Summer Baseball Tour 2011 #4 and #5

OAKLAND ATHLETICS AT DETROIT TIGERS 
JULY 19th & JULY 20th, 2011

TIGERS 8 – ATHLETICS 3

ATHLETICS 7 – TIGERS 5

Comerica Park

MATCHUP

City: Detroit, Michigan 
Metropolitan Population: 4.3 million

Known For: Automobile Industry and Motown Music
Nickname: Motor City and Hockeytown

GAME SETUP AND CROWD: 

Tuesday and Wednesday night games; very hot and humid; 77.5% capacity (31,980)

Grade: 6 ½ stars

This statue of Tigers legend Ty Cobb can be found in the left-center field concourse

HOME TEAM: 

The Tigers are charter members of the American League, which was established in 1901. Franchise icons include Hal Newhouser, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, and Ty Cobb. The Tigers have won four World Series titles, in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.  The Tigers began the 2000’s as one the cellar dweller of the American League, recording losing seasons from 2000 to 2005, including a historically inept 43-119 in 2003, but since the appointment of Jim Leyland as manager in 2006, the Tigers have managed to become a respectable ballclub. They won the American League in 2006 and have had winning records five of the last six seasons. This year with an elite ace in Justin Verlander, one of the best hitters in baseball in 1B Miguel Cabrera, and a compliment of bats that include C Alex Avila, DH Victor Martinez, 2B Carlos Guillen, SS Jhonny Peralta, CF Austin Jackson, and RF Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers are contenders for the AL Central title. As of July 20th, the Tigers are 51-45 and are tied for the lead in the AL Central.

OPPONENT:

The A’s have been American League rivals of the Tigers since 1901 when the Athletics were based in Philadelphia. The Tigers lead the all-time head to head 979-902 and the A’s lead the head to head from 2000 to 2011, 59-39. As of July 20th, the A’s are in last place in the AL West with a 43-54 record, the by-product of an anemic offense (27th in runs scored, total bases, and OPS), even though Oakland ranks second in starting pitchers ERA (3.45) and first in bullpen ERA (3.08) in the American League. 

GRADE: 5 stars

STADIUM:

The video board stands above the left field seats

Comerica Park is located in downtown Detroit, across the street from Ford Field. Built in 2000 as a replacement for the legendary Tiger Stadium, Comerica follows the model set by the Orioles and Camden Yards with the retro classic architectural design. A portion of the left-center field concourse honors Tigers legends like Al Kaline and Ty Cobb with statues and in center field stands the fountain that has become a symbol for the American auto industry[1] and that lights up after every Tigers run. The large video board is above the left field seats and is relatively average when taking into account the information displayed and the quality of video. In comparison to the other Major League stadiums I have visited, Comerica Park doesn’t match the history of Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium or the esthetic feel and design of Safeco Field, AT&T Park, and Target Field. At the conclusion of my tour, I expect Comerica to rank somewhere in the middle of my MLB Stadium rankings. 

GRADE: 7 ½ stars

LOCATION OF SEAT:

View from Section 117 at Comerica Park

Section 117 – Row 7 – Seat 22

We sat in the lower level down the first base line at the edge of the aisle. We had a good view of the entire field and a good perspective on batted balls but not on the strike zone. The video board was in a good position, directly in front of us.

GRADE: 7 stars

View from Section 114 at Comerica Park

Section 114 – Row 3 – Seat 6

We sat in the lower level down the first base line in the right field corner, providing us with a grounded view of the field because of the way the section hitched out towards the outfield. We were further away than the night before but the seats still offered good perspective on batted balls and fielding plays. The video board was in a good position, directly in front of us  

GRADE: 7 ½ stars

QUALITY OF STARTING PITCHING:

A's starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy

Athletics at Tigers, July 19th 2011

Guillermo Moscoso (3-4, 2.16 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.78 ERA)

Rick Porcello is a former first round pick currently in his third major league season. Porcello’s main problem with the Tigers has been consistency, having been unable to maintain strong performances over a sustained period of time. That said, Porcello is only 22 years old and figures to have a long professional career ahead of him. The A’s have given Moscoso his first opportunity to pitch in the rotation at the Major League level and he has proved to be a reliable starting pitcher. In eight starts, Moscoso has had 3 starts where has he has pitched six plus innings and not allowed a run. 

GRADE: 6 stars

Athletics at Tigers, July 20th 2011

Brandon McCarthy (2-5, 3.53 ERA) vs. Duane Below (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

McCarthy has struggled with injuries his entire Major League career, but when healthy, has proved to be an average big league starter. Below is making his major league debut, a reward for his 9-4 record and 3.13 ERA at AAA Toledo.

GRADE: 4 stars

ALL STARS: 

Tigers All Star first baseman Miguel Cabrera

Detroit: 

1B Miguel Cabrera ('04, '05, '06, '07 NL; '10, '11 AL)

RF Magglio Ordonez ('99, 00, 01, '03, '06, '07 AL)

DH Victor Martinez ('04, '07, '09, '10 AL)

2B Carlos Guillen ('04, '07, '08 AL)

3B Brandon Inge ('09 AL)

SS Jhonny Peralta ('11 AL)

C Alex Avila ('11 AL)

Oakland:

DH Hideki Matsui ('03, '04 AL)

RHP Andrew Bailey ('09, '10 AL)

GRADE: 6 stars

View of Comerica Park from left-center field

GAME RECAP

July 19th

Tigers use six run fifth to beat A's 8-3.  

The Tigers offense found life in the fifth inning, scoring six runs against A's starter Guillermo Moscoso. Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen both contributed two run home runs, Cabrera's coming first and giving Detroit a 4-3 lead after Rick Porcello allowed 3 runs in the top half of the inning. The Tigers added another run in the sixth through a Brennan Boesch RBI double and held on for the win. Former first round pick and Oakland prospect Jemile Weeks was hitless in five plate appearances.

Checklist:

None

July 20th

Athletics take advantage of ineffective Tigers bullpen, score 4 in the seventh to win 7-5.

Tigers RHP Duane Below pitched 5 innings in his Major League debut, allowing one run on five hits. The sole run against Below came courtesy of Oakland DH Hideki Matsui's 500th career professional home run. The Tigers took a 5-3 lead in the sixth with help from Victor Martinez's 2 RBI double but lost the lead in the seventh after reliever David Purcey walked the bases loaded and allowed Oakland to scored four runs in the inning. All Star closer Andrew Bailey shut the door, punctuating the win by blowing a 96 mph fastball past Miguel Cabrera for the game's final out.

Checklist:

Triple - 3B Don Kelly

Individual Milestone - 500th professional home run for A's DH Hideki Matsui, including Japan.

FOOD:

The food at Comerica Park is comparable to most Major League ballparks. The Italian sausage I ate was excellent. Little Caesars Pizza is everywhere at the stadium because Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is the founder of Little Caesars.

Next Stop on the Summer Baseball Tour 2011: Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on August 4th.

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[1] General Motors sponsored the fountain from 2000 until 2008, when it was no longer able to afford the advertising spot. In a gesture of solidarity, the Tigers let GM use the space at no charge, and added the Ford and Chrysler logos along with the message: The Detroit Tigers Support Our Auto Makers. In 2010, General Motors repurchased the spot and renamed it the Chevrolet Fountain.