DET. TIGERS 2008 REG SEASON SCHEDULE & SCORES

The lineup does better when Pudge leads off. Leyland needs to see who is hitting against a certain team and set the lineup to GET THE RUNNERS ACROSS HOME PLATE! Curtis is not hitting, why is he leading off?

where are you gettin' those avatars, gogetem? Wow! creative! and kittens are soooooooooo cute

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

The lineup does better when Pudge leads off. Leyland needs to see who is hitting against a certain team and set the lineup to GET THE RUNNERS ACROSS HOME PLATE! Curtis is not hitting, why is he leading off?

NOBODY is hitting! I cant take much more of our pitchers finally getting quality outings and our bats not doing a single thing.

do they make Viagra for hitters?

laprimamirala wrote:

do they make Viagra for hitters?

I saw the brief clip where Magglio pretty much threw the bat down just after one of his hits....even he knows something is wrong!

laprimamirala wrote:

do they make Viagra for hitters?

ViHITra

05/15/2008 5:15 PM ET

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Rogers' tough day culminates in sweep
Veteran leaves four frames in after allowing 11 runs
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- For the second time in a month and a half, the Royals have a three-game series sweep of the Tigers. This one had an exclamation point on it.

After Tigers starters had held Kansas City to five runs over the first two games of the series, Kenny Rogers suffered one of his worst outings as a Tiger, allowing seven runs over four innings as Detroit fell to a 8-4 loss Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

It was another example of the "bad combinations" manager Jim Leyland said have haunted his team for most of the season. The Tigers will have good pitching or good offense, but not both.

Considering Thursday's starter, it was somewhat of a surprise. Rogers (3-4) had been one of the more reliable members of the Tigers rotation of late, working his record back to .500 and throwing three consecutive quality starts after losing his first three outings of the season. From the outset of Thursday's game, however, he was in trouble.

Kansas City's first three batters all reached base safely and scored on doubles from Billy Butler and Miguel Olivo. The first three batters all had base hits in a two-run second that included back-to-back walks to bring in a run. Four straight hits in the fourth, including a Jose Guillen solo homer, plated two more runs.

Rogers' seven runs tied his highest total as a Tiger; he hasn't allowed more in a game since 2004. The 11 hits off of Rogers (3-4) marked the most against him since April 9, 2006, his second start in a Detroit uniform.

All that run support gave Royals starter Gil Meche (3-5) plenty of cushion for his first home victory this season, though he didn't exactly cruise through the later innings. Magglio Ordonez doubled and scored in the second inning before Ramon Santiago did the same in the fifth.

After Matt Joyce's seventh-inning solo homer, back-to-back doubles from Carlos Guillen and Ordonez whittled Detroit's deficit to three runs against reliever Joel Peralta. He recovered to induce a Miguel Cabrera popout and a Gary Sheffield strikeout to end the threat.

The Tigers' fourth straight loss dropped Detroit to a season-worst nine games under .500. The club is now one game under .500 since its 2-10 start.

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

ROYALS 8, TIGERS 4
Tigers swept by Royals; Live postgame analysis

May 15, 2008

Free Press special writer Nick Meyer will keep you updated on the Tigers-Royals game with a live blog.


• Good afternoon Tigers fans. Settle down in front of the computer for live updates and comments on today's pivotal Tigers-Royals showdown in Kansas City.

I have to admit I'm a little jealous of those of you who are stuck at work right now and don't have to watch this miserable team. If you have any TPS reports you need taken care of, go ahead and fax them to me, I might be able to help you out.

Let's hope the Tigers at least provide us with some entertainment today and score a few runs.

• Jim Leyland has decided to shake up the lineup yet again and is going with Brandon Inge at catcher and one of his favorites, Ramon Santiago, at shortstop. Gary Sheffield gets the start at DH. Looks like the defense will be a little better today, but can anybody string together a few hits?

• The Tigers had a players-only meeting before the game, to which I say "What took them so long?"

• It has begun. Gil Meche struck out Curtis Granderson to begin the game. The Tigers always have trouble with these junk-balling righties, let's hope today is different.

• Placido Polanco grounds out meekly and Carlos Guillen stands there like the house by the side of the road and watches strike three go by. Gil Meche threw almost all fastballs in that inning and the Tigers still couldn't get a decent swing. Not a good start.

• Rod Allen sounds very confident that if Kenny Rogers keeps pitching the way he's been pitching, the Tigers will win. I can't say I share those same sentiments but Rogers should give the Tigers a good chance to win today against a watered-down K.C. lineup.

• A walk and a perfectly-laid down bunt by Esteban German is followed by a double from Billy Butler to make it 2-0 Kansas City with nobody out. The Tigers are behind the eight-ball yet again. It's hard to relax and just play baseball when you're constantly down two or three runs before you can blink every game.

• The Tigers haven't scored since the second inning of the first game of this series, and Curtis Grandersonjust mis-judged a fly ball a little bit in center field that ended up in a double. It's 3-0 Kansas City in the bottom of the first.

• Kenny Rogers get a strikeout on a nice curveball and then gets a fly-out to end the inning.

• Magglio Ordonez gets a lead-off double on a low, well-located pitch. Time to get your rally caps on, folks, even though it's only the second inning.

• The Tigers are just 3-for-36 against the Royals with runners in scoring position this year according to FSN. Miguel Cabrera can't improve that stat but he did get Ordonez over to third on a deep fly ball.

• Runners at the corners and former Detroit Lion (okay, not really) Matt Joyce at the plate with one out. Things just got a little interesting.

• Joyce gets Ordonez in on a short sacrifice fly to make pull the Tigers to within 3-1. We'll take runs any way we can get them.

• Gil Meche is already up over 40 pitches in the second inning. We've seen pitchers have some high-pitch innings before against the Tigers but Detroit needs to continue to battle Meche to get him out of the game this time. They haven't done a good job of that in the past.

• Ramon Santiago does a nice job of battling Meche and hits a ball back up the middle but can't beat it out. It's 3-1 K.C. going into the bottom of the second.

• Santiago dives for a ball but misses it, and the backup in the outfield is nowhere to be found. Those pesky Royals have a man on second with nobody out.

• Renowned Tiger Killer Joey Gathright lays gets an infield single as Santiago tries to bare-hand it and throw him out at first to no avail. Mario Impemba and Rod Allen think he could have gotten an out at home if he had gloved it. It seems as if nothing is going right for this team.

• With the bases loaded, Andrew Miller, check that, Kenny Rogers, walks another run in to make it 5-1 Kansas City. But don't leave just yet, Tigers fans, the moment you've been waiting for is almost here. That's right, fan favorite Aquilino Lopez is warming up.

• The Tigers go quietly in the top of the third inning and remain down 5-1. Another poor inning by the Tigers hitters.

• "Inge bounces a throw in...and it comes up and hits Santiago in the face!" says Mario Impemba.

Ladies in gentleman, your 2008 Detroit Tigers. What a picture-perfect description of how the season's gone so far.

• Okay, Magglio Ordonez knows 10,000 times more than I do about hitting, but perhaps it wasn't a good idea to swing at the first pitch when Gil Meche is struggling with his pitch count. Magglio's out and it's 5-1 K.C. in the top of the fourth.

• FSN just switched to poker for a good 30 seconds there. Way to get my hopes up, guys.

• Gary Sheffield hits a "hot grounder" to third base according to Impemba, which is about the best we can hope for at this point from him. Another quick inning and it's still 5-1 K.C. going into the bottom of the fourth. Too bad the Royals' at-bats take approximately 38 times longer than the Tigers to finish.

• It looks like we finally have something to be excited about as Guillen goes deep to left-center field. Sorry, wrong Guillen. That was Jose Guillen, and the score is now 6-1 Kansas City in the bottom of the fourth inning.

• Two more runs in for the Royals in the fourth to make it 7-1. The Tigers are being out-hit 11-2 so far. Is it time to panic yet, or is this town too apathetic to do so at this point anyway?

• Curtis Granderson rips a single into right field and the Tigers have drawn to within 7-2. Stick around, folks!

• Joyce and Inge go quietly, but good old Ramon Santiago, the Lindsey Hunter of the Tigers, blasts a double to right field. The Tigers now have three hits on the day.

• Carlos Guillen strikes out to end the fifth inning. I'm not listening to the radio broadcast, but I really hope Jim Price isn't talking about how great Gil Meche is pitching right now. The Tigers hitters deserve the blame for this poor performance above all else.

• Down goes Magglio. Down goes Miguel Cabrera. Down goes Sheffield. That was quick. 7-2 Royals as the ushers start passing out brooms in Kauffman Stadium.

• Aquilino Lopez continues to pitch well for the Tigers as he strikes out his third batter. 7-2 Royals going into the top of the 7th.

• Joyce goes deep for his second home run in the series and third on the year, a solo shot to right field.

"Boy, he's got some power," says Impemba. 7-3 Royals in the 7th inning.

• A few more quick outs and the Royals get out of the top of the 7th with a 7-3 lead.

• Bobby Seay strikes out Tigers nemesis Gathright to end a Royals threat and it's still 7-3 Kansas City going into the 8th. Too bad the un-hittable Joakim Soria is lurking at the end of K.C.'s bullpen.

• Ordonez with a double to left-center to score Guillen and it's now 7-4 K.C. with a man on second and one out. The Tigers might have some fight in them after all and that's at least a good sign.

• Cabrera pops out on a 2-0 count and he seems dejected to say the least after slamming down his bat. When a guy you expect to get a lot of RBI's doesn't get, well, any RBI's, that's a pretty crippling blow to your team with all the runs you're leaving on the table. Is it time to move him down in the order?

• Gary Sheffield strikes out to end the threat in the eighth inning. What can you say about Sheff that hasn't already been said at this point?

• Brandon Inge with another shaky throw to second base as Todd Jones is in the game to get some work in. Inge doesn't look too comfortable behind the plate even though the runner got a good jump.

• Esteban German scores off an infield single by Jose Guillen to make it 8-4 going into the ninth.

• The Tigers go out in the ninth inning the only way they know how―meekly, as Ramon Santiago flies out to shallow left. The Tigers have now lost six straight to the Kansas City Royals on the season. This game was bad news from the beginning and now the Tigers head to Arizona with more questions than answers as they try to salvage this nightmarish season.

At least Detroit can point to the fact that they've gone 29-7 in Interleague play over the past two years, but turning this slump around is going to going to be tough to say the least. Enjoy the rest of the day, Tigers fans.

man, somebody is not happy!

05/17/2008 12:33 AM ET

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Sloppy play dooms Tigers in desert
Errors, fallen popups add up in disheartening Interleague loss
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Even the Tigers' recent dominance of Interleague Play can't help them these days.

What was shaping up to be a series-opening victory over the Diamondbacks collapsed in a seventh-inning stretch of miscues. Carlos Guillen's two-out throwing error sent Augie Ojeda home with the go-ahead run, sending Detroit to its fifth straight defeat and 10 games under .500 with a 4-3 loss to the D-backs at Chase Field on Friday.

Starter Jeremy Bonderman allowed one run over his first six innings, taking a 3-1 lead into the seventh before back-to-back walks set up Arizona's rally. The second of those walks, however, came after Guillen and shortstop Edgar Renteria did not communicate on a Chris Snyder foul ball that fell between them on a 3-2 pitch.

It was the second time in the game that the Tigers could not catch a foul ball within their reach. First baseman Miguel Cabrera misjudged how much room he had in front of the first-base stands on a Justin Upton second-inning foul that fell onto the dirt in front of his feet. Bonderman overcame that one by striking out Upton, but he couldn't do the same with Snyder, missing on his next pitch for ball four. It was his final pitch of the night.

Eric Byrnes greeted Zach Miner with an RBI single to draw the Diamondbacks within a run, but the Tigers seemingly stabilized from there. Ivan Rodriguez barehanded a sacrifice bunt attempt from Ojeda and fired to third to retire the lead runner. Miner than fired fastballs past pinch-hitter Miguel Montero for a strikeout.

With two outs, however, Miner fell behind on leadoff hitter Chris Young, who lined a full-count fastball into right field for the tying RBI. The hit-and-run play moved Ojeda to third, where he was in line to score as Guillen fielded Stephen Drew's ground ball and fired it in the dirt across the infield. Cabrera couldn't dig it out cleanly, and Guillen had his fifth error in 16 games at third base this season.

As much as the Tigers had struggled this season, they were 13-2 when leading after six innings.

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

Saturday, May 17, 2008
Diamondbacks 4, Tigers 3
Horrid inning dooms Tigers
Sloppy seventh erases two-run advantage, sends them to their fifth consecutive defeat.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

PHOENIX -- It began, but didn't end, with ball three.

With fundamental mistakes, and the inability to overcome them, the Tigers handed the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-3 victory Friday night.

Pitches weren't made when they had to be made.

A pop-up wasn't caught when it had to be caught.

A throw was bad when it absolutely had to be good.

With those brutal mistakes, the Tigers not only lost their fifth consecutive game, but appeared to be as deeply into their inexplicable rut as ever.

"You can't make the mistakes we've made and win games, particularly close games," said manager Jim Leyland.

Sailing along with a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning, Jeremy Bonderman thought he had struck out Justin Upton on a 2-2 pitch to start the inning, only to have plate umpire C. B. Bucknor call it a ball instead.

The walk that followed led to a terrible inning for the Tigers – and a terrible loss.

Had Chris Snyder's foul pop-up down the left-field line been caught, however, the Tigers might well have won the game. But it wasn't, and they didn't.

"Nobody called it," said Leyland. "That's a drill we work on in spring training, calling for pop-ups, but no one called for it. There wasn't a miscommunication, there was no communication.

"I don’t care who catches it, but it had to be caught by somebody – called for and caught by somebody. That has to be an out."

With the ball in front of him, Edgar Renteria backed away because he thought Carlos Guillen would catch it, and Guillen, with the ball behind him, gave way because he thought Renteria was in position to catch it.

That's how pop-ups fall to the ground, as this one did – after which Bonderman, with one more pitch, walked Snyder.

Now the inning was tumbling directly towards trouble for the Tigers.

Zach Miner replaced Bonderman after the walk to Snyder, but gave up a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced, Eric Byrnes, cutting the Tigers' lead to 3-2.

With a botched bunt and a strikeout, it looked like Miner might get out of the jam with runners at first and second. But Chris Young's single to right tied the score, driving in Byrnes from second.

"He has to do a better job of getting right-handers out," Leyland said of Miner.

It looked like it would remain tied when Stephen Drew hit a routine ground ball to Guillen at third for what should have been the third out.

Guillen, though, bounced his throw to first and Miguel Cabrera couldn't come up with it. The Diamondbacks took the lead on that play, and more than that, held on for the victory.

As for the Tigers, the deflating defeats are mounting.

This was a game they seemed to have well in hand through six innings – a well-pitched game by Bonderman; a game in which Cabrera, who hadn't driven in a run in his last 12 games, hit a two-run home run in the fourth – ending his RBI drought before it matched his career high with a 13th game.

It seemed to be a game the Tigers were in control of, despite not having a substantial lead. But ball three in the seventh led to ball four. One walk to led another.

One defensive gaffe also led to another – and not to be overlooked in the mess was Young's clutch two-out hit that tied the score,, the kind of hit the Tigers have not been getting.

"The fact of the matter is that it looked like we should have won a low-scoring game," said Leyland, "but we also had only six hits, and Magglio (Ordonez) had three of them.

"I don't fault anyone for physical errors, but I do have a problem with the pop-up.We work on that all of spring training, calling for it three times, 'I got it, I got, I got it.' But nobody called for it."

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 16-26. They are in last by a lot in the American League Central. The Diamondbacks improved to 27-15 with the victory. They are in first by a lot in the National League West.

If one game can typify the reasons why for both teams, this could be the game.

You can reach Tom Gage at tom.gage@detnews.com.

That crap last night was high school ball, especially the Miggy foul muff.

Quote :

With the ball in front of him, Edgar Renteria
backed away because he thought Carlos Guillen would catch it, and
Guillen, with the ball behind him, gave way because he thought Renteria
was in position to catch it.

And that Miggy crap was followed by the Guillen/Renteria non call non-catch that was a sure out!

they are trying too hard! Why can't they just relax? They are assured of their millions.................

05/17/2008 11:25 PM ET

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Galarraga prevails in Interleague debut
Hurler gives up one hit over six; Joyce swats fourth homer
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Carlos Guillen's two-run single and Matt Joyce's solo homer rewarded Armando Galarraga for another effective outing, ending Detroit's five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Arizona Saturday night at Chase Field.

Before the game, manager Jim Leyland summed up the root of the Tigers problems by simply saying they haven't "pounded the ball." They still didn't really do much of that on Saturday, but they did just enough.

Galarraga and Diamondbacks youngster Max Scherzer traded scoreless innings, but also battled spotty command until Detroit's hitters made Scherzer pay for his in the fifth. He retired the first two batters of the inning before walking Galarraga in just his second Major League plate appearance. Curtis Granderson singled up the middle before Arizona first baseman Conor Jackson booted Joyce's ground ball for an error that loaded the bases loaded.

The Tigers entered the day batting just .189 with a runner and third and two outs. This time, Guillen responded, lining the first pitch he saw into left-center field.

Joyce added onto the lead with his fourth home run in 10 Major League games. Like the other three, this one was a solo shot, coming in the seventh inning off Brandon Medders. Unlike the others, his latest ended up being the difference in the game once the Diamondbacks rallied in the seventh.

For the second straight night, the Tigers' trouble began with back-to-back walks leading off the bottom of the seventh. That chased Galarraga from the game in favor of left-hander Clay Rapada, who ended up loading the bases with a walk to Eric Byrnes. Aquilino Lopez entered and induced a Chris Snyder sacrifice fly before Miguel Montero's pinch-hit single drew Arizona within a run.

Two double plays helped the Tigers hold on. The first following Montero's hit, with Lopez escaping his jam when Chris Young hit a ground ball to third. After Stephen Drew greeted Francisco Cruceta with a single leading off the bottom of the eighth, Ivan Rodriguez turned a popup in front of home plate into a twin-killing by picking the ball up and firing to second to start a rare 2-6-3 double play.

Galarraga (3-1) now has five quality starts in six outings since replacing injured Dontrelle Willis in Detroit's rotation. His latest was the third quality start in four days from a Tigers pitcher, but the first that resulted in a win.

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

Saturday, May 17, 2008
Tigers 3, Diamondbacks 2
Guillen, Joyce lead Tigers past Diamondbacks
Andrew Bagnato / Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Carlos Guillen hit a two-run single and Matt Joyce homered to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Armando Galarraga (3-1) kept the Diamondbacks at bay, allowing two runs and one hit in six-plus innings.

Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six chances. He hit leadoff man Justin Upton before retiring Mark Reynolds, Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder on fly balls.

With Chase Field's roof open on a 94-degree evening, Galarraga and Arizona's Max Scherzer (0-2) dueled through four scoreless innings in the twilight.

Galarraga walked two of the first three men he faced but escaped by retiring Conor Jackson on a liner to short and Justin Upton on a pop to second. Galarraga cruised from there, retiring the side in order in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth.

He tired in the seventh, walking Upton and Reynolds to open the inning. Manager Jim Leyland lifted Galarraga, who threw 111 pitches, 23 more than his previous high. Galarraga walked five and struck out three.

Clay Rapada came on and walked pinch-hitter Byrnes to load the bases. Leyland brought on Aquilino Lopez, who gave up a sacrifice fly to Snyder and a single to pinch-hitter Miguel Montero that made it 3-2. Chris Young bounced into a 5-4-3 double play to end the rally.

The Diamondbacks blew a chance to tie the game in the eighth on a smart play by Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

After Stephen Drew led off with a single, Hudson popped up a bunt in front of the plate. Rodriguez let the ball drop, picked it up and fired to second to get Drew. Hudson was slow leaving the box and was easily retired on a 2-6-3 double play.

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. The rally began when Scherzer walked Galarraga, who had struck out in his first major-league at-bat in the third inning. Curtis Granderson followed with a single, and Detroit loaded the bases on Jackson's fielding error on a grounder by Joyce.

One pitch later, Carlos Guillen lined a single to left field to score Galarraga and Granderson.

Scherzer went five innings, allowing two unearned runs and three hits. He walked four and struck out five.

In the seventh, Joyce hit a 1-2 delivery from Brandon Medders into the first row of the right field bleachers to put the Tigers ahead 3-0. It was the rookie's fourth homer in 29 at-bats.

Notes

Detroit RF Magglio Ordonez went errorless for the 180th straight game. It's the longest streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline went 242 consecutive errorless games from April 15, 1970, to July 2, 1972. ... The game drew 48,804, Chase Field's second sellout. Country recording artist Trace Adkins performed a postgame concert.

05/18/2008 6:35 PM ET

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Listless Tigers drop series in desert
Johnson shuts down slumbering offense; Robertson falls short
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson's only shutout of the Tigers came when he no-hit them in 1990. Nearly a full career and 18 years later, only his age and his pitch count kept him from shutting them out again.

While Johnson kept Detroit's bats slumbering for seven innings, Miguel Montero's two-run single broke up Nate Robertson's end of the pitching duel, sending the Tigers on their way to a 4-0 loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field.

It marked the Tigers' seventh shutout in 45 games this season.

Johnson, at age 43, is a far different pitcher than the fireballer who overpowered Tigers bats 18 years ago at Seattle's Kingdome. Still, his fastball-slider combination was enough to keep Tigers hitters off-balance at the right times.

The Tigers had a runner in scoring position in each of the first five innings against Johnson, including two on with one out in the opening inning. Magglio Ordonez's double-play grounder to end the first was a sign of things to come.

One inning after another, Johnson shut down Detroit threats. He struck out Brandon Inge with a runner on second in the second inning, jammed Ordonez into a comebacker with two on in the third, then kept Miguel Cabrera at second base following his double leading off the fourth.

Robertson kept pace by retiring 10 of the first 11 D-backs he faced before Justin Upton singled with two outs in the fourth. He stranded two runners that inning, but three straight baserunners leading off the fifth led to Robertson's downfall.

After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out, Robertson briefly regrouped to strike out Johnson. However, he then left a pitch up to Chris Young, who one-hopped it off of the center-field fence to drive in two.

Robertson (1-5) nearly kept his damage to that, retiring the first two batters in the seventh inning, but Mark Reynolds' single extended the inning for Chris Burke to double him in. Ordonez booted the ball for his first error in 180 games since April 6, 2007, ending the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline.

Johnson (4-1) left with 98 pitches through seven innings, having scattered six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

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

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Diamondbacks 4, Tigers 0
Pathetic hitting haunts Tigers
They head back home having suffered their seventh shutout, sixth defeat in seven games.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

PHOENIX -- There's time for it to change. Plenty of time.

And no one disputes the talent that lurks within their lineup.

As matters stand, however, the Tigers have become a grotesque combination of everything wrong, coming soon to a ballpark near you.

The trip from which they are returning was horrific. They were lifeless in Kansas City and laughable in Arizona.

They don't hit with runners in scoring position, aren't much better with the bases empty and every new game brings yet another inning from which the faint of heart should be shielded.

Such as, in Sunday's game, an intentional walk to the eighth hitter to get to Randy Johnson, the Diamondbacks' starter, but not only walking Johnson as well, but the next guy after that to force in a run -- which was one more run than the Tigers scored via any method.

They are truly a strange team, a mystifying show of underachievement with the saving grace that the season isn't made up of 44 games. They have 118 to prove they can do better.

At this time, though, on the heels of a 4-0 loss to the Diamondbacks the seventh time the Tigers have been shut out the season, a pace that projects to them being blanked 25 times this season they are absolutely dead in the water.

In last place.

Pecking away at runs like pigeons for millet.

Neither inspired nor inspiring.

The game the Tigers lost Sunday was unlike others on this trip, however, in that it followed a victory. It followed, in fact, the only game of the six they played that the Tigers won.

So what did they do with their chance to make it two in a row and come home with a salvaged weekend? Zilch.

Instead of looking like they've never played the game, however, a criticism that could have been fairly leveled earlier, they looked incapable of playing any other way than in the same sad fashion that has defined the portion of the season which has transpired so far.

The Tigers aren't in just a weeklong rut.

They're still in an April-May rut. They are 17-27 and if you're thinking they're simply a good team slumping, where in the last seven weeks have they proven themselves to be good?

It's not been their defense as a rule, although when there have been lapses, there've been glaring lapses begging for the accompaniment of calliope music.

And their pitching on this trip was good enough to win a few games.

"Our pitching has been all right," manager Jim Leyland said.

But their hitting? Compared to what they expected, it's been non-existent. The Tigers scored 12 runs in six games, six on each stop. They were blanked twice and topped out at four runs in an 8-4 loss to the Royals on Thursday.

Leyland, who knows that ranting and raving isn't the answer can't believe what he's seeing. He's quiet and composed about it, but totally baffled.

Then again, so is everybody else.

"I would say mystifying is a good way to describe it," Brandon Inge said.

That said, however, it keeps happening. First and second in the first inning, one out, sure enough, a double-play grounder to second.

Leadoff double in the fourth, nothing.

A couple of two-out chances, forget about it.

"I don't think about whether it's early or late (in the season)," said Leyland, "I think about why aren't we doing better? I think about why is this team not playing better, why isn't it hitting better? What's going on?

"I can't believe it. I can't believe we've been shut out like this. I can't believe it. Maybe we're waiting on each other to do it. Maybe we're doing that and I don't realize it. I don't know.

"Randy pitched well, but certainly not overpowering," said Leyland, "Thank God, it wasn't the Randy Johnson of seven, eight years ago. We might not have gotten a hit."

Leave it to the Tigers, though, to turn an old Randy Johnson into the Randy Johnson of old.

"I tip my cap to him," Leyland said. "He pitched well, but this is not the first time this has happened. This offense is not supposed to get shut out like that. Or as often as it has been.

"I can't sugarcoat it. I don't know the answer."

It's not as if teams are pitching the Tigers the same, either. It's not like there's a book out on them.

"I see different teams pitching us different," Leyland said. "They don't all try to do the same thing."

But the result all too often is the same as it was this time.

"Our offense have been blah, but I don't have to say it, you guys see it every day, write it," said Leyland.

Consider it done.

Damn Tigers!

Damn clueless management/coaching staff. They need a more firey manager who would try to see what is wrong, instead Leyland says

Quote :

"I can't believe it. I
can't believe we've been shut out like this. I can't believe it. Maybe
we're waiting on each other to do it. Maybe we're doing that and I
don't realize it. I don't know.

The man is clueless!

Well, quit coddling Sheffield... if he is hurting, and not healed, he needs to go on the DL or retire! Open up the spot for Carlos to DH, since his legs are so bad! And then Inge can dominate 3rd... or call up a young power hitter who can play 3rd!

Miggy needs to learn how to run! he has no speed at all. He is ok now at 1st base, and learning more every day.


And if Willis comes back, Nate needs to go to the bullpen. He is good for up to 4 or 5 innings..... Gala stays as our best starting pitcher!

05/21/2008 12:13 AM ET

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Tigers bats wake up, maul Mariners
Big offensive night follows closed-clubhouse meeting
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers took a look at themselves in the mirror on Tuesday, as their manager suggested, and saw the team with the worst record in the American League. At least they corrected that part when they took out their frustrations on the Mariners.

They have a long way to go to get back to where they want, and they still gave themselves a closer game than they needed before holding on to a 12-8 victory over Seattle on Tuesday night at Comerica Park. Still, for a team that Jim Leyland wants to hold itself accountable rather than criticizing anyone else on the team, this was a night in which many players held their own.

By the time they were finished, they had scored as many runs in one game as they did on their entire six-game road trip last week. Edgar Renteria drove in five runs and fell a double short of the cycle. Curtis Granderson had an RBI double and his first multi-run homer in more than a full year. And three different players had three hits.

It was a response that seemed more in line with Leyland's Sunday remarks to the media bemoaning the Tigers' offensive struggles than with his pregame meeting on Tuesday.

"I don't want to sound like I'm smart, because I'm not," Leyland said. "But we did tonight what I've been talking about [that] we've lacked. When we got people out there, we hit some gappers and had people running around the bases. That's what we did. We hit the ball in the gaps and we hit the ball over the fence. We had great at-bats with men on. We took what was there. We hit the ball hard. We found some holes."

A pregame meeting allowed Leyland to deliver his message that clubhouse atmosphere and chemistry had nothing to do with the Tigers' struggles this season. Leyland told reporters before the game that his players should look at themselves in the mirror and hold themselves accountable.

"Accept responsibility and personal accountability," Leyland said. "I told the team that we've played [terrible], but I don't ever say that to a team before I say that I'm [terrible]. We're all in this together. I don't mean individual players are [terrible]. I mean our performance has been [terrible]. It starts with me. That's reality.

"Tonight our performance was very, very good. We got a little sloppy at the end, but it was good. We looked relaxed. We went up there, we were aggressive. We were a team. We got a good performance. We got timely hits. That makes for a good atmosphere."

The Tigers took the field with an approach against a pitcher who threw them strikes and challenged them to hit. Carlos Silva had built a reputation for allowing hits but limiting runs against the Tigers during his Minnesota tenure; Detroit had a .312 batting average off of him entering Tuesday, but he had a 4.40 ERA against the Tigers.

He couldn't do damage control on his performance Tuesday night.

"You can never be passive on him," Granderson said, "I think that's one of the approaches that guys took today: Be ready to hit, because that one that you let go by trying to passive may be the best one you get the entire at-bat."

The first time the Tigers put a runner in scoring position, they drove him in. That was the second inning, when Renteria and Carlos Guillen hit ground-ball RBI singles after Miguel Cabrera's leadoff double.

When the Tigers had Silva struggling in the fourth inning, they turned it into a four-run rally, fueled by Renteria's bases-clearing triple.

"They have been struggling, you know, but they have a good lineup over there," said Silva, who allowed seven runs on nine hits in four innings. "If you make a mistake, they are going to make you pay. ... I was missing my spots, and when you miss your spots against that kind of lineup, that's going to happen."

Once the Mariners went to their bullpen, the Tigers pounced again with solo homers from Magglio Ordonez leading off the fifth and from Renteria leading off the sixth. Two batters after Renteria, Granderson's two-run homer ended his streak of 23 consecutive solo shots since May 9, 2007, according to home run historian David Vincent.

The Tigers drew just one walk all night, but they had 17 hits. They went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left just four runners on base.

"See the ball. Hit the ball," said Renteria, who singled in the seventh but didn't have a chance to go for two and try for the cycle.

Renteria was 0-for-9 against Silva entering this game, yet his style of hitting seemingly fit Silva's approach.

"He never tries to do too much," Granderson said. "He's not going up there trying to kill you by hitting a home run. He's going up there, trying to do enough with it. Sure enough, he gets a triple on a line drive, he gets one ball out of the ballpark, he gets another single. Everything looked like, 'This is where the ball is pitched, I'm going to try to hit it back where it came from.' He does that as well as anybody in the league."

Detroit's 12 runs tripled the amount of support that starter Justin Verlander received in his previous four starts combined. In turn, Verlander (2-7) tossed six innings of one-run ball to end a personal four-game losing streak. His seven strikeouts marked a season high, and the only run he allowed came on Adrian Beltre's solo homer.

Six earned runs off Detroit's bullpen turned the game into a save situation for Todd Jones. Still, the Tigers can look at themselves and know that at least they no longer hold the league's worst record.

"Hopefully we can take off from here," Renteria said.

Leyland isn't promising anything. But he couldn't resist a jab at the chemistry questions.

"Go out there tonight," Leyland said, "and the clubhouse looks pretty good to me."

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

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tigers 12, Mariners 8
Tigers unleash frustrations
They once again show their offensive prowess as Renteria pounds four hits, drives in five.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Click.

Hear that? Fumbling for the switch, sometimes finding it, most times not, the Tigers suddenly turned on their offense Tuesday night with a reminder of the havoc they're capable of wreaking.

Gone was the birdseed bunch that's been pecking for runs.

In its place, quite frankly, was the team everyone thought they'd be watching weeks ago.

It's not that the Seattle Mariners, enigmas in their own right, hit or pitched badly. For the record, they pitched badly, but kicked up their heels late, coming from 10 runs down to force a seventh save situation for Todd Jones.

But it's not about what the opponents did or didn't do. It's about what the Tigers finally did.

By the fourth inning, they'd nearly made the margin of their eventual victory academic. With some late sloppiness, the final turned out to be 12-8, but the point is that the Tigers led so comfortably (11-1) after six and were having such fun at the plate, an eventual victory seemed assured.

Not only that, but much of the damage was done with hits that occurred -- are you sitting down -- with runners in scoring position.

Yes, with runners on second or third or second and third, it's permitted in modern baseball to knock them in which the Tigers did with impressive consistency this time.

"We had great concentration with men on base," said manager Jim Leyland, who emphasized individual accountability in a brief pre-game meeting. "But we have guys who are talented and should hit."

Edgar Renteria, the man who tried and failed over the weekend in Arizona to get the Tigers to wear their socks high for more than a game, turned instead to socking it to Seattle

A nice guy who'd been slumping, .162 in his previous 19 games, Renteria ended up with four hits and five RBI, singling in his last at-bat when he needed a double to complete the cycle.

He could have done what Carlos Guillen did to complete the cycle he hit for on Aug. 1, 2006. Needing a double against Tampa Bay, Guillen simply refused to settle for a single on a ball he hit to center.

Such bravado clearly wouldn't have worked this time. Renteria would have been out by a mile at second, but two singles, a triple and a home run, not to mention the five runs he knocked in and the two he scored, were more than enough to make it his best game as a Tiger.

"Hopefully we can take off from here," Renteria said.

Guillen, Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez also hit home run, Granderson's actually coming with a teammate on board, ending his streak of solo home runs at 23, the longest such streak in Tigers' history, according to researcher David Vincent.

Miguel Cabrera did not hit a home run, contributing instead with a single and two doubles. Gary Sheffield was booed, however, for a 0-for-5 night, his average dropping to .180.

"Sheff can handle it," said Leyland. "He's been one of them, but there have been a lot of guys not hitting."

Not to be overlooked, of course, was the way Justin Verlander pitched and even won. With 10 runs in one game but only 11 in his other eight starts, Verlander hadn't exactly been spoiled this season with support.

But even while his earned-run average soared high far above its former haunts, what remained consistent through Verlander's 1-7 start was his belief he was close to reversing his direction.

"Almost there," he kept saying.

This could be a lasting step beyond almost. He allowed a run on four hits in six innings, striking out seven.

Verlander gave up a first-inning home run to Adrian Beltre, when the Tigers briefly encountered groans from a crowd of 39,463 that nothing had changed. By the second inning, though, the Tigers were in front to stay.

By the fourth, they were rolling, en route to 17 hits and by the sixth, they were safely past, but not by much, Seattle's comeback capability.

The trick, as you know, will be for them to keep the switch in the position at which they left it. There've been previous glimpses of their potential at the plate. Remember the April game they won 13-2 in Cleveland, only to lose 11-1 the next night?

And the series in which they scored 37 runs in three games against Texas, only to ratchet back down to 11 in the next three against the Angels.

Their offense has come and gone all year.

But now it's come back again. Will it stay this time?

You can reach Tom Gage at tom.gage@detnews.com.

Good thing. Now we need to KEEP PRODUCING!!! Not this one game hitting then 10 games sucking crap. Stay consistent please!

I remember the Cleveland series VERY well......they gotta pace themselves...oh wait, they're PROFESSIONALS!!! They should know this by NOW!!!

05/21/2008 9:46 PM ET

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Tigers bats come alive against Mariners
Detroit's nine runs highlighted by Thames' grand slam
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- As Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday afternoon, the Tigers looked like the team that everybody talked about before the season began. They looked even better Wednesday night.

Time and again this season, Detroit hadn't capitalized on struggling starters, allowing them to stay in the game before opponents pulled out wins late. With Wednesday's seven-run third inning against Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, Seattle didn't stand much of a chance, and the Tigers were well on their way to a 9-4 victory.

The damage against Washburn was extensive. He threw 43 strikes out of his 60 total pitches, but 12 went for hits. The most telling stat of the night was that just two of those strikes were swings and misses from Tigers hitters.

The Tigers put up 11 hits in a 13-batter span from the two-out mark of the second inning until Washburn was pulled with one out in the third, and one of the two outs was a screaming line drive from Ivan Rodriguez that Washburn somehow snared. Nine of those baserunners scored, four of them on Marcus Thames' third-inning grand slam. Brandon Inge doubled in two runs in the second to open the scoring, then tripled and scored in the third.

The Tigers didn't draw any walks, but they didn't need to. At one point, four consecutive Washburn pitches went for base hits, all singles to Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen ahead of Thames' fifth career grand slam.

Detroit starter Kenny Rogers (4-4) made that run support hold, though he had a long fifth inning to qualify for the win. An RBI single and three walks, one with the bases loaded, had Rogers struggling to get through five before he induced a Jose Vidro fly ball. Richie Sexson's leadoff homer in the sixth set up Rogers' exit two batters later on a Jamie Burke single.

Rogers allowed four runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings for the win.

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

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tigers 9, Mariners 4
Thames' slam pushes Tigers past Mariners
Associated Press

DETROIT -- Marcus Thames hit a grand slam that highlighted a seven-run third inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 9-4 Wednesday night.

The Tigers opened their big inning with five straight singles off Jarrod Washburn (2-6) before Thames drove his fifth career slam into the Detroit bullpen in left field. Kenny Rogers (4-4) allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings. Richie Sexson and Yuniesky Betancourt hit solo homers for the Mariners.

Thames doubled in the second and scored Detroit's first run on Brandon Inge's two-out double.

Ivan Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen had RBI singles in the Tigers third, setting up Thames' slam. The four RBIs were a season high for Thames.

Washburn was pulled after giving up 12 hits and all nine runs in 2 1-3 innings. It was his shortest start since Sept. 19, 2006.

The Mariners, beaten 12-8 by the Tigers on Tuesday night, are an AL-worst 7-16 on the road.

Betancourt homered to begin the third and Sexson homered to open the sixth. Rogers gave up a bases-loaded single to Adrian Beltre in the fifth and walked Raul Ibanez to force home another run before ending the threat.

Tigers relievers Zach Miner and Francisco Cruceta combined to allow just two baserunners after Rogers was pulled.

Detroit managed only two hits after its big inning.

Notes

Thames' previous slam came last Aug. 10 against Oakland. ... The Tigers recalled LHP Dontrelle Willis from a rehab assignment and placed LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis) on the 15-day disabled list. Willis was available to throw out of the bullpen. Manager Jim Leyland said Willis, who has made just two starts for the Tigers, will eventually return to the rotation. ... Inge played left, center and third at various points of the game. ... "Home Improvement" sitcom costar Richard Karn threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

05/22/2008 3:53 PM ET

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Tigers hot offense highlights sweep
Red-hot bats score 30 runs in three-game series
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners with a 9-2 win on Thursday afternoon before 40,166 fans at Comerica Park.

Matt Joyce and Brandon Inge homered, Gary Sheffield ripped three hits and Jeremy Bonderman allowed two runs in six innings for his third win as the Tigers captured their fourth series sweep this season. They also improved to 7-2 this year against the American League West.

After going 4-for-40 with runners in scoring position in their recent six-game road trip, the Tigers took advantage in this series. They went 17-for-32 (.531) on their way to scoring 30 runs in the three games.

For the second straight day, the Tigers knocked a Mariners starter out by the fourth inning. Miguel Batista lasted three innings after serving up five runs and 72 pitches.

In the first, Magglio Ordonez's two-out double to right plated Sheffield to open the scoring. After a double to right by Joyce and fielding error by Bautista on an Edgar Renteria grounder, Inge lifted a hanging slider to left for a three-run home run and 4-0 Tigers lead.

Seattle runs in the third and fifth sandwiched a Renteria sacrifice fly in the fourth, giving Detroit a three-run edge. Joyce followed Carlos Guillen's double in the fifth with a 375-foot shot to right that made it 7-2.

Joyce's homer was his fifth since joining the team from Triple-A on May 5.

He added another highlight in the top of the sixth, when he dived to catch an Ichiro Suzuki blooper down the left-field line.

Scott McNeish is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.