Two for Flinching

While Daniel Schlereth was pitching during the eighth and ninth innings last night, I would imagine that most of the Tiger faithful were a mite on edge. Me? As the ball left Schlereth's hand, I actually flinched in anticipation of the carnage to follow. Once again, I find myself in a humbling position. Sigh.

Mr. Schlereth, I apologize for doubting your ability to get the ball over the plate. I am sorry that I did not believe that you could get major league hitters to make outs. I will stop flinching when your fingertips release the ball.

Of course, we never would have been forced to white-knuckle it through Schlereth's outing if Jim hadn't rushed the hook out when Porcello had given up a couple singles and had thrown all of 82 pitches. However, in the light of a Tigers win in extras, and a Tribe loss (snicker, whoop, fist-pump) in extras, I won't quibble.

Give our skip credit for scrubbing Brad Penny's start so that Justin Verlander can face Cleveland twice in the next two weeks. Yeah, we want our ace toeing the rubber against our closest divisional competition. But don't misunderstand me. I mean no disrespect to Penny. As Rogo pointed out, he's done a fine job as fifth starter. It's just.....Justin Verlander, you know! Anyway, the decision got me just a little bit juiced for the playoff chase.

Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten my vow not to jinx this team again by purchasing playoff tickets before we've made it in. I'm turning tricks on the street...I mean I'm clipping coupons and eating expired foods to afford the brazen prices of heartless scalpers. I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I'm making to help the club. Geez.

Let's Talk Rivalry: Detroit/Cleveland

Short notice, but Old English D will be appearing on Battle of Ohio Baseball podcast tonight at 9:30 eastern time. Hosts Dave Mitchell and Mark Donahue will be talking Indians/Tigers. Tune in to hear me speak objectively about the state of Tiger baseball and the upcoming Tigers/Tribe tilt. Ha. Click the link above, and here's another just for good measure.

Old English D humiliates self all over Internet Radio

You can even call in to heckle me, so hope to hear you soon!

Dog Days

Well, we completed a sweep of the Cleveland Indians today. Excuse me if I don't do any cartwheels. You see, the Twinks continue to win at a seemingly unsustainable pace, which they somehow manage to sustain. Go take a flying flip off the top of the Metrodome, would you, Ron Gardenhire? Sorry. I really respect Gardy. I just want him to stop sticking it to us, you know?

Justin Verlander rebounded nicely from a crap-tastic outing against the Yankees (which I mercifully missed). Once again, however, we must temper any good feelings with the reminder that this was the Cleveland Indians. Actually, I didn't really have any good feelings to temper after today's win. I feel so underwhelmed.

Maybe part of my malaise is related to the doom and gloom news that Magglio may not return at all this season, and may have played his last game as a Tiger. NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I cannot handle that. I want Mi Magglio to stay here. Retire here. Be enshrined here for eternity. Sigh.

Kansas City tomorrow. I will be attending the festivities. Whoop-de-do. Bondo, do me a favor and hold the head case antics for one game, okay? Bruce Chen, do me a favor and give up a boatload of runs, okay? Umpires, do me a favor and don't screw us over tomorrow, okay? Jim Leyland, do me a favor and run out a lineup that doesn't feature Gerald Laird hitting second, okay?

Maybe I'll try to muster up some rah rah for tomorrow's game. Meanwhile...meh.

Suspend Your Disbelief

If you were off somewhere pretending it was 1901 this past weekend, completely cut off from television, radio and the Internet, and you just returned to hear that the Tigers endured a four-game sweep by the cellar-dwelling Cleveland Indians, who are without Grady Sizemore, Shin Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera, and you think that someone is having a little fun with you...think again.

No, it's not some imaginary nightmare you wake from panting in a cold sweat. It's the stark reality of the past three days. It's the unabated misery of a sweltering hovel in an relentless hot spell without so much as a fan. It's Holly Go-Lightly's pressure cooker gone ka-blow-ey all over her apartment just when she's trying to impress her attempt at domesticity upon Paul Varjack. It's the worst horror movie you've ever seen, one that seems so real you can't sleep at night for weeks afterward. It's...it's..it's the second half Detroit Tigers team of the past four seasons, playing out in HD before your bloodshot, shell-shocked eyeballs. I wish someone would sear my eyeballs with a chemical so caustic I never have to see the likes of this weekend again. I'd be better off.

I sincerely hope that someone in the Tigers clubhouse lost it after today's 7-2 finale. I don't care who it was. It could have been Scott Pickens for all I care. Someone better have been blowing steam out his ears in a fury so violent, the rest of the team was afraid to look him in the eye. I swear, if someone didn't scream themselves hoarse in a fit of rage, I will storm into Comerica Park tomorrow and do it myself.

To say our franchise was embarrassed this weekend would be an understatement I don't care to quantify. Stranding baserunners at a rate that would cause sandlot kids to crawl under the nearest rock has become an art form. Running the bases has apparently become a lost art, and throwing the ball is a skill too difficult to master for our crew. To quote manager Joe Riggins from Bull Durham "This... is a simple game. You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball." We couldn't manage to perform those simple elements very well this past weekend, and it hurts. So badly. I want to cry, but I'm too stubborn, so I'm just going to go punch a hole in some drywall and call it good.

Former Tigers Interview With Tribe

The Freep referenced an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that detailed the interview process for a new Indians manager. Included in the interviews were two former Tigers, Travis Fryman and Torey Lovullo. Fryman did not make it as a finalist in consideration for the job, but has been managing the Indians A club at Mahoning Valley. I did not know that Fryman was managing already!

Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro was impressed with Fryman, and thinks he will get his shot at some point.

Torey Lovullo has been managing the AAA Columbus Clippers. He played for the Tigers from 1988 to 1989. Lovullo is a finalist for the job at this point. Also possibly in the running are Don Mattingly, Manny Acta and Bobby Valentine.

I kind of thought that Eric Wedge was scapegoated by the Indians. I mean, Mark Shapiro traded away Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. I understand Lee, but why trade Martinez, who wanted to stay with your club, and who shed tears during his presser? Really, you get rid of a guy like that? OK. Whatever. There were some pretty significant injuries and under-performers as well. But, someone had to be the fall guy I guess.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see who takes the helm for the Tribe.

Yesterday's News

Well, I don't know whether any of you remember the Cleveland series last week. It seems an age ago now, what with the sweeping of the Rays, and the Holiday weekend.

However, I'm going to bring that series back to life for you for just a moment here. You may ask why, since it was the lowly Indians after all, and we've since swept a much better team. Well, it's purely selfish reasons making this train roll.

It's not that often that I take in a full series at the ballpark. I got a chance to do just that for the Cleveland set. It was kind of a fluke, but I was pretty happy nonetheless. So, I kind of want to recap the series here in the ol' blog--hence the selfish reasons. I can only hope that what comes next is worth the time you're spending here, stale subject matter and all.

Tuesday's game was fun, because Polanco and Guillen homered back-to-back in the first inning, and we went on to score two more runs in that frame. Also, Aubrey Huff broke out that game, with a single double, two walks, and three RBIs. The fifth inning was mighty troubling, as the wheels fell off for Jackson. He did manage to get out the inning, but that left four frames to be covered by the pen, which they did quite admirably, other than that homer Miner gave up to Andy Marte (who has a career total of 14 home runs in 614 at bats). Just a question--why do the Tigers LOVE to give up the longball to the unlikeliest of players?

Wednesday's game? Well, I was thrilled to see Porcello go seven strong with only two earned runs and ZERO walks. It was also very odd to see Jhonny Peralta make three errors in a slop-fest on the part of the Tribe. He did make a couple decent plays, too and has a grand total of four errors on the season. So, I'm sure he thought that someone was holding a voodoo doll and was working the pins to perfection every time the ball was hit to the hot corner. Shin-Soo Choo had DHed on Tuesday, but played right on Wednesday, and it was cool, because a guy sitting in my row was a fan of his--they're both from South Korea. I didn't know a ton about Choo, so I quizzed the guy for info. He said that Cleveland didn't want him to play in the WBC this year, but he did, and you may or may not remember that South Korea made it to the finals.

On Thursday, I dragged the kid down to the park to see Nate Robertson's second start of the season. It went pretty well, pretty well indeed! I missed bits of the game here and there, what with trips out for snacks, the bathrooms, an abortive attempt at the ferris wheel (line...miles long) and all, but it was such a beautiful day for a game, and we had a terrific time. Ni had a bit of trouble in the 8th there. That was a little scary. But it kind of worked out, because the game went to extras. And extras, I love extras, well at least I do when they end in a walkoff win! What a 10th. Raburn leads of with a huge double, then they get "smart" and walk Cabrera on purpose, but walk Magglio not on purpose to load 'em up with NO outs for Polanco, who had pinch hit for Avila in the 8th. Mighty Polly steps up the plate, and......hits a sac fly RBI walkoff. Hey, you may say that it was a little anti-climactic to hit a sac fly. I say no way, it's just what we needed. I love someone like Polanco who doesn't try to do too much, but works with what the pitcher gives him. Hurrah Polanco, Raburn, Cabrera and Ordoñez. Hurrah Tigers, because in case you didn't get the subtle subliminal message from the Tigers web site, the Pennant Race is ON!

Here's a little public service message for you, register now for the playoff ticket lottery drawing scheduled for September 16.

Catharsis

Well, yesterday began with anticipation. At lunchtime, I was aflutter with excitement, by 4:00 I was awash with anger and envy, and at around midnight, deep disgust set in.

Quite a day for the emotions all in all. I was very anxious to see whether we'd make any moves all day at work. At lunch, I had to run out, so I got the news on sports talk radio that we'd acquired Jerrod Washburn. Instant excitement! If you read my previous post, I had requested Jerrod Washburn, so my wish came magically true. Then, I was REALLY figuring we'd get that bat, since we didn't have to part with all our chips to get Washburn.

As the deadline approached, I got home from work , and tuned in to MLB.TV and frantically scanned the Internet for news. When four o'clock came and went with no word of a deal, I held out hope that one was made just at the deadline and would shortly be announced. A deal was announced shortly thereafter, but it was one that stunned and sunk my emotions simultaneously.

The Sox get Peavy? No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I know they gave up a lot to get him. I know he's on the DL, with an uncertain return date. It still squashed all my newfound swagger. Now our failure to add a bat feels that much more crucial. Ugh.

To add insult to injury, we lost to what my Indians fan neighbor now calls a minor league team. I stayed 'til the bitter end, and a bitter pill it was indeed. What the stink was Mark Shapiro thinking giving up VIctor Martinez, who wanted to stay, who cried in his press conference. Don't you want to keep a player like that? A quality talent who wants to be with your club? Boggling my mind all day long.

Anyway, Indians are inducting Sandy Alomar Jr. into the team's Hall of Fame tonight, so expect a big crowd.

Sand in My Shorts

I was driving home from Warren Dunes on Sunday afternoon, quite literally encrusted with sand, sunburnt and having the worst hair day imaginable. I was happy as could be though, having gotten my Great Lakes fix. I didn't even know the outcome of the Friday and Saturday games. I had made a couple half-hearted attempts to find out, but to no avail. I asked some guys on the beach if they followed baseball, they said yes and I asked whether they knew who won the Tigers/Indians contest on Friday. They all shook their heads negative, and one said he followed the Cubs.

Once in the car, I started scanning stations for the Tigers game, and found one, albeit with a little static. I tuned in just in time to hear Clete Thomas and All-Star Final Vote winner Brandon Inge go yard back to back. Well that was a nice way to find my way back into the Tigersphere. I still got no word about the other games, however. Well, we started piling on the runs after that, and I had to search for stations now and again straining through the static, so everything was very spotty. I did hear Dan and Jim pretty much lambasting the Indians pitching staff. I feel for Eric Wedge, because I don't feel he's really at fault. Early on, decimated by injuries. Now, a bunch of guys are WAY underperforming (Carmona, Perez to name a couple). Finally, after we won, I heard Dan or Jim mention that we took the series. Then I knew we had one won, lost one.

Wow, the Tiger blogosphere was busy producing world class content while I was away. Impressive. Check out the links on the blog roll at right for some great reads.

Gone Fishing

Well, I'd like to tell you that I'm all over the Cleveland series, attending every game, producing sparkling analysis, but no, I'm off camping for the weekend in the remote wilderness, cut off from civilization and technology. Actually, I'm just going to Warren Dunes, but it sounded a lot better when I said that other stuff.

So, enjoy the weekend, and I hope the Tigers give Cleveland what for.

Tigers Stand at 6-3 in Divisional Tussle

Remember when I said we needed to win this 13 game stretch against divisional opponents?  So far, pretty good.   We're 6-3, and it was especially gratifying to complete a sweep of the Tribe today, regardless of the fact that they've been playing poorly.

Although Pretty Little Ricky didn't have his best control today, I liked how he got some big outs when he needed them, and gritted it out to complete five innings.  Our pen needed some work anyway (glass half full).

Fernando Rodney shows us again that he only wants to be used in save situations.  These non-savers are clearly not for him.  The mental edge is not present in a 5-1 game.  He works to simulate a save situation.  That's why he gave up two runs, so he'd feel like he could be in "closer" mode (even though a non-save situation does not convert into a save situation when the lead drops to three runs or less.)  Thanks to Blake of The Spot Starters for confirming that little fact for me a few weeks ago. 

Now, off day tomorrow as the club travels to the Twin Cities for the finale of this little intra-divisional skirmish.  I like being in first place--even if it is shared with the Royals (technically we are four hundredths ahead of them).

Sincere Apologies

I did not know that I had the ability to predict the future.  My last post was an ominous foreshadowing of the game that was to follow.  For that I am sorry.  I'll refrain from such fortune-telling in the future.

If you're feeling bad about the Tigers three-game skid right now, imagine yourself a Pirate fan.  They've now gone 22 innings without scoring a run.  Eeks.

Upcoming: Carl Pavano

I know this will sound really whiny, but doesn't it seem like a "struggling" pitcher comes in and shuts us down all too often?  Enter Carl Pavano, 0-3. 9.50 ERA,  over 4 starts and 18 innings pitched.  Opponents are batting a robust .363 against Pavano.  He's only walked 5, but has given up 29, count 'em, 29 hits in his four outings this young season, resulting in a 1.89 WHIP.  He's got 16 strikeouts, eight of them coming in a six-inning start against Kansas City on April 14.  Now, his ERA is a little inflated as he only lasted one inning in his first start of the year and gave up 9 earned runs in that teeny little inning.  His other starts are as follows:

4/14, KC, 6 innings, 8 hits, 4 ER, 8 SO, 0 BB

4/19, NYY, 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER, 4 SO, 1 BB

4/24 MN, 5 innings, 11 hits, 5 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB

Is he gonna storm into Detroit and blow away our lineup?  I hope not, but I won't exactly be stunned if he does.

You know what?   My view of baseball is all too myopic.  I don't have time (scratch that, I don't take the time) to keep up on every MLB team.  I don't want to sound like I'm any busier than the next guy--we all make time for what we want to do.  Me, I'm focused in tunnel-vision style on the Tigers for the most part.  Surely this type of thing happens to all teams from time to time.  Maybe one of the "real" bloggers will dig into the stats and let us know whether the Tigers are more susceptible than other clubs.  I think part of it is that good ol' Rod and Mario may over-emphasize when a pitcher is struggling, and then express surprise when that guy pulls it together against the Tigers.  It's too early in this season, but many pitchers experience peaks and valleys over 162 games.  You can't just assume that a pitcher is going to continue to struggle based on the last couple starts alone.  

It's nice when a pitcher is consistent over the course of a season.  Take Armando Gallaraga, for instance, who happens to be tomorrow's starter.  He generally goes pretty deep in a game, and gives the club a chance to win.  Last year, he averaged 6.26 innings over 28 starts (Baseball Reference).  Long relief.  Um, while it is oh so gratifying to see various Tigers get playing time, rather than rotting on the bench, I'll take a quality start when given the choice.  We fans inexplicably like to give our fingernails a chance to be something more than nubs.

So Gallaraga, keep on rolling, or at least gut it out like you're so good at doing if you don't have your best stuff.  Carl Pavano???  Well, let's just say you're not a Tiger, so...