When the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder, everyone knew that this catastrophically changed their lineup. They not only gave Miguel Cabrera lineup protection, but paired him one of the best power hitters in baseball. Teams are going to be stressing about how to get through these two monsters all season. One player that clearly hasn't figured out how yet is Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett.
Beckett was on the mound for the Red Sox against the Tigers. Cabrera greeted him with a 426 foot, two run bomb. Fielder showed he could hit home runs too when he hit his first of the season in the 4th inning. In the 5th inning, Cabrera and Fielder decided to light up Beckett again with back-to-back solo shots. Also, in case you were wondering, catcher Alex Avila blasted another two-run bomb in the 4th. Beckett left after just 4 and 2/3 innings, having given up seven earned runs on five home runs.
As an opposing team, that kind of power threat is scary. You can't really intentionally walk both of them, without getting burned somehow. I guess you just have to try and limit the damage the best you can. For the Tigers, this is the kind of breakout performance they expected from their stars to begin the season. Having both Cabrera and Fielder at the heart of their lineup, makes the Tigers' offense very formidable. It is going to be a challenge for any pitchers who dare to try and tame these wild Tigers who are hungry for power.
No comments:
Post a Comment