Like their last couple of series, the Tigers took the first game last night as they kicked things off with the Yankees.  This one must have been tough on the fans.  There was a four hour rain delay before things finally kicked and then when they did, the game dragged on for close to four and a half hours.  So if you got there right around 7 pm to see the game, it didn’t even start until around 11 pm and then didn’t end until around 3:30 am.  I’d like to hear from anyone who toughed that game out.

Anyway, the bullpen, for as much they’ve been beat up, put together one of their best performances of the season.  Andrew Miller was roughed up for six runs and he was gone before the end of the fifth inning.  Tim Byrdak, Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, Fernando Rodney and Chad Durbin then combined to throw 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball where they held the Yankees to just three hits and two walks.  That allowed the Tigers to hang in the game despite not scoring for six straight innings to set up the big homer in the bottom of the eleventh.

So while the heroics went to Carlos Guillen for his three run walk off homer, the pen got it done and put the team in a position to win.  While this is probably more of a blip then an emerging trend, it was nice to see the Tigers put it all together and pulled out a win under unusual circumstances.

Curtis Granderson had a huge day that included two more triples.  He went four for six with the two triples, three RBIs and two runs and the two triples put him at 21 on the season.   That’s the most by a player in any league since Willie Wilson in 1985 and it’s the most by a Tiger since Ty Cobb’s 24 in 1917.  It’s funny because 21 would be a team high for a lot of teams but with the Tigers, it puts him tied for seventh.  He needs five more to tie the American League single season record of 26 set by Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1912 and tied by Sam Crawford in 1914.

Magglio Ordonez also had a big game.  He went four for six with two RBIs, two runs and his 25th homer of the season.  Cameron Maybin didn’t pick up a hit, but he walked, stole two bases and scored two runs. 

Hopefully after some quality sleep, the Tigers can get right back to it tonight.  It’ll be Chien-Ming Wang throwing for the Yankees while the Tigers throw the struggling Jeremy Bonderman.  This would be a heck of a time for Bonderman to pick up his first win since July 13.  Bonderman has put together some decent starts his last two times out but both times, he failed to pick up a win.

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