Bring on Game 163: Tigers 5, White Sox 3

Unfortunately, I will not be able to extend that streak.

rodney retired the side in order after Wise got an infield hit….but who’s complaining?

i heard results from afar. can’t believe we come down to a playoff.

and curse missing all the games! hope you all didn’t go nuts when we won today eh?

I have a better chance of beating Usain Bolt in the 100m than the Tigs do of beating the Twins in the Homerdome on Tuesday. We’re looking at a nationally-televised embarrassment.

It’s time for Kid Rick to become a Man.

And, as always, these are career numbers, and Rick’s numbers against the Twins will be forthcoming:

Leyland has already said that Ryan Raburn WILL be in the lineup on Tuesday because righties are hitting Baker better than lefties. In case you’re wondering, Raburn has never faced Baker.

The interesting question is: Who is Raburn going to replace in the lineup? Both Thames and Guillen have good numbers against Baker. We already documented Thames’s numbers last Thursday (a .308 average with 4 HRs). Guillen is 11-for-27 (.407) with a home run himself. So…basically you have three guys and only two spots in the lineup (LF and DH).

Granderson also has hit 4 HRs against Baker, but he’s only 10-for-45 (.222) overall against him, with 6 strikeous (Inge also has 6 Ks).

The only Tigers who have seen Baker and have NOT struck out at least once are Aubrey Huff and Adam Everett, neither of whom we are likely to see start this game. In Everett’s case, it’s simply a matter of Santiago having really good numbers against Baker (.400 average).

Interestingly enough, Huff and Everett are also the only two Tigers to NOT have at least one RBI against Baker.

Three Tigers have hit Baker for the cycle: Granderson, Guillen and Magglio (not in the same game, of course).

Speaking of Maggs, he absolutely mashes against Baker: 18-for-39 (.462) with 3 doubles, a triple, and 2 HRs to go with 6 RBIs.

This is another guy that Polanco does not hit well (.212—geez, that’s the third guy in a row that Polanco can’t hit). Inge isn’t so great against him either (6-for-33).

Looking for Cabrera to bust out (Aren’t we all)? His numbers against Baker aren’t eye-popping (5-for-18, or .278), but he does have a double and a HR to go with 4 RBIs and 5 strikeouts. He DOES have 3 walks against Baker, which is significant because Baker is normally a strike-thrower.

I welcome this playoff. Best case scenario, we humiliate the Twins in their last game at the Metrodome and the last scenes of baseball in the damn place will be of Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel humiliated. Worst case, we were still in a pennant race in a year in which we were predicted by almost everyone to finish last in the Central. And we get a higher draft pick.

BRING IT TWINKS.

Small sample sizes all around, but it’s something at least:

Porcello has only given up two HRs to the Twins. One was that home run to Michael Cuddyer that sealed his fate in Minnesota. The other home run was to Justin Morneau, and well, we’ll worry about HIM next year.

Only four Twins have RBIs against Porcello: Span, Cuddyer, Young, and Morneau each have two.

Rick’s actually done a good job against Joe Mauer. Mauer’s only 1-for-9 against him. I’d still suggest pitching around him if the situation called for it if not for the fact that…

Kubel absolutely KILLS Porcello. He is 8-for-11 (.727) with 2 doubles, but oddly enough, no RBIs.

Delmon Young also hits Porcello well (4-for-9 with a double and 2 RBIs). And, of course, both he and Kubel have been hot of late. Tolbert, Morales, and Casilla are also over .300 against Rick, but those three all have five or fewer ABs against him.

Orlando Cabrera is only 1-for-12 off Porcello.

And because we HAVE to check this stat, I’ll give it to you: Rick Porcello has walked Nick Punto twice.

With two teams this similar in skill, it’s fitting that everything comes down to a one game tiebreaker. I can’t wait for Tuesday, it should be an awesome game!

Let’s hope whoever wins can ride the tiebreaker win into a victory against the Yankees!

Have i mentioned that I love Justin Verlander?

one side = “I love Justin Verlander”

other side = “I hate Nick Punto”

hee hee

on the front: “I love all the Twins!”
and on the back: “Except Nick Punto.”

Good luck to you all on Tuesday. I hope the game is crisp and well executed. And I’m with Gill, let’s hope whoever wins just destroys the Yankees. See you Tuesday, guys!

Check out Freep and Detnews.

Uh-oh. .26?

Fight at home???

enough of this sad Miguel Cabrera shit. WE GET TO SEE MORE BASEBALL!!!! AND WE GET TO EMBARRASS THE TWINS AT THE METRODOME!!!! (as long as Don Kelly doesn’t take the field and a fly ball gets hit his way) :)

The reports are now in that Miguel was drunk on Saturday morning after partying with White Sox Players. How can this happen? Partying with members of the opposing team? And then having an awful series going 0 for 11 against them? I’m a diehard Tigers fan, but this is terrible for him to do this. The funny thing would be for him to have a good game tomorrow in a Tigers victory. Then all is forgiven. If they lose and he has a bad game, then the heat is on him. Sorry-but this how I feel about this. But the bottom line is GO TIGERS!!! Just win!! How does anyone else feel about this?

You should sit this one out. You clearly don’t care about your team, and quite frankly will probably be an 0-4 dissapointment anyway. It’s our most important game of the season, and it’s time for players with less talent and more desire to win to get their chance. I hope to see Marcus Thames or Ryan Raburn at first base tomorrow night. If we lose, we lose… Life will go on, and I’ll live. Miggy can get His winter started early and continue to get inexcusably drunk and not show up to his job. It’s Miguel Cabrera who will be to blame in my eyes if this team fails to qualify for the playoffs. I hate to be so upset with him, but as a loyal fan, I feel betrayed. Drinking that much the night before one of the biggest games of the year is simply irresponsible, and there is no way he was 100% physically or mentally on Saturday.

It goes without saying that fans care about the outcomes more than the players do at times. We are fans because it makes us feel like kids, wheb most of us first loved the game for whatever reason. To see your best player disrespect himself, his team, his adopted city and all of us who cheer for them is insulting. But I basically feel like I got a peek behind the curtain and didn’t like what I saw. Players drink. Players blow off steam. But if what’s being reported is true, this is drinking like an 18 year old at his first party. Someone also needs to ask leyland what condition miggy was in on saturday. Not that he will answer.

And of course, he has to do this when the team is in the spotlight the most it has been since 2006. I’m glad our best, highest paid hitter was still hungover for one of the most important games of the season. Too bad most of these players don’t care about what they do for a living as much as we do.

If we blow it on Tuesday, this is going to be the cherry on top of an incredibly embarrassing choke job. I hope someone is checking to make sure all the players are in their rooms at like 10pm tonight. Clearly, they’re unable to act like adults without supervision.