Always A Tiger

[mfbmike]

Big news/update coming! :fighter:

[mfbmike]

Tigers Get "Young"er



It was last December that Rangers shortstop Michael Young was informed hat the team wanted him to play third base to clear shortstop for Elvis Andrus, 20, one of the team's top prospects. Young also went vocal with his request for a trade shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately for Young, the trade never came, until now, one month into the 2009 season and the Rangers at 4-18 and in the AL West cellar.

When it became clear that the current setup in Texas wasn't working, news of the Rangers shopping the five time all-star spread fast and the Tigers were quick to jump at the opportunity.

The Tigers were able to acquire Young from the Rangers for pitcher Armando Galarraga and infield Ramon Santiago, who also expressed his unhappiness in Detroit recently. The move helps beef up an already strong Tigers lineup in hopes of contending in the AL Central.

Young, who is batting .280 with 9 RBI's so far this season, fills several needs for the Tigers. In addition to bolstering the lineup, Young is a former gold-glove winner.

"He gives us everything we're looking for," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He gives us an extra infield bat. He gives us speed. He gives us defense. He brings a lot to the table."

"We didn't want the season to get too far gone before we made some moves," Leyland added. "We thought an aggressive move would put our club in good position."

"After spending the first eight years of my career in Texas, being productive, making sure I was on the field, I didn't think I would be in position where I would be told exactly what was going to happen, where my job would be taken from me like it had been," Young told reporters.

"I feel like I made a lot of sacrifices," he added. "I've been incredibly loyal. I did everything I could for the team, did everything I've been asked to do. That's all I've been about as a Ranger, doing what's best for my teammates, being accountable to them, being available to them."

"At the same time, it's a fine line. "Team player" is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. It's a term that I think is very sacred. But at the same time, it's a two-way street between the player and the organization.

"I feel like some of those barriers were broken down. I'm definitely excited about Detroit though, but I really haven't been able to kind of sit back yet and think about it."

Young will take over duties at second base, where he started his career, until Placido Polanco's return from a broken forearm injury. Carlos Guillen was previously covering at second, and while he has performed well, he will take over the role of designated hitter from Marcus Thames, who has struggled to get the bat going after a hot start, will return to the bench.

When Polanco returns, Leyland will have to make some decisions as to who will start and who will not. Adam Everett seems to be most likely to be sent to the bench, as his defense (which is why he was brought to the Tigers this offseason) hasn't been quite up to the expectations of the Tigers up to this point.

The Tigers moved Edwin Jackson into the starting pitching rotation and recalled relief pitcher Nate Robinson from Triple-A Toledo to fill the empty spot on the 25 man roster.

Tigers Current Lineup:

LF Josh Anderson
CF Curtis Granderson
3B Magglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Michael Young
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Brandon Inge
C Gerald Laird
SS Adam Everett

[Justo]

:jizz: nice trade, Young should give you nice bat at the 5 spot

[T.Dot]

great trade, rofl at trading Santss

[mfbmike]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty excited to get things going with him. :D

Worked out great considering the trade rumors that have been surrounding him. I didn't even realize it until I started doing some research.

Giving up Galarraga was tough but the rest of my pitching staff has been solid and at least the Rangers have a young pitcher they can build around now. Santiago can also play SS, 2B, or 3rd for them. Worst case scenario though, Santiago doesn't work out, they can let him go at the end of the season. Same applies with Galarraga. But they definitely cut some costs by letting Young go.

He's 32 and is on a 5 year contract.

[mfbmike]

Division Rival Series Preview:

(14-11 , 3rd in AL Central) vs (15-10, 1st in AL Central)


Comerica Park in Detroit

Projected Matchups:

Game 1:


Justin Verlander 2-2 , 2.39 ERA | Francisco Liriano 1-2 , 4.73 ERA

Game 2:


Edwin Jackson 1-1 , 3.21 ERA | Kevin Slowey 2-1 , 3.19 ERA

Twins Lineup:

LF Denard Span
2B Alexi Casilla
1B Justin Morneau
3B Joe Crede
DH Jason Kubel
LF Delmon Young
CF Carlos Gomez
SS Nick Punto
C Mike Redmond

Division Standings/Wild Card Race:

[mfbmike]

Team Stats/MLB Rankings Comparison:

[mfbmike]

Bullpen Does It's Job; Tigers Get Back Into The Win Column

(14-11) vs (15-10)


Michael Young went 2 for 4 in his Tigers debut, including this single to right field.

It was a near miss as Detroit was able to take a close contest against Minnesota in this one.

A crowd of 22,979 fans at Comerica Park went home happy tonight, as they saw their Tigers pull out a close 2-0 win over the divisional rival Twins. Working the first 6 innings, Just Verlander allowd no runs on 6 hits, to claim his 3rd win of the season. It wasn't exactly a great day offensively for the team, but they were "led" by Magglio Ordonez and his 1 for 4, 2 RBI performance.

The Tigers and Twins will wrap up their 2 game series under the lights at Comerica Park tomorrow night, as the home team gives the starting assignment to Edwin Jackson (1-1 , 3.21 ERA) while the visitors will turn to Kevin Slowey (2-1 , 3.19 ERA). .



Tigers Pitching:
Justin Verlander (W, 2-1) 6IP | 6H | 0ER | 0BB | 5SO | 2.06 ERA
Ryan Perry (H, 1) 2IP | 1H | 0ER | 0BB | 2SO | 5.78 ERA
Fernando Rodney (S, 9) 1IP | 2H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 0.77

Twins Pitching:
Francisco Liriano (L, 1-3) 7IP | 7H | 2ER | 0BB | 1SO | 4.27 ERA
R.A. Dickey 1IP | 0H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 1.35 ERA

Tigers Lineup:
CF Curtis Granderson 0-3
2B Michael Young 2-4 | K
RF Magglio Ordonez 1-4
1B Miguel Cabrera 1-4
DH Carlos Guillen 1-3
3B Brandon Inge 0-2
C Gerald Laird 0-3 | K
LF Clete Thomas 0-3
SS Adam Everett 1-3

RBI: Ordonez 2 (17)
R: Everett , Granderson
HBP: Inge
GIDP: Inge

Twins Lineup:
LF Denard Span 1-4
2B Alexi Casilla 1-1
1B Justin Morneau 0-4
3B Joe Crede 1-4 | 2K
DH Jason Kubel 1-4 | 2K
LF Delmon Young 2-4 | K
SS Nick Punto 0-3 | K
CF Carlos Gomez 1-4 | K
C Mike Redmond 1-4

2B Michael Cuddyer 1-3
PH Brian Buscher 0-1 | K

2B: Cuddyer (6)
GIDP: Cuddyer

SB: Casilla (6) , Gomez (12)

Player Of The Game:

Justin Verlander

Verlander was pulled in the 7th due to fatigue, but had a solid outing. The bullpen held up and helped him earn his 3rd win of the season.

[Justo]

you got the box score up from the indians game, but good job gettin the win

[Miggy]

Young FTW but giving away Galarraga FTL. hopefully Young produces for you

[mfbmike]

great outing for Verlander, Young is great as a Tiger.

Yeah, I'm pretty stoked to have him. Now if only I can have all my starters with enough energy to play a whole game. My guys are tired as shit so I had to use Young in the 2 spot and will more than likely have to do the same in the next game.

Young FTW but giving away Galarraga FTL. hopefully Young produces for you

galarraga is pretty good so the trade has some positives and negatives imo. but nice close win

Yeah, trust me. If I could've kept Galarraga, I would've but I've never been one to rip off the computer teams in trades. He was doing well for me but the Rangers desperately needed to bolster their pitching staff and at the same time shed some salary. Of all my starting pitchers though, he had the fewest strikeouts and a slightly higher ERA with only 1 win.

Edwin Jackson gets to move back into the starting lineup and he's been a lot better this time around than he was in my 1st Tigers chise. :D

Wish I was off from work today. All I want to do is go home and get more games in with my new squad. lol.

[mfbmike]

Updates coming. Twins got owned!

[mfbmike]

AL ERA Leaders:

[mfbmike]

Jackson Shines In 1st Start Of 2009; Solo Shots Account For Most Of Tigers Offense

(15-11) vs (15-11)


Miguel Cabrera was dialed in against Kevin Slowey, blasting 2 solo shots in his first 2 at bats.

Breakout the brooms folks. After a discouraging sweep to the Indians, the Tigers have bounced back, sweeping the Twin in a short two game series.

A crowd for 24,006 fans saw the hometown tigers get a win over the Twins, a 4-0 decision that went the Tigers way. Miguel Cabrera drilled two home runs, both solo shots, to set the pace for the club. Edwin Jackson was the star on the mound, hurling 7 scoreless frames in his 1st start of the season, and picking up his 2nd win of the season.

The Tigers go to Chicago to start a new series with the White Sox tomorrow night with Jeremy Bonderman (1-1 , 1.51 ERA) set to take on Gavin Floyd (3-1 , 1.80 ERA) under the lights at U.S. Cellular Field in southside Chcago. Carlos Guillen hopes to add to his 12-game hitting streak.



Tigers Pitching:
Edwin Jackson (W, 2-1) 7IP | 1H | 0ER | 1BB | 4SO | 2.14 ERA
Joel Zumaya (S, 3) 2IP | 0H | 0ER | 0BB | 3SO | 4.09 ERA

Twins Pitching:
Kevin Slowey (L, 2-2) 7IP | 4H | 3ER | 0BB | 2SO | 3.31 ERA
Jesse Crain 1IP | 3H | 1ER | 0BB | 0SO | 3.20 ERA

Tigers Lineup:
LF Josh Anderson 0-3
2B Michael Young 1-4 | K
RF Magglio Ordonez 1-4
1B Miguel Cabrera 2-4
DH Carlos Guillen 1-3 | K
3B Brandon Inge 0-2
CF Clete Thomas 0-3
C Matt Treanor 0-3
SS Adam Everett 2-3

HR: Cabrera 2 (11) , Guillen (3)
RBI: Ordonez (18) , Cabrera 2 (21) , Guillen (12)
R: Everett , Cabrera 2 , Guillen
SAC: Anderson

Twins Lineup:
LF Denard Span 0-3 | BB | 2K
LF Delmon Young 1-4 | K
1B Justin Morneau 0-3
3B Joe Crede 0-3
DH Jason Kubel 0-2
CF Carlos Gomez 0-3 | K
2B Michael Cuddyer 0-3 | K
SS Nick Punto 0-3 | 2K
C Mike Redmond 0-3

HBP: Kubel
GIDP: Crede

Player Of The Game:

Miguel Cabrera

Cabrera batted 2 for 4 with 2 solo shots for his 10th and 11th dingers of the season.

[Mit]

Nice win.