Good Start to the Road Trip

Alright, Tigers fans, the hating on Inge can stop for now, okay?  Sure, I was rather upset at his not one, but 2 bad plays in the 10th inning of last night's loss to the Rays, but moving on is necessary.  Inge blew the last play by not throwing to first (whether he admits his faults or not) and Leyland threw him under the bus for it.  Fine.  A new day has come, and a Tigers win could quickly turn that around.

Though today's lineup wasn't exactly imposing, with Miguel Cabrera welcoming a new son to the world, Brennan Boesch still having issues with his thumb, and Alex Avila finally getting a day off.  Nonetheless...

Austin Jackson hit a no-doubter into the stands on just the third pitch of the game, and that would ultimately be the winning run (Jackson added a sac fly for good measure) as the Tigers won 2-0 today over the Rays, taking 3 of 4 at the Trop against what is deemed a pretty darn good young rotation that Tampa has.  But while 2 runs of support isn't very many, it was enough for support-starved Doug Fister, who pitched 7 brilliant innings and got his third win as a Tiger, matching the amount he had when he was traded from Seattle to Detroit (Fister was 3-12 when traded, 3-1 since).  Joaquin Benoit gave up a base hit but would strike out the side in the 8th, before Jose Valverde allowed a hit and a walk - and was bailed out by Matt Joyce's poor baserunning as he was doubled off first base after a fly ball to Ryan Raburn.  It's his 38th save of the season, as he continues to be flawless in that department.

So once again, this is why the games are played: not the best Tiger lineup, but good enough to roll.  Tigers fans can now settle down on another front: the trade that brought Fister to Detroit.  Outside of 1 bad outing, he's been exactly what the doctor ordered.  Command is there, works at a brisk, Mark Buehrle-esqe pace, and with the proper support from his offense can be a big winner despite that crooked 6-13 record he now has.

As for Brandon Inge, the next time he comes clean on his mistakes might be the first time.  If he truly believes that going to second with that throw was the right move, then he should never be allowed onto the field again.  His range is good enough to have fired that ball to first base, thus getting the Tigers into the 11th with another chance to win.  That's not to say they could have won; judging by the way they had been hitting all night long, but mental mistakes like that in this stretch run is something this already defensively challenged ballclub could do without.

Wait a minute: didn't I say it was time to move on from this?  Onward.  Next stop, Minnesota.