If you didn't catch the game last night, well then luck you. It turned out to be pretty ugly, which looking back on it we should have expected with Wilk making his first start against the best lineup in baseball. It was the perfect storm of awful. But I was able to go to the game and use my company seats, which happen to be in the Tiger Den. If you haven't sat there before, I highly recommend it. If you were at the game, you likely know that it was terrible. The weather channel lied big time to us, and instead of the temperatures staying in the 60s, they dropped to low 50s with a pretty stiff wind (which happened to be at our face for 4 hours). The Tigers played their worst game of the season to date, I don't think batting practice really ever ended for the Rangers. Also, it has caused me to be exhausted for work today. So why was this game so special to me? Because of this below:
The party started with a beer and cigar in the sun of my apartment's porch. If you know me (and my wife), you would know that cigars are a guilty pleasure that someone special doesn't necessarily encourage. But this was a special occasion, so you might as well go all out I say. Then the four of us headed into Detroit to grab some dinner, and on the way we were able to witness a roadside bathroom break (in rush hour). Detroit never ceases to amaze me.
Cheli's was the destination for dinner, after watching some of the Rangers put on a show for batting practice. After enjoying some chili and adult beverages, it was time for baseball. The game started out with a bang, and was a pretty good indication of how the night would turn out. Andrew Wilk struggled against the best lineup in baseball, which should have been expected. You have to tip your cap to the Rangers though, and the power of scouting reports. Jim Leyland picked Wilk to replace the injured Fister because he throws strikes and doesn't walk many people. In his start against Chicago he threw first pitch strikes to almost every batter, and the White Sox were forced to take a pitch or two since it was the first time anyone had seen this young guy pitch in the majors before. Well the Rangers were not waiting around. At one point, Wilk was 1 pitch away from striking out the side in the first with 14 pitches. These 14 pitches included 2 prior strike outs, 3 hits, and 1 run allowed. There were a lot of aggressive hitting. Wilk did his best to strand runners (which Texas ended up with 13 men LOB), and when he left the Tigers were still in striking distance.
Last night was also the first outing in Detroit for the next Japanese (overpaid) prince Yu Darvish. He allowed 2 hits, but was not impressive in doing so. He did manage to keep the Tigers off balance enough to limit many good swings. He lasted 6.1 innings with 121 pitches and 5 walks. Not super impressive, but he left with a 5-1 lead.
The Tigers did their best to use all AAA pitchers last night. Wilk started the game, Balester followed (giving up 3 runs, 2 unearned), and Schlereth followed. Below did finish the game, which he is becoming one of my favorite relievers. Schlereth followed up Balesters less than spectacular performance with one of the worst pitching performances I have ever witnessed... why is this guy on the roster? Is there really nobody else that can at least throw strikes, I dont understand. But the time the stinky southpaw was pulled, his stat line read: 1 IP, 6 hits, 3 BBs, 0 K's, and 5 ER. Just in case you dont like math, that is a 45.00 ERA and a 9.00 WHIP. Hmm, as bad as it was it probably lowered his ERA. Last night made 4 straight appearances where he has walked the first hitter he has faced. He comes out throwing balls and continues to not locate pitches at all.
The game ended with a lopsided 10-3 Rangers win. They finished with 19 hits, and Tiger's pitchers had 6 walks and there were 2 fielding errors thrown in. Basically, a bad stat line for Rangers hitters last night was 1-4 with 2 BBs (Josh Hamilton). The hitters didn't get good swings until the 8th inning, when we were actually a hit away from making the score 10-6. A split against the best team in baseball right now would be great, and last night was not one of the 2 wins expected. It is one that hopefully the Tigers and the fans forget quickly.
Some things to look forward to... I, like many people, thought the Angels were the team to beat in the AL this year, but Texas is continuing to show they are the 2 time defending AL champion. They are the class of baseball right now. Their lineup looks almost impossible to hold under 4 runs (they have more games over 10 runs, than under 4). While, their starting pitching is their weakness, they have been very good to start the season. If the Tigers do end up meeting these guys in the postseason again it will be a different story in a 7 game playoff series. The Tigers are counting on having a healthy Verlander and Fister (which are better than Texas 1-2), Wilk, Balester, and Schlereth will likely not see any postseason action. Even if Verlander only pitches game 1 and 5, leaving game 2 and 6 for Fister, I feel confident that the Tigers could win 3 of those 4 starts. This means that out of the other 3 games we just need 1 more good start from Max or Rick which is a very good possibility.. and even if they don't... our hitters can explode for a 10 run game almost as much as the Rangers can (especially with VMart expected to come back in the 5 hole). Last night was rough, but the Tigers are still going to have a great season, and have a very good chance of having the best regular season record in the AL.
I still love my Tigers and had a blast watching a game from a great view with great friends, and I would do it all again in a heart beat!
Go Tigers!
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