Minnesota 4, Detroit 3 (box)
Of course the season isn’t literally over, but this was one of those games that the ball club absolutely needed to win if they still had aspirations of winning the division. The Tigers fall to eleven back of the Twins, and the schedule math is now very very grim.
The Tigers’ offense looked promising early, but the fun would be short lived. A rare Minnesota error to lead off the game allowed Austin Jackson to reach base. Will Rhymes followed him by placing a nice bunt toward second base, and the Tigers had their first [...]

Tigers 10, Blue Jays 4 (box)
This series pretty much summed up the season. There were flashes of brilliance, a couple of close loses, and a blown game. Miguel Cabrera was an offensive monster, but the team struggled with runners in scoring position. In the end, they ended up earning a split.
It could have been better, it might have been worse, but in the end they were .500 for the series. That’s the way it’s gone all year for the Tigers. They couldn’t quite keep the good times rolling, but the wheels never completely fell off, and it looks like they’re [...]

New is coming in fast and furious from Motown today. The Tigers have indeed promoted OF Casper Wells from Toledo as expected and in order to clear a roster spot, they have designated for assignment the contract of RHP Enrique Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was mentioned in my previous post as a possibility to be moved out and in my opinion, this was a natural choice. Gonzalez was working as a starter in Toledo before being recalled earlier this year to serve as a long reliever for the Tigers. He’s been good at times, but has had trouble with command. He’s also nothing [...]

As noted on Jason Beck’s blog yesterday, the Tigers will be recalling OF Casper Wells from AAA this afternoon and he will be available to play this evening when the Tigers take on the Royals.
Wells came up earlier in the year for the Tigers and appeared in four games. He wasn’t hitting much for the MudHens when he was last recalled, but this time around he’s on fire. Wells is hitting .354 this month and has a 1.294 OPS since August 1. In the season’s second half, Wells has hit .295 and has an OPS of 1.040.
Wells was a star [...]

Following last night’s 4-1 loss to the Dodgers in L.A., the Detroit Tigers made a roster move recalling utilityman Ryan Raburn from AAA Toledo and optioning OF Casper Wells to the MudHens.
Raburn, who was sent out 10 days ago, was pounding the ball in AAA. In the minors because the Tigers had needed an extra arm, Raburn batted .444 (12-for-27) while on assignment including two doubles and two runs batted in.
The fact that he spent only the minimum amount of time in Toledo means that he has yet to burn his final option year. A player must spend [...]

Detroit 5, Oakland 1 (box)
A classic pitcher’s duel took place at the Oakland Coliseum last night. Tigers ace Justin Verlander and the recently perfect Dallas Braden hooked up in one of the quickest games of the year.
The Tigers threatened early against Braden, but couldn’t score in the first when Cliff Pennington made a sparkling over the shoulder catch on a would-be base-hit by Brennan Boesch. That was the last best scoring chance either team had until the seventh.
Both pitchers were on cruise control throughout the game. Verlander was throwing gas right from the jump, but mixed his pitches well and kept the [...]

Bored at work on a Friday afternoon? Me too. Here’s a few links to keep you going.

At Tiger Tales, Lee has a quote from Casper Wells concerning his rumored promotion. Spoiler alert: he’s as surprised as anyone. Casper Wells is on the Way
Billfer does a great job working through the implications of such as move, going so far as to include as many as two additional moves, all of which could happen by Monday. The Detroit Tigers Weblog
Over at Big League Stew, ‘Duk asks the unthinkable question (if you’re a Royals fan that is). BLS
Speaking of the Royals, what did [...]

The Boston Red Sox are in town to open a three game weekend series with Detroit this evening. A pair of struggling 25-year-old righthanders will square off on the mound.
The Red Sox will give the ball to Clay Buchholz (3-3, 3.82), who will make his third career start against the Tigers and his second start in Comerica Park. Buchholz has split his last two decisions, allowing nine earned runs over 10.2 innings in those starts. On the bright side, Buchholz has won his last six road starts, including a 2-0 mark away from Fenway this season.
He last faced the [...]