Brad Penny (5-8, 5.38) vs. 
Eddie Bonine (0-0, -.--)
Unlike last night, the weather should be beautiful this afternoon at Comerica Park. Of course, the sun shines that much brighter, the heat feels more comfortable, and cool beverages are that much more refreshing when the home team is playing well. And right now, it's going pretty well for the men of the Olde English D.
The infusion of Mud Hen power into the big league lineup has been a factor in this turnaround, and one of Toledo's best makes his major league debut today. Here's what you can expect from Eddie Bonine, courtesy of Take 75 North:
He’s big at 6′5″, and is listed at 220 pounds. He works with a fastball that reportedly ranges from 88-91 mph, and complements it with a knuckler. Now, I just recently saw Bonine pitch in person. I think he touched 90 once and the rest was 87-89 or obviously an offspeed pitch. As for the knuckler, that thing is crazy. Have you ever looked at a digital clock and done the motorboat thing with your lips? Well if you do, it you will notice the digital numbers seem to kind of dance before your eyes.
For the Dodgers, Brad Penny is on a four-game losing streak, and has lost six of his last seven starts. As you might imagine with a team that's had as much trouble scoring runs as the Dodgers, run support has been a big problem. In those six losses, only nine total runs were scored for Penny. He hasn't pitched all that well during that span, posting a 7.71 ERA and giving up 52 hits in 39 2/3 innings, but Penny has thrown quality starts in his last two outings.
And if you have to ask why I'm including a banner for Vernor's ginger ale in this GameThread, well, you haven't been paying much attention in recent days. The fizzy golden elixir with the pungent flavor of ginger, vanilla, and spice has brought its effervescence to all of us. We're not messing with a winning streak.
Today's game is on FOX, which means many of you outside Detroit likely won't get to see the telecast. (It's only going out to 17% of the country.) That brings the team of Dick Stockton and Eric Karros into town, and they haven't seen much good baseball from the Tigers. Hopefully, that changes today. Maybe someone should bring some "ginger ale" up to the FOX broadcast booth.