Some Detroit Tigers just weren't themselves in one-game playoff against Minnesota Twins

Some early thoughts on the Detroit Tigers' extra-inning loss tonight:

• Some key Tigers just didn't seem to be themselves.

Placido Polanco struck out twice, including once with a key run on third base. He's usually the team's best hitter in that type of situation. He also couldn't field a possible double-play ball that ended up being one of many big RBI hits for the Minnesota Twins in extra innings.

Curtis Granderson getting doubled off first base on a line drive was uncharacteristic for such a smart baserunner. Reminded me of Darrell Evans getting tagged out at third base during the 1987 American League Championships, also against the Twins.

• In this case, I really hate to say I told you so. Here's how I predicted the Tigers might lose in a blog entry earlier this week: Based on some of those recent performances, I can see the Tigers taking a lead into the late innings only to see the game lost in a Twins rally consisting of bloopers, high-hoppers off the turf and maybe a ball lost in the roof for good measure.

I'm not entirely sure whether Ryan Raburn lost that fly ball in the roof and the aforementioned grounder that got by Polanco was a turf hit but not a high-hopper, but that's pretty close.

• A game like this is bound to create lots of opportunities for second-guessing the manager.

I question how long Leyland stuck with Zach Miner, who's at best the team's fourth-best relief pitcher. I thought he should have gone to Brandon Lyon sooner rather than bringing him in after Miner had already blown the lead. Also, I would have pinch hit Alex Avila for Gerald Laird with the bases loaded in the 12th.

Some are complaining about Leyland sticking with Feranando Rodney for so long, but I don't have a problem with it given the alternatives: Eddie Bonine and Nate Robertson. Rodney really pitched fairly well. He was victimized by the Raburn misplay and some seeing-eye hits. The game-winner was a well-placed, weak ground ball.

Appeal of Fernando Rodney suspension may be more damaging to Detroit Tigers than actual time off

Now that Major League Baseball has reduced Fernando Rodney's suspension to two games, can the Tigers try to have the suspension made retroactive to the two games he helped lose last week?

I'm being facetious.

But it turns out Rodney (and the Tigers) would have been better off had he not appealed his three-day suspension.

Without an appeal, he would have served the punishment Tuesday through Thursday. During the three games, Rodney was charged with a loss in one game. In another, he gave up three earned runs that turned out to be important when the Tigers' ninth-inning comeback bid fell short.

In all, he gave up five earned runs in the three games after his suspension for throwing a ball toward the stands after a rough outing.

Was sportswriter right to write Major League Baseball about Fernando Rodney incident?

A report today from The Detroit News that a letter from a sportswriter might have caused Fernando Rodney to be suspended raises some interesting questions.

To sum it up: Detroit Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said he doesn't think Rodney would have been suspended if the chairman of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers Association hadn't written the letter. The correspondence raised concerns about Rodney throwing a baseball toward the grandstands after Friday's game (See video). The ball landed in the press box at Tropicana Field, but no one was injured.

The letter was from Marc Topkin, who also covers the Rays for the St. Petersburg Times.

Was Topkin justified in filing a complaint with MLB?

I'm not going to say he was wrong, but I will say that it's not something I would have done had I been in Topkin's shoes.

Maybe the Baseball Writers Association could have filed a complaint with the Tigers, as Pat Caputo suggested today on Detroit radio station WXYT-FM 97.1.

In my 16 years as a reporter, I always tried to avoid becoming part of a story. Now Topkin is part of a story about a player being suspended for three games during a pennant race, pending a decision on Rodney's appeal.

I'm not saying that it's always wrong for a reporter to get involved in this type of situation. If a player had assaulted a reporter, or intentionally thrown a ball at a reporter, a complaint to the league would have been more than appropriate.

But my philosophy regarding confrontations or incidents involving sources or readers was to pick my battles carefully. I've been yelled at, personally attacked and been the subject of veiled threats. It goes with the job. I didn't make a big deal about it.

One time a colleague made some type of complaint about a police officer putting his hands on the reporter at the scene of breaking news. I don't remember the specifics, but it seemed like a battle not worth fighting. The reporter wasn't injured. The officer's action might or might not have been appropriate, but let it go.

If a source struck me, pushed me or made a specific verbal threat, I likely would have filed some type of complaint. For anything short of that, it's best to just consider it a hazard of the occupation and move on.

One other thing troubles me about the complaint against Rodney. Topkin wrote a story about the suspension yesterday that makes no mention of his letter. In the interest of full disclosure, it seems that the newspaper should have mentioned Topkin's involvement in the situation. Perhaps another reporter should have written the story.

Fernando Rodney suspension may be harsh; treatment by Detroit Tigers fans definitely is

Apparently many Detroit Tigers fans are happy that closer Fernando Rodney was suspended for three days for throwing a baseball toward the seats following a game last week. (See the video at mlb.com)

Read comments on Detroit newspaper Web sites and you'll see fans saying they're glad Rodney will be replaced by Brandon Lyon while serving a suspension.

They might want to think again.

Rodney's save percentage -- he's 32-for-33 in save opportunities -- is second in the American League among pitchers with at least 10 saves. Only Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees has a better percentage, with 39 saves in 40 chances.

Bigger-name closers have more blown saves than Rodney. Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins has five blown ,as does AL-save leader Brian Fuentes of Los Angeles Angels. Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox has four blown saves.

Sure, Rodney often struggles to close out games, giving up a frustrating amount of walks. But he almost always gets the job done. He has allowed many of his baserunners and runs in non-save situations.

He's been a valuable member of the Tigers pitching staff. The bullpen would have been in deep trouble earlier in the season without him because Lyon and others were struggling.

There's another reason why it's foolish to say the Tigers are better off without Rodney. Even if you agree that Lyon is a better closer than Rodney, who's going to replace Lyon as the No. 1 set-up man while Lyon is pitching the ninth inning? Losing one key member of the bullpen has a ripple effect.

It's fashionable to criticize closers. They often get little praise when they do well, but when they blow a game (or even come close to blowing a game), they're the target of criticism. Todd Jones also was much-maligned by Tiger fans. So was Mike Henneman.

As for the suspension (which Rodney has appealed): At first blush, it seems a bit excessive, but it's not out of line with previous discipline for similar offenses.

Players frequently toss balls into the stands after the final out of an inning, although it's usually a soft lob to a fan nearby rather than the long throw that Rodney made that ended up in the press box.

Rodney says there was no "malice" intended and that he was simply celebrating a victory. That claim seems a bit dubious given that the victory came after one of Rodney's worst outings of the year. It seems that he was letting some anger (or stress) out rather than happily throwing the ball to some fans.

There is precedence. Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rob Dibble was suspended four games for throwing a ball into the stands after a rough outing that also resulted in victory for his team. In that case, a fan was actually injured.

And a story on mlb.com notes that Chad Qualls, then pitching for the Houston Astros, was suspended for three games after heaving a ball into the stands after blowing a game in 2007.