Santiago at short, Infante 2nd

That is almost as good as a lineup can look with out Casey. The Infante at DH raises a few questions, but we can wait to bash JL if it doesn't work (jk). I do have a feeling Infante will be pinch-hit for later in the game if its close.

Well he's at least got the right guy at SS. I don't get the DH job today against a RHP.
Post season play has a way of making heroes out of average players or for turning careers around -- Gomez may have been entering that zone.

I think it would have been a better idea to "Go with Gomie"

but Infante is a fastball hitter and if Harden has to throw fastballs it could be a good move.

The main thing here is that the infield defense has been improved. With Rogers on the mound I like santiago out there way more than Perez. no comparison.

Still, it's a pretty strange lineup. Monroe batting 2nd instead of Polanco? Duh!
Swap those guys at least.

He must have a "feeling" about Infante--goes against the righty/lefty philosopy AND he is batting him ahead of Inge.

It's never dull in "Ley Land"!

Polanco has proved that he can hit fine out of that 3 hole and Monroe is used to the 2 spot when Granderson rested.

Polanco can hit in his sleep! Does that mean he should bat cleanup? He is a prototypical #2 hitter. Monroe is an atypical #2 hitter. He packs a punch willhit the long ball and will be a big RBI guy. I would rather have Granderson on first, Polanco on third and Monroe hitting 3 run tater.

Guys, it's got to be the wind. Gusting 34 mph straight out to left, anybody can poke one over. Anything Gomez hits in the air is pushed to rightcenter for a loud out. Thames would have been a choice, too.

Let's hope Infante can turn on a hard one Rich. That'd be sweet.

Harden has incredible stuff--I doubt he is physically capable but if he is he can throw a clinic.

C-Mo just struck out with the bases packed. That could be a pivot point. Shame we couldn't take advantage of those 3 fre passes.
I would rather have had Polanco up there in that situation.

As far as giving C-Mo an extra AB by batting him 2nd--that theory *****. Why do you bat him 7th otherwise? If anyone on this team is one you want to give an additional AB to--it's Rock Polanco.

Like Bruce Hornsby said, "That's the way it is"

Santiago---That's what I'm talkin' about!!

Man ) man. You got a guy down you have to stomp on his throat (i know that sound pretty ugly but figurative not lieral).
The bats let Harden up for air and he is going ot be tough to score on now.

Ordonez looke dpretty foolish on his lacklustre AB and needs a dressing down for not running that ball out. Shame on him. Who does he think he is? Frank Thomas?

If that's the case then he needs to put a few over the wall.

Hey guys--did you see how Pudge set up inside then moved outside on Chavez? That was slick.
It is time to stick it to Harden or this is going to be one tough game.

I'm thinking Ingie may be the flavor of the day.

How about Kenny again today? If I didn't know better, I'd say that this is shaping up to be Curtis' and Kenny's postseason!

Santiago is making plays today that Leyland knew only he could. Hats off to Jim again for having the proverbial Midas Touch for baseball.

Labor--Leyland is getting too much credit for some this. Santiag was a natural choce the moment Casey went down. He got away with one with Perez at SS.

Leyland might be entering that twilight zone where he feels he starts the turnstile going and shuttling in players more than he needs to.

Keep Santiago where he is.

Leave Rogers in--do not take him out yet. If he has a good 7th then let him go again.

Harden threw a really nice game. Nice (for me anyway) to see another Canadian ballplayer that excels in "America's Pastime".
Ferguson Jenkins, John Hiller, Eric Gagne, Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Mike Gardiner, Jeff Zimerman, Matt Stairs, Ryan Dempster, Terry Puhl, Pete Ward and Reno Bertoia? etc etc

Sorry guys. I've been on this board since Opening Day and I havent introduced myself. I'm Bryan.

And Dan, I don't necessarily agree that Santiago is the automatic choice when Casey goes down. I'm a big Omar fan myself, and if it was up to me, I think I trot him out there (even though he's a natural SS) and keep Thames/Gomez at DH. I do agree with you that the media is overblowing Leyland's strategic skills. He's no mastermind or anything; he just knows how to handle people.

Thank you Kenny for another amazing game when it matters the most! Let's go dig a hole the A's can't get out of!

I apologize, Omar is a natural 2B, not SS.

I like Omar and admire his intenstiy and perserverence. He has actually been treated somewhat shabilly IMO. BUT Santiago is clearly a premier defensive SS.
Omar can play too but you are right he is more suited to 2B.

My point about Santiago is that if you are compromised defensively because of an injury but have the opportunity to improve yourself defensively at at least 1 position in the scenario then do it. What you lose with Casey's bat and glove can be compensated by improving your range and skills elsewhere in the infield.

Great job at first today by Carlos. The rest of the infield was impeccable.

Rogers is wearing his heart on his sleeve and seems to be tuned in for a place in baseball history this post season.

If I were Yogi Berra I might say something like "baseball is 50% physical and 100% emotional".

Nice job Rodney--and Jonsie.

This alleviates the difficulty presented by ZoomByYa's injury.

Get well Joel.

All I can say is.............Kenny is a man's man.

I had him out of the rotation right after the All-Star game, and he has proven that I am a dolt.

Kenny, you are truly magnificent!

Man,Buffalo got hit hard again. Cold air and wind over a warm Lake Erie, once again a recipe for disaster. Half of Buffalo area without power, which means half of my wife's family. It's weird because it was very windy here south of Rochester, but still a beautiful sunny day. The strange phenomenon of lake effect snow... And with leaves on the trees, it made the situation 10 times worse. Supposed to go south of Buffalo to a family gathering tomorrow. Amazingly the southtowns didn't get hit.

Welcome Bryan. Yeah, Dan, Steve, and I kind of hang our names right out there. Actually I would have attempted to pick something more original but my wife beat me to it. Hense the all original marty12.

All good comments about the lineup. It's amazing how the media has just crowned JL the genius of baseball. Well, we Tiger fans have a little more educated,long distance understanding of what is happening don't we? I think we all agree that JL is a great helmster, a clubhouse presense, a guide, a captain, a leader who has done a special job in getting this group of guys playing as a team first, and then, individually, each playing to his potential. Therein lies the true genius of Jim Leyland. I prefer to call it a "gift".

But we have seen some lineups and managerial moves that have given us fits haven't we? And we went through a pretty awful August and September, watching these lineups struggle and disappoint. So if the media and baseball world want to call JL a genius, pushing all the right buttons, making brilliant moves like no other manager can, fine with us right? Great for JL! He really deserves the credit allbeit for different reasons than "pushing all the right buttons".

If you want to look for the biggest reason for this post season turn around, look no further than Placido Polanco. He absolutely makes everyone a better player up and down the lineup... and the pitchers too. Because all of a sudden they're pitching with early leads, and superb defense behind them. He's contagious.

Now, in MHO (ha) Omar Infante is a better overall player than Ramon Santiago. But in this particular game situation Santiago is the right choice (thank you JL) because his defense and range take away opposing hits and runners. He is so quick, he elevates the whole play of the infield. Offensively, if he even "puts the ball in play" it's bonus. So Dan I agree with your line of thinking. But Bryan, I'm a big Infante fan also and am always happy when he's in the lineup.

I really liked the lineup tonight, though the absense of

of Gomez was puzzling. But, having said that, tip your hat to JL for giving Omar some very important at bats, AND Omar comes through. No surprise there (we already know), but the media seemed impressed didn't they?

Dan, I agree that Monroe and Polanco should have been switched around but the rest of the lineup seemed right. Notice there was no production from the 4,5, and 6 hitters tonight. Their turns tomorrow right?

Maglio's defense has picked up nicely, but still would like to see Gomez in there. This is probably another one of those intangible insights that JL has, maybe realizing Mags is a better hitter when he plays OF. Don't mess with his mind right? Maglio seems to be one of those guys that can raise the level of his play at will. Not sure if I like that but we'll take it, 2 nice catches today.

Kenny Rogers...what can you say? I repeat what I said earlier in the season, they are the MEN.

Monroe, sweet swing. Pudge, Brandon, Curtis, Carlos, Ramon, if they're not doing it offensively, they're doing it defensively. Joyful baseball the way we absoutely love it!!

One win to go now. I mention again the dejected sadness we all experienced 2 weeks ago this Sunday. You remember the blogs.... Most of us were beginning to speak of the future possibilities, coming to grips with all the losses that we were watching, conceding this year as being, at best, a chance to experience post season play. This is a different reality isn't it?

I don't believe in jinxing their success, nor do I believe in boasting prematurely... But our team is one victory away from a trip to the Fall Classic. WOW! As Dan says, Dare to Dream...

When I said THEY are the MEN, I meant to include Todd Jones.

I just want to repeat my prediction that they can't beat either the Yankees or the A's, and I stand by it. It's been proven totally wrong, but I stand by it. :-)

It has been a funny experience picking out all the erroneous information the national media brings to these events. Good example tonight was saying that Craig Monroe hasn't hit a grand slam all year. Yeah.....I must have dreamed that one in July. Now I suspect anything they say about the Mets and Cardinals.

The crowning of Ol' Jim with the label of a strategic genius is kind of wink wink humorous. As usual, you look good when the horses perform, and like a fool when they don't. But I'll say again, great manager, couldn't have done it without him. His visit to the mound tonight duplicates many such visits he's made, and I suspect he tells Rogers to leave it all out there with this hitter because he's your last guy. Good approach, IMO. I've seen that a lot this year. The pitcher isn't left to wonder, he knows he can bear down and get this last guy and walk out of there with his head held high.

Santiago played a very slick shortstop, and I'd have to leave him in there, although there may be a change with Bonderman pitching. Was that a highlight play by Inge or what? Take that, Derek Jeter. This is how you do it without driving your face into a seat.

Bonderman is in a position to really REALLY make a statement. I hope he does and we get this done, because I have to do a thing at the Kennedy Center Sunday evening and would miss the end of the game. What more motivation do the boys need? :-)

Admire your honesty Rich. Must admit I too had similar feelings but could not bring myself to write them. Would have been too painful. We can look at the realities and doubt, but we got to keep hoping. It's what makes us die hard fans.
Trouble is, we're so used to getting beat up by these teams, it's still hard to come to the realization that the Tigers are as good or better than any of them. Nice realization yes?

Wow. Late post here. Thanks Marty.. I guess it just never crossed my mind the whole season that no one knew my name.

Anyway, I agree that Santiago was the right choice today. I, too, however think Omar is the better player.

I know it's easier to say this as a fan of the team, but from an objective viewpoint, was there a better offseason move than the Tigers signing Kenny Rogers? The media harps on it so much, but really what he has done to the young guns on the team alone makes him underpaid (if you can say that!) I hope Surly Verly and Bondo are taking notice to his quiet fire that is always burning when he's on the mound. "Give me the God **** BALL!" I believe is the Gambler's motto for this postseason, and I love it.

Tomorrow is a STATEMENT game for Jeremy Bonderman. He will forever be known as the man who knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs, but he can upgrade his status to true ace if he gets it done tomorrow. Everyone needs the guy who they KNOW will stop a slide, or crush the other opponent when they're weak, and that's Bondo's role on this team in the next decade. Tomorrow, he can prove that he's not only ready for it, but that he's already taken that role. I'm not asking for 5 perfect innings with only 40 pitches again, but hey I'd take it!

arty, I think you may be spot on with your analysis of the Maggs DH role. Leyland does not want to upset the guy probably. I'll have to look up his stats as a DH.

IF--I say IF we get to the WS (and obvioulsy I think we will) I think this may need to be a consideration. While Maggs has done all right out there he is not a fence climber or gap getter. I would not be surprsed to see Gomez out there (Leyland not wanting to offend him aside) at some point-perhaps as a late inning defensive replacement.

Santiago had a very strong game and I hope they leave him be but I would not be surprised at all to see JL play Omar there today and DH Gomez. But at this point and a 3-0 lead, it is hard to guess what JL will do really.

What would be interesting is if we win this one today. Then you have some starting rotation decisions to make--at least I think they should. Rogers pitching like he is I gotta want him on the mound for game #1.

Granderson is playing like he is on fire. Hitless yesterday but flatout played great. Stole a base with authroity, hit and ran, was safe at 3rd on that play and got robbed of a triple by Kotsay---PLUS he walked 3 times!!!

Fantastic game Curtis.

Let's get some decent weather and play ball.