OT: Tigers v. Red Sox DH 5/29
Andy Oliver put up a quality start in just his second MLB start and against the best lineup in baseball. Tigers were able to claw back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the first game up, which is where it's at after 7.5.
Also, it seems ESPN and/or MLB is lifting the exclusivity ban and will let FSD show the nightcap featuring Verlander v. Beckett. I guess some big wig finally decided the little bump in ratings the ESPN game would otherwise get is not worth having a premier pitching matchup go un-televised. Good for them, I can't wait to watch!
It's great, I'll probably start a BBQ and have some beer and watch what's going to be a damn good baseball game.
Thanks for the heads up!
verlander needs to shut them down today, hes been too inconsistent this year
8.3 k/9, 3.3 FIP, 3.2 xFIP, already worth a win and a half over a replacement player.
Not exactly what I'd call inconsistent. He's been as good as ever.
Ugh... great AB by a great hitter. Sox go up 4-3 on a pinch hit home run off Papa Grande in the ninth.
He's a steroid freak and part of the artifical muscle Boston cheated its way to two world championships on. Please don't compliment him.
To his credit, his is having a very good year this year while clean.
Fucking Ortiz Maybe our bats can come alive in the bottome of the 9th
not with the bottom of our lineup coming up to bat, i predict a inge check swing strike out to end the game
would even throw that pitch to a player he knew was looking for a HR.
Walk Ortiz for all I care, don't give him a pitch to hit a homerun with.
Just no baseball sense.
Why in the world did he not use Avila as a PH. Jim Leyland is clueless.
Unless they really turn it around, Leyland will complete his sixth season in Detroit with NO division titles despite an extremely competitive payroll in a weak AL Central. That would be grounds for a firing in a serious organization, but Illitch is running a country club with the Tigers. Neither he or Dombrowski are going to be held accountable.
Is there any sports team out there that doesn't make you incredibly angry?
What you don't think Kelly and Raburn can get it done? Come on. They're all stars. Why else would Leyland bat them consistently 2nd or 3rd.
He's not clueless. If the Tigers got a runner on he likely would have hit for Raburn. It's pointless to waste your back-up catcher to tie a game. If you have a chance to win it there, then fine. Otherwise, you can't burn the back-up catcher.
What in the world happened to Valverde's "unhittable" forkball from the first half of last season? All he does now is throw 95 mph fastballs that he can hardly locate, then will sprinkle in a forkball that goes in the dirt.
FML.
The Beckett/Verlander nightcap might get rained out. The severe weather sirens are currently sounding in Ypsi and the radar is pretty ugly.
I hope that Detroit can avoid the brunt of the storm.
it was a nice drive yesterday to my first tigers game only to have it rained out. nothing like a 2 1/2 hour drive back to grand rapids.
I don't know if I'd call the Sox the best line up in baseball, but they certainly can be. Gonzalez has been huge all season and Youkilis has picked it up recently with Pedroia and Crawford also showing signs of life. Ellsbury has been playing pretty well too (i'm not a huge Ellsbury fan, but I gotta give him his due when he's doing well). Papi has been decent all year. If Pedroia and Crawford really get going, the Sox are going to run away with the East. It's hard to believe we started the season 0-6.
I'm looking forward to the game tonight, and I hope it doesn't get rained out. Rarely do you see such a good pitching match up. I know some of you might get mad if the Tigers do get swept, but I think it's more a matter of meeting the wrong team at the wrong time. The Sox are just absolutely on fire right now and playing their best baseball of the season. Sometimes you catch teams during these stretches, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's a long season, and the Tigers have plenty of time to catch the Indians.
Edit: I take back what I said. Apparently a waiver was reached this afternoon allowing the game to be shown in the Detroit and Boston markets. Thank you MLB.
I hope you're looking forward to listening to the game on the radio. No tv is allowed for the game because of MLB's ridiculous blackout rules. All the moneygrubbing.
You should thank ESPN. They had exclusive rights for that time slot, which is why the game was initially not allowed to be shown. Thankfully, they're letting us (both Boston and Detroit area) watch this game. Should be great if they can play.
You have to wonder if the Tigers were playing the Mariners and not the Red Sox tonight if ESPN would have been so kind. Not exactly a surprise that they were willing to do a favor to their beloved city of Boston...
Don't think the WWL is 100% altruistic in this move... On Sportscenter prior to BBTN they were previewing the JV-Beckett matchup like it was their ESPN game. They'll headline that game as the MLB game of the week. By letting the game be televised they're betting on the game earning them the ratings back on Sportscenter that they'll lose on the Sunday night game.
Beckett not looking too hot. Sox are giving Verlander easy outs by not making him throw pitches. I do not like where this game is headed.
That is all.
Verlander has never defined the cliche "stopper" like he did tonight. That's what being an ace is all about. Incredible performance.
Great performance by Verlander but I still don't understand leaving him out there for 132 pitches with a 3 run lead.