After getting shutdown by Boof Bonser in a 2-1 loss last night, the Tigers put themselves squarely behind the 8-ball. And when push came to shove, they were destroyed 12-1 as Johan Santana struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in six and a third innings of work. The skid has turned into an all out failure to execute over the past six weeks. This team has gone from home field advantage and the #1 seed to what will be a dogfight for a playoff spot, let alone a division title. I am more upset than angry because I am genuinely worried about the fate of this team. A pathetic display at the plate in all of August has been followed by a poorer showing in September. The team is toting a .242/.296/.406 batting line through Sunday’s debacle in Minnesota. A complete and utter lack of plate patience remains the key to their failures.
Leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson has 13 strikeouts in September to run his tally up to 152 for the season! Earlier in the season, I compared his lofty strikeouts to that of another Central Division leadoff hitter, Grady Sizemore. Even Sizemore only struckout 132 times last year and his other numbers were significantly better. At this point, he belongs nowhere near the top of the lineup. There is simply too little time left in the season to wait for him to take a damn pitch.
The team gets two days off this week and the first couldn’t come soon enough. A two-game set against Texas is sandwiched in between the time off before capping off the week with a three-game set against Baltimore. Nothing less than four of five is acceptable as this point. Thankfully the Chicago White Sox have struggled almost as much as the Tigers during the last 10 games posting a 4-6 record against Detroit’s 3-7. The two teams start a season-changing series eight days from now in the Windy City.
In the past two days, I’ve watched the Tigers drop two huge games to the Twins, my Longhorns fall at home to the Ohio State Buckeyes (I witnessed that live) and then my Detroit Lions come up short in a chance to start the season off with a bang against the Super Bowl runners-up as they lost 9-6 to Seattle. Meanwhile, in those same two days, I received autographs from Jim Leyland via my sister who met him in a Detroit casino last weekend and former Tigers outfielder Gary Pettis, who I watched coach first base for the Nashville Sounds on Friday night against the Round Rock Express. Today, my girlfriend went to game five of the series to cheer on her hometown Sounds (they lost though) and got him to sign something for me. I know, she’s wonderful!
I will post pictures of both autographs this week.
Baseball By Paul 
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