It’s been quite some time (about four months) since anyone thought the White Sox were poised to make a run at taking this division and now that the team is seven and a half games back of the Tigers with just four games left against their rival, the Sox chances have gone from slim to extremely slim to not even the Mets could blow this lead.

Raburn, who entered the game in the 7th to face Jesse Crain because he was 5-for-10 career against him, stepped up to the plate with a runner on third and the Tigers down two runs in the ninth.

White Sox closer Sergio Santos, who Raburn was 0-for-3 in his career against, was two outs away from a save and bringing his team within 5.5 games in the division. It’s an understatement to say that Santos had been dominant on the road this year coming into Saturday’s ninth inning. Santos was yet to allow a single run in 25 appearances on the road and had just allowed six hits.

According to ESPN’s baseball research specialist Mark Simon, Santos hadn’t allowed a single hit on a 2-strike slider to a right-handed hitter all season (43 K, 0 HA) before Raburn wrapped a belt high offering 423 feet around the left field foul pole.

I guess he was due.Raburn, of course, was quickly upstaged WPA-wise (*Win Probability Added) two batters later when Miguel Cabrera sent the first pitch he saw (another slider) into the seats for his 4th go-ahead or game tying home run in the 7th inning or later this season and a .464 WPA boost sealing the win for Detroit 9-8.

This marks the first time the Tigers have won a game all season when allowing at least eight runs (previously were 0-21), and the 12th time the club has won when scoring at least nine runs (12-1 in those games).

Another oddity in this game was David Purcey’s three scoreless frames. This marks the fifth time this year that Pauley has pitched at least three scoreless innings in a game (the previous four all coming with Seattle) and the fourth time this year that he’s pitched at least three scoreless innings while allowing one hit or less. Pauley had allowed eight runs on 18 hits in ten innings in a Tigers uniform prior to Saturday’s game. However, Pauley did not receive the win in this game, that went to Luis Marte, who pitched a scoreless ninth in his second career appearance.

Saturday was also the largest comeback victory for the Tigers since September 27th, 2003 against Minnesota. Why is that date significant? Oh, just because that was when the Tigers came back from an 8-0 deficit in the 5th inning to avoid becoming the first team in the history of the American League to lose 120 games.

Our WPA hero that day was everyone’s favorite soft spoken first basemen Carlos Pena, who singled against J.C. Romero in the 8th to drive in two runs and tie the game at eight. However, the most memorable play from that game was undoubtedly Warren Morris’ walk-off strikeout on a wild pitch from 46-year-old Jesee Orosco with one out in the bottom of the ninth, which scored Alex Sanchez to win the game.

This was the final pitch of Orosco’s 24-year Major League career, though he’ll mostly be remembered for his time with the 80′s New York Mets and ’88 Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished third in the Cy Young award voting when he achieved what would be his career high in innings pitched with 110 and ERA with 1.47.

Also noteworthy, Brandon Inge and Ramon Santiago started this game at catcher and shortstop and batted eighth and ninth respectively.

The Tigers still had to come back and beat the Twins the next day to end the season with just 119 losses, which they did in a game where Mike Maroth threw a quality start and picked up his 9th win that year. The Twins three and four hitters that day were Doug Mientkiewicz and Matt LeCroy, and the lineup also featured featured Luis Rivas, Dustan Mohr and Denny Hocking. 

The Tigers WPA hero that day was Inge, who had an RBI double that tied the game at two in the fifth inning against Brad Thomas (Yes, that Brad Thomas). The Tigers proceeded to break the game open with a seven run 6th inning at the hands of former number-two overall pick in the 2000 draft Adam Johnson, who never pitched in the majors again.

Getting back to Saturday’s game, the Tigers hit four home runs from the fifth inning on—with recent acquisitions Wilson Betemit and Delmon Young getting the Tigers within striking distance with  and unfortunately Cabrera’s 1st inning double was mere feet from leaving the yard—pushing their season total of home runs against Chicago to 15.

I can already see Tigers fans smiling at the fact that the Twins are the only team the Tigers have actually hit more home runs against with 17. The two clutch bombs in the ninth against Santos weren’t the first batch of heroics from Raburn and Cabrera against the White Sox this season as a series in early June at U.S. Celular Field included game deciding blasts from each.

On Saturday, June 4, Cabrera hit a go-ahead two-run shot off Jesse Crain (another slider) helping Justin Verlander win his 6th game and the next day Raburn’s grand slam off Jake Peavy won the Tigers the series.

One can’t help but note that Cabrera had come full circle as he rounded the bases with all of his teammates waiting for him at home plate Saturday night. It was just two years ago that Cabrera played an important September game against the White Sox coming off a brutal and public hangover.

Though teammate Justin Verlander has generated more AL MVP buzz this year, Cabrera is a perennial candidate for the award. He’s had his usual elite offensive season as he ranked third in the AL in wOBA entering play Saturday and he’s stepped up when the game is on the line as he trails only Toronto’s Jose Bautista in total WPA.

To see him put a quick move on the first pitch he saw made his effort look entirely effortless as he calmly trotted around the bases knowing that the White Sox were effectively finished.

Does commentator Barry Larkin really call Raburn “an exciting player”?

Avila’s never played third in the majors but he’s not the first Tigers player to be pressed into action there. Did you know that Al Kaline appeared in two games at third during his career?

In 1961, he played a full nine innings at third, fielding a pair of chances cleanly, with a putout and an assist. Four years later he played 5.1 innings of a game with three chances, two putouts and an assist.

Johnny Wockenfuss, who played mostly at first, catcher and in the outfield, became even more of a utility man for Sparky Anderson when he played … parts of two games – all of 2.1 innings – at third base but never saw any action.

Like Kaline, in 1965 Willie Horton played third but outlasted him be two-thirds of an inning. In one game he played six innings, fielded two chances and earned an assist on both.

Others taking a turn at the hot corner include:

• Mickey Stanley: 18 games over two seasons (1975 and ’76), 61 chances, 13 putouts, 46 assists and two errors
• Alan Trammell: 43 games in two seasons (1993, ’96), 100 chances, 26 putouts, 69 assists, five errors
• Ty Cobb: 1 game in 1918, two chances, with an assist and a putout.
• Charlie Gehringer: 6 error-free games (and 26 chances) in 1926 for The Mechanical Man

I’m looking forward to this experiment. Having Avila’s bat in the lineup is huge and having him at third, well, can’t be any worse than Ryan Raburn.

What do you think?

Not this weekend.

Detroit’s recent good fortune against the Sox continues. (Right?)

• Here’s a terrific piece about Sparky Anderson from someone who knew him in his southern California community for 40 years.
• Out here in Phoenix, there’s some noise about the Diamondbacks pursuing the Mets’ David Wright. All things being equal — and Brandon Inge’s mono notwithstanding — I’d sure rather see him in Detroit. What about you?
• The Tigers’ all-time record against the White Sox heading into play tonight is 1,012-996-1. Why does it seem as if  half those losses have come since 2004?
• Two tidbits about tonight’s starter Andy Oliver: 1. He was selected to participate in the Futures Game held prior to last year’s All-Star Game in Anaheim, but was unable to participate because he’d been called up to the Tigers. 2. Following last season, Baseball America named Oliver the third-best prospect in the Tigers organization, the 13th-best prospect in the EasternLeague and the 19th-best prospect in the International League.
• On this date in 1952 the Tigers acquired lefty Bill Wight, infielders Johnny Pesky, Walt Dropo and Fred Hatfield and outfielder Don Lenhardt from the Red Sox for righthander Dizzy Trout, infielders George Kell and Johnny Lipon and outfielder Hoot Evers.
• Have you been itching for a closer look at the Tigers’ platoon situations? ESPN.com’s Christina Kahrl has you covered:

The Tigers might be the team with the most potential variations, to the point that Jim Leyland could flirt with multi-positional solutions every bit as creative as [Rays skipper Joe] Maddon’s. After all, the Tigers broke in Ryan Raburn in a multi-positional utility role with a lean toward starting him against lefties in the past, and using youngsters Andy Dirks and Casper Wells as platoon outfielders now. Raburn and Brennan Boesch have struggled to stick in regular roles, opening up a host of possibilities for Leyland to try to hide some of his players from the sources of some of their struggles.

• Over at The Platoon Advantage, Bill offers up three ways to improve the All-Star Game.

Finally, Happy 61st Birthday to singer Suzi Quatro, who played Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days. Did I just date myself?

Have a great weekend.

• It’s always interesting to see how even a small winning streak can stir optimism among Tigers faithful. To wit: this past weekend’s series in Oakland. Buoyed by wins in the first two games, I was completely confident the Tigers could — would! — come back in Saturday night and Sunday games. A week prior (against the Royals at home) I had no such optimism. All in all I’m feeling good about their chances in Seattle, and not just because they’ll miss Felix Hernandez.

• On a tangentially related topic, we’ve taken a few jabs this week at Fungo Intergalactic Headquarters over a perceived sense of doom and gloom expressed by yours truly and my profound lack of wisdom. I don’t pretend to have an always-objective (or even rational) view of the Tigers and my opinions on specific players (Brandon Inge, Ryan Raburn, Will Rhymes) seem to irk Fungo readers. If you’ve read this site over the past six years, you know I view this as an outlet to discuss the Tigers and consider it a single point in time — that is, Raburn, for example, might drive me nuts with his iron-gloved D, but I’ll give him his due when he earns it. (As of this writing, Raburn is hitting .231 and 1 for 4 in the game against the Mariners.)

• What to do about Austin Jackson? You have to wonder how long the Tigers will let his numbers and confidence nosedive, especially with Casper Wells sitting on the bench as a capable replacement, before they send him to Toledo. Sure, Wells is hitting just .250 but that’s 90 points higher than Jackson. Don’t the Tigers have to at least consider, even if only for a couple of weeks, providing Jackson with a mind-clearing session or two with Mud Hens’ hitting coach Leon Durham?

• I suppose you have to think that if Jackson heads south on 75 then Rhymes can’t be too far behind, not with Scott Sizemore hitting .375 for the Hens.

• Remember when we assumed — or were told — that Andy Oliver‘s immediate future with the Tigers would hinge on Phil Coke‘s performance in the rotation? I’m beginning to wonder if it will end up being Brad Penny who loses his job to Oliver. After a win against Columbus on Monday night, Oliver is 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA.

• A friend at work has been sending me home with boxes and binders filled with her husband’s baseball card collection. He collected them as a kid but never really had much affinity for the cards or baseball in general. So, they’re leaving it up to me and my friend Len Gutman to sift through the cards — most of them from 1984 through 1993 — and see if there’s anything of value. My reward? In addition to the joy of a trip down memory lane, I’m able to keep any Tigers cards I find in the collection. So far I’m making out like a bandito. My coworker’s hubby isn’t making out too poorly either; so far he’s got two Barry Bonds rookie cards and one Pudge Rodriguez card. More to come on this gold mine.

Finally, in addition to Miguel Cabrera, today’s the birthday of Rick Moranis. He’s 58.

• When a few specific things occur, I know for certain the baseball season is in full bloom — eight games in or not. Two of these things have already taken place in the past 24 hours: the Tigers lose to the Royals and Ryan Raburn makes at least one bone-headed play in the field.

• Speaking of the Wings, if they end up playing the Coyotes in the first round, I’ll have to endure lame Detroit jokes in the media out here.

• Did the Tigers really lose to Bruce Chen? Bruce Chen?

• Slowly — very slowly — I’m gaining confidence in Alex Avila. He was miserable in the opening series in the New York but I suppose that can be chalked up to nerves, right? Since then he’s hitting .357 (entering today, that is).

• I definitely love seeing Will Rhymes as the Tigers’ regular second baseman. You have to wonder if Scott Sizemore is following him and thinking, “what do I have to do to get back on the radar?”

• Did you notice that Robbie Weinhardt is now wearing Jeremy Bonderman‘s old uniform number, 38? No matter the number on his back, I feel 100-percent more comfortable when Weinhardt enters a game than I do Brad Thomas or Ryan Perry.

• Happy 47th Birthday to Eric King. In two stints with the Tigers (1986-88, ’92), he appeared in 128 games for the Tigers as a starter and bullpen guy, posting a 25-20 record, 16 saves and a 4.23 ERA.

• Manny Ramirez. As the Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan once said on the old Tony Kornheiser radio show, “Ramirez will never be confused with a member of Mensa.”

• I’ve heard from many of you about the next episode of the podcast. Hang with us. Ian and I have had trouble aligning calendars — the trouble coming from my end — but we’ll be back soon. Promise.

Finally, happy 82nd birthday to actress Liz Sheridan, who played Jerry’s mom on “Seinfeid.”

Since the 2000 season, the Tigers are 40 games under .500 against the White Sox. That’s beyond ugly. That’s hideous.

Since Ozzie Guillen arrived in 2004, the Tigers are 19 games under .500. But somehow the Tigers, in this season of uneven play and disappointment, Tigers fans (or, at least this Tigers fan) can rejoice in their winning the season series against the White Sox in 2010, 11 wins and 8 losses.

Detroit eked out a 10-8 record against the Sox — up from 9-9 last season — and were able to play the role of spoiler in the series at Chicago Sept. 17-19, essentially knocking Ozzie’s band of jolly outlaws from playoff contention. Huzzah!

Top Performers Against the White Sox

• Don Kelly – .419, 2 HR (13 games)

• Ryan Raburn .321, 3 HR (17 games)

• Carlos Guillen .360, 2 HR (6 games)

In his 16 games against Chicago, Miguel Cabrera hit just .161 with a pair of homers.

On the pitching side, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello pitched the most innings against the White Sox, each with 29.2, with Scherzer faring better: 1-1, 31 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA in four starts, compared to Porcello’s 1-3, 10, 7.28 ERA in five.

Justin Verlander (2-0, 2.25 ERA) and Jeremy Bonderman (2-1, 3.08 ERA) were the best starters.

With the Tigers playing out the schedule in gloomy Baltimore — and hoping against hope that they can muster enough offense to finish 82-80 — we have to accept some consolation prizes. For me, the best is the season series win over the White Sox. Small potatoes to be sure, but we take what we can get.

And if you’re curious, you’ll have to wait until April 22, 2011 before you can see the Tigers and White Sox tussle again.

Sounds fine with me.

Head-to-Head: Tigers-White Sox 2010

• May 18 @ Detroit: White Sox 6 – Tigers 2; W: Freddy Garcia L: Rick Porcello
• June 8 @ Chicago: Tigers 7 – White Sox 2; W: Brad Thomas L: Matt Thornton
• June 9 @ Chicago: White Sox 15 – Tigers 3; W: Freddy Garcia L: Rick Porcello
• June 10 @ Chicago: White Sox 3 – Tigers 0; W: John Danks L: Max Scherzer
• Aug. 3 @ Detroit: Game 1: White Sox 12 – Tigers 2; W: Mark Buehrle L: Rick Porcello | Game 2: Tigers 7 – White Sox 1; W: Jeremy Bonderman L: Carlos Torres
• Aug. 4 @ Detroit: White Sox 4 – Tigers 1; W: Edwin Jackson L: Armando Galarraga
• Aug. 5 @ Detroit: White Sox 6 – Tigers 4 (11 innings); W: Santos L: Jose Valverde
• Aug. 13 @ Chicago: White Sox 8 – Tigers 4; W: Mark Buehrle L: Jeremy Bonderman
• Aug. 14 @ Chicago: Tigers 3 – White Sox 2; W: Phil Coke L: J.J. Putz
• Aug. 15 @ Chicago: Tigers 13 – White Sox 8; W: Brad Thomas L: J.J. Putz
• Sept. 6 @ Detroit: White Sox 5 – Tigers 4 (10 innings); W: Chris Sale L: Jose Valverde
• Sept. 7 @ Detroit: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1 69-70; W: Justin Verlander L: Freddy Garcia
• Sept. 8 @ Detroit: Tigers 5 – White Sox 1; W: Jeremy Bonderman L: John Danks
• Sept. 9 @ Detroit: Tigers 6 – Tigers 3; W: Rick Porcello Gavin Floyd
• Sept. 17 @ Chicago: Tigers 9 – White Sox 2; W: Max Scherzer L: Edwin Jackson
• Sept. 18 @ Chicago: Tigers 6 – White Sox 3; Justin Verlander L: Sergio Santos
• Sept. 19 @ Chicago: Tigers 9 – White Sox 7 (11 innings); W: Robbie Weinhardt L: Sergio Santos

65-66, 3rd Place; 10 GB

Today’s Game

Off Day

Tomorrow @ Minnesota

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 10 – Blue Jays 4

• W: Rick Porcello (7-11)
• L: Marc Rzepczynski (1-2)
• HR: Ryan Raburn 2 (10), Brandon Inge (9)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

• Randy O’Neal, 50

• Steve Baker, 54

• Steve Partenheimer (1891-1971)

On this Date in Tigers History

• 1995 — Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell tie an American League record by playing in their 1,914th game together, a 10-7 loss to the White Sox. The record was set by the Royals’ George Brett and Frank White.

• 1912 — At Navin Field, the Browns’ Earl Hamilton no-hits the Tigers, 5-1.

• 1905 — Making his major league debut, Ty Cobb doubles off Highlander Jack Chesbro in a 5-3 Tigers victory at Bennett Park.

Saturday night’s game was so disappointing that yesterday’s seemed more like a scrimmage … A scrimmage that counts.

But a new week is here and the Tigers are at home, where they excel. Instead of focusing on this homestand’s tough opponents, let’s walk on the sunny side of the street:

• Baseball Prospectus maintains its Playoff Odds Report and over the past two weeks the Tigers have taken the fifth-deepest plunge in terms of percentage: from a 33.9 percent on July 4 to 22.1 percent yesterday. As far as I’m concerned, it feels like 1 percent today. Wait, didn’t I just say something about the sunny side? Well then, let’s savor the Twins’ 17.4-percent drop in that same time period.

• Jayson Stark says…
  

  The Tigers have “inquired” about Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly, according to a source familiar with those discussions. But the clubs haven’t reached the “let’s-get-moving” stage, the source said.

  A second source told ESPN the Magazine’s Buster Olney that the two teams haven’t spoken about Lilly in over a week.

  So what do we make of it? Nothing.

• After watching Ryan Raburn butcher the first ball hit to him yesterday in Cleveland, would you believe he has the second-longest errorless-game streak on the club? True story. His 25-game streak is behind only Alex Avila and Danny Worth who each have 27. Also, Worth hasn’t committed an error since being promoted to the majors.

• We’ve heard about Lilly, we hope for Dan Haren, we expect neither. But would the Tigers be crazy to at least inquire about Edwin Jackson? While he might have thrown his arm out of socket with his gruesome, 149-pitch no-hitter, the Tigers certainly would know what they’re getting in E-Jax. Just sayin’.

• He might never become a Tiger, but I still track Stephen Drew. Nick Piecoro writes today about Drew’s luck — or lack thereof.
  

  [D-backs interim manager Kirk] Gibson believes what several with the club have said for years about Drew – that he is unusually unlucky.

  “Of all the guy’s I’ve been around, (Drew) is probably the most unlucky hitter I’ve ever seen,” Gibson said. “If you look throughout this year, the balls that he’s hit, guys have made great plays or balls for whatever reason have got caught.”

  It might be true, but that’s a tough claim to back up with hard evidence. At least one metric doesn’t support it. Drew’s batting average on balls in play this season is .320. League average typically is around .300. Drew’s career mark is .306.

  Discuss.

Finally, wish a Happy 64th Birthday to tennis legend Ilie Nastase — and throw in a few curse words. You know he would.

39-32, 2nd place; 1/2-game behind Minnesota

Today’s Game

Tigers @ Braves | 7:35 p.m. ET – Turner Field | On the air: FSD/AM 1270 and 97.1 FM

Pitching Matchup

Andy Oliver (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kris Medlen (4-1, 3.33 ERA)

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 6 – Mets 5 | Fungo Recap

• W: Armando Galarraga (3-1)
• L: Hisanori Takahashi (6-3)
• Save: Jose Valverde (17)
• HR: Magglio Ordonez (10), Ryan Raburn (2)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

• Don Demeter, 75

• Alex Garbowski (1922-2008)

• Johnny Pasek (1905-1976)

On this Date in Tigers History

• 2002 — In game which is broadcast throughout Latin America, managers Luis Pujols of the Tigers and Tony Pena Sr. of the Royals become the first major-league managers born in the Dominican Republic to oppose each other in a game.

  The president of the Dominican Republic, Hipolito Mejia, is on hand to watch Raul Ibanez’s double, triple and home run and four RBIs lead the hometown Royals to an 8-6 comeback victory over Detroit. Meanwhile, Tigers fans are left to ponder how far the franchise has fallen that Pujols is the club’s manager.

• 1998 — Sammy Sosa hits a home run in the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to the Tigers, breaking Rudy York’s 1937 major league record for home runs in a month with 19. He will end the month with 20 homers.

• 1996 — In Oakland, Mark McGwire hits his 300th career home run off of the Tigers’ Omar Olivares. The A’s defeat the Tigers, 12-8. Bobby Higginson and Jason Giambi each drive in five runs and Cecil Fielder also homers.

• 1991 — The Tigers acquired infielder Victor Rosario from the Braves for Dan Petry.

• 1962 — The Tigers acquired outfielder/infielder Bob Farley from the White Sox for outfielder “Paw Paw” Charlie Maxwell.

34-29, 2nd place; 2.5 GB Minnesota

Today’s Game

Tigers vs. Nationals | 7:05 p.m. ET – Comerica Park | On the air: FSD/AM 1270 and 97.1 FM

Pitching Matchup

Justin Verlander (7-4, 3.56 ERA) vs. RHP Livan Hernandez (5-3, 2.28 ERA)

Yesterday’s Results

Tigers 7 – Nationals 4

• W: Max Scherzer (3-6)
• L: John Lannan (2-4)
• Save: Jose Valverde (14)
• HR: Ryan Raburn (1)

Tigers History Lesson

Today’s Birthdays

• Chris Gomez, 39

• Ron LeFlore, 62

On this Date in Tigers History

• 1989 — The Tigers acquired OF Tracy Jones from the Giants for OF Pat Sheridan.

For the life of me, I can’t remember a Tigers player that enraged me the way Brandon Inge does these days.

Yes, long-time readers of the Fungo remember my constant bellyaching about Craig Monroe but that was on a different level entirely. Monroe, I thought, was the most self-centered player on the Tigers; swing for the fences regardless of the situation, play defense when he felt like it.

Inge, I believe, is a team player. No question. He gives his all in the field and … perhaps at the plate. And we all know he played the second half of 2009 with two useless legs and still managed to play tremendous defense.

A total gamer.

But why then do I see him come to the plate and immediately think, depending on the scenario: pop-up, strikeout or double play? Is it the tattoos? His petulant attitude when the Tigers signed Pudge Rodriguez and traded for Miguel Cabrera? The soul patch?

I think it’s all the above.

What pains me about this is my affinity for the Tigers. I don’t enjoy not liking Tigers players. The White Sox? I relish in despising all 25 on the roster. Sure, every Tigers team has featured a player that drove me looney, but this is unprecedented for me. (Well, in the case of the 2010 Tigers there are two maddening players: Inge and Ryan Raburn.)

Inge is hitting .253 coming into play today but get this: he’s hitting .326 in June — .333 with runners in scoring position after hitting just .182 and .174 with RISP in April and May respectively.

So what are we to make of this? Is Inge’s offensive production on the rise or is he setting us up with a rope-a-dope that will send us into a rage when he strands five runners in a game but makes two game-saving catches? (Speaking of D, he’s committed five errors and is on pace to match — if not surpass — last year’s 20. His fielding percentage is .972.)

No matter what fuels this fire I’ll have to live with it. Chances are Brandon Inge will be back at third base for the Tigers next season.

God help me.

The Gist: Justin Verlander was the tough-luck loser on a night when Ryan Raburn‘s lead-gloved defense cost the Tigers dearly. And on a night when Francisco Liriano showed that he might be back in pre-arm-injury form, the Tigers got fewer hits (5) than the Red Wings scored goals. Never a recipe for success.

The Quote: “Thome running around the bases is always entertaining.” — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Jim Thome‘s scoring from first after Raburn dropped what would’ve been the final out of the sixth.

The Stat: 7 — Verlander’s season-high in strikeouts — in 5.2 innings Tuesday night.

Up Next: Wednesday: Tigers vs. Twins @ Comerica Park | 7:05 p.m. ET | On the air: FSD/1270 & 97.1

Max Scherzer (1-1, 2.63 ERA) vs. RHP Scott Baker (2-2, 4.81 ERA)

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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

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But come on, who had him on the shelf in the third week of the season?

Certainly not Jim Leyland. But that’s the sitch as the Tigers’s number-five hitter lands on the shelf for the next 15 days.

The silver lining to this cloud is that the Tigers (and Tigers fans) get to see left-handed slugger Brennan Boesch, who was promoted this morning to take Guillen’s place on the roster. (He’ll wear number 26.)

The 25-year-old Boesch won the Double-A Eastern League home-run title last year and is batting .379 and leading the Triple-A International League in RBIs this season for Toledo.

What does it mean for the Tigers lineup as they head to Arlington for a four-game wrap-around series against the Rangers? For starters, it likely means we’ll see more of Ryan Raburn and Don Kelly.

In terms of the batting order, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez flipped (something that Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi believes too).

The next 15 days will be interesting for sure. And on that 15th day (assuming Guillen returns on schedule) you have to wonder if it’s Boesch that gets sent back down or someone like Brad Thomas that’s shown the door.

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.

[Tigers owner Mike Ilitch] whipped out his checkbook and, just like that, Damon became the Tigers’ left fielder for 2010.

Luckily for Dombrowski. And for manager Jim Leyland. Both are consummate pros with solid track records, but without Damon they were headed pell-mell for disaster.

Were the Tigers headed for disaster without Damon? No way; they’d have made some other move to steady the offense, but probably not as nifty a move as Damon.

On the other hand, this wire report appearing in the Miami Herald says “not so fast” in anointing Damon as the Tigers’ 2010 elixir:

As far as the Tigers go, I am not quite sure how he makes them better. People are sadly mistaken if they think he will come anywhere near the 24 home runs he hit last season.

The only real advantage I see is that he is an instant upgrade at the top of the lineup, where the Tigers were going into the season with rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore at the top of the order.

But let’s face it, he is not Torii Hunter in the outfield. He may be an upgrade defensively over Carlos Guillen, but that is really not a compliment.

Not to mention, he is 36 years old

Of course, if Ryan Raburn could hit like Damon, this wouldn’t be an issue. But he can’t. So here we are.

And closer to home, Lynn Henning tells us there’s much to look forward to this season — due to and not in spite of the rookies and newcomers.

During decades of covering spring training, rarely, if ever, has one player so energized a ballclub already at camp as Johnny Damon’s signing this week lifted the Tigers.

- snip -

Damon has changed that outlook sufficiently to make the Tigers a better bet to at least break even in 2010. They have the pitching to be a solid club, and now they’re closer to having just enough offense to surprise some of the fans (and media) who aren’t expecting much in 2010.

I agree with one point in particular that Henning makes in this column: the vast majority of Tigers fans hasn’t seen Jackson, Sizemore, Max Scherzer or Daniel Schlereth perform. Ever.

So why all the angst?

Fans in Detroit have groaned for the better part of a decade about the Twins’ uncanny ability to develop their own talent and, you know, win. The Tigers embark on a similar, though smaller-scale, path and it’s doomsday.

I’m not buying it.

P.S. Happy 51st Birthday, Bryan Kelly.

The Score: Tigers 5 – White Sox 3

The Gist: You couldn’t ask for more than Justin Verlander delivered on Sunday afternoon in the Tigers’ home finale of the as-yet-undecided 2009 season. Ryan Raburn went yard twice and the resurrected Magglio Ordonez went 4 for 4 to power most of the offense. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Tigers game without a wasted inning with a starter, this time John Danks, on the ropes. A win is a win, though this win would’ve been better on, say, Thursday.

The Quote: “I wasn’t sure right away I was going to get there.” – Curtis Granderson, referring to either his diving catch in the eighth which saved the game from looming disaster OR the Tuesday playoff game in Minnesota.

The Stat: 12 and 13 – The Tigers’ record this year on Tuesdays

Magic Digit: 1

Up Next: Tigers @ Twins – Tuesday, 5 p.m. ET on TBS

Rick Porcello (14-9. 4.04 ERA) vs. Scott Baker (15-9, 4.36)

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The Gist: Two things returned to form on Monday night in Cleveland: Edwin Jackson (13-7) pitching deep into the game holding the Indians at bay, and the Tigers’ offense oversleeping as it usually does when Jackson starts. Ryan Raburn flashed leather and lumber with a homer (number 14) and a key assist, nailing Matt LaPorta at the plate. Magglio Ordonez went 3 for 3 raising his September average to .417 — !!

The Quote: “We got a good effort from our starting pitcher. We were one base hit away from that being a different ballgame. We were one play early from that being a different ballgame.” — Indians Manager Eric Wedge, reminding Tigers fans what they feared most as the game stayed 1-0 for too long.

The Stat: 6 – The number of first-pitch strikes Jackson made through the first seven innings, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck on Twitter.

Magic Number: 10

Up Next: Tigers @ Indians

Rick Porcello (13-9, 4.22 ERA) vs. Justin Masterson (4-8, 4.49 ERA)

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Celebrate Nate! I might be the only person in the Tigers Fan Universe looking forward to Robertson’s return to the rotation. Ian?

Today’s Walewanders are fueled by Almighty Blend coffee from Ann Arbor’s Mighty Good Coffee Roasting Co., sent along by the aforementioned Mr. Casselberry.

• Confession: When the Tigers lose, I don’t read the game stories, I don’t listen to The Baseball Today podcast, I don’t seek out game highlights. Frees up a lot of time and I recommend it.
• Today’s game marks the last time the Tigers face the Angels in the regular season. That means you’ll have to wait until next year to hear Rod Allen gush over Torii Hunter.
• While we wait for Aubrey Huff‘s bat to arrive from Baltimore, let’s review the performance of Tigers players that have worn #19 this decade:
  • 2009: Huff, .083, one RBI
  • 2008-09: Jeff Larish, .242, 6 HR, 23 RBI
  • 2005: Exavier Prente Nook Logan, .264, 31 stolen bases
  • 2003-04: Alex Sanchez .304, 63 stolen bases
  • 2002: Worn by hitting coach (and Flint native) Merv Rettenmund
  • 2001: Roger Cedeno, .293, 11 triples, 55 stolen bases
  • 2000: Juan Gonzalez, .289, 22 HR, 67 RBI.
• Brandon Inge‘s tattoos. Methinks he’ll regret that decision when he’s 65. If not sooner.
• I don’t care that Ramon Santiago and Adam Everett are hitting a combined .247. Give me their defense and occasional base hit (or homer, as Everett showed today) over Edgar Renteria.
• Two homers in Oakland or not, I don’t want to see Ryan Raburn batting third ever again. Ever.
• Enough of the Magglio Ordonez bashing already. The Tigers had to overpay players to come to Detroit in 2004 and ’05 and this is the (steep) cost of doing business. Live and learn. Though, the overpaying of Dontrelle Willis makes one believe the “learn” part of the equation needs more attention.
• Speaking of The Baseball Today, on this morning’s episode, host Eric Karabell says he can’t see the Tigers beating the Yankees or Angels in first-round series. It’s beginning to sound a lot like 2006…
• Marcus Thames isn’t on the 2010 Tigers, is he?
• As for the postseason, I’m dreaming of a Tigers/Rockies World Series – my two favorite teams, baby. Well, Tigers/Dodgers would be sweet, too. In fact, even sweeter. Never mind.
• The Porcello/Youkilis Summit seems like a distant memory and for that we should all be thankful. Here are the results of our recent Fungo Pulse Check poll in which readers ranked the brawls. The question: Tale of the Tape: Which Tigers Brawl Ranks as Your Most Memorable?
  • 1982: Dave Rozema’s Kung-Foolery (37%, 10 Votes)
  • 2000: Sixteen Ejected at Comiskey (37%, 10 Votes)
  • 1980: Al Cowens’ Payback to Ed Farmer (19%, 5 Votes)
  • 2009: Porcello v. Youkilis (7%, 2 Votes)

  Reader Ed reminded me in the comments here about the fight in Kansas City (was it 2001?) in which Jeff Weaver plunked Mike Sweeney. That’s when we all realized how much Weav’s teammates loved him…very little.

Finally, Happy 45th Birthday to Chad Kreuter — who also wore #19 (and hit .263 for Detroit from 1992 through ’94).