It doesn't matter how many Don Kellys or Andy Dirkeses the Tigers can throw out there, because if Miguel Cabrera gets pitches to hit, the Tigers will be juuuuust fine. Brandon Inge singled in the bottom of the third, and a two-out single to Ryan Raburn brought Miguel Cabrera to the plate with two runners on.
Tigers vs. Rangers: Miguel Cabrera Double Gives Tigers 2-0 Lead
Matt Harrison has been sans command early on for the most part, but Cabrera's double came on an inside fastball that was right where Mike Napoli wanted it. Cabrera just has that certain -- how do you say? -- talent for hitting baseballs. One double later, and the Tigers have a 2-0 lead through three innings.
Rick Porcello is humming along on the other side. The last update regarding Porcello had to do with his sinker -- and it really is a fantastic pitch. I'm a sucker for a good sinker. All hail the sinker!
And the sinker-throwing Porcello is looking completely dominating through three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five and inducing four grounders. All hail the sinker!
There’s just one problem with that exclamation of sinkerophilia: Porcello is getting a lot of his outs with the slider. And if you go by FanGraphs’ metrics, the slider was actually his most effective pitch in 2011.
It’s probably not a good idea to make too much of single-season pitch values, but the slider Porcello is featuring tonight really is of the better ones I’ve seen him feature. The term “sinker/slider guy” isn’t used nearly as much as it used to be -- or maybe it was only Mike Krukow who used it, and he stopped -- but when Porcello has both of those pitches working, he’s one of the more interesting young pitchers in the game.
Meanwhile this other guy -- Max Harrison or something -- is throwing 96 from the left side, and he’s getting torched. Ho hum. Where’s the sink? WHERE’S THE SINK, PAL? WHERE’S THE SLIDE?
See More:
