Hey guys, quick reflection on the Tigers-Royals game from tonight. It's been difficult trying to watch Detroit sports games here in Minneapolis, but I've been able to occasional stream parts of games, albeit illegally.
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| Expect to see a lot more of Danny Duffy in the future |
As great as Justin Verlander pitched tonight, I've gotta give credit to Royals second year starter Danny Duffy. He went 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing only eight base runners (7 hits 1 walk) with seven strikeouts. Last week Duffy shut out the anemic Oakland Athletics with six scoreless frames, but the Tigers are a whole different animal. Duffy impressively didn't allow a hit to either Miguel Cabrera or Prince Fielder, keeping the Royals in the game. Look for him to continue to improve as the season progresses.
Next, props to Austin Jackson for contributing to the offensive charge yet again. I feel like last season he was heralded far more for his defensive heroics, and frowned upon for his offensive ineptitude. Although he is still in pace to strike out 170 times, if he can improve his batting average to .270 or better he should be able to score 105-110 runs with the bats behind him. Currently Jackson sports an OBP of .512, an absurd total compared to his .317 mark from last season. This current rate is most likely due to the 7 walks he's drawn, which over a full 162 games would lead to 112 walks, twice his career high. If Jackson can improve his OBP to .360, and record 65-70 walks this season, he will be one of the most effective leadoff hitters in the American League. I'd predict a .270/.360 line from him with 14 HR's and 55 RBI for the 2012 season.
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| Expect Cabrera to break out of his slump Tuesday vs KC |
I'm hoping to watch more of the game tomorrow as opposed to following it on my computer. I haven't seen Drew Smyly pitch yet, so naturally I'm eager to see how he does against the Royals offense. Historically, Detroit hitters have done alright against tomorrow's starter Bruce Chen. Tigers are hitting .246 against him in 130 plate appearances. However, if you eliminate the statistics of Brandon Inge and Gerald Laird (both of whom are unlucky to start tomorrow), the Tigers are hitting a healthy .306 against the Royals starter, with Miguel Cabrera slugging an awesome 1.111. I expect the Tigers to come out swinging tomorrow and put up 6-7 runs, as they'll probably need to if Smyly wants to get the win.
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