Is it October already? OK, I’m exaggerating a little bit, but given the low-scoring nature of that ball game, it definitely didn’t feel like the kind of game that you experience in the middle of April. This was another premier pitching matchup, this time against two lefties. In fact, it’s the first time this year that the Tigers have faced a left-handed starting pitcher, and it was one that they were very familiar with. Cole Ragans was exceptional. He probably didn’t have the swing-and-miss stuff he is accustomed to, but the Tigers weren’t really squaring anything up, and they were able to make that 1-0 lead hold for a good chunk of the game despite Framber Valdez's brilliant outing.
I don’t want that to get overlooked. You need brilliant starting pitching if you’re going to win games on nights where you don’t score a lot of runs; that’s exactly what happened tonight. I don’t know if there was anything spectacular about Valdez‘s outing, but I also think that’s sort of what makes them special. He’ll trot his way onto the mound, and before you’ve even sat down, all of a sudden he’s made it through seven innings like he did tonight. Outside of a rough second inning in which he got some bad luck, he was sensational and kept the Tigers in the game.
Even with the offensive struggles, this game had the feel of the kind of ballgames we watched in the first half of last season. They say "don’t let the Tigers get hot," but it’s more important that you don’t let the Tigers stick around. Kansas City needed nine clean outs from their bullpen tonight, something that they have rarely been able to get so far this season. Detroit took advantage of that. These are the kinds of games that are fun to celebrate in April, but could become much more meaningful as we get deeper into the season. This is the first game of the year against a divisional opponent, and the Tigers won despite being shut out through seven and two-thirds. Great job.
Jack Flaherty hopes to build off of what was a much better start last time out tomorrow when he faces off against the Royals. Familiar divisional foe Seth Lugo will be taking the ball for the Kansas City Royals.