While watching the exciting play of the last night of the regular season Wednesday night, I was keeping a sharp look on the ESPN crawl for two scores. The Tigers hosted the Indians and the Rangers were in Anaheim. If the Tigers won and the Rangers lost, the Tigers would get the number two seed and host the wild-card winner, either the Red Sox or the Rays. The Tigers, after falling behind 3-0, did the job, coming back to win 5-4. But the Rangers beat the Angels, 3-1, and thus the Tigers yield home-field advantage and must play the number one seed, the Yankees.
This is, as Yogi Berra said, deja vu all over again. Five years ago the Tigers, after clinching a playoff spot, went on a skid, getting swept by the last-place Royals and did not win the division, instead earning a wild card, which meant they had to play the Yankees. I, and everyone else who knows anything about baseball, thought they were doomed. They lost game 1 handily. But they squeaked by in game 2, and then routed the Yanks at home in games 3 and 4, and then swept the A's to go to the World Series. It was a stunning upset.
Can lightning strike twice? There are some differences. This year's Tiger team, on paper, is much better than the 2006 team. They have the best pitcher in the league this year, Justin Verlander. Doug Fister is no slouch in game 2, going 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA for the Tigers after a mid-season trade. The Yankees have vulnerability issues in their rotation. They'll throw C.C. Sabathia tonight against Verlander (a match up of Hall of Fame-track hurlers), and rookie Ivan Nova went 16-4.
But Freddie Garcia, rescued off the scrap heap, starts game 3 for the Yankees. They will then go to workhorse Sabathia again, if necessary, while Tiger skipper Jim Leyland has said Verlander will not go on short rest, no matter what the circumstance. It is crucial that the Tigers win tonight, not only strategically, but psychologically. If the Yankees get to the Tigers' best pitcher, it may all over quickly.
Both teams can hit. The Yankees have perennial batsmen like Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Mark Texeira, with Alex Rodriguez, who had an injury-riddled and off year, still a threat. Former Tiger Curtis Granderson had a monster power year for the Yankees. But the Tigers match up just as well with the Yankees line-up, with batting-title winner Miguel Cabrera, clutch-hitter Victor Martinez, all-star catcher Alex Avila, and shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
I'm reluctant to make a prediction, other than that the winner of the game tonight will win the series. I'll be a basket case while watching, trying to find the position to sit in that brings the Tigers the most luck. Five years ago it was my right leg crossed over my left, while I bit on my right thumbnail. Will that still work?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Division Champs!
After their 12-game winning streak, the Tigers were suddenly on the lips of the sports talk shows, who stopped talking about football long enough to pay attention. Asked on "Around the Horn" if the Tigers were the team to beat in the A.L., some said yes, but others said no because of the lack of depth in the rotation. This is an ignorant statement. I think the Tigers have as much pitching depth as the Yankees or Rangers, and more than the Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays may have more depth, but are now on the outside looking in. I think this perception comes because Justin Verlander is head and shoulders above the other Tiger pitchers, but Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello are capable starters, and Doug Fister has been a phenomenal mid-season pick up, going 6-1 in his time in Detroit, and retiring 17 in a row last night in the clinching game.
I've also heard nothing but good news about how Detroit is going to spend their last two weeks of the season. Home-field advantage is in play. If the Tigers finish ahead of the A.L. West winner (either Texas or Anaheim) they will play the wild-card team, likely to be the Red Sox, and get home-field advantage. You never want to hope for a certain team, as it can come back to bite you, but I'd much rather play the Red Sox than the Yankees (although, in 2006, when the Tigers got the Yanks in the first round it turned out to be a good thing).
But just as feasible is the Tigers catching the Yankees for best record in the A.L. overall. They are only two games back, and the Yankees have to play the Rays and Red Sox, while the Tigers get the Orioles and Indians. If that happens they would still play the Red Sox, and get home-field throughout the playoffs.
Also of interest will be the post-season rotation. I would expect Brad Penny to be the odd man out--he's clearly been the least effective of the five starters. If the Tigers do get home field, I would start Max Scherzer in game two (Verlander in game one, of course) since he's much better at home than on the road. Then Fister for game three and Porcello for game four, if necessary.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Devil Went Down to Detroit
This scenario was conjured up in my baseball-fevered brain after the Tigers won yet another game they had no business winning, to extend their winning streak to 12. With Cleveland's loss to Texas, the magic number is now two. It's their longest winning streak since 1934. But they're not only winning--it's the way they win.
Yesterday's game is a case in point. Brad Penny, who has been ineffective his last three starts, was again behind the eight ball quickly, helped mostly by his own fielding error. The Tigers were down 4-1 early. It looked like the streak was over, but of course something told me it wasn't.
Sure enough, in the top of the 9th, down 5-2, Ryan Raburn smacked a pinch-hit solo home run to make it 5-3. After a walk to Magglio Ordonez, the White Sox closer served up a gopher ball to another pinch-hitter, Alex Avila, to tie it. Two pinch-hit homers in the same inning! Surely Lucifer is bend this!
In the top of 10th, Carlos Guillen drove in the winning run with a bouncer up the middle. Guillen, hurt most of the year, also had a home run in the game. To show off his wizardry in the dugout, Leyland has used four different second basemen during this streak. No matter what lineup he uses, somehow the magic has endured. How long can the streak go? If they get to 15, they set a club record. They need to keep winning--the Tigers are only three games behind the Yankees for best record and thus home-field advantage through the playoffs.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Brandon Inge
Brandon Inge is the longest-tenured player on the team. He is the only link to the disastrous 119-loss season in 2003, and has been in a Tiger uniform since 2001. A fine defensive third-baseman, he has played almost every position on the field, including catcher. By all accounts he is the best athlete on the team (able to dunk a basketball) and has been a fan favorite for years.
The last few years Inge has seemingly become expendable. There was a lot of trade talk involving him and other clubs, and he was vocal about not wanting to leave. This year he was batting at an abysmal average, striking out prodigiously, and was sent down to Triple-A Toledo, certainly an embarrassing moment for a player who was an all-star just two years ago. While in Toledo, he hit well, especially against left-handers, so was brought back up and now platoons at third base.
Today he came in as a defensive replacement. The starter at third, Wilson Betemit, had homered earlier in the game. Max Scherzer held the Twins to two runs through seven innings, with Joe Mauer taking him deep. In the bottom of the ninth, with two out, Inge had two strikes on him when the Twins reliever grooved a fastball and Inge crushed it, everyone in the park knowing immediately the game was over.
For Tigers' fans, it was a feel-good moment. If Inge can be a reliable bat against left-handers it only strengthens their chances in the post-season, and gives the long-time Tiger another chance at a ring.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
So Long, Tribe!
Of course they have collapsed before; just two years ago they blew a seven-game lead in September. But they are firing on all cylinders now, winning six in a row and hitting the bejeesus out of the ball. On Monday, in a pitcher's duel, mid-season acquisition Doug Fister struck out 14 to win 4-2. The next night, the Tigers scored five runs in the first inning, all after two outs. The rally was started by an innocuous walk to Delmon Young--it just happened to be the first walk he had drawn as a Tiger since being traded for on August 10. The Tigers went on to win 10-1, and Rick Porcello had his problematic sinker working.
Yesterday may have been the back-breaker for the Tribe. They got to Justin Verlander, with Shelley Duncan hitting a pair of homers off the Tigers' ace. He left after six, trailing, his nine-game winning streak in jeopardy. But in the bottom of the inning, Victor Martinez greeted a relief pitcher on the first pitch with a grand slam, putting the Tigers ahead to stay. Verlander got his 22nd win, his tenth in a row, the first Tiger to do that since 1946.
Aside from the series against Chicago and Cleveland (and hopefully they will have clinched by the latter), the Tigers have a soft schedule. They play Minnesota, Kansas City, Oakland, and Baltimore, teams that are either last or second-to-last in their divisions. Of course they can't lose focus against lesser teams.
There's another thing to play for: Detroit now has the second-best record among division leaders in the A.L., slipping ahead of Texas by percentage points. It is a fait accompli that they will play either the Yankees or the Red Sox if they make the playoffs. However, if they have the second-best record in the league, they will play the wild card team. That doesn't help much, as both the Yanks and Sox would be favored. But it will earn the Tigers home field advantage, and they will need as much help as possible.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Exit White Sox
Friday the Tigers won behind Justin Verlander's 21st victory, 8-1. Verlander has won more games in a season than any Tiger since Jack Morris in 1986, and sewn up the A.L. Cy Young Award.
Saturday's game, if the Tigers do go to the post-season, will be the game they look back to and say, "This was the game that did it." Brad Penny, who has been highly ineffective lately, was knocked around, and the Tigers were down 8-1. They chipped away, though, with a Delmon Young home run and two triples by a red-hot Austin Jackson.
Still, in the ninth inning, they were down two. Up came Ryan Raburn, who hit the biggest home run of his brief career, with a man on, to tie it up. Two batters later Miguel Cabrera hit a laser to the left-field stands to send everyone home.
The White Sox, after such a disheartening loss, had do dig deep down to save their season on Sunday night. Since the game was the ESPN Sunday Night game, I was able to watch the first few innings, when the Tigers got off to a 4-0 lead, with a couple of RBI singles by Victor Martinez. I was stunned to get up this morning and read that they ended winning 18-2! Cabrera hit another home run, a ball to the deepest part of center, and everyone got into the act. Clearly the White Sox did not dig very deep. They were throwing their best pitcher, Mark Buehrle.
Tonight a critical series with the Indians starts in Cleveland. If the Tigers can sweep, their path to the title is assured, but even winning two-out-of three will go a long way in wrapping things up. Verlander will pitch on Wednesday.
Only one bit of bad news to come out of the weekend: Brennan Boesch is out for the season with thumb surgery. He was a key left-handed bat, and means that Magglio Ordonez and Delmon Young will be in the lineup full time. Hopefully Ordonez has a few big hits left it his bat for the stretch drive.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Princeton Announces 2011-12 Schedule
Finally Princeton University announced their schedule for the women's hockey season. I'd seen the schedule on the ECAC site, but wanted to wait until it was official. Here it is:
The out-of-conference schedule isn't too bad. Syracuse from the CHA is out, while Niagara and Robert Morris are in. I've never seen either of those teams--Princeton hasn't played Niagara in ten years and has never played Robert Morris. The Ohio State series has picked up again. They are the WCHA team closest to Princeton, but I know the girls dread that bus trip.
The conference schedule looks to be reasonable. Union and RPI are a good start. No team is a walkover, but Princeton has never lost to Union.
It's very hard to know what teams will be good this year, at least from my limited vantage point. Cornell, the defending ECAC champs, figure to be dominant once again this year, with Harvard and Dartmouth also perennial powers.
Only about seven weeks until the first puck drops!
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The conference schedule looks to be reasonable. Union and RPI are a good start. No team is a walkover, but Princeton has never lost to Union.
It's very hard to know what teams will be good this year, at least from my limited vantage point. Cornell, the defending ECAC champs, figure to be dominant once again this year, with Harvard and Dartmouth also perennial powers.
Only about seven weeks until the first puck drops!
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