There are a number of excuses that could have been made for Jeremy Bonderman Tuesday. It started raining. The fielding behind him was not good. The Mariners did not hit the ball hard, but a few balls found holes anyway. None of them fit, however, because not holding a lead has become the norm for Bonderman. He is not delivering when he is needed most by his team. Bonderman has not emerged as many - including myself - thought he would as the Tigers� ace. And it could be costly to the Tigers in the long run.

Random thoughts

- There is no excuse for Magglio Ordonez not running harder to second base on the key play during the eighth inning Tuesday. He looked back, and should not have. It was a bad play because it represented a lack of hustle. He should have gone all out even if it appeared initially as if no one was covering second base.

- Andrew Miller took the loss for the Tigers Tuesday, but he threw well. It would not surprise me if he plays a relatively prominent role for the Tigers down the stretch.

- I find Ichiro Suzuki to be a fascinating and fabulous player. He is incredibly graceful and does everything well. I know he did much of his best work early in his career while playing in his native Japan, but he is, in my opinion, a Hall of Fame player. I will definitely put him on my ballot.

- I wonder if Ryan Howard is the product of a tremendous left-handed power stroke, or more the creation of a too-small ball park in Philadelphia. Barry Bonds, at his peak a few years ago, would have hit 90 home runs playing his home games in that band box. That thing belongs in Williamsport, not Philly.