Archive for the '2005 Tigers' Category

I’ll be on KRMS AM 1150, a Missouri radio station, tonight at 7:30. You can listen in by following this link.

Thankfully, Retrosheet is back online. You never realize how much you miss something until it’s gone.

And if you haven’t checked out their huge new update, be sure to stop by.

What if Tiger Woods just couldn’t hit his 3-iron? What if with every other club in the bag, he was the best player on the course, but he swung the 3-iron like it was made of damp noodle? He’d still be a great golfer, without a doubt, and he’d still be able to hit his Nike-branded ball 3-iron distance by shortening his swing on his 2-iron or really rearing back and cranking his four. There would be a chink in his armor, though, an inexplicable flaw in his game that might make even his staunchest admirers question their opinion of his greatness.

We’re seeing a parallel situation unfold with the 2005 Tigers. Ivan Rodriguez is clearly the team’s biggest star and ostensibly their best player but he simply isn’t drawing any walks. It’s not a fatal flaw — as with Tiger and his fictional 3-iron boondoggles, Pudge can get around his inability to watch a quartet of bad pitches go past by hitting for a good average. He’s done so to date, checking in at a respectable .288. But Pudge only has five walks on the season, and though there are other ways to get on base, his impatience has clearly hurt his performance and the team’s offense. Alan Trammell has recognized the problem, too, and has recently dropped Pudge in the lineup, unwilling to put a player with a .300 OBP in the second or third spots. It’s hard to consider Rodriguez the team’s best player when he’s so clearly deficient in one important area. Or maybe he is the team’s best player, as the rest of the team certainly seems to be following his lead. The Tigers have walked fewer times than any other team in the majors, driving them to 25th in OBP and, not surprisingly, 25th in runs scored. The acquisition of Placido Polanco, who has sported OBPs close to .400 in the last few years, looks better in this light, though he has gone walkless in his first three games as a Tiger in that haven of control pitching, Coors Field.

But back to Pudge. Rodriguez has never been a particularly patient hitter — the 41 walks he drew last year constituted the second-highest total of his long and illustrious career, but in 2005 he’s on pace for 14. He’s walked so few times in the Tigers’ first sixty games that we can discuss each one like it’s some kind of special event.

1. April 13, at Minnesota. Pudge walked in the sixth, off Kyle Lohse, with a runner on first. He’d score that inning, though Detroit lost 8-4, and he was the only Tiger to draw a free pass that day against a Twins’ squad that is walking historically few batters this season. Lohse, in fact, is one of the Twins’ worst offenders, with 15 BBs in 61 IP.

2. April 24, vs. Minnesota. Again against the Twins! Of course, the walk was intentional. A subsequent throwing error would reopen first base, and Guillen would be walked as well before Rondell White killed the inning with a double play. The Tigers would win the game.

3. May 6, at Anaheim. Pudge led of the sixth with a base on balls against the notoriously wild Kelvim Escobar, making a rare start in between bone spur DL trips.

4. May 17, vs. Tampa Bay. An intentional walk in the 11th inning.

5. June 11, at Colorado. The big drought. Almost a month in between even intentional walks, no doubt at least in part because Pudge isn’t an effective enough hitter right now to win that much respect. In this case the walk was unintentional, Pudge’s third honest free pass of the season. But how legitmate was it? Neal was ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes with the umpire. It seems Pudge needed a little help from the boys in blue to draw his first walk in a month.

I know this happens to everyone, but some days I just feel like someone’s testing me. And then there’s the really bad times when things happen over a prolonged period of time.

The previous week was interesting. First off, I know I’m behind on the 1935 Tigers diary (and the 1975 diary over at Blade’s site). I hope to get caught up here soon, but between my son’s first birthday party (more on that in a minute) and retrosheet being down, I just haven’t been able to get it done.

How did the party go?? Well, Friday was one of those “testing” days. I got to my wife’s parent’s house at about 3 pm. The tent people (who will remain unnamed for now) were supposed to deliver 80 chairs and 11 tables, as well as a tent, which they were supposed to put up. By 4:30, my wife called, and the woman told her they were behind schedule and they’d be there in about an hour. An hour came and went, and my wife called again only to find out that they went to my our house and not to my inlaws. They tried to talk my wife into delivering the tent on Saturday, but she held fast and the guy finally showed up at around 6:30 or so. And when I say guy, I mean one guy. To put up this big tent and deliver all of the tables and chairs.

The guy was extremely careless, and ended up doing substantial damage to my inlaw’s house. So after putting everything up, the guy wanted me to sign off on the delivery, but the contract included a waiver clause, so I politely said I couldn’t sign it as is, and that they’d need to amend that section in some fashion.

Now here’s where it really gets interesting. The manager (who really manages no one, including himself) called his owner, and I guess they decided to play hard ball. They told me to sign it as is, or they’d take the stuff down. I told the manager to get the owner on the phone, and after being cut off and told the same thing in ultimatum fashion, I told him he was ruining my kid’s first birthday, and explained to him what I wanted done. At this point, the F-bombs were flying out of my mouth, because I had finally lost my patience.

I went back in the house, and the owner eventually showed up and he and his lackey began taking the stuff down. At my wife’s suggestion, I called the police, who arrived promptly and were very professional. I guess the owner decided to transfer the blame on me, and told the police he felt I talked to him a little too harshly, and that he wouldn’t do business with me.

With the police being unable to really do anything (we wanted them there to verify what took place and knew they wouldn’t be able to stop the guy) they left with their tent, tables and chairs. The lawsuit will be filed very soon. Fortunately we were able to find a very helpful company that got us what we needed on very short notice (and I’ll be posting their information when I get home, they were very accomodating and helped us out tremendously).

The party went well. The weather wasn’t great, but it didn’t dampen things at all. So all in all, outside of the events that took place on Friday, I’d say we did pretty well.

Game 1 (Final Score: 0-2, Rockies win)

This game combined two things I didn’t expect to see: Only two runs scored at Coors and a Tigers loss. Mike Maroth has not been getting very much run support lately as evidenced by today’s offensive production and his fine outing was spoiled by the slumping Detroit offense. The Tigers had nine total base runners today on seven hits, a walk, and a double/error. Twice there were two hits in an inning (all singles) and both innings were wasted on double plays. The hitters jumped on pitches early in counts and beat them directly into the ground at a Colorado defender.

Maroth survived two wild pitches and two tough spots. In the second there were runners at the corners and no outs courtesy of his first wild pitch and a pair of singles. He retired the next seven batters convincingly before allowing men on again in the fourth. The one out walk and single he gave up were erased on a pair of ground balls. The Rockies finally touched him in the sixth for two runs on a homer by Garrett Atkins. With Helton away, Maroth walked Preston Wilson (later picked off) and Dustan Mohr hit a single. Garret Atkins smacked Maroth’s second pitch in the at bat through the thin air and into the right field stands (2-0). In the eighth it looked like the Tigers were getting some where after Logan’s and Shelton’s singles only to see Inge and Placido Polanco end the last Tigers’ scoring threat.

Game 2 (Final Score: 6-4, Tigers win)

For the second game in a row Brandon Inge started things off with a single. He made third on Young’s single and scored on White’s fielder’s choice (1-0). An Ivan Rodriguez two out single gave Craig Monroe runners at the corners and he delivered with a single (2-0). The Rockies rallied against Bonderman with one out in the bottom half. Cory Sullivan reached first on a wild third strike and scored after Helton’s and Wilson’s singles (2-1). Atkins was again at bat with an opportunity to cause some pain after Brad Hawpe drew a walk. His fielder’s choice wasn’t especially bad but it scored another run (2-2).

Young got the offense going with a lead off double in the third and scored on White’s single (3-2). Rodriguez, Monroe, and Giarratano bailed Jason Jennings out with some anti-heroics early in their at bats to end the inning. With the door wide open the Rockies drew even again in the fourth with two outs used. J.D. Closser walked; Jennings singled him to second and Cory Sullivan’s infield single evened things up (3-3). The Tigers and Rockies traded runs in the fifth with the Tigers doing it on doubles by Polanco and White and the Rockies with another RBI by Atkins (4-4).

Giarratano lead off the sixth with a walk and walked back to the dugout on Logan’s fielder’s choice. Logan stole second during Bonderman’s strike out giving Inge a runner in scoring position. He singled Logan home and made second on the throw, but Polanco couldn’t keep the scoring up, ending the inning on a long fly (5-4). Polanco’s next deep (sac) fly in the eighth scored Giarratano, the Tigers final run (6-4). Trammell’s decision to keep Bonderman out of the seventh after the rain delay paid off since the Tigers bullpen effectively shut the Rockies down the rest of the way only allowing two base runners.

Game 3 (Final Score: 3-7, Rockies win)

In the rubber match the Tigers scored early and the Rockies scored often. Nate Robertson’s first opponent, Eddy Garabito, smacked his third pitch for a double and scored after two groundouts (0-1). The Tigers came whimpering back in the second and third with a pair of runs. Tony Giarratano helped Young – the first Tiger base runner – home after he was hit by a pitch to lead off, made second on Monroe’s single, and had to wait for Thames to strike out (1-1). Logan and Polanco started the third off with back-to-back singles so Inge had runners at the corners since Sullivan decided it was time for an errant throw from center field. Inge struck out, Young got an IBB, and Monroe could only muster a sac fly (2-1).

Preston Wilson restarted the Rockies’ offense with his lead off homer in the fourth (2-2). Atkins continued to take BP from Tiger pitching this series, plating another run on his two out single in the fifth (2-3). Wilson’s second leadoff homer paved the way to the end of Robertson’s night in the sixth (2-4). He was followed by two one out singles from Luis A. Gonzalez and Sullivan before Trammell called on Spurling. Danny Ardoin’s single plated Gonzalez but he later made the second out when he went for two bases (2-5). Jorge Piedra pinch hit for Kim, doubled home a run, and then scored on Garabito’s single (2-7). Spurling finally found the way to beat Atkins at the plate, getting him to end the inning.

Doug Creek, Fernando Rodney, and Franklyn German combined to hold the Rockies scoreless the rest of the game. To dot the exclamation point, Nook Logan provided a perfect example of too little too late; He hit the Tigers’ first home run of the series with two outs used in the ninth (3-7). Yes, that’s exactly three extra base hits – one home run and two doubles – during a three game visit to Coors Lite.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
J Bonderman	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
T Giarratano	11	1	2	1	1	2	0.182	0.182
O Infante	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
B Inge	11	1	3	1	2	3	0.273	0.273
N Logan	12	3	5	1	0	9	0.417	0.750
M Maroth	1	0	1	0	1	1	1.000	1.000
C Monroe	11	0	2	2	1	2	0.182	0.182
P Polanco	12	1	4	1	0	5	0.333	0.417
N Robertson	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
I Rodriguez	8	0	1	0	1	1	0.125	0.125
C Shelton	2	0	1	0	1	1	0.500	0.500
M Thames	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
R White	9	1	3	2	0	4	0.333	0.444
V Wilson	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
D Young	11	2	3	0	1	4	0.273	0.364
Totals	102	9	25	8	8	32	0.245	0.314
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
J Bonderman	6	8	4	4	2	2	6.00	1.67
D Creek	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
K Farnsworth	1.1	1	0	0	0	3	0.00	0.91
F German	1.1	0	0	0	1	2	0.00	0.91
M Maroth	7	7	2	2	2	3	2.57	1.29
T Percival	1	0	0	0	1	1	0.00	1.00
N Robertson	5.1	8	6	6	1	5	10.59	1.76
F Rodney	0.2	0	0	0	0	2	0.00	0.00
C Spurling	0.2	3	1	1	0	0	45.00	15.00
J Walker	1.1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
Totals	25	27	13	13	7	18	4.68	1.36

My son turns one today. I love you buddy.

Game 1 (Final Score: 3-5, Dodgers win)

The Tigers traveled to LA to continue their Interleague play against the Dodgers. Bonderman faced Derek Lowe, a name that often came up in discussions for starting pitching in the past off-season. Ivan Rodriguez started the Tigers out nicely with a one out double in the second, scoring on Craig Monroe’s double (1-0). It’s nice to see two of the hottest Tigers getting the job done. The Tigers extended their lead later in the inning when Monroe scored during Nook Logan’s infield single and Jeff Kent’s two base throwing error (2-0). Unfortunately this was at a National League park so the ninth batter was Bonderman who struck out.

In the third the Tigers managed three groundouts. This probably would have been fine with the Dodgers but they still managed a run. Inge’s single looked to be erased on Guillen’s grounder but Antonio Perez made like Kent and threw the ball away. Inge came around to home one out later on White’s RBI groundout (3-0). These early runs buoyed Bonderman and he didn’t allow runs until the fourth. He gave up a lead off home run to Jason Repko, followed it with J.D. Drew’s triple, and Drew came home on Kent’s single (3-2).

Bonderman continued to be solid until a bad stretch in the sixth; He issued two walks and a Kent three run homer in thirteen pitches and surrendered the Tigers’ lead (2-5). It might not have mattered but Lowe continued on in the groove he started in the fourth inning and kept the Tigers down until Gagne finished the game in the ninth.

Game 2 (Final Score: 8-4, Tigers win)

Robertson started the second game a lot rougher than Bonderman did the first. He walked Cesar Izturis, got him out on Repko’s grounder but moved Repko over on a wild pitch while walking Antonio Perez. Kent’s single scored Repko from second then Robertson finally found his form and got Olmedo Saenz and Jayson Werth to end the inning (0-1). Derek Thompson, his opponent, wrapped the Tigers up in yarn for two innings.

In the third, the Tigers loaded the bases on singles by Ramon Martinez and Logan, Robertson’s successful sacrifice, and Inge’s walk. Showing a remarkable lack of patience, Guillen grounded the third pitch he saw to third and Dmitri Young did the same on the second pitch but Martinez had already scored (1-1). Martinez again exposed Thompson in the fourth with his sac fly coming with runners at the corners and one out (2-1). Sadly this run was quickly picked up on Jason Phillips’ solo shot in the bottom half (2-2).

The Dodgers went back ahead again in the fifth when Robertson rediscovered his penchant for walking batters. One out walks to Repko and Perez were both made into runs when Saenz smacked a two out double (2-4). These runs were picked up in the sixth against Johnson’s relief, Scott Erickson. Rodriguez went for extra bases again today with a leadoff home run (3-4). Monroe followed with a single and Martinez a walk before Erickson went out for Franquelis “Fresh Meat” Osoria. Logan sacrificed Monroe and Martinez over and pinch hitter Chris Shelton tied the game with an RBI groundout (4-4). Inge ended the inning with another groundout and so did all three Dodgers batters in the sixth against Spurling.

Duaner Sanchez was called on by the Dodgers to maintain the tie and they probably should have called collect. Tony Giarratano started things off badly for him with his first career Major League home run and things deteriorated from there (5-4). After Dmitri Young’s homer, Rondell White went for two bases and Rodriguez sent him to third on his single (6-4). Monroe hit the Tigers’ umpteenth RBI groundout this game and Martinez just hit a groundout (7-4). Logan plated Pudge with a single and made second on the throw (8-4). Marcus Thames pinch hit for Spurling badly, ending the inning with a strikeout. Farnsworth, Urbina, and Percival took care of the seventh, eighth, and ninth for the win. That’s the last time I’ll be saying that. I also hope that’s the last time the Tigers need groundouts to score this many runs. 🙁

Game 3 (Final Score: 1-3, Dodgers win)

During each game recap, ESPN brought up the Dodgers sweep of the Tigers in 2003. Every single one. That’s almost as frustrating as losing this game. The Tigers once again wasted a good pitching performance with very little timely hitting and did so against the inconsistent Ex-Tiger Jeff Weaver, who I’m still bitter at for not realizing his potential in Detroit. I also really hate his facial hair. Jerk.

Inge made the first inning worthwhile with a two out double after Giarratano and Logan flailed at some pitches ineffectively. White managed to make good contact but it was caught in the outfield, ending this minor threat. The Tigers’ batters sucked it up the rest of the way, not working counts and making lots of outs for the most part. They flailed at a lot of pitches, making Weaver look like the pitcher the team thought it had drafted. The only good hitter today was Johnson who must be really, really frustrated. Not only did he pitch pretty well, he scored his team’s only run on his homer. Poor guy.

If you’re a Dodger’s fan, you’re pumped. Weaver got the visitors to go after his pitches and only gave up a solo homer. They got an early lead in the second when Johnson gave Jason Grabowski a pitch he could drive out of the park. It was even better because there was already a guy on, Werth, making the lead two runs (0-2). You loaded the bases in the fourth but since this is the National League had a free out due up so the threat ended, keeping the score the same (1-2). Hee Sop Choi had an RBI in the seventh, an inning when you loaded the bases for the second time today (1-3). Last but not least you made up a game on the Padres. I told you I’d be positive this time.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
J Bonderman	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
T Giarratano	7	1	1	1	0	4	0.143	0.571
C Guillen	6	0	0	1	1	0	0.000	0.000
B Inge	12	1	2	0	1	3	0.167	0.250
O Infante	7	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
J Johnson	2	1	1	1	0	4	0.500	2.000
N Logan	9	0	4	1	1	5	0.444	0.556
R Martinez	2	1	1	1	1	1	0.500	0.500
C Monroe	12	2	2	2	0	3	0.167	0.250
N Robertson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
I Rodriguez	9	3	5	1	0	9	0.556	1.000
C Shelton	2	0	0	1	0	0	0.000	0.000
M Thames	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
R White	13	2	2	1	0	3	0.154	0.231
V Wilson	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
D Young	10	1	2	1	1	2	0.200	0.200
Totals	97	12	20	11	5	34	0.206	0.351
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
J Bonderman	6	5	5	5	2	5	7.50	1.17
K Farnsworth	2	0	0	0	0	4	0.00	0.00
F German	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0.00	5.00
J Johnson	6.2	8	3	3	1	3	4.35	1.45
T Percival	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.00
N Robertson	5	5	4	4	4	3	7.20	1.80
C Spurling	2.1	2	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.95
U Urbina	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00	1.00
J Walker	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0.00	10.00
Totals	25	22	12	12	8	17	4.32	1.20

I’m still a little baffled by this deal. First off, without a workhorse like Urbina, I can see the whole bullpen falling apart in what would be a worst case scenario. Percival can’t handle the innings, and I see another stint on the DL for him. As for guys like Farnsworth and German, I really hope they’re up for the task.

And for all intents and purposes, Martinez was a throw in, so I’ll be pretty much keeping him out of the analysis. I guess we can call him the tie breaker.

I’m also a little surprised they gave up on Infante so quickly. If I look at the VORP figures through yesterdays game, Polanco (11) has about a 15 run edge over Infante (-4). Of course the Phillies lose little, because Chase Utley has them both topped with 19.4 (second best second baseman only to Jeff Kent). So on the face of things, we’re getting an upgrade.

Now if we compare Urbina and Polanco, we have close to wash. Urbina has been good for 16 pitching runs above replacement so far, while Polanco has been good for 22 (8 hitting and 14 fielding). That six run differential is about half of a win, so that explains why we threw Martinez into the deal.

But numbers aside, through the end of May last year, Omar Infante had three homers. This year, he also had three homers. So if he went on a run, he could easily get himself closer to where he was last year. Polanco has only ten extra base hits, while Infante has 16. And Omar’s eight fielding runs above replacement is a mere six runs less then the slick fielding Polanco (which explains a lot of the differential between the two).

So I just don’t see what we’re getting here. Our pen definitely gets worse, and while Polanco might get an extra single here or there, it’s Infante that can mash the ball if can return to form. And throw in the fact that Polanco has only a one year contract, and it makes the thing even more befuddling.

I really thought we’d be able to get some front line prospects from, well someone, for Urbina. While I’ll never count the Tigers out this early, an eleven game deficit is really tough to come back from so making a move to short things up this year seems somewhat fruitless. And when you throw in the fact that the Indians could pass them if the Tigers falter, it makes things look even more dicey.

Check back later tonight, because I’ll analyze this deal. Although my initial reaction is that we didn’t get enough. I envisioned us getting a prospect or two, not a 30 year old infielder. A couple of teams were rumored to be interested in Polanco, so I wonder if we’ll be turning around and dealing him to someone else soon.

It appears Omar Infante’s starting job is justifiably in jeopardy, as Polanco has played mostly second base the last couple of years.

Wilfredo Ledezma was sent to Toledo this week after ten consecutive bad starts, a move any fool could have predicted. The Tigers didn’t call up anyone to replace him because they won’t need a fifth starter until the 18th — who knows, the fifth starter that day could yet be Ledezma — though my money is on hulking former Oriole Sean Douglass, he of the 3.00 ERA and 56/19 K/BB at Toledo. Douglass’ major-league track record indicates that he probably won’t be a long-term answer, but he could have a few good months.

Instead of calling up a pitcher, the Tigers activated Troy Percival off the disabled list. Percival, apparently recovered from a “partial tear of his right flexor pronator muscle mass”, aka hurt forearm muscle, seemed to find his stride right before his injury, and is on pace to throw the 45 reasonably effective innings we all expected and knew wouldn’t be worth the dough the Tigers signed for him last winter for $12 million. The happy conundrum is that Ugueth Urbina is pitching brilliantly in Percival’s closer slot.

I’m not much of a believer in the magic of closers — I scoffed this week when on the road somewhere, I heard a radio announcer say that most relief pitchers rely on catchers to help them understand the game when they’re put in, except for closers, who just know how to get outs. I believe that there are some great relief pitchers in the major-leagues, and that sometimes it makes sense to put them in when you have a lead of three or fewer runs, but that mostly you want to have your best relievers in when the game is on the line. By that logic, it doesn’t matter that the Tigers have two proven closers (not to mention minor-league closer Franklyn German), only that they have two good (though not great) relievers to send to the mound in tough situations.

But as much as it helps the Tigers to have a deeper bullpen, there are a lot of teams who believe that relievers aren’t interchangeable, that there is mystical and possibly moral worthiness indicated by the ability to get saves, never mind that saves were invented in 1960 and that they’re the pitching equivalent of the now-defunct GWRBI. The Tigers have been rumored to be considering trading Urbina for some proven-closer swag ever since Percival came aboard. Should they trade him now that so many teams have injured or ineffective closers (Hawkins, Benitez, Dotel, etc.) and that Percival is, for the time being, back to a reasonable facsimile of health?

Yes. The Tigers sit, as of this writing, at 26-29. That’s a wonderful improvement over 2003, and a good bet to improve on last year as well, but they’re not contenders. They’re not going to beat the White Sox and Twins to capture the division, or one of those teams plus most of Anaheim, Texas, Baltimore, Boston, and New York to capture the Wild Card. They’re just not good enough. A few of the pieces are in place — Guillen, Inge, Bonderman, and Maroth, maybe Ordonez, Shelton, and German — but this is not a team that’s within even a few years of 90 wins. It needs to ruthlessly identify who can be part of the next winning Tiger team and get prospects for whoever will not while still maintaining a competitive major-league product. Two closers are not a necessary part of remaining competitive. Percival is overpaid and untradeable; Urbina makes $4 million this year and is a free agent to-be. The Mets need him, the Cubs need him, the Giants need him. Let them pay for him.

No. The Tigers sit, as of this writing, at 26-29. That’s only 7 games out of the wild card with a lot of time to go, and though they’re double-digits behind the White Sox, there’s no way the Southsiders will stay this hot. Guillen has been hurt and Ordonez will come back at some point. It’s way too early to throw in the towel on a promising team. Moreover, what kind of message does it give to the fans? “Sure we’re better than we have been, and we want you to come to the park, but this isn’t yet a real team. But please care about it anyways.” Isn’t avoiding that sort of death knell more important than a slugging young outfielder?

I sure don’t know. Your thoughts?

Game 1 (3-5, Tigers win)

Jason Johnson gets the call, once again facing his old mates (not the Indians, oops) and hoping to continue his winning streak. I am really enjoying his hot streak thus far in the season and hope he is able to keep it up all year long. His opponent, Bruce Chen, gave the Tigers a tough outing last time but the relief ended up losing the game for him. I like to call this foreshadowing.

The top and bottom of the first went 1-2-3 before the bats made some contact in the second. Johnson allowed a two out BJ Surhoff double and Chen allowed a two out Craig Monroe triple before escaping the inning. The leadoff man in the third, Chris Gomez, beat out an infield single before being erased on Geronimo Gil’s double play. David Newhan hit a single after a long at bat and went all the way to third on Johnson’s errant pickoff attempt. He scored on Mora’s bunt and Johnson struck out Tejada to end the inning (1-0).

The scoring picked up again in the bottom of the fifth with Rodriguez’s leadoff homerun (1-1). (I’ve typed leadoff homerun a lot more than I have any other home run related phrase in these updates.) Chen continued to be effective until the seventh when the Tigers broke the tie. Rondell White’s one out single was the go ahead run on Rodriguez’s double, his second extra base hit of the game (1-2). Chen was pulled in favor of Williams, who went on the give up a big inning. Monroe made out number two, Chris Shelton hit an RBI single and made second on the throw, Tony Giarratano added an RBI single, Logan walked, and Inge hit the third RBI single of the inning (1-5). James Baldwin came in to face Infante and retired him easily.

While the line says eight innings, Johnson went into the ninth. He walked Mora on a full count and Tejada hit a single before Farnsworth replaced Johnson on the mound. Pursuing a similar vein as Billfer, I’d like to mention Johnson only took 101 pitches to reach the top of the ninth, a remarkable improvement in pitching efficiency for him from the past. The next man up, Sammy Sosa, reached safely on Giarratano’s throwing error. Facing Rafael Palmeiro, Farnsworth allowed a deep fly that scored Mora (2-5). He got his second out at second when Surhoff dribbled a ball back to him but Tejada made third. Jay Gibbons singled Tejada home and Gomez struck out as the winning run (3-5). Sounds like a heck of a game to have attended.

Game 2 (14-7, Orioles win)

Wilfredo “Doghouse” Ledezma tried to continue the Detroit dominance of the Orioles, facing Rodrigo Lopez, who’s gotten excellent run support in all four of his victories. Thus it comes as no surprise that he surrendered three first inning runs with a little help from his friends. Ramon Martinez reached on one of my favorite plays in baseball: The wild pitch called third strike. Carlos Guillen earned (using the term loosely, it was a gift) a four pitch walk to give Rondell White a promising at bat. His three-run home run gave Ledezma a big early lead and hopefully a feeling of confidence (0-3).

Well, he was too confident to start the second. The leadoff man, Sosa, scored with one out after his leadoff double, Palmeiro’s groundout, and Surhoff’s single (1-3). Gomez walked in four pitches and Gibbons gifted Ledezma with out number two. Geronimo Gil proved to be troublesome when he hit a ball that Giarratano misplayed for a two run error (3-3).

The Tigers offense provided a pick-me-up with its three runs with two outs in the second. Logan singled, stole second, and Inge joined him on base with a walk. Martinez plated Logan with his single and scored with Inge on Guillen’s double (3-6). White’s groundout completed the Tigers’ second three run inning. Ledezma responded by retiring the Baltimore third, allowing only a single.

In the bottom half, the Tigers again looked very strong. Rodriguez led off with a single and was chased to third on Young’s double. Monroe brought Rodriguez home with a sac fly, the first of three consecutive fly ball outs (3-7). Giarratano and Logan disappointed since both fouled out to third with Young in scoring position. Ledezma responded with another quiet inning, only allowing another single.

Well, that was it for both the Tigers offense and Ledezma’s tolerable pitching. In the top of the fifth, two walks and a single turned into four runs when Palmeiro tied the game with his grand slam (7-7). That was it for Ledezma and Spurling replaced him effectively for the rest of the fifth and sixth. In the seventh, Jamie Walker started strong and faded. Gomez hit a two out single and Gibbons sent him home with a double (8-7). German ended the inning and pitched into the eighth. David Newhan, leading off the eighth, scored on Giarratano’s second error of the day after doubling and advancing to third on Mora’s groundout (9-7). German was relieved by Creek after striking out Sosa and watched the inning end quietly.

The Tigers threatened in the bottom with the tying men aboard, two out, and Guillen again at bat. Alas, Inge’s double and Martinez’s single were wasted on Guillen’s pop out. Surhoff’s, Gomez’s, and Sal Fasano’s singles were not wasted because Mora hit Baltimore’s second grand slam, putting the game out of reach (13-7). Tejada completed the come-from-behind beating with his solo shot also into left field (14-7).

Game 3 (Final Score: 6-2, Orioles win)

It is hard to imagine a game that ended worse than yesterday’s, but this one fits the bill. There’s nothing quite like giving up a lead by playing poorly. The first inning lead from Dmitri Young’s two out homer with Guillen on and Maroth’s decent performance were squandered in the fifth. Palmeiro’s leadoff single should have been played cleanly but Shelton slipped and couldn’t recover quickly enough to get him out. The Gomez single and Gibbons double were both clean hits but the following play that tied the game is frustrating. Fasano’s certain groundout became a two bagger on Inge’s throwing error (2-2). Ramon Nivar’s groundout scored the go-ahead run and put the Tigers behind for good (3-2). Fasano scored the final run of the fifth on Mora’s single, putting the Tigers down (4-2).

Logan lead off the sixth with a bunt single, stole second and third base, and watched Guillen strike out of for the third out. Not to be out done the Orioles scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh frame on Maroth’s wild pitch and Mora’s sac fly (6-2). Young’s wasted lead off double in the seventh was the highlight of matched 1-2-3 innings the rest of the way.

I hate to be so dismal but this game came as a first class disappointment. The Tigers had a great chance to pick up a series against a team that is playing pretty well and they Detroit Lionsed the game away. This was just a very upsetting performance from a team that seemed to finally be matching decent hitting with good enough pitching. I guess this streak was too good to last. Sorry for raining on everyone’s parade and going negative like a political campaign. I’ll find some good things to say when they play the Dodgers.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
T Giarratano	7	1	1	1	0	1	0.143	0.143
C Guillen	8	2	4	2	1	5	0.500	0.625
O Infante	8	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
B Inge	12	1	3	1	1	4	0.250	0.333
N Logan	9	1	3	0	1	3	0.333	0.333
R Martinez	5	2	2	1	0	2	0.400	0.400
C Monroe	9	0	2	1	0	4	0.222	0.444
I Rodriguez	9	3	3	2	0	7	0.333	0.778
C Shelton	6	1	1	1	0	1	0.167	0.167
M Thames	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
R White	9	2	2	3	0	5	0.222	0.556
V Wilson	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
D Young	13	1	4	2	0	8	0.308	0.615
Totals	101	14	25	14	3	40	0.248	0.396
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
D Creek	1.1	5	5	5	0	1	40.91	4.55
K Farnsworth	1	1	0	0	0	1	0.00	1.00
F German	1	1	1	0	0	1	0.00	1.00
J Johnson	8	6	3	1	1	6	1.13	0.88
W Ledezma	4.1	7	7	5	3	2	10.98	2.44
M Maroth	8	10	6	2	1	1	2.25	1.38
T Percival	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.00
C Spurling	1.2	1	0	0	1	0	0.00	1.67
J Walker	0.2	2	1	1	0	1	45.00	10.00
Totals	27	33	23	14	6	14	4.67	1.44

I really had high hopes for Ledezma. High enough to make him a late round pick in one of my fantasy leagues. But since having a couple of good starts at the end of spring, he has been very effective.

The guys to replace him in the rotation would probably be Ginter (although he hasn’t thrown much) and Spurling. Percival is set to come of the DL, so it will be interesting to see how the pen readjusts to having their closer back.

Yesterdays game was a disappointment. Not the kind of way to end a nice winning streak.

There’s a new Mets blog in town, so be sure to check out the Tom Seaver Fan Club. I’ve been working with Jon because he’s been contemplating doing a 1986 Mets diary similar to the one I’ve done for the 1984 Tigers, 1935 Tigers, and 1975 Reds.

Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Game 1 (Final Score: 8-2, Rangers win)

The Tigers look to continue their recent success during a visit from the red hot Rangers. The first game paired Maroth and Kenny Rogers and they paired first inning runs. Maroth retired the first two men he faced but gave up a triple to Teixeira and an RBI double to Hank Blalock (1-0). Rogers allowed Inge to get ahead in the count and Inge smacked the 2-1 offering over the fences in right (1-1). That was the total of Rogers’ generosity; He two hit the Tigers the rest of the way, abusing his guest privileges. Maroth, however, was in a giving mood, making the visitors feel welcome.

Maroth allowed only one hit in each of the second and third before leaving the barn door open in the fourth. Soriano singled, Mench walked, Chad Allen hit a one out triple scoring both Soriano and Mench, Rod Barajas hit an RBI single, and finally Andres Torres and Michael Young ended the inning (4-1). In the fifth, Maroth gave up a single to Teixeira before striking out the next two batters. Mr. Mench hit a two run homer and Matt Ginter relieved Maroth (6-1).

Ginter started the sixth with two quick outs and a quick single. Torres stole second and scored on Michael Young’s single, who scored in turn on Teixeira’s double (8-1). Blalock singled and Ginter hit Soriano, loading the bases. Kevin Mench took Doug Creek to 3-2 before finally fouling out and ending the inning before it really got out of hand. I’ll give Trammell the benefit of the doubt here and call his relief of Ginter perfect timing.

With six outs left, Chris Shelton made his presence on the big league team felt with a leadoff double. He had to wait two outs until Inge singled him home to score what ended up being a meaningless run (8-2). The Rangers pretty much kicked the Tigers’ teeth in and started the series off wonderfully.

Game 2 (Final Score: 4-6, Tigers win)

Staff ace Bonderman was called on to start a new winning streak for the Tigers against Ryan Drese. The two starters combined to allow just three hits through three innings of play before Bonderman got eaten up by the heart of the Rangers’ order. The top of the fourth went leadoff single (M. Young), one out RBI double (Blalock), two out two run homer (Mench), ending on a Nix strikeout (3-0). The bottom half featured some Tigers offense on a Dmitri Young solo home run and a wasted Rondell White single (3-1). Hidalgo completed the Texas scoring with a leadoff homer in the fifth (4-1). Bonderman only allowed three more base runners before being relieved by Farnsworth in the eighth.

The offense bailed Bonderman out starting (and ending) in the seventh. White and Ivan Rodriguez started the inning with singles and Monroe belted a ground rule double that scored White (4-2). Chris Shelton hit an RBI groundout and Tony Giarratano an RBI single (4-4). Logan reached first and Giarratano third on Drese’s misplay of Logan’s bunt. Doug Brocail was called on to keep the tie but Brandon Inge delivered both runners with a single (4-6). The inning and game went quietly after that with only one single allowed and five Rangers’ strikeouts by Farnsworth and Urbina.

Game 3 (Final Score: 5-6, Tigers win)

It’s Nate Robertson who’s had success against the Rangers this season in the decisive third game. If you watched the first inning, you sure would think it was the other way around. The Rangers started the game with three singles from Torres, Michael Young, and Teixeira with Torres scoring from second on Teixeira’s (1-0). Mench‘s at bat resulted in another Rangers run when he hit into a fielder’s choice to Giarratano, who threw to Infante, who threw the ball away, allowing M. Young to score (2-0). Robertson didn’t allow another run for the next five innings, surviving two walks, a single, a double, and two wild pitches.

The Tigers halved the lead leading off the second when Rondell White hit Chris Young’s 2-0 offering into the seats (2-1). They expunged the Rangers’ lead in the third on White’s second and third RBI, despite striking out twice in the inning. Logan lead off with a single (a disputed play and he actually should have been called out), stole second, and Inge followed him on with a walk. Infante sacrificed the two of them over a base and White scored them with his two out single (2-3).

That’s the way the game looked until the seventh when the Tigers’ defense got sloppy. Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a single and made second on Shelton’s throwing error. Mark DeRosa singled, advancing him to third and setting the table for Torres’ sac fly to tie it back up (3-3). Franklyn German returned to his normal form, allowing a single by M. Young, an RBI single by Teixeira, and a sac fly by Mench (5-3). Fortunately he was relieved in the next inning by Spurling who pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth.

Ex-Tiger Francisco Cordero was given the ball and the lead when he entered to close the book on the Tigers and restart the win streak. He gave up a single to Monroe to lead things off on a full count, a single to Shelton on an 0-2 count, and walked Giarratano to load the bases. Carlos Guillen was called off the bench and hit a sac fly, reducing the lead (5-4). Inge used up the second out missing strike three but Infante hit the next pitch for a single, scoring Shelton (5-5). Infante advanced to third on a fielder’s indifference only to see D. Young foul out, ending regulation baseball.

In the tenth, Urbina allowed a leadoff double and walk before ending the inning on a double play. Nick Regilio was given the job of matching Urbina but he allowed a one out Rodriguez double to turn into the winning run on Monroe’s series winning single (5-6). That’s another one run win and only one win below .500 for the good guys. I’m looking forward to the next series against the Indians where I hope we can pick up some more games in the Central.

Hitters AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
T Giarratano	5	1	2	1	2	2	0.400	0.400
C Guillen	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.000	0.000
O Infante	10	0	2	1	1	2	0.200	0.200
B Inge	12	2	5	4	0	8	0.417	0.667
N Logan	9	2	2	0	0	2	0.222	0.222
R Martinez	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
C Monroe	13	2	4	2	0	5	0.308	0.385
I Rodriguez	12	2	2	0	0	3	0.167	0.250
C Shelton	10	2	4	1	0	5	0.400	0.500
M Thames	2	0	0	0	1	0	0.000	0.000
R White	9	2	4	3	0	7	0.444	0.778
V Wilson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
D Young	12	1	1	1	0	4	0.083	0.333
Totals	99	14	26	14	4	38	0.263	0.384
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
J Bonderman	7.1	10	4	4	0	6	5.07	1.41
D Creek	1.1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.00
K Farnsworth	0.2	0	0	0	0	2	0.00	0.00
F German	1.2	4	1	1	0	0	7.50	3.33
M Ginter	1	4	2	2	0	1	18.00	4.00
M Maroth	4.2	9	6	6	1	5	12.86	2.38
N Robertson	6.1	7	4	3	2	4	4.43	1.48
C Spurling	3	2	0	0	1	1	0.00	1.00
U Urbina	2	1	0	0	1	4	0.00	1.00
Totals	28	37	17	16	5	24	5.14	1.50

Jason Smith was sent. I like this move.

Tony Giarratano made the most of his first major league game. He really caught Tram’s eye by having a great spring training, and after going a rather mediocre .253/.330/.388 for the Erie Seawolves, Giarratano went two for three and he drove in the tying run with a single. He’d later score the go ahead run on a Brandon Inge single.

Jeremy Bonderman improved to 6-3 with a decent outing. These two teams square off tomorrow in the rubber game in a go away day game.

Game 1 (Final Score: 4-3, Tigers win)

Robertson’s opponent in the first game of the Memorial Day weekend series was Sidney Ponson, who boasts a winning record even though he sports an ERA over five. Playing to his average, Ponson started the game with a Brandon Inge double. After overcoming Infante and Young, Rondell White hit Ponson’s 0-2 pitch for a single, which sent Inge home for an early Tigers’ lead (1-0). Robertson bettered his opponent for most of the game, especially in the second when he got out of a one out, two men on jam with a nicely turned double play.

Ponson was solid for two innings until he allowed the leadoff man to score in the fourth. Young did all the work himself belting his seventh homerun of the year (2-0). In what looked to be a promising inning, Rodriguez’s double and Pena’s walk were wasted by some poor hitting from Monroe and Smith. Robertson and Ponson settled in to pitch a pretty good game, trading zeros for another couple innings until Young lead off the sixth successfully with an infield single. He advanced to third on a pair of groundouts and scored on Monroe’s home run (4-0). Robertson matched Ponson in the bottom half by giving up a leadoff triple to Brian Roberts, who scored on Jeff Fiorentino’s groundout (4-1).

Robertson lasted midway through the eighth before giving way to Farnsworth. He allowed a single to Surhoff and four pitch walk to Geronimo Gil before getting Roberts and Fiorentino out. Farnsworth allowed run scoring singles to Melvin Mora and Miguel Tejada before finally ending the inning (4-3). Urbina came in to finish the game off even though it looked like he wouldn’t make it that far. The first two outs were sandwiched between a leadoff double and two walks before Urbina got Fiorentino to swing and miss at strike three.

Game 2 (Final Score: 5-3, Tigers win)

Ex-Oriole Jason “Hard Luck” Johnson started this game with the fans hoping he pitches well enough to win and actually does this time. Rookie Hayden Penn, pitching in his first game, was probably pleased to be facing a slumping Tigers lineup that hasn’t given Johnson enough support to win since the middle of April. The first major league hit he allowed was a single, which isn’t so bad, but the second was a solo home run to Craig Monroe in the top of the second, which he probably wants back (1-0). He got a nice pick-me-up from Tejada in the bottom when Johnson gave him a 2-1 pitch he could drive out of the park (1-1).

The Orioles struck again, this time in the fourth when Melvin Mora converted Surhoff’s leadoff triple into the go-ahead run on his single (1-2). That was two hits, one run, all in three pitches by Johnson. Compare this to the long inning Penn had in the top half. He gave the Tigers a single and two walks but no runs. Riding the rollercoaster called Johnson is very frustrating.

In the fifth inning much fun was had by the bats. Logan singled and stole second before Inge walked. Guillen’s groundout advanced both runners, so with first base open, the Orioles walked Young intentionally. White made them pay, kind of, when his grounder scored Logan but forced Young out at second (2-2). Next up was Rodriguez who smacked a double, scoring Inge and giving Monroe runners on second and third and a new pitcher (3-2). Todd Williams induced another groundout to end the top half. The bottom half was quiet unless you count the seven pitch at bat ending in a Rafael Palemeiro homerun (3-3).

Johnson and Williams combined to keep the next two innings scoreless. Williams’ relief, Jorge Julio, got White easily enough only to see Rodriguez single, steal second, and make third on Monroe’s fly. Home base came at a trot for Rodriguez because Infante belted the 1-1 pitch over the fence in left center for two runs, and the final margin of victory (5-3).

Game 3 (Final Score: 8-6, Tigers win)

Ledezma got the nod to finish the series with Baltimore. He stranded three baserunners through three innings before surrendering the Tigers’ fourth inning lead (Dmitri Young scored on Sosa’s error). He issued two walks that were quickly real trouble after Chris Gomez’s sacrifice. Jay Gibbons had men on second and third (one out) that he did just enough with, scoring Tejada on his groundout (1-1). The Tigers answered in the fifth with men on second and third (two out), oh, and first also. Ramon Martinez was less effective since his effort ended in a pop fly out, ruining a great scoring chance.

The bottom of the fifth saw the exit of Ledezma. He allowed two more runs on Surhoff’s triple and was replaced by Chris Spurling (1-3). Spurling bettered Mora and intentionally walked Tejada and faced Sammy Sosa with two on, one out. Sosa’s single scored a run, Gomez’s double scored a run, and Gil’s sac fly scored a third run before Spurling could mercifully end the inning (1-6). Young’s leadoff homer in the top of the sixth got a run back but it looked to be too little, too late (2-6).

It looked that way, for an entire inning or so anyway. Wilson drew a leadoff walk and Bruce Chen was finally relieved, to the Tigers’ relief as it turned out. Logan and Inge hit singles to give Martinez the bases loaded. He flied out. Young plated two with his double and Monroe did the rest with his three-run shot (7-6). That wasn’t all. Rodriguez hit a double, Thames walked, and Infante hit an RBI single (8-6). Wilson returned to the plate to end the inning on a double play but I can’t say I care since he started this inning off so nicely. Farnsworth, German, and Urbina combined for two hits the rest of the way and delivered to the Tigers’ fans a shiny new series sweep.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
C Guillen	5	0	1	0	0	1	0.200	0.200
O Infante	12	1	3	3	1	7	0.250	0.583
B Inge	12	3	3	0	2	4	0.250	0.333
N Logan	12	2	4	0	0	5	0.333	0.417
R Martinez	5	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
C Monroe	12	3	4	6	1	13	0.333	1.083
C Pena	3	0	1	0	1	1	0.333	0.333
I Rodriguez	13	2	5	1	0	8	0.385	0.615
J Smith	8	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
M Thames	4	0	1	0	1	1	0.250	0.250
R White	8	0	2	1	0	2	0.250	0.250
V Wilson	3	1	1	0	1	1	0.333	0.333
D Young	12	5	6	4	1	13	0.500	1.083
Totals	109	17	31	15	8	56	0.284	0.514
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
K Farnsworth	1.1	3	0	0	0	1	0.00	2.73
F German	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
J Johnson	8	7	3	3	1	3	3.38	1.00
W Ledezma	4	3	4	4	5	3	9.00	2.00
N Robertson	7.2	6	3	3	1	1	3.75	0.97
C Spurling	2	4	2	2	2	2	9.00	3.00
J Walker	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0.00	5.00
U Urbina	3	1	0	0	2	1	0.00	1.00
Totals	27	25	12	12	11	11	4.00	1.33

The time has come to do something about Wilfredo Ledezma. He is not a competitive major-league starter. This year, he has nine starts and eight disasters. His one quality start — and you can interpret “quality start” either philosophically or statistically — was his first start of the year, in April, against a Cleveland team that hadn’t yet brought its bats up from Spring Training. Leaving out that game, in which the Tigers jumped all over Cleveland for eleven runs, Ledezma hasn’t reached the seventh inning, has only given up fewer than four runs one time (and he left that game at the beginning of the sixth), and has only struck out more than three batters twice. All his outings are short, labored, inefficient, and ineffective.

But what to do? Ledezma has always had tantalizing stuff — a live fastball and a legitimate change. When he spent much of 2003 with the Tigers as a Rule V pick from the Red Sox, it looked like he might turn into a major-league pitcher some day, though he was clearly inefficient, clearly wild, and clearly prone to the long ball. It doesn’t appear he’s gotten any better.

Should he be sent down to the minors? He’s not quite so young anymore — 24 — and he dominated AA last year. Could he use some seasoning in AAA? Perhaps, but I’m not sure what the point is, though I suppose he could use the innings

Should he be dangled as trade bait? Maybe. It’s easy to see some team like the Devil Rays that gets themselves enamored of toolsy prospects thinking they can fix Ledezma. (By the way, aren’t the Devil Rays an amazing collection of failed prospects? Ben Grieve, Travis Lee, Alex Gonzalez, Josh Phelps, etc.)

Should he be put in the bullpen? Probably. He’s got two dominant pitches, and throws hard. If the Tigers have any aspirations to contend, the Ledezma starting pitching experiment has to end, and soon. He can be allowed to work out his kinks in a lower-leverage role, and perhaps find a niche.

Sound the horns. Prepare the feasts. Send out the banns. Let the Sean Douglass era begin.

Game 1 (Final score: 3-12, Yankees win)

After a disappointing series loss to the D-Backs, the Tigers square off against the Yankees, a team they’ve had success against the last few years, at the House that Ruth Built. The ’05 edition of the Yanks sports a record similar to the Tigers’ but at a much higher cost per loss. On to actual game commentary, Ledezma and Mussina combined for a quiet first inning before Ledezma started allowing runs in the second.

It was only a solo shot to Alex Rodriguez, but it’s still allowing the other team to score first on the road (0-1). Things were dandy until the fourth rolled around and Ledezma started giving up the long ball again. Gary Sheffield’s leadoff walk was really painful when A. Rodriguez again hit a home run (0-3). Fortunately that meant the bases were clear when Posada came up and hit a home run (0-4). The fourth inning hemorrhaging continued when Jason Giambi scored from third on Robinson Cano’s sac fly, after his double and Bernie Williams’ single (0-5). Ledezma did great during the top of the fifth when he didn’t pitch, but the bottom half didn’t go so well. Sheffield scored Womack (reach on an error) and himself on his homerun and Ledezma was replaced (0-7). Ginter proceeded to give up a double, walk, and three run homer, and a double digit deficit (0-10). After the fifth consecutive batter he faced reached safely, Spurling entered and was greeted by Cano’s RBI double play ball (0-11). Derek Jeter mercifully ended another big Yankees inning with a fly out.

The Tigers’ offense made it to New York to start the eighth inning. Paul Quantrill started things off with a pair of infield singles before getting a double play from the speedster Vance Wilson (out at first and second). Now things became ugly. Quantrill threw behind and then into Jason Smith (why him, I don’t know) before he and Torre were ejected. He took umbrage with German’s beaning of A. Rodriguez in the seventh. His replacement served up a nice fat pitch to Thames, who hit it for four bases and three RBI (3-11). Alas, that was all for the Tigers bats. Cano’s homer off Creek in the bottom half ended the scoring, making the beat down complete (3-12).

Game 2 (Final Score: 2-4, Yankees win)

Maroth versus Wang (I’ll refrain from any jokes here even though this is one of my favorite euphemisms: Yes, I’m eight years old, but it’s funny). Again, the Yankees strike first, this time in the first. Jeter scored from second, after his single and Cano’s sacrifice, on Sheffield’s single and the Tigers were behind again (0-1). Wang cleaned house the first time through the Tigers’ order before allowing two singles to Inge and Guillen and an RBI sacrifice to I. Rodriguez (1-1) in the fourth.

Maroth stayed even with Wang through five before failing to record an out in the sixth. A walk, single, an A. Rodriguez RBI double, and a two RBI Posada single chased him in favor of Jamie Walker (1-4). I’ve noticed that Trammell sends in the relief just past the nick of time quite frequently and I really wonder why. Walker, Maroth’s relief, ended the inning quickly, but not before the damage was done.

The Tigers came right back in the top of the seventh and worked on Wang a little bit. Wang was looking flaccid (Sorry!) when White waklked on one pitch – an HBP – and followed it up by issuing Monroe a one out single. Stanton replaced him and Ramon Martinez replaced Pena in a runners at the corners, one out situation. Martinez delivered one run on a single bringing the Tigers closer, only to see Thames pop out against Tanyon Sturtze for the second out (2-4). Infante was looking really good when Sturtze threw a wild pitch advancing Martinez and Monroe to second and third respectively before he missed strike three. Gordon and Rivera closed the game out without difficulty, earning the Yankees a series victory.

Game 3 (Final Score: 3-4, Yankees win)

Bonderman got the start against Kevin Brown to attempt to avoid the sweep from New York’s Swiffer. The Yankees struck first early, once again in the bottom of the second. ARod drew a one out walk and advanced to third on Tino Martinez’s double. Posada hit the next pitch at Pena, who muffed it, scoring ARod and putting Bonderman into a hole (0-1). After two strikes to Giambi, Bonderman plunked him and faced the intrepid Robinson “Crusoe” Cano. Cano hit into a double play to kill the inning.

The Tigers jumped on Brown in the third with one out when Inge went for extra bases with a double. Martinez hit an 0-2 pitch for a single, Inge scored, and Dmitri Young came up (1-1). Young hit the second double of the inning and made it to third on Jeter’s throwing error, giving the Tigers their first lead of the series (2-1). White hit the next pitch for an infield single only to see IRod hit into an inning ending double play. Bonderman came in to hold the third inning lead and made things interesting. Womack (later caught stealing), Sheffield, and Matsui hit singles but Bonderman stranded them when he got ARod swinging.

In the fourth the Tigers got good lumber on Brown’s pitches. Monroe hit a leadoff single only to go down with Pena on a strike’em out, throw’em out double play. Jason Smith stepped up and hit a triple, scoring on Logan’s single (3-1). The Yankees got to Bonderman in the bottom with some help from the Tigers defense. Martinez and Posada singled, Giambi struck out, and Cano entered the box. He hit a double play ball to short but Ramon Martinez missed the out at second (Yup, no outs this time) giving Jeter the bases loaded. He converted on a fielder’s choice when T. Martinez scored (3-2). Womack jumped on the first pitch and sent it straight to short, ending the inning.

In the fifth is when Bonderman got really unlucky. He started all five batters with strike one but allowed a one out single to Matsui and a two run homer to ARod to give up the lead (3-4). It was nice while it lasted. The rest of the inning went quietly like the rest of the game. Call it a Swiffer for New York.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB	AVG	SLG
C Guillen	6	0	1	0	0	1	0.167	0.167
O Infante	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
B Inge	14	3	5	0	0	6	0.357	0.429
N Logan	7	0	1	1	0	1	0.143	0.143
R Martinez	9	1	5	2	0	5	0.556	0.556
C Monroe	11	0	3	0	0	3	0.273	0.273
C Pena	10	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
I Rodriguez	9	0	2	1	0	3	0.222	0.333
J Smith	5	2	2	0	0	4	0.400	0.800
M Thames	6	1	2	3	0	5	0.333	0.833
R White	9	1	5	0	0	5	0.556	0.556
V Wilson	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000
D Young	12	0	2	1	1	4	0.167	0.333
Totals	103	8	28	8	1	37	0.272	0.359
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
J Bonderman	6	9	4	3	2	4	4.50	1.83
D Creek	1.1	2	1	1	1	2	8.18	2.73
K Farnsworth	1.1	1	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.91
F German	1.2	1	0	0	2	4	0.00	2.50
M Ginter	0	4	4	4	1	0	BAD	BAD
W Ledezma	4	7	7	6	0	1	13.50	1.75
M Maroth	5	8	4	4	3	2	7.20	2.20
C Spurling	2	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.00
J Walker	2.2	1	0	0	0	2	0.00	0.45
Totals	23	33	20	18	9	17	7.04	1.83

I met up with bloggers Billfer, Rob, and Brian to watch the Tigers at Duggans. We had a lively conversation that ranged from Brandon Inge’s surgance (I know that’s not a word, but you can’t say he had a resurgance because there was no re-) to Lou Whitaker getting shafted by falling off the Hall of Fame ballot.

I look forward to the next get together.

We picked a location, and for those of you who are interested, Billfer and I are meeting at Duggans in Royal Oak at 7 pm on Thursday. Click on Duggans for a map of the location.

For those of you who like to sit and talk about baseball while enjoying an adult beverage, this will be for you.

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