Tigers win, 4-1: The losing skid is over, thanks to Scherzer and...Laird?
by BigAl on Jul 21, 2010 10:44 PM EDT
in Detroit Tigers News
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PrintYes, THAT Gerald Laird.
Laird went deep in the 2nd inning, his stunning, shocking, and out of nowhere two run homer staked the Tigers to a lead they would never relinquish...thanks to Max Scherzer.
After last night's loss, Jim Leyland said one thing would end the losing streak:
"But it's a matter of some pitcher going out and sticking it to the other team."
It wasn't pretty, he had to pitch out of a couple jams, and threw 123 (!) pitches, but Scherzer did just that. He stuck it to the first place Rangers. They could only manage four hits, while Scherzer was shutting out the Rangers powerful offense over seven innings.
After seven torturous losses, Scherzer pitching like a top of the rotation stopper was EXACTLY what the Tigers needed.
In fact, it was EXACTLY what a fanbase getting ready to hop off the bandwagon needed. All may not be well, but all isn't as bad as many of us were making it out to be.
So the losing streak is over. The Tigers remain tied with the Twins for second in the Central, and gain a half game on the first place White Sox, ending their night at three games back (It could be 2.5 games if the Mariners' King Felix beats the Sox in Seattle tonight).
After the past week of crap piled on top of suck, I'll take it.
As to explain Jose Valverde's odd case of extreme wildness in the ninth, not even he could do it. Interviewed on Fox Sports Detroit's post game, Papa Grande could only say...
"I don't know what happened."
Well...that's reassuring.
The Big Potato somehow got out of the ninth inning giving up only one run. I hope we don't see that version of Valverde ever again. Scared the Hell out of me...
But Valverde's wild ride is only a postscript on the Tigers finally getting off the schneid. A win is a win, and this Tigers team needed one in the worst way.
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Is he related to Todd Jones?
He has a lot of Todd Jones in his make-up. It seems like every time MLB Network switches to the 9th inning of a Tiger game, Valverde is putting two men on base, taking the next guy to 3-1, then pulling out another save. I really don’t think my aging heart could take this if I lived in Michigan and watched every game.
the roller coaster was bequeathed to Fernando Rodney the last couple of seasons
It appears it hasn’t been entirely retired.
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Honestly, I'm starting to think it's less about the closers
and just the fact that Tigers fans are fickle and whiny about their relief pitching.
Valverde had a WHIP of 0.885 coming into this game. There’s no way he could do that and be putting two men on base every time.
by Nick Galea on Jul 22, 2010 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The times he puts runners on base are more vivid.
Especially when it seems those are the games you see. Perception is a tricky thing.
Ryan Raburn antagonist.
Scott Sizemore liberationist.
But it's *everyone's* perception
Uncle Omar is definitely not the first person I’ve seen complain about Valverde being too dramatic.
That's why I said in the some other post
Tigers don’t need starting pitching if the folks we do have do their jobs. Anyways, it isn’t going to get any easier from here. But as Leyland said (paraphrasing) You can only be good if you beat good teams. Or something like that.
Tiger starting pitchers rank 12th in the league with a 4.86 ERA
The Tigers desperately need starting pitching. Desperately!
Didn't realize that Fernando Valverde came out for a second straight appearance
Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!
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Because I'm the Lynch... and I'm awwwesome!
by Terrence J. Lynch on Jul 21, 2010 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Back on the winning track.
We’ll be OK if we can win about 15 of the next 29 games, Then we need to go on a nice run.
Unrelated to the big club
My wife, brother and sister-in-law surprised me by taking me to my first minor league game in Grand Rapids. I know it breaks the rules of cussing out of the gamethread, but holy shit, what a good looking field Fifth Third is and while the Whitecaps lost, it was a great night and your dollar goes a hell of lot farther there than with the Tigers.
Only downside is that before the fireworks, they had one of those first base side/third base side singing contests and the song was Spongebob Squarepants, but since the first efforts were declared a tie, both sides did it again. That makes a grand total of four playings of Spongebob Squarepants in less than 5 minutes. Hell at its worst.
Payback from swearing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-LBIyBUz8
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Free Scott Sizemore.
by David Tokarz on Jul 22, 2010 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Try heading out there on a Thursday night ($2 hotdogs, $2 beers).
And then do it on a Thursday July 3rd.
And then do it on a Thursday July 3rd when Wednesday July 2nd was a rainout.
Yeah, double header with cheap beer and no work the next day. And then they made the mistake of giving away bags of marshmallows to the lawn seats. Needless to say, the guest bullpen was NOT happy about that.
I also don't believe for a second that Laird had a home run
Unless we started counting balls he out of the infield as a home run.
Great game
Walk-off 2-run single in the 11th after the Sox took the lead in the top of the inning.
by handsomerob1 on Jul 22, 2010 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions
The line in Vegas says the Yeti and Uni is more likely
Granderson was my Tiger, then Sizemore, then Willis. I think I'll stop picking Tigers.
way to go max
Laird needs to give Boesch some hitting tips. )
was at that EXCELLENT game. My Ernie Harwell jersey is undefeated – now at 4-0, (5-0 if you count a meaningless Redwings preseason game)
oh yeah…..
valverde must have eaten some bad shrimp or something – that was the weirdest.
He was bored
No plays to botch
Granderson was my Tiger, then Sizemore, then Willis. I think I'll stop picking Tigers.
Yeay Laird
you’re my Tiger…
In the 8th grade Mike Ditka won his school's Science Fair with a model of a working volcano. There were 17 other working volcano's made that day, but only one named Mount Ditka.
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 22, 2010 9:37 AM EDT reply actions
what is up with Bobby Seay?
Bobby Seay is valueable to the tigers relievers and he pitches left handed so, anybody know the status of his injury and if he his out for the season?
by '' spiderman '' on Jul 22, 2010 11:02 AM EDT reply actions
From what I've heard
he will be lucky to ever pitch again.
by handsomerob1 on Jul 22, 2010 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Still considering surgery. Almost certainly has to go under the knife, and will be out a year or so.
On the one hand, he got 2.475 million on a one year deal this season. On the other, he was about to hit free agency and might have gotten his first multi year contract of his career.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bobby at a pub in Anaheim. It was right after the Tigers lost a 1- 0 game in the twelfth inning, when Leyland had Vladdy walked and brought in Seay to pitch to Gary Matthews Jr. Well, he walked in the winning run (though Anderson swung at one, if not two of the balls) and the game was over. Really tough loss. He came in with Kenny Rogers and Verlander, ordered up a Heineken and was happy to talk to myself and my brother about the Tigers. That was in May, 2008. Little did we know the wheels would come off the wagon in the second half that year. It was a time of 1,000 run expectations, but Bobby kept things on an even keel. Doesn’t look good for him now. He did a nice job for us for a couple of years out of the pen. Looks like he’s pitched his last game as a Tiger. He may get a minor league contract, and see if he can come back from surgery.
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