White Sox/Tigers Live Blog

I'm going to be live-blogging the White Sox game against the Tigers this afternoon, and I'm cross-posting the chat here as well. So if you're at work and can't watch the game, watch it here with me.

Gary Sheffield Is Gonna Getcha

If you weren't already aware, the Tigers and Indians had a little incident last night after Miguel Cabrera hit his 36th homer of the season, and Fausto Carmona followed it up by hitting Gary Sheffield with a pitch on the elbow. Now, as anybody who has paid attention to The Sheff throughout his career already knows, Mr. Sheffield is an angry man.

Of course, Gary controlled his temper for a little bit, choosing only to glare at Carmona as he walked to first base, but once Carmona tried to pick him off...

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Gary Sheffield Hits the 250,000th Homer in MLB History

With only 16 home runs this season, the 2008 season hasn't been the most productive year for Gary Sheffield. In fact, his 2008 total is on pace to be his lowest since 1993 (well, in a season he stayed healthy anyway) when he hit 20 for the Padres and Marlins. It also leaves Gary four homers shy of 500 in his career, so odds are he's going to have to wait until 2009 to get there.

Still, he did make Major League history on Monday night...

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Now We're Going To Need Robot Umpires

With baseball using instant replay for the first time on Wednesday night to give Alex Rodriguez his latest pointless home run (Alex also homered last night to help the Yankees only lose by two), it's obvious we've entered a new age in the sport. Of course, all the opponents of instant replay were against it because they weren't sure where it would end.

Yeah, it only starts with home runs, but soon it will be safe or out, fair or foul, and ultimately, balls and strikes...

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Todd Jones Has Probably Thrown His Last Pitch In The Major Leagues

The Detroit Tigers don't have much left to play for this season other now that they've fallen to fourth place in the AL Central, so really, the only goal they have is to finish the season without embarrassing themselves. Well, that and try to catch the red hot Cleveland Indians (see, CC Sabathia and Paul Byrd were only holding them back) and reclaim third place.

They won't have Todd Jones around to help them...

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The Gambler Could Be On The Move

We're only a few days away from baseball's waiver trade deadline of August 31, and though there hasn't been nearly as much wheeling and dealing in August as there was in July, there are still a few moves we may see before the deadline passes.

In Detroit the Tigers have placed veteran left-hander and hater of cameramen everywhere Kenny Rogers on waivers...

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Joel Zumaya Could Be Out Awhile

While the Tigers learned something new about Gary Sheffield on Tuesday - that he hits really well when he's angry about being placed on waivers - they also saw something they've known about for a while. Their bullpen sucks. After Sheffield's two home runs helped get a lead for the Tigers, the Detroit bullpen came in and blew the game like they normally do.

Tuesday's goat was Joel Zumaya, who walked three Blue Jays and gave up the game-winning runs without recording an out, all to the chorus of boos from the hometown crowd. As a result, Jim Leyland doesn't plan on using Zumaya again anytime soon, but it's not because of his performance...

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The Sheff Is Angry, The Black Lung Confused

The Tigers Gary Sheffield has been in the papers a bit lately thanks to some comments he made to the Boston Globe in recent days. In the article Sheffield says he'd be open to a trade if the Tigers felt like moving him was the right thing to do, and that he'd be happy to go somewhere else in hopes that he'd get to play in the field everyday and possibly win another World Series.

You see, Gary isn't that big a fan of his role as designated hitter...

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On Deck: Detroit's On Life Support

Before the season started, the Detroit Tigers were the popular pick amongst baseball fans and experts alike as the eventual World Series champion. After adding Miguel Cabrera to a potent lineup that already included hitters like Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, and Ivan Rodriguez, there was talk that the Tigers would score 1,000 runs this season.

Who knew they'd need to? Though most people were aware that the Detroit bullpen would be a problem area, I don't think anybody thought they would be as bad as they have been in 2008. So now here we sit on August 7th, and the Tigers find themselves in a tailspin...

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Jim Leyland Wants You to Hurt

On Thursday afternoon the Detroit Tigers were about to start a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins that they were hoping would help get the team right back in the AL Central race. Well, three days later the Tigers are finishing up their series with Minnesota just trying to salvage a game.

After finally getting above .500, the Tigers have dropped three straight to Minnesota and are a game below again, 6.5 games behind the Twins for second place. What's made the last three losses even worse is the fact that they've all been one-run defeats. It's enough to make Jim Leyland's stomach hurt, and damn it, he wants yours to hurt too...

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MLB Is Not Screwing the Tigers on Purpose

Yesterday I wrote about Tigers manager Jim Leyland's complaints about the Tigers only having three days off every year for the All-Star break while other teams get four days of rest. To be more specific, The Black Lung said that the scheduling was "It's a joke. Silly is what it is. Not responsible."

The Lung also asked that his quotes be printed in BIG BOLD PRINT so that MLB would hear his complaints and hopefully do something about it. Well, they heard (or read) them, and they'd like Jim to know that they're not out to screw the Tigers...

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Jim Leyland Wants Another Day Off

For a sports fan, baseball's All-Star break is generally the three dullest days of the year. Sure, there's the actual game and the home run derby that goes with it, but other than that, not much goes on in sports for three days. Well, unless you consider summer league basketball a must see event. For the players that don't make the team though, the days off are a blessing they can use to get some rest and try to remember their wife's name.

Of course, not everybody is happy with the time off, or at least not the amount they get anyway, as Jim Leyland isn't quite sure why the Tigers have only gotten three days off the last three years...

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Dontrelle Is Probably Done for the Year

Though I suppose you could argue Dontrelle Willis was done for the year before ever throwing a pitch this season.

Anyway, as you may remember, Dontrelle hurt his knee back on April 11th when throwing a pitch and had to be placed on the disabled list. After returning from the injury, Willis was used out of the bullpen, but that didn't last too long. Willis rejoined the starting rotation after only one relief appearance for two starts before the team just pulled the plug on him and sent him to the minors. He hasn't pitched for Detroit since...

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Is Miguel Cabrera Heading to the DL?

Just when you think things are starting to go right in Detroit, the Tigers take another big blow. Sure, the Kitties are two games over .500 now, have won their last six, and are only five games out of first place, but as I told you yesterday: not all is well in Tigerland.

Detroit had to place Magglio Ordonez on the disabled list on Sunday, and now 48 hours later, they may have to do the same thing with Miguel Cabrera...

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On Deck: Away With You, Interleague Play!

I don't know about most of you, but I know that I've grown tired of interleague play in baseball. When MLB implemented it, I loved it and I supported the move as a way to try and bring fans back to the game after the player's strike in 1994.

It's kind of like when you're in a new relationship with a girl and everytime you're hanging up the phone after talking to her you get into that "No I love you more!" debate. It's kind of cute and charming at first, but frankly, after a few months of it you're screaming at her "OKAY I GET IT! YOU LOVE ME MORE! SHUT THE [expletive] UP ABOUT IT ALREADY!"

I've reached that point with interleague play, and I'm ready to get back to some real baseball...

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Not All Is Well in Tigerland

If there is any team that's incredibly sad to see interleague play end in 2008, it would be the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers feasted on their senior circuit competition, going 13-5, and have now won 17 of their last 21 games. They're finally over .500 for the first time this year at 41-40, and are within five games of the White Sox in the AL Central.

Of course, before catching the White Sox the Tigers will have to pass the Twins, and it so happens that they're starting a three game set in the Twinkiedome tonight, and play Minnesota four more times next week. It's the perfect chance to climb in to second place. If only they had Magglio Ordonez to help them out...

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On Deck: Break Up the Twins

I tried to put an end to it yesterday by mentioning it in the On Deck, but apparently the On Deck Curse is only effective when I lead the post with it. So today, now that the Minnesota Twins have climbed within a half-game of the White Sox and won their last eight games, the Twinkies are getting the star treatment.

As I've already explained in recent days, I have no idea how the Twins are winning so much this season, yet here they are. Earlier this month the Twins were three games under .500 and 6.5 games behind the White Sox, and I thought their record then was a lot more indicative of the type of team they had.

It was only a matter of time before the suddenly resurgent Tigers and maybe even the Indians passed them by, and the Twins became merely a footnote in the 2008 season. All they've done since then is win, win, and win some more...

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Marcus Thames Doesn't Have Time For Singles, Doubles, and Triples

The Detroit Tigers six-game win streak came to an end last night in San Francisco when John Bowker welcomed Fernando Rodney back to the bigs with a three-run homer to give the Giants the win, but that doesn't mean every streak in Detroit died on Monday night. Marcus Thames took Tim Lincecum deep in his first two at-bats thanks to a hanging curveball and a belt-high changeup, making Monday the fourth game in a row that Thames has gone deep.

Still, that's not the streak I'm talking about. Since June 7th, Thames has gone 7-for-29 (.241) which is very much in line with his .257 average on the season. Of course, his slugging percentage since June 7th is .966...

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Morning Wood

Philadelphia Phillies 8 Boston Red Sox 2

The Phillies set the tone early in this game when Jimmy Rollins hit his 28th career lead-off home run, and a couple of batters later Ryan Howard hit a two-run shot to spot the Phils an early 3-0 lead.

Neither were done for the night.

Howard would homer again in the 3rd inning, and the entire city of Philadelphia is lucky to still be standing after the big man rumbled around the bases for a triple in the 6th inning. Rollins would single home another two runs in the 6th. As for Howard, it's the fourth time he's had 4 RBIs or more in the last eight games, and since he's on my fantasy team I'd like to see that production continue.

Cole Hamels made sure that those runs would stand up, as he allowed only two runs (on back-to-back homers from Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew in the 5th) and seven hits in 7 innings. In yesterday's On Deck I said this game was a potential World Series preview, and apparently Cole reads On Deck and thinks I'm some sort of God.

"I believe we're destined to play each other in the World Series," Hamels said. "We can compete with them any day of the week."

San Francisco Giants 8 Detroit Tigers 6

Ha! It never fails! Whenever I feature a team in the On Deck that's on a winning streak, that team always loses. I've gone mad with power!

The Giants used a five-run 8th inning to comeback and end Detroit's win-streak, with the big blow being a three-run homer by John Bowker (who I'd never heard of before last night) off of Fernando Rodney who was making his first appearance of the year for the Tigers.

"I knew I hit it good but I didn't know if it would go over," Bowker said. "It was pretty cool."

As for the Tigers, Justin Verlander struck out seven in six innings and allowed only two runs, but was bitten by his bullpen once again. Also, Marcus Thames homered off of Tim Lincecum twice and has now homered in his last four games. Even more remarkable: Thames' last seven hits have all been home runs.

NL

• Braves 7 Rockies 1

MLB

• Mets 9 Angels 6
  
• Marlins 6 Mariners 1

On Deck: Here Come the Tigers

It's been a very odd year for the Detroit Tigers. After getting off to a horrible start this season, there have been times when they seem to be getting their act together and then suddenly they're horrible again in the blink of an eye. As Joe Morgan would probably say if you asked him about it, "I'm friends with Gary Sheffield." "They're consistently inconsistent."

Still, after sweeping the division-leading Chicago White Sox last week, I asked the question if this was the start of the Tigers turnaround. Was it a sign of things to come?

Well, the Tigers didn't stop there as they followed that sweep with another one against the Dodgers this weekend, and they've now won six in a row to creep back into the race.

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