Tiger Geist

As pissy as Jimmy Leyland seems to be over the all star schedule, apparently no one mentioned to Detroit that the series against the Indians was over, and in fact the Minnesota Twins were their opponent yesterday afternoon.  It was a bizarre 1pm EST game (which I love, since i can listen to it at work), and that would help explain the bullpen’s lackadaisical approach to closing out the game, or the offense taking the second half of the game off.

Hard to fault the youngsters for failing to produce (rough ninth inning for Matt Joyce, tough batting for Joyce and Larish late in the game) but they played as well as you can expect rookies to play.  The closer needs to close out the game, and letting the first two men you face reach base, especially the number EIGHT AND NINE HITTERS, is inexcusable.  But thats what we get with Todd Jones.

Thoughts:

• Bobby Seay really seems to be hot or cold.  Ninth inning, brought in to face a left hander, and he walks him on four straight pitches?
• Morneau is a machine.  He was followed by Mike Lamb, and apologies to Mike Lamb, but someone i’ve never heard of.  One out, their best hitter at the plate… maybe you walk Morneau (either intentionally or just don’t give him anything to hit) and take your chances with the guy hitting .224.  Hindsight obviously, but who else in Minny’s lineup would you think was going to hit a game winning home run?
• Haven’t read anything about it, but anyone else a little suprised that Rayburns gets an at-bat at the DH position in the bottom of the 11th?  Isn’t there another right handed batter that makes $13million somewhere on the bench?  Name starts with ‘G’… ends with ‘ary Sheffield’?  You’ve already lost Rayburn as a fielding replacement, what were you holding back for Sheffield?