PREGAME: The Tigers will be taking on left hander David Wells tonight, and have stacked the lineup with right handers. Sean Casey will be the only lefty stick starting. Brent Clevlen will man centerfield and Pudge Rodriguez will handle leadoff duties. Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames will look to set the table in front of Magglio Ordonez.
The Rodriguez selection is interesting as leadoff, but he has had considerable success aginst Wells in the past. In 57 at bats he has hit .333 with 4 homers.
Justin Verlander will take the mound for Detroit. He’ll look to regain the command that was lacking in his Chicago start and pick up his 15th win.
Game Time 7:05pm
Is it just me or do our guys get picked off a lot?
I’d be surprised if the numbers showed that we were getting picked-off at a higher rate then most teams.
Infante just scored, I was really high on him being our next 2nd baseman a few years back. Then the trade for Polly came and I felt a little bad for Omar. For the record Polly is my kind of player, steady head in the game and a tough out. This was a great trade for us as UU was an absolute head case we got rid of him and the potentail cancer there and got a pretty decent player in Polanco.
Someone posted the ESPN link to Bill Simmons AL ranking. Its like stand up comedy on the AL. Really worth the reading (the guy loves Zumaya, who doesn’t, I would pee my pants if I had to stand in against him) maybe we can see him tonight.
Has anyone noticed that we have Texas, Who Sox, Cleveland and NYY by the end of the month with one off day. September has landmines as well but lightens up near the end of the month with teams that are out of it.
Well thats it for me, Hey Billfer any chance of a spell checker on this?, I really rely on that at work as well, so everyone doesnt know that I am a hack sports fan who spent no time in skool doing what I should have, but had a killer strat-o-matic league in my neiborhood 😉
Steve
Could’ve been much worse, but I think our recent propensity to give runs back in the half-inning after we score has me more concerned (certainly annoyed) then anything else the past week or so.
>> And another thing, Is there a box office number to call to get exact seat selection the tix on the web site just give you best available or would you scalp???), I have to be in Detroit (wink) for some business during the Toronto series. I cant seem to find it (Im sure its there). Great shot for a Day game on 9-28 for anyone with vacation to burn.
Bye the bye Wells looks totally hitable tonight, lets get a few here.
I feel really out of it here, but when the hell did the Sox pick up Javy Lopez?
08/04/2006 2:19 PM ET
Red Sox acquire catcher Javy Lopez from Baltimore Orioles for a plaer or cash.
Steve
Isn’t Javy making like 12 mil a year or something? I’d rather rely on a rookie call-up than take responsibility for that ridiculous contract.
Thanks for the answer Steve.
Just finished reading Bill Simmons column and got a good laugh out of the “where are they now?” Juan Gonzalez update.
Then, I checked the score and saw that Ortiz just put the Sox up. Took the good feeling I just had from that laugh away.
Plenty of game left to play so here is hoping the Tigers come back one more time and sweep the Red Sox.
Oh, joy of joys! Kansas City is whuppin’ the White Sox 6-0!
Good god!!!! Clevlen just destroyed that thing!
7-0!
Why was he left in there?
I gotta keep Tigers off my fantasy squad. Too freaking upsetting.
Wondering that exact same thing Joey. That made no sense. He clearly didn’t have command enough, that screamed for relief.
OK we need two, Who Sox are getting smoked by K/C (thanks guys). This has been a good series so far. Lots of everything on both side. I am not a Wells fan but he’s 43 and still pitching in the MLB.
Steve
Well, this afternoon I said I’d be happy if the Tigers and White Sox both won today, so I guess I have to be happy if they both lose (go Royals). Would only have lost two games off the lead after getting swept by the White Sox and then going to play the Red Sox while they went to play the Royals.
Side note: An article in this year’s Football Propsectus (affiliated with Baseball Prospectus) shows that, in the NFL, the number of big wins a team has over bad teams is a better predictor than the number of close wins over good teams in terms of odds of advancing in the postseason. I wonder if a similar study has been conducted for baseball?
we should’ve easily won this game – Wells was totally hittable tonight. One reason and 1 reason only we lost: too many ****** walks. How many walks scored? 3 or 4 anyway. And Mags should’ve caught that HR; just once I like to see him sacrifice his body for the team. All in all, a pathetic performance: we should’ve had 15 hits, and with no walks, they’d have gotten maybe 1 or 2 runs max…….. 🙁
Still 2 out of 3, Looking to head home against a decent Texas team. I hope we are up for them and have some giddie up left.
10-0 Royals now. I would love once just freeking once to spank the W Sox like that. Once just once…….
Steve
by the way, when Wells picked off Pudge in the 1st inning, he stepped towards home – it was a balk. No wonder he got picked off.
Soriano placed on waivers:
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9605048
Anybody else think the Tigers might be a little more motivated to move on Soriano? Or Vidro for that matter (he’s about to come off the DL)?
Hmmm…..
As for tonight: man, Verlander went form lights out to rather ordinary in the space of one skipped start. Are his mechanics that screwy? I thought they looked fairly effortless to me up until this point.
We all dream of Soriano. But I find it just about totally unlikely, so many things would have to fall into place.
I was hoping for 2 out of 3 for this series (as I am sure we all were). A sweep would have been great especially after the horrific weekend in Chicago, but through it all we still picked up a game on the White Sox.
Not too shabby considering we could have gone into Boston with our heads hanging and gotten our butts kicked for three games. This team keeps showing me their heart and their willingness to gut out wins.
im a little worried about the way the tigers are running the bases. The base running has been terrible in the Boston series. Im glad we took two and pcked up 1 game on the black sox. The next 2 weeks will make or break this season. We should be able to 2 of 4 (or possibly 3 of 4) from texas. their pitching is abismal. we have to simply outslug them. the real challenge will be the 4 game set with the white sox. Leyland better find a way to take at least 2 from them.
There is no way in heck that the White Sox or Twins would ever let Soriano get by them on waivers. Especially with Placido down for possibly the rest of the season. It would be stupid if they didn’t.
Nice Chris. I have to think that a move is in the back of Dumbro’s mind given the injury to Polanco.
Verlander did indeed look terrible last night. I’m furious he was left in as long as he was. He fought through his issues–he appeared to be laboring to me–and managed to get us through 5.5 with a lead and he was under 90 pitches. Take him out, give him a rest, give middle relief some work, and try to hold off Boston’s lineup.
It was like Leyland was testing the kid or something–which was okay earlier in the season, but let’s not do it here with a youngster showing signs of fatigue.
Win or lose I love the Tigers….
One obvious observation. For most of the season Leyland has been getting 7 innings from his starters. As the season drags on, and these arms get tired as appears to be happening, that can’t be counted on. It is time for the middle relievers to step up and pitch for innings 6 and 7. I don’t know if Zoom can be relied upon for more than 1-1/3 innings.(What a 11/3 that is though)
I feel the strongest guy here(for middle innings) is Walker. And if Jones keeps it up he’s your guy in Save situations.
I like Pudge batting 1st. He will rise to the occasion.
Believe it or not these guys want to win more than we do.
Beat the Rangers
Verlader had nothing and his mechanics look really out of whack. No curve and no change-up and christ he even had trouble spotting his fastball. I mean he had nothing. But he got through on guts. I agree with an earlier post, how could he leave him in so long? I don’t get it. Ordonez looked ridiculous on Ortizs homer should have been caught.
Clevlans homer was gorgeous. I love Granderson but why pinch-hit for Clevlan in the 9th???? Grandersons mechanics are a mess right now and my God Clevlan has done everything right. Where is it written that he can’t bat agaist right handers. I’m not saying hes ready for everyday but lets let him play till he shows us he can’t.
I was ready for 2 base runners and a Monroe rocket. Next time. 2 out of three in Boston, winning against Beckett and Schilling I’ll take it every time.