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Tribe: they did indeed go 3-2, 2-2 a bunch of times on JV.
I attribute that not to a lack of control (JV struggled a little, but not that much), but to Terry Francona's philosophy of hitting.
If you'll remember, when he skippered the Red Sox, they were known for being patient at the plate and grinding out at-bats. Same situation here. Everyone knows the bullpen is the Tigers' weakest link, so it makes sense to just wear down the starter as early as possible.
I suspect we'll see a lot of that during the season.
If the Tribe had somewhat better pitching and one or two more dominant hitters, they would be a true contender. Not a bad team, all-in-all. I particularly like the way Kipnis and Gomes are turning out, especially Gomes. He seems very quick on his feet, has an accurate cannon for an arm, and can call a solid game. Offense isn't bad, either.
He's definitely better than Avila.
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