¡Ay Dios Mio!

Papa Grande's more of a Big Potato lately.

Like most of his fellow Tigers, the Big Potato has struggled mightily since the All-star break. The numbers say it all:

Pre-All-star -- 0.92 ERA

Post-All-star -- 7.80 ERA

Eesh. Now, it hasn't been all bad. The Big Potato did sprinkle in a few fine games in between his flare-ups. One thing remains consistent, though - The Big Potato does not fare well outside of the 9th inning. If you've followed the Tigers at all this season, you know that. I'd imagine Jim Leyland, who hopefully follows the Tigers as much as I do, would recognize this. But yesterday he once again called on Valverde in the 8th inning. The Tigers had 2-run lead. Perry started the 8th, notching 2 outs while allowing a single. The man on first immediately stole second once Valverde took the mound. Then he gave up a double. 3-2. Then another double. 3-3. Then a wild pitch. So, the winning run was now on 3rd. Valverde dug deep and got that final out to end the threat.

But the damage was done. The Tigers could not score another run. Brennen Boesch had a chance to be a hero with two outs, man-on-second in the 10th. Pop-up. Then Laird was up with 1 out, man-on-second in the 11th. Double play. Eesh. The Royals won it on a home run in the 12th.

So the Era of Good Feelings (i.e. the last five games) is now finished. The Tigers head back on the road where they've had as much success as Biff with Lorraine at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. For a few fleeting moments, it appeared the Tigers might crawl above .500, but, alas, they're back to one game under.

The Tigers are nine games behind the Twins. While they're not mathematically out of if, they are at least mentally out it. After losing to the Twins in such glorious fashion last year (and, it seems, every year), the Tigers would need to believe they can make a run. I doubt there's a single player on that team who truly believes they have a shot. So, I just hope the Tigers play respectable ball the rest of the way. I hope Austin Jackson remains a solid lead-off guy. I hope Boesch rediscovers his swing and nails that game-winner at some point. I hope Cabrera continues his tear. And I hope Porcello settles into a groove. Those young players could provide a solid foundation for 2011, where the Tigers have significant money to spend.

Again on Leyland

Another perfect example of Leyland putting a player in a position to fail...

Yesterday, on the heels of Ryan Raburn's dramatic three-run bomb with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Leyland called on Valverde to pitch the 10th. Papa Grande responded with a stellar 1-2-3 inning. When the Tigers failed to notch a hit in the bottom of the 10th, Leyland again resorted to his closer for the 11th.

Folks, this is a small but dangerous decision. All season long, Valverde thrived when pitching just one inning. Why force the issue? Perry was available. So was Bonine. And Brad Thomas. There were plenty of options. Yet, Leyland called on Valverde once again, and he gave up the two-run triple. Valverde pitched superbly in the first half of the season. And he's struggled big-time (like the rest of the team) since the All-star break. With his 1-2-3 tenth, let the dude sit! He did his job. Oh, Leyland.

5-2

Major props to the Tigers for an impressive 5-2 record against the Yanks and Red Sox. With the big boys of the East coming to Comerica Park, I figured the Tigers would be brought down to Earth. Truth be told, their bats were inconsistent, but the decent starting pitching and continued bullpen excellence carried the day.

In the first game against the Yanks, the bullpen pitched a whopping six innings (thanks to D-train's illness) and gave up just two runs. The next day, the Yanks exploded for six runs against just-called-up Figaro and Coke. Yet, for the five other games in the home-stand, the bullpen pitched 17 innings, allowing just 3 runs (1.58 ERA). Solid.

The Tigers have built a reputation for finding a way to win this season. They've twice come back from six run deficits, against solid competition. These comebacks are in large part due to the bullpen. They just aren't allowing the dreaded tack-on runs. It's truly a helluva start for what's traditionally a weakness for the Tigers. Leading the charge is refreshed Joel Zumaya. The kid has a 1.9 ERA with a 1.0 WHIP. He's throwing 101 mph, down just 2 mph after his shoulder surgery. (Apparently, Zumaya's doctor is way better than Bonderman's.) And Valverde hasn't allowed a run since the second game of the season. It's an astonishing run.

I've held off on praising Valverde for fear of the TBDL curse (in reference to my old blog "That Ball Don't Lie"). If Valverde blows a save tonight, feel free to blame me.

As someone who was extremely critical of the Tigers during the offseason, I have to give credit to Dombrowski for assembling a solid 'pen. Despite missing the key lefty, Bobby Seay, the 'pen hasn't missed a beat.

Lottery

The Pistons find out tonight whether they'll be in the playoffs next season. Tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery! Whoo-hoo!

If the Pistons somehow land in the Top-3, they'll get a true talent. While this draft is better than last year's, it's not terribly deep with regard to big men. If the Pistons draft #7 or worse, their chances of finding a difference-maker drop significantly. In other words, a top 3 pick means a potential All-star; outside of top 3 means Jason Maxiell.

I suppose I'm not being fair. Many great players fall outside the top 3 every year. Recent success stories like Omri Casspi (#23), George Hill (#26), and Marc Gasol (#48) illustrate increased draft depth, mainly due to the European influx. And Joe D has shown a penchant for unearthing talent with the late picks (Memo, Tayshaun, Jerebko). Yet, those later picks tend to - at best - be role players. The Pistons need a star. A leader. A friggin' big man.

They got an 18% chance of landing a top-3 pick. Cross your fingers.