Detroit can wave goodbye to Central hopes
posted in 2007 season, trade rumors |Oakland 5, Detroit 4 (10 innings)
Tigers starter Virgil Vasquez made it through just four innings, allowing four runs. The bullpen made it through five more, allowing no runs and giving the bats a chance to get back in the game. And that they did, culminating in a game-tying two-out RBI single by Sean Casey in the ninth inning off Oakland closer Huston Street.
Unfortunately, Mike Piazza got a piece of a Joel Zumaya offering in the 10th and sent it down the left-field line. Timo Perez fielded it, hesitated, double clutched, and threw to second, allowing Piazza to slide in safely. Dan Johnson drove him in with a strike into right field.
Problems there: 1) why did Perez take so long to get the ball in? 2) Why didn’t Jim Leyland walk the lefty so set up a chance at a double-play? Two questionable decisions.
With the loss, the Tigers fell 5-1/2 games out of first place when the Indians scored six runs in an inning to beat the White Sox. (Fortunately, I guess) the Yankees and Mariners both lost, keeping Detroit within hunt of the wild card. Strangely, it was only about a week ago I thought the wild card was not a possibility and the team had to win the division, and now it’s the opposite. Make of that what you will.
A blown shot, but this team just keeps blowing chances. The pitching just isn’t good enough, and when it is, the batters fail to do their job. But it’s Sept. 1 and the Tigers still have something to play for, so we, as fans, should be appreciative of that after the past two decades or so.
Sphere It
“Strangely, it was only about a week ago I thought the wild card was not a possibility and the team had to win the division, and now it’s the opposite. Make of that what you will.”
Perhaps that this is baseball, and you didn’t then, nor do you now, know how this will turn out?
Hey Jacques, if you read the blog regularly, you know I always proclaim I have no clue what’s going to happen. While there’s a first (or second) time for everything, the fact is, it’s extremely, extremely unlikely the Tigers can rally back 5.5 games in September.