Tigers open series vs. White Sox
White Sox (57-34) at Detroit (62-30), Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. ET

The two best teams in baseball match up, and the talk of pressure is heating up again. Only it's coming from the White Sox, not the Tigers.
"It is going to be bigger," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said of the series before Chicago's loss on Sunday finished off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees. "We need to go in there and win. If we go in there and don't play well, we can be out of the race in a second. We have to find a way to get it going."

The White Sox struggles, combined with the Tigers taking three of four over the Royals, grew what had been a two-game lead at the All-Star break to 4 1/2 games entering Monday's off-day for both clubs. Detroit can't give up the division lead, even with a Sox sweep. Multiple Tigers wins can put them clearly in command of their American Central League fate.

"It's a series we need to win," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We don't need to win it just because if we lose, we're out. We need to win it to stay close to them and hopefully, we catch them. It's real important and these guys know it. It will be a pretty interesting series."

The Tigers enjoy more solid footing than when they last met the White Sox in June. But by no means are the Tigers seeing a chance to seal the race, not with 2 1/2 months remaining in the season and the Tigers facing their own tests at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park next month.

"Win three, lose three, a lot of games remain," center fielder Curtis Granderson said. "You see teams with big leads who have seen them cut in half. We have more than 60 games left. It's hard to say that this could be the most important part [of the season]. It's important because it's current."

History proves Granderson right. The last time the Tigers had this large of a division lead was in 1988 against the Red Sox. They owned a 4 1/2-game advantage over Boston heading into a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox took two out of three, the Tigers lost three straight at Minnesota after that, and Boston knocked Detroit out of first place on Labor Day.

Manager Jim Leyland doesn't even see it as a matter of the White Sox pursuing them. As Nate Robertson put it, the White Sox are the world champs until somebody takes the title from them, and that's not going to happen this week.

"One thing you have to remember," Leyland said, "The White Sox aren't chasing us. We're chasing them. However, everybody's chasing them. They're the defending world champions. Every team that's in the hunt throughout this stretch is chasing the White Sox. It's not just the Tigers."

Yet no team other than Detroit has a chance to put distance between itself and Chicago. It's an interesting shift in the momentum that was expected to carry into this series.

Whether the Tigers had a one-game lead or 10, the focus publicly remains on their struggles against the White Sox. Chicago took two of three during last month's meeting on the South Side, leaving Detroit on the brink of losing the division lead before the Tigers took the series finale behind Kenny Rogers. It marked their first win in six tries against the White Sox so far this season.

It's not just standings that bring a different atmosphere to this rematch. The series goes back to Comerica Park, where the Tigers believe they could sell out all three games, including the Thursday afternoon affair. Moreover, the stands will be filled with fans who have had playoff fever for at least the past month, compared to fans who were simply giddy over Detroit's start when the White Sox came to town in the season's second week and took three straight.

Then again, everybody's now aware of how dangerous the Tigers are, too.

Leyland doesn't want his players to make too much about it, and most have publicly tried to downplay it. But it's deniable the Tigers don't see a chance to accomplish something.

"The thing is, I understand what Leyland says," Brandon Inge said. "I understand how good we are at taking one game at a time, and we do prepare that way. All I'm saying is it's human nature. We've got the White Sox coming in. We want to beat them. We really do. That's not a lie. There's nothing bad about it. It's our competitive side. It's [Leyland's] job to downplay it.

"We always play very hard. The White Sox, we're still going to play hard against them. We're not going to approach it any differently that way, but everybody knows how big of a series it is. We'd be lying to you if we said it doesn't mean anything. We're going to put our best game out there, and I'm sure the White Sox will, too."

Pitching matchup
CHW: RHP Jon Garland (8-3, 5.37 ERA)
Garland finished the first half by winning his last four decisions, and actually lost one less game than he did during his 2005 All-Star first half, when he went to the All-Star break with a 13-4 record. The right-hander's biggest problem has been the long ball, allowing 19 home runs over 108 2/3 innings.

DET: LHP Nate Robertson (8-5, 3.36 ERA)
The last Tigers starter to go out of the All-Star break, Robertson will be pitching on eight days of rest after losing his last two starts, though both came on the West Coast and the latter was a 3-2 defeat at Seattle. He has a loss and a no-decision against the White Sox this season, most recently with a run allowed over 6 1/3 innings at Chicago on July 6.

Player to watch
Chris Shelton is 3-for-5 in two games against Garland this season with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

Up next
• Wednesday: White Sox (RHP Javier Vazquez, 9-4, 5.07) at Tigers (RHP Jeremy Bonderman, 9-4, 3.59), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: White Sox (RHP Jose Contreras, 9-1, 3.48) at Tigers (LHP Kenny Rogers, 11-3, 4.10), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Athletics (TBA) at Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander, 11-4, 2.83), 7:05 p.m. ET
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060716&content_id=1559351&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

Big series for the Tigers...especially considering the fact that we are 1-5 against them. We need atleast 2 of 3 games just to prove that we can beat these bastards.

Cant Fucking Wait


Lets get it on!

Let's get it done.

I think we'll take the 1st two because their pitchers suck.

Vinny's series preview: http://wtfdetroit.com/index.php?page=Bleachers71806

Go Back To Chicago You South Side Bitches!


lmfao! Great work Vinny.


I think this guy has an opposing POV:



Chicago Tribune Columnist: Relax Tigers fans, the White Sox are better
Rick Morrissey / The Chicago Tribunep


What a lovely time this would be to shut everyone up, to stop all the blubbering from fretful White Sox fans, to stop the World Series talk from a few of the more delusional Tigers fans.
And what a swell time this would be for the Sox and their fans to put some swagger back into their step instead of what we've seen lately, which looks like the hesitant first steps of a shell-shocked dog on July 5th.
The Tigers aren't great. There. I said it. I wrote it. I'll sing it if you'd like. They're good enough to be in first place in the American League Central in the middle of July. They won't be there by the end of September. The Sox will.
You know what the Tigers are heading into their three-game series against the Sox? They're a fine story. But people are confusing a fine story with a fine team. A fine story inspires you, oftentimes surprises you. A fine team bowls you over. There is nothing subtle about a fine team. The Tigers aren't there yet. There's too much season left. There is too much Sox left.
Now, the average Tigers fan, bless him and her, is saying, "Well, what were the White Sox in mid-July last season if not a fine story?" They were a very, very good team. And unlike the Tigers, at least there was some sort of track record. The Sox didn't boil up out of nowhere like a storm cloud. They had been on the horizon for several years.
In many ways, the Tigers are an example of spontaneous combustion -- and that's a very good thing to be. They've hit on something here. But I ask you: Kenny Rogers-Jeremy Bonderman-Justin Verlander compared with the best Sox starters over the course of this entire season? Whom do you want?
Please don't bring me your worries about Mark Buehrle. He's too good. His body of work is too large. He'll bounce back. I'll take my chances with Buehrle-Freddy Garcia-Jose Contreras. And here's the key thing: I'll take them in games that matter. Garcia, for all his distractedness, is a big-game hunter. For all we know, the Tigers are gatherers.
In Chicago, we know what Magglio Ordonez can do. Curtis Granderson is the local kid who got away. Ivan Rodriguez looks like he went through the wash one too many times, he's so shrunken. But he can still play a little bit. Manager Jim Leyland is using all the experience in his tobacco-stained hands to massage this team to -- no, not greatness -- but very-goodness.
What the Tigers have that a lot of other teams would love is a bullpen. The Sox, the defending World Series champion, would love to have Joel Zumaya. They'd love to have Fernando Rodney, too, though he has been struggling lately.
But I keep going back to the 2003 Royals, led by star-crossed manager Tony Pena. Remember the Royals? They were titans for about half a season. They had a 7 ½ -game lead at the All-Star break. They finished 83-79, in third place.
These Tigers aren't those Royals. They're not fluky, just unproven. Pro-Tigers people say the more apt comparison would be the 1991 Braves. You know, the Braves of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. What do you say we let Bonderman and Verlander, both 23, finish being burped before we enshrine them in the Hall of Fame?
You have to go through some fire first, and the Tigers haven't. The best thing that happened to the Sox last year, although it felt like a face-plant at the time, was their torturous descent into badness late in the season. That's fire, and the Sox ultimately proved they were fire retardant.
These three games against the Tigers mean something. Don't let Sox manager Ozzie Guillen tell you otherwise. The Sox need to right themselves for no other reason than their own peace of mind. And, by the way, playing better defense would help too.
I can see Sox fans are jittery. The Morrissey Seal of Approval is a dangerous thing. I stood by the Sox in their freefall last season, then gave them up for dead when their lead was down to the width of an onion skin. That, of course, is exactly when they pulled themselves out of it.
A more enterprising columnist would take credit for slapping the Sox into consciousness. But my faith had wavered, even if briefly, and I learned a lesson. There was something special about that team. There's something special about this one.
Two of out three against the Tigers sounds about right.

blowout...

ugggggggghghhh

Ouch.

I wasnt even at the game.

We need another big bat in the lineup.

No, we need to learn how to fucking pitch.

Why can we not beat the big boys? I like our lineup, but we have a bunch of solid cats and no true studs. Look at the White Sox. Their 3-4-5 of Thome, Konerko, and Dye is ultra impressive. I don't think Abreu is the answer. I really think we need a big bat a la Soriano to get this team over the hump. I think if we stand pat, we will lose the divison to the Sox and have an outside chance at the wild card. A move fore a big bat needs to be made.

Another thing....is anyone else having trouble with ESPN tonight? I was hyped to watch the Tigers on ESPNHD, but the channel is all froze up. On ESPN, they're showing ESPNEWS. Is the channel screwed up or is the game blacked out?

Game's blacked out, unfortunately enough.

let's go Tigers!!!

Tigers down 2-1 in bottom of the 6th

WOOHOOO!!!!!

bases loaded no outs!!

GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CRAIG MONROE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAKE THAT CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!

what an inning :D

up yours Ben Wallace!!

I love me some Craig Monroe!!!!!!!!

What a monster shot.

ESPN blacks out games when theirs a local broadcast. Sucks for those of us with HD.

what an inning :D

up yours Ben Wallace!!

lol.

Luckily there was no huff for Monroe trade

I've been debating all year long, and I've come to a decision. Craig Monroe is officially my Tiger.

I love me some Craig Monroe!!!!!!!!



LMAO. I was totally going to post that but I figured I'd hold off and give you a chance.

LMFAO:

Don't know about the Detroit feed, but on the Chicago feed, they just showed Bonderman on the bench after he got pulled and they were talking about how good of a job he did, and they don't realize it but the whole time they have him on camera, he's packing his tin and then popping a big fat dip in...classic...

3 more outs. We just need 3 more outs. Please Todd, if you are the one given the chance, don't make my article look prophetic.

LOL!

Too bad Jermaine!!!

Come on Shelton, knock in that run so it's not a save situation and we don't see Todd!

Damnit Chris! The best line I've ever heard about Chris Shelton came from Moodini when we were at the Reds game for DrTre's bachelor party. People were throwing around the nicknames Big Red or Orange Crush, and Mood drops in they should call him Fruit Stripe, since he's amazing for a very breif time at the beginning and he struggles immensly after that. I'm paraphrasing somewhat, but you get the idea.

Here comes Todd Jones

2 up, 2 down, let's go. Get that 4.5 game lead back.

Tigers win it!!!

Good game!!

That was a great move bringing Walker in to pitch to Thome. This is another reason I'm not as worried about our closer situation as some. Leyland's not dumb, and I think when we get into big games this fall, he won't be stubborn about having Jones be the guy in save situations period.

It wouldn't be a Todd Jones save without a runner on second! Good win. Nervous fan, but good win.

wow. that was a huge game.
Bondo was on fire today.

And Vinny, the Detroit stations always catch Verlander dipin :)

I guess Jones doesn't get a save. I don't know what the rules are for saves, especially when guys get a save in a game decided by more than 3 runs, but whatever. A win is still a win, and even better when it's against these guys.

While searching for that rule I came upon this:


When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.”
The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.
The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire.

It might be obvious to say that it isnt very well inforced.

It never gets that far anthony. After 5 seconds a batter will call time.

I guess Jones doesn't get a save. I don't know what the rules are for saves, especially when guys get a save in a game decided by more than 3 runs, but whatever. A win is still a win, and even better when it's against these guys.

The tying run has to be due up when the pitcher comes into the game. Thus, if Jones had come in with no outs up 3, the third batter of the inning would of been the potential tying run so if he got out of the inning, he would get the save.

Since Walker got the first out, the tying run was not due up when Jones came in (3 run lead, 2 batters to go) and thus no save. It doesn't matter that the runner got on because you can't "create" your own save situations.

It gets complicated when there are runners on and the like. For example, if Jones came on with a four run lead, no outs, and a man on first, the potential tying run would be due up, even though the lead was four, and if he got out of it he would get the save. By the same token, if he came in with two outs, bases loaded, and a four run lead, and got the one out, it'd be a save, since the one batter he faced was the potential tying run.

Wow, they had an online poll in Sox postgame, and 60% of Chicagoans said they expect the Tigers to hold on to the division title. I was shocked by that, there are alot of Detroiters here, but I thought for sure Sox homers would stuff the vote. (If I were a Cubs fan, I'd make the obligatory cheap shot about Sox fans being too dumb to figure out how to use the "interweb" but that would be....ohhh....whoops...)

Craig Monroe > God

I think that was our first grand slam of the season. About damn time.

Now my hiatus begins. Peace.

It never gets that far anthony. After 5 seconds a batter will call time.

Yeah, but the rule says when the pitcher recives the ball. I'm talking about the guys that walk around the mound, kick dirt, play with the rosen bag, fix their balls inside of the cup. adjust their hat. Or maybe i'm just missreading it.

It never gets that far anthony. After 5 seconds a batter will call time.

Yeah, but the rule says when the pitcher recives the ball. I'm talking about the guys that walk around the mound, kick dirt, play with the rosen bag, fix their balls inside of the cup. adjust their hat. Or maybe i'm just missreading it.
The 12 second time limit doesn't start until the batter is in the batters box.

That was a great move bringing Walker in to pitch to Thome. This is another reason I'm not as worried about our closer situation as some. Leyland's not dumb, and I think when we get into big games this fall, he won't be stubborn about having Jones be the guy in save situations period.

I liked the Walker move as well, but I also think it says a lot about Leyland's confidence (or lack thereof) in Jones. You don't see Mike Myers coming out in the 9th and facing a lefty hitter in a save situation to help out Mariano Rivera.

I'm thinking of knocking off work early today and going home to watch the game.

Kinda feels like March Madness.

Pitcher receives the ball "and the batter is in the box." So Hermy's right.

Damnit Chris! The best line I've ever heard about Chris Shelton came from Moodini when we were at the Reds game for DrTre's bachelor party. People were throwing around the nicknames Big Red or Orange Crush, and Mood drops in they should call him Fruit Stripe, since he's amazing for a very breif time at the beginning and he struggles immensly after that. I'm paraphrasing somewhat, but you get the idea.

Hahahaha Jethro! I forgot about that. Yup, if we're going to give Shelton a nickname based on a brand of gum, it's definitely not Big Red. Fruit Stripe boooyee! Absolutely amazing off the bat, and then after a short period of time, it's like you're chewing your own saliva and you're looking for the nearest trash can. I kinda feel that way about Shelton right now. Where's the nearest trash can, the Nationals? And can we get Soriano in return?

Prediction for today's game... I won't say who will win but I am thinking a bean ball fest may breakout.

Craig Monroe vs A.J. Pierzynski

RAWR

I almost lost my mind for a minute. Got home and flipped on the TV, game wasn't on FSD, wasn't on UPN, wasn't on WGN. Turned on ESPN and saw the Reds game and wanted to throw something.

Same. I thought I'd gone crazy.

Good start for Kenny.

YAY!

THE GAME ISN'T BLACKED OUT!

Great start by both pitchers so far.

2 Out Triple for Monroe.

LOL Shelton attempts the bunt base hit.

I swear, I've seen the Tigers hit more warning track balls this series than all year.

Keep an eye on Kenny, he looks really frustrated with the home plate ump.

There have been several borderline pitches that he hasn't gotten the call on, especially that 2-2 pitch to Konerko just now.

Dye and Crede are killing us.

We could really use a DP ball right here.

Nice to see Kenny work out of that jam with very small damage done. Hopefully we can scrape something together.

1 run allowed was about the best we could have hoped for there

The chat room is open if any of you guys want to hop in: http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/chat/flashchat.php




__________

Kenny is delaing, time to get him some runs.

Alright, we got one in. Zoom has to hold them now.

My Tiger's in.

any chance to see Zoom vs Thome next inning? Or do they just play it safe and go with walker then Rodney?

Walker then Rodney. Last night they basically said Thome struggles against Walker more than any other Tiger Pitcher. However that scares me at the same time.

Okay keep in Zoom so Thome can eat ball.

What a great take out by thames. Maybe the biggest play in the game.

What a great take out by thames. Maybe the biggest play in the game.

It was a helluva play, but our offense has me scared.

Zumaya to the sox hitter: "here it is, hit it if you can"

Holy Shit what an 8th inning for him

Zumaya = Nasty

What a great take out by thames. Maybe the biggest play in the game.

It was a helluva play, but our offense has me scared.

I can see why we need that left handed bat now
But then again, Jose Contreras is one of the better pitchers in all of baseball.

Zoom is a born closer, IMO

go Tigers!![smilie=running.gif]

Ignore me.

Zoom is a born closer, IMO

Why would want to restrict a talent like that to just one inning?

I would much rather have Zumaya readily available to pitch in more than one inning, be it the 7th or the 8th or the 12th, when the other team might be looking to mount a rally.

Who says you only have to use him one inning? Mariano Rivera goes two innings quite frequently, and I'd say he's pretty good.

http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/chat/save.php?id=0f285605e7c57a0d2256cc4ea5a39107&font=Arial&size=13

Great game. Thats all I can say. Wow, what a game.

Can't use the sweep pic.

Maybe we can have the girls karaoke Meatloaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and post the wav file?

Can't use the sweep pic.

Maybe we can have the girls karaoke Meatloaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and post the wav file?

Best I could do:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/mbk311/wtf23.jpg

You even picked the right chick to erase.

Great work Vinny.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that we were about 11 feet from Todd giving up 2 HRs in the inning. But statistically it's a 1-2-3 inning. See how stats can be a little tricky? In 9 out of 10 ballparks the Tigers would have had to rally in the bottom of the 9th.
(actually, that's a lie because Granderson's shot in the 8th would have been a dinger instead of a warning track out.)

This Jones thing is looking like the new Darko/Joey debate.

They say things come in threes...

Yes, indeed. I have three ass cheeks.

Great work Vinny.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that we were about 11 feet from Todd giving up 2 HRs in the inning. But statistically it's a 1-2-3 inning. See how stats can be a little tricky? In 9 out of 10 ballparks the Tigers would have had to rally in the bottom of the 9th.
(actually, that's a lie because Granderson's shot in the 8th would have been a dinger instead of a warning track out.)

Sheltons Bomb for the 2nd RBI and Monroe's triple also would have been gone in most other ball parks. So thats 2 more runs right there as well.

Anderson's shot was pretty close to the right field line, if I remember correctly. Comerica's 330 down that line, which is pretty standard, except for like Yankee stadium and Fenway.

It was a shaky save, yes, but it wasn't necessarily just the ballpark saving him.