Bless You Boys

Why So Timid, Armando? Indians 5, Tigers 4

2009-07-12T13:16:06Z

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Armando Galarraga fell into old habits, trying to avoid bats rather than pitch to contact, and it may have cost him and the Tigers a win Saturday night.

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Armando Galarraga seemed to be making so much progress in his past few starts. Of course, getting better movement on his slider helped a great deal. But more important was throwing strikes, pitching to contact, and trusting his defense to make plays behind him, rather than nibbling around the plate and trying to trick batters or miss bats.

And for at least one key stretch in last night's ballgame, Galarraga relapsed into those old habits and it may have cost him and the Tigers a win. In the third inning, after retiring the first two Indians hitters, Galarraga was far too cautious against the top of Cleveland's lineup.

Falling behind Grady Sizemore 2-0 (though one of those pitches could've been called a strike), Galarraga needed to throw a strike and left a pitch out over the plate that Sizemore drove for a triple. He stayed away from Victor Martinez, throwing sliders and change-ups low and away, and walked him on five pitches. He came back at Shin-Soo Choo with fastballs, but again threw everything low and away, walking Choo on another five pitches. That loaded the bases for Travis Hafner, and with Galarraga having to throw a strike, he teed up a fastball out over the plate (at this point, Cleveland's batters had to know that's where Galarraga was trying to throw the ball), and Hafner sliced it to left field for a single.

You could say that Galarraga was victimized by bad luck, as Hafner's line drive bounced out of Ryan Raburn's glove as he tried to make a diving catch. But the point is that it never should've come to that. Had Galarraga pitched more aggressively - a point emphasized by both Jim Leyland and Gerald Laird in post-game comments - the worst that would've happened is that Cleveland would've tied the game instead of taking the lead.

Kurt already transcribed several of Leyland's remarks on Twitter and his recap at Mack Avenue Tigers, but to underline the point, here's some of what the Tigers manager said about Galarraga:

"He pitched Sizemore like he's Babe Ruth, pitched Martinez like he's Babe Ruth, and pitched Choo like he was Babe Ruth."

"He's been here long enough to know that."

"If you're afraid to throw the ball over the late with two outs and nobody on base in the third inning, you've got problems."

Laird may have been a bit more polite, but no less critical:

"You get the first two outs of an inning, you got to close it out. And we needed to be aggressive."

"We backed off a bit. Instead of being aggressive, he got tentative with a man in scoring position."

Maybe the worst thing to happen to Galarraga is when he starts posting big strikeout numbers. After doing so in April, he then seemed to become enamored with making hitters miss, rather than pitching to them. Galarraga racked up seven strikeouts in his last outing, so did the same thing happen in his following start. Did he start thinking he was a strikeout pitcher (something he hasn't been in his 1 1/2 seasons in Detroit)? Or, as Leyland and Laird said, was he just too timid in his approach, instead of going after hitters?

Purr:

Galarraga isn't the sole reason the Tigers lost this game, however. The lineup once again showed how inconsistent it could be, failing to mount any sort of real scoring threat against Carl Pavano after driving in two runs in the second inning.

I realize the initial impulse is to say, "How could they look that bad against Carl Pavano?" But this wasn't quite another case of the Tigers making a mediocre pitcher look good. Well, maybe it was. But Pavano came into the game pitching well, having allowed three earned runs in each of his past three starts. If anything, he provided an excellent example of how a pitcher can succeed throwing strikes. Pavano hit the strike zone with 72 of his 101 pitches. (Maybe Tigers coaches should make Galarraga watch tape of Pavano's performance.)

And maybe Pavano is just a bad match-up for Detroit. In two starts against the Tigers this season (both at Comerica Park), he's given up four runs in 15.1 innings with nine strikeouts. And most importantly, no walks.

Whimper:

Marcus Thames has been playing well lately, so it's probably unfair to single him out for this. But in the ninth inning, after Kerry Wood walked Placido Polanco on four straight pitches and fell behind Miguel Cabrera 2-1 before serving up a two-run homer, Thames comes to the plate and... swings at the first pitch. In Thames's defense, it was an 88 m.p.h. slider that was right down the middle, and he just missed getting a good swing on it (and he knew it right away, judging from his reaction). But it really didn't seem like the smartest at-bat in that situation.

Comment of the Night:

"Jason" Galarraga is pitching like he doesn’t want the ball to get cooties from getting too close to the plate.

by Baroque

Game 86: Indians at Tigers

2009-07-11T22:00:12Z

Carl Pavano (7-7, 5.36) vs. Armando Galarraga (5-7, 5.03), 7:05 p.m. EST

During the spring, Carl Pavano was a reason most people (including me) changed their preseason AL Central pick from the Indians to the Twins. ("If Carl Pavano is Cleveland's #3 starter, their starting pitching can't be good." And Pavano is now the Tribe's #2 starter, after Fausto Carmona crapped out and was sent to the minors.)

Of course, Pavano did beat the Tigers the last time he faced them. The last time the Indians visited Comerica Park, he held Detroit to two runs and five hits over 7.1 innings, earning his first win of the season. Pavano has also pitched pretty well lately, giving up two runs in each of his past two starts, with nine strikeouts in 13.2 innings.

Someone else pitching well in recent weeks is Armando Galarraga. He's won two of his past three starts, and was deprived of a win in his last outing when the Tigers' bullpen couldn't hold onto a slim one-run lead. (We are looking at you, Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney.) Before he left that game after seven innings, however, Galarraga gave up just one run and five hits, and struck out seven Royals batters. If he's finally regained the feel for his slider, Detroit's starting rotation suddenly looks much better.

But it didn't go so well for Galarraga the last time he faced the Tribe. In early May at Comerica Park, the Indians roughed him up for five runs in five innings (though the Tigers almost let him off the hook for a loss with an eighth-inning comeback that fell just short). Galarraga has a 3-1 record and 4.84 ERA in six career starts against Cleveland.

Rick Porcello Has a Blog!

2009-07-11T18:16:45Z

Rick Porcello Has a Blog!

Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Rick Porcello is now part of the baseball blogosphere, with a journal that just debuted at MLBlogs.com.

In his first entry, Porcello talks about his first half of the season, and how his season quickly changed from a prospect that was set to pitch in Double-A Erie to a major leaguer making his debut in Toronto.

(Thanks to wepri31 for pointing this out for us yesterday.)

Edwin Jackson Gets Some Runs: Tigers 5, Indians 1

2009-07-11T03:35:16Z

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Edwin Jackson won for the first time in six starts, holding the Cleveland Indians to one run over seven innings. And this time, the Detroit Tigers lineup scored him some runs.

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Unlike his past few starts, Edwin Jackson didn't have to go into the later innings wondering if he'd ever get enough runs from his lineup to get a win. The Tigers put up three runs in the second inning, pouncing on a scoring opportunity when Cliff Lee gave up singles to the first two batters he faced.

That's all Jackson needed, as he pitched what's become his usual fine game. Over seven innings, he allowed just one run and four hits, adding four strikeouts and two walks. His only blemish was a solo homer served up to Ryan Garko in the fifth inning, on what was a pretty good inside fastball.

Okay, it wasn't perfect. After those four hits in the second, Detroit didn't get another hit until the eighth. Marcus Thames made sure that hit count, however, reaching out over the plate to pull a hanging slider from Joe Smith over the left field fence for a two-run homer. And with that, the Tigers scored more runs for Jackson than they had in six of his last seven starts.

Might Jackson have looked over to that opposing dugout and felt any sympathy for Lee? It's not like he pitched a bad game, giving up three runs and five hits in seven innings, with eight strikeouts. But tonight, Lee was the one who couldn't get any run support. In two starts against the Indians this season, Jackson has allowed one run and nine hits in 14 innings, with 11 strikeouts and three walks.

Whimper:

Has Glass Joel reared his fragile head again? Joel Zumaya threw just two pitches to Asdrubal Cabrera before a cut on his right thumb forced him to leave the game. No word yet on how serious the cut is, or whether it may have developed before he came in to pitch.

Comment of the Night:

Okay, if you were in tonight's GameThread, you know what the COTN really was (and boy, am I sorry for opening that door), but I can't post that on the front page. Not that this wasn't a deserving choice.

Would you rather

have Thames hit a two run homer making this a non-save situation or go scoreless in the eighth making this a save situation for Rodney (which seems to be the only situation he pitches well in).

by tigerfaninChicago

Game 85: Indians at Tigers

2009-07-10T22:00:13Z

Cliff Lee (4-8, 3.45) vs. Edwin Jackson (6-4, 2.59), 7:05 p.m. EST

After taking two out of three from the AL Central's fourth-place team, the Tigers try to end the unofficial first half of the season with a strong showing against the fifth-place Indians.

Cliff Lee hasn't won in his past four starts for the Tribe. His last two, in particular, didn't look so good, as Lee allowed 10 runs, 19 hits, and five walks in nine total innings. Lee has lost both of his starts against the Tigers this season, but he's given up only four runs in 15 innings. In nine career starts at Comerica Park, he has a 3-2 record and 3.42 ERA.

Since his last start on Saturday, Edwin Jackson was named to the All-Star team for the first time. Inexplicably, he's winless in his past five starts despite giving up three or fewer runs in each of those outings. Actually, it's not hard to understand at all, considering the poor run support Jackson continues to receive from his lineup. Despite striking out a season-high nine batters in six innings against the Twins, he took a no-decision when the bullpen couldn't hold a one-run lead (nor could the Tigers' offense provide an insurance run).

Jackson has faced the Indians one other time this season, shutting them out over seven innings in a 4-0 win at Cleveland. At home this season, he has a 3-1 record and 2.94 ERA in seven starts.

Let's Go Tribe has your SB Nation opposing view for this weekend's series.

The D-Train Pitching in Toledo?

2009-07-10T19:21:55Z

The D-Train Pitching in Toledo?

Jason Beck hears from the Toledo Blade's John Wagner that Dontrelle Willis is pitching a simulated game in Toledo this afternoon.

No word on why the D-Train is doing this with the Mud Hens, rather than the Tigers, but apparently Willis has been in Toledo since Wednesday.

Brandon Inge Will Play Home Run Derby

2009-07-10T17:15:13Z

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Tigers fans have seen Brandon Inge's home run power all season. Inge gets to show it off for a national audience on Monday night in the Home Run Derby.

Browse more photos »

Not only will Brandon Inge be playing in his first All-Star Game next Tuesday, but his 19 home runs (tied for the fourth-highest total in the American League) for the season have also prompted an invitation to participate in Monday night's Home Run Derby.

"I figured it would be something to have fun with," he said. "As I grew up as a little kid, I always watched the Home Run Derby. I wouldn't watch the whole game; I couldn't sit there long enough. So I just want to go out there and do that, have fun with it, enjoy it, represent our team the best I can."

No one on the American League side has been officially announced as participants yet. The National League contingent was announced days ago, with Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez bringing their big sticks to the Derby. The AL grouping, however, is more notable for who's declined an invitation. Last year's champion and runner-up, Justin Morneau and Josh Hamilton, have both opted out. But that just creates an opportunity for players such as Inge.

For those worried that participating in a home run hitting contest might mess up Inge's swing, he doesn't seem too concerned about that.

"Nah, that doesn't mess with your swing," he said. "You can play golf. You can do anything you want. It doesn't matter. It's just the point of having fun."

Nor does his manager.

"That's the biggest bunch of [baloney] in the history of baseball," Jim Leyland said. "It's showtime and it doesn't affect anything. Half of them try to do it all year long anyway. That's just a nice topic for conversation."

Ah, yes - The Tao of Leyland. We need a little bit more of that this year.

Brandon Inge: Winner of Final Vote, Winner of Life!

2009-07-09T23:05:56Z

Inge wins! Inge wins! Inge wins!

Brandon Inge maintained his narrow lead over Ian Kinsler for the AL All-Star Final Vote throughout the day, powered by a big promotional effort at the ballpark and online from the Tigers, a clever cross-promotion with the Phillies (Bran-Torino!) to get votes from their fans in exchange for backing Shane Victorino, and just an incredible wave of support from Tigers fans.

Just look at the thread we had open here at BYB today in the final hours of voting. (Apologies for the hiccup we had at SB Nation around 2 p.m., by the way. All problems appear to have been fixed.) You guys were voting at work, at home, at the gym, and pushing one another to keep our collective foot on the pedal (crashing MLB.com) and give Inge the final push necessary to win an honor he richly deserves. Give yourselves a hand. Seriously.

Image courtesy of Roar of the Tigers

And so the Detroit Tigers will have four representatives at the All-Star Game next Tuesday, three of which will be playing in the game for the first time. (Amazingly. the group doesn't include the player most would consider to be their best.)

The quartet tells the story of this season, as well. Two starting pitchers having amazing seasons, giving the Tigers something virtually no other team has right now. An exciting young player who's given his team a big chunk of the limited offense it's received, who's now a face of the team and an ambassador for his sport. Then there's the comeback kid. The guy who's been here through bad times and good. Who didn't seem to have a place on the team last year, but persevered, made important changes in his game, and been rewarded with a resurgent season.

Congratulations to Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, and Curtis Granderson. And a slow clap for Brandon Inge.

Vote Inge! Vote Victorino! Vote until 4 p.m.!

2009-07-09T15:30:09Z

Okay, people - you know what's at stake. And by the time you read this, only mere hours remain in which to make a difference. Vote Brandon Inge to the 2009 All-Star Game!

A surge of support for the Tigers' third baseman has put him in the lead for the Final Vote. As of 10 a.m. this morning, he maintained a slim lead over Ian Kinsler for that final All-Star spot. Giving a major boost to the Inge movement was a joint effort between the Tigers and Phillies to get Philadelphia fans to vote for Inge in return for Detroit fans voting for Shane Victorino, who's on the NL Final Vote ballot.

Here's the ballot. Do that thing you've been doing all week.

Image courtesy of Roar of the Tigers

The Inge-Victorino campaign, as most of you surely already know, has been dubbed "Bran-Torino." Catchy? Maybe. A clever pun on a recent movie title? Sure. I think this has more of a future as a breakfast cereal idea, however. Little bran clusters shaped like 1970s muscle cars? Vroom! Delicious.

We're down to the final hours in this Final Vote. All the stops are being pulled out. The Tigers are doing this "Bran-Torino" thing. Detroit4lyfe is giving away Tigers key chains. (Although that helps D4L out more than it helps Inge, doesn't it? It helps you too, of course, if you want a Tigers key chain.)

Vote often! Vote Inge! (And Victorino, too!)

Magglio Ordonez Now a Platoon Player

2009-07-09T14:00:19Z

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Magglio Ordonez won't be needing his batting helmet when the Detroit Tigers face right-handed pitchers in the near-future.

Browse more photos »

We try not to bring up the 2008 season very much anymore, but do you remember how often Jim Leyland would try something - anything - to get the team going last year? If there was any excitement to that lost season, especially toward the end, it was checking in before the game to see what position swap or lineup change Leyland was attempting. About the only thing he didn't try last year was putting Carlos Guillen at catcher.

(Of course, we've also seen some of that this year, in regards to the lineup. Clete Thomas batting third? Curtis Granderson batting cleanup? Don Kelly batting cleanup?)

Over the past few weeks, this approach has been applied to Magglio Ordonez, as Leyland and the Tigers keep trying new ways to invigorate his limp bat. He's hit third in the batting order. He's batted fifth. He's alternated between right field and designated hitter. He was finally moved down to the seventh spot. He was "indefinitely" ~~benched~~ given a break for four games in mid-June. Then he was put back into the lineup.

All of this was being done without addressing the proverbial pink elephant in the room, that being the $18 million contract option that Ordonez would earn for next year if he started 135 games or reached 540 plate appearances. That was going to be a massive overpayment even if Maggs was close to achieving his numbers over the past three seasons. But for a guy who's had only 14 extra-base hits all year? (That "Singlio" nickname only hurts because it's true.)

Other than showing rare flashes (such as his 2-for-3, three-run homer performance last Saturday at Minnesota) of the hitter he once was, however, nothing has worked. Ordonez still isn't driving the ball with any sort of regularity, continuing to slap the ball to right field, rather than hit it into the gap or pull it. Unless a pitcher makes a big mistake, such as Ted Lilly throwing a weak change-up, he looks overmatched at the plate, trying to compensate for lost bat speed.

Which brings us to yesterday's announcement that Ordonez will now platoon in right field with Clete Thomas, freshly called up from Triple-A Toledo. (Boy, we really buried the lede there, didn't we?) And with that, the Tigers may have reached their final solution in this "What to do about Magglio?" dilemma.

Against left-handed pitching, Ordonez has a .299/.357/.498 batting line with three homers and 13 RBIs in 84 plate appearances. Thomas is batting .230/.316/.425 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 98 PAs versus right-handers. Maybe that doesn't look demonstrably better, but consider that Maggs's OPS against righties is .611. Thomas will also provide far greater defensive range in right field, which is arguably an even better reason to put him in the lineup.

But perhaps most importantly, the right-handed side of a position platoon is always going to draw the short straw in terms of appearances, and that's where this really solves the Magglio problem for the Tigers. As The Detroit Tigers Weblog points out, if you consider how often Detroit is likely to face left-handed starting pitchers for the rest of the season, and how many plate appearances Ordonez would probably see in a game, he'll come up short of the number that would trigger that $18 million option.

This also helps the Tigers avoid potentially upsetting the clubhouse (and its sizable Venezuela contingent) by allowing Ordonez to maintain some dignity and a continued opportunity to turn his season around. With Maggs still getting some playing time, no one can accuse the team of benching him to avoid those vesting contract options. (Even if his sub-par play would justify such a benching in the first place.) They don't have to face the difficult decision of releasing him, something that would surely be unpopular with both players and fans.

And more than anything else, the Tigers can say they tried. They patiently waited for Maggs to find his batting stroke. They stuck by him while his wife was suffering through her health issues. They put him in prime spots in the batting order. They rested him. There is nothing more the Tigers can do here.

It's on Magglio Ordonez to play better. (Of course, it always has been. But the benefit of doubt has also been considered. And it's also up to Thomas to hold up his part of the platoon.) If he does, great. It's what the Tigers have needed all along. If not, then the two sides part ways after the season with no hard feelings. And that's probably what's going to happen anyway. But this way, at least, both parties come out looking better in the end.

My Inge Banner

2009-07-09T13:03:14Z

My Inge Banner

French Fried: Tigers 3, Royals 1

2009-07-09T03:20:11Z

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Luke French didn't look like a pitcher making only his second major league start Wednesday night against the Kansas City Royals.

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Did you look at tonight's pitching match-up and have this one written off before you sat down to watch? Zack Greinke, probably the best pitcher in the American League this season, versus Luke French, making the second major league start of his career? This wasn't going to end well, was it?

Au Contraire, Mon Frère.

Greinke led off the game by putting the first two batters he faced on base with a walk and single, and the Tigers pounced on the opportunity to score runs early (breaking away from their usual tendency). Marcus Thames and Clete Thomas brought those runners home with a groundout and single, respectively, and within five batters, Detroit had scored more earned runs against Greinke than they had in their previous 18 innings against him.

But could French make that lead hold up? He allowed hits in each of his first three innings, but the Royals didn't get a runner past second base until the seventh inning, when he left a 87 m.p.h. fastball up in the strike zone for Alberto Callaspo to launch over the left field fence. Besides that, the only K.C. batter who gave French any trouble was Billy Butler, who smacked three doubles. But the Royals couldn't put anyone on base in front of him.

For the night, French gave up one run and six hits in 6.1 innings, adding two strikeouts and one walk. The rookie out-dueled the six-year veteran. (Though Greinke didn't exactly pitch a stinker, allowing three runs in six innings, while racking up nine strikeouts.)

Jim Leyland passed out faint praise in his post-game interview, saying French didn't have his best stuff but pitched very well. Okay, we get it: he's trying to keep the kid level-headed. But French most certainly deserved the standing ovation he received at Comerica Park as he walked off the field.

Roar:

It wasn't just French who held up that slim lead, however. The bullpen did a great job after taking over in the seventh. Fu-Te Ni, Brandon Lyon, and Fernando Rodney pitched 2.2 perfect innings, striking out five of the eight batters they faced. What a relief (pardon the pun) to watch relievers come in and not put a game in jeopardy by walking batters. It's even better when the closer comes in and pitches a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts.

Comment of the Night:

3 - 0 vs Greinke?

I may stay in my car until this ones over

by rock n rye

And thanks to Kmann for suggesting tonight's headline.

Game 84: Royals at Tigers

2009-07-08T22:00:11Z

Zack Greinke (10-4, 2.00) vs. Luke French (0-0, 2.35), 7:05 p.m. EST

After winning last night and evening up this series with the Royals, can the Tigers get themselves a series win while facing perhaps the best pitcher in the American League this season?

In two starts against Detroit this year, Zack Greinke has been outstanding. (Of course, he's looked great against almost every team he's faced.) He's pitched two complete games, allowing just one earned run in total. (That's an 0.50 ERA if my calculations are correct. But they often aren't.) Greinke lost in his last outing, giving up four runs (two earned) and nine hits to the White Sox over six innings. And he admitted he's feeling a bit fatigued. But with one last start before the All-Star break (and a likely starting nod), he'd surely like to finish strong.

In 10 career appearances at Comerica Park, Greinke has a 6-2 record and 2.66 ERA.

Congratulations, Luke French. For the second major league start of your career, you're matched up against Zack Greinke. But French performed respectably in his first start, last week against the Twins, which made Jim Leyland's decision to pull him with one out remaining in the fifth inning rather perplexing. (I mean, really, what was that? "Good job on striking out Justin Morneau with two runners on base, kid. You're coming out.")

We're not saying he was great, having allowed two runs, six hits, and two walks in 4.2 innings, but he was in line for the win. Leyland said afterwards that French looked "rusty" after a 10-day span between appearances. Now that he's back on a regular schedule, perhaps he'll be sharper.

Have You Voted For Brandon Inge Today?

2009-07-08T18:00:19Z

You're still casting your All-Star votes for Brandon Inge, right? We know typing out those validation codes can wear down those fingers and wrists. But rub on some Icy Hot, do your proper stretches, make sure you're getting your proper combination of protein and carbohydrates, fuel up with some caffeine, and do whatever else you need to do to stay in the game. Because Inge needs you.

Here's your ballot, people. You know what to do.

Inge briefly had the lead in Final Vote polling on Monday night, before Ian Kinsler overtook him again. So a strong push from Tiger Town really could make a huge difference. Dig down, people! We can do this!

In between votes, we also encourage you to check out the posters and banners made by SabreRoseTiger and Samara. (Good at baseball!)

Vote often! Vote Inge!

Clete Thomas Returns; Don Kelly Demoted

2009-07-08T15:15:33Z

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Don't know what you got 'til it's gone, Detroit Tigers. You could only keep Clete Thomas away for so long before you realized you needed him.

Browse more photos »

He has returned to us. The Cult of Clete can once again rejoice.

After last night's game, the Detroit Tigers announced that outfielder Clete Thomas has been recalled from Triple-A Toledo. Don Kelly was designated for assignment to make room for Thomas on Detroit's roster. (The move was first announced by Jason Beck on Twitter, and if you're on Twitter, you saw how fast that news passed around. Viral!)

Thomas was sent down to Triple-A approximately a month ago, told that he needed to work on shortening his swing. Apparently, Clete took that advice seriously, because he started mashing the ball as soon as he got to Toledo. In his last 86 at-bats, Thomas hit .349/.434/.465 with 12 walks and 25 strikeouts. (Hat tip to Billfer) I'm sure the Tigers would prefer Clete strike out less, but he's hitting the ball, which is something the team needs right now.

Kelly was designated for assignment, as he was out of minor league options. My guess would be that he'd report to Toledo, and maybe the Tigers would bring him back if they needed the help in the outfield. His average had fallen to .250/.308/.354, but he was hitting the ball pretty regularly and showing a nice opposite field stroke when first called up, highlighted by a 3-for-4 day against Milwaukee. (But he should never, ever bat clean-up in a major league lineup, as he did last Sunday.)

When he initially joined the Tigers before a long stretch of interleague play, I figured the team would take advantage of the versatility he showed in Toledo and use him at several different positions. But he played almost exclusively in left field, filling in a little bit at third base when Brandon Inge's knees were bothering him.

I expect that Thomas will be in the starting lineup tonight against Zack Greinke, though he's just 1-for-7 against him with two strikeouts.

Offensive Rebound: Tigers 8, Royals 5

2009-07-08T03:50:13Z

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Justin Verlander continues to look unbeatable at home this season, after throwing 11 strikeouts Tuesday night versus Kansas City.

Browse more photos »

It wasn't easy, and at this point, maybe no win's going to be pretty for the Detroit Tigers. But after a bad loss last night in the series opener, the Tigers rebounded to get what felt like a much needed win. A Justin Verlander-Bruce Chen pitching matchup isn't the sort that this team should be losing. And given how the lineup has struggled to score runs lately, any output exceeding five runs can't be wasted, either.

Maybe this one didn't go quite as expected, with Verlander giving up five runs (though only three of those were earned, thanks to errors by Gerald Laird and Brandon Inge). But the Tigers' ace was otherwise outstanding, racking up 11 strikeouts (tied for his second-highest total of the season) and allowing no walks. (Billfer pointed out on Twitter that it's been 21 years since a Tigers pitcher threw at least 10 strikeouts while walking no one.)

86 of Verlander's 114 pitches were thrown for strikes, and though he made a handful of mistakes that the Royals pounded for extra-base hits, the Tigers' offense (carried by home runs from Miguel Cabrera, Placido Polanco, and Marcus Thames) made sure that his effort wasn't wasted. That in itself felt like a victory.

Roar:

Detroit's batting order looks so much better when someone's swinging a big stick in the cleanup spot. After slumping during the Tigers' latest road trip (likely due to a touch of the flu, according to Rod Allen), Thames is bringing the thunder again. He smacked a home run for the second consecutive night (and third in his last four games), this one a three-run shot that blew the game open (albeit temporarily) with a 7-3 lead.

And any time the Tigers get a home run from Polanco, that has to be considered a sweet bonus. His two-run homer in the third inning tied the game at 3-3, and a RBI single in the fifth gave Detroit the lead for good. For the night, Polanco went 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

Comment of the Night:

this is why we can't have nice things!

we squander leads

by murrajo

But we have to give allikazoo the runner-up for nabbing a screen shot of Mario Impemba and Rod Allen appropriately photoshopped for Elvis Night at Comerica Park:

Game 83: Royals at Tigers

2009-07-07T22:00:29Z

Bruce Chen (0-2, 4.38) vs. Justin Verlander (8-4, 3.54), 7:05 p.m. EST

Usually, we like to devote a paragraph to each starting pitcher in these game previews, to give you an idea of what might be expected in the game to come. But I think I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight. Because if the Detroit Tigers cannot win a game in which Justin Verlander starts against Bruce Chen... well, then the All-Star break can't come soon enough.

Although maybe we shouldn't presume anything, as both Verlander and Chen are winless in their last two starts. And neither pitcher has received very much run support, with the Tigers scoring five runs in those two games, and the Royals scoring three. Verlander gave up seven runs in his 11.1 innings, while Chen allowed six in 12.1. So clearly, Chen is on more of a roll.

Vote Often, Vote Inge!

2009-07-07T17:00:20Z

How many All-Star votes have you cast for Brandon Inge today? Okay, how about now, since you started reading this post? Here's your ballot. (But you already know how to get there. Because you're voting. And still voting.)

Also, if you're on the Sprint, Nextel or Boost networks, you can also vote on your phone. Text the word "VOTE" to 1122 to get a mobile Final Vote ballot. To vote for a specific player, simply text message your choice to 1122. For instance, you would text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3.

Vote often! Vote Inge!

Clerical Issues: Mobile Commenting and Re-Tweeting

2009-07-07T16:15:33Z

Some of you have already noticed, and a note has been included above the window where you can post a comment, but SB Nation launched mobile commenting late last night. So if you're not by a computer, or you're at work or the bar, but still want to comment on a post or participate in a GameThread, you can now do so from your phone. (If you have one of those fancy-dancy internet capable kind of phones, that is. We still don't have one here at BYB HQ.)

One note from the SB Nation home office that's worth passing along:

There are two things to note in this release of mobile commenting. First, mobile login is not network wide. You must sign into each community individually. Second, we did some cross browser testing with as many phones as possible, but we cannot test each phone. If you have any issues with mobile commenting please let us know at support@sbnation.com or using the contact form at the bottom of each page in the network. Please be sure to provide your phone model and browser type along with a very detailed description of the problem in your email.

I know a lot of people have been waiting for mobile commenting, so hopefully that can keep discussions going throughout the day. You'll have to let me know how it goes.

Another feature that's been implemented is the ability to Re-Tweet posts to Twitter. If you find something interesting that you'd like to share with your followers (and I thank you in advance if you do), you no longer have to cut-and-paste or create a shortened URL. Just click on the "retweet" button at the top and bottom of each post, and it's out there in the Twitterverse.

Morning Prowl: Mid-Season Grades, Clumsy Attacks on Bloggers, and a Call For Clete

2009-07-07T13:00:17Z

The Tigers are now officially into the second half of the season, which means mid-season grades are being assigned throughout the Tigersosphere. First up is The Detroit Tigers Weblog, who looks at some numbers and projects them out over a full season. Billfer also has a handful of awards for some entertaining categories.

What does it look like when a cranky old sports columnist uses his forum to take a clumsy shot at bloggers, thus making his entire article look unfocused and perplexing? The Star-Tribune's Patrick Reusse provides just such an example, with a baffling swing (along with painfully forced joke) at Take 75 North's Matt Wallace over the Edwin Jackson-Matt Joyce trade.

I mean this seriously: I've read Reusse's column several times, and don't know what he's talking about. Matt criticized the Jackson-Joyce trade, so if the Twins had made a better deal than trading Matt Garza for Delmon Young, Minnesota would lead the AL Central right now? Trying to follow his logic will make you dizzy. Reusse's ham-fisted attempt at an insult made about as much sense as me ending this sentence by telling you I ordered a pizza with spinach and feta cheese on it last night. At least Reusse could've linked to Matt's post.

Here is Matt's response, though he graciously takes the high road by keeping the discussion about baseball (and if Reusse had done that, maybe his column would've been coherent), rather than engage in bloggers vs. traditional media mud-slinging.

Mack Avenue Tigers thinks it's time for Clete Thomas to return to Detroit. I agree that the Don Kelly experiment has probably run its course, and the two should switch places between Detroit and Toledo. (Though if Josh Anderson wasn't out of options, would he draw the short straw?)

Was Carlos Guillen really the Tigers' representative at last year's All-Star Game? That seems so easy to forget now.

Eye of the Tigers has some very sobering numbers about Detroit's record when they score three or fewer runs. You can add another loss to that record after last night's defeat to the Royals.

Sort of lost among the All-Star bids, campaigning for Brandon Inge, and Rick Porcello's skipped start was the news that Alfredo Figaro was put on the 15-day disabled list for a sprained wrist. Was that injury affecting him during his start in Houston?

Would the corner of Michigan and Trumbull be a good spot for a new hockey arena for the Red Wings? Terry Foster addresses the question in the Detroit News. I wonder if Corktown residents would really want another sports venue there.

Passing out some more traditional letter grades is DesigNate Robertson. Rogo's a fair grader, and I think I only disagree with one of his marks (the last one).

We're a few days late on this link, but The Spot Starters looks at who might play second base for the Tigers in 2010. And giving the job to an inside hire looks a lot better than the free-agent candidates that will be available (other than possibly keeping Placido Polanco on a short-term deal).