Eight is Enough!

Subject: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:28 am

Eight is enough! Thames' HR, Renteria's 3 hits help Tigers get first victory
BY JOHN LOWE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • April 10, 2008

BOSTON -- Ever since Jim Leyland took over as Tigers manager, he has liked Marcus Thames and his home run power.

Thames gave Leyland a wonderful new reason to like him and his slugging Wednesday night.

Thames became the first Tiger to produce a game-winning hit this season. His two-run homer concluded an impressive and lengthy at-bat, broke a tie and completed the four-run fourth inning that sent the Tigers to their first victory, 7-2.

"It was a good win to get that monkey off our back," Thames said. "We knew we weren't going to lose 162 games, but we wanted to get that one out of the way."

The Tigers are 1-7. They did two things Wednesday that they didn't do in their staggering winless start: They scored more than five runs in a game, and they got two extra-base hits in the same inning.

The predominantly right-handed Tigers offense had gotten a start-up boost it needed: An opposing left-handed starter without his best stuff.

Boston's Jon Lester precipitated the Tigers' fourth with a pair of one-out walks. Edgar Renteria's double drove home those runners and brought up Thames.

Thames took a couple of close two-strike pitches from Lester to work the count full. He fouled off the next three pitches, then lofted the lefty's next serve over the 37-foot wall in left.

"I was trying to battle and battle and battle, and I finally got one over the plate I could put a good swing on," Thames said.

From then until the eighth, the score stayed 4-2. It looked like the Tigers would need a Todd Jones save.

But Renteria's third hit -- a single -- set up the eighth-inning rally that Brandon Inge culminated with a two-run single. That made it 6-2. Carlos Guillen hit a solo homer in the ninth, and so Jones inherited a five-run lead for the ninth.

Boston loaded the bases with two out. Clutch slugger David Ortiz, the potential tying run, moved to the on-deck circle. Then Jones retired Kevin Youkilis on a pop-up to Renteria to end it.

The bullpen threw four scoreless innings after Jeremy Bonderman left with none out in the sixth. Left-hander Bobby Seay did the best work. Working with a two-run lead, he retired all four hitters he faced (three of them left-handed) after he relieved Bonderman.

Bonderman, who allowed one earned run, worked out of multiple jams. With runners in scoring position, the Red Sox went 1-for-5 against Bonderman and grounded into two double plays. His last big trouble came in the fourth.

Down 4-2, Boston immediately put runners at first and second with none out in the fourth. Bonderman got Julio Lugo to ground to third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who stepped on third and threw to second for a double play.

"I'm not overly excited tonight that we got a win," Leyland said. "But I keep telling myself we've got a good club and you just have to believe and keep the faith that things are going to work out."
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There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:31 am

:beltran: :bautista: Todd Jones

:clete:

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:35 am

I believe!

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:37 am

now we just gotta keep at it! No more fat cats! We're scrawny, fightin' alley cats!
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:39 am

I am so glad my Tigers came back from whatever planet that was they were on!

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:14 am

Saw my first Tigers game for 18 months on Sunday when we got spanked by the White Sox. We're over in Mi for 2 weeks looking at houses and schools. I was starting to worry we might still have a goose egg in the win column by the time I left.

Interesting that last night our best contributors were a pitcher everyone's had a downer on, our less than vaunted bullpen, and the bottom of the order. Funny game, baseball.

Go Tigers!

Subject: Re: Eight is Enough! Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:04 am

hey, tigerbob! Hope your search is going well. Yeah, this last week is not one too many of us would re-live!
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971