Opener Fails Again

3 views
Skip to first unread message

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 12:37:01 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
Hurter is the "opener" for SGL today and has already walked in a run, hit a batter with the bases loaded, and given up a 2-run single.  Rays lead 4-0 and counting.

Hurter was completely ineffective in the 10th the other night.   All of a sudden our pitching sucks. 
Can we make A.I. robots of Skubal?


Peter

Roger King

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 12:41:07 PM6/21/25
to Peter Welch, detroit...@googlegroups.com
It feels like the Rays are just in one of those zones that Sparky Anderson so eloquently described: “when you’re going good, it don’t matter who you’re playing.”



Roger King
El Presidente
PN Agency – www.pnagency.com
Ethnic Voice Talent –www.ethnicvoicetalent.com
(416) 515-7195


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Detroit Tigers e-mail list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to detroit-tiger...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/detroit-tigers/LV3PR84MB3792AD62B215DF077263B3179A7FA%40LV3PR84MB3792.NAMPRD84.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 12:45:22 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
Hurter actually would have gotten out of the inning with 0 runs if Rogers hadn't committed a passed ball on what would have been a strikeout for the 3rd out.

After the passed ball, Hurter completely lost control of his pitches.  It's like he got rattled.  The same thing happened in the 10th the other night where there was a controversial close play at home that was upheld by replay and Hurter fell apart after that.

Hurter has been a surprisingly effective pitcher for the Tigers since last year, but he's been awful lately.  I hope he's not injured.

Peter
From: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 12:36 PM
To: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Opener Fails Again
 
--

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 12:58:44 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
I'll have to check the records, but it seems like we often struggle at Tampa.  Different stadium this year, I know, but we've had some bad results playing there.  I'll check it, though.

Yandy Diaz is killing us in this series.  He just hit a double against SGL in the 2nd and scored on a Brandon Lowe single.  
Yes, the Brandon Lowe with 17+ career WAR who Al Avila passed on drafting in favor of Beau Burrows in 2015.

Rays lead 5-0 in the top of the 3rd.  Tigers have had some traffic on the bases but nothing to show for it.  Rays have played some good defense.

Looks like Jake Rogers might end up pitching again in this one the way it's going.  

Peter
From: Roger King <pnag...@pnagency.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 12:40 PM
To: Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Cc: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Opener Fails Again
 

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 1:00:50 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
Ok, it was Dombrowski who drafted Burrows.  I'll blame Avila anyway.

Peter
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 12:58 PM
To: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

Roger King

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 1:40:44 PM6/21/25
to Peter Welch, detroit...@googlegroups.com
Well, Dombrowski got fired right after he drafted Burrows 😆



Roger King
El Presidente
PN Agency – www.pnagency.com
Ethnic Voice Talent –www.ethnicvoicetalent.com
(416) 515-7195

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 1:52:46 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
In 2025 we are 0-1 (probably headed to 0-2)
In 2024 we were 2-1 in Tampa.
In 2023 we were 0-3.
In 2022 we were 1-2
In 2021 we were 2-2
In 2020 we didn't play them.
In 2019 we were 1-2.
In 2018 we were 0-3.
In 2017 we were 0-3.
In 2016 we were 4-0 🙂
In 2015 we were 1-2.

So we are 11-19 (and probably 11-20 after today) in Tampa in the past 10 years.

Of course, part of it is the Rays having better teams than the Tigers in several of the past 10 years.
The 2 years the Tigers made the playoffs (2016 and 2024) we were over .500 at Tampa.

Peter

Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 12:58 PM
To: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 2:01:04 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
SGL has settled down and allowed 3 runs in 5.1 IP since replacing Hurter.
He made a couple of mistake pitches that got punished for solo homers, but he's been decent.  Given that he's coming back from 2 surgeries, SGL is doing ok.
I think he'll get better.

Why not just let SGL start to begin with?  The opener thing has jumped the shark.

Weird game, if Rogers doesn't commit the passed ball and SGL starts, and we get one clutch hit early when we had traffic on the bases, we'd be right in it. Instead we're down 7-1 in the bottom of the 7th and it's not looking good.


Peter

Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 12:45 PM
To: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Opener Fails Again
 

Paul Meloche

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 2:19:24 PM6/21/25
to Peter Welch, detroit...@googlegroups.com
I don’t like the opener either - does TB have lefties at the top of the order? Even so, I like Hurter more as a multi inning guy or starter. 

Regardless, even if everything went differently in the first inning we probably don’t win without a few more runs. 

Paul M.

On Jun 21, 2025, at 11:01 AM, Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com> wrote:



Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 2:35:44 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
B. Lowe, Aranda, and J. Lowe are lefties.  The are batting 2, 4 and 6 today.
Y. Diaz, Caminero and Morel are righties.  They are batting 1, 3 and 5.

I guess Hinch wanted Hurter to face B. Lowe, Aranda and possibly J. Lowe out of the gate so the SGL didn't have to face them when he might not be fully warmed up.

I get the concept of the opener to face certain hitters in the top of the 1st especially if you have younger/inexperienced starters (such as Montero, SGL), but you need some effective relievers to be the opener.  Hinch seems to want to re-create last year's 2nd half "Pitching Chaos" success, but it's not working because several of our relievers are struggling.  Hinch stills seems to have confidence in the strategy, though.

Peter

From: Paul Meloche <meloc...@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 2:19 PM
To: Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com>
Cc: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com>

Paul Meloche

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 2:50:28 PM6/21/25
to Peter Welch, detroit...@googlegroups.com
Yeah, doesn’t make sense to me. TB had their lineup set in a way that made it hard to get a lefty/righty advantage for the pitcher. And as I mentioned, I don’t think Hurter is best used as an opener even if he were pitching better. 


Paul M.

On Jun 21, 2025, at 11:35 AM, Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com> wrote:



Peter Welch

unread,
Jun 21, 2025, 2:50:50 PM6/21/25
to detroit...@googlegroups.com
Tigers lose 8-3.  Rays are hot, Tigers are not, it's as simple as that.
Tigers have lost 7 straight Saturday games.

SGL was respectable, allowing 4 runs in 6.1 IP.  He gave up 3 solo homers, indicating he needs to work on his command, but he didn't get bombed and at least ate a bunch of innings to take pressure off the rest of the bullpen.

Tigers had some scoring chances but the guys who have been carrying the offense didn't do much.  We can't rely on Greene, Torres, Keith and Baez to hit every game.  They need some help.  Carp had a double in his first AB but did nothing the rest of the way and still is not drawing walks.
Tork got the day off.  

Let's try to salvage a game tomorrow.  It will be up to Mize to play the "stopper" role.  

Peter




Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2025 2:00 PM
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages