Joyce continues to surprise with power
detnews.com
By Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 -- KANSAS CITY -- Miguel Cabrera, yes, he was expected to have the usual 5-for-6 game -- something along the lines of Monday night's fest at Kauffman Stadium when he had two doubles and three singles, good for six RBIs in Detroit's 19-4 romp over Kansas City.
Matt Joyce, no, he was not exactly part of the Tigers' lusty offensive projections for 2008.
The Tigers outfielder has crashed the party, anyway. He hit his 10th home run of the season Monday, a massive three-run blast over the left-center field fence that was the big hit in Detroit's five-run third inning.
He added an RBI triple and two singles as part of a five-RBI outburst that, combined with Cabrera, accounted for 11 of Detroit's 19 runs.
"Sweet swing," Tigers third baseman Carlos Guillen said of Joyce, who bumped his batting average to .294 and his RBI total to 24.
"He's got a beautiful swing and power to all fields," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who started Joyce in place of a weary Magglio Ordonez against right-hand starter Luke Hochevar.
Joyce's 398-foot bomb to left-center in the third came, tellingly, on a change-up, precisely the pitch the Tigers wanted Joyce to command when he returned to Triple-A Toledo for a June tune-up.
"I stayed through it pretty well," Joyce said of his home run, which preceded a triple into the right-field corner, and a pair of sharp singles. I didn't try to pull it or do too much."
Of his opposite-field homer, which cleared one of the bigger left-center field power alleys in the big leagues, Joyce said: "I was actually surprised it went out."
Cabrera's batting average soared to .290 with his five-hit fusillade Monday. He has 67 RBIs to lead the team and is moving closer to the kind of production for which he was known during his first four big seasons at Florida.
"I feel more comfortable," Cabrera said.
Leyland feels more comfortable, as well. But he knew all along what Cabrera would do for Detroit's lineup.
"He's a professional hitter," Leyland said. "I don't know Cabrera that well, but when he has that concentration, he's locked in, and he's gonna hit. It just seems he loses that from time to time. When he has that concentration, he's really good."
Miner a solid No. 5? The Tigers are fighting to hold together a starting rotation that saw Jeremy Bonderman depart due to circulatory surgery and Dontrelle Willis leave for Lakeland, Fla., to retool his mechanics and find the strike zone.
It means that a steady, effective Zach Miner could become the starting rotation's latest savior. If his six-inning, three-hit, scoreless effort against the Royals is any omen, the Tigers could get from Miner the same boost they've gotten from their biggest pitching surprise of 2008, Armando Galarraga.
"He looked like a starting pitcher tonight," Leyland said of Miner, who is not exactly new to the business of starting. He won six consecutive games at one point in 2006 after he replaced an injured Mike Maroth in Detroit's rotation.
"He pretty much threw the ball over the plate. He had good sink on his pitches, and he had a good change-up."
Miner conceded he can gear down when he starts, which helps his control and also assists in putting a bit more descent on his trademark two-seam sinker.
And, just so there's no confusion, Miner hopes Monday was the first of many more starts.
"I love doing it," he said. "I'm very grateful for them giving me the opportunity."
Booms and bombs...The Tigers' 3-4-5 hitters -- Carlos Guillen, Miguel Cabrera, and Matt Joyce -- combined for 10 runs, 12 hits, and 14 RBIs. Leadoff man Curtis Granderson had three hits and scored four runs.
...Gary Sheffield, who slammed his seventh home run of the season, now has 487 career homers. His three RBIs Monday moved him past Royals third baseman and Hall of Famer George Brett on the all-time RBI list with 1,559. Sheffield is tied with Nap Lajoie for 29th place.
...The Tigers beat Minnesota, 19-3, on May 24 and clobbered Texas, 19-6, on April 23. They are the first team to score 19 or more runs three times in a season since the Boston Red Sox did it four times in 1950, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. |
