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, according to the AFL Media Guide – in 2007 and again in ‘09 in what they undoubtedly expected to be a final tuneup before handing over the keys to second base to him for the foreseeable future.

Within days of the 2009 AFL season, Sizemore’s ankle was broken as he attempted to turn a double play and his fall league experience went kaput. It didn’t stop the Tigers from hoping that he could recover in time for spring training.

Fast forward to May 27 when he was dealt to Oakland for David Purcey (himself an AFL graduate) and the book was closed on Sizemore’s career in Detroit: 65 games, a .223 average, .605 OPS and a mere three home runs. Not legendary stuff and certainly nowhere close to Polanco’s track record.

Sizemore’s flameout got me thinking about the poor results the Tigers have seen from their Arizona Fall League representatives, particularly when contrasted with Central-division rivals.

Over the past five years, the players sent by the Tigers to the AFL (including Sizemore, twice) haven’t lived up their billing. Tigers fans heard breathless projections of guys such as Brent Clevlen, Cameron Maybin and Virgil Vasquez — not to mention Jeff Larish and Cale Iorg — only to see them cut loose or traded or otherwise vanish from baseball. In some cases, Cody Ross and Burke Badenhop for example, Tigers AFL prospects have gone elsewhere and had success.

Expand the view a bit wider and you’ll see that Curtis Granderson, Tony Clark and Frank Catalanotto and current Tigers utilityman Don Kelly spent an autumn in Phoenix. But
outside of Granderson, which Tigers player and AFL alum over the past five seasons has the most big-league experience? Outfielder Casper Wells, who, at the All-Star break, had 97 games with the Tigers.

Next in line is Opening Day second baseman Will Rhymes (73), Sizemore (65) and pitcher Eddie Bonine (62). Where are they today? Rhymes is a Triple-A All Star in Toledo, Sizemore’s near the Bay and Bonine is pitching for the Phillies’ Triple-A club.

From the perspective of a Tigers fan, these under-performing prospects are that much more frustrating when the Indians, White Sox, Royals and Twins accelerate their AFL players from the desert to the big-league club.

How’s this for a collection of who’s who? Chris Getz. Gordon Beckham. Joe Crede. Alex Gordon. Eric Hosmer. Billy Butler. Mitch Maier. Joe Mauer. Grady Sizemore. David Huff.

This examination of the Tigers’ AFL classes doesn’t mean they franchise hasn’t developed important players. Since 2006, Justin Verlander, Brennan Boesch, Alex Avila, Joel Zumaya all came through the Detroit farm system – but they bypassed Arizona on their way up.

For many teams, particularly those in the A.L. Central, the Arizona Fall League has been a key stop on their development fast track. Unfortunately, for the Tigers and their top prospects this graduate school has handed out nothing but failing grades of late.

With today’s news that Zumaya is headed to the 60-day disabled list, with no clear answer on what’s causing the pain in his throwing elbow, I’ve come to grips with the fact his days in Detroit, if not baseball altogether, are reaching the end.

Tigers head trainer Kevin Rand summed up Zumaya’s road back from his most-recent injury:

“On the fracture side, everything is fine, but there’s something causing pain. He’s tender right over the screw (that was inserted during the surgery).

“It’s frustrating for Joel. It’s real tough. He rested it six weeks, picked up a baseball, everything felt great.

“Twenty-four throws in he felt great, on the 25th he felt something — and now he can’t pick up a baseball.”

Plenty has been written about the similarities of Zumaya and Mark Fidrych, pitchers that burst onto the Detroit sports scene three decades apart. (Including a piece on this site from November 2007.)

Of course, the similarities had nothing to do with their pitching and everything to do with their immense talent. Talent that was snuffed out by persistent injuries.

Here’s hoping that Zumaya will return to baseball and ideally with the Tigers. Today, though, I can’t see it happening.

What do you think? Vote in our latest Fungo Flash Poll.

If you followed the Tigers during his five years (and five uniform numbers) in Detroit, you won’t be surprised by this Fick-related anecdote from former-Tigers flamethrower Matt Anderson:

First Anderson drove from Louisville to Atlanta to say goodbye to the kids. Then he headed west to California to see his friend and former Tigers teammate, Robert Fick, who had possession of the two game gloves — a Mizuno and a Rawlings — that Anderson used during his last stint in pro ball.

After continually badgering Fick to send him the gloves, to no avail, Anderson figured it would be easier to just pass through California on his way to Phoenix and pick them up in person.

“For Robert to muster up what it took to go to the packing store, find my address and all that stuff, I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Anderson said.

I, for one, am hoping that Anderson’s comeback is successful. The fact he’s back on the radar, however temporarily, makes me wonder what an Anderson-Zumaya-Perry bullpen might look like.

As for Fick, well, never mind.

They lost two games to the Mariners in Seattle, then came home to lose three of four to the A’s. After a 14-10 record in April, they stumbled to 12-14 in May.

How would they fare in June? Much better, despite losses to division opponents on the both ends of the month.

Detroit finished June with a 15-12 record and gained three games in the standings; on June 1 they were 4-1/2 back of the Twins, just 1-1/2 on June 30. In between, the Tigers surged thanks to that soft spot in the interleague schedule — Pittsburgh, Washington and Arizona — allowing them to gain ground on the Twins, who were playing much tougher National League opponents.

The Tigers’ abysmal 5-10 road record in June included losing two of three at Kansas City, Chicago and Minnesota. This has got to stop if the Tigers hope to stay relevant — much less in the hunt.

While a seven-game winning streak and a 10-2 home record certainly helped buoy the Tigers’ winning ways, we can’t overlook the convergence of wins with Brennan Boesch becoming a fixture in the lineup and the awakening of Brandon Inge, Alex Avila and, to a lesser degree, Gerald Laird.

As frustrating as this team is on some nights, they still have a compelling roster, an aggressive owner and a winnable division.

Issues to watch in July will be:

• Can Jeremy Bonderman get his act together after three consecutive lousy starts?
• Will Inge and Avila maintain their respective offensive resurgence?
• Can Ryan Perry capably fill Joel Zumaya‘s role in the eighth inning?
• Will Johnny Damon finally provide the consistent hitting the Tigers expected when they signed him?

• Can they stop playing porous defense night in and night out?

Watching as these questions get answered should make this month a fascinating one. And, what we learn in July will determine whether the Tigers emerge as buyers or sellers — or neither — when the trade deadline arrives.

After the Tigers beat the Twins on Monday night — in a game that the Twins traditionally have won in the past — I thought: maybe this is the turning point. Maybe this is when the Tigers overcome whatever mental block that stands in the way of them a) beating the Twins, and b) beating the Twins in Minnesota.

Even Joel Zumaya’s season-ending injury couldn’t temper my enthusiasm. After all, the Twins lost their closer, Joe Nathan, in spring training and they’ve been in first place virtually all year.

And then — poof — along comes Tuesday…and then Wednesday and, darn it, reality.

I’ve long contended that the Tigers’ true rival in the Central division is the White Sox. After last year, though, I began to think the Twins were gaining ground as the Tigers’ chief nemesis.

(By the by, since 2004, Chicago is 23 games over .500 against the Tigers; the Twins are 10 games over.)

Right now the Tigers can’t solve the Twins. Nor can they do much with the White Sox. With just a game and a half separating these three teams, and the inconvenient truth about the Tigers’ recent history against Chicago and Minnesota, the smart money can’t be on Detroit winning the division.

My thinking might change if the Tigers make a trade that alters the Central’s landscape. If it’s the Twins or White Sox that make a splash, it is, in the words of my podcast co-host, game over for Detroit.

In this episode we touch on:

• Joel Zumaya‘s season-ending injury
• Ian’s trip to Atlanta
• More bad calls against the Tigers

…and much more.

Download the audio file or grab the RSS feed here.

•••

Comments?

Leave a message on the listener line: (602) 903-5174. Or, reach us on Twitter: @TigersPodcast

We’ve also got a growing Facebook community: www.facebook.com/TigersPodcast

Reach the hosts via:

• Mike: @DailyFungo, @MikeMcClary and www.DailyFungo.com
• Ian: @IanCass , MLive’s Cutoff Man Blog and SB Nation Detroit

Theme music for the podcast produced by Paul Minshall.

But as this season wore on, I thought about it less and less. We were finally seeing the Zumaya we enjoyed so much in 2006 — but he was even better. He’d matured physically and mentally and was a reliable late-innings setup man.

When I saw him virtually crumble to the ground after throwing that pitch in the eighth inning — and I don’t remember if it was a ball or strike — I immediately thought the worst. Not that his career was over, but that something happened to his arm that would effect his life long-term. Perhaps as awful as what happened to Dave Dravecky.

I often wondered if Zumaya would benefit from a return to the starting rotation, where he started his career in the minors. He could ease off the gas pedal and pace himself over several innings, not go all-in on every pitch over two innings. Now I’m thinking that’s probably not an option for him either.

Officially, the Tigers are calling it an injury to the elbow and we’ll likely know more about it later today. It certainly doesn’t look like Zumaya will pick up a baseball again this year or even next.

In the fall of 2007 I wrote here that Zumaya could be this generation’s Mark Fidrych — doomed to be remembered as a one-season star.

For a few months this season, I thought Zumaya had put our minds at ease.

But here we are again.

AP

The Detroit Tigers turned in another dud of a performance tonight, falling to the New York Mets 5-0 at Citi Field tonight.

The Mets veteran right-hander R.A. Dickey won his sixth start (6-0) in seven tries, throwing eight scoreless innings, allowing just four hits.  Dickey retired the final 13 batters he faced.

Jeremy Bonderman pitched another strong game, perhaps becoming the most consistent starter.  Bondo allowed just two earned runs before departing, but was on the hook for two more when he was relieved by Joel Zumaya and Phil Coke. His final line: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

The Tigers had an opportunity in the first inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. Carlos Guillen ended the threat when he grounded out harmlessly to second.

After the first, the Tigers failed to get anything going offensively against a seemingly pedestrian Dickey knuckleball. They are not the only ones to struggle against Dickey, however, as he lowered his ERA to 2.33.

After retiring the first two hitters in the third inning, Bonderman had an 0-2 count on Jose Reyes, but left a ball out over the plate and Reyes singled. Those who know Reyes’ game will tell you that a single is almost always an automatic double, and he successfully stole second on a 1-0 pitch, even with Jim Leyland calling a pitch out.  After a walk to Angel Pagan, David Wright slapped a double to left, scoring Reyes.

A Reyes solo jack in the fifth would be the only scoring until the seventh inning. The first two hitters reached base before Bondo was promptly relieved by Zumaya. Following a wild pitch to pitch to Dickey, which allowed the runners to advance, Zumaya walked the Mets’ pitcher on four pitches.  Jesus Feliciano grounded into a fielder’s choice, which scored one run, but the deadly blow come off the bat of Ike Davis, driving an 0-2 Phil Coke slurve into right for 2 RBI.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched an uneventful ninth to finish off Detroit.

Next Up:

The Tigers will try to avoid a sweep tomorrow night.  Armando Galarraga (2-1, 3.32 ERA) takes the hill and will face Hisanori Takahashi (6-2, 3.13 ERA).

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, who allowed just two earned on five hits while fanning seven in seven innings of work.

Bonderman appeared to be pedestrian early, as five of the first six batters hit long, powerful flyouts.  Bondo was leaving the ball up in the zone.  He survived and adjusted, two things he has done well all season long.  He went on to strike out four straight before giving up his first hit of the ball game in the 4th inning.

The Tigers broke the game open in the 5th inning, scoring three times, twice on Cabrera’s double and once on an RBI single from Carlos Guillen.

Fu-Te Ni saw his first action since June 9th as he relieved Bonderman in the 8th inning. Ni allowed singles to the first two batters he faced, before retiring the third on a fielder’s choice.  Jim Leyland then summoned Joel Zumaya from the pen, who allowed an RBI single before retiring the side.

The Tigers stretched the lead to 8-3 on a Magglio Ordonez RBI single in the 8th before Eddie Bonine closed the door in an easy 9th.

Twins watch:

The Twins lost 5-1 at home today, as the Colorado Rockies avoided a sweep.  Ubaldo Jimenez went to 13-1 on the year, lowering his ERA to 1.15.

The Tigers are now just 1.5 games behind the Twins for first place in the AL Central.

Next:

The Arizona Diamondbacks come to town tomorrow for a Father’s Day weekend series.

Dontrelle Willis returns to Comerica tomorrow in a start for the D’Backs.  He’ll face counterpart Rick Porcello, who is returning to the rotation after missing a start to work on his mechanics.

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?

First, let’s look at where the Tigers sat after 40 games over Jim Leyland’s previous seasons:

• 2010 – 23-17, 2nd place, 1 game back
• 2009 – 24-16, 1st place, 4 games up (Finish: 86-77, 2nd place)
• 2008 – 16-24, 5th place, 5 games back (Finish: 77-84, 5th place)
• 2007 – 24-16, 2nd place, 1 game back (Finish: 88-74, 2nd place)
• 2006 – 27-13, first place, 1 game up (Finish: 95-67, 2nd place, Wild Card, lost to Cardinals in World Series)

The Report Card

Offense

Though the starting rotation rapidly emerged as the Tigers’ number-one concern in April, it was actually the offense that concerned most fans and observers. Where will the runs come from?, we asked.

Lo and behold, after 40 games the Tigers had one of the American League’s a top-five offenses — a .269 team average, just .003 behind the third-ranked Twins. Detroit ranks eight in the majors. (It delights me to see the White Sox in the MLB basement with a .230 team average.)

And don’t forget that the Tigers are near the top of the division without Carlos Guillen who was hitting .311 when he went on the DL in April.

Pitching

Now how about that pitching? Despite all the well-document woes surround the starting five — hello, Max Scherzer — the Tigers after 40 games ranked sixth in the A.L. but 14th in MLB with a 4.14 ERA. Verlander course-corrected in a hurry after a clumsy start and was 5-2 with a 3.43 ERA. Sure, his high pitch counts are at times infuriating but Verlander’s done nothing less than pitch like an ace. Now if Rick Porcello can stop giving up so many hits, he might have it figured out too.

You can have your pick of the great stories taking shape out in the bullpen: Joel Zumaya‘s resurgence. Phil Coke‘s reliability. Ryan Perry‘s maturity. Eddie Bonine‘s 3-0 record and 1.59 ERA. And, of course, there’s the closer that many Tigers fans didn’t want: Jose Valverde. In 19 games he’d failed to preserve just one of 11 save opportunities — and surrendered just two runs.

One-quarter of the way through the 2010 season it’s clear that the bullpen is the main reason the Tigers are where they are in the standings.

Defense

Here’s a somewhat rhetorical question: What happened here? The 2009 Tigers had a vastly improved defense over the 2008 nightmare — we’re looking at you, Edgar Renteria — but this year’s team has regressed to a stunning degree.

Last year, they finished sixth in the A.L. with a .985 team fielding percentage. So far this year? Worst in the A.L. — .978 — and next-to-last in the majors. Meanwhile, the Twins are the best-fielding team in either league at .994. In fact, Minnesota as a team had just nine errors at the 40-game point — three more than Scott Sizemore had in 30 games.

Adam Everett has been flawless so far and Austin Jackson has been committed just a single error.

The Tigers can hope for better pitching, more consistent offense and more of the same from the bullpen, but if they don’t lockdown the defense, there’s no way they can continue to hover around first place.

The Conclusion

So far, the 2010 Tigers have been thoroughly entertaining if not a complete package. They have to be thankful that the White Sox and Indians are off to sluggish starts and look unlikely to compete for the division title — for now. And the Tigers look like legitimate contenders — for now.

If the Tigers can tighten the D, get Scherzer and Armando Galarraga untracked, keep Guillen healthy, and beat up on the White Sox, Royals and Indians, they can keep the Twins from running away with the Central.

Yeah, yeah, I know: that’s a lot of ifs. But so far this season this Tigers team has earned the benefit of the doubt.

What do you think?

Bonus!

Just for fun, I researched where the Tigers were after 40 games during seasons in which they reached the postseason. Thanks to the awesome Baseball-Reference.com, here’s what I found:

• 1987 – 19-21, 5th place, 7 games back (Finish: 98-64, lost to Twins in ALCS)
• 1984 – 35-5, 1st place, 8.5 games up (Finish: 104-58, defeated the Padres for World Series title)
• 1972 – 23-17, 1st place, 1.5 games up (Finish: 86-70, lost to A’s in ALCS)
• 1968 — 24-15, 1st place, 1 game up (Finish: 103-59, defeated Cardinals for World Series title)
• 1945 — 24-16, Tied for 1st place (Finish: 88-65, defeated Cubs for World Series title)
• 1940 — 23-17, 3rd place, 3 games back (Finish 90-64, lost to Reds in World Series)
• 1935 — 22-18, 4th place, 3.5 games back (Finish: 93-58, defeated Cubs for World Series title)
• 1934 — 22-18, 3rd place, 1.5 games back (Finish: 101-53, lost to Cardinals in World Series)
• 1909 — 24-16, 1st place, 3 games up(Finish: 98-54, lost to Pirates in World Series)
• 1908 — 21-19, 3rd place, 1/2-game back (Finish: 90-63, lost to Cubs in World Series)
• 1907 — 24-16, 3rd place, 3 games back (Finish: 92-58, lost to Cubs in World Series)
  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/05/26/report-card-tigers-at-the-quarter-mark/feed/ 1 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/05/08/game-30-tigers-6-indians-4/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/05/08/game-30-tigers-6-indians-4/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 06:12:56 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3651 ESPN highlights available here.

  The Score: Tigers 6 – Indians 4

  The Gist: Justin Verlander delivered his third consecutive stellar outing and Scott Sizemore (3 RBI) and Miguel Cabrera (2 RBI) paced the offense on a raw day in Cleveland. Joel Zumaya was terrific again throwing 21 of his 28 pitches for strikes and racking up five strikeouts in two innings.

  The Quote: “It was a good win on a miserable day.” — Jim Leyland

  The Stat: 15 — The number of Indians strikeouts by a trio of Tigers pitchers: Verlander, 9; Zumaya, 5; Jose Valverde, 1.

  Up Next: Sunday — Tigers @ Indians | Progressive Field | 1:05 p.m. ET

  Max Scherzer (1-2, 6.47 ERA) vs. Mitch Talbot (3-2, 2.28 ERA)

  Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/05/08/game-30-tigers-6-indians-4/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/24/game-18-tigers-8-rangers-4/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/24/game-18-tigers-8-rangers-4/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 05:50:12 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3545 ESPN highlights available here.
  
  The Score: Tigers 8 – Rangers 4

  The Gist: For the first time in nearly nine years, Brad Thomas took the hill as a starter and did enough to keep the Tigers in the game until the offense took over in a kooky fourth inning. With two outs that inning, Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago scored on a wild pitch when the ball ping-ponged off the brick backstop and rolled toward Gene Lamont along the third-base line.

  Winning-pitcher Eddie Bonine (2-0), Joel Zumaya and Jose Valverde combined with Thomas to hold the Rangers scoreless over the final seven innings. Johnny Damon drew three walks — a season’s worth for Pudge Rodriguez.

  The Quote: “They’ve been getting us our wins.” — Damon, on the Tigers’ bullpen.

  The Stat: 5 – The number of strikeouts by Zumaya on his two innings of work.

  Up Next: Tigers @ Rangers | Sunday – 3:05 p.m. ET

  Rick Porcello (1-1, 6.46 ERA) vs. former Tigers RHP Colby Lewis (2-0, 3.12 ERA)

  On the air: FSD/1270 AM & 97.1 FM

  Follow The Daily Fungo on Twitter: @DailyFungo

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/24/game-18-tigers-8-rangers-4/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/23/friday-freehans-juan-cruz-bill-james-and-andres-torres/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/23/friday-freehans-juan-cruz-bill-james-and-andres-torres/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:14:23 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3533 The other night I saw Edwin Jackson pitch for the Diamondbacks against the Cardinals and he looked sharp (eight innings, 0 walks). I sat behind home plate and couldn’t get over how hard he threw — consistently. He still would like nice in the Tigers’ rotation, wouldn’t he?

  Bygones. Here are some Tigers morsels for your consideration:

  • Before the 2009 season I had begged and pleaded with the Tigers to sign free-agent reliever Juan Cruz despite his Type-A free-agent status.

    I’d watched him throw bullets for the Diamondbacks over a few seasons and thought he’d be a perfect fit in Detroit. Instead, they signed Brandon Lyon and Cruz signed with the Royals, handing the D-backs a prime draft choice.

    Today the Royals released him.

    [H]e labored through the 2009 season, blowing three straight saves during one stretch on his way to a 5.72 ERA. Cruz wasn’t much better this year, allowing all six inherited runners to score and a .391 batting average against in 5 1-3 innings.

    Just another example of why I write this blog and don’t work in a front office.

  • Years ago Bill James posited that managers should use their closer at key moments in the game and not reserving them purely for the ninth inning. Last night in Anaheim, Jim Leyland took the Jamesian approach and inserted Joel Zumaya into the game when Justin Verlander‘s pitch count sailed north of 120.

    Zumaya threw 1.2 one-hit innings, striking out a pair and was all but untouchable. With Zumaya and Ryan Perry in the pen, Leyland can essentially call on three closers during any game. Nice.

  • Late last month I went to a Cactus League game between the A’s and Giants and was stunned to see Andres Torres enter the game for San Fran. I was certain he was getting garbage time at bats. Wrong! He was preparing for the big-league season.

    Case in point: He’s starting in center field for the Giants tonight and batting leadoff. In nine games for the Giants he’s hitting a feathery .111, as you might imagine.

    Meanwhile, on the other coast another one-time Tigers prospect of Torres’ era is starting at short for the Braves: Omar Infante.

    No word if Justin Thompson or Raul Casanova are playing in the bigs tonight.

  • Here’s a little tidbit for your cocktail party conversation this weekend: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers are batting .298 with 29 doubles, nine triples, 26 home runs and 110 RBI in 16 games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

  • With his double last night, Miguel Cabrera has hit one in five consecutive games. The last Tigers player to collect a double in five-or-more consecutive games since Frank Catalanotto from April 25 – May 2, 1999.

  Have a great weekend and go Wings.

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/23/friday-freehans-juan-cruz-bill-james-and-andres-torres/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/04/tigers-today-april-4-2010/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/04/tigers-today-april-4-2010/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:00:10 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3355

  Tigers’ Final Spring Training Record: 18-12-2

  Today’s Game

  Off Day in Kansas City

  The Tigers will conduct a 1 p.m. workout on Sunday at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium in preparation for Opening Day.

  Jeremy Bonderman remained behind in Lakeland and will pitch in a minor league game on Sunday before joining the club in Kansas City.

  Yesterday’s Results

  Brewers 13 – Tigers 12

  The Tigers rocked Brewers pitchers for five homers (Austin Jackson, Magglio Ordonez, Ryan Raburn, Danny Worth and Jeff Larish) but the bullpen obliterated another sterling performance by Rick Porcello (4.1 innings of two-hit, walk-less pitching).

  Of particular wretchedness was Joel Zumaya who surrendered five runs without registering an out. Phil Coke didn’t fare much better: three earned runs in just a third of an inning.

  Oh, and in his final spring tuneup, Dontrelle Willis gave up five hits in his three scoreless innings. Keep those fingers crossed.

  Tigers History Lesson

  Today’s Birthdays

  • Cameron Maybin, 23

  On this Date in Tigers History

  • 2005 – Dmitri Young hits three home runs to lead his team to an 11 – 2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/04/04/tigers-today-april-4-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/30/tigers-today-march-30-2010/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/30/tigers-today-march-30-2010/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:34:38 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3289

  Tigers’ Spring Training Record: 14-9-2

  Today’s Game:

  Tigers @ Orioles | 1:05 p.m. ET – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla. | On the Air: MLB Gameday Audio

  Pitching Matchup

  Dontrelle Willis (2-0, 1.20 ERA) vs. Brad Bergesen (3-0, 3.77 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Ryan Perry, Jose Valverde, Fu-Te Ni and Joel Zumaya

  P.S. Jeremy Bonderman will pitch for Triple-A Toledo at 1 p.m. in Lakeland.

  Yesterday’s Results

  The Tigers and Jays finished Monday’s game as a 2-2 tie and the story of the game was Rick Porcello. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth, setting down 16 of the first 17 hitters he faced. He allowed two runs on three hits, finishing with two strikeouts and no walks. He tossed an economical 72 pitches. Sounds like he’s ready for the season to start.

  Tigers History Lesson

  Birthdays

  • Jack Lazorko, 56

  • Ed Gremminger (d 1942)

  On this Date in Tigers History – Updated

  • 1972 – Davy Jones, star outfielder of the 1907-09 Tigers’ World Series clubs, passed away at 91
  • 1982 – Acquired RHP Elias Sosa from the Expos for cash considerations
  • 1991 – Acquired C Andy Allanson from the Royals for C Jim Baxter

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/30/tigers-today-march-30-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/29/tigers-today-march-29-2010-2/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/29/tigers-today-march-29-2010-2/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:33:40 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3281

  Tigers’ Spring Training Record: 14-9-1

  Today’s Game:
  

  Tigers @ Blue Jays | 1:05 p.m. ET – Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin, Fla. | On the Air: None

  Pitching Matchup

  Rick Porcello (1-1, 0.75 ERA) vs. Dana Eveland (0-1, 1.69 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Eddie Bonine, Brad Thomas, Phil Coke and Ryan Perry

  Yesterday’s Results

  The Tigers game against the New York Yankees in Tampa on Sunday afternoon was cancelled due to rain in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Tigers trailing 8-0.

  Tomorrow’s Game:
  

  Tigers @ Orioles | 1:05 p.m. ET – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla. | On the Air: MLB Gameday Audio

  Pitching Matchup

  Dontrelle Willis (2-0, 1.20 ERA) vs. Brad Bergesen (3-0, 3.77 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Ryan Perry, Jose Valverde, Fu-Te Ni and Joel Zumaya

  Tigers History Lesson

  Birthdays

  • Billy Beane, 48
  • Denny McLain, 66
  • Ferris Fain (d 2001)
  • Duff Cooley (d 1937)
  • Harry Lochhead (d 1909) – A member of the first Tigers American League club in 1901
  • Lou Schiappacasse (d 1910) – Played in two hitless games in 1902
  • Squanto Wilson (d 1967)
  • Al Klawitter (d 1950)
  • Johnny Gorsica (d 1998)

  On this Date in Tigers History

  • 1971* – The Tigers acquired RHP Bill Zepp from the Twins for INF Bob Adams and P Art Clifford
  • 1975* – Detroit picked up INF Jack Pierce from the Braves for INF Reggie Sanders
  • 1994 – Former Tigers pitcher Ray Bare died of leukemia at 44
    

  
  *I incorrectly listed these two trades as occurring yesterday.

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/29/tigers-today-march-29-2010-2/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/28/tigers-today-march-29-2010/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/28/tigers-today-march-29-2010/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:05:36 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3255

  Tigers’ Spring Training Record: 14-10-1

  Today’s Game: Tigers @ Yankees | 1:05 p.m. ET – Legends Field, Tampa | On the Air: 97.1 FM/1270 AM and MLB.TV
  

  Pitching Matchup

  Max Scherzer (1-1, 7.15 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Fu-Te Ni, Phil Coke, Joel Zumaya and Jose Valverde.

  Yesterday’s Results

  The Tigers suffered a 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees yesterday afternoon at Joker Marchant Stadium. Nate Robertson (2-1) took the loss for Detroit after allowing two runs in five innings of work. Magglio Ordonez singled and drove in Detroit’s lone run.

  Tomorrow’s Game

  Tigers @ Blue Jays | 1:05 p.m. ET – Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin, Fla. | On the Air: None

  Pitching Matchup

  Rick Porcello (1-1, 0.75 ERA) vs. Dana Eveland (0-1, 1.69 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Eddie Bonine, Brad Thomas, Phil Coke and Ryan Perry

  Tigers History Lesson

  Birthdays

  • Steve Sparks, 35

  • Craig Paquette, 41

  On this Date in Tigers History

  • 1971 – The Tigers acquired RHP Bill Zepp from the Twins for INF Bob Adams and P Art Clifford
  • 1972 – Long-time Tigers shortstop (1908-21) Donie Bush passes away at 84.
  • 1975 – Detroit picked up INF Jack Pierce from the Braves for INF Reggie Sanders
  • 1988 – The Tigers acquired RHP Don Schulze from the Twins for RHP Karl Best.

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/28/tigers-today-march-29-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/27/tigers-today-march-27-2010/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/27/tigers-today-march-27-2010/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:01:24 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=3233 Tigers’ Spring Training Record: 14-9-1

  Today’s Game:

  Tigers vs. Yankees | 1:05 p.m. ET – Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland | On the air: 97.1 FM/1270 AM
  

  Pitching Matchup: Nate Robertson (2-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. A.J. Burnett (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

  Also scheduled to pitch: Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry, Phil Coke, Robbie Weinhardt and Daniel Schlereth

  Yesterday’s Results

  Braves 5 - Tigers 3

  The Braves’ Derek Lowe outdueled Justin Verlander (1-3), who gave up three runs and six hits in 5-2/3 innings. The Opening Day starter also struck out three, walked one and committed a balk. Brandon Inge and Gerald Laird both stroked a pair of hits.

  Former Tiger Omar Infante started at shortstop for the Braves going 1 for 3. He’s batting .395 this spring.

  Tomorrow’s Game
  

  Tigers @ Yankees | 1:05 p.m. ET – Legends Field, Tampa | On the Air: 97.1 FM/1270 AM

  Max Scherzer (1-1, 7.15 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

  Tigers History Lesson

  On this Date in Tigers History

  • In 1948, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck hired former Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg as the Tribe’s farm club director.

  • In 2008, former major league infielder and Tigers bench coach under Sparky Anderson, Billy Consolo died at 74.

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2010/03/27/tigers-today-march-27-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.dailyfungo.com/2009/07/22/wednesday-walewanders-10/ http://www.dailyfungo.com/2009/07/22/wednesday-walewanders-10/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:45:01 +0000 Mike McClary http://www.dailyfungo.com/?p=2530 In our recent Fungo Pulse Check, readers said — barely — that they prefer the Tigers go after Toronto’s Roy Halladay (38 percent, 10 votes) over Oakland slugger Matt Holliday (27 percent, 7 votes).

  Interestingly enough, almost as many votes came in for “Neither” (35 percent, 9 votes) as votes for Halladay. Personally, I’d like to see Rockies’ rightfielder Brad Hawpe in a Tigers uniform but with the Rockies hanging around the N.L. Wild Card race he’s going nowhere.

  The Tigers should go after the A’s Holliday but only if they can sign him to a reasonable extension — if for no other reason than to see what a “reasonable extension” looks like from the Tigers.

  In other news…

  • With Joel Zumaya back on the shelf, don’t the Tigers have to at least consider making him a starter? If we’ve learned nothing else, we now see that he’s not built for the late-innings role but might excel in the rotation — think “marathon versus sprint.” Also, if the Tigers have a young Ryan Perry waiting in the wings, why not try to extend Zumaya’s career? What do you think? Take our latest poll –>

  • Great to see Magglio Ordonez go yard with a grand slam last night. Still, it was an off-speed pitch. No chance he gets around on a Joe Nathan fastball, though.

  • A report here in the Arizona Republic says the preliminary Interleague schedule for next season has the Diamondbacks visiting the Tigers. Enough with the Interleague already.

  • On this date in 2005 the Tigers acquired infielder John McDonald for a player to be named later. If you recall, that player was John McDonald.

  Finally, in case you were wondering, 25 years ago the Tigers were 66-29 and had a nine-game lead over Toronto in the American League East. On July 22, 1984, the Tigers beat the Rangers 2-0 at Tiger Stadium behind Dan Petry‘s 8-2/3 innings of four-hit ball. Sparky lifted him with two outs in the ninth with lefty Pete O’Brien coming to the plate with the tying run on base. Willie Hernandez came in and got O’Brien to pop out on the first pitch. (And the game lasted only two hours, 11 minutes. Imagine.)

  ]]> http://www.dailyfungo.com/2009/07/22/wednesday-walewanders-10/feed/ 4