Tigers 2
White Sox 1

Recap:

• The Tigers swept the White Sox.
• The Tigers.
• Swept.
• The White Sox!
• Yeah yeah, they’re still 8 games back and all that stuff. But given the incredible domination by Chicago in the series the past several years, I think we’re allowed to enjoy this one for a little while, right?
• Kenny Rogers deserved the win, but left the game after 8 innings with it tied 1-1. He gave up four hits.
• Todd Jones got the win for the ninth inning show. He deserved something. Like maybe a hold.
• And — and I might be burying the lede here — Miguel Cabrera hit a walkoff solo homer for the victory. It was his only hit of the game.
• Despite the fact the Tigers got 5 hits from the top third of the lineup, they only scored one run prior to that, No. 3 (Guillen) driving in No. 1 (Renteria).
• The Tigers left three runners in scoring position with two outs.
• Detroit has now taken 5 of 6 games (which is good, but also 5 of 7, and 5 of 10)

Analysis:

• If anything is the start of something good, taking 5 of 7 from Central Division rivals is.
• What’s led to the wins?
• Timely hitting. Not enough. But you don’t need a lot, just, well, timely hitting, like say a ninth inning homer. You can’t always rely on that, but hey, as Tigers fans know this year, Detroit has lost so many games that way, it had to balance eventually. And it has.
• And  why are the games so close?  PITCHING!
• Nice bullpen performances. Todd Jones remains stellar. Freddy Dolsi had some good showings this week.
• But, mainly, it’s starting pitching. The starters have set the game up so well. Three quality starts against the White Sox. Two pitchers who went 8 innings or more. Against the Indians, the Tigers had sorta a combined quality start. Armando Galarraga fell an out short of one, but the bullpen helped him out.
• And finally, the defense has been pretty good. Carlos Guillen has looked better at third, and Brent Clevlen has been a boost. (Ryan Raburn is kind of a boost too, but had an error Thursday that helped lead to Chicago’s run). Detroit will never be mistaken for having great defense, but the infield is starting to come together.
• Can they keep it up? Sure. I like the pitching, well enough anyway. And the bullpen will soon see Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya come back for a boost. And I think Miguel Cabrera is starting to hit a bit more and guys are more consistent at the plate.
• But will they keep it up? That’s been the question all year.
• Bilfer likes the upcoming schedule, as do I. Before the season, we all said if Detroit can survive the first two+ months, it’ll be in good position to win the division. They didn’t exactly survive the first two months of the year. And the Tigers aren’t in a good position to win the division.
• But they’re three games closer tonight than they were Monday night, and that counts for something with three and a half months to go.
• I’m not about to call myself an optimist at this point, but I am feeling better about the team overall.

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Tigers 5
White Sox 1

Recap:

• For the first time since Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter, a Tiger threw a complete game. And lo’ and behold, it was no other than Justin Verlander who did it! weird huh?
• He got plenty of offense, which for Verlander this year is kinda odd. He struck out 3 and allowed four hits and walked none.
• Marcus Thames’ 3-run homer was all the offense Detroit needed. Miguel Cabrera opened the inning with a 14-pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk. He narrowly avoided getting out at second on an Edgar Renteria grounder to the second baseman, but the ball was dropped. Thames sent a laser no-doubter over the left field wall after that. It wasn’t a particularly long hit, but you could just tell.
• Curtis Grander and Placido Polanco both had two hits.
• Detroit has now won 4 of 5 since learning Jeremy Bonderman was lost for the year, and the loss came in the game Dontrelle Willis melted down.
• As promised, Brandon Inge was back at catcher, and Pudge will be back there Thursday.
• Maggs threw A.J. Pierzynski out when he tried to stretch a single into a double… but he did get an RBI so I guess he was OK with it.
• THE TIGERS WIN!

Analysis:

• Of course in this see-saw season anytime you try to get excited that things are turning around for the better at last, bad things happen. So I’m still concerned. And the Tigers are still 9 games out of first and 1.5 out of third.
• But hey, Detroit took the series from the red-hot White Sox. That alone is enough to be happy about.
• Verlander didn’t get many strikeouts but he really didn’t need them. He was in control the whole game. He’s just one of those guys who doesn’t need strikeouts I guess. After he got the first nine batters out without too many pitches, your mind had to at least entertain the thought that something special could happen. And hey, a complete game and a Tigers win, that kind of special is fine by me.
• Plus he proved that he’s the Tigers’ ace again and helped the bullpen get some extra rest after Monday’s game.
• The Tigers realy need to sweep the Sox and make us really feel good about this week. It’s Kenny Rogers vs. left-hander Mark Buehrle so the Tigers have a shot.

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Tigers 6
White Sox 4

Recap:

• Nate Robertson had a quality start and kept it. He gave up 3 runs. The third came in the seventh inning after he left bases loaded for Freddy Dolsi, but the kid wasn’t sexy enough to handle it this time.
• Dolsi gave up a few hits and a walk balk for the fourth run in the eighth inning.
• Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, helping give the Tigers the lead.
• Not only did Pudge have a steal, but he threw out to runners trying to steal! And he had two hits.
• Polanco also had three hits, and Brent Clevlen added two.

Analysis:

• Tigers always respond to my writing them off by winning. I will write them off more often.
• Wait a minute. Wait just a cotton-pickin minute here. What if Leyland’s plan to play Pudge less actually works? It obviously did the first day, but we’ll have to see how he does Thursday, and Saturday, and Monday, and … this could take awhile.
• Like to see a few more games like this out of Cabrera.
• I think Dolsi did a decent job today. Coulda done without the balk, but not a bad day.
• It was fun to see them beat the White Sox anyway. Time to take the series!

Other stuff

• Hey Tigers, need a pitcher? Some guy named Wil Ledezma is suddenly available. Of course, unfortunately it sounds like he’s having as many problems as some other 2006 Tigers.

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Detroit 13, Chicago 3

The Tigers picked up 18 hits in their final game of the season and nearly as many runs. The seven-run seventh broke a tie and helped Detroit to an 88th and final victory for the season. The most important 3 hits came from Magglio Ordonez, as he wrapped up the Tigers first batting title since Norm Cash in 1961. But 15 more — including three by a Curtis Granderson batting in the 2 hole and 2 by first baseman Carlos Guillen put the Tigers in a solid lead.

Nate Robertson pitched into the seventh, and Jason Grilli allowed just one hit and no runs for the final 2-1/3 innings.

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White Sox 5, Detroit 2

Let’s play a game of what do we know.

• We know that a win or loss really didn’t mater unless you wanted 90 wins
• We know Detroit will win no more than 89 with the loss.
• We know Magglio went 2-for-4 virtually guaranteeing him of the batting title, which is pretty cool.
• We know Carlos Guillen is moving from shortstop to first base next season.
• We know the White Sox, in all their suckitude of 07,  still own the Tigers.

What don’t we know?

•  We don’t know if the starting pitcher, Kenny Rogers, played his last game in the Tigers uniform. I think not, but you can’t say for sure whether he and the team will come to an agreement. Right now, they’re both saying the right thing.
•  We don’t know who will play short stop, although Guillen thinks it will be a good player, which is why he made the move. We think.

What can we presume?

• We can presume that means there’s no chance of Sean Casey coming back, unless it’s as a backup or something.
• We can presume Chris Shelton has little future unless maybe he’s going to be Guillen’s backup.
• We know Guillen is pretty good at first base defensively, but he’s not overwhelming as a first-base style batter. Not that I think it matters as much as others think.

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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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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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Sox 3, Tigers 1

Not much to say since I covered most of the big topics in the previous post. The Tigers once again couldn’t put a complete game together. The pitching showed up. The offense, which featured Sean Casey batting third along with the typical Sunday cast, could hardly score. Magglio Ordonez did homer. So that, again, is good news. Hopefully Gary Sheffield and Marcus Thames feel better soon to give this offense some of its teeth back.  Whoever has seen a Tiger gum its prey to death?

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White Sox, Tigers 5

Detroit came a run closer today. Placido Polanco went 2-for-4 to move within .003 of Magglio Ordonez in batting average.

Otherwise, what can I really say? One loss is melting into another. This one, again, was the starting pitching struggling. Jeremy Bonderman did his best impression of Jeremy Bonderman and gave up four runs in the first inning, each of them coming with two outs. After the Tigers made up two of those runs in the second inning, he gave up a pair of solo homers in the top of the third. And that was about it. The best you can say about him, is that Bonderman lasted long enough to give the bullpen a break.

This really is a tough time for the team. It slipped out of first place, the wildcard race went from something in the back of your mind to something the Tigers are fighting to hold on to, as Seattle surged into a tie with Detroit, though the Mariners have played two fewer games.

The Tigers have three righted-handed starters, one seemingly tired left-handed starter, and no real answer as to who will fill in for Andrew Miller during his time on the DL. It probably won’t be a lefty, those are few and far between in the organization. Things are actually pretty bleak. That’s my view from tonight anyway. There really isn’t a lot to be optimistic about at this point in time.

Box

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