2009 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Thomas walk-off completes Tigers' rally
Verlander settles down after five-run first inning

By Mike Scott / Special to MLB.com

08/03/09 9:26 PM ET
UPDATED: 08/03/09 10:41 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Baltimore's Danys Baez had struck out four of the first five Detroit batters he faced. So with the bases empty and a 1-2 count on Tigers outfielder Clete Thomas in the ninth inning, Monday's game seemed destined to go into extra innings.

One 424-foot blast later, the Comerica Park crowd was sent home happy with a 6-5 Tigers victory. Thomas was even happier. It was not only his seventh homer of the year, but the first walk-off long ball of his career -- at any level.

Yet he still knew enough about walk-off home runs to know you should throw your helmet high in the air.

"I just threw it up there," Thomas said. "I don't know how high it went."

The ninth-inning shot over the center-field wall into the bushes capped a five-run comeback for the Tigers. But you'd have to excuse Detroit management if, 19 pitches into the game, it wanted to hire a private investigator or see who the imposter was wearing Justin Verlander's jersey.

By the time that lanky imposter with the No. 35 on his back had thrown those first 19 pitches, the Orioles' Brian Roberts had driven a ball 400 feet for his 12th career leadoff home run. Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis had singled. Aubrey Huff had driven in a run. Ty Wigginton had doubled home another. Designated hitter Luke Scott, who was rumored to be coming to Detroit before the July 31 Trade Deadline, doubled home two more.

Indeed it was Verlander who spotted Baltimore's five first-inning runs. The All-Star was in the seemingly unthinkable position of being pulled in the first inning at home against a last-place team that just last week traded its All-Star closer, George Sherrill.

"It was one of those innings," Verlander said. "The pitch to Roberts was a terrible one I left out over the plate. But the fact that [Baltimore] was aggressive allowed me to pitch eight innings because I made adjustments."

Once Verlander struck out a couple of O's hitters in the second inning, he quickly regained his footing. He went eight innings, allowing those five runs on nine hits, striking out eight and retiring the last 10 batters he faced.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland thought about pulling Verlander after the seventh, but Verlander cruised through it and then breezed through the eighth, including a strikeout of Scott. He threw one fastball at 98 mph in that final inning.

"He's coming of age. He showed tonight why he's one of the best pitchers in baseball," Leyland said of his starter. "But I've got to be careful. He threw 120 pitches last time, came back and didn't get an extra day off. I've got to be careful that I don't get greedy [with Verlander's pitch counts]."

Detroit gave its starter a chance for the win by responding in the bottom of the first. The first four Tigers batters all reached base. Curtis Granderson tripled to straightaway center, Placido Polanco doubled, Thomas walked and Miguel Cabrera doubled home two against Orioles starter Chris Tillman to cut the lead to 5-3. Tillman went five innings, allowing five runs, in his second Major League start.

Ramon Santiago singled home Marcus Thames in the fourth and Cabrera crushed his 21st home run of the season in the fifth to tie the game at 5. That got Verlander off the hook.

"That [comeback] just shows you how capable our offense can be," Verlander said. "We can score runs. I just needed to give my team a chance to win."

Leyland said that responding with three runs in the bottom of the first inning was a key to the comeback.

"That three spot sends a red flag that you might have a chance," he said. "And then when you don't allow [Baltimore] to score in the second and you can add on, that's a huge thing."

Thomas won't soon forget his first walk-off home run or the pitch that it came on.

"It was a fastball in. [Baez (4-5)] had been striking out a few of our lefties with a front-door fastball that came out over the corner of the plate," Thomas said. "I was making sure I wouldn't get beat there."

When rounding third base, Thomas had a few thoughts going through his mind.

"I was like, 'Wow, I actually did this,'" he said. "It was more than I ever dreamed. It was right up there with having a first kid and [playing] your first game in the Majors."

Mike Scott is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Washburn struggles in Tigers debut
Detroit offense unable to provide support for new lefty

By Mike Scott / Special to MLB.com

08/04/09 9:50 PM ET
updated: 08/04/09 11:31 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Jarrod Washburn admitted earlier this week that he felt like a rookie as he was set to take the mound Tuesday against the Orioles in his Tigers debut. It turns out the only true rookie who did take the Comerica Park mound was the one who picked up the victory.

Brian Matusz wiggled his way out of multiple jams in his first Major League start and multi-RBI games from Nick Markakis and Cesar Izturis powered Baltimore to an 8-2 victory over Detroit.

Washburn (8-7) kept the Tigers in the game for awhile. Yet on the day that he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for July, the veteran's performance was rather pedestrian.

Detroit can only hope and assume that better days are ahead for its newest starting pitcher.

"There's no excuse. I didn't do my job. I didn't have command," Washburn said. "I wanted to start out on the right foot and give everyone a good first impression. But what happened was the exact opposite of that."

Washburn expects significant improvement on Sunday when he is scheduled to start against the Twins at home. But on Tuesday he was outdueled by Matusz, who may not have been overpowering but was impressive nevertheless.

Matusz came into his first Major League start with a good deal of fanfare as the fourth overall pick in 2008's First-Year Player Draft. Even Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday afternoon that he was "looking forward to seeing [Matusz] pitch, but then again not looking forward to it" because of how talented the lefty was reputed to be.

On this night Matusz (1-0) was great when he needed it. He stranded eight runners in just five innings, allowing six hits. He struck out the last two batters he faced in Marcus Thames and Ryan Raburn with runners on second and third, throwing 99 pitches to earn the win.

"I was impressed with [Matusz]," Leyland said. "He has good stuff and really good pitchability for a young guy. He was [willing to throw changeups while behind in a count. He's a four-pitch guy and is impressive."

Meanwhile, Washburn was also occasionally finding his way into trouble, but didn't have as much success as his counterpart in pulling a Houdini act. Baltimore scratched out a couple of early runs on an RBI single by Markakis in the first and an RBI single by Matt Wieters in the second.

While both of those rallies were snuffed out by double plays, Washburn only stranded one runner. He allowed Izturis' second home run of the season with two outs in the fifth inning. Then his night was essentially over in the sixth when Washburn yielded a 442-foot blast to Markakis that slammed into the brick wall above the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center. Markakis and Izturis each finished with three RBIs.

By the time the damage was done in the sixth, the Orioles had sent nine batters to the plate while increasing their lead to six. The Baltimore bullpen took care of the rest.

Washburn didn't feel having an extra couple of days off from his normal schedule affected him. He last pitched on July 28 for Seattle against Toronto. "I had some adrenaline going but it didn't affect the movement on any pitches," Washburn said. "My sinker was sinking but my location was way off. Markakis hit a four-seamer [fastball] that was in a terrible location."

Detroit catcher Gerald Laird said Washburn didn't have his best command and kept a couple of pitches up that were hit hard. But he is confident that one of Washburn's worst starts is behind him.

"I got really familiar with him and how he pitches really quickly," Laird said. He's easy to catch and comes at you with strikes. The biggest challenge [in catching a new pitcher for the first time] is seeing what the ball does when he misses his spots and how each pitch moves in certain situations."

The Tigers had their chances early. They loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning for Adam Everett. The shortstop drilled a Matusz pitch up the middle for what appeared to be a multiple run-scoring single until Izturis dove to his left, snagged the hard grounder and flipped with his right hand to Brian Roberts, just beating the sliding Raburn.

Everett drove home Detroit's first run with a fourth-inning double, scoring Brandon Inge. Magglio Ordonez added an RBI single in the ninth.

Like Laird, Leyland isn't worried about Washburn's ability to provide the Tigers with wins during an AL Central race.

"He was not sharp tonight but he'll be fine Sunday," Leyland said. "We have other things that are more of a concern to us right now than [Washburn]."

Mike Scott is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

DREW SHARP | BALTIMORE 8, DETROIT 2
New pitcher, same old lack of support for Tigers

BY DREW SHARP • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • August 5, 2009

It didn't take long for Jarrod Washburn to feel at home in his new surroundings. All he had to do was follow the zeros after his new team's name on the scoreboard. You're not a bona fide starting pitcher for the Tigers until you've contracted the stomach queasiness attributable to their offensive anemia.

Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Washburn.

The first Pepto-Bismol is on the house.

It's not that Washburn didn't contribute to an unsatisfying evening at the ballpark Tuesday. He wasn't as miserly in surrendering runs as advertised when the Tigers acquired him just before Friday's trading deadline. But even if Washburn had been, it wouldn't have mattered.

He simply would have lost 3-2, instead of by the final 8-2 verdict.

"This was my fault," Washburn said. "It's my job to give us a chance to win and I failed. I wanted to make a good first impression to the fans and couldn't get it done. There's a lot of excitement here with a first-place team heading into a pennant chase, and I didn't do what they brought me here to do. I'm disappointed."

Washburn graciously took the hit, putting him one up on the offense.

There will remain those adamant that adding Washburn while ignoring the offensive ills constitutes management neglect. But sometimes the smarter strategy is further strengthening a plus, especially when a weakness falls far beyond the salvation of one player.

If there was only one move to be made at the trading deadline, Washburn was the more prudent decision.

The Tigers aren't a 90-win team.

They'll wade just above .500, and maybe that becomes the lone requirement for winning the woebegone American League Central. A record of 30-27 the rest of the way gives the Tigers 85 wins, and that might be enough to fight off the crawling pursuit of Chicago and Minnesota. But counting on fewer wins places a greater significance on quality starting pitching, regardless of chronic lack of run support.

Getting to 85 wins requires scratching out more 3-2 victories than 2-1 defeats, but that starts with a deep rotation. The Tigers have that now -- Washburn's worst start in two months Tuesday notwithstanding. His arrival takes the pressure off Rick Porcello. The 20-year-old rookie doesn't have to be that crucial No. 3 starter now.

You keep convincing yourself that it can't be all that bad if they're still in first place, taking Jim Leyland's advice to enjoy the run while not necessarily looking at the rocky path.

But this might qualify as the worst we've endured during this stretch of wretchedness, because the Tigers turned a 22-year-old freshly picked off the Baltimore farm into a Steve Carlton hologram. The Tigers stranded eight runners during rookie Brian Matusz's five-inning debut, including five in scoring position.

"We've had quite a few games where we've left a lot of guys on, so I don't know if this is anymore frustrating than any of the others," said general manager Dave Dombrowski. "We've had a tough time coming up with the big hit, and this game was no exception."

Washburn was accustomed to rampant run-scoring droughts before he arrived. According to STATS LLC, Washburn was third in the American League in poorest run support entering Tuesday, getting only 3.65 runs per nine innings.

Guess who's first on that list? It's Washburn's new teammate, Edwin Jackson (3.42 runs per nine innings).

It took one game, but Washburn feels like a Tiger already.

Jackson deals in Detroit victory
Righty uses variety of pitches to stymie O's again

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/05/09 9:25 PM ET
UPDATED: 08/05/09 11:50 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Fernando Rodney said he feels like a monster when he has to pitch out of a jam. He couldn't identify a particular monster, only "something intimidating."

If that's the case, who knows what scary image Edwin Jackson might be conjuring to Orioles hitters this year? The numbers are scary enough.

By the time Gregg Zaun took a called third strike from Rodney to finish Detroit's 4-2 win Wednesday, Baltimore hitters were daring Rodney to spot a fastball and looking for him to hang a changeup. By contrast, the O's looked for fastballs from Jackson, after he overpowered them in May, and ended up with a mix.

Five days after Jackson needed 115 pitches to get through four innings at Cleveland, he didn't even need that many pitches to get into the ninth inning Wednesday.

"He's just got command and he's throwing 98 [mph] with three other pitches for strikes," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He's got four pitches that are all power."

He used pretty much all of them Wednesday. If Jackson's last outing prompted worry in Detroit that the All-Star right-hander might be running out of gas down the stretch, Jackson had a curveball for them. Or more accurately, he had a heavy dose of power sliders and some changeups mixed in with his fastballs. And in the end, he had much the same outing as he posted May 31 at Camden Yards, where he blanked the Orioles on two hits over eight innings.

That was part of the difference between the 28 pitches Indians hitters fouled off over four innings Friday and the 17 swings and misses he had Wednesday. It was a dual effort between Jackson and Gerald Laird to read what Baltimore hitters were doing the last couple nights.

"This team is really aggressive," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "and I thought he mixed in some other pitches for the first pitch to get them off their game plan a little bit. You could see this team's game plan is to go right at you and be aggressive on that first fastball they see. You can see that, and they're good at it. They're a good offense. That's a job to shut down that offense. That's a very good offense, a lot of versatility."

Jackson's eight strikeouts fell one short of a season high, and all of them came on swings and misses. More than a couple came on pitches other than fastballs.

After Brian Roberts led off the game by grounding out on a changeup, Jackson sent down Nolan Reimold swinging at a slider and ended a seven-pitch battle with Nick Markakis with a changeup.

Aubrey Huff went down swinging in the second and fourth. Tigers killer Luke Scott swung and missed at the slider in the fourth and a 97-mph heater in the seventh on Jackson's 104th pitch of the night.

"Gerald and I were doing this great job of mixing up pitches tonight and just keeping them off balance," Jackson said, "so they can't really just sit on one thing."

Neither of the two hits Jackson allowed through eight innings was well struck. Adam Jones hit a first-inning infield blooper that first baseman Miguel Cabrera ran down as if to catch but then let bounce. Six innings later, Markakis' blooper into left gave the O's a leadoff single before Jackson kept him at first.

At that point, Jackson was sitting on a 1-0 lead. Magglio Ordonez pounced on a Jeremy Guthrie fastball in the fifth and turned on it for a line drive over the left-field fence. His sixth home run of the season was his first since July 21.

Ordonez, now 6-for-10 lifetime against Guthrie (7-11), had two of Detroit's six hits against him. Once Brandon Inge and Adam Everett singled off Guthrie to fuel a three-run eighth, Jackson had a better cushion.

Leyland had decided before those runs that Jackson would get a chance at the complete-game shutout. But the longer the Tigers hit in the eighth inning, the more he wondered about it.

"If we had made three quick outs, I think he'd been fine," Leyland said. "But I think the fact that he sat over there so long, I think I should've taken him out. But he's one of our horses. He had a two-hit shutout [at the time]. That's hard to do."

Jackson said the time on the bench had nothing to do with his pitches in the ninth. If anything, he was glad to have those extra runs once he hit Reimold on his first pitch and gave up Jones' two-run homer four pitches later.

By the end, the big pitch was up to Rodney, whose two-out walk to Scott moved the potential tying run into scoring position for Zaun. The O's catcher barely got a 2-1 pitch foul for strike two, then he held off on a checked swing to run the count full.

With runners going, Rodney went back to his heater and spotted a 97-mph pitch on the corner for a called third strike.

"In situations like that, one-run or two-run lead, I feel like I have more confidence," Rodney said. "No matter if it's a full count, I feel more comfortable. I feel like a monster."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Big second gives Porcello 10th win
Tigers hit for cycle in second frame to back rookie hurler

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/06/09 3:50 PM ET
updated:

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DETROIT -- Brandon Inge's two-run homer highlighted a four-run second inning for the Tigers, helping Rick Porcello join an elite group of 10-game winners with a 7-3 win over the Orioles Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Porcello (10-7) became one of just three pitchers in the past 22 years to post double-digit wins in a season at age 20 or younger, and the first since Seattle's Felix Hernandez in 2006. No Tiger had done it since Dave Rozema was a 15-game winner in 1977.

Considering Porcello had won only one of his previous six starts, it was a bit of a long road to get there after getting to the eight-win mark by June 18. He took a no-decision in his previous start on Saturday at Cleveland thanks to a blown save, but Detroit's early offense on Thursday allowed him to cruise from there.

The Tigers hit for the cycle in a 35-pitch second inning from fellow rookie starter David Hernandez (3-4), whose one-out single to Magglio Ordonez started his mess. Inge pounced on a first-pitch fastball and sent it deep to left for his 22nd home run of the season and his first homer since taking part in the Home Run Derby over the All-Star break. Ramon Santiago's two-out triple, Curtis Granderson's RBI double and Placido Polanco's run-scoring single put Detroit in command.

Porcello, meanwhile, took a no-hitter into the fifth, retiring 13 of his first 14 batters before singles from Ty Wigginton and Felix Pie led to a run. Wigginton's RBI double in the sixth chased Porcello from the game, the right-hander having scattered four singles over 5 2/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.

Alex Avila had a pair of hits in his Major League debut, the first Tiger to do so since Brent Clevlen on July 30, 2006. Avila, son of Tigers vice president Al Avila, doubled in a run in the third inning before singling and scoring in the fifth.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tigers 7, Orioles 3
Tigers take series from Orioles
Porcello cruises to 10th win after allowing just two runs, four hits.
Larry Lage / Associated Press

Detroit -- Brandon Inge hit a two-run homer in a four-run second inning and Rick Porcello didn't give up a hit until the fifth, helping the Detroit Tigers coast to a 7-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

The Tigers won three of four games in the series to stay atop the AL Central, heading into a matchup with the third-place Minnesota Twins.

Porcello (10-7) became just the second pitcher in franchise history with double digits in wins at the age of 20 or younger, joining Dave Rozema, who had 11 victories before his 21st birthday.

The rookie gave up two runs on four hits over 5 2-3 innings. He gave up only one run in his last start after allowing 19 runs in his previous four.

David Hernandez (3-4) gave up five runs and seven hits, needing 81 pitches to get through three innings. Brian Bass followed and gave up two runs in three innings.

The Tigers hit for the cycle as a team in a span of five at-bats in the second inning to help them take a 4-0 lead.

Inge hit a two-run homer one pitch after Magglio Ordonez singled. Ramon Santiago later had a two-out triple and scored on Curtis Granderson's double. Placido Polanco's grounder off third base bounced into the outfield for the fourth RBI of the inning.

In his major league debut, Detroit's Alex Avila hit a two-out RBI double in the third inning to set off a celebration in the front office's box. Avila's father is Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila, who was hugged by Hall of Famer Al Kaline and congratulated enthusiastically by team president Dave Dombrowski and vice president John Westoff.

"Wow," Dombrowski said after sitting back down.

Baltimore's Ty Wigginton was the first to get a hit off Porcello, singling to lead off the fifth inning and scoring on Felix Pie's single. Wigginton's RBI double in the sixth ended Porcello's day.

Fu-Te Ni followed with 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief to help Detroit keep its cushion.

Avila's big day sets tone in Tigers' win
Rookie catcher collects first hit, calls Porcello's 10th victory

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/06/09 6:12 PM ET

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DETROIT -- As Alex Avila headed into second base on his RBI double Thursday, most of the eyes in the Tigers dugout were focused on one place. They were mainly looking upstairs.

It was Alex Avila's first Major League hit, and a meaningful one in the early-inning surge that sent the Tigers to their 7-3 win over the Orioles Thursday. But it was Tigers vice president Al Avila's moment.

"That was quite awesome," the elder Avila said of watching his son collect his first big league hit. "And embarrassing, too."

He'll gladly take it. He'll welcome the point when his son's big games come as more of a routine. So, too, will the Tigers.

"I'd like to think that he probably enjoyed that moment," the younger Avila said with a smile.

Avila made it to the Majors before even spending a full year in professional ball. Yet somehow, the 22-year-old made his Major League debut catching a pitcher nearly two years younger than he is.

Together, their performances set some milestones. While Avila became the first Tiger with two hits in his debut since Brent Clevlen in 2006, Porcello (10-7) became one of just three pitchers in the past 22 years to post double-digit wins in a season at age 20 or younger, and the first since Seattle's Felix Hernandez in 2006. No Tiger had done it since Dave Rozema was a 15-game winner in 1977.
"I'm definitely honored to be mentioned in that category," Porcello said. "I'm definitely more happy to help the team out, help us try to stay in first place."

Considering Porcello had won only one of his previous six starts, it was a bit of a long road to get there after getting to the eight-win mark by June 18. He took a no-decision in his previous start last Saturday at Cleveland thanks to a blown save, but Detroit's early offense Thursday made sure he was in line for a positive result.

As Porcello and Avila agreed, they made a pretty good tandem.

After sending down the top third of the O's lineup in order for the first time all series, Porcello got on a roll, retiring 13 of the first 14 batters he faced. Not until Ty Wigginton's bloop single fell into short center field leading off the fifth did Porcello allow a hit.

"I was just trying to throw strikes early and not fall behind guys," Porcello said. "Those two starts after the All-Star break, I just didn't have good command."

Just as important for Porcello were the secondary pitches.

"The changeup wasn't quite as sharp as it was in Cleveland," Porcello said, "but the slider was definitely a lot better. It definitely helped to keep them off-balance and keep them off the fastball."

That was the game plan Avila and Porcello went over with pitching coach Rick Knapp before the game. The youth, the inexperience didn't seem to matter. As both pointed out of each other, they're mature, pretty relaxed for their age range. "Rick did an unbelievable job today," Avila said. "He really stuck to the game plan we put together. He was able just to throw strikes."

Said Porcello: "He was great behind the plate. He didn't seem like he was nervous at all. He was good back there."

Somewhat surprisingly, Avila seemed just as poised at the plate with a bat in his hands.

After Brandon Inge's two-run homer put the Tigers in front, Avila -- a .264 hitter when the Tigers called him up from Double-A Erie on Tuesday -- battled Orioles starter David Hernandez for eight pitches before watching a fastball hit the corner at 94 mph for a called third strike. He fouled off three pitches, including a curveball with two strikes.

"The one thing I was impressed with him is it looks like he picks up the ball real well when he's hitting," manager Jim Leyland said. "It look like he's got a pretty good eye at the plate, not a lot of movement. And it looks like he recognizes balls from strikes pretty quick. That's a big plus if you can do that."

An inning later, Inge's two out single created a chance for Avila to step in again. Again, he battled for Hernandez for eight pitches, this time fouling off four straight before pulling a 2-2 curveball down the right-field line.

Avila knows where his dad sits at Comerica Park, but he didn't look. His teammates did, pointing to the box.

"It's a great feeling for him," Carlos Guillen said. "He only played one year in the Minor Leagues, and he's up here, getting base hits and an RBI on the first day. He hit the ball hard, had good at-bats, played a great game."

The elder Avila tried to keep it diplomatic, but that was difficult. He was receiving hugs all around, and he wonders if the entire baseball community had either texted for called him about that hit.

"It was just relief, really," Avila said, "relief that he got it under his belt. And really, he's a doubles hitter, so it's a good thing it was a double for his first hit."

Avila added a fifth-inning single, this one straight back up the middle off Brian Bass, before scoring on Curtis Granderson's two-out infield hit.

All in all, it was a good first day at work.

"If his dad's not too cheap, maybe he'll buy him dinner," Leyland joked.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Avila's 'rewarding' night lifts Tigers
Rookie hits first career homer in six-run first, drives in four

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/07/09 10:20 PM ET
UPDATED: 08/08/09 12:24 AM ET

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DETROIT -- This is why Alex Avila was excited about being a catcher.

He didn't move behind the plate full-time until his final season at the University of Alabama. He liked the idea of playing a position where he could be involved in every play.

So Friday night, as he thought back on a 10-8 Tigers win that included his first Major League home run, four RBIs and 189 pitches caught in a game that wasn't safe until the last pitch, Avila had a pretty good feeling about his second day at work.

"It's pretty rewarding," Avila said. "When you can put a game together like that, and it's such a close-knit game, especially in the situation against the Twins and us being in first place, it's a big win. The feeling you get, that's why we keep playing. We want to keep winning. It's a great feeling."

It wasn't easy, but it was a win. And as much as the Tigers can swing from highs to lows, they keep winning when they have to.

Friday's win expanded Detroit's gap with third-place Minnesota to 5 1/2 games in the American League Central, the Twins' largest deficit since May 22 and tied for the largest of the season. A White Sox loss to the Indians moved the Tigers three games up on second-place Chicago.

"We got through it," manager Jim Leyland said of Friday's game. "That's the important thing."

In that respect, the six-run first inning was really important. A combination of two home runs and a controversial rundown proved crucial.

Anthony Swarzak had been relatively solid since taking injured Kevin Slowey's place in the Twins rotation, but the Tigers made his Detroit debut more like a cameo appearance. Six of their first seven hitters reached base safely, starting with back-to-back singles and continuing with mayhem on the basepaths once Clete Thomas' grounder to third caught Curtis Granderson too far from the bag.

Third baseman Brendan Harris immediately threw home to catcher Joe Mauer, who chased Granderson back towards third before throwing to Harris. Granderson dug in his cleats and stopped as Harris came towards him, then took off for home as Harris lunged at his heels.

"He got the bottom of my cleat," Granderson said after the game. "I didn't hear anything, so I kept going. If they call me out, they call me out."

They didn't, much to Harris' shock as Granderson kept going home. After a lengthy argument to no avail, Swarzak fell behind on Miguel Cabrera, who got a green light to swing on a 3-0 pitch for at least the second time in as many weeks.

The resulting blast to right field went out on a line. It was Cabrera's 197th career homer, and 22nd this year, but his first on a 3-0 pitch.

"We ordered him one tonight," Leyland said.

Four batters and two hits later, it was Avila's turn. After going eight pitches in each of his first two Major League at-bats, he jumped on Swarzak's first-pitch fastball and took it deep to right for a 6-0 lead.

The hugs in the Tigers' front-office box from Thursday's big league debut continued for his father, team vice president Al Avila.

"Pretty unbelievable," Alex Avila said. "I just saw the replay, and I didn't realize how far in that ball was. It was just something that I just kind of reacted. Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be a home run. When I got back in the dugout and everybody was teasing me, I sat back and thought, 'Man.'"

They were teasing him that it must feel pretty easy to hit, after two hits in his Major League debut Thursday. After his two-out bouncer snuck just inside the first-base line and continued in right field for a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, the teasing grew louder.

The Tigers knew Avila could hit; it was a big reason why he was a fifth-round pick in last summer's First-Year Player Draft. Catching was more of a project, or a "crash course" in Avila's words.

While Armando Galarraga (6-10) earned his first win since June 30, it was a struggle with four runs in his first two innings, three of them to Mauer alone with a first-inning solo homer and a second-inning two-run single.

Leyland admitted when asked that he does have "concerns" about Galarraga. It was the job of Galarraga and Avila to work through them.

"He didn't have his best stuff today, and he battled," Avila said. "I mean, he was a bulldog out there. He knew he didn't have his best stuff, but he knew he had to at least give us five good innings and keep us in the ballgame, which he did. He just found a way to throw enough strikes to get the win."

It was a win in question until Fernando Rodney struck out Orlando Cabrera with the potential tying run on first. But it was, without question, rewarding for Avila. As Mauer stepped to the plate for the second time, he congratulated Avila on his homer.

Mauer was one of the catchers Avila tried to model himself after when he converted.

"The last two days have been a blast for me," Avila said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Old nemesis in new uniform tames Tigers
Club 0-4 against Pavano this season; Verlander struggles

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/08/09 10:00 PM ET
updated: 08/08/09 11:28 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Fiesta Tigres happens once a year at Comerica Park. Carl Pavano beating the Tigers has become a regular occurrence.

The former is the Tigers' annual celebration of the contribution Latin ballplayers have made in baseball, especially in Detroit, and it's a festive atmosphere. The latter is another chapter in the bizarre comeback campaign of Pavano, who again contributed mightily to Detroit's frustration and beat the Tigers for the fourth time in as many starts this year Saturday.

Carlos Guillen tried to explain it after Pavano's latest gem, this time seven scoreless innings in an 11-0 Twins rout. But at one point, he just had to smile in disbelief.

"I don't know what happens with this guy," Guillen said. "We don't hit him."

Brandon Inge has some ideas. But in the end, he just had to give credit.

"He's just beat us," Inge said. "He's beat us every time this year, and he's done a great job pitching. I have to give him credit. We weren't terrible every time we faced him. We made adjustments. He's made adjustments. He's just flat-out beat us this year."

The Tigers spent four years being thankful that the oft-injured Pavano ended up turning down Detroit's free-agent contract offer after the 2004 season. Now, they probably hope he stays out of Detroit's path again for a couple months.

The fact that he faced the Tigers again took a Friday trade with Cleveland, which dealt him to Minnesota for a player to be named. Considering Pavano just pitched eight innings of one-run ball against the Tigers on Sunday at Progressive Field, the Twins weren't going to waste time slotting him into a rotation that has been devastated by injuries and inconsistencies.

Pavano's success against Detroit, by contrast, has been remarkably consistent, no matter what adjustments the Tigers try to make against him. The one difference was that the Tigers had a few key chances to spoil his outing.

"I've had success against them this year," Pavano said, "but you can't take away anything from their hitters. You've got to make good pitches. For the most part, I think I was able to do that. I thought the ball was up a little more than I'd like today, but I was able to make some adjustments and make some pitches when I needed to."

When two singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, Pavano escaped by striking out Adam Everett, then getting Curtis Granderson to ground a first-pitch changeup back to the mound for an inning-ending comebacker.

That started Pavano on a roll of nine straight batters retired, mixing low-90s fastballs with changeups and sliders for fly-ball outs and missed swings. He actually got more swinging strikes (12) in his 90 pitches than Justin Verlander did (10) in his 88.

"I think he was making kind of better quality strikes when he was throwing them in there tonight," Inge said. "He was kind of down and away on his first couple strikes. He was pretty effective coming in on us tonight, too, getting us off balance, letting us know that we shouldn't be crowding too much or diving out over the plate against him. That's what a veteran pitcher does."

Not until an Everett double down the right-field line -- Detroit's lone extra-base hit -- did the Tigers get another runner with one out in the fifth. Granderson's bloop single put runners on the corners, but didn't allow Everett to try to score.

Pavano took advantage. Polanco went at his first-pitch sinker for a sharp grounder, but third baseman Nick Punto, playing in place of injured Joe Crede, made a diving stop in the hole to start an inning-ending double play.

"I thought we actually had some good at-bats against Pavano," manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought the play that Punto made was kind of a game-turning play. If that one gets through, you've got 3-1, first and second with [Clete] Thomas and [Miguel] Cabrera coming up. That was a huge play."

Pavano (10-8) improved to 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA against the Tigers this year. He's 6-8 with a 6.16 ERA against everyone else.

"We probably need to watch some more tapes of him against other teams," Leyland said, "because some other teams have had success with him. We've had absolutely none."

The Twins, on the other hand, became the first team to beat Verlander (12-6) twice this season. Joe Mauer's second straight first-inning homer, this one a two-run shot, put Minnesota on top for good. Doubles from Michael Cuddyer in the fifth and Jason Kubel an inning later added on, chasing Verlander with five runs on seven hits over six innings.

"I think Verlander didn't get some pitches where he tried to get them," Leyland said. "Almost all the time, he does. He didn't get some pitches where he wanted to tonight, and paid for it."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers hold on to win series vs. Twins
Polanco drives in go-ahead run with single in eighth

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/09/09 4:14 PM ET
UPDATED: 08/09/09 6:23 PM ET

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DETROIT -- If the first 90-degree game since June at Comerica Park wasn't enough heat for the Tigers, the Twins added on. Placido Polanco gave them some relief at least from the latter.

A day after Denard Span had a five-hit game for the Twins, Polanco nearly could've returned the favor if not for two highlight defensive plays. But once Minnesota intentionally walked Curtis Granderson to pitch to Polanco with the game on the line in the eighth, Polanco's third hit was sweet enough.

And as the Tigers headed off to Boston with an 8-7 win over the Twins, a three-game lead over the second-place White Sox in the American League Central and now 5 1/2 games up on Minnesota, it had to feel a little cooler heading out of town.

"Huge," said catcher Gerald Laird, whose second double of the day set up the go-ahead run. "That's a good club right there. They've been battling us all year. It seems like they never quit. To be 5 1/2 [games ahead of the Twins] instead of 3 1/2 now, that's huge. To gain a game on both teams is huge. That's a game you've got to have, especially at home."

It was a game they seemingly had during the middle innings, when Marcus Thames' 100th career homer and Miguel Cabrera's two-run shot helped build a 6-3 lead for the Tigers behind starter Jarrod Washburn. But Alexi Casilla's two-run sixth-inning double off Washburn and Michael Cuddyer's seventh-inning game-tying single off rookie Ryan Perry in the seventh seemingly had the Tigers wilting in the heat, by then at 91 degrees after a first-pitch temperature of 88.

By the time Brandon Lyon (5-1) pitched with Minnesota's potential go-ahead run on second base in the eighth, it wasn't just the heat, but the pressure. Yet a pair of decisions, one by each manager, helped out the Tigers in the end.

Long before pinch-hitter Jason Kubel's groundout moved Mike Redmond to second with two outs and the top of the order coming up, Leyland had seen enough of Span. Washburn held him hitless in his first three at-bats Sunday, but his nine hits over the previous two nights were enough to make Leyland's decision: Walk Span and take his chances with Orlando Cabrera, owner of a 19-game hitting streak and a .295 average with runners in scoring position.

"Cabrera's a veteran guy and a clutch player, gotten a lot of huge hits," Leyland said, "but I just couldn't let a guy who got [nine] hits in two days beat me. I just couldn't do it. If Cabrera gets a hit, I can live with it. I just couldn't do it [with Span]."

He didn't have to deal with it. Lyon put Cabrera in an 0-2 hole before he grounded out to shortstop Ramon Santiago.

That brought Laird out of the sun and into the dugout for a brief moment before stepping to plate to lead off the bottom of the eighth. While everybody on the field dealt with heat Sunday, Laird had to do so with catching gear on. It was a day hot enough to remind him of catching in Texas the previous six years.

"It was humid out there," said Laird, who had ammonia-soaked towels on his neck between innings to cool off. "Sweat was just coming into my eyes and burning me."

His bloop double earlier drove in the third of four fourth-inning runs off Twins starter Scott Baker. His line drive in the eighth off Matt Guerrier (5-1), by contrast, found the left-field line and passed third baseman Brendan Harris, who entered the game moments earlier and wasn't playing the line.

"Supposed to be on the line there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We should have been on the line there. I have no idea why we weren't on the line there. That was my bad. I'll take it."

"I went up there just trying to get on base," Laird said. "I knew if I could get on base, they were going to bunt me over. We had two of our big hitters coming up that have been hitting the ball pretty well. Give those guys a chance with runners in scoring position, especially with how big Granderson and Polanco have been."

Granderson didn't get the chance after Ramon Santiago's sacrifice bunt. Like his leadoff counterpart, he got the intentional walk to put the onus on Polanco.

Considering how Polanco hit Sunday, it was a risk. Besides singles in Polanco's last two at-bats, Span made a diving catch to rob him in the opening inning, and Casilla made a highlight stop and throw in the third.

"He did exactly what I would've done," Leyland said of Gardenhire. "He was trying to get a sinker, get a ground ball, get the double-play ball."

Leyland was so worried about that, he said he considered calling for a squeeze bunt before deciding against it. Polanco, too, was conscious of it.

"I want to hit the ball hard the other way, stay away from the double play," Polanco said.

Guerrier got the sinker on him, and got it off the plate, but Polanco reached for it and flared it into short right field. It not only drove in Laird, but moved Granderson to third in position to score on Clete Thomas' ensuing groundout, giving Fernando Rodney an insurance run en route to his 23rd save despite Cuddyer's second homer of the day.

The heat, at least figuratively, was off.

"They showed me something today," Leyland said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers' rally falls short in loss to Red Sox
Bats erase four-run, two-run deficits before succumbing

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/11/09 12:24 AM ET

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BOSTON -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland worried Monday afternoon his team "could be flying into a hornet's nest" in Fenway Park against a Red Sox team coming off a series sweep to the Yankees. As it turned out, they survived the early stings, but couldn't land the final swat.

"We battled. We had our shot," Leyland said after the 6-5 loss Monday night. "We had a shot -- a good shot, really -- and just couldn't quite get it done."

It was a shot they seemed unlikely to have, but likely to convert. A 4-0 deficit after two innings, a workhorse starting pitcher knocked out after four, didn't prove fatal once Marcus Thames' seventh-inning double tied the game. Even Nick Green's go-ahead sacrifice fly didn't quite finish off the Tigers once they put the potential tying run at third base, the go-ahead run at second with one out in the eighth.

Once Ramon Ramirez and Jonathan Papelbon stranded both runners, however, their chance to steal a game had passed.

"We battled all game. We came back to tie it up," Adam Everett said. "To have a chance to take the lead right there, at least tie the game up, it's kind of disheartening, because we played well. They beat us. We didn't beat ourselves."

The Red Sox beat up on Edwin Jackson to take command early in the game and take out Detroit's All-Star starter after four innings for the second time in his past three starts. It wasn't just the runs (from Dustin Pedroia's two-run homer in the opening inning to Green's second-inning solo shot) -- it was the pitch count on Jackson, who again topped the century mark before he got out of the fourth.

Twenty-three of Jackson's 104 pitches were fouled off, while nine others went for base hits. His six swinging strikes induced was only one more than his season low.

"I just didn't get the job done," said Jackson, who said he tried to be aggressive against a Red Sox squad that has hit him in the past. "There isn't really one particular thing. The main thing is, as a starting pitcher, you go out and you try to get the job done. Either you do, or you don't."

Said Leyland: "He charged them. They charged him."

At that point, Leyland wasn't just worried about this game, but wondering about the impact on his bullpen for the rest of this four-game series. When Jackson lasted just four innings two starts ago in an extra-inning battle in Cleveland, the bullpen was on its way to 12 innings of work over two games.

Though Fu-Te Ni gave up a Jason Bay solo homer after an early Tigers rally to put the Red Sox back up two at 5-3, Ni's two innings saved the rest of the relief corps from a long night, not to mention keeping the game within reach.

"Those guys have to do a job," Leyland said. "You can't use [Brandon] Lyon and [Bobby] Seay and [Fernando] Rodney every night. It just doesn't work like that. Other guys have to do a job, and they did a pretty good job tonight."

Once the Tigers erased that deficit after Red Sox starter Brad Penny exited, the bullpen became vitally important. And it came within a few feet of having a lead to protect.

After Gerald Laird's third double in two days greeted Manny Delcarmen, Everett sacrificed him to third. Delcarmen fanned Curtis Granderson and came within a strike of doing the same to Placido Polanco before the Tigers' second baseman came through with his second clutch RBI single in as many days.

Marcus Thames, too, had a two-strike count before lofting a drive deep to left. The Tigers didn't think it was headed out, but they couldn't be sure.

"The way it sounded, it didn't have that sound like some of his balls normally do," Granderson said. "But here in this ballpark, you know it's got a chance."

The ball fell shy of the top of the Green Monster, missing a go-ahead homer. After an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera, Ramirez retired Carlos Guillen.

Two seventh-inning singles from the bottom of the Red Sox lineup, the latter a hit-and-run liner through the middle from Casey Kotchman, set up Green's fly ball to center off Zach Miner (5-2). Still, Ordonez's leadoff double in the top of the eighth gave Detroit one more chance.

Once Ramirez hit Brandon Inge with a pitch and Laird laid down a sacrifice bunt, both runners were in scoring position for Everett, who stayed in face Ramirez.

"He was 1-for-2 off him," Leyland said, "and I thought he'd at least put in play and we could get one run for sure. We didn't get it."

Everett, a clutch hitter early in the year, couldn't summon that contact again, striking out on three pitches to bring up Granderson with two outs.

"Just put the ball in play," Everett said. "The guys are playing back in the middle of the infield. You keep it away from the corners, obviously, but you've just got to put the ball in play."

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon entered to face Granderson, who hoped his popup behind home plate would go foul. Instead, it fell into Victor Martinez's mitt to end the threat.

"We battled back. We had our shot," Leyland said. "We're a ground ball in the infield from tying it, or a base hit away from taking the lead and winning it. That's just the way it goes."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers can't overcome Porcello's ejection
Righty tossed after benches clear; Lambert shaky in relief

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/12/09 2:07 AM ET

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BOSTON -- The Tigers have shown some resiliency the past couple games with their comebacks. Their downfall Tuesday began with a fracas.

Detroit began the bottom of the second inning with rookie starter Rick Porcello seemingly cruising with a three-run lead. One pitch off Kevin Youkilis' back led to chaos, not just with the altercation on the field but with the Tigers' pitching afterward.

It ended up feeling like two separate games separated by the mayhem, and the Tigers lost the final result. Their 7-5 defeat to the Red Sox, combined with a White Sox win at Seattle, whittled their lead to two games in the American League Central with Josh Beckett awaiting them Wednesday.

"It's frustrating because Porcello, he looked very good out there on the mound," said Miguel Cabrera, who's listed as day-to-day after Junichi Tazawa's first-inning pitch off his left hand knocked him out of the game.

"I don't think he was trying to hit Youkilis," Cabrera continued. "We were up, 3-0. We want to win the game. When you have something happen like that, it was frustration."

The result was pretty frustrating, too.

"Next question," Leyland said when asked anything about the second inning.

The Tigers seemed in control early after batting around in a three-run opening inning off Tazawa in his first Major League start, including Brandon Inge's RBI single. But they also left the bases loaded when No. 9 hitter Ramon Santiago grounded out.

Tazawa (1-1) needed 35 pitches in an opening half-inning that lasted exactly 20 minutes. He retired 12 of 14 hitters over his next four innings, regaining command of the game once Porcello left.

"The first inning, he wasn't able to throw his offspeed stuff for strikes," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "Once they came back in the second inning, you could feel the momentum shift, big time. We weren't able to stop them in that inning."

Porcello, who threw an inside pitch to Victor Martinez with two outs in the opening inning, hit Youkilis in the back with his first pitch in the second. Youkilis immediately ran at a surprised Porcello on the first-base side of the mound. Both benches emptied, but Porcello and Youkilis were the only players ejected.

That turned out to hurt the Tigers far more.

"Obviously, it's kind of a whirlwind," Brandon Inge said. "It changes the game. It changes the whole aspect of it, actually. You lose your pitcher that looked like he was going to have a good game out there tonight. But that's baseball."

While former All-Star Mike Lowell replaced Youkilis, the Tigers had few options after Porcello. Zach Miner, who has covered long-inning assignments this year, pitched two innings Monday, as had Fu-Te Ni.

Chris Lambert, a starter at Triple-A Toledo before being called up to Detroit's bullpen last week, was essentially the Tigers' long relief man. Once David Ortiz greeted him with a single and Jason Bay hit the next pitch out to left, the game was tied -- and the momentum was reversed.

"What's funny is coming in here, we knew Boston was kind of struggling a little bit," Inge said. "But that's when teams are the most dangerous. They're trying to turn things around, too. Once they get hot, they start rolling."

Lambert (0-1) stranded two runners and erased a leadoff walk in the third with a double play. But he paid for falling behind on Lowell, who pinch-ran for Youkilis in the second and lined a 3-1 pitch over the Green Monster in the third. Two innings later, he turned on a Lambert curveball for another shot, this one a two-run homer.

Lambert saved the Tigers' bullpen from extensive work by lasting five innings, but he gave up five runs.

"Well, that's not an easy situation for anybody," Leyland said. "I felt bad for him, but that's baseball. That's the way it is."

Technically, the Red Sox (64-48) didn't knock out Lambert. It was a one-hour, 21-minute rain delay that ensured he wouldn't come out for another inning. Rookie Ryan Perry entered for the seventh inning and gave up an unearned run without a hit thanks to his two-base throwing error on Jacoby Ellsbury's comebacker and a run-scoring balk two batters later.

That run came up huge once Curtis Granderson's two-run homer off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth, his 23rd homer on the year, brought the Tigers (59-53) within two runs. Instead of climbing within a run, they still needed one more runner to reach base to bring the potential tying run to the plate, and it didn't happen.

"We have to be good at this point of putting games like this behind us," Inge said, "and coming out the next day focused."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers drop third straight game at Fenway
Filling in for Galarraga, Miner unable to hold Red Sox at bay

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/13/09 12:07 AM ET

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BOSTON -- Consider the Tigers stung.

The hornet's nest that Tigers manager Jim Leyland feared his team was flying into when they arrived at Fenway Park this week is abuzz. Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Red Sox was Zach Miner's turn to get stung, even though he wasn't the scheduled starter when he walked into the ballpark in the afternoon.

It wasn't exactly a no-win situation for Miner when he walked into the visiting clubhouse and got word from the Tigers' coaching staff. But the more outs Josh Beckett posted on Tigers hitters, the more it felt like one. Once the Red Sox put up five runs with two outs in the fifth inning, it pretty much was.

"I thought Zach actually did a pretty good job," Leyland said. "We let it get out of hand a little bit, but overall, Zach did OK and we didn't hit much. A lot of that is because of Beckett, obviously, but that pretty much sums it up."

The Tigers (59-54) certainly knew Beckett could do that. But they were hoping to have a win in this series by then.

"We came in here, and they were struggling as a team," Miner said. "You don't want to say that you kind of know it's a matter of time before they snap out of it, but it's their home park. We felt like we were coming from home, playing well, and should give them some good games. Unfortunately, we just haven't been able to really do a whole lot. They've won three games. You've got to tip your hat."

While the Red Sox (65-48) and Tigers have two of the best home records in the American League, both are under .500 on the road. Nothing in this series has done anything to change those trends. Add in the Murphy's Law effect that seems to be ruling the Tigers here, and the damp, cool weather Wednesday night seemed to fit the visitors' mood.

"Just coming up into it, I thought it was an evenly-matched series," Curtis Granderson said. "But of course, three games into it, that's not the case right now."

Miner's spot start was definitely a tough spot, and the fact that his locker is right next to that of ailing Armando Galarraga was the least of his issues. Galarraga had been scheduled to start Wednesday, but he had been sent back to the team hotel early the previous two days with a severe sore throat that left him unable to swallow solid food.

The Tigers held out hope that Galarraga could go, but knew soon after he arrived at the ballpark Wednesday still looking frail that it wasn't going to happen. Their preferred long option, Chris Lambert, had to pitch five innings in relief of Rick Porcello on Tuesday, then was sent to Triple-A Toledo to make room for an extra reliever.

Enter Miner, a starter at the beginning of the year before moving back to relief in May. These were usually the situations where he thrived, not worrying about winning a rotation job, but he pitched two innings Monday after Edwin Jackson lasted just four innings.

"They told me when I got here," Miner said. "I told them I'd pitch until they took me out."

Under the circumstances, Miner did relatively well. Despite Mike Lowell's third homer in two days and Jason Bay's third homer in as many nights, Miner took a 3-1 deficit into the bottom of the fifth and retired the first two batters he faced.

He had a 1-2 count on Bay before he doubled off the Green Monster, then a 2-2 count on David Ortiz before he lined a 95-mph fastball back up the middle. With Miner (5-3) at 82 pitches, right around the limit the Tigers had on him going in, Leyland went to just-recalled reliever Freddy Dolsi for the third out.

Six batters and five runs later, he got it. In between were an infield blooper from Lowell, an RBI single from Casey Kotchman, a bases-loaded walk to Jason Varitek, a passed ball and a Brandon Inge error.

"Two-out runs are demoralizing for the other team," Beckett said, "because they are so close to being out of that inning."

The Tigers were, and by the end, they were basically out of the game, thanks to Beckett.

Beckett (14-4) retired Detroit's first 11 batters until he walked Clete Thomas with two outs in the fourth. He struck out Marcus Thames to continue the no-hitter, but Carlos Guillen promptly broke it up with a solo homer leading off the fifth. Thames gained his revenge with a seventh-inning solo shot.

"I think the score makes it look a lot worse than it actually was," Granderson said. "I think he pitched great, don't get me wrong. I tip my hat to him. But I think we had opportunities, and if we eliminate that one inning, I think the game would've stayed tight throughout the rest of the way. He did well, but I think we would've had our chances if everything stayed tight. We started to get good swings, get good hacks."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Verlander, Raburn lead Tigers in finale
Ace, third baseman prevent season sweep by Red Sox

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/13/09 4:21 PM ET
updated: 08/13/09 6:41 PM ET

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BOSTON -- Justin Verlander leads the American League in strikeouts for good reason, and in games like Thursday's 2-0 Tigers win over the Red Sox, he doesn't get very many balls hit hard when hitters do make contact. But perhaps the best deception from Detroit's ace is how effortless he made 100-mph fastballs look as his afternoon wore on.

"It doesn't feel exactly smooth," Verlander said. "I was giving those pitches everything I had. I wasn't holding anything back."

The fastballs at 99 mph weren't any easier.

It wasn't just that Verlander threw 123 pitches Thursday afternoon, four off his season high, but how hard he threw so many of them, especially his last handful. He knew the gravity of the at-bat as Jason Bay stepped to the plate as the potential tying run with two outs in the eighth inning.

Verlander had overpowered Bay with fastballs all afternoon. Bay, who homered in each of the first three nights of the four-game series, swung through a 99-mph heater with runners at the corners and out in the opening inning, then again with runners at the corners in the third, before taking one for a walk in the sixth. With Verlander trying to get through the eighth, this was Bay's big opportunity to get to him.

The Tigers weren't going to change their plan. They didn't want to give him a breaking ball to hit out, catcher Gerald Laird said later, so they stuck to the plan of high fastballs.

The first came in about chest-high. The Fenway Park radar gun came up reading 99 mph.

The second pitch came in inches lower to get the strike call from home-plate umpire Scott Barry. The radar gun wasn't stuck, but it read 99 again.

"We're used to it," Ryan Raburn said. "He does that just about every game."

Same for the third pitch, which Verlander blew by Bay to put him in a 1-2 count.

One pitch away from getting out of the threat, Verlander reared back and found even more. Though the scoreboard in center field seems like a mile away, Verlander's 100-mph fastball seemed even further from contact as it drew oohs and aahs from a sellout crowd that had roared when Jacoby Ellsbury led off the inning with a double.

"There aren't many guys that have that in the tank at that point in the game," manager Jim Leyland said.

He hit triple digits on his 122nd pitch. Seconds later, he did it again on his 123rd. This time, Bay tried for it and missed again, giving Verlander his eighth strikeout of the afternoon.

"I knew that was going to be my last hitter, so I'm not leaving anything on the field," Verlander said. "I never leave anything out there. When you do that, win, lose or draw, when you come into the dugout and you're done, there's really no way you can hang your head, knowing you gave everything."

Bay gave everything he could to catch up. He swung at seven Verlander pitches Thursday, all but one of them fastballs. He made contact with one, a 97-mph pitch he fouled off on the third inning.

"He was phenomenal," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Hours after Leyland declared the Tigers' pitching situation "a mess" after so many quick exits and long innings, Verlander (13-6) cleaned it up. While Leyland and the Tigers talk about every game counting, everybody admitted this one meant more. Not only had they not beaten the Red Sox all series, they hadn't beaten them all year. Boston had never swept a season series from Detroit in a rivalry that began in 1901.

As many things that went wrong in this series, from the close loss in Monday's opener to Rick Porcello's ejection Tuesday, then Armando Galarraga's scratch with a sore throat Wednesday, Verlander took advantage of Raburn's fourth-inning RBI single and seventh-inning solo homer off Clay Buchholz (1-3) -- plus Miguel Cabrera's stop and throw from his backside -- and made them stick.

"Last couple innings, you could tell [Verlander meant business]," Laird said. "We needed this win. He didn't want to give it away. Basically, he was in complete control of the game. He had all his pitches working, in and out, and when it came in crunch time in the eighth, you're looking up and the radar gun says 100 mph. You just don't see that very often."

Verlander knew what it meant, too.

"Obviously, this was a tough series for us," Verlander said. "The guys are looking at me to go out and be a stopper, go out there and give us a chance today. I was able to do that, and our hitters picked me up. I just gave us a chance, and they scored a couple runs, and obviously they weren't easy runs. We had to battle for every hit they got. I'm really proud of those guys."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Inge makes Washburn feel welcome
Walk-off blast settles pitchers' duel in Tigers' favor

By Mike Scott / Special to MLB.com

08/14/09 9:35 PM ET
updated: 08/14/09 11:51 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Here's what Tigers fans learned from Friday night's 1-0 victory over the Royals. Jarrod Washburn feels much more a part of his new team, Brandon Inge's balky left knee feels much better, and in general, Detroit is happy to be home after a rough midweek series in Boston.

Inge, in particular, left the field with a smile on his face -- one that was still evident in the clubhouse. His one-out home run into the visitors' bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning was all Detroit needed to maintain its working margin in the American League Central. The walk-off against former Tiger Roman Colon (1-2) was Inge's 23rd of the season, and it was merely a precursor to the actual fireworks that were shot off from the Comerica Park outfield following the game.

"I was looking for a fastball really, because the first couple of pitches he threw were breaking balls," Inge said of his final at-bat. "It's funny. You often end up hitting home runs when you're not trying to. I always thought [Colon] had good stuff. I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and drive the ball so I could get on base for the guys behind me."

Colon admitted he left that fastball up over the middle of the strike zone to Inge.

"I pitched here for two years, so I was just hoping it was just a fly ball and maybe get an out on the warning track, but it [went over the fence]," Colon said. "Inge is a pretty good hitter for a short guy. He's got some pop -- what can I say?"

Inge more than made up for a couple of strikeouts in his previous two at-bats against Kansas City ace Zack Greinke.

"I just happened to get a bat on it -- get a good swing," Inge said.

There were very few good swings throughout the game against both Washburn and Greinke. In fact, it was the definition of a pitchers' duel. It was just the type of game that Detroit manager Jim Leyland cherishes. Washburn went eight innings, allowing just three hits. Greinke pitched seven innings, allowing three hits while striking out seven.

"That was a thrilling game, I'll tell you -- unless you come to see offense," Leyland said. "You had everything -- great pitching, great defense and a home run at the end, which everyone likes. It was a really clean game."

Through three innings, most of the swings either team had against Washburn or Greinke wouldn't have broken a window. The first runner on either team to advance past first was Carlos Guillen, who went to third on a Marcus Thames single with two outs in the fourth inning. But Greinke eventually got Inge to strike out after a lengthy battle.

Detroit left two more runners on base in both the fifth and seventh innings. In all, the Tigers stranded eight against Greinke before Colon replaced him in the eighth. Inge, for one, was glad to see Greinke leave.

"He's got five or six pitches that are just ridiculous," Inge said. "Tonight, he threw me a pitch I had never seen from him before, a 95 mph cutter, that looked like Mariano [Rivera's]. He's so good, he's just inventing stuff out there."

Leyland couldn't agree more. That's why it was so critical for Washburn to match Greinke pitch for pitch.

"Against a guy like Greinke, you know that you're not going to get much," Leyland said. "He's going to be really stingy, but [Washburn] was, too. His stuff was better and his command was better. That was the Jarrod Washburn we traded for."

Kansas City stranded just four runners against Washburn -- two in the lefty's eighth and final inning. That's when Washburn retired David DeJesus on his 107th and final pitch, pounding his glove in delight. Brandon Lyon (6-4) replaced Washburn in the ninth and retired the Royals in order for the win.

"Now, I feel like I'm more a part of this team," Washburn said. "Stuff-wise, I didn't feel any better, but I think working closely with [Tiger catcher] Gerald [Laird] really helped. We were communicating well together.

"I'm not a big strikeout guy, so I need a good defense behind me, because I pitch to contact. Tonight, the defense was great. It's a great feeling, because the Tigers didn't trade for the guy who went out and pitched like I did my first two starts. I need to come out and give us a chance to win every time out."

Leyland said that he is a bit worried about Inge's knee, and he isn't sure whether he will play his third baseman on Saturday night. But Inge seemed confident that he would be ready to play the rest of this weekend if called upon.

"The knee felt better today, even before [my home run]," Inge said with a smile. "The first couple of at-bats today, I saw breaking balls, and you really have to get down into your legs to hit breaking pitches. So that was tough, but it feels pretty good."

Washburn was impressed with the reaction of the crowd all night, but he admitted missing the game-winning home run -- at least live.

"I was [in the locker room], and the TV down here is on a delay. So I heard the crowd [outside] first and then just caught the call on TV," Washburn said. "I always knew Detroit was a great baseball town, but tonight, I really felt a part of it."

Mike Scott is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Guillen, Cabrera lead Tigers' onslaught
Jackson earns victory behind offense's rumble over KC

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/15/09 10:07 PM ET
UPDATED: 08/16/09 12:31 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Even Tigers manager Jim Leyland admits that Edwin Jackson has earned a night like this once a while.

For all the times Jackson has taken no-decisions or losses with six innings and two runs or fewer allowed -- four of them, in fact -- the Tigers right-hander could use a pick-me-up from an offense that seemingly slumbered whenever he took the mound early in the season. Saturday's 10-3 rumble over the Royals was his night, and Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera were there to provide it with seven RBIs combined.

That's more runs driven in by two players than the entire Tigers lineup scored for Jackson in all but one of his other starts this year.

"It was nice to get Edwin some runs," Leyland said. "He deserves them."

It's also a reminder of what Guillen can mean to Detroit's lineup, especially batting behind the team's best hitter.

Not since April of last year had Guillen driven in four runs in a game. That was before the back issues that shut him down last season and well before the sore right shoulder that sidelined him for more than two months this year. It was also back when he was switch-hitting with ease and hitting with authority from either side of the plate.

This is a more limited Guillen -- left to bat left-handed only and mainly play at designated hitter until his shoulder lets him throw more -- and it's a bat the Tigers will take. On Saturday, it was a bat that tormented Royals starter Luke Hochevar, who had a first-inning lead with Billy Butler's two-run homer but couldn't get the shutdown inning to follow.

Clete Thomas' bloop single extended the inning for Cabrera, whose ground ball to deep short took Yuniesky Betancourt too far to get the out at first. Guillen took a nice, easy swing off a Hochevar breaking ball and lined it in front of right fielder Mark Teahen, deep enough to score Thomas from second.

Marcus Thames' ensuing RBI single gave Detroit four consecutive two-out hits for a tie game again and a two-run rally without an extra-base hit.

"We've been swinging the bat better lately," Guillen said. "To me, we're maybe more patient at the plate, not trying to do too much. Sometimes with the pressure on the line, you try to do too much. I think that was the case. It happens. It's part of the season."

Yet Guillen said he was trying to be aggressive against Hochevar, whom he saw trying to pound the strike zone and get ahead on him early. His fifth-inning home run came on a first-pitch fastball that was the last pitch of the night from Hochevar (6-6), who watched Guillen pull it into the right-field seats.

"He was trying a lot of breaking balls, sliders, curveballs and changeups," Guillen said. "I was trying to be aggressive, look for a good pitch to hit early in the count and trying to hit it hard."

It was Guillen's fourth home run since coming off the disabled list. Add in his sixth-inning single batting left-handed off left-hander Bruce Chen, and he improved to .295 (23-for-78) with 14 RBIs in that span.

He's becoming a presence to make opponents pay for pitching around Cabrera in the cleanup spot. Cabrera's four-hit game included three runs scored, three RBIs and three singles, plus an eighth-inning homer off Ron Mahay that put the Tigers into double digits.

Only a sixth-inning error from Royals third baseman Alex Gordon kept Cabrera from a 5-for-5 night.

"Even the home run was off the end of the bat," Royals manager Trey Hillman said, "and it was down and away. Strong and a very good hitter, that's why he's got the numbers he has."

All that offense earned Jackson a chance at a victory on a night when he admittedly wasn't in sync. To take advantage of it, he just had to get out of his fifth-inning jam. For someone who had been knocked out after four innings in two of his previous three starts, that wasn't as insignificant as it seemed.

After Jackson (9-5) stranded two runners each in the third and fourth, he faced a bases-loaded jam in the fifth in which four straight Royals had reached base. The only out of the inning came from David DeJesus, who tried to stretch his leadoff double into a triple and was thrown out.

Though Jackson's pitch count was more efficient than his previous few outings, Leyland still had two relievers warming up in case. With a tie game potentially a hit away, Jackson needed an out.

"One pitch can make or break a game," Jackson said.

He got two huge outs with one pitch. His slider, which had been inconsistent most of the evening, induced a ground ball to second from Alberto Callaspo. Mike Jacobs tried to sidestep Placido Polanco's tag, but he was called out for running out of the baseline as Polanco fired to first for the sure out.

"Tonight," Leyland said, "I thought he showed some good pitchability, which I was happy about."

Jackson didn't seem happy about his pitches, but glad for the result.

"It's just that time of the season right now -- the dog days of the season," Jackson said. "You don't think about it. You just go out and compete, regardless of how you feel. I'm a competitor."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Missed opportunities cost Tigers
Raburn's tough day overshadowed by men left on base

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/16/09 4:45 PM ET
updated: 08/16/09 7:30 PM ET

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DETROIT -- No, Sunday wasn't a good day for Ryan Raburn. But it wasn't easy being a Tigers player in scoring position, either.

Realistically, though, although Raburn's two 10th-inning errors brought in the go-ahead run in the Tigers' 3-2 loss to the Royals, there's a chance they might not have cost Detroit anything besides more stranded baserunners. As glaring as the three "E5" calls on the day were, Detroit's 0-for-16 line with runners in scoring position and 10 runners left on base also stood out.

Those stranded runners kept the game going into extra innings, from a close call at first on Gerald Laird's fourth-inning bunt attempt that left runners at the corners to runners stranded at third in the seventh and eighth. Once Raburn's two-out overthrow allowed former Tigers player Josh Anderson to score in the 10th, those lost chances loomed almost as big.

Put the plays together, and it was a situation nobody particularly enjoyed in the home clubhouse.

"Raburn's the same guy that made a great play in Boston [on Thursday] and knocked in both runs to win the game," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "He's not a third baseman, and we were forced to play him there. He's a good player. I felt bad for him, but that's part of it. That's all part of the game. But I have no problem with him whatsoever.

"That was not, any of that, what cost us the ballgame. What cost us the ballgame was not executing, even though we were trying. Had we done that, we win the game. That other stuff, you'll never hear me say anything about people making errors. That's part of the game. If somebody made an error because they were lazy or didn't care or weren't trying, that's one thing. But we don't have that problem here."

Raburn started at third for the fourth time this year, in place of Brandon Inge, whom Leyland said he "was really trying to stay away from" using Sunday. Had the Tigers taken the lead, Leyland said he probably would've used Inge for an inning. Otherwise, he wanted to pair up Sunday with Monday's off-day to get him extra rest.

"We were trying something with [Inge], some different type of procedure," Leyland said. "Hopefully come Tuesday, he'll be feeling pretty good."

The Tigers had to feel good about their chances, especially when starter Armando Galarraga pitched a little better than expected. He labored through his opening inning in 84-degree heat after being unable to eat solid food earlier in the week due to a throat infection, but he picked up the pace to last five innings with two runs allowed on four hits with six strikeouts.

Magglio Ordonez's 416-foot drive for a second-inning solo homer and Adam Everett's run on a fifth-inning wild pitch ensured Galarraga left a tie game, but Detroit had ample chances to score before and add on later. After Raburn reached on a Kyle Davies error to extend the fourth, Laird tried to lay down a bunt single along the third-base line. Alex Gordon charged and made the throw to first.

"I looked [at the replay]. I was safe," Laird said. "It just frustrates me, because as much as you struggle and struggle, it just seems like stuff builds and builds. I'm going to bust my tail down the line, trying to get an RBI. That run right there could've been the difference."

Raburn could've ended up with the go-ahead hit in the sixth after Carlos Guillen's leadoff double. But Guillen was thrown out trying to steal third base, before Raburn followed with a single through the middle.

A seventh-inning chance with Everett on second and no outs went unfulfilled when Jamey Wright retired the top of the Detroit lineup in order. Miguel Cabrera reached third base with one out, but Ordonez struck out and Raburn flew out to right.

"Obviously, the big one was Jamey getting Ordonez with the infield in," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "You've got a choice there. You can walk him or bring the infield in, and I'm glad it worked out the way it did."

Said Leyland: "We had a lot of situations today where we didn't move runners, but it wasn't because we weren't trying. So I don't have any problem with it. We knew Granderson tried to pull the ball. Magglio tried to shoot one the other way. We just didn't execute."

Meanwhile, Fu-Te Ni, Ryan Perry and Fernando Rodney combined to retire 13 of 14 batters before Anderson outran a slow roller to third for a one-out single in the 10th. David DeJesus followed with a sharp grounder towards the line that Raburn was unable to backhand.

After Willie Bloomquist's comebacker moved up the runners, Rodney (2-3) induced a potential inning-ending grounder to third from Billy Butler. Raburn's high throw took first baseman Carlos Guillen off the bag, rendering Butler safe and allowing Anderson to score.

Add in a third-inning overthrow, and Raburn suffered a three-error game. But that wasn't what ate at Leyland.

"From a manager's standpoint, when you see all those opportunities go by and not getting anything, it's usually not a good feeling in your gut," Leyland said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers' eighth-inning rally sinks Mariners
Avila homers, Cabrera knocks in two in decisive frame

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/18/09 10:00 PM ET
updated: 08/19/09 12:20 AM ET

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DETROIT -- One of Miguel Cabrera's habits since he joined the Tigers is wearing a particular T-shirt almost every day. It's a Duquesne University shirt given to him by his former Minor League teammate, Josh Wilson.

"It's superstition," Cabrera said. "I wore the shirt when I got called to the big leagues."

Whether he believes in the T-shirt's powers, a rough Tuesday night for Wilson turned out to be a very good night for Cabrera, whose two-run single and accidental ignition of a double steal fueled a four-run eighth inning and a 5-3 win over the Mariners at Comerica Park.

With a White Sox loss later Tuesday night, the Tigers' lead returned to three games in the American League Central.

What looked like a pitchers' duel after seven innings abruptly turned into dueling rallies, punctuated by Cabrera's go-ahead hit off Seattle setup man Mark Lowe. In the end, it took a 12-pitch battle between closer Fernando Rodney and Jose Lopez to douse the Mariners' final rally with a strikeout, stranding the potential tying run on second.

It was quite a way to welcome Rick Porcello back to the rotation after a five-game suspension that left him bored and itching to return to the mound. He got all the excitement he needed, starting with his battle opposite Felix Hernandez and continuing with the rallies after they left.

"I was happy that I was able to come out and keep us in the game," Porcello said. "That was the big thing."

While Porcello used a markedly sharp changeup to record a career-high six strikeouts over his 5 2/3 innings, Hernandez fanned nine Tigers over seven innings of five-hit ball, his only blemish on the scoreboard a two-out RBI single from Adam Everett in the second inning. Hernandez was in line for the win after a pair of sacrifice flies moved the Mariners ahead in the top of the eighth, but he was also out after 106 pitches.

Enter Lowe, who had a 9 1/3-inning scoreless streak broken in his previous outing. He gave up damage on his second pitch Tuesday when he tried pitching outside to Tigers rookie catcher Alex Avila.

Though Avila had pulled his first two Major League homers earlier this month, he was supposedly better known for his opposite-field shots at Double-A Erie. When Lowe left a 96-mph fastball over the plate, Avila knew what to do with it, sending it out to left-center to bring Detroit within a run.

"A lot of times, when you try to make good contact, good things happen," Avila said.

Once pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago battled to a full count and lined a single to right, the Tigers had the tying run on base. But Lowe gathered himself for a Curtis Granderson popout and a Placido Polanco chopper that should've been the second out.

Wilson had been an offensive hero for Seattle, tying the game with a solo homer in the sixth before scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth. His misread on Polanco's chopper, however, allowed the ball to skip into short left field for an error as Santiago rounded second.

Carlos Guillen's five-pitch walk brought up Cabrera, who had a grand slam and a double in six at-bats with the bases loaded this year. This time, however, Cabrera wasn't trying for anything complicated.

"All I'm looking to do," Cabrera said, "is to try to hit the ball to the middle or the other way."

His swing on the first fastball he saw was almost perfectly centered, sending a liner into center and knocking Lowe (1-6) from the game.

"Miguel showed you why he's a big-time player," manager Jim Leyland said. "He came through."

Minutes later, he came through again, albeit unintended. After Huff's flyout to deep left-center sent pinch-runner Raburn to third with two outs, Cabrera was less fundamental on the bases. He was caught flat-footed off the bag as pitcher Sean Green fired to first baseman Russell Branyan, starting a rundown.

"I have to be honest with you. Miguel just got caught napping," Leyland said.

Cabrera took off for second with Branyan giving chase. Instead of firing to second for the third out, however, Branyan saw Raburn bolt for home and threw. The throw was on target, but not in time to catch Raburn sliding under catcher Rob Johnson's tag.

So, what nearly was a debacle instead became a double steal thanks to Raburn.

Once ninth-inning singles from Ryan Langerhans and Ichiro Suzuki put runners on the corners with one out in the ninth for the Mariners, that extra run eliminated the chance at a game-tying sacrifice fly. Ichiro stole second, but Rodney sent down Branyan swinging at a 98-mph fastball to bring up Lopez with the game on the line.

Not only did Lopez work the count full, he fouled off four pitches once he got there, keeping his at-bat alive as Ken Griffey Jr. loomed on deck.

As Avila pointed out, "You don't want to face Ken Griffey Jr. with the bases loaded and the game on the line."

With that in mind, they stuck with the fastball. Rodney fired his last three pitches at 99 mph. Lopez fouled the first one into the dirt and the next one up.

"You could see [Lopez] settle into a two-strike approach," Leyland said. "I didn't think we could get a strikeout on a pitch down."

Avila and Rodney were trying to get a weak ball in play, but his fastball low got the swing and miss instead. And the Tigers could sense their good fortune.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tigers 5, Mariners 3
Rookie Alex Avila delivers again, triggers Tigers' comeback
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

Detroit -- In two short weeks, he's gone from the feel-good story he was to the real-good story he is.

From first-hit congratulations, and hugs upstairs for Dad, to "wait a minute, this kid can help."

There were several reasons, other than Alex Avila's rally-triggering home run, why the Tigers came from behind with four runs in the eighth to beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-3, on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

None bigger, though.

There was Ramon Santiago following the homer run with a pinch-hit single, keeping the pressure on relief pitcher Mark Lowe, already in the throes of spoiling Felix Hernandez's fine start.

There was the one-out error shortstop Josh Wilson made on Placido Polanco's chopper.

Plus the walk to Carlos Guillen that loaded the bases.

"A great at-bat by Carlos," Jim Leyland said.

There was also the two-run single Miguel Cabrera lined to center to put the Tigers in front.

"Miguel showed you why he's a big-time player," Leyland said. "He came through with a huge hit."

Plus the base-running blunder at first that turned into a double steal, pinch-runner Ryan Raburn racing home with Cabrera hung up between first and second.

"It wasn't really a double steal," Leyland said, "I can't tell a lie. Cabrera was caught napping. Ryan timed it just right, but we caught a break."

There were all those reasons, every one of them a factor in a game that had turned in the Mariners' favor after they scored twice in the top of the eighth.

But with Hernandez out of the game, after the Tigers hadn't caused trouble since the second, the Tigers shook down the thunder they needed: Avila's second-pitch blast off Lowe to left-center.

Not only a home run, but an eye-opener that instantly made the hitters coming up after Avila think Lowe might crumble.

"You see that," said Santiago, "and you want to be the next guy to do something, the next guy to help the team. It was really big."

It's always fascinating, though, how many games within a game there are -- whether it's in the newness of an acquisition, Aubrey Huff going 1-for-4, a duel between starters or a showdown for the final out

It began with rookie Rick Porcello, in his first start since his five-game suspension, more than matching Hernandez, the Mariners' All-Star right-hander.

As well as Porcello was throwing, en route to a career high of eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings, it looked like the run the Tigers manufactured in the second inning had a chance of holding up for a while -- which it did.

It was an odd run for Hernandez to allow. He had walked only three batters all year after getting ahead with an 0-2 count, but he walked Clete Thomas.

Not only that, but opposing hitters were batting only .125 against him after an 0-2 count, but Adam Everett's two-out single made it 1-0 after Thomas stole second.

Porcello gave up a home run to Wilson in the sixth, then the Mariners pulled ahead 3-1 in the eighth on two sacrifice flies off Bobby Seay. That's when Lowe entered the game, and it all turned around.

Ending with Fernando Rodney's 12-pitch strikeout of Jose Lopez with runners at second and third.

But starting with the feel-good story that's now much more than that.

tom.gage@detnews.com

Verlander dealt hard-luck loss
Detroit's lead in AL Central trimmed to two games

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/20/09 12:17 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander eventually got the ball from his 200th strikeout of the season. He's rather have back the ball that Ichiro Suzuki hit into the right-field seats on Wednesday.

"One bad pitch," Verlander said after the Tigers' 3-1 loss to the Mariners at Comerica Park.

It wasn't simply one bad pitch, but a lack of run support, and a familiar low-scoring fate for the Tigers.

Not since Jack Morris in 1987 has a Tiger fanned as many hitters in a season as Verlander has so far. With 204 strikeouts already and better than a quarter of the season left, Verlander has a chance to not only crack the top 10 single-season marks in franchise history, but maybe even the top five.

No Tigers pitcher has racked up 250 strikeouts in a year since Mickey Lolich in 1972, but Verlander is on that pace. No Tiger who reached that mark has won fewer than 19 games in their respective seasons. For that matter, the only Tiger to finish in the top 10 in punchouts and win fewer than 19 is Lolich, who did it twice.

No matter how many strikeouts Verlander racks up, he might not get to 19 wins, let alone 20. A few close, low-scoring losses like this might end up being the difference.

The Tigers, having seen their lead cut to two games over the White Sox in the American League Central, hope games like this don't end up as the difference in th e division.

"We just didn't do much at all offensively," Leyland said.

Verlander (13-7) suffered his second loss in his past three starts despite dominating early. Much like his last outing, he had his fastball topping 95 mph almost from the outset, rather than starting out slower and building up, and he earned some quick outs because of it.

Detroit's All-Star ace retired 14 of the first 16 batters he faced and rolled into the fifth inning with a scoreless game, dueling opposite Ian Snell. After catching ex-Tiger Jack Hannahan looking at a called third strike and inducing a Kenji Johjima groundout, Verlander was an out away from getting through the fifth and had the bottom of the Mariners' order up.

Michael Saunders' ground ball through the left side extended the inning for Josh Wilson, who continued his torrid series with a line-drive single. Up came Ichiro, whose strikeout on a 97-mph fastball to lead off the game was his third of the season versus Verlander, more than he has had against any other pitcher this year. Another fastball, this one at 98 mph, jammed him into a third-inning groundout.

Verlander went back to the heat in the fifth, but watched it wander over the plate. Ichiro, often overlooked for his timely power, turned on the 96-mph fastball and sent it out in a hurry to right field. His eighth homer of the year meant a 3-0 lead for the Mariners.

"That's what was working for me," Verlander said, "and that's what I tried to do. It wasn't in the right spot. It was middle-up instead of away. That's what good hitters do. They take advantage of one bad pitch."

That was all the Mariners had to do on this night.

One batter later, Verlander got his 200th strikeout, mixing curveballs and fastballs to send down Russell Branyan swinging. Catcher Gerald Laird initially threw the ball into the seats, Verlander said, but he made a swap of an autographed baseball to get it back.

Not since Jeremy Bonderman in 2006 had a Tiger reached the 200-strikeout mark. Add four more strikeouts over Verlander's next three innings, and he's within four of Morris' 208 strikeouts in '87.

More important to Verlander, it kept the Tigers in line for the win. But that doesn't mean he overlooked the mark, not after his struggles and questions last year.

"It means a lot for me, especially after last year, to be able to come back and the kind of year I've had," Verlander said.

A couple more runs would have meant more, but Carlos Guillen's sixth-inning solo shot comprised not just the Tigers' lone run, but their only extra-base hit. They worked starter Ian Snell (1-1) to the fringe of 100 pitches with two outs in the sixth, but as with other games this year, Detroit stranded runners in scoring position in the first, third and sixth.

"He was good," Leyland said of Snell in his first win as a Mariner, "and we didn't hit good. When you combine those things, that's what you get."

The slumps are starting to rack up. While Magglio Ordonez had a three-hit game to continue his August resurgence, Curtis Granderson's two-strikeout night extended his hitless streak to 0-for-13, including seven strikeouts. Inge is 0-for-11 since his walkoff homer Friday night.

On nights like this, pitching keeps it close. Verlander kept it close enough to come down to one pitch.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tigers 7, Mariners 6
Clete Thomas delivers walk-off hit for Tigers
Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

Detroit -- It was a dramatic sendoff for another important road trip.

The Tigers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Clete Thomas delivering the game-winning single, as the Tigers defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-6 on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Carlos Guillen, pinch-hitting, drew a walk to open the ninth against David Aardsma. After a Ryan Raburn popout, Miguel Cabrera doubled into the right-field corner. Aardsma intentionally walked Magglio Ordonez to load the bases.

Brandon Inge's sacrifice fly drove in Guillen, tying the game 6-6, and the runners advanced.

Thomas then singled past first baseman Russell Branyan to score Cabrera.

The Tigers headed immediately to Oakland for a three-game weekend series, followed by a three-game series in Los Angeles starting Monday against the Angels.

The Tigers now lead the White Sox by 2 ½ games in the AL Central. Chicago was idle Thursday.

Pitching against the team the Tigers acquired him from at the trade deadline, Jarrod Washburn allowed six runs and five hits, including four home runs, in six innings. He didn't return after a 58-minute rain delay. The Tigers trailed 6-3 when the game was interrupted by the delay in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Just as the rain arrived, the Tigers had the bases loaded with one out.

When play resumed, Aubrey Huff drove in one run with a grounder, and Alex Avila had a two-run single, cutting the lead to 6-5.

Raburn and Inge hit solo home runs in the fourth inning.

Jose Lopez, Kenji Johjima, Mike Sweeney and Branyan hit homers off Washburn.

Thomas' walk-off caps Tigers' big comeback
Detroit storms back from four-run deficit after rain delay

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/20/09 6:46 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Jarrod Washburn couldn't beat his old club, but his new teammates did.

Though Washburn has only one quality in four outings so far as a Tiger, Det roit has somehow won in his past three starts, the last two of them walk-off wins. On a day when the Mariners seemingly punished every Washburn mistake for four home runs in six innings, it was up to Zach Miner -- just a couple days after the birth of his son -- and Clete Thomas to help pick him up, returning the favor Washburn did for the Tigers offense last time out.

And as the Tigers head for the West Coast with a 7-6 comeback win, having overcome a four-run deficit capped by Thomas' second walk-off hit this month, their long flight seemed a little bit shorter. Moreover, with a 2 1/2-game lead over the idle White Sox in the American League Central, their place in the playoff chase felt at least slightly better.

"It's important, because we came from behind," said Carlos Guillen, whose collision at the plate with Kenji Johima not only ensured Guillen of touching home plate for the tying run, but also set up the winning run at third for Thomas' walk-off single. "When you get on a plane for five, six hours, you're going to feel different [if it's a loss]."

It's a feeling Thomas has gotten to know relatively well.

Less than three weeks ago, Thomas was mobbed coming around the bases on a walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth, completing Detroit's comeback from what was once a five-run deficit against the Orioles.

He has been 5-for-40 with 13 strikeouts since and his playing status has become more tenuous with Guillen back in left field and fellow left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff having come over in Monday's trade from Baltimore.

If not for a slumping Curtis Granderson, Thomas probably wouldn't have been in the lineup. But with Granderson getting the day off, manager Jim Leyland needed a center fielder, earning Thomas a rare start against a left-handed pitcher. Thomas liked it not just for the at-bats, but for the chance to work on his timing at the plate against a lefty, something Granderson has discussed before.

Once he came up against right-handed closer David Aardsma with two outs and the winning run on third, he really liked it.

"I think it definitely helped," Thomas said. "It was good to see one."

He saw nothing but mid-90s mph fastballs from Aardsma (3-5), but he only swung and missed at one before fouling off three others. The last of them might have been the best spotted, a 95-mph heater low and inside.

"It was right where I wanted it," Aardsma said. "It was probably a ball, actually. It was down and in, and he just dropped the head of the bat on it."

Thomas got enough of it to pull it through the right side and into right field. Miguel Cabrera, who advanced to third when Guillen's collision at the plate knocked the ball away from Johjima, trotted home before making a left turn and darting for Thomas at first base.

It was 90 feet away for Thomas, but it was a familiar feeling.

"This was a little rougher," Thomas said of the crowd of players around him. "It was fun. It's fun to get beat up like that."

That kind of beating certainly felt better than the home runs the Mariners hit on Washburn. Four weeks after he pitched seven scoreless innings at Comerica Park in a Seattle uniform to win a pitching duel, he gave up shots to Johjima, Jose Lopez, Mike Sweeney and Russell Branyan.

What kept the Tigers in the game and helped salvage a no-decision for Washburn was none of them resulted in many runs. Three were solo shots, the other a two-run homer, in building a 6-2 lead for the Mariners.

"It wasn't that bad," Washburn said. "I gave up four home runs, but two were wind-blown and would've been outs any other day. Unfortunately, those still count."

Still, said Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu, "If you had said we would hit four home runs and lose, I would think you'd be crazy."

It was a crazy setup to get there. Though Mariners lefty Ryan-Rowland Smith had a comfortable lead, he was also getting into trouble, walking four of the final nine batters he faced. His four-pitch passes to Magglio Ordonez and Thomas loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and brought up Wakamatsu for a pitching change.

Just then, the rains through which they had been playing, intensified enough that the umpires had to stop the game. A 58-minute rain delay passed before Huff could step in as a pinch-hitter against reliever Chris Jakubauskas. He grounded out to drive in a run and Alex Avila's pinch-hit, two-run single brought the Tigers to within a run.

Zach Miner, who was away from the team for two days, kept them there. And Washburn could feel a sense of relief.

"It was a huge win," Washburn said, "the kind of win that builds character and tell you what kind of guys you have in the clubhouse. That's awesome to see."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Raburn homers twice to back Jackson
Tigers extend AL Central lead with victory in Oakland

By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com

08/22/09 1:00 AM ET
UPDATED: 08/22/09 2:20 AM ET

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OAKLAND -- Manager Jim Leyland said before Friday's series opener against the A's that he'd like to have another arm out of the bullpen.

His Tigers are currently rolling with an 11-man pitching staff. Leyland didn't really have any position players to send down, though, saying it'd be particularly difficult to part with someone like Ryan Rayburn, who offers so much defensive versatility.

Rayburn can bring a lot to the table with his bat, too. The outfielder hit a pair of two-out home runs, pacing Detroit to a 3-2 win on Friday and stretching their lead in the American League Central to 3 1/2 games over the White Sox, who lost at home to the Orioles.

"Rayburn had a big night," Leyland said. "He had a couple of big blows. ... He's putting the bat on the ball well."

The A's put the bat on the ball well in the bottom of the ninth. Placido Polanco's glove and Fernando Rodney's arm staved off their comeback attempt, though.

Jack Cust hit a leadoff single, then advanced to second on a Tommy Everidge sacrifice bunt.

Pinch-hitter Nomar Garciaparra followed by crushing a ball up the middle. Polanco made a brilliant backhanded play and fired down to Miguel Cabrera at first to retire Garciaparra.

"That was an unbelievable play," Leyland said. "That was a rocket. ... I thought it was a hit for sure. I couldn't believe it."

Rodney then struck out Adam Kennedy with a 100-mph fastball to end the game and earn his 26th save.

With a long bench and a short bullpen, Leyland said the Tigers would have to "pray for innings" from their starters. He got six-plus from Edwin Jackson on Friday -- good ones.

Jackson allowed two runs on six hits and struck out five as he improved to 10-5. He had surrendered seven runs on 18 hits in 10 innings over his previous two starts.

"He made his pitches," Cust said. "He pumped up a little on his fastball when he needed to. He had good stuff out there."

"I liked the same thing I like every night about him, and that's his competitiveness," Leyland said. "He gave us some innings. That's important right now."

Raburn got the Tigers out to a quick lead with a solo homer to left-center in the first.

The lead was short lived, however, as Ryan Sweeney opened the Oakland half of the second with a flare to left. The ball landed between Raburn and shortstop Adam Everett for a double. Sweeney took third on a wild pitch, then scored on a line-drive single to right by Cust.

After an errant pickoff throw to first allowed Cust to take third, Jackson struck Cliff Pennington out swinging to end the inning.

Rayburn got the lead right back for Detroit in the third with his second homer, giving him the second two-homer game of his career, the first coming July 25, 2007, against the White Sox.

"The first one was a fastball," Rayburn said. "I didn't think he'd throw that again, so then I was looking changeup."

He got that changeup, and he didn't miss.

The bottom of the fourth looked a lot like the bottom of the second for Jackson. It had a different outcome, though. Jackson's wild pitch with two away let Sweeney, who had singled and taken second on a ground out, advance to third. Jackson got Cust swinging to end the threat.

"I had a good rhythm going ... but I still had to work out of some jams," Jackson said. "I was around the plate for the most part."

Jackson was in trouble again in the fifth when Daric Barton hit a leadoff single to left and took second on a fielding error by Raburn.

"He broke back," Leyland said. "He did. I told him, 'Boy, you're plus one. You got a good thing going.'"

Pennington then bunted Barton to third. Kennedy hit a sharp grounder to a drawn-in Polanco at second, who fired down to Gerald Laird to nail Barton at home.

The Tigers extended their lead to 3-1 in the sixth when Clete Thomas' two-out single scored Miguel Cabrera to knock Gio Gonzalez out of the game. After Laird singled to load the bases, Brad Ziegler got Everett to ground to second to end the threat.

Gonzalez gave up three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and had nine strikeouts.

The A's made things interesting in the seventh. Cust's leadoff single chased Jackson. Bobby Seay entered and chalked up a pair of strikeouts, then was removed after walking Kennedy on four pitches.

Brandon Lyon, who hasn't been charged with a run over his past 15 appearances, surrendered a two-out double to Rajai Davis to score Cust, 3-2. He struck out Kurt Suzuki to strand Kennedy on third.

"They did great," Leyland said of his relievers. "The only flaw was that walk to Kennedy. Other than that, they were great."

Curtis Granderson, held out of the starting lineup the past two games and batting .226 since July 28, entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He went after Ziegler's first offering, delivering a line-drive single to right.

Cabrera went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak to six games. He's batting .520 over that span and .369 in 33 games since the All-Star break.

Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers let A's slip away in final frame
Miner gives up walk-off single as Central race tightens

By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com

08/23/09 2:00 AM ET

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OAKLAND -- Jim Leyland has said it before. He won't say it again, though.

Time and time again, the Tigers' manager has drawn up a lineup he thought would give his club some offense. Time and time again, those lineups haven't produced enough.

Saturday night was another one of those times.

Armando Galarraga threw 6 1/3 solid innings, but Kurt Suzuki's walk-off single in the ninth handed Detroit a 3-2 loss, allowing the White Sox to gain a game in the American League Central standings.

"This is the last time I'll say it," Leyland said. "I've said it a lot this year, but this is the last time. I thought that was a lineup that'd score some runs.

"That's been the story this year. ... We didn't hit. That sums it up."

The A's didn't hit much, either, but they did when they needed to.

Adam Kennedy opened the ninth with a single off Zach Miner, then took second on a sacrifice bunt by Rajai Davis. Suzuki sent a line drive to left, and Kennedy beat Ryan Raburn's throw for the win.

Galarraga, meanwhile, did everything the Tigers needed him to do to win the ballgame.

Before Saturday's game, Leyland said his second-year starter was pitching too slowly. He didn't want to throw Galarraga's rhythm off, but he wanted him to pick up the pace.

Galarraga's pace slowed to a crawl in the second inning. He threw 27 pitches, loading the bases -- twice -- as the A's sent eight to the plate.

He limited the damage, though, as he held Oakland to two runs in the inning. Galarraga cruised from that point, retiring 13 of the final 16 batters he faced.

"It's getting better," Galarraga said of his pace. "I was making my pitches. I was throwing my changeup to the corners and my fastball was good. I felt good."

Leyland added, "He got off to a little bit of a slow start, but he did a great job."

Detroit got out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Curtis Granderson started the game with a double. He took third on a single by Placido Polanco, then scored when Carlos Guillen grounded into a forceout.

The Tigers had something going in the fourth, but couldn't capitalize. Miguel Cabrera walked and advanced to third on a single by Aubrey Huff, putting runners on the corners with one away. Clete Thomas went down swinging, then Brandon Inge grounded to short to end the inning.

They were able to tie things up in the sixth. Polanco led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Guillen. Cabrera singled off the right-field wall to score Polanco, extending his hitting streak to seven games.

The A's tried piecing their game-winning rally together an inning earlier. Ryan Perry slowed them down, though.

Scott Hairston and Ryan Sweeney delivered back-to-back singles to start eighth inning. After Mark Ellis struck out on a bunt attempt, Perry walked Jack Cust to load the bases.

Perry retired Daric Barton with a popout to third, then got Cliff Pennington to ground to first to end the inning. He went 1 2/3 innings and struck out two.

"He's done well," Leyland said. "He's gained some valuable experience. ... He threw exceptionally well tonight."

Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.