be second guessed on a daily basis.

But on this beautiful sunny day in Central Florida, they both looked great and seemed very relaxed.

The Tigers have experienced their fair amount of changes. They've entered this spring with lingering questions on their bullpen which has cost them dearly the past two post-seasons. It remains to be seen if this is their major weakness in 2015.

I have a feeling they'll score a lot of runs and steal a lot of bases. But will a lot of runs be enough in the late innings? The Tigers will be anything but dull. Detroit will go as far as the bullpen will take them.

Before the Tigers 14-9 loss to the Split Squad Houston Astros, I had the opportunity to catch-up with the former skipper in our Yearly Conversation.

We focused on different topics pertaining to baseball as well as with the Tigers in this Q&A Interview.

Q: Commissioner Rob Manfred has decided to implement some Pace Of The Game changes. Do you like what he's doing?

A: I think it's something they're going to experiment a little bit. I think they want to keep the game going. I don't think it's going to be anything drastic. I think the commissioner is doing a good job. He's going to look and see if he can improve on anything in the game, and that may be one of the ways we can do it.

Q: As far as the pitchers are concerned, do you foresee the possibility of a Pitch Clock?

A: Anytime you have change people wonder a little bit. Actually, the rule has been in the book for a long time. So the commissioner is just trying to be more aware of the rule.

Q: The Tigers have added an influx of speed to their lineup both defensively as well as offensively which could add more double and triples at spacious Comerica Park. The additions of Yoenis Cespedes  and Anthony Gose are the players that could make an impact. What can these guys bring to the team?

A: We like both of them. We think we're more athletic. Gose can get the ball in center field and Cespedes is a power hitter that has a great arm. We like what we've done.

Q: You had first hand knowledge of Cespedes since the Tigers had to face him in the playoffs when he was with the Oakland A's, thus you're know stranger to him. Would you say that he gave you a few fits?

A: That's right. That's right. He's a very good player and a very productive player.

Q: One thing I notice about Cespedes is he reminds me of a talented Cuban player who played for the Detroit Tigers during their World Championship team in 1984 named Barbaro Garbey. What do you think of these ballplayers from Cuba?

A: They're good, they're good. There is a lot of Cuban players signing now and Cespedes is one of the better ones. We're fortunate we have him.

Q: Jim, let's talk addition by subtraction. Last year at this time, the Tigers didn't have Alfredo Simon, David Price and Shane Greene. Gone are Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer. Can you explain what we'll see from these newcomers?

A: We're looking forward to it. As people know you just can't have everybody because with a huge salary, you have to cut back somewhere. You don't have an open checkbook. Mr. Illitch has been fantastic, but you can't have a totally open checkbook.

Q: The American League Central Division seems to be getting better. Do you think the rest of the division is catching up with the Tigers?

A: I think the division has been good for a while. Cleveland was in the playoffs a couple years ago. We were, then Kansas City and us last year. I don't think the Central ever gets the credit it deserves.

Q: Brad Ausmus is in his second year. What do you see in him as a manager?

A: I think he's going to be a terrific manager. I think he did a very, very good job last year. I think the guy is going to be a terrific manager. He has a good feel for people, he has a good feel for the game and 18 years as a catcher, he knows what's going on. I think he has a chance to be a tremendous manager.

Q: Finally, lets talk about the dynamics of the 2015 Tigers. What should the Tigers fans look for? Will the be an exciting club to watch?

A: I don't think there is any question they'll be a great team to watch. I think we're really good. We're flying under the radar a little bit which is not normal because we've been picked a lot. I agree with Ian Kinsler if they want to fly us under the radar, that's fine. I think this will be an outstanding team.

Like everybody else, you're at the mercy of some injuries and you hope you can keep your team injury free. If we're injury free, we're really good. These guys are good players. We have a solid team. We expect good things. You have to have a little luck, stay healthy and things have to fall in place. But we're good.

As I looked at the Tigers Roster, I was amazed at how many of the players make their homes in the Sunshine State of Florida. We're looking at 10.

Shane Greene lives in Clermont, Justin Verlander resides in Lakeland and Victor Martinez is in Orlando.

Seven players live in South Florida which is in My Neck Of The Woods. Mainly Dade and Broward Counties.

Anibal Sanchez lives in Coral Gables (Dade), Jose Iglesias in Miami (Dade).

The Broward County residents include: Alex Avila (Davie), Miguel Cabrera (Hollywood), Nick Castellanos (Davie), Yoenis Cespedes (Pompano Beach) and J.D. Martinez, who is photographed in Fort Lauderdale.
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As of this post, the Tigers are 10-18 including today's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 at Marchant Stadium.

Injuries have limited the playing time of Victor Martinez, Verlander, Iglesias and Cabrera. We'll see if these players can get healthy enough in time for Opening Day on Monday April 6th at 1:08 PM.

The Tigers host the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park with Price getting the start facing Phil Hughes.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

No Repeat Of History at Marlins Park

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

The last time we came to the Orange Bowl Location, history was made.

Henderson Alverez threw the 282nd No-Hitter in MLB History and the fifth since the Marlins were formed in 1993.

This was the first no-hitter that I've ever seen in person.

Miami swept the Detroit Tigers in this three-game series from Sept 27-29 culminating with the season ending finale by Henderson Alverez, photographed celebrating.

Miami would finish the season with a 62-100 record and were 34 games behind first place Atlanta (96-66) in the National League East.

Miami's payroll for this dismal season was $36 Million which was 29th in MLB. This averaged to $1.1 Million per-player.

As I researched this statistic, it was interesting to note that the Detroit Tigers have connections to three of these no-hitters.

On June 10, 1997, the Jim Leyland piloted Florida Marlins, saw pitcher Kevin Brown throw a 9-0 gem defeating the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.

To win on the road in windy San Francisco should count as two no-hitters.

Current Tiger Anibal Sanchez defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 in the Marlins former home, Joe Robbie Stadium on September 6, 2006.

Leyland was once again a part of a no-hitter, but on the wrong end of it as Alverez defeated Detroit 1-0 on September 29, 2014 at Marlins Park in his last regular season game as Tigers skipper.

Here on May 24, 2014, another former Tiger was on the hill for Miami against the Milwaukee Brewers.

His name is Jacob Turner and he entered the game with an 0-2 mark with a 6.59 ERA.

His no hitter ended in the top of the second inning as Carlos Gomez, photographed twice, doubled to deep right field.

Turner pitched 6.1 innings, gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out two.

His ERA dropped to 5.35 with the outing, leaving the game with a 1-0 lead. Turner threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes.

Turner would go on and get the win and improved his record to 1-2.

On Friday Night, the Marlins began their Memorial Day Weekend three-game series and with Miami deciding to leave the retractable roof open.

Giancarlo Stanton and Garrett Jones put on a power display by each hitting two homers, all were solo shots but that wasn't enough as Milwaukee pounded Miami 9-5. The paid attendance was 18,989.

Going into Saturday's game, Milwaukee battered the Marlins 20-6 in their last 26 meetings and had a five-game winning streak.

In 2013, Milwaukee was 5-1 against Miami and shutout the Marlins three straight games from July 19-21 in Wisconsin.

The Marlins game on Saturday would be a 4:10 p.m. start by no means a conflict with the Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers just a handful of miles downtown that would begin at 8:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Arena.

There would definitely be no parking issues for this inner city double-header.

There would be No Repeat of what would happen in September. With the temperature 87 degrees on the outside, the only air was the air conditioning.

The Marlins (26-24) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1. The paid attendance was 25,819. The Brewers dropped to 29-21. Miami snapped it's five-game losing streak to Milwaukee.

Milwaukee still leads the all-time series with the Marlins 60-57, but is 29-34 in South Florida.

On Sunday, Milwaukee ripped Miami 7-1 to improve the all-time series against the Marlins 61-57, and 30-34 in South Florida.

Ryan Braun led the way in this contest by amassing four hits, scoring two runs with one RBI, in front of a paid attendance of 21,897.

The three game series drew a total paid attendance of 66,705 which Milwaukee took two of three.

The only difference between the last time these teams met in South Florida was both were struggling squads.

In 2013, Milwaukee finished 74-88 and dealt with the 65-game suspension of star player Ryan Braun which originated in Miami 7.13 miles and 15 minutes away at the Biogenesis Clinic of America.

He missed a total 86 games, 21 due to a right thumb contusion.

In 2014, Braun, photographed, has quietly put some respectable numbers on the board with a .315 average, seven homers and 23 RBI in 36 games.

In 2014, Milwaukee is currently in first place in the National League Central with a 32-22 record while Miami is close to halfway towards it's win total of 2013 with 28.

The Marlins are 28-25 and they've slightly raised their payroll to 47.5 Million which is still 29th in MLB.

Before the game, I had a chance to speak with Hall of Famer Tony Perez, photographed with me to the left, while former Tigers Pitching Coach Chuck Hernandez holds the same title for Miami.

The former Cincinnati Red legend, Perez looks fantastic at the age of 72 and is a part of the Marlins front office.

This is a young staff that has an ERA of 3.78 and is in contention in the National League East .5 games behind division leading Atlanta 29-25 at the time of this post.

It will be interesting how this young squad progresses and whether the fans fill Marlins Park.

There is still a lot of backlash aimed at Miami Owner Jeffrey Loria who has a new expensive stadium, but has yet to field a competitive team.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.