Monthly Archives: May 2008

2008 Season, Injuries

Tigers to skip Galarraga and Dontrelle’s rehab

4 Comments

Though it’s not really a surprise, when Dontrelle Willis comes back he’ll be taking Armando Galarraga’s spot in the rotation. Or perhaps Galarraga will be returning Willis’s spot. You could see this was the plan when Willis started his last rehab assignment on the same night Galarraga was pitching.

Dontrelle will make rehab starts for the Mud Hens on Monday and Saturday. A Monday start would be normal rest for Galarraga, but with the open day he’ll be skipped to keep Justin Verlander on his regular rest. So Galarraga’s next start will be in Arizona on Saturday.

There is a possibility that Galarraga could stay with the club in the bullpen, but that would be a mistake. He needs to keep starting and being ready to fill in should injury or prolonged ineffectiveness plague another member of the rotation.

2008 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5-9-08

Toledo 8 Charlotte 1
The power duo of Mike Hessman and Jeff Larish were at it again. Hessman had two homers and Larish had one. Larish added two walks and Hessman added a single. Clete Thomas had two assists gunning down a runner at third and home. Eddie Bonine pitched a complete game on 104 pitches fanning 5, walking 1, and allowing 8 hits.

Harrisburg 4 Erie 3
Wilkin Ramirez singled and homered. Lucas French went 8 innings and allowed 1 run on 2 walks and 2 strike outs. Casey Fien blew the save allowing 3 runs on 2 hits, and two walks despite fanning 3.

Vero Beach 5 Lakeland 2
Cale Iorg singled and walked and stole 2 bases. Luis Marte fanned 6 and walked 1 while allowing 3 runs over 6 innings.

West Michigan 3 Lansing 7
Chris Carlson was a triple short of the cycle. Alfredo Figaro went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, a walk, and 5 K’s. Noah Krol didn’t record an out but allowed 4 runs.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 37: Yankees at Tigers

68 Comments

PREGAME: The last time the Tigers saw the Yankees they were one game under .500. Since then the Tigers have won one game. They have 10 extra base hits in their last 241 at-bats. They’ve struck out 43 times. They haven’t hit a home run since Curtis Granderson led off with one 5 games ago. Things aren’t good.

Kei Igawa takes the mound for the Yankees, making his first start of the year. Last year he allowed a homer 4.5 innings so that may bode well for an offense in a power outage.

Kenny Rogers has quality starts in his last two outings. His last start against the Twins was derailed following a Carlos Guillen error, but he still managed 6 strike outs and no walks.

NYY @ DET, Friday, May 9, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: The Tigers have a thing about playing the Yankees on Friday nights. Comerica has seen some noteworthy games tilting in the Tigers favor under those circumstances. There was the shellacking of Randy Johnson, the Mike Maroth 1-hitter, and the 3:30 in the morning walk-off. Todd Jones did his best to make this one memorable as well.

Jones made a 4-run lead look very surmountable, but the winning run was left on first base as Shelley Duncan hit a ball hard but at Granderson. All I can say about Jones is that if he’s going to pitch crappy, better to do it with a 4 run cushion than a 1 run one. But yes, he will blow some saves, as do all closers.

As for the offense, they pounded Kei Igawa as they’ve pounded many left handed pitchers. Part of me wishes Boof Bonser was traded to the NL instead of Johann Santana (that would be sarcasm). Pudge had two doubles, a single, a WALK, and a flyball deep to right field.

Polanco had two hits, and two line drives that turned into outs. Guillen took an 0’fer but might have had the hardest hit ball of the night but Bobby Abreu tracked it down.

Ryan Raburn got a rare start (more on this later) and made the most of it with two hits.

Two milestones occurred last night. Gary Sheffield tied Al Kaline on the all time RBI list. This was acknowledged on the scoreboard. Kenny Rogers broke the pick off record, totally befuddling Wilson Betemit (who had a really bad game). Yet this wasn’t even mentioned in the stadium.

2008 Season

What’s Going On

10 Comments

Sean C from Illinois penned this take on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and left it in the comments. I thought it deserved a little more prominence:

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Tigers, Tigers
Not too many of you trying
Batters batters batters
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To DL Sheffield – yesterday

Pitchers, pitchers
Know they’d better strike them out
Fielding is the answer
For only gloves can conquer doubt
You know that you can rest assured
We need back Brandon Inge at third

Runners on
And runners gone
Don’t punish me
With a 6-4-3
Come on score some runs
And get it done
We’ll win the game
We’ll win the game
Tell me who won the game
I’ll tell you who won the game

Tigers, Tigers
What a rapid fall from grace
But who are we to judge them
Simply ’cause they’re in last place?
Wonder how long it’s gonna be
Until Jim says “That’s it for me”

Hitting’s weak
And pitching’s sick
The starters can’t
Make it through the 6th
Come on bulllpen guys
Oft criticized
Don’t blow the game
Don’t blow the game
Jonesy don’t blow the game
Guillen’s error blew the game

2008 Season, Minors

Tigers Minor League Wrap 5-8-08

Lehigh Valley 3 Toledo 7
Mike Hessman hit his 12th homer. Freddy Guzman, now with Toledo with the promotion of Matt Joyce, had 2 hits and a walk. Chris Lambert went 8 innings allowing only a walk and 2 hits while fanning 5.

Trenton 7 Erie 2
Josh Rainwater only pitched an inning and surrendered 5 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. In all the Seawolves ended up needing 6 pitchers.

Vero Beach 3 Lakeland 4
Mike Bertram had 3 hits. Scott Sizemore doubled and walked. Matt O’Brien allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings while fanning 3.

West Michigan 2 Lansing 0
Casper Wells, Audy Ciriaco and Joe Bowen each had 2 hits. Ciriaco also made his 15th error of the season. Ramon Garcia picked up the 3 hit complete game shut out walking 1 and fanning 5.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 36: Red Sox at Tigers

80 Comments

PREGAME: Justin Verlander and Josh Beckett tonight.

Sorry for the brevity, gotta run.

BOS @ DET, Thursday, May 8, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME:  That winning thing was short lived.  I missed the first 3 innings of this game while coaching my son’s team but it appears to be more of the same. Tigers starting pitching allows runs early, but not so much to make it a blow out.  Red Sox starting pitching looks golden allowing some baserunners, but they were all singles.  And it’s yet another loss.

Curtis Granderson fanned 4 times, besting (or worsting) his 3 K’s performance last night.  Miguel Cabrera is slumping again going 0 for 4 with a couple ugly looking K’s.  If it weren’t for the subs at the bottom of the order – Thames, Inge, and Santiago – stringing together 2 out hits it would have been another shut out.

I just don’t know.

Red Sox 5 Tigers 1

2008 Season, Defense, Front Office, Statistics

Junkballing: riding the river of news

6 Comments

A startling amount of news from the beat writers and analysis from bloggers today. Inge likes catching, Cabrera at first base, and more.

Inge says catching is fun

Brandon Inge is just too fascinating to resist. The very different views of his defense, the despair over his offense, the sympathy and lack of sympathy over his plight to get traded, his early season success while essentially being a full time player the first 25 games, people clamoring for Inge to return to third base, it’s the gift that keeps on giving for bloggers. Now it appears that Inge thinks catching is cool.

Inge said Tuesday that he still prefers to play third base — “my first love” — and that a chance to play at third regularly could persuade him to play elsewhere.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not gonna lie,” Inge said, “but I’m good with the catching, too. I don’t like sitting.

“And I love Detroit. I love everything about it.”

It’s quite the shift from his stance this spring when he was catching and complaining about it, and doing it enough to draw ire from me. He later backed off those statements when it became clear Vance Wilson wouldn’t be breaking camp with the team.

I’m in agreement with Ian and Kurt that the possibility of Inge catching next year if Pudge Rodriguez isn’t back would definitely be a nice option for the Tigers to have.
Continue reading Junkballing: riding the river of news →

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 35: Red Sox at Tigers

161 Comments

PREGAME: The Tigers are in a 3-way battle for AL suckitude with the Rangers and Mariners. It would be nice to not be in that position.

It’s Armando Galarraga and Clay Bucholz if the rain holds off.

Bucholz has been money with only 3 runs allowed total over his last 3 starts since a shellacking at the hands of the Yankees. He has a reverse platoon split with righties hitting an 846 OPS against him whereas lefties are struggling to the tune of .564.

Here’s your lineup.

  1. Granderson, CF
  2. Polanco, 2B
  3. Guillen, 3B
  4. Ordonez, RF
  5. Cabrera, 1B
  6. Sheffield, LF
  7. Joyce, DH
  8. Renteria, SS
  9. Rodriguez, C

BOS @ DET, Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: You know, when a game last 4 hours it gives you quite a bit to comment on. I’ll start with the finish. The Tigers got the win. Good. Very good. Much needed.

The 9th inning rally wasn’t one of shock and awe. It consisted of a check swing dribbler, an error, a bunt, a ground ball to second, and a broken bat single. But it’s still two runs, and it’s still a win. And to each guy’s credit that inning, they found a way to put the ball in play.

Now a ton of bullet points: Continue reading Game 35: Red Sox at Tigers →

Fan Experience

Great Moments in T-Shirt History

7 Comments

I apologize for the quality of the photo. It’s the best I could do with my camera phone. What you are looking at is a custom made (I’m assuming it’s custom made anyways) #49 Rod Allen T-shirt. The shirt on its own is a stroke of genius, but it is enhanced greatly by being paired with a custom made (I’m assuming it’s custom made anyways) no number Cobb T-shirt.

This duo ranks second in “best ball park wear” behind the guy I saw in 2004 with a duct taped VINA and number 9 applied directly to his back. Sadly there is no photo.

However their work will live on along with other T-shirt greats like this.

So thanks to two very creative gentleman I now have a post tagged with both Rod Allen and Ty Cobb.

2008 Season

Let sarcasm rain down

38 Comments

Some observations from last night’s game that help to express just how sad things have become for the Tigers and their fans…

It could be worse…

…You could be a Yankees fan sitting around wondering “How the hell did we get swept by these guys?”

…You could be rooting for the team that let Gavin Floyd carry a no hitter into the 9th inning. That’s gotta suck and it’s way worse than the time the Tigers broke one up in the 8th inning.

The Tigers offense was so bad…

…That the only situational stats that the scoreboard operator could display were “Career with nobody on base.” (Shockingly enough the HR total always matched the RBI total. Like every single time. Talk about your statistical anomalies.)

…The scoreboard operator celebrated a Dustin Pedroia error resulting in the Tigers 2nd baserunner with a great big flashing “OH YEAH!”

…The folks at MLB.com felt the need to celebrate the Tigers first extra base hit in 25 innings with a pity highlight.

Did you know…

That the largest possible improvement in ERA occurs when a pitcher who has given up one run before recording an out then records a triple play? It goes from infinity to 9.00. My friend Russ and I realized this last night when Freddy Dolsi’s ERA went from infinity to 27.00 when he recorded his first out. Three more outs later and it was lower than Zach Miner’s. By the time he was done he had recorded 5 outs and his ERA was lower than 60% of the starting rotation.

Some people go to games to watch baseball and drink beer. I go to baseball games to watch baseball, drink beer, and do math.

2008 Season, Game Post

Game 34: Red Sox at Tigers

141 Comments

PREGAME: Here we are with another extended losing streak and the light at the tunnel to .500 just keeps getting dimmer. Tonight it will be Tim Wakefield going up against Nate Robertson.

With Wakefield you don’t know what you’re going to get, aside from a bevy of knuckleballs. The last time the Tigers faced Wakefield they drew 5 walks, but like we saw last night it doesn’t translate to runs without some extra base hits.

Robertson had a typical Nate outing allowing 4 runs. He’s allowed 4 runs in 4 of his last 5 outings.

I’m off to the game!

BOS @ DET, Tuesday, May 6, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: It’s a tardy postgame report because I make a rule to try and not blog angry. Plus I couldn’t even muster the words to express my disappointment in that game. And the morning after I still can’t. So just some bullets will need to suffice:

  • I saw cib and tiff and Samara prior to the game. So a lovely early summer night started off lovely.
  • Robertson struck out the lead off hitter on 3 pitches. That seemed like a good omen.
  • Nate is at least remarkably consistent. My friend and I debated how he would give up the 4th run of the night in the 7th inning. He had Manny going deep. I had a double to Pedroia that would be let in by the bullpen. We were both wrong.
  • I feel I bear some responsibility. When Carlos Guillen singled in the first I said “at least we don’t have to worry about the no hitter tonight.”
  • Curtis Granderson saw 23 pitches in his 3 ab’s against Wakefield
  • Pudge’s double was the only time a Red Sox outfielder had to make a movement away from the infield.
  • Can you believe that Manny Ramirez swung at the first pitch from Freddy Dolsi. What was he thinking?
  • Being in the stands it was hard to judge the effectiveness of the knuckle ball except to say it was slow. But I can recall only one pitch at all getting by catcher Kevin Cash which seems remarkable.
  • There are times that I think the batting order doesn’t matter that much. Tonight was one of those times.
Uncategorized

links for 2008-05-06

6 Comments