2007 Season, Game Post

Game 156: Royals at Tigers

21 Comments

PREGAME: It’ll be Justin Verlander and Jorge De La Rosa today as the Tigers try to secure a winning record at home against the Royals. Forgive the brevity today, still worn out from sports day yesterday.

Game Time 1:05

21 thoughts on “Game 156: Royals at Tigers”

  1. Anyone catch Bondo on the pre-game today? He was either on drugs or completely indifferent. Or both. I mean, he’s never exactly been eloquent, but cripes…

  6. If you had told at the beginning of the year that (1) Verlander would pitch well enough to win 18 games and (2) Magglio would win the batting title, I would have said a playoff berth seemed all but assured.

    Sigh.

  7. I am comfortable enough in my masculinity to make it known that as a Tigers fan, I have a mancrush on watching Billy Butler hit. That kid is just a flat-out masher and going to be a pain for the next 10 years (assuming KC can build around him enough to entice him and Gordon into staying beyond their initial contracts).

  11. well those indians won today…clinching the central…if the yankees win two they clinch. time to focus on next year…any ideas on who returns?

  14. Interesting there’s no mention of First Base in that Freep article. Left field seems like a small problem compared to 1B.

  16. Has there ever been a luckier team than the ’07 Yankees? I’m not saying they’re not good, they’re solid, but on top of that, it’s been a while since I’ve seen such a crazy chain of good luck for a lineup. AJ isn’t going to pitch against them now. Bedard, Guthrie, Burnett, and about a dozen other aces recently just scratched when their turn against the pinstripes comes up. Is Torre involved with voodoo?

  17. Let’s be honest…the Yankees haven’t just been luckier…they’ve been better. If anything, they were way better than their run differential for the first 2 months and were missing Mussina, Clemens, Hughes, Chamberlain, Matsui, and Wang in the first few weeks of the season for different reasons. Now, they may very well be the best team in baseball, Indians included I’m afraid…

  18. I want Miller to be in Toledo until the All-Star break. Leyland says it’s unlikely him or Jurrjens are rotation bound in 2008 and you “need to let the flower bloom once-in-a-while” so if they have any thoughts of Miller in the bullpen, that’d be ridiculous. It’d do Miller no good what-so-ever.

    I’m not sold that Jurrjens being in the rotation in 2008 is a good thing. Especially if he’s throwing just fastballs (like he did in Minnesota). I don’t think he gives us anything better then what Zach Miner does, so it’s best to let Jurrjens grow in the Toledo rotation rather then posting a 5+ ERA next year.

    Bring back both Kenny and Todd Jones. Keep Joel and Rodney in the 7th-8th innings in front of Todd — those are more important.

    Timo, Thames, and Clevlen are not answers for the LF at question at all. There’s moves that need to be made but we’re in a tough spot without having a ton of move-able pieces in the system that are impactful enough to bring back solid answers for 1st, C, LF.

  19. Adam – that was my point, kind of, they’re so good, its hard enough for teams to catch them even if they didn’t have any luck, so it makes it almost impossible when their luck is off the charts. They’ve had an unreal stretch of avoiding the aces and getting to face mediocre to total scrub pitching.

    As far as being better than the Indians, maybe in the regular season, but the Yankees starting pitching is a low % bet to hang in the playoffs. Good pitching stops good hitting, and while their bullpen is solid, their top 2 starters can’t hold a candle to CC in Fausto, in my humble opinion.

    It remains to be seen if the Indians can handle the ‘mystique’ of the Yanks.

  20. Mike there is one problem with your assessment. Who are you going to fill in for the #5 starter. Miller at AAA along with JJJ, who are you going to do. A cheapy FA not likely unless you want that 5+ ERA that you “say” Jurrjens will give up. If so why not just put him in and save our money for a LF player and or SS. Personally i don’t wanna see Miller til I see him correct his pitching windup and face forward and not 3/4 of the way. not to mention he needs to develop more pitches then just fastballs and bad change ups. Maybe a pitcher like in a trade would be great. Or a Bonderman for Rentaria and 2 or 3 top prospects the braves have. Anyways you need to fill the hole before we can say this pitcher or that pitcher cant be in the rotation.

  21. Steve, sorry I’m getting back to you so late, but:

    We shouldn’t have to “save money” by playing rookies. We’re not in a fiscally tight spot. 3rd in the AL Attendance + Mike Illitch being loaded and nearly 2 years full of sellouts means we have plenty of money to spend.

    Bonderman for Renteria and “2 or 3 prospects” would be horrible for the Tigers. I don’t want Jurrjens in the rotation and on that we’re talking a hole in the No. 5 spot in the rotation. You just suggested someone who for the first 19 starts of his 2007 season was among the top 5 or 7 pitchers in the American League. That’d be ridiculous — especially with no plausible option to fill the hole in the No. 2 spot in our rotation. Robertson won’t fill that, Kenny’s numbers are more No. 3 at best, and Miller’s no ready. You fix one hole by opening an enormous one.

    Not to mention that Renteria (1) was HORRIBLE in the American League and (2) is middle of the pack defensively in the National League — i.e. he’s not that much of an upgrade either offensively or defensively warrant trading your No. 2 starter. You make that deal if you’re getting a Hanley Ramirez in return, not an Edgar Renteria. Plus, the Braves system is TERRIBLE until you get to the low, low minors as they traded the depth of their organization in the deal with Texas. I would’ve loved to deal Robertson plus Monroe plus a prospect last december there for, say, Jarrod Saltalamacchia which would’ve solved our catching problem going forward in 2008.

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