Clete Emotion! Tigers 7, Mariners 6
by Ian Casselberry on Aug 20, 2009 7:30 PM EDT
in News
29 comments
For five-and-a-half innings, it looked like a terrible afternoon at Comerica Park. The kind of afternoon that makes you want to punch anyone who dared smile at you. The kind of afternoon when food doesn't taste good. The kind of afternoon where you just hate baseball because the Detroit Tigers make it so miserable for us.
Jarrod Washburn pitched like he felt bad over leaving the Mariners for the Tigers. "I'm sorry I get to be in a pennant race and you don't, guys. If I let you hit some home runs, can we be cool?" (You could almost hear the "I told you sos" from Lookout Landing.)
Among four home runs served up by Washburn, the most notable was Russell Branyan's, launched to right field like it was shot out of a mortar. That thing almost landed in The Jungle way past the seats.
But during a one-hour rain delay in which the bases were left loaded, the Tigers apparently pondered the possibility of losing a series at home. After play resumed, the Tigers started getting the big hit when it was needed. And yet again, Alex Avila was doing the swinging. His single up the middle drove in two runs, cutting Seattle's lead to 6-5. (As Kurt asked me during the game, how much of the ballpark is going to be wearing #13 jerseys and t-shirts next season?)
Yet the rally was almost snuffed out in the eighth inning, thanks to two fantastic defensive plays by the Mariners. With two runners on, Avila hit a sure double to left center, only to see Franklin Gutierrez glide over and snare it. (He also robbed Miguel Cabrera of extra bases in the fourth.) Then Placido Polanco blooped what should've been a single into shallow left, but Josh Wilson reached out and made an over-the-shoulder catch. At the time, that looked like Detroit's best chance to win.
But Seattle's bullpen couldn't hold off another rally. Three of Detroit's first four batters in the ninth reached base (one on an intentional walk to set up a double play), leaving David Aardsma very little margin for error. Brandon Inge hit a fly ball that didn't seem deep enough to score a run, but Carlos Guillen bolted home and ran over Johjima to tie the game.
That left the walk-off heroics up to Clete Thomas, who fought Aardsma for eight pitches, working back from a 1-2 count. Thomas was apparently waiting for a pitch down-and-in, because once he got an inside fastball, he turned on it, rocketing a ball down the right-field line to complete the Tigers' second comeback of a series they surely would've regretted losing.
Comment of the Day:
Working in Seattle
I’m nervous. My Tiger pride is on the line today as the season series is tied up. If we lose today, I’ll have to take crap from all 8 Mariners fans here in Seattle.
And your runner-up. We all do what we can.
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Judging by my youngest sister, he must have been teased like crazy as a child. :)
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -- Philo of Alexandria
(Currently, and sadly, on a self-imposed team-specific puck sabbatical.)
When I first read this I didn't even realize it said "awesome"
I thought it just said “dimples are awwwwwwwwwww” and I thought “yes. yes they are.”
by kendra.michelle on Aug 21, 2009 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
To be fair...
Most of the HRs Washburn gave up wouldn’t have been out of the park without that wind.
I didn't mean out of the park, I just meant a home run...
Don’t ask me why I said that, I feel a little weird today… Had my wisdom teeth pulled today and am jacked up with painkillers now…
I kind of said the same thing earlier
Branyan’s was a BOMB, no doubt about it, and Lopez’s was a line drive. But the home runs the Johjima and Sweeney hit were probably wind-aided, as they just barely got out. Very odd line for Seattle, and for Washburn as well. Five hits, all of them for extra bases, with four home runs, but Seattle never got a hit with a runner in scoring position and they only left one man on base. So it was a very strange outing. It seemed like, outside of the home run pitches, Washburn was really effective against everyone else.
http://tigersamateuranalysis.blogspot.com
by SabreRoseTiger on Aug 20, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, according to HitTracker, that's not true
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2009/8/21/997675/todays-fun-fact
Kenji’s in particular was pushed back a fair bit by the wind.
As for Sweeney’s, there wasn’t a lot of difference there either way — and remember, that was a broken-bat HR . . . if the bat holds together, it goes a fair bit further.
No, the M’s earned their homers.
by The Ancient Mariner on Aug 21, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I just keep hearing the phrase
“clete is clutch”
over and over in my head. it has such a nice ring to it.
baserunning
Why, oh why, let led footed Guillen at first base as tying run with Granderson available? I don’t get it.
When Jim gives guys the day off
He really gives them the whole day off. It’s rare that he ever does and then pinch hits or runs them unless its extra innings. I understand in a sense but in another it’s just dumb and might hurt the team.
granderson was also the last man available on the bench
you don’t want to burn that, what if you get an injury?
by Kurt Mensching on Aug 21, 2009 1:38 AM EDT up reply actions
As annoyed as I've been....
with Leyland’s refusal to bunt, the double plays, etc… days like today are why we watch.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be so anxious about the whole thing if I weren’t in Chicago and didn’t have to hear from everyone how the Tigers will fold due to their lack of Sox-like talent. Oh, how I want the Tigers to be at least one game ahead when the last out is recorded. Backing your own team is one thing. Being behind enemy lines and having to listen to the associated nonsense is another thing entirely.
Here's what I'm wondering
How come they’re so dismissive of the Tigers, but the Twins seem to terrify them?
http://tigersamateuranalysis.blogspot.com
by SabreRoseTiger on Aug 20, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Good player
Clete Thomas is going to be a good player for the Tigers.Thank you Clete!
by Robertdogsworld on Aug 20, 2009 11:45 PM EDT reply actions
another factor...
Is chicagos generally dismissive attitude toward detroit.
by rook34 on Aug 20, 2009 11:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
until this year....
They’ve owned us over the last four years, while the twins have owned them.
by rook34 on Aug 20, 2009 11:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Analysis from Jeff at Lookout Landing
Let’s make one thing clear right now: the Mariners didn’t light up Jarrod Washburn. While he allowed four home runs, there seemed to be an awful lot of wind blowing balls out to left, and the M’s only hit a handful of balls hard all day. Jarrod struck four guys out, walked one, and pretty much pitched like a half-decent starter who gave up some unlucky dingers.
But that’s precisely what made today so much fun. Remember this? Allow me to compose a list:
2003: 7.4% home runs per ball in air (not adjusted for park)
2004: 6.6%
2005: 5.5%
2006: 6.7%
2007: 5.8%
2008: 5.8%
2009 (Mariner): 4.3%
That 4.3% sure looks like an outlier, right? Following the trade I expected Jarrod to look more like normal in the home run department. And, well
2009 (Tiger): 18.6%
2009 (Overall): 6.3%
Washburn has allowed 43 balls in the air as a Tiger, and eight of them have cleared the fence. That’s absurd, and as we saw today some of those homers were complete flukes, but at the end of the day what matters most is that, in just a couple weeks, he’s pulled his home run rate all the way back up (down?) to normal. He’s had the good luck. Today he had the bad luck. Regression doesn’t usually happen like this, but it sure is fun to watch it happen to a guy who isn’t on your team anymore.
It’s not that I wish ill on Jarrod Washburn. Truth be told, I don’t really care about him one way or another. If he wins the World Series with Detroit, great, and if he doesn’t, great. It’s more that I’m just a sucker for validation. Jarrod Washburn isn’t good. We’ve been saying that for months. People resisted. Hopefully now those people have learned their lesson. All of us – we’re happy to admit when we’re wrong. It’s fun to be wrong. Being wrong is how you learn. We weren’t wrong about Jarrod Washburn.
I’m anti-Washburn.
Is this how losers console themselves? Talking about Washburn instead of Aardsma? :)
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -- Philo of Alexandria
(Currently, and sadly, on a self-imposed team-specific puck sabbatical.)
Aardsma's "meh"
He has good games, and he has games when he has two pitches: “ball” and “meat.” This was one of the latter. It would be a much bigger deal if we’d signed him to a 4-year $38-million contract, trust me.
by The Ancient Mariner on Aug 21, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
for not caring about Washburn, there's a lot of obsession
by Kurt Mensching on Aug 21, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
It's kind of true.
I really want Washburn to work out but I can’t shake what I’ve seen over the years.
Myself, I am more preoccupied with the fact Dontrelle may be coming back
instead of how badly Washburn has pitched. Because however Washburn is (or isn’t) pitching, It’s got to be better than what we have waiting in the wings as far as starters go.
Welcome to Detroit>>Where the weak are killed and eaten.
same here
I didn’t evaluate the Washburn trade in terms of if he was the best possible option of all pitchers (clearly not), but in terms of if he was an improvement over Robertson or Willis. And he is a better option than Nate Robertson and his elbow growth.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -- Philo of Alexandria
(Currently, and sadly, on a self-imposed team-specific puck sabbatical.)
I was always under the premonition
that Nate was going to be out for the season anyways
Wishful thinking?
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