Game 23: Twins 11, Tigers 3

My inability to watch Saturday afternoon games due to work continued, so I can’t add very much to Eric’s recap. Congrats to Eric on that, his is the only recap I found.

A blowout was bound to happen eventually. You can’t be giving away games and playing close every day. It was just, you know, I figured it would be Maroth and not Verlander.

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Game 23: Twins (13-10) at Tigers (12-10), 1 p.m.
TV: FSN
Starters: Carlos Silva (1-1, 2.74) vs. Justin Verlander (1-0, 2.08)
Pregame thoughts – Usually I like to preview the starters, mention who hits who well and the like. Lately it feels like I’ve missed the point. It’s not the guys who go out and pitch seven innings and have a 2 ERA. It’s the guys who pitch the 8th and 9th innings and have a 6 ERA. Yes, it’s a bit frustrating right now.

In the past week, Zumaya blew the lead in the eighth inning Friday — tried to do it in the ninth Wednesday. Jones blew the game in the ninth and lost in the 10th Tuesday. Last Saturday, Zumaya blew the lead in the eighth and Rodney lost in the 10th. … I’m starting to get why so many pitchers threw complete games in the past! The bullpen now has an ERA of 4.87, putting Detroit firmly ahead of such great franchises such as Tampa and Kansas City. Six of the 12 baserunners starters left on have scored, according to Baseball Prospectus’ stats.

So who, exactly, are we to look for in support of Justin Verlander today?

If you’re looking for Tigers who can perform against Silva and make it safer, look to Maggs (1.136 OPS), Sheffield (1.256), Guillen (1.603 in 23 at-bats) and Granderson (limited at bats)

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Game 22: Tigers lose 5-3

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

The photo says it all. After Nate Robertson pitched beautifully, allowing just two runners to get to second base through six innings and just one run on a homer through seven, Zumaya threw it all away. Oh, he wasn’t alone in doing so. With a 3-1 lead, Robertson put two base runners on in the eighth without getting an out. But that’s the type of situation Zumaya thrives on, holding on and shutting down the rally. But he not only couldn’t get Nate out of it unscathed, he left the bases loaded (one was an intentional walk) when Jim Leyland took the ball from his hand. When all was said and done, four runs scored in the eighth and Minnesota held on by that score.

I think we can draw few conclusions lately other than to agree with Leyland. This bullpen is seriously out of whack. Not a single reliever has been reliable for the entire month of April. Wait, that states it backwards. You expect a struggle or two over a month’s worth of outings. During the entire month of April, no reliever has been reliable. Leads have been blown by nearly every reliever in every way possible. When two pitch fine, the third finds a way to mess it up. When people called for Fernando Rodney’s or Todd Jones’ head, they thought young Zoomer was waiting in the wings. But even Zumaya admits that he isn’t ready to close. And this week, with two blown holds and runs given up in all four outings, we’ve even lost the reliability of Zumaya. Just as we thought he hit a low when he couldn’t throw a strike against Chicago, he could barely keep the ball inside the park against Minnesota.

It’s frustrating right now. This must be the frustration Indians fans felt last year as their team compiled runs and their starters kept a low rotational ERA, only to see a losses pile up. Relievers have compiled eight of the Tigers’ 10 losses this season.

When will the bleeding by the bullpen end?

Site news: I decided to separate pre-game and post-game thoughts from now on. 

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Game 22: Twins (12-10) at Tigers (12-9), 7 p.m.
TV: FSN
Pitchers: RHP Ramon Ortiz (3-1, 2.48) vs. LHP Nate Robertson (2-1, 2.05)

Pregame thoughts — To many — Twins fans and Tigers alike — this probably doesn’t sound like a pitchers’ duel. Ramon Ortiz?! A guy with an ERA of 5+ the past two years in the National League?! But right now, Ortiz is pitching fine with a sub-2.50 ERA and three wins, so that’s what it is.

Ortiz allows less than a base runner per inning, but he’ll have to face down some batters who’ve found success against him in their career, namely Brandon Inge (.923) and Neifi Perez (1.092 OPS) –what? Neifi? If anyone needs a day off, at least Jim Leyland would have an excuse to give Neifi a start. Pudge also sees Ortiz well, as he’s got three homers and an .804 OPS in 32 at-bats. Most Tigers haven’t seen much of Ortiz, but Gary Sheffield has struggled in 12 at-bats.

The Twins bats have been silent lately, and they’re not fans of Comerica Park. Twins Nation blog points out Minnesota has struggled against lefties this year. The best Twins batter against Robertson is Rondell White, and it sounds like he’s going to miss the series. Torii Hunter is a tough sonuvagun, listed at day-to-day after taking a Zach Greinke pitch off his mouth.

Update: Pudge is sitting with a hurt foot after a foul ball, per beat writers. Neifi! is the emergency catcher(!).

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The White Sox, sporting a team of who-knows-who, really, and behind a near complete game by Jon Garland, beat Minnesota, 6-3.

Detroit’s magic number is one with two games against the Royals to go. A Tigers win tonight OR tomorrow, and we can all buy new T-shirts!

Go get ‘em Tigers!

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Lost in the passing last night on this blog was the elimination of the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Minnesota whipped the Royals. Cleveland whipped the Sox. Why do I bring this up? Because of the postseason implications.

But first, let me write a bit on Chicago. Before the season started, I looked at pitching staffs in the American League, especially those of the Sox and the Indians, as I thought they’d be the two playoff teams. I suspected Chicago would have a dropoff. Several pitchers had career years for the Sox in 2005. These weren’t young guys coming into a third or fourth year, either. These were veteran pitchers where you don’t espect sudden vast improvement. Good defense could lift them. But I didn’t see how they could continu eit for two years. Turns out they couldn’t. Still, I thought the extra runs would make up for allowing a few more and Chicago would be in position to defend its title. I never could have predicted the Sox’ bats would leave them midseason, and they’d drop as many close games as they did. And all that Sox magic that carried them through 2005 and early 2006 was gone, too. Of course, there’s really no such thing as magic. Teams perform in the clutch because they’re good, and because of some luck. Chicago was good. The Indians were much like the Sox, but with an even worse pitching staff in my estimation. Both teams must correct those problems in the offseason, or I suspect we’ll see the same two AL Central teams in the playoffs again next season.

Now, on to the ramifications of Monday’s games. The Twins are now 1 game behind (2, actually, because they must finish ahead of Detroit, not in a tie) the Tigers. They play the Royals, who seem like they ran out of gas after the August surge. And then Twins play the White Sox, who have not only run out of gas, they’ve run out of starters. Jermain Dye was injured this weekend. He played Monday, but we’ll have to see if he plays the whole week. Paul Konerko’s still having back problems. Jose Contreres was shut down for the season. Mark Buehrle may be as well. In other words, don’t count on the old guard to give Detroit a boost when the Sox and Twins meet in the Metrodome. However, Ozzie will be starting some young players, who we hope are hungry and want to prove themselves to help their chances next season. This race for the AL Central title will most definitely require the Tigers to just keep winning. (link to compilation of Sox articles)

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Time to regroup against Texas and Baltimore, and be ready to hear the Tigers compared to the 1978 Red Sox. Detroit’s down 12-0. I’ll update with the final score. I’m digusted.

The final was 12-1. The team is going to win 90 games this year, probably 93-95. And it will be the worst feeling 90+ win season ever.

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Tigers revert. Twins win. 2-1. Nate Robertson took another tough luck loss.

Not much else I really want to say about the game. I wonder if this offseason we can sign Carlos “El Caballo” Lee…?

Sigh.

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The Tigers lost, 9-5, in the HHHorrordome. By the look of the score, you cringe. There was an inning — does Minnesota have a patent on those? — where everything went right for the Twins or it might have looked a lot better, maybe not even a loss, but you can’t say. All you can say is this: The Tigers had plenty of positives in a loss. And that is something we have not been able to say for awhile.

First off, Detroit scored five runs. They had a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning with five hits and four walks when Minnesota starter Matt Garza left the game. So far, so good, right? Lately, that sounds like a victory. And about 15 innings worth of work. Magglio Ordonez went 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs. That’s Magglio coming around for the final 20 games. Again, yo have to look at that and be happy. Pudge went 2-for-5 and looked good in the 2 hole. And Omar Infante continued to hit well in place of Placido Polanco. Honestly, this was one of the best losses Detroit has had in a long, long time when you look at it from that angle. And Carlos Guillen played, that’s definitely good news. On the other hand, they were 2-for-12 with men in scoring position.

From the pitching side, Wil Ledezma just couldn’t keep a lead. His defense didn’t contribute real great either. He was given 2-0, it was 2-2 after the Twins batted. He was given 4-2; it was 5-4 after the Twins next half-inning. In the third inning, Minnesota singled for four straight at-bats with two outs. The Twings strung four hits together to score three runs in the fifth inning, this time with one out. And in the sixth inning, off Andrew Miller, all four runs were scored with two outs. Miller walked the next three baserunners, was pulled, then the hits started off Zach Miner. It is debatable — too close to call so the runner got the edge — if Detroit got the third out when Carlos Guillen came out with a terrific grab and threw to first with one hop. If he gets that out, it’s 5-4 still. But as it is, Brandon Inge commited an error the next at-bat, then Phil Nevin doubled in more runs. 9-4. Game over.

Mike Maroth pitched for two innings, allowing just one hit. It was just some good Minnesota hitting or some bad Detroit fielding, but the runs can be scored fast and furious in that dome, and the team that needed them most came up with them.

Hopefully Detroit returns the favor tonight. The JV relief squad played on Friday, let’s see how the varsity does for Nate Robertson… or if he needs them at all.

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Up, down, down, up, down, down … What kind of roller coaster ride is that? With an easy 7-2 victory over the Twins — thus keeping Detroit in first place at least through Monday — the coaster is on its way back up.

Curtis Granderson homered in the Tigers’ first at-bat. Marcus Thames homered an inning later — he should have been starting all along. I’m glad he made the most of his chance. Pudge Rodriguez homered in the seventh inning. And Omar Infante homered in the ninth. Yes, four homers. Detroit pounded out 12 hits in 38 at-bats, and half of those went for extra bases. It was quite a nice game at the dish. One Twins’ reliever — Matt Guerrier, who entered the game with an ERA of 2.92 — likely won’t be seen again this series because of the job the Tigers did.

It was equally beautiful on the mound for the most part. Justin Verlander pitched deeper than he needed to. While we all agree we’d rather Verlander be watched with an eagle eye, I’m sure Jim Leyland was thinking “let’s preserve our bullpen for the next three days,” which isn’t a bad thought at all. Verlander earned his 16th win of the season.

Chicago lost to Cleveland, 9-1. I knew the White Sox were in trouble in September when I saw seven Indians games on their docket. Cleveland has been hot-hot-hot lately.

So for today, I feel pretty good. Chicago has a very hard uphill battle to make the playoffs. Detroit’s playoff magic number is 14 15 [and much harder to predict]. The Tigers beat the Twins in the opener of a huge series. Life is good.

For the night, anyway. The Tigers have shown the ability to win the opening game of a series big only to fall the next day. But now, I really believe it might be different this time.

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