Always A Tiger

[Justo]

nice job to hold on for the walk-off win.

[Mit]

Love the headline for the game, Mike. Nice win, despite blowing the lead in the 8th and the 9th.

[mfbmike]

With Thames Struggling, Hessman To Take Over DH Duties



After starting off 2009 red hot, Marcus Thames has descended back to earth and is struggling. Struggling might actually be an understatement. Marcus had a tough month of May batting only .189 with 1 homer and 8 RBI's.

When Carlos Guillen went down with an inflamed hip nearly a month ago, the Tigers called up 30-year old utility player Mike Hessman and when given at-bats, he has shined.

In 37 at-bats this season with the Tigers since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo, Hessman has hit for a sweet .351 with 2 homers and 6 RBI, including a homer and a walkoff RBI single in the Tigers win against the Red Sox lastnight.

Tigers Manager Jim Leyland has decided to bench Thames and insert Hessman into the starting lineup to bat 6th as the Tigers designated hitter. At least until Guillen returns from injury.

Is this the year Thames gets traded? The trade winds are blowing and it is rumored that Marcus Thames has been named as a player the Tigers have made available.

In the past when Thames name was floated, it was usually in an effort to acquire another big league player, like a relief pitcher. But with the pen seemingly in decent shape at the moment, this is more a matter of balancing a crowded outfield situation.

The starters are pretty well set (Anderson or Guillen/Granderson/Ordonez) and the bench is tight and predominantly right handed. Working against Thames are his right handedness and the fact he can’t really back up in centerfield. Other right handers like Ryan Raburn can play all 3 outfield positions. The same with Clete Thomas.

A decision regarding the Thames situation will have to be made soon as Guillen is expected to return from his hip injury within the week..

[mfbmike]

Great walk off win mike. Does Dice-K pitch really slowly? Cause he did in 2K9.

You mean like his windup? Yeah, he definitely takes a while to go through his routine when he isn't throwing from the stretch.

Rodney just wanted his first win

rofl no kidding, forced Edwin Jackson to get the no decision and then take the win.

Then busted one of these walking to his car after the game.

lulz

[Yawkey Way]

nice update, damn them for still have dice-k in the rotation.

good luck in game 3 CWUTIDIDTHAR?

[albidnis]

Those bastards always comeback...

[mfbmike]

Tigers Can't Solve Beckett; Only Able To Muster Up 4 Hits In Game 2 Loss

(31-21) vs (29-23)


Miguel Cabrera's solo shot off his former teammate Josh Beckett accounted for all of the Tigers offense in the loss.

The Tigers ended up on the wrong side of a 5-1 tally in Detroit tonight, as the Red Sox collected the win in front of 40,364 fans at Comerica Park, evening up the series at a game a piece. Miguel Cabrera was 1 for 3 with a solo home run, providing the only Tigers offense in this one. Losing pitcher Jeremy Bonderman soaked up the innings for his club, tossing 7 and a third frames, but quality is more than quantity in this case, as he gave up 5 runs on 10 hits.

The two teams will conclude their series tomorrow afternoon at Comerica, with Rick Porcello (4-3 , 3.70 ERA) going for the Tigers against Brad Pennt (3-3 , 4.26 ERA) and the Red Sox.



Tigers Pitching:
Jeremy Bonderman (L, 3-3) 7.1IP | 10H | 5ER | 0BB | 3SO | 2.18 ERA
Ryan Perry 1.2IP | 0H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 1.72 ERA

Red Sox Pitching:
Josh Beckett (W, 5-3) 9IP | 4H | 1ER | 0BB | 5SO | 3.71 ERA

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

HR: Cabera (18)
RBI: Cabrera (45)
R: Cabrera
SAC: Laird
GIDP: Cabrera

Red Sox Lineup:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury 0-4 | K
2B Dustin Pedroia 2-4 | K
1B Kevin Youkilis 2-4
DH David Ortiz 0-4
LF Jason Bay 2-4
RF J.D. Drew 1-4
3B Mike Lowell 1-4 | K
C Jason Varitek 0-4 | K
SS Jed Lowrie 2-4

2B: Youkilis (10)
HR: Pedroia (1) , Youkilis (9) , Bay (10)
RBI: Pedroia (24) , Youkilis 2 (29) , Bay 2 (5)
R: Pedroia , Youkilis 2 , Bay , Lowrie
GIDP: Youkilis

Player Of The Game:

Josh Beckett

The Tigers had a hard time figuring out Beckett as he allowed only 1 run in a complete game outing.

[Mit]

Tough loss against the Sox. Bonderman is having one hell of a year in terms of ERA, so I was surprised to see him allow 5 runs.

[mfbmike]

Tigers Rally In 8th Thanks To Red Sox Bullpen Failures

(31-22) vs (30-23)


Michael Young blasted a 3 run shot on a Manny Delcarmen curve ball that busted this rubberband match wide open.

It was a good night for the host Tigers, as they outscored the Red Sox 7-2 in front of 40,893 fans at Comerica Park today. Michael Young slugged a home run (his 2nd of the series) and drove in 3 runs, going 2 for 4 at the plate to lead the offensive surge. Rick Porcello worked 7 innings, allowing 2 runs and 3 hits, and while that was good enough for a quality start, it wasn't good enough for a win. Ryan Perry vultured the win (his 2nd of the season) out of the bullpen, coming into a 2-2 game and working 1 inning allowing no runs on 1 hit in relief of Porcello.

Additionally, despite coming down with the flu, DH Mike Hessman was able to keep it going at the plate, hitting 3 for 4. He is now listed as day to day.

The Tigers being a series tomorrow night with the Angels, in a pitching matchup featuring Dontrelle Willis (6-1 , 3.69 ERA) and Shane Loux (1-5, 8.62 ERA).



Tigers Pitching:
Rick Porcello 7IP | 3H | 2ER | 0BB | 5SO | 3.59 ERA
Ryan Perry (W, 2-2) 1IP | 1H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 1.62 ERA
Fernando Rodney 1IP | 2H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 1.45 ERA

Red Sox Pitching:
Brad Penny 6.1IP | 7H | 2ER | 0BB | 2SO | 4.11 ERA
Manny Delcarmen (L, 2-1) 1IP | 3H | 4ER | 0BB | 2SO | 2.27 ERA
Ramon Ramirez 0.2IP | 2H | 1ER | 0BB | 1SO | 5.27 ERA

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

2B: Hessman (2)
HR: Cabera (19) , Young (3) , Inge (6)
RBI: Ordonez (39) , Cabrera (46) , Young 3 (22) , Laird (15) , Inge (19)
R: Anderson , Ordonez , Cabrera 2 , Young , Hessman , Inge
HBP: Anderson

E: Young (3)

Red Sox Lineup:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury 3-4
2B Dustin Pedroia 0-4
1B Kevin Youkilis 0-4
DH David Ortiz 1-4 | K
LF Jason Bay 1-4
RF J.D. Drew 0-4 | 2K
3B Mike Lowell 0-3 | 2K
C Jason Varitek 1-3 | K
SS Jed Lowrie 0-3 | K

2B: Ortiz (10)
HR: Ellsbury (5) , Varitek (4)
RBI: Ellsbury (23) , Varitek (13)
R: Ellsbury , Varitek

SB: Ellsbury (33)
CS: Ellsbury (4)

Player Of The Game:

Michael Young

Young earned his first POTG honors as a Tiger, hitting his 3rd dinger of the year and bringing in 3 runs.

[mfbmike]

Series Review:



Things We Did Well:

- Michael Young batting out of the 5 spot seems to be the way to go. He hit 2 homers this series, which is double what he came into this series with. Also brought in 7 runs.

- Mike Hessman. Underrated? I think so. This guy brought in the game winning single in game 1, managed to get a hit off of Beckett when my entire lineup was struggling in game 2, and went 3 for 4 in game 3 while suffering with the flu. Messenger used to talk about this guy all the time. Guillen going down with an injury was a blessing in disguise. This guy may have never gotten a chance otherwise.

- As a team, I thought we hit the ball very well and converted on a lot of scoring opportunities. Your going to have to score runs if you want to beat a team like the Red Sox, and our guys were up to challenge. Except for in game 2 of course.

Things We Didn't Do Well:

- Gave up 8 homers in the series. The wind was blowing out to the outfield for a majority of the series. Both teams hit a lot of homers. I can't beat myself up that bad but still, giving up home runs is BAD.

- Not very active on the basepaths this series. Varitek has a cannon behind home plate. For as valuable as my base runners were, I wasn't really in the mood to risk getting them thrown out.

[mfbmike]

League Roundup:





- Activated SS J.J. Hardy from the disabled list
- Activated Yovani Gallardo from the disabled list
- Optioned Sp Nick Green to Triple-A Nashville
- Optioned RP Jorge Julio to Triple-A Nashville





- Placed SS Jhonny Peralya on the 15-day disabled list (Broken Shin)
- Recalled SP Jeremy Sowers from Triple-A Columbus





- Placed 2B Luis Castillo on the 15-day disabled list (MCL Sprain)
- Recalled CF Cory Sullivan from Triple-A Buffalo





- Placed SP Hiroki Kuroda on the 60-day disabled list (Shoulder Separation)
- Recalled RP Eric Stults from Triple-A Albuquerque

[mfbmike]

Series Preview:

(32-22 , 1st in AL Central) vs (27-27, 1st in AL West)


Comerica Park in Detroit

Projected Matchups:

Game 1:


Dontrelle Willis 6-1 , 3.69 ERA | Shane Loux 1-5 , 8.62 ERA

Game 2:


Justin Verlander 4-4 , 2.82 ERA | Jered Weaver 4-5 , 3.72 ERA

Game 3:


Edwin Jackson 3-1 , 3.54 ERA | Joe Saunders 4-4 , 5.26 ERA

Angels Lineup:

3B Chone Figgins
LF Bobby Abreu
RF Vladimir Guerrero
C Mike Napoli
DH Juan Rivera
2B Howie Kendrick
CF Gary Matthews Jr.
SS Erick Aybar
1B Kendry Morales

Division Standings/Wild Card Race:

[Miggy]

Miguel Cabrera beasted that last series against the Sox! BTW watch out with my boy Abreu he can hit bombs

[mfbmike]

Could just be due to a small sample size (just a handful of at bats) too. Be interesting to see how he does over the next 20 or so games. Finding these "gems" is what makes a franchise so interesting. Josh Anderson was that guy for me on 2k9.



Kinda like when Bobby Bonilla got hurt and StL had to call up some kid named Pujols?

Valid point. Although I haven't had him long, I've never had a player I call up perform this well. Guess I'm just really high on the guy right now. lol.

Is that how it happened with Pujols? Damn. Too bad Hessman is like already 32.

Way to rebound after the lackluster performance against Beckett. Holding a healthy lead over the crappy division. Keep it up mike.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm surprised the AL central is as weak as it is right now. It seems like only a month ago, all 5 teams were within a game or two of one another. I've definitely pulled ahead in the last month or so, despite only going 14-11 in the month of May.

Thanks for following guys. :beer:

[mfbmike]

Tigers Fight To Force Extras But Eventually Fall In Series Opener

(32-22) vs (27-27)


Josh Anderson was active on the basepaths tonight, successfully stealing his 14th and 15th bases of the year.

It took a little longer than normal, but the Tigers eventually lost to the Angels at home lastnight, 5-4, in 10 innings. Zach Miner was the losing pitcher, allowing 1 run in 2 innings of work in the extra-inning contest. Brandon Inge went 2 for 4 and drove in a run to spark the offense.

Vladimir Guerrero is listed as day to day after suffering a strained calf injury. Vlad left the game after sliding into 2nd after the RBI double that put the Angels out in front 5-4 in the 10th.

The Tigers and Angels will square off again tomorrow inght at Comerica, with ace Justin Verlander (4-4 , 2.82 ERA) going for the Tigers against Jered Weaver (4-5 , 3.72 ERA) and the Angels.



Tigers Pitching:
Dontrelle Willis 8IP | 8H | 4ER | 1BB | 6SO | 3.78 ERA
Zach Miner (L, 3-2) 2IP | 4H | 1ER | 1BB | 0SO | 3.85 ERA

Angels Pitching:
Shane Loux 6.1IP | 5H | 4ER | 0BB | 1SO | 8.21 ERA
Justin Speier (W, 5-2) 2.2IP | 1H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 1.81 ERA
Brian Fuentes (S, 13) 1IP | 0H | 0ER | 0BB | 1SO | 5.14 ERA

Tigers Lineup:
LF Josh Anderon 2-5 | K
CF Curtis Granderson 0-4 | K
RF Magglio Ordonez 0-3
1B Miguel Cabrera 1-4
2B Michael Young 2-4
DH Marcus Thames 0-4
3B Brandon Inge 2-4
C Gerald Laird 0-3
SS Adam Everett 0-4 | K

2B: Inge (3)
RBI: Ordonez (40) , Cabrera (47) , Inge (20) , Laird (16)
R: Anderson 2 , Ordonez , Cabrera , Laird 2 , Everett
SF: Ordonez
SAC: Laird
GIDP: Thames

SB: Anderson 2 (15)

Angels Lineup:
3B Chone Figgins 2-5
LF Bobby Abreu 0-3 | 2BB | K
RF Vladimir Guerrero 2-4 | 2K
C Mike Napoli 1-5 | K
2B Howie Kendrick 1-5
DH Juan Rivera 1-5 | K
1B Kendry Morales 2-4
CF Gary Matthews Jr. 2-4
SS Erick Aybar 1-4 | K

2B: Morales (5) , Matthews Jr. (5)
HR: Napoli (8)
RBI: Guerrero 2 (44) , Napoli 2 (38), Matthews Jr. (7)
R: Figgins , Abreu , Guerrero , Napoli , Morales
SF: Guerrero
GIDP: Matthews Jr.

SB: Figgins (12) , Abreu (7)

Player Of The Game:

Vladimir Guerrero

Vlad hit 2 for 4 and brought in 2 runs, including what ended up being the game winner in the 10th.