Country Bad

Sunday could've been the perfect Michigan summer day - beautiful weather, great food, and a Tigers game. But, despite their recent upswing in form, the Tigers reverted to their old selves in dramatic fashion. The night before, the Tigers exploded for 10 runs and looked rejuvenated after the bitter Boston series. They were a team on the verge of a strong pennant run. Galarraga pitched well, and the bats were lively. The leadoff hitter reached base in 7 of the 9 innings, but the team just could not push runs across.

At game's end, the Tigers were a shocking 0-16 with runners in scoring position. We all know the Tigers are a poor clutch hitting team, but 0-16 takes ineptitude into the sublime. To put that stat into perspective, the Tigers committed almost 2/3 of their outs with RISP. The Tigers only runs were when Maggs hit a solo HR (one of the two inning when the leadoff hitter did not reach base of course) and when Everett scored courtesy of a wild pitch.

To make matters worse, the Tigers reliable defense abandoned them. Granting Inge a day off, RyRay subbed in at 3rd base. The drop-off in skill was evident, as Raburn notched three errors for the day. The dude just couldn't make the throw from 3rd to 1st. In the 10th inning (yes, they extended the pain to extra innings), the Royals brought home a run without ever hitting the ball out of the infield. With one out, Josh Anderson - the dude the Tigers traded to KC for "cash" - reached first after mishitting a Rodney fastball. Anderson's "hit" dribbled toward 3rd base and stayed fair. Then DeJesus grounded out to Raburn who sent his throw high and wide. DeJesus was safe at first, Anderson on second. The next batter grounded out to Rodney who did manage to throw successfully to 1st (the runners advanced). 2 outs. Rodney induced yet another grounder from Billy Butler for the potential 3rd out. Raburn fielded the grounder perfectly, but his throw sailed high and wide yet again. Butler was safe, and Anderson scored.

The Tigers did manage to get a player on base in the bottom of the 10th, but the heart of the order failed to get that clutch hit. Game over. Sad end to an otherwise impressive weekend series. KC escaped with the win despite only notching 5 hits.

The Tigers remain in 1st place, 2.5 games clear of the White Sox. A dangerous west coast road trip looms, though, with games in Oakland and Anaheim.