Tigers 10,
Red Sox 9

Recap:

• Well, the Tigers kept their undefeated streak when scoring 6 or more runs alive by edging the Red Sox.
• Of course it’s not that clean-cut, is it? It was a heavyweight fight where every punch by the Tigers got countered by the Red Sox. They thought they clocked the Tigers at the end of the match, but Detroit stood on wobbly legs, got one last hit in and won by judge’s decision in the end. Ultimately, all that matters is they won.
• Of course it’s always more fun to be the counter-puncher than the team trying to hold on, isn’t it? Which is why the ninth inning comeback win was great.
• Boston’s superb closer Jonathan Papelbon got tagged with the blown save and loss after Matt Joyce hit an infield single (Ryan Raburn pinch ran), Edgar Renteria got on via error by Boston shortstop Julio Lugo, Pudge bunted them to second and third, Curtis Granderson drove in the tying run with a ground out, and Placido Polanco hit a broken-bat walkoff just over Lugo’s head.
• Sure, kinda a blah way to win a game, but who cares, the Tigers came from behind and won a game!
• Polanco went 5-for-6.
• Let’s see, other stuff that went on:
• Armando Galarraga pitched mostly OK but sorta tired in the late middle innings… again. He gave up five runs in 5.1 innings, but had six strikeouts and one nasty, nasty little strikeout pitch — knuckle-curve Rod Allen called it on FSN — that froze David Ortiz and left him bewildered.
• Francisco Cruceta — The Caped Cruceta, as the commenters at Bless You Boys have taken to calling him — had a tough game. He had a blown saved and allowed runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. A three-run homer in the seventh tagged Zach Miner with a pair of earned runs.
• Edgar Renteria made a beautiful stop to save a run, ranging far behind second base and making a diving stop.
• Todd Jones got the win.

Analysis:

• Well, the Tigers needed that. I’m not about to say any win “turns them around” but it sure turned around my ever-worsening attitude for the night.
• Galarraga is proving himself as a guy who could remain with the Tigers the full season. If he isn’t a starter, he can sure be an effective reliever. Ask Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz about his ability to get the strikeout. Or witness for yourself (way too often) his ability to pitch out of jams, as long as it’s within the first 4 or so innings. After that, he goes downhill. That has reliever written all over it. Except the Tigers need quality starters, too, and might not want to change his role.
• Polanco is back! I think.
• Miner + close game = *covered eyes*
• Cruceta proved that he is human. He gives up runs just like anyone else in the Tigers bullpen, visa problems or no visa problems. I think he’ll be OK. At least he has a cushion of fan positivity while he gets everything together.
• This team just has to keep battling. That’s really all you can ask of it right now. They did a good job of that today.

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Boston 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, really doesn’t matter does it but for history’s sake let’s say 5
Tigers: 0.

Recap:

• Curtis Granderson.
• Carlos Guillen.
• Pudge Rodriguez.
• Thought they each deserved a line of their own because there’s really nothing else to write about this crappy game except those three got hits.
• Nate Robertson gave up four runs
• Freddy Dolsi allowed one.
• For the record, the kid gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Manny Ramirez

Analysis:

• I dislike Boston because people call Manny Ramirez, ManRam, for the record. It really has nothing to do with the actual Red Sox. I’m sure they’re perfectly acceptable people. But the media annoys by shoving the Red Sox and their cutesy nicknames down everyone’s throat.
• Had to get that off my chest. And I was working during the entire game so I can’t really say I have any observations about it.
• Anyway, the Tigers go from 19 runs and sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx to being swept by the Twins and shut out by an ancient mariner. or red sock. Whatever Tim Wakefield is.
• The team scored 19 in a game and averages nearly 7 runs a game for quite awhile and suddenly enters Minnesota and can’t score and still can’t score.
• The Tigers have gone 0-7 and 8-2 and 0-5 and the fans have gone from cautiously optimistic the team can’t suck for the whole season to despondent to happy to chagrined and now, depending on the source, we’re either pissed or depressed.
• I’m annoyed with the whole thing.
• Does Jim Leyland have any other drastic changes up his sleeve?
• Right now, I can’t even tell you if this team is good or stinks or what. That’s probably the most frustrating part. I’d like to know one way or the other. I guess ultimately it adds up to being average.
• They’re just not as good as the top tier in the American League. The results alone tell us that. But they haven’t played enough games against bad teams to be above .500 right now. So they look worse.
• So, right now, they’re average. That’s what I’m going with.
• Meh.

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Detroit 4, Twins 2

A few interesting points about a fine victory at the HHH Dome.

1. Pudge walked.
2. Pudge walked.
3. Pudge walked.

OK. He only walked once. But you can forgive me for mentioning it three times, because it’s not like a) it happens often, or b) you could have expected him to do it.

At work, I glanced at the TV, saw three yellow squares on the bases, and then saw Pudge. And worse, two outs. Well, one does not expect that to turn out well very often. So I went back to what I was doing and before you know it, Pudge is standing on first base. He didn’t get a hit. He took a walk. A WALK. PUDGE! He has, let me count, 1…2…3… … 9 walks this year. Didn’t even take me two hands. But this walk tied a (presumably) important game 2-2. Timo Perez added a pair more with a single, and suddenly it’s 4-2 Tigers. The bullpen held on.

Unfortunately for Detroit, the putrid Red Sox’ bullpen did not. Our choking friends from the east gave up six runs in the eighth and eventually the victory. So the Tigers — 8-2 in the last 10 games — did not gain a single game on the Yanks during that time period when the Red Sox blew a five-run lead.

Thanks, Boston. You’ll still make the playoffs as a wild card even if you choke. But everyone will remember the hack job you did as the Evil Empire ran up on you from what, 14-1/2 game back?  So, you’d better take the next two games from them and put them away, OK?  Glad we agree.

The Indians, too, came from behind to win.

Detroit clinched a .500 season.

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Tigers 6, Red Sox 5

I had to find my broom to sweep up the Red Sox with this one. Not every team is broom worthy, but taking all three games from Boston certainly is!

The Tigers hit three home runs off Daisuke Matsuzaka, who had only allowed 9 before the game and had went five straight games without allowing one. Gary Sheffield had one in the first inning. Marcus Thames added another to center field in the third inning. It sounded impressive at least. And then Carlos Guillen added the third later in the inning and gave the Tigers a 5-2 lead. Detroit went up 6-2 an inning later and then just had to hope to hold on.

That’s because Boston is pretty good and answered with back-to-back home runs of their own in the seventh to chase Nate Robertson from the game. The bullpen made it a bit too exciting, both Jose Capellan and Todd Jones. Capellan’s run was unearned. Jones’ run was much fretted about but never actually occurred. Detroit held on to win a fifth straight game and sweep the Red Sox.

This homestand started so ugly but ended well. The Tigers closed out the first half of the season — a bit more than half, as they’ve now played 86 games — on a positive note. They’ve established themselves against two of the top three other teams in the American League this week. The bullpen seems to be getting itself in shape. The rotation is in shape. They’re winning low-scoring games. They’re even in first place by a game entering the All-Star Break.

All is well in Tigerland today.

Box

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Tigers 3, Red Sox 2 (13 innings)

I would have been disappointed if they lost, admittedly, but the way both teams were playing, it would have been hard to be disappointed with the results either way. The Tigers blew several chances to end the game. The Red Sox made several stunning plays. The Red Sox blew several chances to take an extra-inning lead. The Tigers pitchers made some stunning throws. In all, it was an excellent baseball game and the Tigers came out on top on a Pudge Rodriguez walkoff hit to deep center-right field that drove in Gary Sheffield from second, which he stole after being hit by Jonathan Papelbon.

What may be most amazing is the fact no Boston player scored after David Ortiz in the first inning. With one out, Big Papi hit a home run off Jeremy Bonderman from the No. 3 slot in the batting order. The Tigers pitchers got the next 38 outs without allowing a run. The bullpen went five scoreless innings. More shockingly, Todd Jones(!) went two (!!!!!!) scoreless innings. Todd Jones never goes two scoreless innings. But after a leadoff double in his second inning of work that left everyone saying “Jim Leyland, you should know better!” Jones thankfully proved us wrong. Macay McBride, Zach Miner, Bobby Seay, Jason Grilli (!), they all kept shutting Boston down. Not without some drama, but when the inning ended, another 0 went on the scoreboard.

Boston, meanwhile, did more of the same. The Tigers were stymied other than a two-run double by Craig Monroe in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases in the 10th with one out, but Boston All-Star Hideki Okajimi proved his voters right and escaped. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs later and again couldn’t score. So it was just that kind of back-and-forth game between the best two teams in baseball.

Bonderman’s team had the last laugh on the All-Star vote, and so did he, as he had nine strikeouts, including five through two innings. This is yet another reminder how blessed we are to be able to watch Bonderman follow Andrew Miller follow Justin Verlander follow Kenny Rogers follow Nate Robertson. What a quality and exciting rotation that is.

It would have been a thrill to watch if it was televised statewide, but thankfully, Dan Dickerson is an excellent announcer and really brought the game alive through my radio.

Can we read too much into this game? Maybe. It just as easily could have been a narrow loss. But just like the win that could have been against Cleveland, it wasn’t. The Tigers rotation and bullpen shut down an excellent Boston squad and tagged no less than Papelbon with the loss. The Tigers sent a message — to postseason prognosticators if not to the Red Sox — about what to expect in October, when barring injuries, this team will only be better. And a near-record amount of fans were on hand to see it as Detroit sold out Comerica Park an eighth straight day.

Bunt Singles:

• Placido Polanco left the game with a listed rib injury in the eighth inning. He was listed as day-to-day but isn’t in today’s lineup with a back injury.
• At ESPN.com Jayson Stark named Magglio Ordonez the AL MVP for the first half.
• The Boston Globe is liveblogging today’s afternoon contest.

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Detroit 9, Boston 2

On this day when Neifi Perez began a 25-day suspension and Marcus Thames started in place of Craig Monroe, the Boston Red Sox must be thinking “Why us?” What did they do to Jim Leyland (and the MLB front office) to draw such ire? Why did Leyland start Thames in left field instead of Craig Monroe on this day? Boston can only wonder.

Tigers fans, on the other hand, are feeling like Christmas and my birthday has been rolled into one. Ding, dong, Neifi’s gone! And well, when Marcus is in the outfield, good things happen at the plate. He’s too good not to play more. Now he’s got his chance. He hit a game-breaking grand slam.

(But let me get in a good word for Neifi. While he’s been the whipping boy, I’ve often felt bad for him. Like Todd Jones, he probably doesn’t like being laughed at. And like Todd Jones, he’s doing the best that he can. We have to blame Leyland for his playing time and for his remaining with the team. I’m sure Neifi is a perfectly acceptable fellow and he probably shouldn’t be the butt of so many jokes. But the suspension? You gotta get caught twice. So he obviously earned it.)

Beyond the Tigers bats battering another pitcher, we can look at Andrew Miller and see progress. He used more than just his fast ball, mixing in offspeed and breaking pitches to get five strikeouts and allow just three hits. He made it through seven innings, his most in the majors. The four walks are a slight concern, but it’s important to note two came in the seventh inning. He was probably tired by then and in all previous games would have been on the bench getting his congratulations by then. That, and the Boston lineup is made up of some pretty good batters. Miller did miss David Ortiz — or the opposite may be true, Big Papi missed Miller. In all, I’d say this was just another good growth experience by a smart, talented young pitcher. It was good to see.

Boston had some fielding snafus along the way. Also, just-called-up OF Ryan Raburn got an RBI on a bloop to the outfield.

The best part of this is that the Tigers have assured at least .500 against Cleveland and Boston with two games to go. You’d like to see them do better on the home stand than the series losses to the Twins and Rangers, but the Indians and Sox were the big test, and the results were favorable. A victory Saturday or Sunday assures, A) happy Tigers fans going into the break, and, B) at least a .500 homestand. Yet again, the streaky Tigers follow a bad spurt of games with a good one.

Box

Bunt Singles:

Magglio has agreed to play in the home-run derby.

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Boston 2, Tigers 1; Boston 4, Tigers 2

Twinbill dropped. Blech. It sounds like a half a haiku or something.

I have mixed feelings on this double header.

• First, losing stinks. Losing twice in the same day really stinks.
• Second, losing with two a callup from Toledo and your No. 5 guy isn’t so bad.
• Third, losing with a callup from Toledo and your No. 5 guy when they both give up two runs…stinks. Those pitching performances maybe shouldn’t both be rewarded, but you certainly hope for a split. No split. Just losses. Blech.

In short, Zach Miner pitched a great game on two hours sleep. He got tagged with a loss when both runs he allowed were the fault of fielding mishaps by Carlos Guillen. He missed the tag on a player going to second, maybe thinking he’d get credit for a phantom tag and double play. No go. The runner advanced to third on the David Ortiz shift and no one noticed. Next batter, run. Then later, Guillen misses ball. Maybe it took a bad hop. Maybe not. He was standing in front of it at the time. He should have found a way to get it. Second run. Detroit’s punchless offense lost.

Kudos to Miner. I think he’ll find his way to the Tigers bullpen soon given that it stinks. DTown examines the generalities. Bilfer zeros in on Wil Ledezma. Big kudos to Tim Byrdak, who I doubted, but who blew the Red Sox away with five strikeouts in six batters faced.

On to game two. Chad Durbin does his best, er, Chad Durbin impression. Lately he’s not been stellar, but he’s been good enough to give the Tigers a chance to win when he’s on the mound. They have mostly been doing that. But not today. He left the game with a lead. The Aforementioned Ledezma blew it. I didn’t see any of this game. Not much to add.

In all, I’m okay with a 3-4 road trip to Minnesota and Boston considering the Tigers just didn’t really look like the Tigers. Good thing Detroit started it 2-0 though, because it ended it 1-4. All in all, they’re in a fine place for May. But it can be frustrating on days like these.

Box 1. Box 2

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Tigers 7, Red Sox 2

You ask your ace to stop a slide, to eat up innings, to give you a shot to win every time he takes the mound. Justin Verlander, whether or not he’s atop the pitching staff, most certainly comes across as an ace by those requirements.

After giving up a run in the first inning, Verlander pitched all the way to the eighth inning and allowed just one more. That, a) gave the Tigers a nice cushion because they were able to score quite a few runs off Tim Wakefield, and b) allowed everyone in the bullpen to catch their breath after two awful showings. Fernando Rodney had a minor adventure in the ninth inning, but otherwise did fine and the Tigers won their third game in five on this road trip.

Usually I’d just hotkey the Polanco-Maggs paragraph here. But Polanco went hitless. Maggs, however, did not. He homered over the Green Monster for 3 runs the same inning Brandon Inge homered to deep right for another. After some recent stumbles, Pudge went 3-for-4, which was nice, while Curtis Granderson had another two-hit day. Oh, did I mention Wakefield had the lowest ERA in the AL entering this game?

ESPN again looks at the pitching matchup and groans at its luck. Julian Tavarez and Mike Maroth combine for an ERA of 11 for the Wednesday night matchup. But there’s plenty of stars on both teams, so the worldwide leader should be okay. I just hope they realize there’s guys on the team not named Gary Sheffield.

Box

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Boston 7, Tigers 1

The good about playing on ESPN: national TV. Out-of-town fans can see the game. So can family of players. The bad? arriving at your team hotel at 4 a.m., waiting on your luggage and playing a game later that day.

That’s baseball. I’m sure the Tigers wouldn’t use it as an excuse. Playing against Dice-K probably had something to do with the results as well. But you can’t tell me that scenario would be easy on anyone’s body, little lone an athlete playing against one of the top team’s in baseball later that day.

Anyway, my fellow blogger, Curtis Granderson, homered to right field. The Tigers got a few batters on base but generally didn’t do much against Dice-K.

Robertson pitched fine, came out after a tough five. Newcomer Tim Byrdak showed a great two innings on the mound. Good for him. Hopefully he can keep it up. Then Bobby Seay just made a mess on the mound. In two games, the Detroit bullpen has allowed 14 runs. At least if the Tigers were going to lose two games, they lost two games they weren’t going to win anyway. There were no dramatic blowups.

Justin Verlander takes the mound Tuesday. Hopefully the kid is a stopper. By the way, Granderson is right, while the media loves to set up everything as a test, it’s just one series in Boston in May.

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Detroit at Boston, 7 p.m.
TV: FSN
Pitchers: Nate Robertson (3-2, 3.43) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-2 4.80)

What do you think about facing the great Japanese import, Jim Leyland?

“I don’t give a (expletive) about him,” Leyland said. “I’m not getting into all that. I could give a (expletive) less. It’s another pitcher.”

That was the perfect answer. Dice-K is a good pitcher, and Leyland admitted as much. Right now his ERA is not too good — it’s worse at Fenway Park — but there’s so much hub bub about him, it just gets annoying. He’s not a fresh story any more. But he’s doing a good job of putting the Red Sox in position to win. They’ve taken the W in each of his last four starts. That may have more to do with the Sox offense, of course.

Anyway, Nate Robertson will face Dice-K. Hopefully Robertson can rebound from his last start and go 7, 8 innings. If he only goes six, I wouldn’t doubt a Bobby Seay appearance after last night tore up the bullpen.

Side note: I always enjoy the games at Fenway Park, especially now that the Tigers are good. The line drives off the Green Monster are my favorite, and the Red Sox play quality baseball, too, so it should hopefully be a good set of games.

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