The Tigers start a three game series at Oakland tonight...
These are must win games, but no matter, Virgil Vasquez is pitching tonight for the Tigers.
The Tigers have looked long and hard to fill the fifth spot in the rotation this year. They started with Chad Durbin, then they got Kenny Rogers back, then they used a trio of minor leaguers for spot starts when Rogers went back on the DL, and thy moved Andrew Miller into the rotation.
Now, Miller is out of the rotation again on the disabled list, and Virgil Vasquez and his 9.00-plus ERA get the call tonight against a very able Joe Blanton.
I don't understand this one bit. The Tigers need wins and they need wins now. Who cares if they over-pitch their starters and go on four days instead of five days rest. They can go to a four-man rotation for a week if they need to. Pitching Vasquez tonight and god-knows-who in Miller's spot in a few days is like giving away at least one of those games.
The team is not in the position to give away any. They have to win 20 of their remaining 28 to even have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. They are three games out in the loss column for the wild card and five out for the division. That means if they win 20 of 28, the team ahead of them just needs to go 17-11 to time them, or Cleveland will just need to go 15-13. 17-11 is a pretty good pace, but either the Yankees (who all of a sudden, look hot), or the Mariners should be able to finsh that well. Cleveland, on the other hand, looks like they may not lose again.
So, what is wrong with going with Verlander tonight and pushing everything up a day? I say nothing. Just because it isn't done anymore doesn't mean that you can't do it. The Tigers have Monday off, so everything can get back to normal after this weekend. Secondly, their next homestand contains a double-header and no off days. That means they will likely have to pitch a minor leaguer in that game as well. Thus, I count at least three throw-away games before they go to Cleveland in mid-September.
What does this mean? Unfortunately, it means that the Tigers will likely have to sweep the Indians to stay in the race. It also means that they will likely still be behind Cleveland if they do sweep them. Also, it is almost impossible to win a series at Jacobs field, much less sweep three in a row.
So, what it comes down to is the the Tigers have to sweep a reeling Oakland A's team. It shouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that they have got a pitcher with all of 7.2 major league innings under his belt. He has to get it done tonight. Somehow, someway, he has to get it done.
Steve Phillips says the Yankees won't make the playoffs because their pitching will let them down. The Tigers need to have their pitching hold up and their hitting to be more timely than it was in the 16-hit, 3-run debacle that was Tuesday night against the Royals. If they get 16 hits tonight, they should win. They better get 16 hits, or they might not have a chance...
