posted
I went over to a friends house, I saw the very end in a room of Sox fans...
My mom and sister are Sox fans. My dad is nuetral but taped the scores to my door. My older bros are Cubs fans- but out of state. My other bro gave up on the Cubs. Grr!!!!!!!!!
quote:By now, it is safe to say the Detroit Tigers won't lose 96 games.
Such a thought could come only from the mind of a half-wit, which seems to peg yours truly. For that prediction – among others, including the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series – came in this very space about 100 days ago.
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PASSAN'S (REVISED) PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
AL East: Boston AL Central: Chicago AL West: Oakland AL wild card: Detroit
NL East: New York NL Central: Cincinnati NL West: Los Angeles NL wild card: St. Louis
Division Series
AL Chicago over Oakland in three Boston over Detroit in five
NL New York over St. Louis in five Los Angeles over Cincinnati in four
Championship Series Chicago over Boston in six New York over Los Angeles in six
World Series Chicago over New York in six
I'm still hoping that the Yankees will make it, but their pitching will have to settle down for that to happen.
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I want to watch the game tonight...Yankees/White Sox, Moose vs. the Bronze Titan. Should be a fun matchup.
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posted
The Tigers have the best record in baseball, and they are still in the process of improving and realizing their full potential. Many of their young hitters are still learning to hit, even though they already lead the major leagues in home runs. Despite their astounding record, most people still do not appreciate how good a team they already are.
The Tigers have ten games left with the White Sox. Those will probably determine which team wins the division, and which team is the wild card. It is a foregone conclusion that the wild card for the AL will come out of the AL central, and be either the Tigers or the White Sox.
Predictions:
(1) I would not be surprised to see rookie Justin Verlander pitch a no-hitter this year or the next. Not only does he have a 100 plus mph fastfall, he has a wide array of other pitches that he can throw for strikes, including more than one killer changeup. He also has a pickoff move to first base that is the best of any right hander I have ever seen; better than most left handers.
(2) I predict the Tigers will win the AL Central division title outright, finishing four games ahead of the White Sox.
(3) I predict the Tigers will win their playoff games, and make it to the World Series. I do not predict they will win the World Series, though they have maybe a 40% chance of pulling that off, too. Remember, their manager, Jim Leyland, is the same guy who managed the Florida Marlins to their miracle World Series victory just a few years ago--and the Tigers have more talent than that team did. They also have the same catcher the Marlins did--Pudge Rodriguez.
(4) I predict the Tigers will wind up the year with six players having hit 20 or more home runs. Virtually every batter in the lineup has home run power.
(5) I predict the Tigers will wind up the year with three starting pitchers who are 20 game winners, and two more will not be far behind that. All will have winning records. One thing that helps the starters besides the stirling defense and the support of a powerful offense, is a first rate bullpen, with at least three pitchers capable of being closers on most other teams. One, Joel Zumaya, has a fastball that has been clocked at 104 mph during games.
[ July 14, 2006, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
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posted
Correction: The Tigers still have 13 games remaining with the White Sox.
The Tigers now lead the White Sox by 4 1/2 games. The White Sox got pounded by the Yankees, 14-3, while the Tigers posted another shutout (12 shutouts on the season so far, leading all MLB) in beating the KC Royals 6-0.
Surprisingly, the Yankees are now only four games behind the White Sox in the race to be the AL Wild Card. If the White Sox do not pull out of their present nose-dive, they may not make it to the playoffs at all!
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quote:The Tigers have the best record in baseball, and they are still in the process of improving and realizing their full potential. Many of their young hitters are still learning to hit, even though they already lead the major leagues in home runs.
Ummm...who are you talking about? There's only one rookie position player on their roster, fifth outfielder Alexis Gomez, and only 2 players--Shelton and Granderson--with fewer than three seasons in the majors. 4 of their top five hits leaders--Ordonez, Polanco, Rodriguez, and Guillen--have 9,8,15, and 8 years of experience, respectively.
28-year-old backup left fielder Marcus Thames might be the only "young" player still learning to hit, since he's only been a backup in his 4 major league seasons.
I'm not saying they're not good, but they're by no means a young team, at least on the hitting side. They're just relatively unknown.
Pitching is a different story. And if Bonderman and Robertson can continue their dramatic turnarounds (both have lowered their ERAs over 1 whole run from last season) and Verlander can put up ROY numbers...and all three can keep the ball away from closer Todd Jones (3 blown saves, 5 losses, 5.50 ERA), then I think the Tigers are a lock for the postseason.
But I don't think that by any means they're immune from being like the Orioles or Indians of '05.
Plus, the Sox still have 10 games left against the Royals, compared to the Tigers' 6.
Detroit is 2-5 versus the Yanks and Red Sox. Comparatively, I don't think you can take Chicago's last two series, against the Red Sox and Yankees, and call it a nosedive--just two difficult series back-to-back.
Chicago's also 5-1 so far playing Detroit.
I think they'll make the playoffs, and are still the running favorite for division champs.
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posted
It takes more than one season to become a mature major league hitter. Brandon Inge is still improving as a batter. He has surprising power, 17 homers already, but is only gradually bringing his batting average up. Marcus Thames has 19 home runs and has a good average as well, but he has only been playing full time since the middle of May. Ordonez, Rodriguez, and Polanco are the only mature, seasoned major league hitters on the team, who are not likely to get any better. Even Vance Wilson has been improving as a hitter.
Another correction to something I said earlier: The Tigers now have the third highest total number of home runs of any team in MLB.
The White Sox just finished being swept by the Yankees. I admit I am surprised and disappointed that the White Sox did not do better.
Yes, Frisco, the proof will come when the Tigers, White Sox, Red Sox, and Yankees all play mostly each other (and other divisional and AL opponents during the last half of the season.
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quote:It takes more than one season to become a mature major league hitter.
That's why I pointed out that only three players--not only starters--have fewer than three seasons.
quote:Brandon Inge is still improving as a batter. He has surprising power, 17 homers already, but is only gradually bringing his batting average up.
Inge's batting average was .287 in '04 and .261 in '05. This year, it's .229. How is that improving? All he's doing is hitting more homers and striking out more.
quote:Marcus Thames has 19 home runs and has a good average as well, but he has only been playing full time since the middle of May.
Thames is the one legit young player you mentioned...but rather than improving, I think he's overachieving. I doubt he's going to destroy his first half numbers in the second half. At best, you hope he keeps up his awesome pace.
quote:Ordonez, Rodriguez, and Polanco are the only mature, seasoned major league hitters on the team, who are not likely to get any better.
And don't forget Guillen, who leads the team in OBP. That's half of the starting lineup with a combined 40 years experience.
Anyway, my point isn't that they aren't a good team--they are. But their hitting isn't what they're relying on, which is good for them because they don't really have any budding stars, aside from possibly Thames. Chris Shelton, who looked to be one, is actually getting worse. 10 homers in his first 23 games, 6 in the 67 games since.
They aren't even in the top 5 in the AL in Average, Runs, Hits, or OBP. They are #1 in strikeouts, though.
quote:(5) I predict the Tigers will wind up the year with three starting pitchers who are 20 game winners,
Not a chance. Two are barely on pace.
quote:and two more will not be far behind that.
The fifth starter for the Tigers is on pace for ten wins.
quote:One thing that helps the starters besides the stirling defense
They're actually dead average.
quote:and the support of a powerful offense,
See above.
quote:is a first rate bullpen,
Bingo.
quote:with at least three pitchers capable of being closers on most other teams.
The best thing Todd Jones has going for him is his moustache. But the other two, yeah.
What the Tigers do have, and what their season depends on, is good pitching. Their team ERA is nearly half a run lower than the next closest team!
If they do slide out of first, it'll be because their pitching becomes human. Kenny Rogers is the only one who seems to be slipping at the moment, though he's the only one of their phenoms who's managed to beat the White Sox this year in six tries. I think this upcoming three-game series is going to say a lot about who's taking this division.
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posted
Chris Shelton is an interesting case. He showed in April what he is capable of, but all the attention and adulation he got scared him. His problems in May were all psychological. He is gradually pulling out of it. I think he is in the place where he must decide how good he is willing to be. That is a funny thing to say, but it may actually be true of a lot of ballplayers.
Most of the Tiger hitters are learning to hit curves and other breaking pitches better. They were just fastball hitters, or hitters waiting for a curveball to hang. Do not underestimate the effect of good coaching from their hitting coach.
I think that the Tigers are a better team than the one that played the White Sox earlier in the season. You look at them in the dugout, you look at them continuing to fight and come from behind no matter how many runs behind they are, and you see a team that has become confident and self-assured, a team that knows they can win.
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Seattle took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth and it started pouring (thunder and lightning, before the first pitch is thrown). Instead of putting on the tarp, they let the Yanks tie it up with a double, wild pitch, blown call, and sac fly.
Jorge Posada was clearly (like, without having to see the replay) thrown out at first even after Lopez slipped on the drenched grass fielding his grounder...but instead of Damon (flied to center) being the final out, he ties it up with a sac fly.
Then they put on the tarp.
What a cheap (probable) win for the Yanks. If they put on the tarp ten minutes earlier, when it should've been, the defense comes back on fair footing if the game does resume, or they call the game after 8 and the Yanks lose.
I hope karma comes back to get them in the tenth, and again tomorrow afternoon.
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posted
The White sox took the first game of the current set in Comerica Park (Detroit). The Tigers' pitching was not up to its usual standards, and White Sox pitcher John Garland held their offense in check. But then the Tigers won the second game on Wednesday, on a great 7 2/3 inning 4-hit pitching outing by Jeremy Bonderman ("Bondo") and a grand slam by Craig Monroe ("C-Mo"). It was also the day when the Jeremy Bonderman bobble-head doll was featured at the ballpark, and it seems the player so honored always does well that day. Placido Polanco did. These bobble-heads may be the Tigers' secret weapon! Maybe the White Sox should try buying some and sticking pins in them!
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posted
hm, could i be the only jays fan in this thread? they've been playing some good baseball lately.
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The Tigers appear to feel like they made a statement today, winning the current 3-game homestand, two games out of three. They looked really aggressive, like they were really trying to take it to the White Sox. The key play was a take-out slide by Marcus Thames that flipped the second baseman head over heels and broke up the double play. It was perfectly proper baseball, of the hard-nosed variety. Because the double play was broken up, that gave Chris Shelton a chance to bat, and he hit a double that drove in what proved to be the winning run. Final score was 2-1. The starter, Ken Rogers, was relieved in the seventh inning by Joel Zumaya, who was stellar with his 100mph fastballs and devilish breaking balls that he also threw for strikes. Todd Jones closed out the game in the ninth.
The Tigers' lead over the White Sox is now 5 1/2 games. There are ten more games remaining between the two teams.
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Could the problem with the Lions actually turn out to have been the coaching, all along? Well, if the last ten or fifteen coaches were to blame for the team's lack of competitiveness, isn't there some point where management takes the blame for hiring such coaches time after time?
Kwea, I think that's Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees, who just recently tried playing at first base, a new position for him.
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posted
Dmitri Young is back. He could be the left-handed power hitter (actually he's a switch-hitter) pundits have been saying was the one remaining need the Tigers have. Some suggested the Tigers might give up one of their excellent pitchers to get a good left-handed hitter. But that may not be necessary now that Young is back. He actually has been with the Tigers several years, and was at times a very effective power hitter. But early this year he had an injury, then went into a tailspin with some personal problems (going through a divorce, then drugs and alcohol). Even when his injury healed and he was able to play again, he was sent down to the minors. He seems to have gotten his act together. He said in an interview four days ago that he has been sober for 60 days now. Also, down in Toledo (the Tiger's Triple A farm club) he was batting .420. The Tigers decided to take a chance on him again, and he was brought back up. On his first day back, he was warmly received by fans and players, and he had two hits, one of them a crucial two out single that drove in two runs. So it looks like the Tigers' offense just got even stronger, and better balanced. With Young and Carlos Guillen as switch hitters, and Curtis Granderson who bats left, the Tigers now will be less vulnerable to left-handed pitching.
As for the pitching staff, it looks like it will be getting even stronger. Mike Maroth may be about ready to return to the lineup. He was one of the Tigers' most reliable pitchers early in the season, winning almost every start, when he had to go on the DL for bone spurs in his elbow that required surgery. Maroth is a left-handed pitcher. Manager Jim Leyland says that he may go to a six-man starting rotation when Maroth returns to make sure all his starters get plenty of rest, especially since they are coming up on a stretch of 17 games with no off-days. Zach Miner was brought up from the minors earlier this year to fill in for Maroth, and won six straight games. But the last two games he has struggled, especially Saturday, when he was staked to a five-run lead in the first inning, then allowed Oakland to score five runs of their own in the top of the second inning. Oakland went on to win the game, 9-5. Hopefully the coaching staff can get Miner straightened around. If not, they still have Maroth coming back.
Even though the Tigers lost on Saturday, they did not lose any ground, since the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins both lost as well. So the Tigers maintain their 6 1/2 game lead over the Sox, and the Twins remain 9 1/2 back.
[ July 23, 2006, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
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posted
Kwea, isn't Damon the guy with the long hair?
The Tigers' right fielder, Maglio Ordoñez, said he is not going to cut his hair this year, and it is getting pretty long too--but his hair is very curly. Damon's is straight. If it weren't for the five o'clock shadow, he would look like a girl. Must be hot, especially when visiting the Texas Rangers in the heat of summer.
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quote:Originally posted by Ron Lambert: Lyrhawn--did you have to bring that up?
Could the problem with the Lions actually turn out to have been the coaching, all along? Well, if the last ten or fifteen coaches were to blame for the team's lack of competitiveness, isn't there some point where management takes the blame for hiring such coaches time after time?
Kwea, I think that's Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees, who just recently tried playing at first base, a new position for him.
How long was the contract extension that Matt Millen got last year? I think we're at the point where it isn't the coaching, the players, or the management, it's the ownership. They need to uproot the entire old guard of the coaching and the management and start fresh, and not give five year multi million dollar extensions to people who continually make the kinds of bad choices that have degraded Lions football so much the past few years.
Also, my best friend waited on Curtis Granderson at the movie theater she works at the other day. She didn't know who he was until someone told her afterwards. Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I enjoy watching Curtis Granderson play. He is one of my favorites among the new cadre of Tigers. I heard he has not made an error yet playing center field. He is a good and improving batter (he is learning to bat against lefties better), with surprising power (he has hit at least one home run to the opposite field).
After Monday's games, the Tigers now have a 7 1/2 game lead over the Chicago White Sox. Frisco, are you willing to call it a nosedive now, for the Sox? The Minnesota Twins are about to pass them in the race for second in the AL Central, and possibly the Wild Card.
A bit of news of the statistical type. Including Monday's game the Tigers have had three straight games where they scored five or more runs in the first inning (they scored six times Sunday). It has been reported that no other team has done this in over 100 years.
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posted
It's official:the Sox(of the White variety) are in a slump.
Still, it was pitching that got it done for Detroit in that series. Scored 8 runs in three games and still won two of them.
That Wild Card race is starting to get interesting! Buehrle has been shelled for 27 runs in his last 4 starts, and the Twins have already jumped ahead against him today. The defending champs could be in third place in no time.
And my Red Sox...man. Yankees fans can complain about injuries, but with three starters (44-25 record and 600 innings last year) on the DL for...a while, we've been hit hard. Luckily, we've been plugging the holes with 22-year-olds, Royals castoffs, and the majors' second best run-scoring machine. Just think where we'll be when we get Wells, Clement, Wakefield, and DiNardo off the DL!
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posted
Yow. Minnesota's doing great, the White Sox are doing awful... really didn't see THAT coming. And the Yankees just edged into taking the Wild Card lead. Fun!!
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It has been a great season for the tigers...far beyond what I hoped for, particularly after I got my hopes up last season, and had them crushed.
It would be nice to see them do well in the playoffs, though it will be tough since it is not like they are used to being there. Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
The Tigers do have a sprinkling of veterans who have playoff experience. Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez played on the Florida Marlins team that won the World Series a few years ago. And Tigers' manager Jim Leyland managed that team!
Well, it has happened. The Minnesota Twins have overtaken the Chicago White Sox, after sweeping them in the just completed series. Both teams are now 8 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers play the Twins next. It will be interesting to see what happens when the two hottest teams in the AL Central collide!
Dmitri Young continues to hit with home run power, so it looks like the Tigers will not be looking to trade to obtain a left-handed power hitter.
Manager Jim Leyland feels so confident of the depth of the teams' bench, that he does not hesitate to play back-up players periodically to give his primary lineup players a rest, so they can stay fresh. This also allows the bench players to stay in tune, so they are all the more effective when they play.
Leyland is a very cunning dude. A few days ago, in the eighth inning with men on base with two outs and a full count on the batter, when everyone in the ball park expected that relief pitcher Joel Zumaya was going to try to blow a 100 mph fastball past the batter, Leyland went out to the mound. He had no special instructions for Zumaya. But he knew that everyone would figure he had advised Zumaya to do something special, surprise the batter with a changeup or breaking pitch. So when Zumaya blew the 100 mph fastball by the batter for the third strike, the batter was was taken by surprise, and had no chance of catching up to Zumaya's fastball.
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posted
As much as the Twins have improved, and I'll admit this game was tight, very tight, I still don't think they are at the same level as the Tigers. It's still the team that lost to us 18-1 in April. They're better, sure, and their turnaround is just as amazing as the Sox's fall from grace, but they have a lot of work to do to try and change their image, especially with their record versus the Tigers.
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posted
Wow, the eighth inning Sunday the Tigers entered the Twilight Zone. It was reminiscent of that game in Pittsburgh where all kinds of crazy things happened. Four errors, plus a balk called on pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, who had been cruising along with a one-hit shutout, with the Tigers leading 3-0--enabled the Twins to score six runs and avoid being swept in the series. The Tigers managed to get one more run in the ninth, so the final score was 6-4. Bonderman was called for a balk when he twirled his finger indicating he wanted the catcher Vance Wilson to go through the signs again. He forgot to step off the pitcher's slab before he did that. Since the bases were loaded at the time, a run scored.
It was a good day for the major league debut of Brent Clevlen, just called up from the minors. His first major league at-bat he got a two-RBI single. He finished the day 2 for 3 plus a walk. He also threw out a baserunner at home plate from center field.
The Tigers announced today that they have obtained another left-handed batting player, Sean Casey, from the Pittsburgh Pirates, in exchange for right-handed minor league pitcher Brian Rogers. To make room for Casey, they sent Chris Shelton back down to the minors--a bit of a shocker for the man who was the first ever to hit nine home runs in the first 13 games of the season.
Casey plays first base. He is 32, and is in his tenth year in the majors, with a career batting average of .304. He was a National League All-Star selection three times. He has not committed any errors this year, and has a career .995 fielding percentage.
Of course, this means that now the Tigers will have "Casey at the bat."
Shelton, after his sensational April, struggled in May and June. Lately he has been getting himself together and steadily bringing his batting average up, but has only hit one or two more home runs. He is very slow afoot, and tends to clog up the basepaths when he is on base, and is more prone to hit into double plays since it is hard for him to beat out the relay from second. He is the least likely person to get an infield hit. Maybe he will be brought back up later, if he continues to improve. Shelton plays first base, and the Tigers already have Dmitri Young as first baseman and the new acquisition, Casey, plays there too. It seemed impractical to keep three first basemen. You can only DH one of them.
I hope the Tigers know what they are doing--but most of their moves have turned out very well this year.
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posted
Wow, I just read the first post about looking forward to Detriot's opening spring ball game. Crazy to think about where they are now.
The acquisition of Casey was a good deal. The Tiger's are trying to solidify their roster as they look toward the post season. I think the main question for Detriot is Todd Jones. How is that guy gonna hold up in the playoffs?
Was anyone else underwhelmed by the moves at the deadline? I mean, my man Greg went to LA for what I hope will be a brilliant finish to a remarkable career. But other than that, this has been pretty ho-hum. Dontrelle, Barry, Miguel, and Alfonso all sat in place. I really wanted to see Tejada move to a contender. Man that would've been exciting.
Also, what does it say about the Rangers when they grab Carlos Lee? With a team ERA of 4.74 it seems like their strategy is to make sure other teams' ERAs are 4.75.
Shameless Prideful Props: Shane Komine gave up one run over six innings for the A's on Sunday. At one point he retired 9 straight batters. I've actually seen this guy pitch when he was in high school (Kalani 98'), even back then you could tell he had something. If he can put up some Verlander-like numbers the A's are gonna be looking strong.
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posted
Tuesday the Tigers had a sensational day. Carlos Guillen hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run in one game). Sean Casey, newly acquired in a trade, hit his first home run as a Tiger. Rookie Brent Clevlen, just up from the minors, hit two home runs. And rookie Justin Verlander was the first in the majors to win 14 games. He is making a strong bid to be Rookie of the Year and win the Cy Young Award. There is another rookie pitcher who is doing very well too, Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins. Right now Verlander has the edge with more victories. The contest will likely be between these two, and go down to the wire. It may depend on whose team makes the playoffs and goes on to win the World Series, if either of those teams do.
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I like Verlander's chances cuz he's on the Tigers, but Liriano's ERA(1.91) is stunning. Also, Papelbon (2-1 0.51-ERA 29-Saves) could make a run for it with Boston.
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I dislike socks, be they red, white or purple.
The cycle by Guillen was amazing. And Verlander is a fighter and I would love to see him win rookie of the year and the Cy Young. He just keeps flying under the radar, all the national media talks about is Liriano, but Justin deserves some attention, he is something special.
posted
Cygnus, I think part of the reason Verlander has not been center stage in the national media is that Tigers' manager Jim Leyland is trying to protect him from the kind of overblown media attention that messed up Chris Shelton, and made it necessary for Shelton to be sent back down to the minors to get his act together and regain the balance that made him so effective as a home run hitter in April. Leyland has acknowledged that he erred in not protecting Shelton from the media frenzy, and promised that he would not make that mistake again with any of the other new, young Tigers.
Liriano has a lower ERA (1.92 compared to Verlander's 2.79). But Verlander is able to hang on and win even when he does not have his best stuff. He is 14-2 while Liriano is 12-4.
The Tigers are really a loose, cheerful, bunch. During last night's game, the camera caught Verlander in the dugout with a flame coming from the heel of his left shoe. Subsequently he and half a dozen others were laughing uproariously. Ken Rogers, who has long had a reputation for being a practical joker, was nearby leaning on the dugout rail with a smirk on his face. The Tigers' announcers speculated that it was probably Rogers who gave Verlander the hotfoot. This of course is the kind of good-natured teasing that lets the recipient know that he is a part of the family. Verlander seemed delighted.
By the way, the Tigers won the game, 8-3. Zack Miner (another rookie) was the starter, but did not get credit for the victory, since the Tigers scored most of their runs in the late innings after he had already departed. Reliever Jason Grilli was credited with the win. Since the White Sox and Twins both lost, that put the Tigers 8 1/2 ahead of the Sox, and 10 1/2 ahead of the Twins.
[ August 03, 2006, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
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quote:Liriano has a lower ERA (1.92 compared to Verlander's 2.79). But Verlander is able to hang on and win even when he does not have his best stuff. He is 14-2 while Liriano is 12-4.
Not downing Verlander, but Liriano's easily the better pitcher. Verlander's actually 14-4 and Liriano is 12-2. And Liriano started the season as a reliever, so he only has 14 starts, compared to Verlander's 21.
Of course, if Liriano's elbow soreness that caused him to miss one start clings with him for the rest of the season, the battle could be over for the Cy Young.
Not that Santana or Halladay (or new shoulb-be contender John Lackey) are out of it, but barring massive breakdowns, I think it'll be either Verlander or Liriano.
Or could my boy Papelbon be the first rookie closer to win the award? I mean, Liriano's given up 25 runs in 115 innings so far this year, and Papelbon's given up 3(!!!) in 54 innings.
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I think you'd also have to take into account the Tiger's lineup vs. the Twins'. That could easily account for more than liriano's 2-win deficit.
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Wow, so Liriano's won 12 of the 14 games he's started. Verlander-14 of 21. That's an amazing difference. Don't get me wrong Detroitians, Verlander is an amazing talent who seemingly with be one of the dominant pitchers of this upcoming generation, but he's just flat getting outpitched right now. By almost a run per 9 (1.92 to 2.79). This is gonna be a great race either way though. Of course, I alwasy cheer for Santana to win the award cuz he dominates even with the Twins offense. He should've won it last year. Halladay is ridiculous. If he's healthy, he posts Cy Young caliber numbers year in and year out. The difference this year is that he has a solid offense behind him.
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Not as bad as Michiganians. Most of us prefer Michiganders, even though the snooty types are offended by it sounding too much like a kind of geese.
Cygnus, C-Mo is beyond belief, isn't he? And remember, the Tigers played last night's game after taking a late flight from Florida after a night game there. Their plane probably arrived in Detroit around 3 or 4 a.m. Maybe some of them slept on the plane, but I never could sleep on a plane. The Tigers should have been sleepless zombies, but they still managed great enthusiasm in their 7-6 come-from-behind victory.
Frisco, speaking of Liriano's elbow soreness, Tigers manager Jim Leyland has announced that Verlander will skip his next scheduled start. Leyland is going to have reliever Wilfredo Ledezma take a turn as starter. Verlander showed some signs of fatigue in his last start, when he struggled a little to gain his 14th win. He only allowed three runs, but his pitch count was up to 91 after only five innings, and he admitted he felt a little tired. Leyland is very careful about safeguarding his young pitchers' arms. Even if they have a shutout going, he takes them out of the game if their pitch count gets too high. Of course, he can afford to do that, because the Tigers have such an outstanding staff of relief pitchers.
The Red Sox have suffered a real blow from the loss of catcher Veritek to knee surgery. He is the only other catcher in the major leagues who compares to Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez. That right there could cost the Red Sox any chance of making it to the post season playoffs.
Again, manager Leyland tries to give Pudge rest every so often, by playing Vance Wilson as catcher. Pudge wants to play, and is not always happy about this. But Leyland wants to keep him fresh, and give him time to heal from all the hurts that catchers routinely endure. The good thing about Wilson is that he is a good catcher and decent hitter, good enough to be the first string catcher on most other teams. This is another example of the great depth or "bench strength" the Tigers have.
[ August 05, 2006, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
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After Pudge Rodriguez hit his walk-off home run to cap yet another come-from-behind victory last night, the entire Tigers' team vaulted over the dugout railing and met him at home plate, carrying on as if they had won the seventh game of the World Series. In fact, I have seen some teams that won the World Series who celebrated with less enthusiasm. There were high-fives, hugs, jumping up and down and yelling. The Cleveland Indians could have taken some offense at what they may have regarded as an excessive demonstration. But if so, they would misunderstand. The Tigers are really coming to believe in themselves, believe in their manifest destiny, and building an enormous esprit d'corps. Remember, last year they finished under .500, and a couple of years ago they came close to surpassing the major league record for total number of losses in a season. Now they have hero after hero coming through with the clutch hit, the grand slam, the walk-off homer.
Starter Ken Rogers seems to have gotten straightened around at last. After giving up three runs in the first inning, he went on for six more innings giving up no runs and only one hit. He was totally dominant. He pitched seven full innings, then gave way to Zumaya in the eigth after his pitch total reached 113. It is unfortunate Rogers did not get credit for the victory, because he deserved it. But the Tigers did not have the lead until the bottom of the ninth. Joel Zumaya got the win.
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After Monday's games, the Tigers have opened up a double-digit lead over the White Sox, who lost again while the Tigers won. Something was wrong with Minnesota Twins starter Francisco Liriano--their star rookie pitcher. Even after being rested for a turn so his arm soreness could heal, he did not seem to have confidence or a dominating presence on the mound. The Tigers quickly got to him for four runs, and he had to be taken out of the game in the fourth inning. Later it was reported that some soreness had returned to Liriano's forearm.
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Somebody asked Tigers' manager Jim Leyland if he felt content with a nine-game lead. He replied, "The only time I would be content with a nine-game lead is if there are only eight games left to play."
In last night's game (which the Twins won, 4-2), Leyland kept signalling for Magglio Ordonez, the runner on first base, to run on the pitch. He did so, foul ball after foul ball. After Ordonez dragged himself back to first for the umpteenth time, tongue hanging out in near exhaustion, the camera caught the usually stoic Leyland in the dugout looking at Ordonez and laughing his head off. Now we know what tickles his funnybone!
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