Results tagged ‘ Craig Monroe ’
Tigers’ Win Streak Stalls with Offense
Detroit Tigers 0, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3
Great pitching carried the Tigers through at least a few of the games on their now-defunct winning streak, but it was not enough to roll Detroit to a sixth-straight win. Kenny Rogers pitched 7 strong innings, giving up 2 earned runs on 4 hits. Jordan Tata turned in another solid inning of work, allowing no earned runs.
Angels pitcher Ervin Santana was simply dominant, pitching 6 scoreless innings and recording 10 strikeouts. Further, the bullpen of the so-called Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim maintained its well-respected reputation by completing the shut-out Santana had started.
Tim Salmon led the way for the so-called Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with a solo homerun and an RBI single; the only runs allowed by Tigers’ starter Kenny Rogers.
Though the Tigers have won four of their last five, the offense has struggled to produce runs; averaging just 2.8 runs per game and stranding 78 runners (Team LOB of 37) over the same span. In order to maintain the pace that Detroit has set in this young season, they must find a way to get more of those runners across the plate. For starters, I think a shake-up in the line-up and a day off for slumping first-baseman Chris Shelton are in order.
OTHER NOTES
Craig Monroe went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Monday night; his average has now sunk to .205.
The Detroit Free Press contacted me this week about MLBlogs. By this time next week, I could be famous.
If you haven’t checked out MLB.com’s Gameday feature, it is a great way to experience the game when you’re unable to watch or listen to it; in fact, I will often keep Gameday on my screen when I’m watching or listening to the game. Featuring pitch-location, hit-location and an in-game box score, Gameday brings you all of the action live: play by play and pitch by pitch. I know this sounds like a commercial, but seriously, it’s probably better than any other site that you might be using and it’s offered free by MLB.com.
(click thumbnail on left for more detail)
COMING UP
Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 5.55 ERA) will attempt to bounce back from a rough start as the Tigers take on the so-called Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second game of this three game series. Bonderman is poised to bounce back with a good outing and with the rest of the rotation around him performing as well as they are, I think his chances are pretty good. Hector Carrasco (0-0, 4.38 ERA) will pitch for the Angels. This game will not be televised; gametime is 10:05 PM EDT.
Quick Notes (4/21)
Spurling Sent to Toledo
Leyland on Spurling, Rodney and the bullpen. Changes for tonight’s lineup include: Vance Wilson behind the plate, Pudge at DH, Monore in center and Thames in left (Granderson has the night off).
TIGERS CORNER: Rodney will be relieved
During Todd Jones’ 2 1/2 week stint on the DL, the bullpen has not blown a save or lost a game…Leyland on Spurling, Rodney, the bullpen, and Pudge playing first base.
TODD JONES: Leyland’s meeting: Healthy, necessary
Todd Jones (in his column for the Detroit Free Press) on new Tigers manager Jim Leyland.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Detroit Tigers 11, Oakland Athletics 4
Kenny Rogers improved his record at Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum to 24-4 on Wednesday night as Detroit rolled to an 11-4 victory to even up the series with Oakland to 1-1. The Gambler scattered 3 hits and as many earned runs over 7.1 innings en route to his third win of the season. In his four starts this season (with the exception of his start against Texas 4/9), Rogers has been effective, collected and every bit the veteran presence the Tigers were seeking when they acquired him in the off-season.
Craig Monroe recovered from his stolid Tuesday performance on Wednesday night, going 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI’s in addition to several solid plays in the field. Recently, Monroe had looked lost at the plate, swinging often at poor pitches and watching too many strikes. Hopefully, this outing will set a new pace for Monroe, who had entered Wednesday’s contest batting .212.
Despite a good show at the plate (3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) Carlos Guillen posted his second straight two-error game. Thus far, Guillen has looked to have recovered significantly or completely from knee surgery he had following the 2004 campaign, which had him limping his way through the 2005 season. He has showed vastly improved range at the shortstop position and effortless mobility on the basepaths. Despite all of this, Guillen has already posted 5 errors in 15 games this season. For comparison, Guillen errored just 17 times in all of his 2004 season with Detroit.
Placido Polanco hit his 1,000th career hit on Wednesday night in a 4-for-5, 3 RBI performance. Since joining the Tigers mid-season last year, Polanco has been stellar both at the plate and on the field.
COMING UP
Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 6.23 ERA) takes the hill against his old team to close out this three game set with the Oakland A’s. Lefty Barry Zito (1-2, 7.53 ERA) will pitch for Oakland. Both pitchers have struggled early this season and will look to recover and help their team to take the rubber match of this three game series. Gametime is 3:35 PM EDT and the game will be televised by FSN Detroit.
Quick Notes (4/18)
Detroit begins a three game series with the Oakland Athletics tonight. Detroit posted a 1-5 record against the A’s in the 2005 season.
You can catch a majority of the games on this West Coast road trip on FSN Detroit as they will be televising six of the nine games (4/19 – 4/24).
mlblogsaaron
Recent Comments