As good as the Connecticut Tigers' bullpen was in 2014, it has been just as bad in 2015. None of the 2015 Tigers' late inning pitchers has stepped up to get the job done in 2015. The Tigers' best bullpen arms Nate Fury and Drew Smith were strangely not used very much in crucial late inning spots (Smith is now gone from the team) which makes an already weak bullpen that much worse.
Reliever Jake Shull blew his second crucial game in the past 2 weeks Monday night at Tri-City. The Tigers fought hard to rally and tie the game at 6-6 in the top of the 9th, only to have Shull toss the game away in short order in the bottom of the frame. The loss more or less puts any Tiger plans of a second straight post-season berth to rest (the Tigers now trail Stedler Division leaders Tri-City by 4.5 games.
The Tigers still have an faint chance at a wildcard berth (trailing State College by 3.5 games. However, with the Detroit brass gutting the Tigers' roster of it's best players on a seeming daily basis, that seems a pipe dream at best. One can certainly understand the team promoting players on a team that is out of contention but not on a team that is right in the middle of a post-season pennant race. One thing that you'll notice with Tri-City, is that they virtually have the same roster as they had in late June. One can only dream of where the Tigers would be if their roster hadn't been decimated by promotions.
Monday. August 24, 2015
at Joseph Bruno Stadium, Troy, NY
Connecticut Tigers (28-30) 6
at Tri-City Valley Cats (34-27) 7
WP-Tri-City: Zac Grotz (4-2, 4.50)
LP-TIGERS: Jake Shull (0-4, 4.32)
Home Runs: Tri-City: Kolbey Carpenter (2), Cesar Carrasco (3)
Attendance (3342)
Time (2:49)
TIGERS Record (28-30)
Third Place-Stedler Division (4.5 GB first place Tri-City, 1.0 GB second place Lowell)
Wild Card-Fourth Place (3.5 GB first place State College)
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