Nearly Perfect

Posted on May 8, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

It was July 19, 2006. I remember it well. Detroit played the White Sox, and we were in the heat of the race. The Tigers were in first place, and the White Sox were keeping the pressure on.

On the walk to the ballpark that night, my friend asked me what would I rather see – a Tigers win over the White Sox, or a Chicago no-hitter.

Interesting question, I thought.

My answer – I would rather see a Tigers victory. If history is going to be made, let it be made by the Tigers.

That night, I bought a Detroit polo shirt in the Tigers retail shop. It was black, with an orange Olde English D stitched upon it. I still talk about that game each time I wear it, and I put it on when I think the Tigers need a little luck getting back on track, after they have fallen off.

I’m superstitious. All of us are to some degree.

During that game, Craig Monroe hit a grand slam off of Javier Vazquez in the sixth inning. In all of my years of going to baseball games, it was my first. It was special, and the Tigers won. It was a wonderful season.

I recalled this conversation last night as I watched Mark Buehrle tossing a perfect game. Frankly, I salivate during no-hitters. I enjoy watching history being made at a ballpark. But, I didn’t want to see it happening against my team, at their expense. Is that wrong of me? Maybe. I don’t care.

Buehrle pitched terrifically for six innings. He was perfect. He deserves praise for that. It was phenomenal.

As it turned out Placido Polanco came to my rescue in the seventh, with a base hit to left. Whew! Detroit unfortunately lost.

By the way, and this is the absolute truth… I wore that polo shirt all day.

Ironic, isn’t it?

This weekend the Tigers are in Cleveland. Tonight, Justin Verlander will face Cliff Lee. Saturday will be Edwin Jackson, and Rick Porcello on Sunday.

Let’s go and get ’em!

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Manny Suspended 50 Games

Posted on May 7, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

I’m waiting for the game to start tonight, so tonight’s post will be brief.

The big news of the day, of course, is Manny Rameriz, and a positive drug test. He has been suspended for fifty games by Major League Baseball. I’m angry, and disappointed. I like Manny. Sure he’s quirky. Sure he’s got a bit of an attitude sometimes. But, I’m drawn to watch him play because I thought he was a great ballplayer, one with a natural ability – a gift. Now, I’m not so sure who I’ve been cheering for all this time. As more information comes out, maybe it won’t be as bad as everyone thinks. Here’s the statement Manny made earlier.

Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.

The Dodgers had this to say.

“We share the disappointment felt by our fans, our players, and every member of our organization,” Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt said in a team-issued statement. “We support the policies of Major League Baseball, and we will welcome Manny back upon his return.

Time will be the ultimate judge of the truth. The Dodgers are riding high with thirteen home victories to start the season, and didn’t need this!

Now for some Detroit Tigers stuff! Dontrelle Willis is expected to be back in the rotation, and will start on Wednesday. According to Jim Leyland,

“This is not experimental and it’s not developmental,” Leyland said. “This is the big leagues. He’s going to the rotation and we expect everybody there to help us win games. The expectations are no higher on him than anyone else.”

I’m still skeptical about how he’ll perform. I hope he is back to what he used to be.

The Tigers game was rained out last night in Chicago, and hasn’t been rescheduled, yet.

They will face the White Sox tonight. Armando Galarraga is still scheduled to start for Detroit.
The other night, Jim Leyland’s line-up had a different look, and feel.

Josh Anderson replaced Curtis Granderson in the lead-off spot, and regardless of the position he bats in tonight, Granderson is glad to be in Chicago.

“I love to come home and play here and get a chance to play against the White Sox,” Granderson said. “It’s my favorite city to visit, but in terms of playing, I got to give it to Anaheim. I love playing there.”

So, let’s keep the bad weather away, and let’s play ball!

Folow me on Twitter!

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Tigers Trounce The Twins

Posted on May 6, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Such A Night!

That’s the title of an old Elvis Presley song that I was reminded of after the Tigers beat the Twins 9-0.

Oh, what a night, you know it really was, such a night!

Rick Porcello took the mound for his fifth major league start of his budding career, and picked up the win. In the 87 pitches he tossed, he didn’t allow any runs, gave up only four hits, and struck out three.

Impressive!

Nate Robertson and Juan Rincon shared relief duties to help the Tigers nail it down.

The biggest news of the night was the batting order. After Carlos Guillen was placed on the DL, Clete Thomas was brought up, and the shake-up began. Jim Leyland shuffled the line-up in such a way, that it looked as though a different club had taken the field.

Josh Anderson was in the lead-off spot. Clete Thomas, playing in right, was third in the order, while Miguel Cabrera batted clean-up. Granderson was fifth. A struggling Magglio Ordonez, the designated hitter, was placed in the six hole.

“We’re trying to get something going,” Leyland said Tuesday. “We’ve got to shake it up a little bit and get something going. I obviously tried to get a little speed up top. There’s a little speed in the middle with Grandy.”

The changes paid off bigger than a 50-1 long shot winning the Kentucky Derby. Thomas had a double, a two run triple, and a single. He came up a home run short of hitting for the cycle.

Cabrera went deep with his seventh home run of the season, and drove in four runs during the game. Anderson had two hits, and Granderson let one loose, his ninth of the year.

The shake-up seems to have helped. Leyland remarked further saying,

This is what a manager does. This is my job, is to try to be a little creative. If things really aren’t working, if a couple guys are struggling, you change it up a little bit.”

Tonight, the Tigers will be in Chicago to play the White Sox.

DODGERS WIN TWELVE AT HOME

Last night, the Dodgers tied the major league record for wins at home to start the season.

If you haven’t already heard, the last team to do that was the 1911 Detroit Tigers, under manager Hughie “Eee-Yaw” Jennings.

By the time they picked up their twelfth win at Bennett Park, the Tigers sported a record of 21-2. They were in first place, up by eight games on May 9, 1911.

But, after sitting on top of the American League by as much as 9.5 games later that month, they would slip to second place, 13.5 games back, by the end of the season.

Former Tigers pitcher, Jeff Weaver, who was recently added to the Dodgers rotation, got the win last night. That sounds like it could end up as a trivia question one day, doesn’t it?

Well, like I said (or Elvis did), it was such a night! It really was!

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Bopping Around The Majors

Posted on May 5, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Off of the Minnesotan’s bats, one ball sailed into the right field corner, Ordonez couldn’t make it in time to get to it. Another one passed over Granderson, in center. Still, another dropped in front of Carlos Guillen, and one grazed the glove of Adam Everette, and scooted passed him.

For the Detroiter’s, a Cabrera home run out to left center measured about 414 feet, and there was silence from the stick of Brandon Inge – who failed to reach for the first time this season.

During the game, Minnesota first base coach Jerry White was assisted from the field after being hit in the foot with a line drive.

That is the way it went last night for Detroit, and the Tigers would lose this game to the Minnesota Twins 7-2.

Such is the way things sometimes go.

After the game, I decided to “bop’ around the majors. Through MLB Gameday Mobile on my BlackBerry, and MLB Extra Innings on television, I surfed a number of games, not really focusing on any one in particular.

Here is the way it went, around the majors, last night…

The Cubs and San Francisco played at Wrigley. I saw former Tiger Edgar Renteria score a run in the top of the sixth. The Cubbies went on to win though, despite Renteria’s efforts.

The Yankees and Boston were in a rain delay. It was the first game for the Red Sox at the New Yankee Stadium, and there were fireworks once the game began. It was a game that saw Manager Joe Girardi get tossed for arguing a called third strike on Derek Jeter in the fifth. Was there a possibility that Boston was stealing signs?

I guess Joe thought so.

Boston went on to win 6-4.

Seattle and Texas faced one another at Safeco Field. Kevin Millwood pitched four perfect innings before Russell Branyon launched one out to right, helping the Mariners to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth.

King Felix Hernandez had his streak of 22 scoreless innings snapped.

“Hernandez had great stuff, off-the-chart stuff,” Rangers third baseman Michael Young said. “It’s a huge challenge, you have to crank up your focus level, but fortunately, we were able to get some timely hits off Felix. He’s tough.”

Philadelphia played St. Louis, and had a scary moment when Rick Ankiel hit the wall chasing down a ball. Ankiel fell to the ground, and lay motionless while everyone ran out to him. He was carried away on a stretcher, but gave a thumbs up sign to concerned fans.

“He went down and I thought maybe he might be unconscious,” Duncan said. “So I tried to talk to him. I said, ‘Are you all right?’ and he said, ‘I think so. I’m just going to lay here.’ He said he had hit the wall hard and he [thought] he was all right, but he [was] not going to move. He said his back hurt a little bit, but he could feel everything and he didn’t want to move. I told him to hold on and that they were coming out.”

X-Rays and other tests came back negative, and Ankiel is listed as day to day.

Finally, I watched the Dodgers game, at least most of it before falling asleep.

Torre’s team won their eleventh straight home victory to start the season, setting a National League record. It was a game that saw back to back home runs from Manny and Andre Ethier.  During last night’s broadcast, Vin Scully referred to Dodger Stadium as “The Magic Castle.” The Dodgers record is 19-8.

It was quite a night.

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Tigers Take Two In Cleveland

Posted on May 4, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Here we are at the beginning of a new week, and the Detroit Tigers are still hovering around first. Whew!

The Tigers were able to take two games in the weekend series against Cleveland. Justin Verlander was incredible on Sunday. After a couple less than stellar starts, he seems to have bounced back – big!

Verlander allowed only two hits, and struck out 11 batters. This was the guy we saw who no hit the Brewers. This is the guy we expected at the start of the season. I’m sure he is as happy as we are.

It was reassuring to see Jim Leyland keep Verlander in the game. At one point in the seventh, Verlander thought he might get yanked.

“A lot of times, they’ll leave a guy in there to intentionally walk and then take [him] out,” Verlander said. “So I was thinking, ‘Don’t take me out, don’t take me out, don’t take me out.’ Once I looked over and didn’t see him coming out of the dugout, that’s when I just kind of focused in and said, ‘All right, here we go. Let’s get this guy.”

Verlander is back, Zumaya appears to be strong, and Rodney is racking up save after save. Things have definitely become better.

Now, the Tigers face the Twins, in a two game series, at Comerica Park. Tonight the match-up is between Edwin Jackson and Francisco Liriano. Liriano is still looking for his first win this season.

Tomorrow, Rick Porcello will get the nod for the Tigers.

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Verlander Masterful Against NY

Posted on April 28, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Verlander42709.jpgI talked with a friend this morning, and he said, “who was the new guy pitching for the Tigers last night?”

I replied there was none – and then I understood his subtle humor. He was talking about Justin Verlander, who really did look like a new guy.

Our ace was back! It felt good.

Verlander pitched brilliantly, and masterfully. Enroute to his first win of the year, he pitched seven shut-out innings, striking out nine batters. The Tigers won the game, beating the New York Yankees 4-2.

Bobby Seay pitched, as did Fernando Rodney to help nail it down.

Funny thing, we are not out of April yet, and the first thing I did was to turn to the scoreboard to see what the Royals were doing. Chicago was rained out. But, we are still in first place, a game up on Kansas City.

QUICK NOTES

Brandon Inge singled to keep his streak alive. He has hit in all 19 games this season.

Dontrelle Willis will start for the Mud Hens Friday night. Provided that things continue to go well during his rehab, he could be back soon.

The Tigers face the Yankees tonight in game 2. Look for Edwin Jackson (1-1) to face a newcomer, Phillip Hughes, making his first major league start.

Clay Rapada was recalled from Toledo, and Jeff Larish optioned to the Mud Hens

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Tigers At Home vs Yankees

Posted on April 27, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Not too bad!

The Tigers, fresh from a nine game road trip are back in the D, for their second home stand, to face the Yankees. They are happy to be back, too. At home, the Tigers rank second in hitting, with a .306 batting average. They are first in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging.

Despite some struggles, pitchers have a .200 batting average against at home, and a 3.40 ERA.

It goes to show you that there’s no place like home, is there?

The recent road trip saw some ups and downs, but in the end, the Tigers are perched above the Central, with a one game lead over Chicago, and the Kansas City Royals.

It feels good, doesn’t it?

The biggest surprise, and most pleasant, has been Brandon Inge, who has seven home runs. It seems that he has nestled into his comfort zone at third, and it is paying off nicely at the plate.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Inge is the fifth player in Tigers history to hit at least seven home runs through the first 18 games of a season. He is joined by Al Kaline, “Stormin” Norman Cash, and Cecil Fielder, who hit nine. I am loath to mention the other name on that list, for fear that it could jinx him (I have my superstitions). Also, he has reached safely in 18 straight games.

At season’s start, I heard many who praised his defensive skills, but were critical of his bat, and for the most part, rightly so. He has never had a big bat, and with a new stance, Inge is showing he can contribute in all respects.

On the mound, Justin Verlander will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit. He is still looking for his first win of the year. It could come tonight.

New York has lost three straight. They were beaten, and swept, by the Boston Red Sox. Their struggling star, CC Sabathia, gave up ten hits and seven earned runs, in his last start at Comerica Park.

He was rocked then, 12-3, and this time faces a better Tigers team.

It will be a good game to watch. Let’s hope history remains on our side, and that JV gets that win he so desperately needs!

A SIDE NOTE

I mentioned in an earlier post that my home computer has gone down. I’m trying to repair it on my own. I may need to replace the mother board. If that turns out to be the case, it may take longer than expected. I’ve heard horrid things about Vista, and I am refusing to get a new computer until Windows 7 is released in October.

I am going to post as often as I can (I now have a library card for internet access).

I know that too often people begin to write and then fall away from it.

I am not one of them. For the time being, I may not be able to post as often as I would like, but I am not not going to disappear.

I appreciate your time, and I want to thank-you for looking in!


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Verlander’s No Decision

Posted on April 23, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

It has been quite the time, lately. At home without a computer, and crazy busy at work. So, I finally have a moment to reflect on the Tigers-Angels Series.

With the help of a five run seventh inning, the Tigers were able to pull one out last night. Granderson and Inge both homered for Detroit, and Juan Rincon picked up his first win of the year.

But, the big question lingers. What is going on with Justin Verlander? The hits and the runs keep coming when he’s on the mound. I noticed last night that he seemed to be seething, especially after the first inning. He’s frustrated. Could that have something to do with his poor performance?

“Our guys picked me up,” Verlander said of his no-decision. “That’s the type of ballgame that’s a good win for us. Our guys held in there. They picked me up. Obviously, it wasn’t the start I would like to have had. But when it’s all said and done, we got a win, because our guys picked me up.”

Tonight, Edwin Jackson takes the mound to face Matt Palmer.

Let’s make it two in a row!

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The Tigers Are Out West

Posted on April 21, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

Do you get frustrated when the Tigers play on the west coast?

I do.

The games don’t begin until after ten here in Detroit.

I hate the waiting.

On top of that, because most of the televised games start at seven, they eat away at a huge chunk of prime time TV. I don’t even know what is worth watching. Television shows have names that are mostly foreign to me, and my luck would be such that I would get one of those serial shows, in which last week’s episode is vital to this week’s show.

So, usually I’m stuck! Usually!

Tonight will be an exception. Detroit is in playoff mode in hockey and basketball. Something, we’ve become pretty used to, I might add.

Now, I am not a real big NBA fan. Oh, I follow the Pistons, and the headline news of the day, but otherwise I don’t have a lot to add to a conversation about basketball.

The Pistons will play Cleveland in game 2 tonight. They are trying to even the series with the Cavaliers. I could watch that, or a least some of it.

But, when it comes to the off season in baseball, a lot of my time is spent following the Wings! Come on, this is of course “Hockeytown!”

The Detroit Red Wings are in Columbus tonight, for game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Detroit has a two games to none lead over the Blue Jackets. I’ll be hanging out with a few friends, watching.

So, at least it isn’t too bad. I’ll have something to occupy me until 10:05 tonight, and for game four on Thursday.

Tomorrow…Mmmmm. That’s a different story.

Did I mention that I hate waiting for west coast games to begin?

 

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A Good Weekend For The Tigers

Posted on April 20, 2009 by mlblogsskiponsecond

As it turned out, it wasn’t a good weekend for my home computer. After talking with a number of people, I either have a bad power supply, it is overheating, or I have a virus! Regardless, it has left me without a way to post during the evening. I apologize. I’m working on getting it corrected soon.

With all of that said, it was a great weekend for the Tigers, who find themselves in a three way tie for first in the Central.

With the exception of Verlander’s bad inning on Friday night, good pitching turned out to be the topic on talk radio, and among fans.

Edwin Jackson, despite feeling ill, pitched a shut-out for nearly eight innings.

“I just felt weak,” Jackson said. “I’m not sure if it’s a slight case of what’s going around, but I was not fully energized.”

He allowed only five hits, and walked one batter. Bobby Seay and Fernando Rodney finished off the M’s to win, 2-0.

“He was sick as a dog. I was really worried about him whether he was going to hold up,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “But he went out there and got through it. It was a courageous effort.”

On Sunday, the Tigers wrapped up the series with another victory, 8-2. Rick Porcello was happy to get his first big league win, pie in the face and doused with beer.

“That’s all right; I spit it out,” mused Porcello.

Porcello is 20 years old. The weekend games featured the suicide squeeze – twice. It is disappointing that we may not see it for again, at least for a while.

You won’t see that again for another three months,” said Leyland, who also called for a squeeze on Friday. “Two times in one series for me — that won’t happen very often. I don’t like the play, I never have.”

The Tigers next play the Angels. Armando Galarraga will face Jered Weaver, who last faced the Mariners on April 15. In that game he gave up 10 hits, and 4 earned runs in five innings of work.

You can now follow me on Twitter!

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