2008 Season, Game Post

Game 95: Tigers at Orioles

108 Comments

PREGAME: As the second half kicks off it will be Kenny Rogers taking on Garrett Olson. Olson has struggled in his last 2 starts surrendering 13 runs in 9 innings. He has a 5.65 ERA this year but is better at home.

Carlos Guillen is out of the lineup because he’s in Detroit. He’s with his wife who needed surgery due to complications from giving birth last week.

The Tigers send out the following lineup:

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

DET @ BAL, Thursday, July 17, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

Whipping boy powers activate
Whipping boy powers activate
POSTGAME: The second half gets off to a smashing start as everybody’s favorite whipping boys come up big. Gary Sheffield walked and went deep twice. True, one of them was taken away by Jay Payton. Edgar Renteria had two hits and a walk. One of the hits was even a double. And Brandon Inge even managed a two run, go ahead homer to go along with some nifty defense. And in typical Todd Jones fashion he made the ninth inning very interesting. But in his defense his defense didn’t help him at short and he needed 4 outs. Finally, Fernando Rodney even managed to retire the one batter he faced.

Kenny Rogers wasn’t good today. The Orioles battered him with line drives all over the place. His saving grace was some horrendous baserunning. The Tigers managed to turn a 5-4-2 double play and a 7-4 double play. To cap it off they managed a 3-2 put out.

And while there was much consternation about the Tigers-O’s game being the only AL game today, the good news is they picked up a half game on both teams they are chasing in the division and they gained on EVERY team they’re chasing in the Wild Card race.

108 thoughts on “Game 95: Tigers at Orioles”

  4. Watching on MLB.tv, I love Gary Thorne b/c he’s about as impartial as a home announcer can be. Apparently Leyland said yesterday that if Renteria and Sheffield don’t start hitting, they aren’t going to play. Thorne finishes this right as Sheffield tees off – “I guess Sheffield got the message.”

    (edit) – “Looks like Jimmy Leyland’s message has made it’s way through the clubhouse.” Then he points out that is only Renteria’s 6th double this year…ouch.

  5. Sheffield Homer
    Renteria Double

    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

  7. I love the idea of forcing a hurt renteria to play. Makes a ton of sense to risk injury when your production has been awful anyway.

  8. I can explain all; and yet I fear to do so, for it involves a skull on a 4-ft pole…

  12. forty: I had assumed an advantage in guys like Kenny having the extra rest for the all-star game… I didn’t consider the effects on guys his age of just staying up to WATCH the damn thing

  16. WCT: I’m not sure about the Christmas bit…just imagine amazing performances by Shef and Rent the 1st game after the break… Followed by a return to whatever it is you would call what they’ve been doing…these couple of runs would cost us weeks more of shef-rent malaise. Kind of the opposite of Christmas…actually, the opposite of Christmas, that would be end of July, no?

  18. Just think how good we’d be if the rest of the team could produce like edgar and gary

  19. First Shef and Renteria screw things up by hitting terribly. Now they’re hitting rally-killing extra base hits and clogging the bases with walks.

    The bums.

  20. Yeah Edgar totally screwed us there. If he’d have struck out we’d have the top of the order due in the fifth. Now it’s all screwed up.

  28. Kenny’s been pretty awful tonight. Fortunately the O’s are helping out with some pretty poor baserunning.

  29. Kenny has been bailed out all night. I’m ready for the bullpen.

    Great play Inge.

  31. I like when this Orioles announcer says, “You would never have expected at the beginning of the season that Thames would be the Tiger’s home run leader. Not with guys like Sheffield, Cabrera, and Rodriguez in the line-up.” Uhhhh….Rodriquez? Why don’t you just throw Polanco in there. Lol.

  34. Here’s another interesting thing the Orioles announcer said after Jimmy’s third pitcher in the 7th.

    “Leland has made it very clear to his players that there is no room for error. If they want to get back in the playoff race then they are going to have to try and win every single game and he’s going to make the changes”

    Well what in Joe Camel were you waiting for Jimmy?! Well, I guess I’ll go ahead and start managing now. Might as well put ourselves in the best position to win. Duhh.

  35. In Baltimore visiting my folks. Heading to Oriole Park Saturday night for the game.

  36. Wow, Sheff robbed of a HR. J Payton took stole that. It was 2 ft over the wall.

  37. Sheffield and Renteria. Tigers have 6 runs and 8 hits. Orioles have 4 runs and 13 hits. To all you statistitians, what does this mean? And no trollers please, just the serious should apply.

  38. Tony: “Why’d Dolsi get the quick hook?”
    Probably because of who is catching.

    [Dolsi with Pudge catching: ERA .467 OPS .794;
    Dolsi with Inge catching: ERA .000 OPS .457]

    I’m not serious of course; Leyland would never take that into account even if it were a meaningful statistic…

  39. Oooh that’s clever, Renteria, secure with a 2-run lead, prevents Inge from gaining more ground on him in the wacky splits blog debates by leaving him to start next inning bases empty. Cold!

  41. 2 observations:

    1 – Renteria did not run out that double play and is now on the bench.

    2 – Guillen does not make the play Inge just made.

  43. “1 – Renteria did not run out that double play and is now on the bench.”

    Leyland is sending a message: wins and losses are too important now to be screwing around jockeying for position on the DTW blog.

  44. “Coleman, meaningful and statistic should never be used in the same sentence.”

    Unless you are a Scientisticationist

  45. Coleman – I agree. It’s too mad Leyland waited until the All Star Break to start managing. As stated earlier-I am in Baltimore – the Baltimore radio guys are saying Edgar “must be hurt” – his ego is the only thing hurt.

  46. Ron, it means hits is a stat that doesn’t tell the whole story.

    Tigers have 6 extra base hits; Orioles have 4.

    Tigers have 5 walks; Orioles have 2.

  47. McB: “2 – Guillen does not make the play Inge just made.”

    Inge has made 3 or 4 of those today. Whatever the reason for putting Inge at 3rd today was–good call (I might as well offer one perverse explanation: Leyland read my comment about how much better Kenny pitches with Pudge catching, crossed off the “C” next to Inge’s name on the lineup card, wrote “3B” and told Pudge to put his gear on).

  48. Wait, does the fact that we are entering the 9th inning mean we have to use our closer? Is there some kind of other pitcher we could use? Maybe a starter? It wouldn’t set Verlander back too much to pitch a quick inning. Is there anyway that we can just play the 8th inning twice and skip the 9th?

  49. Inge is at 3rd because Guillen had to go back to Detroit – his wife had complications from the birth of their child

  50. ron “Tigers have 6 runs and 8 hits. Orioles have 4 runs and 13 hits. To all you statistitians, what does this mean? And no trollers please, just the serious should apply.”

    Hits will come, some times more frequently, some times less. The relationship of hits to runs cannot be understood without knowing the Black Hole factor however.

    In other words, it is quite common to have multiple hits in one inning with no runs, if they are distributed thus: hit-hit-BLACK HOLE-hit or hit-hit-GIDP-walk-K etc.

    On the other hand, you can have fewer hits, with more runs: e.g: hit-walk-sac bunt-sac fly-single to shortstop etc

    It just so happens our Black Holes did not show up today.

  52. McB: “Inge is at 3rd because Guillen had to go back to Detroit – his wife had complications from the birth of their child”

    I prefer my theory, although I will grant that yours does have the advantage of being factually accurate.

  53. Here comes the roller coaster. Hope he only had 2 beers before the “beer league” game tonight.

  55. Actually now that you say that, I do always think of beer when he’s pitching…you don’t think it’s possible the Tigers are getting kickbacks from Miller or Budweiser or something for running him out as the closer do you?

  56. Dude, wake up! Check out Adam Jones’ picture, they got him with his eyes closed. Even Jones should be able to strike out a closed eye guy.

  57. Somebody made a comment a while back the TJ should be playing over 40 beer league instead of playing for the Tigers. The way he pitches wants to make you drink a beer. Perhaps he does have a deal with Miller or Bud. Perhaps they could sponsor a place on his gut.

  58. Coleman, I love that word. Do I have permission to use it ? It’s a Colemanism, right, not a real word? 19 letters, 20 with the plural.

  59. Not nearly enough rally caps in the crowd…the baltimore fans are hurting their team

  67. Oh my god…Inge, could you set your feet and throw next time. Egads…Jones, how does he do it every time?

  68. What I really hate is…Jones screws up, the team bails him out, and Leyland raves what a great closer he is who, “however unpretty”, gets the three outs needed. They win DESPITE him. Grrr. Not that this is a major insight by any stretch. But moments like this just require me to vent. 😛

  69. Santiago nearly screwed this game up with his so called great fielding. Renteria would of had that ball.

  72. Inge with his bad throw nearly cost us the game too. Good thing Cabrera saved the play.

  73. What a great performance! Sheffield and Renteria getting hits. Jones shutting them down in the ninth. Awesome job Tigers!

  74. ron: yes it is not a real word…yet in a sense, are any? At any rate, be careful trying the plural, I’ve never gone that far and 19 letters may be my limit, good luck.

  75. Len Dawson Monday: “Inge with his bad throw nearly cost us the game too. Good thing Cabrera saved the play.”

    That was very…Sean Casey, wasn’t it?

  76. how awesome is billy beane? in the middle of a pennant race and he sells two key starters. when these minor leaguers turn into cheap studs, he’s going to look like the man.

  78. That doofus looking guy sitting in the corner of the dugout with the taped up glasses always whispering in Leyland’s ear I believe is the Tigers’ scientisticationist.

  80. Good win. Great to see Shef have a 1 and 1/2 homer game tonight. Is this the beginning of the second half tear that we were looking for? Also, great to see the Funk Doctor get out of his mini-slump and get back to boppin ding-dongs. Keep him in the line-up, Jimmy! I don’t care if you take him out for Joyce in the 8th every day as long as he’s starting every day. Jones looks like Chef Boyardee the way he’s serving up meatballs. Hiiioooohhh. But seriously folks, at least he gets the win. I must give him that. He must have some intangible quality to fill the glass to the brim without overflowing. It might be an actual quality and not just a running coincidence over his entire career.

  83. Jones likes living on the edge. At some point in that ninth inning, his competitive juice level spiked and even Ted Williams could not get a hit off of him. He’s no good til’ that juice is flowing.

  84. “Anybody see the Gardenhire quote about rocking our world? I hate the Twins.”

    That lame pointy-headed scientisticationist!

  89. Had to watch the game after it was recorded, my daughter was in a play this evening. Funniest part was when someone held up the “country strong” poster with Rod and Mario and Rod said “Those were those ugly yellow shirts we had to wear!” Didn’t someone on this blog mention how ugly those polo shirts were? That was great.

    And I just love watching Inge at third.

  90. The Tigers have won 2 in a row. They are on pace to go 19 -0 for the next 19 games. 🙂

  91. I’m just shocked that this is the first time I have invoked Super Friends on the blog.

  92. the dude can play third ..no one better

    I’m happy but not that pumped about Sheff and Edger..all I can say is its about frickin time and see you tomorrow or is that it for this month

    And to Ron Gardenhire…get to a World Series and then you can pop off ….

  93. As Chief Engineer of the Anti-Inge Express and Head Food Critic of Sheffield’s Home Cooking I will give credit where credit is extremely due…

    Both played fantastically tonight. Inge’s home run made up for a called third strike with a runner in scoring position, and his defense was fantastic…. He did benefit greatly from Miggy really beginning to understand how to play first base…

    Sheffield had a couple of great swings…. He needs to keep it up and get stay H-O-T….

    Thames looked really scarey in left tonight…. He really ought to be our DH if and only if Sheffield can’t keep pouring it on…

    Great win. Keep them coming.

  95. Maybe Leyland should platoon Sheffield, kind of like he is doing with Pudge. Only in Sheff’s case it would be 1 day on and 3 days off.

  96. As far as Rogers goes, with that .300 BAA, 1.50 WHIP and still more walks than srikeouts, that is a bit of a concern.

  97. Gardy: “I felt what that game meant. They were (thinking), ‘We’re going to stick it to the Twins, and we’re going to be in second place by the time this series is over with.’ That was the attitude I felt coming in here by listening, and we came back and rocked their world a little bit, and I liked that feeling.”

  98. Yes, can we have a link for the Gardenhire quote?

    I’ll be in Baltimore this weekend for the Saturday and Sunday games, looking forward to it. Staying in the same hotel as the team, hoping to have a smoke break with Leyland.

  100. David G – I will be in Baltimore for Saturday’s game as well, sporting a Sheff jersey just to tick off the locals! Go Tigs! Sitting on the Tigers side!

  101. I am debating whether to wear the Zumaya jersey and am leaning in favor. We are in something like Section 252 or 254 for the Saturday night game. Not sure what dugout the O’s use for their home dugout but that’s the 3rd base side.

  103. Zumaya hasn’t allowed a baserunner since the ASB.

    Sheffield has homered in every game since the ASB.

    You two know what you’re doing with those jerseys. 🙂

  104. I actually think I may lay off and just wear a golf shirt. It’s supposed to be hot tomorrow night. I’ll have my hat on.

  107. I don’t see anything wrong with that quote. They did rock us. Champions are able to get up off the deck. We’ll see.

  108. Another thing, how do you expect people to react to a team with our line up? We’ve pretty much gotten sand kicked in our face all year long and we were supposed to be the tough guy in the neighborhood.

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