After a dismal 0-7 start, the Detroit Tigers are beginning to show some offensive life. They have won 2 of the last 3 games and have scored 18 runs over that three game period. Recall that they had only scored 15 runs in the first seven games total. Everyone with the exception of Pudge Rodriguez contributed to the hit parade in the Friday night game against Chicago, racking up 5 runs and 11 hits. Although it was a cold, rainy and blustry evening, the Tiger bats kept everything warm in the Tiger dugout, instead of Jim Leyland's chain smoking habit.
The pitching suffered a setback with the hyper-extended knee that Dontrelle Willis experienced only a few pitches into the game but, this time the bullpen really did come to the rescue. Lopez, Grilli, Bautista and Jones combined in the rest of the game to shut down the White Sox with 1 run, 3 hits, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts. A masterful 9 innings topped off by Tod Jones 1st save of the year. The 1st run of the game is attributed to D. Willis before leaving the game.
This by no means says that the Tigers worries are over but, it certainly is something more of what the Tiger fans have been expecting and it will for the moment reassure us that the Tigers do have the capability of being the team that we all thought they would be in Spring training.
Most people are still laughing about the Tigers "08" start. That may be so, here in early April, 10 games into the season but, as someone who has followed the Tigers for many years, watching as this pool of talent has been recruited and developed, I am confident that such a sobering start will only reinforce the determination and will of this current roster of players to persevere and overcome in the long haul, game by game, series by series until they achieve the goal of AL Central Champs, followed by AL Champs and finally (we hope) World Series Champs in "08".
Go Tigers!
