Verlander Dominates Again

Game Date: July 15, 2006
Game Score: Tigers 6, Royals 0 / Box Score
WP: Verlander (11), LP: Gobble (3)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 31-59

You could see this loss coming simply by looking at the pitching match up. Gobble never makes it more than five or six innings and Verlander owns the Royals. Including the game tonight, he’s pitched 16 innings in his career against us and hasn’t given up one run. Detroit’s win tonight was also their eleventh in a row against the Royals this season. And including the two losses before the break, the Royals have now lost five games in a row. Not really what we were hoping for after they played so well for the preceding three weeks.

Verlander completely shut us down. We only managed two hits off of him. Gobble on the other hand wasn’t horrible, but wasn’t up to the task of competing with Verlander. Gobble gave up 4 ER in 5.0 IP. And he joins the growing trend of Royals’ starters who can’t seem to get past the fifth inning without throwing 95 or 100 pitches. Gobble threw 95 tonight. Verlander only threw 101 in 7 innings. Andrew Sisco continues to struggle. Tonight he gave up two more earned runs in one inning and he saw his ERA climb to 7.51. I’m thinking that it’s time to send Burgos and Sisco to Omaha for a few weeks until they can get things figured out.

One thing that really bugged me about this game, other than the pitching mismatch, was Emil Brown’s at bat in the second inning. With one out, he hit a ball to deep right field and he went into his home run trot. The ball hit the wall and got away from Ordonez, but since Emil wasn’t running, he barely made it to second. I’m old school. I admit it. But if I were Bell, I would have removed Brown from the game immediately and told him that he would not play again until he apologized to the team. Then, I’d serve notice to the rest of the team by telling them that they are always expected to run hard—no matter what, and if they don’t, then they’ll get the same treatment Brown got.

On the injury front, Angel Berroa was scratched before the game with a sore muscle. Grudzielanek is expected back Monday. Mientkiewicz was said to have more back pain before the game tonight than he did yesterday—that doesn’t sound good. And, you probably know by now that Paul Bako was put on the 15-day DL. Paul Phillips was called up and he had a pinch hit double tonight. Mike MacDougal finally made his first appearance of the season. He threw 10 pitches in one inning of relief. He gave up one hit and understandably, he struggled with his control.

Tomorrow is the last game of the Detroit series and it can’t get over quickly enough. The Royals send Scott Elarton (3-9, 5.38 ERA) against Zach Miner (6-1, 2.57). Elarton is 3-4 in his career against the Tigers with a 4.70 ERA. Miner has never pitched against the Royals.