Hi everyone, Al Beaton, aka Big Al, here. You may know me from such blogs as The Wayne Fontes Experience and SideLion Report, along with being a frequent commenter here at Bless You Boys. I was asked, along with Mike McClary of The Daily Fungo, to keep ByB running somewhat smoothly while our good friend Ian spends the next couple of weeks walking the earth.
Please bear with me as I feel my way around SB Nation, and suffer along with me as the Tigers continue to disappoint. Greatly disappoint...
Your pitching matchup tonight has the Tigers' current de facto "ace," Armando Galarraga (2-1, 3.07), facing D-Backs' rookie Max Scherzer (0-1, 3.14). (Never, ever thought I'd use ace and Galarraga in the same sentence) Galarraga's job tonight is to be the stopper, and end the Tigers 5 game losing streak. A big job indeed, as the D-Backs have the best overall record in MLB, and a 4 game winning streak.
Join us in tonight's game thread, and we'll see if the following questions are answered...
Will the Tigers downward spiral into irrelevancy continue unabated? Will Jim Leyland once again amaze and confuse us with his lineup? (I thought Gary Sheffield's shoulder was so bad, he could "barely lob the ball" Yet he was back in LF last night. HUH?) Will the Tigers bats again grow cold when runners are in scoring position? Will Carlos Guillen confound us with his seeming hands of stone? (Yeah, I'm a more than a little cynical right now...)
Then again, tonight could be the night the Tigers' 2008 season turns around! Maybe Ian leaving the states is just the thing to kick start our woeful Tigers!
We'll soon find out.
Short hops:
- At Mack Avenue Tigers, Kurt believes it is time for Dave Dombrowski to take drastic action before the season is too far gone to salvage. How drastic? Jim Leyland should be fired immediately , if not sooner.
Billfer senses a strike zone conspiracy at The Detroit Tigers Weblog. - Mike has released the latest episode of The Detroit Tigers Podcast. The title, "Desert Despair," says it all.