Detroit Tigers

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:20 pm

WolverineSteve wrote:Headed to "The Trop" tonight for the first of four. Looking for the Tigers to get at least 3 of 4. Rogers vs. Fossum.

Go Tigers!!

RACK YOU. enjoy the game.

Terry, i just had to melt for once. I'm not giving up hope, per se, but they have been playing like absolute shit, and of course, they had a chance to sweep the putrid o's on sunday and gain a game, but no, they blow it.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:57 am

Fossum pitched well tonight but I sure would've expected more out of Rogers against a team with nothing to play for. This guy has yet to ease anyone's doubts over here about him wilting in the second half like he always does. He's supposed to be the leader of this rotation...how you can take him seriously when he's pitched the way he has this month. If Chris Shelton can be sent down for being mediocre after having a great April...what the hell has Rogers done to prove he's the ace of the staff after his start of the season? I'm not saying Dombrowski should've looked at adding another starter...hopefully Maroth can return and pitch well...but can anyone tell me they would want Rogers throwing twice in a 5 game series in the divisional round against a team like New York or Boston? I'd rather see Bonderman and Verlander at the front of this rotation if this team makes the playoffs.

The Tigers have a little room for error right now but that doesn't mean piss away opportunities either to allow other clubs to gain ground when they play teams they should dominate. These final two months of the season are going to wear on me big time and hopefully it will for all of the good TigerFan that know they won't make it look this easy the entire way. It makes me nervous when I hear anyone say this team can compete in October. This team flat out hasn't experienced this type of baseball. Pudge and Leyland have rings and Rogers has at least pitched in the playoffs but by no means do I think this team can compete with Boston, New York, Chicago and Anaheim and their wealth of playoff experience. As far as I'm concerned this team will going into the playoffs as the underdog no matter how they finish this season. I want to be Mr. Optimism but as good as this season as been, it still makes me wonder when is it all begins to fall apart.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:16 pm

What a stinker. Dmitri looked like the girl you put at first in a co-ed softball league. Catch the fucking ball!!

JV goes tonight. I'll be there with my Kaline jersey on.

Go Tigers!!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:00 pm

WolverineSteve wrote:What a stinker. Dmitri looked like the girl you put at first in a co-ed softball league. Catch the fucking ball!!

First off, hopefully the rest of the series will go better than last night...enjoy!

The Tigers will see somewhat of a familiar face on the mound in lefty J.P. Howell. The Rays got him in the Gathright trade with the Royals. Casey is supposed to play tonight and I don't expect Casey to really platoon with Young at first as long as he proves to be a steady glove there.

I'll play manager for a moment...where do you slot Casey in this order?

He has one of the better OBP on the team this season and he's a career .304 hitter but he doesn't run well at all. Do you hit him in the top three? Granderson stays in leadoff naturally and Polanco has been excellent all year at putting the ball in play to either get on base following Granderson or at least move him to the next base. Rodriguez has been solid in the three hole and is another good guy that can get on base in front of Ordonez. Ordonez has been the best cleanup hitter this team has had in a long time...no complaints with him. Guillen hitting fifth has been a good decision by Leyland...he's second on the team in RBI and has hovered around .300 all year long along with Ordonez. I think it's wise to keep him in the five hole because of his production and he's a switch hitter so he can give you the right-left combo against right handed pitchers with him and Ordonez.

Here's my order for tonight against the lefty Howell...
Granderson, CF (L)
Polanco, 2B (R)
Rodriguez, C (R)
Ordonez, RF (R)
Guillen, SS (S)
Casey, 1B (L)
Monroe, DH (R)
Thames, LF (R)
Inge, 3B (R)

I don't really want to take Young's bat out of the lineup tonight but Monroe has swung the bat well of late and you can't put him in the field because of his bat leg. Young being a switch hitter makes him a good option for a pinch hitter late in the game. I wanted to put Casey third but Pudge, Ordonez and Guillen have been a great 3-5 at making contacting, moving runners along and driving them in and I don't like putting a slow runner at that part of the order. Hitter him sixth should give Guillen some more pitchers to hitter and you put him on in front of Monroe, Thames and Inge...all capable off taking the ball out of the park. I expect a big bounce back game tonight from the Tigers...I wouldn't want to be J.P. Howell.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:53 am

Nice showing from Casey tonight. Nice pickup, Detroit. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you finally invest in a buyer's (not a seller's) mentality! Whoa, what a concept! You mean if you go out and acquire good players you could become...GOOD? No way?!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:45 am

I don't know how many teams were looking at Casey as a deadline addition but give it to Dombrowski for taking a chance on a guy with a bad back and can't run worth a crap but is known for being a good clubhouse guy and he's a career .300 hitter. Great debut for sure...

RACK Guillen for his cycle
RACK J.V. for being the first pitcher to 14 wins
RACK Clevlen for his first MLB home run

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:01 am

^^^Thunder stolen...

Rack JV for gutting out a win when he didn't have his top shit. Reminded me of Jack Morris in his heyday.

Rack Zoooooom. His stuff is electric. He is for real. The closer of the future, the future may be October.

Rack Guillen. I've never witnessed a cycle live. It takes luck. A misplayed ball in the corner by Crawford...Triple. A shot to the gap that reaches the second row...dinger. Line drive up the middle just out of the reach of a guy called up last night...single. A duck-snort to shallow right-center, turn on the burners, off line throw...double..and we have a cycle. Un believable. Rack Carlos for going for 2.

Rack the Tigers. This bunch is special.

On tap for tommorrow... Tickets in the Sysco suite. Courtesy of my buddy the F&B director at a C.C. Free tix, booze, and chow.....

Life is good...Go Tigers!!!

BlindRef · Post by **BlindRef** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:43 pm

This infield has to be one of the best fielding infields around.

Casey, Palanco, Gullen and Inge with Pudge at the Dish.

This line up is exciting, and last night's game shows great resolve and focus. I keep waiting for the wheel's to fall off, for the Tigers to realize they aren't supposed to be this good and have a nice 10-game losing streak. Everytime things start slipping they come out and kick some ass.

Bless you boys...

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:23 pm

Kicking ass on the lowly teams in the AL is just par for the course with this year's team. Monday's game was very uncharacteristic of them with the poor defense and bad starting pitching but last night was more of what should be expected of them against the Royals and Devil Rays. Verlander wasn't lights out but he was tough on the Rays after that first inning. The thing I like is that they take the games against the Royals and Rays as seriously as they take the games against the Twins and Sox.

After this series, they have a hellish stretch coming up for the rest of the month...26 games in 28 days against the Indians, Twins, White Sox, Red Sox, Rangers and Yankees. I look at this being the most important month of the season. They can damn near wrap up the Central or at least help strengthen their hopes at making the playoffs if they take care of business. I think it's realistic to expect 14 or 15 wins in this 4 weeks coming up...the most important games are the ones within the division. The Red Sox and Yankees series are on the road...I'd be tickled to death if they can go 3-3 in those 6 games.

Maroth should return to the rotation this month, that should be an interesting development as well. What does that mean to guys like Miner and even Kenny Rogers? I don't know what Leyland's thoughts are but he's got to at least entertain the idea of bumping Rogers from the rotation if he continues to eat it. Come October, you need to decide who your three or four best starters and right now, I don't consider Rogers one of those guys. If the playoffs started tomorrow, my playoff rotation would be Bonderman, Verlander, Robertson in the five game series and maybe you put Rogers in the 4th spot in the rotation in a seven game series where he'll pitch just one game. Maroth could very easily slide in and take either Rogers or Robertson's spot in that rotation.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:17 am

It was looking like another crappy start by Rogers but he settled down after that bad first inning and the pitching kept the Tribe off the board the final 8 innings. Great finish and a second straight comeback win...RACK Pudge for the clutch home run. The Jays aren't doing the Tigers any favors and falling out of the playoff hunt all together.

Big week ahead for the White Sox...makeup game with the Angels at home on Monday and then three game series at the Cell against the Yanks and Tigers. It's possible that this coming week could really make or break the Sox chances of catching the Tigers for first place.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:13 pm

Gotta love wins in a game with a spot-starter. Skip Verlander's turn in the rotation one time to give him a little rest and then Ledezma steps in with some help from the 'pen to steal a 1-0 win when Sabathia threw more than well enough to win. I saw the stat...in his starts against the Tigers this year, only 1 run of support total. The Tribe have pitching problems but when their starters throw a good game the offense doesn't step up and in the case of last night with Paul Byrd, the bullpen eats it. Not a pretty sweep but it's still a sweep and with the Sox losing...the lead is 9 going into a huge week for both the Tigers and Sox. Take 2 of 3 in both series and the Tigers should have at least double-digit lead in the Central. The longer this lead holds up and the bigger it gets, it'll allow them to rest pitchers and positional players. They can't get lazy and let either team back into the discussion but they're backups have been able to step in perform when called upon.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:42 am

40 Games over .500!!!

7 in a row vs. the Twinkies.

ChiSox are fading.

This is a Greeeeaaaaat summer!!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:11 am

WolverineSteve wrote:40 Games over .500!!!

7 in a row vs. the Twinkies.

ChiSox are fading.

This is a Greeeeaaaaat summer!!

It's not 7-in-a-row overall against the Twins...they lost July 30 at the Metrodome. I think you mean 7-in-a-row against them at Comerica.

Still can't really complain about the way things are going. I get a little touchy about some of the losses they've had recently. Mostly in the way they lose the games but to be this far over .500, you gotta realize they'll lose games every once in a while. If you win 100 games in a season, you still have to lose 62 times. No other sport can you lose that many games during the regular season and still be considered a great team. I think some of the losses they've had remind me of the lean years of recent past where this team would lose games in so many different ways.

You look at them now, they are winning games in a lot of different ways. Like this weekend...they swept Cleveland but had to play from behind on Friday and Saturday and then on Sunday, they had to get a clutch performance from Ledezma to match the great start by Sabathia to win 1-0. They won all three games against the Indians but there weren't necessarily the best team in the series. They did find ways to win though and in the end, those wins help get you to the postseason. In a great season, a lot of the time you have to win when you really have no business winning the game in the first place. I think this team is capable of winning every night but sometimes, they don't play well enough to win but through determination and creating their own luck, they steal games away from other teams.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:32 am

That was definitely a humbling performance by Contreras on Friday...he was in top form. Verlander didn't look awful...most of those hits early on by the Sox were seeing-eye singles. It wasn't until the fifth when the Sox really started to hit him hard. From watching the series against the Yankees, I still think the Sox are major force to be reckoned with. They're showing that same quality of last season of being tough to beat. There's teams that know how to win and then there are teams that play hard and even if they lose, the other team has to sweat it out. Hopefully the Tigers rebound this afternoon on FOX Saturday Baseball in a battle of two soft throwing lefties...Rogers vs. Buehrle. Losing three in a row isn't cause for concern by any means...no team is ammune to that sort of thing.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:22 pm

Aggrevated by the loss only because Rogers threw a good game and the Tigers defense let him down. That 5th inning, both teams gave away extra outs and it lead to three run innings. I like Carlos Guillen, but he and Inge have to be one of the worst left sides of an infield as far as errors are concerned...34 errors combined.

If the Tigers can salvage a win this afternoon, this series won't be a total disaster. With the Tigers going to Boston for three at the start of next week and Chicago getting four games with the Royals...it'll be important to get this lead back to 7-1/2 because I have a feeling the Tigers will lose some more ground when playing at Fenway and I anticipate Chicago winning 3 or 4 from the hapless Royals...regardless of what they did to Boston recently.

The White Sox have shown they are the better team head-to-head and they know it. If Chicago does make the postseason, I still think they're favorites to win it all again. The Tigers should be able to skate through the rest of the regular season by beating the teams they should beat but when the postseason rolls around, this team can't be considered the favorite against any of the contenders because they haven't shown they can beat them.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:58 pm

First 5-game skid all year. That in and of itself shows how steady Leyland has kept the ship all year. Big series with Boston on tap. They've struggled of late and it would be nice to get 2 of 3 at Fenway.

Not worried yet. The purpose of building a 10 game lead is to allow for a tough stretch. Once through the rotation is long enough. We need Robertson to be the stopper.

Go Tigers.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:21 pm

I'm discouraged by the way things went this weekend and by the way things have gone against the Sox in general. Take away the Monroe grand slam and the Sox would have won every series against the Tigers. Hopefully in the end, the Sox are just one of those teams that have your number and you can get lucky and never have to play them in October. The problem is, they have 7 more games with them including for at the Copa next week. They've got to figure these guys because they can't afford another slump like that right now. The Sox are only getting stronger, the Twins won't die even after losing Liriano, and Boston and New York are savvy and battle-tested squads...this definitely isn't their first rodeo. Not many of the Tigers really know what they're in for in the next couple of months with the exception of Pudge and The Roastah. This is where Leyland and his playoff-tested Pirate coaching staff needs keep this team's eyes on the prize. To take a phrase from Mickey Redmond..."No place for a nervous person"

Probables for the Red Sox series:
Tonight: Robertson vs. Beckett
Tuesday: Bonderman vs. Schilling
Wednesday: Verlander vs. Wells

Three kids against three battle-tested championship pitchers. This is the type of matchups the Tigers are going to have to get used to seeing. Beckett is a kid himself but dude won a World Series deciding game at the Stadium...he's an example of guy with no experience that spit in the face of the odds and history and won. Guys like Verlander and Bonderman need to channel that energy and winning 2 of 3 against a somewhat desperate Red Sox team would be the perfect remedy for this slide.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:29 pm

2 for 2...credit to the Tigers for bouncing back after Ortiz delivered again in the clutch in the bottom of the 8th. I feel for Bonderman...threw one of his best games of the year and ends up with an ND. RACK Polanco for giving up his body and making a very important play late in the game...unfortunately, the Tigers may be without his services for a while. Initial reports are he suffered a seperated shoulder. I would assume Infante will fill in at 2B but losing Polanco's reliable bat in the 2-hole will hurt more. He was one of the leaders in the AL for average with RISP. Much like it's been the story all year, someone else will have to step up and contribute to fill the void. Definitely a bonus last night with the Royals stealing a win at the Cell and now the lead is back up to 6-1/2. Huge one tonight for Verlander...on ESPN and going against a grizzled veteran in Wells. It would be a great to get a sweep at Fenway after dropping five straight.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:31 am

I'd be lying if I wasn't disappointed with this weekend's results. Friday and Saturday were well pitched games by both teams but the Tigers pissed away some opportunities and gave the Rangers some extra outs here and there. The defense has really slipped of late. I don't think they've always been all that good to begin with but their performance in the last couple of weeks has been disturbing to say the least. The Rangers and the Red Sox are very good defensive teams and they didn't give outs away like the Tigers did. Between errors, the pitchers throwing a lot of walks and then stranding runners or having runners thrown out for extra bases...it's something that needs to be worked on. Early in the year when this team really took off, they didn't make nearly as many mistakes as they are making now.

They were able to pick up a veteran infielder to fill the void left by Polanco by acquiring Neifi Perez from the Cubs for a Single-A catching prospect, Chris Robinson.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2555615

I can't imagine with his weak offensive ability that he'd be anything more than a utility player. He could spell Guillen at short, Inge at third and play some second...I still think Infante is the better option at that spot only because of his ability to handle the bat and he's generally very sure-handed over there. The Tigers have a lot of flexibility in the way they can play a lot of guys in multiple positions or certain guys have played other positions in the past. Given the catching situation with Pudge and Wilson, I don't think Inge will be moving back behind the plate any time soon but he was the catcher up until Pudge came to town. There's guys that can play multiple outfield positions, Infante and Inge have been all over the field. It's great to have guys like Thames, Clevlen, Wilson and Young, who don't play all the time but when they play, they make the most of their opportunity. Hopefully that depth will help keep the team healthy and fresh for the postseason. I have to believe Maroth will start throwing soon...he had a rehab stint in Toledo not too long ago but it wasn't too impressive. I think they have to worry about Verlander right now and find out exactly what is giving him problems in the last couple of starts. I think most of it is control and throwing so many innings...he's going to be needed down the stretch so hopefully he gets turned around soon. I think the back end of the bullpen is as good as it's been all season long...Jones has really settled down, hasn't blown a save since June 9, and Zumaya is a great rally-killer out of the 'pen...he's really been able to harness his fastball and mix in his offspeed pitches to make him difficult to get good swings off of. Walker is one of the best situational lefties in the AL. Ledezma isn't nearly as effective when he comes in with inherited baserunners.

Definitely an important series coming up with the Sox coming to town for four starting tomorrow night. The Sox are back to 5-1/2 back like they were a week ago and the Twins are just 6-1/2 back after they took two of three from Chicago. I don't want to think about it but there still a very real possibility this team could miss the playoffs because the Sox and Twins just won't go away.

Probables for the Sox series:
Monday - Verlander vs. Contreras
Tuesday - Rogers vs. Buehrle
Wednesday - Miner vs. Garcia
Thursday - Robertson vs. Garland

Can't help but feel nervous about this series...nothing has shown me the Tigers can beat the Sox on a consistent basis. The first three matchups are the same from the series last weekend at the Cell...the Tigers will face the Sox four best, Vazquez has been bad of late but the other four are pitching very well. Thursday against Garland makes me worried...he's probably been the best Sox pitcher against the Tigers in the past but even Contreras is rarely knocked around much even when he was very mediocre with the Yankees. It's the same approach to every series...tie or win the series and then move on to the next one. Splitting this four game set would be ideal, three wins would be a huge thing to be able to add to the lead. I would be gripping very hard if the Sox come in and take all four and make the lead 1-1/2. Minnesota has Baltimore...three winnable games for them. If the Tigers don't take care of business, they'll have two teams right on their ass. Big series on many fronts...looking forward to it.

Qbert · Post by **Qbert** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:14 am

Neifi Perez is inconsistent...but not weak.

Now that he is in his 1st Pennant Chase???....who know's what he'll do????

i'd LOVE to see all of the Mud Hens do well....but, remember that Neifi has seen the White Sox pitching this year.

Neifi will do better than Omar down the stretch with the Bat...and yes, Omar is better with the glove.

gotta go with the BAT Shoalzie.

Qbert · Post by **Qbert** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:19 am

Neifi Perez is inconsistent...but not weak.

Now that he is in his 1st Pennant Chase???....who know's what he'll do????

i'd LOVE to see all of the Mud Hens do well....but, remember that Neifi has seen the White Sox pitching this year.

Neifi will do better than Omar down the stretch with the Bat...and yes, Omar is better with the glove.

gotta go with the BAT Shoalzie.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:15 pm

Neifi went 0-for-4, left 3 on base and grounded into a double play...still very satisfying to put the boots to Contreras. Meanwhile, Verlander threw his first quality start since the first of the month against Tampa and beat the Sox for the first time this season. The Tigers have to get it in their heads that they need these games as much as Chicago does even though they are in the better position in the standings. I'd love to see a desperate team out there in this series...they're only 10-10 in this month.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:30 pm

Tigerfans need to maintain their position on the bandwagon. Playing damn near .700 ball for four months allows them to have a prolonged .500 stretch. Still only one 5 game losing streak all year. Even if they split the 4-gamer with Chicago they'd still be up 5.5 games....the same lead they held at the All-Star break.

In Leyland we trust.

Go Tigers.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:37 pm

They can now do no worse than a split after taking the first two but why not just stop at taking 2 of 4? A sweep virtually clinches the division and 3 of 4 still puts them in a good spot. This could end up being a similar same series to the one that the Sox had with the Indians at the end of the season last year when the pressure was on them and the finally put them away for good. The Tigers will still have to have a solid month of September to hold but the schedule gets easier. The start of the month could be tough...3 with the Angels and 4 at the Metrodome with 3 against Seattle in the middle. Hopefully with that last Twins series, the division could settled by then and those last three games against the Sox from September 18-20 won't matter nearly as much to the Tigers.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:10 pm

Oh shit!

BlindRef · Post by **BlindRef** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:12 pm

I guess we aren't making the playoffs now.

Shit.

(I hate you SI)

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:43 pm

Shoalzie wrote:Oh shit!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:49 pm

The week started off well with 2 wins against the Sox but finished with losses in 4 out of 5 games. The good thing is that the deficit for the Sox remains at 5-1/2 but now the Twins are definitely a factor in not only the wild card but the division race. The Tigers still have 3 games at the Cell and 4 games at the HomerDome in September...crucial games in deciding if they can hold off this late charge or if they'll complete an epic collapse the White Sox nearly had last year. I look at this upcoming series with the Yankees as another measuring stick for the team...much like the series at Fenway two weeks ago. Face one of the giants on the road and if they accept the challenge or get their asses handed to them in three straight. This series will complete their most grueling month of the season...September appears to be much easier on paper but you never know what happens when you run into a team with nothing to lose.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:11 pm

I'm not officially worried yet, though there are traces on the horizon. It seems that the hitting has gone cold on good pitching nights and the pitching cools on good hitting nights. Big series with the Yanks. Their pitching is suspect and hopefully we can win some 9-8 games this series. We've got Robertson, Ledezma, and Bonderman going against Wang, Johnson and Wright. I like us in games 1 and 3, and Ledezma pitched well in his last spot start.

Go Tigers!!

JCT · Post by **JCT** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:15 pm

Rainout.

Day night DH tomorrow. Wang in game 1, Wright in #2 Johnson pushed to game 3.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:47 pm

The Tigers luck out from the stand point they get an extra day's rest after not having a day off since the 10th. Interesting to see what Leyland does with his lineup and bullpen considering the doubleheader today but also Thursday game is in the afternoon. These will be three games played very close to each other. The Tigers won't reshuffle their pitchers but it does set up for a sexy Thursday matchup of Bonderman vs. Johnson.

Surprisingly, the Tigers decided to call up their #1 pick from this year, Andrew Miller, prior to September 1. He would be eligible for the postseason roster by doing this move. I'm sure he'll get plenty of looks in long relief out of the pen and maybe a couple of starts here and there. Also, Mike Maroth is scheduled to start Monday against Seattle. It appears Zach Miner is out of the rotation until further notice. I wonder if he'll have to battle with guys like Colon, Ledezma and Miller for the long relief roles in the 'pen. Colon is on the DL currently. Considering the Tigers will have to pare the rotation down to 4 guys, the extra starter will be moved into the pen as well...I would assume. With Robertson moving up a day, that spot for Sunday's starter becomes up for debate. Maybe this is a chance to give Miller a start right away.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:26 pm

Miller had the call up written into his contract, not an uncommon clause for high round draft choices. It's believed he'll get some looks out of the pen in low-pressure situations. If all goes well he'll be a situational guy in the post-season.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:58 pm

The Tigers aren't going to make this easy on the fans going down the stretch...luckily, neither the Sox or the Twins have caught fire enough to overtake them. After the three game set with Seattle, there is a monster four-game series at the Metrodome. I hope the Tigers can at least hold more than a 4 game lead going into that series because they'd be very vulnerable to being knocked out of first place after that series is over.

Last night's game is just one of those games...both teams pitched outstanding and someone had to lose. 18 of their final 25 games are against teams out of the playoff chase...these games the Tigers can't take lightly. The Sox have a tricky schedule only 3 "gimmes" against Seattle...they still have 7 more with the hard-hitting Tribe, 3 games each with Detroit and Minnesota and then they have series with the Angels, A's, and Red Sox. The Twins' schedule is not as difficult as the Sox but still tough. They've got 15 games against divisional opponents plus series against Boston and Oakland. Given this bit of information...the Tigers have to take full advantage and they better able to hold off this late run of the Sox and Twins. The Tigers have to run into several spoiler teams down the stretch but they are still winnable games regardless.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:19 am

The huge series with the Twins starts with a bang as Granderson leads off the game with a homer to center. I expect no less than a split. While this is a golden chance for the Twins to close the gap on the Tigers, it's also a great time for the Tigers to get back some of that breathing room they used to have.

Series' probables:
Tonight: Verlander vs. Baker
Friday: Ledezma vs. Garza
Saturday: Robertson vs. Bonser
Sunday: Bonderman vs. Santana

Liriano is still out and they avoid Radke...those matchups scream a 3-out-4 series for the Tigers. Gotta take care of business...

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:50 pm

Must win game today...no other way to put it. Even though the Tigers are up against the best pitcher in the game in Santana and at his home park...the Tigers have to find a way to gut out a win to take some heat off of them and gain the important series split. The pitching has continued to be very impressive but they are now running into games where the other team pitches just as well and they are the ones getting the key hits and executing when it counts...not the Tigers. This lineup really does miss Polanco...Infante has played well in the field in his absense. It's been good to get Guillen's bat back in the lineup but Polanco was such a steady guy in the #2 hole. Hopefully he's back before the end of the season and maybe just maybe the lineup can pull out of this nose dive. They can't expect the starting pitchers to give up only 2 or 3 runs a game and expect to eek out win after win like they may have done earlier in the year. This team hasn't won back to back games since the 21st and 22nd of last month against the White Sox. 10-21 in their last 31 games...and still 19 games left.

I can use the comparison of the Sox from last year but the comparisons stop after the fact we're talking about two first place teams. You can't correlate the two cases...and the Sox were 17-12 in September last year. They had a 12-16 August that brought them back to the pack and Cleveland caught fire and almost overtook them in the end. This year, you can definitely see a lot of similar things but the problem is that the Tigers have two teams that can catch them and knock them completely out of the playoffs. Minnesota has been the best team in baseball for the better part of a few months. They are doing it with essentially one starter and a young lineup. Ron Gardenhire has overtaken Jim Leyland for manager of the year. Oddly enough, I was getting on the Eric Wedge bandwagon last year when Cleveland made their run and ultimately Ozzie and the Sox were still on top. Terry Ryan, like Mark Shapiro last year, should be executive of the season for the midseason retooling he did with the roster. Going with youth and cutting loose some underachieving veterans and he should get a lifetime achievement award for the Nathan/Liriano/Bonser for Pierzynski trade. Brian Sabean has to be kicking himself in the ass every day he sees Liriano throw another great game.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:35 pm

Pathetic...

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:37 pm

Now that I've had a day to calm down...time to look ahead to last three weeks of the season. Minnesota takes the first game from Oakland last night and the lead is now down to 1-1/2. This team has been able to perform without pressure all year and now that the noose is tightening, they face the real possibility of missing the postseason after being 40 games over .500 at one point of the year. Looking at the remainder of the schedule...they have just three games against a playoff-contending team; three games at the Cell next week. That series could end up being emense in stature if the Twins pass the Tigers this week and it'll come down to a matter of survival. I'd favor the Sox in the series given that they've been through this situation before, it'll be in Chicago and they're well ahead in the season series. I don't care how myopic TigerFan is...you have to start feeling nervous now after seeing what you saw this past weekend. This team is in full free-fall mode and there are no signs of it getting better. They just need to hold on for dear life at this point.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:19 am

Guillen comes up huge in the ninth with his second homer of the game to escape the rain with a much-needed win. Meanwhile in Minneapolis, fucking Joe Kennedy gives up 4 in the 8th to the Twins and the lead remains just 1-1/2 games. The Angels are up 2-0 early on as I'm ready to hit the hay...hopefully I'll wake up with some good news coming out of Los Angeles.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:22 pm

With Santana throwing tonight in Cleveland, there's a real possibility that this will be the Tigers last day in first place in the Central. At this point, any team regardless of situation can beat them...they simply aren't responding to the gravity of this situation. They can't sit back and wait for Polanco to return and hope he'll make a difference...they've already frittered away what seemed to be a healthy lead in the division. It's just so strange that this team can stress the belief of playing 9 innings but they've failed in understanding that you also need to play all 162 games if you want to be successful in this league. The two biggest enemies of this team right now is time and themselves.

Kansas City Kid · Post by **Kansas City Kid** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:50 pm

The Twins and the White Sox are both headed for the postseason and Detroit will get left out!