As I watched on gametracker in the Superior Dome as NMU’s game went into overtime, Todd Jones got one out, then another in the ninth. And I still felt “but he’s Todd Jones” and thought I’d go elsewhere in the pressbox for a few minutes. Wow. If I tell you move to the left before a piano falls from the 12th floor, you should probably listen. Jones blew the save, with assists going to Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez. Inexplicably, Jones returned to the inning in the 10th and lost. Not his fault. I think every Tigers fan with an inch of knowledge said “Jimmy! Jimmy! You know Jones is only good for three outs, don’t ask for six!” Of couse the team probably should have won in the ninth anyway.

By the way, my weekend updates will probably be a bit more spotty like this. With high school and NMU football, I don’t really get to see the games or write about it and there’s nothing I can add unique. I’ve gotta rely on the other Tigers blogs. I’ll try to be more interesting on weekdays to make up for it.

Danny Knobler first reported this, infielder Kevin Hooper was called up from Toledo. He’s not particularly interesting. .272 avg / .296 obp / .326 slugging. And not a lot of walks: 4% of at bats. He strikes out 13%.

The Twins lost to the Yankees this afternoon. The White Sox fell to the Royals for a second time in three games, too. Those Royals must be playing pretty good. Hopefully they’ve worn themselves out of it by the time they face the Tigers for six games in late September. So win or lose tonight, Detroit made it through another of its tougher 3-game series without losing any ground in the Central or wild card races.

I wish I could have watched the game and enjoyed the 9-0 victory over the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles live. And for some reason the typical 3 a.m. reshowing has high school football on. Myself, I was in a pressbox getting updates from radio guys every quarter and enjoying it vicariously. So not much I can say that you don’t already know.

• Gem by Kenny Rogers.
• I don’t know if the situation really called for using Joel Zumaya in a 9-0 game. You want to get him in a game, sure, but wouldn’t he be better saved for a leverage situation? What if he’s needed later this weekend?
• The batters are back… for a day anyway. As we know from August, it’s impossible to read into scoring nine runs. But at least they did it.
• Curtis Granderson went 2-for-5, so there’s hope his slump is overwith.
• I love winning.

NMU opens its football season tonight so I won’t be able to comment too much on that game either.

Joel Zumaya earned his first Major League victory in the 2-1 game Wednesday, with the assist going to a Comerica Park.

Buster Olney blogged a piece on Zumaya today after interviewing him for ESPN: The Magazine.

Several talent evaluators who saw Zumaya in spring training believe he has the best fastball anywhere. “In the world,” says a rival executive. “The best pure stuff of any pitcher in pro ball,” says one scout.

Don’t worry, it happens to everybody…

A few days ago, the Kansas City batting coach lost his job after the Tigers’ pitching took care of the Royals. Now, a 1-run performance Wednesday has caused another shake-up, the Orange County Register reports.

The team demoted rookie catcher Jeff Mathis to Triple-A after the game and recalled Mike Napoli. As badly as Mathis was struggling, batting .103 and flailing on defense, he might have been the fall guy on a team that needed to do something to escape its funk.

Napoli (.244, 3 homers at Salt Lake) has some power, but it is hard to imagine him clearing up this mess.

The L.A. Times also wrote about the Angels’ inability to hit as of late. They are 52-for-277 (.188 average) and have scored 24 runs, the paper reported. It would be nice to see the Tigers extend that streak and complete a perfect 7-0 home stretch.

“This is one of the toughest stretches we’ve had here in a long time,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Some guys are on some tough streaks; some are hitting in some tough luck. We’re looking for guys to get into their game and for some hits to fall. When you’re not executing in one part of the game, it puts stress on the other parts.”

Jared Weaver, Jeff’s brother, may also receive a call-up after the series against the Tigers. We know the Angels like the whole brothers concept, but when was the last time there were two brothers as pitchers — in the rotation none-the-less.

National Media

Hey look, Chris Shelton on ESPN’s Cold Pizza.

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News had an article about the national media picking up on the Tigers. I don’t know about you, but I still cringe a bit when they’re the next topic, remembering the past years where the question was usually “How bad are they?” not “How good are they?”

And I don’t mind when the commentators aren’t believers. That’s fine. I have mixed feelings myself. But I just wish they’d get their facts right. “Get back to me when the Tigers get back from that road trip and still have a winning record,” one on Around the Horn said yesterday, of a team with an 11-4 road record.

No Woody, we’re not the Colorado Rockies. Wait…they’ve been successful on the road too…

Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels of) took 2 of 3 from Detroit last week, shutting out the Tigers twice. Not real enjoyable games from a hitting standpoint, and the only time the Tigers failed to get a quality start during a fairly long streak.

Nate Robertson 3-2, 3.77 ERA) faces former Tiger Jeff Weaver (1-3. 7.48 ERA) tonight. Weaver found some success at Comerica Park during his career. He’s been decidedly so-so lately, the LA Times wrote.

Weaver is a sinker-ball specialist who induces ground-ball outs by pitching away to right-handers and in to left-handers, but this season, those pitches have resulted in too many fly balls and line drives. That problem, Weaver said, can be addressed by adjusting the placement of his foot on the rubber (LA Times)

The Angels are coming off a two-game sweep by Oakland, a 1-0 game Monday and 10-3 beating Tuesday. Hopefully the fight against the A’s didn’t bring them together as a team. i’m still waiting for a letdown and today is as good a day as any. Weaver has pitched in Comerica Park just once since the trade, and he lost, the AP preview reported.

Thursday afternoon, Justin Verlander (3-2, 3.52 ERA) is set to face Kevin Gregg (1-0, 0.84 ERA). Gregg relieved in the only victory by Detroit in Anaheim, allowing two hits and no runs in three innings. Justin Verlander missed Anaheim last series.

Sphere It