Series preview - Detroit Tigers April 27th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Most Twins fans can remember the series in Detroit on the last weekend of April last year. The Twins lost 9-0, 18-1 and 6-0. It was, without doubt, the lowest point of last season.
This weekend the Twins will again face Detroit on the last weekend in April and like last year they’ll Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander in the first two games. The Twins are arguably playing as poorly as last April, but Detroit isn’t nearly as hot as they were early last year when they went 16-9 in April. The pitching matchups for the series will be:
- Friday: Ramon Ortiz (3-1 2.48) vs. Nate Robertson (2-1 2.05)
- Saturday: Carlos Silva (1-1 2.74) vs. Justin Verlander (1-0 2.08)
- Sunday: Johan Santana (3-2 3.44) vs. Mike Maroth (2-0 5.06)
With Thursday’s postponement of the the White Sox - Tiger game the Twins will face two lefties (Robertson and Maroth) in the series instead of just one. The Twins have struggled against lefties this year, so the situation favors the Tigers. The Twins have also been over a week without an off day.
The Tiger lineup is much the same as last year with the addition of Gary Sheffield as the DH. While Sheffield has gotten off to a terrible start for the Tigers, he has the ability to bust out at any moment.
- Ivan Rodriguez, C: Past his prime, but still one of the better catchers in baseball
- Sean Casey, 1B: He was added at the trade deadline last year to aid in the stretch run. He also is off to a slow start.
- Placido Polanco, 2B: Polanco has started off the year right, reaching base over 40% of the time.
- Bradon Inge, 3B: He’s off to a terrible start at the plate with a .134 batting average.
- Carlos Guillen, SS: He’s been a consistent hitter since coming to Detroit in 2004.
- Craig Monroe, LF: Another Tiger below the Mendoza line in 2007
- Curtis Granderson, CF: There’s not much exciting to say about Granderson at the plate. I’ve always perceived him as a speedy guy, so it surprises me that he rarely steals bases.
- Magglio Ordonez, RF: Ordonez was finally healthy again in 2006 after missing considerable time in the two preceding years. He’s also off to a good start in 2007 with a .333/.411/.577 line.
- Gary Sheffield, DH: Sheffield missed most of last season with injury problems, and he’s struggled to get back on track this year.
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While Rondell White will be out for considerably longer, it sounds like Luis Castillo could make his return soon, and that’s welcome news with the way Alexi Casilla has struggled in recent games. I’d be surprised if Torii Hunter misses much time, if any, after taking a ball off the face on Thursday.
The way things have been going and with Detroit’s good pitching, I think the Twins will be fortunate to escape with one victory, but you never know. What are your thoughts?
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2 Comments
Kris wrote: April 28th, 2007 at 8:34 am
You're probably right Phil. Granderson does definitely have speed, but with the lineup that Detroit has I'm sure Leyland sees little sense in losing runners with on steal attempts
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Phil Renaud wrote: April 27th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Just got back from the game, thirty one thousand sitting in the cold, with a high wind in out in the right field upper deck.
Good preview, but I really don't agree with the Granderson commentary. He's closing in on being a five-tool player – he makes gem-type plays, but his arm is weaker than it should be. He is a smart baserunner, and his lack of steals is more Leyland-ball than it is his ability/inability. The kid is a solid leadoff hitter, and fairly clutch, too.
May be the most exciting Tiger to watch, in my opinion.