Better, Closer, Warmer

After a 9th inning snafu that resulted in a walk-off win for the Mariners the night previous, the Tigers needed a boost. Yes, that sentence contained the obvious.

And since we're on the subject of being obvious, it would make sense to also point out that Justin Verlander pitched last night. The Blowtorch rides again.

In the previous post, I had asked that the Tigers to not sit on their hands and to put up some run support for JV. It was quite refreshing to have that request answered in the form of Dirks and Delmon tag teaming to scratch 5 runs across. Ask and ye shall receive.

The Tigers looked like they had a burr in their saddle, something that I seldom see in sports these days. I fear that the days of teams being "OK" with poor games and heartbreaking losses are beginning to outweigh the days where teams would be pissed. JV and the Tigers showed up last night, and they did not disappoint.

The Blowtorch was locked in, making sure the Mariners would not get an easy ride. Things got a bit heated after Leyland was tossed for arguing with the home plate ump. Leyland was tossed and the next batter took his cuts. There was a....generous call in favor of the batter and JV didn't look to happy. It looked like Verlander was seconds away from being tossed as well, but JV's teammates and coaches came to save the day and, ultimately, the quality start of our ace. Though JV would give up 7 hits and 3 runs, he didn't give up anything else. 6 K's would compliment his ability to keep the ship straight and true. His stuff was nasty once again and he definitely gave the speed gun a workout. This was a situation JV has been in time and time again, and he played it the same way he always does.

The Tigers needed a win after a loss. They needed a stopper and The Blowtorch answered the bell. He got win #3 and the Tigers are above .500. Here's hoping we can continue the trend of playing better baseball, but that goes without saying. Yet here I am, saying it. Last night was a wild and difficult ride for our ace but hell if it wasn't entertaining. Plus, he got his first win IN Seattle in 3 years. I render an 8 on the Verland-O-Meter. As I said, The Blowtorch rides again.

Now I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't mention Prince Fielder's home run. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....

In honor of this most holy lift-off, I present the video that will sweep the nation. At least, that's the goal then! Gooooo ThunderCats!!!! GO TIGERS!

OK, That's Enough Messing Around

Justin Verlander is great. 

He's got top notch stuff and has come into his own to be come arguably the best pitcher in the game.

HOWEVER!

There seems to be a trend developing that I'm not fond of. I've noticed that when JV pitches, there's not a lot of offense from our guys. Maybe it's a confidence in your pitcher thing, but on the flip side, JV's gotta be able to have confidence in the guys behind him. 

JV brings his best stuff every time he comes to the mound. But that doesn't mean he only needs a couple runs to be great. Verlander is a horse, we all know this but the fact is that he isn't gonna go 8 innings every night. There are gonna be days where he's gonna work his tail off and leave in the 6th.Don't get me wrong, I love it when JV is pitching, it's a tight game and he's dazzling with pitching. But how about we post like 5-7 runs just to make sure nothing weird happens, eh? As much as I want him to throw a No-No or a Perfecto, I wouldn't mind seeing some vintage Verlander where he has some wiggle room to get creative. It's time to pay back the favor boys. 

This offense has too much talent to only score a small handful of runs when JV is pitching. The batting tagged KC pitching for 7 hits and 5 runs IN THE FIRST INNING the previous evening. Yet somehow they fell silent when it's JV getting the call. This can't happen anymore. 

The Blowtorch's outing was solid, dealing his best stuff to keep the game close, and kept it close for B-Boesch to blast a 2 run homer in the 8th to make things interesting. Classic Verlander, working to keep the team within striking distance. So with that in mind, I render a 7 on the Verland-o-Meter. (You may notice that it's gonna be rare for this better to dip below 7. C'mon, it's Verlander, he earns it every night!)

GO TIGERS!

JV NYC

Oh New York.

Home of those Damn Yankees. 

Given that the cranks took 2 of 3 from the Tigers, I'll keep this a bit short.

I was in attendance at Yankee Stadium for JV's outing against Ivan Nova. I will say that it was a typical Yankee crowd, not too much hostility but enough to keep up appearances. A lot of people asked me what I thought of the stadium. This got me thinking because while it is "Yankee Stadium", it isn't. It felt too new and not broken in yet. I'm actually lamenting not going to the original one across the street because that's the one with the history. That was the house that Ruth built. This one felt like a copy. It's a nice place but I guess I just can't love it because Ruth, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, Berra, Joltin' Joe and Gehrig never set foot there. 

 To be completely honest we should have won that game. We really fought to get that lead but golly gosh the bullpen just couldn't get JV another win. 

However, The Blowtorch was in excellent form, making the pitches he had too. I mean, he got roughed up a bit but that happens in the Bronx. For sure I thought he pitched well enough to get himself a W. 

Taking that into consideration, plus the fact I got to see JV in an opposing ballpark for the first time, I render a 7 on the Verland-O-meter. Yankee stadium is always a great venue for a great matchup and the evening did not disappoint. Always another game around the corner boys, we'll get them next time.

Doing What He Does Best

So, assuming you saw the start of Game 1 from yesterday's double header, the Tigers needed to win the second game. Like, seriously needed to win that second game. And who did the Tigers turn to?

You've heard this story before, it's nothing new. In fact, it's something that has become routine. I'm not saying this is always the situation when this player pitches. However, this pitcher has demonstrated that in times of need, he'll set the ship right and be the stopper.

After a strange and baffling 10-4 loss earlier in the day, the Tigers handed the ball to the Motor City Blowtorch. The Horse. The Cy Young winner. The MVP.

Justin. Freaking. Verlander.

And boy did he had his stuff working. His bender was FILTHY. His fastballs scorching.
Though he would only go 6 innings this time around, he was still dominant by only giving up 4 hits and 1 run. But here's the most pleasing stat of all, through 6 innings of work he had 8 punch outs. BA BAM! AND the Tigers won. That's JV being JV.

JV was solid, he got the win, 8 K's to his credit and he was NASTY. Taking those facts into account, I hereby register a 7.5 on the Verland-O-Meter. As Rod would say, "Get on with your bad self!"

Kansas CIty, HEY HEY HEY

Last night marked the start of the second series on the road for the Tigers in this 2012 season. Tonights matchup featured the Motor city Blowtorch himself, Justin Verlander and Danny Duffy, no relation to this man.

Verlander is shockingly 0-1 so far this season. Last night he looked to change that, PERMANENTLY.

To begin with, Kaufman Stadium is the one stadium that I want to go to badly out of any in my division.
I grew up a bit at Comiskey and New Comiskey (Mobile Phone Park for you Cubs fans), I despise the Twins and I've conquered Jacobs Field before. I just want to see how absurd and beautiful their Jumbotron is. But I digress.....

After some sleepy batting in Chicago, it was nice to start with a bang. The bang was supplied by none other than Austin Jackson as he lead off with a DEEP homer to left. If you want to restart your browser to make sure you read that correctly, go right ahead. I know this is Captain Obvious talking but imagine of A-Jack can do this all year. Not just homering mind you (DUH of course I'd take it), but getting on base AND homering. He either makes sure Boesch, Cabby or Fielder are in an RBI situation OR he puts the run up himself. Ridiculous!

Now Duffy had 2 men on and the Tigers looked to break this thing open early but a huge double play led to the inning ending with just 1 run on the board. This whole "Double Play" thing is quickly jumping to the top of my "Things I want to punch" list. (Yes smart guy, I know I can't punch a Double Play but c'mon, live a little)

Now it's time for JV to take over. (Cue Alex Gordon Double)

Dang it.

So the Royals manufacture a quick run to tie it but that's all they would get for some time. Verlander just went on to do his thing again. If you are unaware of what that "thing" is, allow me to remind you:

He was straight dealing. He literally walked up to each batter and handed them a card with either a "K" or "Grounder" or "Flyout" on it. No swings were taken, he just stood at home and handed out these cards. Don't believe me? Look it up! (Don't look it up)

Then in the 5th, something odd happened. With a man on, Brandon Inge stepped to the plate. He then proceeded to hit a 2 run homer to center. That odd thing I was talking about was not the homer. The odd thing was how the homer was received. Twitter exploded. Mixed reactions were running wild. The Tigers take the lead and people were up in arms! Almost like they were upset that Inge was the guy to do it!

As a bit of an aside here, there are some players that I don't like. But I don't let that get in the way of the team taking the lead. A lead is a lead is a lead. In any case! The Tigers were now up 3-1.

We now return to our regularly scheduled Pitching performance. (See Previous Photo)

JV would mow down the KC line up, ending up with 8 K's before the 9th. As Mario Impemba would say, "He's in Cruise Control now."

However, the game was starting to follow an eerily similar script. The previous 2 starts for this horse had him pitching 8 strong innings, only to have the game get away. Once by Papa, another by JV's own hand. So we arrive to the bottom of the 9th and here's the MVP taking the mound again.

(Cue Single, a Run, and a Walk)

Dang it.

Coke was getting warm and now Leyland makes the walk. All signs point to JV being done.
Interestingly however, Jim says a few quick words and JV will stay in the game.

(Cue Hit Batter)

DANG IT!!!

Next batter is Alex Gordon and we all know what he did to start the game. One more hit and this game goes to the Royals. Talk about pressure. No seriously, talk about it.

Would this game end up like the previous 2? Would the Cy Young and MVP winner fall victim to some demon preventing him for getting his first win? I'll let the man himself answer that:

Justin Verlander, despite an absurdly high pitch count, just got his 1st win. Leyland was quoted as saying, "He said he felt great. This is your game, I said, I'm not coming out to get you. When you walk off the mound you either Win or Lose but it's your game."

It was a strange start to this season for the MVP, but tonight Justin Verlander sent a 100 mph reminder to the rest of the league: Look out.

And with this win, I unveil the "Verland-o-meter". The entire season for JV will be rated with this meter. The criteria will be the stats, the quality of the game, and how nasty he is. So for last nights matchup, I bestow the following rating:

Remember kids, lay off the high ones. 

A Day that Shall Live in Infamy

So That Was Saturday

I don’t wake up early on Saturdays anymore. Ever since the cartoons turned into gelatinous blobs, I have had very little interest in rising early.  At this point in my life, only a handful of things will get me up:

1. If someone crashed the night before, I’ll wake up to kick ‘em out.

2. A nostalgia marathon of Batman the Animated Series is on.

3. Famous French Toast

and last, but not least……..

4. Red Wings Hockey

Now I know what you’re saying. “Hey Jay! This is a baseball blog! Why are you talking Wings Hockey?”

Well don’t tag me out yet, there’s a reason.

So this past Saturday I was up to watch the Wings host the Blackhawks at the Joe. It was an emotional game because it would determine our first round opponent. We would either face the stacked Nashville Predators or some west coast team from the pacific division. SO HELP ME if we have to play another west coast first rounder. So this game was grueling. We looked awful, we weren’t skating, and to make matters worse, I didn’t have any milk for my cheerios. Needless to say, things were looking grim.

However, with just seconds left in the 3^rd trailing by a goal, a man often credited with practicing the art of witchcraft on the ice scores the tying goal. Holy Mackerel!

I’m now ecstatic, and I’m thinking we can really win this game now.

But alas, after the late game heroics, some exciting chances in OT, and an attempted shootout deke that, if successful, would have been the equivalent of Neo falling backwards to dodge the Agents bullets, The Wings fell to the Hawks. Feeling dejected and hungry, I made a rash decision.  I decided to do something that I had yet to do in my life.

I decided to just go to a Tigers game. 

It was a rare day off, I had the means and I just wanted to get my mind off of hockey. I didn’t think I’d be able to get another chance so early in the season so BAM I’m going to a baseball game.

I made my pilgrimage downtown via I-75, and I arrived to the parking structure. It was a nice day so instead of a shuttle, I walked. Since I parked near Campus Martius, I had a bit of a stroll. I walked past the buildings, noticing what once was. Seeing the city in this way wasn’t something I’d seen too often. I have lived here for 10+ years and yet downtown was still new. I walked and saw how much this city could use a boost. While it may not have been the coldest winter, it was still cold for the city.

I was lamenting this when suddenly, there’s this sound. A familiar sound that meant the turn of the season is here. I walked faster as the sound echoed through the city. I crossed the street and found myself at the corner of Adams and Witherell.

I had arrived where the boys of summer play their grand game. I felt a grin cross my face as I walked past Gate B towards the ticket booth. “Let’s see what’s inside” I wonder to myself. I walk up to the booth and see if there’s anything on the first row of the upper deck.  I get a single club seat in 4^th row in 327 and head for the concourse.

I cross the threshold of the main gate and step into a buzzing concourse. I make my way through the crowd to stop for a moment to watch the game from the SRO. Everyone is fixated on this game, something that I relish seeing. I’m glad Detroit is a sports town where the games aren’t a “Scene” to be seen at. You’re there for the game, that’s all.

The side is retired and I head for the escalator. Very seldom have I sat in the upper deck so it’s a bit of a new experience heading up there. Looking very much like a tourist, I milled about staring down at my ticket then back up to see the section numbers. I arrived at my section and was greeted with a sight that left me speechless. You gotta be kidding me…….

I had everything in front of me. A great angle still close to the game, concession stands only feet away and perhaps most importantly, I was right near the restrooms. Not that I have an overactive bladder mind you. But in the sports fan realm, that’s like hitting the powerball a day after you hit the powerball.

I sat with my hotdog, pretzel and brew ready for some baseball. Then it happens.

Doug Fister pulls something and leaves the game. “Great job Jay, you brought the Red Wings losing funk with you to the ball park. How thoughtful.” I even started to panic a little, actually thinking everyone around me knew it was my fault he left the game. However, Below came in and shut down the inning. Phew, my stay of execution. For a moment I think about the Wings loss and think, “Really? That’s what it’s gonna come to? Everything I watch turns to crud?”

And just as that thought came to mind, it happens.

Prince Fielder was batting and the Tigers were leading comfortably. There was no pressure to do anything. And it’s that gift of relief that tends to make special things happens. And with that, Fielder hit his first homer as a Tiger at COPA. It just kept going higher and higher, Jackie Wilson would be proud. It sailed out and the place went berserk. “Well,” I said. “That F*****g rocked.” Later on he would another one, this time a no doubter to right. Man, the sound the ball made when it left his bat. If you listened closely you could hear the ball echo the sentiments of one William Wallace.

FREEEEEEEEEDDDDOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Tigers Baseball is here kids. We shut out the Bosox and went on to sweep them in walk off fashion. This team looks unreal and I got to see it with my own eyes. So if there’s anything I want to impart on you good people, it’s this:

If you get the gut feeling to go to a game, JUST DO IT.

I’m not saying great things will happen every time. But hey, it’s Baseball, funnier things have happened. I’m looking at you, Mr. end-of-regular-season-last-year.

So that was Saturday.