Tigers 11 Cardinals 1

Now this is the Tigers team we remember!

The offense got it going, the pitching was spectacular, and the defense got the job done.  When the Tigers put it all together like this, a result like yesterday’s 11-1 triumph over the Cardinals is exactly what’s expected. 

The big story was the fantastic pitching performance by Dave Purkey.  It was undoubtedly his best performance of the year, holding the Cardinals scoreless on just 2 hits in his 4 innings of work, striking out six.  He blew his fastball past the Cardinals all afternoon, and they were unable to get anything going.  Mike Alleva picked up the save, pitching 3 tough innings of relief, surrendering just one lone run. 

With the Cardinals held to one run, the pressure was off the offense.  But with the pressure off, the Tigers bats relaxed and pounded in 11 runs.  Big hit came up and down the lineup.  Ryan “The Clutch Dutchman” Lytle returned to the lineup and went 3-3 with 4 RBI.  It was an otherwise balanced offensive attack, with seemingly everyone in the line up joining in. 

The Positives

• Purkey and Alleva took the bats out of the collective hands of the Cardinals.  Their offense was completely taken out of the game, and they were never even close to getting anything going.  Probably the best pitching of the year start to finish in a game for the Tigers. 
• Hits hits hits.  Runs runs runs.  Agressive, smart baserunning.  An absolute team effort offensively. 
• Spectacular defense, too.  Dave Hayse made an amazing sliding catch in foul territory, and the infield turned another double play.  Hard for a team to score when they can’t hit the pitching and the defense doesn’t give them any free ones. 
• All around Tiger-like performance.  A true return to form for a team that’s been missing a spark for a while.

The Negatives

• I can’t think of any. 

What’s Next

The Tigers take on the White Sox on Thursday night at 7 pm, hoping for another performance just like this.