Turning Point?

After Clete Thomas's walkoff HR, John Keating said on the post-game show that we may look back to this game as a turning point in the season.

Perhaps he's one game too early. The real turning point may have been last night when the Tigers welcomed Jarrod Washburn's first start by stranding 8 men on base in the first 4 innings. Against a pitcher making his first-ever MLB start. Washburn was no better. He continually fell behind batters and gave up 6 ER in 5 innnings.

The bottom of the fifth was vintage '09 Tigers. Polanco singled. Magglio popped up. Then Cabrera blistered a fastball to deep center. Polanco raced around third, but the ball bounced into the stands, forcing Polanco to hold up at 3rd. With men on 2nd and 3rd with only one out, Tigers fans knew exactly what to expect next. Two strikeouts. Or a strikeout and a pop-out. Or a strikeout and a ground-out. Either way... they weren't gonna bring Polanco home.

The very next inning, Baltimore turned the game into a rout. I have no doubt that - if the Detroit hitters had pushed across a few runs in the previous inning - Washburn would've pitched a bit differently and maybe avoided a few runs. Ah well. It's all hypothetical. The fact is... the Tigers are a poor hitting team - 11th in the AL in BA, SLG%, RBIs, and last in the league in at-bats. That tells me they're not pressuring the opposing pitchers.

The silver lining is that the team is still at home, with Edwin Jackson on the mound tonight. With a series against Minnesota looming on the horizon, the Tigers need to get hot... and fast.

Wings
Holland signed another former 1st rounder to a miniscule contract ($500k). Hoping for a Daniel Cleary-esque rebirth, Patrick Eaves comes to Detroit after a terrible six goal campaign with the Hurricanes last season. Eaves may be a better pickup than older vets like Mike Grier and Bertuzzi. He may also fit the team's mold better than Jason Williams. While I've rarely seen him play, Eaves is evidently a responsible two-way player. On the Wings, he won't have to always score to find time on the ice. But it certainly wouldn't hurt. The hope is that the kid will find a comfortable role and produce accordingly. At $500k, any bit of offense would be welcome but not expected.