The Tigers limped in to the midway point last night, allowing 14+ runs on consecutive nights to the Mets, who are two games above .500 for the first time since April 5th.  The Tigers pitching staff has been pummeled by the Mets, and change is coming.  First of all, Schlereth was sent down last night and Villareal was called up.  Secondly, Coke’s spot in the rotation is in flummox, and Furbush may be offered the spot.  I would love to see Coke return to the pen, but I’m not sure that Furbush or Oliver at the 5 gives us a better chance every week.  We’ll likely find out shortly.

It’s going to take a heroic effort from JV to tame Mets bats that have set a club record with 52 runs scored in 4 ball games.  During that time, the Mets have 17,14, 18, and 20 hits, and are batting a ridiculous .404 as a team.  Maybe we just caught them at the wrong time.

On the bright side of things, the Tigers enter game 82 5 games over .500, in a tie for first place, and get JV versus Mike Pelfrey today.  Verlander’s last month+ has been epic.  He’s 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA in his last six starts, and 8-0 with a 1.56 ERA in his last 10.  Over his last six he’s allowed just 26 hits over 49 2/3 innings.

The Tigers have been something between bad and awful in the 2nd half under Leyland since he’s been here, and I’m not sure that he’s done anything to change that.  On the other hand, even with all of their shortcomings the Tigers have the most talent in a pretty weak AL Central, and according to two odds predictors, they have the best chance of winning the Central.  We should be in a pennant race for the next three months, and for us baseball junkies, we can’t really ask for anything more.

Thank you Wily Mo Pena…

The Tigers sent 13 runners safely towards first base last night, but managed only 3 runs.  A coupla GIDPs and 0-6 with RISP will do that to you.  Maggs reached twice in three at bats, but before we get too excited about his return, realize that he only has 2 XBH out of his 10 hits since his return a few weeks ago.  He was taken out in the 6th last night, but it looks like it was simply precautionary.  Leyland took some of the heat for Schlereth’s woeful performance (8 earned on two swings is quite a feat), mentioning that he (Leyland) had not done a good job of keeping Schlereth sharp.  Last night was Schlereth’s first appearance in a week.

In other news…

– Apparently the Tigers are looking to move Brad Thomas.  I don’t think DD needs to worry about overages on his cell plan.  In fact, they might get more interest if they shopped Dave Thomas.
– New Mets skipper Terry Collins is an EMU alum.  Remember when they were the Hurons?  Can we bring that back?  (Did you know that EMU was originally named “Michigan State Normal School?”  What does that say for our friends out in East Lansing?)
– Avila is only about 400,000 votes behind Russell Martin.  If you have not already, get out there and vote.  Avila really deserves it this year.  And do you want Russell Martin and Derek Jeter batting in the first three innings in a game which could determine whether the Tigers or Phillies get home field advantage in October?
– Oh yeah, there’s a game tonight.  We really need a solid outing from Phil Coke.  More on Coke v. Capuano later today.

The Tigers desperately need a good start from Coke today.  Pretty much the exact opposite of his last two starts.

Capuano had a rough go early on in 2011, but he’s posted 4 straight quality starts dating back to June 7th.  On the year he’s a pedestrian 6-7 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.  He’s walked 1 or fewer in 8/15 starts.  I think the boys will have their work cut out for them tonight.

Cabrera is the only Tiger with more than 4 career plate appearances against Capuano, and he’s got 7 hits in 19 ABs with 2 HR.  VMart is 2-3.

Tonight’s Troops Are:

1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Casper Wells, RF
3. Magglio Ordonez, DH
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Brennan Boesch, LF
8. Brandon Inge, 3B
9. Ryan Raburn, 2B

The Tigers welcome the resurgent Mets into CoPa today for the first time since the Mets took 2 of 3 at Citi Field last year.  After a horrendous 5-13 start, the Mets have been playing pretty well, and may even be buyers at the trade deadline instead of dangling Reyes and Carlos Beltran over drooling front runners.

Journeyman R.A. Dickey throws for the Mets, his 3rd team in 4 years.  Dickey was phenomenal in his second year with Mets last year, posting a 2.84 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 175 innings. He’s returned to closer to his career numbers this year, with a 3.76 ERA (remember, it’s the NL), and a 1.32 WHIP.  He’s striking out 6.1/9 this year, his best since his first full season with the Rangers in 2003.

Porcello looks to get the Tigers to a season high 8 games over .500 tonight.  Porcello has been drilled his last two outings, and is looking to return to his late April and May form which saw him go 6-1 over a 9 game stretch.  Let’s hope the heat is not starting to affect his sinker.  Game time temperature is expected to be 75.

Now for today’s obligatory Ryan Raburn talk…  Joe Posnanski wrote up a piece yesterday on how boring Adam Dunn is to watch, and spent a little time on Dunn’s record setting strike-out rate. Currently, Dunn is striking out in 36.6% of his PAs (it’s gone up since Posnanski did his research) which would be the worst such rate in baseball history.  As many swing and misses Raburn and Jackson have put us through, their rates are 27.25% and 32.9%, respectively.  So it could be worse.  That said, though I couldn’t find anywhere which lists K/PAs, Jackson and Raburn seem to be comfortably in the top 5.

A few other notes of interest:

– Tigers are 2nd in the AL in BA with a .266 mark
– Tigers starters named Brad, Phil, Max and Rick do not have a win since June 7th.  Tigers are 7-9 in games when JV doesn’t pitch over that stretch.

Your Ra-Barely Made It Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Brennan Boesch, LF
3. Magglio Ordonez, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, DH
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Brandon Inge, 3B
9. Ryan Raburn, 2B

Today is the misfit 1-game make-up series with the Blue Jays, at the misfit game time of 6:05.  At least the Tigers don’t have to travel for the one-day trip like the Blue Jays do.

We’ll make this short today, as befits a one-game series.  Max Scherzer takes the mound for Detroit. Scherzer leads the team in run support, so maybe we can have some more offensive fun like yesterday.  The Jays counter with rookie Zach Stewart (0-1, 5.91).  (Warning! we have had problems with Rookie Guy in the past).

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Andy Dirks

We haven’t seen the Dirks much lately; let’s see how he does in the leadoff spot.  At least he is less likely to K.

Today’s Would it have killed you to try Ramon at 2nd Lineup:

1. Andy Dirks CF
2. Don Kelly 3B
3. Brennan Boesch LF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Magglio Ordonez RF
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Alex Avila C
9. Ryan Raburn 2B

“A baseball manager is a necessary evil.”  -Sparky Anderson

Some are more necessary and less evil than others, and today the Tigers honor Sparky Anderson and officially retire his number 11.  Many ex-Tigers will be on hand for the ceremony, including Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell of the Diamondbacks, Rod Allen, Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Gates Brown, Dick Tracewski, Dave Bergman, Darrell Evans, Mike Henneman, Larry Herndon, Dan Petry, Dave Rozema, Frank Tanana, and Milt Wilcox.  (That’s a somewhat pitcher-heavy list for a guy known as Captain Hook).

It that weren’t enough excitement, fans are still buzzing about Justin Verlander’s impressive 14-strikeout performance last night.  In the 8th, he let the first two batters get to 2nd and 3rd, seemingly as a tease, just so he could strike out the side, making Upton look particularly helpless.  I’m sure he has a bad game in him somewhere, but it has been so long it will seem strange and foreign when we see it:  since May 29 he is 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA.

Brady Penny is no Verlander, but he has been good enough lately.  Penny is matched up against Joe Saunders, who is 4-7 4.35 for the season, but has been improving of late.

Alex Avila is notably missing from today’s lineup–he is resting a sore wrist he received from an errant Ryan Perry pitch.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Casper Wells

The Ghost has quietly put together an impressive June, hitting .333 with a 1.108 OPS.

Today’s Lineup With a Spark:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Casper Wells RF
3. Magglio Ordonez DH
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez C
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Brennan Boesch LF
8. Brandon Inge 3B
9. Ryan Raburn 2B

For once, Phil Coke got some run support.  Glove support, not so much.  The floodgates opened in the 4th following Raburn’s boot of a double-play grounder, and Coke never quite got the lid back on.  Regarding the error Leyland, straining to maintain the fiction that Raburn is a good fielder, said “that was a tough play.”

There was no play of any sort on the game-winning HR by Wily Mo Pena, which was measured at 454 feet, making it the 3rd longest HR at Comerica.

There were some bright spots in the game, including a HR by The Ghost, continued clutch hitting by Martinez and Peralta, and a vintage Ordonez opposite field double.  Hopefully this is a hint of a resurgent Magglio.

And the brightest spot of all is that today is another day, and this other day features Justin Verlander on the mound.  Hopefully Verlander will have his fastball back today; Verlander says his last start “wasn’t that great,” and that his “fastball control wasn’t anywhere near where it should be.”  Consequently he struggled through a 4-hit, 1 run, complete game.

It should be a fine day for fans of pitching, since Verlander will be opposed by Josh Collmenter, who is 4-3 with a sparkling 2.09 ERA.  Collmenter, a native of Homer, MI, and a Central Michigan alum, has an outstanding 39:11 K to BB ratio, so don’t expect many free passes tonight.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Brennan Boesch

With JV on the mound, a baesch or two should do the trick today; Boesch takes a shot at the #2 spot in the order.

Today’s Burn-out Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Brennan Boesch LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Alex Avila C
8. Brandon Inge 3B
9. Ramon Santiago 2B

Interleague play can be fun when those natural rivalry games come up.  Then there are all of those other games, the leftoverlry games, in which it has somehow been decided that Detroit vs Arizona is a good idea.

Just our luck:  The Diamondbacks are the hottest team in MLB;  they are the new Indians, leading the majors with 27 wins since May 14.  And traveling to Comerica doesn’t look to phase them:  Arizona is 15-4 over their last 19 road games.

On the other hand, we get an added treat this season, since Arizona is being managed by ol’ Gibby himself, and joining Kirk Gibson on the bench is bench coach Alan Trammell.  Not that Gibson is being all sentimental about it:  “they’re the enemy.  It’s totally different.  Tiger Stadium is where I played.”  Expect that to change for the 3rd game of the series Sunday, when the Tigers will hold a ceremony retiring Sparky Anderson’s number.

Phil Coke will take the mound today and pray for some run support for a change.  Oh wait, look, Brandon Inge is back tonight!  Problem solved. (Danny Worth drew the short straw, so back to the Toledo mud for him).  Inge and company will be bashing against Zach Duke, who gave up  3 runs in 5 innings vs the White Sox his last outing.

Today’s Player of the Pre-Game:  Alex Avila

Justin Verlander says, vote Alex into the All-Star Game. (By the way, Justin seems to have borrowed artwork by Samara over at Roar of the Tigers).

Today’s Ingetangible Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Casper Wells LF
3. Magglio Ordonez RF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Jhonny Peralta SS
7. Alex Avila C
8. Brandon Inge 3B
9. Ryan Raburn 2B