The Tigers wrap up what seemed to be a very quick home stand. They won both series already, and a win today would be icing on the cake. Of course with the ace on the mound for Detroit the team and fans are looking for something more than a solid effort on get-away day.
Justin Verlander did a good job against the Twins in keeping them off the scoreboard. He would have had 6 shutout innings were it not for a Ryan Raburn error that allowed an unearned run.
But even with the nearly 6 innings, he went over 120 pitches for the second consecutive game. For the season he is at 4.42 pitchers/plate appearance. The league average is typically in the 3.7-3.9 range. While it seems like more pitches are being fouled off, this rate is only 2% higher than his career norms which means just 7 additional fouls over the 5 starts.
Jered Weaver takes the ball for the Angels. He held the Tigers to 2 runs over 7 innings in Anaheim. His 34:6 strike out to walk ratio is particularly impressive (and daunting). He’s allowed 5 homers this year, 4 of them to right handers. This probably doesn’t mean a lot, but in his 5 starts the leadoff batter is 0 for 5 with 4 strike outs.
Jeff Larish went 4 for 5 with a home run. Casper Wells and Danny Worth each had 2 hits. Enrique Gonzalez was knocked around for 7 runs on 8 hits, 3 walks, and 1 strike out in 5.1 innings. Josh Rainwater pitched 2 perfect innings with 3 K’s.
Trenton 4 Erie 10 Wilkin Ramirez is on quite the run. Yesterday he went 3 for 4 with 2 homers and a walk. In his last 6 games he is 13 for 23 with 4 homers, 5 walks, and just 2 strike outs. Cesar Nicolas went 3 for 5. Audy Ciriaco picked up 2 hits. Lauren Gagnier allowed 3 runs in 6.2 innings with 5 K’s and 3 walks.
Dunedin 4 Lakeland 0 Lakeland had 11 baserunners, but couldn’t turn them into runs. Rawley Bishop and Josh Workman each had 2 hits. Mark Sorensen gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings. Robert Waite pitched 4 shutout innings in relief.
West Michigan 4 South Bend 8 Hernan Perez went 2 for 2. Victor Larez got knocked out int he 4th inning after allowing 8 runs. They called this one after 4.5 innings due to rain.
The Tigers look for the morning storms to move out of the area so they can get in an afternoon tilt against the Angels. It will be Jeremy Bonderman taking on Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir has had a tendency to walk people in the past, but when the two teams hooked up earlier this season he fanned 7 Tigers hitters without issuing a free pass as he picked up a win. He followed that up by walking 4 Yankees in 5.1 innings though so I don’t know that the control issues are corrected.
Jeremy Bonderman was nearly great his last time out, humming through the first 5 innings before things got away from him in the 6th. At least he was efficient needing only 74 pitches to get through 5.2 innings.
Syracuse 2 Toledo 1
Wil Rhymes and Brent Dlugach each had 3 hits, including a homer for Dlugach. Armando Galarraga was good again, with 8 strike outs and just 2 walks in 7 innings. Daniel Schlereth pitched an inning with 2 K’s and only 12 pitches.
Trenton 11 Erie 6
Wilkin Ramirez went 2 for 3 with a walk. Cale Iorg and Justin Henry homered. Jon Kibler allowed 4 runs in 5.2 innings, but Jay Voss was left out to dry. He recorded 5 outs, but allowed 7 runs on 8 hits.
Dunedin 2 Lakeland 1 (10 innings)
Bryan Pounds went 2 for 5. Chao Ting-Tang doubled. Luke Putkonen went 7 innings and allowed 1 run on 6 hits, 1 walk and 3 K’s. Mark Morrison fanned 3 in 2 innings of scoreless work.
West Michigan 2 South Bend 4
Wade Gaynor went 2 for 4 with a double. Jade Todd allowed 4 runs in 6 innings on 8 hits, a walk, and 3 strike outs.
I think the scorecard tells the story (as scorecards should). The 4th inning was a thing of beauty and majesty and an inning that won’t be forgotten for quite some time.
The rookies were of course the story of the night. Scott Sizemore and Brennan Boesch both getting their first career homers in the 4th inning. Austin Jackson’s perfect 5 for 5 was exciting to see. It was a pretty special night and seeing Boesch’s emotion had to bring a smile to even the most jaded of sports fans.
I was at the game (some photos below), and can’t really judge Porcello’s location. What I do know is that he was a groundball machine and happened to give up a homer at the worst time, after 2 ground ball singles. So he was getting the grounders, but like in the other games a few too many balls were drilled as well. So maybe we call it improvement, but there’s still work to be done?
Johnny Damon was a homer shy of the cycle.
Ryan Perry game in throwing gas retired the first 3 hitters on strike outs.
I count eight “4-3” outs on my scorecard meaning it was a very busy night for Sxott Sizemore.
Phil Coke just couldn’t find the strike zone tonight. On another Coke related note, he seems to be the leader of the bullpen. At least the whole pen followed him down the left field line from the dugout.
I loved seeing the Tigers aggressive on the base paths late in the game. Austin Jackson stole second, and even Miguel Cabrera went when he wasn’t being held on (Boesch popped out on the pitch).
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Gerald Laird’s first homer of the season. Good. I’m no longer remiss.
Surprised to see Jim Leyland go to his big bullpen guns with such a sizable lead.
Props to the fan who caught Sizemore’s homer. The bullpen guys offered him another ball in exchange and he willingly tossed Sizemore’s first career homer ball in.
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