77-54, 1st place, 5.5 up on the Indians.

The Tigers just treated us to one of the most exciting games of the season, but wound up on the wrong side of 8-6. There was another Miggy Moment, the 2-run HR to right field on a 3-1 pitch off the plate that tied the game at 4. Miguel Cabrera is the Babe Ruth of our time, make no mistake. No pinstripes on that guy, either. He’s a TIGER. Fielder gave the ball a nice ride with the bases loaded. Tuiasosopo was flat out robbed by CF Crisp on the play that may have saved the whole game for the A’s. Martinez gave the Tigers hope when it was fading. The team didn’t let up. For a loss, it was a thing of beauty.

Except for the pitching. It was like a tug-of-war between Tigers pitching and Tigers hitting. Pitching wanted to lose. Hitting wanted a draw. Pitching prevailed. Four Tigers pitched, and four Tigers pitched poorly. Sanchez was withering in the heat from the get-go, throwing 100 pitches in the first inning alone, and things might have gone still worse later if not for a gift strikeout on Tiger-killer Crisp from the 3B ump. Alvarez was very Coke-like. Looking sharp, pitching crisply. Giving up 4 hits and 2 runs, the nails in the coffin when all was said and done. Poor Alburquerque can’t keep a good thing going to save his life. One pitch, 2 outs, inning over was such a promising beginning. Bonderman is slowly pitching himself off the team.

The Illustrious Mr. Iglesias had his first bad game going until a clutch hit in the 8th kind of redeemed him. But by abandoning his position on a guess, he gave up the 4th A’s run more than Sanchez did. He also watched three called strikes go by in one three-pitch AB. But ultimately, just about everybody except the pitchers did something good. Infante even got a hit that mattered for a change, tying the game at 2 with his line drive 2-run homer.

Yes, it was a good game. Balfour-Cabrera showdown in the 9th. Wasn’t over till it was over. Best of all, since it was at Cabrerica Park rather than O. Co., it ended before 2 AM. Disappointment after midnight is strongly discouraged.

For those of us who like to complain, which is all of us, Detroit’s Pythagorean record is now +6 at 83-48. However, contrary to what you might have been thinking – which is exactly what I was thinking – the Tigers are actually 8-2 in first home games after road trips. 8-2. Do you believe it? I don’t. But it’s true.

Dotel pitched and Avila played with Toledo last night. I can’t say I’m excited about the prospect of either returning, but both surely will, and probably soon.

Except when conceding courtesy strikeouts to the likes of P Ryan Raburn, when Tuiasosopo is at the plate, good happens. Destined to remain a role player with the Tigers, probably. But I hope he keeps getting his chances. For a while there it seemed like he was well out of the picture. I hope he’s back in it.

Rod Allen informs us that… damn, can’t remember who it was now… well, whoever it was, he has good plate recognition. I really need to get around to streaming the radio broadcast while watching mlb.tv.

Tonight it’s lefty Tommy Milone against Justin Verlander. We ache for a standout performance from Justin. Let it be so. The performance, I mean, not the ache.

77-53, 1st place, 6 games ahead of Cleveland. 24 games above .500 is a new high water mark. Best team in baseball (Baseball Reference SRS). Best record in the AL.

It was early in the season, so early that the yet to be coined AlburCokey would have still meant a good thing, and the Tigers were off to a so-so start when they traveled to Oakland to take on the yellow-green-hot A’s. First game, Bartolo Colon was as frustratingly baffling as usual, and in my mind’s eye I can still see Brayan Villareal serving it up to Josh Donaldson for the game-loser in the 12th. (For us more easterly sorts, a West Coast extra innings loss is just about the worst.) Less easily recalled is that Drew Smyly blew the save. After that, the Tigers mauled a couple of young A’s starters (staff widely considered “best in baseball” at that time) to take the series, and order was momentarily restored. In retrospect, the Tigers were this close to a road sweep, though it should be noted that Oakland was without Cespedes and Crisp for parts of the series. Nonetheless, our early season Tigers had now more or less dominated the first couple strong teams (+ Blue Jays, though they were struggling early) they’d faced. But were only 7-5 to show for it.

April 12 A’s 4, Tigers 3 (12) WRAP

April 13  Tigers 7, A’s 3 WRAP

April 14 Tigers 10, A’s 1 WRAP

This time around, Oakland is fighting to keep pace with the Rangers, while Detroit continues its efforts to stiff-arm the Indians. The stretch draws near, and these are two very likely playoff teams. Let’s call it a big series, even if they all loom large now. The Tigers may catch a break by not having to face Colon, who has been on the DL. Other news out of Oakland is that Josh Reddick might be headed to the DL and that Yoenis Cespedes has been in a slump. Their best hitter over the past month has been SS Jed Lowrie, while Coco Crisp and Brandon Moss have been swinging it over the past week. Notable: Crisp and Cespedes have combined for 1 SB over the past month. However, the A’s are yet another opposing team with a bit of speed sprinkled throughout the lineup, which will be the usual stressor if the games are close. Oakland has some rotation issues going on, leading to the ever-annoying TBA as currently-named starter from Tuesday-Thursday. I like to have my images set before a series, so I don’t think I’m going to wait on Bob Melvin to name his starters.

The 12-game winning streak seems like only yesterday. Gone but not forgotten, that bolt from the blue put the Tigers in the catbird seat they currently occupy. The Tigers are 9-8 since, but you may have noticed that the high level of play has continued. There was a lot to like about every game of the just-concluded sweep of the Mets. It all starts with another 3 quality starts back to back, Fister-Scherzer-Porcello. Too much to cover, really, but I will mention that the emergence of new secret weapon Victor Martinez the Catcher is an exciting development. For starters, it opens up some possibilities related to a certain MC (who) Hammer(s). Also, I could get used to having my prayers for an insurance run answered like they were in the 9th inning of the final game against the Mets. But there’s never enough, is there? I cursed Torii Hunter for ending the onslaught, and then became nervous again when Jeremy Bonderman walked the first batter in the bottom half. With an 8-run lead.

With Porcello’s Sunday win, for the first time since 1962 the Tigers have 5 starters with 10+ wins. Max Scherzer, now 19-1, faces uphill odds in trying to beat ElRoy Face’s long-standing winning percentage record of .947 (Face was 18-1… as a reliever!), but wouldn’t that be sweet? For starters (pun intended), that would mean more wins for the team… unless we’d be willing to take a bunch of no-decisions and eventual losses. Hmmm. Well, I’ve thought about it, and I think I’d prefer that Scherzer finished 25-1. That record would stand for a while, I think.

Now it’s the Tigers back home at Comerica, with Anibal Sanchez, who has, can, and should again own the A’s hitters, going up against A.J.Griffin, who has given up an MLB-leading 30 HR. I like what that points to, but you know how baseball can be.

72-51, 1st place, 6 up on Cleveland and 7.5 on KC. Ho-hum, just another day…

As you can see, Miggy pounded the ball into a misshapen lump and shot it right out of the screen.

OH! How sweet it is. A game like last night’s 6-5 win over the Royals is one of those up and down, back and forth affairs where you’re telling yourself near the end, “Well, no matter what, it was a good game,” knowing full well that if the Tigers lose, what you’ll really feel is what Kevin has expressed so well: “I hate baseball.” Well, we LOVE baseball now, don’t we? The Tigers had to pull this one out, to avenge the blown call and the ejections. Just like against the Phillies. Yeah.

Before Miggy brought us into his legend yet again, it went sorta like this:

The Squeeze: Can you believe it? Leyland called it, Iglesias and Infante executed perfectly, and you would not be mistaken to call this play every bit the game winner Cabrera’s home run was.

The Blown Call: Terrible call on the “WP,” aka Escobar foul ball. Unforgivably bad. But if you think the tying run scored because of it, I say you’re stretching it.

The clutch: Miggy’s double to put the Tigers up 4-3. Wasted. Prince’s shot to put the Tigers up 5-4 (view the video frame-by-frame, and his bat is still a blur). Wasted.

The narrow escapes: Fister all evening. How did he manage to go 6.1? Great curve, though, and I suppose he got nickel-and-dimed – and clown-showed – some. Veras by the skin of his teeth (and some Princely body parts), and the usual Benoit Show.

The Clown Show: The Pena throwing error. The Holaday throwing error (which the Amazing Mr. Iglesias has a share in; Holaday’s second crap throw on a SB was all on him.) Santiago’s ridiculous error which should absolutely be ruled an error. What was he looking at? Was he awake when the ball was hit? The game itself nearly bounced past him. Sheesh.

Anyway…

I was thinking about the (now) 60-23 in quality starts and the flip side of it, 12-28 in non-quality starts. And eventually came up with:

Hats off to the starter wins: 60
Decent non-QS + win: 5
Bad non-QS rescued by bats/bullpen: 7

QS wasted by bats and/or bullpen: 23
Blame the starter losses: 13
Non-QS blown by the bullpen: 8
Non-QS blown by the bats: 4
Decent non-QS blown by the bullpen: 2
Decent non-QS blown by the bats: 1

If that doesn’t blow you away, I’m guessing you would also say that Miggy is “putting up decent numbers.” Yeah. He’s batting a “solid” .358.

Wondering whether there’s anyone who gets Miguel Cabrera out took me down the following avenue. I invite you to check out the following matchups. If you’re too lazy to look up the numbers yourself, I’ll do you a favor by giving you the hint “first name = good news, second name = bad news.” I could have mixed it up just to confuse you:

Miguel Cabrera v Phil Hughes… and v David Price
Prince Fielder v Ervin Santana… and v Kevin Correia
Victor Martinez v David Price… and v C.J. Wilson (and Doug Fister, for laughs)
Torii Hunter v Jon Lester… and v Clay Buchholz
Austin Jackson v Luke Hochevar… and v Chris Sale
Omar Infante v Mike Pelfrey… and v Mark Beuhrle
Alex Avila v Jeremy Guthrie… and v Corey Kluber
Brayan Pena v Derek Holland… and v Chris Sale*
Don Kelly v Justin Masterson… and v Phil Hughes
Matt Tuiasosopo v Gio Gonzalez… and v John Danks
Ramon Santiago v Bartolo Colon… and v Felix Hernandez
Andy Dirks v Jeremy Guthrie… and v Ubaldo Jimenez
Justin Verlander v Nick Swisher… and v Billy Butler
Max Scherzer v Alexei Ramirez… and v Alex Gordon
Anibal Sanchez v Josh Willingham… and v Seth Smith
Doug Fister v Asdrubal Cabrera…. and v Michael Brantley
Rick Porcello v Alexei Ramirez… and v Carlos Santana
Joaquin Benoit v Derek Jeter… and v Lance Berkman
Jose Veras v Alex Rios… and v Kevin Youkilis
Phil Coke v Denard Span/Ben Zobrist… and v Chris Davis
Al Alburquerque v Asdrubal Cabrera.. and v Alex Rios
Drew Smyly v Joe Mauer… and v Paul Konerko

*Here’s some consolation: Martinez, Hunter, and Tuiasosopo eat him alive.

I don’t know what the following means, but we like to look at numbers, so here are some more to look at. This is combined runs & the Tigers record in corresponding games:

< 5: 12-14

6 – 11: 41-26

12 +: 19-11

I guess it might be a bit of a surprise that Detroit is so close to .500 in the < 5 category.

And now more from the Let’s Be Appreciative department:

1. Let’s not forget that at the time of his suspension, Jhonny Peralta was arguably the best all-around SS in the American League. His contribution to the success of the team was not small. I doubt that PEDs had anything to do with it. Plus, he kind of brought us Jose Iglesias. Could be a retroactive MVP thing happening here.

2. Last night’s game notwithstanding, the Tigers have become a pretty good defensive team while we weren’t looking. With the addition of Iglesias, I’d say more than a shade above average. The only liabilities that come to mind are 3B Cabrera (and this is moderated by his ability to confuse you with great plays), IF Santiago (not be confused with a late-inning defensive replacement at ANY position any longer, I’m afraid), and maybe the catchers, slightly. OK, some of the pitchers are pretty scary (in the wrong way) as defenders. OK, so maybe the Tigers are merely average defensively. That’s still an improvement. It’s trending upward.

3. As Coleman pointed out, AlburCokey(TM) appeared in two consecutive games on the same day without a) increasing its ERA, b) blowing a lead or a tie, or c) frightening us badly. I’m not sure what to make of it, but this has to be called good news, even in a losing cause.

Looking ahead (never too early to speculate), it goes without saying that some 2013 Tigers won’t be 2014 Tigers. The following ordered list of “top prospects” isn’t a wish list, but an educated guess list. Some of it’s pretty obvious:

1. Octavio Dotel
2. Jhonny Peralta
3. Ramon Santiago
4. Matt Tuiasosopo
5. Phil Coke
6. Al Alburquerque
7. Doug Fister
8. Joaquin Benoit
9. Alex Avila

In an earlier draft I made the flip comment that Dotel and Avila would be retiring. The notion of Avila retiring is pretty bizarre speculation. But hasn’t he struck you all season as a guy who doesn’t want to be there? I mean, seriously. And he would seem to have an off-the-field career in baseball ahead of him, yes? Maybe it’s not so bizarre to speculate that we would take a few years off from the grind for family reasons before coming back to the organization in another capacity. That speculation aside, the catching situation in 2014 is ripe for all kinds of speculation.

Max Scherzer’s only non-quality start since May 21* was an 8 IP, 4 R affair against Texas that you’d have to call decent and winnable; it’s where he took his only loss of the season. In Detroit, sadly enough. He’s faced the Royals twice, first time at home not so good (but a win), next time in KC an outstanding effort (and win). Is there anyone else we’d rather have on the mound today looking for the series win? I’m thinking that the bats have awakened now – nap time was Friday. Nap time is over.

*By my calculations, that is about 3 months ago.

Go Max. Go Miggy. Go Tigers. I don’t like Matt Tuiasosopo. Never did, never will. His flash in the pan time has come to an end. I hope he’s not even in the lineup today. Bruce Chen is going to hang 3/4 of a golden sombero on him if he is, and he’ll probably commit 7 errors in LF and get thrown out at home twice (despite never reaching base)…

71-51, 1st place, still way ahead of Cleveland and Kansas City, whoever they think they are.

I’ve just returned from the past, but I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know about the Tigers losing two in one day to the Royals. 2-1, 3-0. Yup. Royals-Tigers scores there, fer shur. The results were disappointing, but were the games bad? No, not really.

I don’t know whether to blame mlb.com or Ned Yost, but I was told that the first game starter for the Royals was going to be Big Game James. This appears to have confused the Tigers as well, a problem they solved by deciding to hit neither pitcher.

We complain a lot around here. It’s only natural. We want nothing but hits and runs from Tigers hitters, and nothing but outs from Tigers pitchers. We want nothing but wins from the team. If the Tigers were to finish 161-1 some season, that one loss would haunt us for years. It also seems like the negative lends itself to more description and analysis (and more humor). But this season has been a good one that only seems to be getting better, so I’m going to try to focus more on the positive. Once in a while.

It’s easy to be positive about the Tigers starters. Some look askance at the notion of “quality start,” but to my mind, going 6 innings or more while allowing 3 runs or less is about as big a contribution to a winning effort as any individual player is capable of, even though more dramatic events, especially late in a game, might draw more attention. Only 6 pitchers have started for the Tigers this season – that’s quite an accomplishment in its own right, and testimony to the health and consistency of the staff. Here’s how they have fared as far as quality starts go:

Sanchez: 15 QS in 21 starts, streaks of 7 and (currently) 6 in a row
Verlander: 16 QS in 26 starts, streak of 6 early
Fister: 17 QS in 24 starts
Scherzer: 20 QS in 24 starts, streak of 10
Porcello: 14 QS in 22 starts, streak of 6
Alvarez: 1 QS in 5 starts

Further good news is the team record (59-23) in these quality starts:

Sanchez: 11-4
Verlander: 10-6
Fister: 11-6
Scherzer: 16-3
Porcello: 10-4
Alvarez: 1-0

Drew Smyly is the most underrated good news of the season. Prior to the season, most of us had our money on either Porcello being traded or Smyly to Toledo. That Smyly would be so good out the bullpen… well, no, that’s not it. He worked out of the pen in 2012, too. The surprise is that he’s this good, and that it’s been that way all year.

Losing Jhonny Peralta to a suspension was a thing of dread, and being without Omar Infante for a month was an unexpected blow, and having these circumstances overlap could have been a disaster. And yet from it all emerges SS Of The Future Jose Iglesias and Utility Infielder Of The Middle Distance Hernan(do) Perez, just when we thought the pickings were slim and the cupboard was bare. Talk about a silver lining.

Matt Tuiasosopo is perhaps the biggest (positive) surprise. Even though I liked him right away and was delighted when he made the team, even I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I mean, look at his career numbers prior to this season. There is nothing there to indicate that he was anything. You had to see him to suspect it. You have to watch him now, perhaps, to continue to believe. He’s good. He’s an asset.

Look at Rick Porcello. He’s quietly having a career year, and is both still young and a veteran. Porcello, I would wager, is no longer the guy who falls off the edge of the table when Smyly is slid onto it. Uh-uh. Have you found yourself feeling something resembling confidence when Porcello is slated to start? I have.

Take another look at Justin Verlander. Look over his game logs and such. You know what? He’s still Justin Verlander. This is good.

Victor Martinez is the bad news that became good news. His roaring comeback is such that I find it hard to remember what it was like earlier in the season. I never doubted him, of course.

Torii Hunter, for all the occasional overstating and overrating, and some at bats and plays that make you go “huh?,” lights a fire under this team. It has helped a good deal how he’s gone from setting the table to clearing it.

Don Kelly. On balance, not a bad idea keeping him around, eh? How I wanted Berry and Worth over Kelly and Santiago. But Don Kelly has earned his keep.

And then there’s Miguel Cabrera, having an insanely productive year of insane consistency. What’s a slump for Miggy this season – 1 for 8 with only 1 HR? Every day we watch an all-time great playing at a high level, and while it’s fun, it’s just an everyday thing, isn’t it? You get used to it. For Most Valuable Player, defined carefully and reasonably, there is no competitor and no contest. And statistically, he’s having a Triple Crown season whether he literally acheives that or not. Winning a Triple Crown is usually if not always a matter of seasonal accident in one of the three categories. As of Game 121, the full season pace Cabrera was setting is this (without penalty for games missed): .359, 54 HR, 166 RBI. That’s not even modern. That’s black-and-white photo, herky-jerky newsreel stuff.

You know, one thing Miggy has over a number of contemporary and near-contemporary greats is his personality and showmanship. Did you see, not too long ago, when he tripped over third base and, after getting up, tipped his helmet to the fans? The kicker was that he didn’t grin and ham it up. He was annoyed with himself and embarrassed, you could tell. And he still made a joke of it. He knew it (the stumble) was funny, he knew people watching thought it was funny. There was nothing to add to it except an irritated but obliging tip o’ the cap. Which made all of it even funnier. Perfect touch. Prince Fielder was dying in the dugout.

What’s your 2013 Tigers good news? I know there’s more.

All right. Still time to take this series. Go Doug. Go Miggy. Go Iggy. Is he just on loan from the Red Sox or what? I’m having a difficult time associating the plays Iglesias is making at SS with the uniform he’s wearing. Is this for real? Do the Tigers get to keep him?

Go Tigers.

Look away. You may not read this or comment here until Game 121 is completed.

OK, it’s time for game two of the doubleheader. I’ve just returned from the future, but I promised not to give anything away about Verlander owning the Royals, or whether Fielder tied or broke the all-time record for home runs in a doubleheader.

Jose Alvarez turns out to be the TBA for the second game. I was highly annoyed when TBA was all I found yesterday at mlb.com, though I had a hunch it would be Alvarez. I was sorely vexed as to why it was necessary to substitute here, particularly as I had relished the prospect of getting all five regular starters in a single series. But seeing Jose pitch again is nothing to complain about, I guess. He’s been pitching up a storm in Toledo.

Some interesting matters brought up in the comments sections have caught my eye recently: Avila v. Pena. Tigers performance in extra-inning games. The left field situation.

There was the matter of team W-L for Avila and Pena games. In Avila starts, the Tigers are 49-24. In Pena starts, the Tigers are 20-22. More info:

Complete extra-innings games caught: Avila 3. Pena 12.

Games catching Scherzer and Sanchez: Avila 31. Pena 15.

CS% with Fister on the mound: Avila 20% of 5. Pena 50% of 6.

Only Porcello pitches appreciably worse with Pena catching.

Batting in losses: Avila, 24 G, 171/267/197/465, 0 HR, 2 RBI. Pena, 27 G (22 as starter), 362/384/500/884, 3 HR, 11 RBI.

One big reason the Tigers are 5-11 in extras is that a man on first base for the opponent constitutes a threat, every time. Not so when the Tigers are up. Does a Tiger reaching first in extras fill you with confidence that a run will score? I didn’t think so. The Tigers are a laughingstock on the bases and intimidate no one. Another reason is that Tigers home run power resides largely in the person of Miguel Cabrera. Yes, a lot of other Tigers can hit home runs, but no one but Cabrera is a home run waiting to happen. A number of teams have several such guys, and it comes in handy in extras. Yet another reason is that the bullpen chokes, even in the best of times. Tigers pen is 11-19. That’s 38.7% of team losses. They were 8-16 at one point, though. It must be getting better. Also, when you reach 5-11 in extras, doesn’t the law of averages start to side with you? Let’s hope so. I wonder if averages have lawyers.

Looking back over the Leyland Years, there have been more losing records in one-runs and extras than not, but enough exceptions to make you question blaming that on Leyland or the way the team is constructed. That’s baseball, as someone might say. Still, the blunders and failures to make things happen on the bases are glaringly apparent this season. (Maybe that’s just because this season is the one happening NOW, though. Whereas past seasons seem to have happened, you know, like, in the past.) Things like that can send a game to extra innings and rob you of any confidence once you get there.

Wasn’t I just saying that the Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball? They must be, to be 71-49 in the face of all that. I mean 72-49, of course.

Is there a problem in LF?

Dirks 83 G, 252/310/355/665 6 HR, 24 RBI
Tuiasosopo 43 G, 279/394/486/880 6 HR, 22 RBI
Kelly 24 G, 326/356/535/890 2 HR, 7 RBI

Add that all up, you get “a guy” with a line close to this: 119 G, 275/350/400/750 14 HR, 53 RBI. Pretty respectable numbers. Add in the defense, and…

I don’t think there’s a problem in LF.

Go Jose. Go Miggy. Go Tigers. We get another chance to evaluate Alvarez and speculate on his future with the Tigers. A Smylyesque bullpen apprenticeship in 2014 before joining the rotation in 2015, perhaps?

71-49, 1st place, 2nd place team too distant to be reliably identified.

Imagine how much better the best team in baseball could be if they weren’t also the worst baserunning team in the history of the game. This has something to do with how a hittable Jeremy Guthrie wasn’t rocked out of the game like he should have been.

Otherwise, the 4-1 win last night was all good. Anibal Sanchez recovered from a 30-pitch first with a had his whole arsenal working, the art of pitching sorta thing. Andy Dirks found his stroke – did you see it? The results were almost incidental. If he can hold on to that, Tui and Donkey are going to fade ever so slightly from the scene… Not only did Prince Fielder hit his first home run since about 1986, but did you see the bat speed? Flashback… Jose Iglesias at SS. Enough said.

Whatever happened to the regularly scheduled doubleheader? They even used to have different kinds of doubleheaders. It made those pocket schedules so much more complicated and visually appealing. Bring back the doubleheader. The baseball season is in need of some Crisco.* Mandatory doubleheaders every Saturday and Sunday. Get rid of the All-Star break. You could fit a 162-game season from April 15 to August 31 with more off days. Make all the playoff series best-of-seven (no days off) and play the World Series the first week of October. That’s what I say. Today.

*Because it’s shortening, of course.

In the spirit of the doubleheader…

Splitting the season to date in halves (by player games as of #117 rather than the calendar):

Al-Al 17G 16IP 27K 16BB 2.76ERA 13/46%IR/IS .226BA .682OPS .517WPA -0.88RE24
Al-Al 18G 16IP 20K 11BB 8.27ERA 6/33%IR/IS .299BA .860OPS -.682WPA -4.79RE24

J. Benoit 23G 25IP 31K 8BB 2.16ERA 5/0%IR/IS .216BA .611OPS 1.560WPA 8.12RE24
J. Benoit 24G 23IP 26K 5BB 1.17ERA 10/30%IR/IS .218BA ,545OPS 1.535WPA 7.91RE24

Phil Coke 19G 19IP 18K 6BB 5.49ERA 12/33%IR/IS .265BA .694OPS -.917WPA -0.69RE24
Phil Coke 20G 15IP 11K 9BB 4.80ERA 5/20%IR/IS .283BA .838OPS -.768WPA -3.86RE24

Doug Fister 12G 77IP 66K 12BB 3.27ERA ,267BA .652OPS -.120WPA 4.21RE24
Doug Fister 12G 78IP 49K 17BB 3.92ERA .268BA .714OPS .781WPA 4.13RE24

Rick Porcello 11G 57IP 47K 11BB 5.21ERA ,272BA ,729OPS .064WPA -3.46RE24
Rick Porcello 11G 68IP 47K 16BB 3.57ERA .268BA .676OPS .462WPA 7.67RE24

Bruce Rondon 9G 8IP 6K 4BB 7.04ERA 1/0%IR/IS .353BA .969OPS -.722WPA -3.39RE24
Bruce Rondon 10G 13IP 13K 3BB 2.13ERA 5/60%IR/IS .171BA .442OPS .760WPA 3.16RE24

Anibal Sanchez 10G 64IP 80K 17BB 2.38ERA .230BA .592OPS .463WPA 11.79RE24
Anibal Sanchez 10G 61IP 59K 21BB 2.79ERA .217BA .615OPS .061WPA 9.24RE24

Max Scherzer 11G 76IP 91K 18BB 3.42ERA .187BA .568OPS 1.078WPA 8.76RE24
Max Scherzer 12G 82IP 84K 17BB 2.30ERA .197BA .557OPS 1.994WPA 19.67RE24

Drew Smyly 22G 38IP 39K 11BB 2.11ERA 8/13%IR/IS .213BA .582OPS .663WPA 11.33RE24
Drew Smyly 22G 25IP 28K 3BB 1.78ERA 6/0%IR/IS .194BA .496OPS .343WPA 8.27RE24

Justin Verlander 12G 73IP 87K 24BB 3.70ERA .263BA .710OPS .143WPA 4.28RE24
Justin Verlander 13G 85IP 67K 33BB 3.47ERA .251BA .695OPS -.121WPA 4.13RE24

Brayan Pena 24G 94PA 295/323/409/732 2HR 12RBI -.624WPA -4.81RE24
Brayan Pena 25G 87PA 300/326/425/751 2HR 7RBI -.096WPA -3.25RE24

Miguel Cabrera 54G 254PA 369/445/676/1.121 17HR 65RBI 2.437WPA 36.56RE24
Miguel Cabrera 55G 236PA 363/475/710/1.184 20HR 46RBI 3.143WPA 29.87RE24

Prince Fielder 58G 264PA 288/398/516/914 12HR 48RBI 1.369WPA 21.52RE24
Prince Fielder 59G 261PA 236/307/354/661 5HR 33RBI .089WPA -3.77RE24

Omar Infante 38G 154PA 313/344/444/789 3HR 14RBI .035WPA -0.20RE24
Omar Infante 39G 159PA 298/327/437/764 3HR 13RBI -1.013WPA -2.85RE24

Ramon Santiago 24G 62PA 148/233/241/474 0HR 2RBI -.507WPA -6.88RE24
Ramon Santiago 24G 87PA 257/333/311/644 0HR 5RBI -.076WPA -1.11RE24

Andy Dirks 47G 183PA 247/308/373/681 5HR 16RBI -.966WPA -5.20RE24
Andy Dirks 47G 173PA 242/312/318/631 2HR 10RBI -1.065WPA -8.13RE24

Torii Hunter 52G 242PA 305/353/413/765 2HR 24RBI .211WPA 6.32RE24
Torii Hunter 52G 236PA 311/323/527/850 11HR 36RBI -.536WPA 4.95RE24

Austin Jackson 43G 207PA 306/374/409/782 3HR 16RBI .652WPA 8.09RE24
Austin Jackson 43G 207PA 232/302/432/735 6HR 12RBI -1.100WPA -7.90RE24

Don Kelly 40G 88PA 173/295/307/602 2HR 6RBI -.025WPA -2.99RE24
Don Kelly 41G 95PA 313/394/475/869 3HR 14RBI .713WPA 7.37RE24

Matt Tuiasosopo 28G 61PA 327/459/490/949 2HR 12RBI .145WPA 8.28RE24
Matt Tuiasosopo 28G 83PA 254/361/535/897 5HR 16RBI .491WPA 7.45RE24

Victor Martinez 58G 242PA 241/289/355/644 5HR 30RBI -.386WPA -7.29RE24
Victor Martinez 58G 252PA 323/385/460/845 5HR 36RBI 1.004WPA 7.54RE24

Alex Avila 36G 142PA 175/261/286/546 4HR 11RBI -.513WPA -12.94RE24
Alex Avila 37G 147PA 220/315/394/709 5HR 25RBI 1.101WPA 3.27RE24

Go Justin. Go Miggy. Go Tigers. This series is off to a good start. If you should suddenly lose consciousness and come to again Sunday to see Jamey Carroll pitching the bottom of the 8th for the Royals, take it as a sign that the Tigers held down the fort (Fort Detroit?) while you were away.

70-49, 1st place, 6 up on Cleveland and 7.5 on Kansas City.

The Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball. As the sour taste from the last 6 begins to fade, consider how close to 5-1 that 2-4 was.

Having done all within their power to chase off one would-be division challenger last week, it’s time to begin the more daunting task of staring down what many feel is the more legitimate contender: The Kansas City Royals. Beginning with the next 5 games, the Tigers will face the Royals 11 times over the next 43. Thus far the Tigers and Royals have played 8 consecutive close games; by my reckoning, the game has been in hand for one side or the other for all of one half-inning back in April. That’s how close. We could be seeing the beginnings of a serious rivalry that might stretch over the next few seasons.

Detroit v. KC to date:

Royals versus Tigers:

Tim Collins 2-10 .585 OPSA, 3 K, 3 BB
Aaron Crow 2-8 .667, 2 K, 2 BB
Wade Davis 16-43 .847, 7 K, 5 BB * 0-1, 4.35 in 2 G / 10 IP
Jeremy Guthrie 16-51 .791, 1 HR, 6 K, 5 BB * 2-0, 5.11 in 2 G / 12 IP
Kelvin Herrera 3-13 .574, 4 K, 2 BB
Luke Hochevar 0-6 .000, 2 K, 0 BB
Greg Holland 1-16 .188, 6 K, 0 BB
Luis Mendoza 1-8 .739, 2 K, 3 BB
Ervin Santana 2-23 .212, 6 K, 1 BB * 1-0, 0.00 in 1 G / 7 IP
James Shields 21-76 .742, 2 HR, 16 K, 5 BB * 0-1, 3.27 in 3 G / 22 IP
Danny Duffy —
Bruce Chen —

Yes, go ahead, weep. It’s OK.

George Kottaras 0-0 1.000 OPS, RBI
Salvador Perez 8-28 .705, 6 RBI
Jamey Carroll 7-27 .667, 2 RBI
Alcides Escobar 7-31 .508, 2 RBI
Chris Getz 2-15 .369, RBI
Eric Hosmer 9-31 .698, 4 RBI
Elliot Johnson 0-4 .000
Mike Moustakas 8-28 .783, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Dyson 1-5 .400, 2 SB
Alex Gordon 5-33 .536, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 10 K
David Lough 3-16 .610, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Justin Maxwell —
Billy Butler 10-30 .745, 0 HR, 3 RBI

That feels better, doesn’t it? A Kleenex to wipe your tears away.

Tigers versus Royals:

Al Alburquerque 1-9 .384 OPSA, 4 K, 2 BB
Joaquin Benoit 2-12 .333, 3 K, 0 BB
Jeremy Bonderman —
Phil Coke 4-11 .988, 2 K, 6 BB (OK, some were IBB)
Doug Fister 16-58, .662, 1 HR, 8 K, 1 BB * 1-1, 2.57 in 2 G / 14 IP
Rick Porcello —
Bruce Rondon 3-12, .619, 2 K, 1 BB
Anibal Sanchez 5-26 .575, 6 K, 6 BB * 0-1, 1.50 in 1 G / 6 IP
Max Scherzer 11-45 .669, 1 HR, 12 K, 5 BB * 2-0, 5.25 in 2 G / 12 IP
Drew Smyly 3-12 .500, 3 K, 0 BB
Jose Veras 0-6 .000, 2 K, 0 BB
Justin Verlander 19-74 .638, 1 HR, 15 K, 7 BB * 0-1, 2.75 in 3 G / 20 IP

There is nothing to Coke but Coke itself, as FDR (Fernando Delano Rodney) famously said. Unless Downs (13.50 ERA vs. KC, and you surely remember how that happened) is back for this series.

Bryan Holaday —
Brayan Pena 2-6 .750 OPS, 3 RBI
Miguel Cabrera 7-27 .919, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Prince Fielder 7-30 .576, 2 RBI
Jose Iglesias —
Omar Infante 8-15 1.229, RBI
Ramon Santiago 3-11 .545, 4 K
Andy Dirks 6-20 .814, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Torii Hunter 5-33 .353, 2 RBI, 11 K
Austin Jackson 2-19 .348, 8 K
Don Kelly 2-8 .583, RBI
Matt Tuiasosopo 2-6 1.095
Victor Martinez 8-32 .586, 4 RBI
Alex Avila 3-19 .515, 2 RBI

From this it would almost appear that the matchup here is Royals vs. Royals.

Well, the die is cast with Miggy and his assortment of injuries. He’s gonna play hurt the rest of the way. Trundling doesn’t hurt (the team, that is) when you’re hitting it out of the park. It may be true that Miggy at 70% is better than most others at 100%. It’s unequivocally true that Miggy at 100% is way better than Miggy at 70%. But that’s a moot point now.

Somehow, I feel obliged to bring up the Game Poster League standings again, don’t really know why.

Smoking Loon 24-14
Coleman 24-16
Kevin in Dallas 22-19

Oh, right. That’s why.

A word of appreciation: Jason Beck is one of the better mlb.com bloggers. Lee Panas of Detroit Tiger Tales is brilliant. Samara at Roar of the Tigers is simply incredible; I’ll leave it at that before I lapse into proposing marriage. And yet… there’s no commentary on the Detroit Tigers I more look forward to reading than that of Kevin and Coleman here at DTW.

Begin the game with a friendly voice
A companion unobtrusive

If there’s anything we could do to get those two in the broadcast booth in place of Mario and Rod, I’m all for it. On the other hand, I haven’t heard their voices, so don’t hold me to this.

Go Anibal. Go Miggy. Go Tigers. Let the AL Central World Series begin.

67-45, 1st place, 6 games up on the Cleveland Indians. It appears that the Tigers have won some games recently.

Some game last night. Some EXHAUSTING game. I think I would enjoy a game like that more if I was a pure baseball fan and not one so wrapped up in the fortunes of one team. You could write a book about that game. I’ll keep it brief. I know it’s sacrilege, but sleep is even more precious than baseball at my advanced age.

After striking out 3 times against the sensational Danny Salazar, Miguel Cabrera’s first pitch 2-run HR the fourth time up to put the Tigers ahead was a fine, fine moment. I think we all kinda knew it wasn’t yet won, however… Bruce Rondon – outstanding. Jeremy Bonderman – especially outstanding. Talk about mound presence. I felt intimidated, from a distance of several hundred miles… The low point – for me – of the Bad Baserunning Clinic put on by the Tigers was the pathetic slide by Brayan Pena, who might have scored had he known where home plate was, as you might expect a catcher to do… Dog Fister (Doug’s twin brother) was not good, but he gutted it out, and should maybe buy Jose Iglesias dinner some time. Salazar was the third straight Indians starter to own or mostly own the Tigers and by far the best of them… I had conflicting thoughts with Prince Fielder at the plate in the 14th, men on 1st and 3rd: a) Prince stinks. b) No, Prince doesn’t stink, and I still have faith in him. I was on “b)” just before he did what he used to do more often and obviously still can, whatever it is that has been bothering him physically or mentally or both (at the plate, I hasten to add – I’m loving him at first base) for so long now.

This has been some series, eh? Can’t remember another one quite like it this season.

Go Max.

66-45, 1st place, 5 games up on the Tribe.

Well, that was nice. Justin Verlander started out looking a bit uh-oh, but put together the strongest 8 innings we’ve seen from him since… when? Velocity, command, breaking ball working – what more can you ask? Justin Masterson actually pitched as well or better than Verlander most of the game. All it took was that 5th inning, and my favorite part was that both hit – and hurting – Tigers batters eventually scored. Gotta love Ramon Santiago busting it from 1st to 3rd after taking a pitch on the knee. Don Kelly had himself a game. First time I saw Jose Veras as a Tiger, and the breaking ball is as advertised. A few pretty good plays on foul pop-ups, and Miguel Cabrera even managed to snag one.

The Tigers starting pitching has been very good all season, and remarkably free of injuries, and now it’s on one of those epic rolls we’ve seen more than once over the past three seasons. I like the way the rotation was reset after the break, even if I don’t know if that really matters. You know, mixing up pitcher type game to game. With a starting five like the Tigers have, does it matter so much who follows who? I don’t know. Maybe. It’s not something immediate like batting order, which may be a bit overrated itself. Still… I like the way the rotation was reset after the break.

Pitching, pitching, pitching. Pitching wins. Perhaps all the more so with a guy like Jose Iglesisas at SS. We’ll see. Certainly all the more so when part of the pitching is the bullpen. It’s all clicking now. Even in the games where the Tigers hitters are mostly baffled by the opposing starter, as they have been the last two games, they’re pulling it out, one way or the other. Big difference from earlier in the season, when Detroit always seemed to be running on three, even when winning. I hope that there’s either a lot of this magic left in the tank or that they save some of it for the postseason. You’d hate to see the Tigers become the 2013 version of the 2012 Yankees.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves with “postseason.” 51 games left. A lot can happen. The Cabrera situation remains troubling to me. It’s nice that he can still hit. But you still have to run after you put the ball in play. Miggy is hobbled and playing. Tell me how this is good. Tell me how this is not going to end badly at an inopportune time. Maybe I’ll believe you. Meanwhile, the Tigers have a few other guys who can hit home runs and doubles for a couple weeks. Who can move around at 3B, run the bases, get down to 1B in under 2V (two Victors, standard unit of measure in snail racing). Hear me now and believe me later.

When were the Tigers last 21 games over? September 10, 2011 (Brandon Inge walkoff HR against G. Perkins and the Twins), in the middle of reeling off 12 straight, and it only got better after that (12-5 finish).

How were the 1968 Tigers doing at this point? 70-41, 1st place AL, 6.5 up on the Orioles. 1972 Tigers? 59-52, 2nd place AL East, 1.5 back of Baltimore. 1984 Tigers? 73-38, 1st place AL East, and yet “only”  9 games ahead of a superb Toronto team. 1987 Tigers? 65-46, 2nd place AL East, 1.5 behind the Blue Jays. 2006 Tigers? 75-36 (BETTER THAN 1984!!), 1st place AL Central, 9 games ahead of the White Sox. You may notice something all these Game 111’s – including last night’s – have in common.

Pitching, pitching, pitching. Doug Fister up next. The unknown rookie opposing him. Uh-oh. Time to break another habit.

When was the last time the Tigers had a starting rotation this good? Prior to last season with the addition of Sanchez, let’s say. That’s the question of the day. 2006 was kind of flukey, wasn’t it? I think you have to go back farther. Will 2013 prove flukey? How long does any starting 5, or 4, or even 3, stay strong together? Even in the olden days, it probably wasn’t that long. Enjoy it now. You’ve gotta believe that it’s capable of carrying the next two games, eh? And don’t stop there.

64-46, 1st place, 2 games up on them Indians. In the Elbow Room series, things have gotten a bit more cramped.

About last night: I’m sorry. I was really tired, and I guess my mind was elsewhere. Oh, sorry. Wrong speech.

About last night: Sanchez was good, but Kluber was better, even though a number of Tigers seemed to have a line on him the first time through. That 8th inning rally that could have turned the game, well… what’s worse, Jackson asleep at the wheel for out #2 or the lame grounder from M. Cabrera that would have killed it anyway? 2-0, something like the 16th or 17th shutout for Cleveland in 2013. Hunter cost the Tigers one run, and Michael Bourn cost ’em another – wait! Stop the presses!

65-45, 1st place, 4 games up on them Indians. In the Elbow Room series, things have gotten a bit less cramped. Wow wow wow!

When all seemed lost in that eleventh hour, Prince (who I had traded for Jason Kipnis straight up earlier in the game) started the rally, Victor spoiled the shutout, and then Alex won it all (as it turned out, as we hoped, as we all but knew – anticlimax would have had some nerve to show up last night). All against Chris Perez on the very anniversary of his famous 2012 meltdown against your very own Motown Bengals. Prince even batted again in this 9th inning, with the bases loaded for him instead of empty this time, and I wanted those insurance runs, believe me. ‘Twere not to be. But Joaquin was no-drama. A win! All is forgiven. Almost.

Even a big fan of Torii Hunter has to admit that his erratic judgment and impulsiveness has cost the team more times than you can count on your fingers and toes.

DL Miguel? The guy can’t run or field his position, and the Tigers already have a DH. Eh? What do you say? Should this go on for the next 50 games? Didn’t I just beg to have him reinstated in the lineup? No. That never happened, and anyone who says differently is lying.

So Jhonny is suspended for 50 games and possibly done as a Tiger. That’s a drag, even if Jose Iglesias is already paying dividends. One question for Jhonny: Why the denial this past spring? Why not a simple “no comment”? Why do people do this? Lie, then stonewall, and then admit it.

Tigers vs. Indians in 2013 (coming into the series):

Verlander: 3 games, 17 IP, 11 ER, 23 H, 22 K, .311 BAA, .810 OPSA
Fister: 1 game, 6 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 3 BB
Scherzer: 3 games, 23 IP, 7 ER, 0 HR, 21 K, .175 BAA, .447 OPSA
Benoit: 4-20, 488 OPSA
Smyly: 9-29, .858
Rondon: 2-8, .583
Veras: 1-4, .500
Coke: 3-14, .714
Alburquerque: 4-12, 1.054

Jackson: 5-27 (10 K), .493 OPS, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Hunter: 17-51, .919, 2 HR, 10 RBI
M. “DL” Cabrera: 15-47, 1.129, 5 HR, 14 RBI (no further comment at this time)
Fielder: 10-47, .744, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Martinez: 17-46, .980, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Dirks: 18-50, .916, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Avila: 4-24 (10 K, 7 BB), .552, 0 HR, 4 RBI
Iglesias: 4-8, 1.170, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Santiago: 3-22, .356, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Tuiasosopo: 1-7, .821, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Pena: 8-18, 1.088, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Kelly: 4-14, .944, 1 HR. 4 RBI

Don’t stare at these stats too long, lest the word “sweep” should come to mind.

Man. Hell of a win last night. These are the days. Time for Justin – the Verlander one – to join the party.

OK, I admit that I made a mistake. I want to apologize to [everyone] for asking for Miggy back in the lineup, when he really belongs on the DL, as long as he can still pinch hit from there. I fully accept my 24-hour suspension.

64-45, 1st place, 3 games up on Cleveland. That last is simply not possible. I’m sure the lead is really 7 or 8 games by now, but I’ve got to pay lip service to the dubious standings information over at mlb.com.

If my speech seems a little garbled, it’s because I have no jaw. It didn’t just drop. It fell off over the weekend as the Tigers took 3 from the White Sox to extend their winning streak to 8. I found it on the floor today, but then Rick Porcello walked off with it. He gave it to Bruce Rondon, who then handed it to Torii Hunter. It’s OK. I don’t need it. The Tigers have a bullpen. The Tigers have defense. The Tigers have clutch hitting. The Tigers are winning close games. The already great starting pitching has now gone completely off the charts – and it’s not being wasted. All this magic is taking place without… well, you know the story. And taking place with a suspension (for something – if anything – that I have to believe is well in the past) hanging over the head of All-Star SS Jhonny Peralta. (Kevin’s right – nerves of steel there.)

So… it’s time for the Showdown in O-Town*. The Motown/O-Town Showdown. Which would make this the Lowdown on the Motown/O-Town Showdown. If this series should give us cause to celebrate, be here Thursday for the Motown/O-Town Showdown Hoedown (and Friday for the ensuing Lowdown). No, nothing about the AL Central is going to be decided in early August, but it’s still pretty big.

* “O” for Ohio, of course. I’m pretty sure “O-Town” is the hip local insider slang term for “Cleveland.” Though I could be wrong.

The Tigers have won 9 of 12 against the Indians. 5-1 at Progressive Field, 4-2 at Comerica Park. Study up:

May 10, Tigers 10-4
May 11, Indians 7-6
May 12, Indians 4-3
May 21, Tigers 5-1
May 22, Tigers 11-7
June 7, Tigers 7-5
June 8, Tigers 6-4
June 9, Tigers 4-1
July 5, Tigers 7-0
July 6, Tigers 9-4
July 7, Indians 9-6
July 8, Tigers 4-2

Obviously, Detroit has found its way around a few bothersome things about the Indians: a) When hitters reach base, they tend to steal, and then score; b) They hit home runs, which is annoying; c) Their starting pitching is often better than it’s supposed to be, which is very annoying, and; d) Ryan Raburn. That last actually counts as something the Tigers haven’t found their way around, while remaining bothersome.

Some 2013 vs. Tigers stats to chew on (tomorrow it’ll be vs. Indians):

Kluber: 3 games, .320 BAA, .976 OPSA, 5 HR & 22 K in 17 IP
Masterson: 2 games, .283 BAA, .732 OPSA, 7 BB in 12 IP
McAllister: 1 game, 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 K
Perez: 4-16 .583 OPSA
Shaw: 7-30 .636
Hill 5-22 .761
Smith: 5-15 .874
Hagadone: 2-10 .685
Albers: 6-24 .774
Allen: 2-17 .463

Bourn: 11-50 .475 OPS, 0 HR, 3 RBI
Brantley: 12-42 .810, 2 HR 11 RBI
Kipnis: 10-50 .533, 0 HR, 5 RBI
Reynolds: 7-37 .457, 0 HR, 3 RBI
Santana: 10-42 .772, 2 HR, 5 RBI
A. Cabrera: 8-32, .726, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Chisenhall: 6-24 .792, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Giambi: 1-18 .404, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Stubbs: 7-26 .709, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Raburn: 4-14 1.340, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Gomes: 6-18 .924, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Aviles: 4-25 ,360, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Swisher: 10-37 .846, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Don’t stare at these stats too long, lest the phrase “piece of cake” should come to mind. But I’m hoping that Anibal sets the tone right away. Sanchez has been excellent of late, though not the strikeout king he began the season (rather unexpectedly) as. One start against Cleveland this season, a reasonably good limited pitch count outing on July 6.

We will probably see the re-debut of Jeremy Bonderman as a Tiger this series, out of the bullpen at some point. Cool, and good luck to him, of course. This pales next to the pending news on Peralta, which everyone seems to be taking as a foregone conclusion. We’ll see. Losing Jhonny will not be good, but the team has prepared itself as well as it can. Will Miguel Cabrera please return to the lineup ASAP and make us all feel a little bit better, preferably with a 3-HR game?

58-45, 1st place, 3 games up on Cleveland.

I said Friday’s game was a good win. You know, I think I like 10-0 even better.

Check this out: 5 AL Central teams gave up a combined total of 1 run yesterday. KC spoiled the party by scoring a run against the White Sox. Cleveland beat Yu Darvish and the Rangers 1-0. We’re not worried about the Indians, of course. But we should be. From MLB.com:

“It also marked the 13th shutout of the season for the Indians, who are tied with the Rays and Pirates for the Major League lead in that category. Masterson has been on the hill for six of those blankings, which include a trio of 1-0 victories. Cleveland’s four 1-0 wins this season are already the most in one campaign since the club had seven such victories in 1989.”

Last night: Miguel was back with a vengeance (sorry, guys –  the news that he’d be in the lineup came after press time on my busy Saturday), Tuiasosopo bought himself another month of consideration for playing time with both offense and defense (and surpassed Jackson in RBI), Scherzer (15-1) pitched like he didn’t know the score, Alburquerque pitched two (2) innings – that’s right, I said two innings – without incident, and Hernan Perez helped turn a 6-4-3 that the Peralta-Infante combo would have been (and often has been) hard-pressed to turn (Kelly being the “3” might have also played a part). Splendid all around. Well… I suppose Hunter ending up on 3B was a bit of a gift. But Torii’s double wasn’t. Dude’s still on fire, as V-Mart continues to be.

One sour note: Fielder’s 3-pitch strikeout was the ugliest one I’ve seen all season from any Tigers hitter, and I’ve seen about 75% of them. It came against starter Valdes, who had been throwing BP from the start (and still was – he came out after the next batter!). What on earth ails Prince?

I want to start banging the DFA Santiago drum, but I just received word that he’s being kept around for Dancing With The All Stars, so I’ll save my strength. Sure was fun to see Ramon batting in Miggy’s spot.

I didn’t do my homework for this series, and that’s putting it nicely. You with-it people out there know this already, but another break the Tigers caught (and Valdes instead of Lee was pretty big itself) was not having to face Domonic Brown or Ryan Howard, and also not having to deal with the distraction of Ben Revere on base. This Phillies team is one hard-luck bunch this season. They’re like the NL Yankees. Talk about “it’s when you play ’em.” Still want the sweep, though. No charity, foot on their throat.

Jimmy Rollins’s play on the Avila (I think) grounder up the middle… man! So that’s what a real shortstop looks like. I want one for 2014. I thought I was content with Jhonny…. and I am… but I won’t be. Not that I assume guilt or even think much of the whole Biogenesis investigation, but I do want to recognize Vince for Jhonny PEDralta. That was funny.

Fun facts: Tuiasosopo has drawn as many walks as Hunter. Infante’s SLG is higher than Fielder’s. Verlander’s WHIP is the highest on the staff, and it’s a safe bet that this has never been the case this late in the season at any point in his career. Every 2013 Tigers bench guy – every single one, both temps and perms – has a higher SLG than Avila.

Remember Rick Porcello against the Pirates? Any reason he can’t do that to the Phillies? I can’t think of one. I’d encourage the hitters to score more than 0 runs this time. 7 would be good. No, make it 8. Coke and Putkonen might be due for some work.