Tigers On Top

For once, somebody else (coughPhilliesfanscough) has to cringe about their bullpen. After Justin Verlander and Adam Eaton matched quality starts (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or fewer), the Tygs teed off on the Philly bullpen in the seventh to score five crucial runs and turn the series into a delightful non-repeat of the Brewers series.

Did anyone else think that tomorrow’s headline might be Justin Vander Meer? I admit it, I had starry-eyed hopes of a second no-hitter (followed, predictably, by an unprecedented third four days later). Luckily Justin wasn’t too crushed when the second no-hitter died prematurely in the second inning. He didn’t have his best stuff today but he made it work, and his offense (thank the GODS) pulled him through. Mmmm, eight wins. Feels good.

So does the comeback. Statistically I’m probably wrong, but in my gut it feels like this year’s Tigers don’t have the same propensity for dramatic comebacks as last year. My stomach was kinda turning as we fell behind, thinking about how we had a chance to really take it to the Brewers after the no-hitter and ended up losing the series, and how we could have won yesterday after that game one blowout and didn’t … And of course, Cleveland had won already, how annoying.

But what a lovely seventh, and pretty good pitching by our bullpen. Rodney, of course, gave up a run, but at least it wasn’t four! And my boy Jonesy got his seventeenth save in a scoreless ninth. (While we’re on the subject of the bullpen … why the HELL hasn’t Mesa given up a run against us? TWO bloody appearances and not one meltdown! I feel cheated.)

Brandon Inge started the grand rally with a one-out double. Seriously, let’s keep that toe broken! Or keep him on whatever painkillers are making him so hit-happy, regardless of whether he’s injured. He’s got his average up to .254 now! How about that! Very intelligently, Leyland then pinch hit for Neifi Perez (I don’t care how brilliant his play was in the eighth inning of the no-hitter, he’s still a waste of a roster spot we could be using on Chris Shelton or someone else non-detrimental). Carlos Guillen, yet another of the Tigers who could reasonably share C-Mo’s Mr. Clutch moniker, singled, sending Brandon to third. The appearance of pinch-hitter Gary Sheffield sent Eaton to the showers, and thus began the feasting upon the Phillies bullpen. I could almost feel sorry for Eaton … you leave the game leading 3-1, and end up losing by what looks like a semi-blowout score of 7-4. That’s gotta hurt.

Anyways, Sheff singled to drive in Brandon and end Geary’s day. One batter, hit, RBI. Today, Geary, you are a failure. Zagurski came in to face Grandy, who was subsequently switched out for Infante. Oh the maneuvering! It’s kinda fun now but I think if I had to deal with it all the time I’d go nuts. Infante grounded out but at least he was productive, moving the runners up. Again, the reliever was in for one batter. I fail to see how this is incredibly intelligent, but hey, it’s not my ballclub. The next guy, Hernandez, got left in for comparatively LOTS of batters, and gave up, comparatively, LOTS of runs!

For some reason, Charlie Manuel felt that Zagurski was just not up to the task of intentionally walking Placido Polanco. It was entirely necessary to start off the new pitcher with four wide ones. Please don’t construe this as me liking the Phillies (not today, anyhow), but where is the logic in that?! A guy has just spent however long warming up trying to be on target, and then as soon as he gets in the game you tell him to just lob four to the catcher and put another runner on base? Why couldn’t Zagurski do it? He was coming out anyway! Most of the fans in the stands probably could have managed four balls to Polly, even the drunk ones; I’m sure Zagurski wouldn’t have been unduly taxed.

But I digress. Following said gutless pass to Polanco (I’m waving my rubber chicken from California! Be ashamed, Phillies!), the official Mr. Clutch came through, shooting a grounder toward the 5.5 hole. Abraham Nunez made a diving attempt at the ball, which tipped off his glove and skipped merrily away into shallow left center with Jimmy Rollins chasing after it. Two runs scored, putting us ahead 4-3! And then the two-run double into the corner by Maggs. Clutch, two-out hitting from the Tygs. Don’tcha love it?

There was yet more action in the eighth, in which the sacrificial lamb of the seventh gave up an insurance run on consecutive singles by Pudge, Brandon, and Guillen; Rowand left the game with a hurt leg; and there were rampant, delightful ejections. Well, for us Tigers fans anyway. ”We might have been able to come back,” lamented my Phillies-supporting buddy over whom I have bragging rights for the foreseeable future, “if the whole coaching staff hadn’t gotten ejected in the eighth inning.” It wasn’t the WHOLE coaching staff, just to clarify–it was manager Charlie Manuel and third base coach Steve Smith. Oh yes, and catcher Carlos Ruiz, who started the whole thing by saying “bad things in English.” Stupid Mesa finished off the eighth with no further trouble.

The Phils scratched a run off Rodney, but thankfully he decided that was interesting enough and stopped it there. In the ninth, my boy Mikey Maroth actually got called upon to pinch-hit–for Rodney. Begging the question, when you’re dealing with American League pitchers, is one really that much more skilled at hitting than another one? Nothing against Mikey’s hitting prowess, whatever it may be; he did make contact, grounding out. Pinch-hitting for a pitcher with a pitcher just seems kind of … superfluous.

Jonesy did not make the ninth unduly heart-stopping, giving up just a single to Bourn. Phew. I find the nickname Rollercoaster endearing but I like it when Jonesy acts more like his nickname is Old Reliable. And thus we came out of Philadelphia with the series win and one game less to make up on Cleveland. Starting tomorrow, it’s time to root as hard as possible for those Phillies, cause guess where they’re headed? The Jake. We on the other hand get to play six more games in National League parks without the DH. Hopefully the Natties act like the patsies everyone says they are for the next three days as the Tygs visit RFK in our nation’s capital.