2007 Season, Game Post

Game 119: Tigers at Indians

176 Comments

PREGAME: Am I crazy for being geeked about this stretch of games? Given the way the Tigers have played lately I probably am, but I guess I’m anxious to see what the team is made of. I’m not going to take the position that the season will be decided over the next 2 weeks, that’s just silly. Unless the team is 4-9 or worse, or 9-4 or better, their status probably won’t really change. Still, the chance to see them take on the teams they are competing with for playoff spots should be exciting.

It starts tonight with Jeremy Bonderman. As much as baseball is a team game, Jeremy Bonderman is going to be critical to the team’s success down the stretch. With the injuries to Rogers and Miller, the Tigers need to get consistent efforts from Robertson, Verlander, and Bonderman. The other 2 have at least given decent outings of late, whereas Bondo has been in a tailspin. He’s giving up a ton of hits, more walks than normal, and not striking out many while racking up big pitch counts. And of course there’s that pesky first inning issue which has become ridiculous as of late.

He’ll be face by C.C. Sabathia. The Tigers knocked him around pretty good the last two times they faced him, and chased him after 4 innings in July. We’ll see if the Tigers are a little extra juiced to face C.C. after he predicted a title for the Indians earlier this month.

Marcus Thames will play left field instead of his usual post at first base against the left hander. Carlos Guillen will man first with Omar Infante at short and Ryan Raburn at second. Curtis Granderson gets the start in centerfield. Jason Beck reports that the Placido Polanco and Craig Monroe are battling the flu. Let’s just hope it doesn’t spread.

For the Indians Travis Hafner, bad knee and all, will be in the lineup and bat 5th.

Game Time 7:05pm
DET @ CLE, Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: Nice. I was IM’ing Ian of Bless You Boys and in the 9th inning I commented that regardless of the outcome I was happy with the team’s performance. There was sweet defense, the offense chipping away at a pitcher with his A game, some nice bullpen performances, and most importantly a strong start from Jeremy Bonderman.

Jeremy Bonderman had a bad 2 batter sequence where he shook off a change up and instead h is Casey Blake with a fastball. He then fell behind Grady Sizemore 3-1 before surrendering the homer in the first. After that he picked up 3 ground balls, 2 for outs, and the inning was over. He induced 8 ground outs, 2 infield pop outs, and he fanned 8. So the outfielders weren’t really tested during those first 7 innings. Bondo needed an outing like that, the Tigers needed an outing like that, and I think all fans needed an outing like that.

  • Tigers pitchers fanned 14 Indians tonight. Three of those K’s were by Fernando Rodney with the winning run on 2nd base. One of those was by Tim Byrdak with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out. And one was by Todd Jones with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out. That’s slamming the door.
  • Of course Byrdak needed a little help slamming the door and he got it from Curtis Granderson who preserved the lead going into the 9th by making a fabulous diving catch on a sinking liner from Travis Hafner. It was on par with his catch this past Saturday and a catch he made against the Twins in that 1-0 Sunday Night game.
  • Omar Infante turned in some nifty plays at short and reached base 4 times. Nice from the back up infielder.
  • Magglio Ordonez is doing his best to make it an MVP race. I still think it is A-Rod’s right now, but Magg’s recent surge has closed the gap. His slugging is back over 600, he’s only 6 behind in RBI, and he holds a big advantage in batting average and OBP.
  • Brandon Inge was 0 for 5 with 4 K’s, 2 of the check swing variety.
  • Fernando Rodney has made 5 appearances since coming off the DL. He’s faced 16 batters, and only 2 have reached base while he has fanned 7. Tonight his fastball was sitting in the 96-98mph range. But with 25 pitches I don’t know if he’ll be available tomorrow.
  • The roster move that was made to accomodate Jair Jurrjens was Yorman Bazardo being optioned to Toledo. But there will need to be another move to free up a spot on the 40 man roster. (actually 2 to make room for Rick Procello)


Tigers 6 Indians 2

176 thoughts on “Game 119: Tigers at Indians”

  1. Wow – how about that infield!

    Re-stating the obvious: we need Bondo to keep those slumping Indian bats in check. And with tomorrow’s pitching matchup giving a big edge to Cleveland, tonight’s game is that much more important. Go Tigers!

  3. I’m excited too. My prediction: Bondo pitches well, but Sabathia is a little better. Indians take tonight’s game, 4-2. I want to be more optimistic, but CC is tough at home. I think the Tigers take tomorrow’s game, however.

  7. This is ridiculous. Bonderman cannot get out of the first inning.

    …and we find ourselves down early, AGAIN

  8. Sorry, I don’t mean “can’t get out of the first inning”, I mean “can’t through the first with getting shelled”.

  14. This is getting ridiculous. Maybe a post about Bondo’s stats in the 1st vs. the rest of the innings? Or maybe I missed that one. But really…. we are starting ALWAYS down a run plus when Bondo starts.

  16. I don’t know that you could say we’ve gotten the benefit of bad umpiring. If the ump had walked Sizemore like he should have, he would have never hit that 2 run jack.

  17. Good point, Ken. I guess I wasn’t thinking.

    Bonderman almost looked like a real pitcher that inning.

  18. Bonderman has actually looked very good. He had a bad combination between the HBP and the Sizemore homer, but he has 6 K’s and 5 groundouts in 4 innings.

  19. First all the injuries, now the flu; am I totally crazy to think that our team is just under a dark cloud this season? There seems to be some new horror every day. Guess I’m just having a bad spell. I won’t post anymore….

  20. as bad as it seems for us…it’s no better for the indians…different problems but problems just the same. bondo looks good tonight…win or lose if he finishes with a quality start it is good news for the good guys.

  22. Yep, Bondo has been sharp. Hopefully the bats can keep getting to CC, who’s been sharp also.

  23. unexpectedly great game from Infante so far. Incidentally, I keep forgetting Kenny Lofton is on the Indians now. Did they forget what decade it was or something?

  24. hmm…do you think they know how to pitch left handers against granderson? Those low and away bombs completely own him.

  28. Mad props to Bondo. Esp. considering the 1st inning, he could have collapsed. Instead, he gets us thru 7, on the road, vs one of the best in the league. Well done.

  29. I’ll take Chris Gomez in the game over Ryan Garko any day. Same goes for Betancourt over Sabathia.

  30. Win or lose, there is something positive to draw on the game. Bondo came up big. He needed it, the team needed it, the fans needed it.

  35. Byrdak was brought in to go after Sizemore & Hafner, let’s see it now Byrdak.

  37. This is kind of a high leverage situation. Maybe a good time for Rodney? Or just stay with the guy who walked 2 in a row. Good idea.

  41. Bewildered by the decision to leave Byrdak in here. Right-handed batter, can’t find the strike zone. Leyland’s playing for extra innings apparently.

  48. Pheeeeewww!!!! Had me nervous there!
    If we can pull this off with the lineup we’re throwing out there against CC, we may still have a chance this season.

  49. WOOOOOOWWWWW…….game saving catch, biggest and possibly best catch by Granderson all year……this one has a playoff feel for the first time all year.

  53. Look at it this way, as long as we get through the 9th, we have the top of the order for the 10th.

  55. Is that the same Chris Gomez who played for us about 15 years ago, with Cecil Fielder and the gang?

  56. What a fantastic, game-saving catch by Granderson. Unlike many so-called “web gems”, this came in a do-or-die moment. If Hafner’s ball lands safely, game over.

  64. WOW. I don’t know what to say. Is Rodney back? I’ll put him up against Betancourt, or that inning anyway. Fanfreakintastic.

  74. Fernando Rodney — Wow. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen his arm so electric since he’s been in Detroit.

    And there is nothing that can be said about Grandy’s catch. I thought 100% that ball was dropping. No way he was going to get there. And then he does.

  77. I’m surprised that Sheff has never killed anyone with a line drive. Unreal how hard he hits the baseball.

  80. What is it with closers in non-save situations? Borowski really isn’t all that good anyway.

  83. I think that catch by granderson was better or on par with the catch that robbed willy mo pena of the home run.

    Oh and as i am typing MVP, I mean Maggs belts a homer

  85. And Todd Jones might not even appear. What fantastic hitting from all 4 batters thus far – each better than the last.

  92. Right, Chris in Nashville. Borowski is no closer. The Indians are stupid for not making Betancourt their closer…

    Rock on Maggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  93. Do you think tribe fans feel the same way for borowski as jones when he blew that game for detroit in the same stadium

  94. Borowski is like Jones, a lot of his bad numbers stem from a few shaky outings early in the year.

  95. No, Mike in CT. Jones is far in away better than Borowski…. Come on Indians, stick with Borowski over Betancourt…. We Tiger fans like it this.

  97. 2 comments:

    Rayburn’s performance the past month or so creates an interesting situation for next season.

    Is it possible that Borowski is worse than Jones?

  103. Maggs has to be neck and neck with A-Rod this year for MVP. You can even argue Magg’s numbers are even more impressive given the fewer home runs.

  104. How on earth did Sizemore make the All-Star team ahead of Granderson? The difference between the two has never been so stark as tonight.

  107. For those wondering: Pudge @ 2B, Thames @ 1B, Infante up. Infante hits it hard, but high & hanging, to left-center. Sizemore drifts back, to the track – and the ball hits the heel of his glove. Pudge breaks for home and gets nipped at the plate.

  108. Yeah they’re relatively analogous. Both not particularly suited for the closer roll. Give Jones the edge in ERA and Borowski the edge in K/BB. Pretty bleak numbers anyway you look at it.

  109. I said way back in May that MVP had to be A-Rod and I still fully believe that. His season, aside from the batting average, bests Magglio in every aspect.

  117. I don’t know why Jones is in there with a 4-run lead anyways. It’s as if Leyland wants to purposely mess with his head.

  121. These guys have clobbered the ball against Jones! Good god. If he doesn’t get Victor out, the hook needs to happen.

  124. Just another Todd Jones outing. No biggie.

    How good does this feel? I can’t remember the last time we had a dramatic come-from-behind win that meant something.

  129. awesome. big games from all pitchers–Bondo, Rodney, even Jones (exorcising the demons of 6/1/07). offense is showing signs of waking up.

    great win. Jurrens winning tommorrow would be icing on the cake.

  130. To Mike R: If Maggs keeps up his pace and the Tigers win the central he will win the MVP. A-Rod will go into a slump most likely…

  131. WTF is with Jones and non-save situations? Every time this guy has a four run lead he insists on making things interesting. When its a one run lead I feel much better about RollerCoaster than I do when its a three or four run lead. Even though the Tribe didn’t score, Jones still elvated my heart rate significantly. Thanks TJ, the ol’ ticker really needs the extra stress.

  135. hello! miss me?

    I was at a cigar dinner for work at some country club on commerce road…way out there in BFE…too rich for my blood but had an awesome filet (freeeee)…but got to see almost all of the game! WOW!

    Who feeeeeels good tonight baby!?

    It’s fun to be jumping all around among doctors and such…

  137. Headline on Baseball Musings:

    Poke by Pronk Procured

    Just saw the replay again. What a catch. Looks like it’s going to drop for a hit right up until the last couple steps.

    This was billed as the game of the year for the Tigers, which was probably hyperbole. The way it played out, though, it could well be the turning point we all look back to.

    But back to work: hopefully the Tigers can grind out some runs vs. Carmona and Jurrjens can keep it close tomorrow night.

  139. Granderson is going to be a Tiger for a long, long time. He’s amazing. I’ve looked at that catch 5 times. How’d he catch that?

  140. boombatti: 1) A-Rod’s best month is August. He could separate himself from Magg’s, though Magglio’s showing now signs of slowing down.

    ARod beats Magglio in Slugging by 32 points, has more RBI, more HR and more stolen bases.

    With runners on: ARod is posting an 1.164 to Magglio’s 1.085.
    RISP: ARod leads with a 1.079 OPS to Magg’s 1.054.
    RISP w/ 2 out: ARod is posting a 1.303 OPS to Magg’s .820.
    Bases Loaded: ARod is posting a 1.242 OPS with 2 Slams, Magg’s has a .398 OPS with 1 RBI.
    Close and Late situations: ARod is posting a 1.134 and Magg’s has a .710 OPS.
    7th inning or later: ARod is posting a 1.143 OPS to Magg’s .797.

    In the “clutch stats” (I’m not a huge proponent of calling anyone clutch for more then a year as it varies year to year. For evidence, see: Craig Monroe.) Magg’s is edged out or flat out whipped by ARod, coupled by leading Magglio in half of the traditional stats.

    Also, Magglio’s BABIP is an astounding .380 and ARod’s is just .298, his lowest since 2004, meaning he hasn’t had the luck on balls in play that Magglio has.

    This isn’t a rip on Magg’s, but A-Rod’s season is astounding, too.

  143. Walewander, the only one that comes close is the 13th inning game winning single from Pudge vs. BOS just before the All-Star break.

  144. Grandy’s catch was the #1 web gem on sportscenter tonight, beating out a couple of other outstanding diving catches from outfielders tonight. Curtis has been my Tiger since his debut, and man is he fun to watch or what!

  145. Quote: “Grandy’s catch was the #1 web gem on sportscenter tonight, beating out a couple of other outstanding diving catches from outfielders tonight. Curtis has been my Tiger since his debut, and man is he fun to watch or what!”

    Great catch, great ballplayer.

    Wow, what an important win. Hopefully the flu doesn’t pick some other Tigers too.

    The story of Bondo and his “1st Inning “problems continues. But this time he was sharp for the other 6 Innings yesterday.

    Good Luck to Jair Jurrjens for his MLB Debut today. Maybe the Tigers can “solve” Carmona again

  146. That’s a really swell analysis and all, Mike R, but I don’t think MVP voters really look at all that stuff. They’ll look at the traditional stats and they’ll look at where the Tigers and Yankees finish. If the Yankees continue their surge, then A-Rod’s lead in HRs and RBIs will probably be enough. If the Tigers win the Central and the Yankees miss the playoffs, then Ordonez will get the nod.

  147. just an interesting note here on the morning after, on the pre-game I heard it reported Bondao had stated that he was “trying to do too much; pitch them too fine”.

    which I find very interesting as Nate Robertson had made the same remark and then pitched better in has next outings

    too, it’s the same thing our announcers have been saying: ya gotta go after the hitters. make them swing at something that ain’t easy to hit. fast balls can be a good thing, but a fast ball with a little later movement on it is devastating. Curve is still a good pitch but still it’s gotta have some bite to it. I still like a good curve better than this split finger. splitter seems to get in the dirt a lot; it’s a real gambler’s pitch

  148. I agree with Mike R. Barring a giant slump, A Rod has to be the MVP. I’m perfectly happy with Maggs being the second best player in the AL. I also think Polanco wins the batting title and finishes third or fourth for the MVP due to that and his errorless streak.

    Best Tigers baseball since the Boston series before the break. Couldn’t have been better. Dominance by Bonderman, shut-downery by Rodney, good defense, timely hitting. For at least one game, they are the Tigers they should be.

  149. Oh yeah, it’s obvious but I like to say it:

    Tigers pitching retired the last 29 batters without giving up a run.
    Niiiiiiice. 9 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Bonderman/Byrdak/Rodney/Jones. A little over a regulation game. No runs.

    I would also like to start a petition for Polanco to cough on Grilli. A lot. Here’s yet another way for Placido to contribute.

  150. It was fun to go back and read everyones comments this morning – everyone seemed so worried. And why not I guess? But at the bar, without the sound, just watching the game, I felt more confident in the team than I had, even when they were down 0-2. Bondo, to quote Rod, had some filthy stuff. And I was so happy to see him finish the 7th. When was the last time that happened??

    And that Grandy catch!! I almost knocked my beer off the table!!

  151. “a-rod” *@!# I wouldn’t trade Grandy for nobody and certainly not for a-rod

  152. Unfortunately, I missed the 9th and 10th innings last night (too bad for me!) but it’s a blast reading all the comments, knowing what happened.

    Great win, but let’s not start sucking each other’s popsicles just yet. Carmona is good, Jurrjens is a rookie, and Cleveland is really struggling to score runs. If we lose tonight, we’re back where we started.

    Still, it was great to seee Bonderman dominate after the first inning, and Rodney was incredible. And of course Grandy’s catch. Reminds me of ’06. In fact, you could argue that two of the last three games have been throwbacks to last year: good starting pitching, timely bullpen performance, and clutch hitting late in ballgames. Hopefully the beginning of a trend….

  153. JMD: And you are certainly correct; A-Rod very well may lose the award to Magglio and I would stand by the fact that the writers are wrong. Then again, I didn’t think Justin Morneau was the MVP last year, either. But, I tend to take team success out of it as 1 player can only do so much. See: A-Rod in April through Mid May.

  154. Reminds me of ‘06.

    it is what the Tigers are capable of

    if there is one thing to focus on it’s the pitching coaching and the password is challenge the hitter, make him swing at one that ain’t easy to hit. it’s how good things happen.

    when the Ump is calling a very tight strike zone it get a little tougher to throw a strike that hard to hit. that’s why the Ump is told to call a tight strike zone: to get more balls in play.

    OK, that is where that late movement comes in. Yeah, if it’s in the strike zone he’s gonna hit it. but a little of that late movement and he ain’t gonna really hook up to it

  155. What pleases me the most: seeing Rodney absolutely dominate with his pitching. He’s a terminator out there on the mound…better than last year.

  156. Granderson’s terriffic gamesaving catch notwithstanding,his pathetic performance against lefthanded pitching(witness his waving at two ball fours in the seventh last night)makes him a perfect candidate for platooning.While he is the Tigers best outfield glove(and weakest arm-he could add to his outfield assists total by running the ball to the infield),he’s a black hole in the batting order.The increased offense provided by Infante or Rayburn(or Craig Monroe,for that matter)would more than compensate any dropoff in defensive play.

  157. Grandy was hitting 500 ball for awhile, right after the All Star break. He is slumping right now, no doubtl. I agree his peformance against lefties is a flaw, but it is in no way fatal. He finds other ways to get on base and get things done (taking walks, stealing bases).

  158. My two cents on the MVP topic:

    Every year I hear the debate about the MVP having to come from a playoff team. I even remember the year that Sosa won it because he was on the playoff team and McGwire wasnt- even though McGwire set the HR record that year.

    I think if the Yankees don’t make the playoffs and the Tigers do, then I don’t feel it should go to A-rod. But then again, its the almighty A-rod, and I am not sure if the brown-nosing voters will vote against the almighty Yankee.

    Its not that *I* feel the MVP should go to a player on a good team, its just that they have drilled that reasoning and logic into our heads year after year, and it would be hypocritical for them to back down on it now.

  159. I hope Jair “Jar Jar Binks” Jurrjens can at least keep us in the game tonight. I don’t want to see the bullpen get spent mopping up any messes.

  160. Against lefthanders Granderson is .163/.204/.286 with 4 walks (vs.35 strike outs) and 0 stolen bases.That isn’t getting things done.Those are embarrassingly awful numbers for a major league player.Too many here are letting their love for him blind them to his limitations and the harm he does to the team by staying in the line-up against lefthanded pitching.

  161. BobS Grandy is one of the most devastating players in the Tiger line up. nobody covers the ground out there like he does and with that ability to play shallow in center and his speed on the bases plus hanging near 300 batting he’s absolutely one of our best

  162. Bob S:

    Leyland DOES often platoon Granderson, which makes me wonder what the sample size is on that .163/.204/.286 line. Maybe a little small to make such a sweeping statement?

    There is no doubt Granderson is dismal against lefties, but no way no how does Infante (least of all Monroe) compensate offensively to platton for him. I’d rather have Granderson hitting lefties anyday than see Monroe or Infante (at that position). Raburn, maybe. I can see that.

    Again, would like to see the sample size of that line vs. the sample size and line against righties.

  163. He is devastating……as long as the pitcher is right handed. If it’s a left-hander he’s reduced to Neifi Perez status. Good D, abysmal O.

  164. BobS, I must disagree with your assessment about Granderson’s throwing. I would call him the STRONGEST arm in our outfield, not the weakest.

  165. Grandy isn’t as bad as neifi when a left hander is pitching. At least with Grandy swinging against a lefty there is the threat of the ball getting to the outfield.

  166. I also saw Granderson absolutely crush a ball into the right field stands just a few weeks ago against a lefty (I think he had a multiple hit game against the same pitcher, too, if memory serves).

    I think I’ve seen Neifi hit exactly one home run in my life, against KS, when the Tigers were already up something like 8-0. It was such an incredulous site I had to hit rewind on TIVO about ten times before I was confinced I wasn’t suddenly swept by some unknown force into an alternate universe.

    I would consider platooning Grandy with Raburn, but I would also continue to give him some at bats against lefties. I think his line against lefties will greatly improve with time.

  167. Ken batting ain’t all there is to this game. The reason Grandy is devastating is because of the way he covers his position in CF. A truly top flite player. Good hitter too.

  168. Those numbers are based on 98 AB against left handers.He’s played in 117(out of 119) games to date.My opinion is based on watching him flail at balls thrown by lefthanded pitchers.He’s so bad that I’ve wondered if he shouldn’t experiment with switch hitting in the spring,something that never occurred to me while watching Willie Mays or Al Kaline(recalling some ludicrous comparisons from a previous thread).While his range and glove skills are Gold Glove caliber,Granderson has a below average arm for a center fielder.He compensates somewhat by playing as shallow as he does.NO WAY(a battle of capital letters!)does Granderson have the strongest arm in the outfield,unless you’re referring to his high school team.Take off the orange tinged shades.

  169. I’ve been watching Grandy play out there and there ain’t nobody I’d rather watch play baseball.

    some of these negative notes, geeeeees — don’t they need somebody to sell pizza?

  170. everybody ready? we got our new guy to pitch tonite I can hardly wait for the game to start

  171. For his career, Granderson is 231/293/434 against lefties. Not very good, but consider his career numbers: 262/330/447, which are on the rise as he continues to improve. I would expect that as Granderson gains more experience, he will play more often against left-handers and his numbers will get better. He was obviously lost against a power lefty in Sabathia (who is tough on lefties in general) but had some success against soft-tosser Buehrle a few weeks ago in Chicago, so I think he is capable of improving.

  172. remember that the outcome of the game is the difference in our offensive production less their defensive effort and their offensive production less our defensive effort

    all of the players on both teams contribute to all of the above the game is not just in hitting. anything that Grandy might lack in hitting against lefties is way more than made up by his defensive value. Inge is similar — not a hitter really but very good covering 3b

  173. 98 AB is a too small a sample size to condem Granderson to the likes of Neifi Perez. That’s less than 1 plate appearance per game played… He’s played in 117 games, but remember, many of those games he came in late, after the other team pulled the starting left-hander pitcher.

    Again, I’m not arguing Granderson is a good hitter against lefties. I’m just pointing out 98 AB is just way too small a sample size to get an accurate pitcure.

  174. The numbers from my post use 173 AB, which gives a better indication of his track record.

    He struggles against lefties now but has the ability to improve. The idea of platooning him often but getting him ABs against a lefty whenever you can seems like a sensible approach, as he can improve, and would obviously be more valuable given his baserunning and defense if he could play every day.

    He totally mashes righties, BTW. I don’t think we’ve mentioned that.

  175. BoSox and Yanks lost this afternoon….
    Looking forward to tonights matchup, trying not to expect too much from Jar Jar.

  176. Thanks for that didactic,Bill A-your grasp of the obvious is impressive.
    Like I wrote,all you need to convince yourself of Granderson’s futility batting against lefthanders is watching him bat against lefthanders.I didn’t bring up the Neifi comparisons,but,since someone did,he certainly compares more with him(against southpaws) than with Mays or Kaline(sorry,I just find it hard to believe that someone with the intelligence to use a computer can seriously make that comparison-I’ll leave it alone now).
    His value as a baserunner is predicated on him getting on base(how’s that for stating the obvious),something he does too rarely against lefthanded pitching.

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