25th
May
2008
Game 49: Tigers bring the big bats
posted in 2008 season, Minnesota Twins |Tigers 19
Twins 3
Recap:
- After seeing a 2-0 lead dissolve into a tie game, the Tigers scored the next 17 runs. In three innings.
- For some teams, that’s a week’s worth of production. (For that matter, for the Tigers some weeks, that’s a week’s worth of production!)
- Magglio Ordonez had the best day, driving in six runs with two home runs (by the fifth inning). He left the game after going 3-for-3 and scoring four runs.
- Placido Polanco had four hits and scored four runs.
- Nate Robertson gave up three runs in 6.1 innings for a quality start.
Analysis:
- This is a befuddling baseball team. How it can score 19 runs twice in a season — and it’s only May — and yet be under .500 and be shut out 7 times is incredible.
- The hitting actually has scored 63 runs in the last five games.
- The starting pitching is looking much better.
- I’d like to think they’ve sorta turned the corner. But you know, you just don’t really know!
- A convincing win Sunday would make me think more positively about this team. But I’ll take any win really.
In other news:
- Joel Zumaya threw 98 in a simulated game. A good sign. Fernando Rodney is said to have felt and looked good, too. Another good sign.
- Mike Ilitch’s other team did great, too.
What’s up with not being able to hit the twenty mark?
No, not complaining. Just think it’s kind of funny. It’s like a “Dark Tower” thing (if you know anything about the Stephen King series) the wonderful land of 19.
It’s great to have the best #2 and #4 hitters in all of baseball. I was surprised to see Cabrera only get one hit, usually him and Mags seem to compete against each other (ie; back-to-back HR earlier in the year, and other examples where Mags would hit and then Cabby would follow).
Very good to see Shef swinging it. The correction that Lloyd gave him is working out great. Lifting his leg has slowed down his lightning-quick bat and actually allow him to hit more balls fair. He’s still over-the-hill and lacking power. But, he is still a solid asset at the 3 hole, walks and OBP.
I like how Leyland said in his post-game remarks that it is no fun for either team in games like this and that you just hope to be on the right side of it. BULLSHIT! I understand that he has sympathy for the other team but he can’t be serious if him and his team didn’t love the shit out of it. Big Jim is something else some times. But, I do respect the respect he has for opposing managers. He is a real class act in that regards.
I also liked the fact that they didn’t start to give away AB’s after they went up big. They kind of did that in the Texas game earlier this season and also notably in several other games where they were up big. The one against MIN actually biting us in the ass, up 6-0, lose 7-6.
Have the Tigers turned the corner? Still too early to tell. We go out West this week. If we can have a decent road trip and then come back home and follow it up (not saying that we have to win all of them, just be consistent) then I will say that we have. It is important to be consistent to be a winning club. We need to follow up a good road trip with a decent home-stand. When we can do that then I will officially say that we are back in contention.
That’s all for now. I had a blast tonight. And I have NO sympathy for the twinkies…sorry.
Twins will never get my sympathy either. And I agree, you know the players enjoy getting a big win like this, too.