THE 2007 Detroit Tigers thread

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Sat May 19, 2007 12:56 am

c'mon redbirds, 2 late td's and they win this bitch.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon May 21, 2007 12:01 pm

I can't say I've been really following the Cardinals much. What's been their biggest issue(s) so far that has gotten them in 5th place in the Central?

I look at just the stats alone, they have one guy with more than 20 runs scored, one with more than 20 RBI and none of the regulars are hitting above .300. On the pitching side, Looper looked good up until Friday. You're without Carpenter, which obviously leaves a major hole in the rotation. The bullpen has been good whenever they've been called upon. Two of the heroes from the World Series, Reyes and Wainwright are a combined 3-10 and Wells has been a complete disaster.

On the Tigers' side of things, it's great to get some revenge on the Cardinals and to rebound after dropping 3 of 4 from the BoSox at Fenway...although they pitched quite well in that series. With Rogers and Zumaya out for a while and Bonderman nursing blisters on his pitching hand, this team has more than enough offense to slug with anyone. Verlander is far from having a sophomore slump...improved to 5-1 yesterday. Miller gets a spot start Friday and throws six scoreless to get his first win as a pro.

Raydah James · Post by **Raydah James** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:07 am

Here's something worth adding to this shit thread:

Game 1

Angels-6
Detoilet-3

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:29 am

^ No, I didn't see that coming.

At least you don't follow the Ducks...it could be a really dark day for D-Town against Anaheim.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:04 pm

Granderson's blog.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/ind ... son_curtis

Just a good kid. With all the BS in sports ('sup Elijah Dukes) it's nice that there are still good citizens around sports.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Thu May 24, 2007 6:54 pm

Raydah James wrote:Here's something worth adding to this shit thread:

Game 1

Angels-6
Detoilet-3

So how's the rest of the series treating the Halo's? That's what I thought. As it stands now the Tigs won game 2 and are up a dozen in the 6th of the finale.

This thread gets better every day!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu May 24, 2007 7:37 pm

Very satisfying way to finish this series with the Tribe coming into town this weekend for a big series. Bondo goes 8 shutout innings after coming off the DL and Ledezma closes it out and it leaves the bullpen fresh for Friday.

Matchups for this weekend against Cleveland:
Friday - Robertson vs. Byrd
Saturday - Verlander vs. Sabathia (FOX)
Sunday - Maroth vs. Carmona (ESPN)

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:57 am

RACK JV on the no-no!

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:41 am

A special night for sure!

The crowd was electric, best moment since clinching the pennant.

JV is a stud! Here's hoping he's a lifer in motown.

With Kenny coming back, a rotion of Bondo, JV, Roaster, Miller, and Durbin or Moroth, looks very freakin tough. A healthy starting rotation will take heat off the overused bullpen. The pen must be better, but being one game out with a dozen blown saves aint bad. A combo of Miner, Robertson, Rodney, Seay, Jones, would be a good 2 inning pen*, but 3 will be tough. Starters must get well into the 7th.

*This does not include Ledezma and Byrdak, who have been nails. Nate should be in the pen as well as Miner, but not necessarily at the expense of these two guys.

RumpleForeskin · Post by **RumpleForeskin** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:51 am

Great game for Verlander. He debinitely had some wicked ass stuff tonight. Props to him and the Tigers.

Now, what is with ESPN asking him every single fucking question out of the "How to Conduct an Interview" guide. They asked every fucking question 3 different ways. SPorts journalism at its worse.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:07 am

Forgot to mention.....

Moving into a tie for the division lead on the strenght of a no-hitter could be a huge momentum swing in the Tigs favor. This team, with it's offensive production far ahead of the rest of MLB, is poised for an amazing second half with the pitching coming around.

GO TIGERS!!!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:10 pm

It really is surprising that he doesn't strike more guys out with the kind of stuff he's got. Bonderman is a big strikeout guy and his fastball isn't as overpowering and his slider and changeup are just about equal to Verlander's curve and change. Plus, Verlander's change of speeds is comparable to what Zumaya has with his triple-digit heat and then he throws in that mid-80s curve. I'd think that both Verlander and Bonderman would be 200 Ks pitchers each year with their stuff. Throw Miller in the mix, it's exciting to think of those three leading the rotation for the next 5-10 years.

BlindRef · Post by **BlindRef** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:41 pm

What a great night last night...to get the no-hitter AND get back into first place in the division..AMAZING.

This has to go in my top 10 sports moments of my life.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:00 pm

BlindRef wrote:What a great night last night...to get the no-hitter AND get back into first place in the division..AMAZING.

This has to go in my top 10 sports moments of my life.

Witnessing Game 4 of the ALCS in person with my dad is probably my favorite and most memorable moment as a TigerFan but last night was just cool to watch. I watched the entire game and the excitement built with each inning and each strikeout. The climax of the game was probably about good as it gets for a regular season game short of a walkoff win in the final game of the season to make the playoffs.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:46 am

Having witnessed Game 2 of the WS in person, I have to say, both are special in different ways. Both bring the community together in a way only an oft kicked in the teeth franchise and city can understand. JV was in the role of Nolan Ryan tuesday night. Nobody was going to hit him. For that moment in time we were the epicenter of MLB. This team is struggling for an identity. They are the majors top offensive team. With 70% of our pitching from last year, the Tigs can reclaim the AL again. Look out Cleveland! Detroit has screwed around for 1/3 of the season and are still all but even in the division. It's great to be a Tiger Fan, but it always has been. The past two seasons are the payoff for the years of patience.

jiminphilly · Post by **jiminphilly** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:05 pm

Great weekend series starting tomorrow- Tigers v. Phillies.

Phillies have finally crawled to a few games over .500. I haven't looked at the pitching machups yet.. I'll be at the game tomorrow- I think Lieber is pitching. Pics to follow.

rozy · Post by **rozy** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:52 pm

Raydah James wrote: As far as baseball-Your team of shitbags got flat out embarrased in front of the nation.

C'mon, Bro, everyone knows you're supposed to throw a bunt to an unoccupied base. You learn that in little league.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:39 pm

jiminphilly wrote:Great weekend series starting tomorrow- Tigers v. Phillies.

Phillies have finally crawled to a few games over .500. I haven't looked at the pitching machups yet.. I'll be at the game tomorrow- I think Lieber is pitching. Pics to follow.

Bonderman vs. Lieber...should be a good one; Bondo is 6-0 so far.

I'm down in Houston for the weekend to hang out with my sister. We're going to see Astros-Mariners tonight at the Juice Box...King Felix vs. Wandy Rodriguez.

I caught some of the Tigers-Brewers game yesterday at Metro Airport but couldn't watch much because I had to catch my flight. Kind of disappointing the Brewers ended up taking 2 of 3 after getting no-hit in the first game.

jiminphilly · Post by **jiminphilly** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:53 pm

Shoalzie wrote:
jiminphilly wrote:Great weekend series starting tomorrow- Tigers v. Phillies.

Phillies have finally crawled to a few games over .500. I haven't looked at the pitching machups yet.. I'll be at the game tomorrow- I think Lieber is pitching. Pics to follow.
Bonderman vs. Lieber...should be a good one; Bondo is 6-0 so far.

I'm down in Houston for the weekend to hang out with my sister. We're going to see Astros-Mariners tonight at the Juice Box...King Felix vs. Wandy Rodriguez.

I caught some of the Tigers-Brewers game yesterday at Metro Airport but couldn't watch much because I had to catch my flight. Kind of disappointing the Brewers ended up taking 2 of 3 after getting no-hit in the first game.

After watching most of this series I was quite impressed with Detroit's offense.. except when it came to hitting 45 year soft-tossing Jamie Moyer on Saturday. Moyer is proof that you don't need a blazing fastball if you know how to work both sides of the plate and keep the ball down. I was disappointed that the the best lefthanded starter in baseball wasn't going to get a chance to pitch against the #1 offensive team. Manuel poorly managed the game yesterday- Eaton was pitching really well and had another 20 pitches left in him.

Friday's game was entertaining, especially in the first inning when Ryan Howard hit that moon shot. The Tigers threw him nothing but sliders after that and he struck out each time. Pudge should be slowing down by now but the guy is actually getting better (and somehow faster) with age. No catcher handles his pitcher - pitch to pitch like Pudge.

The Phillies will have no shot of making the playoffs if Gillick doesn't make a move before the deadline. Bullpen help is must. The problem is the rest of the league needs it too.

Good luck to your team, Shoalize.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:50 pm

Your guys could've easily taken 2 of 3 from that series if it wasn't for that big 5-run inning. Didn't get to see how Verlander looked on Sunday as a follow-up to what I consider the best pitched game by a Tiger that I can ever remember. It would impossible to expect him to duplicate that every time out but I think the expectation level with him has gone up even more.

You talk about needing bullpen help...the Tigers nearly blew a 9-1 last night. Maroth was bailed out by middle relief but Jones damn near loses a 4-run lead in the 9th.

jiminphilly · Post by **jiminphilly** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 2:30 pm

Shoalzie wrote:Your guys could've easily taken 2 of 3 from that series if it wasn't for that big 5-run inning. Didn't get to see how Verlander looked on Sunday as a follow-up to what I consider the best pitched game by a Tiger that I can ever remember. It would impossible to expect him to duplicate that every time out but I think the expectation level with him has gone up even more.

You talk about needing bullpen help...the Tigers nearly blew a 9-1 last night. Maroth was bailed out by middle relief but Jones damn near loses a 4-run lead in the 9th.

Verlander looked nasty.. took him a few innings to settle down but he has 3 outstanding pitches and will be good for a long, long time.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:06 pm

Magglio continues to impress...

Raised his average up to .383. He currently leads the Majors in batting average, doubles, extra base hits, OPS and average with RISP and he's second to A-Rod in RBI and third in runs scored...Sheffield is second.

Is there a better top 5 in a batting order than what is in Detroit? No one in the top 5 is hitting below .295 right now, 4 guys have OPS higher than .900, 4 guys have struck out fewer than 33 times...collectively, they strikeout just once every 10 at bats.

#1 Granderson...hitting .297, leads the Majors in triples, 2nd most extra base hits in the AL, 6th in the AL in runs scored, 12th in the AL in hits and OPS; only knocks: just 8 stolen bases and he's struck out 64 times (tied for 5th most in the AL)

#2 Polanco...5th in the AL in batting average and hits, batting .431 with RISP

#3 Sheffield...hitting .295, tied for 3rd in HR in AL, 2nd in AL in runs scored, 8th in AL in OPS

#4 Ordonez

#5 Guillen...hitting. 319, 8th in AL in OPS and RBI, 10th in AL in extra base hits

Sorry for my blatant homerism but the offense in Detroit is damn good right now. They've scored 48 more runs than Cleveland (in the same number of games played), have 30 more hits and are hitting 7 points higher than the Angels, have hit 20 more doubles and 133 more total bases than the Marlins and their team OPS is 38 points higher than Boston. If the bullpen can get its shit together and Rogers returns to the rotation tomorrow...this team will be hard to beat going forward.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:02 pm

It's amazing how different this year is to last. Last year's pen was clutch. This years, not so much. To call them inconsistant is a disservice to inconsistancies. The injury to Zoom is oft cited, but truth be told, he was suffering a bit of a sophomore slump until his injury. Tigerfan was truly spoiled last year with a stellar pen. At this point we'd settle for adequate or servicible.I think that the return of the starting rotation will give the relievers a boost, in that someone like Durbin, Miller, and/or Minor can eat middle relief innings. DelaCruz looks like an up and coming 7th or 8th inning guy, and Todd "the human roller coaster" Jones is right about where he was last year. He's always been a "pitch to contact" pitcher, and it's served him well. You don't hang around as long as he has, without serious stones.

I still love looking at the standings every day and seeing the Tigs playing .580 ball or so. The years of misery truly make the last two seasons something special.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 2:09 pm

RACK tonight's matchup...Smoltz vs. Rogers in his return from the DL

Saturday on FOX: Verlander vs. Davies
Sunday on ESPN: Miller vs. James

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:18 pm

Dombrowski makes another move...Maroth traded to the Cardinals.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6950428

He pretty much had to Ledezma because he couldn't go back to AAA without clearing waivers. With Robertson and Rogers coming back, there just isn't enough room on the pitching staff for guys like Ledezma and Maroth.

I wonder what Dombrowski got in return for Maroth...it doesn't say anything in the article about what the Cardinals sent the other way.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:53 pm

I thought DD would trade him for Lidge or Gagne.

Oh well, I trust DD, so I'm sure he picked up an arm for the pen, no real need as far as offense goes.

edit...I'm hearing Looper and a catching prospect to the Tigers in the deal.

Also Rack Nate's 6 innings of no-hit ball in his rehab start last night.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:27 pm

Kenny throws 6 shutout innings in his return...RACK him

Interesting move by the Tigers...Durbin is going to the pen and Miller will in the rotation full time. Verlander, Bonderman, Rogers, Robertson and Miller will be their five-man rotation from this point forward...not sure of the exact order.

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? ... 048/SPORTS

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:37 pm

I know Leyland wants Rogers to pitch between Bondo and Verlander. They're keeping Durbin in the pen as an insurance policy if Miller gets knocked around, he's been a capable #5. Things are really shaping up for this team.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:52 pm

Maroth's farewell letter to Tiger fans.....

http://www.marothbaseball.com/blog.asp

One classy guy.

Good luck Mike.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:33 pm

Nice words from Maroth...hopefully he'll have some sucess with the defending champs. The Tigers just have too many starting pitchers...they need piece together a capable bullpen so the big leads produced by the offense or the great starts by Verlander or Bonderman or Rogers isn't wasted.

Good stuff out of Miller last night...the Braves pitched pretty well over the weekend but that offense is in a coma. It's a luxury for the Tigers to have 5th starter that is a first round pick with top of the rotation stuff. He needs to develop more than a fastball but right now, that one pitch is very effective and he's nasty on right handers because of sidewinder delivery and the amount of movement his ball has.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:52 pm

Perez gets suspended 25 games for a banned stimulant...guess you gotta stay energized when you ride the pine 6 days a week.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb

Great series this weekend with the BoSox coming into town...great way to close out the first half of the season.

Tonight: Miller vs. Tavarez
Saturday: Bonderman vs. Gabbard
Sunday: Robertson vs. Matsuzaka

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:34 pm

First half grades.

SP.

Bonderman; B+. Gets in a bit of trouble early in games, but once he settles in he is money.

Verlander: A. With a no-hitter and an all-star selection to add to his ROY and WS last year this kid has had a charmed MLB life.

Rogers: INC. He picked up where he left off in October. He could really stabalize the staff for the pennant chase.

Robertson:C. His w-l isn't pretty, but Nate is called the bulldog for a reason. He is very competitive, a great #4 in any rotastion.

The 5 hole: B. The Durbin/Miller/etc. combo has held up well. The grade is based on the #5 spot. I put our 5th starter, whomever it is at any given point, against any in the league.

The Bullpen. D. Easily the lone sore spot on this squad. The same bullpen that was the envy of the league last season has seemingly come apart at the seems. Jones is heating up, much like last year. Zoom may or may not be back. Rodney is on the DL but has been aweful. I like Durbin out there for mid/long relief. Seay is having his best pro year, not saying much but he's still iffy.The 2 new fellas haven't really had much chance yet. I trust DD and Leyland will get this unit turned around before long. I think there will still be some additions as we go forward.

The lineup.

1. Curtis Granderson. A. Could have made the all-star team. Leads the majors in extra base hits. Has cut down the K's. Defense has always been solid. He'll be a leader on this team in the future.

2. Placido Polanco. A. Gives geat professional ab's every time out. Solid in the field. Him staying healthy would be huge down the stretch.

3. Gary Sheffield. A. After a dismal April, Shef got it going and hasn't cooled since. A great off season addition that has pulled the entire lineup together nicely.

4. Magglio Ordonez. A. Hard to think of a better half season this guy could have. Spraying the ball from line to line, leading the league in hitting. Maggs is finally 100% healthy from the bum knee.

5. Carlos Guillen. A. Capping off the best 1-5 in baseball, Guillen leads in power numbers at SS. He's hitting well over .300. Aside from Polanco, gives the best ab's each time up.

6. Pudge Rodriguez. B. The grade is reflective of his hitting thusfar. He still runs this team on the field and handles the staff so well. He plays with such emotion, he is a great teamate.

7. Sean Casey. C. He has quietly gotten his BA up around .300. He's K'ing more than he has in the past, but a gritty guy who everyone in the league likes.

8. Craig Monroe. F. Mired in a season long slump one has got to wonder how long Leyland will stick with Craig. He loves the guy for some reason, and I tend to trust Jimmy. Monroe has been a second half hitter 4 of the past 5 years so history is with him. For now the human fan gets a failing grade.

9. Brandon Inge. C. I love this kids tenacity at 3b, but hate his impatience and woefully long swing at the dish. If he shortened up his swing he would easily hit .300, his hands are that good. He's fallen in love with the long ball I fear. His 27 dongs last year out of the 9-hole will do that.

The bench.

Marcus Thames. B. How long can Leyland keep this stick out of the order. A defensive liability, particularly when spelling Casey at 1B. With Monroe gripping Marcus may find his way into LF sooner rather than later.

Omar Infante. B. Fill his role very well. A utility infielder has played 2b,ss,3b, and cf this year. Pretty nice BA thusfar . It's nice to have a role player that makes the most of his time on the field.

Mike Rabello. C. Again he's only here to spell Pudge, but has delivered some big hits. Not much is expected of him, but he's been serviceable.

Mgr.
Jim Leyland. A. Changing the worlds perception of the Tigers in such a short time, I wish there was a grade higher than A. Together with DD, he's got this team poised for a multi-year run as conteders that few ever envisioned as possible. The Tigers are atop the division and should make the playoffs barring catostrophic injuries piling up. Leyland has been the difference.

Go get 'em Tigers!!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:13 pm

I'm on board with those grades...let's get the second half started!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:45 pm

Magglio owns Santana...that is all.

Marcus Thames on the DL, Timo Perez recalled from Toledo and is starting in left this afternoon.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 2:24 am

How'd that 10-2 asskicking by the Royals taste, Tigger honks?

I enjoyed it verrah much.

RevLimiter · Post by **RevLimiter** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:27 am

Billy Butler= STUD.

Get a good look at him TigerFan...he's going to be BATTERING AL Central pitching for years to come.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:53 am

RevLimiter wrote:Billy Butler= STUD.

Get a good look at him TigerFan...he's going to be BATTERING AL Central pitching for years to come.

The kid's just 21... scary what he's doing right now. The boy just thrashes. I don't think he even knows where he's at... and obviously doesn't give a fuck.

He'll be the most added player in Yahoo leagues the next few days as folks become aware of what he's doing.

Oh, and Mike Sweeney? Buh bye to your swollen hymen.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:14 pm

War Wagon wrote:How'd that 10-2 asskicking by the Royals taste, Tigger honks?

I enjoyed it verrah much.

It was a horse shit effort from the Tigers...you're now only 15-1/2 games out of first, props.

RevLimiter · Post by **RevLimiter** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:07 pm

Royals just sealed the deal against the Tiggers today 5-2.

For those of you scoring at home that two out of three from the Kittens at Comerica this weekend.

We're getting better and better, AL Central and quickly becoming a team you don't want to run into if YOU'RE team is in the thick of a pennant race....deal with it.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:30 pm

That beatdown today could've easily been much worse, were it not for some horrible base running blunders. Teahen also got jobbed on that non-homerun call in the 1st.

But, we'll take a 5-4 mark on a 9 game roadie that went thru CLE, BOS, and DET, 3 of the best teams in the AL. That could've been the Bataan death march right there, and it turned out quite nicely instead.

Next up, 4 with the Yankees, who simply obliterated Tampa pitching this week-end. I don't think they'll find the pickings quite so easy this time. I may have to go to Tuesday nights game and see if I can score one of the powder blue George Brett 'pine tar' commemorative T-shirts they're handing out to the first 20,000 fans who show up. Better get there early, I have a feeling this puppy is going to be sold out, if it isn't already.

It's actually fun to be a Royals fan these days.