Recovering From a Lost Weekend

So, how ’bout that Max Scherzer, huh?

Crazy Eyes struck out 14 batters in just 5.2 innings on Sunday (which felt like Saturday), falling just two K’s short of the franchise record. Not a bad way to announce his presence with authority upon his being recalled from AAA Toledo.

Apart from that, the Tigers were terrible all weekend long, dropping three of four at home to the Oakland A’s, who came into the series with the worst road record in the AL. They even wasted a three-homer game from Miguel Cabrera on Friday, the first for Detroit since Dmitri Young swatted three on Opening Day of 2005.

Then there was the designation for assignment of Dontrelle Willis.

I have been a Willis apologist for a long time now. That’s no secret. I root for the guy. I root for anyone like him, who was so good at what he does, only to see it suddenly go awry. There isn’t much fairness in life, but what happened to Willis, money aside of course, is the definition of unfair.

I’m not saying it was unfair of the Tigers to cut him, on the contrary actually, they gave him every opportunity in the world. It was unfair that someone could just lose the ability to do something that they had been previously so masterful with. Willis will continue to battle elsewhere, which is probably what he needs. A change of scenery will do him good, I hope. I’ll be rooting for him.

Meanwhile the Tigers are going forward without their left hander, without any left hander in the rotation. There will be a search for another starter soon, I’d guess. It’s safe to say that Armando Galarraga is not the answer.

Of course, the Twins have rattled of five straight victories while the Tigers were struggling, so the deficit now sits at 4.5 games. That’s a pretty big hill to climb.

The Tigers start the climb with three games at home against Cleveland starting tonight. Detroit has gone 4-1 versus Cleveland so far this season, including sweeping three games at the CoPa in early April.

The Tigers need to make hay this month, as they play their next 22 games against teams without winning records. Detroit will complete their homestand with the Indians before traveling to Kansas City and the White Sox. Then they get back into Interleague Play, taking on Pittsburgh, Washington, Arizona, and the Mets before three games with Atlanta ahead of a crucial series with the Twins.

If the Tigers can take care of business against the dregs of the leagues, they’ll be in a better spot this time next month. If not, the Tigers could be setting up shop in the trade market as sellers instead of buyers.