There's an adage in baseball that goes like this: even a good team will lose 60 games, even a bad team will win 60 games, the final standings are determined by how you do in the remaining 42 games. Detroit's Memorial Day weekend showed just how true this "rule" is.
On Friday the Tigers scored 4 runs but had an uncharacteristic poor pitching performance from Galarraga. Put that one in the 60 games that even a good team would lose. The next night Tigers' bats went on a rampage and clubbed the Twins like baby seals. That 19-3 win goes in the list of 60 games even a poor team would win. Which brings us to Sunday. Staff ace Verlander pitched by far his best game of the year and left with a 1-1 tie. The bullpen, however, couldn't hold it and a game that has to be won falls into that list of 42 games that decide your season. But one game doesn't make a season so it was off to Anaheim for a Memorial Day game. The Ancient Gambler, Kenny Rogers, was masterful in a 7 inning shutout performance. The game went through 11 and a half scoreless innings until the Angels scored the lone run in the bottom of the 12th on a bases loaded walk. Another game goes straight to the list of 42.
Not every loss is the same. Those last two were games a successful team finds a way to win.
