The Marcus Thames Show: A Look at the Resurgence of the Detroit Tigers and the Importance of the Longgggggggg Ball
yup he’s been doing alot of that lately 
A few points to start off:
-I know, that was a long title, but it all had to be there
-Marcus Thames stats for the past 4 games (5 for 10, 5 HR’s) (including tonight’s game as of the 4th inning)
-The Tigers are undefeated when Marcus hits a home run.
With that being said, I would first like to say the obvious. This man can no longer be an every once in awhile player. He needs to be in the lineup as much as Granderson, Polanco, Cabrera… you get the point. Why? He’s a decent fielder (very average, but decent), and he’s got an amazing knack for the longball.
I feel as though the longball has been one of the little talked about things lacking with this team. It just has not been there consistently. Thankfully Cabrera and Maggs have been getting hot. Not to even mention Marcus. The simple fact of the matter is that Homeruns not only energize a team, but also tends to be contagious to other hitters.
Another thing to consider is that Home-runs, can rattle pitchers, change how pitches are called, and obviously can change the way the hitter approaches the plate.
For these reasons the Tigers need to be following Thames lead and knocking the cover off the ball. Obviously it is easy for me to say this, but execution is another thing entirely. Cabrera needs to hit his 40 hr’s, Ordonez needs his 35, and Marcus needs to stay in this lineup for the Tigs to have any chance at making the playoffs and continuing their success of late.
Speaking of their success, I thought I’d make a few points:
-The PITCHING is winning these games, absolutely amazing pitching. I’ll be the first to admit that I thought that Kenny had nothing left in the tank, but then he goes and only gives up 3 ER in his last 4 starts! That’s just sick pitching right there. Absolutely filthy (in the words of Rod Allen).
-The Tigers still have to cut down on errors, which is frustrating because they look so perfect in the field one day, then the next put up 3 errors. ugh
-Did I mention that Slick needs to stay in the lineup?
-I want to see the Tigs go 11-4 overall on this trip. I like bigger game windows to truly evaluate if this team is turning it around. They are 6-0 so far, if they go 5-4 over the next 9 I may start to change my mind about the chances for this team making the playoffs.
I’ll end this on an uplifting video since the Tigs have been putting me in a good mood lately
