PREGAME: The Tigers come home and they get to face Zach Greinke People have been saying that Greinke is fading some. I just don’t see it. In his last 3 games he does have a 5.50 ERA, but he still fanned 21 and walked just 6 in those 3 starts. Six of the 11 runs in those 3 starts came in one bad outing where he allowed 10 hits in 5 innings. I think that is more of a hiccup than a fade.
Speaking of hiccups and/or fades the Tigers send out Jarrod Washburn. Washburn has allowed 11 runs in 11.1 Tigers innings including 4 homers. He last faced the Royals in May and held them to 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings.
Kansas City vs. Detroit – August 14, 2009 | MLB.com: Gameday
POSTGAME: I’m going to defer to my friend Ian’s intro to his game recap:
The Detroit Tigers have apparently found their formula for winning. Don’t allow the other team to score any runs, and then wait for the third baseman to do something awesome.
You kind of got the sense in this one that it would take somebody “running into one” because there wasn’t a lot of manufacturing to be done. The Tigers had a couple of scoring chances, but those both came with 2 outs.
The Royals didn’t have any scoring chances until the 8th inning, but Washburn pitched out of that. (despite walking his former teammate Yuniesky Betancourt…really…Yuniesky Betancourt…the only guy he walked all night…Yuniesky Betancourt). In fact they didn’t get a hit until 2 outs in the 5th. That’s the Washburn we were looking for.
But all of that just set the stage for Brandon Inge’s heroics. Of the bat it looked to be hit well, but the David DeJesus seemed to be slowing down to track it. Fortunately he was just slowing down to time a fruitless jump at the wall.
- Granderson didn’t seem to have too much of a problem with Greinke notching a single, a double, and a walk
- Clete Thomas on the other hand, 3 K’s. Ouch
- Miguel Cabrera made a very nice sliding stop on a grounder and then got up and beat Billy Butler to the bag. Gerald Laird used the opportunity to go talk with Washburn, and let Cabby catch his breath
- Brandon Lyon with another 1-2-3 inning of relief.
I get to go to this game, and I am looking forward to seeing both pitchers. Jarrod because he is our new guy, and Zach because he is the promising young guy. Should be a good game!
Grammar Police alert: Greinke’s first name is spelled with a k, not an h 😉
Really hope Washburn throws a good game
Nitpicking police alert: That’s a spelling error, not grammar.
Nitpicking is tolerable, as long as you don’t eat them like the chimpanzees, that’s a bit much.
Dude, that’s racist.
Chimps are a species, not a race.
“Nitpicking” as a term originally meant “de-lousing,” for example how chimps will pick the lice from each other as a sign of friendship. (And, after they pick them, they often eat them). To be nitpicky.
I should have added a “;)” so you would know that I was playin’
I figured you were; and then thought, um even if he IS, there’s gonna be someone who reads that and thinks, OMG, “dude’s making racist remarks,” so…
Hearing that explanation does spoil the word “nitpick” for some people though, so I apologize for that…
humor is always the first victim of political correctness.
“there’s gonna be someone who reads that and thinks, OMG, “dude’s making racist remarks,””
thought the same thing, but was secretly hoping for it, just to make fun of that person.
Now I feel bad for spoiling your making-fun-of-person diversion…
I think there is humor equilibrium in the universe, so there is probably as much humor at the expense of political correctness as there has been lost through it…or perhaps some at the expense of political correctness, and some randomly appearing in some seemingly unrelated place to make up for it.
Anyway I’m just trying to mentally prepare myself to freak out at MLB.com again when they tell me I live in Kansas City and won’t let me watch the game, and miss the first inning working out an end-around to deal with their determination to make me live in KC…
Grienkhe’s okay, I guess.
Wow, Greinke struck out the side on 11 pitches. It is going to be a long night.
OK, none of that whiny “oh no we’re gonna get no-hit by a rookie” stuff today. This is real ace-pitcher stuff here, and we’re going for the whole enchilada tonight. No, not perfect game, I mean the really perfect game, 27Ks, I can feel it…
(I’m joking BTW…at least I hope I am…)
He would do it on 99 pitches.
Wow we got to him. He’s already lost it. No strikeouts the whole inning! Not even Thames or Inge! We have him on the ropes.
(And he’s thrown more pitches than Washburn, actually…)
This looks like the Washburn they traded for.
Washburn looks like he usually pitches against the
Tigers..Hope we can get him some runs
Can someone, anyone, give me a reason, any reason, why Clete Thomas is still batting third? For that matter, why is he viewed as a “defensive replacement?” Especially after those two throws last week and the way he butchered the ball in the corner last Sunday.
His UZR is still pretty good regardless of a few bonehead plays. As for batting third, its anybodies guess.
a better question about the Thomas in the 3 spot is……. why does Laird and Everett get to bat at all???
Re: Thomas at-bat in the fifth. See previous post #19.
I’ve been defending Clete, but swinging at ball 4 and ball 5 didn’t help his team. He’s up there first and foremost to not make an out, so Cabrera can get to the plate. If Greinke wants to walk you, let him. It wasn’t like he was swinging at pitches he could drive or anything.
You know the answer, I know you do…
Because that way the lineup goes LHB-RHB-LHB-RHB-LHB-RBH
Cool huh! That makes their mid-inning pitching replacements more complicated, and stuff.
Oh cmon “Cleat” that was ball 4
And that was ball 5
%@#~!
3-1, Greinke starting to lose it, walks 2 consecutive batters–Uncle Smokey should have gone out there himself and glued the bat to “Cleat’s” shoulder.
has Clete even touched a pitch with his bat today???
as bad as Laird is offensively the DUDE can throw!!!!
I can’t think of a good reason he shouldn’t get Gold Glove consideration. Oh wait, nevermind, there’s the “bad offensively” part…
Never have understood why a guy’s offensive stats play such a strong part in getting a Gold Glove which is a defensive award. That’s always a head scratcher.
Quick question: Does anybody else notice how Thames get upset everytime he swings at a bad pitch or pops up a good pitch? He very noticably grimmaces and groans, or maybe mouths a few curses. This upsets me to no end because he does it all the time when he is not “hot,” which is about all of the time.
I don’t like it either. I wish he’d just turn the page and get ready for the next pitch.
But then, we could say the same thing about ourselves. You know, complaining after each loss.
Nah, I do not get upset when I pop out. I am just happy I made contact. 🙂
Greinke has 108 pitches, let’s hope he is done. That is not to say the the Tigers did not have their chances against him.
I notice it every time he bats …oh you said when he’s not hot…I get it!
Washburn has 107 pitches. Do you bring him back out for the 9th? Do you trust anybody else in the bullpen? Be the manager!
Bring him out to pitch the 9th. Especially if we’re still sitting at 0-0 – who knows how long this game will go.
Colon is pitching!!! A gift from above!
Wouldn’t that be a gift from “below?” Since it’s a colon gift? I’m just saying…
Fantastic!
Here’s to hoping we can walk off with the win tonight 🙂
Sure we complain after every loss…beats some teams’ fans who complain when they win also..
amen to that
Well, we all know what time it is, don’t we?
It’s Bottom Of the Order Boys time! Walk Off Win!!!
(B.O.O.Bs W.O.W)
Colon!!!!!
Colon is consistent he used to do that in Detroit
Exactly. I had a funny feeling he would return to form.
thames ball four …oh you swung
YESSSSS!!! Brandon Inge!!!
Brandon has the checked swing working, good sign
Didn’t want to jinx during game … Babe Ruth baby!
BBBBBBBIIIIINNNNGGGGEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B.O.O.B.S!! W.O.W.!!
LOL 🙂
Did you see that, Stephen!
Oh, Stephen’s cheering I’m sure, there will be plenty of other opportunities for bashing…besides that might get his career avg back up to .239, Stephen’s been off a tad since Brandon dipped down to .238…
No one can say Brandon doesn’t know what to do with an average fastball out over the middle of the plate…
Friday night happy!!!
Oh no–this is merely step one of Weekend Happy
Bonus – Mr. “Punch Out” Colon picked up the loss.
I was just thinking I havent seen E Jack swing the bat yet but maybe we should DH for Laird and let Edwin take a few cuts tomorrow. Its hard to say what I hate seeing more. Laird pop it up every time he is up and slam his bat on his run to first like it is a big surprise. Or Everett trickle one out to short every time he is up.
May 8th and 9th vs Cleveland (Verlander and Jackson), the last back-to-back shutouts.
Which by the way was the last time we were out of 1st place. We’ve been 1st or tied since May 10.
I think Inge reads my criticism and says ‘I must do better.’
Well then you should be ashamed. The guy’s only a career .239 hitter. Your posts are clearly too sporadic.
Poster of the night award goes to Coleman. Good work.
Wow, it’s like karma or something perhaps, but the phone rings and “I know it’s last minute but you have any interest in the A’s game, my boss just gave me his tickets?” Hello? Like the A’s that are playing the White Sox? “Hit the gas man the game’s already starting”
Only small iPosts the rest of the night it looks like, what a fine thing it would be to see the Sox lose…
Make sure to stop by Ricky’s Sports Bar in San Leandro afterward! Make sure you’re wearing a motorcycle helmet, it helps when the pool cues start flying!
If ticket-guy ever gets here #@!! the Sox are already up 2-0, hope it’s not like 7-0 in the 3rd when I get there.
Speak of the Gift Horse and his Mouth will appear!
Go A’s!!
I know! I will increase my anti Inge rants to five a day.
My new one: Brandon Inge is on pace to have one of the top 25 strikeout years in the long storied history of the American League.
You like?
I’ll let you know after tomorrow’s game. Gotta see what works. I mean maybe he reads that and thinks, “well, Babe Ruth struck out a lot…”
Funny story: I was in the Twins locker room last spring training. It was early and I was sleepy. I momentarily mistook Adam Everett for Joe Mauer since he was sitting in Mauer’s locker. Everett was very nice about it. So I forgive him a lot. Not getting regular at-bats on a contender, but a lot of other stuff.
It’s interesting how much a player’s reaction can bug people, and making striking out or popping up or whatever twice as annoying: Laird tossing his bat, Thames moaning, Cabrera shrugging and jogging to first, Inge not reacting at all, whatever.
Except Everett. He seems to bug people purely on the merit–or demerit I guess-of his performance. Which ruins my theory, that the failures (popups, strikeouts, whatever) are what make one hate the reactions. Hmm.
Good point! I feel like this is the point where I must state that I see Inge like Patton saw Stalin during World War II. Chronically untrustworthy, possibly crazy, definitely incompetent but hey, he’s keeping the Germans pinned down in Poland! And, as we all know, the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
In other words, my least favorite Tiger is still better than any White Sox.
Hmm, “possibly crazy,” would that include Stalin-Inge comparisons? 🙂
The real problem with the comparisons, and the thing that drives many crazy, is that Inge is such a fan favorite. And a favorite of his team-mates (I’m sure always being first on the scene in the brawls doesn’t hurt him there).
At least you seem grounded in statistical reality unlike some sufferers of Ingephobia who will start saying silly things about how he’s the worst fielding 3rd baseman in the league or whatever.
I will make one small pro-Stalin concession: he wins hands-down on moustache.
Inge
Back to back shutouts!!
Yep, 1st since the beginning of may:
http://www.detroittigersweblog.com/2009/08/game-2009-115-royals-at-tigers/#comment-127252
This is great, WS just blew a 6-0 hlead and trail 7-6 in the 5th..at first it was like one of those Twilight Zone things–I said “as long as it’s not 7-0 in the 3rd when I get there…” wish granted!! 6-0 in the 3rd!! Bleh. But loving it now