Wednesday matinee morsels

From the Game Notes:

• The Tigers played the club’s 13th game of the season decided by one run last night against the Orioles and are now tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the most in the majors. Detroit is 8-5 in one-run games so far in 2007, tying the club with the Diamondbacks for the most wins in the majors in one-run games.
• Sheff among the best against Trachsel: Gary Sheffield has enjoyed success in his career against Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Steve Trachsel. Including a first-inning jack today.

  Sheffield is batting .373 (19 for 51) four doubles, four home runs and eight RBI in his career against Trachsel.

  Among players with at least 40 plate appearances against the righthander, Sheffield ranks second among active players with a .686 slugging percentage, third with a .484 on-base percentage and fourth with the .373 batting average.

• Placido Polanco has hit safely in all 13 of his games at home thus far in 2007, collecting nine multi-hit games. His 13-game hitting streak at home to open the season is the longest by a Tigers player since Alan Trammell also hit safely in his first 13 games at Tiger Stadium April 10-May 1, 1984.

  The last Tigers player to hit safely in more than 13 consecutive games at home to start the season was Lou Whitaker, who hit safely in his first 19 games of the 1978 season. Polanco is now hitting .354 (164 for 463) with 72 runs scored, 23 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 60 RBI in 110 games during his career at Comerica Park. He is fifth among active players with a .354 batting average at the park.

• More on Sheff: He enters today’s game with a .303 batting average (79 for 261), 51 runs scored, 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 65 RBI in 68 games during his career against the Baltimore Orioles. He ranks second among all active major leaguers with an RBI once every 4.02 at-bats against the Orioles.

Yes, I suppose I’m old fashioned (and I’m not even 40) but I miss the Tigers and Orioles matchups from the ’80s. Curse you, unbalanced schedule.