Pudge leads off, Infante starts

Boy, Soriano would be nice to have now huh? ;) Just kidding, but I do hope that Placido is going to be fine by the playoffs. We need him.

Comments:
Kidding aside, you are very right. I was hoping we would land a deal for Soriano this year. Infante will do OK at 2nd but it would be nice to have an impact player there at this stage of the season.

We are going to miss "ROCK" (Polanco). He is arguably the best player on the team and the only guy we can really count on to get his bat on the ball every time he steps to the plate.

Walks, walks, walks. Shows you important they can be. A club can be not hitting and a walk or two can translate into runs with a little small ball. The Red Sox did this to tie the game up today. Verlander needs to develop another pitch--especially with the "tired arm" syndrome.

Back to 2nd base--I was hoping that we might get a look at Raburn from Toledo but it seems he is on the DL.

Not sure how much he plays in the infield but he does have some pop in his bat and some speed on the base path.

I tip my hat to Todd Jones. He is exhibiting the kind of confidence right now that we hope both continues and is contagious.

I hope Brandon can start getting his stroke back. He is a great kid and a keeper. Thames looks like he is struggling right now as does Monroe. Especially in the cranium department. Ordonez is inconsistent and not a good defensive player. Rodriguez like sto be challenged and is responding well to that. Granderson is in rookie mode but is so reliable as to evoke feeling so Mickey Stanley whenever a ball is hit to center. Guillen is the "heads up" guy on the squad, Casey is showing the hallmarks of a good hitter and some much needed dependability, Bonderman is on the edge of greatness, Rogers is a steady influence, Robertson is very good with one lapse per game, Miner is a question mark, Verlander is one pitch away from being remarkable, Zumaya is a bit too hyper and needs to cultivate his repetoire, Rodney is a diamond in the rough and Walker is a neccessity but I don't think he like sht e pressure of being the guy who HAS to come in to throw to one Lefty batter. I think he has the ability to be a very effective set up man. Wilson is a great guy to have on the club as is Infante-at least you cans see some intensity in his eyes.

Put it all together and you have a very good team with each link needing the next to support and inspire in order to get the job done.

I know I am gonna get some criticism of my criticism and if you all want I will back off and shut up. I do realize I am a bit reactionary.

Leyland screwed up tonight. Verlander is having a ton of trouble right now--and threw a ton of pitches. Walked an excessive number of hitters and was allowed to pitch to Crisp who has been feasting this series. DUMB!

He should have been yanked after Lopez singled but certainly after Cora (#9 hitter) walked. DUMB!

I thought he was trying to rest his arm!!

It's very frustrating to see guys step up to the plate and deliver (like Clevlen tonight)

and then see an immediate letdown afterwards and allow the momentum to shift.

Give Verlander a real rest. He needs it.

We have walked 9 batters tonight! The Tigers have probably gone a week or more this year without earning that many walks. Although it was nice seeing Pudge actually earning a walk to lead off the game. Great play by Infante up the middle. I agree Verlander was left in too long tonight. He is a better pitcher than Grilli or Ledezma who we had warming up but his control was not there tonight. Monroe has seemed to be hitting better lately but Thames is definitely struggling. If it wasn't for the fact we would have two left handed hitters batting back to back, I would say Casey would be good batting second. He is a rarity on this club as is Polanco because they do not strikeout much!

I'll just throw out a grab bag of comments and reactions.

Yeah, I thought Verlander should have been lifted before the Crisp at bat. I had the feeling Leyland was letting the kid grow, though.

More on Verlander: he hasn't pitched well since the long layoff. And I wonder if the work to prevent him from tipping pitches changed his mechanics. He's never been that wild. I have expected all along, however, that it would be Bonderman, Rogers, and Robertson that we'd have to lean on down the stretch, not the rookies.

If this is how Pudge hits as a leadoff man, maybe he should stay there. A ten pitch at bat?!? Pudge?!?

On the designated hitter: does anyone think Ortiz should be MVP when he doesn't even play a position? Of course the guy hits. It's all he's required to do. He can study film, hit off the tee, do all kinds of preparation while his teammates are out in the field. And yes, I hate the DH in general.

Speaking of DH, if Clevlen is going to stay with the club, he should play outfield and Ordonez should DH. Maggs doesn't have range nor arm, and you could make a case that he allowed three runs tonight (see Dan, I can do this too). :-)

I hope Polanco is back sooner than later, but more than that, I hope there are no long term effects of this injury. I would think not, but he's as fine a ballplayer as there is in the majors.

Bottom line, though, is we're still in good shape. Two of three in Fenway is excellent.

Forgot one: BIG congrats to Bruce Froemming for his 5000th game. Second only to Bill Klem, that's a huge accomplishment. Hard to believe, actually.

There are some very insightful comments here. Good stuff...Cleven playing the outfield and Ordonez at DH might not be a bad idea, at least against lefties. Young's too hot to leave out of the order. Watching game after game this year I think the Tiger's biggest weakness is bat discipline. You would think that someone would be trying to change this situation. Placido quietly, and little by little has become my favorite player. His bat discipline and control have been the hidden key in so many Tiger wins. Casey can be the same way. You always feel like they're going to get the most out of every at bat. Now we will really miss Placido for his ability to put the ball in play and to MAKE opposing pitchers throw strikes. Getting back to bat discipline, I think it's the key to the momentum changes that have been happening against more than for the Tigers lately. Justin may be struggling (using him as an example) with his control lately, but opposing team bat discipline has a lot to do with that. The Tigers should be picking up on that. Other side of the coin, Why should opposing pitchers throw strikes if the Tiger hitters will continue to swing at balls? And jumping on first pitches makes for quick offensive innings, which means that our pitcers are all too often thrown right back out there after struggling through a long previous inning. Seems to happen a lot. Someone should put a clock on half innings (they probably do it already). I bet the Tigers spend about half the time in the dugout that opposing teams do. When the Tigers score runs they seem to do it quickly. They're just so aggressive at the plate. The old Little League saying "A walk's as good as a hit" is true. It may be even better, 'specially when it's followed by a homerun.

Rich,
A story I once heard on Bill Klem:

Seems a rookie was called out on strikes by Big Bill and in disgust he threw his bat high in the air. Bill says, "Son, if that bat comes down, you're out of the game!"

Re: Leyland keeping Verlander in -- It seems like Leyland thought "sure, they'll score a few, but Verlander will get em out before any real damage, and then he'll still get the 5+ innings needed for a win." Too bad it didn't work out that way.

So, is Perez going to be taking over at 2nd? It seems that would be a step backwards from Polanco. I hope he gets well soon.

Do'h... ignore that 1st bit -- wrong game, wrong pitcher!! I must not have been close enough attention -- was thinking of Bonderman in the 7-6 loss vs. Rangers.