Here’s a Penny for your thoughts:  Night Penny.

For some odd reason, Brad Penny’s turn in the rotation inevitably falls on a day with a daytime game.  12 of his 16 starts (75%) have been day games, while only 40% of the team’s overall games have been in the day.

And if you look at Penny’s career numbers on night vs day games, the numbers are like…well, like day and night.

• Penny by day:  31-31, 5.27 ERA  (2011:  6-6, 5.21)
• Penny by night: 84-65, 3.74 ERA (2011: 1-3, 4.24)

Rod and Mario have mentioned that Penny has said he doesn’t like day games.  And he doesn’t do that well in day games.  So here’s a crazy idea:  why not move the rotation around a bit to get him out of the day game pattern?

Tonight Rick Porcello looks to win his 6th consecutive start, which would be a career best, against Kansas City’s Felipe Paulino.  Porcello is 3-0, 3.15 since the All-Star break, and during that time has only given up 2 walks, against 13 strikeouts.

The Kansas City hitters, though, are on a bit of a hot streak, batting .309 over their last 7 games.  The hottest has been Alex Gordon, who has hit .474 over his last 9 games.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Wilson Betemit

Betemit makes the Royals pay for trading him.

Today’s Rather Standard Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Wilson Betamit 3B

It’s Cy vs Cy today at Comerica Park, as two leading Cy Young contenders face off.

Jered Weaver is 14-4 with a 1.79 ERA, and has actually been improving–over his last 12 starts he is 8-0 with a 1.28 ERA.  Justin Verlander (14-5, 2.35) has had to work for his last couple victories, throwing over 120 pitches in back-to-back games. He has lost 2 in a row against the Angels and is only 3-4, 4.13 lifetime against them.  Erick Aybar (.429) has had the most success against him.

As the trade deadline nears, the Tigers are rumored to be still pursuing bullpen help, this time Joel Peralta from the Rays.  No word whether he would change his name to Jhoel if he came to Detroit.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Magglio Ordonez

Magglio was able to knock in a run against a tough Haren yesterday;  now he gets a shot at Weaver.

Today’s Jered-Jolting Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera DH
5. Victor Martinez 1B
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Don Kelly 3B

Well how about that.  Jacob Turner will make his major league debut tonight.  Jim Leyland has said he will make one start, then return to the minors. Turner’s ERA is 0.00, which leads all AL pitchers.

Before I even had time to ponder what this meant for any trade possibilities, word comes down that a trade has been made.  The Tigers have acquired starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Mariners for 3rd Base prospect Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells, Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later.

Fister will start Wednesday against Texas.

I’ll miss the Ghost and the Furby, and I think both will turn out to be major league players, but I think the trade is a good one for the short term.  Fister has a nice 3.33 ERA, only walks 2 per 9 innings, 7th best in the AL.  Pauley has been great this season (2.15 ERA), and may take over the Al Alburquerque role–Al-Al has been day-to-day with elbow soreness, and I wouldn’t surprised if the arrival of Pauley sends Al to the DL.

So, what do we think of the trade? Of Turner starting?

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Daniel Schlereth

What I said yesterday.  Porcello made him unnecessary last night;  not tonight.  Turner will be on a strict pitch count.

Today’s Turneriffic Lineup:

1. Andy Dirks CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Don Kelly 3B

Tonight the Tigers look to stop a two-game home losing streak, after a memorable pitching collapse left them buried in yesterday’s game.  After a Bad Penny beginning,  which featured a heated shouting match between Penny and catcher Victor Martinez, (Penny says it was no big deal, just about the timing of  the signs) the Tigers came back to pull within one run of the Angels.

Enter David Purcey.  For the 3rd appearance in a row, he was completely unable to throw strikes, and was finally pulled mid-batter with a 2-0 count and the bases loaded.  Phil Coke was called on to save the Tigers from this dire situation, but…not so much.

Although Purcey couldn’t find the strike zone,  he at least won today’s Captain Obvious award.  After the game Purcey said “I didn’t come in and do my job. I just didn’t get it done.”

The only pitcher who was any good yesterday was Chance Ruffin.  After the game  the Tigers sent Chance Ruffin back to Toledo, and recalled Daniel Schlereth.  Nice job Chance; now get out of here (I do get the tactical reasons for the move:  Chance probably wouldn’t be available the rest of the series anyway;  they want a left-hander since Purcey won’t be available;  they can’t send Purcey to the minors because he is out of options).

As far as any big changes, since the trade deadline is two days away:  the Tigers are said to be still interested in Kuroda,  but Kuroda is said to be very restrictive about which teams he would waive his no-trade clause for, and would be unlikely to approve a trade to Detroit or Cleveland.

The Tigers are rumored to be inquiring about Ubaldo Jimenez, but supposedly the Rockies would want Jacob Turner and Rick Porcello. Good luck with that one.

The very latest rumor has the Tigers–and the Indians–pursuing a deal with the Nationals for Jason Marquis. The number of rumors involving both clubs adds an extra element of intrigue to things: either team can simultaneously pick up some help, and prevent its rival from doing so.

Porcello will take the mound tonight against the Angels.  Or he will pace the dugout while the tarp lies over the mound–rain is in the forecast.  Porcello has won 4 consecutive starts,  with a combined ERA of 3.33.  And the cooler temperatures might help his sinker.  On the other hand, his career ERA vs the Angels is a hefty 7.40.

The Tigers will be facing dreaded Rookie Pitcher Guy, this one named Tyler Chatwood (6-6, 3.64).  He has had some command issues, so maybe he’ll get all Purcey tonight.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Daniel Schlereth

Schlereth will likely see action in tonight’s game, with lefties Purcey and Coke both used yesterday, and Alburquerque still day-to-day with elbow inflammation.  He was sent down to Toledo in the first place because he was having trouble finding the strike zone.  We can’t afford for him to pull a Purcey.

Today’s Switchy Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Andy Dirks RF
3. Brennan Boesch LF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Carlos Guillen 2B
7. Alex Avila C
8. Wilson Betemit 3B
9. Ramon Santiago SS

The Tigers couldn’t manage anything against Cy Danks, and now they get to turnaround and start a 4-game series with the Angels against Joel Pineiro, who held Detroit to 1 run on 5 hits on the 4th of July.  The Angels have an AL best team ERA (3.28), and 1.61 over their last 7 games, including last night’s no-hitter against the Indians.

Despite last night’s lack of offense, the Tigers as a team have been hitting well–over their last 9 games Detroit is hitting .291.

Since it’s a day game, the Tigers send out Brad Penny.  Penny has somehow managed to end up with 14 of his 21 starts during the day.

In other news, Detroit still seems to be a player in the Hiroki Kuroda rumors as the trade deadline approaches.  (Kuroda pitched 6 innings of 1-run baseball against Colorado yesterday).  Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Dodgers have scouts watching the Tigers A-ball team

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Don Kelly

The Donkey was profiled in the New York Times of all places.

Today’s Rain-Repelling Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez DH
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez C
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Andy Dirks RF
9. Don Kelly 3B

Well, you can’t win them all.  You can, conceivably, win three of four.

The Tigers finish out their four-game series at Minnesota today, then head off to Chicago for three.

Rick Porcello looks to continue his string of solid starts:  he has given up 3 runs in each of his last 3 starts.  Porcello faces Francisco Liriano, who has done even better of late.  He has given up 2 total earned runs in his last 2 starts, including a 2-1 victory over Cleveland last out.  On the other hand, in his last 5 tries against Detroit he is 0-4 with a 8.27 ERA.

Tiger starters are on a bit of a roll:  over the last 12 games they have combined for a 2.96 ERA.  You can never have too much starting pitching though, and with one week left before the trade deadline, the Tigers are rumored to be among the most likely to land the Dodgers’ Kuroda. Among other top contenders for Kuroda:  Cleveland.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Wilson Betemit

So far, Betemit has hardly made anybody forget Inge.  In fact, he has been quite Inge-like, with a .222 OBP and 5 strikeouts in 9 plate appearances since joining the team.  Not to mention Friday’s 9th-inning clown event.  Wil-Bet needs to pick it up.

Today’s Right-Field-Burn Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez DH
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez C
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Ryan Raburn RF
8. Wilson Betemit 3B
9. Ramon Santiago 2B

Make that 11 straight against the Twins, and 21-10 against Central opponents.  The 11 straight also happens to tie the longest current streak any one team has against any other team, for what that’s worth (the Yankees have 11 straight vs the A’s).  And perhaps more importantly, the Tigers now have a winning 2nd-half record, and a 1.5 game division lead.

The Twins have always been a nemesis;  suddenly Minnesota is more like a friend with benefits.

Let’s go for 12.  Tonight Brad Penny takes on Scott Baker, friend of Magglio Ordonez (.469).

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Jhonny Peralta

Can you imagine where the Tigers would be with Adam Everett at SS instead of Peralta? Guess his batting average against AL Central opponents…sorry, my friend, not even close.  Try .429 for the H-Factor.

Today’s Leftist Lineup:

1. Andy Dirks CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Don Kelly 3B

Whatever spell the Twins had cast over the Tigers in recent years seems to have been broken.  Last night’s 6-2 victory over Minnesota–with old nemesis Carl Pavano on the mound–was the 10th straight for Detroit in the rivalry, and also brings their record against Central Division rivals to a division best 20-10.

Justin Verlander did what Verlander does, showing that his previous rough outing was just one of those things, and for now the 2nd-half-collapse-panic can be shelved. Verlander struck out 9 in 8 innings, and walked nobody.  In fact this is the 3rd time in the past 5 games a Tiger starter gave up no walks.  Is this a Jeff Jones thing?

Tonight’s matchup features Max Scherzer of the improbable won-loss record (10-5, 4.53) vs Brian Duensing (7-7, 4.14), who has won his last 3 starts.

Newest Tiger Wilson Betemit tries to follow up on a record-setting debut which saw him shatter the Detroit baseball-skipping record with his 11-hop throw in the 9th.  Victor Martinez, meanwhile, will try not to continue his GIDP hot streak–Martinez has grounded into 5 double plays already since the All-Star break.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Alex Avila

Avila is the subject of a nice profile piece on the ESPN site.

Today’s Raburn’s Batting Where? Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Ryan Raburn LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera DH
5. Victor Martinez 1B
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Wilson Betemit 3B

Inge.  Binge.  Cringe.  Player of the Game.  Bane of stephen’s existence.  And soon to be Mudhen.  The demise of Brandon Inge is the hot talk of the town (and a sweltering town it is).  Inge has played more games at Comerica than any Tiger;  he has struck out more than any Tiger in history;  he has for better or worse represented the team through good times and bad;  he has gone from promising catcher to slick-fielding 3rd baseman to outfielder to clutch slugger to all-star to an automatic out who has lost a step in the field, all with those ingetangible qualities of hustle, fearlessness, conceit, stubbornness, and above all a real devotion to the Tigers and to the Detroit area.  His absence will be celebrated.  He will be missed.

And he will be back.  Likely when the rosters expand in September.  Still under contract for next year, he could easily re-emerge as the 2012 starting 3rd baseman.  Unlike a younger, less mature Inge who griped when replaced by both Pudge and Cabrera, Inge now seems to have one objective in mind:  being a Tiger for life.  A 10-year player being demoted may not be unheard of, but Dave Dombrowski couldn’t recall the last time it had happened. Most players in that situation would have refused the assignment and tried their luck as a free agent.  For better or worse, Inge seems to be wedded to the Tigers.(Athough, supposedly, The Marlins want Inge, and we know how the Tigers like to do business with the Marlins). He is, in the words of the legendary Billfer, the Eningematic One.

Well, tonight we get to see what Wilson Betemit can add to the mix.  Smokey has him slotted in the 9th spot.  Whether this is an automatic move (that’s where Inge batted), an assessment of his abilities, or an attempt to make his debut low-pressure, it seems like a good idea.

And Justin Verlander is on the mound, which is as good a way as any to forget the game Detroit frittered away last night.  With a solid debut performance by Duane Below and a 5-3 lead against the offensively hapless A’s, things looked good.  And then…Purcey.  Back-to-back-to-back-to-back walks later, Benoit came in to be dinked and dunked until the game was gone.  Purcey used to be an A.  He still knows people there.  I’m just saying…

The Tigers may want to pursue some bullpen help after all.  Unfortunately, the Pirates may have beaten them to the punch by snagging Jason Grilli for their improbable pennant run.

Verlander will be opposed by the old Tiger nemesis, Carl Pavano, aka Water Rat. Magglio could be the key to taking out Pavano:  he has a career .429 avg vs The Rat.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Justin Verlander

He had a rare rough start last outing.  Give the man some slack;  he can’t be Cy Young every night.  However, another rough outing tonight, and it’s official 2nd-Half-Collapse-Panic-Time.  Not that you should feel any pressure or anything, Justin. Judging by the look of concentration on his face in the game post photo, I think he is up to the task.

Today’s Welcoming Wilson Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Wilson Betemit 3B

We here at DTW may need to look into getting the game posts up earlier in the day.  It does a great disservice to our faithful followers to fail to get them the timely information they need to plan their days.  Yes, earlier today Ryan Raburn was the celebrity root beer float server at A&Ws in both Berkley and Dearborn.  We apologize to all of you who were unable to attend these important events.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been busy working out the starting rotation:  tomorrow’s spot in the rotation, the Phil Coke spot, has been being staffed by the Toledo Temp Agency.  Tomorrow’s shift will be taken by Duane Below in his first MLB appearance.

In the meantime, a more permanent bolster to the rotation is still rumored to be something Dave Dombrowski is working on.  In addition to the Tigers’ interest in Hiroki Kuroda,  the Tigers are rumored to be also looking into Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie and Derek Lowe, as well as the good-luck-with-that pursuit of Ubaldo Jimenez. (And yes, the Tigers are allegedly still in the list of suitors for Carlos Beltran).

In potentially related news, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports lists Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski in his “less than secure” category, although not quite yet on the hot seat.

Speaking of hot,  tonight’s hot evening game will feature Rick Porcello on the mound, who has historically performed worse in hotter temperatures.  The A’s will feature Guillermo Moscoso, who is from Venezuela and will hopefully pitch to his elder countrymen Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen with great deference.  Moscoso actually came up with the Tigers, but was traded to Texas for Gerald Laird.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Ryan Raburn

Sure, he is not in the lineup.  But on a hot July night, Ryan will keep the guys cool by serving root beer floats between innings.

Today’s AJax is Back Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Carlos Guillen 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Brandon Inge 3B

Yeah, that was the fur game of the series.  Like the fur on the bottom of the strawberries that have been in the refrigerator a week too long, like the fur on your tongue at 7 am after a long night of drinking, like…well, you get the idea.

So here’s a fun one to keep you occupied over the break:  when is the last time the Tigers gave up 8 unearned runs? (I mean, after that ambushing, Furbush still has a 4.03 ERA).  And when is the last time Detroit scored 6 runs in the first 3 innings and lost?  Even the bullpen, which gave up 4 runs, was only on the hook for 1 earned run.

They say that there is no such thing as an ugly win.  Certainly, though, there is such a thing as an ugly loss.

At any rate, Charlie Furbush was optioned to Toledo after the game.  Danny Worth was recalled.

Luckily this afternoon brings The Antidote (no, I didn’t enter this in the Free Press official Let’s Make Up Some Nickname for Justin Verlander contest).  JV From the D (also not entered) looks to make it 3 of 4, and take the Tigers into the break on a winning note.  Which is a good thing, since I think Don Kelly is about 3rd on the bullpen depth chart at this point.

The Royals will counter with some guy who is not Justin Verlander.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Justin Verlander

For obvious reasons.

Today’s Ghostly Leadoff Lineup:

1. Casper Wells CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera DH
5. Victor Martinez 1B
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Ryan Raburn 2B
8. Alex Avila C
9. Brandon Inge 3B