Anybody else need to take a long drag on an oxygen tank after that one?  No?  Then a cigarette, perhaps?  Hoo, baby.  Trying to describe everything that happened in this game could take 2,000 words and I'm not sure I have it in me after going from a warm, fuzzy feeling to gut punch nauseous to hug and kiss anyone nearby. 

The sickening gut punch came from Francisco Cruceta who gave up a game-tying, three-run homer to Mike Lowell, turning a sure win into possible tears-inducing loss.  Will it be a while before Cruceta gets to put on his cape again in a key late-inning situation?  Well... Jim Leyland doesn't exactly have a bunch of other guys he can trust right now.  Cruceta will probably be out there again soon.

Actual vomiting may have been induced by Leyland's decision to send Magglio Ordonez running on contact in the eighth inning when the Tigers had men on first and second with one out against Hideki Okajima.  Gary Sheffield neglected to contribute the contact part of the equation and Maggs was mowed down at third for a seemingly morale-crushing double play. 

With the Red Sox having a closer that hadn't blown a save so far this season, it looked like game over, and one seriously bleak 20-hour wait until Thursday night's series finale.  Fortunately for the Tigers, Julio Lugo apparently didn't get the memo.  Even watching on TV, you could feel the air go out of Comerica Park when Edgar Renteria hit a ground ball to Lugo in the ninth inning for what looked like a sure double play ball.

Except Lugo muffed it, giving the Tigers a chance they probably never thought they'd see.  And this time, they pounced on it, moving runners along and driving them in.  Lugo was involved in the final play, as well, with Placido Polanco (who gets The Big Roar with a 5-for-6 night) blooping a broken-batted ball just over his outstretched glove to score Renteria - the runner who never should've reached base to begin with.

Let's go over that ninth inning again, in case you just joined us.  Check-swing bouncer, error, sacrifice bunt, ground-out, broken-bat blooper.  Tigers win.  Tigers win!

Anyone else need some Dramamine?  Whew!

Roll Call

We had a great GameThread tonight, with so many ups and downs.  But these are the men who rode it out.  It's always so much more fun when it's for a winning cause.

Thanks to pfuhrmeister, Germantiger, Zappatista, Fats Fothergill, Tony K, spotstarters, Grant E., Matt in Toledo, miggy4mvp, MackAveKurt, BigAl, rock n rye, ThaWalrus9, SonOfGibby, and Tigsfan, all of whom helped us through suffering and celebration in solidarity.

I feel like tonight's recap could almost be a recap of last night's.  Two previously injured and slumping batters continued their resurgence.  And a struggling starting pitcher threw the sort of game that should hush any questions and doubts.

Not that this game played out in exactly the same way.  For one thing, Jeremy Bonderman pitched deeper into the game than Kenny Rogers did last night, giving the bullpen a break on a night when they were one reliever short (thanks to the Jason Grilli trade).  And he did it throwing 10 fewer pitches than he did in 4 2/3 innings last week. 

But ¿quien es mas macho?  Bondo or Placido Polanco?  Could the Tigers really lose a game in which a guy not known for his power hit two home runs?  And in a ballpark whose dimensions make it tougher for right-handed hitters to reach the seats?  Had I not watched the game, I'm not sure I would've believed the box score.  Along came Polly, jacking two pitches over the left field fence.  Do we think this guy's slump is over?  Polanco's hit 6-for-10 against Yankees pitching the last two nights.

Others Who Get to Roar:

• Is Clay Rapada the team's new designated left-handed reliever?  Taking over for Bonderman at the end of the eighth inning, Rapada retired all four hitters he faced, all of them batting lefty.  And he even ended the game with authority, striking out Melky Cabrera.
• Marcus Thames just hasn't played this much this season, totaling 33 at-bats coming into tonight's game.  But he tends to make it count when he's in the lineup, and his two-run homer in the fifth gave the Tigers a lead they kept the rest of the night.  Thames' two home runs this season have been hit in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, respectively.
• There's been a lot of talk about how comfortable Miguel Cabrera looks at first base, and he made three nice picks in the dirt tonight, saving throws by Rapada and Carlos Guillen to get outs.
• That Curtis Granderson (one walk, one double) sure is good, ain't he?

Remember what you thought the Detroit Tigers might look like before Spring Training began?  Remember that buzz of anticipation you had in your chest, waiting to see this team play?  This lineup was going to knock the ball all over the field and out of the park.  And on most nights, quality starting pitching would keep the other team in check before handing it over to a dependable, albeit not spectacular, bullpen. 

Yes, it was just one game and the Tigers still need to prove they can put a consistent streak together.  But tonight, that vision was almost realized.  Any lingering worries about Placido Polanco could be put to rest with his 4-for-5 night.  And maybe we should still worry about Gary Sheffield, but he showed what he's still capable of and why Jim Leyland keeps him in the lineup with a decisive two-run homer.  Curtis Granderson also provided another reminder of just how much this team missed him, batting 2-for-3 and crushing a ball over the center field fence.

But the guy who may have settled the most fears and temporarily shut down the talk that he was toast was Kenny Rogers.  No, he didn't face the regular Yankees lineup, with Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada sitting out.  And with four walks, Rogers wasn't exactly dominant.  But he was certainly good enough, giving up two runs in six innings.  That, combined with the way the Tigers hit tonight, will lead to plenty of wins this season.

Yes, even when Todd Jones closes a game as only he can, allowing the first two hitters he faced to reach base, throwing a wild pitch, giving up a run, and generally making the ninth inning far more anxiety-inducing than it needed to be.  Just bite down on something soft and it goes away soon enough.

Walking the Bases Loaded is No Way to Get Through Life, Son

Not everything was clicking, however, as Denny Bautista did his best to walk the Yankees into tying the game.  After Bobby Seay gave the Tigers a scoreless seventh inning, Bautista walked Shelley Duncan to begin the eighth.  It didn't look like that walk would haunt him when he got the next two batters out, but then Bautista lost control, figuratively and literally.  Suddenly, all of his pitches veered way outside to the left-handers and far inside to the righties.  Bautista walked the next two hitters to load the bases, and then hit Derek Jeter to walk in a run.

Leyland got Bautista out of there before he could completely melt down, bringing in Clay Rapada to do what he apparently does best: get out left-handed batters - in this case, Bobby Abreu. 

It's surely unfair to penalize Bautista for allowing runs in two straight appearances, but that's a way to lose Leyland's confidence fast.  And with Francisco Cruceta almost certain to join the Tigers soon, Bautista might want to start pitching better if he wants to hold onto that eighth inning set-up role.

I suppose you can read that headline one of two ways: 1) Placido Polanco should be back in the Tigers' lineup tomorrow, after a MRI exam found no structural damage in his aching back.  2) Polanco's back itself is the story.  Is it okay?  Will it force him to the disabled list?

(A possible third option would be 3) Yes, we get it, Ian.  Thank you for insulting us.  Do you think we are goobers?  Are you still hungover from your sister's wedding?  Has all the shrimp and grits you've been eating in Charleston clogged your brain function?)

With the clean exam, doctors prescribed Polanco some medication to alleviate the pain and stiffness he's been dealing with, which leaves his status as "day-to-day."  If he feels okay tomorrow, Jim Leyland will pencil him into the lineup.

I don't know what meds they gave Polanco for his back, but if they're anything like the stuff I got when I hurt my back last November, he ought to be feeling really good at game time tomorrow.  Or he'll be completely zonked out.  But for me, that may have been me taking too much medication to deny the additional pain of having to pass on seeing Bruce Springsteen because I could barely move.  I imagine Polanco will be monitored a bit more closely by professionals.

Now we await the story on Gary Sheffield and his trick shoulder.

When traveling to other countries, it's often a good idea to get your proper shots and vaccinations.  (At least that's what a lot of people have been telling me lately.)  Apparently, a couple of Detroit Tigers forgot to take some injury vaccines before crossing the Canadian border to play in Toronto.  As you likely already know, both Placido Polanco and Gary Sheffield sat out of yesterday's game to nurse their respective injuries, and there looks to be a good chance that both players could miss more time down the line.

The Tigers actually cut Polanco's stay in Toronto short and sent him back to Detroit to get his injured back examined.  Between his diminished batting average (currently a team-low .148/.292/.167) and limited range at second base so far this season, there had been much speculation about Polanco's health.  Whether it's because the back is making it too difficult for Polanco to play (he's missed four games to this point) or the Tigers think his limitations might be affecting them too much on the field, everyone involved wants to find out what's going on.  A trip to the disabled list might be next for Polanco.

Sheffield wasn't sent back to Detroit ahead of the team, but his sore left shoulder will be checked out by doctors on Tuesday.  He'd been feeling limited mobility in the shoulder all season, though he seemed to be regaining some range of motion as scar tissue from his off-season surgery broke loose.  It's still not moving enough for Sheffield's liking, however, and he wants some medical answers.

"It was major surgery, and I have to get it to a point where I'm comfortable.  Obviously I'm not.

"I want to get it looked at," Sheffield said.  "I want to know what's really going on, like exactly how much scar tissue I really need to break up because it feels strange playing baseball when you can't do what you're capable of doing.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it did, but it still doesn't give me the range of motion that I need.  When I try to swing harder, it slows it down even more.  I didn't know it was going to be this tight."

Though Sheffield had a rough start to last season, as well, he's clearly struggling with his swing, batting .192/.364/.308 with one home run and two RBIs.  The disabled list is very likely a part of his immediate future.

Curtis Granderson will probably take one of the roster spots opened up by Polanco and/or Sheffield moving to the DL, but it doesn't look like Dontrelle Willis will be making the same jump.  (He shouldn't be jumping anyway, with that hyper-extended knee.)  He's eligible to rejoin the team on Sunday, but the Tigers plan to keep him on the DL until the knee is fully recovered for pitching and fielding (and maybe until Willis has worked out whatever other issues - mechanical or otherwise - that have been plaguing him recently). 

The Detroit Tigers Weblog has some ideas about how the roster could be shuffled if Polanco and Sheffield go on the DL.  I'm definitely in favor of giving Jeff Larish a chance, given how he's started off the season in Toledo (.273/329/.576, five home runs, 13 RBIs), rather than bringing some of the bigger names that are currently hanging out on the waiver wire.  Some left-handed power in the lineup would be a nice touch.  But that's just my thought.  Do you guys have any suggestions for how the Tigers might boost a hurting lineup right now?

As exciting as it was to see the Tigers' offense come alive in their first win of the season Wednesday night, it was good pitching from Jeremy Bonderman and the bullpen that finally broke their losing streak.  If you needed a reminder of that, the pitching staff provided a sobering one last night, while also making it pretty clear that this team's long-term problems weren't solved with one win.

Accentuate the Positive?

In writers' workshops, we always tried to start out with a positive criticism before tearing a classmate to shreds.  So let's begin on a good note: Both Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco appear to be out of their respective slumps.  Maggs hit his first home run of the season (giving him his first RBI, as well), showing off that familiar whip-like swing that usually means a ball is landing in the seats.  And Polanco went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  If both batters are heating up, that could go a long way toward solving what's plagued this team.  Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how many runs are scored, if the bullpen insists on giving up huge amounts of runs.

Eliminate the Negative

A slightly nagging question on my mind after Wednesday's game was why Zach Miner hadn't been used when the bullpen had to hold down a lead.  Was there anything to read into with that?  In Spring Training, Miner was being touted as an important part of the bullpen, someone who would be pitching important set-up innings.  One theory could be that Jim Leyland was nervous enough about his infield defense that he didn't want to put a sinkerball pitcher on the mound.  But maybe we got a more illuminating answer last night. 

Nate Robertson had already given up the lead when he left in the sixth inning.  But at 4-3, the Tigers were still in the ballgame.  That is, until Miner got generous with the walks.  He managed to get out of the sixth without a walk to Coco Crisp coming back to bite him.  But in the seventh, consecutive walks to Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz (who had to be happy Robertson was no longer in the game) gave Manny Ramirez an opportunity to build a more imposing lead.  And he obliged by driving both runners in.

But I don't mean to single out Miner because he wasn't the only reliever that hemorrhaged runs in this game.  Francis Beltran also walked two batters (one intentionally), though those runners didn't come around to score.  Yorman Bazardo, however, might have cost himself a major league job with his performance after taking over for Beltran.  Any chance the Tigers had at a comeback - and they did cut the margin to two runs - were destroyed with Bazardo's eighth inning.  Two walks, three hits, and four runs later, Detroit was flattened.  Even Jason Grilli was probably thinking, "Hoo!  That stunk!" 

Both Tom Gage and Danny Knobler write this morning that changes are likely to be made, possibly as soon as this afternoon.  Something has to be done, because this bullpen really has been as bad as people feared coming into the season.  (Detroit Tigers Thoughts has ideas on how the bullpen should be shuffled.)  Two guys will probably get the boot, as Leyland wants to go back to a 12-man bullpen and he'd prefer another left-hander among the relief corps.

Clerical Issues

Apologies for not sticking around in the Game Thread discussion last night.  Besides wireless connectivity issues here at Fort Casselberry, a long couple of days apparently caught up with me around the fourth inning and I crashed.  Not that it matters.  But if you were hanging out, looking for someone to chat with, I apologize for leaving you to listen to crickets chirp.  Or maybe very few wanted to endure that bullpen meltdown and changed the channel.  Anyway, we're back at it again tonight.

Last week, the Tigers only managed two hits against Brian Bannister, and today, all they could muster was four hits off Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Kenny Rogers, Detroit's starting pitcher in both of those games, might now be wondering whether or not he puts his lineup to sleep. 

Maybe he has that grandfatherly effect on his teammates, like how your eyelids might get heavy when your grandpa tells you the story of how he came to choose the particular pickled bologna he just sliced for you.  He used to like to go to that grocery store closer to the condo, but their deli just doesn't have that much selection.  All they have is turkey.  Why all the turkey?  The only time he really eats turkey is on Thanksgiving.  And even then, he prefers to get it from that one farm up north because their birds are free-range, so they taste better.  But anyway, he found a place on the west side of town that has a great deli.  All kinds of bologna.  Mortadella.  The German stuff with the garlic.  And pickled!  They had four different kinds, and the butcher was nice enough to let him try each one, until he finally found the one he liked.  A good, strong one that can stand up to a spicy mustard and that rye bread your grandmother found at the farmer's market.  Say, are you getting enough sleep?  Because you look kind of tired...

To me, the Tigers looked lethargic out there today.  Maybe it was the after-effects of sitting through the Red Sox's World Series ring ceremony, one in which Boston championship teams from other sports also participated.  Or perhaps that creeping feeling of resignation sunk in once it became clear that Rogers really didn't have his good stuff today, giving up four hits and two walks in his first two innings. 

Detroit had that same listlessness in the field, too.  Or was it that the Tigers were trying too hard to make a play once they fell behind?  In the third inning, Placido Polanco made his first error in 186 games when he tried to throw out Manny Ramirez (who should've been out after gazing admiringly at his long drive to center field) at third base, but skipped the ball in the dirt.  One inning later,  Miguel Cabrera committed an error of his own.  And once again, Carlos Guillen looked as if he'd just been moved over from shortstop to first base, standing in the baseline and straddling the bag, putting himself in a position where the runner may have prevented him from scooping up a low throw.  Had Guillen ever looked this lost in the previous games he'd played at first base?  I certainly don't recall it. 

Unfortunately, going on the road doesn't seem to have changed a thing.  This team is still in the same malaise they slogged through last week at Comerica Park.  Maybe Jim Leyland should consider locking his players in the visiting clubhouse with the fearsome, mouse-devouring Fenway hawk.  If that hasn't crossed his mind yet, it probably should.