2008 Season, Game Post

Game 107: Tigers at Indians

576 Comments

PREGAME: Cliff Lee is one of the best in the AL this year. Nate Robertson has been one of the worst – at least in terms of ERA and hits allowed and batting average allowed.

Sorry it’s a short post today. There’s some other news going down

DET @ CLE, Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME (scene from the National Spelling Bee)
Moderator: Please spell Excruciating
Sweaty Genius Kid: Could you please us it in a sentence
Moderator: The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians game last night was excruciating
Sweaty Genius Kid: Excruciating. E-x-c-r-u-c-i-a-t-i-n-g. Excruciating

I guess you can say the Tigers stole one last night. Nate Robertson was awful and only a game ending after 5 hours prevented me from dumping a bucket of vitriol all over Nate. But I got tired and decided to write the post game the morning after. I’ve mellowed.

The pen was, um. Well they only allowed 4 runs in 10 innings of work. And they worked really hard. They threw lots of pitches. Rodney got spanked. Jones got spanked. Fossum nearly got spanked. Seay was a little shaky before becoming a stud and fanning 5. Basically the bullpen for today’s game consists of Joel Zumaya and Freddy Dolsi (only 11 pitches). So if Farnsworth joins the team in time it would be helpful.

But now for the really good: The offense was excellent. Yes, they left some scoring chances on the table in the late innings, but I can’t knock an offense that scores 14 runs. There had to be some timely hits in there somewhere. Special acknowledgment for Miguel Cabrera who is kinda good. Also, Curtis Granderson had 5 hits. Four of them came on opposite field 2 strike singles, and 3 of those came off of left handers.

While the game itself was down right maddening, the multiple comebacks were sublime. And the fact that the biggest part of the comeback came against one of the best pitchers in baseball this year just makes it sweeter.

576 thoughts on “Game 107: Tigers at Indians”

  1. don’t much like this lineup…are we conceding this game…is guillen unavailable to dh or are we showcasing sheffield to some scouts who just landed on the planet yesterday?

  2. The scouts are named Gomolowicz and Gnacylncka and are from the same planet as Gubicza and Grudzielanek and obviously are scouting for the Royals.

  3. Pudge gone? That’s my wife’s favorite!……I will miss him. He was the first hope this team saw in years when rebuilding began.

    Tonight’s game is not a giveaway….but it will take a lot of breaks to win it. 70-30 Cleveland at the post.

  4. Thames looked gawd-awful on that play. Too much of that stuff this year in our let and right-fielders.

  5. You would think after Grady did it in the first that the defense might be expecting that………………but this is a wasted game anyway. As predicted. Over in the 2nd.

  8. Ugh. Maybe someone will mercifully take Nate off our hands tomorrow. He’s been comically bad this year.

  10. When that Robertson for Laird rumor was circulating earlier I was really, really, really hoping it was true. Oh well….

  11. Nate has had some good games, but not lately. He has also had some bad breaks. But no matter who you are you can not win grooving BP fastballs in the heart of the zone just hoping to get an out because your command can not find the edge of the plate.

  12. Nate…doing his best to reclaim last place AL-qualified starters ERA. Guess that’s something, right?

  13. When Robertson pitches you just hope he lasts 5 or 6 and the Tigers can score some runs. But that isn’t going to happen today, especially with Lee out there.

  14. I’m not able to watch the game at the moment, but this had shutout/blowout written all over it. Tiger players possibly shell shocked from the trade, Nate not able to throw to Pudge anymore, Cy Young candidate Cliff Lee on the mound.

    Just a gut feeling, could be wrong.

  15. Lets see if this club shows any heart tonight when no one expects them to. Whether or not they even make the playoffs – that will tell me if they have what it takes to be Champs.

    Haven’t seen it yet this year.

  17. Yeah

    We are on the board. I guess I won’t see Pudge and all his walks this weekend at the Trop.

  19. If I were Polanco in that situation, I would not be swinging at the second pitch.

    If I were, I would not be trying to put it in play. Lee’s at 49 pitches through three. A nice eight or nine pitch at-bat there would put him at 57. A good strategy would be to get him out the of the game as soon as possible, instead of trying to keep him in longer, and go after him later.

  20. sky, to put it in perspective, remember that the Tigers are 41-48 (assuming they lose tonight) vs American League teams. This means that since their horrendous 0-7 start, they have managed to play .500 ball over half a season’s worth of games. Even if you see those first seven games as an abberation, the last 82 games (excluding games vs AAAA NL) is not a small sample size, and for all the hip hip hooray about their resurgence, the fact is they are now, and have been all year, a mediocre team. Average D, poor team speed, a couple of holes in the offense and a few gargantuan ones in the pitching staff, are not a prescription for post-season play. And it isn’t like these problems just cropped up suddenly; they have been evident right from the get-go.

  21. wonder if Dombrowski can swindle Ned Colletti and the Dodgers into taking Renteria, we’ll throw in Sheff for free, since he and Joe Torre are such good friends.

  22. I miss Pudge. Can’t help it. To me it feels like a death in the family. He was/is so emotional and sure could fire up a crowd when he was “on”.

  23. Adam: “If I were Polanco in that situation, I would not be swinging at the second pitch.”

    I agree; even a 7-pitch strikeout like Inge would have been better.

    Also if I were Polanco in that situation: Holy crap, I can actually hit a baseball!!! (but my head: noticeably smaller)

  25. Well, I have seen enough. Tie to try some old movies or something. This is painful and will best be forgotten as soon as possible. I guess the home fans have the right to see a game..but shouldn’t there be a concession rule? LOL

    At least Leyland can use this game to give the guys a needed workout.

    Bye all until tomorrow! We’ll bounce back but this is sad.

  26. God, Nate Robertson. You need to show someone you don’t suck.

    ERA 6.02 – Holy crap.

  27. “To me it feels like a death in the family.”

    I felt the same way.

    And if one was listening to Mario during the pre-game, one would have thought this might have been the actual case. He said Inge was catching today in place of “the departed Pudge Rodriguez.”

  28. And with Marte’s double, 85-mph tossing Nate Robertson’s ERA is over 6.00 for the season. Awesome.

  31. Before signing off, just a quick response to Vince in MN. You are right. I enjoy watching the team play and sometimes they can be exciting. But this is not a playoff caliber team. There are too many weaknesses of the kind that lose you 10 or so games in the season.

  32. If they come back, they’re gonna have to do it without me. I got better things to do.

  34. wow, lets see if we can trade nate away for chris shelton. we need more 2005 tigers back!

  38. Man, rough start for Thames. Needs to come back with a jack.

    Robertson is not helping his trade value.

  39. Vince,

    “…for all the hip hip hooray about their resurgence, the fact is they are now, and have been all year, a mediocre team. Average D, poor team speed, a couple of holes in the offense and a few gargantuan ones in the pitching staff, are not a prescription for post-season play.”

    Amen, amen, amen. And you could have added the managerial man-love for old bad players further hindered the team’s evolution. What kind of winning environment allows talent to wait and wait on the bench or in the minors while old men who are past their prime continue to lose the team ballgames? For more than half a season, these old guys did not have to worry about any consequence whatsoever for their dramatic underperformance.

    That kind of coddling of mediocrity is similar to the socialist coddling of poorly run businesses, a coddling that consistently delivers economic sclerosis. Leyland’s managing this year is a flat-out fireable offense.

  40. Nate Robertson’s ERA is officially over 6.00 now. Tell him thanks, give him a big hug, and let him take the rest of the year off.

  41. Come on now, if Thames hits a 7-run homer here we’re right back in this thing.

    What a day. Couldn’t we have at least used the Yankees offer as leverage to send Pudge to the Marlins for Rabelo and Trahern?

  42. Coleman “Why isn’t Farnsworth warming up yet?”

    I thought I heard them say ,before the game started, that he wouldn’t be with the Tigers til tomorrow at the earliest.

  43. miggy seems to be hitting well lately, let’s see if we can get grilli back for him

  47. Palmcroft,
    I am with you 100% on Leyland. In fact, I didn’t think he was so hot last year either. I think the “old men past their prime” comment applies to him as well. Not that you can’t be old and still be a shrewd thinker, which is one of the qualities you need in a manager in my opinion. But that doesn’t apply to Leyland.

  48. Palmcroft:

    What you’re describing re: blocking young players with ineffectual decrepits is quite common, unfortunately. The worst offenders are the Dodgers, as evidenced by their psycho trade for Casey Blake to further delay Adam LaRoche’s ascension to MLB and the whole Juan Pierre thing.

  49. just throwing it out, odds leyland comes back next year, either via him walking away or being fired, which would be unlikely.

  50. Jimmuh back next year 100%, no question. DD and Ilitch love him and believe he’s the right guys for this team.

    The only thing that would prevent that is some sort of health issue.

  54. “The only thing that would prevent that is some sort of health issue.”

    Well, we know that’s not going to happen, what with how well Jimmuh takes care of himself.

  55. nice little liner past first base, but does anyone else think that ryan raburn is just about the saddest excuse for a major league player since neifi perez?

  56. Ohio:

    No, I don’t. Willie Bloomquist is pretty much an everyday player in Seattle.

  58. I hope Polanco takes a few this time, I wouldn’t mind seeing Thames up with the bases loaded. Just for fun…

  59. Is Lee toying with the Tigers? He’s thrown nothing but fastballs this inning. In my mind, I’ve already deemed him as arrogant after he barked at Carlos Gomez for bunting against him.

  64. Although the season has been a disappointment, with the team not living up to the hyper-inflated expectaions of the pre-season, there have been some positives. I think Lopez has been quite a nice surprise and hopefully he can keep up the quality work. Cabrera is coming on after a slow start, and although many are disappointed with his results, his production isn’t too far off from what I expected and he is getting better. Maggs is in the race for another batting championship – who would have thought that?, and Verlander, despite a horrible start, is proving that he is the real deal. Zumaya, though probably not 100% after his injury, looks like his future is secure. Granderson is shooting for another .300 year and is hitting lefties as well as righties while cutting his Ks way down. Joyce and Thomas (to a lesser degree, but still…) have certainly been pleasant surprises and bode well for the farm system’s ability to put out decent position players as well as pitchers, something you couldn’t say a few years ago.

  65. wow, a comeback win in this one would be the Tigers biggest moment since Maggs’ walkoff in ’06

  66. wow…we got a ballgame tonight. stunning development. wonder if nate can even bear to watch?

  67. Well, we’ve cut it to 8-6. See my post at 7:50 – “Lets see if this club shows any heart tonight when no one expects them to.”

    Did I just get a glimpse of some heart?

  68. Gotta give Sheffield credit…he worked out a way to come through in the clutch and still get the 4-letter words tossed his way…

  70. Am I just imagining this, or does every catcher we play against morph into Mickey Mantle against us?

  71. Nice to come back and find it’s 8-6, but is there some reason we can’t get Kelly Shoppach and Andy Marte out?

  73. “Did I just get a glimpse of some heart?”

    Just goes to show that the trade of Pudge hasn’t affected their chemistry.

  75. I’m glad I didn’t turn this off. I hope the ending is as good as that inning.

  77. Last night in our softball game we were down 8-0 until the bottom of the 5th when we pushed 3 runs across. We picked up another 4 in the 6th and won it with a walk off hit (my hit tied the game) in the last of the 7th. We had to win to win the league outright and we did.

    I know it’s not the same as baseball, but we could have hung our heads and gave up and we didn’t. Nice to see the Tigers show something.

    I won’t comment on Sheffield running into the out at 2nd.

  78. Did I just get a glimpse of some heart?

    No, I think you’re just seeing a very good lineup going about its business against a top pitcher.

  80. when i look back at the off season moves i like the fact that the tigers were going for it and so did most/all of the fans. the season has been disappointing…with lots of criticism here but lets face it…we are still in contention and if we did get on a roll everyone here would be in heaven.

    i do not for a minute believe these guys aren’t doing their best…all of them…the problem is that so are all the guys on the other teams too. that’s why it’s so hard to win championships. win or lose, i’ll continue to back this team and hope for the best.

  86. If you told me before the game that Lee would only last 5 innings and give up 6 runs I would be ecstatic. Too bad Nate got blown up.

  87. we’ve got 4 innings of the indians bullpen… this game is just getting started!

  88. Remember that whole “Lopez to Toledo to stretch him out” thing? Yeah, me too.

    Does anyone else think he would fare any worse than Nate? I can’t fathom Lopez would be a 6+ ERA starter.

  97. I never really did sign off the game and kudos to the Tigers for making it fun again………………Cleveland has been helping a lot.

  100. The Indians are turning in an inning the Tigers turned in back in May.

    Oh I hope Wedge leaves the lefty Perez in to face Thames. That is asking for trouble.

  105. Still should have gotten more out of that inning. Wasted opportunities should be our slogan for the 2008 season.

  106. Come on. I know we got some breaks, but god you gotta get at least one more there.

  107. But another terrible lost chance to even it up. All you gotta do is make contact,,,,,,,,,,,,,I guess that is a lot harder than it seems.

  108. *sigh* I love Marcus as much as anyone here, but he’s not a 3-hole hitter. Not having Guillen there cost us.

    I’m in full whining mode tonight, and I apologize.

    By the way, Billfer, Inge has been choking up on 2 strikes all year. I recall an interview about the subject early in the season.

  110. I miss Pudge as well. He got paid a ton of Cash and really help repackage the franchise. Good for the young pitchers when he was here. If Inge can hit a little I think we have a decent replacement.

    With Pudge and No-Hit Shefield off the payroll maybe we can spend some money on trading Renteria to someone who cares and getting a short-stop who will play here a couple years.

    I agree lets see if this team has some heart in the Post Pudge stare down era.

    Good news we have an enforcer back in Farnsworth. Does anyone remember the K/C game a few years back when Farnsworth slammed a K/C Player.

  111. Brian P

    I thought the same thing about Guillen, just didn’t want to say it. Thames has been up twice already this game in “big” spots.

  112. Inge don’t look no “reluctant catcher” tonight…in the past ge hasn’t hit well as catcher, but as they say, “past performance is no guarantee of future results.”

    also: we might
    win this turkey of a game.

  114. Is it just me, or have the pitchers in this bullpen been able to get out of tough jams in their first inning of work only to be thrown out there in the next inning to give up a big hit/run?

  124. Hate to laugh at a veteran who has done so much for so many teams….but Jones..it’s time to hang it up. You are not fooling anyone any longer with that stuff you serve up there.

  125. Good to see Jonesy adjusting to his new role. He should feel pretty comfortable giving up HR.

  130. Shoppach is 4-4. Give me a break. I hope he gets drilled next time up after that bat flip.

  131. You know, if I did my job that way I would get fired. Why do ballplayers get paid even when they suck at doing their jobs?

  132. Jones looked shell-shocked coming off the field there. I think he knows it’s over. I’m sure he’s invested well.

  133. Three important questions I have:

    Can the Tigers offense overcome tonight’s poor pitching performance?

    Was that the last of Todd Jones in a Tigers uniform?

    What can I have for a snack? All these runs are making me hungry.

  134. My sister is watching in the other room. I heard chuckles after the home run. I giggled too. But at least now it’s legitimate laughter, as opposed to covering up a deeper sorrow.

  139. Andrew:

    I think the appropriate snack for tonight is “tater” chips.

  140. Is he hanging on just for that little extra from the Sporting News for his column?

  143. Why do ballplayers get paid even when they suck at doing their jobs?

    Because when a team signs a contract with a player, both parties are obliged to live up to the terms of the deal. If the Tigers had negotiated a “if you start really sucking you won’t get paid upon getting released” clause, then it might be different.

  144. Would it really have been so horrible to walk the guy with three doubles? Instead of throwing a crappy middle-of-the-plate changeup that becomes a home run?

    Would it really have been so horrible to keep Todd Jones on the bench?

  146. Leyland probably ran him out there to make him feel better. You know – one of those touchy feely Jimmy Leyland hunches.

  150. Dang it. Where’s Pudge when you need someone to throw under the bus for a (potential) Tigers loss?

    Oh yeah, he’s the Yankees bus boy now.

  151. Yeah, you cannot get too mad at an offense that drop 6 runs on Cliff Lee, but you can get really upset at a pitching staff that gives up 11 runs to the Indians. Seriously, the Cleveland Indians. The team with Marte and Choo in the line-up. Uggh.

  155. We’re looking at falling to 6.5 back again. Will this prompt Leyland to reverse his decision to rest Polanco and Ordonez tomorrow? I would hope so.

  157. Jones has to get released…. He is useless

    Hey, only another 6 more homers allowed and he’ll have caught up to our new closer.

  160. Bilfer

    I agree. Start the rebuilding process for next year and limit the damage this year if they ever get hot.

    PS nice hit marcus, friggin’ todd jones

  164. Miggy’s got to run the bases rather than admire the hit. Probably didn’t make a difference in this case, but that obviously wasn’t out.

  166. Weee! I don’t know what will happen if we lose. I won’t be able to take it. We must win this. We will win this.

  167. And thats why you always run the bases kids.

    great hit tho miggy! Shoppach is throwing everything tonight, bats, gloves…. LETS WIN THIS THING!

  168. The Cleveland catcher throws the mitt at a ball in play!! Fantastic! American League beer-league ball finally reaches Charlie Finley’s carnival status!

    That was great! That’s gotta be one of most awesome moments of this Tigers season.

  170. Can Miggy run his chunky butt off instead of standing at home plate with a Maggs look at what I just did stance?

  174. As Jeff said, even if Miggy is “hustling” at the crack of the bat, he’s still standing on third.

    Also, I don’t like seing Dolsi here. Especially with a left-hander leading off.

  177. Geez, Cabrera is crushing the ball and yet everybody is complaining about his running. Dude cannot run anyway. Plus, I think he was seeking revenge for the Shoppach’s toss of the bat after the homerun earlier.
    Regardless, Cabrera is awesome.

  178. Jeff, it may make a difference if we lose it in extra innings. These guys make me sick with that Bond’s stand at home plate attitude.

  181. Sounds like Cabrera is on his way out of baseball within 2 years…

    I have a strange feeling we’re scoring 2 this inning to take the lead. Fernando has an eventful 9th for the save.

  182. And that is why Dolsi is in – to get the GDP. Of course he had to put a guy on to get it, but hey…

  184. “Why is Freddy in?”

    He’s vouching for Farnsworth’s bullpen spot.

    INDIANS (in Towely voice): Wanna score some runs?
    TIGERS: (sound of object – baseball bat, maybe – causing blunt trauma)
    INDIANS: thud

  188. Nice work setting up the scoring chance.

    Polly makes me nervous here. He’s been a DP machine lately.

  189. polly has got to come through here… he’s been pretty bad in these situations lately

  197. OK, thanks anyway, Marcus.

    Come on, Rodney. Please, man. 3 outs, 0 runs. You can do it. Just throw strikes.

  199. This could change quickly, but this is the most entertaining game of the season so far.

  202. Is a one run need enough for Rodney?

    Sure makes me nervous. At least he’s ahead on choo

  210. Who the F is Kelly Shoppach?! Pee test that dude right now.

    shoulda hit him.

  221. Boy do I have a bad feeling now too. Our pen is just awful, from jones to rodney to jason grilli’s corpse (although grilli’s resurrected corpse is dealing in the nl)

  222. I think that loud laughter we here is Todd Jones cursing us. Looks like Farnsworth will be the closer.

  230. Shoppach might as well retire. He will never repeat this performance. I hate those *#!/#* drums.

  234. Does anybody here remember Franklyn German, one of the guys that came over from Oakland in the Jeff Weaver trade? For a few years he was our savior in waiting. Rodney reminds me of him – lots of potential closer stuff, but couldn’t ever really get it together, especially the control thing, and turned out to be a dud.

  236. What’s that sinking pitch he throws that just dives off the table with wicked late movement? If he can throw that for strikes, he could throw it every time and BAA would be .115 I bet

  239. I have to turn the volume way down when the drums start pounding. Otherwise I get a headache.

  247. Besides the HR, this damn rally started with a BB to Garko. Imagine that a walk.

  249. “What’s that sinking pitch he throws that just dives off the table with wicked late movement?”

    I could be wrong, but I recall “seeing” that pitch on Gameday, where they called it a slider.

  256. with tonight, thats 6 straight outtings by rodney, zumaya, jones combined. with earned runs allowed. GETTING VERY PATHETIC

  257. Whew! squeaked outta that one 😐 o and thanks for pointing out the drums.. now that’s all I hear..lol

  262. It’s hard to expect a win here, folks, although it would be nice to see one. Tiger fans should just know by experience that a walk-off for Cleveland is most likely. Not a lot else to say from what we have seen this year.

  267. In an ironic way, blaming todd jones for today would be kind of a microcosm of our reaction toward him for the season

  270. lets get a guy on third and score the winning run on a passed ball by Shoppach. then fling the bat.

  273. I’m starting to wish they’d have given us the run we deserved when shoppach threw his glove at that ball

  277. This game should be over 13 to 12, maybe. It would have been nice to see Miggy barreling home from 3rd in the eighth instead of standing on the base telling the coach he thought it was a home run. He can make up for it now.

  278. Isn’t Frankie Rodriguez a free agent after this season? hmmmmm…..

  281. if they can just make it to Inge…I think he’s seething about not calling for a knockdown pitch on “mickey” slopcrotch

  282. I can’t stand lifting Miguel for a pinch runner. Even if there’s a basehit, which is unlikely, he’s still on third with less than two outs. Ugh!

  286. Mark, I’m not sure, but the cle announcers thought they got away with one. And leyland didn’t like it.

    The rule should read: if you’re a good for nothing pos with a girls name who flips bats like he’s never had a multihit game and you throw your glove at the ball like a clown, it’s an out. Or if you have silly sideburns.

  294. I love Betancourt’s pre-pitch ritual. I think he should incorporate a yawn while stretching out his arms.

  295. That was some really sickening lack of bat control by Renteria…..Inge not a lot better.

  297. Nice finish to a promising inning. At least we still have Cabrer-oh, wait.

    Incidentally,

    If an umpire judges that a fielder intentionally throws his glove at a batted ball and the glove makes contact with the ball in any manner, the batter and all runners are awarded three bases (7.05c).

    I missed the play, did Shoppach’s glove make contact with the ball?

  299. The glove never did touch the ball, no. But the glove was indeed thrown intentionally.

    I don’t understand that rule. How can you punish a player for being that coordinated?

  302. This has been their problem all year (amongst others) not closing out games.

    God. Oh, beautiful, leadoff single for Francisco

  304. In some sick way, I hope it’s Shoppach that drives in the winning run in this inning.

  307. sweet. Passed ball.

    I’m not even going to bother with the Pudge jokes. Feel free, everyone else.

  309. The Tigers never score lead-off doubles, so let’s hope the Indians are equally inept.

  317. Yeah I love one of the indians announcers saying this is “the biggest decision of the ballgame” – I think it’s safe to say even sr. hunches couldn’t mess that up.

    Come on bobby, pick up ingey!

  318. it scares the piss out of me that bobby seay always feels the need to pitch out at 90 mph

  326. does anyone else think that it seems like every tiger jersey in the crowd has a number 7 on the back?

  327. Oh come on seay get this loser out, 0-2! I’d say waste one, but inge would pb it…

  332. Sweet pitching ther Seay. Let’s get a run, and then end this game. I’m getting tired.

  334. Drats – more misery awaits us I fear. Prove me wrong Tiggers! How about Miggy knocking one out?

    Oh, never mind…

  337. Holy crap, I go out for dinner and hear a band and i come back and the baseball world has been scrambled and the Tigers are trying to pull off epic comeback! Wow, wow!

  342. We should trade for Tony Pena Jr. so we can run him out there to pitch the 11th inning.

  345. 4 singles and a walk for the best young left handed centerfielder in the game. You heard me cleveland.

  359. Good job Joyce. I like him more and more. Sweet lefty stroke, and he’s showing much more patience.

  361. I actually have full confidence in Santiago to get a single. Does Cleveland?

    … Never mind.

  362. Oh man. We totally need like 6 runs here.

    Who’s pitching the 11th? Fossum and Zumaya left. Is Zoom available?

  364. Man, you throw maggs a fastball over the plate (but down) when you have santiago next and he pops the first pitch up. Yuck. Bu wouldn’t want anyone else up there…

  368. Part of the reason for the 24 runs, 35 hits and 5 hours in this game is the ever-shrinking strike zone

  373. The corners of the strikezone have been gone all night. He won’t call anything there a strike.

  374. This game is nuts, haha. Such a terrible game in like, every facet save for offense. Even then, it’s not like people have hit a ton of pitcher’s pitches. Oh man.

  377. How can you actually calll this a “miserable game”? Facing the All-Star starter they are in position to win (and were in the 9th as well) and are still in the game?

    BTW, today is my 40th birthday, Tigs have to win!

  380. Bobby seay has been pretty gritty today. He could have folded up the tent when inge pb’d the dude to second with no outs.

  384. I hope JV has his A game tomorrow. The bullpen is shot, except for Farnsworth and maybe Zoom. Bobby is my hero.

  392. I don’t quite get why he replaced Cabrera, but that may be just me. Keep the Big Bat in the lineup.

  397. They replaced Cabrera with a pinch runner so the runner could actually score from 2nd base if someone got a hit. Cabrera is not exactly a speedster on the bases. Leyland was counting on a hit.

  409. Seriously, Renteria possibly the worst regular in the American League. Good thing he’s on a one-year contract making the minimum. Oh, wait.

  421. Goodness. Why is Casey Fossum on a big league roster again?

    Of course, Kelly (Micky Mantle) Shoppach is the guy to beat us.

  423. Figures that Fossum’s string of good outings would come to a close in this game.

    Edit: I’d LOVE to see him drop in the Eephus right now on 3-2.

  429. Seriously, they’re like the Tigers. Here, you can win. Do it. And then they don’t.

  442. I think Fossum goes 2 more unless another 30 pitch inning, then maybe Miner, possibly Inge if we are up a few runs.

    Edit: Kenny warming up.

  444. Funny thing is the way this game started with Lee on the mound, who would have thought we are all still here. Runs please.

  445. Indians have had the bases loaded in the 9th, 10th, and 12th and scored exactly zero runs.

    That is so Tigers.

  446. Excellent! Just saw the highlights of Jones-Shoppach at-bat. Jones got totally jobbed, Shoppach got five strikes.

  454. We need to get some people on base and get to Polanco and then the heart of the order.

  457. Mike R – Sardinha is on the bench. Note guys that despite the past few innings, the Tigers have stranded more team and individual runners than have the Indians.

    Edit: Check that, the Indians have individually stranded 27 runners to our 23, but team LOB is now 13-13. Hopefully we don’t add to that here.

  469. Let’s take the pressure off and have Joyce go yard.

    Edit: Or force the error. Hahahahaha. This is such a great game.

  470. Play by play guys seem to think that Marte could have had Guillen at home…I’ll take it. But let’s go yard here Joyce to make it a non-issue.

  474. hey, another run!!

    please keep scoring. note we have Fossum and Rogers available. we’ll need every run we can get.

  478. This is the most bizzare game I’ve seen in a long, long time. And I’ve only been able to watch since the 7th inning.

  486. I will be fully surprised if the Indians don’t come back to tie and or win this game.

  490. Man almost turned two, would have rather faced sizemore where he couldn’t tie it with one swing.

  494. 2 outs, 1 on, and the batter isn’t kelly shoppach… i guess i’m confident enough to go to bed… good game boys

  497. Let’s play possum!

    “486 comments wow!”

    yeah, but that’s like 20 per hour….

  504. Nice comeback from 8-1, way to get a win with cliff lee going against nate dogg. Is this a turning point? Only 4 losses out of wild card…

  506. wowwy. thank god that’s over. miraculously we hung on. we have no bullpen for tomorrow, Verlander, you’re going 9.

    nite all!

  508. Also: 13 innings of catching for Inge: studlike. so he gets tomorrow off, right? oh…..

  510. I’m with you Steve. A nice start from JV tomorrow to get us to 4 over could go a looong way.

  513. Just think how much it would’ve sucked to LOSE this one in the 13th…YEAH it’s a great win…

  516. This game officially makes up for one of the handful-and-a-half the Tigers have blown in the same fashion the Indians blew this one.

    Six or seven to make up and we’ll call it even.

  518. Seriously though, we gotta stop this sort of nonsense (see: Seattle Mariners, C):

    Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach tied a major league record Wednesday night with five extra-base hits — two home runs and three doubles

  519. Boy is that trade for Farnsworth ever looking like a good idea. And Rodney cannot be the closer…. No freaken way

  521. also, trade nate.
    for a ham sandwich.

    You’re not thinking…trade nate for a ham sandwich AND a thermos of coffee, that’s the ticket

  522. Verlander goes 7, hands ball to zoom, hands ball to farnsworth, who blows save. Ham sandwich gets the win in extras.

  523. Indians had 14 baserunners in the last five innings and only scored one run. And that was on a homer! Is that clutch pitching by the Tigers or what?

  524. Well it’s way beyond bedtime… glad I got to witness the end of that live tho.

    Onward and upward in the standings we go!

    (and yea, good thing we got another pitcher for the pen today, sheesh…)

  526. That was a character-building win. Let’s congratulate our young men for a manly effort tonight. That, and make Farnsworth the closer at once.

  527. I hate that trade. It just cleared cap space….There was a reason Yankee fans called Kyle Farnsworth, ‘Farnsworthless’….and Pudge is actually hitting close to .300 too….Man, i was hoping we coulda gotten back Humberto Sanchez 😉

  529. If Farnsworth was paying attention to this game….he better have been on his way to Cleveland, just in case he got there and the game was still going on.

  530. Actualy, I’ve read somewhere that scouts speak highly of Kelly Shoppach as a MLB catcher. He could be a regular everyday catcher on most teams, but Cleveland has Martinez.

  531. Farnsworth’s debut as catcher: Farnsworth (from on-deck circle): OK let’s go, this doesn’t seem so hard. Indian batter: Hey dumbass, get behind the plate. Farnsworth: who you calling dumbass, you mother– Indian batter: Hey, you can’t…ahh! @#!! holy #!@#@. Farnsworth: does that count as an out?

  532. I knew when I got home and turned the game on and it was 8-1 that we would win!!! Never any doubt.

    Actually very glad I didn’t turn it off and do some yard work. I was planning on not drinking tonight, and didn’t start til the 9th inning, now I’m out of beers!

    And Vince I agree, the Cle announcers are good, I never mind watching them. Rod and Mario weren’t in HD so had to go with the Indins broadcast, would never do that with hawk and dj.

    I think I also owe fossum an apology for saying he sucks about 18 times during the last 2 innings when I was upset that he was pitching. Good job (kinda) Casey.

  533. Wow. What a game. At least we got the W. Gotta have Verlander bring his A game and get us the series win tomorrow.

  534. After grinding this one out, we really need to win tomorrow. Get an early lead so JV can show sloppcrotch what we think about his little bat flip.

    Awesome that he had 5 extra-base hits but struck out with the bases loaded, thats what he’ll remember. CHOKE!!!

  535. That has to be the most emotionally draining win of the year. A win that can start a hot streak or a losing streak. I vote for winning. 12pm tomorrow and Carmona looked awful last time, but so did Verlander.The Tigers need the win more.

  536. You know, Jones had a pretty good outing. 1 hit, no walks, a strikeout in 1.1 innings…

  537. Who cares what NY fans think about Farnsworth? These are the same fans that hate AROD one minute, then the next minute they love him.

  538. Joey the Harrington in Portland: ” Get an early lead so JV can show sloppcrotch what we think”

    damn, I knew I should have trademarked the slopcrotch bit

  539. Besides, “Farnsworthless” is an easy one to come up with even if it isn’t true.

  541. I have a question. Would we have won this game with Pudge catching?

    Maybe si, maybe no. Maybe the pitching gives up less runs. Maybe Pudge doesn’t hit in any of the rallies. He sure as heck doesn’t walk like Inge did.

  542. “He sure as heck doesn’t walk like Inge did.”

    nope, he walks more like this: OK, well, I’m sure you get the idea of the joke even without the visual…

  544. Coleman, Sloppcrotch is very fitting for the venom I (and others) feel for him, I give you 100% credit for it. Nice work son.

    But we can’t have JV get tossed early, the bullpen is a bit worked….

    Just like the game I was at in Seattle, if you’re gonna watch 13 innings we sure as hell better get the W!

  545. just got back to California was the game any good tonight???
    the only reason I am jumping in is in case this is a world blog game record…what do you say Billfer

  546. I hate that trade. It just cleared cap space….There was a reason Yankee fans called Kyle Farnsworth, ‘Farnsworthless’….and Pudge is actually hitting close to .300 too….Man, i was hoping we coulda gotten back Humberto Sanchez

    But it’s also worth pointing out that many Yankees fans hate A-rod so take what they say with a grain of salt. 🙂

  548. By the way, correction on the rule about awarding 3 bases for the thrown glove incident:

    7.05(e) Two bases, if a fielder deliberately throws his glove at and touches a thrown ball. The ball is in play; In applying (b c d e) the umpire must rule that the thrown glove or detached cap or mask has touched the ball. There is no penalty if the ball is not touched.

    Three bases was for a batted ball. Anyways, doesn’t matter because he didn’t touch it, but interesting nonetheless.

  551. Pudge makes the front and back page of N.Y. Post and Daily News. It’s mentioned when Joba Chamberlain became a starter this year, Kyle pitched in 20 games and the Yankees went 17 and 3, giving up 12 hits in 18 innings, fanning 20, walking 7 and dropped his ERA from 4.44 to 3.65. Let’s hope he answers the bell for Detroit.

  552. Unreal. I finished watching this one in the comfort of my bed after Fossum loaded the bases with no outs.

    Billfer, I was expecting the Nate vitriol regardless of the win. Can we still get it? Please?

    Also, Fossum needs to be ousted by Clay Rapada. This is getting ridiculous. Rapada is to our lefty situation in the bullpen as Lariano is to the Twins’ rotation (okay, that’s way off, but whatever).

    I saw the Griffey Jr. trade took place as well. Ha! They can have him. I highly doubt he makes any difference for them — and if they want to plug him into center, that may be a positive for the Tigers. Do they really expect him to cover enough ground? I’m more worried about them getting Huston Street.

  553. Should be interesting to see what the Sox give up if this goes through.

    I’m not really worried about the direct impact he’ll make, more worried about the fact that this trade may really fire up the Sox more than ever.

  554. Looks like the Sox gave up prospects. My guess is Griffey plays center, which means it’s about a week until he gets hurt.

    Griff is marginally more productive than Konerko and Swisher, from whom he’ll take playing time. Unless there’s a bullpen arm involved, this isn’t that big a deal. Kenny Williams had an infatuation with Griffey though. Man-crush, even.

  555. oh, LOL at “Miguel Cabrera is kinda good”…two thoughts… he is our new Pudgy one, and it’s like his voodoo doll has him trying to catch up with Hamilton for the RBI lead.

  556. I can’t remember a Tigers game of recent vintage quite like that one. Pretty nutty. I’m going to carve out some space to give some dap to Gil. I was a little hard on the Fat One earlier (though not as hard as a lot of people), so I shall make amends. He’s an absolutely remarkable talent with the bat in his hands. You can substitute his name for Pudge’s in billfer’s love-fest post. It’s going to be fun to watch him for as long as he’s here and we should all appreciate it.

  557. I’m more worried about them getting Huston Street.

    See 2006 ALCS, Game 4. 🙂

  558. Yes, yes. Magglio doesn’t mind seeing Street. But the rest of the AL seems to. 😛

    On second thought. Going over his stats this year, he’s not as steady as years past. Do it Kenny, do it!

  560. If Pudge’s HoF plaque features him wearing a Yankees cap, I’ll vomit with rage.

  561. No person in their right mind would give Pudge a Yankees (or any other) cap instead of a Rangers cap.

    Oh, and apparently the Marlins offered prospects for Pudge yesterday (again), but DD wanted a bullpen arm now.

  562. Ryan: I just read that. I wonder if the prospects were Maybin and Trahern…

  563. Wild, freaky, impossible game. I’m so glad the Tigers won. Losing that one would have been way beyond “not funny.”

    Mighta smashed the record for game thread posts, too. I was wondering, after that 500+ Friday night heartbreaker against the Sox, whether DTW commentators would have enough faith left in the Tigers to ever approach that number of posts again in 2008. Obviously, the fire still burns.

  564. We have an afternoon contest to comment on today. Verlander needs to go all 9. And also drill Kelly Shoppach in the face.

  565. “I wonder if the prospects were Maybin and Trahern…”

    FuneralOnAShip has been taking on water lately, but I still wouldn’t mind having him back. And of course, I continue to beat the drum for Mike Rabelo, Catcher Of The Future.

  566. Hey everyone. Back from Australia and I’m finally over the jet lag. That game last night was insane. Wonderful win, but they need to get their closer situation worked out, pronto.

  567. As long as Miguel “Closer Insurance Policy” Cabrera keeps driving in more runs than the closers allow, the Tigers are golden.

  568. Carolyn: Does the water really flush down the toilet in the opposite direction down there?

  569. That’s a myth, Chris. Look up Coriolis Effect (I think) on Wikipedia.

    But now I’m curious about how White Sox pitching would perform in an Australian toilet. Would it improve down the stretch there?

  570. I know I pointed this out last night when the Tigers pulled to within 8-6, but for those that tuned in late this is what I wrote at 7:50pm

    “Lets see if this club shows any heart tonight when no one expects them to. Whether or not they even make the playoffs – that will tell me if they have what it takes to be Champs.”

    The Tigers showed me some heart last night, er this morning when they just kept hanging in there until they were able to win it.

    Also, if slopcrotch plays today and does not get the chin music – it’s a baseball sin. If anyone needed deserves it – he does. Bat tossing hooligan.

  571. Nick Masset and Danny Richar for Griffey (pending his approval).

    I like this. Griff is moderately more prodecutive than the bats he’d replace, while Massett is a solid reliever, so he weakens that area for them (and the rest of the pen isn’t so hot right now).

    Unless Trader Kenny swings a deal for another arm, this deal doesn’t change much (meaning the Sox will continue to implode).

  572. I like it because Griffey will have to play in the field. He’s no longer much of a defender.

  573. No slopcrotch today 🙁

    And our lineup is scrubtastic. Does Maggs really need this many days off?

  574. Griff approved the trade

    Without looking at the numbers, my gut likes this Sox deal.

  575. BTW today’s game is very very important to win, what with the upcoming Tampa-Chicago apocalypse.

  576. Sean continues to beat the drum for Mike Rabelo, Catcher Of The Future.

    I would like to hit that drum also

Comments are closed.