PREGAME Ah, the day night double header. In the first game it will be Jeremy Bonderman taking on Javier Vazquez. Once upon a time there was a rumor that the Tigers had a deal worked out for Vazquez where they sent Joel Zumaya and Curtis Granderson to the Diamondbacks. Glad that didn’t work out.
But Vazquez has been pretty good this year with a 3.73 ERA. He’s fanning nearly a batter an inning and has a 4:1 K:BB ratio. He can be taken deep though with 17 homers allowed, and it isn’t just a product of playing in the Cell because he allows long balls at the same rate on the road.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Bonderman will be looking for his 6th straight quality start. He allowed 10 base runners in 6 2/3 innings his last time out, but limited the damage to 3 runs thanks in part to 6 strikeouts.
Game Time 2:05
DET @ CHW, Tuesday, July 24, 2007 Game Preview – Baseball-Reference.com
Comments
59 responses to “Game 98: Tigers at White Sox”
Assume Pudge and Guillen will get the first game off. If Guillen’s OK for the second game, maybe rest Polanco and let Infante play both games? Swap Magglio and Shef out at RF and DH for the two games?
With the long stretch without an off day, I hope Leyland plays it conservatively and uses his bench today.
I imagine there will be lots of creativity with the lineups today on both teams. I like the Shef/Maggs swap. We’ll probably see plenty of Raburn, Infante and Hessman today also.
I would hope Rabelo plays game 1, Pudge for game 2 to keep Virgil calm if things go awry (See: his start in Minnesota). Although, Rabelo and Vasquez played together in Erie, so that may be a better battery for game 2.
I wouldn’t object to Raburn at 2nd, Infante at short in the 2 game. It’s Gavin Floyd, so he shouldn’t be overly hard to hit and Guillen and Placido could use time off.
Good day, all.
Looks like what I’d call the “classic” lineup for the day game. Mike R, looks like your call on tonight’s battery is correct.
Stuck in the office, will be “watching” on Gameday, and hopefully enjoying the comments on this site!
This evening’s contest should be – interesting. Glad I’ll be home with beverages for that one . . .
Hi there,
greetings from Germany. Great Pitching Duel in Game 1 Bondo vs Vazquez. Hopefully V. has not the form from 2 weeks ago as he got 2 complete Games in one Week. (Although I have him in my Fantasy Keeper League Team I would be more than pleased if he get the full package from Sheff, Maggs &Co )
What a contrast in Game 2, Vasquez vs Floyd both were hammered by the Twins. Was a very unlucky Start for Virgil in his lone outing. He will do better this time
Hopefully we won’t run into the same GameDay/GameCast problems as the last day game. I can’t take another nailbiter. Here’s hoping Bondo can go at least 7 strong (preferrably scoreless, 1-2-3) innings! Go Tigers!
I like the start. Let’s work this guy and get to the pen early.
Awww hell. I hate the start.
bondo and the first inning again….
Is anyone actually watching? Is it just typical first inning Bondo? Or has he got that totally freaked out look on his face??
Ugh. Bonderman 1st inning woes return. Let’s he picks it up like he usually does.
I’m not sure if Monroe is the best candidate to call for a hit and run with…
I’m watching. He doesn’t looked freaked out yet.
cib (in the case that you are not listening yourself) – Dan and Jim don’t seem to be concerned, but are they ever?
Typical 1,2,3 second.
Thanks Kevin, I’m in a building in downtown Detroit and with all of the competing roof antennae around us, I can’t get the broadcast so on days like this it’s Gameday and DTW!
Is it a mental thing with Bondo or something more tangible such as not getting lose enough in his pre-game warmups? It is perplexing to watch a guy with his arsenal routinely struggle in the first inning game after game.
Another pitchout where we do not get the runner. Is it just me, or has Pudge dropped off noticeably this year? More PBs & WPs, less runners at 2nd & 3rd, next to 0 runners at 1st…
Keith – I think it is just part of his development. He takes a while to get warm & settled. Think of how much he’s improved over last year’s control issues. He’ll get it sorted out soon.
I was hoping Carlos Guillen wouldn’t play the first game, and rest his leg a little. Does this mean for sure he will be out for game two?
Kevin – I’ve thought the same thing about Pudge defensively. I wonder if the numbers agree…
Vazquez will get 7 innings at this pace. I hope we can start touching him up a bit more and get to the pen.
Bond. J Bond. Nice 4th inning.
C-Mo has just been terrible. Play Raburn.
Close game. Starters both look like they go 7+. For the first time in a while, I like the Tigers a battle of ‘pens.
How many strike outs does Monroe need to record before we let Raburn in there? Yes, he had a couple good games after umpteen horrible ones… What a void in the order.
Another run after we score. Hate that.
Looks like we’ll at least get a deep start from Bondo which is important for tonight’s game. Okay boys, let’s get the bats a swingin’!
That’s our Grandy. HR!!
Granderson with another jack. Wow.
How can you not love Granderson?!
Granderson is in a complete zone!
Last night Rod said Curtis did well in Chicago because he was home and able to eat his mom’s cooking. Maybe there’s something to that!!
Curtis is tearing it up in front of his friends and family! Can they travel with him to Detroit, please??
Granderson MVP anyone? With him playing so well, could actually hurt Magg’s run at it!
as Rod Allen loves to say “as Granderson goes, so go the Tigers.” That sounds like MVP to me!
is anyone else having trouble with MLB.TV? pic and sound stop/start…mostly stopped.
This is a joke, right?
Is it only possible to score on homers all of a sudden?
Gonna be tough to come back from that one…
We’ve gotta knock Vasquez out… he’s at 95 pitches right now.
I think if I ever see Pudge walk I’ll buy some Oceanfront property in Iowa
Good news is that Bonderman has been incredibly economical and he has a great shot to get through 7, maybe even 8.
I agree with your assessment of Pudge’s inability/refusal to take a walk. Its almost as though he views taking a base on balls as some negative statement against his manhood. Also, the guy who posted earlier about Pudge’s decreasing effectiveness behind the plate is right on. Pudge isn’t throwing hardly anyone out on steal attempts and is letting way more pitches skip by him this year than in previous years with Detroit. I’ll see if I can find his numbers on stolen base attempts against him this year.
Bondo gets his 7. Certainly not the best we’ve seen from him. Time to apply some late game heat!
The last thing we needed at this point was a 1-pitch out from C-Mo.
You would think that someone in the dugout is saying – let’s work this guy this inning and try and chase him, his pitch count is almost at 100.
But, the Tigers have been a free swinging team for two years now, and on the whole, it’s working rather well.
I just wish some of our less talented players would exhibit a bit more patience in erstwhile situations.
Boy, only allowing 4 hits is remarkable work by Vazquez. Gotta give him credit.
especially after their ace Buerhle allowed 14. We shouldn’t have wasted all those hits last night.
Argh. Well at least they’ll have some time to rest before tonight’s game. These almost-4 hour games have been killing me.
I like Bobby Seay. Just saying.
Six hits in the top of 9…
If PP can get on here I like our chances…
Well, by the effort they showed, all of the regulars should have plenty of energy for game 2.
Disappointing. Couldn’t string anything together on Vazquez. Need another Vazquez to win tonight….
Good thing: It was short.
Bad thing: the 2-3-4-5 hitters had absolutely NO impact.
Here’s hoping they just slept through this game and the alarms will go off before game 2.
ok lets take this series 4-1!
You can’t blame Monroe for popping up the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning (after two Ks the previous at-bats). He delivered the one-pitch out by design. What we really wanted was to take our chances with Vazquez on the mound for another inning instead of facing that formidable White Sox bullpen.
Unless we’re up by 10 runs, I beg the powers-that-be, please play Raburn, please.
Guillen is now 7-38 in his last 10 games with no HRs and only 2 RBI. Carlos is fighting it right now.
Pudge’s defensive numbers coming into today:
Caught stealing %: 23%, 6th in the AL.
Only Kenji Johjima, Varitek, and John Buck have had less attempted steals/game against them then Pudge has this year. So that can deflate/inflate the percentages.
And among catchers in the AL who have caught 550+ innings this year (there’s 10 of them) he’s last in Wild Pitches+Passed Balls per game right now (view that here.
Among catchers in the AL with 550+ innings caught this year, he’s 3rd in his team’s ERA, which is at 4.32. 1st is Kendall at 3.40 (no longer with the A’s) and 2nd is Varitek at 3.65.
His defense isn’t on par with what he can do, but he’s also not a young cat anymore. And as recently as 2004 with the Tigers, he only threw out 29% of base runners, so it’s not unprecedented.
But, him REFUSING to walk is frustrating. Just take a walk.
And not only is Guillen strugging (7-for-38, .184 avg, in his last 10 games with 2 RBI’s), Sheffield’s struggling, too:
8-38, .211 average, 1 HR, 4 RBI.