Kei Igawa (0-0, -.--) vs. Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.27)

Well, this doesn't quite have that same "Clash of American League Titans" feel to it that we may have imagined when the 2008 schedule was released, does it?  And would you have ever thought that you might be relieved to see the New York Yankees come to town?  Cue up Tim Kurkjian and his stand-by  "That's the beauty of baseball; you never know what's going to happen" explanation for everything.

Kenny Rogers has pitched pretty well in his last two starts, one of which was a win over these same Yankees in the Bronx.  And really, he should have won Sunday's start at the Metrodome (Carlos Guillen, I'm lookin' at you), a game that's still rather painful to think about.  So maybe he can play the role of stopper that the Tigers really need right now. 

I realize I have no business talking any kind of trash about any pitcher the Tigers face these days.  And I might even be risking some sort of jinx from what I'm about to say.  But Kei Igawa stinks, and the Tigers should really pound him into fertilizer tonight and use him to re-seed the Comerica Park infield.  Igawa was just called up from Triple-A Scranton to replace the demoted Ian Kennedy, and even Joe Girardi says he's just pitching "OK."

If Detroit isn't able to hang some runs on this guy, Jim Leyland should have his players run laps and do sit-ups on the field right after the game, in full view of the fans that stuck around to the very end.  And I might be filled with enough rage to overturn my car in the driveway.  (It's a Honda; it shouldn't be that heavy.)

Our friends at Pinstripe Alley have your SB Nation opposing view for this weekend's series.  Hopefully, I don't have to choke on my own bravado over there.

Locally in Tiger Town, fans have already zeroed in on a few punching bags this season, two of whom have been given their walking papers.  Gary Sheffield doesn't raise exactly the same level of ire, though it's been close a few times.  But the only way he's going anywhere is if he decides he's had enough.  Plus, he not only has a track record to give him some benefit of the doubt, but has shown some signs of turning himself around. 

The national baseball media, however, seems to have lined up a different target in its crosshairs.  Perhaps it's because he's the physically biggest one, or because his new contract shows up fastest on the radar.  Or maybe people just can't resist poking him in the belly like the Pillsbury dough boy to see if he giggles.  Whatever the reason, Miguel Cabrera is being singled out as a major reason the Detroit Tigers are playing so far below expectations. 

First, Tom Verducci called him "an overweight slug" at SI.com this week.  Then along came Jayson Stark, who posted some choice quotes from a couple of scouts for his "Rumblings and Grumblings" column at ESPN.com yesterday.  (Hat tip to The Daily Fungo for steering me in this direction.)

First, here's what Stark had to say about Cabrera himself:

[...] the surprise is that Cabrera has been: (a) an offensive disappointment, (b) such a defensive disaster at third base that he had to be shifted to first within three weeks, and (c) so lackadaisical that players on other teams are privately questioning whether he flicked on his cruise-control switch after signing an eight-year, $153.3-million contract this spring.

"I expected him to come in there and be superman," said one scout.  "He's been anything but that."

Definitely a body blow.  But here comes the roundhouse right from another major league scout:

"For $150 million, you'd like to at least see him run a ball out.  I watched him for a week, and I think there was one ball all week where he tried to extend himself.  That was a double-play ball, and he was still like 4.8 [seconds] getting down the line.   On a routine ground ball, he's 5.2, maybe 5.1.  It's ridiculous to even pull the clock out."

Believe me, I'm not going to suddenly turn around and say that the Tigers should've waited a season before trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term contract.  (And I'm not quite there with Mike McClary, who wonders if Detroit might have buyer's remorse.)  But isn't this the inherent risk in giving a player a ballpark full of money, especially at such a young age?  As frustrating as it is, it's also kind of understandable.  When you work and fight so hard to put up the kind of numbers that enable you to cash in, isn't it natural to ease off once you've been rewarded? 

Jim Leyland has already criticized Cabrera for not focusing during each at-bat.  And he's been working him out personally, along with his other coaches, to try and make him as good a first baseman as possible.  And maybe not just because Leyland thinks he can be a good one, but because they really can't afford for him to be a DH for the remaining seven years of his contract. 

This could be a season-long project for the Tigers.  And not just for the coaching staff, but perhaps also for Cabrera's fellow Venezuelans, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez, both of whom he presumably looks up and pays attention to.  If they haven't been already, it's time to exert some leadership.

Maybe someone writing a baseball blog shouldn't admit this (especially if he wants to be taken seriously), but sometimes I really don't understand this game of baseball.  Perhaps more specifically, some of the thinking that goes into it baffles me.

Gary Sheffield hasn't been playing well.  We know that.  He's batting .202/.366/.315 with two home runs and six RBIs, and has had several games in which he looked like a guy whose best baseball days were finished.  This week's decision to move him out to left field had a faint whiff of desperation to it, though if Sheffield insists he'll perform better while playing the field, the Tigers had to give it a try. 

And maybe Sheffield showed he knows what he's talking about on Wednesday night.  A three-hit night looked as if it could be the kind of breakthrough we've all been waiting for.  But then Sheffield was scratched from the lineup on Thursday.  To be fair, that was Jim Leyland's plan no matter what happened on Wednesday.  However, it's Leyland's reasoning for giving Sheff the night off that has me rubbing my temples.

"You finally had a good night and are feeling good about yourself and then I throw you out against Beckett?" said Leyland, shaking his head.  "There aren't too many guys around who hit Josh Beckett."

I just don't get that at all.  Why admit defeat before you've actually been defeated?  Maybe that's overstating it just a tad, but why make things easier for Josh Beckett?  He's already a great pitcher; he doesn't need any help from the opposing manager.  It's not like Sheffield is 0-for-20 lifetime versus Beckett.  He's not fantastic against him either, batting .231/.375/.462 with one home run and five RBIs in 16 plate appearances.  But Sheff could at least get in there and put up a fight.

Not to mention that maybe Sheffield should be right back in the lineup after a night in which he got three hits.  If it's suddenly clicking for him, why sit him down?  Wouldn't you want him right back out there so he can maintain whatever timing he may have regained?

I understand that it's probably better for the player if he knows in advance that he won't be playing the next night.  I'm sure it also makes things easier for the manager too, so he can plan ahead and what-not.  Ultimately, we're talking about one game on the schedule.  And the Tigers didn't lose last night just because Sheffield didn't play.  (Though it should be pointed out that Pudge Rodriguez and Edgar Renteria didn't play, either.)  But for a team needing to string together some consecutive wins, why send them out of the dugout short-handed?

Given how he was pitching before he got hurt (four runs, four hits, and four walks in his last two innings), I'm not sure if this is good news or not, but Denny Bautista appears to be working through his shoulder tendonitis nicely.  He began throwing a baseball yesterday, which I imagine is an important first step in rehabilitation.

After reading that Bautista threw a short game of catch with Todd Jones on flat ground, it occurred to me that I don't think I've ever read more - let alone written more - about guys playing catch than I have this season with the Tigers.  Today's Tigers News: Fernando Rodney played catch for eight minutes!  In other news, Joel Zumaya played catch, too!  Up next, Denny Bautista tossed a ball 15 times! 

I apologize; that's kind of snarky of me.  Reading all these stories of playing catch actually gets me feeling kind of warm inside, and misty around the eyes.

Was it mean of me to spring that on you?  I'm sorry about that.  Really.  I mean, you're probably at work.  Now you're sitting there at your computer, sniffling or dabbing at your eyes, lower lip quivering, and your co-workers are passing by wondering what's wrong.  Hey, maybe you can get a free lunch out of it.

Getting back on track here, Bautista should begin throwing off a mound soon, depending on how much soreness he's dealing with.  Before he rejoins the major league club, however, the Tigers want Bautista to take a minor league rehab assignment -  not just to build his shoulder strength back up, but to make sure he's regained the control that he lost sometime in mid-April.

A picture of someone vomiting might have been more appropriate for tonight's recap.  Although the act of vomiting is rather violent.  And though some Tigers fans might feel that way right now (Watch out, small animals!), this game seemed to inspire more of an arms-folded disgust.

Was it entirely predictable that the Tigers would follow up a game in which they scored 10 runs and knocked 18 hits with a flaccid one-run, six-hit performance?  I'm not saying that this lineup should've done more against Josh Beckett, because he was quite good tonight, striking out eight batters.  What I am saying is that more - much more - is expected.

Justin Verlander didn't throw a very good game.  You're just not going to beat many teams giving up five runs and nine hits.  But how about scoring some runs for the guy?  Verlander deserves to be under .500 with the way he's pitched this season.  But if he gets any kind of run support, he's not dragging around a 1-6 record.  Maybe that's irrelevant tonight, but don't you wonder if the tiny margin of error his team provides is getting to him?  I imagine Verlander sometimes feels as if he has to throw the ball through a toilet paper tube.

By the way, has Kevin Youkilis officially been fitted for his Tigers Killer jacket?  Because he's definitely in the club now, after hitting yet another home run against Detroit.

Curtis Granderson is 0-for-10 over the last two games, with seven strikeouts.  He batted 2-for-18 in this series, striking out in eight of those at-bats.  Miguel Cabrera batted 2-for-14.  (And we'll have more on him tomorrow, though The Daily Fungo has a head start on us.)  Magglio Ordonez hit 4-for-16 with one RBI.

While enduring his weekly conversation with Rob Parker, the Detroit News' Tom Gage brought up Sparky Anderson's old adage that you couldn't judge a team until it's played 40 games.  Well, the Tigers have played 36 of them and are five games under .500.  Bear with me because I was an English major, but even if the Tigers win their next four (and how confident do you feel about that?), they'll be one game under .500 at the 40-game mark.

Maybe we should save ourselves the trouble and pass judgment now.

Roll Call

The Tigers didn't make it worthwhile to see this game through, but here are those who chimed in before it just became a slog.

Thanks to BigAl, pfuhrmeister, ThaWalrus9, miggy4mvp, rock n rye, LosTigres, tbliggins, Tigsfan, dettigionswings'stons, Matt in Toledo, and Tony K for being willing to have their hopes crushed.

Josh Beckett (3-2, 4.19) vs. Justin Verlander (1-5, 6.28)

I joked about saying this last night, so jeer me if you must, but could that walk-off win have given the Tigers a much-needed kick in the pants?  Or was it just a speed bump against the semi-truck that might be the Boston Red Sox?  Regardless of what happens tonight, I won't mind seeing Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell leave town after what they've done to Detroit pitching in this series.  (Yes, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have been good, too, but didn't you kind of expect that?)  

Josh Beckett was knocked around in his last start by those pesky Tampa Bay Rays, but the four runs he allowed were easily surpassed by the 12 his lineup scored for him.  (Funny how that works, eh?)  Beckett hasn't been lights-out, however, giving up three runs or more in four of his five starts this season.  In his only start against the Tigers, back in 2006 at Fenway, Beckett gave up five runs and six walks in six innings. 

Depending on who you consult, an injury might be the reason Justin Verlander has struggled in his seven starts this season.  He hasn't been very good, allowing four runs or more in six of those seven appearances, but Verlander has also been victimized by the fourth-worst run support among AL starting pitchers.  In one start vs. the Red Sox last year, Verlander gave up only two runs in 7 2/3 innings in Boston.

Both team's left fielders are getting the night off, with Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield each sitting out.  Jacoby Ellsbury will fill in for Ramirez, while Matt Joyce starts in left for the Tigers, along with Marcus Thames batting at designated hitter.  Edgar Renteria will get a rest, as well, with Ramon Santiago filling in at shortstop.

Over the Monster has your SB Nation opposing view for tonight's series finale.

Anybody else need to take a long drag on an oxygen tank after that one?  No?  Then a cigarette, perhaps?  Hoo, baby.  Trying to describe everything that happened in this game could take 2,000 words and I'm not sure I have it in me after going from a warm, fuzzy feeling to gut punch nauseous to hug and kiss anyone nearby. 

The sickening gut punch came from Francisco Cruceta who gave up a game-tying, three-run homer to Mike Lowell, turning a sure win into possible tears-inducing loss.  Will it be a while before Cruceta gets to put on his cape again in a key late-inning situation?  Well... Jim Leyland doesn't exactly have a bunch of other guys he can trust right now.  Cruceta will probably be out there again soon.

Actual vomiting may have been induced by Leyland's decision to send Magglio Ordonez running on contact in the eighth inning when the Tigers had men on first and second with one out against Hideki Okajima.  Gary Sheffield neglected to contribute the contact part of the equation and Maggs was mowed down at third for a seemingly morale-crushing double play. 

With the Red Sox having a closer that hadn't blown a save so far this season, it looked like game over, and one seriously bleak 20-hour wait until Thursday night's series finale.  Fortunately for the Tigers, Julio Lugo apparently didn't get the memo.  Even watching on TV, you could feel the air go out of Comerica Park when Edgar Renteria hit a ground ball to Lugo in the ninth inning for what looked like a sure double play ball.

Except Lugo muffed it, giving the Tigers a chance they probably never thought they'd see.  And this time, they pounced on it, moving runners along and driving them in.  Lugo was involved in the final play, as well, with Placido Polanco (who gets The Big Roar with a 5-for-6 night) blooping a broken-batted ball just over his outstretched glove to score Renteria - the runner who never should've reached base to begin with.

Let's go over that ninth inning again, in case you just joined us.  Check-swing bouncer, error, sacrifice bunt, ground-out, broken-bat blooper.  Tigers win.  Tigers win!

Anyone else need some Dramamine?  Whew!

Roll Call

We had a great GameThread tonight, with so many ups and downs.  But these are the men who rode it out.  It's always so much more fun when it's for a winning cause.

Thanks to pfuhrmeister, Germantiger, Zappatista, Fats Fothergill, Tony K, spotstarters, Grant E., Matt in Toledo, miggy4mvp, MackAveKurt, BigAl, rock n rye, ThaWalrus9, SonOfGibby, and Tigsfan, all of whom helped us through suffering and celebration in solidarity.

Clay Buchholz (2-2, 3.71) vs. Armando Galarraga (2-1, 1.88)

Do you think a rainy afternoon in the metro Detroit area compelled Tigers hitters to sit by their window, look outside, and ponder the ineptness of their recent play while the quiet pitter-patter of the raindrops brought them introspection and peace?  Even better, perhaps they contemplated the sound of bat hitting baseball, as opposed to one hand clapping. 

One more loss, and the Tigers will be at that seven-games-below-.500 mark that had all of us shaking our fists at the sky, standing on ledges, and ready to kick small animals.  (Or was that just me?  I can never tell.)

The new, shiny coat of paint that had been Armando Galarraga's first three starts with the Tigers showed some drying and chipping Friday night in Minnesota.  He was bound to give up some runs eventually, and the Twins finally hung four runs on him in six innings.  As has been the problem ever since leaving Yankee Stadium triumphant, however, Galarraga could rightly file for a lack of run support.  His lineup just didn't give him any help. 

On the other side, Clay Buchholz has been fantastic for the Red Sox since getting stomped for seven runs by the Yankees three weeks ago in the Bronx.  In his subsequent three starts, Buchholz has only given up three total runs, while striking out 21 batters in 19 1/3 innings.  That game against the Yankees, by the way, was the only time Buchholz has given up more than three runs in a start this season.  Doesn't he sound like just the sort of pitcher you want to see the Tigers face right now?  Blurgh.

Short Hops:

• The designated hitter wheel of fortune chooses Matt Joyce this evening.
  
• Over at Tiger Tales, Lee analyzes the idea of "pitching to the score."
• Galarraga is one of the candidates for the new MLB Rookie of the Month award.
• Somebody give The Spot Starters' Blake a cool towel for his forehead, after researching the many ways in which the Tigers have stunk in the first five weeks of the season.
  

Remember when Brandon Inge treated the idea of playing catcher again the same way most of us would treat having to clean a septic tank?  If you don't, that's okay.  That was so two months ago, anyway!  Forget all that stuff now.  This isn't March anymore.  This is May.  And as of May 2008, Inge likes catching - likes it like Mikey liked Life - and wants more, more, more of it.

Via MLB.com's Jason Beck:

"When I'm in there, I'm dedicated," Inge said.  "I want to call a game.  I take pride in it.  It has definitely changed, I think, for the better."

Inge isn't just open to the idea of giving Pudge Rodriguez a rest whenever he needs it this season, either.  He's also beginning to sing a tune the Tigers have been waiting to hear since February, expressing interest in possibly taking over as the full-time catcher next year.  Third base is always going to be the girl he wish he was with, though.

Courtesy of the Detroit News' Lynn Henning:

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna lie," Inge said of his third base romance, "but I'm good with the catching, too.  I don't like sitting.

Besides realizing that catching may not be as bad as he may have been dreading over the winter and spring (unless he's just saying what he thinks Jim Leyland, Dave Dombrowski, and Tigers fans want to hear), it may also be dawning on Inge that he's probably not going anywhere.  Unless a team decides that it absolutely needs a third baseman for the stretch run, and wants Inge so bad that they might offer a major league caliber pitcher in return (not to mention picking up some of his salary), this is a relationship that looks highly likely to continue.  And maybe Inge is finally getting used to that idea. 

Considering that Detroit may have been looking at having to offer Pudge big money to come back again in 2009 because the organization's catching situation looks so bleak right now (a subject which really deserves its own blog post), this is potentially good news for both sides involved.