Bless You Boys

Photo by Gregory Shamus/ Detroit fans desperately needed something to smile about. The boys delivered. Spirits among Detroit Tigers’ faithful were low entering Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Texas Rangers. Not only had the Texas offense whooped Detroit’s pitching two days in a row. Not only did the team just lose its best pitcher and best position player for indefinite periods less than 24 hours apart. But Joey Wentz, sporting a 7.80 ERA and 55 ERA+, was ticketed to be the man to stop the streak and give fans something to smile about on this...

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Well that went as badly as possible. On Wednesday morning, the Detroit Tigers announced that outfielder Riley Greene has been moved to the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture of his left fibula. He was removed in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers with what was initially described as lower leg discomfort. There is no timetable for his return. Things could always be worse, but this diagnosis after an MRI revealed the fracture was just about the worst case scenario based on the sequence of events. Greene...

Scores, news, and notes, from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Erie SeaWolves 11, Richmond Flying Squirrels 1 (box) I’m still unsure what happened to the Erie SeaWolves pitching staff this season, but it remains a hot mess down there even when a top prospect starter has a good game. Wilmer Flores tossed five innings of one-run ball with only a solo home run as the sole hit allowed. He struck out eight Squirrels. We should be looking at this as a killer start, but Flores walked five batters in this game, an ugly trend that continues to hold him, as...

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via The Tigers are operating with a roster full of bench- and replacement-level players, which should open opportunities for the youngsters. The Detroit Tigers have done a fantastic job of exceeding expectations as the month of May wanes, leading into the dog days of summer. As of Monday afternoon, the Motor City Kitties were just two games under the .500 mark and a pair behind the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins, who sit perched atop the worst division in Major League Baseball. Sure, the AL Central smells like a...

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports An injury to Riley Greene, on a day already full of Tigers’ injuries, sent a sinking feeling through the fanbase. For six innings, this was a back and forth affair with both sides putting up plenty of offense. The Rangers bullpen was able to slam the door, whereas a fairly taxed Tigers’ pen continued to leak runs as Texas pulled away in the late innings to win 10-6 on Tuesday. Alex Faedo got the start, and he and his opposite number, veteran lefty Martin Perez, each tossed a quick 1-2-3 first inning. In the second, Faedo punched out...

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK Tyler Nevin and RHP Braden Bristo have been recalled from Triple-A Toledo. Well, the timing couldn’t have been much worse. With at least a few weeks left until reinforcements arrive off the injured list, the Detroit Tigers had to add two players to the list on Tuesday. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez was moved to the 15-day injured list with a pulley rupture of his left index finger. OF Matt Vierling was also moved to the 10-day injured list with lower back soreness. Not ideal. Rodriguez is currently expected to miss only two starts, with his...

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Detroit Tigers (25-27) vs. Texas Rangers (34-19) Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica ParkSB Nation Site: Lone Star BallMedia: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: RHP Alex Faedo (1-2, 4.15 ERA) vs. LHP Martín Pérez (6-1, 3.83 ERA)

Scores, news, and notes, from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for the weekend of May 26-29, 2023. Toledo Mud Hens 3, Rochester Red Wings 2 (Friday)(box) Rochester Red Wings 12, Toledo Mud Hens 7 (Saturday)(box) Rochester Red Wings 6, Toledo Mud Hens 4 (Sunday)(box) Indianapolis Indians 12, Toledo Mud Hens 6 (Monday)(box) The Rochester series didn’t end particularly well over the weekend, and then they proceeded to lose a Memorial Day matchup at the Indianapolis Indians to open this week’s series. Kerry Carpenter’s rehab didn’t start off well as he went 0-for-3 with...

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports The Rangers spoiled our fun with a decisive victory. Matthew Boyd vs. Nathan Eovaldi wasn’t a particularly encouraging matchup. The former entered Monday’s Memorial Day contest with an ERA approaching 6.00. If you extrapolate his last five starts, it’s nearly 7.00. Meanwhile, Eovaldi’s pitched to a 2.60 ERA and an even lower FIP in his first 10 starts with the Texas Rangers. It also doesn’t help that Texas has the best offense in baseball. The good news? Eovaldi was chased after just five innings, drawing a season-high three...

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports There were many major league baseball players whose careers were interrupted as they served their country during World War II, but only two lost their lives in action. This is their story. Editor’s note: This article was originally composed nine years ago and has been republished in its entirety for this year’s Memorial Day. There were many major league baseball players whose careers were interrupted as they left to serve our country in World War II, including Tigers Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg. Another Hall-of-Famer, pitcher Hal...

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Detroit Tigers (25-26) vs. Texas Rangers (33-19) Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica ParkSB Nation Site: Lone Star BallMedia: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: LHP Matthew Boyd (3-3, 5.74 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 2.60 ERA)

Photo by Gregory Shamus/ Sitting just a game below .500 Detroit has a chance to break the even mark this week heading into June. It might come to the surprise of many that the Detroit Tigers currently sit just one game under the .500 mark as well as a game behind the American League Central division-leading Minnesota Twins as the month of May draws to a close. Believe it or not, the Motor City Kitties’ record through 51 is their best since the 2015 campaign — which might not be the best year to emulate given that the franchise finished at the bottom of the division...

Photo by Duane Burleson/ A back-and-forth battle saw the Tigers lead for most of the game, then fall behind, then tie it up in the ninth and win it in the tenth. Oh, and we had a grand slam, too! A four-game weekend series between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers concluded on Sunday: the Tigers had won two not-terribly-close games and the visitors had won in a laugher on Friday. Sunday’s game saw a couple of lead changes, both bullpens giving up runs, and an exciting finish in a 6-5 Tigers victory in ten innings in which they came from behind with two outs...

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK Detroit Tigers (24-26) at Chicago White Sox (22-32) Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Comerica ParkSB Nation Site: South Side SoxMedia: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.19 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (3-3, 4.60 ERA)

Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC Injuries have delayed their progress, but the future of the Tigers’ young arms remains a key component. The Detroit Tigers have enough starting pitchers on the injured list to make up a full rotation. What was once the core of a promising young group of pitching prospects has been decimated by injuries and surgeries to each and every one of them, leaving the club scrambling just to put a starting rotation on the mound in Detroit. There’s a good chance that a year from now there will...