Yawn

At least some folks were cheering last night
The Tigers are actually doing us a favor. They're having their annual August swoon in June, thus saving us from another agonizing fall at the finish line.

That team I watched last night was a far cry from the patient, easy-going Tigers of a month ago. Only Austin Jackson and Cabrera seemed content at the plate. Everybody else was tense, swinging at everything. It's no surprise they only managed two walks all game. What separated the 2010 Tigers from previous incarnations was their ability to work the count. It was the Johnny Damon influence that he brought from the Red Sox and Yanks. Apparently, it's the other way around, as Damon is now acting like an '09 Tiger. At one point, Cleveland "ace" Jake Westbrook had a 4-pitch inning. Leyland should make those three Tiger batters run laps.

One lone bright spot is Alex Avila had a clutch pinch hit (and RBI). That's on the heels of a 2-hit day Monday. If he can somehow heat up, perhaps the bottom of the batting order may not be such a black hole. It's no secret that Laird is doing his best Timmy Lupus impression at the plate. It's time for Avila to force Leyland's hand and send Laird to the bench. With Brennan Boesch cooling down, the Tigers need another shot in the arm. Jackson provided it in April. Boesch took care of May. Will Avila step up in June?

By the way, the Tigers loss last night foiled another fine start by Bondermania. I've been a tad harsh on the young fella lately, but he has pitched well, especially his last six starts. Bondermania posted a sterling 1.33 ERA for the month of May. If he keeps it up, he may just warrant his $12.5 million salary!

By the way, part 2.... Tiger broadcaster Mario Impemba told a bizarre Leyland story last night. Apparently, Leyland was upset after the Tigers' loss to Oakland on Memorial Day. As he sat in bed eating his nightly chips and sodapop, Leyland thrashed about, sending his soda and chips everywhere. He was too upset to clean it up, so he slept in it. That, folks, is your Detroit Tigers manager.

The Rotation - After 40 games

Who knew?
Back in February, I wrote a fairly in depth review of the Tigers' proposed rotation. I had serious concerns. Now that the team is 40 games into the season, let's see how my predictions fared.

Justin Verlander

What I said in February: Nothing. I conceded he was set as the #1.

Result so far: He started incredibly slow but since settled into his role as the ace. The past few games he's been Cy Young worthy, lowering his ERA to an impressive 3.43, with a 1.1 WHIP. And he's 5-2 to boot.

Rick Porcello

What I said in February: "Porcello has only one season under his belt. Nevertheless, he showed enough last year to prove he's mentally tough and has All-star potential."

Result so far: He may be an All-star someday, but it won't be this year. The kid has been rocked. And hard. And often. Perhaps the only good thing about his year so far is that he's kept his pitch count down... because he rarely gets out of the 6th inning. In his 8 starts, he's had just 2 quality starts. His ERA is a robust 5.9, with an alarming 1.68 WHIP. He had a great win against the Yankees, but he followed that by getting pummeled by the White Sox. I fear he's dangerously close to Toledo.

Max Scherzer

What I said in February: "He's pitched a grand total of 56 more innings than 21 year-old Porcello... I do like his potential, but locking him as the #3 is a bit of a stretch."

Result so far: If I was dead-wrong about Porcello, I at least called this one. Scherzer is, by far, the biggest disappointment of the season. His year has gone in direct contrast to Verlander. Scherzer started great and then quickly unraveled. He's now down in Toledo hoping to find his groove. He may have a difficult time getting back. I'm sure the current senior roster will need some Mud Hen assistance, whether through poor performance or injury, but I think Scherzer is currently pretty low on the pecking order.

Jeremy Bonderman

What I said in February: "An even bigger gamble (than Scherzer)... Bonderman will spend more time on the DL."

Result so far: He's stayed off the DL. That's good. He's also pitched competently as a #4 starter, with a respectable 4.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He's had 4 quality starts and really only got rocked one time. So you gotta be happy. The problem is that he reminds me of ol' Nate Robertson, like he's living on borrowed time. Bondo's velocity is way down from his early years of throwing upper-90s. Strangely, his velocity slowed even prior to this shoulder injury, but it's down even more this year. To contrast that, he's added a change-up to his fastball/slider arsenal. Yesterday, he had the Athletics all off-balance and looked good. I'm still not sold on him, though. He's reinventing himself as a crafty, location-first pitcher, and that may take more than a year of adjustment.

The D-Train

What I said in February: "..." Nothing. I didn't even list him as one of the four candidates for the final spot in the rotation! I had zero faith this dude would make the team.

Result so far: He doesn't have eye-popping stats by any means, but, considering what he showed the past two seasons, he's pitched remarkably well. He's even managed 3 quality starts, including six shutout innings against the dreaded Twins. Can he keep it up? Well, that's the million dollar question. Every fan in Detroit is waiting for the other shoe to drop. For now, though, it's fun riding the D-Train. He's a super-nice guy, extremely amicable. It would be great to see him turn his career around as a Tiger. Which brings me to my next question... objectively speaking, what would it take for Dontrelle to earn another contract from the Tigers? Dombrowski has sunk $30million into this cat with practically zero return. Even if Dontrelle had a Cy Young-caliber season, would he warrant a new Tiger contract? I doubt it.

Conclusion

My predictions were, at best, pessimistic, and, at worst, downright wrong. I suppose that's the unpredictable nature of baseball. With Scherzer down at Toledo, Galarraga has a chance to cement that 3rd spot in the rotation. I have more confidence in Armando than either Bondo or D-Train. He pitched five solid innings in his one start thus far. If he keeps it up, the Tigers might actually keep pace with Minnesota in the Central.

With a whimper

I had so thoroughly moved on after the Game 3 loss that the Wings official bowing out on Sunday morning was no big blow. Perhaps it's the pessimist in me, but the actual end of the series game is rarely the most painful. Whether it's the Pistons losing to the Celtics or the Tigers losing to the Twins, the writing is usually on the wall. When the Wings couldn't hold on to that two-goal lead in Game 3, the writing was on the wall.

With Game 5, I was just happy San Jose won the game on a good goal. It was set up by a faceoff win, some hard work on the boards, and a great pass (again) by Thornton to Marleau. The Wings are a bit sour that the goal occurred on the heels of an egregious non-call to a hit-to-the-head on Franzen. Yet, after this series, how can anyone be surprised by inconsistent officiating? The Sharks won the game by outplaying the Wings for longer stretches. In the clutch, one team stood tall. Every hockey fan knows the Sharks are perennial playoff under-performers so I'm happy for them and their fans. They've had a great team for many years now, and perhaps it's finally their turn. Other than those embarrassing dives in Games 1 and 2, I've got no qualms with this squad. They're incredibly disciplined, and the coach is a Babcock mentee.

The Sharks will have their hands full with either the Hawks or Canucks. Both teams, in my humble opinion, are stronger playoff contenders. But only on paper. Besides, I don't care who wins as long as the Western Conference champ beats the Penguins.

As for the Wings, they get a few extra weeks off this offseason. This grueling season may serve to recharge the batteries for Datsyuk and Z. It may also signal the departure for Nick, who has yet to make his decision. My gut tells me he'll be back. But my gut also told me Holland would find a way to re-sign Hossa, so clearly the gut is about as good a guide as "Satipo" from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Wings already received some excellent news with the return of Jiri Hudler. So, buck-up, Wings fans. Hope remains.

Los Tigres

I wish I could say the same for Tiger starting pitching. It's now May 10, and the Tigers have two reliable starting pitchers. One of those reliable starters is a guy who spent the past two years in Single-A and on the DL with an anxiety disorder. With dreadful starting pitchers and the worst defense in the American league (28 errors), the team has relied solely on the heroic bat of Miguel Cabrera and a shockingly stingy bullpen.

Baseball sage Pat Caputo of 97.1 likes to say that "water finds its level." That may apply to a guy like Verlander who opened the season with an inflated ERA. Yet, Porcello and Scherzer, though, are both so young that we don't quite know what their "level" should be. With Bonderman, my guess is that we're seeing the real Jeremy Bonderman. He's a guy who's spent the majority of the past two years with a massive shoulder problem. He's lost 7-10 mph on his fastball and has become a one-pitch pitcher - slider. Scherzer has given up 21 earned runs, 27 hits, and 7 walks his past three starts. He averaged only four innings per start. That's alarming.

On the flip-side, Miguel Cabrera remains red-hot with a .370 average and an eye-popping 33 RBIs. This is a guy who simply could not knock runs in outside Comerica Park. Those days are long gone. Austin Jackson and Damon continue to get on base, and the team is near the top of the league in doubles. They can hit. But it's all for naught if the pitching gives up 16 hits/game.

There are options in triple-A. Galarraga took his demotion in stride. After a sizzling start, he's cooled off slightly but still sports a 3.8 ERA (1.1 WHIP). Alfredo Figaro also may be ready for another go-round, with a 2.5 ERA. Both pitchers are more MLB-ready than Bonderman right now. Scherzer's handful of good starts in early April warrant a long leash, but the big question mark is Porcello. He's walking around with a 1.8 WHIP and has exhibited none of the elite-level stuff from his rookie campaign. Obviously, it's too early to go alarmist on young Rick, but he may benefit from some time in Triple-A. If he's struggling consistently, the Tigers aren't doing him any favors by lining him up against Justin Morneau.