4th
May
2008
Game 32: Fleeing Minnesota
posted in 2008 season, Minnesota Twins |Twins 7
Tigers 6
me: *angry face*
Recap:
- The Tigers led 6-0 after a first inning where nothing went right for the Twins.
- The Tigers led 6-0 after the second inning, and the third inning. Hard to lose, right? But the game slowly went to hell, then picked up steam.
- The Tigers lost 7-6, giving Minnesota a 3-game sweep.
- Yes, the Tigers were swept after sweeping the Yankees. (Curiously, the Yankees swept the Mariners after being swept. So that’s a lot of brooming going on.)
- Something obviously went way wrong in the middle there.
- The whole 5 baserunners after the first inning thing probably didn’t help.
- Zach Miner coming into a tough situation in the seventh inning definitely didn’t help, as he threw gas on the fire
- So did Bobby Seay.
- But oh yeah, this should not have been in their hands, because the Tigers probably should have gotten out of the inning 1-2-4. Carlos Guillen’s throwing fielding error set it all up.
- And while I’m at it, Jacque Jones didn’t get an error, but his throw that sailed over everyone’s head but a diving Kenny Rogers earlier in the game was bad defense, too.
Analysis
- Don’t blog mad. Don’t blog mad. Don’t blog mad. I think I’ve heard that on a radio show somewhere.
- That say, THEY WERE AWFUL! HOW DO YOU LOSE THIS GAME?!!?
- Why can’t the offense concentrate for nine innings?
- SIGH!
- OK.
- Jim Leyland’s ill-defined bullpen roles contributed to the loss. But so did the Tigers ill-defined version of defense. Only the first is Leylan’ds fault. The second is the fault of the players given to him and his desire to, you know, actually play them since you’re only allowed one designated hitter.
- On the other hand, Jacque Jones, I don’t know. Check his ID. He’s playing like he’s Neifi Perez in the outfield.
- No, check that. Even Neifi made a spectacular, no-hit saving play.
- This weekend was a real kick in the pants after sweeping the Yankees. Everything I would have said in a recap of that series pretty much was erased in this series. Detroit looked more like the Tigers of 0-7 than the Tigers of the second half of April.
- But Curtis Granderson, as always, did awesome. So there’s always that.
Solutions: Cut Jacque Jones and eat his contract. Get Clete Thomas back up to split time with Thames in LF.
Sit Guillen down and put Inge at 3B until he learns how to play defense.
New lineup:
1. Shef DH
2. Polly 2B
3. Thomas LF
4. Granderson CF
5. Ordonez RF
6. Renteria SS
7. Cabby 1B
8. Pudge C
9. Inge 3B
I know this may look crazy, but I like it. Shef gets on base (as long as he is patient). Granderson is an extra base machine. Cabby is lucky I put him at 7. He needs to care more about the game and not just his paycheck. Inge at 9 is not a knock. I like his speed and bat better than Pudge to get us back to the top of our order.
This team will still finish 3rd or lower in the Central and be lucky to win 80. But, I won’t mind this as long as they look like they still give a shit.