Game 39: "Lethargic" Tigers Drop 8th Straight, 6-2

Detroit (May 28) - Another day, another struggle to score runs for the Tigers.

Their eighth straight loss was a 6-2 ho-hum affair to the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Tiger Stadium.

The Twins banged out 16 hits, the Tigers seven. Yet the Twins didn't really put the game away until the ninth, when they added two runs against beleaguered reliver John Hiller for a 6-1 lead.

But even though the score was respectable until then, the Tigers never really gave the impression that they were truly in the game.

"Very lethargic," was how manager Ralph Houk described his team. "We looked like we thought it was a night game."

The game was actually scoreless headed into the seventh, despite the Twins out-hitting the Tigers, 8-2 at that point.

The big blow was Bobby Darwin's three-run homer off starter Joe Coleman (3-6), which came after Coleman intentionally walked Rod Carew with first base open.

Danny Meyer slammed his sixth home run of the season into the right field upper deck in the Tigers' half of the seventh, making the score 4-1 Minnesota.

Not until the ninth, with the score out of hand, did the Tigers put together a rally. They loaded the bases but only scored one run and left the sacks filled.


Bobby Darwin's three-run homer broke a scoreless tie in the seventh


The Tigers (14-25) continue their May free fall; they've lost eight in a row and 13 of 16. They are 7-16 for the month.

"This is baseball," said DH Willie Horton, who had two hits. "It's a long season and there will be peaks and valleys. We need to find some peaks."

There haven't been too many for the Tigers this season. They were over .500 (3-2) once this season, and the closest they've been to the break even mark since then was when they were 11-12.

Since then, the 3-13 skid has occurred.

The Tigers' last victory remains the 16-3 romp over the Twins in Minnesota onMay 19. Not once in the eight-game losing streak have the Tigers scored more than three runs.

Twins starter Jim Hughes struck out 10 Tigers hitters, walking none in 7.1 innings.

Next up for the Tigers is an off day before the Chicago White Sox visit for a weekend series.

Notes: 2B Gary Sutherland (0-for-4) is in a 1-for-16 slump...The hideous season of 1B Nate Colbert continues. He was 0-for-3 (all strikeouts), dropping his average to a shockingly low .119...Hiller's struggles out of the bullpen have raised some eyebrows, but Houk stood behind the lefty. "John's a veteran. He'll work his way out of this," Houk said. Hiller is the Tigers' only left-handed reliever, so Houk has good reason to stick with the 32-year-old.

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Tigers record: 14-25 (actual 18-21)
Home: 7-14
Away: 7-11
Last 10: 1-9

Game 38: Offense Scarce Again as Tigers Drop Seventh Straight

Detroit (May 27) -- In their last victory, which seemed like eons ago but was a week ago Monday, the Tigers erupted for 16 runs. They spoke afterward of how it might have been a sign of things to come.

It was a sign, alright. A sign that even one of the league's worst offenses can have a breakout game.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The Tigers lost again tonight, 4-2 to the Minnesota Twins at Tiger Stadium. It was their seventh straight loss. In those seven games, the Tigers have scored 15 runs---one less than they scored in their last win on May 19.

"I sound like a broken record, but all you can do is show up, work hard and hope you bust out of this," manager Ralph Houk said after tonight's game. "There's no magic cure. A batting slump is like a common cold. You just have to wait it out."

Houk's words would be heartening if it wasn't for the fact that, aside from a handful of exceptions, the Tigers' bats have been maddeningly inefficient.

They have 359 hits as a team, but have only scored 135 runs. It is by far the worst such ratio in the American League.

"We seem to be really good at getting runners to third base," veteran catcher Bill Freehan said. "But that's where they seem to stop."

Not tonight.

Other than the two runners who scored, the Tigers managed to get just two runners to second base, let alone third.


LaGrow struggled yet again; in nine starts he's 1-7 with a 5.94 ERA


The Tigers did kick up their heels in the ninth, putting runners on first and second with one out, but fireman Tom Burgmeier set down Aurelio Rodriguez (strikeout) and Tom Veryzer (fly ball), and the Twins picked up their second consecutive win in this three-game series.

Tigers starter Lerrin LaGrow (1-7, 5.94 ERA) had another rough start, giving up two runs in the first inning. The first four Twins reached base to start the game, and that may have set a record for the earliest the boo birds came out this season.

The Twins added another run in the second. Freehan doubled home Leon Roberts in the Tigers' second to make the score 3-1. The Tigers crept closer in the third when Danny Meyer singled to right, scoring Ron LeFlore, who had walked and took second on a ground out.

Minnesota's Eric Soderholm delivered a clutch two-out single in the fifth to plate Rod Carew for a 4-2 lead, which stood up.

Twins starter Bert Blyleven breezed through innings 4-thru-8, surrendering just two singles along the way. Burgmeier came in after Freehan stroked a one-out single in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Mickey Stanley greeted Burgmeier with a single, and what remained of the crowd of 15,768 stirred, thirsty for some sort of a rally.

But that was as close as the Tigers got to tying the game.

The Tigers (14-24) have lost 12 of 15.

Notes: Remember when 2B Gary Sutherland was the league's darling---leading the circuit in hitting with a .400+ BA? After last night's 0-for-4. Sutherland (.308) officially dropped out of the top ten in batting average...Houk was non-committal when asked if LaGrow would be dropped from the rotation, even temporarily. "He's not the only one struggling," Houk correctly said. "I could replace three of them, to be honest. But I can't. And I don't think it's time yet, anyway"...The Twins' Tony Oliva went 4-for-5, making him 6-for-10 in the series so far.

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Tigers record: 14-24 (actual 18-20)
Home: 7-13
Away: 7-11
Last 10: 1-9

Game 37: Twins Frolic, Thump Tigers 13-1

Detroit (May 26) -- For a game played on Memorial Day, this was one the Tigers would like to soon forget.

Mired in a six-game losing streak, the Tigers followed a familiar script as of late: falling behind early and sometimes often. Tonight it was definitely both.

The Minnesota Twins had a field day, racking up 17 hits in beating the Tigers, 13-1 in a boo-filled Tiger Stadium.

In fact, the Tigers fans booed early and often, as well.

The Twins led, 4-0, before some of the announced crowd of 15,000+ were in their seats.

The crowd was fully seated---and booing---when the Twins made it 7-0 in the fourth. In the sixth, when the Twins scored five times for a 12-0 lead, many of the fans were heading home, perhaps to attack leftovers from their holiday BBQs.

The Twins looked to be taking batting practice at times---blasting drives all over the gaps and hitting four home runs (Steve Braun, Tony Oliva [2], Larry Hisle) in handing the Tigers their worst loss of the season.

It was payback for the Tigers' 16-3 win over the Twins in Minnesota last Monday.

The Tigers (14-23) have been swinging the bats poorly since that win, which was their last. In the six-game losing streak, Detroit has scored 13 runs---three less than in their last win alone.

Tigers starter Vern Ruhle (1-6) lasted 3.1 innings, roughed up for seven runs (six earned) and eight hits. His next two successors, Fernando Arroyo and Tom Walker, weren't any better.

"Just a long day at the office," manager Ralph Houk said as he picked at some tuna salad. "Too bad the fans had to see this on a holiday."

The Tigers didn't score until the ninth. It's debatable whether there were 2,000 fans left to see it.

"Not going good now," said DH Willie Horton. "Not at all."

Oliva's first home run, a two-run shot, made it 3-0 Minnesota in the first inning. The Twins added a run four batters later.


Oliva's two homers were just part of the Twins' 13-run, 17-hit assault

In the fourth, Braun's two-run homer made it 6-0. Rod Carew reached on a Nate Colbert error, and that was it for Ruhle.

Arroyo entered and immediately gave up a run-scoring double to Bobby Darwin. 7-0 Twins. The boos cascaded from everywhere in the old ballpark.

Two innings later, the Twins punished Arroyo and Walker for a five spot. Oliva hit his second two-run homer and Walker gave up four straight hits and a sacrifice fly as the route was on.

Meanwhile, Twins starter Bill Campbell---normally a reliever---cruised, as so many starters have against the Tigers lately. Campbell pitched a complete game, seven-hitter. Only three Tigers reached second base before the ninth inning.

"It's a vicious circle," Houk said. "Everyone is trying too hard. That's what happens when you don't score runs."

So does booing.

Notes: Terry Humphrey started at catcher, just his second start of the season. "Bill (Freehan) was due for a day off," Houk said...Had the Tigers not scored in the ninth, the loss would have been their worst shutout defeat since a 10-0 loss to the Twins on May 4 of last year...The Twins' Danny Thompson had four hits, all singles...Oliva has now hit two homers in a game 10 times in his career.

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Tigers record: 14-23 (actual 18-19)
Home: 7-12
Away: 7-11
Last 10: 2-8

Game 36: Tigers Dismantled, Swept In Chicago, 9-2

Chicago, IL (May 25) - After Saturday's loss to the White Sox---a game in which the Tigers fell behind 3-0, early---the talk throughout the Detroit clubhouse was about the importance of scoring first and playing with a lead, in an effort to end a four-game losing skid.

Mission very not accomplished.

The White Sox again started fast, pouring it on the Tigers early, and punctuated a three-game sweep with a 9-2 win here this afternoon.

This game was over quickly. The White Sox scored five times in the second inning and led 6-1, driving out starter Mickey Lolich to mark his shortest outing of the year, by far.

The White Sox banged out 17 hits as they sent the Tigers (14-22) to their fifth straight loss (season high), sixth in seven games, and tenth in their last 13 games.

The Chisox jumped on Lolich to the tune of eight hits and six runs in two innings, highlighted by Carlos May's opposite field home run to left field, a three-run blast.

"The ball carried today," Lolich said, referring to May's homer and Bucky Dent's first inning triple. "But that's no excuse. I didn't locate, and they punished me for it."

Chicago's Jorge Orta was particularly troublesome; the second baseman had three hits (including a triple), scored three runs, and was hit by a pitch. The latter caused a mini ruckus as Orta had some words for Tigers pitcher Gene Pentz as he went to first base. Nothing came of it, however.

The Tigers again had a bad hits-to-runs ratio: 11 to 2, which has been a problem all season. They left nine men on base.

And the team pitching is now starting to show signs of cracking; the team ERA has jumped from 3.68 to 4.20 during the losing streak.


Lolich (4-5) was hammered for six runs in two innings


"Well, this is what happens when you're going bad," manager Ralph Houk said. "Everything goes south at once, usually. Today was a total breakdown."

Reliever Dave Lemanczyk did stop the bleeding, pitching four strong innings, allowing just one run.

But by that time the damage was done.

The Tigers scored single runs in the second and ninth innings. That was it for their offense.

The sweep at the hands of the White Sox gave the Tigers a 2-7 record on their three-city, nine-game road trip. They are now an identical 7-11 at home and on the road.

And the Tigers are also in a virtual tie for last place with the 15-23 Cleveland Indians.

"You are what you are in this game," Houk said. "We're a last place team right now and we deserve that. The only people who can change that is us."

The Tigers start a three-game set on Memorial Day with the Minnesota Twins at Tiger Stadium, followed by a series next weekend at home against these same White Sox.

Notes: Some good news was that Nate Colbert had a triple and a home run and has five hits in his last four games...Willie Horton was gunned down at home plate in the fourth inning, trying to score from first on a Bill Freehan double...Lolich's ERA went from 2.29 to 3.01.

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Tigers record: 14-22 (actual 17-19)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-11
Last 10: 3-7

Game 35: White Sox Start Fast, End Strong, 5-3

Chicago (May 24) - The Chicago White Sox scored single runs in each of the first three innings and kept an arm's length distance ahead of the Tigers, holding on for a 5-3 win today at Comiskey Park.

The Tigers (14-21) have lost four straight, six of seven, and nine of their last 12 games, falling close to the cellar of the AL East.

Tigers starter Joe Coleman was in trouble early and often as the White Sox had more traffic on the base paths than rush hour on the Dan Ryan Expressway.


Coleman labored as he fell to 3-5


Coleman was wild, too: six walks thru the first five innings. Two of those walks scored, but more important, the walks forced the right-hander to work harder than normal as Coleman labored through the early innings, when the Chisox built a 3-0 lead using the walks and timely base hits.

The Tigers scored twice in the fourth. Willie Horton doubled, was driven home by Nate Colbert's double, and Aurelio Rodriguez plated Colbert with a single.

But that's as close as Detroit got. The White Sox scored in the fifth for a 4-2 lead (another Coleman walk started the rally), and even though the Tigers got to within 4-3 in the seventh, the White Sox didn't panic. They scored an insurance tally in the eighth.

Tigers manager Ralph Houk almost sounded like he was pleading for calm after the game, in light of his team's recent struggles.

"This is a long grind," Houk said. "The test is how you respond to these bad patches. It's not even Memorial Day yet. There's a lot of baseball to be played."

Still, Houk added, "We're just not swinging the bats. It's the same old thing. We haven't really gotten that going yet."

The Tigers now sit a season high seven games under .500. Houk's right: it's early. The way the Tigers are playing, is that good or bad?

Notes: Gates Brown made his 1975 debut, pinch-hitting for Gene Michael in the ninth. Brown missed the first 34 games with a sprained knee suffered in spring training. He grounded into a 3-6-3 double play and looked to be running gingerly...Reliever John Hiller's ERA rose to 5.59 after giving up a run in one inning of work...Horton's double was just his third of the season, though he has eight home runs.

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Tigers record: 14-21 (actual 16-19)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-10
Last 10: 3-7

Game 34: White Sox Strike Early, Often---Trounce Tigers, 13-3

Chicago (May 23) - You had a feeling it wasn't going to be the Tigers' night when White Sox second baseman Jorge Orta slammed a rare home run, a two-run shot, in the second inning. You got that feeling even more when Orta added a second homer in the fifth.

When shortstop Bucky Dent hit an even rarer homer in the sixth, it was ollie ollie oxen free.

The White Sox started the game hitting and never really stopped, cruising to a 13-3 win over the Tigers at Comiskey Park tonight.

Chisox batters rapped out 22 hits, including four home runs. They got nine hits and four runs off reliever John Hiller in just 2.1 innings.

This was never a contest.

The White Sox led, 4-0, after two innings. They led 9-3 after six frames, then they poured on four more runs in the eighth.

The 22 hits were a season high for Chicago, and they hadn't had 20+ hits since 1972.


Orta was 4-for-5 for Chicago with two homers, four runs scored and three RBI


This game had one statistical oddity. Both no. 2 hitters---Gary Sutherland and Orta---played second base and both were 4-for-4 after their first four at-bats.

Lerrin LaGrow (1-6) turned in yet another poor start for Detroit, not getting out of the fifth inning after he surrendered back-to-back homers to Orta and Carlos May to lead off the inning.

LaGrow's ERA jumped to 5.93 after seven starts.

Tom Walker and Hiller were both ineffective in relief as the Tigers (14-20) lost for the fifth time in six games. They are 3-8 in their last 11 games.

"Just gotta keep your head down and plow forward," manager Ralph Houk said. "Baseball is a long season. You're going to get your brains beat in from time to time."

The White Sox sprayed hits all over Comiskey's diamond: bloops, line drives, ground balls, you name it. Of their 22 hits, 16 were singles, and they all seemed to be of the seeing eye variety.

"I stunk," LaGrow said. "I set the pace. I've been bad all season. It's gotta stop."

Chicago catcher Brian Downing, the no. 9 hitter, was the other White Sox batter who had four hits (all singles). May and Tony Muser had three hits each.

Notes: SS Tom Veryzer returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a sore ankle. He went 0-for-4...Deron Johnson was the only Chicago hitter who went hitless...Sutherland had been in a 3-for-30 slump before going 4-for-5 tonight...Dent's last home run came on September 21 of last year. Orta had never hit two home runs in a game prior to tonight.

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Tigers record: 14-20 (actual 16-18)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-9
Last 10: 3-7

Game 33: Tigers Rally, But Fall Short, 5-3

Bloomington, MN (May 21) - The Tigers had a .400 hitter at the plate in the eighth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second. The score was 4-3, Minnesota---after the Tigers scored twice to move within one run.

But as has been all too typical this season, the Tigers fell short.

Ben Oglivie, batting .429 (albeit in 37 at-bats), struck out. The Tigers ended up losing, 5-3.

The Tigers were trailing in the eighth, 4-1, and had two out and nobody on base when Dan Meyer's routine ground ball to second baseman Rod Carew looked to be the third out of the inning. But Carew's throw brought Tom Kelly off the bag at first base, keeping the Tigers' inning alive.

Willie Horton then smacked his eighth homer of the season---a line drive just over the left field wall---and suddenly Twins starter Vic Albury's sure win was a nailbiter.

Twins manager Frank Quilici went to righty Bill Campbell, who promptly walked the first two men he faced. That brought up Oglivie, pinch-hitting for Mickey Stanley.

Campbell fell behind, 2-0, then blew two fastballs past Oglivie before fanning him on a change up.


Carew's clutch two-run double in the fifth put the Twins ahead to stay


The Twins added an insurance run in their half of the eighth, aided by a Gary Sutherland error.

Campbell walked the leadoff man in the ninth (Aurelio Rodriguez), but then induced a 6-4-3 double play from Gene Michael before getting a game-ending ground ball to shortstop from Ron LeFlore.

The Twins scored a run in the first, and the Tigers tied it in the second on a solo homer from Leon Roberts (4th). The Twins moved ahead, 3-1, after Carew drilled a two-run double in the fifth with two outs. They added to their lead the next inning on a sacrifice fly from Kelly.

The Tigers (14-19) have lost four of five and seven of their past ten games.

"Sooner or later you have to stop tipping your cap to the other pitcher," Tigers manager Ralph Houk said, clearly irritated with his team's uneven offense. After scoring 16 runs Monday night, the Tigers dropped the last two games of the series while only scoring four runs total.

And two of those runs---last night in the eighth---would never have scored if it wasn't for Carew's error.

After tomorrow's off day, the Tigers travel to Chicago for the last leg of their three city, nine-game road trip.

Notes: Sutherland (0-for-4) is in a 3-for-30 funk, dropping his average from .379 to .312...LeFlore was caught stealing in the fifth, making him 3-for-10 this season in SBAs. That's not what the Tigers envisioned coming out of spring training...Horton's two RBI gave him 24 for the season, good for sixth in the AL...Carew was a home run away from hitting for the cycle.

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Tigers record: 14-19 (actual 16-17)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-8
Last 10: 3-7

Game 32: Goltz Outduels Lolich; Twins Score Late, Win 2-1

Bloomington, MN (May 20) - On a staff full of hard-luck pitchers, Mickey Lolich might be the hardest lucked.

Lolich again found himself in a pitching duel tonight at Metropolitan Stadium, and as has happened so often, he was also on the losing end.

Lolich didn't need any relief, yet he lost to Dave Goltz and the Minnesota Twins, 2-1.

Lolich (4-4) is .500 despite an ERA of 2.29.

The Twins nicked Lolich for a run in the seventh inning, breaking a 1-1 tie, and that was all they needed as Goltz threw a seven-hit, complete game against the Tigers.

The Tigers scored 16 runs here last night, and one tonight.

"That's baseball," Lolich said. "I would have liked some of those runs for tonight, but that's just wishful thinking."

Actually, Lolich only would have needed two of last night's runs, as it turned out.

The Twins scored in the opening inning, as the first three batters all singled, with Larry Hisle's base hit knocking in Steve Brye.

The Tigers tied the game in the second. With two out, Ben Oglivie singled home Willie Horton, who had doubled.

From that point on, Lolich and Goltz pretty much cruised along.


Goltz was the latest opposing pitcher to outduel Lolich


But in the seventh, the Tigers put the first two men on base (Gene Michael singled and Ron LeFlore reached on an error by Goltz as he tried to field a bunt). However, a Gary Sutherland 4-6-3 double play pretty much killed that threat.

Then in their half of the seventh, the Twins stirred and with a Michael error helping them along, Minnesota scratched out one more run. Brye was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in the game-winning run.

Twins manager Frank Quilici stuck with Goltz through the ninth, even though fireman Tom Burgmeier was warming up in the bullpen. Goltz responded by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth, as he did the eighth.

The Tigers (14-18) once again wasted a good pitching performance---and once again it was Lolich's they wasted.

"No sense getting mad about it," Lolich said. "Just go out and pitch well the next time and hopefully it's enough."

Trouble is, that's what Lolich has been doing. It's just not helping him all that much.

Notes: Sutherland is starting to come back down to Earth after his red hot start. He went 0-for-4 and is in a 3-for-26 funk, dropping his average from .379 to .322...The Tigers haven't missed a beat with Michael starting for the injured Tom Veryzer at shortstop---at least not offensively. Michael went 2-for-4 and is hitting .313 (10-for-32) filling in for Veryzer, who continues to nurse a sore ankle...The game was interrupted briefly in the fifth inning when a man "streaking"---the new fad---ran around the outfield, eluding security.

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Tigers record: 14-18 (actual 16-16)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-7
Last 10: 4-6