You can't spell "sweep" without "weep."

Judging from these three games against their closest AL Central rival, the Detroit Tigers either aren't interested in finishing this season competitively or they're incapable of putting up a fight.  It's almost like this team delights in taking even the slightest expectation for success and crumbling into powder.

They can't let the Indians hop over them for third place, can they?  Yes, they can!  They'll win at least one game in this series, won't they?  No, they won't! 

• Justin Verlander's career record against Cleveland is now 4-9 with a 6.58 ERA.
  

• Might I suggest that the scouting report Detroit has on Kelly Shoppach is completely useless and should be sent through a shredder?  How is it that the guys who consistently beat the Tigers are repeatedly allowed to do so?  In 37 at-bats vs. Detroit, Shoppach is batting .351 with six home runs and 11 RBIs.  He has 17 homers on the season.  1/3 of those have been blasted off Tigers pitching.  Obviously, Shoppach deserves a tip of the cap for how well he's performed.  But do the Tigers have to make it look so easy for him?

• For the second night in a row, a guy who doesn't hit many - if any - home runs hit a decisive blast for the Indians.  Last night, it was Jamey Carroll, who hit his first of the season.  Tonight, it was Shin-Soo Choo, who walloped his seventh of the year.  These aren't Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez beating the Tigers.  (Or Casey Blake, for that matter.)
• And how about the guy who gave up that home run?  How's that Gary Glover call-up working out?  His ERA with the Tigers is over 7.00, with two home runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings. 
• One bright note: Magglio Ordonez appears to have broken his slump, with a 2-for-5 night that included a home run and three RBIs. 

If all that's left to play for this season is pride, then how much of that do the Tigers have at this point?  Getting swept by the Indians at home and falling 1 1/2 games out of third place isn't exactly a stick-your-chest-out sort of effort.

Between last night and this morning, we've been a little pressed for time (plus, I don't know how many people actually watched the game), so we'll have to do this recap bullet-point style.

• We can't have a recap without talking about Miguel Cabrera, who blasted two home runs (one of which was a bomb over the Hy-Vee sign in left).  It's too bad this surge of his didn't come with the Tigers in the playoff race (and I certainly hope that's not a harbinger of years to come), but since the All-Star break, Cabrera has shown just how special a player he's going to be in Detroit.  Watching him crush the ball to right field has become one of life's little pleasures.
  
• I suppose you can't complain about the starting pitcher throwing shutout baseball, and Justin Verlander hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts now.  I'd still like to see Verlander (and his fellow starters) to be more efficient with the pitch totals, but going into the seventh and leaving it to the bullpen should be good enough on most nights.
• That is, if you have a good bullpen.  Again, holy geez with these guys.  Did John Lowe's article in the Freep on Friday put a jinx on Fernando Rodney?  Todd Jones must have been proud of Rodney's roller coaster effort in the ninth inning, because he did just about everything but blow the lead.  Two runs, three hits, and one walk in an inning is no way to get through life, son.  
• You think Francisco Rodriguez's agent will include that ninth inning in a presentation for his client to the Tigers this winter?
• Neither is ending the game on a tag at home plate following a wild pitch.  The Tigers got a pretty fortunate bounce with the carom coming right back to Brandon Inge, allowing him to get the ball to Rodney at home.  And a good job by Rodney in getting over there to cover the play and tag out David DeJesus.

Can Zach bounce back tonight?  Let's hope so, though his spot in the rotation probably isn't in much danger for the rest of the year, now that Nate Robertson's been demoted to the bullpen.

With everything that's gone wrong this season with the Detroit Tigers' pitching staff, the last thing they needed was to add Justin Verlander to that list of concerns.  Coming off a four-game losing streak which was probably the worst stretch of his young career, Verlander bounced back with another nice effort against the Baltimore Orioles.

Holding a lineup that had been crushing the ball - especially against Detroit - to four hits and no earned runs is an impressive effort on any night, but especially last night when both the Tigers and Verlander needed it.  

The two unearned runs scored on an error from Carlos Guillen, who sailed a throw high over Miguel Cabrera's head after a ground ball that would've gotten them out of the third inning unscathed.  Of course, that grounder to third was hit by Melvin Mora.  Everything his bat touches when playing the Tigers seems to turn to gold.  (Mora went 2-for-3 on the night.) 

Guillen made up for the error an inning later with a solo home run that gave the Tigers a lead they kept for the rest of the night.  (If that pinched nerve in Guillen's back is something that's going to lead to a more serious problem, it sure didn't look like it on that swing.)  Unlike Friday, double-digit hit totals actually led to a decent amount of runs for the home team.

And any time this bullpen gives up just one run in three innings, that has to be considered a little victory, right?  (Five hits allowed, though.  The off-season overhaul can't come soon enough.)  

This losing the first game of a series thing the Tigers keep doing is getting old.  Actually, it's already gone long past old, hasn't it?

Jim Leyland used the word "blah" to describe his team's performance tonight, and I see no reason to argue with him.  In his post-game interview, Leyland also admitted that keeping Justin Verlander out there for 130 pitches in his last start caught up with him tonight.  (Leyland also said, however, that he didn't regret the choice.)  After looking great in the first inning, Verlander didn't have much else for the rest of the game.  He lasted only 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits in the process.

And if Gary Sheffield wants the fans to stop booing him, even though he says he doesn't care, he should stop going 0-for-the-game.  Sheff followed up yesterday's 0-for-4 with an 0-for-3 this evening.  He was the only player in the Tigers' lineup tonight who didn't get a hit.  (Shouldn't nine hits yield more than two runs?  There's a song we're all tired of hearing.)

Roll Call

I know it's getting harder to watch these things as the season continues to spiral down the drain.  But those who came by to see how things were going are still very much appreciated.

Thanks to PBURGTIGER, ashmark, spotstarters, dettigionswings'stons, longview, Jerkwheat, gf206, rook34, Tony K, TFerg1103 for popping in, even if it was just to work off some frustration.  Courage.

The Detroit Tigers needed a great start from Justin Verlander tonight.  Maybe that was more than they had any right to expect, given the lost cause that this season has now become.

But when it fell to the staff ace to stanch the bleeding, to put a stop to this demoralizing losing streak, what does Verlander do?  He tees up a three-run homer to Jim Thome in the first inning.  Not what the Tigers needed.

That's really not a fair assessment of Verlander's overall effort tonight, however.  Even though a lights-out pitching effort would've been great, the Tigers needed him to just hang in there and keep their damn relievers off the field.  Verlander tired out at the end, and two more runs were charged to him when Aquilino Lopez couldn't get an out.  (Stop pretending to act surprised.)  But he toughed out almost eight innings, giving his team what it needed.  And for that kind of effort - even if it wasn't a winning one - he probably deserves a salute. 

Yes, that's what it's come to.  Applause just for playing.  Get your complimentary pat on the back on your way out.

Save a different kind of salute for the lineup, which only managed five hits tonight.

Roll Call

I think a subdued GameThread was to be expected after last night, and the feeling of resignation that loss created.  I don't know how many actually watched every pitch tonight, but it's like they say - misery loves company.

Welcome to the BYB support group.  Say hi to MackAveKurt, HavocRox, MSU4LIF, spotstarters, ThaWalrus9, wepri31, explosivo2k2, ViolaHalo, Boney, pfuhrmeister, densogirl, dettigionswings'stons, rock n rye, Juskimo, Rogo, bradm, and ahtrap.

See, this is why last night's loss really hurts.  Besides the obvious part of it - losing a game - the Tigers just can't afford to cough up a win when it's there for the taking.  Because there will be games like tonight's, when your ace just doesn't have it working and you're never really in the game.

After pitching well in his last seven starts, Justin Verlander was probably due for a bad outing.  Especially facing the White Sox, against whom he had a 2-6 record and 5.45 ERA.  Verlander's streak of allowing two runs or less ended dramatically in the third inning on back-to-back homers by Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye.  The Tigers played catch-up valiantly, but just couldn't recover from that initial onslaught.

And how do we feel about Bobby Seay's outing tonight?  Does he get kudos for pitching three innings of shutout ball and keeping Detroit in the ballgame?  Or should he be knocked for crumpling in the pressure situation he was brought in to diffuse?  The two runs allowed were charged to Verlander, and Seay was brought into a difficult two-on, no-out situation, but he couldn't get the big out.  When was the last time he did?

Seven-and-a-half games behind the White Sox?  And left to try and salvage a win to keep the damage to a minimum?  Not entirely a lost weekend, but definitely a fumbled one.

Roll Call

These are the people who were willing to have their hearts broken and come back with hope the next night.  A shaky internet connection kept me from joining them through most of the game.  Or was my modem trying to spare me the pain?

Thanks to explosivo2k2, MikeMcClary, BigAl, wepri31, MackAveKurt, Oost, rock n rye, Zappatista, dettigionswings'stons, Wingz, ahtrap, rook34, densogirl, and ThaWalrus9 for trying to pick themselves up again after falling.

This baseball thing isn't that complicated a game, is it?  (Except when I try to explain it to someone who doesn't watch, I suppose.)  Keep the other team from scoring, smack a couple of balls out of the park, and it all falls into place for a win.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been that easy for the Detroit Tigers this weekend in Baltimore.  Last night, Nate Robertson seemed perfectly willing to let the O's score 20 runs.  Thankfully, Jim Leyland took him out when he only gave up seven.

This afternoon, however, the Tigers got the kind of pitching that will win almost any ballgame.  Justin Verlander was dominant, shutting down an Orioles lineup that seemed to hit everything out of the park in the previous three games.  The home team only managed three hits, even though one of them by Luke Scott (who I really don't ever want to see again) drove in a run and gave Baltimore a brief lead. 

But this series was all about who could hit the long ball.  And today, Magglio Ordonez and Marcus Thames made sure Detroit got the chicks' attention.  Maggs' solo shot tied the game in the third inning, and The Hammer put the Tigers on top for good with his own homer that was almost called a foul ball. 

And that brings me to one big question I have about this series: Why does Brian Runge hate the Detroit Tigers?

Last night, he absolutely murdered a call, ruling Placido Polanco out at home when his foot plainly crossed the plate before he was tagged.  Cameras from yards away clearly detailed what happened right in front of Runge's face.  That cost Detroit a run and a possible win, and today, Runge was ready to do the same thing, ruling Thames' drive to left a foul ball.  Fortunately, someone with a better angle (or better eyesight) overturned the call and correctly ruled Thames' ball inside the foul pole. 

Even better, the Tigers scored three more runs, so it didn't really matter.

Roll Call

I missed all the GameThread fun (and German talk) today, largely because I was blinded by those orange jerseys the Orioles subjected us to.  If I blink hard and then look at a blank wall, I can still see those monstrosities.

Hopefully, wepri31, MSU4LIF, rock n rye, Germantiger, HavocRox, dettigionswings'stons, Zappatista, ashmark, wingz, and spotstarters escaped with minimal eye damage. 

   Over at The Spot Starters, Blake rounded up a few Tigers bloggers for an All-Star break "State of the Tigers" panel.  I joined Kurt of Mack Avenue Tigers, Lee of Tiger Tales, Bill from The Detroit Tigers Weblog, and Blake himself to discuss several pertinent topics including Justin Verlander's second half, the Gary Sheffield dilemma, who could finish the season strong, and which off-season deal to call a Mulligan on.

Thanks to Blake for inviting me onto the panel.

  Lee and Kurt weren't finished talking Tigers with us, however.  They also participated in Life in the Cell's mid-season report on Detroit's baseball team.  Jeeves is doing this for each of the teams in the AL Central.

  I already knew Big Al might be a better man than me, but his willingness to post in-depth mid-season grades (something I just couldn't bring myself to do) for each part of the Tigers' roster confirms that.  You can read the grades for starting pitching, bullpen, infield, and outfield in separate posts at The Wayne Fontes Experience.

And as you should expect, Big Al was far more harsh - and honest - than Jon Paul Morosi was with his grades.  I'm convinced that Morosi either made out those grades in the middle of the clubhouse with the entire team watching, or had each player grade himself.  Though your perspective is obviously different when you cover a team each day.  

  At Take 75 North, Matt examines how the Toledo Mud Hens will be affected by Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal leaving to play with the USA Baseball team in the Beijing Olympics. 

  Christina Kahrl has a Transaction Analysis of the AL Central at Baseball Prospectus ($$), looking at each team's recent big moves, gaping holes and potentially cool (and underrated) moves.

  Finally, two housekeeping items: 

1)  If you have a Facebook account, have you signed up for the Bless You Boys page?  If you're taking any photos or videos from the ballpark that you'd like to share with others, this is a fun place to post them.  Someone added some pretty cool pictures from the recent fan appreciation effort when he and a buddy were able to play catch on the Comerica Park field.

2)  I also just started a BYB Twitter page, which has a feed for each blog entry, but I'm hoping to post items that might be too short to warrant a full post by itself or just pass along some Tigers news and thoughts for the day.

Instead of the usual Open Thread posted on off-days, I thought maybe we'd be a little more topic-driven today because there's a decent amount of news to bat around.

  After Justin Verlander's turn in the rotation was moved up because of today's day off, it looked like we'd get a clash of pitching titans tomorrow night at Comerica Park.  Verlander vs. C.C. Sabathia.  Instead, we'll get something a bit less glamorous.  Sabathia, as you know, has all but officially been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for four prospects, including last year's first-round pick, Matt LaPorta.

So who will be starting for the Indians tomorrow night, in Sabathia's place?  Could it be Jeff Weaver?  He signed a minor league deal with the Tribe over the weekend, perhaps in anticipation of the Sabathia trade.  (Since Weaver was in Milwaukee's organization before being released in June, maybe he should be considered a de facto part of the Brewers-Indians transaction.)

UPDATE: It looks like Jeremy Sowers will get the start for Cleveland tomorrow.

Why did Jamie Burke end up pitching for the Mariners in the 15th inning yesterday, instead of, you know, an actual pitcher?  The last available reliever, Arthur Rhodes, slept on his arm wrong, according to Seattle manager Jim Riggleman.

"Arthur, he came in today and said he slept on his arm funny and just didn't feel good.  So he said "If I get up, I want to get in.'  He didn't want to get up (in the bullpen) and down.  So we had a point in the lineup where we were going to use him, and Norm (Charlton) called down and said he's not feeling to good, so we shut him down."

Lookout Landing isn't too worked up about it, though.  Jeff thought Burke pitching provided some entertainment value for a long day.

  Something we didn't talk about when it was making the rounds last week was the possibility of Joel Zumaya being a starter for the Tigers in the future.  Jim Leyland said it was "possible," looking at the organization's lack of starting pitching.  The press then went to Zumaya to ask what he thought about such a move, and he laid a verbal smackdown.

"That's a stupid question," he said.  "I'm not answering it."

Zumaya then said that he didn't see himself going back to starting, though that's what he did for his entire minor league career.  His mindset and personality seem ideally suited to be a closer, yet his injury history and the emergence of Freddy Dolsi as competition to take over Todd Jones' role next year (along with the many relievers Detroit drafted last month) have the Tigers considering other possibilities.

  Brandon Inge begins a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo tonight, and will alternate between catcher and designated hitter with the intention of rejoining the Tigers after the All-Star break.

  Ramon Santiago appears to have finished his rehab assignment and is set to be activated to the Tigers' roster tomorrow.  That will send Michael Hollimon back to Toledo, where he can play every day.

With Carlos Guillen possibly missing tomorrow night's game due to the birth of his daughter, however, I wonder if the Tigers might hold off on that move for one more day so Hollimon can play third base.  Probably not, since Ryan Raburn or Santiago could fill in there.  It was just a thought.

  Something else that we haven't discussed here - largely because I'm not sure I want to get into it - is the pending demolition of Tiger Stadium.  It began with a bang - almost literally - last week with a wrecking ball punching a hole through one of the stadium's walls.  That's certainly a sobering image, one that brings what seems like an inevitability that much closer.  But to me, it's not much worse than seeing the pictures and descriptions of the decay that the ballpark has fallen into over the past nine years.

This probably deserves its own post, but I figured we could talk about it here.  I realize how much Tiger Stadium means to a lot of people, and I have many happy memories associated with that ballpark, as well.  But it's been almost 10 years since it closed.  We've all had more than enough time to say goodbye.  If part of it can be preserved, as The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy would like to do, that might give Detroit a feature that other cities don't offer.  Is it the best thing for Detroit?  Probably not, but unfortunately, no one else has been able to establish what would be best.  And because of that, a landmark has been left to rot.

Everything looked to be heading toward a seventh straight win for the Tigers.  Justin Verlander threw his third straight quality start.  Marcus Thames homered for the fourth straight game, this time launching two balls into the seats.  (And as Matt pointed out in the GameThread , Thames' last seven hits have been home runs.)  Freddy Dolsi needed only seven pitches for a 1-2-3 seventh inning. 

But it all fell apart in the eighth.  Dolsi came back out, and put two of the first three hitters he faced on base.  So Jim Leyland brought in Fernando Rodney, fresh off his rehab assignment, to clean up Dolsi's mess.  Might as well see if he can handle a late-inning pressure situation right away, I suppose. 

If you didn't see the game, here's how Rodney's outing went:

Rodney got his change-up over the plate just fine, and initially made John Bowker look bad with it.  But when he was way out of the zone with his fastball, Rodney had to come back with another change-up, and it was one too many.  Bowker blasted a three-run homer to right field for the lead.  Rodney allowed two more hits and walked a batter, which led to two more runs (though the umpire made a bad call allowing that second run to score from first base on Fred Lewis' ground-rule double), and that was it for him.  Really, he couldn't have done much worse in his first game back.

The Tigers made it interesting in the ninth inning, as Brian Wilson quickly loaded the bases on two hits and a walk.  Curtis Granderson drove in two runs on a single to left field (he's getting quite good at hitting to the opposite field, by the way), but Placido Polanco couldn't knock a ground ball past Omar Vizquel (after attempting to get on base by claiming he was hit by a pitch).  Game over.  Streak over.

It was a tough loss, especially after scoring more runs against Tim Lincecum than any other team had this season (thanks, Marcus), and handing a lead over to a bullpen that's been pitching pretty well.  We'll find out tomorrow if this was just a speed bump.

Roll Call

For a game with a 10 p.m. EST start time, we had a good turnout tonight in the GameThread.  A winning team makes it easier to stay up late.  Too bad the effort wasn't rewarded with a win (though it certainly got exciting at the end).

Thanks to ThaWalrus9, Boney (do you have a blog anymore?), rook34, MackAveKurt, Zappatista, ahtrap, rock n rye, Tigsfan, Grant E., tbliggins, spotstarters, Juskimo, densogirl, cannonad03, HavocRox, syratiger, and trysdor (welcome!) for keeping the light on and making it very easy to stay awake through the game.