So, the Tigers managed to score one run in the final 19 innings of baseball they played against the Royals. That seems kind of bad. The pitching staff, meanwhile, allowed three runs in 18 innings. That seems kind of good.
But of course, after a sweep, nobody wants to hear the good. So I won't bother with it tonight.
Anyway, if Twitter is to be believed, the real issue wasn't that the Tigers scored one run during the first eight innings Thursday. It was Miguel Cabrera not running 100 percent after grounding into an obvious double play to end the game.
The only reason this became an issue at all is that the Royals nearly didn't bother turning the double play out of the goodness of their hearts or something. Or maybe Andy Dirks' hard slide into second. Either way. Also, because Rod Allen mentioned it immediately and you can usually count on the Internet to quickly parrot things.
Well, my take is that I agree: Cabrera did appear a bit defeated and did appear to slow down ever-so-slightly before giving it the final push. (The umpire's call, by the way, was great. Stop the DVR and the cleats are an inch off the bag when the ball arrives in the mitt.)
Then again, Cabrera grounded out directly to the fielder and is a week removed from an ankle injury that knocked him out of a game. He hasn't looked right while running the bases since then. He, to many, only minutes earlier, was the acknowledged MVP of the team
So if you don't mind me, I'm going to continue not giving a darn about that play and see a bigger picture.
All those one-run wins during the home stand were because "good teams win those games." Sometimes, good teams lose games, too.
Maybe, you know, this is just baseball, where even your stars go up to the plate in big moments and come away defeated. Maybe, you know, this is baseball, where speaking in absolutes is an invitation to be humbled.
The series stunk. The Tigers stunk. Only days earlier they were heroes.
If you want to concentrate on the negative, maybe baseball isn't your game. It's a game of failure -- good players do it a majority of the team, good teams do it 40 percent of the time. It's how you react to that failure that defines you.
The Tigers -- from scrubs to starts -- failed you.
But let's see how this team chooses to define itself this weekend.
ROARS
Rick Porcello -- Allowing two runs should result in a win.
HISSES
Everyone else.
GAME 129 POG
Sanchez easily