Jim Leyland costumes are all the rage in Detroit

22 Oct
2012

Or maybe just a lot of older gentlemen in Michigan resemble the Detroit Tigers manager. This fella up above explains to the Detroit Free Press that a lot of people are calling him "Jim Leyland's brother" these days and it's not too hard to notice the resemblance (though we'd suggest the absence of a pack of smokes make him more of a "If They Mated" between Leyland and Sam Elliott).  

As the Tigers wait for their World Series date, it's interesting to see the complete reversal of Leyland's public opinion polls. After all, it wasn't that long ago that we saw Leyland managing an underachieving team in danger of missing the postseason as he landed on negative signs that had to be confiscated by his best position player.

Fast forward to today, though, and more than 70 percent of Tigers fans want him back as manager. The crusty old field general also has one Bleacher Report writer calling for the 67-year-old Leyland to receive a lifetime contract while Mitch Albom bestows the ultimate sign of redemption by making him the subject of a sappy column.

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Tags: absence, , jim leyland, Leyland, , , , , rage, Sam Elliott, the Detroit Tigers manager, , wait
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Meanwhile, back in the Detroit Tigers camp …

22 Oct
2012

Though they've been on baseball's back burner for four days now, the Detroit Tigers aren't kicking back at home, challenging each other to Xbox tournaments and throwing the frisbee around.

Nor are they complaining about what will end up being a six-day layoff by the time they kick off Wednesday's Game 1 of the World Series in either St. Louis or San Francisco.

"When you sweep the New York Yankees, I don't give a (hoot) if we wait three weeks to the World Series," manager Jim Leyland told USA Today.

Still, there are wrinkles to iron out and talent to keep fresh, so the Tigers held a scrimmage on Sunday and plan to hold another on Monday before learning just how far west they'll have to travel for their first Fall Classic game since 2006. (One wonders how many jokes Justin Verlander will endure on that tarmac for putting up a poor start in the All-Star game that gave the National League team homefield advantage in the World Series.)

The main news out of Sunday's scrimmage was struggling closer Jose Valverde pitching the bottom of the first inning, giving up two hits, a walk and a run in his simulated appearance. But it's hard to even turn that into a headline given the way the Tigers approached this warmup, which included minor league players from the team's instructional league squad.

Miguel Cabrera acted like he had just collected the winning single in Game 7 of the World Series when he managed a hit off the Big Potato and the two joked once he reached first base.

From the Detroit Free Press:

"I would not say they're real fired up," Leyland said (about the scrimmaging). "I can't tell a lie. I doubt very much that they're all pumped up for it.

"But I think they're taking it the right way and going about it the right way. I'm not too excited about it myself to be honest with you."

It's hard to blame a team for struggling in that type of low-key exercise when they've just come off two straight weeks of packed stadiums and pressure-filled moments. If anything, they'd probably be better off practicing for all the questions they're going to get about the layoff once they hit Tuesday's media day sessions.

With the Cardinals and Giants going the distance, the Tigers are now in almost the exact same situation as they were in 2006 when the Cardinals and Mets went seven games in the NLCS. But no matter what they say or how they scrimmage, the fact is that how they'll answer those questions begins and ends with the performance of Verlander's right arm on Wednesday night.

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Tags: , , jim leyland, , , , , the Detroit Tigers camp, , , , World Series
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ALCS Game 4: Tigers sweep Yankees, head to World Series after 8-1 win

18 Oct
2012

Score and situation:  No broom curses here. The Detroit Tigers did not delay the inevitable, putting away the punchless New York Yankees with an 8-1 victory in Game 4 of the ALCS on Thursday. The win sends the Tigers to their first World Series since 2006 — which they also entered via sweep — while mercifully sending the Yankees home for the winter. It's the first time the Yankees have been swept in the postseason since Kansas City beat them in the 1980 ALCS.

Leading lads: Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta each hit two-run homers off CC Sabathia in the bottom of the fourth inning to break the game open and make Detroit's coronation as American League champs an extended one. Peralta would later add a solo shot in the eighth inning to cap off the scoring in a series that saw the Tigers outscore the Yankees 19-6 over the four contests. Delmon Young went 2 for 4 with a RBI and was named ALCS MVP.

On the mound, Max Scherzer continued the unbelievable run of Detroit starters this October, losing a no-hitter on the first batter of the sixth inning and pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out 10. In 61 2/3 innings of postseason work, Tigers starting pitchers have a 1.02 ERA and 66 strikeouts. They allowed only two runs to the Yankees all series. (Take away Jose Valverde's implosion in Game 1 and that's all they would have scored.)

Head hangers: CC Sabathia may have saved the Yankees against the Orioles in the ALDS, but he wasn't worth the wait in this series. The big lefty lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs, two homers and 11 hits. New York's entire lineup was also blameworthy with Robinson Cano posting an 0 for 4 to cap a 3-for-40 postseason that has seen him collect as many hits as St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter.

Key play: Peralta's two-run homer in the fourth inning came after Cabrera did the same and erased any doubt that Game 4 ticket holders would get a chance to party.

Interesting stat: According to whowins.com, this is only the fifth best-of-seven postseason series in which one of the teams never held a lead. The Yankees join the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals (WS, Boston), 1989 San Francisco Giants (WS, Oakland), 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers (WS, Baltimore) and 1963 Yankees (WS, Los Angeles) to never enjoy an advantage.

What they'll be talking about: The national media is obviously going to focus on the fall of the Yankees and what offseason changes may or may not be coming. It'd be a shame, though, to not credit the Tigers rotation for how they've been pitching this month. It was their efforts that stopped Oakland, halted New York's well-paid sluggers and are sending the franchise to its 11th World Series appearance. There will be plenty of questions about how the Tigers will handle closer Jose Valverde in the next matchup, but the reliability of the starters make his volatility a little easier to stomach.

What's next: The Detroit Tigers will head home to watch the NLCS and find out whether or not they'll be reporting to St. Louis or San Francisco for Game 1 of the World Series next Wednesday. The Yankees, meanwhile, will return back to the Big Apple for plenty of discussion (and suggestions) of how they can fix things going forward.

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ALCS Game 4 postponed, to be played Thurs. – CC Sabathia | NYY

17 Oct
2012
Wednesday's ALCS Game 4 between the Yankees and the Tigers has been postponed due to rain.
Tags: ALCS, ALCS Game, , , , , , , ,
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Infante (thumb) in Tigers’ ALCS Gm. 4 lineup – Omar Infante | DET

17 Oct
2012
Omar Infante (thumb) is in the Tigers' starting lineup for Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees.
Tags: ALCS, ALCS Gm, , , , , , , thumb,
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Tigers go up 3-0 behind another Verlander gem – Justin Verlander | DET

16 Oct
2012
The Tigers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the ALCS Tuesday behind another brilliant effort from Justin Verlander, who tossed 8 1/3 innings of one-run ball in the 2-1 victory.
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Jose Valverde will not be closer for Game 2 – Jose Valverde | DET

14 Oct
2012
Jose Valverde will not be used if the Tigers have a save chance in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Tags: ALCS, , , , Jose Valverde, , , , Valverde
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Sanchez outduels Kuroda, Tigers win Game 2 – Anibal Sanchez | DET

14 Oct
2012
Anibal Sanchez allowed no runs on three hits and seven strikeouts in the Tigers' 3-0 ALCS victory over the Yankees on Sunday evening in New York.
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Sanchez outduels Kuroda, Tigers win Game 2 – Anibal Sanchez | DET

14 Oct
2012
Anibal Sanchez allowed no runs on three hits and seven strikeouts in the Tigers' 3-0 ALCS victory over the Yankees on Sunday evening in New York.
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ALCS Game 2: Anibal Sanchez and Tigers take 2-0 series lead after four-hit shutout of Yankees

14 Oct
2012

Score and situation: The Detroit Tigers took advantage of a flagging New York Yankees offense and a late blown call to record a 3-0 win in Game 2 of the ALCS on Sunday. The victory gives them a two games to none lead in the series as it shifts to Detroit for the middle three games.

Leading lads: Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez pitched just the way the Tigers wanted him to when they acquired him in a midseason trade from Miami. The righthander threw seven scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing three hits and three walks to the Yankees lineup. New York starter Hiroki Kuroda pitched even better by carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning, but gave up three runs (only  one of which was truly earned) and was stuck with the hard-luck loss after striking out a career-high 11 batters through 7 2/3 innings.

[Related: Yankees try to disguise empty seats at ALCS by moving fans ]

Head hangers:  Robinson Cano is your new poster child for the inefficiency of the Yankees offense, which managed only four hits on the night. Cano went 0 for 4 to extend his hitless streak to 0 for 26, the longest drought in postseason history. No one in the New York lineup, however, was exempt from blame as the Yankees offense continued to struggle.

Second base umpire Jeff Nelson belongs in this spot too after blowing a call at second base. Though Cano's tag looked pretty evident for an out, Nelson ruled that Omar Infante was safe after trying to return to the bag and the inning was allowed to continue (though not before Joe Girardi was thrown out of the game for arguing the call). The Tigers used the opportunity to tack on two insurance runs to Kuroda's tab that they wouldn't end up needing any way.

Key play: Quintin Berry led off the top of the seventh with a ground-rule double. He'd later score the first run of the game on a fielder's choice by Delmon Young.

Interesting stat: Sunday's game was the first Yankees postseason game that didn't feature Derek Jeter in the lineup since Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. Jeter had played 158 straight postseason game for the Yankees, a streak that ended after he fractured his ankle in the 12th inning of Game 1 on Saturday night.

What they'll be talking about: There will be a lot of instant replay talk as a blown call against the Yankees stood out in both Games 1 and 2. But they're not solely to blame as the Yankees just cannot hit the ball. Expect a lot lineup dissection over the next two days as New York tries to figure out what went wrong. As for the Tigers, it's all about their stellar starting pitching. You have to have good efforts from your starters if you want to win a World Series and Detroit's pitchers are doing just that. They've thrown 29 scoreless innings since Sanchez surrendered a homer in Game 3 of the ALDS and have a collective 0.93 ERA over 48 innings pitched this postseason.

What's next: The series shifts to Detroit's Comerica Park for Tuesday's Game 3 at 8:07 p.m. ET. Justin Verlander gets the start for Detroint and can put the Tigers on the brink of the World Series with a win. Phil Hughes is scheduled to start for the Yankees with Girardi still insisting that he won't move up Game 4 starter CC Sabathia to pitch on short rest.

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