KEY STAT
Chance Ruffin's stat line in his MLB debut: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
To sum up the rookie's game in a nutshell: If you can't be good, at least be memorable.
KEY PLAY A
With two outs in the 5th, Duane Below had Juan Pierre picked off. Unfortunately, his throw in the dirt to Miguel Cabrera left him unable to make a play on Pierre. Instead of the inning ending with the Tigers leading 2-1...all Hell broke loose.
KEY PLAY B
Below got squeezed later in the 5th, resulting in his getting pulled...and the aforementioned all Hell breaking loose.
Below had both Alexei Ramirez and Adam Dunn K'ed (around an intentional walk to Paul Konerko), but didn't get either third strike call from home plate umpire Jim Wolf. Despite getting obviously squeezed by the umpire, and having pitched a solid game, Jim Leyland pulled Below after the Dunn base on balls. Ruffin came in high leverage, bases loaded situation. The first batter he faced, Carlos Quentin, laced a two RBI double to left. That was the game right there.
Just a painful series of events.
WEIRD PLAY
In a game with several, the strangest was Dunn getting thrown out by Brennan Boesch trying to go from 1st to 3rd...on a legit double. White Sox fans deserve the .159 hitting big oaf.
KEY THOUGHTS
Walks kill...even if they aren't totally your fault.
This was one of the sloppiest games I've seen in some time. Neither team put on a defensive show.
Ryan Raburn got the unexpected start at 3rd base. I know what you're thinking, but nothing bad happened involving his glove.Yes, it's second half Raburn!
Leyland was tossed by Wolf after the 5th inning debacle for arguing balls and strikes (He said in the post game it was the pitch to Ramirez he was arguing) . Might have been better served to make the argument while Below was getting blatantly squeezed.
The Tigers left nine on base against White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, despite ten hits in only six innings. The Tigers failure to get the big hit had just as much to do with the loss as Leyland's handing of the pitchers.
Those of you who were stuck listening to Hawk Harrelson on the White Sox broadcast tonight, you have my sincerest sympathies. No one deserves such Hellish torture.
Making an awful night worse, the Indians won in walk off fashion against the Angels to move to within one game of the Tigers. The White Sox are lurking, 3.5 back.
Regardless of all the vitriol over tonight's managerial decisions, the Tigers remain in 1st place. That's got to count for something, doesn't it? One loss does not a season make...though I may be singing a different tune come October.
Also, if one rotten outing is going to ruin Chance Ruffin as a pitcher, then he didn't belong in the big leagues to begin with. So don't write the kid off just yet.