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PREGAME: Afternoon tilt today as Chad Durbin takes on Mark Buehrle. The pitching match-up certainly favors the White Sox, but I just have no idea what to expect from this team anymore. For every “the Tigers make a struggling pitcher look like Cy Young” game there seems to be a “this is the shortest outing” or “this is the most runs allowed” against a good pitcher.
Plus Gary Sheffield is back, so 3-hole roulette should be done for the time being.
Game Time 1:05
POSTGAME: As it’s been said time and time again on this site, if you need offense turn to Timo, Casey, and Inge. Yeah, yeah, we know Polanco is great with runners in scoring position, and he got the walk off, but it was really Sean Casey with the bacon saver yet again. And it was Timo Perez’s ghost runner that plated the tying run.
Now granted, the Tigers didn’t exactly rip the ball in that 9th inning, and once again the offense struggled to plate runners, but it’s still a win and I’m not going to complain. For all the times in the last week or so that the team need a duck or a bleeder only to strand 2 runners, I’ll gladly take a couple of weak ground balls hit exactly in the right spot. After all, aside from the Konerko hit the Sox didn’t really kill the ball in the 8th inning anyways.
And even if the Tigers did barely squeak out 2 wins against a last place team, they still count the same in the standings. So let’s go take care of the Mariners so we can just focus our scoreboard watching on one team.
- Very nice effort by Chad Durbin as there was little solid contact all day off of him. He didn’t go longer because of the multiple roles this season, and he’s not fully stretched out.
- But realted to that we see the dangers of having Kenny and Chad back to back in the rotation. It will tax the bullpen because it’s going to be rare that either goes more than 5 or 6 innings.
- Maybe Brandon Inge has regained some confidence after picking up that walk against Bobby Jenks on Tuesday. He had 3 solid hits today, one of which was that nice homer. Brandon doesn’t have to get really hot to help the team, but at least hitting something close to the line he’s posted over the past 3 years for the next 3 weeks will be a boost to the offense.
- Jason Grilli has now made 7 straight appearances without allowing a run, and in the last 4 those were outings of 2 innings or more. In that time he’s shaved a full point off of his ERA. This isn’t about Grilli love, just recognizing him for a real nice stretch.
- Jim Leyland was managing pretty aggressive in this one. You didn’t see Zumaya because he pitched 2 innings last night. But look at all the pinch hitters and pinch runners used today. In all he used 14 position players.
{ 191 comments… read them below or add one }
What happened to the game 139 thread? We finally win a close one and the evidence the game was even played has been wiped off the face of the blog!
Yeah… I googled and did a bunch of searching and it seems 139 has vanished into thin air. What’s up?
It’s back. Just an accident.
Whew. For a moment, I thought Timo’s double was all just a dream . . .
The Tigs have 23 games left?
Yanks have 22, they will go probably at least 12-10 maybe 14-8
Tigers have to go 17-6 if they do the latter
We really need a winning streak!
It’s going to be an uphill slog to reach the Wild Card but I’ll be cheering them on until the fat lady sings.
There was a comment before yesterday’s game to the effect of, “Now that I realize that the Tigers won’t make the playoffs, I can enjoy watching the games again.”
Now, at first, this made me upset because I’d been hanging onto hope, and took that first loss to the White Sox badly. However, now I realize that commenter was correct. No matter how well they play from now to the end, the Tigers making the playoffs is still a long-shot. You must release any expectation, because they do not, as the saying goes, control their own destiny. Instead of giving myself an ulcer, I just going to enjoy the final month.
I’m not giving up yet. It’s way too soon. With Rogers and Sheffield back, we still have a fighting chance. Indians still have to play 8 games away against the Angels and late against the Mariners. Those brutal road trips we went through are just getting to them now. Plus they still have 3 against us. The more realistic opponent we are contending against, the Yankees, has a starting rotation in flux, still has 3 away against the Red Sox, 7 home and away against Toronto, who have been playing quite well lately, and 3 against Tampa at Tropicana field, and Tampa gives the Yankees fits. So like I said, lot’s of baseball left to be played. I’m not giving up on the Tigs yet. Not saying we don’t have our own problems or that we control out own destiny, because we don’t, but we are NOT eliminated yet by any means. I’ve got a good feeling about the players we just got back. The team that will play today is pretty much the team we expected to be playing coming out out of Spring Training (finally!) minus the fact that Durbin is starting, and I don’t think Chad Durbin has been a negative addition to the Tigs at all. So I still believe.
Sheffield will have to carry the wole team on his back for three weeks and hopefully inspire the team by his play. He is our last hope.
Tampa Bay is mathematically eliminated.
At least we can still hope!
Here’s the thing guys - had I just come back to earth from a long sojourn to the moon, I’d look at things and think “heck, Kenny Rogers and Sheffield have been on the DL for the better part of the past two months, and the Tigers are only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card? They’ve got a great shot.”
But that’s not the perspective of a day in/day out fan. Now, I just spent a while looking up records and calculating winning percentages since early/mid July, but we all know the numbers.
Point is that it is going to take two miracles to win this thing - a reversal of how we are playing as well as a reversal of how the Yankees have been playing. That’s a tall order.
I agree with Ron…..to me…all year…its as Sheffield goes, so goes the Tigers. When Sheff struggled at the beginning of the year, we weren’t great. When he was hot for May, June and most of July, we were the best team in baseball. Since he’s been hurt and/or injured, we have been bad again. If he can get hot and stay healthy the last few weeks, we still have a chance. This team is due to go on a tear, this is their last chance to make it happen.
Indians start a four gamer against LA…Hope the Angels can do some damage
lets go tigers!
Two 1st pitch swings and a Rabelout quickly foil Maggs double. Too much of that lately.
Damn. Same old issues. Three chances to get him home but Magglio’s left standing there on second. I’m not energized.
Shame to strand Maggs
I blame Guillen there, needed to get him over for the rooks.
*giggles*
Brandon Inge is not impressed with what we say.
Inge!! Um yeah, we could really use him heating up. That would be nice.
Who is this guy playing 3rd base for us today and what did he do with Brandon?
Timo and Inge are torturing their DTW faithful and we love it!
Brandon can help carry the team too. Sheffield should’nt have to do it by himself.
If Inge gets hot…watch out!
Here’s something. I work for a newspaper and do the baseball “agate” (stats) page a lot. Until this week, Sheffield, despite his injury was in the top five in the AL in runs scored. We need his plate discipline if only to take walks….of course Sheff is swinging away today.
Nobody in the white sox lineup today is batting over .270 let alone .300
not a bad job by Durbin (from what I can tell on the radio broadcast). I’d like to see some insurance runs though…
WHERE IS OUR OFFENSE? Durbin looks good but we’ve got to get more baserunners. Maybe we can get something going here - -
Inge…another hit. Time to cash out the life insurance.
Gary who? Brandon da man.
Two more stranded - ugh.
I dont like Juan Uribe. Like the poor mans less talented craptastic version of Vlad Guerro
Jeez…shouldn’t Uribe be locked up in a Domincan prison right now?
WTF??? Is anyone watching who can tell me why Durbin has been taken out???
Wow, how many guys have we stranded today?
GRILLI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think we need to officially begin to stop the anti-Grilli stuff. He is not Zumaya, but he has been quite effective of late, and has been effective for other stretches this year.
I also note that he has been FAR better after Zoom and Rodney’s return.
Mike Hessman is not good and has no business on a major league roster.
In his defense, Leyland should not be asking him to bunt.
Oh Jeez. Didn’t anyone tell Rabelo that Buehrle is the pickoff king??? Damn.
Amen Rob on Grilli.
Inge…Grilli…what’s going on in the world?
Why is Thames not playing 1st base?
I’m psyched about Inge getting hot. But seriously, Grandy can’t get any more at-bats against lefties. I haven’t done the math, but he’s gotta now be around .148
How deep was Granderson’s fly ball?
I can’t believe we’ve only scored 4 runs in 27 innings against White Sox pitching. Hang in there bullpen!
Oh boy. Let the meltdown begin.
Fitting, Inge gets three hits and lets the potential tying run single off his glove. The boy has no luck.
I still want to know why Durbin was taken out when he was. I’m only watching on gameday but there didn’t seem to be any reason.
I’m just resigned to calamity right now, so I’m not panicked or heartbroken or whatever anymore, but I really need that one explained to me just from a basic baseball point of view.
Ugh. We really need a strikeout here!!!
at least rodney fielded the bunt without throwing it away. of course fields is up, meaning he’ll he a homer to deep left center…again.
Oh crap.
It’s hard to imagine who has a more fragile pyschee, Rodney or Bonderman.
Ummmmm….. time to take Rodney out, and put Zoom Zoom in. Or someone else.
Bench Rodney for the weekend!
Jeez…i can already sense the Pierzy double up the gap.
cib,
I don’t think Durbin is stretched out as a starter, so he was probably only good for about 75 pitches or so.
Meanwhile, the meltdown has commenced. Please, Rodney. Please just get out of the inning without allowing a run.
Too bad it’s Pierszynski, the easiest guy in the league to hate. Here comes another reason….
that K was a gimmie
YEAH! Way to go Rodney!
Oh crap. (Not a double post, just a double sentiment.)
Adam I am still remembering your post about baseball for baseball’s sake, but Oh Crap is right.
MOTHERSLDSFJODFJSDLKFS
ball in the dirt with a man on 3d geees
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously a second guess, but with the bullpen taxed last night, Durbin could have gone out for the seventh. He was only at 78 pitches.
Damnit.
I concur.
Again…our pitchers giving waaaaaay too much of the plate ahead in the count with two strikes.
Those first two hits were crap. I’m not disappointed with Rodney there.
Sadly, the game will be lost not as we let in runs 1 and 2, but it will be runs 3 and 4 coming up the kill us.
Even if Durbin stays in through the 6th, Rodney still pitches the 8th. Got to an 0-2 count and 2 outs. Nuts
Heart of the order up in the bottom of the 8th. Better score now before Jenks comes in for the 9th.
Well, if you can’t take two out of three at home from a last place team that the announcers are saying are giving up at-bats, you have no business being in any kind of playoff mix. They’ve got to get a run here or we’re gonna be talking about the team’s balky aorta again.
Unbelievable - we can’t get a clutch hit to save our lives and the Sox deliver with their .260 hitting clean-up guy.
“Balky Aorta” would be an excellent name for a rock band.
Lets see what the intact offense can do now
Maybe there is some hope with Polanco-Sheff-Maggs…but I doubt anyone is holding their breath out there.
This sucks and it all goes back to many of the comments about everyone giving a little more. Durbin should have stayed in. What are they saving for?? Certainly not October with these decisions being made. I’m just mad now.
Buttfish owns us.
should have benched Rodney when he walked Fields or bet yet when Thome singled
sometime I think Leyland is totally incapable of assessing pitcher performance. and as we said in the Army: Hope is not a method.
Ok, maybe we can rally here. C’mon Sheff!!!
This guy sucks, let him walk in a run. Gotta score now before getting to Jenks.
Balky Aorta will be opening for the re-formed Dead Milkmen at the Royal Oak Music Theatre…
C’mon with the 2nd guessing. Durbin can not go more than 80 pitches. When he is fully strecthed that is about his max. Thats why he is really a 5th starter/middle relief guy. The Tigers are not going to lose this game because Durbin was taken out. So what if Rodney gets torched in the 7th or 8th.
Welll…I hate to say it, but it keeps Durbin from getting a win against me in my fantasy playoffs this week.
Thank god Polanco took a pitch up 3-1.
Seriously, we have 3 outs to move a guy 90 yards. Pleeeeeaaaassssse!!!
It’s my birthday tomorrow. This sure would be a nice gift if they could win this one.
C’mon with the 2nd guessing. Durbin can not go more than 80 pitches. When he is fully strecthed that is about his max. Thats why he is really a 5th starter/middle relief guy. The Tigers are not going to lose this game because Durbin was taken out. So what if Rodney gets torched in the 7th or 8th. They will lose today because our bullpen cant hold a lead and our offense cant get a clutch hit.
see
Ozzie got enough sense to git him a pitcher after Polly walked
I think Kyle hit it. Even if Durbin could have stayed in another one or two innings, he wouldn’t have gone out for the eighth, Rodney would still have pitched.
The offense scored one run. You aren’t going to win many games 1-0.
C’mon we need a nice ChiSox bullpen implosion and an Ozzie tirade, right?
J, we are whiny bloggers. Second guessing is what we do.
We’re just really sad is all. Fortunately I am going to a dinner tonight where there will be free and plentiful adult beverages.
Oh, and come on all of you guys, come to the game Tuesday night with Billfer and me, etc. Also I have an extra for next Wednesday night’s game if anyone is interested.
Well….good to see even with Sheff the No. 3 hole remains a black hole.
I know it’s unfair to Maggs because he’s been so good all year (and it’s selective sampling), but his last three “clutch” at-bats have been less than stellar.
Rod Allen, I’d like to take your 1927 Yankees statement and give you a colonoscopy.
wow…a leadoff walk with the heart of the lineup coming up and we can’t even move him up a base. if this isn’t a dead team i don’t know what is. Four runs in close to 28 innings against CWS pitching. Unreal.
I can’t believe we’ve only scored 4 runs in 28 innings aginst White Sox pitching.
Mike hit the nail on the head.
This is a dead team.
I missed it. Did Guillen swing at the first pitch?
Last year’s 19-31 stretch, meet this year’s 20-30!
Is it possible that our team not collapse TWO years in a row? Is that too much to ask for; not to be the worst team in the majors?
tee hee see ya Podnick!
Yes he did!
Urbe have a seat next to Podnick
All things considered, Bobby Seay is a capable lefty out of the pen. I like him.
cintron you can join the others
c’mon Tigers we need runners on base
Kathy, it’s my birthday tomorrow too. I’m hoping for the same thing.
The question…unless the first two runners get on base (for a bunt) who pitch hits for Santiago…Casey, Thames or Maybin or Pudge…if he doesn’t hit for Rabelo.
***They will lose today because our bullpen cant hold a lead and our offense cant get a clutch hit***
Wow. That sounds like the story in exactly 48 of our 66 loses.
Fatty Jenks
we almost booted this Jenks the other night let’s finish him off here today
TIMO!!!!!!
I don’t care how you do it, but someone’s got to get hit by pitch, steal a base.
Oh my god…
man on scoring position nobody out good start we got this bum
TIMO!
starting in left field TEEEEEMOO
Timo to the rescue? Again?
Yes, I’m resorting to name calling.
Don’t get too excited. We all know how this could end.
For some reason, the White Sox owns the Tigers this year. They save all their best pitching for this team. Then they promply serve up batting practice to The Yanks and the Indians. This team is the bain of the Tigers existance. They have done more to ruin the Tigers season more than any other team.
we should see Casey bat for Horseman
Side note — Mike Maroth pitching in St. Louis. I thought he was done for the year, what happened?
Ok, all we need is a bunt and a flyball, the fundamentals that everyone should have down pat in High School ball
cib:
I am one as well. I just am trying to come to grips with the fact that this team is in the middle of an utter and complete meltdown!
can Casey come through with three straight ninth inning RBI hits?
i wish i could see sean casey stretching out his hips right now
Great job by Rabelo bunting fair with two strikes!
cool
Go Casey
Oh man, this team is so dead.
Quiet down.
Nice base knock…. pretty much all we can hope for from Sean!
Resurrected from the dead for the second time this week! Let’s make this one count boys. We have no business losing this game…
If they don’t resign Casey, I think they should give him a million dollar bonus just for that single right there!
It would be nice to just end this right here and now, huh?
2 errors ruled as hits. But I’ll take it!
Up to 120 posts for a day game when chances are many of us (including me) are at work.
I don’t care what you all say, you’re still hoping this team can pull off a playoff spot.
Me too.
go tigers
OMG! I actually did some work for a while and look what happened!! I’m going to stop following again, they do better without me.
go Grandy
Now we find out if this team alive or just giving us a Schiavo fake brainwave blip.
C’mon GRANDY!
Stephen,
ouch. too early
Happy Birthday everybody!
Pow!
got him!
FIRST PITCH POLANCO!!!!
In play, run(s)
Yes!
POLLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’ll be tough to catch the Yankees falling back four games if we lose today with their sked.
at KC (3)
at Tor (3)
at Bos (3)
vs. Bal (3)
vs. Tor (4)
at TB (3)
at Bal (3)
Gotta hope that Jays pitching holds up. Or that that Carlos Pena character continues his spot on impersonation of that guy who used to play in Detroit.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Polanco…… IS DA MAN
Wow. Glad I was still tuned in. I think the baseball gods were sitting around during their Wed meeting and one of them said, hey - are we still pissing on the Tigers e