What a horrific weekend of action for the Detroit Tigers. Being swept by the uber-hot Tampa Bay (don’t call us “Devil”) Rays at home where they have won 39 of their last 48 is nothing to be ashamed of. However, what is unsettling to my stomach that has simply had enough, is the fashion that the Tigers have lost each of the three games.
Baseball fans have gotten used to seeing this lately
The Tigers are starting to resemble another professional sports team that calls Detroit home, by finding new and exciting ways to lose games. Now, I’m not pulling the dramatic card and suggesting that things are anywhere near as bad as they are next door at Ford Field with the Detroit Lions, but I will say that at least about the Lions is that they are expected to lose. That same statement honestly can’t be said about the Kitties at Comerica.
Detroit sports fans are used to seeing this…but not at Comerica!!!
One of the common conclusions for the recent failures is due to the fact that the entire bullpen is suddenly full of gas cans, just waiting to implode when called upon. A ‘pen that is supposed to be improved with the return of Zumaya and Rodney, along with the deadline addition of the big righty from the Yankees, Kyle Farnsworth. All that this group has been able to show, is that they are extremely vulnerable and don’t have the mental capacity to pitch their way out of tough situations.
It would be nice to have a solid, dependable arm coming out of this beautiful ‘pen…wouldn’t it?
Sunday was yet another blasphemous display of just how horrible things have become. The bats gave the Tigers two opportunities to close the door, and in the 1st opportunity the prized acquisition gets touched…er; should I say SLAMMED, for a pair of moon-shots courtesy of Eric Hinske and BJ Upton which allows the Rays to jump back ahead in a game that should have salvaged a win in the weekend series.
The only reason why they were given another shot at a victory is due to Detroit Tigers catalyst, Curtis Granderson leads off the 9th with a blast of his own, off of former teammate Troy Percival (who has been lights out), followed by Bobby Seay pitching a clean bottom half of the inning to send it to extras. At that point anything could have happened, and it did. In the top half of the 10th Miguel Cabrera hits a ball that would’ve broken through the roof had it not hit the cat-walk above the playing field to put the Tigers ahead for another brief stint. It’s almost as if you could see what was going to happen, before it even happened. Cue the music.
Thought we had the win after Miggy’s blast…(insert sad face)
Chance number two comes when Fernando Rodney makes his way to the mound for another shot at his 1st save since being officially named closer. Rodney’s line: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3BB (1HBP) 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K. Needless to say, “FROD” (pronounced fraud) doesn’t have the closer’s knack that his stuff garners. He may be successful elsewhere, but his value has surely hit a low and may need to start off fresh elsewhere to redeem himself and prove that he’s got good enough stuff to be a major league pitcher.
Yeah…closing isn’t going so well is it? We’ve seen a lot of looks like this out of Fernando!
Seriously, what happened to this team? There is little to no drive there. All they can show are flashes here and there, but nothing has gelled enough to live up to the lofty expectations that were placed upon them. They have had opportunity after opportunity to minimize the gap that separates them from the true contenders and have failed at each and every shot. Maybe they are content to collect a paycheck and be mired in mediocrity, because if there was any sign of hope, it was crushed this weekend.
Add in the fact that Minnesota has caught and surpassed the Sox for first, they are going to be battling it out the rest of the way, leaving two teams to catch by the margin they are trailing. Add to that, the Tigers can’t beat the Central on their own and that my friends is a recipe for disaster.
Slow down Twinkies…You’ve only been in first for less than a day.
Needless to say, the 2008 Detroit Tigers season has not only been a disappointment, it has been a bust, leaving a record number of fans confused at what the future has to offer. Long gone is the high of a magical run in 2006, leaving many wondering what went wrong. With some of the decisions made, one can only hope that the moves don’t hold a long-term effect.
Hindsight is 20/20, and unfortunately breaking even is about what this Tigers squad is capable of doing.
