Angels 13, Tigers 4

While the Tigers are losing horribly — so much so I don’t think anyone will want to read a recap any more than I’d want to write it — I’ll just do an update about all the other events of the weekend for my weekday readers.

Granderson hits 17

Not content to let his home runs surpass his triples, Curtis Granderson knocked a 17th three-bagger. He’s on pace for an AL record-setting 27.

Kenny Rogers to the DL; Tata up

Rogers went on the 15-day disabled list with pain in his elbow. (Danny Knobler) Lest you wonder if Jordan Tata is being “showcased” for a deal, Knobler reported the move to the DL came too late to pull Virgil Vasquez from his scheduled start Sunday. So Tata filled the need.

Lee at Tiger Tales suspects Rogers will be back again this year, but does not expect any real contribution from him.

Matt at Take 75 North has a report on Jordan Tata.

Monroe benched?

Craig Monroe started on the bench, as Jim Leyland picked Ryan Raburn to get the start. Reading Leyland’s quotes about his decision, I wonder if this is more permanent.

“I’m trying to win a ballgame,” Leyland said, “and tonight, I think that’s the lineup that gives us the best chance.”

“You keep waiting, but you can’t wait forever,” said Leyland.

I like Raburn. I like this defense. So far, I like his bat. I’ve said it before, start him as many games as possible. Right now, he gives the team a better chance to win than anyone else (read: Monroe) in the outfield.

Fernando Rodney pitches well

Leyland had said earlier that Fernando Rodney must pitch good two showings in a row in Toledo before he could think about coming back to Detroit. I kind of wondered if he meant in back-to-back days, as Rodney will undoubtedly need to do that. But then he didn’t get the chance Saturday, due to a complete game by the Toledo starter. Friday and Sunday, he seemed to put up decent performances. (Eric has more at D-Town). Jason Beck says Rodney is scheduled to pitch again Tuesday.

Andrew Miller tired?

Miller’s velocity was down Saturday. This fact was not lost on Leyland. Nor as it lost on Ian at Bless You Boys, who was all over the story.

Leyland told reporters:

“I was disappointed in Miller’s velocity. It wasn’t good. He pitched pretty well, but for the most part he didn’t throw the ball — just OK. We couldn’t figure it out.

“Maybe he was gun shy about turning it loose because he was wild in Chicago. I’ll find out. When you throw the ball 95-96 miles an hour, you have to throw it 95-96 more than once or twice a game.

Miller says it’s nothing.

Ian wrote:

Miller’s stamina has been a concern throughout the season, as he logs more innings and pitches more frequently than he ever has before. Maybe the Tigers can skip his turn in the rotation occasionally, as they did with Justin Verlander last season, but they’re in a position now where keeping him in the rotation isn’t just a luxury, but a necessity.

Professor Farnsworth?

(Hat tip Cut-off Man) The Tigers continue to scout Kyle Farnsworth of the Yankees. They may be the front runner to take the struggling late-relief artist off New York’s hands for little more than paying his salary.

Farnsworth, who has a 4.57 earned run average, may not be around much longer. The nonwaiver trading deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the Detroit Tigers have had a scout following the Yankees in two of their last three series.

A quick review of pitching

Injured: Kenny Rogers

Not on the DL, but who knows: Andrew Miller, Nate Robertson

Not on the DL but having a bad day or two: Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman

Not very good: Much of the bullpen

A quick review of your blogger

I know that all teams go through slumps. I told myself I wouldn’t worry. But after the past three series and given the injury problems and the way the pitching staff has been throwing lately, I am at least moving in the direction of the panic button. I think this is a real crisis, not a made-up one.

About that game?

But maybe you want to know something about the game. Jeremy Bonderman got toasted for a career high in runs. And Jason Beck did some interesting research about just how bad a series this was for Tigers pitchers.

Myself, I kicked a stool in my backyard in the first inning and stopped listening.

I’ve learned: If you can’t say anything nice … let Ian say it in pictures.

As the Monarchs and Stars get ready to play tonight, as KC and Detroit honor the Negro Leagues, I offer news, thoughts and stats. (Here’s a second article on the Stars, who played at Mack Park, don’t forget).

News:

• The Tigers signed more draft picks, including Richard Zumaya, brother of Joel and third-rounder Luke Putkonen of North Carolina. (Mlive)
• Keep an eye on the Royals this weekend. Some pieces of their puzzle could come back to help or hurt the Tigers after the trade deadline, SI’s John Donovon writes.

Thoughts:

• We’re about 10 days until the trade deadline. Doesn’t it feel a bit, I don’t know, too quiet to you? It’s almost eerie.
• Last year at this time, Detroit’s name was being linked to everything. Not just “The Tigers would make a move, too” like we keep hearing with Eric Gagne and Brad Lidge and others. I mean, it just seemed like the Tigers had their nose in everything. Whether or not that was true, I can’t really say. The rumor mill just seems to be more theorhetical. I don’t know what exactly to make of that.
• I don’t know exactly what to make of that. I’m almost certain every big move (and most small) I can recall this team doing outside the free agent market has been out of left field. The Sean Casey trade? The Gary Sheffield trade? The two trades this year? The Farnsworth deal? Heck, way back, who saw the Jeff Weaver deal ahead of time? Dombrowski works  very quietly.
• So does that mean we have something big coming? Something small? There’s no pattern there. It’s pretty amazing.
• Don’t believe everything and don’t believe nothing. Just be prepared to be intrigued.
• And yes, the Tigers still need bullpen help, even if  the pen is looking better and  some injured are getting healthier.
• As hitting slows and pitching gains, it’s been a good month for the Tigers and I see continued good things ahead.

Stats:

• .07 — Batting title lead. Maggs has a .359 average. Ichiro is .352
• 36 – doubles Maggs has.
• 63 – doubles pace Maggs is at according to ESPN.com
• 21 – home runs former Tiger Carlos Pena has.
• 22 – current home runs Tiger Gary Sheffield, who leads him.
• 56 – number of extra-base hits Curtis Granderson has.
• 98 – Granderson’s current pace for XBH, just below a franchise record.
• 17 – projected steals. So he’s gotta get Placido Polanco not to make contact on every hit-and-run if he wants to do 4 x 20 for steals, homers, triples and doubles.
• 4.25 – Tigers team ERA today, fifth in the AL
• 3.02 – Tigers team ERA in July, first in the majors.
• 3.97 – season ERA of Tigers starters, second in AL.
• 4.74 — season ERA of Tigers bullpen, bad but substantially better than about a month ago.
• 27-14 – Tigers record since June 1.
• 28-15 – Seattle’s record during that period. The Mariners are the only team in baseball keeping pace in games-above-.500.

Tigers 3, Twins 2

Hard not to think of a Detroit Tiger who came up big today.

• Magglio Ordonez drove in all three runs — all three of Johan Santana, at that — with a double and a home run to center field.
• Rookie Andrew Miller may not have been the best lefty pitcher on the field, but he was the one who came out of the game with the victory.
• Ryan Raburn got the start against Santana, doubled and scored.
• Two words: Marcus. Thames.
• Five more: Did you see that catch?
• Most parts of the bullpen. Jason Grilli… eh, I don’t know. Bobby Seay. Chad Durbin really came up huge. But Macay McBride got a big out. Todd Jones picked up another save.

I’m sure there’s more. But here’s a few notes that popped up along the way. Andrew Miller forced 9 ground ball outs and 1 fly ball out. He threw strikes about 2/3 of the time. Minnesota did a good job of forming a gravity that drew baseballs into their arms. Half their runs came on an HBP.

I wonder sometimes if this is a big series. Last year, just about every series was described as a big series. I didn’t really buy it. This year kinda proves why. It was big because the Tigers being a powerhouse team was so new, they had to prove it anew every game. Now it’s like, yeah, this is good series. Both are strong teams. Tigers have to keep them from closing the gap. But it just doesn’t feel like a big series yet.

In any case, Minnesota is pesky and annoying to play and Detroit has won two one-run games in a row. So, it’s a pretty decent series!

Box

Bunt Singles:

• Sheffield was fined for criticizing umpires.
• President Bush picks the Tigers. (Hat tip Ian)
  
• Zumaya + “Samela” = Zumala?
• Getting Joel Zumaya back is important (duh) EPSN.com writes. How important? #2 addition.
• The Tigers make the playoffs 89% of the time according to Baseball Prospectus’ computer simulation.
• Finally, Detroit leads the MLB by 1 game for the best record.

Two important things occurred recently down on the farm. The first, a Tigers short-season A baller threw a perfect game Sunday. Not exactly a prospect at age 23, Guillermo Moscoso pitched just the second in NY-Penn League history. The other exciting news? Matt talked about some exciting prospects at Take 75 North. I’m going to say up front, half the six names were new to me, so go check it out.

Toledo third baseman Mike Hessman, meanwhile, has 27 homers and a Tigers.com article to his credit.

Grandy honored, honored again

Most everyone’s favorite Tiger had a few honors this week. First, he was the American League player of the week for his great time in Seattle. He went 8-for-16 with a homer, triple, double, double and stolen base. He will also join a forum to talk about Jackie Robinson 60 years after Robinson broke the color barrier.

The free event, which is open to the public, will take place on July 21 at noon ET at the Anderson Theater, located within the Henry Ford Museum. Tickets are available the day of the event beginning at 9 a.m. in the museum’s IMAX lobby. The program is scheduled to last two hours.

Flies and grounders

No, it’s not a new header. It’s an interesting article at The Hardball Times about what makes them occur.

Mike Rabelo dinged up

Everyone’s favorite backup catcher had to leave a second game in a row with an injury. He’s not pleased. The Tigers aren’t sure (or saying) what is up. Tom Gage is worried. His blog isn’t easy to link to, so i”ll republish:

His exit wasn’t caused by another cramp, as might have been reported during the game. He felt pain in his left calf and was favoring the leg as he walked to the team bus after the game - he’ll get treatment on the off day, but he sounded concerned. He also sounded frustrated because he feels it’s his job to make sure Pudge gets a day off and the last two times Rabelo has started, he’s had to come out early (a cramp and now this).

(Hat tip Ian)

Bunt Singles

• I do believe the Tigers bullpen is better now. With all the personnel changes, it seems to be clicking. I don’t know who the first will be to head out when Fernando Rodney is healthy, Jose Capellan maybe?, but it’s going to be a tougher decision that you would think.
• That’s definitely a good sign. And like I said in the radio interview, the Tigers starting pitching ERA is second in the AL and overall the Tigers are fifth in the AL. In the past couple of weeks, it’s hard to recall the pen having a particularly bad game. Yah, the 3 runs by Zach Miner were annoying. But for the most part, I’m happy. Still like to be happier.
• Ian updated his blog to answer his own questions.
• Woulid the Tigers be on an even more (team) record-setting pacefor run scoring right now if Marcus Thames had been starting in left field or first base more often? Seriously, it’s near impossible to figure out why Thames doesn’t have more playing time than he does. Of course, when you look at his overall numbers, they’re not impressive. You wonder how a guy with 11 HR in 148 at bats has an OPS in the 500s… but he always seems to be more consistent with more playing time.
• Who knows. Just give more Thames.
• The Freep looked at trade possibilities.
• Like I’ve been saying, I don’t really think the Tigers will trade for a big name closer. Mostly because we’re not looking to replace Todd Jones. He’s going to close. So a lot of closers won’t want to come here, whether or not they have a choice. That and GMs will ask the world and with so many teams in contention, probably get it. I don’t see the Tigers giving up Cameron Maybin. Andrew Miller is a major leaguer now. Maybe Dallas Trahern and Jair Jurrgens can get a quality setup man though.
• I like pitching depth as much as the next guy, but with the young starters Detroit has and with hopefully signing Rick Porcello, the awesome first round draftee… yeah, I’d give up pitching prospects for the right relief right now.

News and notes that I hope to hit “publish” for before work…

Mack Avenue Tiger A to Z blog of the week

Abel to Yzmerman, the Wings section of Kukla’s Korner, selected this blog for its Michigan Sports Blog of the Week.

Sheff still runs mouth

The Gary Sheffield act could get old. I say could, because we long as each song is accompanyed by a home run dance like last night, I’m not really going to complain all that much. That’s just how it is in sports. If he’s your opponent, you hate him. If he’s your own, you like it… or put up with it… or something.

I don’t know if the Freep’s headline meant to be a bit saucy or not: Sheffield — Jeter isn’t ‘all’ black. But it doesn’t exactly reflect what’s in the article.

Pudge suspended one game

Pudge was suspended one game for his bumping an umpire Thursday, even though the ump admits it was inadvertant. I don’t know if that’s an automatic suspension or if the outrageous behaivor following the ejection got him. (Note to Leyland: Have Andy Van Slyke hold guys back, don’t try it yourself!) I don’t think Pudge should even fight this one. Maybe he can just appeal until there’s a day game and serve it then.

Why washing your pants is dangerous

Jason Beck checks in on Wil Ledezma. Wil is at home in Venezuela. He went there for All-Star Break and hasn’t been able to get back into the country because he washed his pants… and destroyed his visa and passport in the process.

Stats watch

• Maggs is on pace for 65 doubles. His average of .360 leads Ichiro by .07.
• Grandy has 52 extra-base hits, tied for second in the MLB with Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder. Philly’s Chase Utley leads with 53.
• I also notice Grandy hasn’t been hit by a pitch all year. Utley has been dinged 15 for the MLB lead. Sheff’s 7 gives him 19th overall — thanks Daniel Cabrera, for waking him up!

(See Part 1)

You’ve heard what I have to say about the first and second half. Here’s a look at what others say in a special edition of Bunt Singles

NBX Sports Action Blog: NBX noticed Detroit’s strong offense and thinks if the run prevention improves, the Tigers will be hard to beat.

MLB.com: Jason Beck looks behind at the first half and Tom Singer looks foward.

Detroit Tigers Weblog: Bilfer sees $5m wasted by the Tigers in injuries and bad decisions, but thinks it’s a good sign the Tigers are in first place anyway. He also looked at run distributions.

Detroit Tiger Tales: Lee looks at how the Tigers compare with other contender in several statistical categories you won’t find elsewhere.

D-Town baseball: Eric notes the Tigers schedule grows more difficult in the second half.

SI.com: Joe Lemire grades the AL Central teams. He gave the Tigers a B+. SI the magazine, meanwhile, thinks the Angels will win the World Series. Give them points for consistency, at least. Lemire’s grade seems pretty fair to me.

Baseball Prospectus (free): John Perralto looked at what to expect in the second half. He wonders if Curtis Granderson will get a cool nickname if he keeps up his triples pace.

The Hardball Times: It looks at first half overperformers and underperformers. If you’re looking for dark clouds, there’s a number of overperformers. But maybe not everyone having a great season will cool off, it says.

Nate Robertson’s Gum Time: This is about 2 weeks ago now, but Nate ‘wrote’ about the upcoming midterm.

The Wayne Fontes Experience: Al hands out midterm grades by player.

Inside Edge: A scouting service posts its grades. (Hat tip David in Bilfer’s comments)

ESPN.com’s Power Rankings proudly present the MVT (Most Valuable Team) of the first half: the Boston Red Sox. It’s hard to argue against a team that ranked No. 1 in eight of the 14 weeks, but you can go ahead and try. Knock yourself out. (ESPN.com)

Well, I don’t have to make the argument, as the Tigers have taken the first two games against the Red Sox. Poor ESPN and its poor timing. Let’s face it. Anyone as good as the Tigers, Indians, heck, Twins, Angels, would be feasting on the AL East this year, too.

Futures Game watch

Cameron Maybin pulled out with a shoulder injury that will keep him out of Lakeland’s lineup for 2+ weeks. Gorkys Hernandez will be playing CF for the World Team, however. The game is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Tigers are popular

The Tigers drew their eighth straight sellout in Saturday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox, establishing a new Comerica Park record. It was their largest non-Opening Day crowd (44,193) in the park’s history. (MLive)

Motown Tigers “Bluhm Memorial” Hall of Fame

I meant to link to this days ago and totally forgot. At Motown Sports, some Tigers experts elected a Tigers Hall of Fame. I key contributer, Lee of Tiger Tales has the scoop. They honored longtime Tigers contributer Brian Bluhm, who was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre in April, by naming the HoF in his honor. Fifty-four Tigers were initially elected.

How am I doing?

Of interesting note, I decided I’d look at my interview with Batter’s Box, a Blue Jays blog that invited me and some actual baseball people to talk about the Tigers before the season started. Even though the Tigers made me look awful in early April, looking back, my optimism wasn’t nearly enough. Look no further than the first question, which posits the Tigers offense is vulnerable this year. While Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus and Anthony Giacalone of Baseball Think Factory agree, I said the Tigers offense was better. Anyone care to disagree?

I found the Tigers seem to go the direction Granderson goes on offense. If Grandy has a good game, they’re much more likely to win. If he cuts down on Ks, converts some more swings to hits, it’s going to set things up that much better for Sheff, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez. The lineup just looks pretty balanced top to bottom. It’s not the top offense in the AL, maybe not even top three, but it’s going to be strong enough to add a few runs to its total from last season. I’m predicting 30 HR, 90 RBI (due to his earlier spot in the lineup), .370 OBP for Sheff.

OBP of.406, 21 HR (so far) at the break, 56 RBI… not too bad, Sheff

Stats watch

• Maggs has dipped under the record-setting pace for doubles. With just one double in his last 10 games, he is now on pace for 67. But his .367 average still leads.
• Granderson is on pace for 44 doubles, 39 triples and 23 homers, which would be a fabulous 106 extra-base hits for the season.
• So yah, the offense might slow down a bit in the second half still unless those guys can keep up those terrific first halfs.
• Jeremy Bonderman has recaptured his strikeout lead from Justin Verlander, 98-97. Erk Bedard of Baltimore leads the AL with an amazing 149. Minnesota’s Johan Santana is second with 125.

Sometimes it’s best just to step away from the blog and go “Eh, whatever” after a particularly annoying loss. (See part 1: I’m not even going to blog that for immediate postgame thoughts.) But I know, the readers want a few thoughts, so here goes:

• Don’t blame new Tiger Jose Capellan for the 11th inning loss. I mean, it’s pretty easy, he’s go the “L” next to his name right? He got 2 outs in the 11th and a strike and gave up the game with a homer to Casey Blake. But really, how can this kid shoulder the blame when the offense becomes inept in the 10th inning? He deserved the win for his play in the 10th inning, and sure, deserved the loss for his play in the 11th. But more than anything, the team seriously shoulders the loss. If Capellan pitches like that, he’s going to keep a spot in the bullpen and make us happy fans more often than not.
• But can he keep pitching like that?
• I forgot where I read this first, so I can’t take credit for it, but I pass it on: Isn’t it ironic that a wild pitch by Cleveland may have helped them win? (Stress may). When the runners moved up to second and third base, it took the bat out of Magglio Ordonez’ hands. Obviously, it looked pretty good when the bat was in Carlos Guillen’s hands. But with a runner in scoring position, would you rather face Maggs and Guillen, or Guillen and Pudge? Pudge is no Magglio.
• The loss wasn’t the end of the world. Lord knows, the Tigers will lose some games like this. And they lost a game on the Indians for the division lead. But pretty much, if you wanna pretend to look at the wild card magic number for a moment, well, Minnesota and Seattle lost too. It’s just an “L,” not a big deal to those who may try to make it into more.
• A really, really annoying loss, obviously. But just one.

BOX

Bunt Singles:

• I couldn’t decide if this was a bunt single or not, but I’m ready to start Marcus Thames in left field full time. He’s not a big defensive drop from Monroe, and despite his pedestrian numbers, I’d just like to see what he can do if given a few weeks of steady action. Hey, can’t get any worse than Monroe’s slump, can it? (Update: Someone reads my blog! … yah right)
• Joel Zumaya visited his doctor and learned he can begin tossing the ball again. He’ll start after the All-Star break. This probably means Zumaya comes back sooner than the September date being thrown around. But Zumaya showed his maturity by sticking with the September date. If his body heals and rebuilds faster, great. If not, he’s not going to force it. I bet late August. We still won’t know if he’s the old Zoomer until he’s on the mound for real.
• The Dallas Morning News still expects the Tigers to be involved in trade talks for closer Eric Gagne and doesn’t expect it to be too expensive to get him, due to the money he’ll be owed. (Hat-tip Motown Sports forums)
• Jason Beck reports the Tigers will play on ESPN Sunday Night baseball against the Angels July 29 for a fifth and final time, the most allowed by contract.

I noticed there may have been a baseball game at Comerica Park yesterday. It might have involved an 8-5 loss. I’m not quite sure of the exacts. Been a bit busy.

Anyway, while all of that was going on, apparently the Tigers have been up to some moves off the field as well. From most recent to least:

Minor leaguer traded for relief help

Chris Cody, who already moved from West Michigan to Lakeland, will be on the move again. Meanwhile, the Tigers brought in Jose Capellan. Freep:

Capellan was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven appearances with the Brewers this year. He began the year at Triple-A Nashville.

“Capellan has a good arm and major league experience and we feel he will help us in our bullpen,” Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement.

Eulogio De La Cruz was removed from the roster but the Freep didn’t know for where: DL or minor leagues. I really don’t have any opinion on this yet. It’s best just to reserve judgment until we see how Capellan does in the AL. But it didn’t really cost much, either. Basically, Dave Dombrowski just keeps tossing darts at the bullpen and hoping one will be a bullseye. A sure bullseye may be in getting rid of Jason Grilli, most fans seem to agree. Bloggoland has more on the trade at several locations.

• Take 75 North’s Matt writes he’s not too concerned over Cody.
• Danny Knobler is jaded. “Besides, he’s got to be better than some of the guys they have now. Right?” Either about the bullpen or the MLive forums. I sense the latter.
• “We finally got rid of Capellan” Brew Crew Ball writes. (Hat tip Bless You Boys)

That makes the 22nd guy to pitch for the Tigers this season.
Joel Zumaya recovering steadily

Knobler also reported that Joel Zumaya may start throwing soon. He still has a September return circled on his calendar. Zumaya says he doesn’t want to push things. But he did move his doctor’s appointment up by 10 days.

Hopefully this is good news. We can be reasonably sure it is, but until Zumaya pitches full speed, we really don’t know. So I deem my reaction: cautionary optimism.

Stats watch

• Magglio Ordonez still leads the majors in average (Ichiro is right on his tail), but he’s hitting fewer doubles. Maggs is no on pace for “just” 71 doubles, only two above the record. His last double was June 19.
• Grandy still ranks sixth in the AL in slugging but hasn’t hit an extra-base hit for a week.
•  At some point (29 in 3 starts I’m guessing) Justin Verlander surpassed Jeremy Bonderman in strikeouts. V has 90 in 102 innings. B has 82 in 90 innings. Actually, that probably has to do with Bonderman’s DL stint. B still has the lead in K/9.

Reactions to All-Star Selection Show to follow it.

Long list of news, mostly being reported by Danny Knobler first so I’ll just credit his blog on the whole:

• Fernando Rodney went on the disabled list with elbow shoulder and forearm soreness. I’m not surprised, he seemed still hurt, but needed too much to spend too long on it. I hope he’s given the chance to recover now.
• Nate Robertson, of course, came off the DL to start tonight.
• Magglio Ordonez moved into second overall for the A.L. All-Stars outfielders voting. Wow. That really does surprise me given the voters. Good to see he’ll probably start.
• FSN will be reshowing Justin Verlander’s no-hit game July 11.

And non-Tigers

• Brewers AAA pitcher Manny Parra threw a perfect game last night in the Pacific Coast League. That’s pretty impressive!