Note: This article first appeared on ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog today. When the Tigers traded Scott Sizemore to the A’s over Memorial Day Weekend, it brought an abrupt and mildly startling end to his tenure as Detroit’s second baseman of the future. The Tigers, after all, anointed him as the heir apparent to Placido Polanco almost immediately after they lost Game 163 to the Twins in 2009. Polanco was eligible for arbitration, which coincided with the Tigers’ momentary spending freeze, and soon he was back with the Phillies doing everything fans in Detroit had come accustomed to: steadiness in the field, reliability at the plate. But back to Sizemore. The Tigers sent him to the Arizona Fall League – “a graduate school” for top prospects,…
When I was just starting to collect baseball cards, the first thing I always did upon opening a new pack was to flip the card over to see if the player ever was a member of the Tigers. Because my memory latches on to such random things, I clearly remember when I turned over the 1977 Topps Woodie Fryman card and saw that he played for the Tigers from 1972-74. Fryman passed away on Friday in Lexington, Ky., at the age of 70. Fryman won 141 games from 1966-83 with the Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. He pitched primarily in relief late in his career, saving 17 games for Montreal in 1980. Fryman had four career one-hitters…
**Sorry this one’s coming late in the day. I was traveling and got online later than expected. This one include information about tonight’s win and Monday’s too.** Tigers’ Record: 45-37, 1st place; 1/2-game lead over Twins Today’s Results Tigers 7 – Orioles 5 (11 innings) W: Ryan Perry (2-4) L: David Hernandez (3-7) HR: Miguel Cabrera (21), Johnny Damon (5) Yesterday’s Results Tigers 12 – Orioles 9 W: Eddie Bonine (4-0) L: Mark Hendrickson (1-4) HR: Jake Fox (4)
Jeremy Bonderman threw seven strong innings and the offense added 19 hits as the Tigers defeated the Washington Nationals 8-3 on Thursday afternoon. The victory caps a second straight series sweep, and overall 6-game win streak, a stretch in which the Tigers have scored 37 runs on a whopping 70 hits. It’s a pleasant sight for Tigers fans, who had recently endured a stretch where the cats had lost 12 of 18 with the main culprit being a stagnant offense. Miguel Cabrera extended his league-leading RBI total to 59, going 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Alex Avila went 2-for-4 with a long double in the 2nd inning, driving in two runs. Not to be lost in the offensive onslaught is Jeremy Bonderman,…
Note: I began writing this report card at the 40-game mark but ran into computer troubles and wasn’t able to post it. Though the Tigers have blown past that milestone I’ll still submit it for your consideration. If you’ve followed the Tigers for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with Sparky Anderson’s old saying about giving a team 40 games before drawing any conclusions. Last Wednesday night Justin Verlander handcrafted the Tigers 5-1 win over the A’s on Wednesday and gave the Tigers a 23-17 record at the 40-game mark. So, is it time to draw conclusions? Why not?
