Hi, folks. If you downloaded episode #46 on Monday, you received a partially edited show. Some of the edits didn’t “take” in the file I uploaded for your enjoyment.

A freshly edited version of episode #46 is now available. Please delete Monday’s episode from your iPod or iTunes and re-download it at your convenience.

My apologies!

The Detroit Tigers Podcast is not affiliated in any way with the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club or Major League Baseball.

ESPN recaps — but no highlights?! — available here, here and here.

The Gist: The Tigers lost virtually every way possible in the Twin Cities this past weekend. They wouldn’t hit on Friday, couldn’t hit on Saturday, and hit for only a few innings on Sunday. Of course, Detroit couldn’t escape the Metrodome without a few turf-aided hits that sting like a hot poker in the eye.

The Quote: “We’re tough to watch sometimes.” — Jim Leyland

The Stat: 7. The number of games Gary Sheffield played in left in 2007.

My Two Cents: Long-time readers of this space well-know my animus toward third-person referencing, free-swinging, rally-killing Craig Monroe. So, it should come as no surprise to you, then, that my weekend took a dramatic turn for the worse when he homered off of Justin Verlander on Saturday night.

At that point, how could I argue with my son that watching “Oswald” wasn’t a better idea? If things don’t turn around quickly for this team, I have a feeling I’ll be watching more Noggin programming than is allowed by law.

Welcome to The Detroit Tigers Podcast, the podcast for Tigers fans, by Tigers fans. This is Episode #46, a 30-minute podcast recorded live from Scottsdale, Ariz. and Columbus, Ohio.

In this episode our guest is Craig Calcaterra — a.k.a., the Shyster behind ShysterBall.com, one of the best baseball blogs around.

Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here.

Listen to the podcast in our nifty sidebar player –>

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Comments? Leave a message on the new listener line: (602) 903-5174.

Theme music for the podcast produced by Paul Minshall.

Livan Hernandez had command of his pitches and the Tigers on this night. Magglio Ordonez hit a long home run in the second, and the team loaded the based with nobody out in the same inning, but then Ivan Rodriguez hit a short fly ball to right on which Miguel Cabrera did not attempt to score from third base. Jacque Jones then hit into an inning ending double play. Hernandez was able to hold off all Tiger threats for the rest of his seven-inning stint.

The Twins were able to get to Armando Galarraga for four runs on six hits which was enough to hand him his first loss of the season. Galarraga also gave up a bases loaded walk with nobody out and a RBI double play ground out which accounted for two of those runs. Aquilino Lopez came on in the seventh and got the first out of the inning, but then surrendered four runs on six hits before giving way to Denny Bautista who got the Tigers out of the inning.

I thought the tough night was over, but in the eighth, the Twins were able to get three more runs off Bautista. He allowed a walk, a wild pitch, and a single to score one run which was followed by a passed ball by Brandon Inge. The Twins then got the other two runs in the inning on a double to deep right field and an infield single to first. This was followed by another infield single to first before Francisco Cruceta came on to strike out Mike Lamb to end the inning.

A lot of the Twins 16 hits in this game were legitimate, but they also got a few strategically placed balls that the Tigers just could not field. This was just a game that happens to even the very best teams on occasion.

We’ll just chalk this one up as one of those.

ESPN highlights available here.

The Gist: The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees in New York Thursday night — the first since yours truly was a negative two years old — with an 8-4 win. Ramon Santiago, in his first start at shortstop this year, hit a key triple in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie. Miguel Cabrera had a monster night: triple, homer, three RBI. Magglio Ordonez had a three hits. Nate Robertson allowed four runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings for his first win in five career outings in Yankee Stadium.

The Quote: “It is kind of neat to think that the last series you’ll possibly play in this stadium, you swept them.” Jim Leyland

The Stat: 1. The number of games the Tigers sit below .500 — the closest they’ve been since Opening Day.

The Tigers swept the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium for the first time since the beginning of the 1966 season when they won the opener on April 12 and swept a doubleheader on April 14. The Yankees returned the favor in the Bronx from August 26 - 28 of that year. The Tigers will never be swept again — or lose for that matter — in the regular season in this edition of Yankee Stadium.

Nate Robertson had a rough first inning by giving up three runs on a home run by Bobby Abreu. He did settle down and gave up a total of four runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two to get his first win of the year. 

The Tiger bats did the rest as Magglio Ordonez hit a double and a single to drive in three runs. Miguel Cabrera added a couple of RBI with a triple and a home run, and Ramon Santiago hit a double and had a two-run triple.

The Tigers got their first look at Francisco Cruceta who came on the ninth and gave up a lead-off walk to Bobby Abreu, but really encountered no further trouble. He got a hard hit ball which Carlos Guillen stopped and threw to second to force Abreu, and he got a ground ball to first and a line out to left which Ryan Raburn caught to end the game.

This was a great series to watch, and the Tigers find themselves tied for second in the Central with Cleveland and Minnesota just 1-1/2 games back of the White Sox. Now we’ll see if they can do some damage to put some distance between themselves and the Twins.

You are one die-hard Tigers fan if you remember right hander Dan Gakeler.

It’s scary because I remember him.

A former number-one pick of the Red Sox in the 1984 draft (secondary phase), Gakeler appeared in 31 games for the 1991 Tigers, seven of them were starts.

Wearing the number 32, he assembled a record of 1-4 with two saves and a 5.74 ERA.

Happy 44th Birthday, Dan.

Tigers April Record: 13-15

Individual Batting Leaders (minimum 20 games, my totally subjective criteria)

• Average: Carlos Guillen, .321
• Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, 5
• RBI: Cabrera/Ordonez, 19
• OBP: Guillen, .414
• OPS: Guillen, .938
• SLG: Guillen, .524
• SB: Guillen, Pudge Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, 3

Individual Pitching Leaders

• Wins: Five pitchers tied with two each - Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga, Aquilino Lopez, Clay Rapada, Kenny Rogers
• ERA
  • Starter: Galarraga, 1.50
  • Reliever: Rapada, 0.00
• Saves: Todd Jones, 5
• Strikeouts
  • Starter: Nate Robertson, 24
  • Reliever: Lopez, 14

Team Rankings

• Team Batting: .267, fourth in American League (ninth in majors)
• Team Pitching: 4.88 ERA, 13th in A.L. (28th in majors)
• Team Fielding: .984, seventh in A.L. (tied for 13th in majors)

And now the random stuff: Tigers Day-by-Day Record

• Monday: 2-1
• Tuesday: 3-1
• Wednesday: 4-1
• Thursday: 1-3
• Friday: 2-2
• Saturday: 1-3
• Sunday: 0-4

ESPN highlights available here.

The Gist: Jeremy Bonderman avoided a serious first-inning problem by yielding “only” two runs. Then he was all business: 7.2 innings pitched, five hits, the aforementioned two runs (both earned) and, oddly enough, just one strikeout. Placido Polanco appears to have caught fire in New York, highlighted by two home runs on Wednesday. And don’t look now but here comes Gary Sheffield: two-for-four and now only 17 points (or 32 depending on your perspective) south of the Mendoza Line.

The Quote: “You don’t want to know what I told him, I’ll tell you that much.” — Jim Leyland on his first inning, ahem, heart-to-heart meeting with Bonderman on the mound.

The Stat: 54. The number of points Polanco has seen his average soar in the past two games. Six hits in 10 at bats will do that for you.

My Two Cents: Bonderman drives me nuts.

Up Next: Tigers at Yankees

Nate Robertson (0-3, 6.91) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.53)

ESPN highlights available here.

The Gist: It had its dicey moments — not the least of which was Kenny Rogers walking the bases loaded in the third — but the Tigers showed some grit in a 6-4 win over the Yankees in the Bronx. Rogers earned his second straight win and limited the Yankees to two runs over six innings. Curtis Granderson doubled and homered and, perhaps showing signs of new life, Gary Sheffield belted a two-run home run, the 482nd of his career. Speaking of new life, Placido Polanco had with four hits and an RBI.

The Quote: “Feeling young is not in the equation anymore.” — Kenny Rogers.

The Stat: .276 - Jacque Jones‘ on-base percentage in his 20 games.