Andrew Miller/Alexis Gomez called up,Clevlen/Lewis sent down

[moochman]

Honestly, I don't think any of us fans can come up with a perfect explanation on the Clevlen move. Granderson still can't consistently hit LHP, so Clevlen would be great to keep around. I look forward to his return to the big league club. If Granderson doesn't step up, I expect to see the platoon reimplemented if not see Clevlen get even more of a look in Granderson's place. Since it's only a matter of days, I'm not too worried, at least not about this particular situation because I do have greater worries about other aspects of the team.

I am not known for my foresight, but wouldn't you have thought that having Clevlen around to face Randy today would have been better than watching Granderson whiff? Gomez just serves little purpose. Makes little more sense than the Nefi debacle.

[mcqfesijiba]

Forget Granderson. Right now, Clevlen would be better than Ordonez has been in a while, both offensively and defensively. Ordonez's line for the second half so far? .242/.284/.354 He's also set a new career high in K's. Congratulations, Magglio
And that doesn't even take into account the lack of defense that he's played. Even Gomez would probably put up a better second half line if played exclusively against RHP. I know the team is going to stick with him through thick and thin, but when your cleanup hitter is more of a liability than an asset, it doesn't matter who's on the bench, wins will be hard to come by. This isn't a slump, it's been going on for two months now.

All I can say is when a minor move like sending down someone like Clevlen (who probably isn't ready for a major role yet despite his hot start) back down to where he probably belongs at this point and time is a hotly debated topic among fans, you know your team has some problems. What is the bigger problem, the fact that they sent him down while he was still playing over his head, or the fact that things have gotten to a point where some think Clevlen may be a difference maker?

[moochman]

I know, I know. Maggs has been awful of late, considering his role. As I've said all along the Tigers OF D is terrible. Granderson catches balls and has very good range, but doesn't throw well. Thames is an embarrassment in the field, Monroe is slow and shakey out there. And Maggs has deteriorated to the point that DHing is the only option for he and his creaky knees. Too slow and doesn't throw that well.

As for the hitting, Maggs is way too easy an AB for pitchers. throw him an outside slider and tell the SS/3B to get ready. But the whole team is slumping. Look at the lineup:
Granderson: no power, no average since the break
Monroe: Suddenly average dropping, coming back to Earth. Occasional power.
Thames: slumping, little power. Young: starting to swing like a fool again, soon to be hitting .220
Maggs: no power, rally kill ABs are his trademark since the break
Guillen: solid hitting with good pop. Came up lame last night, Hammy? Could spell doom for the Tigers. Seriously could lead to Leyland lapse of reason starting Nefi "no-hit, no-run, no-field" Perez.
Casey: no speed, no power, driving in runs, should be hitting 5th.
Rest of the order offers AAA hitting.

I don't know how much longer the pitching can keep these guys on top. Especially when you consider how lost Big Game Bonderman has been for the last month or so.

[mcqfesijiba]

If I'm not mistaken, Erie's season is over, so I think we can expect Clevlen back soon. Still, I hope this team doesn't need to rely on him too much. He just can't replace what we were getting from Ordonez and Granderson in the first half when this team was more successful. I wouldn't mind, however, seeing the Granderson/Clevlen platoon come back. Granderson is absolutely terrible against LHP and I wouldn't mind seeing him sit out against LHP for the rest of the year.

And as much as I complain about Ordonez, we NEED him offensively. He has to step up. This lead in the AL Central does not feel comfortable at all right now. Hopefully Leyland hasn't run out of magic yet.

[moochman]

Leyland may be running out of magic, simply be pushing his luck too much. Not haveing Casey or someone bunt in the ninth last night was a mistake, and today he has Nefi bleeping Perez hitting second. I think he may have gone senile on us. Now two outs in the ninth and he is letting Nefi hit What is he smoking, bacause cigs don't make ya goofy. C'Mon Nefi make an a55 out of me.

slow ground out, never saw that coming

[mcqfesijiba]

Leyland may be running out of magic, simply be pushing his luck too much. Not haveing Casey or someone bunt in the ninth last night was a mistake, and today he has Nefi bleeping Perez hitting second. I think he may have gone senile on us. Now two outs in the ninth and he is letting Nefi hit What is he smoking, bacause cigs don't make ya goofy. C'Mon Nefi make an a55 out of me.

slow ground out, never saw that coming

Neifi is Leyland's boy. I have a feeling that Leyland played a role in the acquisition of Neifi.

[moochman]

Leyland may be running out of magic, simply be pushing his luck too much. Not haveing Casey or someone bunt in the ninth last night was a mistake, and today he has Nefi bleeping Perez hitting second. I think he may have gone senile on us. Now two outs in the ninth and he is letting Nefi hit What is he smoking, bacause cigs don't make ya goofy. C'Mon Nefi make an a55 out of me.

slow ground out, never saw that coming

Neifi is Leyland's boy. I have a feeling that Leyland played a role in the acquisition of Neifi.

There's no question, but that is where you need a strong GM to step in and slap a manager back into reality. At the very least DD should have told him that Nefi makes way too much money for the product. No I fear Leyland will get stubborn and play Nefi despite the evidence that Perez is no longer a major league level player.