Wezzul.com - It's the Dinglez

Last night, I attended the Detroit Tigers game with the Minnesota Twins, and it became even more apparent why the Tigers have the best record in the major leagues right now -- pitching. I watched 21 year old Justin Verlander pitch eight scoreless innings against the Twins. He pitched amazingly well, and was calm, and confident even during the few jams he got himself in. A few times during the game, the batter worked the count full, and with men on base, Verlander would force the easy pop up or ground out. I don't think he struck anyone out the entire game, but it doesn't matter if you're still getting the outs. I think he probably could have stayed in the game, and finished it, getting the shutout, but there is no reason to chance it when you only have a slim (two run) lead.

It's hard to think that Kenny Rogers wasn't worth the price paid. Not only does he lead the Tigers in wins (6), but he is also tied for inning pitched with Jeremy Bonderman. Sure, he's 41, and sure the Tigers had to pay too much to get him here (as they usually do with quality free agents), but his impact, not only on the Tigers win/loss record, but on the young staff is immeasureable. You think a guy like Mike Maroth would be pitching as well as he is this season without the veteran pointers that a guy like Rogers can dole out? They have a similar style as far as what kind of pitches they throw, and it's clear Maroth is learning from Rogers by example. He's 5-2 with a 2.18 ERA. Compare that to years past, and tell me Rogers isn't worth every single penny the Tigers have got built into his contract.

I think the big thing this year for the Tigers is getting young players from their farm system to step up and win games for them. The aformentioned Verlander, along with Joel Zumaya (RP) and Curtis Granderson (CF) are really playing good baseball this year. You can see in Zumaya (who, along with Verlander, has had pitches clock at 101mph) a future closer for the Tigers that could easily be in the tops of the league. It's amazing that, at the start of the season, it was said he could be a starter. If he can keep up pitching the way he does for 6 innings, I'd love to see it. And it's a real testament to the Tigers staff when a guy with that much obvious talent can't make the rotation. Granderson isn't playing GREAT baseball, but he's a real asset to have at the lead off spot, since he combines speed and a reasonable amount of power. He does lead the team in strikeouts, but he also leads them in walks. As he gets older, and refines his eye at the plate, we will see him become a more important part of the Tigers squad. The one thing you can say about him is he is defensively sound. He has a 1.000 fielding average at this point in the season, and while he may have trouble running balls down at times, this is another thing that will come with experience.

The Pistons are looking very frustrating lately. Last night, they lost their third game in a row (first time this year that has happened), and first playoff game at home. Chauncey Billups fouled out with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, which hurt them, and Rasheed Wallace was also in foul trouble (and probably still injured) for most of the fourth. After watching the end of the game, it's easy to see that the Pistons are not playing like they want to win. Now, they are left with the task of beating the Cleveland Cavaliers at home and then bringing it back to the Palace for game seven. While it is clear that the Pistons can pull this off, it has yet to be seen whether they have the will to. It will be an interesting couple of games. Lets hope they can step it up on Friday and bring the series back home.

I won't even mention the Lions or Red Wings here. No reason to sour up the post.

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Posted on Thursday, May 18, 9:13am in Sports by wezzul