Box Score

Summary

This one really got away from Detroit pretty early on. In Virgil Vasquez’s first start in the bigs he lacked confidence and control but the game really was lost in the bullpen’s inability to stop the bleeding. Between Grilli and Ledezma the game slipped away because the offense was bringing in runs and getting numerous runners in scoring position.

Boof Bonser, who started for Minnesota, did OK and really survived off of his ability to get strikeouts when he needed them. Many Detroit base runners were left in scoring position due to his strikeouts, some of the runners were on with no outs. Once the game was out of reach the offense from Detroit died down. Minnesota has now exacted some revenge for the first series against Detroit in 2006.

As with the game Wednesday night against Seattle, Leyland pulled the regulars off the field to get ready for a big series against Boston this week. Hopefully the Detroit bullpen has gotten all of the runs allowed out of their system.

Pitching

Virgil Vasquez’s first Major League start wasn’t all he or the Tigers had hoped for. He struggled greatly to get out of the first inning giving up a triple to start the bottom of the inning with the inning just getting worse from there. He allowed 5 hits, a triple and a 3-run home run with the outs he did get coming from popups. In the second inning he didn’t allow any runs making it seem as if he had really calmed himself down and brought his game together. It was very apparent in the third inning that this wasn’t true and he was finally relieved after throwing 73 pitches through 2.2 innings.

I don’t read much into this start from Vasquez and you shouldn’t either. He is a good pitcher and has put up great stats in the minor leagues and tonight we simply saw a pitcher who, because of nervousness or a change in his normal pitching style, couldn’t control the ball. He’ll take tonights game with him back to Toledo and learn much from this.

Jason Grilli came in and pitched a couple innings in relief and really didn’t fare much better than Vasquez. Grill has not been the Grilli of 2006 and Minnesota continued to come up with solid hits against him, including a pair of doubles. All said and done, Grilli allowed 3 more runs and thats what he was charged with as he also let two runs in that were inherited from Vasquez.

Wil Ledezma was brought in for a couple of innings of service and couldn’t throw strikes. He walked three in his first inning of service and allowed a two-run home run during his second followed by a solo-shot. Jose Mesa was then brought in to bail him out. Mesa then stunk the place up and allowed a three-run homerun in the eighth before a single out.

This was not the game Tiger managers wanted to see with an already taxed bullpen and a big series on the horizon. Tigers pitching combined to allow 4 home runs, 3 doubles, and a triple and 22 hits. Minnesota’s team batting average against Detroit pitching was .512, wow.

Hitting

Detroit offense came sprinting out of the gates off of Magglio Ordonez’s two-run shot in the first followed by a strong second inning. After that they struggled to bring in runners and take advantage of the hits they did get. Bonser seemed to have the number on some of the batters especially with runners in scoring position as he struck out Ordonez, Guillen (three times), Sheffield, Granderson and Rodriguez.

Inge quietly had a good game coming up with two hits and an RBI as did Sean Casey (minus the RBI).