PREGAME: Detroit tries to avoid being swept and moving 11 games below .500. Oy.

Armando Galarraga against Joe Saunders.

Notes from Jason Beck include that Curtis Granderson is going to play against more lefties, starting tonight. Also Marcus Thames is the full time starting left fielder for the time being because he’s earned it over the last couple years. Make of that what you will. And Carlos Guillen gets the day off, and tomorrow, to take care of some “issues” if you know what I mean.

The Tigers lineup tonight is:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Thames, LF
4. Ordonez, DH
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Rodriguez, C
7. Renteria, SS
8. Inge, 3B
9. Raburn, RF

DET @ LAA, Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: I’m sleepy. Offense – good. You go Marcus Thames. Pitching – good. Galarraga had a shaky first inning and was helped by a double play and a diving play. Then it was cruise control until the 9th. Defense – good. See aforementioned diving play and add 2 more double plays.

Ladies and gentlemen: Your 4th place Tigers!

PREGAME: It’s Jeremy Bonderman and Ervin Santana tonight as the Tigers try to snap a 19 inning scoreless streak.

Santana has been mediocre in his last 3 starts since coming off a complete game shut out. His pitch count has been running over 100 by the 6th inning despite the fact he isn’t walking many (only 15 in 66.2 innings). Of course I pointed out that Jon Garland wasn’t striking anyone out last night, and he fanned 5. So I’d expect Santana’s pitch count to be about 71 after the sixth.

The last time Jeremy Bonderman pitched in LAnaheim he surrendered 11 runs in only 2.1 innings. It was the beginning of the elbow problems for Bonderman. He’ll try to notch his 3rd straight quality start tonight.

It’s an odd lineup tonight reminiscent of the 2006 ALCS with Polanco batting 3rd.

1. Granderson, CF
2. Joyce, LF
3. Polanco, 2B
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Guillen, DH
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Inge, 3B

DET @ LAA, Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: Nice job Leyland. Way to take the guy that’s dealing out of the game. Things worked so well with Cruceta on Sunday. Beautiful.

And Lopez. Walking the .167 hitting number 9 hitter with 2 outs and becoming afraid to throw another pitch?

Jeremy Bonderman threw a grand total of 30 pitches for balls in 7.1 innings. Cruceta and Lopez combined to throw 22 in 1.1 innings. In-frickin-excusable.

Buffalo 5 Toledo 3
Mike Hessman was 1 for 3 with 2 walks. Chris Lambert allowed 5 runs on 8 hits over 4.2 innings.

Erie 3 Akron 4
Jeff Frazier had 2 hits, as did Ryan Roberson. Dusty Ryan doubled and walked. Matt Righter allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks in 4.1 innings. Angel Castro allowed 4 hits and a run in 2.2 innings of relief work.

Lakeland – DNP

Dayton 6 West Michigan 0
Joe Tucker had a double. Joe Bowen singled and walked. Alfredo Figaro allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, no walks, and 4 K’s in 7 innnings.

PREGAME: First of all Memorial Day wishes go out to everyone. And for those of you who are veterans or are currently serving…Thank You for all you do.

The Tigers head west for 9 games starting off with the Angels. Maybe the schedule makers did the Tigers a small favor. The Angels were in Chicago for Sunday Night Baseball last night so they probably got in about 5 hours after the Tigers did last night.

As for the game itself, it will be Kenny Rogers against Jon Garland.

Garland has been pitching to contact as evidenced by the 14 strikeouts he’s amassed in 64.1 innings. But he’s been on a roll his last 4 starts with a 2.25 ERA in 28 innings of work with opponents only mustering a .543 OPS against.

Rogers has been the weak link the last 2 times through the rotation only making it through 9.1 innings in his last 2 starts combined while allowing 19 hits, 3 for home runs. He hasn’t faced the Angels since September 2006 when he pitched 7 innings of 4-hit, shut out ball.

DET @ LAA, Monday, May 26, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 9:05

POSTGAME: Why does this team hate us fans so?

• Garland who doesn’t strike out anyone fanned 5.
• Kenny Rogers was awesome going 7 strong innings. Now all the Tigers starters have ERAs under 6!
• Freddy Dolsi showed me something tonight. He fanned Vlad Guerrero which is impressive in its own right. But when everyone failed to call time and Torri Hunter alertly took 2nd base, and during the subsequent intentional walk Dolsi threw a ball away, he didn’t get rattled. His next 2 pitches were strikes, the 2nd resulting in a bouncer to first base.
• Carlos Guillen with 2 more errors, and some excellent at-bats.
• Gary Sheffield is out with an oblique/back thingy.
• Ryan Raburn fanned twice and popped out in his place.
• A 4 pitch walk is no way to end this game. Especially to someone who doesn’t really walk. Only one of the pitches was close, and to be fair the Tigers took a ton of close pitches that went as balls. I have no problem with the calls in that at-bat. You have to put it near the plate.
• The Tigers have 11 bases loaded walks now this year. They had 9 all of last year.

PREGAME: The Tigers look to close out their 6 game homestand on a positive note. They’ll send out Justin Verlander who has pitched better as of late with 3 runs, 10 K’s, and 4 walks in 12 innings spanning his last 2 starts. True, those starts were against the Royals and Mariners, but still, it’s progress.

Glen Perkins will make his 4 start of the season. He’s 3 for 3 in quality starts with 12 K’s and 2 BB’s in 18.1 innings.

The Tigers haven’t won on a Sunday this season and have been outscored 46-13.

MIN @ DET, Sunday, May 25, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: Just got back from the game. It was a lovely afternoon at the park, save for the game on the field. Actually, I think I’m getting desensitized to the losing, or maybe I’m relieved in some weird way when it’s the bullpen that falls apart instead of the rest of the team.

For the bulk of the day it was a pretty even pitcher’s duel. Verlander didn’t appear to be particularly sharp, but was effective nonetheless. I wasn’t watching the radar gun at the stadium, but judging by the comments it sounds like he had his old velocity back.

On the offensive side, the Tigers were making quick outs, but credit some of that to Perkins who was throwing strikes. Perkins through 69 of his 104 pitches for strikes. There’s a certain point where being down 0-1 automatically isn’t such a good strategy either. And the Tigers for their part had a number of hard hit balls. Guillen hit the ball well all 4 times. Ordonez had a couple line drives, one went for a double, the other an out. Raburn was robbed on a play by Cuddyer. Yes they scored only 1 run, but I never got the impression they were just rolling over. This was a tie game through 7 innings after all.

But then there was the Cruceta inning. I’m not a fan of the intentional walk in that situation, and even less a fan of the follow-up unintentional walk. But what was more idiotic is not having anybody warming up in the pen throughout the inning. It was the same situation in the 7th when Verlander loaded the bases and nobody was up.

Why wouldn’t you have a lefty available to face Mauer/Morneau in that situation? I know that both can hit lefties, Mauer especially, but I’ve got to go with platoon splits when you are cobbling together the back end of the bullpen. I still think that Cruceta can be effective, but we’re not at that point yet. Unless Seay and Willis were unavailable thanks to McClendon leaving both in too long on Friday night.