Busy couple of days for me coming up so there might not be much from me. I will be in the stands tonight, the didn't go to extra innings Saturday, so hopefully I'll be there for a win tonight. It's Daniel Cabrera (who was lights out vs. the Tigers last time) against Jeremy Bonderman who (just like me) is still looking for his first win of the year.
Post-game:
Tigers 8 Orioles 4
Jeremy Bonderman finally gets some run support, and gets his first win of the year. Pitchers of the AL, do not anger Gary Sheffield. Daniel Cabrera plunked him in the first and in the fifth the two had to be restrained after the benches emptied after Miguel Tejada took exception to a brushback pitch. Later, Sheffield then took one of Cabrera's pitches and deposited it 12 rows deep in leftfield. Fernando Rodney looks to be back in form as he pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings to close out the game. Magglio Ordonez is still en fuego, getting 2 RBIS on 2 hits and 2 walks. Best news of all, I am no longer convinced I am a jinx.
Tiger Hero:
Gary Sheffield. Finally goes deep at the CoPa, and racks up three runs along the way. This is the guy we all expected.
Tiger Zero:
The weather. On and off rain made me glad I brought my poncho, and a little chilly for what turned out to be nearly a 3 1/2 hour game.
Tigers Record:
W - L
14 - 11
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Game 24
This one could hurt. The Twins offense looks like its coming around, and get a struggling Mike Maroth. The tigers needing a win to stop a mini-slide get Johan Santana. Some good news, Pudge is back in line-up after being off the past two days with a sore foot.
Line-ups:
Detroit (12-11)
I Rodriguez C
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
C Monroe LF
M Thames 1B
B Inge 3B
C Granderson CF
Minnesota (14-10)
N Punto 3B
J Bartlett SS
J Mauer C
M Cuddyer RF
J Morneau 1B
T Hunter CF
M Redmond DH
J Kubel LF
L Rodriguez 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Mike Maroth LHP (2-0, 5.06 ERA)
Twins - Johan Santana LHP (3-2, 3.44 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 4 Twins 3
That's why they play the game. That's the frustrating thing about the Tigers this years, is that you don't know what team you're going to get on any given night. Yesterday we get the team that got shelled and couldn't do anything right. Today we get the team that gets the step-up performance out of nowhere (Inge) and knocks off the best pitcher in baseball. That's why I love baseball. On the verge of a disastrous series sweep, the Tigers pull together an get a hard fought win. Now the test is to follow it up with more wins against Baltimore starting tomorrow.
Tiger Hero:
Brandon Inge. 3 for 3 with the walk-off HR. Let's hope that day's like these are not anomalies.
Tiger Zero:
Pudge. Maybe the foot was still bothering him, as he was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.
Tigers Record:
W - L
13 - 11
Line-ups:
Detroit (12-11)
I Rodriguez C
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
C Monroe LF
M Thames 1B
B Inge 3B
C Granderson CF
Minnesota (14-10)
N Punto 3B
J Bartlett SS
J Mauer C
M Cuddyer RF
J Morneau 1B
T Hunter CF
M Redmond DH
J Kubel LF
L Rodriguez 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Mike Maroth LHP (2-0, 5.06 ERA)
Twins - Johan Santana LHP (3-2, 3.44 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 4 Twins 3
That's why they play the game. That's the frustrating thing about the Tigers this years, is that you don't know what team you're going to get on any given night. Yesterday we get the team that got shelled and couldn't do anything right. Today we get the team that gets the step-up performance out of nowhere (Inge) and knocks off the best pitcher in baseball. That's why I love baseball. On the verge of a disastrous series sweep, the Tigers pull together an get a hard fought win. Now the test is to follow it up with more wins against Baltimore starting tomorrow.
Tiger Hero:
Brandon Inge. 3 for 3 with the walk-off HR. Let's hope that day's like these are not anomalies.
Tiger Zero:
Pudge. Maybe the foot was still bothering him, as he was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.
Tigers Record:
W - L
13 - 11
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Quick News & Game 23
I have had a lot of free time to devote to this site due to my lack of employment. Well that will no longer be the case, since last week I had a few interview, and starting May 7th I will be back among the working. So most posts will be written after work, which probably means after games start. So more wrap-ups, less previews.
Speaking of previews, to this afternoons game. It looks like a favorable match-up for the Tigers with Justin Verlander going up against Carlos Silva and his career 4.30 ERA. But then again most match-ups favor the Tigers, it all depends on what the Tigers bullpen can do. Since I will be in attendance today, I can almost guarantee an extra innings game since I am 3 for 3 on that so far this year.
Line-ups:
(total guesses let's see how I do)
Detroit (12-10)
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
Minnesota (13-10)
L Rodriguez 2B
N Punto 3B
J Mauer DH
M Cuddyer RF
J Morneau 1B
T Hunter CF
M Redmond C
J Kubel LF
J Bartlett SS
Pitchers:
Tigers - Justin Verlander RHP (1-0, 2.08)
Twins - Carlos Silva RHP (1-1, 2.74 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 3 Twins 11
Guh...if it wasn't such a beautiful day out, I'd be angrier. Something seems off about this year's Tiger team, so far. I'm 0 for 4 on the year, the last Tiger win I saw in person was game 2 of the World Series. The situation doesn't get any better with Johan Santana coming in tomorrow.
Tiger Hero:
Placido Polanco. No disrespect to Thomas Hearns, but Polly's the new "Hitman" in Detroit.
Tiger Zero:
Everyone else. The team is still above .500, but not for long if games like these are going to be the norm.
Tigers Record:
W - L
12 - 11
Speaking of previews, to this afternoons game. It looks like a favorable match-up for the Tigers with Justin Verlander going up against Carlos Silva and his career 4.30 ERA. But then again most match-ups favor the Tigers, it all depends on what the Tigers bullpen can do. Since I will be in attendance today, I can almost guarantee an extra innings game since I am 3 for 3 on that so far this year.
Line-ups:
(total guesses let's see how I do)
Detroit (12-10)
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
Minnesota (13-10)
L Rodriguez 2B
N Punto 3B
J Mauer DH
M Cuddyer RF
J Morneau 1B
T Hunter CF
M Redmond C
J Kubel LF
J Bartlett SS
Pitchers:
Tigers - Justin Verlander RHP (1-0, 2.08)
Twins - Carlos Silva RHP (1-1, 2.74 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 3 Twins 11
Guh...if it wasn't such a beautiful day out, I'd be angrier. Something seems off about this year's Tiger team, so far. I'm 0 for 4 on the year, the last Tiger win I saw in person was game 2 of the World Series. The situation doesn't get any better with Johan Santana coming in tomorrow.
Tiger Hero:
Placido Polanco. No disrespect to Thomas Hearns, but Polly's the new "Hitman" in Detroit.
Tiger Zero:
Everyone else. The team is still above .500, but not for long if games like these are going to be the norm.
Tigers Record:
W - L
12 - 11
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Game 22
The Tigers game is postponed, but still a busy night for my remote control, with the Red Wings starting their second round, the Pistons in game 3 of their series vs. Orlando, and brand new episodes of The Office and Scrubs.
No word on how the rotation will work out against the Twins this weekend. With Justin Verlander scheduled to start tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how the rotation sets up. I'm assuming Jim Leyland will want his ace in Jeremy Bonderman to face off against Johan Santana on Sunday. So will they go in order or will someone miss a start?
No word on how the rotation will work out against the Twins this weekend. With Justin Verlander scheduled to start tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how the rotation sets up. I'm assuming Jim Leyland will want his ace in Jeremy Bonderman to face off against Johan Santana on Sunday. So will they go in order or will someone miss a start?
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Game 21
The Tigers arrive in Chicago for phase two of the mini-trip. Just as the bats have seaming started to warm up, they will face cold and rainy weather tonight. Getting the lead early could be huge, as the rain might shorten the game. Riding the pine tonight for the Tigers are Sean Casey, who looked like he was starting to come around; and Carlos Guillen, who's fielding doesn't mix well with wet conditions. Lucky for Tigers pitching Jim Thome is out as well.
Line-ups:
Detroit (11-9)
I Rodriguez C
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
M Thames 1B
C Monroe LF
B Inge 3B
O Infante SS
C Granderson CF
Chicago (11-8)
D Erstad CF
T Iguchi 2B
P Konerko 1B
A Pierzynski C
J Crede 3B
R Mackowiak RF
P Ozuna LF
J Uribe SS
B Anderson DH
Pitchers:
Tigers - Chad Durbin RHP (0-1, 10.54 ERA)
White Sox - John Danks LHP (0-2, 5.06 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 6 White Sox 2
Chad Durbin pitched a career game, and arguably put up the best performance of a Tiger pitcher so far this season. The top 4 hitters were on fire, with 10 of the Tigers 13 hits coming from them. Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco did most of the damage tonight driving in all of the Tigers runs, with 3 RBIs a piece. Magglio is on fire hitting 9 for 11 in the past three games. Sheffield had two hits, one being a double, and looks back on track hitting wise. Speaking of doubles the Tigers hit 5 tonight, tow from Pudge. But the main story of the game was the incredible performance by Chad Durbin. While he had the luck of not facing Jim Thome or Jermaine Dye, he still was amazing. He retired the first 7 batters he faced. He recorded strikeout to end innings 1-4. He got out of a jam in the 5th with two on and one out. after the 5th he sat down every White Sox hitter he faced. Joel Zumaya came in the replace him in the ninth and spoiled the shutout with two bases loaded walks, which brought in Todd Jones to get the save. Other than the ending it was a solid game for the Tigers. It looks like everything is starting to come together.
Tiger Hero:
Chad Durbin. 8 innings pitched: 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 9 K's
Tiger Zero:
Joel Zumaya. Made the game waaaay closer than it had to be. 2/3 of an inning. 1 Hit batter, 4 straight walks??? C'mon Joel, it doesn't matter how hard you can throw if it's outside the strike zone.
Tigers Record:
W - L
12 - 9
Line-ups:
Detroit (11-9)
I Rodriguez C
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
M Thames 1B
C Monroe LF
B Inge 3B
O Infante SS
C Granderson CF
Chicago (11-8)
D Erstad CF
T Iguchi 2B
P Konerko 1B
A Pierzynski C
J Crede 3B
R Mackowiak RF
P Ozuna LF
J Uribe SS
B Anderson DH
Pitchers:
Tigers - Chad Durbin RHP (0-1, 10.54 ERA)
White Sox - John Danks LHP (0-2, 5.06 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 6 White Sox 2
Chad Durbin pitched a career game, and arguably put up the best performance of a Tiger pitcher so far this season. The top 4 hitters were on fire, with 10 of the Tigers 13 hits coming from them. Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco did most of the damage tonight driving in all of the Tigers runs, with 3 RBIs a piece. Magglio is on fire hitting 9 for 11 in the past three games. Sheffield had two hits, one being a double, and looks back on track hitting wise. Speaking of doubles the Tigers hit 5 tonight, tow from Pudge. But the main story of the game was the incredible performance by Chad Durbin. While he had the luck of not facing Jim Thome or Jermaine Dye, he still was amazing. He retired the first 7 batters he faced. He recorded strikeout to end innings 1-4. He got out of a jam in the 5th with two on and one out. after the 5th he sat down every White Sox hitter he faced. Joel Zumaya came in the replace him in the ninth and spoiled the shutout with two bases loaded walks, which brought in Todd Jones to get the save. Other than the ending it was a solid game for the Tigers. It looks like everything is starting to come together.
Tiger Hero:
Chad Durbin. 8 innings pitched: 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 9 K's
Tiger Zero:
Joel Zumaya. Made the game waaaay closer than it had to be. 2/3 of an inning. 1 Hit batter, 4 straight walks??? C'mon Joel, it doesn't matter how hard you can throw if it's outside the strike zone.
Tigers Record:
W - L
12 - 9
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Game 20
Jeremy Bonderman heads to mound still in search of his first win of the season. Historically he has pitched well against the Angels, with a 2-0 record in 4 starts. In those starts he struck out 26, allowed 7 runs and held hitters to a .194 average. So it's reasonable to think that Bondo's streak of quality starts will continue. To get him the win, Tiger batter will be facing another Angels pitcher coming off of the DL. Kelvim Escobar is making his first start since leaving a game vs. Oakland on April 8th. In two starts this year he has not made it through the 6th inning. If the Tigers can run up the pitch count like they did against Weaver, it could be a long day for Halos pitching.
Line-ups:
Detroit (11-8)
C Granderson CF
M Thames LF
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
B Inge 3B
N Perez 2B
Los Angeles (9-10)
G Matthews CF
O Cabrera SS
V Guerrero RF
G Anderson LF
C Kotchman 1B
K Morales DH
M Izturis 3B
J Molina C
E Aybar 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Jeremy Bonderman RHP (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Angels - Kelvim Escobar RHP (1-1, 3.18 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 8 Angels 9
A wild one in Orange County today. The Angels got to Bonderman early, racking up seven runs early on him. Bondo and the Tigers fought back, however, with Bonderman not allowing a hit after the first three innings, and the Tigers scoring 7 to take the lead in the ninth, before a Todd Jones blown save (mostly aided by a misplayed breaking ball by Pudge) allowed the Angels to tie it up in the bottom of the 9th. Jones didn't need any help getting the loss, with a poorly made throw to first, reminiscent of the fielding in the World Series, that put a runner in scoring position with no one out. A sac bunt and a high chopper later, the Tigers had lost. It should be noted that Fernando Rodney pitched two perfect innings striking out three, and Sean Casey also added a two hit game. All in all the Tigers fought back in a game they should have been out of, but just couldn't finish it out. Hopefully all the offense generated in these past to games will find its way to Chicago.
Tiger Hero:
Magglio Ordonez. 3 for 3, with 3 RBI, 3 runs, 2 BB, and the go ahead HR in the top of the 9th.
Tiger Zero:
Todd Jones. Whether or not Pudge should of blocked that pitch in the 9th is debatable. What isn't is that Jones threw away the game literally with his errant toss in the bottom of the 10th.
Tigers Record:
W - L
11 - 9
Line-ups:
Detroit (11-8)
C Granderson CF
M Thames LF
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
B Inge 3B
N Perez 2B
Los Angeles (9-10)
G Matthews CF
O Cabrera SS
V Guerrero RF
G Anderson LF
C Kotchman 1B
K Morales DH
M Izturis 3B
J Molina C
E Aybar 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Jeremy Bonderman RHP (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Angels - Kelvim Escobar RHP (1-1, 3.18 ERA)
Post-game:
Tigers 8 Angels 9
A wild one in Orange County today. The Angels got to Bonderman early, racking up seven runs early on him. Bondo and the Tigers fought back, however, with Bonderman not allowing a hit after the first three innings, and the Tigers scoring 7 to take the lead in the ninth, before a Todd Jones blown save (mostly aided by a misplayed breaking ball by Pudge) allowed the Angels to tie it up in the bottom of the 9th. Jones didn't need any help getting the loss, with a poorly made throw to first, reminiscent of the fielding in the World Series, that put a runner in scoring position with no one out. A sac bunt and a high chopper later, the Tigers had lost. It should be noted that Fernando Rodney pitched two perfect innings striking out three, and Sean Casey also added a two hit game. All in all the Tigers fought back in a game they should have been out of, but just couldn't finish it out. Hopefully all the offense generated in these past to games will find its way to Chicago.
Tiger Hero:
Magglio Ordonez. 3 for 3, with 3 RBI, 3 runs, 2 BB, and the go ahead HR in the top of the 9th.
Tiger Zero:
Todd Jones. Whether or not Pudge should of blocked that pitch in the 9th is debatable. What isn't is that Jones threw away the game literally with his errant toss in the bottom of the 10th.
Tigers Record:
W - L
11 - 9
Monday, April 23, 2007
Game 19
The Tigers' four game mini road trip begins tonight in Anaheim vs. the Angels. The Tigers can exact a measure of revenge against the Weaver family as Jeff's little brother Jered will be taking the mound tonight. This will be Jered's second start of the year after missing time with tendinitis. He pitched well but took the loss against Oakland in his first start. Also, beware of Vlad Guerrero, he is one of three (Joe Mauer and Matt Holliday being the others) with a higher batting average than Placido Polanco. My suggestion to Tiger pitching...walk him every time. It might be tough since he swings at everything, but it could be a good strategy. No Angel hitter has an average above .290, with the majority hovering around the .250 mark.
Line-ups:
Detroit (10-8)
C Granderson CF
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
C Monroe LF
Los Angeles (9-9)
G Matthews CF
O Cabrera SS
V Guerrero RF
G Anderson LF
R Quinlan 3B
S Hillenbrand DH
C Kotchman 1B
M Napoli C
M Izturis 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Mike Maroth LHP (2-0, 5.40 ERA)
Angels - Jered Weaver RHP (0-1, 4.50)
Post-Game:
Tigers 9 Angels 5
The Tigers attacked early and often, resulting in Jered Weaver's shortest outing of his two year career. He racked up 70 pitches in just 1 2/3rd innings, surrendering 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks. This time the bullpen was up to the task as they didn't allow a hit until Joel Zumaya gave up a Gary Matthews solo HR in the 9th. Jason Grilli , who was credited with the win, came on in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and got out of it unscathed. The only run Grilli gave up was due to a leadoff walk to Izturis, who scored on a Cabrera sac fly. Brandon Inge, despite not getting a hit had a few nice plays to make up for it with his glove, including fielding a bad hop grounder perfectly to get out of that bases loaded jam in the 5th inning. Gary Sheffield showed signs of turning it around with his first multi-hit game of the year.
Tiger Hero:
Curtis Granderson. Hit a leadoff HR to start the game, was a triple away from the cycle, and had a key outfield assist gunning down Vlad Guerrero at third.
Tiger Zero:
Mike Maroth. He was lucky that the Tigers had spotted him 7 runs, still he couldn't get through the fifth inning after throwing 105 pitches. He gave up 7 hits and walked 5 and was lucky to only have surrendered 3.
Tigers Record:
W - L
11 - 8
Line-ups:
Detroit (10-8)
C Granderson CF
P Polanco 2B
G Sheffield DH
M Ordonez RF
C Guillen SS
I Rodriguez C
S Casey 1B
C Monroe LF
Los Angeles (9-9)
G Matthews CF
O Cabrera SS
V Guerrero RF
G Anderson LF
R Quinlan 3B
S Hillenbrand DH
C Kotchman 1B
M Napoli C
M Izturis 2B
Pitchers:
Tigers - Mike Maroth LHP (2-0, 5.40 ERA)
Angels - Jered Weaver RHP (0-1, 4.50)
Post-Game:
Tigers 9 Angels 5
The Tigers attacked early and often, resulting in Jered Weaver's shortest outing of his two year career. He racked up 70 pitches in just 1 2/3rd innings, surrendering 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks. This time the bullpen was up to the task as they didn't allow a hit until Joel Zumaya gave up a Gary Matthews solo HR in the 9th. Jason Grilli , who was credited with the win, came on in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and got out of it unscathed. The only run Grilli gave up was due to a leadoff walk to Izturis, who scored on a Cabrera sac fly. Brandon Inge, despite not getting a hit had a few nice plays to make up for it with his glove, including fielding a bad hop grounder perfectly to get out of that bases loaded jam in the 5th inning. Gary Sheffield showed signs of turning it around with his first multi-hit game of the year.
Tiger Hero:
Curtis Granderson. Hit a leadoff HR to start the game, was a triple away from the cycle, and had a key outfield assist gunning down Vlad Guerrero at third.
Tiger Zero:
Mike Maroth. He was lucky that the Tigers had spotted him 7 runs, still he couldn't get through the fifth inning after throwing 105 pitches. He gave up 7 hits and walked 5 and was lucky to only have surrendered 3.
Tigers Record:
W - L
11 - 8
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