In what seems like possibly the coldest three-game series ever played, the Detroit Tigers took two of three games from the Royals last weekend...
Game one was miserable. Ridiculous. When the game started, it was 29 degrees, and it only got colder. The wind was blowing at about 20 miles an hour in from left to boot.
The game wasn't much better. Detroit tied the game in the second without getting a hit, and I think when both starters had finally left, each team had one run on two hits. Then Jose Mesa came in and took any lingering warmth out of the Tiger faithful. On nine pitches, he gave up a single, double and a triple. If Leyland would have left him in for one more batter, he likely would have given up the cycle. The linescore says he got one out, but for the life of me, I do not remember it.
The Royals' hitters were teeing off on him. Everything was hit and hit hard. I don't remember a swing and a miss. I don't remember a ball, only strikes, and slow ones. Actually, he threw nine pitches and only six were strikes. Four were hit, so he must have worked a count to 3-2 or something. The only good thing was that it was so cold, if the Tigers had to lose a game this series, this one was the one. It saved us from having to sit through a bottom of the ninth as the temperature dropped, much less extra innings, which is what it looked like we were going to get.
Game two was better. It wasn't any warmer, but a day game in the sun always feels warmer. The crowd was also warmed by a good amount of offense in the early going, but after the fifth, it pretty much dwindled to nothing. There were four home runs hit in this game, which is amazing thinking of the weather and the wind in from left. Sheffield's barely cleared the fence. It looks like he is trying to homer every at bat, when we could use a single from time to time. He might have gotten more hits in the series if he tried to get on for Ordonez or Guillen behind him.
Game three picked up where game two left off. No offense. Bonderman, again, couldn't get out of the first, but he only gave the Royals a solo shot from Mark Teahen. Teahen struck again in the third with an RBI single. Then nothing happened, and it got colder again. In the eighth, the sun went behind the grandstand to make it even colder, but then in the ninth, after an eighth inning of Sheffield swinging out of his heels when we needed a baserunner (two strikeouts), Ordonez doubled, Guillen walked on a ball four that could have just as easily been strike three, and then Pudge hit the first pitch about 400 feet.
This ball was creamed. I don't think Pudge has hit one that hard in a few years. He rounded the bases, and the Tiger faithful warmed up, and half of the stadium left all at the same time. David Riske, who gave up the homer, said after the game that he thought Pudge was going to bunt, so he tried to leave it down the middle and field his position. Why would a pitcher try to make it easy to bunt? Hit the corner, maybe get him to pull back on a strike. Bust him in or something. Anyway, since the Tigers weren't really hitting, Pudge, who hit a home run the day before was left to swing away, and the Tigers won 3-2.
The only question left from this series is when is Brandon Inge going to hit a ball. Maybe the Tigers will get up by five or six in Baltimore today and Jamie Walker can come in and serve up a solo shot to his old buddy or something. I don't think they can take Inge out of the lineup, though. He saved a couple of doubles during the Royals series...
