Toledo 0 Lehigh Valley 3
Max Leon had 2 hits, and that was about it for the offense. Scott Sizemore made his first error since arriving in Toledo. Alfredo Figaro fanned 4 and walked 2 in 6.2 innings of 1 run ball. Daniel Schlereth battled his control and walked 3, allowing 2 runs in .2 innings.

Portalnd 4 Erie 3
Andrew Oliver went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 9 hits with 2 walks and 5 K’s. Andy Bouchie went 2 for 4. In roster news, Wilkin Ramirez left Erie for Toledo and swapped places with Deik Scram.

Fort Myers 1 Lakeland 9
Kody Kaiser went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles. Francisco Martinez went 3 for 4 including his first homer. Daniel Fields singled and doubled. Brayan Villarreal pitched 7 innings and allowed 1 unearned run on 3 hits and 3 walks with 5 K’s.

West Michigan 2 Cedar Rapids 6
Only 5 hits for the Whitecaps on this night. But Jordan Lennerton did draw 3 walks. Jade Todd was lifted with 2 outs in the 3rd inning after allowing 6 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.

There’s only one game to cover with Toledo and West Michigan getting washed out and Lakeland having a normal day off.

Harrisburg 9 Toledo 11
Audy Ciriaco continues to hit well since his return from the disabled list picking up a homer, a single, and a walk. Cale Iorg went 3 for 3 with 2 doubles. Wilkin Ramirez had 2 doubles. Jon Kibler allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings. Luis Marte allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk while striking out the side. Anthony Shawler made this a close game by allowing 4 runs in his inning of work.

Toledo: It was an off day for the Mud Hens. But for those interested MILB.tv will have their Thursday game on at 10:35 this morning.

Trenton 7 Erie 6
Wilkin Ramirez seemed to enjoy himself immensely with a 3 homer day, bringing his season total to 13. Cesar Nicolas also had 3 hits but he was hitting behind Ramirez meaning the bases were mostly empty. Cale Iorg picked up 2 hits. Jon Kibler walked 4 and was knocked around for 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings. Luis Marte blew the save allowing 2 runs and a homer.

Lakeland 7 Tampa 2
Kody Kaiser notched 3 more hits and is hitting 476/531/667 over his last 10 games. For May his OPS is 1.011. Alden Carrithers and Gustavo Nunez each had 2 hits. Luke Putkonen went 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

West Michigan 5 Lansing 9
Jordan Lennerton went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk making it 4 straight multi-hit games for the first baseman. Michael Rockett, Wade Gaynor, and Mike Gosse all had 2 hits.  Ramon Lebron was rocked for 8 runs in just 2.1 innings.

It appears that the Tigers are calling up another young outfielder. The rumor has it that Casper Wells has been called up to the 25 man roster.

There likely won’t be an official roster move until tomorrow, but my guess is that Jim Leyland would like another position player on the bench the next two days. Ryan Raburn isn’t eligible to come back (barring a DL trip for somebody) until he’s spent 10 days on optional assignment.

Here’s how I think things will play out:

• Wells will take Alfredo Figaro’s spot on the roster effective tomorrow.
• Armando Galarraga will be recalled to start on Sunday. Otherwise somebody would be pitching on short rest (either Jeremy Bonderman or Rick Porcello). Galarraga last started on  Tuesday so Sunday would be normal rest for him.
• When Galarraga is activated Wells will be sent down.
• Galarraga will likely be returned to Toledo after his start and another position player will be called up until Raburn can return. My guess would be Wilkin Ramirez at that point.

Wells has been struggling this year with a 191/268/374 line but he does have 5 homers.

Toledo 6 Durham 2
Phil Dumatrait fanned 3, walked 1, and allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits in 5.2 innings. robbie Weinhardt, Daniel Schlereth and Jay Sborz took care of the rest. Clete Thomas has seen how much fun Brennan Boesch is having and he ripped his 4th homer in the last 7 days. Of course he only has 2 other hits over that time span so his average is still below .200. Ben Guez went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.

Akron 1 Erie 4
Wilkin Ramirez doubled and tripled. Audy Ciriaco picked up 2 hits. Jon Kibler went 7.2 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits and 3 walks with 2 K’s.

Charlotte 2 Lakeland 1
Charlie Furbush fanned 13 of the 26 hitters he faced in an incredible 6.1 inning performance. The bats couldn’t get him a win though as they managed just 1 run. Alden Carrithers walked twice, singled, and doubled.

West Michigan 5 Lansing 6
Jacob Turner went again for the Whitecaps and allowed 4 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings to go along with 3 K’s. Kevin Faulk fanned 4 in 2 innings of relief work. Jamie Johnson tripled, singled, and walked. Wade Gaynor had 2 hits including his second homer. Alexis Espinoza had been hitting well of late, but took and 0’fer and fanned 3 times.

Charlotte 7 Toledo 5

Jeff Larish went 4 for 5 with a home run. Casper Wells and Danny Worth each had 2 hits. Enrique Gonzalez was knocked around for 7 runs on 8 hits, 3 walks, and 1 strike out in 5.1 innings. Josh Rainwater pitched 2 perfect innings with 3 K’s.

Trenton 4 Erie 10
Wilkin Ramirez is on quite the run. Yesterday he went 3 for 4 with 2 homers and a walk. In his last 6 games he is 13 for 23 with 4 homers, 5 walks, and just 2 strike outs. Cesar Nicolas went 3 for 5. Audy Ciriaco picked up 2 hits. Lauren Gagnier allowed 3 runs in 6.2 innings with 5 K’s and 3 walks.

Dunedin 4 Lakeland 0
Lakeland had 11 baserunners, but couldn’t turn them into runs. Rawley Bishop and Josh Workman each had 2 hits. Mark Sorensen gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings. Robert Waite pitched 4 shutout innings in relief.

West Michigan 4 South Bend 8
Hernan Perez went 2 for 2. Victor Larez got knocked out int he 4th inning after allowing 8 runs. They called this one after 4.5 innings due to rain.

Syracuse 2 Toledo 3
Jeff Larish was 0 for 2 but he drove in the winning run with his second walk of the game in the 9th inning to really “walk off.” Jeff Frazier and Deik Scram each singled, doubled, and walked. Phil Dumatrait allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks, and 3 K’s in 5.1 innings. Scot Drucker (who is now blogging at http://druckerscot.mlblogs.com) allowed just 2 baserunners in his 2.2 innings of work. Jay Sborz walked two and allowed a hit but maintained his scoreless season and got the win.

Erie 4 Bowie 3
Andy Oliver struck out 10 in 5 innings. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks. Willkin Ramirez went 2 for 2 with 2 walks. In his last 4 games he’s 8 for 16 with 4 extra base hits and 3 walks.

Lakeland 4 Daytona 3
Gustavo Nunez had a 3 for 4 day with a double and a stolen base. Rawley Bishop homered and singled. Charlie Furbush went 6 innings with 8 K’s, no walks and just 2 runs allowed.

Lansing 3 West Michigan 7
West Michigan broke out of their offensive funk. Jordan Lennerton homered as part of an 3 for 4 day. Michael Rockett also homered and singled. Jamie Johnson and Luis Palacios also had 2 hits each. Trevor Feeney allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

The Tigers trimmed their roster down to 32 this morning with a couple of disabled list moves and other cuts. Most notable was the placement of Bobby Seay and Zach Miner on the 15 day disabled list.

Seay has been traveling from doctor to doctor in search of a diagnosis on his balky left arm (UPDATE: It’s a torn rotator cuff. There’s more info at the bottom of the post). Miner’s malady seems less dire but he won’t be ready for the beginning of the season. The moves do open up two spots on the active roster.

Miner’s long relief role could be the destination for the loser of the Nate Robertson-Dontrelle Willis-Jeremy Bonderman battle (assuming Robertson doesn’t get traded). Right handed reliever Robbie Weinhardt also remains in camp meaning he still has a shot. On the left side of things it would see to boost Brad Thomas’ chances of heading to Kansas City for the opener.

Daniel Schlereth, one of the lefties looking for a spot in the pen, was among those cut today. Scherleth was optioned along with Wilkin Ramirez to Toledo. Enrique Gonzalez, Phil Dumatrait, and Max St. Pierre were sent to minor league camp.

UPDATE: The injury to Bobby Seay is a torn rotator cuff. The plan is for Seay to try and rehab the injury and avoid surgery if at all possible. While the Tigers have other lefty options, it really is a blow to Seay who is a free agent after this year and will likely have his open market value severely hampered due to the injury.

It’s almost like the Tigers got a bulk discount on a shuttle between Toledo and Detroit. Wilkin Ramirez’s stay in the Detroit was very brief and expressly for the purpose of facing Brian Matusz. Chris Lambert will replace him on the roster. But that’s not all my friends. We also have a lefty catcher in our midst with Alex Avila replacing Dusty Ryan on the roster. Let’s think this through now because there are some implications worth considering before we debate the merits of the moves.

• Ramirez will not be bumping Magglio Ordonez from the roster for at least 10 days. Barring a DL stay Ramirez cannot be recalled.
• Alex Avila will likely not burn an option year this year. If even the Tigers decide to change their minds and send him down, as long as he spends less than 20 days off the big league roster it won’t count as an option. So if he’s up for another 8 days that won’t be an issue with the roster expanding on September 1st. He will accrue service time, but probably not enough to move his free agent clock up a year. It does mean he will need to remain on the 40 man roster in an offseason where he otherwise wouldn’t need to.
• I have a hard time seeing how Dusty Ryan has a future in the franchise. Laird has been struggling mightily at the plate and Ryan still could supplant him more than once a week. Now he’s being exchanged for a catcher who has one year of professional catching experience.

As for the new guys, Avila is one of the two guys I consider to be nearly untouchable largely due to the fact i envisioned him filling a critical role in the near future. I wasn’t thinking this month though. Avila’s overall numbers are very impressive…for a guy one year removed from the draft playing in AA. But his 262/360/446 line is far from overwhelming and he’s only hitting 191/280/393 in the last 28 days (thank you minorleaguesplits.com.

Lambert has been pitching very well for the Mud Hens as a starter. In his last 10 starts he has a 2.07 ERA with 52 K’s and only 11 walks. He’ll presumably pitch out of the bullpen until the team decides to recall either Casey Fien (at least 10 days from now) or Jeremy Bonderman gets healthy.

The Lambert move is fine by me. He’s earned a spot. The Avila move is a mystery. I understand wanting to get some offense from the catcher spot and with Avila being a lefty it makes for a more natural time split for Laird who is scuffling. But I can’t see how this helps Avila in the long term and it’s not that clear to me how it helps the team in the short term. There is a big enough learning curve for typical players, let alone catchers. This is a rush move and can only be considered a move of desperation. Then again if you feel the need to call up a player from the minors just to face a guy making his big league debut because nobody else on the roster can hit…then maybe you’re past the point of desperation.

The Tigers have called up Wilkin Ramirez. Ramirez is hitting .316 with 6 extra base hits and 5 walks in his last 10 games…with 13 strike outs. Casey Fien was optioned out. Fien had an impressive debut coming in with the bases loaded against the White Sox, but he struggled in Cleveland this weekend.

Those are the facts, but this move doesn’t make sense to me. Carlos Guillen is close to returning to the outfield and joining Marcus Thames, Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas, and Magglio Ordonez in the corners. If there were an injury you’d think somebody would get DL’d. I can’t help but think there is another move on the near horizon.

UPDATE: Steve Kornacki reports that Ramirez will lead off and play left field.

It’s that time of year when trade rumor talk is through the roof. Combined with the Tigers recent struggles, I know this is top of mind stuff for many. I don’t do a lot of trade speculation here, mostly because I’m too lazy to conjure up potential deals. However, I do know this is a hot topic so please use this space to discuss things. Below are a couple of my thoughts on who the Tigers shouldn’t give up, as well as some links to current-ish rumors.

The Keepers

I’m not big on the term untouchable, but there are a few guys in the Tigers system that I would be very reluctant to part with. This isn’t necessarily because they are through the roof prospects, but because of the impending role they may play in the near future. Rick Porcello would definitely fit into this category. And with most any move involving prospects, that’s where I’m going to turn most of my focus.

Scott Sizemore: Sizemore makes the list because he has hit so well this year at both AA and AAA that he appears to be pretty much major league ready. He also plays a position where the incumbent is aging and not signed for next year. In other words there is a high likelihood he will be the Tigers starting second baseman next year.

Alex Avila: Avila is a catcher who is hitting a AA in only his second professional season. His defense is still evolving, but he has a very good caught stealing rate. Avila is likely to be ready by 2011 at the latest and the Tigers don’t have a long term option at catcher. His potential role on the team combined with the emerging talent makes him too valuable to part with.

And that’s it. Everyone else in the minors leagues would be fair game. I like Wilkin Ramirez, but as a corner outfielder the Tigers could more easily absorb his loss. Cale Iorg has failed to impress this year. I’d be a little reluctant to move him, just because they may be selling low.

The news-ish stuff

Dave Dombrowski spoke to the media yesterday, and while he said quite a bit he didn’t really tip his hand at all. What was interesting is that he spoke of the depth in the Tigers farm system. I do think there is some depth, but there is a lack of top end talent.

Specifically Dombrowski said that he could name 10 relievers who could be ready to help the team in the next year. Off the top of my head I have Casey Fien, Zach Simons, Robbie Weinhardt, Cody Satterwhite, Josh Rainwater, Brett Jensen, Clay Rapada, Luis Marte (don’t know if you get to count him since he’s a starter right now), Brett Jacobson, Jared Gayhart, Scott Green. To expect all of them to be ready within a year I think is a litte far-fetched, but hey, it’s his job to talk up his system.

Dombrowski also apparently had a phone conversation with JP Ricciardi about someone not named Roy Halladay. Speaking of Halladay, there’s lot of buzz around him, but most of it is centered on the Phillies.

Some Tigers specific news involves includes scouts from the Washington Nationals attending AA Erie games potentially scouting some of those relievers, or Deik Scram, or Casper Wells, or Cale Iorg.

Troy Glaus is available and Rosenthal and Morosi list the Tigers as a potential suitor (ick).

Feel free to add other rumors or breaking news in the comments. With it being the weekend I won’t be tethered to a computer, but if something happens I will get info up as quickly as possible.

There was quite a bit of Tigers injury related news today with fresh info from Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Marcus Thames. And on a related roster note, Magglio Ordonez will be back for Friday’s game (the surgery went well) and Wilkin Ramirez can tell his Mud Hens teammates what it was like to drive one deep into big league bushes.

Jeremy Bonderman

Bonderman made his second rehab start, this time for Toledo. Things were going swimingly for Bonderman through 5 innings as he was pitching a 2 hit shut out. Things kind of fell apart though in the 6th inning as it went: Walk – Sac Bunt – Double – Ground Out – Homer – Error – Stolen Base – Double – Double – Strike Out. The error certainly didn’t help and 2 of the 5 runs were unearned, but there were still 4 extra base hits that inning.

His final line was 6 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 4 K’s 1 homer, 98 pitches, 62 strikes.

Marcus Thames

Thames will begin a rehab assignment for the Mud Hens next week. Jim Leyland would like to get him 30 or so at-bats.

Nate Robertson

So this isn’t particularly fresh, but Robertson was activated from the DL after Wednesday night’s game. Luke French filled in nicely for Robertson, but he is back with the Mud Hens now.

With Magglio Ordonez on the emergency leave list the Tigers get to add a player to the roster. Detroit Tiger Tales has learned that Wilkin Ramirez will be the guy.

Ramirez has hit .394 with 4 homers, 4 walks, and 4 stolen bases in his last 10 games.

Rick Porcello - cr Roger DeWitt

It’s another one of those rites of the offseason, the Baseball America top 10 list. The list itself is available to anyone, but for additional information (like scouting reports) you need to be a subscriber.

As for the list, here it is:

1. Rick Porcello, rhp
2. Ryan Perry, rhp
3. Cale Iorg, ss
4. Casey Crosby, lhp
5. Jeff Larish, 1b/3b
6. Wilkin Ramirez, of
7. Scott Sizemore, 2b
8. Cody Satterwhite, rhp
9. Dusty Ryan, c
10. Guillermo Moscoso, rhp

Usually when the list comes out I look back to the previous year’s list to see who stayed and who left. Hopefully the list changes because guys graduate and lose prospect status. In the Tigers case there are only 4 players carrying over from the ’08 last. As for the other 6? Only one graduated and that was Matt Joyce.

Yorman Bazardo and Francisco Cruceta flamed out. Danny Worth and Mike Hollimon had their development hindered due to injuries. Brandon Hamilton struggled in West Michigan, and while he’s still a prospect he’s no longer in the top 10.

Ryan Perry - cr Roger DeWitt

The flip side of guys losing status is that some other earned their way into the top 10. Wilkin Ramirez built on a strong spring training and exploded for AA Erie. Guillermo Moscoso had an outstanding season, and Dusty Ryan played himself into the Tigers 09 plans. And Ryan Perry and Cody Satterwhite were new draftees who cracked the top 10.

So it’s not that the Tigers system is without talent – guys who stand a decent chance to play at the big league level. What it lacks is enough players who could excel at the big league level.

Today is the deadline for the Tigers to announce who would and wouldn’t be protected from the Rule 5 draft on the 40 man roster. Below is the roster, and highlighted are the 5 players who the Tigers just added: Alfredo Figaro, Casper Wells, Zach Simons, Guillermo Moscoso, and Wilkin Ramirez. That brings the total to 38.

James Skelton - cr Roger DeWitt

There are two very surprising omissions from this list, James Skelton and Luis Marte (explanation). Both are eligible to be drafted and both would seem to be attractive picks. Skelton is a left handed catcher, that while small and lacking power, has ridiculous OBP skills (416 in his minor league career) and reached AA as a 22 year old. Marte was having a wonderful season, even overshadowing Rick Porcello at Lakeland, before an elbow injury slowed him. However he has been very effective in the AFL (22/6 K/BB ratio in 17.1 innings) but he has been battling shoulder pain. (The full list of eligibility is here)

Not surprisingly the Tigers secured Wilkin Ramirez who finally seemed to have the season in which the results caught up to the tools with a 303/371/522 line at the age of 22 in AA.

Casper Wells exploded late in the second half at Erie and has been on a tear in the AFL with 7 homers and a .316 average in 21 games.

Figaro saw action with both Single A West Michigan and Single A Lakeland during the 2008 season, but he was 23 and didn’t exactly excel when moved to Lakeland. I’m quite surprised he was kept over Marte.

Moscoso split the season between Single A Lakeland and Double A Erie at age 24 and had a 122/21 K/BB ratio for the year. And he had that perfect game for the O-Tigs in 2007.

Simons came over in the Jason Grilli trade and fanned 61 in 53 innings with a 1.11 WHIP for Lakeland. But in the AFL he was 7 walks and only 6 strikeouts in 13 innings of work.

Now the Tigers still realistically need room for a shortstop, a catcher, and more pitching (both starters and relievers). So they need space under the limit. I’m not sure how all those players are going to fit and am surprised to see Mike Hessman, Eddie Bonine, and Macay McBride remaining on the roster. I don’t really understand some of the guys that were protected and realistically I’d rather have the earlier jettisoned Virgil Vasquez than Bonine, Lopez, Lambert…