The first thing I like to start with is the standings. 

The Marlins gave it a good try last night at Joe Robbie (what. ever.), but a 3-0 deficit was too much and Cleveland beat ‘em 3-2.  That puts Det two games back of the 1st-place Indians in the Div. 

I don’t like the look of the Wild Card standings this morning other than the fact that Det’s first.  The whole American League is nipping at their Tigers’ tail.  Detroit is 1st, but Seattle is 1 back.  Detroit is 1st, but Oakland is 1 back.  Detroit is 1st, but Minnesota is only 3.5 back.  Detroit is 1st, but New York is only 3.5 back. 

You know why we put the italics on New York.  To signify what Harwell used to call "the creeping terror". 

New York, on May 29, after losing their 5th straight game (and the 13th in their previous 18) were 8 games under .500 at (21-29): a season-worst 14.5 games behind AL East-leading Boston and tied for last in the AL East with the team you expect to be last in the AL East, Tampa Bay.  The Yankees were 8.5 games out in the Wild Card race (only Texas and KC were further behind). 

I remember letting myself think that the Tigs sweep of NY after losing game 1 in New York in the Div playoff last fall had been more than just the playoff surprise of 2006; that what we’d really seen was the Yankees first little baby steps on the march into the oblivion they so richly deserve becuase, like all good Americans, I hate the Yankees and everything they stand for.  I could see New York, with that no-name starting staff of theirs, competing with the Devils Rays for last place. All. Season. Long.  Oh, yeah.

Those dreams are now long gone (thanks again, Ernie).  Since that May 29th loss at Toronto, New York has gone gone 12-2, winning their last 9 in a row.  They’ve gone from 8 games under .500 to two games over (33-31).  Instead of 5th place in the East, NY is second.  Instead of 14.5 games out of first they are 7.5.  And instead of 8.5 games out in the Wild Card they are, as we pointed out, 3.5 back.

That’s 3.5 back of Detroit, and that’s a creeping terror.

While the Tigers open a 3-game series in Philadelphia tonight, Cleveland is home to Atlanta, Seattle’s at Houston, Oakland’s home to St. Louis, Minnesota hosts Milwaukee, and New York plays at Yankee Stadium against New York (the Mets, of course).

Here’s the preview of the Det game from mlb.com:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070614&content_id=2025873&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

And here are the highlights, starting with the match-up on the mound…

DET: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (6-0, 3.63 ERA)
Although Bonderman won his sixth straight decision on Saturday against the Mets, he gave up six runs — five earned — over six innings…The bullpen did hold for a 8-7 win, as Bonderman matched a career-high winning streak. 

PHI: RHP Jon Lieber (3-4, 3.72 ERA)
Lieber is coming off his best performance of the season, a three-hit shutout of the Royals on Saturday. He struck out 11, one shy of his career high. It was his 25th complete game and his fifth shutout. Lieber had allowed 10 runs and 23 hits over 11 2/3 innings in losses to the D-backs and Giants in his previous two starts before dominating the Royals.

Since there is no DH (this is a National League park, remember) Gary Sheffield, who has played just four games in the field this year, will likely play left field for the first time this season in the absence of the DH. He had played four games in right field prior to Friday’s game.

Since there is no DH, the pitchers hit.  How old school.  Remember how the heart would sink in those prior-to-the-designated hitter days when there’d be two on with two out and the hitter would be the **** pitcher?  It’s was bad enough if the guy in the eight hole couldn’t hit and chances were he couldn’t hit or else he wouldn’t be hitting 8th, would he?  Man, how’d anybody ever score any runs in those days?

Did I digress?  Sorry.  Tonight’s Det starter, Bonderman, is 0-for-19 with 12 strikeouts in his career.

See you after–perhaps during–the game.