 | Changes in Detroit - 05/06/2008
BY Aaron Gleeman Manager Jim Leyland promised "big changes" following Sunday's loss and the Tigers shifted their lineup around Monday after designating Jacque Jones for assignment. Cutting Jones loose after a couple dozen games would normally be a rash decision, but there's reason to believe that he's in the midst of a serious decline at the age of 33. Beginning in 2000 he averaged 21 homers over a seven-year span, including a career-high 27 long balls in 2006.
However, Jones managed just five homers in 495 plate appearances last season and went deep just once in 90 trips to the plate this year while batting .165. Gary Sheffield replaced Jones in left field Monday and the hope is that playing defense after two years spent primarily at designated hitter can help wake his bat up. ! Swapping Jones for Sheffield is a downgrade defensively that the Tigers can hardly afford, but it may also open up playing time for Brandon Inge's good glove.
With Sheffield in left field, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen will likely see increased time at DH. When Ordonez starts at DH, Matt Joyce figures to man right field after being called up from Triple-A prior to Monday's game. When Guillen starts at DH, Inge figures to play third base. Inge is more or less a known commodity offensively at this point, offering 20-homer power to go along with a horrible batting average, and while largely ! unknown Joyce is a relatively similar hitter.
He's a ! career . 275/.350/.446 hitter in four minor-league seasons and was off to a career-best start at Triple-A, but has struck out 154 times in 158 games since advancing to Double-A. Joyce has solid power and plate discipline, but hitting above .250 may be a struggle. There's a pretty good chance that he's really no better than Jones, but as far as making moves just to make moves go this one doesn't have much chance of coming back to bite the Tigers.
While we wonder if Leyland has considered giving a call to the guy who manned left field for him in Pittsburgh two decades ago, here are some other notes from around baseball .
* Ervin Santana pitched brilliantly at home and struggled mightily on the road during his first three seasons, consistently turning in a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance despite the lac! k of an obvious explanation. In 2005 he went 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA at home and 3-5 with a 7.44 ERA on the road. In 2006 he went 10-2 with a 3.02 ERA at home and 6-6 with a 5.95 ERA on the road. And last year he went 6-4 with a 3.27 ERA at home and 1-10 with an 8.38 ERA on the road.
Add it all up and Santana's first three seasons saw him go 25-9 with 3.14 ERA at home compared to 10-21 with a 7.14 ERA on the road, which is one of the most extreme, consistent, and mind-boggling home-road splits that you'll ever see. At one point last season his road struggles got so bad that Santana was yanked from the rotation and sent back to Triple-A, but over the past six weeks he miraculously appears to have conquered his problems away from Anaheim.
Santana began the season with six innings of one-run ball against the Twins, in Minnesota, and has turned in a Quality Start in each of his seven outings regardless of location. He may have officially tossed aside his road! issues Monday night, hurling a complete-game shutout against ! the Roya ls, in Kansas City. He's now 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA overall, including 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA on the road. Santana faces the Rays in Tampa Bay this weekend and for once it's not a worry.
* Eric Gagne blew his MLB-worst fifth save Sunday, but general manager Doug Melvin gave him a vote of confidence Monday by saying that the Brewers will stick with him as closer. "You stay with a closer as long as you can," Melvin said. "If a hitter slumps for six weeks, you stay with him. Closers go in slumps too. You give him the benefit of the doubt for now." He's right that closers go through slumps just like other players, but Gagne's struggles date back further than six weeks.
Gagne has appeared in a total of 36 games since being traded to the Red Sox last July, posting a 6.48 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over 33 innings. He has 39 strikeouts during that time, which is at least some re! ason to think that he hasn't completely lost it, but allowing 41 hits (including five homers) and handing out 19 walks in 158 plate appearances qualifies as a huge mess. He's clearly on very thin ice, with Guillermo Mota or Salomon Torres waiting in the wings.
* Johnny Cueto had the worst start of his young career last week against the Cardinals, allowing seven runs while record just four outs, but bounced back in a big way Monday. Facing the Cubs on six days rest thanks to the Reds pushing his turn in the rotation back, Cueto turned in a Quality Start while racking up eight strikouts. Cueto will go through rough patches, but with a 41-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio through seven career ! starts he's living up the considerable hype.
AL Qu! ick Hits : B.J. Ryan has been cleared to pitch on back-to-back days and closed out a 1-0 victory Monday . Josh Hamilton sat out his first game of the year Monday for what manager Ron Washington called a "mental break" . Eric Chavez (back) said Sunday that he doesn't expect to come off the disabled list when eligible on May 27 . David Ortiz returned Monday and went 2-for-4 with a homer, but manager Terry Francona indicated that his sore knee will likely continue being an issue . With a third straightt bad outing Monday, Kev! in Millwood has seen his ERA rise from 2.53 to 4.94 . Daisuke Matsuzaka walked eight batters Monday, yet still improved to 5-0 by holding the Tigers to one run over five innings . Garrett Olson turned in his second straight solid start Monday, totaling seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of one-run ball to grab hold of a rotation spot until Adam Loewen (elbow) returns . Joe Crede was scratched from Monday's lineup with a migraine and Pablo Ozuna grounded into a game-ending double play in his place . Garret Anderson's two-run homer Monday was his first long ball since April 9.
NL Quick Hits: Jimmy Rollins (ankle) went 4-for-4 in an extended spring training game Monday and looks set to come off the disabled list Thursday . Max Scherzer showed that he's human by struggling Monday against the Phillies and reportedly isn't expected to remain in the rotation once Doug Davis returns from thyroid cancer surgery . Like his rotation-mate Cueto, Bronson Arroyo allowed seven runs while recording just four outs in a start last week, but is scheduled to be examined by team doctors before h! is next outing . Daily Dose favorite Geovany Soto went 3-for-3 with a homer Monday and the rookie catcher is now hitting .352 with 19 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs on the year . Omar Vizquel (knee) began a minor-league rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A, going 0-for-2 . Kip Wells is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday to remove blood clots from his pitching hand . Orlando Hudson returned to the lineup Monday after missing two starts with a strained hamstring. | | This e-mail is being sent at your request. To stop receiving these e-mails, click here. | |
