One run on five hits. This kind of stat line has been pretty common this year, and if the Tigers are ever going to show some kind of flash between now and the year, it will have to come from the hitters.
Craig Monroe had two hits, and the Tigers struck out 8 times. Going into the game, the Tigers were hitting a paltry .231. Their OBP of .293 is less Boston’s .295 batting average. And their team OPS is a meager .651.
It will be interesting to see who makes the cut to next year, and who goes home. Guys like Pena, Munson, and probably Santiago are safe bets out of the younger batch. As much as I know the Tigers won’t go after him (A guy can dream), Carlos Beltran would be a great pickup for this team. We’ve used about 15 different guys in centerfield this year, and if we could get a five tool switch hitter like Beltran to build the team around, he’d be worth every penny he could milk out of Ilitch.
I’d also like to see Tram bring up a guy like Shane Loux (10-6, 3.10 ERA, 1.294 WHIP in Toledo) or Nate Robertson (6-6, 3.47 ERA, 1.307 WHIP in Toledo) and go to a six man rotation. All of the Tigers arms are young, and wasting them on a season where we’re already pushing 75 losses wouldn’t make a lot of sense.