2009 Season, Game Post

Game 2009.095: White Sox at Tigers

82 Comments

PREGAME: Wouldn’t a doubleheader sweep make for a nice mood lifter heading into the weekend? Tonight’s game will be Eddie Bonine against Bartolo Colon.

Bonine had kind of a rough streak when he was with the team earlier in the year when he allowed homers in 3 straight appearances out of the bullpen. For Toledo he’s only fanning 4.3 per 9 innings, but he’s only walked 11 in 69 innings.

Colon is making his first start since June 7th.  Since then he disappeared for a little while, literally.

Chi White Sox vs. Detroit – July 24, 2009 | MLB.com: Gameday

POSTGAME: Wow, who knew doubleheaders could be so fun? Everything was awful yesterday, but the Tigers have bought themselves at least 2 more days in first place by taking the first 2 games of the series.

  • How about Eddie Bonine? A quality start from the 6th starter is nothing to complain about. He did allow 2 homers, but he fanned 5 in 6 innings and really limited the damage.
  • Bonine works VERY SLOW when he gets someone on base. Unfortunately he had someone on base every inning.
  • Both centerfielders started off the game with nice catches. Granderson tracked down a Podsednik drive but he was one upped when DeWayne Wise made a spectacular catch on a Granderson drive. Watching Wise and the ball, I thought there was absolutely no way he gets close, let alone makes the play. Simply incredible.
  • Carlos Guillen looks to be ready. He looks comfortable at the plate, and drove the ball well in both games. He also worked the count and saw quite a few pitches. Maybe he really can be the lefty bat.
  • Magglio Ordonez turning on a fastball and pulling it down the line for a double set up the go ahead walk. Ordonez is taking to the platoon (thought tonight was against a righty).
  • The White Sox put on a full shift against Marcus Thames. I’ve never seen one that extreme for a right handed batter, and Thames beat it by singling right where Alexei Ramirez should have been playing.
  • Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon were both awesome. Let’s not forget night’s like tonight when we complain about the bullpen. Seay was shaky but man did he bounce back.
  • Some interesting managerial moves from Leyland tonight. Everything worked in retrospect, but I thought taking Thames out after the 6th inning and the game tied was premature. Of course when the White Sox had a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs, it could have been a big move if there would have been a flyball to left. Also, it meant that the Tigers would effectively have 2 lefties back to back making things easier for Guillen.
  • That part proved to be true as Guillen turned to the lefty with the bases loaded. Here I was surprised to see Raburn pinch hitting for Guillen rather than pinch running for Ordonez (as he could then be a defensive replacement the next inning). I understand the platoon situation, but I wanted to see Guillen up. Raburn battled, but ultimately fanned.
  • And that brings us to Clete, who had a heck of an at-bat (and a swing that looked pretty long early in the count) culminating in a take-the-lead walk.
  • Disappointed in the crowd tonight. Some big moments in the top of the 7th and bottom of the 8th, and they were dead. Too quiet. I don’t know if people were too nervouse to cheer or what, but they didn’t seem as “into the game” as I would have expected.

82 thoughts on “Game 2009.095: White Sox at Tigers”

  1. I’m hoping for 4, maybe 5 reasonable innings out of Bonine tonight. A sweep would be sweet!

    1. Hey, my friends and I are going to crash Tin Lizzies for the game tomorrow and Sunday. If you happen to be there, don’t be a stranger…I’ll be bearded, drunk and wearing a Tigs hat — basically I’ll look like my avatar.

      1. Not sure what the plan is tomorrow but that’s a possibility. Sunday can’t happen since I’m picking up the old lady at the airport.

    2. I would prefer a 10-8 game over a 2-1 game. I’m tired of getting frustrated with the offense. I want the ’07 Tigers w/ Grilli on the hill.

  3. Don’t worry, we won’t be getting a 2-1 game with Bonine and Colon pitching. Our defense won’t be helping Bonine out either . Ordonez is playing in RF and Thames in LF. Should be a high scoring game.

  4. Well, it’s a lower scoring game than I thought already. Bonine gets out of the 1st inning because of some nice defense by Inge. So much for my theory.

  11. Man….the home plate ump cost us two there. If he gives Eddie that 2-2 fastball on the inside corner three pitches before Dye slams one into the seats we get back in the dugout tied at 1. I guess it is a game of inches…….that pitch could’ve easily been called strike 3.

  12. C’mon hitters…..we need to score some runs off this doughboy. Lets rip his South Side butt……………

  13. How bad is our farm system, when we have to put Eddie Bonine out there…That guy is horrendous..he has never pitched a reasonably good game in his life…they are hitting almost .300 off him at AAA. Colon is not good, but, he was a former cy young winner and against this lineup..I am sure he will look like one again. Final point.. Dusty Ryan has no clue on how to hit a breaking ball, there is no reason for him to be up here playing once every 2 weeks, if they have any regard for him in the future. All young guys struggle w/ breaking pitches, but, Dusty Ryan is almost funny to watch try and hit a hanging breaking ball. It’s sad to have to watch Bonine..we know he sux, there is nobody else in the minors?

    1. I don’t think anyone has a farm system that can bring up a guy to throw a 2nd-half of the doubleheader shutout, which it looks like we may have needed tonight.

      1. No, I am not looking for a shutout. But, give me a break, every ball is hit like a rocket off this guy and it has always been that way…he fools no one and Dave Dombrowski said today (delusionally) that we had 10 pitchers that could make an impact on the ML level next year, in our farm system. Bonine is ridiculously bad. When you pitch him, you are basically forfeiting the game. I would take anybody..give me the unknown.. over Bonine because w/ Bonine you know 90% of the balls are going to be squared up and crushed, you are just hoping they are at people..it has nothing to do w/ getting ahead or making your pitches…he has no pitches, he just hopes they hit the ball at people.

    1. Clete Thomas has no business battiung 3rd either…Jim has no options…I would have Granderson bat 3rd and bat Thomas leadoff and cut Maggs, so, we don’t have to pay him 18 million next year.

  15. Yep… Still the same frustrating offense. Notice how Cabrera doubles it is with nobody on base & two out. This is how a mostly ineffective hitter can make his numbers look good… Cabrera is fool’s gold.

    1. To score runs we need guys to knock in the runs and guys to get on base to knock in. Cabrera hasn’t been knocking in the runs, but he’s been one of the few getting on base.

  16. Sirk,

    How can you say that. Cabrera is the only hitter on the team right now. I mean seriously! The team cant hit for crap and Cabrera is doing the best he can even if it is to try and start a two out rally. He isnt ineffective. At the worst he is inconsistent.

    1. That is true. If Ordonez could have got on base instead of his typical 1-pitch easy-out, then yes Cabrera’s double does a lot more.

    1. Someone didn’t get the memo…

      You can tell how much confidence Leyland had in Dusty, by not bunting the runners to 2nd and 3rd with no out…

  18. Wow what a great throw, thanks for the help Castro.

    I’m not sure why they held Inge at 2nd.

  20. I must concede… Eddie Bonine pitched a real good game tonight…His breaking ball seemed to be really strong…since I complained about him and Ryan tonight and good things happened. I will now say that Branson Inge hasn’t hit the ball since last month……….

  22. You really can’t ask much more from Bonine, he pitched well and kept the Tigers in the game. And he was a little unlucky not getting the call on that close pitch to Dye.

  23. @Chris
    Really?
    The dude’s been injured! No wonder he’s not hitting!
    Both his knees are torn up!
    He should be on the DL, not in the Lineup!
    Yet he’s there because he CHOOSES to be there. For people like me and you, the FANS.
    He cares more about the FANS than he cares about himself!
    Give the guy a break!

    1. Dude, I was joking…I was complaining about him because I complained about Bonine and Ryan and good things happened..it was just a superstitious thing. Give me a break. I thought I made that clear in my post. Whatever, don’t get tears on your Inge poster. I could care less if Inge ever hits, his defense makes up for it

      1. Alright Chris
        Sorry ’bout that
        Anyway… Inge just popped out…
        I’ll have to give this one to you. His bat has been sputtering.

  24. Well, That at-bat is why Miguel Cabrera is so frustrating..He has all the talent in the world and I am glad he is a Tiger for the next number of years, but, 3-3 ballgame…6th inning and he swings at the first pitch way out of the strike zone..if he improved his pitch selection..then it would truly be scary, what he could accomplish.

    Bobby Seay scares me a bit, he seems to be a bit run down and I fear he is in a funk. I hope I am wrong

  25. This just in from MLBTradeRumors and MLBlogs.com:
    Willingham and Dunn are drawing interest from the Tigers
    Apparently, the Nats are scouting Double A Eerie

    1. Well yea I saw that.

      Either or would be an improvement. Get Dunn you have yourself a LHB with Power and plays DH. Keep Guillen in the lineup as your LF. Get Willingham you have your LF solid D, and good solid bat. Keep Guillen in as your full time DH.

      Scouting AA hmmmm. Figaro, any other possibilities in Erie for Washington?

      1. Willingham would be a nice pickup, and wouldn’t cost as much as Dunn in the way of prospects.

        1. But where would Willingham fit into the lineup? He’s not a third place hitter. Plus, the Nats will ask for too much.

  28. Couldn’t draw it up any better, Guillen up with the sacks jacked in the bottom of the eighth. Oh the drama.

    Errr…take that back, we get Rayburn. Oy.

    1. Except Ozzie and Uncle Smokey are ruining your script…
      It’s Rescue Raburn time (actually, believe it or not, statistically Everett would be the best bet to get a run in here)

        1. And we add to our sad number of strikeouts with a runner on 3rd less than 2 out..it’s been killing us.

    1. Just for a moment forget your excitement and stop and pretend you’re a White Sox fan…that was pretty awful wasn’t it? See, wasn’t that fun!

    1. Wow. That was, like, over just a little too fast. Now what am I going to do with my cigarettes?

    2. I only had to hold my breath for a minuet & a half… good slam-the-door-shut 9th inning

      Tigers win DH!… against the hated Sox!… all is well again in TigerTown

  36. The AAA starter did the job, the bullpen was awesome (!), and Guillen actually did show up and provide left-handed power.

    And we are 2 games are up on the White Sox.

    Life is good.

    1. Maybe, just maybe, Guillen can be the spark that gets this offense going… I was hating on Ordonez, but it was his double that set-up the winning run… Maybe this is the turning point…. just maybe

    2. Not to mention the Twins’ Magical Misery tour out west continued yesterday with a rare Joe Nathan blown save, here’s hoping for more of the same again tonight.

        1. Yep, a walk, a HBP, a fly out, a single up the middle, and a “single” that skidded under Nathan’s leg, rolled to 2nd, and richoceted off the bag.

          1. I seem to recall Todd Jones having a few outings like that. Rare for Nathan though because he Ks a lot of hitters.

  38. Hey…I’m down for anything that takes the bloom of Buerhle-boy.

    You can put this one on the board!

  39. Life could always be better of course. The telecast could have continued with some post-game commentary from Ozzie….

  40. Folks, I’m going to say it now… This is the turning point. Tiger bats are going to wake up and start winning those well pitched games.

  41. Thank you baseball gods especially after this past week!!.. Maggs…Guillen and Thomas and Bonine and Ryan and Rodney …..who’d a thunk it ???

  42. What a turnaround after a disastrous week. Guillen and Ordonez almost made me think it was 2006 again. A gutsy win in the nightcap!

  43. I was busy this evening and when I get home I find I missed a more exciting game than the first game – didn’t catch one pitch. It looks like the entire lineup chipped in one way or another. Bonine with 83 pitches in 6 innngs – efficient. Even a 1-2-3 ninth with 2 Ks by Rodney (OMG!!!). Tomorrow’s pitching matchup favors us too. The offense has to keep on keepin’ on.

  44. I watched both games and can’t really say which one I enjoyed more. Pretty sweet day for tiger fans!

  46. The White Sox are coming to town,
    Tiger fans are wearing a frown,
    Things get a little better,
    We sweep the double header,
    now that frown is upside down.

  47. Phew! That was pretty sweet. E-Jax and Porcello going Sat/Sun? I’m feeling a sweep with extreme prejudice. You can put it on the booooaaaaard….YES!

  48. That’s what sets Tiger fans apart; when the boys do something praiseworthy, we not only give praise, but poetry. Almost renews my suspicions that Mr. X is Sean the AWOL Smoking Loon.

  49. As far as Billfer’s postgame comments go, apparently Guillen may be the lefty bat–and only that. Apparently he is effectively no longer a switch hitter; when he bats right he can’t hit and it hurts. It’s obviously no secret considering Ozzie’s moves.

    I didn’t like Raburn as PH because he tends to strike out in those situations. I may be the only living human who would have liked Everett or Laird there (there are guys who can’t hit but can get sac flies. Check the stats. If we had needed a hit, sure, Raburn’s way better).

    I realize you generally don’t want to use your backup catcher though, but we do have Inge for real emergencies.

  50. Oh almost forgot. Joe Maurer hit 2 HR– and the Twins lost…the Magical Misery Tour continues. A real TGIF kinda day all-around.

  51. So I was at a county fair yesterday with my 4 year old son. We were both sporting our Tigers hats and a “gentleman” made a comment to my son about how his team was going to get beat by his White Sox & how great the White Sox were because Buehrle threw a perfect game the night before.

    I said to him that it was great for Beuhrle that he threw a perfect game the night before, but even better for us Tigers fans was that he wouldn’t be pitching today. I reminded him that the Tigers had Verlander on the mound & I was pretty confident of getting the win that afternoon.

    He shut up after that.

    Only a White Sox fan would talk smack to a 4 year old.

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