DET. TIGERS 2008 REG SEASON SCHEDULE & SCORES

Inge is so key at third. Carlos doesn't play third very well at all. Put Rent in LF and Carlos back at SS.

laprimamirala wrote:: Put Rent in LF and Carlos back at SS.

bobrob2004 wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:: Put Rent in LF and Carlos back at SS.

I agree, Rent is playing SS fine. Why move him!

I dunno...just throwing SOMETHING out there...I just don't like Carlos playing at 3rd. He's not comfortable and his throw is not as strong to 1st.

laprimamirala wrote:: I dunno...just throwing SOMETHING out there...I just don't like Carlos playing at 3rd. He's not comfortable and his throw is not as strong to 1st.

He's only played it 1 day, give him a chance, then if he fails they can take it from there. But I agree, Inge is far superior at 3rd, due to experence.

Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

yeah!

laprimamirala wrote:

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

yeah!

my mom didn't let me go today... so i actually have a reason for being on here....

04/29/2008 10:33 PM ET

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Rogers pitches Tigers past Yankees
Early homers by Sheffield, Granderson provide big lift
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Kenny Rogers hasn't had many pleasant memories of Yankee Stadium since the Bronx Bombers traded him at the end of the 1997 season. But he'll head out of the old ballpark with a win.

Yankee Stadium had chewed him up for 24 earned runs on 40 hits over 22 innings in four starts over the last decade, and he hadn't pitched here since 2004. He had several chances to fall to the same fate against the Yankees on Tuesday night, but by lasting six innings with two runs surrendered, he allowed Detroit's early lead to stick for a 6-4 victory.

Rogers (2-3) still showed signs of battling his command. A leadoff walk in the second inning set up a two-run homer from Robinson Cano, and he walked the bases loaded the next inning despite putting back-to-back batters in 0-2 counts. He seemed to literally slip on an 0-2 delivery to Shelley Duncan that stayed out of the strike zone, but his outing didn't slip. He went to a full count against Robinson Cano before the All-Star flied out to left to end the threat.

Rogers thrived from there, retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. By the time he was done, he handed a four-run lead to Detroit's bullpen. Much of that advantage came from Curtis Granderson, who again demonstrated his value to Detroit's star-studded offense by reaching base four times and scoring three.

Granderson walked leading off the game and scored when Magglio Ordonez singled in two runs. Granderson led off the third by belting a Phil Hughes pitch off the corner of the seating in right-center field for his third home run in six games since returning to the lineup from a fractured bone in his right hand.

The homer not only broke a 2-2 tie, it set up a rally that built some cushion for Rogers. Placido Polanco followed Granderson's blast with a well-placed double down the left-field line, then Gary Sheffield marked his final return to his old home park by diving after a Hughes curveball and depositing it beyond the left-field fence for his second homer on the year.

Granderson's two-out double his next time up extended the fourth inning for Polanco, whose single just out of the reach of Derek Jeter sent Granderson home again.

Granderson went 2-for-3 with two walks on the night. He has reached base safely 15 times in 30 plate appearances since his return.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

I was, it was my computer class and I dont even do my work half the time but I still got an A so its cool, Im always on this in school.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:: Granderson went 2-for-3 with two walks on the night. He has reached base safely 15 times in 30 plate appearances since his return.

WTG Granderson! Thud

gdennis59 wrote:

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

I was, it was my computer class and I dont even do my work half the time but I still got an A so its cool, Im always on this in school.

haha. you mean i'm not the only one who gets on during computer class? I'm usually working with my friend (mike), and he yells at me for getting on... but the teacher never notices. Computer class is like really really easy.

i'd like to see what student doesn't !! Big Smile

college or high school!

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:

TigersGirl wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:: Maybe sit Sheff or send him down, Los at DH, Inge at 3rd. At least try it and see if it works...

shouldn't you be in school?

I was, it was my computer class and I dont even do my work half the time but I still got an A so its cool, Im always on this in school.

haha. you mean i'm not the only one who gets on during computer class? I'm usually working with my friend (mike), and he yells at me for getting on... but the teacher never notices. Computer class is like really really easy.

I normally do my work, but we are supposed to do it twice so I copy-paste it so it looks like I did it twice! Then I get on!

I am supposed to be making a website. I only got on once today, but nothing interesting was going on. lol Smile

04/30/2008 9:57 PM ET

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Polanco's pair leads Tigers to win
Thames adds two-run shot; Bonderman gives solid effort
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Marcus Thames ushered in his Major League career with a two-run homer at Yankee Stadium. His last at-bat in his old home park might have the same result.

Six years after Thames homered off Randy Johnson here in his first big-league at-bat, his two-run shot off Andy Pettitte put the Tigers ahead for good before a pair of Placido Polanco homers sealed a 6-2 Detroit win Wednesday night in the Bronx.

The win assured the Tigers of their first series victory at Yankee Stadium since 2004. They'll have a chance to go for their first three-game sweep here since 1966 with Thursday's getaway game.

Thames, a former Yankees draft pick and prospect, entered the night 6-for-34 (.176) for his career at Yankee Stadium, but three of those hits were home runs. He added a fourth in the fifth inning, turning on a first-pitch strike from Pettitte and lofting it over the left-field fence for his second home run of the season.

Pettitte was seemingly settling in for another strong performance against the Tigers, retiring 10 in a row until Edgar Renteria's single ahead of Thames' homer. Once Pettitte fell behind, he wasn't the same. Polanco stretched the lead with his first home run of the year leading off the sixth before back-to-back singles from Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez set up Carlos Guillen's run-scoring infield single.

Once Polanco struck again leading off the eighth inning, depositing a Kyle Farnsworth pitch deep to left, he had his first two-homer game as a Tiger. His last came with the Phillies in June of 2005, just before he came over to Detroit in exchange for Ugueth Urbina and Ramon Martinez.

Pettitte (3-3) lost to the Tigers at Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2000, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings. While the Tigers roughed him up late, Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman settled in for one of the Tigers' deepest starts of the season after one of his usual rough opening innings.

The Yankees started off Bonderman's night with a double, a single, and a walk, loading the bases with nobody out and seemingly setting up a rough night for the struggling right-hander. Bonderman gave up two runs with a Jason Giambi sacrifice fly and a Melky Cabrera single, but he went on to retire 19 of the next 21 hitters he faced.

No other runner reached scoring position against him. Moreover, Bonderman (2-2) was efficient, reaching just two three-ball counts in the process. He allowed five hits over 7 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out one.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

So glad :placido: came alive tonight!

laprimamirala wrote:: So glad :placido: came alive tonight!

Me too, our guys are hammering the Yankees(or what is left of them, they are more banged up than the Tigers!)

Last night:
HR: Granderson (3, 3rd inning off Hughes, 0 on, 0 out), Sheffield (2, 3rd inning off Hughes, 1 on, 0 out).
2B: Polanco (3, Hughes), Granderson (2, Hughes), Rodriguez (8, Ramirez).

Tonight:
HR: Thames (2, 5th inning off Pettitte, 1 on, 1 out), Polanco 2
(2, 6th inning off Pettitte, 0 on, 0 out; 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0
on, 0 out).
2B: Granderson (3, Ramirez).

Hopefully we can get the sweep, first against the Yankees in NY since 1966!!!!!

Quote :: The win assured the Tigers of their first series victory at Yankee
Stadium since 2004. They'll have a chance to go for their first
three-game sweep here since 1966 with Thursday's getaway game.

Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tigers 6, Yankees 2
Tigers do dandy vs. Yankees
Polanco has his first two-homer game as a Tiger, giving team chance to sweep Yankees tonight.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

NEW YORK -- Looks like he feels fine.

On the heels of his first four-hit game of the season, Placido Polanco had his first two-home run game as a Tiger in a 6-2 victory Wednesday night over the Yankees.

And to think it wasn't all that long ago Polanco was sent home from Toronto fearing the absolute worst about his back.

Remember that? Manager Jim Leyland, understandably in a bad mood at the time, announced at the Rogers Centre: "Polanco's been sent back to Detroit. His back is acting up. It's not good."

That was followed a few days later by the news there was no major structural damage found.

And, after that, by a relieved Polanco saying he'd been so nervous while "lying in the MRI tube" the test had to be delayed a day.

Now he's himself again. Actually, with two home runs, he's more than himself. In his last five games Polanco has 10 hits.

Toss in a fine game from Jeremy Bonderman against the Yankees -- blanking them after allowing two first-inning runs -- plus a big home run from Marcus Thames, and the Tigers are one victory from a sweep in their last scheduled visit to Yankee Stadium.

Of course, it says a lot about their terrible start that they've still lost more than they've won, but, yes, things are looking up.

Within two games of .500 for the first time since they were 0-2, the Tigers continue to show what can happen when you get your 1-2-and-3 hitters back.

It wasn't just Curtis Granderson who'd been absent.
Granderson was only one of the three actually on the disabled list, but the Tigers weren't getting daily contributions from Polanco and Gary Sheffield, either.

Say what you will about the Yankees facing the Tigers without Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada -- both are on the DL -- the Tigers can match anyone's problems and then some.

They had a leadoff hitter in Granderson, who missed the first three weeks of the season with a broken hand. They had a No. 2 hitter whose average bottomed out at .140 a week ago because his back wasn't cooperating

And a No. 3 hitter needing three cortisone shots in his shoulders just to make his swing less painful.

But the Tigers have their lineup back together again, to the luxurious point that they can sometimes choose for it not to be back together again. For instance, Granderson didn't start in center against lefty Andy Pettitte in this game. Brandon Inge did, but only because with everyone back, Inge has to play somewhere sometime.

That also explains why Inge will catch tonight instead of Pudge Rodriguez.

Polanco might not play every game from here on out, either, but for the most part Leyland will leave that up to him and to his back. So far it feels fine.

"Better and better every day," Polanco said.

And there are those, armed with evidence such as that from last two nights, who say that as Polanco goes, so go the Tigers.

As for Sheffield, another cog of the upper triumvirate, he followed Tuesday night's home run with his first two-hit game since April 14, so what Leyland said about it being too early to count him out might also be correct.

On the subject of not counting someone out, however, that's probably the reason the Tigers won this game, what with Bonderman's first inning looking nothing like the many that followed.

Bonderman, in fact, was looking at a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the first. That prompted a visit to the mound from Leyland.

Rodriguez said Leyland told Bonderman to relax.

"He has a way of saying the right thing at the right time," Rodriguez said.

Bonderman interpreted the message differently. He thought it was Leyland reminding him to be aggressive.

"You don't want to know what I told him," Leyland said. "I'll tell you that much."

Whatever it was, and however it was said, it worked. The Yankees came away with two runs from the jam, but went scoreless on two hits the rest of the game.

I'm glad tigers are getting back on track.

wish I had a nickel for as many times as I've used that party emoticon!
GO TIGS!!!!!

laprimamirala wrote:: wish I had a nickel for as many times as I've used that party emoticon!
GO TIGS!!!!!

Me, too. Here's a dollar:

PARTY!

woo-hoo! I am RICH!!! lol2

haha. that would be awesome!! PARTY!

Last edited by GoGetEmTigers on Fri May 02, 2008 3:12 am; edited 1 time in total

05/01/2008 10:38 PM ET

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Tigers sweep Yanks behind hot bats
Robertson benefits from timely hits in Detroit's big inning
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Ramon Santiago's two-run double broke the Tigers out of a sixth-inning deadlock and sent Detroit to its first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium in 42 years with an 8-4 victory Thursday night.

Not since 1966, when the Tigers opened the season with three straight wins over the Yankees, had they swept a three-game series in the Bronx. Detroit starters Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain and Bill Monbouquette combined to hold New York's lineup to five runs over 26 combined innings in that series.

Though Tigers pitching played a major role in giving the club a chance to sweep this time around, it was timely hitting that provided Thursday's punctuation mark. The timeliest of hits came from the utility infielder known more for his glove but contributing increasingly with his bat so far this year.

Santiago, 7-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs entering the evening, earned the start at shortstop to give regular Edgar Renteria a night off. Batting at the bottom of the order, he started Detroit's first rally on a bloop double with one out in the third inning.

After Curtis Granderson's RBI groundout, Magglio Ordonez's two-run double and Miguel Cabrera's run-scoring triple, the Tigers had come back to erase an early 3-0 deficit and give starter Nate Robertson a lead to protect en route to his first win of the season.

Much like Jeremy Bonderman's first-inning troubles Wednesday night, Robertson (1-3) faced a three-run deficit three batters into his outing thanks to Bobby Abreu's three-run homer. Yet also like Bonderman, Robertson rebounded from that, retiring nine straight Yankees from the first inning through the third.

A one-out walk to Derek Jeter in the fifth set up the Yankees to tie the game with back-to-back singles from Abreu and Shelley Duncan. It took Detroit four batters to pull back ahead. Surprisingly, it came from the bottom four in the order.

Carlos Guillen led off the sixth inning with a single to right, then Jacque Jones lined a one-hopper off the left-field fence to put two men in scoring position. Yankees reliever Jonathan Albaladejo erased one sac fly opportunity with a Brandon Inge flyout ot shallow left, but Santiago lined the first pitch he saw to the fence in right-center field for another two-bagger. Cabrera's two-run homer in the seventh expanded the cushion.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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05/02/2008 12:46 AM ET

Box >

Tigers beat Yanks behind hot bats
Santiago steps up with timely hits in Detroit sweep in New York
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Jim Leyland and Gene Lamont were roommates playing in the Tigers farm system the last time Detroit swept the Yankees over three games in the Bronx. Kenny Rogers was the only current Tigers player alive at that point, and he was a year old.

When the Tigers opened the 1966 season taking three straight at Yankee Stadium, it was on the strength of their top three starting pitchers. This week's rendition was on the strength of the entire roster, and the finale was the punctuation mark. On a team loaded with star hitters who had their share of big hits this series, it was a clutch defensive play and a go-ahead two-run triple from utility infielder Ramon Santiago that helped put Detroit up for good on Thursday and on its way to an 8-4 win at Yankee Stadium.

Unless the two clubs meet in the playoffs, the Tigers left the old ballpark for the final time with an unusually good feeling. Considering it had won just five regular-season games here over the previous seven years, it was a fond farewell from Detroit's side.

"You feel very fortunate here if you win two out of three," Leyland said. "You feel pretty good if you win one out of three."

Or as he otherwise put it, "If you play a three-game series against the Yankees and you don't see [Joba] Chamberlain or [Mariano] Rivera, that means you've had a pretty good series."

The season-opening series in '66 was very good for different reasons. Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain and Bill Monbouquette combined to hold the Yankees to five runs over 26 combined innings, needing just one inning from the bullpen. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle went a combined 3-for-16 with one double and no RBIs.

Tigers starting pitching wasn't nearly that dominant in this year's rendition. Each starter faced a major jam and control issues, and only Jeremy Bonderman recorded an out past the sixth inning. Yet they avoided the major damage and quick exits that crippled this team at the start. In so doing, they allowed timely hitting and strong relief work to take over.

And no hitting seemed timelier than Santiago, whose contribution with his glove was overshadowed only by his game-changing hit at the plate.

"When you talk about team, you talk about 25 guys. Everybody's got to make their contribution," Leyland said. "Guys like him don't get much credit. They sit around and don't get to play a lot. To come in and have a big game like he did tonight, that's all good tonic for a ballclub. That's the kind of stuff that you need. Everybody's patting him on the back tonight. He was kind of the star tonight as far as the team is concerned, and that's a good thing."

Santiago, 7-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs entering the evening, earned the start at shortstop to give regular Edgar Renteria a night off. Batting at the bottom of the order, he started Detroit's first rally on a bloop double past left fielder Johnny Damon with one out in the third inning.

"When you get those bloopers," Santiago said, "that's when you know the day's going to be good. The first one falls in, you get more confidence."

After Curtis Granderson's RBI groundout, Magglio Ordonez's two-run double and Miguel Cabrera's run-scoring triple, the Tigers had come back to erase an early 3-0 deficit off Yankees starter Ian Kennedy and give starter Nate Robertson a lead. When it was tied up again, Santiago resurfaced -- first in the field, then at the plate.

Robertson (1-3) trailed 3-0 after the first three batters he faced, but recovered to retire 13 of the next 15 Yankees. A Derek Jeter walk and back-to-back singles from Bobby Abreu and Shelley Duncan stopped that stretch, tied the game again and put the potential go-ahead run in scoring position. After Hideki Matsui flew out to center, Melky Cabrera hit a sharp grounder up the middle.

"You make your pitch down and you get a ground ball," Robertson said, "but the grass was so wet. It was a low ground ball, and it didn't have a lot of hop to it, so it picks up speed. But really, with [Santiago], I think he's got pretty much range out there. You think Razor's got a chance at anything, because he's quick with his feet and his hands."

Santiago didn't have time to weigh his chances.

"I always think positive," he said. "It's a reaction play. You don't have to think."

Once Santiago ran down the ball behind second base, he didn't have much time to look for a target, either. He flipped the ball from his hip towards second base, where Placido Polanco was waiting for the toss for the third out.

The adrenaline carried into the dugout. A Carlos Guillen single and Jacque Jones double later, Santiago was at the plate with one out. Staying true to his line-drive approach this season, he jumped on a Jonathan Albaladejo (0-1) first-pitch fastball and lined it into right-center field. That same wet grass allowed the ball to roll deep into the gap as both runners came home.

It was the 18th and 19th RBIs from the ninth spot in the Tigers order, tops in the American League. Only Arizona, with strong-hitting pitcher Micah Owings among others, has driven in as many runs from that spot.

Five of Santiago's six starts have come in the nine spot. He now has eight RBIs on the season to go with six runs scored, five extra-base hits and a .375 average and a .708 slugging percentage.

Cabrera's two-run homer in the seventh expanded the cushion. By the time Francisco Cruceta came on for the ninth to make his Tigers debut, the sense of accomplishment was strong.

Leyland doesn't believe it's the stadium that's tough to play, but the team. They'll be just as tough, Leyland said, when they move into their palatial new surroundings across the street next year. Still, considering he was making $500 a month in the Minors the last time the Tigers pulled this off, he could appreciate it.

"It is kind of neat to think that the last series you'll possibly play in this stadium, you swept them," Leyland said.

The way they swept them made it even better.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

AL CENTRAL

TEAM	W--	L--	%----	GB
Chicago	14	12	.538	-
Cleveland	14	15	.483	1.5
Detroit	14	15	.483	1.5
Minnesota	13	14	.481	1.5
Kansas City	12	16	.429	3.0

Streaks: W3
Last 10: 8-2
Home: 6-8 Road: 8-7
Runs Scored: 150
Runs Against: 152

Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tigers 8, Yankees 4
Tigers earn first 3-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since 1966
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

NEW YORK -- He's the biggest little player on the Tigers, someone who doesn't play a lot, but who plays well when he does.

After helping Nate Robertson out of trouble with a play that prevented the Yankees from retaking the lead in the fifth, Ramon Santiago's two-run triple in the sixth handed the lead back to the Tigers for good.

And along with the lead, Robertson's first win of the season.

And along with the 8-4 victory, a three-game sweep of the Yankees.

And along with the sweep, the end of a 42-year drought.

The Tigers hadn't had a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since 1966 -- 42 years of huffing and puffing but not being able to accomplish what they did on this visit.

But now that the Tigers have solved the puzzle, of course, the Yankees are shutting down the place. But instead of the Tigers' last regular-season visit to Yankee Stadium being a sad occasion, they turned it into a glad one.

First of all, they overcame a three-run lead to win the game and complete the sweep.

Secondly, they love it when they can go to their bench and get contributions such as Santiago's in this game. It begins to negate what manager Jim Leyland said a while back about the Tigers "having a lot of talent, but not a lot of team right now."

It looks like they're back to having both. Thanks to games like this.

The Yankees had a run with two outs and runners at first and second in the fifth when Melky Cabrera hit what initially looked like a single up the middle that probably would have scored Bobby Abreu from second base.

It would have been a good play for Santiago simply to stop the ball and prevent Abreu from scoring. Instead, it turned into an outstanding play when Santiago flipped the ball to Placido Polanco covering second for the third out.

That sent the game to the top of the sixth with the score tied.

Carlos Guillen led off with a single, followed by a double to left from Jacque Jones. An out later, with runners still at second and third, Santiago split the gap in right-center with a two-run triple.

The Tigers added two more in the seventh on Miguel Cabrera's two-run home run and all that hung in the balance earlier no longer did. The Tigers had their sweep, Robertson had his first victory, and the Tigers, with a 12-5 run in their last 17 games, had all but erased the hole into which they'd climbed with a 2-10 record in the first two weeks.

With one more run than they scored in the first inning against Jeremy Bonderman on Wednesday night, the Yankees tried to take charge early, but you can't stall and take charge at the same time.

Even so, three batters into their half of the first, the Yankees led 3-0 on a walk to Johnny Damon, a single to left by Derek Jeter and Abreu's three-run home run.

It looked like trouble might continue when Guillen made a throwing error at third, but without a visit from Leyland who jolted Bonderman's focus back into place, Robertson settled down by himself, retiring the next three hitters.

Through one out in the third, Yankees starter Ian Kennedy (0-4) hadn't allowed a hit, but when he allowed one, he allowed four. Santiago's double, actually a single that skipped past Johnny Damon in left, got it going. Santiago took third on a wild pitch and scored on Curtis Granderson's ground ball to second.

The inning went from tame to trouble for Kennedy, however, when Polanco doubled to the right-field corner, Gary Sheffield walked and Magglio Ordonez doubled them both in to tie the game.

When Cabrera tripled in Ordonez, the Tigers suddenly had erased the Yankees' lead with a four-run inning.