23-25, third place, 4 games behind Cle.

A missed strike three on a foul tip that was caught cleanly, but ruled to have hit the dirt first, gave the Red Sox an extra strike and 3 extra runs in the 2nd inning yesterday, and though Doug Fister will never admit it, you can’t help but wonder how different the game could have been. The margin of victory was, after all, 3 runs. I can’t see what the Boston press is writing about the call, but it seems that even they know the call was bogus. Leyland knew it from the time he left to dugout on his way to his 2nd ejection in a week, but his post game interview left me wondering why he’s so anxious for everyone else to address the problem other than him. His anger towards the media makes me think that the Raburn articles are getting to him; and perhaps he’s batting Raburn 2nd in an effort to prove everybody wrong. I know that it sounds ridiculous, but watch the video and tell me what you think.

As for the umpiring, Leyland is on to something. The blown call yesterday was made by Bill Welke at 1B. That name may sound familiar, because his brother Tim Welke missed a bunt by Alberto Gonzalez of the Rangers that hit him in the field of play in the 10th inning on April 22nd, and led to another Tigers’ loss (Tim Welke also had the blown call of the year when Todd Helton was 2 feet off the bag in early May). Throw in the missed balk in Cleveland last weekend, and the Tigers umps really have our number. I don’t remember umpiring being this bad in the good ol’ days, but then again, there has never been so much scrutiny on the game in terms of camera angles and coverage.

Fister fell to 0-3 and saw his ERA go up to 3.16 (after yesterday’s poor outing). Prior to the game Jeff Jones gave a little insight on Fister, Smyly and Porcello. Berry only had 1 hit yesterday, but he has hit safely in 6 games to start his Tigers career, something no one else has done since 1918. Leyland likes the spark he’s given the team, but said “don’t get crazy” thinking about possibilities for Berry, presumably once Jackson gets back.

JV is on the hill tonight looking for a little more run support this time than the 1 run he was given last time out. A complete game tonight would give JV three straight, something he’s never done in his career.  JV’s lost to the Indians last week was his first following a Tigers loss in some time…according to Elias “Verlander (had been) 12-0 over his previous 13 starts that immediately followed a Tigers defeat, including a 4-0 mark in five previous starts under those circumstances this season.” That’s incredible. He’s got a chance to start a new streak tonight. JV is 3-2 with a 2.78 ERA covering 8 starts in his career against the Red Sox.

A few bits of good news…The bullpen has a 1.00 ERA since May 17th covering 27 IPs. Fielder is starting to rake, hitting .429 with a 1.089 OPS over the past two weeks.

Other notes:

– I’m starting to get a little nervous about the CWS. Sale looks to be the real deal.
– Rumor is that Jackson will be back for the Yankees series, hopefully for the opener on Friday. Jeff Riger says Berry must remain on the roster, and Chris Iott predicts that Raburn will be sent down since Kelly is out of options, yet Raburn has one remaining.
– We’ve been talking a lot about bringing up Justin Henry to play 2B, but keep an eye on Castellanos, who is tearing up Lakeland to the tune of a .414 BA and 1.030 OPS. They’re not going to bring him up any time soon (likely not this year), but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get promoted in a month or so and then start taking some balls at 2B.
– Kurt Mensching of BlessYouBoys.com and DetNews.com writes today that fans should be leery of firing Jim Leyland.
– Ordonez will officially announce his retirement on Sunday at CoPa.
– Verlander’s parents are releasing a book on how to raise a child who will star in commercials with the likes of Kate Upton. Book signing coming your way soon.

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

Today’s Lineup:

1. Berry, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Boesch, RF
7. Peralta, SS
8. Avila, C
9. Santiago, 2B

Some last minute notes from the Freep: Leyland said a few hours ago that Raburn is on a “short leash” and Young was originally out of the lineup b/c his travel to and from New York for his court appearance; thank goodness for modern travel.

20-23, 2nd place, 5 games behind Cle.

The Jim Leyland mediocrity meter is at defcon 6, as his career record is now 1,608-1,607. He’s .519 and .454 as Tigers Manager, good for a .533 winning pct. .533 for 2012 would get the Tigers to 86 wins, which may just win the Central. Did you know that JL is the 3rd winningest Tigers manager behind Sparky and Hughie Jennings? JL has a higher Tigers winning PCT than did Sparky. Just some fun facts.

JV on the hill today. You know the drill.

Today’s We Need a Win Berry Badly Lineup Is.

1. Berry, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Boesch, RF
7. Avila, C
8. Peralta, SS
9. Worth, 2B

20-22, 2nd place, 4 games behind Cle.

Short one today, but a few links of interest:

– How did we miss these Leyland smoking t-shirts?

– Some outside of our little site aren’t too worried about where the Tigers will end up this season. Others, on the other hand, think the Tigers dearth of role players justify an “overrated” tag for the team. The position by position comparison’s are pretty interesting.

– Spring Training sensation and my pick for the 25th guy Quintin Berry gets the start in CF and will leadoff tonight. No word on AJax’s injury.

– “Shocking, Leyland made the wrong move, again.” “Poor bullpen management and poor plate discipline.” “Oh, and it is time for the K-Burn experiment to come to an end. He has shown that he is not ready to be an everyday player.” Those gems were not from last night, but were comments from game 2011.42. History has a way of repeating itself.

Doug Fister climbs the hill tonight praying for a few runs. The Tigers have scored 5 while he’s been on the mound over his last 3 starts.

1. CF Quintin Berry
2. LF Andy Dirks
3. 3B Miguel Cabrera
4. 1B Prince Fielder
5. DH Delmon Young
6. RF Brennan Boesch
7. SS Jhonny Peralta
8. 2B Ramon Santiago
9. C Gerald Laird

20-21, 3rd place, 3 games behind Cle.

The Tigers roll into Cleveland to take on the division leading Indians tonight. Sounds odd but let’s not forget that the Indians were 7 games up on the Tigers one year ago, and then mostly held that spot until late July. I think it was Vince in MN who correctly predicted that the Indians would fade and the Tigers would surge in June based on matchups.

Well, we all thought that May would be a good time for the boys, but in a month where the best team the Tigers have faced is Oakland (who is 1 game above .500 right now), the Tigers are 9-10.  The next 10 to finish out the month won’t be easy, with 3 against first place Cleveland, 3 against a better playing Minny who swept the Tigers in a short series last week, and then 4 against the red hot Red Sox.

Rick Porcello climbs the hill tonight. After a great first two starts he had a rocky back half of April, but has been better over his last three starts, posting a 3.86 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in May. Porcello has been pretty good against the Tribe over his career, limiting them to 2 runs or less in 8 of his 12 career starts against Cle for a 3.86 ERA.

Raburn was placed on the bereavement list today, Danny Worth up for at least a few days.

Austin Jackson will…not…be batting lead-off tonight. He was originally in the lineup, only to be scratched a short while ago.

1. Ramon Santiago, 2B
2. Andy Dirks, LF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
4. Prince Fielder, 1B
5. Delmon Young, DH
6. Brennan Boesch, RF
7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Don Kelly, CF

18-19, 2nd place, 3 games behind Cle.

Since April 17, the Tigers have won 10 and lost 16. They have played on every single day after they have won a game, and they have lost every game after a win in that stretch. It’s been pretty bad. The bullpen has been horrendous. Here are some team bullpen stats: ERA – 5.17, worst in the majors; WHIP – 1.54, 2nd to worst in the majors; BAA – .270, 25th; OPS against – .354, 2nd to worst in the majors. For all of the concerns about the offense, the Tigers are middle of the pack in the AL for most offensive categories (in spite of the 2B and DH holes). But the bullpen is the major culprit right now. You can get out and talk to a few of the relievers about it in person after the game tonight.

Doug Fister takes the mound today still searching for his first win, despite only having allowed 1 ER in 16 2/3 IP (20 2/3 if you include Toledo). Fister hasn’t allowed a run at Comerica since last August.

A few notes:

– Villareal was recalled today and Worth was sent down to Toledo. Look for Villareal to appear in the first high pressure situation that arises.
– If the Tigers lose two more in a row, Leyland’s career winning pct will be exactly .500 (he’s currently 1,606 and 1,604).
– Luis Marte is scheduled to pitch in Lakeland today. We need him to get up here fast.
– AJax is day to day with an abdominal strain.

Today’s Jackson-less Lineup:

1. Kelly, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Avila, C
7. Boesch, RF
8. Peralta, SS
9. Raburn, 2B

17-18, 2nd place, 2 games behind Cle.

Don’t let the smile fool you, Mad Max is MAD.

He’s angry that Coleman jinxed Smyly yesterday. He’s upset that Putkonen pitched like a Mud Hen and not a Tiger. He’s furious that the Tigers are 0-9 in games following their last 9 wins. And he’s livid that we are in the middle of may, and Mad Max sports a 5.7+ ERA.

After a great start to the game yesterday which saw the Tigers plate three runs in the top of the first, the bullpen woes continued when Putkonen came in and gave up 3 ER on 4 hits and a walk while retiring only 1 in the top of the 6th. Leyland pulled Smyly after only 69 pitches because his pitches were high in the zone, (and he had to get to the bar to see Pacquiao), but why Putkonen wasn’t pulled after he loaded the bases wasn’t asked. This is just one of those Leyland let the rookie work it out quirks. Burned him last night.

Mad Max is looking for his 3rd straight quality start, and to boost his league leading 10.75 k/9. This will actually be Scherzer’s third start against the White Sox this season. He gave up 3 ER on 5 hits and struck out 11 in a loss on April 13th, and the allowed only 1 ER and struck out 9 just 10 days ago (no-decision).

Today’s back to .500 lineup:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, DH (haven’t we established that Dirks is a better fielder than Kelly? Do we really need to rest a 26 year old?)
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Avila, C
6. Boesch, RF
7. Raburn, 2B (apparently a hit moves you down in the lineup)
8. Peralta, SS
9. Kelly, LF

15-14, 2 games behind Cle.

Boy, last night was fun. On a night when Verlander was far from his best (and apologetic for his on-field behavior), the offense came through and left just enough cushion for Valverde to load the bases on 3 walks (one intentional) before closing out the game. It’s been hashed and rehashed, but the blowpen has become a serious concern. In case you haven’t yet seen the numbers, the Tigers have already lost 4 games this year when they led after 8, which is 1 more than the last 4 years combined.

But a win is a win and the Tigers can win their second straight series tonight.

Smyly had his worst outing of the season last time out when he allowed 2 ER and 7 hits over 6 innings. Valverde calls that the 9th inning. Smyly’s ERA stands at an incredible 1.61 for the season with a 1.18 WHIP. And he’s averaging over a strike out per inning. We could not have asked for anything more out of the kid.

A few quick notes:

– Dirks and Fielder both have 4 consecutive multiple hit games.
– Fielder’s slash lines over his last four games .571/.647/1.071.
– Dirks’ slash lines over his last four games .470/.500/1.000.
– Inge hit a walk-off grand slam last night, and now has 2 HR and 8 RBIs in the last two games. Which are more than Raburn has this season.

Tonight’s what more does Andy Dirks need to do to get into the Lineup, even against Lefties Lineup is:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Boesch, RF (don’t like this)
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Raburn, LF (he had a hit last night)
7. Peralta, SS
8. Laird, C
9. Worth, 2B

Though last night’s loss was pinned on Valverde, the offense has to take some of the blame. The offense went 2-8 with RISP and had only 2 doubles to go along with 7 singles. Other than Cabrera and Jackson, no one else has caught fire, and most of the guys are in minor slumps (Raburn is just Rayburn). I have every confidence that the team will hit. Not sure when, but we’ll be okay.

Now, let’s talk about Papa Grande. Valverde started the Sox off with 8 straight fastballs, and by the 6th one, the Sox were ahead. Valverde’s WHIP on the year is now an alarming 1.80, and he has almost as many walks (7) as Ks (8). A 6.35 K/9 is terrifying, considering his career average is over 10 per 9. A decline in K rate is usually the signal of the end for a closer. This is a small sample size, but note that Valverde has only 2 3 up 3 down innings in 12 appearances this year. We all know that Smokey isn’t reading and he’s ignoring this info as it’s being told to him internally, but I’m sure that DD is following along.

Dylan Axelrod slides into the rotation for the Sox after Chris Sale was sold to the farm. Axelrod has only three big league starts to his name, but one of them was an impressive 6 inning 6 hit 2 ER effort last September 14th against the Tigers. He doesn’t throw hard but he throws a lot of off-speed stuff which leads to swings and misses.

The Unpredictable Mr. Porcello takes the mound today for the Tigers who hope to stop their home series losing streak at 2.

In other news – Steve proposed a DTW get together over the 4th. I live in the Big D and not the D, so I would not be able to attend, but I think it’s a fine idea and I will be sure to bring it up as we get closer to the holiday. Also, if you missed it the first time around, Ed Randall, a Yankees Media guy, put some of his Tigers interviews onto DVD and offered us a discount. I’ve seen several of the interviews and they are really a great watch. More info here.

Today’s Series Clinching Lineup (as I would like to see it – I’ll post the real one when it’s up):

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

Updated lineup

1. Jackson, CF
2. Dirks, LF
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Avila, C
7. Peralta, SS
8. Boesch, RF
9. Rayburn, 2B

13-12, 2nd place, 1.5 games behind Cle

Jhonny Peralta may have hit the walk-off, but Alex Avila won that game.

On another night when the Tigers bats struggled against a front line pitcher, Avila reached base 4 times, banged out 2 XBHs, and started the 9th inning rally. Not to mention that Avila also called a tremendous game.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Avila has caught every one of Smyly’s start’s this year. Last night, Drew Smyly had another strong outing, striking out 7 and allowing only 2 runs in 6 IP.  That makes 4 straight quality starts, and his debut only didn’t qualify because of a pitch count limit.

Raburn lucked into his 2nd RBI of the season (he’s on pace for 14) when a fly ball he hit happened to be with a runner on 3rd and less than two outs. I’ve been a big Raburn supporter in the past, but this is too much. It’s only a matter of time before someone else on the farm gets a shot.

Mad Max against Gavin Floyd this afternoon. Last time out Floyd carried a no hitter into the 7th and ended up allowing 3 runs in 6 2/3 against Boston. He’s held the opposing team to 3 hits or less in 3 out of his last 4 starts, though he’s been roughed up in his other 2 starts this season.

Mad Max has been flat out awful this season. He’s posting a 2.04 WHIP through 5 starts, and while the Ks are there, he’s sporting a 7.77 ERA thus far. Part of that is bad luck, as his BABIP against him is a ridiculous .442, even though his LD% is near his career average. The BABIP and BAA (.346) will regress, but they won’t account for that much of an ERA swing. There is still plenty of time to work things out, but Jones & Smokey have got to be concerned.

Delmon Young is sorry, not a racist, and back in the lineup. He’s at least trying.

In player news – Leyland thinks that Schlereth’s shoulder injury may have had something to do with his poor performance before he was sent down to Toledo a few weeks ago.

Today’s Series Clinching Lineup Is:

1. Jackson, CF
2. Boesch, RF (I don’t like it)
3. Cabrera, 3B
4. Fielder, 1B
5. Young, DH
6. Avila, C
7. Peralta, SS
8. Dirks, LF (I like it)
9. RABurn, 2B (gonna help him get started today)

Today’s Game is the Fox Game of the Week.

(sorry for the delay, server was down, back now)

Last minute so this will be short, but a couple of newsworthy items:

– Fister is back and will start on Monday.

– Delmon Young’s suspension is over today and Leyland has said that he will DH tomorrow and Sunday.

11-10, 1st place, tied with Cle.

Two in a row.