We should have some kind of pool tonight to see who can come closest to predicting the inning of the Tigers-Dodgers game during which I fall asleep. I’m old, it’s late and I’m sitting in the glider rocker which we got to put our daughter to sleep when she was just a baby, but which never once helped her to do so, not once.  Me?  That’s another story.  All I have to do is kick back in the thing and start counting down from 100.  I won’t make 88.

With last night’s 4-0 loss, during which the Tigers were held to a season-low two hits, Detroit has now lost 7 of the last 13 overall and three of four so far on the road trip.  They remain a game behind Cleveland as the Indians also lost last night, beaten at home by Colorado 8-7.  Those same two teams are playing again tonight and are scoreless in the third.

Those Dodger Notes last night were as prescient as any I’ve ever seen, what with the prediction that Juan Uribe would homer in the series against Detroit–which he did, in the first innning during his first at bat–and the note about Clayton Kershaw being tied for the ML lead in hits.  Kershaw’s 2-run single in the eighth gave him the outright lead in hits by pitchers this season (10).

Miguel Cabrera sits tonight.  Jim Leyland says he needs a rest and tonight’s just the night to give it to him says the Skip as Cabrera is 0×12 lifetime against the LA starter.  I’ve read some comments from angry Tigers fans wondering why Leyland doesn’t wait till he gets home to rest Cabrera as Detroit is de facto shorthanded already tonight with no DH and I think they make a pretty good point.  I don’t agree with Leyland on this one.  We note that Leyland has managed over 3,000 games in the majors compared to, well, none for me, so if I were you I would give that stat some weight.

Here are your notes.  As always, we admonish you: READ THE NOTES.

Detroit Tigers Game Information.

Los Angeles Dodgers Game Notes.

10:10 first pitch and we will be back for that, unless, as I say, I fall asleep.

10:51 I didn’t fall asleep.  I watched Cleveland closer Chris Perez give up his first homer of the season to Colorado’s Seth Smith leading off the ninth, and the Rockies won 4-3.  The Indians got a two-out triple in the bottom of the ninth, but that tying run died at third.  I’d like to point out that tonight’s LA starter Chad Billingsley is not Clayton Kershaw.  In June, Billingsley has an ERA of 11.20.  In three starts this month, he’s given up 30 hits in 13.2 IP.  But tonight, the Tigers again can’t hit.  Eight in a row have gone down now as the Detroit third ends. To the north in San Fransisco, Minnesota scored six runs before they made an out and they lead 8-0 with, as they say, the Giants coming to bat.  Yowser.  The Twins have won 14/16 and 7 in a row and unless they blow that lead, they will be only 6.5 games out of first.  And I thought they were dead.  For reals.  But they aren’t.  Max Scherzer worked out of trouble in the second and then had an easy 1-2-3 third.  So, on to the fourth.  t-4: Tigers 0, Dodgers 1.

11:26 Tony Gwynn gets a run-scoring, two-out infield single–it traveled all of 40 feet down the third base line–and the Dodgers regain the lead after the Tigs had tied it in the top of the inning.  The question is this: Why pitch to the #8 hitter (Gwynn) with two out when you’ve got the LA pitcher standing there in the on-deck circle? I don’t know either.  t-5: Tigers 1, Dodgers 2.

11:51 It just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?  Andre Ethier hits his 7th homer of the year with a man on in the fifth because they let him swing away on a 3-0 pitch and LA goes up by three on the 13th homer of the year allowed by Scherzer, the tenth he’s surrendered to a lefthanded hitter.  Ethier hit it about 650 feet.  The Tigers get runners at first and second with nobody on in the sixth, and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, “Donny Baseball”, looks longingly towards his bullpen. But, Billingsley will stay in to face Andy Dirks.  He fans Dirks but walks Victor Martinez and his night is over.  Mike MacDougal is on in relief and looks who coming up.  It’s Cabrera, (so much for his big night off) pinch-hitting with the bases loaded and only one out.  And look what he does.  He promptly bounces into a 6-4-3 double play and just like that the rally is over.  The inning is over.  And the Tigers are still down three.  b-6: Tigers 1, Dodgers 4.

1:01 This is going to be another Detroit loss, they are down 6-1 now in the bottom of the eighth, and they’d better not look back because someone may be gaining on them.  The Twins indeed did win in San Fran so they’ve gone 15-2 and have won eight in a row, and the White Sox beat the Cubs 3-2.  The Tigers are about to be only a game out of first, yes, but only 3.5 games ahead of the White Sox and 5.5 ahead of the Twins.  It’s a day game tomorrow in Los Angeles, first pitch at 3:10 Eastern and we will be back with you then.  It is time to pull the chute on this one.  b-8: Tigers 1, Dodgers 6.