Dearest readers…

I apologize for the mass of blogs posted in such a short span, but it is something that I have been working on for a bit and meaning to post (close to a week now…) but time as always is of the essence.  Which put me in my dilemma!

So, with my impending trip the New York City shortly upon me (flying out Tuesday) I decided it was now or never (and I didn’t want to waste all that time putting them together…HOPE YOU ENJOY!)  I will be catching the Yankees vs. Twins (Mussina vs. Blackburn) game on Wednesday, followed by a game at Shea as the Mets battle the Phillies (Perez vs. Moyer) Thursday and won’t be posting anything for close to a week.  Loading you up may not be such a bad thing!

Oh, and don’t worry Tiger fans, I won’t be rooting for either New York squad. I just figured that I HAD to go to both parks before they move to their new billion dollar corporate digs next season.

Until next time…

LHP - Bobby Seay
Situational lefty, that usually does the job very well.  At times Seay comes in for only one or two guys, as his 28.2 IP in 33 appearances would indicate; however, he usually comes in at a high pressure situation and usually handles himself well.
Grade: B-

RHP - Zach Miner
Recently sent down for control issues, Miner may find himself called up on a spot start early next week.  He’s got some good stuff, but can’t seem to put it all together when the Tigers really need him.  His stats are padded with a couple of lengthy appearances where the Tigers are either up or down by a bunch.  Will spot start.
Grade: C-

RHP - Aquilino Lopez
Great control as Lopez throws mostly strikes.  He has been a pleasant surprise and even after being sent down to the minors, came back and picked up where he left off.  Could become a key element should Fernando Rodney get moved.
Grade: B+

RHP - Freddy Dolsi
Has handled some serious situations with veteran like skill.  Has a tendency to lose a batter every now and then with control issues, but I have liked what I have seen.
Grade: B

LHP - Casey Fossum
Still wondering why they signed him, and even moreso what he is still doing up with the big club.  His 7.24 ERA and ridiculous 1.74 WHIP should send him back to Toledo.
Grade: D-

RHP - Fernando Rodney
Rumours have been rampant that the Tigers may move the erratic fire-baller.  They have perhaps messed with his head by throwing him back into the mix a bit too quickly, but Rodney hasn’t seemed comfortable throwing since the 2006 season.
Grade: C-

RHP - Joel Zumaya
Don’t let the excellent 1.59 ERA fool you, Zumaya hasn’t been tremendous.  He has averaged over 1H and 1BB since his early return from shoulder surgery.  (11.1 IP, 12 H, 12 BB)  But the fact of the matter is, Zumaya has over-powering stuff and has shown the ability to fool hitters with masking his pitches and changing speeds.  Hopefully he’s putting it all together for next years’ closer duties.
Grade: B

RHP - Todd Jones
Constant dramatics ensue when Jonesy enters a game.  While he has closed out 17 of the 19 save opportunities he has been presented with, it isn’t necessarily due to his stuff.  He has been hit with relative ease this year (opposition is batting .297 against him) and with an ERA a shade under 5.00 (4.95 to be exact) he isn’t striking fear into anyone at this stage of his career.
Grade: C-

OVERALL GRADE: C-
The ‘pen has been a constant concern of the Tigers this season, with big leads being chipped away at, or close games suddenly pushed out of reach the back end has been the Achilles heel for sure.  Getting back Rodney and Zumaya was supposed to provide a boost, but with only ½ of that tandem showing their truly back, these boys still find themselves struggling when called upon.

Trading to upgrade is always an issue as you don’t want to overpay for a commodity.  Hopefully, the staff will continue to go deep as they are averaging nearly seven IP since mid-June and the bullpen can remain fresh and have their best stuff when they enter a tight game.

RHP - Justin Verlander
Has been locked in after a rocky, rocky start to this campaign.  JV has looked very comfortable of late and may have applied too much pressure on himself and being the ace of a “World Series Caliber” team.  If he continues to pitch as he has of late, he may not lose another decision the rest of the way.  He’ll almost certainly rise above the sub .500 record that he has gotten himself in.
Grade: B-

LHP - Kenny Rogers
“The Gambler” has been solid of late in increasing his IP after starting the season as merely a five inning option.  Since May 4^th, Kenny has only gone less than six deep on only three occasions, lowering his ERA from an out of this world 6.75 to a much more respectable 4.45.  His low K/BB ratio, and high WHIP is a concern, but Kenny is a pro and tends to thrive on pressure type situations.
Grade: C+

RHP - Armando Galarraga
The savior of the rotation has benefitted from a couple of injuries to original rotation members (Willis and Bonderman) and has jumped all over the opportunity.  As Spirit of Detroit’s “First Half Cy Young” award winner, Galarraga has shot up the charts and made a really tough decision for next year and how to handle his growth.  From what he has shown to this point, I’d say he is fit to be part of their rotation for years to come.
Grade: B+

LHP - Nate Robertson
What can you say about “The Bulldog”?  He is what he is, and this year, he has been a disappointment.  Yes, every once in a while he tosses a gem (re: his 4-hit no decision in against Seattle going 9 innings strong) but for the most part he gives up too many hits and gets himself into way too many jams.  Nate has constantly given up four or five runs through five-plus innings forcing the Tigers bats to come to the rescue.  His 6-8 record could easily be 5-11.
Grade: D+

RHP - Jeremy Bonderman (DL, Season over)
A blood clot put a halt to Bondo’s season after only 12 starts.  While his high walk and low strikeout totals were a bit suspect, the 25-year old was on somewhat of a roll prior to being shut down for the year.  As a matter of fact, when the Tigers were really struggling, Bonderman seemed to provide them with the most consistency.
Grade: B-

LHP - Dontrelle Willis (earning a ridiculous paycheck riding a bus with a team that he could own…)
How about we just forget about this year and act as if next year is his first in a Tigers uni?  Blah.  I’m not going to go any further.
Grade: F

RHP - Eddy Bonine
Five starts, got knocked around a bit, but was lights out in his appearance against the Rockies.  Provided a stop-gap in a couple of performances, but one has to wonder if he’s got the goods to be a major league starter.
Grade: N/A - Too soon to tell, but may not get another shot any time soon.

OVERALL GRADE: C+
Luckily they have shown that they can put it together since the month of June.  However, it’s easy to blame the bats, because that line-up is stockpiled with studs, but if you don’t get the job done on your own end, you can always lose a game 10-9 if your pitchers get rocked.

I like what I have seen of late, but in my eyes they need to fix up the back end of their rotation if they want to make a run.  With Robertson pitching the way that he has and no real number 5 at the present time they’ll have a hard time putting together a decent run if they don’t have the pitching.