Game 13

The Tigers are back at home after a 6-4 road trip, punctuated with cold weather and colder bats. While the offense only made an appearance for two games in the Toronto series, the pitching has been keeping them in games. Hopefully some home cooking can get the bats on track. Whether the windy weather here will play a part in tonight's game we'll have to wait and see. Another thing to look for is can Tiger's pitchers finally shut down David DeJesus and Mark Teahen, who seem to save their best performances for the Tigers. Can Justin Verlander continue his mastery of KC batters? He is undefeated against the royals with a sub 1 ERA. Of course this means he will get shelled tonight because I mentioned it.

Line-ups:
Detroit (7-4)
C Granderson CF
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
C Monroe LF
B Inge 3B

Kansas City (3-9)
D DeJesus CF
E German 2B
M Teahen RF
M Sweeney DH
A Gordon 3B
E Brown LF
R Shealy 1B
J Buck C
T Pena SS

Pitchers:
Tigers - Justin Verlander (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Royals - Zach Greinke (1-1, 1.38)

Post-Game:

Tigers 12 Royals 5

Good things come to those who wait. The Tigers were patient at the plate drawing eight walks, leading to 12 runs and a victory. Zach Greinke didn't make it out of the first inning after racking up 49 pitches in 2/3 inning. Kansas City didn't help their pitchers with 2 errors, and a couple more misplayed balls that could have counted for errors, allowing innings to continue. Justin Verlander surrendered his first earned runs of the season, but other than a stint in the 2nd in which he allowed three doubles, he continued his solid pitching. He only gave up 2 additional hits after the 3 in the second, walked none, and struck out 6, including the side in the 3rd inning. Emil Brown was the only Royal that Tiger pitchers were unable to strikeout. The rest of the team combined for 12 K's. The Royals did continue their assault on Jose Mesa, notching two more runs on him with a home run by Ryan Shealy (who is a dead ringer for John C. Reilly ). Pudge did come up a little lame after popping out in the 8th, but he stayed in to catch the 9th, and is scheduled for a day off tomorrow.

Tiger Hero:
Pudge and Carlos Guillen. A combined 4 for 8, with 10 RBIs and two walks.

Tiger Zero:
Jose Mesa. Giving up two runs in 1/3 of inning, allowed to Royals to peek back into this game. It also made Jim Leyland go back to the bullpen. Todd Jones haters might have found a new target for their ire.

Tigers Record:
W - L
8 - 5
T-1st place

Game 12

I'm away from television for two days, and I miss a pitchers duel with both pitchers going in to extra innings, and a 4 run top of the ninth rally. Oh well. The series and the road trip ends this afternoon in Toronto. Regardless of the outcome today, the Tigers will return to home with a winning record, which makes for a successful road trip. This game on paper would appear to be in Detroit's favor. Tipping the scales the Tigers way has to be "Nasty" Nate Robertson. He goes up against Josh Towers, who gave up 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last start vs. Kansas City. Maybe this is the day Gary Sheffield finally breaks out a multi-hit game.

Line-ups:
Detroit (7-4)
C Granderson CF
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield RF
M Ordonez DH
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
C Monroe LF
B Inge 3B

Toronto (6-5)
A Rios RF
A Hill 2B
V Wells CF
F Thomas DH
G Zaun C
L Overbay 1B
R Clayton SS
A Lind LF
J MacDonald 3B


Pitchers:
Detroit - Nate Robertson (2-0, 1.38 ERA)
Toronto - Josh Towers (0-1, 4.76 ERA)

Post-Game:

Tigers 1 Blue Jays 2

It looks like Nate Robertson's hard luck losses have spilled over into the new season. The Tiger bats could only muster up 3 hits in today's loss to the Blue Jays. didn't get to catch much of this game, as where I was watching most of the attention was focused on the Red Wings Game 2. But the Tigers all things considered had a successful road trip, arriving back home with more wins and losses. And a series split with a good Toronto team is nothing to be ashamed of.

Game 10

Will be away from the computer for this one. Lucky for everyone, great sites such as the Detroit Tigers Weblog, Bless You Boys, and Mack Ave. Tigers will have great previews and analysis. I'll be back for tomorrow afternoon's game and some post-game thoughts later tonight.

Site News

For some reason I can't access my hotmail account. So I've switched over to Gmail. The new way to reach my if you are so inclined in at rocknrye2680@gmail.com

Game 9

The Tigers make their way to Toronto after last night's 12 inning war of attrition against the Orioles. Will the climate controlled Rogers Center (or is it Centre? Silly Canadians) be the answer to the Tigers offensive struggles? After the next four games the answer should be a little more clear. The Tigers need a good game out of Mike Maroth, as the bullpen will more than likely be without the services of Wil Ledezma and Fernando Rodney tonight. So if Maroth gets into trouble early it could be a long series for the Tigers pitchers. Another Mike will be the center of attention tonight as well. Mike Rabelo will make his first start behind the plate giving Pudge Rodriguez a well needed rest. Gary Sheffield will see some time in the field starting in right field, giving Magglio's knees less time on the hard turf.

Line-ups:
Detroit (5-3)
C Granderson CF
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield RF
M Ordonez DH
C Guillen SS
S Casey 1B
C Monroe LF
M Rabelo C
B Inge 3B

Toronto (5-3)
A Rios RF
M Stairs LF
V Wells CF
F Thomas DH
T Glaus 3B
A Hill 2B
G Zaun C
R Clayton SS
J Phillips 1B

Pitchers:
Detroit - Mike Maroth (1-0, 7.20 ERA)
Toronto - Tomo Ohka (0-0, 10.38 ERA)

Post-Game:

Tigers 5 Blue Jays 4

The Tiger bats had a little more pop today, adding up to five runs on nine hits. The Tigers offense was aided a little by the Jays inability to filed ground balls. The were more than a few bobbles and two errors on the night for the Jays fielders. Inge and Sheffield looked a bit more comfortable at the plate. Mike Rabelo didn't record his first hit, but had a pretty nice put out on Gregg Zaun trying to take second on a ball in the dirt. Mike Maroth pitched his was out of a few jams getting batters to hit into a double play and a few pop outs. Joel Zumaya looked a little to eager to record his first save. He came in the game in the bottom of the 8th with runners on 1st and 2nd base. His first pitch was a wild one, allowing the runners to advance . A n out sandwiched in between a sac fly and a double and the Jays had the tying run in scoring position with the top on the order coming to the plate. four pitches later Joel had the K, and the inning was over. He was much more in control in the 9th getting Vernon well to pop out and striking out Matt Stairs and and Frank Thomas to end the game. A much better ratio of K's to BB tonight, at 5 to 4. Plus all 5 K's were from only two people. 4 of the 9 hits were for extra bases as well. Both positive signs heading into the Opening Day rematch of Bonderman vs. Halladay tomorrow night.

Tiger Hero:
Brandon Inge. 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. Looked a lot more comfortable at the plate and in the field.

Tiger Zero:
Curtis Granderson. 0 for 4 with 3 K's. You're still my Tiger Curtis, but tonight you stunk.

Tigers Record:
W - L
6 - 3

Game 8

Anyone having difficulty finding tonight's game on TV, The Cutoff Man has an in depth list of all the places to find FSN +, on which tonight's game will be broadcast. As for the game tonight, there is a chance of rain. So getting an early lead, might be important as the game might be called early due to the weather. Hopefully the rain holds off long enough to get a full game in. A few changes in the line-up today. Pudge's foot seems to be fine, as he is slated to leadoff against the lefty Adam Loewen. Brandon Inge returns to third base, and Marcus Thames will make his season debut at first base.

Line-ups:

Detroit (4-3)
Rodriguez C
Polanco 2B
Sheffield DH
Ordonez RF
Guillen SS
Monroe LF
Thames 1B
Inge 3B
Granderson CF

Baltimore (3-5)
Roberts 2B
Mora 3B
Markakis RF
Tejada SS
Huff 1B
Gibbons LF
Millar DH
Patterson CF
Bako C

Pitchers:
Tigers - Justin Verlander (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Orioles - Adam Loewen (1-0, 3.60 ERA)

Post-Game:

Tigers 4 Baltimore 1

Well had the game ended in nine the rain would have held off, but it took 12 innings to finally win it. The Orioles did their best to try to let the Tigers win it, allowing 11 hits and walking 5; but Tiger hitters were just not able to get the job done. It took until 2 outs in the 12th inning, and the Orioles emptying the bullpen for the Tigers to get the go ahead runs. Craig Monroe did it again with a grand slam to put the Tigers up for good. The pitching got a little shaky at the end, but was flawless throughout. Verlander got into a few jams, but pitched his way out and pitched 7 great innings. Fernando Rodney and Wil Ledezma (who will be credited with the win) both pitched near perfect innings of relief, and allowed the Tiger offense enough time to win the game.

Tiger Hero:
Tigers pitchers (before Bobby Seay). The stat line speaks for itself:
12 IP 4 H 4 BB 11K 0 runs

Tiger Zero:
Tigers batters (except Carlos Guillen and Craig Monroe). 14 strikeouts, 13 left on base, 8 of those in scoring position.

Record:
W - L
5 - 3

Game 7

The last time the Tigers saw Jaret Wright, it was in Game 4 of the ALDS. They chased him after 2.2 innings on their way to a series clinching 8-3 victory. Wright's first start of this year was a brief one as well. He gave up 6 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks in 2.1 innings, in a 7-2 loss to Minnesota. He takes the mound for the Orioles tonight, going up against Nate Robertson. Jamie Walker will get his ring tonight as well. He has made it clear how he feels going up against his old team. For all those hoping for Brandon Inge to find a spot on the pine, your wish is granted. In his place...Neifi Perez. Yeah, I don't even know what to day about that, let's just go to the line-ups.

Line-ups:
Detroit (3-3)
Granderson CF
Polanco 2B
Sheffield DH
Ordonez RF
Guillen SS
Rodriguez C
Casey 3B
Monroe LF
Perez 3B

Baltimore (3-4)
Roberts 2B
Mora 3B
Markakis RF
Tejada SS
Huff DH
Gibbons LF
Millar 1B
Patterson CF
Castillo C

Pitchers:
Tigers - Nate Robertson (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
Orioles - Jaret Wright (0-1, 15.43 ERA)

Post-Game:

Tigers 3 Orioles 1

Nate Robertson, Curtis Granderson, and Placido Polanco were all the Tigers needed tonight to get the win. Nate did to the O's what Cabrera did the the Tigers yesterday. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, gave up only 4 hits, struck out five, walked one, and most importantly didn't allow a run. Curtis collected two more doubles, and had a big outfield assist to take a double away from Miguel Tejada in the 7th. Placido was 2 for 3 and had a great defensive stop to ensure Todd Jones got his 4th save of the season. Jonesy, with a little help from Polanco's glove, had his second 1-2-3 save of the year. It only took him 10 pitchers, 7 being strikes. Whether Brian Roberts heard Polly's footsteps, or the course of his throw was altered by the gravitation pull of his huge melon is up for debate. But the errant throw was the difference in the game, allowing 2 runs to score instead of ending the inning. Scary moment when Pudge took a check swing foul off the foot, and looked like he would have to leave the game. He stayed in, but with Vance Wilson on the DL, you have to hope that the post-game check up finds nothing serious.

Tiger Hero:
Nate Robertson. The best performance by a Tiger pitcher in this young season.

Tiger Zero:
Gary Sheffield. o for 4, 2 K's one with no outs and the bases loaded. Way too many strikeout for Sheffield. He's on pace from 184. Never in his career has he had more than 100. I'm not saying he will come anywhere close to that number, but the strikeouts would be a lot easier to deal with as long as he was hitting with his other at bats.


Tigers Record:
W - L
4 - 3