GoWings1905

I will never understand Jim Leyland. Down a run and he goes to Daniel fricking Schlereth? I'm all for bringing in a lefty against a team with a bunch of them, but how about we use a lefty (Coke or even Below) that can throw strikes and actually get those lefties out? Seems like the Tigers rotate left-handers in and out of that bullpen and all of them have control issues and don't serve their purpose whatsoever. They sent Purcey away to bring his clone back up. Congrats though to Jim Thome for #600. I dislike him because he has always killed the Tigers, but I have a ton of respect for his character and getting to that number without disgracing baseball like others of his era. Once again, my hope lies in the man starting tomorrow.

Wow... the Tigers defense is easily the worst in MLB. Raburn is hitting .321 since the ASG so I get wanting his bat in the lineup, but he absolutely can not play second base. That was a simple, routine ground ball that little leaguers turn for an out. Porcello is pitching for the worst team possible - he gets a ton of ground balls for a team that can't field them. I like Delmon Young already. Power from the 3-hole! What a revelation.

You are correct - the trade deadline is July 31st. Teams can still make trades following that point with players placed on waivers or that have cleared waivers. Young was placed on waivers and cleared obviously allowing the Twins to make a deal with any team of their choice. There's a lot of baseball people (Leyland included) that don't like the expanded rosters in September. Again, from my understanding, you have to be on the 25-man roster by September 1st to be eligible for the playoffs. That's why I believe there is quite a bit of speculation Inge will come back shortly before that date. Young is batting third and playing left tonight. Boesch still isn't back so Maggs is in right hitting seventh. Rhymes was optioned to Toledo so say hello to Ryan Raburn part II at second base. I'm fine with Raburn playing because he has been hitting well since the ASG, but he needs to be in the outfield.

My understanding is that Young would be eligible because it happened before September 1st. The only thing I recall is 2006 when the Tigers picked up Matt Stairs. He was ineligible for the playoffs, but I believe he didn't come to the team until September.

FWIW, a comment in the Bless You Boys story about the deal said a Twins PR person was with Young and he is batting 3rd for the Tigers tonight. I think Rhymes goes right back down or Boesch is put on the DL.

The Tigers have acquired OF Delmon Young from the Twins. I really like this move. Rough season so far, but he drove in 112 just a year ago. It appears Maggs' time as a starter has now come to an end.

Leyland is obsessed with the righty/lefty scenarios so it seems Betemit never starts against a lefty, even up against a guy that had went 28 straight decisions without winning a few months back. Fister wasn't sharp at all today, but he's clearly suffering from a much poorer defense with the Tigers than he did with the Mariners. That's why I was hoping Worth would get called up instead of Rhymes to replace Guillen. Leyland also really needs to get Maggs out of the three hole immediately. We are wasting one of the best hitters in the league because Jackson strikes out 250 times, Boesch is out of position batting 2nd and Maggs is grounding into double plays and once in a while singling to right. Awesome table-setters for Cabrera. That six-year-old girl who gave advice to Leyland is RIGHT. Move Peralta up or at least slide Boesch back down to third.

Glad they won, but it's time to end Brad Penny's tenure in the rotation. He was an adequate starter for a stretch, but he's getting bombed lately. Nice night for Dirks and Betemit too. I'm a huge Maggs fan, but it seems like the Tigers would be better suited starting Dirks every day when Boesch comes back. A number three hitter with no power, a low batting average and terrible outfield range isn't really an ideal situation.

Haaaaaank Some of these predictions are very bold so far. If they come to fruition, we are going to be a happy bunch next June.

Yes indeed, biggest win of the season so far. Feels a lot better leaving Cleveland up three as opposed to one. Maybe a little payback for the misery at Progressive is in order for the Indians next weekend at Comerica. Like Pavel Datsyuk, I don't know there are any adjectives left to describe JV. I thought his control was very off tonight and he still had 10 K's and only allowed three hits. If there's any hope for the Tigers in the playoffs, it starts and ends with #35.

Well, that decision to move JV to the Indians series certainly appears well-timed after the past two nights. Not a fan at all of the Leyland extension either. If this team somehow blows the Central again, there's no way the old man deserves to be back. Why should another potential second half collapse be rewarded?

Oh well... if some team wants a lefty with major control issues, then go for it. I will send a thank you card. If we are hanging on to him for that reason, then I hate the Sizemore deal even more somehow.

Agree on everything. Just speculation, but maybe Ruffin coming up was to showcase him for a possible trade? Even still, it makes no sense to recall Schlereth without Purcey being the one sent down. I would rather have Perry, Oliveros or Wilk before Schlereth anyways. Why do we need four lefties when two can't throw a strike, the other (Coke) can only get lefties out in a situational role and Furbush is there in long relief? I would trade Porcello over Turner too. Turner is going to be a better pitcher long-term and though not his fault, Porcello isn't an ideal pitcher for a team that plays defense like the Tigers do. If it's Porcello and another high prospect, then maybe I'm more open to Jimenez. However, like you stated, then the Tigers are still down a pitcher and would need to make another trade for a 5th starter.

Schlereth is back, Ruffin to Toledo. Awesome! Now we have two lefties together in the pen that can't throw a damn strike. Looks like Schlereth is ready to regain his Tiger of the Year award, Travis.

I'm sorry, but I'm not giving up Turner for anything at the deadline including Jimenez. Knowing Dombrowski though, I would not be surprised at all if he ended up doing so with his future possibly hinging on this season's results. Let's be honest as we all follow the team closely here: they would be far and away the 4th best team in the AL should they even make the playoffs with this roster right now. The Red Sox and Rangers would destroy the Tigers in a series and while I think the Yankees pitching has more holes than the Tigers, I still believe the Yankees are quite a bit better. I want to see the Tigers win now just as bad as anyone, but IMO it would be very short-sighted to trade away Jacob Turner. Are the Tigers better than the Rangers or Red Sox even with Jimenez? The "win now" philosophy has to have some limits. The Tigers farm system has quite frankly stunk for years and they are just finally starting to rebuild some depth and prospects that will contribute in the future. The Tigers roster as it stands now is old too in many positions. It's a tough balance to strike especially in DD's current position, but I'm really hoping he doesn't get desperate again and end up trading Turner.

What the hell was Penny upset with Martinez for? I didn't mind the guy before today, but that whole episode pissed me off on top of his stellar start. Locate your pitches better you big doofus instead of bitching out your catcher in the middle of play. The Tigers pitching is so bad - I agree Travis, maybe two starters is a necessity after Penny's showing. Porcello has the wins, but I'm not even confident at all with him as the three. I wish Turner was here at this point - the Tigers rushed Bonderman, Verlander and Porcello to the big leagues yet they seem quite reluctant to let Turner come up. David Purcey needs to go too. Call Perry back up or Wilk. His last two outings alone are enough for a demotion.

Yes. I feel the same way. I think the Tigers are the best team in a mediocre division, but I just wish they had more separation than two games considering the Indians have been brutal since the end of May and the White Sox can't even seem to get over the .500 mark. The good part I guess is the Tigers have a bunch of games remaining against the Central so they have no one to blame but themselves if the lead slips away down the stretch. The White Sox series was pretty frustrating. I feel like a sweep was totally within reach had the Tigs just come up with some clutch hitting on Monday and Wednesday. I know the Tigers have never been built for speed lately, but going base-to-base with 13 singles and only coming up with a couple runs is tough to comprehend on a team loaded with high batting averages. Two tough series now at Comerica. And only 4 days left to add another starting pitcher. I have a feeling the Tigers end up getting Kuroda from the Dodgers.

I definitely think Kronner gets the third "A" this upcoming season. After Lidstrom retires (in 2022), I would think Cleary, Stuart and Helm would all be in consideration to join the rotation.

Geez, here we all thought Ericsson's contract was bad.

100 points is an unreal difference for a number 9 hitter. I'm not too concerned with Betemit driving in runs if he can get on base at a rate that greatly exceeds what Inge was doing. Even if the average for this year is "skewed", Betemit is a far better hitter for his career than Inge. Inge had one homer and 17 RBI's in 70 games so his sample size is larger and yet Betemit has still done more with fewer AB's. What stroke? The .210 hitting Inge before mono? He just isn't a good hitter. The mono is just another chapter in the Brandon Inge book of excuses. I know he likes to think so, but the reality is outside of 2006 and early 2009, Brandon Inge has never shown any signs of being a consistent hitter in the major leagues. If he's back, it's next season when the Tigers are still saddled with his absurd contract.

Exactly. I absolutely couldn't agree more. The Tigers infield is very poor defensively with Peralta and Guillen up the middle. Inge's defense was declining very rapidly. He had the second most errors on the team after Raburn who was out of position at second base. Betemit may not make the spectacular play that Inge used to make, but I'm pretty confident he will make the routine plays just as frequently as Inge was. I definitely don't agree that it's only "one step forward" offensively either. Betemit is batting a whopping 100 points higher than Inge. Betemit's bat more than outweighs his average defense. Where as Inge's defense in 2011 was nowhere near elite enough to keep supporting a .177 batting average. The Tigers aren't built by any stretch to be strong on defense. If anything, this trade is three steps forward on offense and a half-step back on defense.

Inge may be a great guy, but he was a charity case. I don't feel that bad for him - he's making 11.5 million dollars to hit .177. The Tigers are a better team today than yesterday and that's my biggest concern. If he learns to hit the ball and comes back to the Tigers, good for him for having the dedication to figure things out. That being said, I don't see him suddenly tearning the cover off the ball like he seems to believe he is capable of. He isn't that much of a saint for going to Toledo - even if he cleared waivers and became a free agent instead of DFA, who in their right mind wants a third baseman hitting .177? He's going to Toledo because quite frankly he's a AAA player. The Tigers need at minimum a split in Minnesota. The longer the Twins hang around, the worse the Tigers chances of winning the division become. Time for JV to dominate tonight.

Please, please give Purcey back to the A's while they are in town. This guy is garbage, can't find the strike zone whatsoever. May as well bring Schlereth back up if we want a lefty with no control. Why the hell is Leyland using Purcey in a close game anyways? Victor Martinez is so clutch though. He always gets the big hit, which is huge batting behind Cabrera. This has the potential to be a very good lineup with Carlos back and now Betemit adding some stability to third base.

The Tigers have acquired 3B Wilson Betemit from the Royals. There aren't enough emoticons to express my joy in this trade.

I think #2 is about to be back in circulation whenever Smith makes the team.