Bullets...hopefully blue eyed ones!
- The only change in today's lineup is Ramon Santiago taking over for Ryan Raburn at 2nd. Considering Santiago has posted .269/.257/.526 vs. Raburn's .214/.217/.432, it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The only reason some fans want Santiago as the everyday 2nd baseman is he's not Raburn. But not being someone does not a starter make.
- The Tigers haven't won consecutive games since April 17-18 against the Royals. They have another chance to get this crazy damn monkey of their back after thumping the Twins 10-6 last night.
- Target Field brings out the best of the Tigers' offense. Friday was third time the Tigers scored 10+ runs at Target Field since it opened in 2010.
- After Friday's game, Twins starters have a combined 6.49 ERA, the worst in MLB. They also lead all of baseball in losses with 25.
- Yes, it's Tiger Killer Carl Pavano on the mound. But he's 2-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 2012. Overall, today's Tigers lineup is hitting .340, with a slash line of .373/.558/.930, against Pavano,
- On May 10th, Andy Dirks was the hottest player in baseball, reaching a season high .381 BA and 1.096 OPS. He's cooled off considerably since, hitting .241 with a .661 OPS. Dirks is still hitting a more than respectable .316 and .883, but you have to wonder if AL pitchers have figured him out.
- As Dirks cooled, Brennan Boesch warmed up. Over the past 2 weeks, Boesch is hitting.364, posting a slash line of .417/.568/.985. Boesch may have that breakout season after all.
- Also heating up is Alex Avila, with a 1.152 OPS over the last week. It can't be emphasized enough, the Tigers need a productive Avila to in order to contend for more than just being the most disappointing team of 2012.
Quintin Berry, CF
Andy Dirks, LF
Miguel Cabrera, 3B
Prince Fielder, 1B
Delmon Young, DH
Brennan Boesch, RF
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Alex Avila, C
Ramon Santiago, 2B
Max Scherzer, P
Denard Span, CF
Ben Revere, RF
Joe Mauer, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Brian Dozier, SS
Alexi Casilla, 2B
Drew Butera, C
Jamey Carroll, 3B
Carl Pavano, P