Perfect 10

It was the sort of game you'd expect from a team playing out the string, not a team battling for the playoffs. The Tigers were thoroughly outclassed - in every facet - by the last place team in the AL West. Facing Brett Tomko, who, two weeks ago, was a 36-year-old minor leaguer, the Tigers opened up with a blistering Granderson home run. Then Tomko easily set down 18 of the next 20 batters. It wasn't until the 7th inning that the Tigers pushed one more run across the plate, but by then it was too late. A's designated hitter, Jack Cust, became the latest to earn the title "Tiger killer". He was 6 for 9 during the week, with 5 RBIs and two home runs against Porcello.

The one Tiger shining moment was a 2-run home run by Cabrera in the 8th (his 200th). That cut the lead to 5-4, but the Tigers followed that momentum-turning knock with two straight strikeouts (courtesy of Inge and underwhelming Huff). Then the Tiger relievers let Oakland tack-on four more runs. Game over. 9-4. With the loss, the Tigers have now lost 10 consecutive road series. Wow.

People often wonder why Tiger fans are so cynical. This game is why. The Tigers had the perfect opportunity to gain another game on Chicago, win their first road series, and, in general, beat down a losing team with a journeyman pitcher on the mound. Instead, that journeyman needed just 87 pitches to strike out 8, and they had to take him out because his arm wasn't stretched out. He's been pitching in relief all season!

Now the Tigers must fly to Anaheim to face a much better team. I thought the Tigers may have turned a corner in the Bosox series, but this meager showing against the A's tells me otherwise. The bats are still dead, and the bullpen is still shaky. Only two hitters in the starting lineup were above the league average of .266 (Cabrera and Avila). While Inge remains the best option at 3rd base, his dropoff in production has killed the offense. He hit .182 in July and is now at .164 in August. Without Inge's power in the bottom half of the order, the Tigers have trouble scoring more than 1 run. He and Cabrera were clearly the catalysts in the 1st half of the season. And nobody has stepped up to carry the load.

Dombrowski tried to help by bringing in Huff and Avila. Now it's up to the players. Can they turn it around? Starts tonight with Verlander against Jered Weaver.