DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have no closer.
They will mix and match relievers, with the data they have available to find the most favorable matchups against opposing hitters.
They will be flexible as needed, trying to find the best path from the starting pitcher to the end of the game.
That was more or less what Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said Wednesday night after ex-closer Joe Jimenez came to place in the sixth inning.
First question from the media: Who is this cheater and what did you do to Gardy ?!
Just kidding. But it was interesting, and a little refreshing, to hear an old-school lawyer of well-defined bullpen roles – one guy puts the seventh, one guy the eighth, one guy the ninth, and so on. – be so open to change, uncertainty and ambiguity.
Maybe it’s just a product of the Tigers’ pitch in 2020. Maybe the short season makes it easier to throw old rules out the window. After all, there’s only one month of baseball left.
The Tigers (13-16) have now won back-to-back series after Wednesday night’s victory over Chicago.
The bullpen leads from our list of withdrawals:
Joe gets a break.
When Joe Jimenez came in to place the sixth inning, it was the earliest he had put in a game since 2017.
And it did not go particularly well. Between three pitches in the field, he left a first-pitch homer to Kyle Schwarber and a two-out walk to Jason Kipnis.
‘He’s a little out of sorts, a little frustrated. He throws the ball around, ‘said Gardenhire. “We have decided that we will try to get him into a situation where it is a little easier for him now.”
Bryan Garcia started the seventh and ran into trouble; Jose Cisnero knocked out Javier Baez to finish it off. Gregory Soto put up a clean eighth. Buck Farmer was absolutely tattooed in the ninth, but survived.
Although this was not a save situation – the Tigers led 7-3 – Farmer got the first crack at being closer. But it is worth noting that Soto was lined up to occupy the middle of the Puppies’ order – including two left-handed hitters – while Farmer was lined up to meet the 7, 8 and 9 hitters.
That’s probably not a coincidence.
And if the Tigers can go on – throwing their best relievers into the opponent’s best hitters in the most critical situations – Jimenez’s relegation and dismantling of ‘roles’ in the bullpen could be the best that could happen.
2. The game played on …
Three of the 15 MLB games were postponed Thursday as a statement by players during the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wis., But it is unclear how close the Tigers and Cubs came to join that group. .
Some players, such as catcher Austin Romine, seemed unaware that there was even such a possibility, while Gardenhire implied that proposal was discussed, at least in small groups, among the Tigers and also with the Puppies.
Shortstop Niko Goodrum said he chose to play but respected the decision of others who chose not to do so.
Cubs fielder Jason Heyward chose to sit out it, but encouraged his teammates to play instead of joining him in solidarity.
No one holds practical considerations in serious trouble, but it is quite possible that Heyward and other players try to balance these practical concerns with their desire to make a personal statement.
All three MLB games scheduled for Wednesday are due to be played on Thursday as a double header.
That would not have been possible for the Puppies and Tigers, who start a new series against a new opponent on Thursday. The Cubs would have to make a special trip to Detroit on valuable off-day in September, perhaps even just before the playoffs. That would have made a proposal much more complicated compared to the teams that can make up the lost game right away.
3. … but stay tuned.
The NBA boycott movement did not pick up steam late on Wednesday afternoon, when most baseball players were already on the field preparing for the game. (It’s no coincidence that two of the games that were postponed Wednesday night were on the West Coast. The third was in Milwaukee, which is very close to Kenosha).
Players who are not very involved with social media like the NBA – which, frankly, makes up a significant percentage of a baseball club building – could hardly be aware of what was going on.
Therefore, the problem may not be over yet. There will be more time for discussion to percolate on Thursday. And, in the case of the Tigers, who open a four-game series against the Twins, a proposal would be much easier to reschedule.
4. Mike and Dan.
The first two pitches of the night were almost overlooked in the floor of action that followed, but the five-innings combination of Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris got the job done.
It just wasn’t too pretty.
Fulmer gave up two runs on three hits in three innings. He had one strikeout and got only two swing-and-misses in 46 places. He had no clean inning, he made some hard contact and he was allowed two walks, one of which led to a run.
Fulmer now has an 8.79 ERA in five short starts over 14 1/3 innings. He allowed 14 runs on 21 hits with seven walks and 11 strikeouts.
Norris pitched two scoreless frames. He also survived some hard contact, but ended up on a high note by striking out Anthony Rizzo to finish fifth.
Norris now has a 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings as a reliever, with one walk and 12 strikeouts.
REGISTERED BY TRUSTED TIGERS. Get Tigers news, analysis and opinion in text messages sent straight to your phone from MLive Tigers beat writer Evan Woodbery. Do you have a question or comment? Just text him. It’s a two-way conversation that takes you to Comerica Park every day. Get in free 14-day trial here. It is easy to cancel and your data is always protected.
