arned."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Tigers AnalysisDetroit Tigers Prospect NotebookDetroit Tigers Game ThreadsDetroit Tigers NewsDetroit Tigers PodcastsDetroit Tigers Analysis5 quick takeaways from the Tigers’ Opening Day victoryNew http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey ,33commentsThe Tigers won a game! Let’s see what we learned.EDTShareTweetShareShare5 quick takeaways from the Tigers’ Opening Day victoryDan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsThe Detroit Tigers played on Opening Day for the first time in four years, which was victory enough for some fans. That they also took home a 2-0 extra innings victory over the Toronto Blue Jays was icing on the cake.There isn’t a lot we can take away from a single baseball game, but that’s all the sample we have for the 2019 edition of the Tigers. So let’s get a little crazy! Here are a few things we saw from the Tigers on Opening Day.Christin Stewart looks like a legit big league hitterThis is easy to say after Stewart launched a game-winning home run to open the season, but I thought that Stewart had a few nice at-bats in the game despite only finishing 1-for-4. He saw 18 pitches, tied for third on the team, and worked a pair of deep counts against Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman. There were a couple of “welcome to the big leagues” moments when Stroman fanned him twice on sharp breaking balls, but one might argue that those are two of the best sliders Stewart has ever seen as a professional hitter.Then, there’s the home run.Stewart turns on a slider that stayed up in the zone and launches it 419 feet to give the Tigers the lead. For a young player that was hunting fastballs when Stroman was on the mound, making this mid-game adjustment to punish a mistake breaking ball is impressive.Jordan Zimmermann was very sharp, especially with the sliderZimmermann used to be a fastball-heavy pitcher, throwing it as often as 69 percent of the time in his days with the Washington Nationals. But on Thursday, he led with his slider, throwing it more often (29) than his four-seam fastball (25). He also mixed in 15 curveballs for good measure, giving him a scant 35.7 percent fastball usage rate.Considering how well he was locating the slider Dellin Betances Jersey , I don’t blame him.Baseball SavantThere is a lot of white space in the middle of that strike zone, which is a good sign for Zimmermann. There were a couple of mistakes — one of those fastballs in the middle of the zone was tagged at 100.6 miles per hour by Danny Jansen — but Zimmermann will do very well if he has more days like this.Miguel Cabrera isn’t quite his old self yetIt’s only one game, but Cabrera had a couple of relatively weak at-bats against Marcus Stroman. The inning-ending double play in the first inning wasn’t great, but the first pitch groundout with two runners on base in the sixth was also a killer. Cabrera looked great this spring, and has generally been effective when healthy over the past two years, but this opener was a game to forget.Niko Goodrum could be in for a big yearWe have to grasp at straws a bit after one game — especially one as pitching-dominated as Thursday’s opener — but Goodrum’s 1-for-3 effort was a solid day. He was one of two Tigers to reach base twice (Nicholas Castellanos was the other) and he saw more pitches than any other Tigers hitter. One of his outs was rather loud too, a deep fly out to center on a 3-1 count that might have gone differently on another day. I was originally hoping to see Stewart move ahead of Goodrum in the lineup against right-handed hitters, but if he has more days like this, I may be changing my tune.The bullpen worked just as plannedSome fans disagreed with the decision to take Zimmermann out after just 70 pitches, but I was excited to see how the bullpen would handle the high leverage situations.And? They passed with flying colors. All three Tigers relievers were sharp in this game, and combined to allow just one hit and one walk in three innings. Shane Greene was particularly impressive, working a no-drama 1-2-3 inning to close out the win. Greene could, if nothing else, be an important trade chip for the Tigers this summer if he has a strong first half. He was a lights out reliever when he first converted to the bullpen in 2017 Matt Holliday Jersey , and a return to that form could be a huge get for the Tigers this year.What were your takeaways from Game 1? The Orioles are now 7-12, which isn’t great. It’s still better than last year’s 7-20."Hello, friends.If there’s one thing that can be said about the current Orioles series against the Rays, it’s that this is probably about what was expected from the 2019 O’s. They’re not as good as a good team, and it shows in these games. It’s not awful. They’re not embarrassing defeats that make me want to wring my hands and think the Orioles will never play good baseball again. They’re just not playing good baseball right now.After last night’s 8-1 loss, the Orioles are 7-12. It’s not a good record. It’s still better than last year, when they were 7-20 at one point in time. Things never got better from that. The 2019 squad gives me some hope that they may actually win ten or more games in a calendar month, which the 2018 team never did. It’s one of the many absurd yet true things about those moribund losers.Check out Stacey Folkemer’s recap of the loss if you didn’t see it for yourself. I’ll give you a preview: Homers, homers, homers. And it wasn’t the Orioles hitting them. The O’s have now allowed a positively ridiculous 44 home runs through their first 19 games. The weather isn’t even warm yet! Who knows what will happen in July and August?The last two losses leave the Orioles 7.5 games back of the first place Rays. That doesn’t matter so much since it’s not like the O’s were ever competing for the division this year. What’s interesting is that they’re tied for third, with the Blue Jays, and still a game ahead of the last place Red Sox. Across all of MLB, there are five teams who have a worse record than the O’s. They may not run away with the 2020 #1 pick after all.Mike Mussina was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame 86 days ago. The Orioles have not announced any plans to retire his jersey or erect his statue at Camden Yards.Around the blogO’sphereBrandon Hyde: A day in the life of a big league manager (Fangraphs)This is a great read. Brandon Hyde’s life seems to involve a bit less of Siberian prisons, so his day’s got that going for him over Ivan Denisovich.The Orioles are better than last year Austin Romine Jersey , and Hyde thinks they can be even better (Baltimore Baseball)The last couple of games against the Rays have put a dent somewhat in my belief that this year’s Orioles are better than last year’s Orioles, but still, I think it’s been true so far.Orioles option Austin Wynns to Triple-A Norfolk (School of Roch)The good news for Austin Wynns is that he’s healthy now. The bad news for him is that’s not good enough to get him back to Baltimore.Former Oriole Hyun Soo Kim’s ties to Baltimore evident in Korean Under Armour commercial (Baltimore Sun)Na na nanana!Birthdays and anniversariesThere are a pair of former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 1987-88 reserve Pete Stanicek, and 1986 reliever Rich Bordi. If you remember either of these fellows, give yourself a cookie.Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: lawyer Clarence Darrow (1857), actor Rick Moranis (1953), funny man Conan O’Brien (1963), actor David Tennant (1971), and actress Melissa Joan Hart (1976).On this day in history...In 1775, Paul Revere went on his midnight ride to warn of the British march from Boston to Concord, a march that would, the next day, lead to the first battles of the Revolutionary War.In 1847, during the Mexican-American War http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , the Americans were victorious in the Battle of Cerro Gordo, which opened the way for an invasion of the rest of Mexico. The Mexican general, Santa Anna, had to flee the field without his artificial leg. You can find the leg todayat a museum in Springfield, Illinois.In 1942, during World War II, 16 American bombers launched from the USS Hornet to attack mainland Japan, including Tokyo. The last survivor of the 80 Doolittle’s Raiders, Doolittle’s co-pilot Lt. Col. Richard Cole, passed away on April 9 of this year at the age of 103.In 1983, the American embassy to Lebanon was destroyed by a suicide bomber. There were 63 people killed, including 17 Americans.**And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 18 - or at least, until something happens later when the Orioles play the Rays. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!