Amazing what can happen in 7 days.  A week ago, the Tigers had won 7 in a row, were a season high 4 games over .500, and were leading the AL in runs scored.  Since then, the boys are 0-4, they’ve managed 6 runs in those 4 games, and are now 26 runs behind the Yankees.

Beyond the anemic offense, the bullpen has gone from terrible to catastrophic, allowing 10 ER in 4 2/3 IP over the last four games.  Help is on the way, as Charlie Furbush was recalled from Toledo today, with Brad Thomas going to the DL.  Furbush has been pretty darn good down there, posting a 2.91 ERA and striking out an international league leading 55 in 46 1/3 IP covering 8 starts.  I’m curious to see what his role will be.  Coke has certainly earned his spot in the rotation, but he’s sorely missed out of the pen.

Max Scherzer gets the ball today, on the heels of three fantastic starts where he allowed 2 ER over 20 innings.  At the plate, Max is a career .176 hitter with 2 doubles and 3 RBI in 68 career plate appearances.

Kevin Correia (core – A – ah) climbs the hill for the Pirates.  Correia has been in the bigs for 7 years, mostly as a spot starter until 2009 when he had a fine season with the Padres, towing a 3.91 ERA (3.81 FIP) over 33 starts and just under 200 IP.  He only pitched 145 innings last year (injury, I presume, but I practically had to look up where Pittsburgh is), and for 2011, he’s 5-4 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.25 WHIP (remember he’s facing a pitcher almost every 9 batters).   He doesn’t walk many (2011 2.06/9), nor strike out many (3.81/9) so let’s see if the Tigers can hit ’em where they ain’t.

I’ve got to get to a BBQ, someone please post the lineups when they are avail.

Let’s go Tigers!

Just how important is this inter league series, you ask?  I mean, we all know that AL Central match-ups have a direct effect on the standings; and playing the Yankees and Red Sox allow the boys to see where they stack up against the best.  But, Pirates?

Well, this weekend series against the Bucs kicks off a 12 game span that could demonstrate that 2011 could be a banner year for the Tigers, or could mean that the season is virtually over.  An article in today’s WSJ (yes, the WSJ, I found it underneath my baseball card magazines and Good Housekeeping) states that since 1996, just 9% of teams with a losing record on June 1 wound up with 90 wins, and the average correlation between a team’s win percentage on June 1 and its final winning percentage is 0.76 (which is high).  Before Cleveland’s inexplicable rise, 90 wins would have been a good bet to win the Central, and it still may be, or at least to earn a Wild Card slot.  The Tigers thus have 12 days to keep treading above .500, or we can all count on Matt Stafford shoulder updates 24/7 in October.

Who are the Pittsburgh Pirates, you ask?  Well, they come in at 20-23, which isn’t bad considering they have failed to finish above .500 since 1992, and have not won more than 68 games in a season since 2004.  Jeff Karsten started out in the pen, but now makes his 7th start of the season for Pittsburgh.  The righty has a 3.62 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and average 6.99 K/9.  He’s been much better in 2011 than the rest of his career, perhaps due to the development of a two-seam fastball which he’s relying on more in 2011 than ever.  He’s been decent over his 7 starts, keeping Pittsburgh in the game by not allowing too many runs, but he’s only reached the 6th inning twice all season.

Brad Bad Penny takes the first awkward swings of the year for a Tigers pitcher, as he looks to stop the 3 game slide.  Penny was awesome last time out versus Kansas City, allowing only 5 hits with no walks and no runs over 8 innings.  Over his last five BBP is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA and .93 WHIP.

Lineups to come.

A few quick thoughts on JV –

– He’s awesome.
– I love the way he is mixing up his pitches as of late.  Yesterday he opened the game with four four-seamers against Gets.  Threw one changeup to Cabrera, then closes with three changeups to K Gordon.  He then introduced the slider in the second inning, but stuck with the fastball for the walk to Butler and first 2 outs.  So a very hot Mike Aviles comes up likely looking fastball, and JV throws 4 curveballs.  For the game, JV threw only 43% fastballs, 25% curveballs, and then 16% changeups and sliders.  He is legitimately throwing 4 + to ++ pitches at all points during the game.  Just sick.

The Tigers hope that Jeff Francis is poised to become the latest Clown Show Bop Bag, as he lugs his 5.09 ERA to Comerica this afternon.  The Royals are hoping that Francis can find some of his early season success that saw him open the season with a 3.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP after four starts.  The Tigers, on the other hand, want late April/early May Jeff Francis who has given up 4 bombs and 33 hits in his last 19 innings.  Francis walks almost no one, as he is currently sixth in the AL with a 1.76/9 walk rate.

Even though he’s following a guy who’s averaging 1 hit per game, Bad Brad Penny has plenty to be proud of.  Over his last 4 stats BBP has lasted at least six innings in each game, winning 3 of them.  The only loss came when he opposed Seattle rookie phenom Michael Pineda.  BBP has posted a 1.32 ERA and fantastic 1.01 WHIP during that span.  Despite a low K/9, Penny has been able to have success as of late because he’s keeping walks down – 12 in his first 4 starts, 5 over his last 5, and pitching to contact (whatever that means).

A few notes:

– Billy Butler’s 22 game hit streak vs. the Tigers was snapped yesterday.
– The Tigers have at least 1 XBH in every game this season, the second longest such streak since 1919 (1986 – 51 games).  I’m guessing the XBH to start a season research guy got a better offer the day before he was set to open the book entitled “1918 – Every Box Score.”  The Tigers are the only team to have an XBH in every game in 2011.
– Peralta is 2 hits away from 1,000, which would make him the 47th Puerto Rican to do so, but the first with a typo on his birth certificate.

Today’s Ghostly Lineup:

1. Jackson – CF
2. Sizemore – 2B
3. Raburn – LF
4. Cabrera – 1B
5. Martinez – C
6. Peralta – SS
7. Boesch – DH
8. Wells – RF
9. Inge – 3B

On June 15th, 1938, Johnny Vander Meer, in only his second big league season, took the mound for the Cincinnatti Reds against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.  It was only four days after Vander Meer had no hit the Boston Braves at Crosley Field.  Despite walking 8 against 7 strikeouts, Vander Meer pulled off a feat never before accomplished, and yet to be repeated to this day, as he threw his second consecutive no hitter.  This was the highlight of Vander Meer’s otherwise nondescript career.

Verlandermeer takes the hill tonight against the 2nd place Kansas City Royals.  KC got off to a fast start and has been holding steady since, largely in part to their hitting.  The Royals are currently hitting .265 as a team (tied for 2nd in the AL, Tigers are 5th at .257), and are 3rd  in the AL with a .758 OPS (Tigers are 7th at .729).  The Royals’ team ERA finds them 10th in the AL at 4.18, one spot ahead of the Tigers.  Where the Tigers do have the Royals is starting pitching.

Luke Hochevar takes the mound for the Royals tonight with a 4.91 ERA, following up a solid outing against the Athletics where he allowed 1 ER and 4 hits over 7 innings.  The three starts prior to that, however, didn’t go so well.  In two games against Cleveland and one against Minnesota from late April to early May, Hochevar allowed 15 earned in 18 2/3 with a 1.55 WHIP. On the season Hochevar is striking out only 5.7 per 9, though he does have a salty walk rate of 2.1/9 and 1.15 WHIP.  The explanation is XBH, as he’s allowed 28 of them against 19 singles, with 10 of them leaving the yard.

JV is good at pitching.  Not much else needed here, other than a great post by the Onion regarding JV’s no hitter.

Maggs finally went on the DL today, with Dirks getting the call-up from Toledo.

Today’s pick to click is Miguel Cabrera.  He’s a career .500 hitter off of Hochevar in 20 ABs with 2 bombs.

Lineups will be posted shortly. Dirks did not get the auto just up from Toledo JL start.  Odd.

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

Tigers look for a quick two game sweep of the MLB worst Twinkies today

Baker goes for Minnesota today as the lone bright spot in their rotation.  On the season he’s posting a 2.97 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 7.8 K/9.  After being hit hard in his first two starts, Baker has allowed only 5 earned in his last 4 starts, covering 28 1/3 IP.

Phil Soda takes the mound trying to keep up some of the AL’s best starting pitching.  Tigers starters are tied with the Rangers for the most wins this season from the rotation with 16. Moreover, our front five have 25 quality starts of six innings or more and have allowed three runs or less in 37 games.

Ordonez and Peralta with an off day today.

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

Tigers finished the second inning yesterday (if you break the season down into 9 innings, there are 18 games per inning) at 10-8.  This inning saw three 3 game win streaks, and a 7 game losing streak.  Tigers enter the third inning at .500, and in third place in the Central.  They are 5.5 games behind Cleveland, but 4 games ahead of Chicago and 4.5 ahead of the Twins.

The Bizarro Twins take the field against the Tigers tonight.  They have had injury problems, Carl Pavano leads your rotation problems, and even Justin Morneau isn’t hitting, as John Lowe points out in today’s column.  Even so, the organization knows how to win, so we need to take our swings while they are down.

Liriano climbs the hill for the Twins after throwing an excuse me no-hitter last time out against the meager White Sox.  He managed to walk 6 and strike out two on his way to throwing 47% balls over 123 pitches, yet did not allow a hit.  A no-no is always great, but I don’t think he necessarily had great stuff.  Had last week not gone so well, Liriano might find himself out of the rotation, as he’s putting up a 1.56 WHIP and 24 BBs against only 20 Ks…with the complete game last week. His 9.13 ERA dropped to 6.61 after the outing.

Today’s Playgglio of the Gamegglio is Magglio.  Ordonez is a career .327 hitter against the Twinkies and leads all active players with 230 hits, 45 doubles and 145 RBI against them.

– Cabrera (7/20), Ordonez (10/26) and VMart (8/18) all hit Liriano well.
– VMart is on a nine game hitting streak, batting .438 during that time.
– In his last 11 games, Austin Jackson is hitting .341 with three doubles, a triple, a homer and seven RBIs.

Today’s DTW Player of the Game Friendly Lineup is:

1. Jackson – CF
2. Sizemore – 2B
3. Ordonez – RF
4. Cabrera – 1B
5. Martinez – DH
6. Peralta – SS
7. Boesch – LF
8. Inge – 3B
9. Avila – C

Today’s senseless DTW feedback question of the game is: why in the world are airplane seats shaped such that your head is in front of your body?

Well, the Tigers take the field for today’s asphalt game with the hopes and dreams of Tigers fans who are ready to charge up the AL Central standings after two games.  Count me in!  Before we start printing our AL Central Division shirts let’s remember the week preceding these last two games, but it’s hard not to get excited.  The Tigers have won the last two with timely hitting, outstanding starting pitching, and some shrewd lineup management.  A long series win over the venerable Yankees would replenish a lot of the recently lost fan capital.

AperiordJperiod Burnett makes his seventh start of the season for the Yanks today.  Burnett has been a pleasant surprise for the Yanks this year, considering that last year he set franchise highs for the highest single-season ERA for a starter (> 180 IPs).  He has been taking advantage of great run support on his way to a 4-1 record (the Yanks are averaging 5 runs per game that he starts).  On the season, Burnett has a 3.93 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and a 2.33 K/BB ratio.  His biggest flaw has been high pitch counts, which have left him with a 6 IP per start average.

Porcello looks to lock up the series for the boys today, and there is no reason to believe that he won’t (other than the fact that I just wrote that).  After two starts which had him looking up the bus schedule to Toledo, Porcello has found his sinker and been downright filthy.  Over his last three starts, Porcello has allowed 4 earned in 19 2/3 (1.83 ERA), posted a 1.07 WHIP, and K’d 17 against only 3 walks.  Yeah, 17/3 K/BB.  Note this is only the 2nd time in RPs career that he has posted 3 straight quality starts, the last coming in May of 2009.

Today’s double reverse jinx notes: The Yankees are the only AL team yet to lose 3 in a row, and they have not lost a series to an AL Central team since losing 3/4 to the Tigers in May of 2010. They are 9-0-2 in their series against AL Central teams since.

AJax, Avila and Peralta with the day off today:

1. Kelly CF
2. Sizemore 2B
3. Boesch RF
4. Cabrera 1B
5. Martinez C
6. Ordonez DH
7. Raburn LF
8. Inge 3B
9. Santiago SS

Do you ever feel like the Tigers are never going to lose again?  Me neither.

In off the field news – Zumaya is going to have exploratory surgery, reports the Freep.  This just confirms the inevitable.

The Tigers bring their 1 game win streak and 1-0 record with SS manning 2B to Comerica tonight to take on the resurgent Freddy Garcia.

Garcia is a wily 12 year vet who has a trio of 17+ win seasons on his resume (’99, ’01, ’06). Problem is that he also has spent significant time in the minors over the last three years rehabbing various injuries (including 3 starts for the Tigers in 2008), and was a non-roster invitee for the Yanks this spring.  A combination of a tremendous showing in spring training plus a lack of depth for the Yankees leads us to today.  Tonight will be Garcia’s 4th start of the season, with his first three going about as well as they could.  To date he’s allowed only 4 ER in 18 IPs, and the first one came in a relief appearance on April 10th.  He’s struck out 15 and posted a 1.17 WHIP during that time.  I’d like to go ahead and jinx Garcia and point out that in his career he’s 18-7 against the Tigers, and 8-3 at Comerica.

Scherzer got a little roughed up last time out, largely due to 5 walks in 6 2/3.  Though his 4-0 record is stellar, his peripherals are about average, with a 1.51 WHIP, 3.82 ERA and 4.3 BB/9. With the way the Yankees take pitches, control will be imperative tonight.

Note, Derek Jeter, who’s stolen more gold gloves than Rafael Palmeiro, only has 2 XBH this year. And Adam Dunn is still batting .153, though his .576 OPS dwarfs that of Maggs (.411).  Still, I expect him to be Maggs is batting 6th tonight in JLs new lineup.

Today’s player of the game – Miggy Cabrera.  He’s going to get a big boost with SS and BB ahead of him, and VMart behind him.  He’s also a career .400 hitter off of Garcia (8-20) with 3 jacks.  I’m looking for a three run bomb from him today.

Tonight’s Why is our 2nd Best Hitter Batting 8th Oh Yeah That’s 2nd Cleanup Lineup:

1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Scott Sizemore, 2B
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. Brandon Inge, 3B

Seven in a row.  Say it ain’t so…Jim.  Unfortunately it is.  So where do we go from here?

Well, at least one MLB.com reporter thinks the Tigers have the best chance of the Twins, Tigers and White Sox to compete in the central.

Sizemore won’t be the only new spot in the order moving forward, as JL said today that Boesch will now bat 3rd, VMart 5th (starting tomorrow) and Maggs 6th.  The most depressing thing in that article was the note that Maggs has only hit two balls into the outfield in his last 26 at-bats. Yeah, two.  One was a single.  I’m wondering what Maggs has to do to lose his spot in the lineup.  Does he have pics of Ol’ Smokey that we need to know about?

CC Sabathia goes for the Yanks tonight looking to win his third consecutive start.  Though he has struggled recently in Comerica, going 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA in his last three starts there.  Sabathia pitched pretty well on opening day against the boys, giving up 2 ER (3 total) in six innings in a no-decision.

I’m going to go ahead and predict that Bad Brad will be the player of the game tonight.  But lookout for Cano who may be ready to play tonight.  So I reserve my right to change my player of the game.

Wells in for Boesch today against the lefty, then hopefully it will be a long time before we see a lineup like this.

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

Welcome to double spillover contest Thursday.  We’re giving away this very cool Tigers History Newspaper (courtesy of Anydate.com) today.  The person who is closest to predicting the totals below will win.  I’m not making this dependent on picking a winning team because that’t not really working out for anyone.

– # of runs (both teams)
– # of hits (both teams); and
– # of HRs (both teams)

Michael Pineda scares me.  Very much so.  Kid has been sick, posting a 1.08 WHIP, 7.4 K/9 and 1.78 ERA in his first four major league starts.  He throws a mid 90’s four-seamer and two-seamer, and a very good slider which he throws almost 30% of the time.

The Tigers bats are ice cold.  No one has more than two hits in the series, and I’m not expecting much today.

Bad Brad Penny is gonna have to be our streak buster today.  He was phenomenal last time out allowing 0 hits (though 1 was charged against him) over 7 innings in a win over the White Sox. The Mariners have some pretty decent career numbers off of Penny including Kennedy .368 (7-19), Wilson .357 (5-14), and Suzuki and Olivo .400 (2-5).

Today’s Kelly friendly lineup where JL mistakenly inserted Santiago for Peralto even though he meant Santiago for Rhymes:

1. Jackson – CF
2. Santiago – SS
3. Ordonez – DH
4. Cabrera – 1B
5. Boesch – RF
6. Raburn – LF
7. Avila – C
8. Kelly – 3B
9. Rhymes – 2B

Fun Fact – the Tigers haven’t been swept in a series yet this year.