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Game 43: Tigers (16-26) at D-Backs (27-15)

Detroit Tigers at Arizona Diamondbacks, May 17, 2008 8:10 PM EDT


Hi everyone, Al Beaton, aka Big Al, here. You may know me from such blogs as The Wayne Fontes Experience and SideLion Report, along with being a frequent commenter here at Bless You Boys. I was asked, along with Mike McClary of The Daily Fungo, to keep ByB running somewhat smoothly while our good friend Ian spends the next couple of weeks walking the earth. 

Please bear with me as I feel my way around SB Nation, and suffer along with me as the Tigers continue to disappoint. Greatly disappoint...

Your pitching matchup tonight has the Tigers' current de facto "ace," Armando Galarraga (2-1, 3.07), facing D-Backs' rookie Max Scherzer (0-1, 3.14). (Never, ever thought I'd use ace and Galarraga in the same sentence) Galarraga's job tonight is to be the stopper, and end the Tigers 5 game losing streak. A big job indeed, as the D-Backs have the best overall record in MLB, and a 4 game winning streak.

Join us in tonight's game thread, and we'll see if the following questions are answered...

Will the Tigers downward spiral into irrelevancy continue unabated? Will Jim Leyland once again amaze and confuse us with his lineup? (I thought Gary Sheffield's shoulder was so bad, he could "barely lob the ball" Yet he was back in LF last night. HUH?) Will the Tigers bats again grow cold when runners are in scoring position?  Will Carlos Guillen confound us with his seeming hands of stone? (Yeah, I'm a more than a little cynical right now...)

Then again, tonight could be the night the Tigers' 2008 season turns around! Maybe Ian leaving the states is just the thing to kick start our woeful Tigers! 

We'll soon find out.

Short hops:

  • At Mack Avenue Tigers, Kurt believes it is time for Dave Dombrowski to take drastic action before the season is too far gone to salvage. How drastic? Jim Leyland should be fired immediately , if not sooner.
  • Billfer senses a strike zone conspiracy  at The Detroit Tigers Weblog.
  • Mike has released the latest episode of The Detroit Tigers Podcast. The title, "Desert Despair," says it all.

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Tonight's lineups:

Detroit:
C. Granderson cf
M. Joyce lf
C. Guillen 3b
M. Ordonez rf
M. Cabrera 1b
I. Rodriguez c
E. Renteria ss
R. Raburn 2b
A. Galarraga p

Arizona:
C. Young cf
S. Drew ss
O. Hudson 2b
C. Jackson 1b
J. Upton rf
M. Reynolds 3b
J. Salazar lf
C. Snyder c
M. Scherzer p

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 7:41 PM EDT reply actions  

Ooooo!

All the Tigers are wearing their socks high! Now that’s some BASEBALL!

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:14 PM EDT reply actions  

Blown DP!

Raburn drops the 3rd out of the inning. Let’s hope it doesn’t comeback to bite the Tigers in the ass. With their luck as of late…

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:27 PM EDT reply actions  

Till now...

I see rock n rye is here as well. It’s must be blogger’s night!

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions  

wow 14 balls in 20 pitches

yet somehow Galarraga sneaks out unharmed.

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 8:30 PM EDT reply actions  

That was one scary 1st inning...

But Galarraga gets out of it unscathed. He was behind EVERY batter.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:30 PM EDT reply actions  

Pudge K's

well at least it wasn’t on a neck-high fastball

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 8:39 PM EDT reply actions  

Jesus! H! CHRIST! Pudge!

Could that pitch have been any more outside?

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:39 PM EDT reply actions  

Thing is, Pudge would take a fastball down the middle

and try to bunt a pitch that’s in the dirt/3 feet outside/over his head. That’s how he rolls.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

Why do I keep coming back?

Hopefully I don’t storm my way off to bed after a couple fielding gaffes again tonight…

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 8:49 PM EDT reply actions  

I was checking out Ian's Twitter feed

He saw Lou Ferrigno at Metro Airport. Wow, the neighbor on the King of Queens!

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:50 PM EDT reply actions  

That's more like it!

1-2-3 inning for Galarraga. How about stringing together some hits!

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:52 PM EDT reply actions  

great minds, eh?

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions  

That's more like it

1-2-3 for Galarraga

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 8:52 PM EDT reply actions  

Grnderson hasn't looked this bad...

since the last couple of months of 2006. He’s just plain lost at the plate.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 8:57 PM EDT reply actions  

it's odd

seeing as he was so hot when he came back. You’d expect it to be the other way around.

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions  

That's more like it

1, 2, 3, for Galarraga (might as well get in on the act)

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 8:58 PM EDT reply actions  

After Friday's screw up...

I don’t want to see Renteria go after ANY pop ups.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:09 PM EDT reply actions  

I wish I had an answer for you.

But I have no idea. Leyland seems like he’s on cruise control, letting things ride, hoping they get better.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions  

Max Scherzer

wasn’t he Col. Klink’s right hand man on Hogan’s Heroes?

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 9:16 PM EDT reply actions  

I know nuhtink! Nuhtink!

HOOOOOOOOOOOOGAAAN!

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions  

Pusge, Pudge, Pudge...

The Tigers must lead the universe in hitting into DP’s.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:24 PM EDT reply actions  

sounds like a nice start for Willis

There was a lot of gnashing of teeth but breaking down his last start, it wasn’t bad until the end.

by Kurt Mensching on May 17, 2008 9:29 PM EDT reply actions  

We could use some good news...

I hope the D-Train is finally figuring things out.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions  

Leyland looked like he was rolling his own in the dugout

Has this team driven him from his beloved tobacco, to the chronic?

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:36 PM EDT reply actions  

yay!

I have a hard enough time typing forward.The only way I’m typing backwards is if I speak in all palindromes

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 9:52 PM EDT reply actions  

All from a 2 out rally at that...

Been quite some time since we’ve seen one.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions  

They walked the pitcher with two out?

And they still beat us last night? Come on, these guys are punks

by pfuhrmeister on May 17, 2008 9:57 PM EDT reply actions  

Mud Hen Connection

tearing it up tonight

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 10:20 PM EDT reply actions  

two points

1) I don’t really think Galarraga should have come out for another inning at that pitch count unless Leyland was trying to get him through to a left hander, then remove him. So it’s not that bad of an idea. Just makes me uncomfortable

2) that shoulda been a strikeout.

by Kurt Mensching on May 17, 2008 10:27 PM EDT reply actions  

exhale.....

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 10:44 PM EDT reply actions  

Lucky to get out of that giving up only 2 runs

I’m breathing again…

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 10:44 PM EDT reply actions  

wow, thank you Orlando Hudson

finally a break for the Tigers

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 10:59 PM EDT reply actions  

OK, that was fun to watch...

and a nice play by Pudge. 2 out, just like that.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 10:59 PM EDT reply actions  

now that was a veteran play

bet that batter gets his ass chewed out.

but nice, nice play by Pudge.

by Kurt Mensching on May 17, 2008 11:01 PM EDT reply actions  

How

can Todd give up his obilgatory run when they only are giving him a 1 run lead?

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 11:15 PM EDT reply actions  

Oh man!

Grandy caught it! That was too close…

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 11:19 PM EDT reply actions  

whew

Ok, Grandy’s my Tiger again

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 11:19 PM EDT reply actions  

Byrnes hit that on the screws

Typical Jones out, use your defense.

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply actions  

Four Batters of Fear

A Todd Jones save

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 11:23 PM EDT reply actions  

Thank God

1-23 when scoring 4 or less. Nice to finally win one.

by ThaWalrus9 on May 17, 2008 11:24 PM EDT reply actions  

I can't help but laugh when Jones gets his "typical" save

Out 1 is a diving catch, out #2 is on a shot to left, and out #3 is a deep fly to the RF warning track. Where’s my blood pressure meds?

Still, a much needed win! Finally…

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 11:25 PM EDT reply actions  

he went a little out of order this time

usually the base runner gets on after the first out

http://www.fromthecopa.blogspot.com/

by rock n rye on May 17, 2008 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions  

Good night, everyone

See you tomorrow! The Tigers will win the series! Right? Right?

waynefontes.com sidelionreport.com

by BigAl on May 17, 2008 11:28 PM EDT reply actions  

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