Sneaky Power!

Doug Fister threw 6 perfect innings to start the game.  Broken up in the 7th, and trailing by the end of the inning. 1-0, in what looked like might be a hard luck loss for the guy who has struggled mightily to get run support all season.

Magglio Ordonez, who has certainly lost a step or four and is at the twilight of his career, had a clutch, game tying single in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at 1.  I will be quick to admit that I have said over and over, that Maggs shouldn't be in the lineup on a regular basis.  His offense AND defense are suffering.  But since Brennan Boesch is still nursing a thumb injury, we need him.  And he came through.  Then... Up came Ramon Santiago.

Ramon Santiago, walk off HR.

In the bottom of the tenth, in the game as a pinch runner in the 8th inning, connected off of Aaron Crow and sent the ball over the right field wall, sending 34,000 fans at Comerica Park home very happy.  His first career walk off home run, 4th HR of the year, 2-1 final score.

Great, because for a while it may have turned out to be one of the more egregious losses of the season.  Doug Fister pitched extremely well for his new ballclub, essentially making a mistake to leadoff batter Alex Gordon in the 7th inning, who drove Fister's first pitch into the gap in left center field, for the Royals first baserunner of the game.  He would score on a Billy Bulter sacrifice fly, and the way Royals starter Jeff Francis had started his game, it was looking like another flat performance from what is regarded to be a good offense.  The Royals pitching isn't special.  We saw that tonight, as Louis Coleman worked the 9th inning for Kansas City, walking the bases loaded with 2 outs.  Taking advantage of such an action was apparently a tall order, as Crow came in and struck out Wilson Betemit on 3 pitches to end the threat.

If it weren't for 2 clutch swings of the bat, we might be very angry with how this game could have or would have ended up.  Ultimately, the 2 bats that figured for a winning formula at Comerica tonight were probably the last 2 bats we all expected to clutch-up for the Tigers.  And for that, we thank Magglio, and Ramon... with the hopes that they contribute like that again down the stretch.

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.

Wrapping Up the Roadie

Newly acquired Doug Fister, pitching for the Detroit Tigers today, is used to not having a whole lot of run support in his starts.  Today, 9 runs would have been a lot to ask for.

Fister's first shaky outing as a Tiger was today in Baltimore, giving up 8 runs (6 ER) on 12 hits, had no real command of his pitches this afternoon and wasn't fooling anybody.  Usually in good control, he didn't have it today as the Tigers finished up this 9 game road trip by losing 8-5 to the Orioles.  As previously posted, the Tigers road woes have been well documented in the past, but at least this season they can boast a better record on the road than last year, which for me is progress.  As for Fister, no reason to worry about him, as he had a bad day.  No need for Tigers fans to blow up about the trade being good or bad for either the Seattle Mariners or the Tigers, as there hasn't been nearly enough time passed to make that kind of judgement (get back to me in 3 years, then we can discuss that).  He'll get his next start at home, and we'll all hope it's a better outing than today.  Call off the dogs.

As for the road trip, they did go 5-4, which from here looks like a winning record... albeit I'm reaching a bit by boasting that a single victory over the losses is a successful road trip.  To a degree, I am reaching: the 2 series wins were against 2 last place teams in the American League (KC and Baltimore) but the series loss was vs AL Central competitor, the Cleveland Indians.  Sure, winning this series would have been nice, but for me it's still about road trip success.  The Tigers can take care of their business at home, and bringing home more wins than losses on a long road trip is never a bad thing.

The Tigers road show comes home to face the Minnesota Twins, a team snakebitten by injuries and relative "UnTwinslike" play in the field this season.  A real chance for the Tigers to continue their recent dominance over this ballclub, having won 8 of 9 meetings so far this season.  They play the Twins 9 more times, with 6 of those games at home.  Take care of these guys, because those Indians are back in town for another big series next weekend.  And they'll need to play better against the Tribe next weekend, with Justin Verlander pitching in the middle of the Twins series, he won't be a savior this time around.  It'll be time for someone else to step up and have a good pitching performance, against a team that seemingly won't go away.

It still sets up well for the Tigers, they just need to remember that and take full advantage of their opportunities.

Random Thoughts: The Week That Was

Sitting here typing while listening to the Indians/Rangers game - a game I cannot watch because of MLB's and ESPN's "exclusive broadcast window" - wishing there was some Tigers baseball tomorrow. But, since the schedule says so, we'll have to live with the night off.  But that might be a good thing as we look at Victor Martinez.

Victor went down like a bag of stones after coming home on a grounder to second base, trying to dodge a tag.  At first glance, he had needed help off, putting no weight on his knee.  During the broadcast, we were informed that it was a sprain, and it would be further evaluated on Sunday.  Well, even as early as the post game locker room questioning, Dr. Jim Leyland had convinced all who would listen that he'd probably be fine.  I guess we'll see, when that Tuesday lineup comes out.

Here's the issue: Victor never should have put himself in that position, with the play dictating he should have stayed at third base. With a drawn in infield, the ball was hit directly to the second baseman.  Even the fastest runner probably gets thrown out.  In this case, the ball was there with plenty of time to spare.  Unnecessary.  Poor baserunning has doomed the Tigers at spots this season (Paging Jhonny Peralta), and in a pennant race, slow and steady wins the race.

Sure, we saw the successful debut of new Tigers acquisition Doug Fister earlier this week, but it may have been a little to close for comfort.  Another problem spot for the Tigers has been their defense.  Fister had some errors behind him, but held on for the win.  Run support has been an issue for Fister with his days in Seattle, but with one of the top (yet inconsistent) offenses that should ultimately change.  Ultimately, that's why I'm not worried about the fact that he's now 4-12 on the season.  Judging by his body language so far on his new team, he seems to be excited about his new role in a pennant chase.

The Rangers rallied tonight to beat the Indians, and as a result, the Tigers will have a 4 game lead in the standings over their next opponent.... the Indians, and on the road.  The Tigers recent history on the road hasn't been great, but this season they've turned a bit of a corner with their efforts.  Big wins on the road would be lovely, this week is no exception.  The Tigers are poised to finish better on the road this season than last season, and all they have to do is win 2 games (we hope more though).  The Tigers were an awful 29-52 on the road last year, and so far this year they are 28-28.  Sure, .500 ball isn't anything to write home about, but I'll accept it after what they did last season.  Sure, the Tigers lost their game today to the Royals, but they still won 2 out of 3.  Keep winning series like that, especially on the road, and the division is theirs to lose.

And it sets up well for the Tigers down the stretch.  The common cliche, "controlling your own destiny," is well in play here.  The Tigers non-divisional opponents down the stretch include the Orioles on the road next weekend and the Rays on the road later this month.  In September, they will have a 4-game series in Oakland in the middle of a 9-game road trip, and a 4-game series at home vs the Orioles before the season finale (vs Cleveland).  All teams who don't factor into the playoff chase, but can be dangerously scrappy because of that.  In short, all series that need to be won, not lost.  Easy, right?  And as we do come down the stretch we marvel at the amazement of the schedule maker, bringing Cleveland in for the final series of the year.

Stretch run time: bring on the Indians.