Tiger Geist

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.