GoWings1905

It's Leyland, guys. If Verlander is at the threshold of his pitch count going into the 9th inning in a save situation, Valverde will be on to close. Same guy that played Ryan Raburn and Brennan Boesch for large chunks of the season. He's stubborn and loyal, sometimes to a fault, but his players love him for that. Verlander just needs to be his own bullpen. The A's have done a great job working the counts and getting him to throw a lot of pitches in the previous two starts. JV isn't really my concern though. The offense has to get going and put up runs somehow.

I have a bad feeling about tonight, but that could just be the bitter taste from yesterday still. I guess the positive angle is there's no one else I'd rather have on the mound in this spot. With the A's at home and the season they have had, feels like they are almost destined to win this game. Go JV and Tigers! Maybe the Tigers can score enough runs so the bullpen isn't a factor late. AJ needs to have a big night in particular I think.

What's the Spanish word for s***? Because that's more fitting than potato. Unbelievable. Valverde was so lucky last season. It was a fluke to convert every save and it's showing big time now because he is not closer material at all. He throws 93 MPH fastballs in the strike zone nearly every pitch and hopes it lands in a glove. Benoit has really been no different in the second-half as well. What was nearly a guaranteed win every time a season ago is now the complete opposite. You can't trust either in a close game to hold a lead. Goes to show how unpredictable bullpens are in MLB from year-to-year. The A's use Doolittle, Cook and Balfour and have major success. You could definitely see this coming right when Valverde entered between his garbage and the A's penchant for always finding a way to win it seems, but man does this loss sting a lot. JV has to throw a complete game tomorrow basically and hope this unreliable offense can put up a few runs.

Boy, do I wish Bob Brenly was doing color in this series instead. Buck Martinez is absolutely terrible. Really, TBS coverage and talent for the playoffs altogether is quite poor.

Well, that looked a lot like the Tigers typical road performance for most of the season. The inconsistent offense was my biggest concern going into the playoffs. Really, the Tigers haven't mustered much of anything in the first three games and the A's defense certainly didn't gift any runs tonight. Oakland does pitch very well, but the Tigers really need to get the big bats going at the top of the order or this series could easily swing the other way. I find a way to despise Delmon Young just a little bit more with each passing game. Didn't really expect a sweep, though it would have been nice to get it over with quickly and not allow Oakland any chance to get back in it. Sanchez was very solid again at least. Very concerned about Scherzer's rust and health for tomorrow. Also have to say, the Athletics whining about Al-Al is even more laughable to me after watching Balfour tonight. A kiss on the baseball is nothing compared to those antics on the mound. I think the A's are a likeable team and great story overall, but I really can't stand Reddick or Balfour (and Inge).

RIP Budd. A staple of the experience at Joe Louis Arena. A legend of the Red Wings organization. Nothing but bad news since the playoffs ended for our team.

Stoked I'm going to lose another season of watching Z play. Careers go by fast enough, let alone losing two years because of the lockout master.

Absolutely agree. Being up 2-0, at worst, now the Tigers get JV in Game 5. Obviously my nerves hope they wrap it up tomorrow, but I definitely thought it was crucial to win the first two at Comerica because the Tigers haven't been very good away from home this season. Exactly. Reddick flipped after one of his 18 strikeouts in this series so far and that's acceptable but Al-Al showing some emotion after a huge out is immature and uncalled for. Has he never watched his own closer Grant Balfour pitch? The whole kiss really isn't a big deal -- just a young team whining because they find themselves a game away from elimination. Personally, gestures like that don't bother me and it wouldn't the other way around either. It's emotion, playoff baseball and excitement combined. Certainly not necessary, but nothing to complain about.

Anything else Josh Reddick would like to whine about in this series? The strike zone in Game 1, Al-Al's baseball kiss today. Maybe he should be more concerned with his 6 K's in 7 AB's so far.

October baseball: Don Kelly is the hero in a playoff game. Very happy for him -- seems like an awesome person and quite the team player. Watched him play in Toledo a little more than a month ago. Tigers up 2-0 heading to Oakland! What a game. No kidding. Didn't like the move to bunt Dirks at all either. Hate to complain after a win like that, but wasn't a very well managed game by Leyland.

Porcello, Smyly, Worth, Kelly all make the playoff roster of the borderline decisions. Boesch, Villarreal and Downs left off. Only one I don't really like is Porcello over Downs (Oakland has a lot of lefties), but I get wanting to have a fifth starter just in case. Thrilled Boesch isn't around -- he's useless at the plate and terrible in the field. Tigers lineup for Game 1: Jackson 8, Berry 7, MVP 5, Fielder 3, Young DH, Dirks 9, Peralta 6, Avila 2, Infante 4 and JV starting Getting excited now. Let's Go Tigers!

Can't believe Texas is gone already. Their pitching is pretty mediocre, but that lineup is loaded. They were the last AL team I wanted the Tigers to see just because I think the matchup is a very poor one. Thought the Rangers were going to cruise through the AL and back to the World Series. What a great story the Orioles are. The A's too, but I feel like that script should end on a bad note. I like the Tigers in four, Orioles in five, Cardinals in four and Giants in five in the divisional series. Not sure why, but I now feel really good about the Tigers chances to get to the World Series. I probably shouldn't be overly confident given some of the flaws we witnessed for most of the regular season. However, pitching wins this time of year and the Tigers starting rotation is excellent. Giants/Tigers in the fall classic, though I do see the Giants winning it all.

Well, apparently the infield fly rule now includes a ball hit into left field. I can't even grasp how you can possibly make that call there. Shame on the Braves fans though. That's not the answer and it's embarrassing to witness a scene like that result.

Welcome Back! I wondered where you had been to share in this, at times, very agonizing season. At least it turned out well in the end and now the best is yet to come: playoff baseball -- where anything can happen. I'll start thinking more about the A's and that series tomorrow, but for tonight I'm just extremely proud of Miguel Cabrera. It's an honor to watch him play baseball on a daily basis, much like Justin Verlander when he starts. I don't feel like Miggy winning the Triple Crown is rightfully getting the attention it deserves. Scary thing about Miggy is he basically puts up these numbers every year and yet it largely goes unrecognized or maybe it's just expected status quo by now. What a talent and probably once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment achieved. He's the MVP without question. Proud of the Tigers also for winning the division. It wasn't pretty, nor certain until game 160, but they got it done and nothing else matters now.

Tigers lead 6-0 in the 6th. Can't say anything yet because of the bullpen struggles, but this is about to get fun.

Magic number: 1 Let's celebrate tomorrow night and get it over with.

The bullpen is quite scary at the moment. I think the Tigers could handle either of those teams in a short series with their starting pitching. Although, a lot of that hinges on a healthy Max Scherzer. Just hoping the wild card can knock Texas out. Been a crazy season, but I'm still stoked the Tigers are closing in on a division title. Have never won the division in consecutive years in franchise history.

Call me crazy, but I wouldn't want Hamilton. From a strictly baseball standpoint, absolutely yes. From a money angle, it would be a bad move for the Tigers going forward. Having Prince here now is already going to cause a headache trying to keep both JV and Miggy when they become free agents, let alone what Hamilton's contract would do. Right now I think the biggest priority is a corner outfielder or two (ideally with some speed/defensive ability). Wouldn't mind upgrading shortstop, but there's nothing out there really. Maybe a short-term closer until Rondon is ready. Tigers up two games now with six to play. Huge favor in the schedule with the White Sox having four against the extremely hot Rays. I'm still going to be nervous this weekend, but it looks promising as long as the Tigers show up and win on the road. Quite concerned about Max's shoulder -- that would be a huge loss if he's not healthy going into the playoffs. I really like Smyly (more than Porcello even), but Scherzer has been lights out since May. Awesome to see Fister make history yesterday. Nine consecutive K's to set a new AL record. His command was exceptional.

I like the red uniforms much more personally, so I prefer seeing them on the Wings at home.

Anibal with a spectacular outing. Makes me feel a little better about losing Turner and Brantly when Sanchez pitches like that in a huge game. The Tigers have a lot of flaws, but I just feel like if they can get into the playoffs, the starting rotation makes them quite dangerous. Oh and we have Miggy.

Ugh. What an absolutely horrible pitch too by Pestano. Dunn strikes out more than anyone and he grooves an 0-2 pitch there. Indians are up 4-2 this afternoon. Maybe they can actually hang on this time.

JV to the rescue. A win and he saves the bullpen after yesterday. Come on Tribe!

Just depends on your perspective. I would applaud a player that gave an interview (Selanne did pretty well) that candid because I agree with them here. Jimmy D spoke his side. Unfortunately it was in defense of a pretty indefensible figure to me at this point.

And the Tigers prove once again they probably don't deserve the division. Get handed a gift from the Angels sweeping the Sox and the Tigers, as usual, disappoint and lose both games today against the powerhouse Minnesota Twins. 5-9 can't hit at all, the defense is atrocious and Valverde can't pitch a clean inning ever. The Twins are the worst pitching team in terms of ERA in the AL and the Tigers scored five runs combined in two games. The White Sox have six left against the Indians. The Tigers have seven against the Royals (playing very well lately) and three more with the Twins, who also have given them fits. I think the Tigers have missed their opportunity to take this pathetic division. You can't lose twice at home to Minnesota with a chance to tie or move into first place. I am more perplexed by how poorly this team is constructed. Built for offense/power and they can't score runs consistently outside of the first four guys in the order. If you are going to completely ignore defense, then you better be able to win games by overcoming not being able to field the ball. Poor defense and having no speed/power to score runs is a losing combination even with quality starting pitching.

Miggy now tied for the Triple Crown in the HR category with number 42. Seriously, I love watching Mike Trout play, but this shouldn't even be a discussion anymore.