Lineup changes in the works for Tigers

Monday, May 5, 2008
Twins 7, Tigers 6
Lineup changes in the works for Tigers
Leyland wouldn't elaborate, but necessity is clear after another mystifying
performance.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080505/SPORTS0.../805050


MINNEAPOLIS -- See that game? See how the Tigers' offense turned off like a
frozen faucet?

That's why lineup changes are going to be made today. That's also why the
Tigers' offense continues to be such an enigma.

Hot, then cold.

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Hot, then sometimes colder than cold in the same game -- such as their 7-6
loss Sunday to the Twins, who swept three straight after the Tigers had done
the same to the Yankees.

Weird game. Weird trip. And, so far, weird team.

The Tigers scored six runs in the first inning off Twins starter Boof
Bonser, then did absolutely nothing against him, as he settled in to last
through the sixth inning.

Bonser threw 45 pitches in the first inning, then only 54 over the next five
innings during which one Tiger got past first base. Of the Tigers going out
in order on five pitches in the second after roughing up, but not knocking
out Bonser in the first, manager Jim Leyland said only, "that's not good."

Of course, Leyland also called it a typical "Dome game" because when the
Tigers finally lost the lead in the seventh, they were victimized by Carlos
Gomez' high infield chopper off home plate, after a costly error at third by
Carlos Guillen; and by Joe Mauer's up-the-middle, two-run single that
probably wouldn't have made it through a grass infield.

So maybe the Tigers lost it in typical Dome fashion. But that doesn't
explain why, in Leyland's words, "the bats went dead."

They certainly didn't go dead because of the Metrodome. They went dead
because the Tigers are such a mystifying team. With all those hitters in
their lineup, with all those track records, they scored six runs in one
inning of their three games here, and only two runs in the other 26.

But, again, they'd already generated enough frustration before the game for
Leyland to say there are going to be drastic changes, as in "changes people
will consider pretty drastic" no matter how Sunday's game turned out.

They have to find some consistency. But even if they don't find it for a
while, they're not hopelessly behind. The American League Central is all but
begging for a team to break away from the pack, and no one's doing it unless
the Twins, with five victories in a row, have begun to do so.

They probably aren't, though.

The White Sox looked like they were making the same move a week ago, only to
lose their fifth straight Sunday.

The Tigers have plenty of time to sort it all out. Plenty of time to solve
the puzzle. The first step was for them to admit they are a puzzle. The
second step comes today in whatever lineup moves Leyland chooses to make.

Because he's hitting only .185 with two home runs and five RBIs while trying
to overcome the challenge of a troublesome right shoulder, speculation
quickly centered on the likelihood of DH Gary Sheffield batting considerably
lower than this usual third.

Leyland wouldn't say what he's going to do. But it was easy to see what he's
already done. In their six-run first, for instance, three different Tigers
broke for second on pitches and Miguel Cabrera went from first to third on a
single to left.

They showed some new aggressiveness. But after that, they didn't have any
runners to be aggressive with.

Knowing his team isn't blessed with much speed, there's no way Leyland can
turn the Tigers into a running team. But he said he is looking for more
"excitement."

"We can be tough to watch sometimes. I'm going to shake things up pretty
shortly, I think," he said. "There will be no personnel chances or player
movement. Same pieces, but quite a bit different (order). For whatever
reason, we haven't had that killer instinct.

"I just think our offense is better than this. I know it is. There's no
doubt in my mind.

"We can lull you to sleep at times, and I can live with that. But that's why
we have to hit. That's what we're supposed to be able to do. I don't know
why, but we haven't had the sense of urgency that we need.

"I'm shocked," Leyland added. "There's just not been that extra kick in the
butt yet to get us over the hump. I think it will happen. I'd be very
disappointed if it doesn't."