Seattle 14, Tigers 7

Nice of the Tigers and Mariners to put up a good football score…

Detroit’s playoff chances took a serious hit Sunday. Jeremy Bonderman pitched on a day he shouldn’t, and gave up six runs and his health. The Tigers bullpen faltered. The New York Yankees won, for a four-game lead. As I write this, Cleveland is winning and could soon lead the Central by six games. Sunday was not a good day, indeed.

I’m done for awhile.

That’s what Bonderman said. He did not make it out of the second inning. His previous start, he shook off his trainer and manager, only to give up a game-changing home run. Just three starts ago, he pitched into the sixth inning without recording a strikeout. It was the first time in his career he pitched that deep without getting a K. The first time since his rookie season it happened at all.

Fact is, he’s been pretty iffy in the past few weeks, having just one win to show since mid-July. Danny Knobler wrote not too long ago even Bonderman’s teammates thought he was injured. Bonderman admitted Sunday he has sharp pain in his elbow. He’s scheduled for an MRI. He’s scared. He’s probably going to be shut down for the rest of the season. The worry isn’t 2007 now. The worry is that maybe this should have happened a few starts ago to make sure he’s healthy in 2008. Needless to say, with the happenings Sunday, 2008 should probably be the focus for the whole team.

Bonderman (11-9) told the coaching staff that his elbow felt good after warm-ups on Sunday, but later he acknowledged that he probably shouldn’t have pitched. (Freep)

It’s too bad the early lead was squandered by a guy who should have been resting, but didn’t tell the manager or trainer he had serious problems going on. It’s too bad a day that started off with Curtis Granderson joining Willie Mays as the third 20-20-20-20 player ended with the once-ace pitcher admitting he’s had lingering, sharp pain. It’s too bad the Tigers got all over Felix Hernandez, only to see the (presumably healthy!) bullpen struggle as much as the starter.

Too bad every positive memory of the season is matched by several negative ones, especially because 2007 has its highlights. But I’m sure every player and fan would trade those for some October highlights as well.

Giving yourself up for the team is fine, when it works. But a pitcher with sharp pain in his elbow just can’t make that sacrifice.

Box

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20 homers, 20 triples, 20 doubles, 20 steals

Curtis Granderson stole second base in the first inning against the Mariners, making it his 20th steal of the season. That goes with 20 (now 21) homers, 22 triples and 36 doubles.

And that, finally, allows him to join Willie Mays as one of three major league players to do that in history. Frank Schulte is the first player to do it. He also had 30 doubles in 1911. Mays had 35 homers in 1957.

Congrats Grandy!

Update: Grandy homered.

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Tigers 12, Mariners 6

Unable to keep the Mariners off the board for any of the first five innings, the Tigers had to find a little extra offense to win the game. No problem. They found it pretty much everywhere.

Pudge Rodriguez is making a push for why he should have that $10M option picked up. He had four hits, a homer and some timely RBIs. Brandon Inge homered, too, giving the bottom of the lineup a bit of oomph. With three hits, a triple and two RBIs, Timo Perez, holy moly, is earning his keep.  And finally, Curtis Granderson hit his 22nd triple. That’s the most triples since 1949 by any player in baseball. That’s 58 years. And that’s pretty amazing.

Pitching wise, Nate Robertson didn’t have it, but he got a helping hand from Zach Miner. So it was fine.

Detroit has now won four straight. An actual, honest-to-goodness winning streak. I wish they’d have done this in August, because with New York and Cleveland both winning, the Tigers could get no ground. Typically “at least they didn’t lose any” is the reply, but in September, well, I’d really have preferred somebody lose!  The Tigers try for a sweep Sunday, the first since that infamous Minnesota series in July that seemingly every “the last time the tigers did something good” points back to.

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Tigers 6, Mariners 1

It’s unfortunate to note, this is the first 3-game winning streak the Tigers have had since mid-July, when they swept the Twins. But, enough of that negativity. It’s September, the Tigers won big. Justin Verlaner went eight innings, and the Indians lost, even though we’re pretty sure the Tigers are out of that race, it’s still nice to see. The only two things that could have made the day better would be the Yankees losing or Curtis Granderson swiping a base.

The Yankees outlasted KC, 3-2, to maintain a 3-game lead in the wild card. Detroit is 5 games behind the Indians in the Central, and still plays them. Now that would be a collapse if Detroit came back to win the division. (Why am I even considering the possibility, as it’s almost nil? Well, because Detroit won 3 in a row! I’m in a good mood!)

And on Granderson’s lack of base stealing? Well, that’s because he hit a home run. So he’s now in the rare 20-20-20 club for homers, triples and doubles. Granderson is just the sixth in the club. He’s one stolen base short of the even rarer 20-20-20-20 club. I bet that comes this weekend. And then we can all sigh relief and wait for the Sports Illustrated article. Something like that anyway. And according to bilfer, Granderson is already in rare trifecta by being in the 20-20-20-19 club. 19 just isn’t a round number.

In any case, it’s another good day of baseball. Hopefully we get many more.

Bunt Singles:

• The Tigers added some players, as Toledo’s season came to an end. Clay Rapada, who came from the Cubs in the Monroe deal, is one of them.

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Tigers 3, White Sox 2

There are those who believed the Tigers had no heart. The final game of the three-game White Sox series was an interesting test of that theory. And yet somehow,  improbably as it would seem given recent evidence, the Tigers completed a second straight walkoff victory. What makes this even more improbable is that they trailed, 2-1, entering the ninth inning after giving up a pair of two-out runs in the eighth. But a ninth-inning rally off Bobby Jenks — who sent 40-something batters back to the dugout unsuccessfully earlier this season, tying a major league record — means the Tigers have heart, and they’re still in the race for the playoffs.

Fernando Rodney gave up a two-out, two-strike double with bases loaded for Chicago’s only runs. Brandon Inge homered earlier for the Tigers. In the ninth, Timo Perez singled, then moved to second on an error. Sean Casey knotted the game up after a sacrifice. Then, with two outs, Placido Polanco hit the game winner.

It’s easy to read too much into these things. Especially after two walkoff victories in two days has you all positive. If Detroit lost, they trailed the Mariners by 1/2 game and the Yankees by 3 1/2, as neither team played. So it wasn’t that big a difference in the standings. And who is to say whether the series proved Detroit has changed directions? And who is to say whether they can build on winning it? Certainly, we thought taking 3 of 4 from the Yankees meant good things, only to be slapped by reality.

But maybe the most important thing to remember is, it’s Sept. 7th and the Tigers are not dead yet. They’ve treaded water, more or less. Each potential meltdown was headed off. The Yankees may be good, but they’re not invincible. They haven’t pulled away. And the Tigers control their own destiny in grabbing sole position of second place in the wild card race, as the Mariners are coming to town for the weekend.

Can they get hot? Well, Kenny Rogers looked good a game ago. Chad Durbin gave a solid start. The bullpen is, more or less, fine. Gary Sheffield may not be fully healthy, and he may have been hitless, but he is still Gary Sheffield. He will draw walks and see good pitches with Magglio Ordonez behind him. The only inning I saw of the game, he launched a foul ball way gone in left field. So I’m pretty sure he can still straighten those out. In any case, I would say I’m cautiously… something. I wouldn’t say optimistic about the Tigers chances. They are still 3 games behind the Yankees.  But my diagnosis of the patient has been upgrade a notch.

And now we have a Really Big Weekend. That’s all I can say. Biggest so far, anyway. Let’s see how we feel Sunday.

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Tigers 2, Sox 1 (11 innings)

After all the doubting of Jim Leyland’s moves by myself, other blogs and message board posters everywhere, I will admit it has worked out (slightly) better than expected. Timo came up with a home-run saving catch (what the radio guys tell me) and a walkoff double in the 11thth. He was greeted by chants of “Ti-mo” as he walked back to the dugout afterwards. It’s a good moment for him, and the Tigers really needed the win.

But anyone who saw that lineup and thought there’d be more than 3 runs was kidding themselves. Not that Jim Leyland had much choice. Magglio Ordonez said his foot hurts and he’s trying to play through it (Same article, read about Bonderman’s elbow). Brandon Inge continued to slump, so Mike Hessman started in his place. And of course, there’s Timo. So it as going to be a nip-and-tuck affair from the start.

Fortunately, Kenny Rogers held up his end of the bargain in his first start back from the disabled list (no rehab starts even). He allowed just a solo home run and had more stirkeouts (6) than innings pitched (5).

This brings up an interesting thought. Rogers pitched great. Gary Sheffield comes off the disabled list for the Thursday game and claims to feel better. The bullpen is obviously fine, with Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney each going a scoreless inning. No matter how many times you write the team off, it comes back and surprises you. And no matter how many times it surprises you, each time, you get reason to write the team off anymore. I have tried hard to do neither, and yet, every chance I get, for some reason I believe them that this is the time they turn it around, or that that devestating loss means the season will not end with playoffs. No matter what, it’s important to note, I don’t have a freakin’ clue what’s going to happen, and eternal hope is the curse of the fan. But, I still try to stay in the middle and not get too high or low until the team definitely makes up its mind either way.

The big thing today, besides the win, was Curtis Granderson. He added two more stolen bases. So, to recap, hes’ at 19 SB, 19 HR, 36 doubles, 21 triples. Do you think he’s going to join Willie Mays in the quadruple 20 club? Almost for certain, I think. But I’d still like to get it over with soon, because you just don’t know til it happens! For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Tim Kurkijian noticed, too.

Also, Pudge hit his 500th double, a fine accomplishment over a long career.

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Since we couldn’t write in Curtis Granderson for the All-Star Team, we have a chance to make up for it.

Grandy has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente award.

From the MLB voting form linked below:

Fans, along with a Blue Ribbon Panel, will decide who will be the 2007 Award winner based on their commitment to community and understanding of the value of helping others.

Voting is here.

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Chicago 3, Tigers 1

Remember what I said about the Tigers not being dead yet, but being close? Each loss is a giant step towards a playoffless October. Some would say they’ve already bridged that, but by tomorrow, they could be right by to 2 1/2 games. So I’d say all isn’t lost. However, the greater problem is whether we can ever expect the Tigers to play like, say, a .500 team?  And right now, I’m sorta doubting that myself.

Jeremy Bonderman survived the first inning, but came out of the game in the sixth after offering up a two-run homer.  The trainer and Jim Leyland came out to talk to him just two pitches earlier. Hard to say whether he should have been making the pitch or not.  Luckily Zach Miner pitched the rest of the game and kept the White Sox from expanding their lead.

Not that it mattered. Another poor showing from the Tigers bats meant Jon Garland and the bullpen held Detroit to just a run. Sure, they threatened from time to time. But it wasn’t long until Pudge, Thames and/or other in the lower half of the lineup would screw it up.

Chicago owns Detroit. But so does everyone right now except the Yankees.

So, another loss. Been used to them for far too long.

Bunt Singles:

• Magglio Ordonez was named the American League’s top batter for August.
• Bilfer has a few tickets left for Blogger Night at the Ballpark. If you don’t know, I blog from about 9 or 10 hours from the CoPa, so I won’t be there. But you should be.
• Mike has added to the Daily Fungo empire recently.
• Gary Sheffield is coming back Thursday he says. Too little, too late?

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The Tigers may not look that good right now. They have failed twice in their last three attempts to make up games on the wild card and A.L. Central race. On Friday, they rallied back to tie the game only to lose in extra innings. On Sunday, they blew a seven-run lead only to lose in extra innings. Both times, everyone who they needed to lose (Cleveland, New York, Seattle) lost. But they’re not dead yet.

The reasons to be a pessimist are legion. The pitching is not that good. The hitting has been sketchy. Too many minor leaguers are playing. Too many aren’t stepping up. Too many guys took a step back. And jeez, they blew a fricken seven run lead when they very much needed to win. I’m not confident at all. Not even close. I haven’t been so for quite awhile.

But as little as my confidence is, the Tigers are actually not in a bad position considering their chief competition for the wild card (New York and Seattle) have stumbled too. The Tigers are just 2.5 games out of the wild card, with only Seattle (1.0 games) between them from New York. That is doable. Right now, the Mariners and Yanks are playing. This is a good opportunity for the Tigers.

The questions are, will the Tigers seize the moment, as the Indians have done? And just as important, can the Tigers seize it? The Indians are in a better position, both injuries and players stepping up in the face of injuries.

There’s still reason to watch, and there’s still reason to hope. Their backs are against the wall. About this time last year, the Tigers lost to Seattle, looked ahead on their schedule and saw the Twins and White Sox, and looked like they might blow the playoffs after having a substantial lead in August. Maybe they can’t finish out September strong enough to make the playoffs.

But maybe they can.

With the batters scoring some runs, the starting pitching looking better, and the bullpen definitely better (even with the Sunday meltdown), I feel like the playoffs are a possibility. Kenny Rogers pitched a whale of a season in 2006 and made a name for leading the young staff. He’s back from a second trip to the disabled list on Wednesday. Is he the magic elixer? Maybe. Maybe not. But we can’t say for sure. If he is able to step up, that gives Detroit a chance to win four out of every five games, and really cements his reputation as a Tiger.

Am I confident? No. I wouldn’t bet the house. I’m not sure I’d bet a six-pack, even if I don’t drink. But the season is not dead, as some would have you believe. Not yet, anyway.

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Detroit 6, Oakland 1

The good news is Justin Verlander put together another strong start. The staff ace is a stopper most of the time and had 15 wins to show for it. Verlander struck out 10 and allowed one run while pitching into the seventh.

The pitching matchup was solid all around, as Dan Haren allowed just three runs in yet another duel with Verlander. Justin won 2, Dan 1.

Curtis Granderson helped the cause with a home run and double, giving him an MLB leading 75 extra-base hits for the season. It was his 19th homer. so that’s one homer and two stolen bases to go. That’s doable. I wish wish WISH Jim Leyland would greenlight him more, because I would hate to see Grandy come so close to joining Mays in the 4 by 20 club. I’m probably just paranoid or nervous or something. It’s almost a foregone conclusion. But you know what? Until it happens, you never know what’s going to happen. Lest I forget, Grandy had a four hit game.

It was a good day all around for the Tigers. If only we could count on seeing more of these!

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