Tiger Geist

On the night Detroit was honoring Ernie Harwell, Dontrelle Willis was too sick to start.  I’m not exactly sure why Brad Thomas gets these starts, but for the second time this year, Thomas found himself starting on short notice, this time against the Yankees.  The MudHens were in Durham; you have to wonder if they were in Toledo, if Detroit would have made a roster move for a starter.  I’m also not sure why Eddie Bonine doesn’t get these starts, though both he & Thomas saw action.

My main disagreement is… why was Joel Zumaya brought out to pitch the eighth?  If Zumaya runs out there in the sixth and seventh, Perry and Coke should have been used immediately in the eighth.  Worst case, once A-Rod singled to leave off the eighth, bring in someone else.  I’m sure Leyland wanted to save his bullpen, but that nearly cost Detroit the victory.  If your rotation is Zumaya / Perry / Valverde in the 7th/8th/9th, stick to it.  If you need arms, make a roster move after the game.

There’s always the question about who gets demoted when Carlos Guillen returns from injury.  Brennan Boesch is sure making his case to not only stay on the 25 man roster, but play ahead of Guillen.  Congrats Brennan, you were intentionally walked this evening so New York could pitch to Detroit’s $6million third baseman.  Fans used to make jokes like “Boesch is hitting so well that Guillen is starting to feel better already”, but in this case, I’m sure Detroit would love for Guillen to limp around until Boesh cools off.  Carlos is getting paid this year and next whether or not he has a stellar 2010.  Its also amazing that Detroit has to figure out who gets sent down (most likely Boesch, though Guillen can bat right handed and this could put Raburn on the hot seat), while Adam Everett, Gerald Laird and Alex Avila are all struggling mightily.  Chances Carlos Guillen sees some time at second base?  Zero.  Chances Detroit makes an infield move around Everett or Sizemore?  Probably increasing.

Random Notes:

• Update from my earlier post on attendance:  The combination between the Yankees and the Ernie Harwell Tribute saw Detroit’s third largest home attendance, at 34,365.  Pretty good for a Monday night.
• There has been a lot of talk about speeding up the game, and about how ‘slow’ the Yankees play.  This was Detroit’s third longest home game of the season, at 3 hours and 16 minutes.  I’m not sure if the tribute played into this.
• Who would be considered Detroit’s starting short stop?  Adam Everett leads Ramon Santiago in starts at short, 17 starts to 15.  Santiago leads Everett in innings at short, 147 to 132.
• I’m suddenly very interested in Dontrelle’s next start.  Lynn Henning is reporting it will be as planned, with Willis starting next Saturday.  If this changes, it could seriously impact my trip to Dodger Stadium this month.  As it stands, Justin Verlander is starting the final game of the Los Angeles series, which should be a great game to attend in a historic venue.  If Willis bumps everyone back one day, Verlander misses the series.