Prince Fielder's 3 Run Homer Helps the Tigers to a 4-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins tonight 4-3.

The Tigers found themselves down 2-0 early, but got a run back in the 3rd inning after Andy Dirks hit a solo home run; it's his 1st of the season and make it a 2-1 Twins lead.

The Twins added to their lead to go up 3-1, but the Tigers responded in the 6th inning after a bunt single by Andy Dirks, walk to Miguel Cabrera, then Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run to put the Tigers up 4-3; it's his 6th of the season.

Max Scherzer did his job tonight. He pitched 7 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out 10 batters; he earned his 3rd win of the season.

Drew Smyly came in for relief and got the final 2 outs of the 8th inning. Smyly came back out for the 9th inning and got the first 2 outs of the inning. Joaquin Benoit came in to get the final out of the game to get the Tigers the win, and got his 2nd save of the season.

The Tigers continue their series with the Twins tomorrow as Justin Verlander (2-2 1.95 ERA) takes the mound against Vance Worley (0-3 6.38 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Tigers Offense Comes Alive in 7-5 Victory

It took till April 24th, but I feel this can finally be said: Welcome back, Victor Martinez!

The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals tonight 7-5.

The Tigers scored first today in the 2nd inning after Jhonny Peralta hit a single, Alex Avila drew a walk, then Omar Infante hit a single to drive in Peralta and Detroit led 1-0.

The Royals took a 4-1 lead after the top of the 3rd, but the Tigers closed the gap in the bottom of the inning after a double by Miguel Cabrera, walk to Prince Fielder, then Victor Martinez hit a double to drive in Cabrera. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Jhonny Peralta hit a single to score Fielder, but Martinez was sent home for some reason and may have been out by 20 feet, so instead of being tagged, he just headed to the dugout; it was now a 4-3 Royals lead.

The Tigers responded in the 4th inning with a walk from Alex Avila and single by Omar Infante, then Austin Jackson hit into a fielder's choice to keep runners on 1st and 2nd. Torii Hunter came up next and reached base on a fielding error which allowed Infante to score and Jackson to advance to 3rd base. Miguel Cabrera was the next batter and hit a sacrifice fly to score Jackson. After a Prince Fielder walk, Victor Martinez hit a single to drive in Hunter. After Andy Dirks drew a walk a walk to load the bases, Jhonny Peralta drew a walk himself to score Fielder and the Tigers had a 7-4 lead.

The Royals scored a run in the 5th inning and ended Max Scherzer's day. He wasn't too good today, struggling in the 3rd and 5th innings, but pitched 5 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, walking 3 and striking out 6 batters; he won his 2nd game of the season.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Alburquerque came back out for the 7th inning and got the first 2 outs, but walked the next two batters and was pulled. Joaquin Benoit came in and got the last out of the inning. Benoit came back out and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Tonight's closer? The return of Jose Valverde. He pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his 1st save of the season.


The Tigers finish up their series with the Royals tomorrow as Justin Verlander (2-2 2.13 ERA) takes on James Shields (1-2 3.00 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Tigers lose 4-3 in the 13th Inning on a Walk-Off Home Run

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Los Angeles Angels today 4-3 in 13 innings.

The Tigers offense has been struggling, but scored first today in the 2nd inning after Jhonny Peralta drew a walk & Omar Infante hit a single. Then, both advanced a base due to a balk with Austin Jackson at the plate who then drove in Peralta on a fielder's choice to take a 1-0 lead.

The Angels took a 3-1 lead due to some poor defense, but the Tigers tied the game in the 5th inning after Torii Hunter drew a walk, then Prince Fielder hit a 2-run home run to make it a 3-3 game; it's his 5th of the season.

Doug Fister was wild early on (3 batters hit), but settled into the game nicely going 7 innings giving up 3 runs (2 earned, soon to be 0 earned) on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5 batters.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief and threw a scoreless 8th inning.

The Tigers should've had a chance to take the lead in the 9th inning, after a single by Omar Infante, Austin Jackson attempted to sacrifice bunt (which isn't smart to begin with), but Ernesto Frieri threw to 2nd base and Infante was called out on a blown call by 2nd base umpire Gary Darling, and the Tigers didn't score in the inning.

Al Alburquerque came back out and pitched a scoreless 9th inning. Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 10th inning. Phil Coke then came in and pitched a scoreless 11th inning.

Phil Coke came back out for the 12th and pitched a scoreless inning. Coke came back out for some reason and served up a home run to Mark Trumbo to lose the game for Detroit in the 13th inning.

The Tigers have an off day tomorrow, but open up a 3 game home series on Tuesday with the Royals as Max Scherzer (1-0 2.84 ERA) pitches against Wade Davis (2-0 2.25 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Austin Jackson's 3 RBIs Help the Tigers to a 10-1 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics today 10-1.

The Tigers took a quick lead in the 1st inning today after a single by Austin Jackson, then a double from Torii Hunter to score Jackson. Prince Fielder would go on to be intentionally walked, then Victor Martinez hit a long single to drive in Hunter and the Tigers were up 2-0.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 2nd inning after Alex Avila hit a single, then Austin Jackson hit a 2-run home run; it's his 1st of the season and the Tigers took a 4-0 lead.

Detroit blew the game open in the 4th inning. It started out with an Austin Jackson single, then Torii Hunter hit a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out for Miguel Cabrera who drove both runners in with a single. Prince Fielder was up next and hit a double to drive in Cabrera, then Andy Dirks would go on to hit a single and drive in Fielder to give the Tigers a 8-0 lead.

The Athletics would go on to score a run, but the Tigers would come back in the 7th inning with a double from Jhonny Peralta, then a single by Austin Jackson to drive in Peralta and it was a 9-1 game.

Anibal Sanchez was very good today. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, walking 4 and striking out 8 batters; he earned his 2nd win of the season.

The Tigers continue to score in the 8th inning starting with Prince Fielder reaching on a fielding error and Victor Martinez drawing a walk. Both runners then advanced on a wild pitch and Fielder went on to score after Jhonny Peralta hit a single which gave the Tigers a 10-1 lead.

Rick Porcello came in for relief of Sanchez (Porcello's next start is being skipped due to an off day coming up in the schedule) and pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th innings to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers have an off day on Monday, but open up a 3 game road series on Tuesday against the Mariners as Doug Fister (2-0 2.77 ERA) pitches against Aaron Harang, who is making the first start of his season.

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Jhonny Peralta's 3 Run Homer Helps the Tigers to a 7-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics today 7-3.

The Athletics took a 1-0 lead early today, but Torii Hunter tied the score 1-1 in the 3rd inning with a solo home run; it's his 1st of the season.

The Tigers took the lead in the 4th inning after a solo home run from Prince Fielder; it's his 4th of the season. Victor Martinez came up next and hit a single, Matt Tuiasosopo drew a walk, then Jhonny Peralta hit a 3-run home run; it's his 1st of the season and the Tigers led 5-1.

Detroit added to their lead in the 6th inning after Omar Infante reached on a fielder's choice, then scored on a double from Brayan Pena. Next, Austin Jackson came up and hit a double to drive in Pena and it was a 7-1 game.

All things considered, it was a good day for Justin Verlander. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, walking 3 and striking out 6 batters; he earned his 2nd win of the season.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief and got the first 2 outs of the 7th inning, but gave up 2 runs, so Phil Coke had to come in and get the final out of the inning.

Coke came back out to get the first out of the 8th inning, then Joaquin Benoit came in to get the final 2 outs of the inning. Benoit came back out for the 9th inning and pitched a scoreless inning to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers finish their road series with the Athletics tomorrow as Anibal Sanchez (1-0 1.50 ERA) goes up against Jarrod Parker (0-1 6.48 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Doug Fister Pitches Well in a 11-1 Tigers Victory

The Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays today 11-1.

The Tigers scored first today in the bottom of the 1st inning after walks to Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, then Cabrera stole 3rd base before Josh Johnson threw a pitch, and Cabrera scored on a single from Victor Martinez and the Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead.

Thanks to Andy Dirks' poor fielding, the Blue Jays quickly tied the game 1-1, but the Tigers quickly responded in the 2nd inning with base hits from Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila to put runners on 1st and 3rd for Omar Infante who hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Peralta, and Alex Avila advanced to 2nd base on the fly ball. Austin Jackson came up next and hit a single to drive in Avila, and Jackson advanced to 2nd base on the play. Torii Hunter then came up and hit a single to drive in Jackson, then Miguel Cabrera hit a triple to drive in Hunter. Prince Fielder was next and he hit a single to drive in Cabrera, and that would end Josh Johnson's day, who only recorded 4 outs; the Tigers had a 6-1 lead after the 2nd inning.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 5th inning after a walk to Jhonny Peralta, single from Alex Avila, and bunt single by Omar Infante to load the bases. Austin Jackson was up next and reached base on a force out at home plate, but the bases remained loaded for Torii Hunter who hit a single that drove in Avila and Infante. Prince Fielder then hit a double with 2 outs which scored Jackson and Hunter to give the Tigers a 10-1 lead.

Detroit scored again in the 7th inning after a single by Austin Jackson, then Torii Hunter was hit by a pitch, Miguel Cabrera then hit a fly ball that got Jackson to 3rd, and then Jackson scored on a sacrifice fly from Prince Fielder and the Tigers had a 11-1 lead.

Doug Fister was very good today. He pitched 8 innings, giving up 1 run on 8 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5 batters; he earned his 2nd win of the season.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers open up a 3 game road series with the Athletics tomorrow as Max Scherzer (1-0 7.20 ERA) pitches against Bartolo Colon (1-0 4.50 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Poor Pitching by the Bullpen Leads to a 8-6 Tigers Loss

After a 150 minute rain delay, the Detroit Tigers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6.

The Tigers scored first today in the bottom of the 1st inning after singles from Austin Jackson and Miguel Cabrera to put runners on 1st and 3rd for Prince Fielder who hit into a fielders choice, but Jackson scored on the play to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 2nd inning after a fielding error allowed Matt Tuiasosopo to reach base, Jhonny Peralta then hit a single, Alex Avila (with some bad luck) hit into a double play, then Omar Infante hit a single to drive in Tuiasosopo and the Tigers had a 2-0 lead.

After the Blue Jays scored a run to make it 2-1, the Tigers came back in the 5th inning with a single by Omar Infante, who reached 2nd base on a ground out, then Torii Hunter hit a single to score Infante. Miguel Cabrera then hit a double, and Prince Fielder was intentionally walked to load the bases with 1 out for Victor Martinez who drew a walk to score Hunter. Andy Dirks came up next as a pinch-hitter and drew a walk to score Cabrera, then Jhonny Peralta hit a bloop single to drive in Fielder and the Tigers had a 6-1 lead.

Rick Porcello struggled in the 6th inning, but was very good before the inning. He pitched 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, not walking a batter and striking out 1.

Darin Downs came in for relief and allowed 2 inherited runners to score, but got the Tigers out of the 6th inning with a 6-4 lead. Downs came back out and got the first out of the 7th inning, then Brayan Villarreal came in, walked the first 3 batters he faced to let a run score. Jim Leyland then finally realized he should probably pull Villarreal, so Octavio Dotel came in next and promptly gave up a bases clearing double before getting the final 2 outs and the Tigers now trailed the Blue Jays 8-6.

Dotel came back out and pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Phil Coke then came out and pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

The Tigers couldn't put a rally together, they hit the ball hard the last few innings, and if the weather was warmer, the game may have ended differently, but the Tigers lost.

The Tigers finish their series with the Blue Jays tomorrow as Doug Fister (1-0 5.40 ERA) takes on Josh Johnson (0-0 4.50 ERA).

Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Torii Hunter Gets 2000th Career Hit in a 7-3 Tigers Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays today 7-3.

The Tigers scored first today in the bottom of the 1st inning after a single by Miguel Cabrera, then a double from Prince Fielder to give Detroit a quick 1-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 2nd inning after a solo home run from Alex Avila; it's his 2nd of the season and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

After the Blue Jays scored a run to make it a 2-1 game, the Tigers came back in the 4th inning with singles from Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter, then a 3-run home run from Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead; it's his 1st of the season.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Torii Hunter got his 2,000th career hit!

Anibal Sanchez pitched well today, he went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 8 batters; he earned his 1st win of the season.

Drew Smyly came in for relief and got the first two outs of the 8th inning, then Al Alburquerque got the final out of the inning.

The Tigers added insurance runs in the 8th inning after Austin Jackson reached base on a throwing error and got all the way to 3rd on the error; Jackson went on to score after Miguel Cabrera hit a single. Prince Fielder came up next and hit a single, then Matt Tuiasosopo had a pinch hit double to drive in Cabrera and the Tigers took a 7-2 lead to the 9th.

Joaquin Benoit came in for the 9th and gave up a run, but got the Tigers the win.

The Tigers continue their home series with the Blue Jays tomorrow as Rick Porcello (0-1 5.06 ERA) pitches against Mark Buehrle (0-0 10.13 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Phil Coke Blows a Save in a 3-2 Tigers Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins today 3-2.

The Tigers took scored first in the 3rd inning after Austin Jackson drew a walk, Torii Hunter hit a single, then Miguel Cabrera hit a single to drive in Jackson and the Tigers took a 1-0 lead.

Detroit added to their lead in the 5th inning after singles by Omar Infante and Torii Hunter to put runners on 1st and 3rd base for Miguel Cabrera who hit a single to drive in Infante and the Tigers had a 2-0 lead.

Anibal Sanchez struggled with his command today, but managed to pitch 5 shutout innings while giving up only 2 hits, walking 3 and striking out 5 batters.

Darin Downs came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Downs came back out and got the first out of the 7th inning, then Brayan Villarreal got the final 2 outs of the inning, but allowed a run to score that was charged to Downs, and it was a 2-1 game.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

With only one scheduled left handed hitter in the 9th inning, perhaps Octavio Dotel or Al Alburquerque would be todays closer? Wrong, Joaquin Benoit came back out for the 9th inning, walked a batter then it was Phil Coke's opportunity again. He came in for the 9th and blew the save and the game. Nice managing by Leyland by the way (just kidding, he did a terrible job).

The Tigers finish their series with Minnesota tomorrow as Rick Porcello makes his first start of the year against Mike Pelfrey.

Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow

Tigers Win 4-2 to get Justin Verlander's First Opening Day Victory

Justin Verlander finally won an opening day start! The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins today 4-2.

The Tigers led off the season with a bang. Austin Jackson had a single to start the game, then Torii Hunter hit a single which advanced Austin Jackson to third, so Miguel Cabrera came up with runners on 1st and 3rd, and grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in Jackson. Prince Fielder came up next and after Cabrera advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch, Fielder drove him in with a double and the Tigers had a quick 2-0 lead.

Detroit came right back in the 2nd inning after Jhonny Peralta hit a single, then stole 2nd base, and would score on an Omar Infante single and the Tigers took a 3-0 lead.

Justin Verlander didn't have his best stuff today, but he was good enough to throw 5 shutout innings (because Leyland pulled him after 91 pitches) on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7 batters; he earned his first win of the season and his first career opening day win.

Drew Smyly came in for relief and was, well, not good. He allowed 1 run in the 6th inning. Smyly came back out for the 7th inning and promptly loaded the bases and only got 1 out before being pulled. Al Alburquerque came in to replace him and allowed 1 of Smyly's base runners to score, but got the final 2 outs of the inning to keep a Tigers lead at 3-2.

The Tigers put together a rally in the 8th inning after a single by Prince Fielder, and walks to Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta, Fielder scored on a wild pitch to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The answer everyone wanted to know was who will Jim Leyland use to close? Well, Benoit came back out for the 9th inning to get the first out of the inning, then Phil Coke got the final 2 outs to get the Tigers an opening day win; it's Coke's first save of the season.

The Tigers have an off day (already) tomorrow, but play Wednesday as Anibal Sanchez makes his first start of the season against Kevin Correia.

Picture credit: zimbio.com
Follow us on Twitter: @FearTheShadow