Rain drops keep fallin' on my head

Michael Rosenberg has a good column in the Detroit Free Press today about last night's rainout debacle at Yankee Stadium. What a joke. No one is blaming the Yanks for the mess, but they are the Evil Empire.

All along the Tigers were told last night's game would be played. They were told be ready to go at 10. Verlander started to get ready and then a little while later, after he'd stretched and started throwing, was told the game was off. Interestingly, the Yanks never came out for warm ups.

Compounding the trouble was the Tigers had no hotel to return to since they were planning to travel to Detroit after the game.

As Rosenberg wrote: "Playing the Yankees is hard enough. Why must it be so hard to not play the Yankees?"

Mets 6, Dodgers 5(Mets lead series 1-0)

Playoff baseball is the best.

Relaxing moments in this game were rare and fleeting. The Mets got pretty good hitting and pitching, but defensive lapses, some surprising and some not, helped turned this into a very tense game. Still, the Mets got a win despite replacing their starting pitcher at the last minute, leading one to wonder if anything can stop their march to the pennant.

Given the state of their starting pitching, the Mets will probably have to score a bunch of runs to go anywhere this postseason and Carlos Delgado made sure they got off to a good start. In his first playoff game, the Mets' first baseman drove in the team's first run with a monstrous home run over the center field wall in the fourth inning. He finished the day with four hits, two runs and two RBI. Cliff Floyd also homered in the fourth, giving the Mets their first slim lead.

Meanwhile, John Maine stepped up on short notice and Willie Randolph got him out before the game had a chance to get away from him. He allowed one run on six hits and two walks in four and one-third innings while striking out five. He was helped out by a bizarre play in the second that saw two Dodgers get tagged out at home plate within seconds of each other, but overall he was solid. And the Mets' deep bullpen did a great job backing him up, as Pedro Feliciano and Chad Bradford each got one out in the fifth with two runners on base.

The Mets built their lead to 4-1 in the sixth on one of David Wright's two doubles, but the comfort of that margin was short-lived. With one on and none out in the seventh, Jose Valentin fielded a ground ball and tried to make a very difficult throw to second rather than taking the easy out at first. He got neither out and this snowballed into a three-run inning on Guillermo Mota's watch. Valentin has been very good defensively all year but this lapse could have been very costly.

Also having a rough defensive game, somewhat less surprisingly, was Shawn Green. I don't know if Endy Chavez would have caught the ball that went over Green's head in the second, leading indirectly to the Dodgers' first run. But I think he probably would have gotten his glove on one or both of the doubles hit to right against Billy Wagner in the ninth. Those doubles added up to LA's fifth run while Chavez was standing in left, having replaced Floyd in the eighth. On the other hand, Green did go hitless in four at bats with four runners left on base, so at least he didn't ground into any double plays.

A lot of players contributed to this win. Offensively, in addition to Delgado, Floyd and Wright, Carlos Beltran drew three walks and scored one run and Jose Reyes walked, stole second and scored in the seventh. And the Mets used six pitchers in a way that didn't really tax the bullpen. Mota pitched two innings--one excellent, one not--but Feliciano and Bradford threw a total of eight pitches, Aaron Heilman pitched a perfect eighth and Wagner needed just twenty pitches despite giving up a run on two hits and striking out two.

Tom Glavine (15-7, 3.82) will be the guy hoping to give those relievers some extra rest tomorrow. He's 12-10 with a 3.58 ERA in thirty-two career playoff starts. The Dodgers will counter with Hong-Chih Kuo (1-5, 4.22), who has not started thirty-two playoff games but did pitch well against the Mets one time in September. We'll see if the Mets have figured him out yet as they go for a commanding 2-0 series lead Thursday in prime time.

Maybe I'm just paranoid

Autumn in NY

Well, Nate battled, but it wasn't good enough. He didn't completely unravel when the Yanks went crazy in the third, and it's amazing how a break here or there would have kept that from being a big inning. I was happy the Tigers didn't lay down and actually had the tying run at the plate in the seventh.

I guess we will just hope for better tonight with Verlander on the hill. At least the kid has got a sense of humor. After being barraged with questions about how great the Yankees' lineup is, Verlander quipped: "They're pretty tough to get out when the ball is sitting up on a tee. That was probably the only better lineup I faced than these guys."

Tigers had their chances early last night and either ran themselves -- or didn't run themselves -- out of innings. Once they ran into a DP, another time they didn't run, and hit into a DP. Oh, well. I have no fears about them scoring some runs. Just need to keep NY in the 4-6 range. Verlander made 1 start vs. NY this season and gave up 6 runs in 5 IP. Obviously, we need better tonight.

It kills me to see Abreu in pinstripes smacking the ball all over the yard.

Note to El Duque

From, Satchel Paige: “Avoid running at all times." Satchel, too, was born in 1969.

Tom Glavine's calf to enter witness protection program

The Mets may have lost another starter to a calf injury, as Orlando Hernandez "felt discomfort" in his right calf while jogging on Tuesday. He's now questionable for his game one start and likely to be replaced by John Maine, though the extent of the injury is not yet known. If El Duque is unavailable to pitch at all in the series and the Mets therefore have to use Oliver Perez or Darren Oliver as their fourth starter, this could be a serious blow. On the other hand, if Hernandez's injury isn't serious and he just has to be bumped back to game three, it might actually represent an upgrade in the Mets' top three, trading Steve Trachsel for Maine. Either way, the Mets have the offense to slug their way through this series, even if Shawn Green has already been announced as starting. But the hitters' job may have just gotten a bit tougher.

On a lighter note, much of the media coverage of this story refers to Hernandez as a "40-year-old right-hander" even though his profiles on the ESPN and MLB websites claim he was born in 1969. I just don't know what to believe anymore.

Who dat?

"Dave Robertson," Yanks manager Joe Torre said, "is a left-hander who's not afraid to throw strikes."

As the Detroit News pointed out, Nate Robertson does that, too.

Dumb and dumber

Angelos and Loria.

Let the games begin

Now that the disappointment has subsided, and it's hard to remain too disappointed about being in the playoffs for the first time in 19 years, I'm hopeful that the way this all has played out can be to the Tigers' advantage.

Certainly, it's tough going into the playoffs on a five-game skid. But this all could play into Leyland's masterful hands.

The Tigers enter the postseason having accomplished nothing, in a way, and should have a chip on their shoulders. I'm sure Leyland will point out that no one is giving them a chance to beat the Yankees. I'm sure he'll mention how little respect they're getting despite leading the majors in ERA and winning 95 games -- only two fewer than NY.

Chances are that the Tigers would have had to beat the Yankees at some point to advance to the World Series. I'd rather have to beat them only three times than four, so this five-game set again plays to their favor.

Nate Robertson, who has earned my respect this year for his toughness, starts Game 1. He faces a ridiculous NY lineup filled with All-Stars. But I believe he is going to battle his butt off. He had a 2.76 ERA in September. He gave up 2 ER in 7 IP in his only Yankee Stadium start this season and threw a 1-run complete game against them last season (and lost). Lefties hit just .221 against him this year.

Chien-Ming Wang, the Yanks' starter, shut out the Tigers in 7.2 IP in his only Yankee Stadium start against Detroit. He gave up five runs in 4 IP in a start at Comerica.

I think Detroit will score some runs -- that hasn't been a problem lately. It's a question whether they can slow down the Yankees' offense. I think Robertson has a chance. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but it certainly would rattle the cage if he can.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

After a weekend sweept of the Nationals, the Mets finished with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses, fifth best in team history. They'll begin the Division Series on Wednesday at 4 PM against the Wild Card Dodgers (88-74). These teams played seven times in the regular season and the Mets won four.

Orlando Hernandez (11-11, 4.66) will start game one for the Mets. He was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers this year, but he's pitching better now than he has all season, posting a 2.01 ERA in five September starts. Derek Lowe (16-8, 3.63) will start for the Dodgers. He pitched just once against the Mets, allowing two runs in six innings, and he was also good in September with a 3.08 ERA in six starts.

These two have actually started against each other in a playoff game once before. In game four of the 2004 American League Championship Series, Lowe's Red Sox beat El Duque's Yankees 6-4, though neither pitcher figured in the decision. Each allowed three runs, Lowe in five and one-third innings, Hernandez in five. Lowe also pitched in relief in two games Hernandez started in the 1999 ALCS. The Yankees won both games and Hernandez pitched considerably better than Lowe, allowing four runs in fifteen innings compared to Lowe's three runs in five and one-third. It will certainly be fun to see them face off again for another two teams with a bit of postseason history. It's time we got some payback for 1988. Let's go Mets!

Stumbling into the postseason

After the Tigers clinched a postseason spot, I kept telling myself it didn’t matter whether they won the division or not. They were playing with house money, I figured.

I also figured the players would relax after weathering the storm and play loose, and play well down the stretch.

Now, after watching Detroit drop its final five games, including the last three to KC, I feel differently. I feel deflated. One win, that’s all that was needed to win the division and stay home against Oakland in the playoffs. Now, it’s off to NY.

The offense wasn’t bad – the Tigers averaged 6 runs per game over their final six games. The pitching, though, went south, and that’s very troubling.

Kenny Rogers finally tailed off, although since he carried the team in August and September, I figure he deserves a pass. But he’s definitely got to step it up now. Justin Verlander was rested, so hopefully that pans out.

Nate Robertson will start Game 1 in NY. He’s either the Tigers’ third or fourth best starter, so that’s a bit of a concern. Where you rank Robertson depends on whether you rate Jeremy Bonderman on his stuff and potential, or on his performance.

Bonderman again came up small on Sunday, failing to hold a 6-0 lead. Your ace, or future ace, whatever the talking heads want to call him, needs to preserve that kind of advantage with the division on the line. Bonderman is a stand-up guy and always takes the blame for his failures, but we could do with less standing up and more stepping up.

Hopefully, Jim Leyland can get the team to put its disappointment – and losing streak – behind it and be revved up for the playoffs. He’s pushed the right buttons so far, but I fear this will be a challenge.

The house never lets you enjoy that money.

Who Am I?

Last night, Miguel Tejada collected base hits number 210 and 211 tying the Orioles franchise record for most hits in a season (Ripken, 1983). With one more base hit, Tejada will own the single season hits mark for both the A's and the O's.

I am (currently) the only player in Major League history to own the single season hits mark for two different ML franchises.

Shawn Green stinks or: Thoughts on the Mets' postseason outfield

With the return of Ramon Castro from the disabled list, most of the decisions regarding the list of position players on the Mets' postseason roster are easy. Maybe there's some question as to whether Michael Tucker or Ricky Ledee gets to be the sixth outfielder, but if that winds up mattering, the Mets will be in some trouble already. It also seems like there's not much question as to who the Mets' starting outfield will be. Unfortunately, the Mets appear likely to make the wrong decision.

No one with eyes could argue that Shawn Green is a better defensive outfielder than Endy Chavez. Chavez is simply great, perhaps the best outfielder on the team. Having both Chavez and Carlos Beltran in the same outfield gives opposing offenses precious little room to place fly balls and line drives for hits. Green, on the other hand, stinks. He may make the occasional diving catch on a ball that Chavez would've caught with ease, but the fact that his hat flies off every time he runs is the only resemblance he bears to Willie Mays.

Of course, Shawn Green isn't getting paid eight million dollars this year for his glove. This is a guy who hit over forty home runs...four years ago. But Shawn Green circa 2006 is a hitter clearly on the decline. His OPS is under .800 and down about sixty points from last year. He's hit just fourteen home runs. In fact, he's been so bad that his on-base and slugging percentages are virtually identical to those perennial offensive sinkhole Endy Chavez. Chavez is having a career year, hitting .307/.348/.430 entering tonight's game, compared to Green's .277/.343/.429. Neither of these lines is great. Neither is even as good as the average NL right fielder. But given Chavez's speed and defense and Green's opposite of speed and defense, there can't be much question who's been the better player.

The Mets have run roughshod over the National League this season, and the difference between them and the next best team is probably greater than the difference between Green and Chavez. But with their offense slumping since clinching the division and their pitching growing more uncertain by the day, they can't afford to give away any runs on offense or defense. Endy Chavez is one of their three best outfielders. He may be in the top two at this point. There's no good reason he shouldn't be standing in right field when game one of the NLDS begins.

Short division

Apparently, neither Jim Leyland nor Ron Gardenhire is too caught up in winning the AL Central. Gardenhire said Johan Santana won't start Sunday; he's going to start Game 1 of the playoffs. Leyland said Justin Verlander won't start this weekend, so he can get additional rest for the postseason.

Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosneberg quipped, "If this is a race, it's a race-walk."

The talking heads keep saying it's best to win the division because it means not having to face the Yankees in the first round. But might it be best to meet the Yanks in a five-game set rather than seven? Hard to say. Part would depend on Randy Johnson's back, I guess. If he's not healthy, maybe it's better to see NY in seven games because their pitching will be thin after Wang-Mussina.

Placido Polanco is 4-for-6 with five RBIs since his return. He drove in 3 of the Tigers' 4 runs last night; two with a two-out single and the other on a squeeze bunt. Welcome back!

Memory lane

The last time the Tigers made the postseason, the squad looked like this:

C – Matt Nokes, .289-32-87
1B – Darrell Evans, .257-34-99
2B – Lou Whitaker, .265-16-59
3B – Tom Brookens, .241-13-59
SS – Alan Trammell, .343-28-105 (robbed of MVP)
OF – Chet Lemon, .277-20-75
OF – Pat Sheridan, .259-6-49
OF – Kirk Gibson, .277-24-79
DH – Bill Madlock, .279-14-50
Key reserves – Larry Herndon, .324-9-47 (one very key HR); Dave Bergman, .273-6-22.

P – Jack Morris, 18-11, 3.38; Walt Terrell, 17-10, 4.05; Frank Tanana 15-10, 3.91; Doyle Alexander, 9-0, 1.53; Dan Petry, 9-7, 5.61; Mike Henneman, 11-3, 7 Sv, 2.98; Eric King, 6-9, 9 Sv, 4.89.

Again, this is one of the greatest final two weeks of a season that nobody seems to talk about. The Tigers were 4 GB Toronto with 8 to play, but had the good fortune of playing the Jays four more times. They won all four. Herndon’s HR on the final day helped Frank Tanana (photo) beat Jimmy Key 1-0 and win the title. Both pitchers went the distance.

Over the last two weeks the teams played seven games; six were decided by one run and two ended in extra innings. Four times the winning run scored in the final inning. The Jays ended with the second best record in the AL.

Since then it’s been the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good: Cecil Fielder, Travis Fryman, Mickey Tettleton, Tony Phillips, David Wells, Bobby Higginson, Tony Clark, Damion Easley, Todd Jones, Doug Brocail, Dean Palmer, Jeff Weaver, Dmitri Young.

The bad: Gary Pettis, Ray Knight, Rick Schu, Darnell Coles, Urbano Lugo, Rob Deer, Pete Incaviglia, Dan Gakeler, Steve Searcy, Les Lancaster, Buddy Groom, Eric Davis, Mike Moore, Tim Belcher, Phil Nevin, Felipe Lira, Sean Bergman, Ruben Sierra, Chris Truby, Eric Munson, C.J. Nitkowski.

The ugly: Juan Gonzalez, Torey Lovullo, Charles Hudson, Scott Aldred, Kevin Ritz, Jose Lima, Todd Van Poppel, Clint Sodowsky, Dave Borkowski, Adam Bernero, Nate Cornejo.

There also was the simply mediocre: Carlos Pena, Robert Fick, Wendell Magee, Mark Redman, Jose Macias, Deivi Cruz, Shane Halter, Juan Encarnacion, Roger Cedeno, Steve Sparks, Brad Ausmus, Luis Polonia, Hideo Nomo, Danny Patterson, Gabe Kapler, Justin Thompson, Dave Mlicki, Willie Blair, Joe Randa, Brian Hunter, Bryce Florie, Melvin Nieves, Bob Hamelin, Frank Catalanotto, Omar Olivares, Mike Heath, Fred Lynn, Paul Gibson, Jeff Robinson, Lloyd Moseby, Milt Cuyler, Skeeter Barnes, Dan Gladden, Bill Gullickson – you get the picture.

These lists were hard to create and I didn't include players already listed on the '87 squad or current team. I'm sure some players would move to different categories depending on my mood. The bad and the ugly, in particular.

But the past is dead. RIP.

See you in October

One more to go

The Tigers moved within a game of clinching a playoff spot by bashing KC tonight. Detroit is 13-1 vs. the Royals this year.

Either a Tigers win or White Sox loss Sunday clinches the Detroiter's first postseason berth since 1987. The Tigers are 7-4 since dropping three in a row in Minnesota earlier this month.

Placido Polanco returned to the lineup today and went 3-for-4. His first at-bat was a two-run double in a 10-run first inning for the Tigers.

Kenny Rogers allowed one run in eight innings. He is 6-1 with a 1.72 ERA in his last 10 starts. He's 17-6 overall.

The only downer for Detroit was Mike Maroth giving up three runs in the ninth as he tries to come back from elbow trouble. It seems unlikely at this point he'll be much help in the postseason, which is unfortunate. He's given up five runs in his last two outings.

Phils' bats doing damage

Just some stats on the Phillies.

Prior to the All-Star break they batted .256, which tied with Houston for worst in the NL. They had 420 runs, good for seventh. They had a .332 OBA, which was 11th.

Since the break, they’ve batted .275, which is best in the NL. They have 386 runs, again the tops. They have a .360 OBA, which is, you guessed it, No. 1.

Pitching wise, they had a 4.82 ERA before the All-Star break; they have a 4.45 mark since. It’s not much of a difference, moving them from 13th place to 11th.

Typical

A moderately sized group of Orioles fans staged a demonstration at yesterdays' O's vs. Tigers contest protesting the Orioles losing ways.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos responded thusly, "Whoever joins that protest has no comprehension of what it costs to run a baseball team. When you get down to facts, putting together a team that can compete in the AL East means having a payroll between $100-110 million. That money comes from the consumer, and I have chosen to keep ticket prices to a minimum. Our payroll is $75 million, and our ticket prices average $22. Some of the teams we compete against charge an average of $45. We're going to have to match the competition. How to do that is a decision I will make in the future."

I agree with the demonstrators. Angelos is a Loser. While Angelos is correct to point out that I have "no comprehension of what it costs to run a baseball team....", the fact that he uses this excuse marks him a Loser.

It is not my fault that it is expensive to operate a Major League Baseball franchise. Nor is it my fault that the Orioles have 9 consecutive losing seasons. Even if I had any comprehension of the costs involved, the Orioles would still have 9 consecutive losing seasons. There is nothing I can do about it.

Except stop giving a *#$&^#$.

Hit the Reset Button

After 152 games the Phillies are tied with the Dodgers for the NL Wild Card and all of a sudden it’s a 10 game season. At this point you could look at the schedule and try to shape it up, but really that doesn’t mean much now. Which ever team wins more in the next 11 days is in the playoffs and the other has to hope the Padres fall apart. Find whatever man up or put up or shut up cliché you want.
It’s time to see if Red really does means Go!