Scherzer (9-0, 3.19 ERA) vs. Arrieta (1-1, 6.63 ERA)

 
Fresh off a series win at Minnesota, the Detroit Tigers return home for a 10-game home stand starting with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Detroit enters Monday night’s contest having won eight of their last 13 games and owns a 4 1/2 game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.

 
At 40-30, the visiting Orioles stand just two games out of first place in the AL East after taking three of four against division leading Boston. The Orioles are led by first baseman Chris Davis, whose 23 home runs are first in the Major Leagues, and 20-year-old Manny Machado, who leads the team with 99 hits.

 
Max Scherzer (9-0, 3.19 ERA) will get the start tonight for Detroit, while Baltimore’s Jake Arrieta (1-1, 6.63 ERA) will try to end a year-long struggle that includes a 6.46 ERA in the major leagues.

 
Scherzer will try to become only the second pitcher in Tigers history to start the season 10-0. The right-hander also has recorded six strikeouts or more in 13 straight starts to begin the 2013 season, and tonight can become the first hurler since Pedro Martinez in 2001 to go 14 consecutive games with six or more strikeouts to start the season.

 
The Tigers have placed starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (shoulder) and catcher Alex Avila (forearm) on the 15-day DL. Sanchez is expected to miss two weeks while the severity of Avila’s injury is not known. Outfielder Avisail Garcia and catcher Bryan Holaday have been called up from AAA Toledo to replace Sanchez and Avila.

 
Gametime is 7:08 pm at Comerica Park.

For lesser country music followers like myself, it was a surprise Thursday night when one of Lady Antebellum’s trio of singers walked onto the Freedom Hill Amphitheater stage eight months pregnant. Thankfully for the nearly 10,000 fans on hand, Hillary Scott still delivered a top-notch performance, pacing the seven-time Grammy Award-winning band through a two-hour long show that kept the Sterling Heights crowd on its feet during the program’s entirety.

 
Although Scott’s on-stage mobility and stamina was obviously affected by her pregnancy, her singing was as good as advertised. Scott led the trio in the performance of just about all of Lady Antebellum’s hit radio singles, including the newest radio single, “Downtown,” and older favorites “American Honey,” “Just a Kiss,” and “Need You Now.” She sang with a voice even superior to that of the group’s studio albums, and joked on occasion about her pregnancy to the sympathy of many mothers and high-school aged teens in the crowd.

 
Co-lead singer Charles Kelley played a more significant on-stage role, leading most of the dialogue between songs and dancing about the stage with Dave Haywood, the band’s third singing member.

 
The one small shortcoming in Lady Antebellum’s performance was the band’s decision to play an acoustic rendition of “Locked out of Heaven,” originally by Bruno Mars. The song itself embodies the poppiest of pop music, and didn’t transition very well to the acoustic, country-like style of Lady Antebellum.

 
The show as a whole gave locals on hand a reason to smile, and the band will certainly be welcomed back their next time in town; with one new member of the family.

President Obama discussed immigration last week in Washington, D.C.

Imagine, for a moment, that it is the weekend, and you are hosting a party at your house. All your friends are there, people are enjoying themselves, and everything is going well. You look across the room, to a group of your neighbors. You don’t know your neighbors very well, and didn’t invite them to your party, but it appears they have decided to come anyway. In fact, these uninvited neighbors have have been present for quite a while. Now you are faced with a question of what to do with them. Throw them out, or not? It is perfectly within your rights to throw them into the cold, but you would risk looking like a bit of a jerk in front of your friends. On the other hand, these people weren’t invited in the first place.

 
What should be done about the uninvited neighbors?

 
It is exactly this question that Congress and the President are currently trying to answer. It’s about time the issue of illegal immigration is addressed. With 11 million people currently in a state of limbo of being in the United States, but technically supposed to be outside, it makes sense for the government to fix this inconsistency and decide whether the law or the immigrants’ location should change. In essence, there are two possible courses of action: let them stay, or make them go; amnesty, or deportation.

 
Forcing America’s undocumented immigrants to leave the country is one option, but not necessarily the best one. It is comparable to throwing out your uninvited neighbors from your party, but unlike your party dilemma, very costly. Tracking down millions of illegal immigrants is like finding Waldo in a candy cane factory. Doing so would be an enormous drain on America’s resources and manpower. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Kumar Kibble, it costs the government $12,500 to deport a single illegal immigrant, adding up to a cost of $137.5 billion to deport 11 million people. This isn’t even taking into account the lost manpower the country would see with the loss of millions of undocumented workers. Surely there must be a better use for the United States’ resources.

 
In addition to being expensive, sending away America’s undocumented immigrants is not very nice. With the exception of being present in the United States, undocumented immigrants are a law-abiding, hardworking group of people. Many of them have been in the United States for many years, and thus have established significant roots in the country. Tearing them away from their communities would really be cruel.
Considering the cost and cruelness of deporting America’s 11 million illegal immigrants, it is dubious that the measure could ever become politically popular.  Maybe letting America’s illegal immigrants stay is a better option.

 
Amnesty would finally clear up the question of what to do with the millions of people in the country, that technically shouldn’t be, without being a drain on America’s resources, and without wrecking people’s lives. It would also make it easier for the immigrants to pay taxes. The immigrants are already in the country, so worries about their effect on the country are not an issue.

 
Some would fear that giving amnesty to illegal immigrants would send a message that the United States won’t enforce its immigration laws, and attract too many immigrants to the country. However, unless the United States is prepared to send millions of illegal immigrants away instead, a doubtful prospect, then not granting amnesty would effectively send the same message. Either way, the same group of people gets to live and work in the United States.

 
So let’s officially allow our friendly neighbors to stay, and let the party proceed.

Students can’t be exactly sure where their dining hall food comes from, but they still pay a pretty penny to consume it

Dining in the University of Michigan residence halls is an experience that leaves many students left with feelings of uncertainty and occasional bloating. The truth behind how your food is cooked, recycled and unpackaged is something many students are questioning. What is wrong with our dining halls? It certainly doesn’t feel like we are getting what we pay for.

 
When you swipe your card into the dining hall you are taking a gamble, regardless of whether you know what is on the menu or not. It’s a game of hit or miss. It isn’t surprising that the dorm food pumps out a steady supply of pizza in every dining hall. It’s a safe guard. It’s Mary Sue’s insurance policy on any food failures. No matter what’s being served, there’s always pizza.

 
If the pizza does not raise your suspicions, think about some of the weekly entree titles like “Grandma’s meatloaf” and “Rhonda’s Rib’s.” Who’s Rhonda? And where did she learn how to cook? I can’t help but picture a rugged woman with calloused hands and sweat dripping down her brown as she vigorously rubs barbeque sauce onto racks of gristly ribs.

 
Other days they offer various Casseroles that are often followed by the word “Surprise.” The last thing I want in my dining hall experience is a surprise. Not that there is any surprise to it anyways. A beef casserole following beef taco day is no doubt the same meat that has simply been recycled. What’s worse is that they try to serve it up to us like it’s a brand new dish. I find that insulting. As if I didn’t know that this is the same meat that I ate yesterday!

Students who’ve worked behind the counter know what it’s like to work behind the closed doors to the kitchen. Steve Barchenski, a sophomore, feels that the dinning halls need to “work on the quality of service.” He says that the workers and students included don’t put in the effort, even if it just a minimum wage position.

 
“You do have to give them [full time employees] credit though, I wouldn’t want to feed us [the students] everyday either.” Okay so it isn’t the best job in the world, and maybe the students aren’t the most enjoyable “customers,” but that is no excuse for the regular appearance of hair in most of the dishes.

 
Everyone has heard the phrase, “you get what you pay for,” but rarely do students think about what there money is really buying when it comes to dorm food. It’s easy to swipe a card and gain access to all you can eat food, but when broken down to a meal-by-meal expense, students with a 125-meal plan pay $12.75 per swipe, breakfast lunch and dinner. That’s pretty stiff for just a plate of scrambled eggs and hash browns.

 
Perhaps, the dining hall should change its approach. Instead of striving to kick out stellar meals of swordfish and complex dishes from around the world, maybe they should just stick to what they’re good at. Even the fruit looks like it’s been dumped off the back of truck after a 3-day drive from Mexico, most of the bananas are either so green you need a small hatchet to peel them or else they have turned into brown elongated sacs of greasy mush. The few things the dining halls do well: cereal, bagels, cookies, salads, ice cream, and waffles. Okay so maybe you couldn’t live off cereal and bagels for the rest of the year, but it would be better than forking through your food searching for something edible. It’s time that the dining halls step up their game. Students are ready to start spending less time pondering their digestive system and more time in the library.

Patrick Biondi finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs in Michigan’s 3-2 loss to Indiana on Sunday (U-M Photo Services)

After losing the first two games of the weekend series against host Indiana, Michigan nearly avoided being swept on Sunday, but fell 3-2 in 10 innings.

 
Indiana took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, and Michigan responded in the seventh when a two out double by senior Patrick Biondi scored junior Cole Martin.

 
It wasn’t until extra innings that both teams would strike again. With the score tied 1-1, Biondi homered off Indiana’s Kyle Halstead on the first pitch of the 10th, giving Michigan a 2-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the inning.

 
Kyle Schwarber answered with a leadoff home run off Michigan’s Jacob Cronenworth, and Will Nolden singled the next at-bat. James Bourque came in for Cronenworth with one out, and forced Michael Basil to fly out. With Nolden on second, pinch hitter Chris Sujka knocked a 2-1 pitch from Bourque into left field for a game winning single as Nolan came around to score.

 
Nolden finished a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate, and Dustin DeMuth also went 3-for-4 for Indiana. Aaron Slegers pitched seven innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out three. Luke Harrison faced just two batters in relief of Slegers, and Halstead went the rest of the way, earning the win with 2 2/3 innings pitched, one hit, one earned run, and one strikeout.

 
Patrick Biondi led the Michigan offense, going 3-for-5 on the afternoon and batting in both of Michigan’s runs. Michael O’Neill and Cole Martin each had two hits as well. Logan McAnallen started the game for the Wolverines and pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, and striking out two. Cronenworth made it through one out in the 10th before being replaced by Bourque. Cronenworth earns the loss for Michigan after allowing Nolan, the game-winning run, on base.

 
Michigan (22-20, 8-7 Big Ten) has lost six of seven games, and next hosts Iowa for a three game series from May 3-5. Indiana (34-8, 11-4 Big Ten) has won eight in-a-row and travels to Nebraska for a three game series from May 4-6.

Currently old and outdated, South Quad will receive a $60 million facelift in May (Courtney Sacco, AnnArbor.com)

Housing options both on and off campus have gotten noticeably more lavish with each passing year. While high-rise luxury apartments are sprouting up in groves, new dormitory renovations are steadily upping the appeal of university housing. As part of an eight-year, $440 million renovating spree, Alice Lloyd recently received a $56 million update, and a $116 million overhaul of East Quad is in the works.

 
Following this trend, the University has recently approved a $60 million renovation of South Quad. The main purpose of this renovation is to consolidate campus dining on central campus—similar to how the Mosher Jordan renovation consolidated dining on the Hill. Following this, the dining halls in both Betsy Barbour and West Quad will be closed. To accommodate more diners, South Quad will increase its seating capacity from 650 students to 950 students. West Quad will later receive a $114.5 million renovation, which will include supplanting its current cafeteria with community spaces. In this way, it will be somewhat similar to Alice Lloyd, in that it will be replete with modern community spaces instead of a dining hall.

 
The University seems to be focusing on creating more community spaces, as South Quad’s renovations will not include any dorm room renovations—the entire $60 million will be allocated to creating community spaces, a new dining hall, new bathrooms, and other infrastructural improvements (all changes will be confined to the first two floors). Community spaces will include music practice rooms, a game room, study rooms, and new bathrooms.

 
Built in 1950, South Quad has not received a renovation of any sort since the 1990’s, when windows, elevators, and other subtleties were rehabilitated.  Now, however, we are seeing a fervent push towards improving UM’s overall housing experience. Since taking office in 2002, President Mary Sue Coleman has noted this initiative is one of her top accomplishments.

 
South Quad’s new dining hall will be unique, as it will adapt open, varied seating, and “micro-restaurants” in lieu of a more traditional college cafeteria layout. According to architect Christopher Purdy, “They’re really focused on a variety of food options, they’re focused on very high quality food, they’re focused on social space, and they’re focused on fresh and healthy options. That input really drove the design concept for the dining space, which focuses on micro-restaurants so it’s not a large, traditional dining hall.”

 
As a two-year South Quad resident, sophomore Adam Litt offered his thoughts on South Quad’s current state, and the benefits of the renovations. “I think that the dorm is fine as it is now. In both years at South Quad, I haven’t had a problem. I don’t think that anything is particularly wrong, but improvements can definitely be made. I like the dining hall as it is, but you often hear that people are going to eat at the newer dining halls like North Quad and Mojo.”

 
While all of these renovations certainly come at a pretty penny, they are ultimately a necessity. Updated living arrangements are not only a part of general upkeep, but they also attract new students.

Jacob Cronenworth was the only Wolverine with multiple hits in Michigan’s 9-3 loss to Indiana on Saturday (U-M Photo Services)

For the second time in just as many days, the Michigan Wolverines fell to the Indiana Hoosiers at Bart Kaufman Field thanks to a strong Hoosier attack in the early innings.

 
Michigan got off to a 1-0 start in the first inning when a groundout by junior Michael O’Neill scored Patrick Biondi. But the Hoosiers dominated the second and third innings, shutting down Michigan and combining for nine runs.

 
A sac fly RBI from Casey Smith started the Hoosier scoring in the second, and a one-out single by second baseman Nick Ramos drove in Michael Basil and Dustin DeMuth.

 
Indiana scored six runs in the bottom of the third inning, as Scott Donley, DeMuth, Chad Clark, and Ramos each recorded a hit, and Sam Travis had two singles. Smith walked with the bases loaded to score Travis, and back-to-back hits by Clark and Ramos resulted in four more Hoosier runs. Travis’ single knocked in Ramos for the the sixth Hoosier run of the inning.

 
Michigan responded in the fourth when freshman Jacob Cronenworth scored on an RBI single from sophomore Kevin White and again in the sixth when an RBI groundout by sophomore Zach Zott drove in O’Neill. But Indiana reliever Kyle Effross proved to be too strong for the Wolverines, allowing just one Michigan hit in the final 3 2/3 innings.

 
Starter Evan Hill pitched 2 1/3 innings for Michigan, allowing five hits, four walks, and seven earned runs. The Wolverines used five pitchers in the game, including sophomores Matt Ogden and Donnie Eaton, freshman Alex Daar, and junior Alex Lakatos.

 
Indiana starter Kyle Hart pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up all three Michigan runs while allowing four hits and striking out two. Effross pitched the final 3 2/3 innings for the Hoosiers, and finished with one hit, no walks, and a strikeout.

 
Losers in five of their last six games, Michigan falls to 8-6 in the Big Ten, 22-19 overall. Indiana has now won seven consecutive games, and stands in second place in the conference at 10-4, 33-8 overall.

 
The Wolverines try to avoid a series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 pm ET.

Zach Zott finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in Michigan’s 9-1 loss to Indiana on Friday

A strong first inning from the 17th ranked Indiana Hoosiers prooved to be too much for the visiting Michigan Wolverines on Friday, as Indiana blasted Michigan 9-1 at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Hoosiers scored seven of of their nine runs in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Justin Cureton had a single and an RBI double in the inning, while Sam Travis and Scott Donley also had RBI doubles. A three-run home run by Casey Smith put the Hoosiers up 6-0 with one out, and Cureton’s double three batters later drove in Chad Clark.
Michigan’s offense came in the fourth when sophomore Zach Zott scored junior Michael O’Neill with a two-out single to left field. Zott finished 2-for-4 from the plate to lead the Wolverines, and O’Neill also recorded two hits.
Indiana struck again in the sixth when Cureton and Scott Donley each blasted solo home runs to left field. Donley finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs on the night, and Cureton was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Travis contributed two hits in a 2-for-5 performance with an RBI.
Michigan starter Trent Szkutnik lasted only 2/3 of an inning, allowing six hits and walking three. Szkutnik was charged with all three Hoosier runs in the first inning, and struck out only one of the 11 batters he faced. Chad Jasman pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of Szkutnik, giving up three hits and two earned runs and striking out two.
Indiana ace Joey DeNato racked up his sixth win of the season after allowing six hits and only one earned run in seven innings of work. DeNato struck out seven Wolverines and walked only five. Closer Evan Bell pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out three.
The Wolverines and Hoosiers return to action at 4:05 pm ET Saturday, and conclude the series starting at 1:05 pm ET Sunday.

Patrick Biondi is batting .320 for the Wolverines in 32 games this season (Photo Courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletic Department)

A four-year starter at Michigan, Patrick Biondi was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of high school. Choosing instead to improve his game at the college level, Biondi will leave Ann Arbor as one of the most accomplished centerfielders in recent Michigan baseball history. The Woodhaven native is batting .320 in 32 games this season, and will likely be selected in the first 10 rounds of the 2013 MLB Draft. Biondi spoke with the Michigan Review about the team’s progress under first year head coach Erik Bakich, his own role as a senior leader, and the future of his baseball career.

 
MR: As the only senior in the starting lineup, do you need a certain demeanor around younger players?

 
PB: Nothing has really changed as far as how I act around the team, but I definitely have a leadership role in mentoring and setting a good example for our young guys.

 
MR: Do younger players ever come up to you for advice – whether about classes, handling themselves, adapting to college life, etc.?

 
PB: Not too much as far as direct questions with how to deal with stuff. I think as athletes, we like to think we can handle everything on our own (laughs). It’s more about preparing the younger guys for what’s going to happen, like getting ready for finals during the Big Ten season when we’re playing more games. Just letting them know how the season is going to unfold and what to expect so they’re not blindsided when the time comes.

 
MR: Any guys on the team you’re particularly close with?

 
PB: This team is close as a whole, but I get along with the younger guys very well. Travis (Maezes), Jacob Cronenworth, Jack Sexton – we’ve all become pretty close just through all of the time we spent working together in the hitting facility and everything like that. The team as a whole is just a tight knit group, and that’s probably why we’re having some success right now.

 
MR: It seems like the team has really responded well to Coach Bakich this season. What does he bring to the table that makes him unique from other coaches you’ve had?

 
PB: He brings relentless energy – he’s always fired up to practice, to play, whatever it is that we’re doing that day. Another thing is discipline. The way he carries out his practices and workouts and everything we do, there’s a lot of discipline and structure to everything. The combination of energy and discipline has created a new culture in our program.

 
MR: You guys started 11-14 to start the season, and then won 10 straight before this past weekend. What was the key for you guys during that stretch?

 
PB: I think at the beginning of the year we had a lot of tight losses, and there weren’t guys in the established roles that they’re in now. We just were not finding ways to win like we knew we were capable of. But first and foremost, the pitching has been outstanding during our recent stretch. Coach Kenny has done a great job with our staff and they’ve responded very well. They’ve given us the opportunity to be in every game. And other guys have stepped up and delivered when we needed that two out hit and are in position to take a lead. But I think we’ve been playing quality baseball over the past two weeks.

 
MR: What did it mean for you to be playing at Wrigley Field on Saturday – was it just another game for you?

 
PB: It was a really cool opportunity to get to play at Wrigley. It was fun for guys to go and look around, because it was the first time for a lot of guys being there. I thought it was cool to see the history and the tradition, but it’s just another game once you start playing. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted, but it was a good experience and we really appreciated that they’d let us play there.

 
MR: Had you ever played in a professional ball park before?

 
PB: Yeah I played in Comerica Park a couple times and at Fenway Park once.

 
MR: You had the chance to leave early for the pros this past summer, and you drew some serious interest from a handful of Major League teams. What ultimately led you to stay at Michigan?

 
PB: I wanted to give something back to the University. I love the University of Michigan, and I felt during my first three years that I let the University down. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue our run and bring back a Big Ten championship. I also wanted to get my degree, and I’ll be able to do that this spring.

 
MR: As far as where you’re drafted, do you expect it to change much?

 
PB: That played a part in my decision to come back too. Once I fell out of the top 10 rounds, I made a decision that I was coming back to school, and I stood by that even after teams continued to show me interest during the summer. And I definitely wouldn’t do anything different. I couldn’t be happier that I’m back here in Ann Arbor with this team and with this coaching staff.

 
MR: Any long-term goals this season for you personally? Is there anything in particular you’d like to achieve?

 
PB: I really haven’t thought about anything individually. Going into the season I had a couple of goals, but being injured the first month took a chunk of the season out. Ever since I’ve come back, I really haven’t thought about anything individual; it has all been about what I can do to help our team win. And that’s why we’ve been successful – because I think everybody has that mindset.

 
MR: For the team, does it just come down to winning the Big Ten Tournament?

 
PB: Yes, our team goal is to win the Big Ten Tournament. And we’ve put ourselves in a good position to be in the Big Ten regular season race. We want to win the Big Ten regular season, but ultimately our goal is to win the Tournament because we know that will get us into a regional.

Cole Martin went 2-for-4 in Michigan’s 3-2 loss to Northwestern in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader (U-M Photo Services)

Through seven innings in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Rocky Miller Field, it appeared that Michigan was going to take the weekend series in Evanston. Then, the Northwestern bats came to life.

 
The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie Michigan before a 10th inning fielding error by freshman Jacob Cronenworth with the bases loaded allowed Northwestern’s Walker Moses to score the game winning run.

 
Michigan started with a run in the first inning when senior Patrick Biondi doubled to lead the Wolverines off. Freshman Travis Maezes grounded out to second, advancing Biondi to third, and Junior Michael O’Neill drove in Biondi on a groundout to Northwestern shortstop Trevor Stevens.
The Wolverines struck again in the third inning when Maezes singled, stole second, and was driven in by a Cronenworth single into left field.

 
An eigth inning fielding error by Maezes proved to be costly for Michigan. With the Wolverines leading 2-1 and Moses on third with two outs, Maezes mishandled a ground ball from Jack Havey, throwing too late over to first base. Moses scored to tie the game at 2-2.

 
Perhaps the play of the game came in the top of the ninth inning with the scored tied 2-2. With two outs and Jack Sexton standing on first base, Northwestern’s Zach Jones made a running catch at the right field wall to rob Cole Martin of a potential go-ahead home run.

 
Cronenworth’s error in the tenth was one of two errors in the inning for Michigan’s freshman closer. Both Cronenworth and catcher Cole Martin lost their footing multiple times on the infield grass during the inning.

 
Cronenworth finished 2-for-4 from the plate, with an RBI, and gave up three hits and one earned run in 2.1 innings of relief of Logan McAnallen. Martin and sophomore Zach Zott also went 2-for-4 and Michigan recorded 11 hits during the game.

 
Walker had two hits for Northwestern from the ninth spot, and scored the team’s final two runs of the game. Colby Everett went 2-for-4, and Luke Dauch was 1-for-3 after replacing starter Nick Linne in the fifth. Kyle Morton pitched seven innings for Northwestern, giving up nine hits and two earned runs, and striking out four. Kyle Ruckham pitched three shut out innings in relief, allowing only two Michigan hits and striking out Dylan Delaney in the 10th.

 
Michigan (22-16) returns to action Tuesday at 6pm ET at Eastern Michigan. Northwestern (17-14) hosts Northern Illinois at Tuesday at 4pm ET.