2009 Season, Game Post

Game 2009.050: Angels at Tigers

35 Comments

PREGAME: We can be fairly certain that Rick Porcello won’t be pitching a complete game today, so wouldn’t it bee nice if the Tigers knocked around Joe Saunders enough that he could leaven in the 6th inning or so with a quality start and a comfortable lead?

Saunders has had games lately where he hasn’t allowed a run, and other games where he has been hit hard. Hopefully the Tigers draw a hit-hard Saunders today and it would be nice to see the Tigers get a home run before the homestand ends.

LA Angels vs. Detroit – June 7, 2009 | MLB.com: Gameday

POSTGAME:  As bad as the homestand was for the first 4 games, taking the last 2 and a series win make things a little brighter as Detroit hits the road. Rick Porcello was victimized by a couple home run balls, but by and large the kept the ball on the ground.

And then there’s the offense. It was a week of futility but the Tigers finally managed to get some big hits, the biggest being a Clete Thomas grand slam. to the Tigers credit, they were content waiting out Angels pitchers who issued 9 walks. Thames had multiple hits. Adam Everett had a big hit with the bases loaded. Ryan Raburn had a great hustle play to score the tying run. This one felt good.  Mostly.

Joel Zumaya looked brilliant getting a double play ball to get out of a runners at the corners, 1 out jam in the 7th. But then he got wild and thanks to a dumb decision ended up walking in a run. The dumb decision being intentionally walking a guy with a sub .600 OPS when there are 2 outs to load the bases. Just dumb. Thankfully the Thomas slammed erased the decision.

The bad news is that Zumaya threw 31 pitches (actually 27 because of the intentional walk) and Fernando Rodney threw 23, and Ryan Perry threw 24. It was not particularly efficient for the trio with a double header on tap for tomorrow.

35 thoughts on “Game 2009.050: Angels at Tigers”

  7. To encourage our offense, let’s just give the rest of our rotation Porcello jerseys.

  11. When are we going to see a pitcher struggle against the Tigers? It seems that everyone has their A-game.

  13. Joel already showed he didn’t have great control earlier in the inning! The intentional walk was monumentally stupid.

  16. I’m so tired of watching the Tigers shoot themselves in the foot time and time again. A bases loaded walk? Really? What is this, little league baseball?

    I’m no fan of Jim Leyland, but I feel for the guy when he makes the right tactical move (walking a lefty to get to a righty with Zumaya pitching) and it blows up in his face because Zumaya can’t throw a friggin’ strike. Zumaya then has the stones to smile out there as if its no big deal as though we have an eight run lead or something. I’m sick of having #$#& crammed down my throat as a Tiger fan (stuff we don’t see from other decent teams). Sack up and get the mother effer out, or at least make him hit his way on. Its so disgusting to watch us commit cardinal sin after cardinal sin on this homestand. After the Willis meltdown on Thursday, I’d hoped to see my last bases loaded walk from a Tiger pitcher. Apparently that is too much to ask from my favorite professional baseball team.

    1. My favorite is when I complain about how much things suck and then someone hits a grand slam in the bottom of the same inning to put us up by four.

      You wonder why you’re a fan, and these are the moments you find out why.

    2. Thank your god that you’re not a Mets fan. You’d have to clean the puke from out of your shoes as soon as you put on a new pair.

  21. CLETE!!!!! THANK YOU!!! ITS ABOUT TIME A TIGER HOMERED IN THIS HOMESTAND!! It couldn’t have come at a better time. Hopefully Rodney doesn’t pull one of his non-save situation scare-the-crap-out-of-me performances.

  23. CLETE!!!!! Yeah boy! on his first swing I said why is he always swinging for a homerun? I officially retract that statement.

  26. Nice series win. Each game was a nail bitter. The line-up sure does look better with Ordonez in RF and Thames at DH.

  27. Great win!

    Has anyone been to PNC Park? I’m thinking about making it out there this weekend for a game or two. Anywhere you would suggest to sit? Eat, etc?

    1. I have been to PNC, I’d say its my fav MLB park and I have been to a lot. Definitely worth the trip. I recommend sitting on the first base side, you get the incredible view of the bridges and skyline. Primanti Bros is the place to go to eat, I think they even have one right by/or even connected to the stadium. http://www.primantibros.com And have a few Iron Citys!

      I thought about hitting this one too, but couldn’t get it to work out.

  28. Nice burst of offense today, thanks to The Strong Singler, RBInge, Clutch Everett and especially Clout Thomas…

  30. I know Country Strong can be be off or on but it was sure good to see him in the line up today….maybe those 25 home runs a year are still there starting in June

    seeing that the Tigers have not won a series against the Angels in California since 1997 this was a pretty big series win in Detroit

  31. I don’t think walking Izturis was that bad of a move. He’s a lefty with a small strike zone. Putting him on gives the Tigers a force at any base and more options defensively. The next hitter was a right-handed hitter and Zumaya is a righty (duh!) and the percentages favor Zumaya against a rightie than a lefty. Its not Leyland’s fault that he can’t count on Perry or Zumaya to be able to throw strikes. Zumaya is the set-up man on this team. If he can’t be counted on to throw strikes in the 8th inning of a tied game, then he shouldn’t be in those situations. I’m not Zumaya is not capable of being a good set-up man, because he is (we all remeber him from 2006) capable of it. But Leyland has to be able to trust him to go after a guy and not walk him in that situation. Sorry, but that eight inning was all on Zumaya and not Leyland.

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