I’ll tell you what, these guys make me feel alive. For the most part, I was pretty even-keeled throughout this series. Detroit pitched well. They had some heroic late-inning swings. This game was a roller coaster of emotions. It began with the fact that we weren’t even sure we'd get this game in because of inclement weather. You end up starting this game, taking a commanding lead. You then blow the lead spectacularly in large part because of Drew Anderson, and then when you’re down to your final out, you drive in three runs to finish this home stand with a perfect 6–0 record. Probably could’ve been a little bit easier, but I don’t know if it could’ve been more fun.
I think we saw everything we wanted from this team during this home stand. Generally speaking, the starting pitching staff was overwhelmingly dominant over these six games, but you have to give a lot of love to an offense that started to see the ball heck of a lot better. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Dillon Dingler all had wonderful games, as did Kevin McGonigle, who continues to be this team’s most polished hitter quietly. For the most part, this team will be carried by their pitching, but there are going to be days in which you need your offense to burst out. Today was one of those days, and this lineup deserves its flowers.
The frustration that people are having right now is AJ’s decision to use Drew Anderson. Every year, there is that one Tiger who comes out of the gate and costs Detroit a few games early on. The fan base holds a grudge against that player all season. Last year, it was Colt Keith. Despite all the steps forward Colt Keith made last season, those early-season errors pissed people off royally. This year, it’s going to be Drew Anderson. The guy could go on and pitch 20 scoreless frames in a row, and people are still going to get upset when AJ uses him out of the bullpen.
Look, I don’t know what Drew Anderson is going to be as a major league pitcher. But I also know that the situation in this series gave AJ Hinch some limited options out of that bullpen. Detroit gave Drew Anderson a contract that I don’t think any other team would’ve been willing to give him because they thought that he could be a secret weapon out of this bullpen. He hasn’t been that.
For a season that is still so young, it sure as heck feels like we’ve experienced a whole lot of emotions. A week ago, this was a team at the bottom of the American League, and now they find themselves above .500 following three close victories against the divisional rival. A switch had to flip at some point, as did the vibes. Thankfully, that happened at Comerica Park in this series. Say what you will about this group, but there’s not a whole lot of panic in them. Oh, also, the umpire pooped his pants.
The Tigers will be broadcast on Apple TV tomorrow. Casey might as well take the mound for Detroit, going up against newly acquired Red Sock Ranger Suarez.