25th May 2008, 09:35 pm
Tigers’ Sunday woes continue with a tough loss to the Twins, losing the series 2 games to 1. Don’t look now, but Detroit most likely will have an even WORSE record in the month of May then they did in April. So much for improving. Its also a concern when, as a fan, I look at the starting lineup and wonder how Detroit will score any runs without Matt Joyce in the lineup.
The Good:
- Gutsy 7th inning by Verlander. Excellent outing overall, but gutting out that inning is what an ace does.
- Gary Sheffield has put together a week of hitting that didn’t absolutely suck.
The Bad:
- Brandon Inge doesn’t seem to hit well when he catches
- Cruceta blew the game
- After begging to see Ryan Raburn in center… he goes 0-4.
The Ugly:
- Ok, Cruceta blowing the game is bad, but when your closer needs ZACH MINER to clean up his mess…
One week until Detroit comes to Oakland, and myself and 17 of my friends descend upon the coliseum to watch from a luxury box. With Oakland’s most recent sweep of the BoSox… it could be ugly. Probable pitching matchup: Bonderman vs Harden.
25th May 2008, 08:37 am
Detroit crushed Minny yesterday… just a day after Minny beat them up pretty well. Good signs over the last few days: The starting pitching has been better. Galarraga had control problems on Friday night (five walks), and it will be interesting to see how he responds in his next match-up. Bonderman had another solid game on Thursday, though i’m still concerned that his strikeouts are way down. Robertson wasn’t bad either.. for some reason I wish he could go longer then 6.1 innings when he gets such run support.
Sheffield has broken out of his slump (I’ll hold my breath), and Miguel Cabrera has quietly lifted his average to .282. Ramon Santiago still leads the team, batting over .350. With the concern over Guillen at third and the reports of average fielding by Renteria, it bears watching to see if Jimmy Leyland gives a few more starts to Santiago. And while his average is slowly dropping, Matt Joyce has continued to produce in the seven hole.
Detroit needs another series victory, and they put their ace on the mound this afternoon. As always, baby steps.
Good news on the rehab of Zumaya and Rodney. Zumaya is the most pleasant surprise; there were concerns that he might not pitch again, let alone throw over 90 (he hit 98). Of course, this won’t mean anything if the Tigers’ starting pitching doesn’t continue to improve. The current whipping boy might be Kenny Rogers; here’s to hoping he pulls it together.