PREGAME: I’m sorry, I’m still frustrated by last night’s collapse. Zach Miner against Ted Lilly. Curtis Granderson is my pick. 4:00pm.
POSTGAME: What an excellent start by Zach Miner against a very good offensive team. I saw more of this game than his last start, but in both it appeared that his pitches have excellent movement. Fortunately the first two Tiger hits were very well timed, and very will hit. If not for Magglio Ordonez’s double in the 8th, the Tigers wouldn’t have stranded a single runner.
And most fortunately the bullpen was able to preserve the win.
Also, I was kind of wrong about Granderson. That may have been his worst game at the plate.
And Tim, I know I should relax. I usually preach perspective and big picture and all that other stuff. Friday night’s game though is still ticking me off.
Billfer, try to relax, dude. Blowing games late is part of growing up. We’re still in first place. As much as it hurts to see them give a game away it hurts a lot less than a nine-game losing streak. Or 43-119. Or 56-106. Or 71-91. Year after year. This is great; we have a good team to root for and they have some real talent in the organization. I don’t think we could have asked for more at this point. Maybe DD can get an arm that will help late in the game. Maybe not. Mayber he can get another bat. Maybe not. Maybe they will make the playoffs. Maybe not. But it is exciting either way. When I was younger they had a good team with a chance to win every year. They didn’t, but I remember the good times a lot more than the bad.
One of my wishes for today: Walker throwing more than 2 pitches
and Thames not being yanked after 5 innings
Miner pitched well. Big hit by Inge. A couple of walks and a three run homer, and it doesn’t much else matter what you did. I suppose there’s no chance Thames will stay at #5. He should be #3 at this point. Jones sucked as usual but aleast got out of it. Nice win. Only 3 hits and they got a W.
Has Jones had a 1-2-3 inning yet this year? He’s not a horrible closer, but is he good enough to be a closer for a *possible* contender?
Regardless, good win. It’s nice to see the young guy bounce back and have a decent 2nd outing.
Rollercoaster picked up the sv in typical rollercoaster fashion
Tim:
“This is great; we have a good team to root for and they have some real talent in the organization. I don’t think we could have asked for more at this point.”
Amen!
“When I was younger they had a good team with a chance to win every year. They didn’t, but I remember the good times a lot more than the bad.”
Obviously, you were too young for ’84. It was a dream. Seriously, after all these terrible years, it seems like a beautiful dream. Want to hear a nightmare? I was a freshman in high school in Minneapolis when the Twins and Tigs played in the AL Championship in 1987.
As a Tigers fan, it was an awful, scarring experience. My Minneapolis friends, some of whom I still talk to, had a field day with my cockiness back then. After all, the Tigs had the best record in all of baseball then, but wore out their resources to beat Toronto on the last day of the season. Meanwhile, Minnesota rested up, clinching a weak division.
Yes, I’m still bitter. So I ask: How bad could anything that happens this year be?
I’m getting to like Thames……a good hitter. Are his fielding skills really that bad where they keep having to take him out? And Inge seems like an “all or nothing” hitter….he makes outs or hits a dinger…nothing in between. A good game today – Jones didn’t even blow it. Did walk 1, but didn’t blow it.
Two interesting notes about the first eight innings of today’s game:
1) Every Tiger who reached base scored (two walks, one runner reached on error, two home runs).
2) They were pitched entirely by the other side of the Kyle Farnsworth trade.
Actually Taylor, Jones had a 1-2-3 inning just this past Thursday in Chicago. Retired Konerko, Dye, and Pierzynski on 8 pitches. Definately not the usual routine for him, but he’s done it a couple times this season.
Nick, I remember that Twins series well. A letdown after thee great finish. But I remember the finish rather than the loss to the Twins.
When “I was younger” was in the 60s. The Kaline teams. They were good every year and they always had a chance. They didn’t win every year but they won some. In the 80s it was the same. They started every year with a good chance. In 84 and 87 they won, but they were in it other years as well. The wins stick with you more than the losses.
Hopefully this is just the beginning of another good time.
Tim — Wow! It’s funny how people (I) misread things on the Internet. Perhaps I was itching to tell my story of woe, and ignored your subtext. I just assumed you were in your teens to 20s.
From what my dad says, the Tigs didn’t have it so great in the ’60s–with the Yankees dominance and all. I mean, the Tigers had very good teams, like you said, but only good enough to win it all in ’68. Also, like you said, at least they would compete (against less teams in the league, however).
Anyway, my friend, I like this thing you said about us now:
“Hopefully this is just the beginning of another good time.”
If not this this year, I see it happening soon.
I became aware of Tiger baseball in ’63 and ’64. The Yankees stunk after ’64. The birth of my real Tiger fanaticism comes from the crushing last day loss in ’67 and the incredible run of ’68. Great times.
Maybin hit a granny in the 9th tonite.
Did anybody watch Miller last night? I only saw a couple of innings. He looked good.
I also remember the 60’s. The Tigers had a pretty good team that entire decade; they won 101 games in 1961. But they weren’t good enough to really go to the Series except in ’67 + ’68. We should’ve gone both years, but blew it in ’67. We had to win a doubleheader v the Angels on the final day; won the 1st game and lost the 2nd. Our bullpen stunk that year; the only reason we didn’t win. Baltimore dominated in ’66 and ’69; Minnesota won in ’65. The Yankees (grrr) won from ’60 thru ’64…..
I saw miller throw maybe 10 pitches last nite while flipping around. It was the 7th inning, but he barely topped 90 the pitches i saw. He was dominating the opposition, but he didn’t look like anything special from what i saw. I’m sure that was just my un-trained eye though 🙂
I thought his name was kyle….farnsworth that is…