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It looks like once again, the Tigers are courting the Pirates about Jack Wilson.  I’m not quite sure why the Tigers have such a hard on for this guy.  They looked at him as an option in 2007 when they were in the middle of a playoff race with the Indians and since then, Wilson has only missed a lot of time due to a calf injury.  I know the Tigers have said they’re worried about Ramon Santiago holding up for an entire season, but why go outside when you already have a good field, mediocre hit shortstop.

The Tigers set their 40 man roster last week and they kept a couple of spots open for the Rule 5 Draft.  Wilkin Ramirez, Casper Wells, Alfredo Figaro, Guillermo Moscoso, and Zach Simons all made the cut and were put on the 40 man roster, hence protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.  Will Rhymes and James Skelton weren’t added so we could see them in a big league uniform if someone is willing to take a flyer on them in the Rule 5.

The next big date is December 1, when teams have to offer arbitration to any free agents in order to be eligible for compensation picks.  This could bring Edgar Renteria back into the fold.  If the Tigers offer him arbitration, he could bite and be back in a Tigers uniform for one more year.

The latest edition of the Hardball Times Annual is now in stock.  I have my usual Business of Baseball year in review column in there but, like in year’s past, this is packed full of solid articles from a lot of the usual suspects.  You can also help out the site by ordering directly from the ACTA page that’s linked.  It’s a few more dollars, but the folks at the Hardball Times get a bigger slice of the pie and it helps keep the site as, in my opinion, the best free baseball content site out there.

Word came out this afternoon that the Tigers were considering sending either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis to the Red Sox for shortstop Julio Lugo.  It’s an interesting move to fill a hole but it definitely comes with some risks.

Lugo is a speed player.  He doesn’t hit for a ton of power and most of his seasons have found him south of the .400 mark as far as slugging.  He does have 184 career steals with 33 coming in 2007.  Of course one big problem is, Lugo is coming off a leg injury (quad) which could tap him of his speed.  If a guy like Lugo loses a step, it’s pretty much the end of the road.

On the other hand, neither Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis are locks to make the rotation even though the Tigers have a couple of holes to fill there.  Giving up one, after rough seasons in 2008, might not be that risky if it means we get a new starting shortstop.  It’s also a low risk move because if Lugo doesn’t pan out, option number two is waiting in the wings in Ramon Santiago.

After consecutive years where Tigers walked away with two gold glove awards, no Tigers won the award in 2008.  No surprise, as the Tigers were below average as a team in defensive efficiency.  Former Tiger first baseman Carlos Pena, often heralded as a slick fielder in his time with Detroit, won his first award this year.

Centerfield was the one positions I had to check because I’ve always thought Curtis Granderson was on par, if not better, then Grady Sizemore.  I was surprised by the numbers for a couple of reasons.  First, Granderson had a pretty mediocre year in the field this past year.  His Revised Zone Rating of .921 put him in the bottom half, although it was better then Torii Hunter’s .889.  So Sizemore not only had better range (.932) then Granderson did this year, but he also made eight more plays outside of his zone.

The other surprise was how good of a year Carlos Gomez had in the field and how he should have probably walked away with an award.  He led all starting centerfielders with 104 plays outside of the zone and he was second to just Adam Jones with a .946 RZR.  What probably hurt him were the eight errors, but I’d rather have a guy chase down 352 balls and misplay eight of them then, like Sizemore, make 309 plays and miss two.

Still, that’s how the Gold Gloves always go.  You can always make an argument for a handful of guys who didn’t win, and put them in place of a few guys who aren’t deserving.

The Tigers look like they’re going to start near the top in their search for a new shortstop and as reported by Billfer, they’re going to at least talk to Rafael Furcal.  What’s ironic is, the Tigers old shortstop, Edgar Renteria, eventually replaced Furcal in Atlanta when Furcal went to the Dodgers in a three year deal.  Furcal has a ton of upside but he’s had a hard time putting it all together for a full season lately.  He’s topped the 150 game mark just three times in his career but despite that, he had a stretch of seasons where he scored at least 100 runs from 2003 through 2006.

Based on the Tigers budget limits though, I find it unlikely that Furcal would sign.  His price tag is too much and you’d have to think the injuries the last couple of years would prevent the Tigers from going all out to sign him.

If I could pick a favorite minor league player in the Tigers system, it’d be Jeff Larish.  He finally got his taste of the big leagues last year and he might stick in a reserve role next year depending on how the spring shakes out.  He’s a lefty (like me), has a good eye (235 walks versus 329 strikeouts) and can hit for power.  Up until now though, he’s lingered in the bottom half of the top ten prospects list and he’s hoping to make the jump with a good showing in the Arizone Fall League.  More importantly, he’s learning to play third base, which would give him an even better chance of sticking with the Tigers next season.

The diary idea has now gone to the NBA.  My NBA sistersite, Pistonsblog, has started a 1988-89 Pistons Championship diary.  These are the guys who got me hooked on the NBA for a while and if you were in your teens during that time, the read should be nostalgic.

Jason Beck provided us with a pretty general “state of the Tigers” piece and while there’s nothing earth shattering in here, it’s a great summary of what the team is facing as things head into the Winter Meetings.  The Tigers have holes at shortstop and catcher and they could use some work both in the rotation and in the pen.  I’d say Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman and Armando Galaraga are all locks to make the rotation but after that, it’s a crap shoot.  If you follow the money, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis will be in the mix but I doubt Jim Leyland will make the same mistake he made last year in sticking with those guys for too long.

Vance Wilson is going to test the market. At 35 and two season’s out of the league, my guess is he’s going to end up making backup catcher money somewhere, but he’ll probably be a late signee if he holds out for a major league contract.  I see the Tigers signing him to a minor league deal if they choose to go in that direction but Wilson has a ton to prove.

John Perrotto over at Baseball Prospectus runs down what he things teams will end up doing in the offseason.  His prognosis for the Tigers isn’t all that earth shattering and the only name he mentions is Freddy Garcia.

It took only three innings of play yesterday, but with another win, the Philadelphia Phillies were crowned World Series champions.  Cole Hamels walked away with the MVP in yet another short series.  The last time we saw more then a five game series was the year the Marlins topped the Yankees in six games back in 2003.

With all of the talk about the Cubs and their streak, many people forget about the Phillies.  This is a team that’s just historically bad.  Up until 1980, they were worse then the Cubs because they hadn’t won a single World Series.  They’re the only franchise with 10,000 career losses and from 1918 through 1948 (that’s 31 seasons), the Philles had just one winning season and even then, they were just 78-76 in that one winning season.  They lost 100 games 12 times and keep in mind this was when just 154 games were played.  Twice they lost 109 and one of those seasons was 1942 when they played in just 151 games.  With a 162 game schedule, they could have easily lost 115+ games.

Of course at least this year, that all gets thrown out the window.  What’s also interesting is over the past few years, several teams have ended their World Series droughts and while I haven’t done the math, the Tigers 25 years is probably in or near the top five.  I know the Cubs, Giants and Pirates have all been longer and there’s probably a few expansion teams like the Astros and Padres but needless to say, it’s been a while for Tigers fans.

With the end of the season, we now have the beginning of the Hot Stove league.  Mike Jacobs has found his way over to the Royals, which makes them a bit stronger, and Freddy Garcia has filed for free agency.  Jeff Jones lost his job at the same time as Chuck Hernandez but new pitching coach Rick Knapp has brought him back as the bullpen coach.  And to round out the Tigers news, the team bought out Edgar Renteria’s option, which wasn’t a huge surprise.

After the Tigers put him on waivers, the Red Sox claimed hurler Virgil Vasquez.  While never a top five prospect, Vasquez put himself on the map with a strong finish to the 2006 season at Erie.  He got off to a nice start for Toledo in 2007 and then got five appearances at the big league level over a pair of promotions.  He would have probably competed for the fifth starter spot in spring training but then the Dontrelle Willis pick up happened.  He took a step back and had a pretty poor 2008 season with the Hens.

I’m not completely surprised the Tigers gave up on him.  He’s right handed, and he’s never shown a great propensity towards striking out hitters and we all know how Dave Dombrowski likes power arms.  He’ll be 27 next year and outside of 2006 and 2007, his minor league career was pretty unspectacular.

For now, it’s unclear what the Tigers are going to do with that final spot on the 40 man roster.  As Jason Beck talks about in the article, the Tigers need to find room for Jeremy Bonderman, Joel Zumaya and Vance Wilson but that will take care of itself when the free agents hit the market.

It seems like I’ve had more then my share of off time this year on the blog.  This time it was a double whammy with work picking up and a big vacation down to Disney Land.  I hate advertising the fact that I’m going out of town since it’s not too hard to find me so I just live with the fact that the handful of readers I have are left wondering why there haven’t been updates.  The trip was a lot fun and my son Devin had a blast although I got the news near the tail end that my grandfather passed away.  It wasn’t a huge surprise so I was a little prepared but he was my last living grandparent.  Back in the day when I was growing up, Tigers games were on a lot less frequently with the bulk of them being on over the weekend.  We spent most Sundays at my grandparents so I have some pretty fond memories watching games over there.

Now it’s back to reality.  I still have some lingering projects I need to finish (yes, I’m talking about you, Dwight Lowry) and there’s a couple more on the horizon.  Work will be tough for a couple more weeks but as always, things will manage to get done.  I did wrap up my piece for the Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2009 before I left as well as a few other things. 

The Tigers hired a pitching coach and I like their choice.  I like the fact that they’re going with a rookie because the guy should work like he has something to prove.  The Twins have had a lot of success with home grown pitchers and at least some of that success can be pegged with Rick Knapp.  Leo Mazzone was out there and I wonder if he was even considered.  Anyway, he’s already been talking about what he wants to start doing with the staff.

I’ve missed most of the series so far, although I regret not turning on the television last night because I would have caught the tail end of a good game.  Hopefully the Rays will win tonight, and that will ensure the series will go at least six games and I’ll get my year end fix before baseball goes bye bye.

Jeff Larish is in the spotlight right now as he begins a second stint in the Arizona Fall League.  I’ve always been a fan of Larish (235 career minor league walks versus 329 strikeouts in 1,377 at bats) but he’s always been an odd man out of sorts.  Now they’re saying that if he can pick up third base in the AFL, that he’s got a solid shot of seeing an extended stint at the big league level next year as a left handed platoon option.

Jason Beck had the unenviable task of answering the question of what will happen with the Tigers rotation next season.  I found it interesting that he talked about Zach Miner and Freddy Garcia (who’s not even under contract) before he mentions Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis.

Tiger Stadium fans got a stay earlier this week as the city decided to postpone the complete demolition of the ballpark.  The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy has been working hard but they’re still short of funding.  If you want to help out, swing by their site and if you can help out, please do so.

After a two day break, baseball is back.  Better get your baseball fix now, because there’s not too many games yet.

Matt Joyce made the BA Top Twenty International League prospects.  I’m not sure what the criteria is, but I’m surprised Jeff Larish didn’t make the list.  There were some 26 year olds on the list, but it looks like Joyce made it more for what he did at the big league level then anything.  He checked in at number 13, and it was Jay Bruce who topped the list for the second consecutive year.

I missed this on Friday, but it was announced that Eddie Brinkman passed away.  Brinkman was a shortstop who played for the Tigers from 1971 through 1974 and he was part of a controversial trade that sent Denny McLain to the Washington Senators after the 1970 season.  Brinkman played in his only All Star game and won his only gold glove with the Tigers in 1972 and he played in his lone All Star game as a Tiger in 1973.  Brinkman carved out a 15 year career despite having a career batting average of just .224 because he was slick in the field.  His best season with the leather was probably 1970, when (according to the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia) he led the league in Fielding Runs (31) and Range (117).  It was the only season of his career that he led the league in Fielding Runs and just the second time he led in range.  117 was his personal best though.  He also had a career high .330 on base percentage that season.

I also wanted to give a quick shout out to the guys at Baseball Rampage.  If you want some high quality service and you’re in the market for a baseball bat or baseball equipment, I highly recommend that you check them out.

This isn’t a huge surprise, but Jim Leyland wasn’t given a contract extension and in 2009, he’ll be managing in the last year of his current deal.  It’s interesting how much a difference a season makes because it wasn’t that long ago that the Tigers were trying to lock up Jim Leyland long term.  Now, he’ll basically be managing for his future job he seems up for the challenge.  My opinion is that 2008 is his free pass for helping bring us 2006.  Still, with the lineup he has, Leyland has to show some progress next year or we could be looking for a new skipper.

The playoffs are off and and the Phillies are the first team to come within a win of taking their series.  It’s always interesting how quickly this first series moves with just the five games and we’ll probably see at least one or maybe two series sweeps.

Jason Beck did an end of season column and while there’s nothing really new in here, it’s an interesting run down none the less.  He does a good job of being critical without being mean in the side bar, there’s also some video of some of the Tigers top moments. 

Joe Sheehan posted a few comments on the Tigers game last night.  I think the WPA graph says it all.  The Tigers hung around, but when it was the usual time to go to the pen, things went south (or at least on this graph, north), in a hurry.

This is a little disconcerting, but the Tigers didn’t have a single player make the Eastern League top 20.  Granted, some of their bluechips spent the entire season at Lakeland (Rick Porcello was picked as the top guy in the Florida State League with Cale Iorg coming at 17), but Double A is where you’re near major league ready prospects are sitting.  The fact that the Tigers are thin at the Double A level means there’s not a lot of depth.  The good news is, the Tigers didn’t have a single guy in the top 20 back in 2003 (Francisco Cruceta checks in at 20 but he was part of the Indians organization back then) yet three years later they were in the World Series.

White Sox and Twins are scoreless in the top of the fifth.  This is shaping up to be a good game.  In fact the Twins just got their first hit of the game.

The Tigers made their mark on the playoff race by playing a great first half before getting pummelled in the second half of their final game of the season against the White Sox.  Freddy Garcia looked sharp but when he came out, the wheels fell off the wagon and the end result was a 8-2 loss in the Tigers final game of the season.

Example number 101 of why win/loss record is a tough statistic to take seriously was Armando Galarraga today.  He came in mid-count to Jermaine Dye and with a runner on second.  He gave up two wild pitches that scored the tying run at 2-2 and Dye walked on the final wild pitch.  That was the only batter he faced and because Dye scored on the Alexi Ramirez slam, he falls to 13-7 because that was the go ahead run.

With the loss, the Tigers finished 74-88.  While the season was a disaster, I’m taking one good thing out of it and that’s the perception of Tiger fans.  It wasn’t that long ago that the Tigers were a joke and 74-88 third best record had it occured between 1995 and 2005 and the fact that we’re outraged about is positive.  Since 2006, the Tigers have been viewed as winner and while they had the hiccup today, there’s little doubt that the Tigers should be back in the mix as early as next year.

Miguel Cabrera finished the season with 37 homeruns and unless some goes nuts tomorrow, he’ll be your homerun champ.  Gary Sheffield finished the season with 499 and it’ll be interesting to see when/if/where he belts number 500.  One thing for sure is the Tigers have some decisions to make this offseason.  Short, leftfield and catcher are all holes and that’s assuming Carlos Guillen comes back strong next year.  Right now, I wouldn’t be bummed to see Ramon Santiago get that shortstop start but it looks like the Tigers might look elsewhere.  The pitching as a whole is one huge question mark so it’s hard to even begin discussing it.

Chuck Hernandez and Jeff Jones got their walking papers so a big part of the offseason will be looking for a new pitching coach.  I don’t know if he has a relationship with Jim Leyland, but Leo Mazzone is out there.  I’d almost like to see the Tigers spend their money on him then a blue chip outfielder.

Andrew Hess made it to Hawaii and he was very solid in his debut.  He struck out five in two shutout innings and he gave up just one hit

There’s no television coverage for the White Sox/Twins game, at least as I’m writing this so it’ll be Wednesday when I’ll get my taste of playoff baseball.  It’s not as fun without the Tigers, but I’ll make the best of it.

I have to admit, while I never want the baseball season to end, I’d really like this Tigers season to just finish up so we can get on to next year.  It’s been one disappointment after another and while this has to be one of the frustrating seasons ever as a Tigers fan, I’m kind of looking forward to this one last game tomorrow against the White Sox.  The Tigers will be given some national attention and they’re going to have a direct impact on how the playoff picture ends up.  A win tomorrow, and the Tigers will ruin the White Sox chances at playing for their second World Series in four years.

The Tigers did get it done against the Rays in a meaningless series.  Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez both homered in today’s game and for Granderson, he drove in four runs.  Maggs homer was a big one and he drove in two with a ninth inning homer to tie the game but the Rays got it done in extra frames off of Chris Lambert.

So for one more day, the Tigers will have a shot at some of their milestones.  Gary Sheffield has one more chance this year at 500 homers and Miguel Cabrera has one more chance to pad what’s hopefully a lead in the homerun race.  The Yankees are playing their final game as I write this but it doesn’t look A-Rod is in the lineup so it looks like the Tigers will have their first homerun champ since Cecil Fielder did it back in Cecil Fielder back in 1991.

Congratulations to the Brewers, who made the postseason for the first time in a long, long time.  For the second straight year, the Mets couldn’t get it done down the stretch and they’re the odd team out. And the Angels became the first team since 2005 to win 100 games.

One thing I am excited about is playoff baseball.  Nothing beats it and I’m looking forward to some of the newer teams like the Rays and Brewers making their mark although I have a soft spot for the Dodgers.  You have the whole Joe Torre thing going with the Yankees not even making the postseason but you also have the Cubs getting some serious consideration 100 years after their last World Series as well as the Rays making the postseason for the first time in their franchises history.  We should see some good matchups and some great baseball.

Thanks to a sweep at the hands of the Indians this weekend, the Tigers now play a three game series against the Royals that could decide who finishes in last place in the AL Central.  There’s no chance at third place, and there’s no chance of a winning.  And there’s no chance that the Tigers can redeem themselves this year even if they win out.  Yeah, they’re checking to see what guys like Dontrelle Willis has going, but I think even he needs the frest start of a new season to get past everything that’s gone on. 

Magglio Ordonez had a mediocre weekend and he now finds himself in third place in his pursuit for his second straight batting title.  His primary nemisis is the 2006 batting champ in Joe Mauer and there’s also Dustin Pedroia to contend with.  Still, the six point deficit isn’t insurmountable.  What’ll be interesting to see is, if he has the lead and the Tigers have to play the White Sox, does he get time.  I don’t know if it’s still there, but there was some bad blood between Ordonez and the White Sox and it wouldn’t suprise me to want to go in there knowing it could cost him the batting championship.  The last and only time that happened was when Ty Cobb did it from 1917-1919.  The Tigers did have three straight batting champions from 1925-1927, but Harry Heilmann sandwiched a batting championship by Heinie Manush in 1926.  Heilmann won four batting championships in the 1920s but they were every other year beginning in 1921.

Miguel Cabrera has fared better though and he’s now tied for the AL lead in homerun with Carlos Quentin, who’s likely out for the rest of the season.  Alex Rodriguez is hot on his tail though and A-Rod is just one homer behind him heading into today’s games.

The Twins and White Sox both won so there’s still the 2 1/2 game deficit.  The two teams square off for a three game series beginning on Tuesday and if the White Sox can take at least two of three, they’ll ensure at least a tie for the division title.  A sweep would put things out of reach.  Still, forget the math because anything less then two of three by the Twins means they face a huge uphill battle to reach the postseason.

The Tigers play all week and all seven games are at home.  I’m going on Tuesday and it’ll be interesting to see how many people make it out to the ballpark.  With seven games left, even with a bare bones walk up crowd, the Tigers should still break their attendance record set last year.

Remember Humberto Sanchez?  He finally made his major league debut for the Yankees on Thursday.  He made three stops this year in the minors with most of his time at the Gulf Coast League.  Still, he pitched a perfect inning and struck out one against the White Sox.  And speaking of former Tiger farmhands, Cameron Maybin has been very solid in his callup after an injury plagued minor league season.  He went 0 for 5 today but prior to that, he had a four game hitting streak with two of those games being of the four hit variety.

Well, the Tigers almost had a full three game series washed out but the rain left Chicago in time for the Tigers to get at least two games in.  Of course it looks like it would have been better had the series just gone by the wayside but it also leaves an opening for the Tigers to make a major impact if the White Sox can’t shake the Twins.  If the two teams are seperated by a half game, the final game of the series will have to be made up and the Tigers could have the ultimate chance at playing spoiler.

Gary Sheffield hit homerun number 497 tonight and the three run shot has helped push the Tigers out to a 4-3 lead.  I know it doesn’t replace a pennant race, but seeing Gary Sheffield join the elite 500 homer club would be at least a little consolation for what’s been a disappointing season.  Magglio Ordonez is 0 for 2 and after looking like a long shot for the batting title, he’s right back into the mix with a single digit deficit to make up in the final two weeks.  It’ll be interesting to see if the Tigers have to make up that game against the White Sox because it could mean someone like Miguel Cabrera wins the homerun title while at the same time, the extra game could potentially cost Ordonez the batting title.  I guess they could sit him, but what would be the fun in that.

For those of you who enjoyed Andrew Hess’ writings over at Tigers Minors, we have a special treat.  After a premature end to the White Caps season, Andrew thought his season was done until he got a surprise phone call.  It looks like he’s headed to Hawaii to play in the Hawaiian Winter League so I’ll be sure to keep tabs on him while he’s over there.  You can listen in on some of their games, but with the six hours time difference, it can be tough to catch at times.

Hey, what do you know.  The Tigers took their weekend series in Minneapolis after some tough times in the stadium earlier this year.  Once again, it was behind another nice game by Curtis Granderson.  In his last eleven gaves, he’s gotten at least one hit in nine and at least three hits in four.  Magglio Ordonez had two more hits as he’s now back in the top five for the batting race but if you’re looking for a momentum play, Granderson could pass him soon at .309.

It wasn’t pretty, but Chris Lambert won his first game.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings.  Fernando Rodney had a less eventful ninth inning that last night and he picked up save number ten. 

Next up is three against the A’s.  Zach Miner will get the nod and he’ll face rookie phenom Gio Gonzalez.  Gio was traded three times before even reaching the major leagues (including a trade from the White Sox one year, back to the White Sox the next and then the following year, he was once again sent out of town).  He’s struggled so far though and he’s 1-3 with a 7.18 ERA.  Still, he has a 27 strikeouts (to go with 22 walks) in 26 1/3 big league innings.

The White Caps lost a tight one last night and they were eliminated from the Midwest League playoffs.  It’s been a busy summer so I haven’t listened to nearly enough minor league games as I’d like but I go to know one guy in particular.  South Bend’s closer, Clay Zavada, had some dominating numbers.  Yeah, he’s older at 24 for Low A ball, but in 35 1/3 innings of relief, he gave up just two runs (0.51 ERA) and only six hits.  That’s a .056 batting average against and when he faced lefties (he’s left handed), he had a .026 batting average against (one hit in twelve innings).  Throw in 54 strikeouts and only five walks and you have a pretty lethal relief pitcher.  I missed the reason why, but he didn’t pitch at all in 2007.  Scratch that, I just found it and now I remember the story.  His father died and he went home to finish school and to take over the family farm.  Looks like he came back strong enough.

The Tigers were 1-6 this season before today’s win at against the Twins at the Metrodome but at least for a day, it was like we were back in 2006 with an impressive come from behind win.  Down 4-1, Miguel Cabrera drove in his 112th run of the season in the seventh inning to make it 4-2 and then Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez both hit two run blasts in the eighth inning for the 6-4 win.  For Granderson, it was number 18 and it was the 17th homer for Ordonez.  Magglio also put himself back into the fringes of the batting race with three hits and he’s now hitting .318.  Unfortunately, Joe Mauer, who’s ahead of him, had two hits today.

Justin Verlander escaped without taking his 16th loss of the season because of the timely hitting.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.  Clay Rapada improved to 3-0 with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief and Fernando Rodney gave us his best Todd Jones impersonation.  He loaded the bases on a leadoff walk and two singles before he got Joe Mauer on a strikeout and Justin Morneau on a line out to pick up his ninth save.

I’m listening to the White Caps play South Bend as I write this.  The two teams are playing the third and deciding game of their Midwest League playoff game.  It’s a scoreless game in the fourth inning as we speak but South Bend is threatening.

Chris Lambert gets the start tomorrow and he’ll face Glen Perkins.  The White Sox are tied with the Angels and if they can pull off the game, the Tigers will have helped them to a 2 1/2 game lead in the Central.

Kenny Rogers was shelled again as he lost for the seventh time in his last eight starts.  He was knocked around for six runs and he left with nobody in the third inning.  You have to go all the way back to July 25, 2006 to find a start where Kenny Rogers lasted less then two innings and in that game, he gave up seven runs in the first inning against the Indians.  It’s also the seventh time he’s given up at least six runs in a start and three of those have come in his previous three times on the mound.

Aquilino Lopez’s relief appearances looks better then it really is.  Yeah, he threw four shutout innings and he gave up just four hits with five strikeouts but two of those hits came in the third and they allowed two inherited runners to score.  Nate Robertson threw three solid innings of mop up time to close out the game.

Curtis Granderson drove in the lone Tiger run with his seventh homer of the season.  Placido Polanco was the only Tiger with more then one hit (two singles) and Dusty Ryan made his major league debut with a strikeout to end the game and he spelled Brandon Inge behind the plate in the ninth inning.

Now the Tigers have the chance to play spoiler with three games against the Twins in Minnesota.  Armando Galarraga gets the ball tomorrow and the Tigers will face Francisco Liriano.  Ironically, the Tigers were the team that Liriano was pitching against when he came down with his arm troubles back in 2006.  He came back and pitched once in September, but then missed all of 2007.

There are seven teams in the American League with a winning record at this point in time.  Against those seven teams, the Tigers are now 22-39, which isn’t good.  The only team they have a winning record against are the Yankees at 4-2 and that was after the Yankees dismantled the Tigers yesterday with our ace on the mound.

Anyway, that just sets up the fact that the Tigers dropped their series opener to the Angels tonight.  Miguel Cabrera once again put the Tigers on his back but his three RBIs on three hits wasn’t enough.  One of those hits was another monster homerun, his 31st of the season.  It’s really too bad that he’s having such a big season because it’s wasted with the Tigers mediocre record.

Fernando Rodney was the goat today.  Chris Lambert had another rough outing and he gave up three runs in four innings but then Gary Glover gave up just one unearned run on one hit through four innings of relief.  Cabrera tied the game in the eighth but then Rodney gave up a hit and two walks that resulted in the game winner.  He’s now 0-4 on the season.

Curtis Granderson stole his tenth base and for the second straight season, he’s piled up quadruple double numbers (that’s double figures in doubles, triples, homers and steals).  The last Tiger to do it in back to back seasons was Charlie Gehringer back in 1929-1930.  In fact, he’s just the fourth Tiger (Ty Cobb and Bobby Veach are the other two) to do it twice in a Detroit uniform and just the third (Veach) to do it in back to back seasons. 

Edgar Renteria had three hits and he’s quietly putting together a solid second half after a subpar first half.  He was hitting .292/.351/.460 and that was before his three singles tonight. 

It’ll be Zach Miner against Jon Garland tomorrow.  The Angels magic number is down to seven so they won’t be able to clinch while here in Detroit.  Let them save their celebration for a different place.

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