Things have been going pretty well in Tiger Town when you almost forget what it's like to write about a loss. The Detroit Tigers' winning streak ended at seven, as they couldn't overcome another poor performance by Armando Galarraga. Galarraga allowed fewer than five runs for the first time in his last five starts, but the Tigers had to play catch-up from the very beginning, as he allowed a run in each of the first three innings.
Really, he was fortunate not to give up more, as Rockies hitters sent Tigers outfielders back to the fence with several hard-hit balls. (Chris Iannetta and Todd Helton took Galarraga over the fence for home runs.)
With that, you have to wonder if the only thing keeping Galarraga in the Tigers' starting rotation is Jeremy Bonderman not being ready to rejoin the team yet. There was arguably slight improvement for him Saturday night (especially compared to his disastrous start last Sunday), as he looked to have better control with only one walk in his 5.1 innings, and 48 of 79 pitches for strikes. But right now, there's only one pitcher who's not giving Detroit a chance to win when he takes the mound.
Roar:
Brandon Lyon has been catching a lot of flack from Tigers fans lately. And Nate Robertson is a perennial punching bag. Surely, very few had confidence in the Tigers' chances when they both came in to pitch. But the two of them combined for 3.2 scoreless innings, and kept their team in the ballgame.
For Lyon, that may have been his best performance of the season, especially considering the circumstances. No hits, no walks, two strikeouts. And those weren't mop-up innings. Actually, the same almost applies to Robertson, who gave up a hit and a walk. (But he would've allowed a run if Iannetta hadn't strained his hamstring rounding third base.)
Comment of the Night:
I'm confused
what did people do at a baseball game before cell phones?
by MackAveKurt