93-68, AL Central Division Champs. Woo-hoo. 

Seems like only yesterday it was a chilly Opening Day in Minneapolis with Verlander on the hill for Game 1 and Coleman on the game post mound…

Last night: Marlins 2, Tigers 1 (10). Four innings of shutout ball is a tall order for any bullpen. It almost happened, and Alburquerque was the best of the lot in the attempt. But alas, Benoit was flop sweat all the way, and Reed was just lost out there. But you know, Detroit had Cabrera… Fielder… Hunter… Peralta… Infante… Martinez for an AB. One run? ONE RUN?? Three runs in 19 innings? Against the Miami Marlins??? Are you kidding me? Anyway, Sanchez missed out on win #15 as a result, officially, and possibly win #20, unofficially.

What the Tigers have that is grrrrrrrrreat is starting pitching. Nothing else. Defense isn’t too bad, until you factor in the inability to prevent teams from stealing. The bullpen is not good. Not far from awful, if you want to know the truth. The hitting is overrated, and now you have a situation where Cabrera can’t hit doubles (nothing new – look at his season total) and doesn’t hit home runs. (Really good singles hitter, though.) They can’t steal, they can’t take the extra base; in brief, runners on amount to no special pressure on the opponent. They are perfectly set up to be feast or famine, which is exactly what they are. The good news is that none of this – or at least not much – was any different when they were winning 12 in a row. So there’s no use in any doomsday prognosis for the postseason. Things can turn on a dime.

Check out some pitching stats:

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/JuJIm

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/kITpY

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/UQ1PE

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/qOedO

Catchers defense?

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/lqnxG

Team defense?

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/ZVRIp

Speaking of feast or famine, or really just of famine:

And now the sadder part:

All right. Could the Tigers maybe win #20, I mean #14, for Justin Verlander today? Please? Finish the (regular) season with a win, perchance? (Seeing how likely it seems that 2013 is gonna end with a loss eventually…)

Oh, right. It’s down to the wire in the Game Poster League. I need a win to tie. I think. Let’s see here…. No! I’ve lost! Coleman has clinched it. Congratulations, Coleman.

Coleman 31-21
Smoking Loon 32-24
Kevin in Dallas 30-23

… and 93 or 94 wins sounded pretty reasonable. Certainly nothing to complain about. 

93-67, AL Central champs. No chance at #2 seed in AL playoffs, possibility of facing Boston rather than Oakland in the ALDS. Pick your poison, Tigers are decided underdogs either way, but Detroit is 8-20 against the Red Sox at Fenway under Jim Leyland. That’s right.

Last night: Miami 3, Detroit 2. OK, it was a loss. It’s not that they didn’t try or that too many “scrubs” were playing or any of that nonsense. They just lost. Big hit by big man Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins aren’t quite as no-name as I thought – obviously I haven’t paid them much attention) and quiet Tigers bats = a loss a lot like at least 20 others this season. So what’s the big deal?

Well, home-field advantage in the ALDS is out the window. No small matter. I got a weird vibe from this game. I knew there’d be a bit of “spring training” to this series with odd lineups, true, but I didn’t expect the games to feel that way, not with something on the line. I’m not much for the Alvarez semi-start, not much for the formality start from Fielder, not much for how Peralta played the Stanton double. I have my doubts about the concept of getting Porcello “ready” for the bullpen the way it was done, like this game was for practice purposes (which it evidently was, that from the horse’s mouth). After a day off prior, and with four off-days coming up, the idea of needing to get guys off their feet at any time during this series is laughable. The one guy who could have stood to have the day off was playing; Iglesias, the batless wonder, he of bruises and shin splints. While his bat-equipped replacement stood in LF in the name of experiment. Wonderful. I’m left a bit sour on the whole thing.

Gates Brown dies at 74. Larger than life role player that Tigers fans have never forgotten.

Rondon, Coke, Cabrera for the Marlins series.

Peralta in LF. Sounded good in theory. Nice additional option. Not so pleased with it now. It may prove costly and might look quite stupid when we’re dissecting the postseason later.

The postseason rotation is still up in the air, but I would say that Scherzer/Sanchez/ Verlander/Fister is the best bet going in. How that might eventually shake out depending on how far each series goes is wide open. If the Tigers needed Scherzer twice to get through the ALDS, it’s obvious that he wouldn’t be starting Game 1 of the ALCS. So maybe that’s a reason to start Sanchez or Verlander in Game 1 of the ALDS? You tell me, and then we’ll tell Leyland. Or not.

I wonder how Prince Fielder feels about that “start” last night. He’s “over stats,” and stats would include streaks. I’m guessing it wasn’t his idea and that he didn’t like the draw a walk and leave one bit.

I’ll try to get back with some stats here, in order to set an example for the Detroit Tigers. No reason not to make a serious effort, no matter how “meaningless” or “experimental” a series may be. I want 95 wins. Don’t you?

It’s clear from this and the rest that Miguel Cabrera is on his own planet, as if we didn’t know. Which makes his ordinariness of late more of a postseason concern. (Face it, we’re doomed.) (Oh, maybe not.) Offensively, no one else on the team deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. Or paragraph.

Avila’s resurgence is real (I had my doubts). So is the massive K rate.

My failure to notice the missing decimal place on Iglesias irks me. Oh well.

WPA is Win Percentage Added. It’s big, as in “how does my offense affect game outcomes?” Sometimes it seems as though Hunter is always there to deliver the big hit (especially right after he does). Think again. Think Peralta. Jackson? Forget about it. Pardon me for thinking you a bit overrated, Mr. Omar Infante.

RE24 is perhaps best thought of as “overall quality of at bats (actually plate appearances).” Here Tui fails to redeem himself. The coachman has indeed turned back into a mouse. It should be clear from all the above, however, that Mister Offensive Bust of 2013 has been none other than Dirks. (Pretty darn good in LF, though.) Notice how excellent numbers for Hunter have gone south (uptick in strikeouts and GIDP – what happened to “table setter”?). It matches observation to say that the more trustworthy quality ABs currently reside in the Men In Black in the right column (notice red on the rise). Santiago has raised his average, yes… but seriously.

Let’s hope the Tigers rise to the occasion tonight with brilliant formatting from Sanchez, and that the bats are hitting Command-B and playing with Excel rather than the crappy spreadsheet program I’m using.

93-66, 2013 AL Central Division Champions. No small sigh of relief there.

Wednesday, the Tigers clinched with a gutsy 1-0 win over the Twins. Couldn’t watch (I was sick, still am), but I’ll catch up with it after the postseason, no doubt. Must have been the nail-biter of the season.

They really had us going there, didn’t they? I can’t be the only one who had “collapse” in the back of my mind after Monday’s loss to Minnesota. A team that can come back to win from 6-0, bottom of the 9th should be capable of anything, but “anything” didn’t include giving away the next game, at least as I saw it. Now things are back on track and Tigers are in the postseason – through the front door. Not only that, but there’s also a real chance they can wrest home-field advantage for the ALDS from the A’s.

There have been grumblings (including mine) about how far the Tigers are likely to go in the postseason. This team doesn’t just have an “Achille’s heel.” It has at least 4 or 5 glaring weaknesses that I can think of offhand. However, they’ve been able to overcome them more than once for significant stretches of the season; how else would they be 93-66 right now? I think I’ll enjoy, for now, the fact that Detroit is ALDS-bound,  and save the major postseason worrying for when the postseason has actually begun. Don’t let that stop you from voicing your worry, though. I would worry if you did.

Three in NL Miami are up next to close out the regular season, day game on Sunday for the finale. I don’t think I’ll look up the forecast for this series. The options for Miami are either “nice” or “hurricane.” Haven’t heard anything about a hurricane, but I’d be the last to know. The 59-100 Marlins are a no-name, rebuilding team reputed to have loads of future potential, so let’s hope that potential stays at least a week in the future. The Tigers definitely have something to play for here. Will they? Messrs. Porcello, Sanchez, and Verlander would certainly appreciate it, as would we. Be advised that the Marlins have a better home record than the Twins and the Mets do. (But not by much.)

93-66, 27 games over .500. 14 wins are the difference between ho-hum and on top. Every win counts the same as any other in the standings, but it goes beyond subjectivity to suggest that some wins were more important and/or impressive than others. Specifying which is where it gets more subjective. I’ll give you my take on “The Big 14” in a bit, but first I’ll let the early-bird commenters think on it and make their own suggestions (and get an early start on all the other stuff there is to talk about – there’s plenty, no?).

OK, I tried hard, but could only narrow it down as far as “The Big 19.” Tell me which five don’t belong:

April 17: Tigers 2, MARINERS 1 (14)

A Hunter throw, a Fielder relay, a Pena tag and hold through collision, and a hard-earned victory is preserved.

April 26: TIGERS 10, Braves 0

A thumping of a good team that wasn’t swinging like one at the time (tough luck). Sanchez! Quite the morale boost at the time.

May 2:  Tigers 7, ASTROS 3 (14)

Laugh about the Astros now, but the first two games weren’t easy. Imagine a team that comes through in the clutch like this more often.

May 17: Tigers 2, RANGERS 1

A ray of hope in a dismal series. Porcello.

May 23: TIGERS 7, Twins 6

Impressive come from behind from a team not known for it.

June 1: Tigers 10, ORIOLES 3

On a 4-game skid, on the heels of the Valverde implosion, Tigers put the hammer down on a team they find hard to beat.

June 23: TIGERS 7, Red Sox 5

They stole this one, and considering what lurked around the corner, larceny was just what the doctor ordered.

July 8: Tigers 4, INDIANS 2 (10)

Only up on CLE by 2.5 going in, winner of 3/4 going out, a classic winner’s win. “We’re comin’ to get ya. See? Told ya.”

July 14: TIGERS 5, Rangers 0

Strong shutdown of an intimidating opponent. Verlander. Bastille Day. (Extra points if your next thought was “Caress Of Steel.”)

July 31: TIGERS 11, Nationals 1.

A torching of one of the better lefties in the game.

August 4: TIGERS 3, White Sox 2 (12)

Bouncing back from a blown save and keeping a monumental streak rolling.

August 5: Tigers 4, INDIANS 2

The traditional August 5 Chris Perez Beatdown.

August 17: TIGERS 6, Royals 5

Miggy Moment of the season… so far.

August 29:  TIGERS 7, A’s 6

Did one swing of Torii Hunter’s bat save the season? Maybe it did.

September 2: Tigers 3, RED SOX 0

Preserving a shred of dignity against the mighty BoSox. Fister.

September 6: Tigers 16, ROYALS 2

10 earned runs off of (or on) James Shields. Need I say more?

September 19: TIGERS 5, Mariners 4

Stepping up in the late innings to pick up your starter. Imagine that.

September 21: TIGERS 7, White Sox 6 (12)

The miracle game.

September 25: Tigers 1, TWINS 0

The clincher. Scherzer. What was that about one-run games?

9 of these were road games. Hint. Also, if you look into them (as opposed to looking into every game of the season, as I feel like I’ve done about 10 times over by now), you might start to bristle a bit at the term “Sunday lineup,” as I do. Lotta contributors here.

Go contributors! All of ya!

92-66, 1.

Since this won’t be my last post this season, I won’t feel bad about a short one on a busy day.

You know that a win tonight, or a Cle loss, will clinch a third straight division title. That’s the first time since…ever. They did win three straight pennants from 1907-1909, but they have never won 3 straight division titles. Please keep that in mind as you shake up a can of frustration at the first negative play tonight. If we win a WS in the near future, we’ll always remember this stretch as one of the best in club history.

21-3 just sounds so much cooler than 20-3, doesn’t it?

A few notes:

– Igelsias is rehabbing nicely, he hit off of a tee today. I think they’ll keep him out until the playoffs start.

– Peralta is eligible to start in LF on Friday.

– Rondon may not be quite as alright as we were hoping. Leyland says his arm condition is “not good.”

Tonight’s Central Division Clinching Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Dirks, LF
7. Infante, 2B
8. Avila, C
9. Santiago, SS

91 – 66, 2.

Not much to like about yesterday’s game. Even though JV went 6 with 0 ER and 12 Ks, he walked 3 and got in enough trouble to not pitch into the 7th. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I’m certain that the bullpen has pitched significantly more innings in JV starts this year than in any year in recent history.

I recognize that the Tigers have been pretty average over the past few weeks, a time span that coincides greatly with Cabrera’s nagging injuries. But I don’t put any stock into momentum heading into the playoffs in MLB. None whatsoever. It would be great to catch Oakland. In my mind, that is what we are playing for right now. Any momentum we may pick-up will be lost in the break before the first playoff series.

If we don’t, we’ll re-evaluate come game 1 post for the ALDS.

Rotation as listed…

Tonight: Fister

Tomorrow: Scherzer

Friday: Porcello

Saturday: Sanchez

Sunday: Verlander

That Sunday game is on the 29th, and there will be 5 days between the last game of the regular season and game 1 of the ALDS on Friday the 4th (assuming Detroit is not in a play-in/WC game). So really, Leyland can do whatever he wants with the rotation. I’m thinking that the home/away will play a role with Porcello out of the pen.

To be honest, this exercise was much less enjoyable that I thought it would be. Or perhaps I’m still frustrated that JV didn’t win #18 last night.

91 – 65, 2.

I liked it better when you got all of your baseball stats from one place: the sports page. Or really, one to two pages of the sports section. Everything was laid out right in front of you, so you could jump from team to team, or stat to stat, without clicking anywhere or waiting for a page to load. Once I became stat aware, I regularly read the Fort Worth Star Telegram and then the Freep and Detroit News when I was visiting the D, and they did it the same, so I assumed that everyone did; the league leaders were published daily, and then all team stats were be published on a regular basis. I loved scanning the full stats for the all-stars, but what I really enjoyed was seeing the long lists of the league leaders. They would usually list the top 10, maybe the top 20. Top 10 was awesome, and top 20 was still pretty darn good.

Anyway, I was doing some in depth stat searching the other day. The was on my mobile phone, so it was pretty artificial, but I saw something interesting. Which prompted more research, and then led me to find these:

1) 7 1/3 IP 7 H 3 ER 2 BB 4 K

2) 7  IP 9 H 2 ER 1 BB 12 K

3) 7 IP 8 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K

4) 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 8 K

5) 8 IP 9 H 2 ER 4 BB 4 K

6) 8 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 6 K

7) 7 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 6K

8) 7 IP 4 H 3 ER 3BB 6 K

Total for the eight games: 58 1/3 IP, 51 H, 13 ER (2.00 ERA), 17 BB (1.17 WHIP), 50 Ks (7.71 K/9, 2.94 K/BB). Record: 0-3 with 5 no-decisions.

Know that those are? Those are JV lines from selected games this season. Eight very winnable games with no wins to show for it.

Now, on to step two of my point. AL rankings for selected JV stats:

ERA: 18

IP: 8

K: 5

W: 8

K/9: 8

fWAR: 6

BABIP: 4 (from the bottom – .303, Fister’s .314 is 3rd; note that Senchez’s .301 is 7th and Porcello’s .300 is 8th; I’d love to know what the team BABIP is post-Iglesias).

But here’s my point. Had the Tigers simply won 4 of those winnable games above, JV would have 17 wins, good for 2nd in the AL. How does our impression of his season change then? 2nd in the AL in wins, top 20 ERA, 5th in Ks, 6th in fWAR.

While this has been a disappointing JV season, it’s really a matter of perception. He’s still in the upper echelon of AL Starters.

For fun, here are the ERAs of some of the pitchers above JV in the wins column – Porcello (4.38), Fister (3.71), Dickey (4.27), Sabathia (4.78), Guthrie (4.09), Griffin (3.78), Lester (3.67), Tillman (3.70).

Note, what prompted this is that JV is still 18th in ERA.

We’ll get into the post-season rotation tomorrow.

******************

Back on the 13th I suggested that the Tigers should close their final 16 games at 10-6 or 11-5. Winning the 3 series at home puts them at 7-3 and on pace for 10 to 11 wins. Unfortunately, that probably won’t be enough to wrestle away home field from the Bo Sox, and may not be enough to pass Oak.

The Wild Card stuff is great. I’m pulling for the Royals. People are being talked off of ledges around here regarding the Rangers.

Lots of scoreboard watching these days.

Lineup coming later.

 

Detroit Tigers: 91-64, 1st Place (6.0 ahead of Cleveland).  Magic Number: 2

Well, time certainly does fly, flies like Prince Fielder scoring from first on a double, and comes barreling home to this my last regular season post. Time to get myself in playoff shape.

With a magic number down to 2, it is possible for the Tigers to celebrate the division title in front of the home fans. The Tigers need to beat Chicago today, and pull for the Astros to beat Cleveland (the games are simultaneous). I imagine there will be some scoreboard peaking.

The home fans were certainly treated to an exciting comeback win last night. I confess I had stopped paying attention when the White Sox started adding runs in the top of the 9th, but woke up when Torii tripled to lead off the bottom of the inning (there is something about triples that get your attention, more sustained excitement and crowd noise than the quicker home run blast).

9th inning summary:

• Torii Hunter triples
• Cabrera singles, Hunter scores
• Fielder singles, Cabrera to second
• Martinez doubles, Cabrera scores
• Andy Dirks, pinch-hit three-run home run
• Omar Infante walks
• Ramon Santiago sac bunt, Infante to 2nd
• Alex Avila walks
• Austin Jackson walks
• Torii Hunter sac fly, Infante scores
• Cabrera walks
• Fielder grounds out

That’s a whole game’s worth of action there. The last Tigers team to make up a deficit that large in the 9th inning: the 1947 team which featured George Kell.

*****

OK, enough celebrating, here is the part of the blog where we get anxious. Miguel Cabrera had to leave the game early yesterday, and is now Day-To-Day with groin soreness. The Tigers are certainly capable of winning without Miguel Cabrera in the lineup, but…well, you want a healthy Miguel Cabrera in the lineup, and that might not be possible.

*****

Jose Iglesias still is hampered by his bruised hand, and can’t field grounders. He may miss the next series also.

*****

If you have been wondering where Bruce Rondon has been, he has had some elbow soreness. He is scheduled to come back Tuesday, and is throwing a session in the bullpen today.

*****

Today’s Player of the Pre-game: Don Kelly. The Donkey makes everyone forget Miguel Cabrera with a key hit. OK, well not really (the Cabrera part I mean; I am calling the hit).

Today’s Home Closing Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, RF
3. Fielder, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Kelly, 3B
6. Avila, C
7. Infante, 2B
8. Santiago, SS
9. Castellanos, LF

Detroit Tigers: 90-64, 1st Place (6.0 ahead of Cleveland).  Magic Number: 3

Well, it looks like the 5th time was the charm. Max Scherzer is now a proud 20-game winner, and had a sip of the bubbly to celebrate…apparently he is saving the magnum of Stroh’s for the postseason. Max also became only the 11th Tiger ever to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in a season, joining Jusin Verlander (2011), Jack Morris (1983, 1986), Joe Coleman (1971, 1973), Mickey Lolich (1971, 1972), Denny McLain (1968), and Hal Newhouser (1945, 1946). Quite a list to be on.

The Tigers reduced their magic number to 3; as expected, the Astros could not handle the Indians, although I suppose you have to give them credit for losing efficiently in 7 innings. It looks like the home celebration may indeed be an iffy proposition.

Cleveland has now unseated Texas for the 2nd wild card spot, and with an easy remaining schedule could very well hang on to it. The Tigers have to love the idea of having Cleveland in the playoffs, since Cleveland seems capable of beating anyone…except Detroit. I am a bit melancholy about the prospect of a playoff without Yankees though, since they were so good about playing the Washington Generals to the Tigers’ Globetrotters. Besides, I suspect there is some phenomenon–let’s call it Coleman’s Law, until we figure out the real name–whereby the more one team dominates another in the regular season, the less likely they are to beat them in the postseason.

You’ve got to love this time of year. Tampa guts out 18 innings against the Orioles, then knocks them off again several hours later this afternoon (Baltimore is done). Kansas City, continuing to be a Royal pain, kicks Texas while they are down, and clings to wild card contention. Oakland continues bombing teams, blanking the Twins 11-0 (they have scored 7 runs or more in 8 of their 19 September games. Where did that come from?). The National League Central refuses to decide itself, going into the home stretch with a three-team race. Fun times.

*****

Jose Iglesias is out again with his day-to-day hand bruise. He is also still the reigning Web Gem, and the subject of an ESPN Sport Science segment, which breaks down the play. It’s worth a watch.

*****

Today’s Player of the Pre-game: Matt Tuiasosopo. This may be the last, best time for Tui Time. With new Left Fielder Jhonny Peralta prepping to join the team, Tui needs to stake his claim on the LF platoon. He is one of the few Tigers who hit Sale well (4-for-11),

Tonight’s Tea for Tui Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Tuiasosopo, LF
7. Infante, 2B
8. Santiago, SS
9. Pena, C

Detroit Tigers: 89-64, 1st Place (6.0 ahead of Cleveland).  Magic Number: 4

It would be nice if the Tigers could win the division this weekend on their last home stand–hey, it would be nice whenever they win the division. That might be a tough task though with Cleveland playing three games against the Astros, who are butt-sliding their way to a 100+ loss season. Even if the Tigers sweep the White Sox, they will need the Astros to pull out at least one game to score a home celebration.

If they clinch in Minnesota, they will have to ponder how to celebrate, seeing as there is no swimming pool at Target Field. Perhaps Vince could suggest some ideas. I might agree with the grumbling Diamondbacks that a celebration like the Dodgers’ has no place in baseball–if I could only get over the concept of a SWIMMING POOL in the outfield stands.

Anyway, assuming the Tigers do win the division, the current playoff seedings look like this:

1. Boston    93  61  —
2. Oakland  90  63  2 1/2
3. Detroit     89  64  3 1/2

Boston has the toughest remaining schedule of the three:

Boston:

• Toronto (3)
• at Colorado (2)
• at Baltimore (3)

Oakland:

• Minnesota (3)
• at LA Angels (3)
• at Seattle (3)

Detroit:

• Chicago (3)
• at Minnesota (3)
• at Miami (3)

*****

Take 5:  Max Scherzer makes one more try to get victory #20 tonight.

Today’s Player of the Pre-game:  Prince Fielder. Prince has gotten hot lately, hitting .383 over the last two weeks. Despite the popularity of his nacho-nabbing antics yesterday, Prince finds the nachos a little too insubstantial for his appetite, swipes a hot dog, and does a subsequent Gates Brown slide into 2nd base.

Tonight’s Lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Martinez, DH
6. Dirks, LF
7. Infante, 2B
8. Avila, C
9. Santiago, SS

88-64, 1st place. The Indians lost. Or maybe they won. Whatever. (I’m pretty sure they lost. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the magic number is down to 5.)

Last night: Seattle 8, Detroit 0. The Tigers got in some early World Series practice. #5 starter Justin Verlander carried a no-hitter into the second inning. Was Iwakuma that good, or were the Tigers that bad? Two bases-loaded situations early came to naught. The bullpen came on to save us from a dull, ordinary shutout loss. And how about that Phil Cuzzi strike zone, eh?

Cabrera: The best hitter on the planet wasn’t.
Fielder: Got the Tigers on the just foul board with a just foul HR.
Martinez: IF single! Honest. Stole a base! OK, it was a wild pitch.
Tuiasosopo: Struck out with the bases loaded. Extenuating circumstances, but still. Busy in LF. Has a Scrappy Guy thing going, apparently.
Perez: Good energy. Seriously.
Other Guys: There, somewhere, if the box score is to be believed.
Verlander: Don’t be surprised if the crafty veteran edges out Smyly for a spot in the rotation next year.
Coke: DFA.
Alburquerque: Clown Showque. Not often you can give the pitcher alone both a wild pitch and a passed ball on one play that scores 2 runs with 0 for 97 Henry “Tattoos Age Poorly” Blanco at the plate. Too early for the WS, but a classic nonetheless.
Putkonen: Go ahead, add insult to injury. Why not.

AlburCokey lives again!

Now the time is here
AlburCokey will spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kill the Tigers they once saved

But I’m not bitter.

Still time for Detroit to take this series the way they should. Day game, Doug Fister on the slab. Eventually, given enough games and at bats, the Tigers could – in theory – hit a Mariners starter. I propose a series extension. I’m sure the White Sox would prefer a trip to sunny L.A.. As well they should.

88-63. Tigers match their 2012 win total with 11 left to play. Oh, and 1st place. To stay. Cleveland is 6 out even after winning. 11/6 = ? Count ’em down. It’s Magic Number time.

Last night: Tigers 6, Mariners 2. It was a nail-biter until the bottom of the 8th; I thought the Tigers were going to give this one away. Kind of a long game, wasn’t it?

Jackson: Stole a base! Late 2-run single allowed us to breathe.
Hunter: Sacrifice line drive. Game-winner. We’ll take it.
Cabrera: First HR in 22 days. Coupla fine plays at 3B.
Fielder: Struck out twice while leaving 5 on. Turned a double into an out with his glove.
Martinez: Started the 8th inning rally – wisely pinch-run for.
Kelly: Golfed a HR, big 8th inning single pushing Perez to 3B.
Infante: Big insurance run RBI. Not real fond of all the getting to the ball and failing to glove it going on lately.
Avila: Huge leadoff TRIPLE to set up game-winner, turned rundown between 3B and home into a plus.
Iglesias: Busy man. Good bunt. Bad error. Scored game-winning run tagging from 3B on a line drive to CF. Made the DP that ended the final Mariners threat.
Dirks: Ugly strikeout.
Perez: Handy as a pinch runner.
Santiago: Wore something on one of his forearms.
Sanchez: Made the Mariners look silly, pitched a little too long and the win slipped away.
Alburquerque: Saved Sanchez’s bacon. Nice.
Coke: Rescued by Fielder, let down by Iglesias, on thin ice as usual. Postseason roster? Not so sure about that.
Alvarez: Saved the 8th under heavy pressure. Too many pitches, wise to pull him after the 2-out walk in the 9th.
Veras: Get it done already. Thank you.

I noticed the following ridiculous headline: “Suspended infielder Jhonny Peralta could solve Detroit Tigers’ glaring weakness in left field.” There is no glaring weakness. There are three competent players. You can find fault with each, but put their number togethers and you have a slightly above average outfielder. Add ’em up. Peralta in LF is all about a practical slot for a potentially hot and hungry bat in the postseason. Nothing to do with any “glaring weakness.”

Hisashi Iwakuma takes the hill for the Mariners tonight. He’s very good. Considering how difficult it’s been for the Tigers hitters to get it going against Seattle starters already, I might just watch the top halves of innings this game. It’s another boring weekday night game against a non-contender that you probably won’t want to watch. Too bad, because you’ll miss Verlander’s no-hitter, and I won’t even tell you about it later.

87-63, x games up on whoever. (Actually 6 games up on Cleveland…. with 12 left to play.) Can the Tigers make it to the elusive 25 over mark? Might they actually be able to sneak into home field advantage for the ALCS or ALDS, by and by? Stay tuned.

Last night: Detroit 4, Seattle 2. It took 3 innings before Porcello found his A-game, and nearly 3 more before the Tigers really got to Joe Saunders (Joe Saunders!), but in the end, nearly everyone chipped in a bit, with Martinez, Hunter, and Infante deserving special mention. Porcello got his win (#13, plus 10 strikeouts), Benoit got his save (#20). Smyly pitched nearly 2 innings, like he should, and gave up a run, like he shouldn’t. I like you at 1B, Prince, but throwing the ball at Porcello’s shoulder is an error. No glove there, though it’s an idea.

A recent quote from Prince Fielder, courtesy of mlb.com:

“I’m over stats,” Fielder said. “I’m into playing hard, and if I’m healthy, that’s my main stat. I’m out there playing every day and I think that’s all you can ask for.”

I like that. There’s the world of exaggerated fan talk, and then there’s the world of playing baseball for a living. Win or lose, the Detroit Tigers put on a good show. I’m satisfied, even as the fan in me will never run out of things to analyze and criticize and second-guess.

That being said, let’s get back to stats. Or not. It’s late, I’m tired. Maybe tomorrow.

News and notes on Rondon, Bonderman, Worth.

Anibal is on the mound and Miggy’s bat is full of unspent home runs. Could the Tigers be doomed to yet another victory? I’m thinking… yes. And I guess they won’t have to face Felix Hernandez this series after all. That practically reduces the magic number by one all by itself.