A few days after ripping the US national soccer team, they respond by drubbing Egypt 3-0 and somehow advancing into the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. Then the Tigers, who I said were a house built on quicksand, proceed to sweep the 1st place Brewers. Is there a reverse Thatballdontlie curse?
Los Tigres
Two things allowed the Tigers to sweep the Brew crew: 1) the bats came alive and 2) the bullpen pitched well. On Friday, Galarraga spotted the Brewers an early 3-run lead. It looked like the latest ride on the Galarraga Express-train-to-Toledo. Yet, the fightin' Venezuelan buckled down and limited the damage. Marcus Thames responded with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the first, and I believe that home run served as the catalyst for the entire weekend series. Galarraga survived the next few innings and even a rain delay. Yet, after another rain delay, Leyland trotted out Miner, who pitched well enough for the win. Despite the early Milwaukee lead, the Tigers pounded the ball for 10 runs.
They continued the torrid hitting the next day with 17 hits and 9 runs. It was enough to get first-time pitcher Alfredo Figaro his first win. There's a lot to like about Figaro. He throws a wicked fast ball and has a solid slider to match. On the other hand, he didn't have great command, and the Brewers pounced on every miss-pitch. He gave up 8 hits in 5 innings but did manage 7 Ks. He's got potential, and is a major step-up from D-train.
I didn't catch the game last night (conflicted with soccer), but looks like Verlander pitched another gem. The Tigers beat the Brewers' ace, courtesy of a Brandon Inge home run. Over the weekend, Pat Caputo said Inge will be this year's All Star snub. Who would've thought "Inge" and "All Star" would ever be used in the same sentence after last season? My guess is that the Tigers will have three All Stars - Verlander, Edwin, and Cabrera. Those three deserve to go.
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