Monroe sits
Thames is starting in left field tonight, and while it's not a full-time shift, it sounds like Leyland will play it by ear leading into the All-Star break. What he does Thursday with C.C. Sabathia on the mound should be telling. Normally the lefty would be a day to rest Sean Casey, but Casey is 4-for-13 with two doubles lifetime off Sabathia, while Monroe is a still-strong 12-for-44 with two home runs.
Oh, and the quote from Eric Wedge suggesting someone from the Tigers might've tipped off the umpires on how long Rafael Betancourt takes between pitches? Today Wedge suggested it might've been someone with the league rather than the Tigers, and he told Leyland he didn't accuse them.
Leyland, for his part, could care less:
"I don't care about any of that silly stuff. This is Major League Baseball, that's what it is. And I'm supposed to be a Major League manager. I ain't got time to worry about Betancourt and how long he [takes]. The umpires and the people who want to go home, they might be annoyed, but it doesn't annoy me one bit. I play the game like I go to a good movie. If it's a good movie, you stay. If it's a [bad] movie, you leave. I don't care how long it takes."
Good quote from JL. "Silly stuff". At some point in time(tonight)you have to give it a rest. Craig needs a break mentally, to work out a different batting approach I think. Just to be able to step back and think about what he might be doing wrong. I still like him in the stretch run. Thames deserves a shot for a few games. Nice catch tonight, Marcus bth.
This Cleveland team will not go away. It took a great defensive game tonight from all. In fact this could be the best defensive game of the year for the Tigers. Does Guillen's pair of gems beat Inge's ace. Too close to call. This Cleveland offense got even Kenny to struggle.
The Tigers are due for some home runs, Cleveland's had their share. Maybe tomorrow.
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Bottom 5 in the order tonight did most of the damage. Nice to see.
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I'll be glad when this Cleveland bunch leaves town. These games are too much for me. :-) A 5-1 lead didn't even feel safe. Let's get them later when that mojo has worn off.
Yeah, there was some slick defense out there tonight. There's one thing that's been driving me crazy, and that's the "hits" the opposition have been beating into the ground yet getting on base. I guess the Tiger pitchers have that sinker action going, but it always seems like we knock the ball all over the yard, then the other guys get these little...uh...garbage hits. There's a better word that I couldn't use, but it rhymes with hit.
Grilli got out of that sixth inning jam, which was great to see. And Miner, well, what can you say? Two nights in a row, outstanding work by him.
Tonight's win eased a lot of pressure. Regardless of who wins tomorrow, there's been no big change in the race. It will grind on.
One more thought on that Betancourt thing. He comes to the set position sooooo slowly, it must drive the umpires crazy looking for a balk. On every single pitch. Did he stop? No, he moved his hands another eighth of an inch. Wait now, did he stop there? No, still moving. On every single pitch. Is this why the stopwatch came into play?
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Those boys played a pretty darned good series against Cleveland. You could make a case that it would have been a sweep if Sheffield isn't called out at home on Tuesday night. That would have made it 5-3 with the Tigers still hitting. Anyway, now tied in the loss column, with four consecutive good games under their belts.
Hopefully, the period of adversity from injuries and such is drawing to a close and the guys can begin to put together something really special. Should be a fun and interesting second half this year.
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