So, where are all the Maggs-haters now?Mrs. Nofrownmotown and I went out to lunch on Sunday, so I DVRed the Tigers and Red Wings.
We got home around 3ish, and I popped on the Tigers. Tiger fans like to believe Verlander is a Cy Young caliber pitcher. In many ways he does qualify. He's got world class stuff. He throws 97 out of the gate and often clocks 100 in the late innings. He can paint the corners, turn you over with a curve, and pick you off first with a whip-smart move for a righty. Yet, his bugaboo is the "one bad inning". It happened in the opener when he retired eight straight and then, with two outs, allowed Kansas City to load the bases and knock in two runs, off a 2-strike pitch. Two runs isn't awful, but, for Verlander, rallies should not begin with 2 outs.
Yesterday was much worse. Verlander managed two outs sandwiched between two singles and two walks. Facing Luis Valbuena (career home runs - 10), Verlander had the opportunity to limit the damage to a mere one run. He quickly landed two strikes. Valbuena then turned on his next fastball and sent it deep into the right field seats for a grand slam. Indians put 5 on the board in the 1st inning. Now, Verlander thankfully settled down after the first, but he was again undone by the "one bad inning." Now, please don't misunderstand... I believe Verlander to be an excellent, top-shelf pitcher. The "one bad inning", though, is what prevents him from being Cy Young caliber. I don't see Josh Beckett or Zack Grienke having that problem.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers battled. They had difficulty getting runs, but, oh, could they hit the ball. They had an impressive 18 for the game (mostly singles). Almost as impressive (in a bad way) was the near-record-setting 18 men left on base. Yet, the Tigers threatened almost every inning, and that kept the game interesting.
Bonine relieved Verlander in the 6th and unfortunately gave up a two-run dinger to Jhonny Peralta. Cleveland had a commanding 7-1 lead, but the Tigers did not cave. I had a feeling the Tigers may make it interesting, so I paused the game, did some work around the house, and waited for the good luck charm to return from a walk. With the good luck charm perched calmly on my lap, the Tigers did indeed rally.
Coming into the game, the Tigers were an impressive 4-1. Most of the offense began and ended with Maggs and Cabrera. That did not change yesterday. Those two continued to clobber the ball (Cabrera reached base six times!), while the surrounding cast mostly struggled. This past week, Inge and Guillen fared decently, but Damon, Sizemore, Laird, Raburn and Jackson disappointed. Jackson actually has a decent average, but he's not getting it done in the clutch. Who cares if you have a .300 BA if the hits all come with the bases empty? But enough complaining, the Tigers actually pulled out an amazing comeback win yesterday, so I'll try to focus on the positives.
Every inning from the 5th on, the Tigers scored at least a run. Entering the 9th, they had closed the 7-1 deficit to a workable 8-6. Raburn began the inning with an out. Then Maggs singled. Cabrera walked. I asked Mrs. Nofrownmotown if she'd pinch run for Cabrera (the tying run) on first. She said "nope, need his bat in case of extra innings". I agreed. But, if he were on 2nd base, I'd pinch run. Guillen then stepped up to the plate. Runners on 1st and 2nd. 1 out. Down 2. Guillen pounded the second pitch deep into the right corner. Maggs scored easily. Guillen took second. Cabrera took third. Next up was Inge. With a chance to plate the tying run (or winning run), Inge hit a rocket to 3rd. Cabrera had to hold, and Inge was thrown out (barely) at first. It looked like Cleveland might escape with the win... despite giving up the 18 hits (and 9 walks to boot!). Santiago was next. He sat and watched the Cleveland closer (Perez) walk him on 5 pitches. Bases jacked for Laird. Wait! No, it's Johnny Damon! Leyland tapped Damon to be the hero in front of the home town fans. Laird, who got his first hit of the season the prior inning, likely was happy to finish the day on a high note.
Damon did what he does best. He worked the count. Perez threw 3 straight balls. The fourth pitch looked like a strike to me, but the ump ruled otherwise. Ball 4. Cabrera bounded home. That gave Sizemore the chance to plate the winner. First pitch - ball. Next pitch - in the dirt. The ball slipped through the catchers legs all the way to the backstop. Guillen burst home from 3rd for the winning run. Tigers win on a walk and a wild pitch!
Wow.
What a tough way to lose for Cleveland, but it's not like the Tigers didn't deserve it. 18 hits is some solid hitting. And nine walks is some dreadful pitching for the Tribe. The only black mark on the Tiger win is the men left on base. They have got to improve on that if they hope to contend this year. Sizemore and Laird did have some good moments Sunday, so perhaps they'll turn the corner. Exciting win for the Tigers.
While the good luck charm napped, I turned on the Wings/Blackhawks. As is typical for the NHL's Western Conference, the lower seeded teams were in an absolute dead-heat coming into the final game. With a win, the Wings would finish 5th and face Phoenix. With a loss, the Wings would likely finish 7th and play the Sharks. Both the Wings and Blackhawks had their chances. The Blackhawks are one of the rare teams that can really take it to Detroit. They have the skill and speed to earn chances on every shift. It was end-to-end early, with both teams hitting the goal frame.
The Hawks scored an ugly one on the power play, but the Wings equalized on a nice build-up from Helm and Cleary. Helm hit Cleary in stride across the blue line. Cleary whipped the puck at the net, and the rebound landed perfectly for Eaves who touched it home. 1-1.
Later in the game, the Wings took the lead on a redirect from Homer, but the Hawks tied it on a deflection off a skate. I'm not exactly sure why the NHL has the "no kicking" rule because they never actually enforce it. Similar to the Bertuzzi goal a few games earlier, the puck was clearly kicked in the net. Did the guy intend to kick it in? Who knows? Yet, his skate was moving toward the net when the puck deflected off it into the goal. The refs allowed it. I would vastly prefer the league simply permit kicking the puck into goal. They allow it anyway, just not officially. So, it was 2-2 and headed to overtime.
Shortly before overtime began, the Wings learned their rival for the 5th spot - LA Kings - just won. So the Wings would have to win to secure 5th place. They did. After some excellent end-to-end action, Zetterberg fought off two players to bring the puck into the blue zone. Three players collapsed on him, but he found a wide-open Cleary near the goal. Cleary then fed across the ice to a streaking Brad Stuart, who fired the puck into the open net. It was a great build-up and a great way to end the season.
Well done, Wings.
From the 9th spot in the West to 5th? It was quite a late season surge. Now they play upstart Phoenix. Games 1 and 2 are 10pm EST on Wednesday and Friday. Prepare thyself for the Second Season. You never know what to expect.
We got home around 3ish, and I popped on the Tigers. Tiger fans like to believe Verlander is a Cy Young caliber pitcher. In many ways he does qualify. He's got world class stuff. He throws 97 out of the gate and often clocks 100 in the late innings. He can paint the corners, turn you over with a curve, and pick you off first with a whip-smart move for a righty. Yet, his bugaboo is the "one bad inning". It happened in the opener when he retired eight straight and then, with two outs, allowed Kansas City to load the bases and knock in two runs, off a 2-strike pitch. Two runs isn't awful, but, for Verlander, rallies should not begin with 2 outs.
Yesterday was much worse. Verlander managed two outs sandwiched between two singles and two walks. Facing Luis Valbuena (career home runs - 10), Verlander had the opportunity to limit the damage to a mere one run. He quickly landed two strikes. Valbuena then turned on his next fastball and sent it deep into the right field seats for a grand slam. Indians put 5 on the board in the 1st inning. Now, Verlander thankfully settled down after the first, but he was again undone by the "one bad inning." Now, please don't misunderstand... I believe Verlander to be an excellent, top-shelf pitcher. The "one bad inning", though, is what prevents him from being Cy Young caliber. I don't see Josh Beckett or Zack Grienke having that problem.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers battled. They had difficulty getting runs, but, oh, could they hit the ball. They had an impressive 18 for the game (mostly singles). Almost as impressive (in a bad way) was the near-record-setting 18 men left on base. Yet, the Tigers threatened almost every inning, and that kept the game interesting.
Bonine relieved Verlander in the 6th and unfortunately gave up a two-run dinger to Jhonny Peralta. Cleveland had a commanding 7-1 lead, but the Tigers did not cave. I had a feeling the Tigers may make it interesting, so I paused the game, did some work around the house, and waited for the good luck charm to return from a walk. With the good luck charm perched calmly on my lap, the Tigers did indeed rally.
Coming into the game, the Tigers were an impressive 4-1. Most of the offense began and ended with Maggs and Cabrera. That did not change yesterday. Those two continued to clobber the ball (Cabrera reached base six times!), while the surrounding cast mostly struggled. This past week, Inge and Guillen fared decently, but Damon, Sizemore, Laird, Raburn and Jackson disappointed. Jackson actually has a decent average, but he's not getting it done in the clutch. Who cares if you have a .300 BA if the hits all come with the bases empty? But enough complaining, the Tigers actually pulled out an amazing comeback win yesterday, so I'll try to focus on the positives.
Every inning from the 5th on, the Tigers scored at least a run. Entering the 9th, they had closed the 7-1 deficit to a workable 8-6. Raburn began the inning with an out. Then Maggs singled. Cabrera walked. I asked Mrs. Nofrownmotown if she'd pinch run for Cabrera (the tying run) on first. She said "nope, need his bat in case of extra innings". I agreed. But, if he were on 2nd base, I'd pinch run. Guillen then stepped up to the plate. Runners on 1st and 2nd. 1 out. Down 2. Guillen pounded the second pitch deep into the right corner. Maggs scored easily. Guillen took second. Cabrera took third. Next up was Inge. With a chance to plate the tying run (or winning run), Inge hit a rocket to 3rd. Cabrera had to hold, and Inge was thrown out (barely) at first. It looked like Cleveland might escape with the win... despite giving up the 18 hits (and 9 walks to boot!). Santiago was next. He sat and watched the Cleveland closer (Perez) walk him on 5 pitches. Bases jacked for Laird. Wait! No, it's Johnny Damon! Leyland tapped Damon to be the hero in front of the home town fans. Laird, who got his first hit of the season the prior inning, likely was happy to finish the day on a high note.
Damon did what he does best. He worked the count. Perez threw 3 straight balls. The fourth pitch looked like a strike to me, but the ump ruled otherwise. Ball 4. Cabrera bounded home. That gave Sizemore the chance to plate the winner. First pitch - ball. Next pitch - in the dirt. The ball slipped through the catchers legs all the way to the backstop. Guillen burst home from 3rd for the winning run. Tigers win on a walk and a wild pitch!
Wow.
What a tough way to lose for Cleveland, but it's not like the Tigers didn't deserve it. 18 hits is some solid hitting. And nine walks is some dreadful pitching for the Tribe. The only black mark on the Tiger win is the men left on base. They have got to improve on that if they hope to contend this year. Sizemore and Laird did have some good moments Sunday, so perhaps they'll turn the corner. Exciting win for the Tigers.
While the good luck charm napped, I turned on the Wings/Blackhawks. As is typical for the NHL's Western Conference, the lower seeded teams were in an absolute dead-heat coming into the final game. With a win, the Wings would finish 5th and face Phoenix. With a loss, the Wings would likely finish 7th and play the Sharks. Both the Wings and Blackhawks had their chances. The Blackhawks are one of the rare teams that can really take it to Detroit. They have the skill and speed to earn chances on every shift. It was end-to-end early, with both teams hitting the goal frame.
The Hawks scored an ugly one on the power play, but the Wings equalized on a nice build-up from Helm and Cleary. Helm hit Cleary in stride across the blue line. Cleary whipped the puck at the net, and the rebound landed perfectly for Eaves who touched it home. 1-1.
Later in the game, the Wings took the lead on a redirect from Homer, but the Hawks tied it on a deflection off a skate. I'm not exactly sure why the NHL has the "no kicking" rule because they never actually enforce it. Similar to the Bertuzzi goal a few games earlier, the puck was clearly kicked in the net. Did the guy intend to kick it in? Who knows? Yet, his skate was moving toward the net when the puck deflected off it into the goal. The refs allowed it. I would vastly prefer the league simply permit kicking the puck into goal. They allow it anyway, just not officially. So, it was 2-2 and headed to overtime.
Shortly before overtime began, the Wings learned their rival for the 5th spot - LA Kings - just won. So the Wings would have to win to secure 5th place. They did. After some excellent end-to-end action, Zetterberg fought off two players to bring the puck into the blue zone. Three players collapsed on him, but he found a wide-open Cleary near the goal. Cleary then fed across the ice to a streaking Brad Stuart, who fired the puck into the open net. It was a great build-up and a great way to end the season.
Well done, Wings.
From the 9th spot in the West to 5th? It was quite a late season surge. Now they play upstart Phoenix. Games 1 and 2 are 10pm EST on Wednesday and Friday. Prepare thyself for the Second Season. You never know what to expect.
April in the D...indeed.
ReplyDeleteAfter the snow melting, leaves starting to bud on the trees...it feels like a rebirth.
Baseball and playoff hockey!
And the song is better to boot.
ReplyDelete