It was a crazy day for the Tigers. It started with the trade of Pudge Rodriguez to the Yankees. It ended with Casey Fossum striking out Jamie Carroll in the bottom of the thirteenth for a 14-12 Tigers victory over the Indians. In between we saw a 5 1/2 hour baseball game that went something like this:
the Tigers fell behind 8-1 after three innings to Cy Young candidate Cliff Lee. It looked like they had no chance but they came back to make it 8-7 in the top of the sixth.
The Indians scored three in the bottom of sixth to make it 11-7. The Tigers scored four runs in the 8th after two were out to tie it 11-11. Miguel Cabrera tied it with a two run double.
The Tigers went ahead 12-11 on a sacrifice fly by Placido Polanco in the ninth.
The Indians tied it 12-12 in the bottom of the ninth when Kelly Shoppach blasted a homer. Shoppach had an incredible night tying a major league record with 5 extra base hits - three doubles and two homers.
Fernando Rodney, Bobby Seay and Casey Fossum each wiggled out out of bases loaded jam in extra innings.
The Tigers scored in the 13th on a single by Carlos Guillen, another single by Curtis Granderson (his fifth of the night) and a hit and run infield out by Polanco. Another run scored on an error making it 14-12.
The game featured:
26 runs
41 hits
7 homers
8 doubles
6 errors
16 walks
28 LOB
5,785 drum beats by the Progressive Park drummer
The Pudge-less era begins with a bang. That was honestly one of the most improbable games I've seen in 40 years..... The final game of the series happens in just a few hours - at noon. Justin Verlander versus Fausto Carmona.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Pudge traded for Farnsworth
In a surprising move, the Tigers have traded Pudge Rodriguez to the Yankees today for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. This means that Brandon Inge will be the starting catcher and Dane Sardinha would be the back-up unless they make another move prior to the deadline. Kyle Farnsworth will likely serve as the set up man for Fernando Rodney and perhaps become the closer if Rodney struggles in that role.
I'm not shocked that they traded Rodriguez but I thought he was worth more than Farnsworth. Pudge will likely be a type A free agent after the season which means if the Tigers had offered him arbitration and he declined it and then signed with another team, the Tigers would have received two first round picks in next year's amateur draft. Farnsworth is more likely to be a Type B which means they would only get one pick. Rodriguez did have a no trade clause so that may have limited what they could get in return. So why trade him? My guess is that he requested a trade because he didn't like splitting time with Inge behind the plate.
Rodriguez is batting .295 with 5 homers and a .755 OPS in 302 at bats. Inge is batting only .227 but actually has a higher OPS (.758) than Pudge. I don't think they lose a lot offensively going from Pudge to Inge. They may lose a little defensively but I think Inge is capable defender so I'm not too worried about that. What does concern me is that having Dane Sardinha catch a couple times per week will hurt them offensively.
The Tigers are desperate for relievers so Kyle Farnsworth should help somewhat. He has a 3.65 ERA and 43/17 K/BB ratio in 44 1/3 innings this year but has given up an alarming 11 homers. That's a lot of homers. He has been better recently allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in his last 11 games spanning 10 1/3 innings.
As for next year, I believe Pudge would have rejected arbitration and signed a multi-year deal elsewhere so I think Inge might have ended up being the catcher anyway. I also believe Farnsworth will reject arbitration and sell himself to the highest bidder. Thus, the trade might not have a lot of bearing on the future except for the probable draft pick.
I'm not shocked that they traded Rodriguez but I thought he was worth more than Farnsworth. Pudge will likely be a type A free agent after the season which means if the Tigers had offered him arbitration and he declined it and then signed with another team, the Tigers would have received two first round picks in next year's amateur draft. Farnsworth is more likely to be a Type B which means they would only get one pick. Rodriguez did have a no trade clause so that may have limited what they could get in return. So why trade him? My guess is that he requested a trade because he didn't like splitting time with Inge behind the plate.
Rodriguez is batting .295 with 5 homers and a .755 OPS in 302 at bats. Inge is batting only .227 but actually has a higher OPS (.758) than Pudge. I don't think they lose a lot offensively going from Pudge to Inge. They may lose a little defensively but I think Inge is capable defender so I'm not too worried about that. What does concern me is that having Dane Sardinha catch a couple times per week will hurt them offensively.
The Tigers are desperate for relievers so Kyle Farnsworth should help somewhat. He has a 3.65 ERA and 43/17 K/BB ratio in 44 1/3 innings this year but has given up an alarming 11 homers. That's a lot of homers. He has been better recently allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in his last 11 games spanning 10 1/3 innings.
As for next year, I believe Pudge would have rejected arbitration and signed a multi-year deal elsewhere so I think Inge might have ended up being the catcher anyway. I also believe Farnsworth will reject arbitration and sell himself to the highest bidder. Thus, the trade might not have a lot of bearing on the future except for the probable draft pick.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tigers even series with Indians
After getting blanked 5-0 last night by nemesis Paul Byrd, the Tigers evened the series with the Indians with an 8-5 victory tonight. They were in command most of way but with their bullpen the way it is, it never seemed safe. Armando Galarraga started with three perfect innings but struggled the second time around the order. He allowed three runs on five hits and left with 6-3 lead and a man on second and one out in the sixth.
Freddy Dolsi came in and got the final two outs of the inning but then allowed a hits batsman and walk to start the seventh. Casey Fossum got the next batter and Joel Zumaya the two after that to get out of it. Zumaya then gave up a walk a single and a Ryan Garko RBI double for one run in the 8th to make it 8-4. Fernando Rodney walked Grady Sizemore in the ninth and he eventually came home on a wild pitch. So there was a lot of wildness and a little discomfort but they secured the win without involving Todd Jones.
Miguel Cabrera hit his 18th homer to put the Tigers up 1-0 in the second. The rest of the damage was done by the bottom three in the order, three batters who haven't done a lot this year. They scored three in the fourth on a two run double by Edgar Renteria and a double by Brandon Inge. They added two in the fifth on a two run double by Gary Sheffield. Inge then capped the scoring with a two run homer in the eighth.
The win combined with a White Sox 6-5 loss to the Twins moves the Tigers to 5 1/2 games back. The bad news is that the Twins are now just a half game back.
Freddy Dolsi came in and got the final two outs of the inning but then allowed a hits batsman and walk to start the seventh. Casey Fossum got the next batter and Joel Zumaya the two after that to get out of it. Zumaya then gave up a walk a single and a Ryan Garko RBI double for one run in the 8th to make it 8-4. Fernando Rodney walked Grady Sizemore in the ninth and he eventually came home on a wild pitch. So there was a lot of wildness and a little discomfort but they secured the win without involving Todd Jones.
Miguel Cabrera hit his 18th homer to put the Tigers up 1-0 in the second. The rest of the damage was done by the bottom three in the order, three batters who haven't done a lot this year. They scored three in the fourth on a two run double by Edgar Renteria and a double by Brandon Inge. They added two in the fifth on a two run double by Gary Sheffield. Inge then capped the scoring with a two run homer in the eighth.
The win combined with a White Sox 6-5 loss to the Twins moves the Tigers to 5 1/2 games back. The bad news is that the Twins are now just a half game back.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Rodney preserves 6-4 win
When Joel Zumaya left the game in the eighth inning today with an injury (Don't panic. It's not the shoulder. It's right triceps tightness and he is day to day), new closer Fernando Rodney got a chance to close out a game. He slowly ambled to the mound, took the ball from Jim Leyland and then took forever to warm up. With the Tigers ahead 6-2 and one on and one out, he proceeded to get the first batter out but then walked two batters (one on a questionable call) and allowed a bloop single to Jim Thome for two runs. But you know how closers can't be bothered by non-save situations. Anyway, he got Paul Konerko to bounce out to third to end the inning.
On to the ninth. Rodney struck out the side with a blazing upper 90s fastball! How's that for a lock down closer? Well, it wasn't quite that simple. He went to 3-2 on all three batters and each of Nick Swisher, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe swung at ball four. He did get the job done though and it's nice to see a closer who can strike guys out. On the down side, he threw 42 pitches which makes it unlikely he'll be able to come back tomorrow. Would Leyland go to Jones in the ninth tomorrow in a tight spot?
In his previous game, Zach Miner's performance was overshadowed by a 19 run explosion. This time, the bullpen shake-up took center stage but once again Miner might have been the most impressive Tiger of the day. He was very sharp again today allowing just two runs on five hits and no walks in six innings. That's two runs in twelve innings in his first two games since becoming the Tigers fifth starter.
The hitting stars for the Tigers today were:
Pudge Rodriguez - 4 for 4 (now batting .298)
Miguel Cabrera 2 hits and 2 more RBI (giving him 17 in his last 8 games)
Curtis Granderson - his 11th homer
Edgar Renteria - 2 hits (9 in his last 5 games)
Magglio Ordonez had only one hit today which stopped his streak of three hit games at four. John Lowe reports that the last Tiger to do that was Willie Horton in 1965. The last Major League player to get more than four was George Brett who had six straight three hit games in 1976.
The Tigers now head on a ten game road trip to Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Chicago. That could very well be the stretch that final breaks their season. If they manage to survive it however, they will have 29 of their final 47 at home.
On to the ninth. Rodney struck out the side with a blazing upper 90s fastball! How's that for a lock down closer? Well, it wasn't quite that simple. He went to 3-2 on all three batters and each of Nick Swisher, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe swung at ball four. He did get the job done though and it's nice to see a closer who can strike guys out. On the down side, he threw 42 pitches which makes it unlikely he'll be able to come back tomorrow. Would Leyland go to Jones in the ninth tomorrow in a tight spot?
In his previous game, Zach Miner's performance was overshadowed by a 19 run explosion. This time, the bullpen shake-up took center stage but once again Miner might have been the most impressive Tiger of the day. He was very sharp again today allowing just two runs on five hits and no walks in six innings. That's two runs in twelve innings in his first two games since becoming the Tigers fifth starter.
The hitting stars for the Tigers today were:
Pudge Rodriguez - 4 for 4 (now batting .298)
Miguel Cabrera 2 hits and 2 more RBI (giving him 17 in his last 8 games)
Curtis Granderson - his 11th homer
Edgar Renteria - 2 hits (9 in his last 5 games)
Magglio Ordonez had only one hit today which stopped his streak of three hit games at four. John Lowe reports that the last Tiger to do that was Willie Horton in 1965. The last Major League player to get more than four was George Brett who had six straight three hit games in 1976.
The Tigers now head on a ten game road trip to Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Chicago. That could very well be the stretch that final breaks their season. If they manage to survive it however, they will have 29 of their final 47 at home.
Rodney is new Tigers closer
Jim Leyland announced before the game today that Fernando Rodney has replaced Todd Jones as the Tigers closer. Jones has allowed runs in six of his last twelve appearances and has blown three of his last seven save opportunities with the one versus the White Sox on Friday night apparently being the last straw.
Fernando Rodney has not exactly been dominant since his return form the disabled list - 8 walks in 14 innings and a 5.14 ERA. However, he has not allowed a run in his last five appearances and has 9 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings during that span. Rodney also has prior experience as a closer - at the end of 2005 and as a injury replacement for Jones in 2006.
The other option might have been Joel Zumaya but his control has been awful since his return from his shoulder injury - 15 walks in 16 1/3 innings. I think Rodney is the best choice at this point. Despite the move, I imagine they are still looking to trade for relief help as they have a serious need for middle relievers.
Fernando Rodney has not exactly been dominant since his return form the disabled list - 8 walks in 14 innings and a 5.14 ERA. However, he has not allowed a run in his last five appearances and has 9 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings during that span. Rodney also has prior experience as a closer - at the end of 2005 and as a injury replacement for Jones in 2006.
The other option might have been Joel Zumaya but his control has been awful since his return from his shoulder injury - 15 walks in 16 1/3 innings. I think Rodney is the best choice at this point. Despite the move, I imagine they are still looking to trade for relief help as they have a serious need for middle relievers.
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