Ballpark Banter- A Motown Monday

1) Welcome to Detroit Mr. Miguel Cabrera. In his first game as a Tiger, Cabrera launched a solo shot to left field, igniting the crown as the Tigers were trailing to the Kansas City Royals. This guy is a massive specimen who absolutely pulverizes anything near the plate, the homerun was on a changeup, and surprisingly plays a better third base than most people give him credit for.

It was exciting to see the Detroit fans welcome their new, waiting-to-be-anointed unsung hero to his home park after being shipped over from the Marlins in the offseason. Cabrera has ungodly expectations to live up to, as some bill him as the best player in the history of the game in regards to what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time in his career.

And that is certainly a bold statement, but one that may not be too much of a stretch. I would not exactly dispute it. That is how great this guy is. It is always nice to see these superstars have good starts to a season, especially when they are beginning a new chapter in their careers with a new team, and double-especially after the season opener comes at the heels of signing one of the largest contracts in baseball history. That is some sort of pressure, and nobody could ever wish Barry Zito's situation upon any player.

The thing I was so impressed with, if I can only pick one from Opening Day, was Cabrera's pitch recognition, which is phenomenal. This guy looks as if he will pound the fastball at any speed, but could be vulnerable to offspeed pitches away. But those thoughts only come to mind if we are comparing him to the average power hitter, and this guy undoubtedly much more than that. Cabrera is a complete hitter at the highest degree, and it was amazing to watch him read the ball out of the pitcher's hand.

Cabrera reacted to changeups and sliders and curveballs the same way he acted to the fastball-- without a flinch. The guy looks so comfortable in the box, it is disheartening for the opposing pitching staff. Every hitter goes through slumps when their timing is off, but if pitch recognition and plate disciplineremain consistent, it wil be quite a treat watching Miguel perform on a winning team.


2) It was good to see Jim Leyland give Justin Verlander the Opening Day nod, as he is without question the leader of that pitching staff. Verlander is a pivotal piece to the Tigers success this year because he must be the one to hold down the rotation and pitch a lot of innings.

Verlander was sensational for the first five innings in Monday's ballgame, giving up only one hit. He ran his fastball from 91-96 on he day and mixed in his breaking ball in the high-70s. It was apparent that Verlander made more of an effort to use his changeup, in a variety of counts, much like what Bonderman was working on in the spring. Makes you wonder if the changeup is being stressed organization wide.

Verlander's impeccable day came to halt when Alex Gordon launched an inside fastball out of the ball park, making the score 3-2 Tigers. After six innings and a lead, it all but seemed that Verlander's day was over, and he could be content with a solid performance on the first day of the season.

But here lies the difference between this years Tiger club and the 2006 AL Championship club. Leyland decided to run Verlander out for the seventh inning, hoping to squeak another 3 outs out of his ace. The problem was it looked like on a frigid, Detroit day that Verlander was at the end of his rope. He walked the leadoff batter and then gave up a single to the next hitter, before being yanked with runners at the corners and nobody out.

Jason Grili came in from the bullpen and allowed those two runs to score, ultimately leaving Verlander with 4 runs and on the hook for the loss. Leyland's reasoning in this situation is understable given the status of the Tigers' bullpen, but this type of style could raise all sorts of red flags if it persists. If every starter is pushed to limit season long, they will most likely not perform as well in September. But it could have zero affect since no manager really asks that much out of their starters these days.

A below-average bullpen is a below-average bullpen, but at some point they must be trusted and expected to get outs to close off a ballgame. I am not sure it is better running the risk of your starter getting in a jam when you ask for that one extra inning. Now, instead of bringing a reliver in to start a fresh inning, you bring him in with runners all over the place and put him in a position where he needs to make great pitches to hold the lead. Not exactly a recipe for success, but I keep the faith when it comes to Leyland.


3) Carlos Guillen belted a 2-1 fastball from Brett Tomko for a homerun in the 8th inning, tying the game at 4-4. This may not seem like an all too important event, but this is the summit of the Tigers lineup. Guillen and Polanco and Inge are the second-tier hitters in that incredible lineup, and therefore have the power to make that offense a very good offense, or baseball's best.

The big guns are going to get their hits and drive in their share of runs, but I believe it is this lower-level, you could throw Pudge Rodriguez into the mix as well, that will determine just how far the Tigers go. If these guys are catalysts and simply keep the production moving by being efficient in their execution of their at-bats within the framework of the game, there is no telling how many more opportunities that leads to for guys like Ordonez, Sheffield, and Cabrera.

And this may be the most impressive thing about this Detroit club. The depth is phenomenal as Polanco contends for batting titles, Carlos Guillen is a great hitter, and Pudge would probably hit fifth on a number of different clubs. Time will tell how well these guys pick up the back end of the order and how well they can turn over the lineup, but if they are picking up slack on the days when the big boppers are connecting, this team is going to be scary good.