Baseball By Paul

The Detroit Tigers called up pitcher Zach Miner from the Toledo Mudhens while optioning Jack Hannahan. The 24-year old righthander was brought over with Roman Colon in the Kyle Farnsworth deal last season and has pitched exceptionally well for the Mudhens over the course of two seasons. This year in nine starts covering 51 innings, he was 6-0 with a 2.82 earned run average, 1.26 WHIP, and 1.9 K:BB. The move looks to shore up the front end of the bullpen. an area that hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders of late for the team.

A look at Miner’s numbers prior to 2006:

What started off very poorly, ended in the same fashion. The Tigers dropped their second straight game to the New York Yankees despite erasing a five run deficit late in the game. Roman Colon was rocked in his first start since substituting for Mike Maroth in the rotation, allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. After Ivan Rodriguez‘s 4th home run in the bottom of the third, the Tigers were down 6-1. Their comeback was spurred by a Derek Jeter error that led to two runs in the three run fifth. Runs in the 6th and 8th innings tied the game and sent it to extra innings. After a scoreless 10th for both teams, Todd Jones came unglued in the top of the 11th. A solo home run by Jason Giambi was good enough to seal the victory, but the Yankees piled on four more insurance runs. Mariano Rivera polished off the win in his third inning of work with a 1-2-3 11th inning for the 11-6 win.

I am very displeased by the back-to-back losses, as expected being that I’m a Tigers fan, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t even more angry because they have come against the Yankees. Though the team was able to come back, I had a bad feeling about the game as early as the first inning. It was during that inning that the first three batters got on against the Aaron Small and the Tigers managed ZERO runs! You simply have to convert that opportunity for at least one run and get your pitcher a lead. Despite posting three runs in the fifth inning with Pudge’s triple and Magglio Ordonez‘s RBI single, I’m still a bit miffed they weren’t able to have a real big inning considering they had no outs after Ordonez’s at-bat. Instead, it was three straight outs. Then in the 8th inning, they had the bases loaded with no one out and score just one run. That is abysmal and unacceptable for a team that strives to be one the league’s elite. The hitters left 22 men on base (8 left on as a team), which is actually fewer than the Yankees’ 23 and 12, but it was the situations that the Tigers did that cost them this game.

Fernando Rodney‘s control, or lack thereof, almost prevented this game from going to extra innings in the first place. After a walk to Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano grounded into a busted double play that ended up being a fielder’s choice with an error by Rodney that allowed Cano over to second. Bernie Williams was intentionally walked, a move I hate in general though it was at least justified because there were two outs. After reading Baseball Between the Numbers by the guys at Baseball Prospectus, I’ve seen that it is never a good idea to increase the expected runs of a team even to set up a force play. Walking a man to get runners on 1st and 2nd is especially bad if your pitcher throws a wild pitch to the next batter moving those runners to 2nd and 3rd. Not only have you eliminated the edge you aimed to get by walking that batter, but the expected runs for the opposing team goes from 0.457 to 0.661. Then, in an attempt to get me to throw my monitor out the window Rodney threw another wild pitch, but Pudge chased it down and threw a BB to Rodney to nail Cano at home. Upon further review, it was an excellent call by homeplate umpire, Tim Tschida.

Even with that great escape and the comeback to force it into extras, the Tigers were still dropped for their third straight loss. In terms of the big picture, they remain a game and a half ahead of the Chicago White Sox as they were dumped by the Indians, 4-3. On a smaller scale, the Tigers have started off a huge 13-game stretch down 0-2 to the New York Yankees and I don’t like the possible effects it could have on their confidence if they don’t grab the final two wins of this series. Not an easy task with Mike Mussina (6-1, 2.72 ERA, 5.4 K:BB) on the hill tomorrow against Nate Robertson (5-2, 3.02 ERA, 1.7 K:BB).

By the way, I’ve dubbed the nine games after the Yankees series as the All American Stretch. I realize it contains three against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it is against the Red Sox, the White Sox, and the Blue Jays in that order.

I’m not going to get too deep into the Detroit Tigers today. They took 2 of 3 from the Indians over the weekend, which is something I pretty much expected. That is just weird that the team is playing so well as to expect something like that. At any rate, they start a four game set with the Yankees today then get the Red Sox and White Sox. It is obviously a MASSIVE 10 games ahead. Meanwhile, on this Memorial Day holiday, I’d like to introduce the most gratuitous of all possible features. It is called Hot Girls Being Hot. It pulls no punches and really lets you know what you’re getting into from the outset. Enjoy your day off if you were fortunate enough to get it and enjoy these scorchingly hot women (also feel free to place your requests in the Comments).

HGBH
Let’s start with a beautiful picture of Julia Stiles looking like an absolute doll. She possesses a good bit of that girl-next-door wholesomeness. I’d assert that she’s underrated in terms of her looks.

I honestly have no idea who this girl is, but frankly, I don’t care. Wow! Elisabetta Canalis is some kinda hot. Just sit back and let her hotness sink into your eyes.

I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about characters, stories, or episodes of Veronica Mars, UPN’s most famous show, but I do know that she, or rather the actress playing her (Kristen Bell) is so pretty. She doesn’t have the sexiness of someone like Canalis, but she’s damn attractive as evidenced by this picture. She and I are both from Detroit, Michigan, yet I doubt that improves my chances at all.

In terms of celebrities I’d love to date, Scarlett Johansson tops my list. Even before seeing this fine piece of photography, I was a huge fan. Now, I’m just left speechless. She is so gorgeous. I was both surprised and pleased that the lovely Ms. Johansson topped FHM’s list of 100 Sexiest Women. I obviously feel she was more than deserving, I’m just surprised the dolts that read that kind of drek didn’t pick some 14-pound skank like Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan. Well done FHM readership, you were a shoo-in to screw up and pulled a proverbial rabbit out of your hat. While we’re on the subject, I highly recommend the movie Match Point if only because it stretched the Scarlett section long enough to post another picture.

Even back when their rivarlry of hotness matched the Red Sox-Yankees battle, I always picked Christina Aguilera over Britney Spears. Now it’s like matching the NL All-Stars against the Royals with Aguilera crushing the cud-chewing trailer trash formerly known as Britney Spears. This GQ photoshoot was like Pujols smashing a grand slam in the bottom of 7th off of Steve Stemle with the All-Stars up 22 to negative four. (Sidenote: that Steve Stemle reference is sure to send Stemle Google searchers here, which has to be good for at least three extra visits over the course of the next seven months.)

One of my best friends simply cannot stand Penelope Cruz, something I find unfathomable. I love the accent, the look, the hair, the name, all of it. She’s beautiful. Seriously, what is his problem? I need new friends.

This picture being taken at the Golden Globes is quite coincidental. Note that many would tend to use the word “ironic” where I used “coincidental”. I did so because I like being correct and ironic wouldn’t be the right the word based on its defintion:

i·ron·ic adj.

1. Characterized by or constituting irony.
2. Given to the use of irony. See Synonyms at sarcastic.
3. Poignantly contrary to what was expected or intended: madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker.

This addendum is also found after the definition:

Usage Note: The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply “coincidental” or “improbable,” in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York. Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market, where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency. (Source: Dictionary.com)

Wow, talk about straying off-topic.

He is a pro football quarterback, he has won multiple Super Bowl rings, he has gobs of money, he’s an overall badass that most women find very attractive and as if that weren’t enough for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, he is also dating the lovely Bridget Moynahan. Rough life.

I recently discussed my new-found love for HBO’s Entourage and make no mistake that it is due at least in part to the presence of Emmanuelle Chriqui. Despite 36 IMDb credits, she is not very high-profile, but she really lights up the screen in her performances. So for that, I will post six straight pictures of her:

One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six

I’m actually going to sit through National Lampoon’s Adam & Eve went it reaches the top of my Netflix queue just because she stars in it! She will definitely be a regular in HGBH.

Natalie Portman never takes a bad picture as far as I’m concerned. Even when she’s donning a shaved head, or better yet, with a pink wig… she’s still so damn pretty. She gives Johansson the most competition for tops among the Baseball By Paul list of celebrity beauties.

Speaking of girls contending for that top spot, Brittany Murphy is so damn sexy. She has come a long way since
Clueless.

A very underrated hottie is singer Nelly Furtado. She’s making a comeback and I, for one, am glad she will be popping up more and more often in the media.

Finally, let’s close the debut of Hot Girls Being Hot with Anne Hathaway, or as I like to call her, Anne Hothaway. What an amazing shot of her here.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed finding the links for it. Every once in a while, I’ll drop one of these just to give you all some eye candy. Just over an hour until Jeremy Bonderman takes on Randy Johnson in game one with the Yankees. Go Tigers!!!

I know just two days ago, I said Brandon Inge wouldn’t hold his huge home run pace. Maybe he took exception that assertion as he raised the pace a bit to 38 with his 11th home run. His two-run homer against Kansas City tonight has the Tigers up 3-0 through five right now.

I don’t have much today, despite the big comeback win. I went to the bar to watch the Pistons lose game one and missed the entire Tigers game. Even at 4-0, which I saw on the ESPN scroll, I was sure the team could come back and sure enough they did. I’m pretty tired so I’ll leave on this note. Here is why the Hold statistic is a joke:

Pitcher-Ambiorix Burgos (H,1)
IP 2.1
H 2
R 2
ER 2
BB 1
SO 3

That performance should be labeled (S, 15) for Burgos’ 15th Suck of the season.

The WPC from last night:

In his last game, a heavyweight match against Johan Santana, rookie starting pitcher Justin Verlander failed to strikeout a batter, but allowed six hits and walk no one in the 2-0 win. Tonight, he one-upped himself against the Kansas City Royals throwing a complete game shutout striking out seven and yielding just five hits and one walk in the 8-0 win. He dropped his earned run average to a miniscule 2.70 and raised his K:BB ratio to 2.3 (34:15) notching his sixth win against three losses. Say what you will about the quality of competition (or lack thereof), but a complete game shutout as a rookie in the majors is a feat no matter who it is against.

Verlander was backed nicely by his offense as they jumped all over Jeremy Affeldt, scoring five in the second and three more in the fifth. Everyone had at least one hit while Magglio Ordonez and Omar Infante each had three. Brandon Inge clubbed his 10th home run raising his pace to 37 for the season. There is almost no way he’ll reach that lofty mark, but you cannot say enough for far he has come as a major league player.

Year AB AVG OBP SLG
2001 189 .180 .215 .238
2002 321 .202 .266 .333
2003 330 .203 .265 .339
2004 408 .287 .340 .453
2005 616 .261 .330 .419
2006 130 .223 .299 .492

His on-base percentage and average thus far in 2006 leave plenty to be desired, but he has made the most of his hits with 17 extra-base hits. He isn’t great, but after his 2001-2003 seasons, I pegged him as one of the worst players in all of the major leagues. Now, at age 29 he is a solid if unspectacular everyday player capable sustained periods of big offense.

I won’t rain on Verlander’s parade by pointing out the utter incompetence of the Royals. We all know about it, but if it were easy to dominate even the worst teams then we would routinely see no hitters and complete game shutouts against them, but we don’t meaning it is always an accomplishment. There were 63 CGShOs in 2005 and the league is on pace almost the same amount in 2006. I’ll post the WPC tomorrow morning when it becomes available, though I doubt it shows any significant variance over the course of the game.

Detroit Getting Pub Elsewhere
At this point, there isn’t really anyone who hasn’t noticed what the Tigers are doing through 44 games and many sites and media outlets have addressed it. The folks over at Hardball Times.com are the latest as Tigerblog.net writer Brian Borawski put together a piece examining the Tigers huge start. In keeping with the HBT theme, Mr. Borawski does a fine job with the breakdown.