I Don't Know, I Don't Get It

There was a reason Fernando Rodney began to warm up in the eighth inning of last night's 5-1 win over Cleveland. Joel Zumaya had just left the game with a cut on his thumb, and Bobby Seay couldn't find the strike zone upon his arrival to the mound. Brandon Lyon had already been throwing and appeared ready to go when Rodney began lightly throwing.

Seay managed to get out of the inning with the lead intact at 3-1, so Lyon, again, who was already warm, and Rodney remained in the 'pen. Country Strong Marcus Thames extended the lead to four in the bottom of the inning with a two-run bomb. At this point the strategy is simple; sit Rodney down and bring in Lyon for the ninth.

That's not what Jim Leyland did. Rodney continued to warm while Lyon took a seat.

Enter Rodney for the ninth, with a four run lead, in a non-save situation, and hang on tightly.

Trouble began immediately when Brandon Inge, all-star, bounced a throw to first that Miguel Cabrera failed to scoop. Rodney then walked the next hitter on four pitches. Eventually Cleveland loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the plate, which of course had to be Grady Sizemore, probably the only hitter in Cleveland's lineup who absolutely terrifies you in that situation.

Rodney managed to retire Sizemore and the game ended, no harm, no foul, right? Right? Wrong!!!

Look, we have all seen this movie 1000 times. Every non-save that Rodney pitches in works this way. Why, why, why does Jim Leyland continue to do this to us?

Two things here, Rodney did not need work. He had pitched in three straight games prior to yesterday's off day, so he could have used another day off. Secondly, again, Lyon had already warmed up and was ready to go. The second that ball left Thames' bat, Gene Lamont should have been on the phone to Jeff Jones telling him to sit Rodney down and get Lyon back up.

Now you have a rested Lyon for tomorrow, but Rodney threw a ton of pitches (28 to be exact) and has pitched in four straight games with two more coming before the break. When you factor in the injury to Zumaya, it's possible he could miss the next couple games, so you'd be looking at having to use Lyon to close in one of the next two games.

All of this could have been avoided if Leyland had the foresight to keep his closer in the bullpen when the game was not on the line in the ninth. That is exactly where he should have been to a)prevent a near heart attack from Tiger fans, and b) make sure he could pitch the final two games if needed.

Leyland did what Leyland does and Rodney did what Rodney does. Why do we expect differing results?

The Cult Returns

In a move announced following Tuesday night's 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals, the Detroit Tigers announced the recall of Clete Thomas.

The outfielder was recalled earlier this season and played well upon his arrival in Detroit. He was unable to sustain his success however, going just 3-29 in June, and was optioned back to Toledo on June 11, with instructions to shorten his swing.

During his second stint with the Mud Hens Thomas performed well, hitting .349 with 10 doubles.

Expect to see Thomas' name in the lineup Wednesday as the Tigers take on the Royals in the rubber match of the three game series at Comerica Park. "He's done pretty well" Tigers Manager Jim Leyland told the team's official website, "The one thing I like about him is he's an aggressive young player. He's not timid and I like that."

For the season, Thomas has hit .237 (27-114) with 4 home runs and 17 RBI in Detroit.

To make room for Thomas, the team also announced that the contract of outfielder Don Kelly was designated for assignment. The 29 year old Kelly played in 19 games for Detroit this season, just his second stint in the major leagues following a brief look in 2007 with Pittsburgh. Kelly hit .250 with three doubles and three RBI in 48 at bats for the Tigers.

Teams will have 48 hours to claim the versatile Kelly, if he goes unclaimed, the Tigers can outright his contract to Toledo.

Lightning in a Bottle

Jim Leyland made a desperate move. With the Tigers trailing 4-3 with one out in the ninth, the tying run stood on first base. Josh Anderson was coming to the plate, to be followed by Gerald Laird. Not exactly a group that would strike fear into the heart of your opponent.

That's when Jim Leyland went against conventional wisdom and went to his bench. He summoned Ryan Raburn, a right-handed hitter, to replace Anderson, a lefty, and face Cubs closer (and righty) Kevin Gregg. Leyland knew he needed an extra base hit to score Kelly and tie the game.

Jim Leyland knew the numbers, Gregg is better against left-handed hitters. On the season, lefties have an OPS of .654 versus Gregg, righties are at .752.

"I thought right-handed hitters had a little better chance against [Gregg] than left-handed hitters," Leyland said. "The numbers show [that]. We felt like he throws the slider a little bit more to right-handers, and if he happened to hang one, he might be able to jump one. And we caught a big break."

What began with a wild first inning for both Tigers' starter Edwin Jackson and Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, became a pitchers duel. Both hurlers allowed one run in the first, but the damage could have been much worse.

Jackson was able to limit the Cubs to one run after loading the bases with no one out, and Zambrano kept the Tigers to just one after Detroit got a double and a triple to begin the game.

With the Cubs leading 2-1 in the seventh, Brandon Inge lined a Zambrano fastball over the fence in left for his 17th bomb on the year, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead. A Micah Hoffpauir two-run shot followed in the eighth to regain the lead for the Cubs and set the stage for Raburn.

After Kelly walked to lead-off the ninth, Gregg battled back and got Inge to pop-up, throwing a steady diet of breaking balls.

He started Raburn the same way, missing with a slider on his first pitch. The second offering from Gregg was another breaking ball, but this one didn't break. The ball landed some 403 feet away, over the fence in left center, and the celebration began.

It was the first pinch-hit walk-off homer for Detroit since Lou Whitaker hit one in 1995.

The Tigers needed to catch lightning in a bottle last night, and Ryan Raburn caught it.

Weekend Roundup: Tigers Lead in Central Growing

Thanks to another outstanding pitching performance from Justin Verlander and a long home run from Brandon Inge, the Detroit Tigers completed a three game sweep of the formerly hot Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday to kick off their current six game home stand, and knock the Brewers off the top of the NL Central standings.

Verlander, facing the Brewers for the first time since his 2007 no-hitter, fanned eight over 7.2 innings to collect his eighth victory of the season, matching rookie Rick Porcello for the team lead. Verlander allowed two solo homers to account for all of Milwaukee's offense in the 3-2 win, the fourth straight for Detroit.

With Detroit trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Inge came to the plate with two on and two out. He took a Yovanni Gallardo offering and hammered it over the bullpen into the left field seats to give the Tigers all the offense Verlander would need. It was Inge's 16th homer of the year and gave him the team lead with 47 RBI.

The Tigers have made a flurry of moves recently, both with the lineup and the roster. Struggling outfielder Magglio Ordonez has not played during the winning streak. Marcus Thames, who homered twice in Friday's win, has been installed as the new cleanup hitter, and manager Jim Leyland received a contract extension. Right hander Alfredo Figaro made his major league debut and beat the Brewers on Saturday. After Sunday's game, reliever Ryan Perry was optioned to AAA Toledo. Catcher Dane Sardinha was designated for assignment.

The Tigers lead in the AL Central now stands at four games over Minnesota, who lost two of three to Houston over the weekend. With the Royals and Indians both suffering sweeps of their own, only the White Sox were able to win their weekend series and keep pace with Detroit.

Twins/Astros

Minnesota entered the weekend trailing the Tigers by just two games, but were unable to capitalize on the major's best home field advantage. After taking the opener on Friday, the Twins dropped the next two to Houston to fall four games off the division lead. Wandy Rodriguez held the Twins to just two hits over seven innings in Sunday's rubber match, a 5-1 win for the Astros. Micheal Cuddyer accounted for all of Minnesota's offense, with a solo homer in the second.

White Sox/Reds

After dropping Friday's opener in Cincinnati, Chicago stormed back and won the series with the Reds, capped by a 4-1 win on Sunday. Mark Buerhle was stellar once again as he held the Reds scoreless over seven innings to improve to 7-2 on the season. Bobby Jenks pitched a perfect ninth for his second save in as many nights and 17th on the season. Winners of two straight, Chicago now sits five games back of Detroit.

Royals/Cardinals

St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa won his 2500th game as the Cardinals completed a three game road sweep of the Royals, outscoring Kansas City 29-11 in the process. Albert Pujols did what Albert Pujols does and homered twice in Sunday's finale, giving him three for the series (along with 10 RBI), and a major league leading 26 home runs for the season. The sweep dropped Kansas City to 8.5 games out of first in the AL Central.

Indians/Cubs

Cleveland started play on Wednesday just six games out of the division lead. They ended the day Sunday a full 10 games off the pace. After getting swept at home by Milwaukee last week, the Tribe traveled to Chicago to take on the Cubs, and promptly got swept again. Cleveland watched their hapless bullpen hand over big leads both Friday and Saturday in dropping the first two games of the set with the Cubs. Sunday however, the Cubs raced out to a 6-0 lead off starter Jeremy Sowers and held off Cleveland for the 6-2 win. Sowers was knocked around for six runs on seven hits and four walks over just 4.1 innings for the Indians.

Marcus Thames Key to Tigers' Success

Marcus Thames is "country strong". He showed that Friday night, clubbing two big flies, propelling the Tigers to a 10-4 rain-shortened victory over Milwaukee.

After Armando Galarraga yielded a three-run bomb to Prince Fielder in the first, it was Thames who responded with a two-run shot off Braden Looper in the bottom of the inning to get the Tigers back into the game. Thames then capped the scoring with another two-run blast in the seventh, this one an opposite field shot on an 0-2 count just as the rain began to fall again, ending the Brewers chances and the game.

In 13 games since returning from injury, Thames has gone 12-36 with five home runs, and provided the pop this team has been missing from guys like Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen. He has three bombs in his last two games since being installed into the cleanup spot behind Miguel Cabrera.

It was partly with an eye toward getting regular at-bats for Thames that the Tigers decided to part ways with Gary Sheffield this spring, though Sheffield was still owed $14 million for this season. Unfortunately for Detroit, the Carlos Guillen injuries forced Jim Leyland to play Guillen at DH early this year, taking those at-bats from Marcus. By the time Guillen hit the DL, Thames was already there, having hurt an abdominal muscle during batting practice in April. But the timing couldn't have been better for his return in early June.

With Guillen still out of the lineup (he could yet miss the whole season), and Magglio Ordonez no longer the threat he once was, Detroit was severely lacking offensive production. While finishing up the last road trip in St. Louis, Leyland decided it was time to let Thames play everyday and see what he could do. The move has paid immediate dividends.

After being held to just three runs in the first game with Thames at cleanup, the Tigers have plated six and 10 in their last two. Slotting Thames to hit behind Cabrera has also allowed Curtis Granderson to move back to the top of the order, while still providing some measure of protection for El Martillo, who is now hitting third.

Thames has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but this time, perhaps he will get the extended playing time that Leyland has promised before, only to take it away to give to another player. This time, the Tigers can't afford to not have Marcus and his long-ball ability in the lineup. He is a three-run homer waiting to happen.

The addition of Thames, along with the promotions of catcher Dusty Ryan, who made his season debut Friday, and pitcher Alfredo Figaro, slated to make his major league debut Saturday, are changes that are perhaps long over due for the first-place Tigers. The offense had gone cold, and the lack of production of catcher Dane Sardinha and Ordonez were two of the many reasons for that.

Ryan figures to take over for Sardinha's role and the upgrade offensively he should provide will allow more rest for starter Gerald Laird. The fresher Leyland can keep Laird, the better his numbers should become as the season goes forward. Ryan stepped into the lineup Friday and clubbed an RBI double to tie the game in the fourth inning, leading to a four-run rally that saw the Tigers take the lead they would not give back.

If Figaro, taking over for Dontrelle Willis, can hold down the fifth spot of the rotation, the Tigers are going to like their chances in a great many games the rest of the way. The additions of Thames and Ryan should allow for much better offensive numbers from the lineup, but it will hinge on whether or not Thames can stay productive over an extended period of time. It's the chance he's been waiting his whole career for.

Tigers' Lineup Needs Consistentcy

Seriously, how tough can it be? Jim Leyland has managed over 2700 major league games, plus an addition 49 playoff games and countless more in the spring training and the minor leagues. During that time, he has been responsible for filling out the lineup card for each and every one of those games. Recently, Leyland seems to have forgotten how to do it.

With the offense struggling as much as it has this year, Leyland needs to establish consistency with the lineup. The constant shuffling has not worked. Perhaps, Leyland purposely tries to illustrate to Dave Dombrowski that he needs another hitter by running out lineups that would rival those of the MudHens. The top three in Sunday's game were Don Kelly, Ramon Santiago, and Josh Anderson. Seriously? I'm half expecting to read Dane Sardinha's name in the three spot tonight.

My hope is that is exactly what Leyland is doing. It's as if he's saying "See? I need another bat so I can field a decent lineup, because this is the best I can come up with from what you have given me." I really can't say as I blame him, but a face to face meeting might be a better option for sending a message.

Conventional wisdom says Placido Polanco is going to hit, and that Magglio Ordonez will find at least some of old form, so maybe this whole problem will correct itself. But we now stand more than 1/3 through the season, how much longer do we wait?

The Tigers need to go get another hitter. He should be left handed and be able to play a corner outfield spot. He should also feature the ability to hit the long ball with some regularity. We have seen so far that that hitter is not Clete Thomas, and is not Josh Anderson. I doubt that he is Don Kelly, either. It is time to make a deal.

A quick check of the standings show Baltimore, Washington, Oakland, San Diego, and Pittsburgh as likely sellers. Aubrey Huff would be a nice fit from the Orioles, though his price tag may be too high. Adam Dunn could be had, as could Nick Johnson from Washington. Dunn is terrible defensively, but his bat would be a welcome addition. Johnson would be a better fit, as he can play outfield, though usually doesn't, but the Nats have been asking the moon for their OBP machine. The guys in Oakland and San Diego don't seem all that attractive, outside of Matt Holliday who is right handed.

That leaves just the Pirates, and the player that Detroit should target is Eric Hinske. Hinske can play first, third, left, and right. He has good power, he has twice clubbed 20 HR seasons, including last year. Plus he has played for the past two American League champions, so he may just be good luck. The Pirates have used Hinske only sparingly, as he has just 86 at bats in 2009, so he may come cheap. Which is key, because Detroit probably can't offer much in a trade.

If they can acquire Hinske or someone like him, the lineup can be re-assembled. I would personally like to see Granderson find a home batting third, but another lefty bat would allow him to move back to the top of the order. Either way, Detroit needs to find a lineup and allow it the time needed to work consistently.

Playing Pepper with J. Ellet Lambie

When I began this blog about a month ago, I had no idea where things might go, or if anyone would even read it. What I have found so far, is that I truly enjoy sharing my thoughts about Tigers baseball with other fans and bloggers, and that at least of few of you are reading.

Recently, J. Ellet Lambie of Hazaa, asked me to participate in a segment he runs regularly called "Five for Fighting", where he and another blogger trade five questions and post each other's answers. I have been a big fan of his work since I first stumbled upon it, and was humbled to be asked to join him for this piece. John is perhaps the most talented writer I have encountered in the blogosphere and I encourage all of you to be sure to visit his site and read through his archives.

The questions I asked him will appear here with his answers, while the questions he posed to me will appear at Hazaa, along with my answers. Think of this like one of those old episodes of Law and Order that would overlap with an episode of Homicide. Always a good time, as I'm sure this will be. Let's get started...

Q: In light of the offensive struggles so far this year, what are the changes you would like to see? (Are there players in the minors you feel should get a look? or Name some players that the Tigers should target via trade.)

I'll probably be in the minority here, but I don't think a whole lot of external change is required to right the ship. Magglio Ordonez started slowly, but has raised his batting average significantly and is beginning to drive in runs when it matters. Placido Polanco is better than a .250 hitter, I expect he'll rebound soon as well. Marcus Thames will soon be available to provide a little more punch, although consistency has always been his Achilles heel. Slumps come at odd times and tend to bring about a knee-jerk reaction among fans. I'm willing to be patient, for at least the next month.

There are however a few players rumored to be available in the trade market that I think would provide some injury security and eliminate the need to carry youngsters such as Jeff Larish and Ryan Raburn.

Nick Johnson of the Washington Nationals is one of those guys. He's hitting .332 as of this morning with a .434 on-base percentage and 30 RBIs. He's also walked 33 times against 37 strike outs, which would give the Tigers a truly patient hitter in the lineup. He'd provide depth at first base, a considerable upgrade over Larish. I'm not sure what his price tag would be, but it's probably higher than we think. Left handed hitters of his quality don't grow on trees.

Aubrey Huff is another potential free agent that could help the Tigers, and he's publicly admitted his man-crush on Edwin Jackson so that might help clear the way for his mid July transfer, but don't count on it yet. The Orioles will seek more than he's worth, as they always do.

In terms of another proven outfielder with some pop, which this team could certainly use, names like Jermaine Dye and Matt Holliday will be mentioned but neither will end up here. The Tigers are more likely to pursue a Marlon Byrd (whom I would love to have) or a Rick Ankiel (whom I wouldn't).

Q: Lynn Henning of the Detroit News, recently spoke with Mike McClary on the podcast and suggested it was time to cut bait with some big contracts (Ordonez, Willis, Roberston), how realistic do you feel his suggestions were and do you agree with him?

The release of Gary Sheffield this spring opened the door for this kind of thinking, and while it has happened before with guys like Damion Easley I don't know that the same circumstances apply here. Let's start with Maggs. The bulk of the rationale from writers who support cutting him loose comes from the impending contract option kicking in for next season. If Ordonez plays 135 games or reaches 540 plate appearances that ginormous option is guaranteed. While he isn't the player he once was he can still hit, and there is no one in line to replace him except Wilkin Ramirez, and let's face it, he's not ready yet. I don't expect the team to cut Ordonez, although it will be very interesting to see how they handle his playing time late in the season. I believe the organization would like to see Magglio quietly slip away after the '09 season and find his replacement on the deeply discounted free agent market.

As for Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson, Dave Dombrowski made his bed and he's gonna have to lie in it. Both players were given expensive extensions based on questionable results. Both players have struggled more since signing those contracts, making them near impossible to trade. At least with Dontrelle you can make the argument that there was once great talent in him, talent that possibly, maybe, could be re-kindled. Nate Robertson, and pardon me for being so blunt, is not a good pitcher and not going to get better. Be it in the rotation or the bullpen he has proven unable to do what he needs to do in order to be successful, get left-handers out. Lefties have hit .267 against him over his career. He'll be 32-years-old come September. Maybe Dombrowski can con some young GM into giving up a hot-dog cart and a few rolls of tape for him if the Tigers pay 90% of his contract, but that's the best deal out there.

I think Nate will be cut at some point, Willis probably not.

Q: Does Jeff Larish have a future in Detroit, this year or beyond?

No. He's a poor defender with a big swing that has too many holes in it. He's not going to see time at the corner infield positions and isn't the outfield answer the team needs. He'll be headed back to AAA the moment Marcus Thames returns, probably never to return.

Q: How do you see the rotation shaking out after the next week or so of games?

Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello are safe, we know that. The other two spots will be filled by some combination of Galarraga, Bonderman, Willis, Miner and perhaps a Toledo Mudhen. I know it's a vague answer, go ahead and poke fun at me, but I'm a writer not a clairvoyant. Armando has shown he can dominate, and has looked better in his last two outings after a brief rough patch, so I'd say he was the favorite for the 4th spot. Bondo hasn't pitched in a Major League game in a year, Willis has had more ups and downs in the last month than a recovering alcoholic and Zach Miner is, well, Zach Miner.

If I had to handicap it I would say the 4th spot is Galarraga's to lose and the 5th spot would ideally go to Willis simply to have a leftie in the mix, but he may pitch himself out of that decision. Jeremy Bonderman is going to be a part of this club, and I believe it will be as a starter, although it may take a few weeks to find his place. Bondo will get the audition in the Monday double-header and Willis will get another start next week as well - may the best man win.

Meanwhile Zach Miner can continue to serve as the long-dstance mop-up man and emergency long-relief option.


Q: How do you feel about the Leyland contract situation? Has he earned his extention yet?

I've been critical of Leyland this year, and last year, although I generally like and respect him very much. My biggest question is how motivated is he? He's been around, he's won championships, he's not getting any younger. As much as people ask does he deserve it I ask does he really want it? He looks conflicted to me, but I'm hardly an FBI profiler. Jimmy Leyland has had a tremendous career and I'm not saying it's over yet, but I believe certain parts of the game are beginning to wear on him and dare I say, even pass him by.

To be fair, Dave Dombrowski certainly hasn't made his job very easy these last two years. The gargantuan contracts given to players who have drastically under-performed have been an ulcer waiting to bleed in Leyland since last spring. If upper management is paying those kind of salaries on a multi-year basis it's tough to move those guys out of the lineup, even when players like Edgar Renteria, Gary Sheffield, Pudge Rodriguez (last season) and the aforementioned pitchers Willis and Robertson along with Brandon Lyon have struggled.

A manager must work with the roster he's given and Jim Leyland may have some stars, but he has more than his share of liabilities as well.

Bottom line, It's too early in the season to know if Jim really wants it, and if he deserves it. Ask me again in late August or September. If I had to guess, and let's say I did, I expect he'll return for one more year, if only out of the loyalty Mike Illitch is known for.

--end--

Once again, I would like to thank J. Ellet Lambie for including me in this work. I think we tackled a good number of issues here, and I had a lot of fun doing this. If nothing else, I got a chance to talk Tigers with another knowledgeable fan, which is always enjoyable for me, and was really the whole purpose of my blog to begin with. As a reminder, check out Hazaa to see the other side of this story, and see my answers to the questions he asked.