Games Attended 2009 Part Deux

Rewinding again to the season of 2009, I bring you more fascinating statistics from games I attended. I know, right, couldn't I come up with anything better to blog about in the offseason? Anyway, if you're up for it, here are some more useless facts.

Tigers starters lasted on average 5.9 innings at games I attended.

The dubious honor of the shortest start goes to Armando Galarraga with a sorry 2/3 of an inning on May 17. On the bright side, we won that game 11-7, so he didn't have to feel quite so dejected over getting the early hook. The Athletics sent ten batters to the plate that first inning, and scored 5 runs, all of them charged to Galarraga. Zach Miner came in and got a strikeout to end the inning. Miner stayed out there through the fifth, allowing two runs (including a solo shot to Orlando Cabrera in the fifth), Lucas French took the hill for the sixth and seventh, tossing scoreless frames, Perry set up in the 8th, and Rodney closed it out in one of his infamous non-save situations. Except that he was good in this particular non-save, allowing no hits, no runs, no walks--wow! Interesting about this game is a note scrawled across the bottom of my scorecard by my son stating "I want to go home, I want to go home." What kind of nine year old doesn't want to be at the ball game? What is wrong with my child? I'm still working on him. Sigh.

I did get to see a complete game by a Tigers starter last year, and it was thrown by Edwin Jackson on June 6 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. That hilarious moniker is actually on the scorecard by the way. This game was a 2-1 affair, which should come as no surprise, given the paltry run support Edwin got all year. Edwin gave up one run in the first, was then very efficient (only in the 4th did he not face the minimum batters), and struck out the side in the NINTH inning, for a grand total of 109 pitches. Gerald Laird cut down Chone Figgins after he led off the sixth with a single (Figgins stole 42 bases in '09 and was caught 17 times according to Baseball Reference). Notably, ALL of the game's runs were scored in the first. Polanco singled, and Clete Thomas walked, then Ordóñez and Granderson (who was batting fifth that day--Josh Anderson led off and played left), singled and sacrificed Polanco and Thomas home.

More unbearable rehash is on the way.

Swap Meet

While the Tigers have been busy doing nothing (and by that I mean nothing that has resulted in an actual trade) as the deadline draws near, I’ve been busy vacillating between moves I feel would be most beneficial. We’ve got numerous weak spots, from starting pitching, backup catcher, third base (with Binge’s microtorn tendon), corner outfielder, and the obvious generic “bat.” Some people have also mentioned bullpen help, but I really feel that's the least of our worries. I know Zumaya could be out the rest of the season if he needs surgery, but I'll take my chances on Ryan Perry and Casey Fien, and let the other needs take precedence.

Oh Tigers, do anything but just stand pat. I’m not expecting a splashy move, but there are several modest options that are within reason. It's also hard, because you don't want to give up too much, or zero out our already depleted farm system, but when you're in first place at the trade deadline, you don't just roll over.

I was firmly in favor of a bat after we took losses in a rash of low-scoring affairs, but now I begin to reckon that starting pitching may be the biggest concern (if only one move will be made). Pretty Little Ricky, while performing admirably for a 20 year old, is showing that he is only 20, and he may just not hold up all season (which was a realistic concern all along). Lucas French got rocked his last outing and only has five starts here in the bigs to go on. Armando Galarraga has come around rather nicely after a horrific start.

I can hope big and wish for the Tigers to go after Jarrod Washburn. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that the Yankees are pushing hard for Washburn. This incenses me to no end, so I hope we get him just to spite the Yanks. Oh, it's not enough that you got Sabathia and Burnett in the off season, is it?

I kind of hate rumors, because they are often groundless, many times come to nothing, and result in a lot of needless hand-wringing. But right now, the tradewinds are all we've got to go on, so we are blown by every breeze. Until tomorrow at 4:00 pm, do some stress relieving exercises, preferably ones that do not include binge eating (drinking, chain-smoking, etc). I've seen the error of my ways, and ran out my aggression today instead of stopping for a milkshake like I really wanted to.

In some truly noteworthy trade news, the White Sox obtained Mark Kotsay from Boston. Jim Leyland's wife will be thrilled, as he once said that she thinks Kotsay is "the hottest thing going." Now he's in our division, so she'll see a lot more of him. I don't have a link for that comment, but I heard Leyland say it myself back in the 2006 playoffs when Kotsay was playing for Oakland.