Tigers at Anaheim, Game 1

I like Opie for the most part even though I’d rather see someone else get the everyday SS role. But batting him in that situation? Best to keep the hitting to the guys who might hit.

I’m jealous!

I think Leland needs to take his old man rage out on this team like he did back in 2006 losing that game was an joke. When D-train gives us good starts we have to win…

We had the same seats for game two, six rows off the field between home and the Tiger dugout, just behind the on deck circle. I won’t do a full recap of the game- Big Al does a nice job of that, but here are some random observations:
- The crowd was thinner on Tuesday night, probably due to some threatening weather, and it got quite chilly as the night wore on. Many heavy jackets could be seen around the stadium.
- The Tiger offense was equally chilly in the early innings, leaving four runners on base in the first three innings.
- Carlos Guillen looked over matched, at times, by both Kazmir and Rodney.
- Ryan Raburn had an awful at bat in the late innings, with several swings at balls that were outside the zone. He managed to fall several off before striking out, but the chasing was all set up by a swinging strike on an 0- 1 count, and when he went down 0- 2, he just kept chasing until he whiffed. Big AB with men on.
- Laird hit two hard shots at 3B, either one of which could have driven in runs, but right at Izturis at third. One of Laird’s outs came with a man on third and one out. MUST get that guy home, by hook or by crook! BTW- I think we’ll see more of Maicer at the hot corner in Anaheim instead of Brandon Wood. The Halo’s uber prospect who once led the minor league world with 42 HR as a SS seems to be a big dud once he gets above AAA ball, but he’s out of options and wouldn’t clear waivers, so he lingers.
- The most idiotic decision of the night had to be Brandon Inge swinging at a 2- 0 pitch with two on and two outs, when it was clear that the pitcher could not find the strike zone. Inge refused to let him struggle, and he popped out to end the inning.
- Mike Scoscia’s platoon of Napoli and Mathis will be on hiatus for a while. A pitch that was fouled off Mathis’s hand on Monday night has caused a fracture, and he’s out four weeks or so. Expect Napoli behind the plate.
- Rodney’s fast ball is down to 92- 94 mph, which is a couple MPH lower than he was with the Tigers, but he’s throwing it for strikes, which is what makes or breaks him as a pitcher. F Rod’s heater was always elevated, and hitters would often chase the high heat. If they could lay off, he’d work himself into a hole. Not the last two nights. Guillen still couldn’t catch up to it, nor could Inge. He still led off the ninth with a change up, though. It’s always gonna be his go- to pitch.
- I never like to see Raburn in the infield, but he looked like a pro turning two DP balls.
- What to say about Rick Porcello? He wasn’t wild, and he wasn’t getting crushed, just very hittable. Lots of punch n judy stuff. The 3 run Angel third began with a ball that I thought Damon caught. He tried to sell it, and I bought it, but blue didn’t. That was one of a few innings where he dug himself a hole with a couple runners on and no outs, and that was the difference in the game.

- I thought that $ 7.25 for a Bratwurst was bad, but the vendors coming around were peddling Churro Sticks for $ 5.25, a hot dog for $ 7.50, and five bucks for an ice cream sandwich. What happened to Arte Moreno’s fan friendly pricing?

My general impression at this point is that neither of these teams will win their division, but both will hang around for most of the season.

They’re happy to sell you a crap beer for $ 7, but then the “premium”, which is anything but Bud Lite or Miller Lite, is $ 8 for a 10 oz cup. The Guinness or Harp is $ 12, a small coke is $ 3, medium $ 4 and large for $ 6.
A Churro stick is $ 5.25. Same thing for an ice cream sandwich or a pretzel. $ 2.25 more if you want cheese on the pretzel.
$ 6.25 for a bag of peanuts. $ 7.25 for a Brat, $ 7.75 for a foot long hot dog. $ 10.25 for a personal size pizza from CPK.
Anyway, the Tigers won Wednesday night!