Pitchers cringe, hitters salivate in T.O. Dome
posted in 2007 season, Toronto Blue Jays |Detroit at Toronto, 7:07 p.m. FSN+
Mike Maroth (1-0, 7.20) vs. Tomo Okha (0-0, 10.38)
Pregame thoughts: There’s some happy batters in Toronto tonight. It’s toasty warm. There’s no wind gusts blowing on them. And the pitchers have a combine ERA of 17.58. Today is a great day to be at the plate. Of course, ERAs like that won’t continue. And the way the Tigers have been batting, Okha could look pretty good by the end of the night. But as I said, Detroit batters have had exactly one game in nice weather. It’s been cold and crappy otherwise. I expect some hits.
As I stated earlier, Mike Rabelo will be catching for his first major league game. Gary Sheffield will get out of the clubhouse and into the field when the Tigers aren’t hitting.
Jon Paul Morosi has some thoughts about being in Toronto, which used to be a rival but now is just a team we see twice a year.
Canadian baseball blog Batter’s Box looks at the Jays and the Tigers.
Postgame thoughts (Tigers 5-4): Brandon Inge spurred the Tigers offense with a long solo home run to left in the third inning and the rest of the team followed. Yes. That Inge. Not only that, but he finished the day with three RBIs! It was good to see a little offense, as Detroit (6-3) put five runs on the board by the end of the sixth inning.
(Justin Verlander: And you couldn’t even get me one in two games!?)
For the most part, this looked like a baseball game to me. Toronto assisted the matter with a pair of errors that result in one unearned run. It wasn’t always cleanly played, but it felt like a good game to watch. Jays second baseman Aaron Hill was especially fun to watch, other than the fact every play he made hurt the Tigers.
Mike Maroth went to 2-0 on the year, as he allowed just two runs in six innings for a quality start. Maroth induced 10 ground balls and five fly balls. He did have a stumble, allowing two runs before getting an out immediately after the Tigers took a 4-0 lead in the fourth. But it’s important to remember he’s a softy-tossing lefty in a roofed ballpark against a lineup of guys who love to hit righties. All things considered, that’s not bad. He shot the Jays down after that, and it was a pretty good start, I’d say.
After the 12-inning affair in Baltimore, the bullpen was bare. Jose Mesa, as always, ate up some innings and left Tigers fans just hoping to get through them. That offseason acquisition doesn’t make any more sense now than it did when he was signed. He looked to prove us wrong with two Ks in the seventh, but couldn’t get an out in the eighth.
Oh, and Joel Zumaya got the save, pitching two innings. I wouldn’t exactly say he threw water on the eighth-inning fire that Mesa left brewing, as he allowed both runs Mesa put on base before hunkering down. The ninth inning was a breeze. I still think Leyland’s wrong and he could close right now, but I honestly prefer his role now. Most games, he manages to calm the fire.
Mike Rabelo proved to be fine as a catcher. He wasn’t so good at getting on base, but he caught fellow catcher Greg Zaun stealing and seems to play the position fine defensively.
Detroit has won five of seven games during this road trip, so the Tigers are already assured of a .500 trip with three games to go.
Around the Central:
Cleveland 4, L.A. Angels 2: Travis Hafner hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to lift Cleveland (4-2) over the Angels. Jeremy Sowers pitched seven strong innings for the Indians but took no decision.
Baltimore 2, K.C. 1 (10 inn): The O’s went to extra innings a second straight day before Jay Gibbons drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Gil Meche allowed no runs in six innings for the Royals (3-6) and got 5 Ks.
Minnesota 3, Tampa Bay 2: Former Tiger Carlos Pena knotted the game at 2-2 with an RBI, but the Rays had some awful baserunning mistakes in the ninth to kill a rally. Justin Morneau hit a walkoff homer to give the Twins (6-3) a victory.
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