Tigers Pound Florida Southern in Exhibition

Detroit 13, Florida Southern College 1 (box)

Real-life actual baseball was played today in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers hammered Florida Southern College in the annual meeting that signifies to start of Tigers baseball season. Welcome, folks, to the first game recap of the 2010 season, I can’t promise to do many of these during camp, but it being the first actual game I thought I should.

Details of the game are more than a bit sketchy, as I had to resort to following a live box score on FSC’s website. Obviously the server was unprepared for the mass of Tiger fans thirsting for info, and the site was in and out for most of the game. Even so, the fine folks at BYB had a game thread going, so “watching” was enjoyable.

The Tigers got started early today as Magglio Ordonez started a two-out rally with an infield single in the first. Back-to-back doubles by Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen made it 2-0 Tigers after one. Most of the regulars were removed after one at bat.

In the third, Ryan Strieby slammed a two-run homer off the left field berm, scoring Brennan Boesch. Brent Dlugach drove home another run with an RBI double that scored Don Kelly.

The Tigers added three more in the fourth. After loading the bases with one out, a sacrifice fly from Kelly and a two-run double by Eric Roof (who was on fire) made the score 8-0.

The only real drama in this game occurred in the seventh when Joel Zumaya was greeted with a leadoff single. He then hit the next batter, a play recapped by Jason Beck on twitter as such:

"FSC OF Tyler Denzel hit by Zumaya pitch. He pretends ump is holding him back from charging mound, then Zumaya shakes his hand & apologizes."

One out later, Zumaya loaded the bases with a walk, but escaped trouble by fanning the next two hitters.

Florida Southern finally broke through in the ninth, scoring a run against Cody Satterwhite.

Cheers for

• Strieby– He was 2 for 2 with a walk and a HBP, with three RBI. Find this man a position.
• Boesch– 2 for 2 day ended early when he took a flyball to the face. He sustained a cut over his eye which required stitches.
• Casper Wells– Wells had a three-run bomb in the eighth as he looks to apply some pressure to Austin Jackson for the CF job. Interestingly, Wells played RF while Clete Thomas manned center.
• Colin Kaline– the grandson of Al is playing third base for FSC. He went 2 for 3 with a walk against the team that originally drafted him, in the 25th round four years ago.
• Wade Kirkland– FSC shortstop was 3 for 4 with two doubles and scored the lone run.

Jeers to

• Seriously? It’s an exhibition game against a Div. II school. There will be no jeers today. Baseball is back, my friends.

What’s on tap?

The Tigers open the Grapefruit League schedule tomorrow against the BlueJays in Dunedin. Jeremy Bonderman will work the first two innings, followed by Nate Robertson, Armando Galarraga, Ryan Perry, Brad Thomas, and Daniel Schlereth. You can also expect to see Scott Sizemore in the game after he was scratched from today’s contest as a precaution while recovering from a broken ankle.