As the late innings rolled along in Detroit on Sunday night, the talk was all about the Detroit Tigers. ESPN announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were babbling on and on about the poor start to the season exhibited by the Tigers.
Yes, this is a big early season story for MLB, but it shouldn’t be the only story.
The Tigers were projected by many to be an AL powerhouse and a pre-season favorite to win the AL Central Division. Meanwhile, they have started awfully. Detroit was swept by the Kansas City Royals, and now by the White Sox, to start the season at 0-6.
However, this was the only topic of conversation for the announcers on Sunday, after the White Sox had secured a large lead.
Has anyone ever thought that the Tigers played two good teams to start the season and that’s why they have been losing? Well ESPN sure doesn’t think so. They were so wrapped up about how poorly the Tigers have been playing, that they didn’t even realize that the Sox are looking like a great team.
No credit was given to the White Sox for shutting down the Tigers all weekend long. Chicago outscored Detroit by a combined score of 26-10.
The pitching has been stellar, but the real story has been the Chicago offense.
AJ Pierzynski appears to be playing like an early season favorite for the All-Star Game this summer. He is hitting .529, with 2 home runs, 7 RBI’s, and 3 doubles already this season. Those three doubles were all hard hit balls that could have turned into triples for some of the faster players in the league. However, AJ is not the fastest guy around.
Jermaine Dye is back to his old ways again too. He has over a .400 batting average, and is looking like the 2006 Dye again, who hit .315 that year.
Carlos Quentin is also making a strong statement this early season. Quentin was expected to just be a temporary fill-in at left field for the injured Jerry Owens.
However, Ozzie Guillen will have a tough decision to make when Owens comes back from the injury. Who will be more suited to play left field for the rest of the season? I guess having two solid players vying for the same position is a good problem to have.
Mark Buehrle had a good start for the White Sox on Sunday, and the bullpen played well for Chicago this weekend. Especially Bobby Jenks, recording two saves on Friday and Saturday.
The Chicago White Sox appear to be peaking at the right time heading into their home opener on Monday against the Minnesota Twins.
Yes it’s a headline for a team like the Detroit Tigers to be struggling so early in the season. But geez ESPN, give the White Sox some credit, they are a good team!
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3 months ago
Good for the Sox, they play in a tough division and will be better then expected. But can you blame the announcers for focusing on the Tigers poor start. Remember this is ESPN (and Fox) and they will most likely only get the chance to show the Tigers one or two more times. They want to get the most bang for their buck, and talking about the slow start is the way to go.
3 months ago
I'm all for the Sox getting more credit, but just about no one expected the Tigers to come out the gate the way they have. What's more surprising to me is that the focus has just been on their offensive problems, nevermind the fact that their starters have been breaking down their already depleted bullpen. The injuries to Granderson and Sheffield don't help any, either. Anyway, for now, they'll talk about the Tigers but as the Sox continue their winning streak they'll start to get their due-- I like having the team fly under the radar anyway, it suits them well.
from 3 months ago
Good points Thomas, I kinda like the idea of flying under the rader too now that you mention it.
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