PREGAME: Wil Ledezma will be making his first start since June 4, 2005 as he fills in for Justin Verlander who is experiencing fatigue.
He’ll be opposed by C.C. Sabathia who the Tigers beat in Cleveland 2 weeks ago when Verlander outdueled him.
Brent Clevlen will be making his first Comerica Park start this afternoon.(thanks for the heads up Dillon)
Game Time 1:05 pm.
POSTGAME: I caught the bulk of this game on the radio while driving back from a weekend in Indianapolis (see, I went on vacation and kept the blog alive) and actually saw none of the game with the exception of what they showed on Baseball Tonight. But one didn’t have to see the game to understand exactly what kind of performance Wil Ledezma turned in. With 5 2/3 shut out innings, he just didn’t do as good as could be hoped for, he did as good as anybody else could have done as well. He took the game deep enough that a normal bullpen rotation could play out, and now everyone (save for Ledezma) will be available tomorrow night.
And surprise, surprise, Craig Monroe knocked in the deciding run in a one-run game. Meanwhile C.C. Sabathia, who committed the error that eventually led to scoring opportunity, has to be looking at his offense and saying “Do Something!” For the second time in a row against the Tigers he pitched quite well with nothing to show for it.
Of course the happy tone of this update was made possible by Jamie Walker and his punch out of Travis Hafner with the bases loaded.
My buddy and I are trying to name the current Tigers who have playoff experience. Frankly, the only one we’re sure of is Pudge. I think Guillen did with Seattle, and Rogers has played so long he must’ve somewhere. Is that it? Percival doesn’t count. We’re not sure about Maggs with the ChiSox, and maybe PP with the Cardinals. Please help.
Todd Jones, won it with the marlins I think
most importantly Leyland has a lot of experience, he’ll help the Tigers adjust
a marvelous pitching performance today – this is the way baseball was meant to be played. We got the hit when we needed it, they didn’t – once again the deciding issue. The Hafner strikeout with the sacks juiced was huge. Now for the Twins….we’re 6-0 v them at home this year; let’s make it 9-0……. 🙂
Rock on, boys
Sockit To ‘Em, Tigers
Great Pitching!
Tough August ahead. The next 9 games will say alot. MN 3,CWS 3
Boston 3.
This truly is a team where everyday someone different steps up and excels.
2 games ahead of the 84 Tigers
Polanco played in the 2001 playoffs with the Cardinals. Maggs in 2000 with the White Sox. The others….would have to do a bit of research.
Todd Jones pitched .1 innings for the 2003 Red Sox in the playoffs. Dmitri Young got 7 at bats in the 1996 playoffs with the Cardinals. Kenny Rogers pitched in the 1996 playoffs with the Yankees, the 1999 playoffs with the Mets, and in 2003 with the Twins. If you add Guillen, Pudge, Maggs, and Polanco that’s what I can come up with. I may be missing something of course.
Is a 9 game lead over the White Sox the biggest of the season?
According to Jim Price and DD, yes it is.
Polanco also in 2000 with Cards
Guillen in 2000, 01 with Seattle
Dmitri Young played in the 96 NLCS for the Cardinals as well…
Big-picture-jaw-dropping stat from Baseball Prospectus:
“The 2006 Tigers are on a pace for 109 wins; using our more conservative projections based on third-order winning percentage, they’re still on course for 103 wins. That’s an improvement of 60 wins in three years. To give you an idea of how historic that is, the gap in winning percentage between the worst team and the best team in the 105-year history of the Chicago White Sox is less (.325) than the gap the Tigers will make up in three years (.371). More than half of the 29 other franchises have kept within a tighter range throughout their entire history (since 1900) than the Tigers have traversed between 2003 and 2006.”
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5392
(Full article available only to subscribers–which I am not.)
Jamie Walker – he’s my Tiger!