Tick...Tick...Boom.

If today were the day that you had to stop closing, how would you feel?

That was an annoying series. It was especially annoying because it seems to me that philosophically Detroit doesn't really care all that much about winning during the regular season. There is very little depth in that organization and they don't seem to be built for the daily grind of baseball. But why should they try? In their division they could finish with eighty-five wins and have already wrapped up a post season berth in early August. 

And if it weren't for Andy, the team could easily have won three of those games. Although, I don't actually disagree with the use of Andy in today's game. If you're going to drag him around, you're going to have to pitch him sometime. Perhaps a quicker hook was in order, though.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig.

Not a particularly successful road trip but not that awful either. Still in first place, so that's good. Anyway, back to the fens. And Jon? Great fun, as always.

Better Days Ahead. (We Hope.)

Well, my lovelies, that was sad.

Certainly, a much better game by Dempster but when you've got a Don't-take-the-bat-off-your-shoulder guy, followed by a pair of Please-oh-please-only-make-one-out guys, the offense is kind of rough. But it's got to get better, right? Don't-take-the-bat-off-your-shoulder guy will remember what a strike looks like (not that he was ever particularly good at it: Will was always going to strike out in bunches.) and at least make better contact. Of course, if you do take him out, you're replacing him with Alright-come-on-J--- who isn't exactly setting the world on fire. And your replacement for the first Please-oh-please-only-make-one-out guy is For-the-love-of-baby-otters-please-don't-swing-at-the-first-pitch. And the replacement for the second one (I don't feel like typing that whole thing out again) is not one this team.

And so we turn to John Lackey to be our savior because Jon Lester isn't going to pitch well. And that makes me oh so nervous.

Fashion Police.

Haven't done one of these in awhile but there is something worth mentioning. It's not Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is, without a doubt, a disaster. I think that he must make his own clothes because where in the world do you buy a camouflage jacket with matching tie?  What designer would create that and think: This'll fly off the shelves. And the giant belt buckle? It's all hideous.

But Jonny Gomes? I wouldn't have thought that a white jacket would be the way for anyone, besides like the ice cream man, to go but Gomes looks fantastic. Who would have thought that hill people cleaned up so nicely?

Confession.

Alright. As horrible as it might be, I'll admit it: Last night, after the team pissed away a six run lead and then Andrew Bailey walked in the tying run, I turned off the television. I just couldn't take it anymore and I suspect that there was some residual end of 2011-2012 disgust in there.

You can imagine my surprise this morning. What? They won? How? I do wish that I could be one of the people who said they saw it but I'm not going to pretend.

I guess it was a good game though.

Boo!

We learned two very important things last night.

1. Having a fake rain delay because it maybe might rain isn't necessarily the best idea that you can come up with.

and

2. Don't take Brett Gardner to a scary movie. (Iggy might not do too well either.)

Good game otherwise. Clay was almost untouchable and Iglesias continued to impress.

Because It's June.

Winning fifteen games is exciting. (Yay!) Losing fifteen games in that same span of time is less so. (Boo!) Sometimes the pitching sputtered. At other times, the offense was stymied. What I can't decide is if it's better to fail miserably in one aspect of your game or to just be okay in many of them. A glaring problem is certainly more easily identified and corrected but there's more hope, I think, if it's just a bout of mediocrity (and not a return to true talent level as I mumbled angrily at the television at the beginning of the month.)

June doesn't really look like an easy month schedule-wise but June is for bustin' out all over. So here's hoping.