PREGAME: Wil Ledezma will be making his first start since June 4, 2005 as he fills in for Justin Verlander who is experiencing fatigue.

He’ll be opposed by C.C. Sabathia who the Tigers beat in Cleveland 2 weeks ago when Verlander outdueled him.

Brent Clevlen will be making his first Comerica Park start this afternoon.(thanks for the heads up Dillon)

Game Time 1:05 pm.

POSTGAME: I caught the bulk of this game on the radio while driving back from a weekend in Indianapolis (see, I went on vacation and kept the blog alive) and actually saw none of the game with the exception of what they showed on Baseball Tonight. But one didn’t have to see the game to understand exactly what kind of performance Wil Ledezma turned in. With 5 2/3 shut out innings, he just didn’t do as good as could be hoped for, he did as good as anybody else could have done as well. He took the game deep enough that a normal bullpen rotation could play out, and now everyone (save for Ledezma) will be available tomorrow night.

And surprise, surprise, Craig Monroe knocked in the deciding run in a one-run game. Meanwhile C.C. Sabathia, who committed the error that eventually led to scoring opportunity, has to be looking at his offense and saying “Do Something!” For the second time in a row against the Tigers he pitched quite well with nothing to show for it.

Of course the happy tone of this update was made possible by Jamie Walker and his punch out of Travis Hafner with the bases loaded.

PREGAME: Kenny Rogers gets another crack at the Indians after being knocked out in the first inning 2 starts ago. His one start since then wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t good. Rogers allowed 5 runs in 5 innings and walked 4. Of course the start looked worse due in large part to Dmitri Young’s error prone game and the Tigers whiffing against Casey Fossum.

Paul Byrd hasn’t done too well himself. The Tigers got him for 7 runs in 3 innings that same night Rogers got rocked, and he allowed 6 runs in 4 innings agaisnt the Red Sox in his subsequent start.

Game time 7:05pm

POSTGAME“: Another early deficit, another dramatic late inning homer in front of a raucous sell out crowd. But first things first – thank you Kenny Rogers. The first inning looked bad, but he settled down and gave the team 7 innings on a day when the bullpen was short. He also ensured that Wil Ledezma will have some back-up in case he falters in his Sunday start.

As for the late inning dramatics, the Tigers went down to their last out after a lead off bunt by Brandon Inge, a failed sacrifice by Curtis Granderson, and a force out by Placido Polanco. And then Pudge took the first pitch into just about the same spot as Monroe’s homer the night before. What was fun both nights was watching Pudge jumping around like a little leaguer as he circled the bases.

In the end, the Tigers notch another over their AL Central foes.

PREGAME After a 4 game sabbatical against the Devil Rays, the Tigers return to AL Central competition. They’ll be facing the Cleveland Indians tonight and the Tigers currently lead the season series 9-4.

Jeremy Bonderman will be starting for the Tigers tonight. Bonderman is of course coming off the Sunday heart breaker at the Metrodome. The last time he faced the Indians he was shaky with his control early on, but powered by a big offensive first inning picked up the win.

Cliff Lee will take the mound for the Indians. He gave up 6 runs in 4 innings to the Tigers the last time they met, but only one of those was earned.

Game Time 7:05pm

POSTGAME: I missed the 2nd thru 6th innings of tonight’s game. Fortunately I saw the ending. Craig Monroe is raking to say the least. And he certainly has developed a flair for the dramatic. Given how that inning was going, I thought it just wasn’t going to be the Tigers night. What with Magg’s double being swallowed up by Choo on a diving play, Carlos Guillen putting one just outside the right field foul pole, and Monroe putting one just outside the left field foul pole. But Craig really did “straighten one out.”

Much props to Sean Casey finding the gap and knocking home two runs and Todd Jones with an uneventful ninth including a strikeout of Travis Hafner.

Roman Colon kept the game close enough after coming on in relief of Jeremy Bonderman.

And speaking of Bonderman maybe someone who saw the whole game can chime in. I missed most of his innings, but I wonder if it was either physical fatigue after a longish outing pitch count wise, or mental anguish after the Minnesota 8th inning, or he just didn’t have his stuff.

But 2005 minimally will go down as the most successful Tiger season since 2000.

PREGAME: The last game of the road trip is here. The last of 7 straight dome games is here. It’s time for the Tigers to come home.

Nate Robertson will take the mound for the Tigers. Jason Seo, who has given up 18 runs in his last 3 starts, will pitch for the Devil Rays.

The next Tigers win will mark their most successful season since 2000 when they went 79-83.

Game Time 7:15

POSTGAME: Nate Robertson turned in the best pitching performance of the series, but has nothing to show for it. The Tigers bats were stymied by Jason Seo, save for a Craig Monroe opposite field shot. But the Tigers put up a good fight on a game that would easy to concede coming at the end of a long road trip. The Tigers set up the drama the way it had been occuring all season, but new Tiger Sean Casey couldn’t come through. Or as Lee said – There was no joy in Mudville.

PREGAME: The Tigers need one more win to assure themselves of a winning road trip. Ideally they get that win tonight, and then a bonus one tomorrow.

Nate Robertson Zach Miner will be pitching for the Tigers. He faced Tampa at Comerica Park and allowed only 2 unearned runs over 7 innings.

He’ll be opposed by Tim Corcoran. Corcoran has a pretty good ERA at 3.57 due in part to his ability to limit the long ball. He’s surrendered one homer in 35 1/3 innings. But he also walks as many as he strikes out, and in July actually walked 15 against 8 strikeouts.

Dmitri Young will be playing DH and batting 3rd as Pudge gets another night off, I’m guessing due to his thumb.

Game Time 7:15pm

POSTGAME: I was all set to complain about pinch hitting for Curtis Granderson, and then the game turns into a blow out over the last 2 innings. While I still don’t agree with taking out Granderson, it does show the faith that Jim Leyland already has in Brent Clevlen as a capable defender.

Zach Miner kept the Tigers in the game until they could break through the dominance that is Tim Corcoran.

And my last comment actually reaches back to Carlos Guillen’s cycle. He has received some flack for going for the double because he was motivated by personal goals. Carlos Guillen is the most aggressive runner on the team. He ran hard out of the box and was rewarded for it. Last night, moments after being hit on the shin, he stole 2nd base when you could tell it was painful for him to slide. Yes he may not have gone for 2nd without the cycle as motivation, but dont’ knock him for hustle. I’d have a much bigger problem if he didn’t advance an extra base just so he could get a cycle.

toledo 5, Indianapolis 2
Chris Shelton doubled in 4 at-bats. Dustin Mohr tripled, doubled, and singled. Jack Hannahan and Alexis Gomez each had multi-hit games. Colby Lewis went 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits with 7 K’s.

Erie 4, Portland 2
Virgil Vasquez came up one out short of a complete game. he allowed only 4 hits and fanned 9. Kody Kirkland picked up 2 hits.

Sarasota 10, Lakeland 4
Clete Thomas, Juan Francia, and Brent Dlugach all had 2 hits. Eddie Bonine started and allowed 7 runs, 3 earned, in 5 1/3 innings with 6 strike outs.

West Michigan 7, South Bend 6
Matt Joyce had 3 hits and a walk. Cameron Maybin doubled and singled. Mike Hollimon tripled and walked.

Brooklyn 9, Oneonta 1
Ryan Strieby went 2 for 4 and pushed his average over .300. Lauren Gagnier pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief.

GCL Yankees 2, GCL Tigers 1
Mike Bertram picked up one of the two Tigers hits, and it was a homer. Alfredo Figaro allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks over 5 innings.

PREGAME: The Tigers will turn to Justin Verlander to try and nip a 2 game losing streak in the bud. Verlander was awesome in July with a sub 2.00 ERA. He’ll be opposed by J.P. Howell who is seeing his first big league action this season.

Howell pitched with the Royals last year and walked 4.9 batters per 9 innings while striking out 6. Let’s just hope the Tigers hitters don’t make him look as comfortable as Casey Fossum did last night.

Speaking of Tigers hitters, Sean Casey will make his debut and bat 7th. I asked JD Arney from the Red Reporter about Casey from a fan’s perspective. JD said:

He grounds out to second base more than any other player I’ve seen in my life. Expect lots of double plays.

Otherwise he’s got a pretty decent bat, gets on base a good bit, should hit over .300 without a lot of power. Defense is average to below average, and he’s really slow. But not a bad player to have around, I think he’ll help you guys out a lot.

Also of note, Brent Clevlen will make the start in centerfield and bat 9th.

Game Time 7:15pm

POSTGAME Well that was certainly more fun. Justin Verlander did his job, while not being his sharpest. But the offense which looked so miserable last night is what really played the role of stopper. There were so many neat stories tonight:

• Brent Clevlen picks up his first and second career homers and adds a single.
• Carlos Guillen hits for the cycle with flat out hustle on the double.
• Sean Casey gets an RBI chance his first time up and takes advantage after a lengthy at-bat with a single. He later hit his first AL homer.

Marcus Thames seems to be emerging from his slump with some solid at-bats for 3 games in a row and Craig Monroe continued to pepper the left field corner.

Really, the only disapopinting performance was a rare clunker from Jamie Walker.

And with the win, the Tigers match last year’s win total.