The Astros' Bid for 120

The 2013 Houston Astros were widely regarded, before the season, as being potentially the worst team in baseball—ever. They were picked by Sports Illustrated to seriously challenge the 1962 Mets (40-120) and the 2003 Tigers (43-119) for ineptitude.

In this space every Monday, I will chart the Astros pace versus those of the ’62 Mets and ’03 Tigers after the same amount of games.

2013 Astros: 12-32
1962 Mets: 12-32
2003 Tigers: 9-35

Monday Morning Manager: Week 7

Last Week: 3-4
This Week:  at Cle (5/21-22); MIN (5/23-26)

So, What Happened?

Toto, I don't think the Tigers are playing Houston anymore.

The Tigers are 6-1 against the Astros, and 23-19 overall. MMM will save you the math. That's 17-18 against the rest of baseball.

Not ridiculous, but maybe a little troubling?

Last week was a microcosm of sorts. The Tigers went 2-1 against Houston, 1-3 against the rest of baseball. Correction---the best of baseball.

Gee, those Texas Rangers can hit, eh?

The Rangers looked at the Tigers' glorified starting rotation and gave a Texas-sized laugh.

The Rangers scored 29 runs against our boys last weekend, and that's numbing, considering Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister combined pitched about 11 innings in their starts.

That's impressive hitting.

Before the horrid weekend in Texas, the Tigers beat down the Astros twice more before finally losing to Houston on Wednesday afternoon, when the Stros managed two runs in the top of the ninth to win, 7-5.

Oh, and some guy named Cabrera hit three home runs on Sunday night, each more impressive than the previous one. The Tigers still lost in one of the most frustrating games MMM has ever watched.

To make matters worse, the Tigers fell out of first place. The (gulp) Cleveland Indians are in the catbird's seat, by two games.

Hero of the Week
MMM was struck by something FSD's Rod Allen said during a recent broadcast.

Allen said he was chatting with Tigers legend and Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Allen asked Kaline if he'd seen anyone like Cabrera---whether teammate or someone Kaline played against. Now, we're talking 60 years of MLB (Kaline debuted in 1953).

Kaline flatly told Rod that no, he's never seen anyone who can do the things with the bat that Cabrera can do.

MMM thinks that if someone like Al Kaline puts you in a class by yourself, then that's saying something.

MMM is making Miggy HotW largely for his three-homer effort on Sunday, but he had a good week other than that. Heck, Miggy always seems to have a good week, eh?

Cabrera went 12/28 (.429) with four homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored.

Just another week at the office.

Cabrera's performance on Sunday night was amazing.

The third homer, especially---a pitch that jammed him near his wrists, yet was driven over the CF wall---was jaw-dropping. The ESPN announcers, Orel Hershiser and John Kruk, were beside themselves.

"Aw, heck, he's just better than everyone else. Let's just go with that," Kruk said finally.

Miggy is, and he was again for the Tigers last week.

Honorable mentions: Don Kelly (for filling in admirably in CF and knocking a homer); rookie RHP Evan Kelly (two strong outings in Texas).

Goat of the Week
Where would you like MMM to start?

There was suspect fielding, bad pitching, and questionable decisions---and most of that happened in the seventh inning on Sunday night alone.

It wasn't the greatest of weeks.

MMM is going to name, as a trio, Verlander, Sanchez and Fister as co-Goats.

The Tigers' Big Three of Four (don't forget Mad Max Scherzer) simply didn't get it done against Texas. They didn't come close to slowing the Rangers down, and JV and Fister had leads with which to work and let their respective games slip away.

Ugly starts from those three guys.

The bullpen, as a result, got drained, and thank goodness for Monday's off day, to allow those arms to rest.

Look, the big boys have to be the big boys and they have to take the heat when they don't get the job done. Verlander, Sanchez and Fister let the Tigers down, big time, in a "measuring stick" series.

Under the Microscope
MMM is too lazy to pore over the archives, but this week may be a first.

Justin Verlander, meet the microscope.

Twitter and MLive's comments section are aflutter with worries about JV. Is his velocity down for a reason? Why have his last two starts been so bad? Is he going south?

MMM would like everyone to exhale, but still thinks Verlander should be scrutinized.

Why?

Well, the last two starts have been rough. Thursday's was downright ridiculous.

Plus, the storied fastball seems to have abandoned Verlander, mainly from a command standpoint.

MMM thinks that Verlander gets too amped up sometimes, and the much-ballyhooed match-up between JV and Texas' Yu Darvish on Thursday qualifies as one of those "big games" that sometimes gets Verlander to do too much.

He overthrows. He walks guys (walked in TWO on Thursday). He throws too many pitches. He gives up hits on 0-2 counts. And so on.

That's what happened on Thursday, and JV wasn't all that sharp against Cleveland the start before that.

His ERA jumped from 1.93 to 3.17 after the debacle in Texas. He is 4-4.

MMM doesn't think it's necessarily alarming, but still enough to place JV's start on Wednesday UtM.

Besides, MMM is curious to see how Verlander's countenance is in his first start after his Texas-sized meltdown.

Upcoming: Indians, Twins
Back to the AL Central salt mines this week.

Wait---are those the Cleveland Indians in first place? Do MMM's eyes deceive him?

Yes, the Tribe is hot. They are 17-4 in their past 21 games, and have surged from 8-13 and last place to 25-17 and first place.

But we've seen this before, haven't we?

The Indians have been a pretty good April to June team in recent years. But when the temps get hotter, the Tribe gets colder.

Their second half collapses are well-noted.

But for now, with some new players, the Indians are enjoying a great run. And they host the Tigers in a two-game mini-series this week.

MMM doesn't think Cleveland has the horses to stick around all summer, but who the heck knows?

Tigers starters: Scherzer, Verlander.

After the quick trip to Cleveland, it's back to the good side of Lake Erie for four games against the slumping Twins at CoPa.

The Twinkies have lost five straight and have sunk to the depths of the division at 18-22.

Joe Mauer's 15-game hitting streak was stopped Sunday against Boston.

The Twins were stopped several games prior to that.

For about 35 games, the Twins raised some eyebrows with their .500 play and their general nuisance they were causing in the division. Now, they are back to being the team most thought they were prior to the season.

Remember, this is a team that didn't even settle on who was in their five-man rotation until AFTER spring training, and didn't name an Opening Day starter until less than a week before the game.

But Mauer is back to the Mauer of old. He's batting .342 and he has 17 doubles. But he is striking out once every four at-bats, which is not like the Mauer of old. Still, .342 is .342.

The Twins' bugaboo is their starting pitching. No one in the rotation has an ERA lower than 4.66, and three of their starters have ERAs of 5.85-plus.

Tigers starters: Porcello, Sanchez, Fister, Scherzer.

The Tigers need a big week. Yes, it's May, but the team is wobbly now. They are 4-8 in their last 12 games, and the Indians are feeling good about themselves. As Mickey Redmond would say, time to "get 'er goin'."

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

The Astros' Bid for 120

The 2013 Houston Astros were widely regarded, before the season, as being potentially the worst team in baseball---ever. They were picked by Sports Illustrated to seriously challenge the 1962 Mets (40-120) and the 2003 Tigers (43-119) for ineptitude.

In this space every Monday, I will chart the Astros pace versus those of the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers after the same amount of games.

2013 Astros: 10-28
1962 Mets: 12-26
2003 Tigers: 9-29

Monday Morning Manager: Week 6

Last Week: 1-4
This Week:  HOU (5/13-15); at Tex (5/16-19; Sunday on ESPN)

So, What Happened?

The Tigers ran into two teams playing their best baseball of the year last week.

First it was the Washington Nationals, who are on a roll after a sluggish start. The Tigers dropped both games of a two-game series, though they certainly weren't outclassed by the Nats. Just couldn't get over the hump in the Nation's Capital.

Hey, Doug Fister got an RBI single! Alas, MMM thinks Fister could have gotten an RBI single off himself, with the way Fister's command was lacking on Thursday afternoon.

Losing two to the Nats didn't really bother MMM. What did get under MMM's skin was dropping two of three to the Cleveland Indians---another very hot team (15-5 in their last 20 games).

The Tribe made the two-out hit their personal calling card all weekend. It was amazing how many of those the Indians rained on the Tigers. And that's why Cleveland left town in a first-place tie with our Motown Bengals.

Hero of the Week
Although MMM is getting a little sick of the graphic that Fox Sports Detroit (FSD) keeps putting on the screen extolling this week's Hero's abilities, the nod goes to 2B Omar Infante.

FSD likes to shove it down our throats how good of a No. 9 hitter Infante has been this season. OK, we get it! He's having a good year! And MMM is taking nothing away from Omar in complaining about that.

Last week---a week in which the Tigers won just one game---Infante was again magnificent.

Infante went 8-for-19 (.421), including two doubles and a triple, the latter drawing the Tigers closer against the Indians on Saturday night. Even though the Tigers lost that game, it was a big two-run triple at the time.

For the season, Infante is at .317 and strikes out just once every 10 at-bats. His play in the field has been mostly stellar.

Last week, Infante again did a good job in turning the batting order over from his ninth spot, which is integral in getting the top four at the plate one more time every game.

Honorable mention: Matt Tuiasosopo, who hit a pinch-hit, three-run jack in Washington, and who has been a nice addition to the bench; Jhonny Peralta, whose solid season continues to fly under the radar.

Goat of the Week
You would think that in a 1-4 week there would be Goat candidates galore.

But MMM doesn't think the Tigers played bad baseball, necessarily. The other guys just managed to do a little bit better all week.

Still, as MMM said last week, the GotW space shall never go unoccupied!

MMM could pick low hanging fruit and designate Jose Valverde the Goat for blowing Sunday's save in a game the Tigers eventually lost in 10 innings. But that's a little too trite for MMM's liking, and not esoteric enough.

So MMM is going with manager Jim Leyland. Some might say this is just more low hanging fruit.

MMM was listening to Sunday's game while walking the pooch, during the Tigers' half of the ninth inning, after the Indians had tied the score 3-3 in the top half (see Valverde reference above).

A lead-off single by Andy Dirks was cause for optimism. But then Leyland struck.

The manager put the bunt sign on for Torii Hunter, he of the .340+ average and an expert at hitting the ball to right field, as in during a hit-and-run try.

Hunter, by the radio accounts, looked awful in his first try at laying down the sacrifice, something Hunter is not known for in his career. Yet Leyland kept the bunt sign on, and again Hunter made a pathetic try.

By now, Hunter was down in the count 1-2 and couldn't be his usual, aggressive self. He had to be more defensive. As a result, Hunter tapped weakly to pitcher Joe Smith, who started a 1-6-3 double play.

Granted, Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera, one of the more underrated players of his time, had to make a fantastic play to twist the DP, given Smith's horrible throw. But that's not the point.

MMM didn't like the decision to bunt Hunter for a couple of reasons.

One, Hunter is a terrible bunter.

Two, even if Hunter had been successful, Indians manager Terry Francona would have walked Miggy Cabrera and taken his chances that Smith could induce a DP from Prince Fielder.

MMM says let Hunter hit in that situation and let the chips fall where they may! This way, even if Hunter makes an out, you still have two chances (presumably) to get perhaps a game-ending HR or double from either Cabrera or Fielder.

The double play, following two weak bunt attempts, let Smith get out of the inning with only having to retire Cabrera (not that that's easy), and not Fielder as well.

Under the Microscope
It's funny that Leyland is this week's goat, because the Marlboro Man was UtM last week.

But that's mostly coincidence, right?

The Tigers placed CF Austin Jackson on the 15-day DL with a tight hamstring, leaving (potentially) a gaping hole at the top of the lineup.

Normally Leyland puts Dirks at the leadoff spot when giving A-Jax the day off. It is presumed this is how it will go while Jackson is out of commission.

So naturally, this puts Andy Dirks Under the Microscope.

It's nothing personal, Andy---MMM just wants to pay close attention to how you do batting leadoff with all those great hitters following you.

The good news is that Dirks has been swinging a better stick as of late, after a less-than-magnificent start.

And, frankly, Jackson's BA has sunk into the .270s after a hot start.

Now, will Leyland keep Dirks in LF and put Don Kelly in CF?

The Tigers recalled Avisail Garcia to take Jackson's spot on the 25-man roster. Garcia isn't a CF by trade. Come to think of it, this whole situation should be UtM!

Upcoming: Astros, Rangers
It's Tigers vs. the state of Texas this week.

First the Astros come calling. Yes, those adorable 10-28 Astros that the Tigers swept in four games in Houston a week or so ago. But even the Astros won more games last week (two) than the Tigers managed to win.

Still, this is a team the Tigers should take two of three from, at least---and right the ship, because after that series (drum roll please), it's on to Texas for four games against the very good and very first place Rangers.

Seriously, no one is even making it interesting for the Rangers in the AL West. Texas is six games ahead of the second place Oakland A's. The Rangers (24-13) are the only team in the West playing above .500.

Clearly, the loss of former MVP Josh Hamilton and slugger Mike Napoli has had no effect on the Rangers, negatively.

That's because always tough out Ian Kinsler is batting .322, Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre have combined for 17 home runs, and the pitching has been lights out.

The Rangers have the league's best team ERA (3.39) and four of their five starters have an ERA of 3.45 or less. Yu Darvish came one out away from a no-hitter in the second game of the season. OK, it was against the Astros, but still!

MMM sees this as an interesting week. Two series against teams that are on the opposite ends of the baseball spectrum in the AL. Should be a riot. Note: Sunday's game is on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Tigers starters (Astros): Anibal Sanchez, Fister, Max Scherzer.

Tigers starters (Rangers): Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Sanchez, Fister.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

New weekly feature: The Astros' Bid for 120

The 2013 Houston Astros were widely regarded, before the season, as being potentially the worst team in baseball---ever. They were picked by Sports Illustrated to seriously challenge the 1962 Mets (40-120) and the 2003 Tigers (43-119) for ineptitude.

In this space every Monday, I will chart the Astros pace versus those of the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers after the same amount of games.


2013 Astros: 8-24
1962 Mets: 12-20
2003 Tigers: 7-25

Monday Morning Manager: Week 5

Last Week: 6-1
This Week:  at Wsh (5/7-8); CLE (5/10-12)

So, What Happened?

Thank God for the Houston Astros.

More accurately, thanks to the powers that be at MLB who made the decision to put the Astros in the American League.

The Tigers---and the rest of the league---are much obliged.

The Tigers gained their first four-game sweep on the road since victimizing Kansas City in 2006, when they destroyed the pathetic Astros, outscoring them 37-8 along the way. As if putting an exclamation mark on the weekend series, Justin Verlander flirted with another no-hitter, making it one out into the seventh before former Tiger (and a whole lot of others) Carlos Pena drilled a clean single to right, almost tomahawking it.

Before the Houston Massacre, the Tigers took two of three from the surprisingly-OK Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park.

The Bengals have won 9 of 11, 14 of 20, and the bats are booming. Mix in some excellent starting pitching, a calming down bullpen and some nifty defense, and it's no secret why the Tigers are on a roll.

Even scarier for the AL is that the few Tigers bats that were scuffling are starting to feel it now. The team is literally getting contributions from 1-9 in the batting order.

Hero of the Week
Was that Miguel Cabrera who MMM saw flashing some serious leather on Sunday, temporarily saving Verlander's no-no?

Absolutely. Take that, Miggy defense bashers!

Cabrera turned in a whale of a play in the fifth inning, when he dove to his left to snag a hard shot off the bat of Brandon Laird (Gerald's younger brother), and rolled to his left and threw the baseball while on his tushie. The ball skipped but made it to first baseman Prince Fielder in plenty of time.

It was a play that made you think a no-hitter might be in the offing.

“When I saw him dive for it, I was hoping he would be able to get up quickly and make a nice throw. But when I saw him roll over and throw it like a grenade, I’m like, I don’t know if that’s going to get there,” starting pitcher Justin Verlander said to laughter after the game.

MMM would have been tempted to name Miggy HotW for that play alone, but there is so much more to like about Cabrera's week.

How about 11-for-26 with three homers, eight runs scored and 10 RBI?

For the season, Cabrera's OPS (on-base plus slugging) is a ridiculous 1.080. He is batting .385. He has 36 RBI in 30 games. So far he's MMM's Hero of the Year.

But in a week where the Tigers went 6-1 and blasted base hits all over the diamond, Cabrera---as he often does---stood out among the rest.

Honorable mention: Prince Fielder, Verlander, Andy Dirks and Max Scherzer (MMM loved the way Mad Max put his foot on the Astros' necks and wouldn't let them breathe, despite all the run support he got on Saturday night).

Goat of the Week
Leave it to MMM to find a Goat in a 6-1 week.

Hey, this space shall never go blank. Never!

But MMM is gonna cheat a little and give the GotW to Houston's Carlos Corporan. This may be a first-ever: giving the Goat to a non-Tiger.

But did you see how Corporan hot dogged his home run on Saturday night? A home run that made the score 12-1? Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, Corporan laced an RBI single in the ninth (that made the score 17-2) and punctuated that with some swagger, too.

MMM is old enough to know that had Corporan tried such nonsense against guys like Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Stan Williams or Dick Radatz, Carlos would find his rump in the batter's box dirt his next time up.

On today's Tigers, maybe Verlander has the temperament to knock a guy on his keister after such a display.

MMM's message to Corporan: Dude, you're on a team that is 8-24 and may seriously challenge the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Tigers for ineptitude. Don't hot dog---especially in a game that your team lost by 15 runs.

Under the Microscope
Allow MMM to gloat a bit.

Two weeks ago, MMM put Victor Martinez under the scope, and V-Mart responded, big time.

Last week, here's what MMM wrote about Alex Avila's being placed UtM: BTW, Victor Martinez appeared in this space last week, and V-Mart "responded" with a solid week at the plate. Here's hoping!

Thank you, thank you!! MMM is on a roll with the scope!

Avila woke up, and blasted a game-winning, two-run homer in the top of the ninth on Friday night. He sprinkled in some other hits, too, before sitting out Sunday's game due to a stomach ailment.

So what will MMM do to complete his hat trick?

How about Jim Leyland?

The skipper has to do without a DH this week in the two games at Washington. That means no Martinez in the starting lineup. Leyland has hinted that V-Mart might see some action at first base (not as a starter), but dismissed the idea of catching V-Mart.

MMM is interested to see how Leyland uses his bench in the first inter-league road action of the year.

Upcoming: Nationals, Indians
Get ready to hear it. MMM guarantees you're going to get sick of it.

"This Nationals-Tigers series could be a preview of the World Series."

How many times will you read and hear that this week? Plenty.

The Nationals kind of stumbled out of the gate, but they are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and are 17-15 for the season, two games behind the first place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

The Nats' problem has been an offense that has taken a while to get going. Only young Bryce Harper is hitting .300. Our old pal Denard Span (nee the Twins) is having a solid year (.278, five SB).

Pitching-wise, the Nationals are strong, as usual.

An interesting match-up will be on Tuesday, when the Tigers' big bats meet Jordan Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, a righty, has allowed just three hits and one walk in his past 17 innings. His ERA for the season is 1.64, with a WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of a measly 0.75.

Tigers starters: Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello (unless skipped due to two off days this week; then, Doug Fister).

After the Nats, it's Hello, Ryan Raburn!!

Our old pal is in a zone with the Indians.

Raburn is hitting .344 with 4 HR and 10 RBI (64 AB). He's still striking out a lot (18), but apparently a change of scenery has done him a world of good.

MMM doesn't begrudge Raburn his success. It was clearly time for Raburn to become an ex-Tiger. It just wasn't working out, and his relationship with the fans had become toxic. It was Brandon Inge, redux.

As for Raburn's new teammates, the Indians are on a roll of sorts. They have won six of their past seven games to climb to .500 (14-14). The Indians sport a new look, with veterans like Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds joining the offense. The starting pitching is still an adventure, as usual. Ubaldo Jimenez has an ERA of 7.13, and newcomer Brett Myers is even worse (8.02).

Don't forget that the Indians are now managed by Terry Francona, a darling of the Jim Leyland haters.

Tigers starters: Fister, Scherzer, Verlander (OR, Scherzer, Verlander and Sanchez if Porcello is skipped in Washington).

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Monday Morning Manager: Week 4

Last Week: 4-1
This Week:  MIN (4/29-5/1); at Hou (5/2-5)

So, What Happened?

It was a good "bounce back" week for the boys.

They limped home from their west coast trip, dragging a four-game losing streak behind them. The bats were colder than the weather they were returning to in Michigan. They still didn't have a closer.

Then all heck broke loose.

It all started on Tuesday, when news broke that the Tigers were bringing Jose Valverde back to be the closer. On the same day, the Tigers announced they were promoting reliever Bruce Rondon from Toledo. Brilliant timing, in MMM's opinion. All the talk was about Papa Grande, and Rondon just kind of slipped under the radar.

That night's game was rained out, but Valverde saved Wednesday's game---a game in which he couldn't grip his splitter due to the extreme cold. Valverde also saved Saturday's game with no drama.

Meanwhile, Rondon got into Thursday's game, and was a little shaky. But all the buzz was still about Valverde at that point.

Then the Tigers swept the suddenly inept Atlanta Braves out of town. The Braves all-or-nothing hitters whiffed so much over the weekend (39 Ks), MMM felt the breeze outside his Madison Heights home.

So it was a 4-1 week, to get back to three games over .500. Not bad!

Hero of the Week
Lots to choose from, but MMM would be totally remiss if he didn't go with Anibal Sanchez. 

How could MMM ignore Sanchez's record-setting performance on Friday? Sanchez set a new franchise record (for a nine-inning game) with 17 strikeouts, and it was just as dominant as it looks when you're reading it.

The Braves struggled to even make contact on Friday, let alone put any rallies together. Sanchez was brilliant, using the entire strike zone and getting a lot of swings and misses at balls outside the zone. His curve ball was especially nasty.

It was a great scene when Sanchez walked off the mound after the eighth inning, having screwed Dan Uggla into the ground on a breaking ball. Sanchez doffed his cap, much to the delight of the CoPa faithful. Then he got a big hug from manager Jim Leyland, because managers love it when their starting pitcher strikes out 17 and allows no runs and no walks.

MMM forgot that not only did Sanchez once throw a no-hitter, but he has four ONE-HITTERS to his credit.

Honorable mention: Miguel Cabrera, who just keeps popping out RBIs like a Pez dispenser, and Valverde, who added an impressive ninth inning against the Braves on Sunday night to his perfect three-performance week.

Goat of the Week
What would a week be without a "moment" from the bullpen?

The Tigers only had one last week, but it was a doozy.

They blew the Thursday game against the Royals, surrendering five runs in the 10th inning, capped by Alex Gordon's grand slam. MMM is tagging the Goat label on Phil Coke, not Darrin Downs, who served up the salami. Coke reverted to his old ways with this line on Thursday: 1.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 H, 1 K. Broooo-tuhl.

Under the Microscope
MMM thought this was the year that Alex Avila was finally going to be injury-free and, as a result, be back to his productive ways of 2011.

It's not happening.

Avila doesn't play against lefties, which is fine. But he's not hitting righties, and he again looks like a broken down, clue-free hitter---and it's not even May yet.

MMM is deeply concerned that Al-Av's total lack of production (.169, 2 HR, 2 RBI) from the no. 8 spot in the order will become very conspicuous sooner or later. Certainly it's bad enough now to place Avila squarely UtM.

BTW, Victor Martinez appeared in this space last week, and V-Mart "responded" with a solid week at the plate. Here's hoping!

Upcoming: Twins, Astros
Are the Twins relevant again? The record seems to say so.

The Twinkies are 11-10, having taken two straight from the Texas Rangers. Lefty starter Scott Diamond is back, after missing the first week or so of the season. The Twins still have a pretty scary middle of the order, with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham---although those guys aren't really tearing the cover off the ball right now.

It's actually been pitching that has lifted the Twins, believe it or not---particularly their stingy bullpen. This is a team whose starting rotation was a complete mess as they broke camp, but the bullpen is making up for it. One starter who is impressing is Kevin Correia, who is 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA. He pitched Sunday, though, so the Tigers will miss him this week.

Tigers starters: Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Sanchez.

Ah, the Houston Astros. The poor, poor Houston Astros.

MMM would like to feel sorry for them, but not until after the Tigers invade Houston for four games this weekend.

Some predicted before the season that the Astros, if things didn't go so well, might challenge the 1962 Mets or 2003 Tigers for ineptitude.

Those folks might be right.

The Astros got a four-game brooming at the hands of the Red Sox in Boston over the weekend, and the erstwhile Colt .45s (MMM is showing his age) sit at 7-18, which is on pace for about 45 or 46 wins.

How bad is it in Houston?

The Astros have two regulars batting over .260. Their RBI leader has 12. Three of their starting pitchers have an ERA of about 8.00. One of them, Philip Humber, has an opponent batting average of .343.

Yes, this will be a tough year in Houston, despite their snazzy new uniforms, which MMM loves for their return to a clean, old school look.

It's not the uniforms, it's the guys wearing them.

The Tigers should take three of four from these bums, but that's why they play the games! Look at the past three weekends: Oakland was hot, the Tigers cooled them off; the Angels were cold, the Tigers heated them up; the Braves were hot, the Tigers cooled them off.

Now, the Astros are cold.

Forget MMM said anything, after all.

Tigers starters: Rick Porcello (nice bounce back start on Saturday against Atlanta), Doug Fister (4-0), Scherzer and Verlander.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Monday Morning Manager: Week 3

Last Week: 2-4
This Week:  KC (4/23-25); ATL (4/26-28)

So, What Happened?

How did everything go sideways so quickly?

The Tigers were cruising along, on a four-game winning streak, hitting the tar out of the baseball. They survived a harrowing 14-inning game in Seattle, that ended with catcher Brayan Pena driving in the go-ahead run and getting his clock cleaned by Justin Smoak at home plate to end the game. The team was 9-5. Life was good.

And then...

Four losses later, the Tigers are back at .500, their vaunted offense has gone AWOL, and batting averages are sinking like stones.

The bats started to go silent, it turns out, in that 14-inning game, which the Tigers won 2-1. After that followed a couple shutouts and a game in which the Tigers scored once, before scoring a whopping three runs in Sunday's 13-inning loss to the Angels.

Hero of the Week
Frankly, MMM doesn't have much to offer here. Al Alburquerque was lights out in LA/Anaheim on Sunday in the eighth and ninth innings. So there's that.

But after some heavy thinking, MMM is going with Brayan Pena, the backup catcher. Now, when your backup catcher is HotW, that's either very good or very bad. The Tigers were 2-4 last week, so MMM guesses it must be the latter.

Pena, as mentioned, was the hitting and fielding hero on Wednesday, making it worth the while for Tigers fans who stayed up past 2 a.m. to see the finish.

Then, Pena, by luck, had to catch 13 innings on Sunday. That's three games' worth of catching, crammed into two.

MMM feels that the bench guys need some love every so often.

Honorable mentions: Alburquerque, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer, who went toe-to-toe with Felix Hernandez on Wednesday, matching him K for K.

Goat of the Week
Yes, Ricky Porcello may have been the victim of some craziness in that nine-run first inning on Saturday, but MMM is concerned that his spring training success was an aberration.

Porcello is the clear No. 5 starter, so MMM doesn't want to expect too much. But Saturday's start aside, is it too much to ask the Tigers' resident heartthrob to actually pitch into the sixth inning every now and again?

Porcello didn't do a worn bullpen any favors on Saturday, after making his first relief appearance of his career a week ago Sunday in Oakland.

Under the Microscope
MMM has been mulling this over but didn't want to jump the gun. But what is the deal with Victor Martinez's bat speed?

V-Mart is running late on fastballs these days. Now, it could just be the rust from missing an entire season, but he had a bunch of at-bats in Florida and the season is 18 games old. Shouldn't we be seeing some improvement by now?

MMM doesn't want to sound like a Nervous Nelly, but Martinez is going squarely UtM. Victor is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.

Upcoming: Royals, Braves
It's back home for our Bengals after the 4-5 trip out west.

First up: the Kansas City Royals, who are in their 28th year of rebuilding following their 1985 World Series win.

MMM has always been impressed with some of the young talent in Kansas City, and this might be the year where the Royals are the team that challenges the Tigers all summer. As usual, it will come down to pitching, especially since the Royals lineup is still a little thin with the lumber.

The Tigers are looking up at both the Royals AND the Minnesota Twins in the standings, but it's early. Still, MMM advises you to beware of the boys in Royal Blue---at least until the All-Star Break. After that, all bets are off.


Tigers starters: Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez.

Then it's the Atlanta Braves at CoPa, and what a start for the Native Americans.

The Braves are 13-5 and included in that was a weekend destruction of the Washington Nationals---in Washington.

Justin Upton has 9 homers, though just 13 RBI. Our old friend, catcher Gerald Laird, is batting .300, albeit in 20 at-bats.

3B Chris Johnson is batting over .400, including 8-for-14 in the Braves' sweep of the Nats a week ago.

But beware of records: the Angels were 4-10 before the Tigers hit town. And, on the other hand, the A's were 8-2 and on an eight-game winning streak before the Tigers took two of three.

Tigers starters: Fister, Porcello (presumably) and Scherzer.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Monday Morning Manager: Week 2

Last Week: 4-2
This Week:  at Sea (4/16-18); at LAA (4/19-21)

So, What Happened?

Somehow the Tigers managed to squeeze in two games against Toronto at Comerica Park despite weather that had MMM wondering if we had all been transported to Seattle by osmosis. Wednesday and Thursday were filled with rain, off and on, yet the Tigers and MLB got the games in---mainly because the Jays only make one appearance in Detroit all season.

The much ballyhooed bullpen got even more ballyhooed when it blew Wednesday's game---a 6-1 Tigers lead that turned into a tough 8-6 loss. The goat was Brayan Villarreal, who walked three straight batters---the only hitters he faced. Then Octavio Dotel served up a bases clearing double with the sacks juiced, putting the Jays ahead 7-6.

Then on Friday night in Oakland, Villarreal struck again, giving up a walk-off homer in the 12th inning to Josh Donaldson. It was the A's ninth straight victory.

But the Tigers bats sandwiched awesome hitting performances around those two stinkers, making for a satisfying 4-2 week.

Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez each picked up their second win, and the Tigers 1-2-3-4 hitters terrorized Jays and A's pitching.

Hero of the Week
You can't stop Prince Fielder, you can only hope to contain him. And you can't even really do that nowadays.

MMM had quite a selection to choose from in the Hero department last week.

Austin Jackson is playing like the best center fielder and lead-off hitter in baseball. Torii Hunter has solidified the No. 2 spot in the order wonderfully. Miguel Cabrera is, well, Miguel Cabrera.

But Fielder is an RBI machine these days.

He lasered an RBI double on Sunday, scoring Cabrera from first base, that MMM swears was shot out of a bazooka. Prince is locked in as never before since becoming a Tiger.

Fielder reached base 11 times in the Oakland series over the weekend, and he is feasting off the success of the 1-2-3 hitters, who are getting on base with ridiculous frequency.

So Fielder becomes that rarity: MMM's Hero two weeks in a row.

Honorable mentions: see above, plus Sanchez, who along with Rick Porcello gave the bullpen a needed rest on Sunday.

Goat of the Week
MMM will make this quick and painless, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Brayan Villarreal.

OK, next?

If you need further explanation, then MMM wonders if you've been living under the Uniroyal tire.

Under the Microscope
MMM is loathe to jump on bandwagons or pile on with the blowhards who call in to talk radio, but the way things are going now, it's hard to ignore the bullpen as being the only aspect of the Tigers' game that isn't clicking. Oh, that and Andy Dirks. But more on Dirks later.

MMM is placing the bullpen, as a whole, UtM because it was responsible for both losses last week, and with the Tigers' hitting and fielding firing on all cylinders (except Dirks), then what else is there to scrutinize?

The bullpen needs to get itself sorted out. MMM thinks the arms out there are good enough, though he would like to see Villarreal demoted to Toledo---at least.

As for Dirks and his under-.200 start, MMM isn't overly worried. Andy did deliver a two-out single Sunday, albeit in a 7-0 game. But still a good sign. He'll come around, and with the rest of the guys bashing, there should be less pressure on Dirks to get it together.

Upcoming: Mariners, Angels
The sojourn out west continues with six games in Seattle and Los Angeles/Anaheim.

For whatever reason, the Ms have been a thorn in the Tigers' side in recent years, both in Seattle and in Detroit. They seem to give the Tigers fits. But they also gave the Tigers Doug Fister, so maybe it's a push.

Seattle is off to a 6-8 start, which is about right for them. But again, they seem to always take two of three from the Tigers.

2012 post-season hero Raul Ibanez is now a Mariner, and the Tigers will face Felix Hernandez this week. King Felix goes up against Max Scherzer on Wednesday---a great MLB matchup.

But no Mariner regular is hitting .300, though Michael Morse has six home runs.

Tigers starters: Fister, Scherzer and Verlander.

The Angels have two MVPs in their lineup---Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. And Pujols isn't off to the slow-as-molasses start that he had in 2012.

But the Angels are 4-8, and last year's rookie sensation Mike Trout, isn't helping. He's at .269 with one homer and two RBI (and 12 Ks in 52 AB). Hamilton is .234-2-8. Pujols is .293-2-7. But it's early.

Tigers starters: Sanchez, Porcello and Fister.

That's all for this week's MMM. See you next week!

Monday Morning Manager: Week 1

Monday Morning Manager is back! Doesn't it seem like Miguel Cabrera took that called third strike to end the 2012 World Series, just yesterday? Well, it's a new year and time for 26 (or so) more weeks of thrilling MMM weekly recaps of another Tigers baseball season!

MMM is refreshed and ready to go! So without further ado...

Last Week: 3-3
This Week:  TOR (4/9-11); at Oak (4/12-14)

So, What Happened?

The big questions heading into the season were, how would the Tigers' so-called "closer by committee" turn out? And for how long will it last before the team commits to a single ninth inning guy?

After six games, those questions have yet to be answered definitively, but it hasn't stopped folks from kicking them around.

It all started last Monday in Minnesota. Justin Verlander, his pitch count ratcheted up into the early 90s, was lifted after just five innings. In the ninth inning, manager Jim Leyland went with Joaquin Benoit to start the frame, then after Benoit retired the first batter (a right-handed hitter), Leyland called for southpaw Phil Coke to face lefty swinger Justin Morneau and righty swinging Ryan Doumit.

The moves worked to perfection. Coke struck out Morneau and retired Doumit on a lazy fly ball to right, sealing the Tigers' 4-2 win.

The same situation presented itself in Game 2 on Wednesday. Only this time, Benoit walked the lead-off batter and Coke imploded, and the Twins turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 walk-off win.

The Tigers took two of three from the Yankees, and in neither victory did a closer come into play---although MMM loved the job lefty Drew Smyly did on Friday in relief of Doug Fister (four perfect innings to earn a save).

So does MMM think the closer by committee can work? Yes, but MMM doesn't like Coke being the guy entrusted to get the final outs unless there are left-handed batters galore lined up to face him. In 2012, Coke struggled to get lefties out because his breaking ball was too flat. This year, in his last two appearances, Coke has failed to get right-handed batters out. His ERA is an unsightly 16.20.

If Leyland wants to pseudo designate a "closer," then MMM would like to see Benoit in that role, provided he can keep the ball in the ballpark. Benoit's masterful change-up is a neutralizer against tough left-handed batters.

Bottom line: six games is simply not enough to accurately gauge the situation.

As for Verlander, he went seven innings on Sunday but was tagged with the loss as the Tigers' bats fell silent against CC Sabathia. The Tigers ace has an ERA of 2.25 after 12 innings of work.

The offense is running more hot and cold than a faucet drawing a bath, but the cold weather hasn't helped.

Hero of the Week
MMM is tempted to give HotW to newcomer Torii Hunter for his hot start and seemingly being on his way to finally solidifying the No. 2 spot in the batting order, which has vexed the Tigers for several years.

But MMM likes Prince Fielder for his eight-RBI week, including his monstrous home opener on Friday (two homers, five RBI). Prince has also showed himself to be erudite with the glove in the early going, which as you know is not his forte.

Fielder's heroics on Friday ensured the Tigers wouldn't fall into a 1-3 hole to start the season.

Honorable mentions: Hunter, Smyly and Austin Jackson, who has stormed out of the gate with the bat.

Goat of the Week
MMM really does like Phil Coke. MMM likes Coke's zaniness and his mindset, which is perfect for a late-inning reliever. But after Opening Day, Coke has been brutal. He coughed up Wednesday's game, and his awful outing on Sunday assured that the Tigers wouldn't have a shot to overcome the Yanks.

MMM doesn't trust Coke right now, because right now you don't know what Phil Coke you're going to see from outing to outing. Will it be the fiery, unconscious Coke from the 2012 playoffs, or the shaky Coke from the 2012 regular season? This year in three appearances, we've seen Mr. Hyde twice and Dr. Jekyll once.

Under the Microscope
Do you really think MMM has already designated someone UtM after just six measly games?

Of course he has!

No, it's not Phil Coke.

Believe it or not, it's Alex Avila, the Blutonian catcher.

Avila flew under the radar this spring, which is great. MMM was glad to hear that Avila's health was ship shape, and there was little written about Al-Av in spring training. Again, that's great. He is clearly the established starting catcher in Detroit. He's officially a young veteran, this being his fourth full season in the bigs.

But Avila is off to another oh-so-slow start (though he did homer on Friday), and his wife just gave birth to the couple's first child, which can be a very understandable distraction. How will these things meld?

The importance of a productive Avila in the lower third of the batting order is significant. Avila will typically bat eighth this season, behind SS Jhonny Peralta and ahead of 2B Omar Infante. It is vital that the 7-8-9 hitters don't become automatic outs, in order to keep big innings alive---the kind of big innings that the Tigers' 1-5 big boppers can get going.

Keep your good eye on Avila. MMM sure is. Remember, Avila dropped from a .295 BA in 2011 to .243 in 2012.

Upcoming: Blue Jays, A's
The new-look Blue Jays stop by for three games in Comerica Park this week before the Tigers head west.

It's widely known that Toronto spent money in the off-season like a teenager burning through his allowance.

The Jays have lots of new faces: pitchers Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey (who got clobbered around Sunday against Boston); infielders Jose Reyes and Maicer Izturis; and OF Melky Cabrera, to name but a few.

The Jays mean to contend in the suddenly winnable AL East, tired of playing little brother to the Red Sox and Yankees. The division, including revamped Baltimore and always tough Tampa Bay, figures to be very up for grabs, especially with the Yankees beat up and the Red Sox a question mark.

Who knows? Maybe when the Blue Jays come to town for the next few years, there will be a buzz around the ballpark, like there was back in the 1980s when both the Tigers and Blue Jays were contenders, and a series with the visiting Jays was truly exciting.

After Toronto's visit, it's off to Oakland, which is off to a 5-2 start.

Surely you all remember the Tigers' last visit to Oakland? The heart-stopping ALDS, which turned from in-the-bag to in-the-barf-bag before the Tigers finally prevailed in five games?

Don't worry, there's no Brandon Inge around to terrorize Tigers pitching. Brandon is in Pittsburgh now.

The Little Payroll That Could still has feisty Coco Crisp and Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes, along with a pretty damn fine bullpen, which can cure a lot of ills. The A's will be trying to prove that 2012, when they improbably won the AL West, wasn't a fluke.

Tigers starters: Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello and Fister.

That's all for this week's MMM. It's good to be back! See you next week!