This magical Tigers run is about to soar to new heights or crash and burn real soon.
After watching David Eckstein last night, does anybody else think that Anaheim is kicking itself for not even throwing a contract at this guy when he was a free agent? Eckstein goes 4 for 5 with two RBI and hits essentially the game winning double in the eighth. I think everybody should stop saying this guy is a great “role player” or an “overachiever”. Eckstein just gets it done and deserves credit for being a pretty good ballplayer.
I’ll tell you who’s not getting it done, however, and that’s the Tigers bullpen. No wonder Jeremy Bonderman was a little riffed when manager Jim Leyland took him out in the sixth for reliever Fernando Rodney. I wouldn’t want to turn a game over to the Detroit bullpen right now either after watching that mess Rodney and Joel Zumaya orchestrated last night. He looked great after replacing Bonderman in the sixth, but then in the seventh, one Curtis Granderson slip in centerfield (he literally slipped in the outfield on the wet grass, which allowed a would-be out to get on base) and Rodney turned the game upside down. Still nursing a 3-2 lead in the seventh, Rodney picked up a wet ball after a sac bunt and launched it six feet over Sean Casey’s outstretched glove to allow St. Louis to tie the game up at 3-3. A Preston Wilson single off Rodney then gave St. Louis a 4-3 lead and then Zumaya comes in and allows the Cards to take their final lead 5-4 after the Tigers tied the game back up in the top of the eighth.
Leyland already said that he’s not going with Kenny Rogers against St. Louis Friday night. With the way the bullpen and Justin Verlander has pitched recently, this move is going to be criticized if the Tigers don’t win Game 5. You have a guy who hasn’t allowed a run yet in the postseason and as far as you know right now – there is no tomorrow. We shall see if the move pays off…
Game 5 match up: Verlander (1-1) vs. Jeff Weaver (2-2).
