2007 Season, Game Post

Game 85: Red Sox at Tigers

87 Comments

PREGAME: The Tigers look to extend their winning streak to 4 games tonight and they’ll send Jeremy Bonderman to the mound to do it.

Bonderman is coming off the stellar 8 inning shut out performance from Sunday night. He hasn’t faced Boston this year, but he did out duel Curt Schilling last year in Boston. It was a great win, but also the game that cost the Tigers Placido Polanco.

Kason Gabbard will be making his 3rd start of the season. He has struck out more than a batter an inning in that sting, but he has also walked 10 in his last 2 starts.

BOS @ DET, Saturday, July 7, 2007 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05pm

POSTGAME Didn’t it have to be number 7 Pudge Rodriguez with the walk off double on 7/7/07? Just a tremendous game tonight, and unlike the extra innings Cleveland game the good guys won.

  • It’s pretty remarkable that the Tigers held the Red Sox scoreless for 12 innings. Bonderman and the Tigers bullpen turned in an incredible effort. If it weren’t for that pesky first inning.
  • Although it’s hard to comment too much on it because we didn’t see it. Instead we were held captive by Fox’s national coverage.
  • I’m tickled for Craig Monroe. He picked up Marcus Thames and knocked in 2 runs. He also laid down a nice sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning. Sure he popped up in the 11th with the bases loaded, but he was hardly alone.
  • I was really rooting for the Tigers to score the winner off of Okajima. The symmetry of the Tigers cashing in on the guy that kept Bondo out of the All Star game on a night when Bondo started would have been sweet. Oh well. I guess we’ll just have to settle for scoring off of Jonathan Papelbon instead.
  • The Tigers were flirting with disaster walking Ortiz to get to Manny that many times, but it paid off.
  • Big time props to the whole cast of characters in the pen. Todd Jones has been great on this homestand and even had success in the 2nd inning of work tonight.
  • The only downside is that the Tigers will trot out the B lineup tomorrow. Pudge will certainly get the day off, and Placido Polanco is day to day with an oblique issue. At least they’ve already taken the series.

    • Tigers 3, Red Sox 2

87 thoughts on “Game 85: Red Sox at Tigers”

  1. I see Monroe is back in the lineup and Casey is sitting. Thames over Monroe is a no-brainer and in this case Leyland has chosen to bench Casey over Monroe.

    Mistake IMHO.

  3. Eric,
    This Gabbard thing seems to be a lefty; that’s why you are seeing Thames/Monroe instead of Casey (depending on whether Thames is a regular now).

  4. In some ways, that 1st inning was vintage Bonderman: struck out the side and only gave up 2 runs doing it.

    C’mon Angels, score some runs and get those Yankees off my TV.

  6. Boy, Monroe took a 3rd strike that looked like it came from a pitching machine.

  7. casey is hitting .316 off lefties so that arguement won’t hold…monroe keeps playig until he gets better is my guess.

  8. Apparently the Yankees made 5 errors in that game, including 2 on one play in the 13th. Kind of puts things in perspective, eh? I love me my Tigers.

  10. How good did that have to feel to C-Mo? That was big right there…they needed those runs

  11. Aliens abduct Monroe and his duplicate drives in two runs, with two outs.

    Amazing

  12. Whatever it takes, T. 🙂
    I really hope that’s the start of a big second half for Monroe. Even a moderately OK second half.

  13. To use a Leyland-ism, I’m tickled to death for Monroe on that double. He needed it, the team needed it.

    I know Monroe has been awful this year, but he is capable of producing something.

  14. Fantastic play at 1B Thames. I’m gonna call a game winner from him.

  17. Big stuff from Bondo right there. He got through Ramirez and Drew with 2 on and 1 out. Hope Polly is ok.

  18. Bonderman has pitched a great game with less than stellar defense tonight.

  19. I’m going on record right now; putting Jones out there in a tie game in the ninth: insane

  20. Mario said Polly is “day-to-day” and that his affliction is “not serious”

  21. Personally I think closers are underused in tie games. That’s a higher-leverage situation than a game where you’re up by 3. The real issue with Jones is that you don’t want him out there for a second inning. So let’s hope for a walk-off 9th.

  22. Okay, I stand corrected. But the point remains, now what do you do save for a walk off bottom of the ninth? Put Jones out there again in the 10th? I don’t know the exact stats, but I would bet the farm that when Jones pitches two innings it isn’t pretty.

  23. With what mario and rod were talking about rookie of the year, I think they shoud limit that to a certain years of age.

  24. For Jones, opponents bat .262 when his pitch count is below 25, .556 when it is above 25 pitches. But he used only 9 in the 9th inning.

  27. I agree, sending Jones out for the 10th is insane. He hasn’t gone more than 1 inning very often this year and last year his record in such outings was horrendous. Anybody warming up?

  28. Whew. Now let’s finish it. And, if it comes to it, no Jonesy in the 11th . . .

  34. Thames comes through! All we needed was a hit there, no need to win it on one swing.

    And I had to look away when Jones came out for the 10th.

  38. I would so love to stick it to Okajima here. Not that I’m bitter about that whole All-Star thing.

  40. Man…..needed to score there….what a game this turned out to be…I’ve literally been on the edge of my seat for an hour now.

  42. Is Papelbon hurt or something? Why would Timlin pitch against the heart of our order instead?

  43. probably because they will need a closer if they ever score another run (this being an away game for boston and all), and they don’t know how long this crazy game will go

  45. unfortunately, the red sox learned from Tavarez’s mistake of pitching to Thames yesterday

  51. Boy, we are really pressing our luck with Manny…but I guess you gotta play the odds. Though I’d rather have seen Byrdak/Seay v. Ortiz.

  55. I wouldnt mind seeing this one go for a while tonight. Why not? The pen can rest up over the allstar break, and I got nothing to do for the rest of the night… lets play 18!

  57. Seay you later, Youkilus! Hey, did you Seay what I just did there? Oh, man.

  58. We need a walk off right now… I’m not sure how much longer the pen can hold these guys

  60. Are we sure this is the team leading the league in runs scored?

    I guess let’s go another inning

  63. I can’t believe I’m saying this: Grilli actually looked good tonight.

    Is everybody really that tired?

  64. Rod: “good move by Terry Francona”, as if he had absolutely any choice other than to bring in Papelbon

  69. Huge win, the last two games have been big. The bullpen has really pulled it together. I hope this is just a preview of the second half.

  71. One thing’s for sure. No one can say the bullpen came up short here. Outstanding.

  72. Grilli looked really good in his inning, better than normal. I hope he can sustain that and give Leyland some confidence in using him, as I think it was waning.

  73. Bye the way, that was one of the most exciting games of the year, given the oppenent, home crowd, and extra innings.

  76. Just got back and it was a hell of alotta fun. THe second best game I’ve been to this year only behind the No-no.

    Where’s Stephen with some negativity about tonight? Oh, and trade Maybin!

  77. I just got back from the game. What a tremendous experience. It more than made up for what they put me through on the last game of last season. 🙂

  78. Hah was at the game just got back, Billfer your 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th point was what I kept saying durring the game.

  79. Just got back. Well, I was hoping the Tigers wouldn’t disappoint me with a loss but it was sure tough and go. It’s one of those games I hate to watch because it was so stressful, but I still had confidence the tigers would win it. Good to see Monroe hit those 2 runs in and the bullpen did a nice job. By the end I was just plain exhaustive and so were the players but they hung in there and have got 2 out of 3 at least fromthe Boston Red Sox. The weeather was gorgeous and the crowd huge. I gotta go to bed……..exhausted.

  81. Oh, and you’ll never guess who I met and spoke with for minute…..Rod Allen. I had just bought a bratwurst w onion, catsup, mustard, etc., really messy and out comes Rod. So I just have to say “hi Rod”. He stopped and shook my hand and asked my name. Unfortunately, my mouth was so full of the hotdog, I could hardly speak. Kind of embarassing, but I did get a couple pitcutes o him.

  82. I’ve never seen that many tosses to 1st base as Sheff drew in the 13th inning.I loved it when he crossed homeplate and kicked the dirt toward the Red Sox dugout. Take that and bring on wonder boy on Sunday.

  83. Sorry Jim that i wasn’t able to chime in with more of my rampant negativity about how Andrew MIller is pitching lights out and shouldn’t be sent back to Toledo. I was at a wedding.

    And I now agree on Maybin: we shouldn’t trade him. At least not while he’s injured.

  84. Bullpen gets off the Snide.

    Grilli got the 1st win out of the bullpen since 5/5 (Mesa). The Bullpen had been 0-7 during that streak compared to the starters 32-17. Up to May 5, the relievers were 8-8 getting more decisions than the starters who were 10-3.

    -Sam

  86. Papelbon is still throwing to first every two minutes despite the game ending over a day ago

  87. Pingback: The Detroit Tiger Weblog » Blog Archive » Detroit Tigers Weblog 2007 Year in Review

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