2008 Season, Game Post

Game 96: Tigers at Orioles

62 Comments

PREGAME: The Tigers and Armando Galarraga take on the Orioles and Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie has a 3.49 ERA this year. None of his peripherals are exceptional, but he does 2.6 walks per 9. Lefties have a 90 point OPS advantage, but even then they’re only hitting 255/312/405 against Guthrie. He’s most hittable in the first inning so hopefully the Tigers can make some early noise.

Galarraga has pitched okay of late, but has had efficiency issues. He hasn’t recorded an out beyond the 6thinning since June 13th.

Guillen is still in Detroit and Renteria’s hamstring is still hurting. Renteria will play, and of course Guillen won’t. And Freddy Dolsi cut off all of Fernando Rodney’s hair. No word on how it will effect the tilt of his cap.

  1. Granderson, CF
  2. Polanco, 2B
  3. Joyce, LF
  4. Ordonez, RF
  5. Cabrera, 1B
  6. Thames, DH
  7. Rodriguez, C
  8. Renteria, SS
  9. Inge, 3B

DET @ BAL, Friday, July 18, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

62 thoughts on “Game 96: Tigers at Orioles”

  4. I’m seeing lots of empty seats at the Baltimore stadium. Maybe they’re all still getting their beer and peanuts.

  8. I had the sound off, saw the routine first out. Then saw the routine pop-up coming down for the second out. Then saw a shot to left field, felt relieved that it wasn’t out even though Joyce misplayed it horribly (at least 2 outs, man on 2nd, not a total disaster). Then I wondered how in the heck a guy could be coming home so quickly — an inside the park home run on a ball off the left field wall??? And there was still only 1 out???

    Only then did it become apparent to me that Renteria had messed up on the pop-up.

    BTW: Miggy has been swinging at everything, both last night and in his first at-bat tonight. There’s something the matter.

  34. Gallaraga has to learn to thro the ball away from the center of the plate with 0-2 and 1-2 counts.

  35. If the Tigers lose this game it will not be because they didn’t have plenty of chances to win it. An awful way to go up against a second-rate team after the break.

  39. can any of the Oriole infielders get the ball all the way to first in the air or do they have to bounce every one

  46. What a typical Detroit relief job! Seay throws one that almost goes out, and then repeats the exact same pitch! What brains……what skill…….behold why this team is struggling, despite the millions invested by Little Caesar’s Pizza!

    Money can’t make you smart!

    Once again Detroit is showing they do not want to compete in with the big boys, and probably don’t belong there!

  48. Pretty lousy job there. I guess these things even out over two days though — when it was 4-3 it was the reverse of the situation the previous night when Inge hit a 2-run shot for a 5-4 lead. Hopefully Baltimore gets a Todd Jones type 9th inning.

  49. Good situation for Sheff to try to work a walk. The Tigers need one more baserunner.

  50. wow…..walk -hit batter -home run….that’s our bullpen….Oriole announcer mentioned the Tiger pen is last in strikeouts and first on walks in the American league…
    ..I wonder where the rank in the we just plain “suck” rankings

  51. Tigers starters aren’t exactly walk-averse either. It’s been one of the more underpublicized issues as far as the Tigers’ performance — their pitchers are falling behind on counts and either walking guys or having to come in on 2-0 counts and getting in trouble that way.

  53. wonder what it is like to watch a guy pitch his #ss off for 6-7 innings get the job done, make a few bad pitches but a lot of good ones while you sip a coke or whatever in the bullpen. Finally after 3 hours you get to warm up and you have to get ONE or TWO guys out and you would be done for the night and you fail at it time after time after time….

  54. “a few bad pitches but a lot of good ones” describes many of Nate Robertson’s 5 ER starts this year.

  55. Jeff you are right and does he pay for the few bad ones he makes …at least he has a couple hours to work things out.
    ..Seay works about 15 minutes in a 24 hour day…
    —I just don’t get it….especially after the guy almost jacked your previous pitch….Follsom sits around for 23 hours comes in throws one stinking pitch hits a dude..I just don’t get it ……..if you only had to work 15 minutes in a 24 hour day and not everyday don’t you think you would be damn good at it!!!!!!!

  56. I don’t know whether it’s coaching or what, but I think a lot of the Tigers’ pitchers this year are afraid of their stuff. By that I mean they’re worried about throwing too good of pitches that they nibble and fall behind on counts, then either walk the guy or have to come in.

    Granted, what happened tonight in the two cases you cite really doesn’t fit that, Seay was ahead on the count and Fossom was early in the count. But I think the general issue, of relief pitchers being so careful that they get in trouble, is a genuine one.

    Miner was one of the worst offenders, but only when he had guys on base. He might be more successful as a starter just because he’ll come in each inning with nobody on base.

  57. I don’t think Galarraga will keep up with anything near his first half pace. It was nice, and kept us alive for a while, but he hasn’t had too good of an outing in over a month. I still have hope for this season, but I don’t think our relief pitching is deep enough to last too much longer. I’m just going to keep eating Hot n’ Ready’s so we can buy a new guy, I suggest you all do the same.

  58. Buy more hot-n-readies? Forget that, those idiots will just spend it on another underachieving stick like Cabrera. Like the front office didn’t see the bottom dropping out of the bullpen like it is doing? Come on . . . DD needs to retire and model for bril creme . . . The season is over.

  60. Sorry, forty. I’m moving next week and haven’t had much time for the updates 🙁

  61. Miggy still leads the team in VORP, narrowly ahead of Granderson and Maggs. A bit further back are Guillen and Thames then Polanco and Pudge. Those guys aren’t the problem.

  62. Why is everyone being so harsh? It takes a lot of hits and walks to leave 24 men on base! Now we just need to finish those rallies! Keep the faith!

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