Willis Can’t Dodge Wildness as Tigers Lose in L.A.

Dodgers 4, Tigers 1 (box)

Dontrelle Willis cruised through three-and-two-thirds innings, only allowing one measly hit, but suddenly he couldn’t find the catcher’s glove.

A single, a wild pitch, a walk, a walk, and a hit batter (all with two outs) scored the first run for the Dodgers in the fourth, but it wouldn’t get any better for Willis. He would allow three more runs on four more hits plus a walk and a wild pitch before being lifted in the sixth inning. It’s the type of performance we’ve come to expect for Dontrelle, but sadly, I found myself thinking it could have been worse.

But the loss can’t be blamed on Willis—he didn’t get any help from the offense. The first inning looked promising—they were able to turn an Austin Jackson double into a run—but Chad Billingsly brought the good stuff to the ballpark. His line: 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 SO. The Tigers wouldn’t advance a runner past second base for the rest of the game.

The end of the Dodger bullpen was equally impressive. Of course, Jonathan Broxton will make any bullpen look impressive. There wasn’t much pressure on the L.A. closer in this affair, but he didn’t give the Tiger’s even a sniff of a chance. The big guy struck out the side to record the (weak) three-run save.

The Twins clobbered the Brewers so Detroit’s trip to the top of the standings was short lived.

There’s still two more games to go in Los Angeles, so the Tigers still have a chance to take the series, but dropping the first game is never ideal. Armango Galarraga will pick up the bat on Saturday, and Rick Porcello will hit on Sunday (oh yeah, they’ll pitch too).

Interleague play creeps me out.