By Jeff Moss
DetroitSportsRag@GMail.com
August 4, 2016
In the top half of the second inning of today’s Tigers/White Sox game, Brad Ausmus and trainer Kevin Rand hopped out of the home team’s dugout on the third base side of the field to check on starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.
Surely, the decision was going to be made to pull the man who signed a five-year, $110-million contract this past offseason — if only to protect the team’s expensive asset.
Something was clearly wrong with Zimmermann from jump street on Thursday, as he led off the game by hitting Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson. Zimmermann’s velocity was down dramatically and the former Nationals ace had zero control of any of his pitches.
With runners on first and second and nobody out and facing a 2-1 deficit, it was an absolute no-brainer to pull the ripcord on this start for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that the Tigers had just the evening prior crawled back within two games of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians.
With more relievers available in the bullpen than members of a Wu-Tang Clan/Slipknot joint concert tour, anyone with an IQ over 75 could have made the easy decision to get Zimmermann the hell off that mound.
And while fans — watching at home or in the stands — knew something HAD to be wrong with Zimmermann at that point, the knowledge that Ausmus and Rand were privy to make it absolutely criminal that Zimmermann was allowed to stay in the game and give up those SIX runs in 1 2/3 innings.
I had figured the team had just rushed the guy back from his rehab stint after missing over five weeks of major league action. Zimmermann didn’t sound overly confident about his return to Detroit in the days leading up to this start — only stating that he felt healthy but was worried about his control issues that he hadn’t fixed during his two rehab starts.
But what we didn’t know, what nobody could have known™ (Ace Rothstein in “Casino”) is that Zimmermann was experiencing issues with lat tightness. Like, Ausmus knew this early on and STILL didn’t pull the struggling starter when the game was still winnable.
In the middle of a pennant race, Ausmus allowed the team’s $110-million investment to labor even after being told the dude had a lat issue. A problem that is troubling enough to warrant an MRI!!!!
Here were Ausmus’ comments about Zimmermann after his team lost 6-3 to the White Sox to fall three games back of the Tribe:
“He couldn’t get extended, so not getting extended would explain the velocity being down a mile an hour or two …. The hope is that it would loosen up as he threw but that wasn’t the case.”
WHAT??!!?!?! But wait, it gets worse. Read what Zimmermann’s battery mate Jarrod Saltalamacchia had to say about Zimmermann’s bullpen session and game performance …..
“In the bullpen everything was kind of going up and in to righties, up and away to lefties so that obviously is from not being able to reach out and extend out there and get on top of the ball.”
So what in the world was Ausmus’ rationale for leaving Zimm out there to give up those six runs when he clearly looked like a pissed-on version of Anibal Sanchez this afternoon? You aren’t going to believe it.
“But it was a completely different area so that’s why we gave him a little bit of leeway.”
Yep, because this problem wasn’t in Zimmermann’s neck — the issue that led to his prolonged DL stint — Ausmus thought it would be fine to play Russian Roulette with a LAT injury!!!
Even though lat injuries are known to lead to overcompensation in other areas (like maybe causing neck injuries!!) You might even remember former Tigers starter Doug Fister having issues with lat strains in the past. They can be a lingering pain in the ass.
So, let’s recap for a moment.
- This was Zimmermann’s first game back in the big leagues after being on the DL.
- This start occurred in the heat of a contested divisional race.
- It was known prior to the game that Zimmermann might be rushing back before he was physically ready.
- The starter in question’s catcher knew he wasn’t right during his pregame bullpen session.
- After he got out of the first inning with only one run allowed, Zimmermann told Rand and Ausmus that he was dealing with a lat issue.
- Anyone could see that Zimmermann had a severe decrease in velocity and control problems.
- The Tigers had plenty of bullpen arms ready to go in case of an emergency.
So can SOMEONE please explain to me what the FUCK Ausmus and Rand discussed when they visited the mound to check on their starter? Did they ask him if he had seen the new “Star Trek” film?!?!?!?!?!
And this isn’t hindsight, folks. This is what I Tweeted in real time ….
PLEASE GET SOMEONE UP IN THE BULLPEN. Zimmermann looks like a POOR MAN’S Anibal Sanchez.
— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) August 4, 2016
Yep. Just keep him in there dummy!!!!!!!!
— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) August 4, 2016
You fucking moron.
— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) August 4, 2016
Ray Charles could have seen Zimmermann had no business being back in MLB after 1st inning. And he has been DEAD since 2004!!!!
— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) August 4, 2016
Keep in mind, those Tweets came without the benefit of knowing about the lat problem that would eventually lead Zimmermann directly from the Comerica Park showers to a claustrophobia machine.
And hilariously enough, once the relievers started marching in with one out in the second inning, the White Sox GARBAGE offense was shut down. Because the Sox have the second worst offense in the AL even though they play in that South Side bandbox. That is almost impossible to achieve.
So, yes, even Kyle Ryan and Mark Lowe were able to shut the Pale Hose down. Hell, pretty much ANYONE with a functioning appendage can do so, which is why it was pretty easy to figure out early onthat something was clearly amiss with Zimmermann.
No.
Urgency.
Ever.
And speaking of that meme, the Tigers didn’t scratch back into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Down 6-2 with two runners on and one out, Ausmus inexplicably let Andrew Romine and his .222/.315/.321 slash line bat.
Well, Victor Martinez must not have been available to pinch-hit, Joff Mess. Right?
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!
And RZA, Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard thought the definition of torture was having your asshole shut while someone shoves food down your pie hole?
I guess they never witnessed their baseball team managed by an Ivy League imbecile 162 days a year.
That’s real torture, GZA.
(You can follow the writer of this piece on Twitter @JeffMossDSR. Also, you can join in on the discussion of this article on Facebook by clicking here.)
