Tigers, Jays wrap series, Jackie Robinson feted
posted in 2007 season, Toronto Blue Jays |Game 12: Detroit at Toronto, 1:07
Pitchers: LHP Nate Robertson (2-0, 1.38) vs. RHP Josh Towers (0-1, 4.76)
TV: FSN
Pregame thoughts: Major League Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson today with many African American players — and several teams — wearing his No. 42. Gary Sheffield was the first Tiger asked to wear the number, but coach Lloyd McClendon will be joined by Marcus Thames, Craig Monroe, Curtis Granderson and Pudge Rodriguez.
The Blue Jays Nate Robertson faces today are not the same Blue Jays from his first start of the year. They’re already being touch by injury troubles. Third baseman Troy Glaus and outfielder Reed Johnson are out. Johnson went on the DL. And even more breaking news, B.J. Ryan was placed on the DL with elbow problems after losing his command against Detroit Saturday.
Adam Lind gets the start at left field, John McDonald at third. Neither have enough experience against the Tigers to infer from. Jason Frasor will closer. He earned a win against the Tigers in the season opener and
Pudge has found success off Towers, going 4-for-6. Magglio Ordonez is 5-for-10.
Postgame thoughts (2-1, Jays): You can’t have that Tiger magic every day. Towers handcuffed Detroit’s bats and got the best of Robertson in yet another pitching duel.
You always hate to see a pitcher take a tough-luck loss — when they pitch for a quality start and still get tagged with the L. It’s becoming far-too-frequent with Robertson. I sometimes wonder if there’s a reason he, in particular, has such poor run support when he pitches. In the good and the bad, Detroit has eight quality starts out of 12 games — tops in the American League. But the starts have only picked up victories on half of them.
Towers, of course, wouldn’t have deserved to lose either. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run in 7-2/3 innings. The run came when Curtis Granderson was hit on a pickoff attempt at second base and managed to score when the ball caromed into the outfield.
With the end of the game, the Tigers finished a long 10-game roadtrip with a 6-4 record. Anytime you’re better than .500 on the road, it’s a good trip in my book. And they still haven’t managed to find their bats in the middle of the order. That can’t go on forever. Can it? Detroit takes on Kansas City Monday.
Around the Central:
Internet went down so, just a quick recap:
TB 6, Minnesota 4 — Rays split the series
Cleveland 2 Chicago 1 — Cleveland won despite having one hit — that in the first inning.
KC-Baltimore PPD
Cleveland is in first place.
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