DET. TIGERS 2008 REG SEASON SCHEDULE & SCORES

We'll never know, I guess. We can speculate all we want, but who knows what's swimmin' around in the owner's brain?

At his age, Todd will only get year-to-year contracts, like Pudge and Rogers!

yeah, but i think they could give him a 3 year contract with options or something...

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

They will, and when the train gets a rollin.... watch out!

I feel bad for the team and Leland though. They know they are good, but I know they are embarrassed, poor Leland had this thrown in his lap, and gets all the flack from EVERYONE!

I do too actually

but as i said, u cant blame leyland, the players arent producing, they need to, and if they dont, it would be Leyland looking for a new job... which would make me

They better get some wins on the road, or we will direct the Tiger's plane to Toledo, and let the Mud Hen players come to Detroit, manager and all!!!!!

GO ON THE ROAD!!

04/08/2008 5:44 PM ET

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Tigers' winless start continues
In first road trip of season, Detroit blanked in Boston
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

BOSTON -- Even Placido Polanco's errorless streak couldn't survive the Tigers' rough start.

On a day when Polanco's Major League records of errorless games and chances ended, the Tigers' winless start continued. Polanco's first error in two years allowed Manny Ramirez to score, while Kevin Youkilis' two RBIs and Daisuke Matsuzaka's 6 2/3 scoreless innings helped drop the Tigers to an 0-7 record with a 5-0 loss on Tuesday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Before the game, manager Jim Leyland had emphasized that he wasn't going to make drastic changes. The Tigers, as he put it, are a talented team that hadn't gotten going yet. Matsuzaka made sure Detroit's offense stayed that way, while the Red Sox attack took advantage of Tigers' miscues.

Polanco hadn't committed an error since July 1, 2006, a streak that covered 186 games and 911 total chances, until Ramirez hit a drive to deep center field to lead off the third. Ramirez rounded second as Brandon Inge collected the ball and fired to Polanco in short center field. Polanco had a play on Ramirez at third, but his throw skipped off the dirt, glanced off the top of Miguel Cabrera's glove and headed into the Tigers' dugout to allow Ramirez to trot home with the Sox's second run.

Another throwing error, this one from Cabrera into the Red Sox's dugout, set up another Boston run in the next inning. Julio Lugo ended up on second with Cabrera's error on top of his single leading off the fourth inning, and Dustin Pedroia's single moved him into position for a Youkilis sacrifice fly.

Both runs came while Kenny Rogers labored in his second start of the season. Working frequently behind in the count, throwing barely half of his 107 pitches for strikes over 4 2/3 innings, Rogers allowed two earned runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out three.

Matsuzaka also battled his command at times, walking four over his 6 2/3 innings of work, but none came around to score, thanks in part to seven strikeouts and timely outs.

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

laprimamirala wrote:

Dang it. Hopefully just an off day.

For the 7th time in a row

Now that Placido's streak is over, I see some dark times ahead. Not sure what will turn it around.

GO TIGERS! BEAT THE RED SOX!

at least try ?

04/09/2008 11:00 PM ET

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Tigers bash skid into submission
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

BOSTON -- Edgar Renteria's two-run double and Marcus Thames' two-run homer helped end the slide of the Major Leagues' last winless team, sending the Detroit Tigers to their first win of the year with a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

After Detroit had lost games in extra innings, late innings and middle innings, with quick exits by starting pitchers, rough defense and a struggling offense, the Tigers went back to a reliable source of victories from last season to get off their slump this season. They beat up on a left-handed starting pitcher.

Red Sox starter Jon Lester (1-2) had never faced the Tigers, and Detroit had one of baseball's best offenses against left-handers in 2007, before adding right-handed hitters Miguel Cabrera and Renteria. After Lester pitched through his first three innings without allowing a run, the Tigers pounced in the fourth.

Cabrera and Carlos Guillen drew back-to-back one-out walks, putting runners at first and second for Renteria. Lester fell behind on a 2-0 count before Renteria lined a 2-1 pitch to the wall in left-center field, allowing both runners to score and tying the game at 2.

When Thames followed by launching a full-count pitch deep to left, it not only marked his first home run of the season, it handed Detroit its first lead since Dontrelle Willis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Saturday against the White Sox.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (1-1) and Detroit's bullpen made it stick. Bonderman, using his changeup heavily in the early innings, recovered from a pair of second-inning runs to escape the inning with the bases loaded and held Boston without another run through five-plus innings. Bobby Seay, Francis Beltran, Denny Bautista and Todd Jones followed with scoreless relief.

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

WAHOO!!!

04/11/2008 12:53 AM ET

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High pitch count dooms Tigers
Robertson lasts just 5 1/3 innings; bullpen struggles with walks
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

BOSTON -- When the Tigers were hoping to elevate some pitch counts on Thursday night, this wasn't what they had in mind.

The numbers were just about astounding: 43 pitches in the fourth inning, 46 pitches in the seventh and 38 pitches in the eighth. It wasn't what Tigers hitters were seeing from knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, but what Tigers pitchers were throwing in three separate four-run innings.

In short, there was very little short about the way the Tigers' 12-6 loss to the Red Sox unraveled.

By the time Yorman Bazardo ended the eighth inning with a strikeout of former Tiger Sean Casey, he was throwing Detroit's 212th pitch of the evening, 113 of them for strikes. Those later pitches, however, weren't the ones that decided the game, or the ones that manager Jim Leyland targeted afterward.

"Where you go with the bullpen is where you go with the starters," Leyland said. "That's where you go with the bullpen. You get five innings night after night with 110 pitches, there's not a bullpen in the history of the game that will survive. That's where it starts."

It wasn't the way Nate Robertson's night started. He commanded the inside part of the plate to strike out five of the first 12 batters he faced, two of them on called third strikes. He reached just two three-ball counts in that span, and allowed just two balls in play out of the infield.

Facing the middle of Boston's order in the bottom of the fourth, Robertson used a slider on the outside corner to fan David Ortiz for the first out. He proceeded to put Manny Ramirez in a 1-2 count.

With Ramirez down, Robertson tried to get him on the corners, first outside, then inside. He was close, but missed, and with three straight balls lost him to a walk.

From there, Robertson's pitch count ballooned, essentially doubling what he had thrown through three innings. Leyland theorized that the at-bat lingered with him and got him into trouble after that. Robertson didn't disagree.

"I didn't get the call and I need to move on," Robertson said. "I threw a four-seamer in and a two-seamer away that were close pitches, but you need to move on. I probably let that leak a little bit into my next at-bat with [Kevin] Youkilis, and I put him on, as well."

That was a five-pitch walk, and it brought the go-ahead run to the plate. What frustrated Robertson more, however, was the at-bat that followed. After putting J.D. Drew in a 1-2 count with back-to-back called strikes and a foul ball, he missed the outside corner for ball two, then lost a pitch over the middle of the plate. Drew lined it to right for an RBI single.

"I need to put those guys away," Robertson said. "I threw a pitch up and right over the middle of the plate, and that really can't happen."

Robertson didn't walk another batter the rest of the night, but he fell behind on nearly everyone else. Coco Crisp's double tied the game, then Kevin Cash singled on a 2-0 pitch that put Boston ahead for good.

It was a pitch count matter, but at the heart, it was a matter of pitches.

"The fastball command was really good," Robertson said. "My slider isn't as sharp as it needs to be. The changeup was off and on. I've got some things to work on. If I have a good slider to put [Drew] away in situations like that, I make the pitch."

If it was just Robertson, it wouldn't be such a pressing matter. But it's all over the rotation. Jeremy Bonderman is the only Tigers starter so far this season to get an out in the seventh inning, and that was the third game of the season. Detroit's starters are averaging just over 5 1/3 innings per outing, third-lowest among American League clubs, and Robertson hit right on average.

"That's not good enough," Leyland said. "There's not a bullpen in the world that will survive that. I think that's where you start, and we'll worry about the bullpen after we get that straightened out."

Detroit's starters averaged just under six innings per outing last year, and Leyland said over the winter he was looking for an extra out or two on top of that. Tigers starters averaged better than six innings per start in 2006, when the Tigers went to the World Series.

"It's frustrating that I haven't taken the efficiency of Spring Training into my first two starts," Robertson said. "And I know I've got to be more efficient. We were headed in that direction tonight, and then I ran into the fourth. But we'll get that ironed out."

The inefficiency rose as the relievers followed. Zach Miner entered and, despite stranding two in the seventh, walked three of the seven batters he faced before Ramirez doubled in two runs in the seventh. Francis Beltran followed an intentional walk with an unintentional one, then fell behind on Casey for his two-run single. Yorman Bazardo walked Ortiz and Ramirez consecutively in the eighth to load the bases for a Youkilis two-run double and Drew sacrifice fly.

Seven of the 12 Red Sox runs reached base on walks. The last of those four-run innings came after Detroit scored twice in the top of the eighth and brought the potential tying run to the plate with nobody out.

"That's always a no-no," Leyland said.

On this night, it was a theme that overshadowed a better night from Detroit's offense, which overcame a nasty knuckleball from Wakefield to plate a couple runs and then rally later off of Boston's bullpen.

"We battled back," Brandon Inge said. "Didn't get quite enough."

If they're going to battle out of the hole that they're in, the latter could be said of their starting pitching, too.

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

*sigh* Leyland's job should be on the line...the season ticket holders will be calling for somebody's head!

I bet Leyland quits

he's walked away from every other job he's had....

I know... I'm just wondering when he'll do it

I wonder too...I mean, he's 63. where he is gonna find more work?

It'll be interesting to see how long before he says it though.

something's gotta give...

04/11/2008 11:30 PM ET

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Bullpen sends Tigers past White Sox
Willis leaves in first inning, but relievers deliver for Detroit
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Dontrelle Willis' first-inning knee injury put the Tigers' bullpen in a potential mess, but Aquilino Lopez and Jason Grilli pitched out of it.

One day after Tigers relievers needed 105 pitches to record eight outs, Lopez and Grilli pitched a combined seven innings of one-run ball. That allowed a two-run single from Magglio Ordonez and RBI hits from Brandon Inge and Clete Thomas to send the Tigers to a 5-2 win over the White Sox on Friday night.

What could've become another long night for the Tigers ended up being their second win of the season. Now, they'll have to wait and see how long they've lost Willis.

The only other time Willis pitched against the White Sox here at U.S. Cellular Field, he left after one inning with a forearm strain. The injury bug struck him again in his return, but in a more freakish circumstance under less than ideal conditions, thanks to late afternoon and early evening rain.

Willis, who walked seven batters over five-plus innings against these same White Sox last Saturday in Detroit, again came out battling his command by walking Carlos Quentin to lead off the bottom of the first. He was in his delivery for his first pitch to Orlando Cabrera, when his right leg slipped off the mound, lunging him forward in an awkward position as he grabbed the back of his right knee.

Willis stayed in the game for a few more pitches, but after walking Cabrera and throwing a wild pitch to Jim Thome, Detroit manager Jim Leyland decided to remove him from the game. Willis was diagnosed with a hyperextended right knee.

Lopez entered in a tough spot, with runners on second and third, no outs and a 2-1 count to the dangerous Thome. He stuck out Thome swinging, then after a Paul Konerko sacrifice fly, retired Jermaine Dye to halt the damage. Three singles in the second inning plated another run to extend Chicago's lead, but Quentin's RBI single was the last baserunner Lopez allowed. He retired the final seven batters he faced.

Grilli, who gave up a tiebreaking home run to A.J. Pierzynski a week ago in a White Sox victory, faced more trouble when he entered in the fifth with a hit batter and two walks. However, his inning-ending grounder from Dye started a string of seven straight batters he retired in what was by far his strongest outing of the season.

Ordonez's two-run single against his former club paced a three-run third inning that put Detroit ahead for good. Inge and Thomas hit back-to-back two-out doubles in the seventh to extend the lead, and Miguel Cabrera's eighth-inning single earned him his first RBI since his Opening Day solo homer.

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

I just hope Willis is not out too long.

I seen that omg it looked like it hurt bad, but then he tried to stay in. I'm a wimp, I'd have cried and made them carry me off the field.

The Chicago announcers feel that showed the kind of quality player Willis is. They have a lot of respect for him for wanting to stay in, but when Leland took him out he listened to his manager.

It LOOKED horrible, I'm surprised he could walk afterwards.

It did look horrible...and this comes from a former ER clerk who has seen plenty!

04/12/2008 7:10 PM ET

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Verlander stonewalled on South Side
Tigers right-hander remains winless at U.S. Cellular Field
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Even when Justin Verlander is at his best, he can't seem to beat the White Sox here.

On the flip side, even when Gavin Floyd is wild, he's effectively wild against the Tigers.

On a cold, wet day that seemingly favored power pitchers, Verlander looked to have the standout performance that would finally earn him a win here. He ran fastballs inside on White Sox sluggers and dropped curveballs on the corners for called strikes. On the same day, Floyd no-hit the Tigers into the eighth.

The result was another loss for Verlander on Chicago's South Side. Though the 7-0 decision didn't reflect the pitching duel that controlled this game for seven innings, it nonetheless dropped Verlander to 1-6 for his career against the White Sox and 0-4 at U.S. Cellular Field.

"It's baseball. Things happen," Verlander said with a shrug. "You can't expect to go out and pitch well and get a win every time."

This pitching performance, though, was better than the others he's had here.

For at least the first few innings, Floyd's no-hit bid bore a strong resemblance to Dontrelle Willis' five no-hit innings against the White Sox last Saturday at Comerica Park. Floyd walked four of Detroit's first 12 batters, including rookie leadoff man Clete Thomas twice. Two of those runners were erased on double plays, while Thomas was thrown out at home plate on Gary Sheffield's grounder to third, stymieing Detroit's best scoring threat in the first inning.

After Magglio Ordonez's double play followed Sheffield's leadoff walk in the fourth, Floyd (2-0) settled down to retire 12 straight batters, building excitement into a scattered, rain-soaked crowd.

When Tigers manager Jim Leyland called him effectively wild, he meant it as a compliment. For a Tigers lineup that was starting to settle in, having scored 18 runs over Detroit's last three games, Floyd was the last person they needed to see.

"I thought he had two totally different combinations going today," Leyland said. "He missed the strike zone by a lot on some pitches, and then made absolutely tremendous pitches on the corners. He pitched one great game, obviously -- tremendous. Some pitches missed by quite a bit, and then ... there was that one stretch there in the game he started painting the corner on some guys."

That was the middle-inning stretch, when curveballs dropped into the zone. Miguel Cabrera saw one hit the inside corner for a called third strike to end the fourth. Thomas watched another one in the sixth.

"He [threw] a lot of good breaking balls down with two strikes," Brandon Inge said. "Even if this lineup is cold, it's still a tough lineup. And you've got to give him credit."

Meanwhile, the contact that Tigers hitters did make went for naught. Ordonez sent left fielder Carlos Quentin crashing into the fence to corral his drive with a man on in the first inning. Ivan Rodriguez's opposite-field fly ball in the fifth sent Jermaine Dye to the warning track in right. With the no-hitter watch clearly in effect, Ordonez barely missed a double off the right-field line before striking out for the second out of the seventh.

For much of the game, that was the difference in a White Sox lead. Verlander retired eight of Chicago's first 10 hitters before he made a mistake to Orlando Cabrera, who lined it over the fence in the left-field corner for his first home run in a White Sox uniform.

"My changeup wasn't very good today," Verlander said. "I felt like I found it a little bit later on, but earlier, it wasn't good for me at all. It was up in the zone and didn't move much. It's a bad pitch to righties when it's up in the zone like that. If they just get the head [of the bat] out on it, that happens."

Everything else, however, had movement, and two walks to Paul Konerko were the only other baserunners Verlander allowed until he literally lost his grip on the ball and the game in the eighth.

After Juan Uribe flew out on the first pitch, Verlander issued a walk to Nick Swisher. He had Cabrera in an 0-2 count before losing control on an inside fastball that hit Cabrera on the earflap of his helmet.

At that point, Verlander was ineffectively wild, and he suggested he could feel the elements on the pitches he threw.

"For some reason, the balls got cold and slick," Verlander said. "The weather didn't change. It was the same the whole game. I couldn't feel the ball in the eighth inning. I don't know what happened. ... They'd been a little damp the whole game, but in the eighth, they were cold, too. I know it wasn't like that the rest of the game."

Starting with Swisher's walk, Verlander reached two-strike counts on four straight hitters. All of them reached base safely. Jim Thome didn't take Verlander deep in this game like in others, but he took a 2-2 pitch to right for a single to load the bases. Verlander regrouped to put Konerko in an 0-2 hole, but his next fastball ran too far in and hit him to drive in the second run.

"That was critical," Leyland said.

Leyland had sent pitching coach Chuck Hernandez to the mound after Cabrera was hit, fearing the beaning would rattle Verlander. But with Verlander's pitches still moving, he stuck with his ace in a 2-0 game as red-hot A.J. Pierzynski stepped to the plate with two outs.

"He's my horse," Leyland said of Verlander. "He deserved it. [Pierzynski] got a base hit, but obviously that wasn't the difference in the game. With the game he pitched, he deserved the chance to get him out."

Said Verlander: "I don't want to give up that ball. Those are my runs. That's my hitter. I knew my pitch count wasn't excessively high. I wanted it."

Pierzynski's single plated two runs. Two more singles, a walk and three runs followed off Francis Beltran, but the game essentially was out of reach. And Verlander was on his way to his first three-game losing streak and an 0-3 start. Verlander is confident he's been better.

"The numbers don't show it," Verlander said. "That's OK by me, because if I keep pitching the way I have been, things will turn around. It's the natural cycle of things."

Floyd's second win over Detroit in eight days, meanwhile, continued his emergence as a Tigers nemesis. The 25-year-old right-hander owns three wins in 12 starts since joining the White Sox before last season. All have come against Detroit. He also had two no-decisions against the Tigers last year in which he allowed two runs in 13 innings.

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