This whole “Second day off” thing seems to have bitten the Tigers in the butt, as Tuesday was fine but they can’t play today. It helps them “getaway” a bit sooner to Kansas City. After getting a bit sloppy against a team that really makes you pay for it in the Jays, maybe we can breathe easier — but maybe not. More in tomorrow’s preview.

6-0 lead. Not enough. Jeremy Bonderman couldn’t prevent it. Fernando Rodney couldn’t prevent it. A Matt Stairs home run couldn’t prevent it. The three guys who loaded the bases for Detroit in the 11th couldn’t prevent it. The baseball gods — and Kansas City Royals — did not want to see the Tigers win the Central Division this year. Brandon Inge nearly walked off with a grand slam in the 11th, but the ball went wide left like a Michigan State field goal attempt. His teammates were about ready to charge the field, half climbed over a fence. I hope the photographers got the reaction shot as they climbed back over. That’s the shot of the day. Inge tried again, and the ball skipped foul down the third-base line, tricking Todd Jones. That was that. He followed it up with a strikeout. Curtis Granderson did, too. Royals score in the 12th and it’s over.

Tigers will put that champagne away, put their toothbrushes on the bus, as Tom Gage pointed out, and head to the Bronx as the wildcard team after leading the Central Division since mid-May. Their five-game losing streak won’t matter. Getting swept at home won’t matter. They’re in the playoffs. Let’s hope that matters. What a woefully Detroit way to end the season. I guess as fans of Michigan sports, we should be used to this by now.

Jason Beck: [T]he Tigers have to go to New York, they’d have three prime time games — Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FOX, Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN, then Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN back in Detroit.

FSN said 8 for Wednesday. They also said Justin Verlander will start. We’ll have to get confirmation of that still. It’s a good oportunity. While he is in all likelyhood rookie of the year, he’ll get an introduction on a big stage in primetime. I hope he makes the best of it.

Maybe in a few weeks, maybe in a few months, and 100% for sure in a few years, this isn’t going to matter in the least. This was a magical Detroit team that surpassed all expectations and we’ll remember several as household names a dozen years from now.

But holy cow, it sucks right now. 90 feet short.

Raise your hand if you thought the division title would go down to the final day? Okay, maybe a few people said it a month or two ago, but who really means it when they say it?  Raise your hand if you thought the division title would go down to the final day… about 5 hours ago. Okay, so like, no one. Thought so. Detroit lost, 9-6 to the Royals. The Tigers led by as much as -7 in the game. Oh wait. They trailed by seven in the first inning, which starter Zach Miner did not make it out of. Ah yes.

Generally I dislike headlines that say things like “Tigers blow chance” or something in the middle of August. or even September. But when your magic number is, I don’t know, 1 and you lose, that’s pretty much the definition of “Tigers blow chance.”

No spin. Nothing good here. Just an annoying loss after a rain delay — too bad it wans’t a downpour until midnight or something. I don’t know if rain affected things, KC’s pitcher didn’t make it out of the third inning. But the game leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Still, a win or Twins loss Sunday and Detroit can celebrate — I wouldn’t really recommend it at this point — a Central Division title. Jeremy Bonderman is on the mound. That would be somewhat symbolic I guess. We’ll see. If not, then they’ll have been swept by the Royals and enter the playoffs on a 5 game losing streak. Which may not mean much, or it might, we won’t know til next week. But it’s not exactly how you script it.

I’m not mad or worried or mad, despite this strange occurance: Detroit dropped a 9-7, 11-inning decision to the Royals Friday night.

Seriously. What. the. Heck? Tigers lead by 5 early. Chicago leads the Twins. I’m picturing a 1 magic number. And sure, KC is making a little comeback. No one ever said the Royals roll over and play dead when they face Detroit. It just looks like when you see the final score. And Todd Jones blows a save. Ouch! But it’s his second of the month. Fair enough. I’m not gonna rip on Jonesey, he does a nice job closing for the most part. He doesn’t put the fear of God into other teams. He just gets them out of the inning and hands them a loss. So, yeah, he blows the save, but Detroit LOADS THE BASES (great cats! I sound like Samara with the caps!) with one out and Pudge is up to bat. Game over. Nope. Inning over. Short pop out and for some reason, the runner (Brent Clevlen) tags up and runs home and isn’t even close. That ball was by no measure hit far enough to force the center fielder (Joey Gathright) to be perfect.

Jim Leyland probably didn’t want to waste his bullpen. That’s my only reason for leaving Jamie Walker in a second inning. Better to blow the game — and who’s saying Walker is going to in the first place? We know he pitches nice — than to blow the entire weekend and post season. But Walker got lit up for three home runs and 4-run 11th inning by the Royals. Detroit loaded the bases with one out, scored two runs, and had two on with one out for Pudge. Redemption? Nope. Just another double play. Sigh. Some days, Pudge has got it. Some days, he doesn’t.

I’m not mad or upset, nor do I really care all that much. Detroit let one get away. You can’t be happy with that. I can guarantee they’re probably mad at themselves and will do something about it Saturday. The Twins lost. The magic number is 2.

But, this is baseball. The magic number can be deleted in a single day now. The Athletics, who owned Seattle all season, blew a big lead and fell to the Mariners in a god awful game Monday. Their magic number was two. They were disgusted. So were the fans, dreading the worst. They were doused in champagne less than 24 hours later. That’s how it works now. We’re playing KC for two more days with a magic number of 2. Minnesota is playing Chicago.

So by this time tonight, White Sox and Tigers willing, we could be fans of the Central Division champions. And that’s why I’m not that upset.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tigers, 11-4. A nine run second, home runs by Craig Monroe, Brandon Inge and Matt Stairs, and fine pitching by soon-to-be Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander was all it took. Symbolically (minus the run), 2006 first round draftee Andrew Miller closed out the ninth with a strikeout. Oh, and the Tigers recaptured the best record in baseball with Yankees and Mets losses.
Detroit returns to the post season for the first time in 19 years! I was too young to remember that one, so this is just awesome.

Did anyone else get what must be an old Sesame Street strong in their heads from the Tigers scoring today? But the song ended too soon. Detroit put up 15 runs — 10 in the first inning, as you’ve heard — to blast past Kansas City. Backing into the playoffs? I think not!

This Tigers team is starting to hit the ball well. And yes, it’s the Kansas City Royals. But at least it was off All-Star pitcher Mark Redmen. Okay, that doesn’t sound so impress either. But at least he’s played some nice games along the way to help the Tigers. Watching the highlights on Baseball Tonight, it’s apparent Redmen was not even close to having it today. The Tigers just took advantage. Curtis Granderson had the two toughest parts of the cycle — a triple and home run — out of the way in the first inning. Unfortunately, he could get no closer. But what a great day at the dish for the team. Of course, I’d be remiss for not mentioning Placido Polanco — who has Sunday off — went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Chris Shelton added three hits. It’s nice seeing Placi come back, period. All the better to see him come back swinging better than anyone could have hoped.

Kenny Rogers pitched almost a complete game. I had no problems with it. Some people might have. But if he thought he could do it — and he’s pitched long enough to have a good grasp on what he can and can’t do — it’s fine by me. I don’t think any damage was done by the decision. It preserved the bullpen. I guess you could have given Andrew Miller an extra inning of junk time if you like or something. It’s just a matter of preference, not really anything to be too excited over. Rogers has been awesome ever since Lynn Henning suggested he be pulled from the rotation. Lynn, if you’re reading, please make the suggestion for Jeremy Bonderman if that’s what happens!

Detroit is 8-0 in KC now. Wow.

Alas, Chicago was saved by the rain and turned a 7-2 defeat into a 9-7 victory. That kept Detroit from clinching the playoffs. But that day will come soon, very soon. I can’t wait.

Can you feel it? Well, if you’re like me, you’ve been feeling the playoffs since Monday’s victory over Chicago. Wednesday’s victory made the playoffs feel inevitable. With Chicago’s losses Thursday and Friday, Detroit’s 7-3 victory over Kansas City on Friday night, and suddenly, it’s coming true. The clinch number is 2! It’s not official yet. But it’s 11:59:50 on New Year’s Eve, and the countdown has begun its final stretch.

I just have to accentuate this quote Jason Beck writes at MLB.com.

“I don’t know what other people are thinking,” said Joel Zumaya, whose two scoreless innings helped seal Friday’s win, “but each day, I’m waking [up] and I’m going, ‘Wow, I’m one day closer to clinching the playoffs.’ It’s just crazy.

“I’m 21, and I never thought I would experience something this early. Someday, I always wanted to. I’d sit there in front of the TV and think, ‘Maybe one of these days, I’m there.’ And I’m going to be there pretty soon.”

Not much to say about the victory. Like many of the 12 wins against the Royals, Detroit trailed at some point. And like most of the 12 wins against the Royals, the Tigers put up crooked late-inning numbers to earn the win. A Sean Casey homer put Detroit ahead, 4-3, in the sixth before they really piled on with three runs in the ninth.
Wil Ledezma came an out from a quality start and probably earned his final swing through the rotation with the four hit, four strikeout, one earned run showing.

Oh, and the Twins lost, making the division clinch number fall to seven. Start rooting for those Sox to play the part of spoilers next week in the Metrodome!

Enjoy the countdown. By this time tomorrow, it could be 0! Too bad the games aren’t televised on FSN, but the celebration will be, Danny Knobler reports. Oh, and I almost forgot, there’s reason to celebrate already. Placido Polanco will be starting at second base!

I wanted 3 out of 4. I got 3 out of 4. I wish the fourth would have looked better, rather than a 9-6 loss, but that’s fine.

Although we may think otherwise at times, Zach Miner is still a rookie. He’s going to have his rookie moments along the way. Today most definitely was a rookie moment. To be fair, it wasn’t totally his fault. Some questionable fielding behind him didn’t help, and of 20 balls in play, eight were hits and another batter reached on an error. But he wasn’t throwing his strikes as well, either.

In all, the Tigers had three errors and at least one or two questionable decisions by left fielder Marcus Thames. He kept trying for the big play at home to get an out where the wise play was hitting the cutoff man to keep men from advancing. best I remember, that happened twice, and both results in runs. And then there was the play where Chris Shelton ran into Vance Wilson on a popup, and runs later scored off Wil Ledezma. In all, the effort was there but incredibly sloppy. That, coupled with Pudge and Magglio and Placido Polanco having the day off, pretty much doomed the Tigers. In fact, watching the Cubbies’ sixth inning on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball is really reminding me of today’s Tigers team…

To be fair, Thames tried to make up for his runs by driving a pair of home runs, good for five RBIs. Detroit had the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning but could do no more. Thames’ bat is incredible. Too bad we have to ask him to use his glove, because he sure doesn’t have a good one.

In other news…

The KC Star believes. Today they published “3 reasons why you should ignore those who say Detroit will fold.” In short: this team isn’t the same team from 2003, pitching, defense, and that phenomenal start.

And Saturday, the Royals thought they were facing Randy Johnson from the right side. 

Just sign the Royals up right now for lifetime memberships into the Justin Verlander Admiration Society.

“You know who he reminds me of?” Reggie Sanders said after Verlander and the Tigers beat the Royals, 6-0, on Saturday night. “A young Randy Johnson from the right side.”

The Big Unit?

That comparison tells anybody who might wonder just how good the 23-year-old Verlander is. In May, he shut down the Royals on five hits, and in this win, he allowed two singles before giving way to the Tigers bullpen in the eighth inning.

Click the link from where I got the image in case you’d like to buy one.

What really needs to be said? Justin Verlander struck out five and allowed two hits and the Tigers shut out Kansas City, 6-0. That make 12 shutouts this year and continued total domination of the Royals. Just another routine day at the ballpark for the sellout crowd? Well I could point out Brandon Inge, Marcus Thames and Pudge Rodriguez each picked out a 2-out RBI. The Tigers stranded eight runners, but it didn’t seem like anything to be concerned over. It appeared to me the Tigers were working on some small ball with the sacs. But overall, there’s been a lot of nice at-bats this weekend, a lot of nice drives even if not all of them landed on grass. KC’s Joey Gathright can be credited with saving a few runs by himself in center field. Detroit won all 11 against the Royals this year and past 10 games at home.

So I’ll write a bit about the Detroit Stars, a Negro League team featured in today’s game. (Kansas City honored the Monarchs). The Stars used to play at Mack Park, off of, well, Mack Avenue. Strangely, the park came to an end when it burnt down prior to a game against the Monarchs. There’s a nice history here. A star player for both teams in action today, “Turkey” Stearnes was known as being one of the top hitters in the Negro League and, undoubedly, would have led the majors leagues as well if only they had let him play. Stearnes was eventually elected to Cooperstown. When he wasn’t playing baseball, he was working in the autoplants in Detroit to make end’s meet, his profile said.

“He could hit it over the rightfield fence, over the leftfield fence, or centerfield fence. He was one of the greatest hitters we ever had. He was as good as anybody every played baseball.”
— Satchel Paige

Wow. That was a strange one. As per tradition, Detroit sported the Royals four runs before picking up the 10-9 walkoff victory. That sentence alone tells you just how strange this game was.

Kenny Rogers dealt a pair of home run balls — one to last night’s goat (or hero, depending on your point of view), Mark Teahen. By the time his night ended after four innings, Rogers had allowed five runs on six hits and a walk, and saw his ERA climb to 4.10 for the year, not befitting of an All-Star starter. Short term, it looked like Rogers probably could have used more rest. But long term, having the rotation in this order is probably for the best.

Speaking of pitching, Joel Zumaya pitched in the eighth again, this time with decidely worse results. A pair of walks, an infield single and a double accounted for three KC runs, breaking a 9-6 Tigers lead. In between, Roman Colon pitched fine for Detroit.

This game could have had any number of heroes. Marcus Thames had a pair of 2-out RBIs, Craig Monroe one in a 3-for-4 performance. The Tigers stranded just six on base while walloping 11 hits and walking four times. That’s a pretty good day at the plate by anyone’s measure. On a night Jim Leyland realized he’d need some offense, Curtis Granderson pinch-hit and took over in center field in the sixth inning, rather than the eighth or ninth. When’s the last time you saw that? And finally, even after Zumaya blew the three-run lead, didn’t you just get the feeling the Tigers were going to win in walk-off fashion, and it was going to be in the ninth inning, not extra innings? I did. So Carlos Guillen was the ultimate hero on the night with a home run that seemed to clear the fence by about two feet and gave Todd Jones just his second victory of the season.

In all, it was ugly. Detroit played efficient offense and took advantage of KC miscues on defense, but the Tigers nearly couldn’t take advantage anyway as the league leading pitching looked pretty bad at times and just couldn’t find the strike zone often enough. 61 wins in 90 game? We’ll take it. They all look the same in the standings.

Just an interesting note from the Baseball Prospectus look at the KC matchup, by the way.

Kenny Rogers had the worst VORP from the Tigers rotation (it was still 32nd best in the majors), but was chosen to be the All-Star starter. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman were 13th and 16th in the majors respectively, but Kenny Rogers received 7.3 runs per game in support, the fourth most in the majors.

Oh, and I take full credit for Jose Contreres non-losing streak coming to an end. He’s on my fantasy team. That’ll do it every time…