Baseball at Comerica...a Detroit Tigers blog

A Dreary End

2008-10-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

As it is extremely obvious that this blog has been instrumental in the jinxing of our Tigers, I am officially informing you all that Baseball at Comerica is completely and utterly dead. I apologize for bringing such bad karma to our team and hope that next year will be a fresh start filled with energy and hope. And...um...Jason Grilli is still gone. So that's good, right?

Joyce Coming Through

2008-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Matt Joyce's homer tied the game while the Tigers exploded for a four-run 3rd inning.

My Tigers Stand-Off Is Over

2008-05-08T05:37:00.001-07:00

After the disgusting display of baseball the Tigers showcased in the Metrodome last weekend, I decided to take a break from this blog for a bit out of frustration. That three game sweep turned into a five game losing streak against the Red Sox this week and I was wondering when I would find the energy and joy to write again.

It came back last night. That was one heck of a 9th inning against possibly the best closer in all of baseball. Sure, we got a few breaks; like Matt Joyce's check swing turning into a perfect bunt and Renteria's hopper to short getting bobbled and dropped by Julio Lugo. But isn't it about time the Tigers caught a break?

Pudge laid down a beautiful bunt to get the runs over and Granderson did his job of hitting to the right side to score the tying run. It was a tough night for Curtis, but he came through in a big spot like we expect from our center fielder. Then, with Renteria on third and two outs, Polanco hit a bat-shattering blooper into left field and we finally had a win. Finally.

So where are we at now? At 15-20, you would think the Tigers have a long uphill climb to get back in it. The truth is, the division is doing a number on each other and we are only 3.5 games out of first place and only two behind the Indians. We're right there. Maybe this 9th inning rally can catapult us into the type of winning streak Detroit fans have been clamoring for since 2006. We'll see.

Justin Verlander takes the mound tonight against Josh Beckett to close out the four game strip with the Sox. Then it's another three-game series with the Yanks, who you know will be out to get us after sweeping them in New York a week and a half ago. It's not an easy stretch; baseball never seems to be easy. I'm just glad I had something I wanted to write about again.

A Little Nugget of Tigers Love

2008-05-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

I found some information from the Elias Sports Bureau this morning after a big win to sweep the Yankees last night. Ramon Santiago had the play of the night with his two-run triple and Miguel Cabrera is really starting to show his all-out studness. Yes, studness. Anyway, from Elias:

AFTER 42 YEARS, A TIGERS' SWEEP AT YANKEE STADIUM

The Tigers defeated the Yankees, 8-4, to complete a three-game sweep-Detroit's first sweep of three or more games at Yankee Stadium since April 12-14, 1966. Only three other teams in MLB history went 40 years or longer between sweeps of three or more games at one site: the Braves, 82 years at Fenway Park (1915-1997); the Dodgers, 46 years at Milwaukee County Stadium (1953-1999); and the Senators/Twins at Yankee Stadium, 42 years (1924-1966). Note that Fenway Park was the home venue for the Boston Braves in 1915.

I have to admit that it was a pretty good time to have a series with the Yanks, what with A-Rod and Posada both on the DL. Still, sweeping them in New York is no small task. We even were able to try out our new reliever in the 9th, Francisco Cruceta, who looked a tad rusty but still got out of the inning without giving up a run. I miss Grilli even less today than I did yesterday.

Another thing popped into my head last night. Does anyone think that Magglio and Cabrera have a little friendly hitting contest going on? It seems like they are trying to top each other with each at bat. Maggs doubles; Miggy triples. Ordonez singles; Cabrera homers. When Magglio gets on, Miguel usually follows. I think I want to start following this trend. Ordonez currently leads in batting average (.315 to .279), but Cabrera leads in home runs (6 to 5) and RBIs (22 to 21). I'd like to think we have a Mickey Mantle/Roger Maris thing going on here.

The Tigers head to Minneapolis this weekend for a three-game set with the Twinkies. Armando Galarraga takes the mound against Livan Hernandez tonight. I'll be in the Metrodome Saturday night to watch Verlander take on Scott Baker. Hopefully me and my Ty Cobb jersey will continue to have luck watching the Tigers in that crappy dome. We're only 1.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, we could use another sweep. If we win the first two, maybe I'll bring a broom to the game Sunday. Not really.

Because He's My Main Man

2008-05-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

I think everyone needs to know how truly important Curtis Granderson is to our Tigers. Jayson Stark of ESPN did the work for me in one quick paragraph in his Rumblings blog today. Stark writes:

The On a Roll Award
Curtis Granderson only missed the Tigers' first 21 games of the season. It just felt like 121. As our buddy Danny Knobler, who covers the Tigers for mlive.com, points out, Tigers leadoff men scored exactly three runs in those 21 games. In the seven games since Granderson returned, he has scored 11 runs -- more than any player in the whole sport. But that's not all he's done. He has reached base in 15 of his 30 trips to home plate, thumped three times as many extra-base hits (six) as singles (two), scored a run 73 percent of the times he has gotten on base and done more blogging than certain full-time Rumblings and Grumblings authors. Now that's a roll.

Word.

Grilli A Goner

2008-04-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

A big night for baseball in Detroit as the Tigers won their second straight game in New York 6-2 (Polanco hit two homers!?!?) and news came that quite possibly my least favorite Tiger of all time was traded. That's right, Jason Grilli was traded to the Colorado Rockies today for Zachary Simons. Simons will start out in Single A.

This Grilli trade opens a roster spot for reliever Francisco Cruceta, who missed all of Spring Training and the season so far because of visa issues. Cruceta will join the Tigers tomorrow and the Yanks.

So I had to write my "so-long big guy" to Jason Grilli, a guy I've had some harsh words for in the last three years. And you know what? I don't take them back. I won't miss him. Enjoy the thin air of the Rockies.

Harsh? Sure, he might be a great guy. But I have a few too many gray hairs on my head because of him. And I shouldn't have gray hairs yet, I'm still 25.

Now, if we could just get Jacque Jones going...

Tigers Fall 4-3 to Angels

2008-04-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

In a tough contest last night with the Angels, the Tigers were not able to come back from one bad inning from Nate Robertson and fell 4-3 to the AL-West leading Angels. Going into the top of the 4th, both teams were scoreless until Vlad Guerrero hit a two-run home run and Casey Kotchman hit a two-run single to take a 4-0 lead.

Detroit got on the board with a solo homer from Curtis Granderson, his second in two games. The Tigers seemed to be chipping away, totaling six hits and four walks during the game, but they couldn't get a key hit to go through. Both Pudge Rodriguez and Brandon Inge blasted hard line drives with runners in scoring position that were snatched away by Angels first baseman Kotchman.

A tough loss for the Tigs as they fall to 10-14 and are 3.5 games out of first in the division. With two more against the Angels, followed by three games in New York, the schedule doesn't get easy anytime soon. Armando Galarraga takes the mound this afternoon (3:55 ET) for Detroit against Dustin Moseley and his 7.78 ERA. Let's jack that ERA up even higher.

Bullpen Watch

Nate Robertson did a nice job of getting through seven innings to give a bullpen that was starting to get way overused a needed rest. Denny Bautista pitched the 8th to hold the Angels lead to one, giving up a hit and a walk, but no runs with one strikeout. Todd Jones came in still holding a one run deficit, pitching a one-two-three inning. It's amazing that the 'pen has all of a sudden became a strength of this team so far. Who knew?

Concern Level: 3 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the bottom of the 8th, the Tigers were down 4-3 with one of their last chances to tie the game. With a runner on first and second, Pudge Rodriguez came to the plate looking to make it a 4-4 ballgame facing Justin Speier. Pudge hit a sharp line drive towards the right field line, but Casey Kotchman jumped a snagged the liner out of the air to end the inning. K-Rod would come in to dominate the 9th and we lost by one. Grrrrrr.

Tiger of the Game: Placido Polanco

It was nice to see Placido Polanco back in the lineup and looking somewhat healthy last night. Polanco went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored a run. Nothing spectacular, but he was the only Tigers batter with a multi-hit game. A healthy Polanco will make this lineup downright scary. Too bad it couldn't come through with a couple more runs last night. On another tangent, is Sheffield done? He rarely gets good wood on the ball anymore and is so injury prone now that it's becoming frustrating to root for him. Leyland needs to move Sheff down in the lineup or give him a long DL stint to give Clete Thomas another chance. It's cool that our skipper is a loyal guy, but sometimes he's loyal to a fault.

Tigers Blast Rangers with Season-High 19 Runs

2008-04-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

After 1 1/2 innings tonight, it looked like the Tigers were in trouble, falling behind 5-0. That trouble faded real fast as Detroit took back those five runs in the bottom of the 2nd and then exploded for 11 runs in the 6th on their way to a 19-6 win.

Curtis Granderson made his first appearance of the season, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs in the leadoff spot. Carlos Guillen really smacked the ball around, going 3 for 5 with five RBIs and Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run home run to right field on a low outside pitch that didn't even look hittable. 14 hits and 10 walks in one game. Not too shabby.

Kenny Rogers didn't get the win, but was lucky to not get his 4th loss tonight despite giving up six runs in 3 1/3 innings. He got some run support. Clay Rapada got the win, as the trio of Tigers relievers combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings. What was the perceived weakness of this team again?

Bullpen Watch

Clay Rapada pitched 2 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings in relief of Rogers, striking out two with his lefty arm-dropping style. Aquilino Lopez followed with three scoreless innings, scattering two hits and striking out three. Lopez has now dropped his season ERA to 0.52. Jason Grilli was able to pitch with another huge lead, getting a 1-2-3 9th inning with one K. Beautiful work by this group again tonight.

Concern Level: 4 out of 10

Today's Key Play

With run after run after run crossing the plate tonight for Detroit, there are plenty of plays that could be considered tonight's top play. I think I'll go with Carlos Guillen's two-run single in the bottom of the 2nd that tied the game at 5 apiece. After falling behind by five, this 2nd inning rally basically started the game from scratch and the Tigers really took advantage of the new life.

Tiger of the Game: Curtis Granderson

Man, it seems like it's been a long time since I've been able to write glowingly about my main man C. Grand. With Curtis back in the lineup, it just seems like his energy brings this lineup to a new level. Granderson's 2 for 4 night with two walks, three runs, and two RBIs kept the show rolling as the Tigers had their season high in runs scored. I think we have plenty to look forward to from our starting center fielder.

A Big Switch

2008-04-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

After last night's rout of the Texas Rangers, manager Jim Leyland announced that Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen will switch positions. Permanently. While I've written that our defense at the corners is a weakness, I can't say I expected a switch like this so soon.

Guillen will no doubt have better mobility than Cabrera to get to grounders at third and Cabrera has looked pretty comfortable at first. I also wasn't very excited about Carlos' inability to scoop up short hops and get his footwork down at first. This may work. The biggest question is whether Guillen will be able adjust and be accurate on the tough throw across the diamond. We'll just have to wait it out and see.

In other Tigers news, it looks like there's a chance that Curtis Granderson will be back in the lineup tonight against the Rangers. Detroit's trainers will check out his sore legs before game time to see if he's ready to go. So, let me be one of the many to throw it out there. Can we start Clete Thomas in left and bench Jacque Jones? Just sayin'.

Tigers Win 2nd Straight Behind 3 HR Inning

2008-04-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

The Tigers were finally back in Detroit tonight to take on the Texas Rangers. With their ace on the mound, the Tigs really put a pounding on the Rangers with a 10-2 win. Justin Verlander pitched six innings, giving up only one run on a solo home run. Four different relievers combined to pitch the final four innings, giving up just a second run.

While the pitching was very good, it was the bats that starred tonight in the D. Coming into the bottom of the 3rd with a 2-1 lead, the Tigers hitters went on a scoring spree behind back-to-back home runs from Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, and then a third homer, this time a two-run shot by Ramon Santiago. Santiago, filling in for Placido Polanco and his back injury, went 2 for 3 on the day with 3 RBIs. Edgar Renteria (4-4), Jacque Jones (2-3) and Brandon Inge all scored 2 runs for Detroit.

This is the second straight win for the Tigers, who at 8-13 are now 4 1/2 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox. Kenny Rogers will face Luis Mendoza tomorrow night as Detroit looks to continue to climb their way out of the AL Central cellar.

Bullpen Watch

Zach Miner started the 7th tonight, but struggled in a short outing. Miner gave up a couple of hits and a run, and was able to get just one out before being pulled for Bobby Seay coming in to face the lefty. Seay hit his spots tonight, getting four outs without giving up a hit with one walk. With two outs in the 8th, Denny Bautista came in and immediately gave up a walk. Bautista then got out of the inning, getting Ben Broussard to pop out to Pudge, who made a fantastic catch reaching over the wall. Jason Grilli came in for the 9th with an 8-run lead (the time we want to see Grilli), and looked good. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning, and struck out Josh Hamilton to end the game. Four innings and just one run from the 'pen, we gotta love that. They're slowly earning my trust.

Concern Level: 5 out of 10

Today's Key Play

I think when Miguel Cabrera's line drive down the left field line went out of Comerica's yard, this game was pretty much over. The second of back-to-back homers opened the onslaught of a five-run inning and a blowout win. 15 runs in two days without Granderson, Polanco, and Sheffield is pretty solid, I would say.

Tiger of the Game: Ramon Santiago

Not only did Ramon Santiago's two run home run in the 3rd blow this game open, he also gave the Tigers their first lead with a 2nd inning RBI double. His 3 RBIs and a run scored out of the 9-hole was a huge boost to a lineup that's been hit by injuries. Santiago is always solid in the field; the fact that he's hitting .467 in the early season is gravy.

Tigers Unable To Rally, Fall 3-2 to Jays

2008-04-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

Despite some decent overall pitching, the Tigers weren't able to come through with enough runs late in a 3-2 loss this afternoon to the Blue Jays. Jeremy Bonderman pitched five innings, giving up three runs on five hits. But it was the six walks that hurt Bondo today, including one with the bases loaded that gave Toronto a 2-0 lead after a 1st inning solo homer by Alex Rios.

Detroit got on the board with Pudge Rodriguez scoring on a Jacque Jones groundout after Ryan Raburn's double moved Pudge to third to close the game at 2-1.

It was a 5th inning error by Miguel Cabrera on a Vernon Wells grounder scoring Aaron Hill that put Detroit behind 3-1. The two run lead would be enough as Dustin McGowan pitched 7 innings giving up only two runs. Cabrera scored on a sac fly by Pudge to make it a one run game, but there would be no late inning rally in this one. The Tigers fall to 6-12 on the season. They will face AJ Burnett tomorrow afternoon as Nate Robertson takes the mound to try to earn his first win of the season.

Bullpen Watch

Jason Grilli replaced Bonderman in the 6th, and got out of the inning even though he gave up a one-out triple. He was saved by an errant bunt on a squeeze play that Grilli caught for an easy double play. Grilli looked good in the 7th, getting a one-two-three inning. Clay Rapada (who's pitched really well against lefties so far) and Aquilino Lopez (my favorite Tigers reliever at this point) combined to pitch a scoreless 8th. Pretty solid outing from the 'pen, they just didn't get enough run support today.

Concern Level: 5 out of 10

Today's Key Play

The key play today has to be Vernon Wells grounder that Miguel Cabrera kicked into left field, scoring Aaron Hill and giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. The Blue Jay pitching had great stuff all day and managed to get out of innings that looked like possible Detroit rallies. You'll rarely hear me complain about the Cabrera-Willis trade, but there is no doubt that the defense of our corner infielders is a big drop-off from last year. Inge made plays that Cabrera doesn't even attempt and Sean Casey is one of the best one-hop catching first baseman I've ever seen. Guillen may have more range, but he's not on the same level as the Mayor on D. We'll see if this becomes a season long problem.

Tiger of the Game: Pudge Rodriguez

The Tigers bats didn't make much noise today, but Pudge had a pretty nice game going 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Take a look at the box score for Detroit hitters today; there's not much else there.

Hot 7th Leads Tigers Past Blue Jays 8-4

2008-04-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

After falling behind by three runs in the 5th inning, the Tigers were able to rally for six consecutive runs in the next two innings before adding another in the ninth to beat the Blue Jays 8-4.

Kenny Rogers took the mound for Detroit, holding Toronto to four runs on three hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings. The Gambler was unspectacular, but effective enough to give the Tigers bats a chance to take the game over in the later innings. Finally, Detroit scored some runs for Kenny, who had not received a single run of support in his first three starts this year. Aquilino Lopez, Denny Bautista, and Todd Jones combined to pitch 2 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game and conserve the lead.

David Purcey started for Toronto, filling in for AJ Burnett who had to pitch in relief on Wednesday in their 14 inning game. Miguel Cabrera hit a sac fly in the 1st after a Pudge Rodriguez lead off double and Polanco and Ordonez walks to take a 1-0 lead. Purcey pitched well for the next four innings, and the Blue Jays pulled ahead behind a Rod Barajas home run in the 2nd and two more runs in the 5th.

The bats came alive in the 6th for Detroit, with RBI singles from Marcus Thames and Pudge to close the game to 4-3. Then in the 7th, Sheff and Magglio hit back to back doubles to start the inning, Guillen got on with an E-6, and Edgar Renteria blasted a two-run home run to the opposite field. The Tigers took a 7-4 lead and we were in good shape for the win. Renteria had another RBI in the 9th to finish the scoring for Detroit.

It looked like it would be another tough night for the Tigs until we woke back up in the 6th and put the game away in the 7th with some Renteria style at the plate.

Bullpen Watch

A top notch performance from my three favorite Tigers relievers tonight, who combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Aquilino Lopez replaced Rogers in the 7th with two outs and a runner on first, getting a fly out to end the inning. Denny Bautista pitched the 8th, getting the first two batters and then walking Vernon Wells. The Big Hurt came to the plate and battled Bautista, but Denny didn't back down and froze him on a low inside fastball to strike Thomas out. Todd Jones pitched in a non-save opportunity, giving up two walks and looking like he couldn't find the strike zone with a telescope before calming down and getting the final two outs. I don't care how they do it; if our bullpen pitches scoreless innings I'm happy.

Concern Level: 6 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the top of the 7th, the Tigers has just taken a 5-4 lead after Carlos Guillen had reached on a fielding error by shortstop John MacDonald. Edgar Renteria came to plate with a runner on and a chance to keep a rally going to put the Blue Jays away. Renteria hit a first pitch fastball high into the right field stands to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead to take control in Toronto. A big time swing by our new shortstop.

Tiger of the Game: Edgar Renteria

Not only did Edgar Renteria hit the gigantic two-run home run in the 7th, he also hit an RBI single in the 9th to finish 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs. Edgar is now batting .309 on the season and has been a spark plug as a second leadoff-type after the meat of our order. Renteria definitely seems more comfortable batting 7th than he did batting leadoff earlier in the year. It can't hurt to have the pitcher he's facing square off with Maggs, Miggy, and Carlos before him each at bat.

Payback: Indians Whip Tigers 11-1

2008-04-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

After a three-game winning streak, it seemed like the Tigers were ready to start a long journey back to the top of the division. That journey will have to start tomorrow, because the Tigers really got their butts handed to them tonight.

Justin Verlander started the game for Detroit and couldn't seem to find his good stuff all night. Verlander gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks with a couple of pitches beaning Cleveland batters that resulted in a bit of retaliation. It's a bit troublesome that our ace has yet to have a completely solid outing yet this year. Verlander is now 0-3 with an ERA of over seven.

Zach Miner followed Verlander and continued the Tigers pitching trend tonight. Miner gave up five more runs on five hits and a walk. His ERA has now ballooned to over 15 on the season.

The Tigers weren't any better at the plate against Fausto Carmona. Detroit did manage to get seven hits off the right hander, but only crossed home plate one time.

It was a long, boring night where the Tigers just didn't seem to bring their "A" game.

Bullpen Watch

Zach Miner was atrocious, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk all in the 6th inning. Bobby Seay pitched the 7th and gave up another run. At least Denny Bautista continued to perform well this season, pitching a scoreless 8th. There were so many positive things said about Miner before this season that I talked myself into believing he would pitch well in long relief. Now he's just looking like another over-matched middle reliever.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the top of the 6th, the Tigers were already down by five but they proved last night that runs with this club can come in bunches. After a bases loaded sac fly by Cabrera, the score was 5-1 with runners on 1st and 2ndd with only one out. This was their chance to either get a rally going or just go away. Carlos Guillen came to the plate and sliced a single to left fielder Jason Michaels as Gary Sheffield rounded third and was headed home. Michaels threw out Sheffield at the plate and Edgar Renteria grounded out to end the inning and any chance for a Tigers comeback.

Tiger of the Game: Denny Bautista

Not a lot to work with here tonight, so I'll go with Denny Bautista who pitched a scoreless 8th in a night dominated by the Indians hitters. Bautista and Aquilino Lopez are the Tigers relievers I trust most right now. If Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya can comeback effectively, we have a nice foursome of right handed power relievers. There, some positivity for the night.

Cabrera Explodes On Indians in 13-2 Win

2008-04-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

After two straight wins over the Twins, the Tigers visited Cleveland tonight for the start of a two-game series with their arch-rival Indians. With Dontrelle Willis on the DL, Armando Galarraga was brought up to pitch. And pitch he did.

Things started out shaky for Galarraga, giving up a 1st inning solo home run to David Dellucci. Once he got that out of the way, it was all downhill for the 26-year old right hander. Galarraga pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up only one hit and two runs getting the W.

But the pitching wasn't the only big story tonight for the Tigers. 2007 A.L. Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia was on the mound, but he didn't phase the all of a sudden blazing Tigers bats. In the 2nd inning, Miguel Cabrera came to the plate after a Magglio Ordonez walk. Cabrera blasted his third home run of the season to right field and Detroit took a 2-1 lead.

In the 3rd inning, Cabrera was back at the plate with Polanco on and two outs. Miggy singled and the Tigers took a 3-1 lead.

We were just getting started with the offense, as the Tigers exploded for a 7-run 5th inning including more damage from Cabrera, who had a two-run single, and a grand slam from Edgar Renteria. It was 10-1 before we knew it and Tigers fans were able to sit back and relax for the first time this season. Detroit would tack on 3 more runs for a total of 13 on 17 hits, and Jason Grilli was brought in to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings.

An absolutely dominant performance from the Tigers tonight, with spectacular at bats and hard-nosed pitching from Galarraga.

Bullpen Watch

If there is ever the right time to pitch Jason Grilli, tonight was the night. With a 10-run lead, Grilli pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, giving up a couple hits and walk with one of Galarraga's batters scoring in the 7th. Only two hits in over two innings? We'll take that from Grilli every time. Things are a little easier with a double digit lead, though.

Concern Level: 6 out of 10

Today's Key Play

While tonight's game will be remembered for the seven-run 5th inning, it was Miguel Cabrera's two-run homer in the 3rd that gave Detroit a lead they wouldn't lose. Galarraga was able to relax after giving up the early home run, and Tigers hitters went ballistic on Sabathia. Just an amazing hitting display by Miggy tonight. So this is the MVP-candidate we paid so much money for, right? Right.

Tiger of the Game: Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera finished the night going 4 for 6 with five, count 'em, five RBIs and two runs scored. This is the Cabrera we've all been waiting for. When Cabrera is on, it doesn't matter who is pitching to him. Just ask last year's Cy Young winner. Sabathia was dominated by Cabrera tonight.

Two In A Row: Tigers Again Rally in 8th for 6-5 Win

2008-04-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

Going for the two-game sweep of the Twins tonight, the Tigers managed to stay in the game with the long ball and came through in the 8th once again for a 6-5 win.

Nate Robertson started for Detroit and pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up 4 runs on six hits while striking out five. The majority of the damage to Nate came from the M&M boys, Mauer and Morneau, who combined for 4 RBIs of the Twins five runs. Aquilino Lopez and Clay Rapada both were stellar in relief of Robertson, pitching two hitless, scoreless innings.

Scott Baker took the mound for the Twins, giving up three runs in 7 innings. All three runs against Baker were on solo home runs from Sheffield, Ordonez, and Guillen.

Going into the bottom of the 8th, the Twins held a 4-3 lead with Jesse Crain coming in for relief of Baker. After a Crete Thomas strike out, Placido Polanco walked and then advanced to third on a throwing error in a pickoff attempt. After getting Sheffield to pop out to the catcher, Magglio Ordonez doubled down the right field line to tie the game at 4-4. Miguel Cabrera then stepped to the plate with a chance to get some Detroit love, and did just that walloping a line drive over the left field wall to extend the lead to 6-4.

Todd Jones came in for his third save attempt, and took us on another roller coaster. Delmon Young was the first batter Jones faced, who drove the ball deep at Ryan Raburn in left. Raburn, who made a game-saving catch last night, jumped and robbed a home run from Young but dropped the ball as he brought it back into the park. Jones retired Jason Kubel before giving up an RBI single to former Tiger Craig Monroe. With a runner on first and a one run lead, Jones got Mike Lamb to fly out for the 2nd out. Matt Tolbert then struck out swinging and Jones got his third save of the season; his second save in two days.

Bullpen Watch

Aquilino Lopez was brought in for Robertson in the 7th after Nate struggled with some shoulder tightness. Lopez was fantastic, getting two outs with a strikeout in the 7th and a fly out in the 8th. Clay Rapada came in with one out in the 8th, getting Mauer to ground out and then was nasty to Morneau with a huge strikeout. Todd Jones pitched another exciting 9th, but came through when it counted and got the save. Loved the bullpen tonight, they were really on top of their game in a close one.

Concern Level: 6 out of 10

Today's Key Play

After Sheffield failed to score Polanco from third with one out, the pressure was on Magglio Ordonez to come through to tie the game in the 8th. Like Maggs has done so many times in Detroit, he sliced a double down the right field line and we had a tied ball game. Cabrera's home run gave us the lead, but it was Ordonez' monster double that really was the play of the game.

Tiger of the Game: Magglio Ordonez

Magglio Ordonez was 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the 6th and then the enormous double in the 8th. Maggs also scored two runs, each of them needed to win this one. It's so exciting to see the heart of this order finally smacking the ball around Comerica. Tonight, Sheffield, Ordonez, Cabrera, and Guillen combined for all six RBIs. This is what we've been waiting for. Like Al Green said, here I am, baby.

Don't Wake The Sleeping Giant - Tigers Rally For 11-9 Win

2008-04-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

I have to admit, I was about to call this blog a jinx and stop writing for a while. But then out of nowhere the Tigers that we expected to watch this year showed up and started smacking the ball around like they were playing pick up ball in the Dominican. Detroit fell behind 2-0 in the 2nd after Pudge Rodriguez dropped a foul pop up that started a two-out rally by the Twins against Jeremy Bonderman. In the 6th, it was another error, this time by Clete Thomas, that expanded the Twins lead to 5-0. That's when the game got exciting. In the bottom of the 6th, Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez started a two-out rally against starter Nick Blackburn with singles followed by an RBI single by Miguel Cabrera. Carlos Guillen, who can barely walk, followed with a two-run double and the Tigers were back in business. Matt Guerrier came in to face Edgar Renteria, who singled to bring the game to 5-4, but was tagged out to end the inning. Bonderman remained to start the 7th, but was replaced by Bobby Seay after giving up two singles with one out. To no one's surprise, Seay spontaneously combusted giving up a walk and three singles as the Twins took a 9-4 lead and the game seemed over once again. To lead off the bottom of the 7th, Pudge hit a solo shot to close the score at 9-5 with the next three batters all shut down by Guerrier. Francis Beltran replaced Seay and pitched a scoreless 8th, giving up a lone double. Then we had fireworks in Detroit. Sheffield and Ordonez led off the inning with back-to-back doubles with Sheff scoring to make it 9-6. Cabrera hit a slow roller to short, but he reached first on Adam Everett's throwing error. Guillen then singled to cut the lead to two, followed by a fielder's choice by Renteria. Pudge then tripled to right center field, scoring two and we had a tied ball game with only one out. Jacque Jones hit a sharp line drive to left, Pudge tagged up and Detroit took a 10-9 lead. With the crowd going crazy, Clete Thomas hit another triple to keep the inning alive. Placido Polanco wrapped a single up the middle to give the Tigers a two-run lead before Sheff struck out to end the inning. Todd Jones came in for his second save chance of the season, giving up a hit and a walk. With Jonesy making things as nervous as possible like usual, Ryan Raburn made a tremendous catch as a defensive replacement in left to end the game in dramatic fashion. Whew. What. A. Game.

Bullpen Watch

Bobby Seay came in for Bonderman with one out in the 7th and was a complete disaster. Brought in to face the lefty tandem of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, he didn't get either of them. He managed to give up two runs awarded to Bondo and two runs of his own before getting just two outs. Francis Beltran pitched much better than his last outing, getting the win and pitching a scoreless 8th. Jonesy recorded his second save of the season in his typical nerve-wrecking style. But he got the job done and that's what he does.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

With one out in the bottom of the 8th, the Tigers were rallying and cut the lead to two runs with one out. Pudge Rodriguez, who had made a costly error in the 2nd inning, made up for it big time with a two-run triple that tied the game at nine apiece. His fire and enthusiasm had Comerica Park rocking and the Tigers were on their way to an impressive comeback win.

Tiger of the Game: Carlos Guillen

Pudge's triple may have been the play of the game, but it was Carlos Guillen who had the biggest impact on this night. Playing with a hamstring pull that made it look like he could barely walk, Guillen went 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a run scored. Every hit was crucial and he even managed to play solid defense at first despite barely being able to move. A gutsy performance from our star who doesn't get the type of attention that Ordonez and Cabrera receives from the media. He deserves all the positive press he can get.

What A Joke: Tigers Fall To White Sox 11-0

2008-04-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

There's not much to say here, and frankly, I'm a little too frustrated to write anything worth reading. Kenny Rogers gave up a grand slam to Paul Konerko and Zach Miner gave up a grand slam to Joe Crede. The Tigers didn't score. That's about it.

Bullpen Watch

Zach Miner came in and was disgustingly bad. Clay Rapada, who was brought up because of Yorman Bazardo's incompetence, was pretty decent. Rapada went two innings without giving up a hit and struck out two.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

Paul Konerko's grand slam finished this game in a hurry. I think every Tigers fan at this point knew that we wouldn't be coming back after falling behind by five runs.

Tiger of the Game: No One

That's right, no one deserves player of the game after this mess we called a baseball game.

Tigers Drop Another: Fall 7-0 to White Sox

2008-04-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

Man, I hate losing to the White Sox. Especially when our ace is on the mound and goes into the 8th. But that's what happened this afternoon in Chicago as Gavin Floyd took a one-hitter into the 8th in a 7-0 Tigers loss. Orlando Cabrera's home run down the left field line gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the 3rd and that was all the runs they would need. Justin Verlander pitched great into the 8th, but once he hit the 100 pitch mark, things fell apart. After a walk to Nick Swisher, Verlander nailed Cabrera in the head. Jim Thome singled to load the bases, then Verlander beaned another batter; this time Paul Konerko was hit to score a run. A.J. Pierzynski singled with two outs to score two more runs and that was it for Verlander. Francis Beltran came in and was basically useless giving up runs to two of Verlander's batters and another run of his own on two hits and a walk. Carlos Guillen was sidelined today with a mild hamstring strain, so Miguel Cabrera made a rare start at 1st base. The Tigers fall to 2-9 and are yet to win a series this year. They will try to split this series with the Sox tomorrow afternoon with Kenny Rogers on the mound. Mark Buehrle will start for Chicago. Dontrelle Willis had an MRI on his hyperextended right knee. No word yet on the extent of the injury.

Bullpen Watch

Francis Beltran was the only Tigers pitcher other than Verlander to take the mound today, and he was rotten. He needed to get one out, but Beltran gave up two hits and a walk before getting it. Two of the batters that reached against Verlander scored on Beltran's pitching and Juan Uribe's single was an earned run against the reliever. Beltran may be getting close to Yorman Bazardo's fate - a trip to Triple A Toledo.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

Orlando Cabrera's solo home run in the 3rd got the White Sox on the board with the only run they would need. It was the only mistake Verlander made until he tired in the 8th and fell apart. It was one of those days where the bats couldn't catch a break to get Verlander the runs he needed. A real disappointing game in a pitching match-up that looks great for Detroit on paper, but didn't go the way we wanted.

Tiger of the Game: Jacque Jones

With only two hits on the day in a loss, it's hard to find someone worthy of getting player of the game honors. I'll go with Jacque Jones only because he made two very difficult plays on the day out in left field. A diving catch to rob Nick Swisher in the 3rd saved a run, because Cabrera's home run was the next at bat. Jones also made a tough jumping catch in the corner of the warning track in foul territory to get the first out in the 8th. Too bad the Tigers self-destructed after his nice play.

Another Twist to '08: Tigers Beat White Sox 5-2 Behind Bullpen Effort

2008-04-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

After what has been an odd start to the season to say the least, the Tigers game with the White Sox last night added a whole new level of strange. Dontrelle Willis took the mound to start for Detroit and in the first inning slipped off the mound on a pitch and hyperextended his knee. After attempting a few more pitches, one that flew to the backstop, Willis pulled himself. 9 innings of our bullpen: we're doomed right? Not tonight. Aquilino Lopez, Jason Grilli (seriously), Denny Bautista, and Todd Jones combined to give up only four hits and one run in a 5-2 win. After falling behind 2-0 early, Brandon Inge's single in the 3rd scored Edgar Renteria to get on the board. Later in the 3rd, Magglio Ordonez's two-run single gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead that they wouldn't lose. Clete Thomas' double in the seventh scored a run and Miguel Cabrera's single in the 8th scored another to finish off the scoring for Detroit. A fantastic performance by the bullpen is the main storyline here. It's 2008 Tigers fans, it looks like anything can happen this year. Justin Verlander takes the mound today as the Tigers look to win three out of their last four to try and turn this season around. Gavin Floyd will start for Chicago.

Bullpen Watch

The polar opposite of our first game with Chicago, Detroit's 'pen came in for the injured Willis and blew the White Sox away. Aquilino Lopez, who has probably been our best reliever so far, pitched four innings of three-hit ball giving up one run. Tigers fans sighed as Jason Grilli came in, but he pitched three no-hit innings while holding on to a one-run lead. Denny Bautista came in to get the hold with a scoreless 8th, giving up one hit and getting one strikeout. And in for the save came Todd Jones to work a hitless 9th and even K'd Brian Anderson and Juan Uribe to end the game. Lopez and Bautista are definitely showing some promise and Jonesy is still doing well in his limited opportunities so far this year. Our 2-8 record can't all fall on the bullpen.

Concern Level: 6 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the top of the 3rd, the Tigers were trailing by one run with the our starter already in the dugout. After an intentional walk to Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez came to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to finish off Jose Contreras for the night. His two-run single on a line drive to center field scoring Brandon Inge and Placido Polanco gave Detroit a 3-2 lead. Contreras was pulled and the Tigers were on their way to their second win in three games.

Tiger of the Game: Jason Grilli

I can't believe I'm writing this, but since no Tigers hitter really stood out last night I have to give this one to Jason Grilli. Grilli's three scoreless innings without giving up a hit was impressive especially considering Detroit was holding a one-run lead for the majority of his outing. No matter how much we complain about Grilli, we might as well try to support him because Leyland is going to use him in key spots throughout this year. Let's hope we see a lot more of this Grilli than his past few trips to the mound.

Still Stumbling: Tigers Get Blasted in Boston 12-6

2008-04-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

Just when I thought that the Tigers may have broken the ice to start a different kind of streak, they come back tonight and get smacked in the mouth by the Red Sox. Nate Robertson kept the Tigers in the game through 5 1/3 innings giving up four runs, but the bullpen trio of Zach Miner, Francis Beltran, and Yorman Bazardo gave up a combined 8 more runs to get blown right out of Fenway. Tim Wakefield took the mound for the Sox and kept the Tigers off balance with his knuckleball through 5 innings, giving up only two runs on three hits. Detroit made a surge in the 8th cutting the Boston lead to 8-6, but the Red Sox scored four more in the bottom of the 8th to put the game away. The bats weren't bad tonight, but the pitching was far, far away from being good enough to beat the World Champs.

Bullpen Watch

Sick. And not in a Ryan Sheckler, good kind of way. Zach Miner gave up three runs on one hit and three walks coming in for Robertson in the 6th and getting one out in the 7th. Francis Beltran gave a up a run on one hit and a walk to finish the 7th. Yorman Bazardo got smashed in the 8th giving up four runs on four hits while walking two. The bullpen was as bad tonight as they were good yesterday. Let's just say I'm a bit more concerned.

Concern Level: 8 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the top of the 8th, the Tigers were surging and had cut the lead to 8-5 with the bases loaded and no one out. Gary Sheffield came to the plate and I had visions of a grand slam to take the lead. Those visions were shattered quickly as Sheff grounded into a double play. This was the the turning point in the game; the difference between mashing their way back into the ball game and falling short before a pitching collapse. We're only nine games in, but the fact that Polanco, Sheff, and Cabrera are all batting under .200 speaks volumes to this early season disaster.

Tiger of the Game: Pudge Rodriguez

Pudge Rodriguez quietly had a really good night at the plate going 3 for 3 and earning a walk. He scored two runs, one of which was in the comeback attempt in the 8th. It's just too bad that his early hits didn't help produce any more runs. Still, it was nice to see Pudge swing the bat well tonight.

In The Win Column: Tigers Beat Sox 7-2

2008-04-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

What a relief! The bats finally came alive for the Tigers tonight as they put seven runs on the board behind a big night from Edgar Renteria and one big swing from Marcus Thames. Jeremy Bonderman pitched a very solid five innings giving up five hits and two runs with only one run earned. The bullpen had its best night of the young season holding Boston scoreless for the final four innings. Renteria got Detroit on the board with a two-run double in the 4th that tied the game at two apiece. With Edgar still on second base, Marcus Thames came to the plate and blasted one over the green monster to give the Tigers their first lead in what seemed like decades. In the 8th with two on, Clete Thomas pinch hit for Thames and laid down a beautiful bunt to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Clete's bunt led the way for Brandon Inge's two-run single that blew the game open for the Tigers. Carlos Guillen added a solo shot in the 9th to give Detroit a 7-2 lead. Bonderman was resilient, the bullpen was fantastic, and the ice melted off our cedar. It feels good to get a W, doesn't it?

Bullpen Watch

Bobby Seay replaced Bonderman with no outs in the 6th after a single by Manny Ramirez. Seay was tough as nails getting all three batters he faced in the inning and also got Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out to start the 7th. Francis Beltran replaced Seay and gave up a double to Julio Lugo, but managed to get a ground out and a line-drive out to end the inning unscathed. Denny Bautista came in as our set up man and forced David Ortiz to ground out. Ramirez then singled, but Bautista got Sean Casey to ground into a double play to end the 8th. Todd Jones came in for the 9th in a non-save situation and made things interesting as usual. Jonesy gave up two hits and a walk, but still was cagey enough to finish the game without giving up a run. A great overall performance by our 'pen tonight. It was real encouraging. Enough to even drop my concern level a point.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

Renteria's double to tie the game at 2-2 was a huge hit for Detroit, but it was Thames two-run shot that really dropped the proverbial piano off our back tonight. Bonderman had a little bit of wiggle room and everyone seemed to loosen up just a bit after Marcus' big swing. Hopefully we can look back at this homer as the jack that broke the ice and got us on a winning track.

Tiger of the Game: Edgar Renteria

Edgar Renteria finished the night going 3-4 with a walk, two RBIs on his crucial double, and two runs scored. Not only was he gigantic at the plate, he was very busy in the field as well. Guillen may have saved him a few times with some nice snags at first, but Edgar still made the plays. This is the kind of play from Renteria that will make our lineup a force to be reckoned with once the weather warms up East of the Mississippi.

Another Painful Loss, This Time 5-0 to Red Sox

2008-04-08T14:18:00.001-07:00

I've been out of town and unable to blog since last Wednesday and wow, have things gone badly for the Tigers. The bats are covered in ice, the starters are just holding on for dear life, and the bullpen is making sure every runner on base scores when they come in. If I tried to dream up a worse start before this season, it still would've looked better than this. Polanco, Magglio, and Cabrera all look like they are at the plate for the first time in their careers. At least Clete Thomas has been hot, so you can guess who didn't play today. You all know this disappointing, stomach-punching news, so I'll try to calm down and recap today's game: a 5-0 loss to the Red Sox in Boston to fall to 0 wins and 7 losses in the 2008 season.

Game in a Nutshell

Dice-K Matsuzaka took the mound for the Sox today and it may have looked like he pitched nothing but magical gyroballs, but he didn't. He just smoothly cruised through our lineup for 6 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out 7 Tigers. Kenny Rogers battled through 4 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs, 2 of them earned over 109 pitches. Jason Grilli followed Kenny and gave up two more runs in the 6th. Manny Ramirez tripled in the 3rd and scored on Polanco's first error since 2006 while Kevin Youkilis had three hits and two RBIs for the Sox. Gary Sheffield was the only Tiger with a pair of hits on the day. It was a dominant win for the Red Sox coming off three straight losses to the Blue Jays. Detroit will look to try to pick up the pieces tomorrow when Jeremy Bonderman takes the mound to face Jon Lester and this tough Boston lineup.

Bullpen Watch

Jason Grilli came in for Kenny Rogers with two outs and two on in the bottom of the 5th, and shockingly got the out and got out of the inning. But we know better with Grilli. He gave up two runs on three hits and one of his three walks scored a runner with the bases loaded before getting pulled with two outs in the 6th. But hey, at least Grilli got his ERA down to 19.29! Aquilino Lopez was brought in with the bases loaded and got Grilli out of his jam. Lopez also looked solid in the 7th and 8th, giving up two hits and no runs. Lopez good, Grilli very bad.

Concern Level: 8 out of 10

Today's Key Play

In the bottom of the third and a 1-0 Red Sox lead, Manny Ramirez hit a line drive over Brandon Inge's head in center field. The not-so-graceful Manny rounded second while Inge's cutoff throw hit Placido Polanco. Polanco's throw to third was off the mark, Miguel Cabrera tried a quick scoop-and-tag, and the ball rolled into the Red Sox dugout scoring Ramirez. Just another example of the way things have been going for the Tigers. Every time they've had an opportunity to make a big play, things have gone horribly wrong.

Tiger of the Game: Aquilino Lopez

I couldn't possibly give this to a Tigers hitter, who have failed to produce more than 2 runs for the fourth time in seven games. So I'll give the Tiger of the Game to Aquilino Lopez, who pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Lopez only gave up two hits and struck out two. He even managed to come in to the game with the bases loaded and got Grilli out of his jam. Nice work by Lopez; one of the few positives to another wretched game by the Tigers.

Blanked! Tigers Fall to 0-2

2008-04-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

There's not a whole lot to say about this game other than the fact that Edgar Renteria is the only Tigers hitter that decided to show up to the ballpark today. Brian Bannister took the mound for Kansas City and looked like the second coming of Greg Maddux, scattering two-hits (both to Renteria) over seven dominant innings. Kenny Rogers pitched an effective game, holding the Royals scoreless through five and then allowing two runs in the sixth. Zach Miner allowed two more runs in the eighth, but it wasn't needed as the bats completely disappeared for Detroit. The Tigers will face Zach Greinke tomorrow and will send Jeremy Bonderman to the mound to try and pick up their first win of the season.

Bullpen Watch

Zach Miner came in to start the 7th and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Miner came back for the 8th, but didn't have as much luck. A leadoff double to Joey Gathright and a walk to Mark Grudzielenak got Miner in trouble, but he followed that with two straight strikeouts that appeared to get him out of it. Then, Mark Teahen and Billy Butler singles scored two runs and blew the game open. Yorman Bazardo pitched the 9th and started with a four-pitch walk. He calmed down after that and was able to get a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play and then a groundout to end the inning. Overall, Miner was very close to getting through two innings unscathed, but not close enough. Bazardo pitched well in his first inning of the year.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

With two outs in the 6th inning, Kenny Rogers had held the Royals scoreless to this point. But Jose Guillen's double to left scored Mark Grudzielenak to take a 1-0 lead. That's all the Royals would need today as the bats were much colder than the weather in Detroit.

Tiger of the Game: Kenny Rogers

When Kenny Rogers pitches six innings and only allows two runs, I'm guessing that he would expect to get the win that day with this lineup. Today wasn't one of those days. The Gambler looked very sharp through five, hitting his spots and keeping the ball on the ground. He even struck out four Royals on the day. Much like Verlander on Monday, he seemed to tire a bit in the sixth and allowed a few runs. But Kenny pitched well enough to give the Tigers a good chance to win. The bats just didn't do it for him.

GameDay A.M. Roar

2008-04-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Kenny Rogers takes the mound for the Tigers today at 1:05 p.m. ET against the Royals. Kansas City will send Brian Bannister to the mound to try and steal another game in Detroit. The Tigers have not started a season 0-2 since 2003. The Gambler surprisingly hasn't had a lot of success against the Royals; eight of the 13 runs he gave up at home last year were against K.C. Rogers has also struggled mightily against Mark Grudzielanek, who is 11-17 with 7 RBIs off Kenny in his career. The forecast is sunny and in the low 40s in Detroit today.

Chip Mundy gives us some insight on the Royals starting pitcher toda y, Brian Bannister.

Jon Paul Morosi of the Free Press goes deep into our bullpen. Some great quotes from Todd Jones in this one. Morosi also has a writeup of our minor league rosters.

Buster Olney of ESPN says what we all know as Tigers fans: it's not easy to fix your bullpen.

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News has a lighter take on Opening Day's ballgame.

Tigers Fall to Royals 5-4 in Season Opener

2008-03-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

Game in a Nutshell

Despite Miguel Cabrera's first home run as a Tiger, Carlos Guillen's monster game, and five one-hit innings by Justin Verlander, Detroit was not able to come through with a run in extra innings and lost 5-4 in 11. Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind an Edgar Renteria RBI single, Cabrera's solo home run, and a Gary Sheffield walk with the bases loaded. Verlander gave up a two-run homer in the 6th and was pulled with two runners on and no outs in the 7th. Jason Grilli immediately gave up a single that tied the game at 3-3 and was pulled for Bobby Seay after getting one groundout. Seay and Aquilino Lopez pitched well into the 8th, with Lopez giving up two hits that scored another run that Verlander was responsible for. It was 4-3 when Guillen hit a bomb into the right field stands to tie that game at 4 apiece. Todd Jones pitched a scoreless ninth, Denny Bautista pitched a scoreless 10th, but gave up a two-out single in the 11th that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Brandon Inge threw out a runner at home for the second out with an amazing throw that looked to kill the Royals rally before the game-winning run with two outs. It was an exciting and hard-fought game, but the Tigers loaded lineup couldn't come through with a run in the last three innings.

Bullpen Watch

Jason Grilli came in for Verlander in the 7th and pitched to two batters, giving up a run-scoring single and getting one groundout. Bobby Seay did a great job coming in to face a lefty and got the out. Aquilino Lopez gave up a couple of hits with a run scoring in the 7th, then pitched a scoreless 8th. Todd Jones had a solid outing pitching a scoreless 9th. Denny Bautista showed his big-league stuff, hitting 100 mph a few times and pitching a scoreless 10th. But in the 11th, Bautista gave up the game-winning RBI single to Tony Pena.

Concern Level: 7 out of 10

Today's Key Play

Guillen's home run in the 8th and Inge's spectacular throw out at home in the 11th highlighted the game for the Tigers, but the most important play of this game was Alex Gordon's two-run home run in the 6th for the Royals. Verlander was dominant until this point and Detroit looked like they would blow this one open, but Gordon's homer changed the momentum and gave K.C. a lot of confidence that they could win the game. And they did.

Tiger of the Game: Carlos Guillen

Carlos was 3-5 with a single, double, and a huge home run that tied the game in the 8th. Without Guillen, the Tiger offense would've looked very average today. Magglio was solid with a 2-5 day and Sheffield showed great patience with four walks, but Guillen was definitely our Tiger of the Game.

It's Game Day!

2008-03-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

On one of the most anticipated opening days in Tigers history, I thought that you all would like a few links to warm you up for the big game today at 1:00 EST against the Royals. Justin Verlander will be squaring off with Gil Meche in Comerica Park. This will be Verlander's first opening day of his career that we hope will be the first of many.

Meche is ready for us, and is saying all the right things to give his team some confidence against our loaded lineup.

Good news, the weather should be ok for first pitch today.

The Free Press has a new look Tigers Preview up with their predictions, photos, and articles all together.

Here's another Tigers preview article from the Detroit News.

By the way, Clete Thomas made our opening day roster over Dane Sardinha. He'll wear number 36 and probably won't see the field today.

Some bullpen news: We signed LHP Aaron Fultz to Triple A after a terrible spring with the Indians. Maybe he can get healthy and be our second lefty in the 'pen after Bobby Seay.

Nothing surprising with today's lineups. With Granderson out, Edgar Renteria will leadoff and Brandon Inge will play center and bat ninth. The lineups are:

Tigers
SS Edgar Renteria
2B Placido Polanco
DH Gary Sheffield
RF Magglio Ordonez
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Carlos Guillen
C Pudge Rodriguez
LF Jacque Jones
CF Brandon Inge

Royals
CF David DeJesus
2B Mark Grudzielanek
3B Alex Gordon
RF Jose Guillen
DH Billy Butler
LF Mark Teahen
1B Ross Gload
C John Buck
SS Tony Pena

I realize that the Royals lineup looks terrible, but believe me, they won't be that bad. And with the temperature in the 50s and some possible rain, I don't expect the Tigers bats to explode just yet. Meche is an All-Star caliber starter as well. We should have a good ball game on our hands today. It would nice to get a great start to the season after a pretty shaky late spring. I'll be on the edge of seat all afternoon. Come on back to Baseball at Comerica after the game to check my postgame thoughts.

Go Tigs!!!

Daily Roar - 3/28/08

2008-03-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's the last Friday before the regular season starts. The roster spots are all set for opening day except for one last final positional battle between Clete Thomas and Dane Sardinha. If Jim Leyland is comfortable with Brandon Inge as backup catcher, then Thomas will make the squad. If he wants Inge to concentrate on center field only, Sardinha will make the squad as a backup catcher. That's about it.

The Tigers looked good in their final game in Florida, winning 14-5 yesterday. Their final two Spring Training games will be tonight and tomorrow in Houston against the Astros before opening day on Monday against the Royals. I can't wait.

After the Phillie killing yesterday, Skip is feeling a little better about the start of this year. Or maybe he's just being a little sarcastic. This article also has a little more info on rookie Clete Thomas. A very surprising name to be in Big League talks at this point. Here's some more on Thomas from the Detroit News, too.

Sports Illustrated and ESPN both have their Detroit Tigers 2008 Previews up. SI drools all over Detroit and picks our team to win the whole shebang. ESPN's version has all kinds of stuff scattered all over the page. Predictions are at the bottom right. Jayson Stark also picks Miguel Cabrera for MVP.

Video of the Day: With Cabrera being mentioned for MVP this year, Ernie Harwell gives us insight on a former Tiger MVP: Al Kaline

Bullpen Surprise: Byrdak Cut

2008-03-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

We have a pretty surprising announcement this morning after a 10-9 win over the Astros last night. Tim Byrdak, who was once considered a lock to be a part of the Tigers bullpen, was released this morning after giving up four walks and a hit to the five batters he faced last night.

This leaves Detroit with only one lefty, Macay McBride, in the bullpen. Aquilino Lopez and Yorman Bazardo are now both likely to be on the opening day roster. But a move by Dave Dombrowski for a lefty seems very obvious.

Danny Knobler lists three possible lefties we could go after including Royce Ring of Atlanta, Steve Kline of San Francisco, and Mike Stanton of Cincinatti. With the youth we already have in our 'pen, I would like to see us go after Stanton. So what if he makes the most money of the three.

Well, on the bright side, at least this brings some added excitement to what was becoming a long, drawn out Spring Training.

Daily Roar - 3/25/08

2008-03-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Justin Verlander takes the mound tonight against the Houston Astros with just five more Spring Training games left before the regular season finally starts. It will be interesting to see if Jim Leyland decides to keep Freddy Guzman as an extra center fielder, and if Aquilino Lopez, Denny Bautista, or Yorman Bazardo wins the remaining bullpen spots. There aren't a lot of question marks remaining on the roster for opening day, but they are very important ones considering the key injuries to Granderson, Rodney, and Zumaya.

Bless You Boys has more on replacing Granderson in center. They give some good reasons why Leyland should keep Freddy Guzman.

More on replacing Curtis, but this article is about Leyland being reluctant to bat Edgar Renteria at leadoff.

The Curveball blog has the answer to an interesting Tigers trivia question.

The Cutoff Man blog says that Leyland wants to make a trade for bullpen help more than Dave Dombrowski. You know I'm on Dave's side with this one.

And finally, the Miguel Cabrera signing is official. Here's the Free Press and Detroit News takes.

Video of the Day: A look at our ace. And Kenny Rogers rear end.

Daily Roar - 3/24/08

2008-03-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

With Spring Training winding down, there's only so much you can write about the Tigers until the "real" games start. I can't wait for this season to get going. I'm working on creating some type of original game recap style that I'll use to give my own take on each regular season game and hopefully into the Playoffs. I'm excited to try it out.

The Tigers are taking on the Washington Nationals as I type this. They are up 5-3 in the top of the ninth at this point. Nate Robertson took the mound today, giving up one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Aquilino Lopez, who's battling for a roster spot, pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball in relief. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera each have an RBI on the day, and Dane Sardinha hit a solo homer in the 8th.

Like I mentioned yesterday, it's likely that Jim Leyland uses Edgar Renteria as the leadoff hitter and Brandon Inge in center field, batting ninth after the Curtis Granderson injury. Well, that's exactly the lineup the Tigers used today. Renteria is 1-4 on the day. Leyland confirmed that this will be the lineup for opening day.

The bullpen competition is starting to formalize, and the Cutoffman thinks Denny Bautista and Yorman Bazardo will get the final two spots during Fernando Rodney's DL stint. I actually like Lopez over Bazardo in relief, with Bazardo as a better option to get some starts if there is an injury in the rotation. We'll see.

CBS Sportsline's Scott Miller blogs about Miguel Cabrera's new deal with Detroit. I think he likes it too. Here's more on the Cabrera deal from Danny Knobler as well.

Peter Gammon's blog on ESPN mentions Miguel Cabrera on his short list of MVP-likely candidates as well as Justin Verlander on his Cy Young watch. Good to hear. He also has a podcast that I can't link to. He agrees with many that the Tigers have the best lineup in baseball.

ESPN also has a different podcast with an interview with Jim Leyland. Click here for the audio link.

Update: The Tigers finished the game today with a 5-3 win. Francis Beltran came in and got the save.

Video of the Day: Newcomer Jacque Jones.

Weekend Roar - 3/22 and 3/23

2008-03-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have some really good news and some really bad news regarding the Tigers. Let's start with the good news.

It's being reported that Miguel Cabrera has signed an 8-year, $153.3 million deal this weekend. The deal will not be officially announced until a physical is completed. This is some pretty fantastic news. To know that we have one of the elite baseball players in the world locked up for such a long term brings some definite optimism to the future of baseball in Detroit.

Now the bad news. Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch in the hand on Saturday, and is now out for three weeks with a broken right middle finger. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. This is not the way we hoped the season would start. Granderson has been the spark plug that gets this lineup going, and without his speed at the top of the lineup Jim Leyland will have some tricky adjustments to make.

My guess is that Brandon Inge will start the season in center field and bat ninth, unless Leyland feels that Jacque Jones can handle the defensive assignment in center and Marcus Thames can play left. I would probably prefer the latter, but it is nice to know that Inge is still around for injuries like this.

As far as the leadoff spot in the lineup goes, I'm thinking that Leyland will move Edgar Renteria into that spot. The Pudge at leadoff experiment didn't work too well last year and no one else really seems to fit the mold of a leadoff guy. One interesting thought that D-Town Baseball had was to try Gary Sheffield at the top of the lineup. His patience at the plate could work and he still has above average speed on the basepaths. I would still prefer Renteria leading off, but wouldn't mind the Sheffield attempt one bit.

In Spring Training games, the Tigers tied the Indians 3-3 today. Sheffield hit his third homer of the game, a two-run shot off of Fausto Carmona that scored Placido Polanco. Yorman Bazardo pitched three perfect innings, who got the start. Friday, the Tigers matchup with the Phillies was rained out.

That's all for today, have a Happy Easter everyone.

Daily Roar - 3/21/08

2008-03-21T16:06:00.001-07:00

Well, my bracket is starting to go in the crapper after that amazing Drake game. No worries, I still have some Tigers news to relay to you.

With Spring Training winding down, the Tigers took on the Blue Jays this afternoon and fell 5-3. Dontrelle Willis gave up all five Blue Jay runs in the 4th inning, giving up four walks. Dontrelle is not exactly having a great spring; hopefully his endurance will improve early in the season and his command improves. At the plate, Gary Sheffield blasted a two run homer in the 1st inning and Pudge Rodriguez continued his dominance at the plate, hitting his 7th homer of the spring. Here's the Free Press and Detroit News game coverage as well.

With Edgar Renteria getting a few days off because of back spasms, Jim Leyland has given Brandon Inge a few games at shortsto p. Renteria is no spring chicken; just another reason to keep Inge around.

Here's another instance of Jim Leyland just saying exactly how he feels. The Tigers are not ready yet. It wasn't one of his classic blow-ups, but he's definitely not being soft on his players.

This is something I've never heard or ever thought of. The Detroit Tiger Weblog wonders if Jeremy Bonderman's first inning struggles has anything to do with the umpires adjusting to the movement in his pitches. If you like statistics, this is your kind of article.

Another possible Tigers trade, this one with the Cubs for right-hander Michael Wuertz. I'm still in favor of holding off on trading for any reliever until we're deeper into the season and know who's pitching well. Relievers are not starters for a reason, you need to find the hot guys at the right time.

Video of the Day: Rick Porcello's perfect game in high school. 12 strikeouts to boot. He will be an exciting addition to the Tigers some day. Hopefully he's not needed too soon, though.

Daily Roar 3/20/08

2008-03-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

A quick Daily Roar today as I'm consumed by March Madness. The Tigers play the Braves tonight and it could be an interesting matchup because the Braves have too many players in their bullpen. Exactly what Detroit is looking for.

Here's more on that idea from Bless You Boys.

An update from Detroit News on Fernando Rodney. And more on Rodney from Roar of the Tigers.

D-Town Baseball lets us know that FSN will be the home of the Tigers for a long time.

The Detroit Tiger Weblog has more on possible Inge and Thames trades.

Sorry for the quick blog, but today is one of my favorite TV watching days of the year. I'm out.

The Tigers, ESPN, and my DVR

2008-03-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm home in front of my TV, I can take a look at today's Tigers vs. Nationals game on ESPN that I recorded. This will give me a chance to write my thoughts on how our Tigers look at this point in Spring Training. It's just too bad that Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez aren't on this split squad for the national TV audience.

1st Inning

Jeremy Bonderman takes the mound and the first thing that stands out is how windy it is today in Lakeland. After getting the first two outs, Bonderman gives up back to back hits to Nick Johnson and ex-Tiger Dmitri Young. It's obvious that Bondo is avoiding his fastball and is working on his change up more today. Both hits were on changes. He gets a K to finish the top of the first.

Tim Redding is on the mound for the Nationals and gives up a leadoff double to Curtis Granderson who hooks a soft line drive down the right field line. Placido Polanco has his usual great at bat and gets Granderson to third. But with Pudge up, he flies out to shallow left and Granderson is thrown out at home on a ball that normally would've flew to the backstop. The wind held the ball up and catcher Wil Nieves makes a great grab and tags Curtis out at home.

2nd Inning

Bondo looks more comfortable and has a one-two-three innings with a strike out. The change up is thrown several more times, with a couple of batters looking foolish. Nice to see.

Gary Sheffield and Jacque Jones open with singles, but Marcus Thames follows with a backwards K and Edgar Renteria grounds into a double play. Two runners in scoring position now, zero runs.

3rd Inning

Willie Harris starts the 3rd with a single, but Bonderman makes a Verlander-like move and picks him off at first. Jacque follows the defensive excellence with a diving catch in left. And then...crack! Lastings Milledge blasts one into the left field crowd. 1-0 Nationals. Johnson walks next, but Polanco ends the inning with an amazing turn and spin throw that gets Young. Polanco is the best.

Leyland is getting interviewed while Brandon Inge grounds out to the pitcher. Skip was pretty surprised at how quickly the Cabrera-Willis trade happened. He also mentions how pleased he is with Bonderman's stuff today and that the bullpen is talented but needs to step up and be mentally focused. Leyland makes a great point about how it's hard to measure Todd Jones in Spring Training because closers thrive on adrenaline. There's not a lot of adrenaline going in the 6th inning of an exhibition game. His interviews are always classic. What a straight shooter.

After singles from Timo Perez and Granderson, Polanco hits into a fielder's choice and Pudge flies to right. The RISP count is now up to three with zero runs. Seems to be a trend starting here.

4th Inning

With Bonderman still on the mound, he finishes off a scoreless inning getting two ground outs, giving up a walk, and then getting a fly out to center. It looks like Bondo still doesn't have his stamina up to par. He's clearly getting tired as his pitch count is approaching 70. It'll come. I hope.

Dontrelle Willis gets interviewed as Sheffield smashes a single to left. Willis stands out in the dugout, remaining active on every pitch and doing a lot of cheering his team on. He has very high words for Miguel Cabrera including, "a genius in the box." Like I've said on here before, if Willis pitches well, he will be a HUGE star in Detroit. A very likeable guy. After the Sheffield single, three straight fly outs ends the 4th.

5th Inning

Giving up a leadoff walk, Bonderman is still working on his changeup and has had trouble locating pitches in these past two innings. Pudge looks great throwing out Harris on a steal attempt after the walk. 13 Gold Gloves and counting. Christian Guzman ropes a single to right, Milledge K's, and then Leyland comes in to take Bonderman out with with pitch count limit. Tim Byrdak is in, and if you read the Daily Roar today, you know what's about to happen.

Nick Johnson immediately doubles, Guzman scores, and the Nats are up 2-0. Johnson is starting to look like a great fantasy sleeper. Young strikes out to end the top of the 5th.

A quick 5th for Redding as Detroit goes down on three a ground out and two fly outs. Ugly.

6th Inning

I'm not sure if I even want to write about this. Byrdak is getting annihilated by the Nationals right now. Six earned runs on six hits, giving up two "obviously gone off the bat" home runs. He doesn't even make it through the inning. 8-0 Nats. What else can I say? Hopefully Byrdak gets this crap out of his system this spring, because he is a big key to our bullpen. I liked him last year, too. Maybe he needs the real game adrenaline like Jonesy does. Now I'm reaching. Clay Rapada comes in and continues the mess giving up another run and two hits. Deeeeep breaths.

Joel Hanrahan takes the mound for Washington and holds the Tigers to yet another scoreless inning. I'm starting to think that Spring Training is getting a little long. There's not a lot of excitement in this game right now. Even the crowd is dead quiet. Orel Hershiser mentioned earlier that there's a bunch of golfers in this Florida crowd.

7th Inning

Everyone's favorite reliever Jason Grilli is in. The man with Jim Leyland's longest leash does a nice job, though. He pitches a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit. Grilli did finish off 2007 with a nice string of innings. Maybe he can carry that into a nice 2008. It would be big.

Another useless hitting inning for the Tigers. They're making the Nationals bullpen look like 4 healthy Zumayas. I was hoping to see something special from Renteria today, but it just wasn't his day. He leaves three runners on base in an 0-3 performance. He does seem to have good patience at the plate, I like that a lot.

8th Inning

Bobby Seay comes in for Grilli and pitches a scoreless inning despite a one-out double from some guy named Langerhans. Of the 13 position players that saw the field for the Nats today, I've heard of 6. It's been a very blah game.

Big Ray King (who the Tigers pursued for a bit last year) comes in and pitches the 8th straight scoreless inning for Washington. Ramon Santiago smacks a single, but that's it for the 8th. Still 9-0 Nationals.

9th Inning

I'm excited to see Aquilino Lopez come in to show his stuff. It's down to Lopez and Denny Bautista to stay in the bullpen when Rodney comes back. I'm a bigger fan of Bautista at this point, but Lopez definitely has a live arm. Lopez finishes a 1-2-3 inning with one strike out in impressive fashion on a nasty slider. Should be a good competition between Lopez and Bautista.
Jesus Colome comes in to finish the game off for Washington with a 9-run lead. After two outs, Marcus Thames shows off his power with a blast into the left field fans in what looked like a fly ball. And that's it. A pretty disgusting game for Detroit, but hey, it's just Spring Training right?

There's still a lot to look forward to. Check back tomorrow for more Daily Roar.

Daily Roar - 3/18/08

2008-03-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's an exciting day for Tigers fans, as their spring training game with the Washington Nationals is on ESPN this afternoon. Of course, I am stuck in my cubicle and am unable to watch.

Well, as it turns out, this may not be a game I would have enjoyed watching too much. Tim Byrdak got abused, giving up six runs in one inning including two home runs in a 9-1 loss. Jeremy Bonderman started the game, giving up 2 runs over 4 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. The lone Tigers run came on a Marcus Thames solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. How can this lineup go eight straight innings without a run? Ouch.

The Tigers Big League roster is starting to work itself out, with nine players being optioned today. The biggest names of the nine are Virgil Vasquez and Brent Clevlen. It's starting to look like the last bullpen spot is coming down to Aquilino Lopez and Denny Bautista. Here's more from the Free Press and the Detroit News.

As expected, Fernando Rodney will begin the season on the disabled list along with Vance Wilson, Joel Zumaya, and Jordan Tata. Hopefully it will be a short stint for Rodney and Wilson.

I guess Kenny Rogers' at-bats against the Orioles yesterday were pretty entertaining. In his first time up, he pretty much stood there and almost got a walk. His next at-bat he hit a hard line drive that was a tough play. Let's just say he wasn't too angry that he didn't reach base.

Contract talks have heated up with Miguel Cabrera. Lock him up, Dave. Lock him up.

Finally, Curtis Granderson has a couple new blogs up on ESPN. I'm not sure why I like reading his blog so much, but I do.

Video of the Day: You can never have enough Ernie Harwell or Tiger Stadium. I'm so glad to say that I made it there before it closed:

Daily Roar - 3/17/08

2008-03-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

After a busy weekend, I'm back to give you some links to the Tigers happenings over the past few days. Score-wise, it was a rough weekend for Detroit.

This afternoon, Kenny Rogers was solid but the Tigers fell to the Reds 5-3. Miguel Cabrera had two RBIs and two walks, but the rest of the Detroit offense was pretty stagnant today.

Yesterday, Dontrelle Willis was on the hill and had one rough inning, giving up three runs in a 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay. Willis at one point appeared to be injured after shaking his arm, but apparently he was just trying to get loose. Quite the scare for Jim Leyland, though.

In the Tigers other split squad game on Sunday, they fell to the Mets 7-4. Yorman Bazardo got the start and gave up one run in each of the first three innings. Carlos Guillen showed some more spring power with a two run home run in the sixth.

MLB.com covers Curtis Granderson and his role as a leader for the Tigers on and off the field. I need to buy a Granderson jersey soon.

The Tigers home site also has a good interview with Leyland. The Skip seems so consistent in everything he does.

SI.com says that Brandon Inge is now unlikely to get traded. That's fine with me. Injuries happen, and he will be able to fill so many different holes over a long season. And the Free Press wonders if Inge staying is good for Ryan Raburn.

Here's more on Willis' arm scare from the Free Press. A big sigh of relief here.

Roar of the Tigers takes a look at our bullpen and the one spot left open. Which reminds me, my bullpen preview will be coming soon, once things finally get resolved by Leyland.

Rob Parker of the Detroit News covers Todd Jones, or as I like to call him, the roller coaster ride.

Video of the Day: A glance at one of our biggest wildcards to the 2008 season:

Daily Roar - 3/14/08

2008-03-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Tigers take on the Houston Astros in the first night game of the spring for either team. Nate Robertson will take the mound for Detroit. Nate has had a great spring so far, and looks to continue his dominance into the regular season.

Yesterday I wrote about the Detroit-Atlanta game that was tied in the 8th. Well, the game ended with a 6-6 tie after 10 innings. Here's another rundown of the game that included a struggling Jeremy Bonderman and some pop from the heart of our order.

The Ledger has some more on yesterday's game as well, including how Todd Jones has made some adjustments and pitched a 1-2-3 7th inning.

The associated press writes about former Tiger Chris Shelton and how he doesn't want to be known for only one great month. Sorry, Chris. That's all I'll ever remember.

Another story about a former Tiger, this time the Boston Globe covers their new first baseman Sean Casey. I'm extremely happy about Carlos Guillen playing first for Detroit, but I still loved the Mayor.

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News ironically writes about how sick we are of reading Brandon Inge stories. The Inge situation with me is sort of like the Terrelle Pryor situation with Michigan football. I know neither of you really want to be in the state of Michigan, so I hope you both get to move on. Just let us know already.

Video of the Day: And for some major overkill, more Brandon Inge:

Daily Roar - 3/13/08

2008-03-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Tigers are currently knotted up at 6 apiece in the 8th with the Braves right now, as I'm able to watch the game on MLB.tv today. Jeremy Bonderman took the mound, giving up three earned runs in four innings pitched. While the numbers for Bondo don't sound too great, the announcers kept mentioning that he was experimenting with his changeup and it looked good. That might be a promising sign. At the plate, Gary Sheffield hit an absolute bomb in the fifth after a Curtis Granderson triple and Placido Polanco single. Magglio Ordonez followed with a single in their three-run fifth and went 3-3 on the day.

Yesterday, the Tigers did hold on for an 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros behind five strong innings from Kenny Rogers and two home runs from Pudge Rodriguez. I had more on this game in yesterday's Daily Roar. Here's the Free Press roundup as well.

The Detroit Tigers Weblog wonders if Pudge can improve from last year in his old age. It seems that patience has to be the biggest key to his spring heat.

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News has a solid article on who is likely to make the final Big League squad. The remaining unsettled positions are backup catcher and, obviously, the bullpen. Doug Mirabelli was released by the Red Sox today, I wonder if he could be our backup catcher? We'll see if Leyland thinks Dane Sardinha is ready to fill that role.

Bless You Boys takes a stronger look at the Mirabelli possibility.

I mentioned this yesterday, but here's the Free Press' take on Fernando Rodney not being ready for the start of the season. And here's the Detroit News version.

Video of the Day: Continuing with Lynn Henning's great Spring Training Tigers series, here's the preview of newcomer Edgar Renteria:

Daily Roar - 3/12/08

2008-03-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm currently listening to the Tigers vs. Astros game with Detroit leading 9-3 in the middle of the 7th as of 2:00 p.m. CST. Kenny Rogers took the mound and pitched five solid innings, giving up one run and three hits while striking out two. However, it was the Tigers bats that wrote this story as Placido Polanco hit a solo shot, Pudge Rodriguez hit TWO more home runs, and Edgar Renteria added a three-run blast. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera also have two hits on the day. It's been fun listening to this offensive attack.

The biggest news of the day is that Detroit sent 12 players to the minors, most notably Rick Porcello to Class-A Lakeland. Another bullpen possibility, Macay McBride, was optioned to Triple-A Toledo. I'm actually glad that Porcello did not stay up, there's no need to put added pressure on the kid at this point. He can work on his skills in Lakeland and build his confidence for a September call-up and a chance at a rotation spot in 2009 if Kenny Rogers starts declining.

MLB.com writes about how Miguel Cabrera has broken out of his spring slump and is now comfortable with the "D" on his hat. He admits to being a bit nervous trying to impress his new teammates. Like they weren't already impressed with his presence.

D-Town Baseball blogs about Denny Bautista and his possible role in our bullpen this summer. His great spring so far has him as a frontrunner to be a right-handed specialist. Bautista is the kind of role player the Tigers need to step up for this to be a great year.

Bless You Boys lets us know how Fernando Rodney is doing. It's looking like he may not be available for opening day, but will be ready early in the year. It's probably smart to rest him a little bit longer than needed. Coming back too early was a problem for Fernando last year.

And just for the heck of it...Curtis Granderson blogs about his favorite comedies. I'm a little less excited for Semi-Pro now.

Video of the Day: Here's three straight minutes of pure optimistic joy from Lynn Henning on Magglio Ordonez and the 2008 Detroit Tigers. Smile, because you're a Tigers fan.

Daily Roar - 3/11/08

2008-03-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Just a few links for you today as it seems to be a slow journalistic day for the Tigers.

Earlier this afternoon, Dontrelle Willis took the mount against the Reds and struggled with his control. The Tigers did defeat the Reds 5-4 in this split squad contest backed by both Carlos Guillen and Pudge Rodriguez's fourth homers of the spring. Willis pitch 2.1 innings, giving up two hits and four walks giving up one run. Jason Grilli pitched Willis out of a jam.

In the second split game this afternoon, the Tigers defeated Cleveland 4-2 in 10 innings. Young guns Denny Bautista and Rick Porcello both pitched two scoreless innings for Detroit. First baseman Jeff Larish knocked in three of the Tigers four runs in the ball game.

Justin Verlander continued his spring dominance, while Miguel Cabrera and Pudge both were hot at the plate in a 4-3 win over the Nationals yesterday.

The Free Press shines a light on Edgar Renteria and how Braves manager Bobby Cox hated trading him away. This article really makes Renteria sound like a class act and helluva ball player.

More on Miggy's ball game yesterday and how his quad injury didn't affect him.

And another link to a Cabrera article from the Detroit News. I can't get enough of 'em.

Danny Knobler gives his insight on Todd Jones and Fernando Rodney.

Video of the Day: I hope we do this to the Yankees every year:

Daily Roar - 3/10/08

2008-03-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

We'll start things off today with a pretty interesting article from Jon Heyman at SI.com. Apparently if A-Rod wasn't adamant about staying in New York, our owner Mike Ilitch was on board to really go after him. Of course Rodriguez decided to stay with the Yanks and we traded for Cabrera and Willis instead, but it's a fun "what-if" to think about. More than anything, I would've got a kick out of how many A-Rod haters that suddenly loved him in Detroit. Kenny Rogers knows this is well as anyone. He was booed very harshly when he pitched in the All-Star Game in Detroit. Now he's a beloved veteran that we will back forever ("That was just dirt on his hand!")

I'm a little late on this story, but in Friday's game against the Braves Jordan Tata made a major career mistake. In his third poor outing of the spring, Tata punched a door in the dugout after being pulled by Jim Leyland. He broke a finger on his pitching hand. In what was an important season for Tata's life in baseball, it now looks like he has to be a longshot to make the roster with this injury. He obviously regrets the mistake, but it doesn't help that it'll take a while to heal before he can throw again. It may be too late for him in Detroit.

Baseball Prospectus has an interview with Ryan Raburn about the upcoming season. He definitely sticks with very PC answers, but at the end he does confirm that he has caught in the past and will get some work at the position. With Vance Wilson's injury and a possible Inge trade, we may need to take a look at someone other than inexperienced Dane Sardinha.

Here's a little more information on yesterday's game including Leyland's thoughts on Freddy Guzman and how the Dodgers had two scouts in attendance with Inge having a good day. I don't think it's a coincidence that Inge batted third and played all 10 innings at third base with these scouts in the crowd. Hmmm.

Roar of the Tigers has a pretty funny article about spring training and the various small injuries everyone gets and how we all freak out about them. Check this out at least to see the fantastic PhotoShop work that Samara Pearlstein does each week.

Finally, Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Tigers today against the Nationals. I'll have some game links for you tomorrow. Good luck getting through your Monday.

Video of the Day: Playing baseball for a living and being in Florida right now would both be AWESOME.

Weekend Roar - 3/8/08 and 3/7/08

2008-03-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Nate Robertson took the mount in Lakeland, FL today for the Tigers and pitched four scoreless innings in a 9-7 win in 10 innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carlos Guillen had himself a day with a home run and triple while Miguel Cabrera broke out of his spring slump with a double. But it was Freddy Guzman who became the hero with a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th. The scary news: Todd Jones gave up three earned runs in the 9th inning that blew Detroit's lead. The bullpen is looking shakier and shakier.

On Saturday, the Tigers took on the Blue Jays with Jeremy Bonderman getting the start. Bondo had a rough outing, giving up 3 runs and 5 hits in 4 innings pitched in a 4-3 loss. All three runs were given up in the 2nd inning, unlike his usual first inning blow ups. Denny Bautista and Bobby Seay both pitched scoreless innings and have had great springs so far. At the plate, Placido Polance and Mike Hessman both hit solo home runs.

Here's another article outlining Todd Jones' rough spring. Mostly just another game recap, though.

And this has more information on Bonderman's start yesterday. Bondo likes how he feels out there so far, I guess. Anway, this article has some interesting bullets under the "Around the Horn" heading. That's not a very creative heading guys.

Danny Knober says that Cabrera and Gary Sheffield are both fine and should be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Hopefully this is a continuing trend of health.

The Free Press reminds us that the prospects we traded for Cabrera and Willis are now the Marlin's building blocks. It will be very interesting to see how this trade looks five or six years from now.

Video of the Day: Just wanted to give everyone a reminder what it's like when the Detroit Tigers are in the Playoffs.

Daily Roar - 3/7/08

2008-03-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Dontrelle Willis had his second start of the spring yesterday against the Braves, pitching three scoreless innings in a 5-4 loss. Willis struck out three and gave up two hits in what seemed like three pretty easy innings.

So why did the Tigers lose? Armando Galarraga gave up all five runs in the 5th inning. Not a good sign for his bullpen chances anytime soon. Other than Willis' great start, Todd Jones pitched in a more normal late inning role and pitched a scoreless inning.

At the plate for Detroit, Ramon Santiago improved to 8-11 this spring with a 3-3 day. Tigers hitters had a nice third inning off Tom Glavine, with Curtis Granderson scoring on a Brandon Inge triple. Inge then scored himself after three straight walks by Glavine.

MLB.com has more on Santiago; it's nice to hear that he spent his offseason working on his hitting and trying to learn from Placido Polanco. Ramon's defense is pretty stellar, so a hot bat off the bench would make him really valuable.

I didn't hear about this auction last year, but here's a story about how a guy from Detroit bid $10,000 to manage the Tigers for a day. That's a lot of money, but what a fun day it would be.

This article makes me more than a little nervous, but Jim Leyland has concerns about the health of three of our best hitters. Hopefully he's just being overcautious.

Jamie Samuelson wonders what the big deal is with the Brandon Inge ongoing drama. I like the way he ends his quick article, "What’s next? Let’s break down how Arron Afflalo feels about losing playing time to Juan Dixon. It’s every bit as relevant. Probably more so!" It's so true, yet Inge is still a compelling character in Detroit.

Also, it looks like Inge is trying to say that he was misquoted when he complained about catching. I don't buy it, but I like that he's at least making an attempt to be a team player.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal looks at the Mets situation and how they've inquired about Marcus Thames. It doesn't seem like New York has a lot of options in replacing Moises Alou for a while. If you scroll down, there's also a blurb about Rick Porcello with very bright comments from a scout.

Good news about Fernando Rodney. He had a good workout this morning and looks to be on track to come back soon. This Detroit News article also mentions a bullpen candidate who has not been mentioned much this spring: Aquilino Lopez. Leyland seems to think highly of him.

Bob Wojnowski gives his five players that must succeed for the Tigers to do well. Pretty obvious stuff, but he makes some good points.

Wondering who is going to replace Vance Wilson early this year? Here's a nice look at our possible 2008 backup catcher: Dane Sardinha. Sounds like he can't hit worth a lick, but is an impressive defensive catcher. With our lineup, I think we can afford to have one hole on Pudge's off days.

Video of the Day: Yesterday I posted a preview on our biggest hitting addition. Today, a similar video on our new starting pitcher, Dontrelle Willis. My favorite part is the beginning, showing Leyland coaching Willis on fielding grounders. I also like the announcers point that Willis may take over for Sean Casey as the clubhouse guy everyone loves. Here it is:

Daily Roar - 3/6/08

2008-03-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Tigers had a successful day yesterday. Playing two different split-squad games, they defeated Pittsburgh 4-1 in one game and beat the Phillies 6-2 in the other.

Against the Pirates, Yorman Bazardo got the win pitching two scoreless innings. But Curtis Granderson stole the show going 2-3, showing his speed by beating out an infield single and hitting his first triple of the spring. Marcus Thames hit a two-run bomb, his second in three games. Uber-prospect Rick Porcello had a little rougher outing than his first, giving up three hits and a run in 1 2/3 innings while allowing two walks.

Justin Verlander took the mound against the Phillies, and was an ace like usual. He gave up one hit in three innings and didn't allow a run. Denny Bautista followed Verlander and continued his impressive spring throwing two more scoreless innings. At the plate, Carlos Guillen brought out the lumber and jacked two solo home runs. Magglio Ordonez hit a dinger of his own, going 2-3 on the day.

MLB.com has more on Denny Bautista and his impressive showings in Florida. He may just be the hard-throwing reliever we need to fill Joel Zumaya's role until he gets back.

The Free Press takes a closer look at Marcus Thames and his relationship with his Mom. She was paralyzed in a car accident when Marcus was five, and is having some health problems now.

On a different note with Thames, the Free Press writes that since Moises Alou is having hernia surgery, the Mets may be interested in trading a reliever for Thames. If he is traded, I would rather Dombrowski wait to see what relievers are performing well early. Middle relievers are too much of a toss up to trade a valuable power hitter like Thames right away.

Here's a piece on ex-Tiger Tom Brookens, and how he is moving his way up the ranks as a manager. From the sounds of it, he seems to have a little Jim Leyland toughness in him.

I wrote on Monday that Granderson is getting advice from Lou Whitaker, I just didn't know how or why. It turns out that Sweet Lou is in his fifth year as a spring training instructor for the Tigers. I had no clue.

Here's another glowing article on Miguel Cabrera. If he's anywhere near as good as the hype he's getting, we're in for a real treat.

And finally, a new part of the Daily Roar. I plan on ending every Roar with a Tigers-related video I find. Today, a nice clip about our new superstar: Miggy Cabrera. Enjoy.

Starting Pitching 2008 Preview

2008-03-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is Part III of my 2008 Positional Preview. Part IV on the bullpen will come next week.
Grade: B- with a B+ ceiling

Starter #1, our ace: Justin Verlander

I can count on one hand how many pitchers I would consider trading Verlander for. The first starter ever to pitch a no-hitter, make an All-Star team, start a World Series game, and win Rookie of the Year in his first two seasons, Verlander is truly one of the brightest young stars in baseball. When his breaking ball is sharp, he can be completely unhittable. The only negative thing I can say about V is that he seems to hit a wall 2/3 of the way through the season. Hopefully that trend will end in his third full season.

Starter #2, the cagey veteran: Kenny Rogers

In a dream world, Kenny Rogers would come out of the gate this year pitching like he did in his 2006 Postseason run. But reality is that the Gambler is 43 years old and is coming off an injury plagued year. When healthy, I think Rogers is very capable of controlling the game and getting us into the 7th in good shape to win the ballgame time and again. It's just that he needs to stay healthy; easier said than done. From 2002-2006, Kenny averaged around 200 innings per year. If we can get that many innings out of him this year, the Tigers will be in great shape.

Starter #3, the talented and the frustrating: Jeremy Bonderman

If you're reading this blog that is strictly about the Tigers, then you probably know by now that Jeremy Bonderman has a terrible relationship with first innings. Last year, Bonderman pitched to 128 batters in the first inning. Those 128 players hit .375 with a .442 on base percentage. That's getting yourself in trouble early. I don't know if he needs an improved changeup, a different mentality starting games, or a sports psychologist, but Bondo has way too good of stuff to have a career high of 14 wins. Maybe this is the year, at 25 years old, that Bonderman breaks through his wall and becomes the All-Star he has the talent to be.

Starter #4, the electric newcomer: Dontrelle Willis

In 2005, there was no pitcher in baseball more fun to watch than Dontrelle Willis. With his high leg kick and big flashy smile, Willis racked up 22 wins and became a MLB star. Last year Willis just wasn't the same guy in Florida. He battled forearm tightness throughout the season and didn't exactly have consistent run support. But Willis won't make excuses about his poor year. He told the Free Press, "I definitely pride myself on going out there and trying to make every start, going out there and pitching every inning. Regardless of how I feel, you're still out there and there's no excuses. I just felt not my best but I feel even if I'm 80%, 70%, I can still win ball games." Now that he's supposedly healthy, we hope to see Willis get his electric stuff back and win a lot of ball games with Detroit.

Starter #5, the veteran bulldog: Nate Robertson

Nate Robertson is not a guy that blows you away with an overpowering fastball or sharp, cutting breaking balls. He just seems to hit his spots and outwork the batters he's facing all game long. I'm a big fan of Robertson, and it's hard for me to believe that many teams have a better fifth starter than Nate. Like Willis, Robertson struggled last year with a tired arm and the Tigers definitely were hurt by his injury. He was able to pitch well and go into the 7th inning in his last four starts last year, so maybe the rest was all he needed. With even better run support this year, I expect Robertson to get back to double-digit wins in 2008.

Daily Roar - 3/5/08

2008-03-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

So I left off yesterday letting you know that the Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead and Nate Robertson was looking sharp. The good news is that they extended the lead to 6-0. The bad news is Todd Jones came in to pitch the 4th and gave up six runs to the Astros real quick-like. Macay McBride gave up four more runs, and the Tigers lost 11-10 despite racking up 19 hits. At least Robertson looked sharp.

Speaking of Nate, MLB.com has an article about how Robertson recently becoming a father may help him pitch this season. It's a nice look at his family life, but I think the better pitching part is a stretch.

CBS Sports has their Tigers preview up and it's a glowing one. The title, "In perfect harmony, Tigers set to return to glory days of '84" says it all.

Since the bullpen blew the game for the Tigers yesterday, it's only fitting that there are a few articles about that same group today. Detroit News has this up about the 'pen. It is important to note that Todd Jones pitching in the 4th inning is not his comfort zone. He was just getting his work in.

Another Inge update, he seems to be backtracking on his comments the other day about catching. It must be tough to be in his situation; he has to be careful what he says since he is under the microscope right now.

The Tigers are busy today, with two split-squad games. Yorman Bazardo and Rick Porcello will be hitting the mound against the Pirates, while Justin Verlander will get another spring start against the Phillies. Updates on these games and more tomorrow.

Daily Roar - 3/4/08

2008-03-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

It's hard to concentrate on the Tigers this afternoon with all the Favre stories coming out, but I have a few links for you anyway.

Good news from Lakeland yesterday, as Jeremy Bonderman pitched three scoreless innings against Tampa Bay. The Tigers did end up losing 10-9, with not-so-great outings from Virgil Vasquez and Jordan Tata, but the fact that Bonderman made it through the first inning without a problem makes me happy. Granderson (2-3), Cabrera (2-3), and Guillen (2-2) all had nice days at the plate and Marcus Thames hit a three-run jack in the 4th inning.

Leyland believes that the difference between Bonderman being a decent starter or a star is his ability to throw a consistent change-up. He used five or six changes yesterday in his nice showing.

Curtis Granderson is keeping his blog active with another post today about Jim Leyland giving him some extra rest this Spring Training. I like the end of the post about how he plans to get back to all his fans that sent him mail last year. He seems like a genuine nice guy.

MLB.com has an article about two of the brightest young stars in the AL Central: Granderson and Grady Sizemore. Curtis doesn't think he's quite there yet, saying, "He's made All-Star teams, and he's got a Gold Glove," Granderson said of Sizemore. "So to get that comparison, for me, is a good thing, because he's playing at the top right now. I'm trying to catch up." Anthony Castrovince avoids saying anything controversial, leaving the comparison at a push. Weak.

A sad story from the Detroit News, reliever Matt Mantei has decided to call it quits after a promising early spring in his comeback attempt. His rotator cuff is shot, so the Tigers will look elsewhere to fill their bullpen. Too bad, this could've been a real nice story.

On a brighter note, Fernando Rodney threw this morning and felt good. Rodney's rehab is probably the most important roster aspect. We really have no setup man without him, and Todd Jones will be way less effective without a fireballer throwing ahead of him. Keep your fingers crossed that things go smoothly.

I'm currently watching the Tigers-Astros game on MLB.tv and we've jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Nate Robertson looks sharp so far and I've seem Cabrera make a couple nice defensive plays at third as well as scoring in his first at bat. I like what I see. I'll have more details for you tomorrow.

Daily Roar - 3/3/08

2008-03-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Kenny Rogers pitched two scoreless innings yesterday in a 3-1 loss to the Indians. What's more impressive about Rogers' outing is that he was able to get out of innings without using his curveball.

Brandon Inge caught his first game of the spring yesterday and says that it was "kind of a downer feeling." Inge obviously still wants to be traded to a team that will start him at third base. He's been on-fire at the plate so far this spring, but had a rough day yesterday, going hitless and striking out once. If you scroll down to the bottom and check out the reader comments, you'll see a lot of Detroit fans sick of Inge's complaints. I'm not with them on this one.

Curtis Granderson has a new blog post on ESPN.com about the quality of their new lineup and how it puts added pressure on him to get on base. Apparently, Grando is getting advice from Lou Whitaker. Nice.

Dontrell Willis also has a quick blog post about his first start with the Tigers. He just seems like a fun-loving guy who I think will be very, very popular in the D if he pitches well.

The D-Town Baseball blog has some keys for our starting pitching. The statistics shown on percentage of innings pitched by a AL teams starters was pretty interesting to me and I liked their point on how Willis will help them in this area.

Roar of the Tigers spent some time at Spring Training and has a post about a whole slate of Tiger related info. The Inge paragraphs are what to look for here.

Finally, more on Inge from Rob Neyer at ESPN.com. Sending Inge to the Dodgers seemed like Detroit's most reasonable option, but Neyer says that deal makes no sense for L.A. That's fine with me.

Weekend Roar - 3/1/08

2008-03-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Dontrelle Willis had his spring debut with the Tigers this afternoon giving up one run in two innings of work. The game with Cleveland ended in a 3-3 tie. Placido Polanco and Miguel Cabrera both drove in runs in a 2-run opening inning.

Yesterday, Justin Verlander had his stuff working in a 3-1 win over Toronto. Curtis Granderson hit his second home run of the spring to boost our offense. Maybe an even bigger storyline of Friday's exhibition, was the work of our top prospect Rick Porcello. Like Verlander, the 18-year old right hander pitched two shutout innings and even struck out Frank Thomas on a nasty sinker. It's great to hear that we still have one promising young prospect to look forward to.

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Miguel Cabrera may be close to signing a 20-million dollar per year contract with the Tigers. This is fantastic news. Being able to lock up one of the league's best young stars is what great franchises consistently do. Detroit and Cabrera are a perfect fit for each other.

This is the type of article I would expect from Drew Sharp, but this time Michael Rosenberg of the Free Press writes about what could go wrong for the Tigers this year. I think that maybe this is just Rosenberg's round about way of saying that Detroit has a damn good ballclub and it would take some big disasters for them to have a bad year.

In what seems like a no-brainer, the Detroit News is reporting that Justin Verlander has been announced as our opening day starter. Leyland also said the Kenny Rogers will pitch the second game and Jeremy Bonderman will go in the third. That leaves Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson as the 4th and 5th starters. It hasn't been announced in which order yet.

The Tigers face Cleveland again tomorrow at 1:05 ET. Enjoy your Saturday night.

Daily Roar - 2/27/08 and 2/28/08

2008-02-28T05:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the Tigers played a watered down version of the Mets in their second exhibition game of Spring Training 2008. Detroit got the win 4-2, but from the sounds of it the game wasn't pretty for the Tigers stars.

The good news about yesterday's game was that the bullpen looked very solid. Grilli, Miner, Byrdak, and Bautista all threw a scoreless inning or two, and the first three didn't even give up a hit. It may be a promising sign, or it may be that we faced all of the Mets' backups.

The bad news about our exhibition with the Mets is that, once again, Jeremy Bonderman struggled in the first inning. He ended up pitching two innings, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk. If Bonderman isn't already seeing one, the Tigers franchise needs to sign him up with a sports psychologist immediately. This can't go on.

Michael Rosenberg of the Free Press has a pretty good article this morning explaining why Detroit should hold on to Brandon Inge. After reading his points, I completely agree with him at this point. I also found an article by Tom Gage of the Detroit News, and he says the same thing.

Back to the bad news, it seems that Fernando Rodney's shoulder is still bothering him. Leyland has decided to rest him until next week and even said that he's "concerned." Hopefully this ongoing saga will quietly go away, but I'm doubting it.

I was excited to read yesterday that Leyland has announced his batting lineup. Like I've been calling for, Miguel Cabrera will bat fifth with Sheffield and Ordonez batting 3rd and 4th. If all goes well, Miggy should have some staggering RBI numbers.

Joel Zumaya was able to throw his first session since his shoulder surgery, and claims that his shoulder was pain-free. I usually would want Leyland to rest him as long as possible, but with Rodney's shoulder falling off, its seems that we need Z sooner rather than later.

John Donovan of SI.com has a fun piece on Dontrelle Willis. One thing that I got out of this article is that Willis had his best years in Florida when the guy catching for him was none other than Pudge Rodriguez. Maybe Dontrelle needs Pudge's guidance to get him back to top form again.

Curtis Granderson has a quick blog post about Black History month and how kids in the inner cities aren't playing baseball anymore. He doesn't really say anything new, but since Curtis is my boy I will always link to his new blog posts.

In a quick Q and A with the Detroit News, Granderson says that he'll be attempting more bunts this Spring Training.

I'm out of town this week, but I'll try to get a weekend links up if I find the time. Next week, look for both the starting pitching and bullpen previews. Have a good weekend.

Daily Roar - 2/26/08

2008-02-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

The biggest news of the day: Miguel Cabrera hit a home run that cleared the 420 sign in center in his first at bat as a Tiger today. Here's the Free Press explanation as well as a video of his blast. OH YEAH.

Jayson Stark of ESPN has a fantastic piece on the Tigers today. It's pretty long, but it's worth the whole read. Make sure you check out the video too. It'll get you excited.

I almost forgot. If you're wondering, the Tigers smashed Florida Southern College today 17-4. Gee, I hope so. Polanco and Inge also hit homers. The only disappointing thing I noticed in the box score is that Jordan Tata gave up all four runs in 1 and 2/3 innings. Shaky start for a guy hoping to be in the bullpen mix.

Looking for a new Tigers wallpaper? Here's a solid photo gallery of today's game.

Another interesting story from today's exhibition is that Tiger legend Al Kaline's grandson played against Detroit today. It would have been nice for the kid to get a hit, but he finished 0-4. Good luck to Colin Kaline; it would be cool to see him succeed and put on a Tiger uniform some day.

2008 Preview - Outfielders

2008-02-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is Part II of my 2008 Positional Preview. Look for Starting Pitching and Bullpen Previews coming in the next few weeks.

Left Fielders: Jacque Jones, Marcus Thames, Brandon Inge
Grade: C+

Our biggest offensive question mark going into this season has to be Jacque Jones. Since it seems likely that he will batting ninth, hopefully some of the pressure may be taken off him. Jones has hit .285 exactly in his last two seasons, but his power numbers fell dramatically from his 2006 season when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 81 runs. In Comerica, Jones will more likely be a gap hitter and his decent speed gives him upside as a second leadoff hitter at the bottom of our lineup. Leyland has been giving him a lot of praise so far this Spring Training. Let's hope he lives up to some of it.

Marcus Thames is a nice ace up our sleeve. He can fill in for Jones against tough lefties, he gives us another source of power, and his defense isn't a huge drop off in return. I would expect Thames to bat higher in the lineup when he starts, probably switching places with Edgar Renteria (switching from 7 to 9). When he's on his game, Thames gives us another feared bat in an explosive lineup.

Along with third base and catcher, we can throw Brandon Inge into the mix as a backup left fielder as well. My guess is this situation would happen if we are facing a lefty, and Marcus Thames is getting a start at DH to give Sheffield a day off. Inge's ability to play the outfield gives Leyland the kind of roster flexibility a lot of ball clubs would love to have. This is, of course, if Inge is still in Detroit this season.

Center Fielders: Curtis Granderson, Jacque Jones, Ryan Raburn
Grade: B+

It will become quite obvious in this blog as the year goes on that Curtis Granderson is my favorite baseball player. I've felt for the last two seasons that the Tigers go as Curtis goes. His defense in the spacious Comerica outfield has been both steady and spectacular. The way he runs the bases ranks him with the leagues most exciting players. Even his power out of the leadoff spot gets me out of my seat. Now, if he could just figure out how to hit lefties consistently, Granderson will become a mainstay alongside Grady Sizemore as the American League center field All-Stars. This is a big year for Curtis, the pressure is on him now more than ever.

With the loss of Omar Infante, I'm having a hard time figuring out who Granderson's main backup will be. Jones is listed as his backup, but since he is a lefty as well, Granderson will not get benched against lefties for Jones. I see Jones as his backup if Granderson was injured, but that's it.

My best guess as a fill-in for Granderson against a lefty would be Ryan Raburn. The strange thing here is that Raburn hit only .258 against lefties, while thriving at .338 against right-handers. I'm sure Leyland has something up his sleeve, I just don't know what it is yet.

Right Fielders: Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames
Grade: A-

When asked about Magglio Ordonez's 2007 season, Jim Leyland said, "I've never seen one like that." You know how impressive Magglio's season was when Leyland says that; he's been around a while. If Ordonez can hit anywhere near the pace he hit last year, AL pitching is in for a world of hurt. There's no way we can expect Maggs to hit .363 again, but with this lineup, a healthy Ordonez can definitely aim to match the 139 RBI's he hit a year ago. With speed (Granderson), consistency (Polanco), and patience (Sheffield) hitting ahead of him again, I like Magglio's chances of getting MVP votes again this year. Unless Miguel Cabrera's numbers end up being better.

While Leyland has already announced that he would rather not play Gary Sheffield in the field much this year, it's likely that Sheff will get a few days in right field here and there to rest Ordonez. I agree with Leyland that I would rather he stays in the DH spot, but Sheffield did show in limited time last year that his defense is still pretty decent. His health is too important to risk just to test him, though.

On days that Magglio needs a rest, I would rather see us go to Thames as a replacement in right. I realize that Marcus does not exactly have a lot of experience in right, but he's less of an injury risk. And he can't be that much worse than Ordonez defensively anyway, right?

Designated Hitters: Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames
Grade: B

When healthy, I still think Gary Sheffield ranks in the top three of the league's best designated hitters behind only David Ortiz and Travis Hafner. When Sheffield came to Detroit, the thing that jumped out to me the most is how many walks he takes. Sure, his swing is lethal, but I don't know how many times I've watched him fall behind in a count only to battle a pitcher into throwing four balls. It's this knack that makes me want Leyland to bat Sheff third in our lineup. Of course it's important to get Cabrera a lot of at-bats, but I think batting Miggy fifth gives him the most chances to drive in runs. Sheffield staying healthy is a top priority for our success this year.

I've already mentioned Thames quite a few times in this post, so I'll keep it short. But if Sheffield is not able to stay healthy this year, Marcus will finally get his chance to prove his worth as an everyday player. His broken bat home run last year was one of the most impressive displays of power I've ever seen. Hopefully Thames' patience these last few years will help him to take over Sheffield's DH spot next year and for years to come.

Daily Roar - 2/25/08

2008-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Matt Crossman of the Sporting News gives his take on the improved Tigers squad. Tiger players continue to try to to temper expectations. Crossman's expectations are almost as high as mine.

Mack Avenue Tigers has a unique blog about our lineup against right handed hitters. The table really makes our lineup look impressive.

For the fantasy baseballers like myself, these shortstop rankings by FanNation give Edgar Renteria their most improved award and rank him #11. And what about Ramon Santiago? He's listed under "Don't Even Think About It."

For our daily Free Press articles, we have Jim Leyland praising Cabrera's extra conditioning as well as Justin Verlander looking to be on track as our opening day starter.

Finally, just for fun, here's a photo gallery of my main man C-Grand.

Look for my Outfielders Preview in the next day or two.

Weekend Roar - 2/23 and 2/24

2008-02-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Danny Knobler's MLive blog lets us know that Pudge is likely to bat 8th this season. A quick excerpt into our lineup:

Leyland doesn't like to discuss his lineup publicly in the spring, and he didn't provide any other details. But batting Rodriguez eighth likely leaves Jacque Jones in the ninth spot. Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco will bat first and second, and Magglio Ordonez will remain in the cleanup spot. Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera will hit third and fifth, one way or the other, and Carlos Guillen and Edgar Renteria will hit sixth and seventh.

More on our most likely lineup, the Detroit News says Sheffield is the best bet as our 3-hitter. I'm a huge fan of Sheffield, Magglio, Cabrera hitting 3-4-5 because of Sheff's patience and ability to take a walk. The more guys we consistently have on base for Maggs and Miggy, the better.

The Free Press has an article on how Curtis Granderson's likeability is off the charts. Women want him and men want to be him. Is that cliche enough for ya?

Another Free Press article about the Tigers' number one prospect Rick Porcello. He has the makings of a future star. You gotta love our ability to draft Scott Boras' guys.

I usually end up forgetting about the "player to be named later" in Tiger trades. Here's a look at one of our PTBNL's in the Mike Maroth trade. Apparently he threw a one-hitter over six innings in Triple-A Toledo last year.

Ryan Raburn is doing everything he can to stay up with the big boys this year. Now that even includes catching. With Vance Wilson's injury starting to look worse for the start of the year, this is a smart move by Raburn.

The Macomb Daily sheds some light on the price of putting together a team with this much star power. Sounds like our roster has a nice collection of wheels.

One of the biggest wildcards the Tigers' lineup has this year is the play of newcomer Jacque Jones. The Detroit News writes that Jim Leyland likes what he sees in his new left fielder. I've had the chance to watch Jones in the Metrodome quite a few times and he can look spectacular at times and a below average starter at times. A nice season from Jones would make our lineup ridiculously deadly.

Daily Roar - 2/22/08

2008-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

There's not a lot of good content out there on this Friday, but I have a few interesting links for you:

He hasn't been pushed too hard yet this Spring Training, but the Detroit News say that the Tigers are optimistic about Miguel Cabrera's glove at third. It would be fantastic if Miggy became a pleasant surprise in the field this year.

We all know that Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya heat up the radar gun readings, but Bless You Boys has a more detailed look at how they compare with the rest of the league.

The Detroit News also has an article that says the same thing I mentioned in my infielders preview; Edgar Renteria is getting overlooked as a big pick up. They even go as far as comparing Renteria to one of my childhood heroes: Alan Trammell.

The Cutoff Man blog has a blurb (I guess it's really a Free Press article) about Zach Miner someday becoming our closer. I'll believe that when I see it.

Brandon Inge is handling the Cabrera trade with class. The Free Press takes a look at how Inge is interacting with our new big-timer. I respect Inge more now than ever.

Daily Roar - 2/21/08

2008-02-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Some scary news out of Lakeland, as it seems that Fernando Rodney is having shoulder soreness. The Free Press reports that Jim Leyland isn't overly concerned, but concerned nonetheless.

Bless You Boys has their own take on the Rodney situation.

...and a third story on Rodney in a different tune from the Detroit News.

MLive lets us know that Jim Leyland does not think the Tigers should be viewed as the team to beat in the AL Central.

The Free Press covers another Gary Sheffield comment that will keep him in the headlines.

The Detroit News has a happy little fluff piece about Magglio.

Danny Knobler's blog on MLive gives us the good news about the Tigers TV Schedule.

2008 Preview - Infielders

2008-02-21T09:11:00.001-08:00

This will be the first of a few 2008 preview posts organized by positional groups with grades for what I expect out of them this year. The grades are based on what they did last year and my gut feeling of their team impact in 2008. I plan on similar posts for outfielders, starting pitching, and bullpen. Stay tuned.

Catchers: Pudge Rodriguez, Vance Wilson, Brandon Inge
Grade: B

In my opinion, Pudge Rodriguez coming to Detroit has been the most important addition of any Tiger in my lifetime. He's changed the losing culture to one that is a blue-collar, win-at-all-costs, championship-level. Now, he may not be the same player that he was when he won a World Series in Florida, but he is still our rotation's leader in the field and a verifiable threat at the plate. His batting average may have dropped 19 points last year, but what team in baseball has a better 8-hitter than Pudge? His years are running out, but there's only a handful of catchers in the league I'd take over him for this season.

Vance Wilson missed all of 2007 after undergoing elbow surgery. If healthy, Wilson is a guy that the Tigers can count on for around 60 games, 150 at-bats with a little bit of power, and some decent defense behind the plate. He won't amaze you, but if he can get through games without us noticing him, that's probably a good thing.

That's right, Brandon Inge is back behind the plate in Lakeland at Spring Training 2008. And he's not too happy about it. I would love to see Inge stay in Detroit as our utility man, but I feel the trade winds a-blowin'. More on Inge in a moment.

First Basemen: Carlos Guillen, Marcus Thames, Mike Hessman
Grade: B+

One of the biggest storylines at the beginning of this offseason was the announcement that Carlos Guillen would be moving to first base full time. I love it, I love it, I love it. His defense at short had slipped to hair pulling depths, playing first will be easier on his knees extending his career, and keeping that .300 - 20 homer - 100 RBI bat healthy is crucial to our lineup. The downfall is that Sean Casey was a fantastic glove at first and his charismatic self will be missed in Detroit. But that's it. Enjoy the Mayor Boston, we'll be OK.

Marcus Thames has fallen into a spot where he has not been able to play himself into a starting role. I'm not a big fan of his defense at first or in the outfield, but I do love the fact that he hit 18 dingers in only 86 at bats last year. He's a nice fill-in to rest a guy and he's a top notch pinch hitter. That's what he should be, and that's where he is.

When Mike Hessman started a few games for Detroit last year, I had no clue who he was or where he came from. After watching him, he kind of reminded me of a right handed Matt Stairs. He's not a great talent, but he swings the bat hard. Real hard. And for that, I liked him. I'm rooting for him to get another chance this year.

Second Basemen: Placido Polanco, Ryan Raburn
Grade: A-

I don't know how there could possibly be a more underrated player in baseball than Placido Polanco. I mean who plays 144 consecutive games without an error, bats .341, and is rarely talked about as one of baseball's best? He's the perfect 2-hitter, rarely striking out, laying down great bunts when needed, and has enough speed to play a great hit-and-run game on the basepaths. There's a reason Detroit fell apart down the stretch in 2006. Polanco was hurt. He's absolutely vital to our success.

If, disastrously, Polanco gets hurt this year, the most likely replacement would be Ryan Raburn. At 26 years old, I like Raburn's chances at becoming a productive pro. He has a decent glove, shows some pop with the bat, and even managed to hit .304 in 138 at bats last year. No one will mistake Raburn for an All-Star, but I'm a fan of him as a seldom-used replacement. And who could forget his huge blast at Fenway last year. One of the highlights of the 2007 season.

Third Basemen: Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge
Grade: A+ with Inge staying, A- without him

What can I say that hasn't already been said? We added a 24-year old that hit .320 with 34 jacks and 119 RBI's to the middle of a lineup that was third in runs scored last year. Wow. I love Dave Dombrowski. I know giving up Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller is a load, but Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are proven players and are only a few years older. If you think that's a bad move, you're crazy. Cabrera's defense is not in Inge's statosphere, but the fact that he's lost some weight this offseason is promising. I'm definitely a bit giddy to see what Miggy can do.

Brandon Inge has been the top of many a story in Detroit this offseason. With the addition of Miguel Cabrera, Inge became expendable and because he wants to be an everyday third baseman, he's politely asked to be traded. I don't blame him. He's a fantastic defensive player who has gotten used to playing for a winning franchise. Always a hard worker, Inge endured the rough years in Detroit as well. The only problem is the fact that he makes close to $5 million a year and can't even hit .240. That makes him a difficult guy to trade. If a trade becomes available that can beef up our bullpen, I hope we jump all over it. But giving Inge away for nothing would be ridiculous. He's too versatile a player to throw away. I hope the best for Inge.

Shortstops: Edgar Renteria, Ramon Santiago
Grade: B

Of our new additions, Edgar Renteria has flown way under the radar. Whenever I've brought him up in conversation this winter, it seems that people are forgetting he's even on our roster. I'm very interested to see what kind of range he still has at short and if he's able to come close to matching his .332 average last year. The fact that he struggled under the pressure in Boston definitely concerns me. His addition made the Guillen move to first a reality, which I love, but I'm still a little skeptical that Renteria will come through for us. Man, I hope he proves me wrong. If he plays well, Renteria could be an amazing second leadoff hitter at the bottom of our lineup. We'll see.

With the news that Leyland will avoid using Guillen as a backup at shortstop, it seems that Ramon Santiago will find a roster spot in Detroit again this year. He's definitely the closest thing this roster has to an automatic out at the plate, but if can play a lot of errorless D on Renteria's off-days, I can't complain about him too much. He did have a hot streak at the plate early last year (that's why his average ended at a respectable .284), maybe he can make it last for a full year. I doubt it, though.

Daily Roar

2008-02-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

Roar of the Tigers takes a look at Miguel Cabrera's socks. I have to agree with them. It just looks weird.

The Free Press has an article on Placido Polanco's ability to rarely strike out. That's why he's the best 2-spot hitter in baseball.

Sports Illustrated rates our GM Dave Dombrowski as the league's 3rd best boss in baseball. Personally, I think that's too low. Their writeup on Dombrowski:

3. Dave Dombrowski, Tigers. He's willing to take big gambles, and they usually pay off. It doesn't hurt to have the $140-million payroll of owner Mike Ilitch, whose own good instincts were more responsible for signing Magglio Ordonez and Pudge Rodriguez.

Danny Knobler at MLive lets us know that Carlos Guillen will remain at first base and will rarely play short. This clears up the fact that Ramon Santiago will most likely make the roster as a backup shortstop.

Daily Roar

2008-02-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

This is my first take at Daily Roar, my name for the best links I can find about the Tigers each day.

The Tigers official site has a fun fluff piece about Miguel Cabrera's first day at Spring Training with Detroit. The part I found most exciting is about his weight:

Others feel similarly about him. Ivan Rodriguez, his teammate on the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins, gave him a bear hug. Dontrelle Willis, his longtime teammate in Florida who came to Detroit in the same trade in December, patted Cabrera on his belly as he hugged him on his way in. There wasn't much to pat.

"No belly," Cabrera said with a smile.

As good as he looked during TigerFest, having lost at least 15 pounds since last season by most estimations, he looked even better on Monday. Cabrera wouldn't give a number as to how much weight he had dropped, but said he's actually slightly under his playing weight right now. He credited his work with a personal trainer for making the difference."

Another Cabrera article from John Lowe of the Free Press.

Danny Knobler of mlive.com has a quick take on Placido Polanco's 2007 season.

Sports Illustrated gives the Tigers some credit for their great offseason.

Apparently, Gary Sheffield will play a lot of outfield during interleague play, and hopefully that's about it.

An interesting look at the crazy situation we have with Brandon Inge and how he's handling his own trade demands.

Finally, Curtis Granderson (he's my Tiger) updated his insightful ESPN blog.

Spring Training is here...and we're loaded.

2008-02-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

As I was exploring the internet this afternoon, a rush of excitement came over me. I'm beginning to realize that the MLB season is not that far off and as a Tigers fan, I can't remember a team in Detroit with this much potential.

I was two years old when the Tigers won their last World Series. I grew up loving Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris. Yet, I was far too young to understand what was really happening when these stars were in their prime in Detroit. I do remember Tram and Sweet Lou towards the end of their career and Gibby and Jack winning World Series games for other teams, but all I really know of the great early '80s Tigers teams come from reading about their greatness. Or watching videos like this:

Now it's 2008, and I have a feeling inside my gut that the same kind of greatness Detroit enjoyed in '84 will be seen again. Just a quick glance at our projected lineup and I think, "Damn, there are no holes." Edgar Renteria batted .332 last season, and Jim Leyland will probably bat him 7th!

Between Miggy Cabrera's added pop to an already solid lineup or the consumption of innings and electric charm that Dontrelle Willis brings as our new 4th starter, there is plenty to be optimistic about.

Sure, there are issues. Can Jeremy Bonderman figure out how to get through first innings unscathed? Can Kenny Rogers' 44-year old body endure another icy Detroit spring? Will the loss of Zumaya put too much pressure on Grilli, Rodney, and Jones? Plenty of questions that are too early to answer.

What we do know is that we have speed, contact, average, and power hitters. We have a true ace in Verlander, with a couple young power pitchers and a couple cagey veterans. We have experience in the bullpen and we're led by the sharpest manager alive. Watching Detroit baseball in 2006 was one of the best times of my life. Now it's our time to finish it off and go all the way.

Are you excited?

I sure as hell am.