Fans See A Different Porcello
By: Matt Dery
1. Give credit to Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones. He saw a flaw in Rick Porcello's delivery recently and helped the young right-hander change it and Porcello cashed in last night. No it wasn't the clubhouse DJ that earned Detroit the win, it was the fact that Porcello put up a goosegg in the top of the first inning. That has been Rick's issue over the last few starts. Kid looked good.
2. Pitching is what wins. And for the Tigers, the experts can talk all day about the offense, but if Porcello and Scherzer aren't effective, the team will not accomplish its goals. Period. End of story.
3. Another example of this is in Cleveland where Ubaldo Jimenez is a complete mess. That team is playing decent ball out of the gate, but the right-hander cannot get anybody out and is constantly behind in the count. Jimenez was supposed to be a stud pickup for the Indians nearly a year ago and instead he is a train wreck. Pitching is the difference in the AL Central. Just ask the Royals and Twins.
4. I read where Dmitri Young is saying that he himself is to blame for his brother Delmon's latest episode. While I commend Dmitri for being honest and looking in the mirror, I would hope that the younger Young does the same. His brother taking the blame is a bit of a copout. Delmon is an adult.
5. It may be time to retire from Brandon Inge talk. I included in my sportscasts yesterday that the A's were hitting him second in the lineup against Boston. He went 0-5. He is now hitting .107. Should I move on? Is Brandon still a newsworthy item here?
