Tiger Fever And Spring Fever
Greg Bowman
Let's not get carried away. But the Tigers are finally giving us reason to be excited about this season, after a weekend sweep of the Chicago White Sox.
The Tigers used excellent pitching to shut out the Sox two out of three games. And while the Sox did manage three runs Friday against the Tigers, they all came on solo homers against Justin Verlander, who allowed a total of just four hits in seven innings.
Max Scherzer and Brad Penny both blanked the sox with some help from the bullpen, and Penny allowed just one hit on Saturday, a questionable call on a throw by Brandon Inge that could have been ruled an error. I thought it was an error. I have always believed that the first hit to break up a no hitter should be a clean one. Even Inge thought it should have gone as an errror, saying that's a throw he usually makes.
But we'll take a one hitter anytime. Penny needed a start like that, after some ugly outings his first few times out. ..The rotation is shaping up nicely, with Verlander, Scherzer, and Coke all looking strong, and Rick Porcello starting to come around. Now if Penny can have another outing like his last, the Tigers will have a starting five that compares favorably with any staff in baseball.
It's also nice to see the hitting coming around, scoring nine runs apiece Friday and Saturday and another three on Sunday. Miguel Cabrera looks like he's off to another MVP caliber year. But Ryan Rayburn, Alex Avilla, and Brennan Boesch have all been hot at the plate. And Austin Jackson looks like he's starting to come out of his season long slump. The Tigers must have him on base at the top of the lineup so the big boppers can knock him in.
The Tigers next opponents will present a tougher challenge than the sad sack Sox. The Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners two out of three games last week, but they didn't have to face the M's ace "King" Felix Hernandez. They aren't so lucky this time, with Hernandez set to start Tuesday's game against the Tigers.
There's still a long ways to go, but after a 3 and 7 start on the season, 12 and10 looks pretty good.
