Category Archives: Game Post

Game 152: Tigers at Indians

PREGAME: It will be a Leyland-less team tonight as the skipper starts serving a 3 game suspension.

Armando Galarraga has been roughed up his last 2 starts. he’s allowed 11 runs in his last 10 innings. He’ll be facing the Indians for the 5th time this year. Hopefully he can find a little of his early year magic.

He’ll be opposed by Fausto Carmona. Carmona has been lit up his last 2 starts allowing 14 runs in 11.2 innings.

DET @ CLE, Friday, September 19, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME: In a strange way this game played out perfectly for the Tigers. Armando Galarraga had a great outing and still should be at least in the ROY discussion. Miguel Cabrera moved into a tie for the league lead in homers and with 4 RBI’s is still in the mix for that title as well. Ordonez had a hit to stay in the batting title race. And the Tigers continue to enhance their draft position. Finally, Gary Glover and Casey Fossum showed they shouldn’t be part of next year’s plans.

Game 151: Tigers at Rangers

PREGAME: Can the Tigers snap a 6 game losing streak? That’s probably question number 2. Question number 1 is what kind of stuff will Freddy Garcia have? He makes his first start since June 8th, 2007 when he takes the hill for the Tigers. To make room for him on the roster, Joel Zumaya was moved to the 60 day DL.

The Rangers send out Dustin Nippert. I think he’s a real player.

DET @ TEX, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 8:10

HELP – with apologies to the Beatles

This was left as a comment, but thought it warranted it’s own post. Courtesy of commenter Smoking Loon…

Help, we need some pitchers
Help, not just any pitchers
Help, you know we need some pitchers, help.

When it was spring and we were pegged for number one
We used to dream a thousand runs would get it done
But now those days are gone; the pitching’s been exposed
Starting is low-quality; the bullpen’s getting hosed

Help us if you can, we’re in fourth place
And we’ve been eliminated from the race
Help us, now we’ve fallen on our face
Won’t you please, please help us?

As soon as April changes came so many ways
Consistent hitting seemed to vanish in the haze
The lack of defense made the pitchers insecure
And by July the ‘pen was fried, and Farnsworth weren’t the cure

Help us if you can, we’re way behind
And bad contracts really have us in a bind
Help us be contenders in oh-nine
Won’t you please, please help us?

Well, now we cannot blame the fat guy at first base
He’s been a real bright spot in a season of disgrace
And Granderson, Armando, Maggs have had the touch
The pitching, though, it really blows, and Sheffield just as much

Help us if you can, we’re getting old
And a few trades back our prospects were all sold
Help us turn this leaden team to gold
Won’t you please, please help us?
Help us, help us, ooh

Game 150: Tigers at Rangers

PREGAME: Remember when the Tigers took 2 of 3 in the Metrodome and came home and spanked the A’s to open the series with Sheff’s 2 homers? Things felt pretty good – in the we’re not making the playoffs but it’s nice to see some decent games strung together sense. That was over a week ago and the team hasn’t won since.

Zach Miner and Kevin Millwood tonight.

DET @ TEX, Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: Yep. Your 2008 Detroit Tigers. At least Zach Miner was good.

And Angel Hernandez is an awful, awful umpire.

Game 149: Tigers at Rangers

PREGAME: Stuff of note for this game. Dontrelle Willis will take the mound. It’s his first big league action since June 9th against Cleveland. With the Tigers having 2 more years invested in Willis, it’s worth seeing if he can still pitch. That’s reason 1 to tune in tonight.

Second, the Tigers could be eliminated tonight. Their magic number for elimination is down to 1. I’m actually surprised it’s taken this long.

Plus, there’s the chance that Kyle Farnsworth could give up another homer.

The Rangers send out Brandon McCarthy who hasn’t been bad as of late – not good mind you – but not bad. The last time he faced Detroit he left the game after 3 runs in .2 innings in September 2007.

DET @ TEX, Monday, September 15, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

POSTGAME: Tigers offense gets lead. Bullpen gives it up. Tigers get lead back. Bullpen gives it up. That’s kind of been done before, in fact it’s been done so much the Tigers have been eliminated. But the bigger story was Dontrelle Willis.

Willis did okay. He wasn’t great, with 5 walks in 5 innings and he was helped by a couple nice plays by Granderson and Ordonez. But he wasn’t bad either. And “not bad” is a step in the right direction and is encouraging.

He threw 89 pitches, with 47 being for strikes. The control wasn’t great, but improved for sure. There were times he was missing badly, but then other times where he seemed to just chuck it and found some nice life on the fastball. He’ll pitch again on Sunday, and perhaps one more time in the final week.

Game 147 & 148 Redux: Tigers at White Sox

PREGAMEs: Verlander and Vazquez in the afternoon game (2:05) theoretically. No local TV if they play because FSN couldn’t get the production or transmission facilities.
DET @ CHW, Sunday, September 14, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

The night game will be a lefty fest with Kenny Rogers and John Danks doing battle at 8:00pm on ESPN.

DET @ CHW, Sunday, September 14, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game 147 & 148: Tigers at White Sox

PREGAME(S): The Tigers and White Sox will try and make-up last night’s rainout with a natural double header. Although this doesn’t sound promising either given the weather.

Game 1 will feature Kenny Rogers and Javier Vazquez. Game 2 will be Zach Miner and somebody wearing a White Sox uni. As for the Verlander/Danks match-up that was supposed to be last night? That’ll happen Sunday night. Maybe.

Game 1 is a Fox national game which is slated to start at 3:55 and Game 2 should start about a half hour following the completion.

As for the TV info, if there is a second game today, it will not be televised. FSN Detroit relayed that they made an effort to get game 2 on, but couldn’t secure production and transmission facilities on short notice. If one of the games get rained out and there is a need for a split DH on Sunday (the regular game is an 8p ESPN tilt), it isn’t known if the early game would be on. FSN will be exploring the possibility.

UPDATE: Both ends postponed. They’ll try again for a DH tomorrow. Only the evening game will be televised with FSN running into the same issues. Keep in mind they were supposed to be done with this series on Friday night with the other 2 scheduled for national tv.

Game 145: A’s at Tigers

PREGAME: It’s a crisp fall evening tonight as the Tigers look to manufacture a 4 game winning streak. The Tigers send out Nate Robertson who takes the spot of the gimpy-hip’d Kenny Rogers. It is Robertson’s first start since he filled the Ballpark in Arlington with firework smog during a 5 homer, 3.2 inning stinker.

The A’s send out Dana Eveland. The Tigers faced him once this year and he walked 7 batters and didn’t make it out of the 5th inning. He was later demoted, but since returning has walked only 4 spanning 3 starts to go along with 14 K’s and no homers.

OAK @ DET, Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

POSTGAME:
Well, Nate Robertson wasn’t the problem. Nate went 7 innings on only 79 pitches, 60 of them for strikes. The A’s are a poor offensive club, but that is a very nice line regardless. But then there was the bullpen. Leery of the fact that Robertson hadn’t started in a few weeks, he didn’t want to extend him to far so he went to a Farnsworth-less (groin injury) bullpen in the 8th.

Leyland ripped into the Bobby Seay walk and the Fernando Rodney 0-2 pitch leading to a triple. Rodney ended up blowing the save. His first blown save since the Tampa melt down, a span that included 14 games, a 2.12 ERA, and 9 saves in 14 games.

The offense did little, except return to their double play ways. Ordonez is an amazing 2 for 12 in bases loaded situations this year, and was one of the culprits. Inge lined into a tough luck double play. Granderson is a remarkable 0 for 11 in this series. Remarkable in the sense that he hasn’t reached base in the last 2 games after having pushed his OBP to .391. Ergh.

Game 144: A’s at Tigers

PREGAME: It’s my birthday, so if the Tigers don’t win I’m going to be pissed. It is also Samara’s birthday. And it’s Natalie’s birthday, and while she’s not quite as emotionally invested in the team, she’ll still be a little sad. So win damn it. So if they don’t win she’s going to be pissed.

Of course if it keeps raining things might be out of their control.

OAK @ DET, Monday, September 8, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com

Game Time 7:05

Game 143: Tigers at Twins

PREGAME: The Tigers look to end their Metrodome misery by taking the series. They’ll send out Chris Lambert. Lambert allowed half as many runs and lasted almost twice as long in his second start. If he can continue on this improvement trajectory the Tigers hould be in good shape.

The Twins will feature Glen Perkins. Perkins has uninspiring peripherals, but he’s held the Tigers to 5 runs in 20.2 innings this year with 13 K’s and 5 walks.

Also worth pointing out, the 250,000th Major League homer will be hit some time today.

DET @ MIN, Sunday, September 7, 2008 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com