SB Nation - Eddie Bonine

The Finish Line is Near: Tigers 7, Twins 2

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:45:15 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Magglio Ordonez and Ramon Santiago combined for five RBIs in the Tigers' 7-2 win over the Twins Wednesday night. Surely, that's what they're talking about in this photo.

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It's so close. So very close. Tiger Town is leaning on the dugout rail in anticipation, ready to jump over it and take the field. And if the Detroit Tigers win one more time, we're going to celebrate.

Right now, all things seem possible. Heck, if the Tigers can beat Carl Pavano, what can't they do?

Pavano's mastery over the Tigers lineup was one of the most baffling aspects of this 2009 season. In five starts against Detroit, he had a 4-0 record and 1.69 ERA. Yet overall, he had a 4.86 ERA coming into Wednesday's game. So the Tigers were probably due to finally get to this guy, right?

Oh, they got to Pavano, all right. And did so early, pouncing on him in the second inning with four runs. The Tigers led off with on two singles and a walk. With the bases loaded and no outs, this would either be a chance to finally lay a smackdown on Pavano or commit an epic squandering. There was no squandering. Brandon Inge stroked a two-run double to left-center. Two batters later, Ramon Santiago singled to drive in two more runs.

But the Tigers weren't done with Pavano at that point. They had five games worth of frustration to take out on the guy. In the fifth inning, Detroit again loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. This time, however, there were two outs, so the squandering would not have been epic. But Magglio Ordonez made sure that didn't happen.

Ordonez jumped on a first-pitch fastball up in the strike zone, lacing into a wide-open gap in left-center field to clear the bases. (As I wrote for one of our overflow gamethreads, is there any more beautiful sight than a ball into the gap with nothing but green surrounding it?) That gave the Tigers seven runs, as many as Pavano had allowed altogether in his previous five starts versus Detroit.

The primary beneficiary of all that offense was Eddie Bonine, who could've used at least three of those runs last Friday in Chicago, but was surely happy with what he received Wednesday night.

Bonine provided a huge scare in the first inning, however, putting five straight Minnesota batters on base. With two runs already in, the Twins had the bases loaded with one out. Imminent disaster? Not this time. Jose Morales hit a groundball to second, which Placido Polanco and Santiago turned for a huge double play. That might have been the ballgame right there, as the Tigers took control soon thereafter.

So very close now. The Tigers' magic number is two. Can they push this pennant race over the finish line this afternoon?

Roar:

With 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Bonine last night, Zach Miner now hasn't allowed a run in his last 12 innings.

And in a non-save situation with a five-run lead, Fernando Rodney got three straight groundball outs to finish out the game.

Comment of the Night:

Paging Kevin Rand. Kevin Rand to the field.

Pavano’s been mauled by a gaggle of determined Tigers. Bring the bandaids.

by wepri31

Tigers Win! Game 158 Afterglow

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:20:17 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Brandon Inge tries to understand a world in which the Detroit Tigers scored seven runs against Carl Pavano by turning his batting helmet backwards.

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The Tigers proved they can beat Carl Pavano, after all.

Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge continued their hot hitting, combining to drive in five of Detroit's seven runs. Seven runs matches the total Pavano had allowed to the Tigers in his five previous starts against them this season, by the way.

Meanwhile, Eddie Bonine gave up only two runs for the second straight start, (though it looked shaky at the beginning) and three relievers pitched three innings of scoreless baseball.

And with that, Detroit's lead in the AL Central is three games. Their magic number is two. Something very cool could happen tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park.

Tigers beat the Twins, 7-2! Full recap to come. But for now, enjoy the afterglow!

Two Hits is Enough: White Sox 2, Tigers 0

Ian Casselberry — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:46:46 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Jake Peavy gave the Detroit Tigers a taste of what they could see for the next three seasons, pitching seven shutout innings Friday night.

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The Detroit Tigers got a preview of what facing the Chicago White Sox could be like for the next three or four seasons. Unfortunately, the Tigers are very much dealing with right now, and trying to win the AL Central.

Jake Peavy looked much like the same pitcher who's been one of the best in the National League in recent years, overpowering Tigers batters with a blazing fastball and hard-breaking slider. Overall, Peavy pitched seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts.

The shame of it all is that Eddie Bonine pitched almost as well with less dominating stuff. Bonine pitched into the sixth inning without allowing a hit. But when he finally did give one up, it was a doozy. Bonine threw two change-ups in the same spot to Gordon Beckham, and Beckham didn't miss that second one, launching it into the left-field seats for a two-run homer.

That was all the offense the White Sox needed. Heck, it was all the offense they got. The White Sox only knocked out two hits against Tigers pitching tonight. Two hits. And it was enough to win.

But as well as Peavy pitched, the Tigers' offense also squandered a few scoring chances.

In the second, Detroit had runners on first and second with one out. But Peavy came back to strike out the next two batters. The Tigers had the same situation in the third, but Magglio Ordonez hit into a double play. Finally, in the sixth, they had two baserunners yet again, only to see Peavy strike out Miguel Cabrera and get Aubrey Huff to ground out to second.

Ultimately, it was a night Tigers fans are painfully familiar with. This time, however, it was due to a pitcher who's had the reputation of doing this for a while. And if Peavy keeps this up, he might be a factor in this playoff race, after all.

Whimper:

Cabrera fought Peavy hard in his first at-bat, battling through 10 pitches before walking. But in his other two at-bats, Peavy made him look rather silly. BigMig finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Brandon Inge also had a rough night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Purr:

Did you notice that the Tigers pitched all rookies tonight? Bonine (who still qualifies), followed by Ryan Perry, Fu-Te Ni, and Casey Fien. Again, they all combined to give up just two hits.

Comment of the Night:

So let me get this straight....today...

my car was stolen. The Tigers lost. The Royals morphed back into the Royals. The Twins will not lose.

Tomorrow has to be better. Hopefully all on those fronts.

by rook34

And your runner-up, with visual aid.

Afternoon Prowl: 1984 Anniversary, Nate's Extra Day, Podcast Roundtables, and Playoff Ticket Prices

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:30:14 -0000

Which 1984 Tigers will be at the 25th anniversary celebration of the World Series Champions? 24 members of the team will be there, including Sparky Anderson, Darrell Evans, Kirk Gibson, Guillermo Hernandez, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish, and Alan Trammell.

Fans will have an opportunities for Q&A and photos with the players. Gates at Comerica Park open at 5 p.m. The on-field ceremony will take place at 6:40 p.m.

To give Nate Robertson an extra day of rest, the Tigers are pushing him back from Friday to Saturday. Eddie Bonine - who's gotten plenty of rest, having not pitched since last Wednesday - will now get the starting nod on Friday. Bonine will oppose Freddy Garcia, while Robertson will pitch against Jake Peavy.

UPDATE (6:30 p.m.): According to MLB.com's Scott Merkin, Peavy will start Friday and Garcia will pitch on Saturday. (via Jason Beck on Twitter)

I was a guest on the latest edition This Week in Detroit Tigers Baseball, joining Eye of the Tigers' J. Ellet Lambie, The Knee Jerks' Greg Eno, and host Joe Dexter to chat about last weekend's showdown with the Twins and this week's series against the Indians and White Sox.

Joe also talks to TigsTown.com's Paul Wezner about Casey Crosby and the Tigers prospects that will be playing in the Arizona Fall League.

You can listen to or download the podcast from Motor City Bengals, and TWIDTB is also available on iTunes. Thanks to Joe for inviting me onto the show.

Before Edwin Jackson pitched seven shutout innings on Tuesday, Jon Paul Morosi was beginning to wonder if Nate Robertson would've been a better Game 2 starter in the playoffs for the Tigers. (Morosi also has a little bit more on whether or not Jackson was tipping his pitches.)

The Tigers' price hike for playoff tickets concerns Billfer at The Detroit Tigers Weblog. Season ticket holders, in particular, have to plunk down a serious chunk of change for their postseason package. But even for individual tickets, it's quite an increase. I know I paused before buying my ALDS tickets on Tuesday, only to remind myself that I haven't gotten to see any playoff baseball in person.

Brandon Inge's forearm tattoos figure prominently in a conversation with former teammate Kyle Farnsworth in a post at The Dugout. The post includes a photo taken by our own allikazoo, which... is causing a bit of a problem. How about some proper attribution for the photographer, Fanhouse?

If the Tigers decide they don't want Placido Polanco back next season, here's one Twins fan who would like to see him play second base for the home team at Target Field next year.

Curtis Granderson lists the pros and cons of playing at the Metrodome in his latest post for Big League Stew. Kind of makes you wonder if players appreciated playing indoors more than fans and media did. Though Grandy has plenty to dislike about that place, too.

I'm glad to see MLB opening a training academy in China, much like what we see throughout the Latin American countries. But my favorite thing about the AP story on this is the accompanying photo.

One more thing from the "Stew": The Cleveland Indians were the latest team to be featured in their "Walk Toward the Light" series. Will these three games with the Tigers push the Tribe a bit closer to that final resting place?

Rod Allen does a great job on FOX Sports Detroit's Tigers broadcasts without using a telestrator. Last night, Detroit4lyfe caught Allen showing us why it's probably good that he doesn't always have one. Though this was an entertaining moment during last night's game.

Your Latest Fifth Starter: Eddie Bonine

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:05:21 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Eddie Bonine couldn't move from the pitching mound once Jim Leyland told him he would be the Detroit Tigers' fifth starter. Gerald Laird and Adam Everett check to see if Bonine is okay.

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Nate Robertson's groin is aching. (Or his pelvis is inflamed, if you'd prefer to put it that way.) Armando Galarraga's elbow is still sore. So who's going to be the Detroit Tigers' fifth starter? Hello, Eddie Bonine.

Bonine will now start for Detroit on Wednesday, in place of Galarraga (who was set to sub for Robertson). As the rotation and schedule stand now, he'll get three starts. Bonine should also pitch once in Cleveland, with his final start scheduled against the Twins in Detroit.

And if Robertson and/or Galarraga heal up before the regular season is finished and can pitch? They'll work out of the bullpen. Bonine's the guy, says Jim Leyland. And that's how it's going to be for the rest of the season.

From Lynn Henning's article in today's Detroit News:

"I'm not gonna keep changing. I can't wait on a daily basis any longer. I can't come (to the ballpark) not knowing who's gonna be able to pitch in two days."

One definite downside to these injuries, as The Detroit Tigers Weblog points out, is that it's now highly unlikely that anyone will be making a spot start to give one of the regular starters a rest. So no breather for Justin Verlander or Edwin Jackson as they each exceed or approach 200 innings, and no more rest for Rick Porcello, and hopefully Jarrod Washburn's sore left knee is feeling better.

Washburn, by the way, will start tomorrow night, though it's unclear as to whether or not his knee feels much better.

[Edited at 5 p.m. EST]

Bonderman Among Tigers' Six Minor League Call-Ups

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:01:20 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Jeremy Bonderman gets another chance to sit next to Edwin Jackson in the Detroit Tigers' dugout, as one of six players the team called up from the minors.

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The Detroit Tigers will add six players from the minors, once rosters can officially expand tomorrow. Pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Eddie Bonine, and Casey Fien, along with outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, catcher Dusty Ryan, and shortstop Brent Dlugach, are the minor league call-ups. Jason Beck reported the names via Twitter.

All three pitchers had earlier stints with the Tigers this season. Bonderman allowed six runs (and three homers) in four innings for a spot start in early June. Bonine posted a 7.07 ERA in five appearances, though allowed three runs over seven innings for a start in late July. And Fien compiled a 9.00 ERA in four games, also in late July.

Bonderman finished his minor league rehab assignment with a 2-4 record and 3.95 ERA. He struck out 30 batters and walked eight in 41 innings. Bonine's record with the Mud Hens was 4-5 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 starts. And Fien pitched in 42 games for Toledo, notching 14 saves and 66 strikeouts (with 15 walks) in 55 innings.

On the position side, Ramirez had two one-and-done call-ups earlier this season. In his first game, he hit an impressive home run into Comerica Park's centerfield shrubs for his first major league hit. The second time around, he went 0-for-3. Ryan didn't see much game action as the back-up catcher, getting into 11 games and batting .160/.276/.200. But bringing him back allows the Tigers to use Alex Avila as a pinch-hitter more often, rather than holding him back in case of emergency.

This season with Toledo, Ramirez hit .258/.326/.444 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs, playing mostly in left field. Ryan batted .261/.361/.462 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. And Dlugach compiled a .294/.348/.448 average, adding nine homers and driving in 59 runs.

Dlugach wasn't on the Tigers' 40-man roster, so the team has to make a move to accommodate him. I'm assuming Jeff Larish will be shuffled to the 60-day disabled list in light of his wrist surgery to clear a spot.

EDIT (11:25 a.m.): Michael Hollimon was moved to the 60-day DL. (Thanks to TMadison25 for posting this in the comments.)

Bonine Squeezed Out For Huff

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:50:37 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Eddie Bonine's latest stint with the Tigers was a short one. Four days after being called up, he's going back down to Toledo to make room for Aubrey Huff.

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To clear a spot on the Tigers' active 25-man roster for the newly acquired Aubrey Huff, Detroit sent pitcher Eddie Bonine back down to Triple- A Toledo. The move was just announced in the Tigers' official press notes.

Bonine had just been called back up by the Tigers four days ago to take the place of Freddy Dolsi (who had taken Chris Lambert's spot) in the bullpen. But with the team's dominant starting pitching over the past four games, along with the recovery of Armando Galarraga, using Bonine in a long relief role wasn't necessary.

This leaves the bullpen a man short, however, which leads you to think another move is soon to come. But for now, Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas, and maybe even Marcus Thames avoid getting squeezed off the roster for Huff.

Perhaps the Tigers are waiting until they know whether or not Carlos Guillen can play the outfield before deciding who goes (at least until rosters expand in September).

Dolsi Goes Down, Bonine Comes Back

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:55:18 -0000

In the rush to get away from it all for a bit after yesterday's game, we forgot to mention that the Tigers did a little roster shuffling between Detroit and Toledo.

As you had to have expected after his outing on Wednesday (three hits and three walks in less than two innings), reliever Freddy Dolsi was sent back down to Triple-A following the Tigers' 2-0 win. Called up to take his place is Eddie Bonine, making his third appearance on the major league roster this season.

Jason Beck reports on his blog that Bonine will work out of the bullpen, in the same sort of long relief role that he had when making the team out of Spring Training. But if Armando Galarraga hasn't recovered from his flu bug for his next turn in the rotation (scheduled for Sunday), Bonine will take his place.

Roster Shuffles: Guillen, Anderson, Bonine, Fien, and... Bonderman?

Ian Casselberry — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:10:28 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Carlos Guillen returned to the Tigers' lineup yesterday and made an immediate contribution, batting 3-for-7 in Detroit's two wins over the White Sox.

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The Detroit Tigers have made quite a few roster moves over the past 48 hours. Some (if not most) of you reading this might already be aware of these transactions. This post might be more for me to catch up, as I spent a large part of yesterday attempting to get a hole in the side of my house repaired and nursing a migraine. (Wah!)

Okay, let's begin with the biggest moves, and work our way down in no particular order:

Carlos Guillen was recalled from his minor league rehab assignment and activated from the disabled list. (He got right to work, batting a combined 3-for-7 in yesterday's doubleheader.) To make room for him on the roster, Josh Anderson was designated for assignment.

Though Lynn Henning seems surprised that Anderson was booted instead of Magglio Ordonez (Henning will just continue to beat that drum until he's right), there really wasn't any other move to make. Sure, Anderson has speed, but with an on-base percentage of .282, how much was he really using it? And though he might be able to cover more ground than any other left fielder the Tigers had on the roster, he seemed to get poor jumps on balls and would make bonehead plays like letting sinking line drives bounce between his legs.

Besides, are the Tigers really losing Anderson by designating him for assignment? What are the chances an outfielder batting .242/.282/.315 passes through waivers? Unless he just doesn't want to play in the Detroit organization anymore, he's probably on his way to Toledo soon enough and can be called back up if the Tigers feel his presumed speed and defense is worth a roster spot. For now, however, they need a guy who can hit.

After starting Friday night's game, Eddie Bonine was sent back down to Toledo and reliever Casey Fien was called up to take his place. (Even if the Tigers wanted to recall Dolsi, he has to stay in the minors for 10 days unless he'd be replacing an injured player.) This is a long overdue move for the Tigers.

Fien almost made the team last year out of Spring Training, and since then has been one of the organization's most promising bullpen prospects. He didn't start off the season very well, blowing a couple of saves, but seems to have settled into a groove in recent weeks. For the season with the Mud Hens, Fien has a 2-1 record and 3.61 ERA with eight saves. Most importantly, he has 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 47.1 innings.

Bonine was called up from Triple-A Toledo to start the second half of Friday's doubleheader, and reliever Freddy Dolsi was sent down to clear a spot for him. The Tigers needed an extra starter, with two games in one day, and no off-day until Thursday. So someone had to make a spot start.

Dolsi was totally expendable, as he hadn't pitched in two weeks and had only appeared in five games since being called up to replace Ryan Perry (who returned last week when Joel Zumaya went on the DL). He'd only given up one run in 9.1 innings, but had allowed six hits in his last two appearances (covering 4.2 innings), and appeared to be relegated to mop-up duty.

This isn't a move that's been made yet, but Jeremy Bonderman could be on his way back and might... pitch out of the bullpen? After Bondo was shut down in mid-June, it looked like his season was effectively over. Coming back to pitch in September seemed to be an optimistic forecast.

Apparently, however, he's made some big strides in his recovery. Not so much as to rejoin the starting rotation, but perhaps give the team 35 pitches or so in a relief outing. According to the Tigers, it's when Bondo tried to stretch out into higher pitch counts that his shoulder became sore.

But how effective could he really be? Bondo was having trouble throwing his fastball above the high-80s/low-90s, and was (for now, anyway) more of a finesse pitcher. Maybe he could dial it up higher in a shorter outing? Or maybe the Tigers are just thinking he could be a warm body to use in middle innings during September.

The Bonine Identity: Friday's Game 2 Starter

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:30:19 -0000

The Tigers' starting pitcher for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox has now been identified. As many expected (and reported by Jason Beck), Eddie Bonine will get the call up from Toledo.

This season with the Mud Hens, Bonine has a 2-4 record and 4.67 ERA, with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks in 69.1 innings. He was with the Tigers at the beginning of the season, giving up eight runs in eight innings in a long relief role, but was eventually sent down to Triple-A when Joel Zumaya was activated in late April.

It's not the flashiest move, but I don't know if there was really one to make, outside of giving Luis Marte the nod, but since he pitched on Monday, a Friday start would come on short rest. Also, Marte's not on the Tigers' 40-man roster, which would've made such a transaction a bit more complicated.

What happens after Bonine pitches on Friday night? Billfer speculates that Carlos Guillen might be activated for Saturday's game, once Bonine is sent back to Toledo. That seems to work out perfectly.

(Thanks to Kurt for mentioning this in the comments of today's Morning Prowl)