Joey's World Tour: Motor City Beartran

Metsies and tigers and bears, oh my!  (Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus)

What's shaking, everyone?  This is your friendly neighborhood Studious Metsimus roving reporter and culinary expert, Joey Beartran.  In this installment of my world baseball tour, I'm going to talk about Comerica Park and the city of Detroit.  Here's my tip to you.

Don't go to Detroit.  Like, ever.

Seriously, if you want to visit the city and the surrounding areas that gave us Motown, Axel Foley and the dude who starred in "Magnum P.I.", just play some Stevie Wonder records while you watch "Beverly Hills Cop".  There's a reason why Tom Selleck took himself and his Detroit Tigers cap to Hawaii.  It's because he didn't want to be in Detroit.  He was the smart one.  I wasn't.

You see, every year I like to visit an American League park since the Mets don't visit too many of them over the course of a season.  I had already been to eight of the 15 A.L. stadiums prior to this year and needed to cross Comerica Park off my list.  So I hopped on a plane and embarked on my journey.  The flight was short, just a few minutes over an hour.  Alas, I wish my stay in the Motor City had been as short.

After the 20+ mile cab ride from the airport to downtown Detroit (the airport is in a city called Romulus - it's not actually in Detroit), I was a little hungry, so I decided to feast on a coney.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a hot dog with chili, shredded cheese and onions.  Well, at least that's what it's supposed to be, as I had several of these delicacies last year in Cincinnati, the coney capital of the country.  In Detroit, the hot dog just had a glop of chili, a few pieces of onions, no cheese and a generous helping of mustard.  Just like Indiana Jones hates snakes, I hate mustard.  And that should have been a warning to me that Detroit was not going be my favorite world tour destination.

The Cincinnati coney (left) is a work of art.  The Detroit version?  It's a work of fart.  (EL/SM)

I attended two games at Comerica Park with my crew.  The first game featured a classic pitching matchup, as Noah Syndergaard faced Justin Verlander.  The second game was whatever the opposite of "classic pitching matchup" is, as Logan Verrett squared off against southpaw Matt Boyd.  Both games featured what's become a sad routine for the Mets, as they dropped a pair of one-run decisions to the Tigers.  The first game saw the Mets score a meaningless run in the ninth, while the second contest had a very meaningful run cut down at the plate in the final frame.

Second verse, same as the first.

At least I was able to walk around the park during the games to keep me from viewing the carnage.  And I saw some interesting features at Comerica Park that I hadn't seen at other ballparks.

Since the builders of the ballpark knew that no one really wanted to be in Detroit, they constructed a Ferris Wheel and a carousel inside the stadium.  The Ferris Wheel has a dozen baseball-shaped cars while the carousel has a streak of tigers to ride.  (See, you learned something today.  I'll bet you didn't know that a group of tigers was called a streak.)  I didn't get on either ride because I was too busy wondering why SNY roving reporter Steve Gelbs passed me by without saying hello.

O where, o where has Steve Gelbs gone?  O where, o where can he be?  (EL/SM)

But all was not lost, as my Studious Metsimus colleague sent Steve a tweet the following day and got an honest response (see below).

As a roving reporter myself, I should have known that Steve would be busy.  Plus, he had his mind on other things, like riding the tiger carousel while feasting on ice cream.  Looks like I'm not the only roving reporter/culinary expert around.

@Studi_Metsimus next time you're at Citi, let me know. Tell Joey I didn't see him and I hope he can forgive me.

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) August 7, 2016

I forgive you, Steve.  Just keep doing what you do best, even if it doesn't involve a carousel or Ferris Wheel.

In case you were wondering, it was fairly easy for Steve to get ice cream near the carousel, as the ride is located in the center of an area called the Big Cat Court.

The food court with the Big name features everything from Greek fare to Mexican street tacos to something called elephant ears.  No, seriously.  They have elephant ears.  And apparently, they're edible.

Dogs and elephants?  I think I'll stick to gyros and tacos, or maybe some of Steve Gelbs' ice cream.  (EL/SM)

It's clear that Tigers fans really love their food.  Perhaps the only thing they love more is their tigers.  No, not "Tigers" with a capital "T", but lower-case tigers, as in the ones that adorn the outside of Comerica Park.

There are tiger statues, tiger tiles, tiger gargoyle thingies.  If there is an open space on the outside of the stadium, there is probably a tiger on it.  Here, see for yourself.

You don't look so big to me!  You're all roar and no bite!  (EL/SM)

Finally, Comerica Park has statues.  Lots and lots of statues.  There are also kiosk-like areas with displays devoted to various decades of Detroit Tigers baseball.

My photographer gravitated towards the 1980s and 1990s displays since that was the era of baseball he grew up with.  While he was doing that, I checked out the statues behind the center field wall, featuring players such as Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline and Willie Horton.  There is also a statue dedicated to the late broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who called Tigers games for over four decades until his retirement following the 2002 campaign, or one year before Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy hung up his microphone.

All photos of inanimate objects by Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus

So let's recap what happened during my 48-hour jaunt to Detroit.  My cab ride from the airport to downtown Detroit took longer than my flight from New York to the D.  My coney was a faux coney.  Steve Gelbs didn't notice a fellow roving reporter/culinary expert because he was having too much fun on the job.  I saw tigers (and elephant ears) in my sleep as well as on the stadium.  And of course, the Mets lost both games I attended by the smallest of margins.

Some things I didn't already tell you that added to my misery included my photographer getting attacked by his bed in our hotel room (there was a jagged edge that wasn't visible that he backed into, causing his leg to bleed as if it were Matt Harvey's nose).  For a city known as the Motor City, there was road construction and detours everywhere, pretty much preventing people from motoring around.  And most importantly, there were no convenience stores anywhere, which presented quite an inconvenience for post-game snack seekers such as myself.

Thomas Magnum was right when he left Detroit to become a private investigator in Hawaii.  And I would have been right had I gone to another American League park instead of one that required me to stay in Detroit.  But at least Comerica Park is off my list of ballparks that I needed to visit as part of my world tour.  And I'm so glad I never have to go there again.

Until next time, when I visit a stadium in a city that won't be Detroit, this is Joey Beartran wishing you a pleasant evening and wishing the Mets can finally produce a winning streak longer than one game.  This month-long slump they're in is almost as bad as going to the Motor City.  Almost.

See you soon!

My sister, Iggy, and I are glad we don't have to go back to Detroit, even if the tiger behind us has other ideas.  (EL/SM)

For previous installments of Joey's World Tour, please click on the links below, where you will be entertained by Joey's wit, photos and love of ballpark cuisine:

World Tour Stop #1: Baltimore
World Tour Stop #2: Washington, DC
World Tour Stop #3: Pittsburgh
World Tour Stop #4: Texas
World Tour Stop #5: Los Angeles
World Tour Stop #6: San Diego
World Tour Stop #7: Toronto
World Tour Stop #8: Chicago (NL)
World Tour Stop #9: Milwaukee
World Tour Stop #10: Seattle
World Tour Stop #11: Cleveland
World Tour Stop #12: Brooklyn (Ebbets Field site) and Manhattan (Polo Grounds site)
World Tour Stop #13: Baltimore (again) and Pittsburgh (part deux)
World Tour Stop #14: Cincinnati
World Tour Stop #15: Colorado
World Tour Stop #16: Cooperstown (Baseball Hall of Fame)

 

Joey's Soapbox: My 2014 Not-So-Biased Division Series Picks

Hey, everyone!  This is Joey Beartran and I'm already exhausted after watching the two wild card games.  First, the Royals won a four-hour, 45 minute marathon on Tuesday that was a thrill a minute.  Then the Giants and Bucs played a snoozefest in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.  But don't worry.  I'm not ready to hibernate just yet.  I still have some prognosticating to do.

Today, it's time for my division series picks.  And we've got four intriguing matchups to dissect.  And speaking of dissecting, has anyone seen my plastic knife?  I need it to cut two slices of cake for myself.  One slice is to celebrate the Royals' victory (which I correctly predicted) and the other is to console myself after making a boo boo with my pick of the Pirates over the Giants.  Oops!  Now, it's on to the division series picks!


American League Division Series


Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles

The Tigers have been regulars in the postseason, winning their fourth consecutive AL Central title in 2014.  Meanwhile, the Orioles won their first division crown since 1997 and are making just their second postseason appearance since that last AL East championship.

Detroit's Achilles heel over the past three playoff runs has been its bullpen, and this year it's been no different.  The Tigers' relief corps posted a 4.29 ERA and 1.48 WHIP during the 2014 season.  Both numbers ranked near the bottom of the league.

As bad as their bullpen has been since 2011, their starting pitchers have been the exact opposite.   Going into the postseason, the Tigers boast the last three American League Cy Young Award winners in Justin Verlander, David Price and Max Scherzer.  Scherzer was outstanding once again in 2014 (18-5, 3.15 ERA, 252 Ks), but Verlander was unimpressive (15-12, 4.54 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), striking out just 159 batters after five consecutive seasons with 200+ strikeouts.  And Price was a .500 pitcher for Detroit with an ERA nearly half a run higher than his career mark with Tampa Bay.  Why is this so important?

Because Baltimore has bats.  Lots and lots of bats.

The Orioles led the major leagues with 211 home runs, which was 25 more than their nearest competitor in that category.  Seven players reached double digits in homers, and four of them made it to 20 dingers.  One of those players (Nelson Cruz) was the only player in baseball to reach 40 long balls.  Simply stated, Baltimore can rake.  A lot.  And when they're facing a team with a subpar bullpen and underachieving starting pitchers, things could get ugly faster than you can say Willie McGee.

All that playoff experience for the Tigers and still no championships since 1984.  The drought will continue into next year.

Prediction:  Orioles in 4.


Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Picking this series is a toss-up.  The Royals and Angels split their six games against each other, with each team winning two of three in its home park.

The Angels have announced their rotation for the series, using Jered Weaver (who did not face the Royals in 2014) in Games 1 and 4.  Although Weaver led the league with 18 victories, he posted a 3.59 ERA - his highest since 2009.  Assuming the series doesn't end in a sweep, Weaver's start in Game 4 will come on three days rest.  Short rest does not agree with Weaver, who has a 6.75 lifetime ERA when he pitches on fewer than his normal four days rest.

Matt Shoemaker would also get two starts in the series (Games 2 and 5), which on paper looks divine for the Angels, as Shoemaker went 16-4 this season, including a 14-3 mark as a starting pitcher.  There's just one problem.  One of his three losses as a starter came to the Royals.  His other start against Kansas City did not result in a decision, but ended in another loss for the Angels.  In fact, in his two starts versus the Royals, Shoemaker combined to pitch nine innings, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) and 21 base runners (19 hits, two walks).  For all you kids out there, that's a 10.00 ERA and 2.33 WHIP.  How bad is that?  It's worse than what former Royal Jose Lima put up for the 2006 Mets (9.87 ERA, 2.02 WHIP).  And Shoemaker would face the Royals twice, including a do-or-die fifth game.

Kansas City will be going with Jason Vargas in Game 1, followed by Yordano Ventura and James Shields.  Manager Ned Yost will decide who his starters for Games 4 and 5 will be if the Royals make it that far.  The threesome combined to go 39-28 and pitched a total of 597 innings between them.  That bodes well for the Royals, who could use long outings from their three starters to take them to their three-headed relief monster of Wade Davis (9-2, 1.00 ERA), Kelvin Herrera (4-3, 1.41 ERA) and Greg Holland (46 saves, 1.44 ERA).

The Angels will have to score early and often against the Royals to prove that their 98-win season wasn't a fluke.  But even if they do, their starting pitchers are going to have to pitch well, and with Weaver allowing more runs in 2014 than he had in five years and Shoemaker sucking more than a starving vampire against the Royals, it could be hell for the Angels in this series.

Prediction:  Royals in 5.


National League Division Series


St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (not of Anaheim)

Last year, these two teams faced each other in the NLCS, with the Cardinals prevailing.  It was the 25th consecutive season without a pennant for the Dodgers - the longest such streak in franchise history.  The victory over Los Angeles allowed St. Louis to advance to its fourth World Series in ten seasons.

But this year's playoff rematch boils down to one man.  And that man is Clayton Edward Kershaw.

Kershaw made just 27 starts this season, but still managed to go 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts.  In doing so, Kershaw became the first pitcher in major league history to win as many as 21 games in as few as 27 appearances.  The only thing Kershaw failed to do in 2014 was get Major League Baseball to change the name of the award for the league's best pitcher to the Clayton Kershaw Award.  To summarize Kershaw's performance this year, he was i-ight.

But the soon-to-be three-time Cy Young Award winner will only get a chance to win two games in the best-of-five series.  If the Dodgers are to advance to the NLCS, they'll need someone to win that third game.  Will it be Zack Greinke, whose 17 wins, 2.71 ERA and 207 strikeouts would have led most teams, but not the Los Angeles Kershaws?  What about Hyun-jin Ryu, who made just 26 starts, but still managed to win 14 of them?

The answer is none of the above.  The third game will be won by Dee Gordon's legs (MLB-leading 64 steals), Adrian Gonzalez's bat (41 doubles, 27 HR, MLB-leading 116 RBI) and Yasiel Puig's pieces of flair.  And if you've ever watched Office Space, you know how important those extra pieces of flair can be.

Prediction:  Dodgers in 3.


San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals

The Giants came up huge against the Pittsburgh Pirates behind the arm of Madison Bumgarner and one big swing by shortstop Brandon Crawford.  Although Bumgarner won't be available to pitch against Washington until Game 3, his fellow moundsmen are more than capable of pulling out at least one win in Washington before his turn in the rotation comes up.

Jake Peavy will be key for the Giants.  After an awful first half with the Red Sox (1-9, 4.72 ERA, 1.43 WHIP), Peavy was dominant as a Giant, going 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.  In his last ten starts of the season, Peavy was Kershaw-esque, posting a 1.64 ERA and allowing a .288 on-base percentage.  Because Bumgarner will only get one start in the division series, that means Peavy will get two.  And the second of those two starts could be the one that sends the Giants into the league championship series.

Also key for the Giants will be Hunter Pence (.333 batting average in seven games vs. Washington), rookie Joe Panik (.417 average, 1.128 OPS in a late-season series against the Nats) and Pablo Sandoval, who kung fu'd Washington pitchers to the tune of a .455 average in seven games.  Those three players - along with the always dependable Buster Posey - will need to continue to feast on the likes of Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg to give the Giants a fighting chance.

Speaking of Strasburg, this will be his first time in the postseason spotlight, as he had been shut down by the organization prior to the Nats' brief visit to the playoffs in 2012.  Prior to 2014, Strasburg had never pitched more than 183 innings in a single season.  This year, he has logged 215 innings, with more to come against the Giants in the division series.  How will his arm hold up against the playoff-tested Giants?

Washington may have finished with the best record in the league for the second time in three seasons, but that may not be enough to get them to the National League Championship Series for the first time since moving to our nation's capital.  As the saying goes, Washington is first in war, first in peace, and really crappy when it comes to winning the division series.  Or at least that's how I think it goes.

Prediction:  Giants in 4.

Mets Make Low-Hit History ... Again!

"Hey, kid!  Can you hit?  We can use you in the lineup!"  (Photo by Anthony Causi via ABC News)

Let's face it.  The 2014 Mets would have trouble hitting water if they fell out of a sinking ship.  But as bad as they've been with their bats this season, they've become historically bad over the last five games.

Beginning with Thursday night's game against the Nationals, the Mets have collected just 19 hits in their last five games.  They've failed to amass more than four hits in any of those games, banging out three hits in the series finale versus Washington, followed by four hits in each of their four games against Chicago.

It's only the seventh time in history (since 1914) that a team has played five consecutive games in the same season without collecting more than four hits in any of them.  See the chart below and pay close attention to how many times you see "NYM" in the first column.

Team	Strk Start	End	Games	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	BA	Opp
NYM	2014-08-14	2014-08-18	5	142	13	19	3	0	2	.134	WSN,CHC
NYM	2004-09-03	2004-09-08	5	141	4	17	4	0	3	.121	PHI,FLA
DET	2003-03-31	2003-04-05	5	147	4	16	2	0	2	.109	MIN,CHW
CIN	1993-08-10	1993-08-15	5	138	3	14	2	0	2	.101	SFG,ATL
OAK	1980-06-25	1980-06-30	5	150	7	20	2	0	2	.133	MIL,CHW
NYM	1963-09-12	1963-09-15	5	150	4	17	1	0	1	.113	SFG,HOU
BOS	1946-05-11	1946-05-16	5	147	8	15	3	0	2	.102	NYY,CHW,SLB

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/18/2014.


The Mets are responsible for three of the seven times in big league history that a team has played five straight games with four or fewer hits.  The 1963 squad was the only one to accomplish the feat between 1946 and 1980, while the 2004 club was the last one to do it before this year's team joined them.

The 2003 Tigers actually carried over their low-hit frustrations from the previous year, as Detroit's 2002 club closed out the season with a two-hit game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  The 2003 squad then failed to collect more than four hits in each of their first five games of the season.  Their six-game streak has never been matched in baseball history.  However, it stretched out over two seasons.  The 2014 Mets (as well as the '63 Mets and the '04 Mets) kept it all within the confines of one campaign.

It doesn't get any better over the next three games, as the Mets face Scott Kazmir (.226 batting average against him in 2014), Jeff Samardzija (.238) and Clayton Kershaw (.198) in succession.

Will the Mets collect five or more hits against Kazmir tomorrow?  Or will they become the first team in history to be held to four or fewer hits in six straight contests in the same season?  The hitters will have plenty to say about that tomorrow.  Assuming they show up.