The Rick and Ramon Show: Tigers 8, Mariners 2

Quite a weekend for the Tigers in Seattle, as they not only took two out of three in the series, but also won without having to crank the ball out of the park.  That's something we didn't see much of last season.  Detroit had three doubles scattered among its 12 hits, but most importantly, batters put the ball in play with runners on base and drove them in to score.

The beneficiary of that timely hitting was Rick Porcello, who earned his first major league win (and later, a shaving cream facial) with seven smooth innings.  He put some runners on base early in the game, but after the third inning, Porcello cruised through the Mariners lineup.  After an Ichiro Suzuki single, the rookie retired 14 straight batters.  We've probably already overused the word "poise" when it comes to Porcello, but the composure he's shown in just two games is impressive.  He acts like he belongs, and yesterday, he definitely pitched like it.

Porcello also joined something of an exclusive club by serving up a home run to Ronny Cedeno to lead off that third inning.  That was only the 14th homer of Cedeno's career.  He only hit two all of last season.

Roar:

With (Typhoid) Adam Everett out again with the flu, Ramon Santiago continued to play like someone who doesn't intend on giving up that starting shortstop job.  Hitting in the eighth spot in the lineup, Santiago made sure few Tigers runners were stranded on base.  He drove in five runs, three of which scored on an eighth-inning double. 

Santiago's numbers actually dipped a bit after he went 0-for-7 in the first two games of this series, but he rebounded in a big way on Sunday with a 2-for-3 day.  For the season, he's batting .320/..370/.480 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 27 plate appearances.

Everett really hasn't done anything to lose his job, but you have to wonder if the Tigers can afford to take Santiago's bat out of the lineup right now.

Random Thought:

Has Ken Griffey, Jr. ever seemed less threatening in his career?  He hit 2-for-12 in this series with no home runs, no RBIs, and two strikeouts.  Even when Griffey came up with runners on base, it never seemed like he was someone the Tigers had to worry about. 

Comment of the Day:

Leyland emphasized this in training, and it’s certainly paying off. Speed on the bases, squeeze plays, manufacturing runs — makes you feel a whole helluva lot better about the team.

by john.kmiecik

Okay, I hope to find some video of Porcello's shaving cream facial from Justin Verlander.  If/when I find it, it'll be posted here.