Miguel Cabrera blames loss of power on lack of lineup protection - MLB

Tigers DH Miguel Cabrera has an otherwise decent triple-slash line: .298/.363/.372. However, the lack of power is noticeable for the future Hall of Famer, who has hit just one of his 466 career home runs this season.

By many measures the Tigers have the worst offense in the American League. For example, the Tigers’ average of 3.47 runs per game is worst in the league, significantly behind the second-worst Indians at 3.81. Cabrera in fact, attributes his lack of power to his lack of lineup protection, Chris Nelsen reports for the Detroit Free Press. Cabrera said, “You know Prince Fielder? You know who’s hitting behind me right now? That’s a big difference, too.”

Cabrera added, “How am I going to hit 40 home runs. In the past, I got Prince Fielder, Víctor Martínez, Jhonny Peralta. I got a big bat behind me. You see the way guys pitch me? That explains everything.”

Niko Goodrum has most commonly batted cleanup behind Cabrera this season, doing so in 24 of 31 games. He hasn’t been bad, owning a .224/.336/.398 triple-slash line. No, not prime Prince Fielder or Víctor Martínez but also nothing to sneeze at. Goodrum’s .735 OPS is just a hair under the league average of .744.

Pitchers haven’t really altered how they pitch Cabrera, overall. According to FanGraphs, Cabrera is currently seeing a career-low percentage of fastballs at 53.3 percent. His career average is 58.4 percent and was as high as 59.6 percent in 2011. However, that’s in line with the overall league trend. Batters saw 58.7 percent fastballs in 2010 and are seeing 53 percent this year.

Furthermore, pitchers have actually pitched Cabrera outside the strike zone slightly more than he’s used to, but that’s also attributable to the overall league trend. Pitchers were in the strike zone 45.3 percent of the time throughout his career, but only 42.2 percent this season. The league-wide percentage was at 45.8 percent in 2010 and only 42.8 percent in 2019. Cabrera is also seeing a career-high percentage of first-pitch strikes (66.9%), and he’s swinging and missing at his second-highest rate in the last decade (10.8%).

I don’t buy that a lack of lineup protection is the reason Cabrera isn’t hitting for power. He hit just 16 home runs in 130 games in 2017, and three in 38 games last year, which is only slightly better than the one in 31 games he has this season. The easier explanation is that he’s 36 years old. He battled a hamstring injury last year and his body is starting to wear down, as it does for almost all players in their mid-30’s. His bat speed has slowed. Cabrera is one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game, but not even he can outrun Father Time.

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BOSTON – The last time Adley Rutschman recalls feeling this level of emotion on a baseball field was playing in front of intimate, 5,000-seat crowds in college at Oregon State.

He trumped that experience at Fenway Park on Thursday in his first career opening day start.

“This blows that out of the water,” Rutschman said.

Rutschman became the first catcher in major league history with five hits in an opener, and the Baltimore Orioles survived a wild ninth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 10-9.

“To have that close game in the ninth inning and the crowd get so loud. You kind of sit there and say, ‘This is pretty cool,’” said Rutschman, the top overall pick in the 2019 draft.

Rutschman – who debuted for the Orioles last May and quickly became indispensable to the young, resurgent club – homered in his first at-bat and finished 5-for-5 with a career-best four RBIs and a walk on a chilly day at Fenway Park, with a temperature of 38 degrees at first pitch.

Ramon Urias hit a two-run homer for Baltimore, which finished with 15 hits, nine walks and five stolen bases.

Kyle Gibson (1-0) allowed four runs and six hits over five-plus innings to earn his first opening-day victory since his 2021 All-Star season with Texas. Gibson gave up an RBI groundout in the first inning before retiring nine straight Red Sox hitters.

The Orioles nearly gave the game away in the ninth.

With Baltimore leading 10-7, closer Félix Bautista walked pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia. Alex Verdugo followed with a single and advanced to second on an error by center fielder Cedric Mullins.

Rafael Devers struck out. Justin Turner then reached on an infield single to third when Urias’ throw was wide, scoring Tapia. Masataka Yoshida grounded to shortstop Jorge Mateo, who stepped on second for the force but threw wildly to first, allowing Verdugo to score.

Bautista struck out Adam Duvall on three pitches to end it and earn the save.

The Orioles scored four runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead. Baltimore led 10-4 before Bryan Baker allowed three runs in the eighth to give the Red Sox some hope.

The eighth could have been even better for the Red Sox had Devers, who led off the inning, not become the first player in major league history to strike out on a pitch clock violation. Devers was looking down and kicking debris off his cleats when umpire Lance Barksdale signaled a violation that resulted in strike three.

“There’s no excuse,” said Alex Cora, who dropped to 0-5 in opening-day games as Boston’s manager. “They know the rules.”

Boston offseason addition and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (0-1) struggled in his Fenway debut, surrendering five runs on six hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.

“Less than ideal,” Kluber said. “Didn’t turn out the way I would have hoped for.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Christian Arroyo stayed in the game after taking an inadvertent cleat to the side of his head in the second inning. Arroyo was applying a tag to Rutschman at second base as he attempted to stretch out a single. Rutschman’s leg flipped over as he slid awkwardly. … LHP James Paxton was placed on the 15-day inured list (retroactive to March 27) with a strained right hamstring.

GOOD COMPANY

Rutschman, one of six Baltimore players making his first opening-day appearance, became the youngest Oriole to homer in his first opening-day at-bat since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1984.

BIG BAGS

The Orioles took advantage of MLB’s bigger bases – going from 15- to 18-inch squares – that are being used for the first time this season. Baltimore hadn’t stolen five bases in a game since last June 24 against the White Sox. Mullins and Jorge Mateo swiped two bags apiece, and Adam Frazier got a huge jump on his steal against reliever Ryan Brasier. There was nothing Boston catcher Reese McGuire could do to stop them and on the majority of Baltimore’s steals, he didn’t bother to throw.

FINAL SPOTS

Right-hander Kaleb Ort and Tapia earned Boston’s final two roster spots to open the season. Tapia got the nod over Jarren Duran, who was sent down to Triple-A Worcester. Ort pitched a scoreless sixth with one strikeout Thursday.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer will make is sixth career start against Boston when the three-game series resumes on Saturday. In 11 road starts last season, he went 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA.

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale, who has pitched in only 11 games over the past three years due to injuries, is set to begin his seventh season in Boston.