TIGERS:

Granderson CF
Ordonez RF
Guillen 1B
Monroe LF
Rodriguez C
Thames DH
Polanco 2B
Inge 3B
Perez SS

This gets your best bats up first and most often.  Batting Perez any higher than 9th is absurd.  I've always thought that you put your best bats where they will get the most opportunities.  Does Leyland really want Perez up instead of Ordonez with 2 out in the 9th??

ATHLETICS:

Kendall C
Kotsay CF
Bradley RF
Thomas DH
Payton LF
Swisher 1B
Chavez 3B
Scutaro SS
Jimenez 2B

Macha has it just about right most of the time.  Get the first bunch on base, and then put your thumpers up.

That's definitely better than having Neifi batting #2, but I don't think I would want Monroe's .312 OBP over the last 2 years in the #4 slot. 

Incidentally, I've been a big Dombrowski fan for years, but the decision to leave Shelton off the post-season roster was just bizarre.  It may yet come back to bite him.

Anyways, my Tigers lineup would be:

Granderson
Polanco
Pudge
Ordonez
Guillen
Monroe
Thames
Inge
Neifi

Jim Leyland certainly betrayed his true nature batting Perez second. Ah, the days when crappy shortstops batted 2nd, as if batting them last just didn't make any sense.

This harkens back to 1990 when Jay Bell dropped down 39 sacrifice bunts batting 2nd for Leyland, giving away outs for free ahead of Van Slyke, Bonilla and Bonds. You'd think that in today's world he might bat those three 2-3-4 instead of 3-4-5, but  perhaps not, given last night's decision.

Am I not suitably genuflecting at the altar of Leyland?

Granderson
Rodriguez
Guillen
Ordonez
Thames
Monroe
Inge
Polanco
Perez

Although Shelton should be at 1B and Guillen at SS.

That crazy old man Leyland will throw anything out there, he's such a mad genius. You'll never know how he's going to surprise you.


Granderson CF
Guillen 1B
Whitaker 2B
Gibson RF
Rodriguez C
Ordonez  DH
Deer LF
Inge 3B
Trammel SS

Granderson batting leadoff over Sweet Lou?  Geez, Lou's only 49 and hit right-handers very well right up to the end of his career.  Mind you, Harden (isn't that a great name for a fireballer?) just might be able to blow it past the old man. 

Granderson CF
Guillen 1B
Whitaker 2B
Gibson RF
Rodriguez C
Ordonez  DH
Deer LF
Inge 3B
Trammel SS

Ordonez at DH?  How ridiculous!  Rogers will bat for himself!  We don't need no stinkin' DH.

If I'm Ken Macha I take a page from Jim Leyland's book and give the lineup an unexpected shuffle to try and jumpstart the offence.

Kendall, C
Payton, CF
Bradley, RF
Thomas, DH
Swisher, 1B
Kielty, LF
Chavez, 3B
Scutaro, SS
Jimenez, 2B

Semi off-topic, but if the Tigers don't want Chris Shelton let's start the free Chris Shelton campaign. I say trade Overbay for Nate Robertson and Chris Shelton. I love Overbay, but if we can solve the 3rd starter dilemma in a not too expensive manner, I say go for it.

Of course, if we traded Overbay for Shelton it might solve the 3rd starter dilemma, but the new first baseman dilemma would be much worse.  Then again, with Robertson's bad HR rate at Comerica he might not even solve the 3rd starter problem.

I don't understand the uproar over Shelton being left off the playoff roster.  After July, he hit .275/ / .333 / .363, and homered once every 102 ABs.   Given that performance, why should Detroit have expected to get anything out of him in the playoffs?

Jim Leyland's decision to bat Neifi Perez second in the lineup last night caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised. So, for today, .... . What is your batting order for Game 3?

Right now, if I'm anywhere in the Tigers organization I'm thinking,
"Anything Mr Leyland says is ok with me"

Shelton's post-July performance is about as significant as his 70 homer pace of the beginning of the season. Over his last 850 PAs in 05-06, he's hit .286/.350/.488 in a tough environment.  His defence at first base is excellent.  He turns 27 in June.  With Guillen playing first base and Neifi/Santiago splitting the shortstop duties, the Tigers are paying a significant price on offence.  You wouldn't know it.  Yet.