GDT: 4/17/09 - DET (5-4) AT SEA (7-2) - 10:10 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a plan for Justin Verlander over the next month or so. Friday's series opener at Seattle is a big start for it.

"My goal is, within the next four or five starts, is to get Verlander through seven innings on a consistent basis for the rest of the year," Leyland said earlier this week. "If we can do that, that's huge for us."

Verlander lasted just three-plus innings on Opening Day, then bumped up to five innings last Saturday against the Rangers. He might've gotten into the sixth if not for two errors that extended his final inning by eight pitches, but four walks didn't help, either. That leaves him with two innings to make up and plenty of strikes to throw in his next five turns.

The positive note for Verlander was that his pitches were potentially good enough to get him through seven innings his last time out. After Leyland suggested he'd be a more effective, efficient pitcher throwing at less than maximum effort and getting more movement on his pitches, Verlander gained the same pitch action with the same velocity with a little adjustment. The result was eight strikeouts over five innings, and maybe 10 pitches by Verlander's count that he threw at maximum effort.

"There were some real hard 96-97 [mph fastballs], and there were some effortless 95, 96, 97 [mph pitches]," Leyland said. "That's the difference. There were a few that were muscled and there were a few nice and easy."

If he can take the same pitches with him to Seattle, Verlander's set up for a potentially big outing, of which he has had many against the Mariners. And if he can intersperse some quick outs among the strikeouts, he could be in for a deeper outing, as well.

Verlander's 6-1 career record in seven meetings with the Mariners marks his second-highest win total against any opponent, trailing only his seven victories over the Royals. He split two decisions at Safeco Field last year, but lasted six and seven innings in those turns. Add in another win over the Mariners at Comerica Park, and two of Verlander's 11 victories in 2008 came at Seattle's expense.

So far, however, the Mariners look like a different team in 2009. At 6-2 entering Wednesday's game against the Angels, the Mariners surged atop the American League West in the first couple of weeks as the only team in the division over .500. Their wins have included a 2-0 shutout of the Twins and a 1-0 blanking of the Athletics, followed by a 3-2 win in their home opener Tuesday. The Tigers begin their nine-game, 10-day West Coast road trip as the middle part of a nine-game homestand for new manager Don Wakamatsu's club.

"They're going to be very enthusiastic," Leyland said. "They're very energetic. They've been playing really good. They have a fresh manager out there, who, from what I understand, is very good. They have a lot of hungry players, a lot of energy, a tremendous arm at the end of their bullpen in [Brandon] Morrow. They'll be playing the game the way it's supposed to be played."


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 9.35 ERA)
Verlander's second start of the season didn't last much longer than his first, with the Rangers chasing him after five innings and 97 pitches last Saturday. However, both Verlander and Leyland pointed to a vast improvement in his pitches, which had good velocity and required less effort while regaining some movement, evidenced by his eight strikeouts against four walks. Leyland wants to see Verlander lasting around seven innings consistently within the next three to five starts, which makes Verlander's matchup with the Mariners a big stepping stone. The more outs he can get early in counts, the deeper he'll last into the game.

SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-0, 4.15 ERA)
The ace right-hander struck out a season-best eight batters in his last start, but didn't have the same command he had against the Twins in his Opening Day win. Three of the seven hits Hernandez surrendered to the Athletics went for extra bases, and they drove in four of the five runs, including a decisive two-run home run by Oakland slugger Jack Cust, the second of his career off Hernandez.

Tidbits
... The Tigers hope to have the services of shortstop Adam Everett on Friday after he missed Wednesday's game with illness. He's the second player to be knocked out of action that way, which has Leyland worried about the bug spreading around the team.
... Zach Miner is expected to be available out of the bullpen Friday after the Tigers rearranged their rotation for four pitchers over the next week.
... Placido Polanco has a seven-game hitting streak that includes four straight games with an extra-base hit.
... Curtis Granderson's eighth-inning single Wednesday snapped an 0-for-16 streak.

To track MLB play-by-play: http://m.mlb.com/scores/

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FS-D

On radio
• WXYT 1270 / 97.1 FM

Up next
• Saturday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 0-0, 3.38 ERA) at Mariners (Erik Bedard, 1-0, 2.03 ERA), 9:10 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 0-1, 7.20 ERA) at Mariners (Carlos Silva, 0-1, 6.00 ERA), 4:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .205
Polanco, 2B .314
Ordonez, RF .273
Cabrera, M, 1B .486
Guillen, LF .167
Thames, DH .273
Laird, C .308
Inge, 3B .267
Everett, SS .238

Seattle AVG
Suzuki, RF .333
Chavez, LF .415
Griffey Jr., DH .227
Beltre, 3B .184
Branyan, 1B .258
Lopez, J, 2B .194
Johnson, R, C .231
Betancourt, SS .364
Gutierrez, F, CF .200

Weather: 56 degrees, clear

Inning 1
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson pops out to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Placido Polanco swinging.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez swinging.

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Endy Chavez grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Justin Verlander.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ken GriffeyJr. swinging.

0-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Carlos Guillen singles on a ground ball to third baseman Adrian Beltre. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Marcus Thames swinging.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird hit by pitch. Miguel Cabrera to 3rd. Carlos Guillen to 2nd.

B:3 S:2 O:1 - Brandon Inge singles on a ground ball to
shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Miguel Cabrera scores. Carlos Guillen
scores. Gerald Laird to 3rd.

2-0

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Ramon Santiago hits a sacrifice bunt. Gerald Laird scores. Brandon Inge to 2nd. Ramon Santiago to 1st.

3-0

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out to first baseman Russell Branyan. Brandon Inge to 3rd. Ramon Santiago to 2nd.

B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Placido Polanco walks.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez flies out to left fielder Endy Chavez.

3-0

Bottom Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Adrian Beltre grounds out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Russell Branyan called out on .

B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Jose Lopez flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

3-0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Endy Chavez.

B:0 S:0 O:2 - Carlos Guillen grounds into double play,
second baseman Jose Lopez to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to first
baseman Russell Branyan. Miguel Cabrera out at 2nd.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Marcus Thames called out on .

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Rob Johnson called out on .

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Yuniesky Betancourt lines out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Franklin Gutierrez swinging.

3-0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:3 S:2 O:0 -
Gerald Laird singles on a ground ball to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Brandon Inge swinging. Gerald Laird steals (1) 2nd base.

B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Ramon Santiago grounds out, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to first baseman Russell Branyan. Gerald Laird to 3rd.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out to first baseman Russell Branyan.

Bottom Half

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki swinging.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Endy Chavez swinging, catcher Gerald Laird to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ken GriffeyJr. swinging.

3-0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in foul territory.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Endy Chavez.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, second baseman Jose Lopez to first baseman Russell Branyan.

3-0

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Adrian Beltre doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Russell Branyan singles on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Adrian Beltre to 3rd.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Jose Lopez singles on a line drive to left fielder Carlos Guillen. Adrian Beltre scores. Russell Branyan to 2nd.

3-1

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Rob Johnson out on a sacrifice bunt,
third baseman Brandon Inge to second baseman Placido Polanco. Russell
Branyan to 3rd. Jose Lopez to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:1 - Yuniesky Betancourt reaches on a
fielder's choice, fielded by third baseman Brandon Inge. Russell
Branyan scores. Jose Lopez to 3rd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Franklin Gutierrez singles on a bunt
ground ball to pitcher Justin Verlander. Jose Lopez scores. Yuniesky
Betancourt to 2nd.

Tied 3-3

B:3 S:2 O:1 - Ichiro Suzuki singles on a line drive to
center fielder Curtis Granderson. Yuniesky Betancourt scores. Franklin
Gutierrez to 3rd.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
With Endy Chavez batting, wild pitch by Justin Verlander, Franklin Gutierrez scores. Ichiro Suzuki to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Endy Chavez walks.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Ken GriffeyJr. flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Adrian Beltre flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

SEA 5-3 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Ronny Cedeno replaces first baseman Russell Branyan, batting 5th, playing second base.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive switch from second base to first base for Jose Lopez.

B:2 S:2 O:0 -
Marcus Thames singles on a line drive to left fielder Endy Chavez.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Gerald Laird grounds into a force out,
fielded by second baseman Ronny Cedeno. Marcus Thames out at 2nd.
Gerald Laird to 1st.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Ramon Santiago flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

SEA 5-3

Bottom Half

B:0 S:2 O:0 -
Ronny Cedeno doubles (1) on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Jose Lopez lines out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
With Rob Johnson batting, Ronny Cedeno caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Gerald Laird to third baseman Brandon Inge.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Rob Johnson grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

SEA 5-3 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Shawn Kelley replaces Felix Hernandez.

B:0 S:2 O:0 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

B:1 S:1 O:2 - Placido Polanco grounds into double
play, second baseman Ronny Cedeno to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to
first baseman Jose Lopez. Curtis Granderson out at 2nd.

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez singles on a line drive to left fielder Endy Chavez.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

SEA 5-3

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Yuniesky Betancourt pops out to shortstop Ramon Santiago.

B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Franklin Gutierrez flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ichiro Suzuki swinging.

SEA 5-3 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: David Aardsma replaces Shawn Kelley.

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen called out on .

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Jeff Larish replaces Marcus Thames.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Jeff Larish swinging.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Gerald Laird walks.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Brandon Inge pops out to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

SEA 5-3

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Jeff Larish remains in the game as the designated hitter.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Endy Chavez grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Ken GriffeyJr. singles on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Adrian Beltre doubles (4) on a fly ball to left fielder Carlos Guillen. Ken GriffeyJr. scores.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Brandon Lyon replaces Justin Verlander.

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
With Ronny Cedeno batting, Adrian Beltre steals (2) 3rd base.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Ronny Cedeno called out on .

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Brandon Lyon intentionally walks Jose Lopez.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Rob Johnson flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

SEA 6-3 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Brandon Morrow replaces David Aardsma.

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Ramon Santiago called out on .

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson swinging.

B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Placido Polanco pops out to second baseman Ronny Cedeno.

TIGERS LOSE 3-6