I assume when Jim Leyland made changes to the Tigers' batting order, the intent was to generate more offense.  Unless his idea was to try and get his team to score fewer runs(which would be curious strategy).  If so, this thing is working out brilliantly after two games. 

Now what?  Can Leyland already reach for his holster again so soon after trying to six-shoot his lineup on Monday?  How many bullets does he have left?  At this point, what else can he do to wake this team up?  When do these players just start playing better?

Once again, this vaunted lineup that had some people predicting a 1,000 run season played as if they were swinging french baguettes, rather than baseball bats.  Tigers batters treated Tim Wakefield's knuckleball as if it came with butterfly wings and pixie dust.  Detroit only managed two hits in eight innings against him.  That's only two more hits than anybody reading this, by the way, and I don't think many of us had a bat in our hands tonight.  (Though I'm sure plenty of you felt like taking the same swing at your television, radio, or computer that Manny Ramirez laid on Freddy Dolsi's very first pitch when you saw the home team's feeble totals.)

Nate Robertson was hardly good, giving up 10 hits and his usual four runs in 6 1/3 innings.  And believe me, I'd love to argue that he puts his team behind far too often.  But with the lack of fight that his lineup was showing against Wakefield, did it ever feel like Robertson really had a chance?  Even if the scoreboard said the Tigers were still in the game? 

Remember when we'd talk to fellow Tigers fans or think to ourselves during the winter that it wouldn't matter if some of the starting pitchers gave up four or five runs a game?  These guys were going to score five or six runs every time out!  That must have been the cabin fever talking.  Right now, at this moment, that just seems like crazy talk.

Roll Call

Watching tonight's game was an exercise in aggravation, so those who showed up to discuss it certainly deserve some recognition.  

Thanks to pfuhrmeister, BigAl, SonofGibby, rock n rye, miggy4mvp, Tony K, Zappatista, Germantiger, Matt in Toledo, russkiejedi, and bradm for typing in comments through clenched teeth and throbbing temples.

Ah, yes.  So that's why Denny Bautista suddenly couldn't get through an outing without walking a batter.  His shoulder was giving him problems. 

The Detroit Tigers put Bautista on the 15-day disabled list for shoulder tendonitis a day after leaving Friday night's game in the eighth inning, unable to clean up the mess he made.  Before he felt pain in the shoulder and was taken out, Bautista had given up three runs on four hits, with one walk. 

I realize it was unfair of me to say, but in watching the game on TV at a bar without any sound, it almost appeared as if Bautista had enough of the Twins smacking him around and wanted out.  But if his shoulder was barking, maybe that helps explain why he was having so much trouble. 

The tendonitis doesn't appear all that serious, as the Tigers' training staff thinks Bautista will recover with medication and rest (though I'm sure they had similar hopes for Fernando Rodney in the spring), but as was the case with Dontrelle Willis' injury, this might give a struggling pitcher an opportunity to refine his technique and regain his control.  Jim Leyland sounds like a manager who'd grown tired of watching Bautista trying to figure those things out at the major league level.

"I really like Bautista.  I'm not down on Bautista at all, but the fact of the matter is simple.  If you're going to throw a bunch of pitches every time you go out there for an outing and then you can't pitch for two or three days, then you're not worth much."

Somewhere in Colorado, maybe Jason Grilli is smiling at the notion that the Tigers have a bullpen spot to fill so soon after trading him.  Or maybe he's not smiling, since he already seems to be doing what he does best for his new team, having given up two runs on three hits and a walk in just one inning for the Rockies last night.  He's your problem now, Denver. 

With Bautista going to the DL, the Tigers called up Freddy Dolsi from Double-A Erie, who'd been rising fast through the organization, jumping from Lakeland to the Seawolves just last week.  In 12 games (3/4 of those with the Flying Tigers), Dolsi posted a 4.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts (and four walks) in 10 1/3 innings.