Tigers On Top

Are they really and truly back?

Last night would seem to indicate that the Tigers we know and love are once again making themselves heard in Detroit.

It looked like it would be another night to make you want to pluck out your eyeballs. Verlander versus this 2-11 schlub from Tampa–should have been a cakewalk, but it seemed like the Devil Rays would extend our excruciating losing streak. To make it worse, half of Jackson’s wins (one) came against us, in Tampa, when he got pegged in the face by a throw from his own outfielder. Ohhhhh, criminy.

And then came the seventh inning, that beautiful inning when suddenly everything clicked. With one out, Sean Casey blasted one of his rare and lovely homers deep to right field–this the night after getting hit on the elbow by a pitch so bad that he had to leave the game. The homer pulled the Tygs within one, and both they and the crowd came to sudden, roaring life. Base hit after base hit came cracking off Tiger bats–a single from Maggs, a crazy fun triple from Carlos, singles from Raburn and Rabelo. Now that expression of “What the HELL just happened? I thought we were winning” shifted from its new home on Jim Leyland’s face to where it belongs–on Madden’s face. The Devil Rays are a team that are supposed to screw up and blow games. The Tigers are most emphatically NOT.

A new pitcher did not really help matters. Omar hit the third straight single to load the bases with just one out. Then Brandon hit a bloop to left that somehow no one got to–though Omar was forced at second, a sixth run scored. Strangely enough, two of the three seventh inning outs were made by our little sparkplug, Polly. But I think of all people we can forgive Polly for having one off night.

The eighth and ninth innings were also very uplifting. Newly returned Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless eighth, just like he is supposed to do. I still don’t trust him or particularly like him, but I want to see him do really well because that’s good for the Tigers. And then my boy Jonesy had an easy breezy 1-2-3 ninth for his 29th save!

I’m kind of wary of declaring the Boys back on track after just one win. Yes, it ended our five-game losing streak emphatically. But they could revert back to these 2003-wannabes real fast, especially considering all the injuries. Speaking of which, Rod and Mario passed it along that Kenny’s simulated game or throwing session, whatever he did yesterday, did not go as well as hoped. That is nooooot happy. I worry. I worry probably more than is healthy. Maybe if they win tonight (come on, Little Nate!) I will declare them officially back.

Ex Tigers-Watch: At the thrilling Giants game last night, I saw three former Tigers–Dmitri Young, Rob Fick, and Nook Logan (who various people persisted in calling Nuke, which is incorrect). DY hit the homer that put the Natties ahead, but thankfully the Giants came back to win. DY and Ficker were playing catch with each other and taking ridiculously easy grounders at first together before the game, which I thought was pretty adorable.

Another ex-Tiger, Eric Munson, had the game winning single for the Astros in their extra-inning victory. And remember that marathon 14-inning game the Astros won a couple days ago? Well ex-Tiger Brian Moehler (one of my all-time faves, as sweet and wonderful a guy as Jonesy) got the save.