2007 Season, Game Post

Game 97: Tigers at White Sox

97 Comments

PREGAME: The Tigers head to Chicago for a 5, yes 5 game series. The extra game is the result of a rain out that oddly didn’t produce any rain. Hmmm. Now the White Sox find themselves with a 3 game losing streak and tied for 4th or last place (depending on your point of view) in the division.

In any case, tonight it is a battle of left handers. One who is just beginning his career, and one just got a big payday.

Andrew Miller takes the bump for the Tigers. Pitch efficiency will be an objective tonight with Miller racking up pitch counts in the high 90’s through just 5 innings in 3 of his last 4 starts.

On the other side will be Mark Buerhle. He can be that model of efficiency for Miller. In 6 of his last 7 starts Buerhle went at least 7 innings and completed 8 innings in 3 of them. His last time out he allowed 10 hits to the Indians, but limited the damage to just 1 run. He hasn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in a game since June 5th.

Mike Hessman jumps right into the lineup and will bat 8th. Curtis Granderson gets a rare start against a tough left hander and will be in his familiar spot on top the order. The rest of the usual suspects are in the lineup.

Game Time 8:11

DET @ CHW, Monday, July 23, 2007 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: This game had some of everything, in fact too much of somethings. Those 5th and 6th innings were excruciating to say the least. Andrew Miller once again racked up a huge pitch count early on and relied on his bullpen to get 12 outs. With the 7 K’s you can see good he can be, and with the 5 walks and back to back pitches to the backstop you can see he still has some work to do.

Jason Grilli turned in an awful inning with 2 walks and a 2 strike HBP to score the go ahead run. And then he comes out in the 7th and gets the first 1-2-3 inning of the night for the Tigers.

McBride, Seay, and Miner kept the game in check until they handed the ball to Todd Jones. Jones turned in a 1-2-3 inning, as if we’d expect anything else. Right?

  • Reaching bases all 5 times makes for a nice boost to the OBP. A homer and a double make for a nice boost to the slugging percentage. And with the bulk of the damage coming off of a left hander, Curtis Granderson was easily player of the game.
  • It’s not often teams knock around Buehrle like the Tigers did tonight, so it was important to come out on top.
  • The Tigers offense was exactly explosive tonight, but they put the ball in play and it really seemed to work out. The Tigers blooped and snorted their way to 9 runs.
  • Of course the White Sox had some luck as 2 choppers turned into hits in the 4th and another roller was to slow to turn a double play on.
  • Here’s hoping Bonderman can put up 7 or 8 innings in the matinee tomorrow to keep the pen from being too taxed on a doubleheader.

97 thoughts on “Game 97: Tigers at White Sox”

  1. Yikes. The White Sox hitting line-up is scary enough at times, but Bilfer got me downright terrified with his description of the pitching match-up tonight. 😛

  4. Greetings from Germany.

    Unfortunately today I can’t follow the whole Game (Gamestart here is 2.11 a.m and will end at appox 4.am)

    Hopefully the Tigers will conquer Windy City and Buehrle not having his best stuff today 😉 (a pity the Matchup of the 2 No-No Pitcher isn’t possible)

    btw: Its great to see Jon Lester back in the majors. I am happy about everyone who wins (hopefully) the battle against cancer. . Would be great if he can get the win with a good game. Every positive occasion is important for cancer patients. Good luck, Jon.

    Hey, Grandy with HR. Maybe sleep has to wait a little bit 😀

  6. I know it’s been mentioned before, but I think it’s time to STOP platooning Curtis Granderson. Please. He’s an everyday man, and obviously can hit left-handed pitchers.

  7. Hawk Harrelson: “First pitch to Granderson. It is hit high, and hard. And deep.”

    I love MLB.tv

  9. Anybody else think Timo may have gotten a little bit too short of a look. His numbers in Toledo were Awesome, is 8 ABs really enough to judge??

    Plus why wouldn’t they send him down tommorrow and call up Vasquez to pitch, then call up Hessman after Vasquez pitches??

    Is something else up?? Is there a trade in the works??

    -Sam

  10. Why is Vasquez getting called up? What’d I miss?

    Also, Perez got sent back down because Monroe, Granderson, Magglio, Raburn are fine for the OF and Jim loves his RH hitting 1B to platoon/backup Casey.

    And from rumors I’ve seen, Lidge is becoming less and less available via trade. Qualls and Wheeler are apparently more likely to get dealt from Houston’s bullpen corps.

    I’d, personally, like to get Chad Cordero. He’s arbitration eligible so he’s technically under control through 09. Jim Bowden’s a pain to deal with and they just resigned Ronnie Belliard who they were apparently shopping, so who knows if/when Cordero would get dealt.

    I still think that Dotel is the most likely option with the two Houston relievers mentioned earlier also possible. Solomon Torres or maybe Shawn Chacon is possible, too.

  11. Timo’s numbers in Toledo were good, not awesome (.855 OPS). Raburn and Hessman were both over .900.

  12. Vasquez is more than likely being called up to start one end of the DH tommorrow. His start was skipped Sunday at Toledo.

    -Sam

  15. Sam, Timo may be good in the minors but he needs alot more time practicing his throws from the OF. Both Dan Dickerson and Jim Price said his throws were some of the worst they have ever seen, even embarrassing.

  17. Sam: Timo’s 1500 at-bat plus major league career as a poor fielding outfielder with no power and no oba to speak of was his tryout. We’re lucky he only got 8 ab’s.

  18. Just tuning in…. so much for Miller being efficient.

    What’s the history on “pitching efficiency”? Is that something that can be learned in the MLB or is it a symptom of his subpar third pitch that should be worked out in the minors?

  19. Dang, Miller’s getting squeezed. Gameday shows that four of the last 6 “balls” hit the corners.

    Has it been a small zone all game?

  29. If that wasn’t ball four the runner would not have scored again. I like Miller’s action off the backstop.

  31. Gosh, The talk that Miller should go back to the minors and work on a 3rd pitch is getting sooo tired. (Almost as tired as me lobbying for bullpen trade).

    Tonight, he got squeezed and pitched crummy. His ERA is 3.67. That is still beyond excellent for a fifth starter. (Which no matter his eventual role on this team, his great promise, and his bonus is what he is being asked to be on this team).

    Things that are not going to change no matter how much we complain:
    We are going to start a man with no power at first base.
    Garry Sheffield is gonna hit great, say infuriating things, and eventually wear out his welcome in Detroit.
    Brandon Inge is never gonna hit .280

  35. I’ll say this for Grilli….he meets expectations. If only that were a good thing… hm, nice touch to finish off the inning, managing to almost miss a really tall guy at first on a casual toss

  38. You beat the crap out of Buehrle and are still losing? This could be a long day tomorrow, here’s hoping Bondo can save the pen.

    Here’s a thought, do you suppose that Hessman was brought up with the intention of being optioned down after the first game to make room for Vasquez? And then the new back up first baseman will be Shelton? Someone will need to get sent down and stay there for 10 days, and I don’t think they want to part with any of the staff for that long.

  41. Hawk just called Hessman’s hit a “duckfart”. Yes, not “snort” but “fart.”

  42. Pudge was safe, and the pitcher is on his way back to the minors for missing Inge. That was intentional.

  44. Nice one Pudge.

    Hawk and DJ are so freaking unbelieveable. They’ve been bitching about us being “lucky” all night.

  45. Looked out to me.

    But i agree, intentional.

    Inge shoulda taken the hit, then bases loaded for Grandy

  46. Intentional? In a close game like this? It did look like he buzzed it right at him.

  47. I take it back. Pudge was out. And as for luck, look at 2 of the hits in that 5th inning for the White Sox. Lots of dinkin for both teams.

  48. 10 of our hits look like bloop(ish) singles to me. Then 11 if you count the inge bloop double too….

    But yeah, the only one who really seemed to hit the ball hard for basehits is Grandy.

  51. Wow. Imagine that. Somthing other than a fastball. Three sliders to Konerko and he struck him out.

  59. Nice to see another teams losing on their bullpen, sure beats earlier in our season when the show was on the other foot…

  60. The Sox pen is much worse than ours. And I know how scary that sounds.

    How did Maggs get Polly in? I had a dog-related issue…

  66. Thanks guys. Looks like its almost time to ride the rollercoaster.

    Is there a doubleheader in this series?

  67. hawk and his buddy are just about the worst i have listened to this year except the nationals crew…wonder if there is a correclation between crappy teams and crappier announcers.

  70. I predicted to my father that if grandy got a triple it’d be a bases clearing one..just sayin…ya know

  75. I don’t think crappy teams = crappy announcers. Hawk and DJ were the announcers when the White Sox won the world series, and they weren’t any better then. The sad thing is, I think I would rank them 3rd in the AL central. For TV announcers, I’d go (1) Detroit; (2) Cleveland; (3) Chicago; (4) Minnesota; (5) KC.

  84. Let’s hear from the infamous triumverate on how our bullpen sucks. We don’t need no stinkin’ trades.

  86. Let’s hear from the infamous triumverate on how our bullpen sucks.

    No need for that. The bullpen did walk the bases loaded and plunked in a run. They weren’t really perfect. That said I’m much less concerned than I was before

  89. If Hessman was only up for this game, I’m glad he got a chance to contribute a key hit to a win. 12 years in the minors; 250 HRs; a real-life Crash Davis.

    Nice to see Granderson with a big game against a left-hander. He’s too good to be a platoon player.

    Infamous Triumverate would be an excellent name for a rock band.

  90. Kinda disappointed Grandy got robbed a shot at the cycle. But he did score that necessary cushion for RJ (Rollercoster Jones), so guess he took it for the team.

    Sixth inning: Sox score the go-ahead run on BP without the benefit of a base hit. Fortunately, the offensive makes the point mute.

    Leyland actually pinch hit for Monroe in the middle of a rally! I was so ecstatic it cancelled out the ensuing aggrevation when Casey popped up.

    Hessman had a great season debut, including an exceptional pick on a errant throw from Guillen (that likely would have scored a run). I still think he’s possibly on the block.

    Why is Vasquez pitching tomorrow? What’s the story there?

  93. Oh, and on a final note: I recommend muting the TV and putting on Beethoven’s 9th symphony when Dumb and Dumber are in the box calling the game.

  94. ron:

    You must have been chasing your grandkids around the house during the sixth inning…

    But, alas, I’ll relent, just for one night. Additionally, I will be the first to praise the pen when credit is due.

  95. There’s nothing wrong with infamous triumverate. Somebody’s gotta run the show! Who is gonna look up all the stats?? Anyways, GO TIGERS!!

  96. The biggest injustice was Grilli getting the win tonight. His sixth inning was nothing short of pathetic and yet he gets the win. I’d throw a parade down Woodward tomorow that would rival the Thanksgiving Day parade if Grilli got his unconditional release. Floats of Grilli holding a huge gascan and a match. He sooooo needs to be in a D-Rays uni or something equally unglamorous. He infuriates me nearly every time he takes the ball. Mr. Dombrowski……please give JG his walking papers! In fact, if I was managing the Tigers tonight I think that I’d be all over the headlines after chasing Grilli around the dugout with a baseball bat. Damn, I hate that guy.

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