GDT: 8/18/09 - DET (62-55) VS SEA (61-57) - 7:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Rick Porcello's time in the penalty box -- or club box, in this case -- is finally over. That's good, because he's getting bored watching games from up there.

"It's over with and done," Porcello said. "It can't come quick enough."

After serving a five-game suspension for last week's altercation with Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis, Porcello is free to pitch, and the Tigers aren't wasting any time getting him back on the mound. Though they could've used Monday's off-day to skip Porcello and use him later in the week, the Tigers wanted to slot him in for Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners and get him back throwing without too much rust.

His 15-pitch outing Tuesday ended up providing plenty of rest in itself, though his 15th and final pitch provided most of the highlights that night from Fenway Park. Take away that one-plus innings, and he hasn't thrown a full outing since Aug. 6. He ended up throwing an extra bullpen session once the Tigers got back to Detroit to make up for it. Now, he's ready to go back to work.

In hindsight, Porcello said he's surprised how much attention the incident received, including how much debate went on over who threw who to the ground. He'll leave that question unanswered, but he'd rather just move past it in the first place.

Tuesday will provide his first opportunity to do that.

"It's just one of those things that doesn't happen a lot," Porcello said. "So when it does happen, I think people are interested about it. I don't know what it is, really. It raises some eyebrows -- just one of those things, I guess.

"I'd much rather get attention for pitching in a game than something like that. It's just one of those things that happened, and it's kind of a crazy incident, but as far as the team goes, it didn't really help out that much. I'm looking forward for it to be over and to be able to get back out there, so I can try to help win some games."

That'll be his job Tuesday, and it'll come against a Mariners squad that Porcello beat for his first Major League win on April 19 in Seattle. He has reached double digits in wins since then, and he now looks on track to potentially finish out his turns in the rotation the rest of the year. Detroit manager Jim Leyland said this past weekend that he has two versions of his pitching order laid out -- one with everybody in order, and the other in case they decide to use off-days to skip any turns down the stretch.

Because Zach Miner filled in for Armando Galarraga last Wednesday, the Tigers actually made it through Porcello's suspension without having to slot in a spot starter in his place. That at least provided some silver lining after the impact of the ejection itself, from Chris Lambert's long-relief outing to the Red Sox's comeback. However, Porcello wouldn't mind if his first suspension at any level is his last.

"Especially when we're playing well, to be up there in the stands watching and not be down there on the field or competing, it's always tough," Porcello said.

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Rick Porcello (10-7, 4.34 ERA)
Porcello lost to the Mariners when he allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings on July 21 in Detroit. Porcello's 4.92 ERA in 10 starts at Comerica Park is more than a full run higher than his 3.81 ERA everywhere else.

SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (12-4, 2.72 ERA)
After three subpar performances, the Mariners' staff ace returned to his All-Star version, holding the White Sox scoreless over seven innings on Wednesday night. He was in trouble in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings, but Hernandez found a way out of each predicament. He pitched into the seventh inning for the 56th time in his past 69 starts. This will be his third start against the Tigers this season, and he's 2-0, having allowed four runs in 13 innings.

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Tidbits

... The Tigers hope to have Brandon Inge available Tuesday after he missed Sunday's game to rest his ailing left knee. "We were trying something with him, some different type of procedure," Leyland said Sunday. "Hopefully, come Tuesday, he'll be feeling pretty good."
... Miguel Cabrera is 4-for-6 off Hernandez this season. Curtis Granderson is 9-for-22 lifetime off Hernandez, but he also has seven strikeouts.
... Brandon Lyon hasn't allowed a run in his past 13 outings, covering 14 2/3 scoreless innings.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 10-7, 4.34 ERA) vs. Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 12-4, 2.72 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 13-6, 3.28 ERA) vs. Mariners (Ian Snell, 2-9, 5.84 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Tigers (Jarrod Washburn, 8-7, 2.95 ERA) vs. Mariners (TBD), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 9-5, 2.85 ERA) at Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 4-3, 5.88 ERA), 10:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Seattle
1. Suzuki, I, RF
2. Branyan, 1B
3. Lopez, J, 2B
4. Griffey Jr., DH
5. Gutierrez, F, CF
6. Hannahan, 3B
7. Johnson, Ro, C
8. Langerhans, LF
9. Wilson, Jo, SS

DETROIT
1. Curtis Granderson, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 2B
3. Carlos Guillen, LF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Aubrey Huff, DH
6. Clete Thomas, RF
7. Brandon Inge, 3B
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Adam Everett, SS

Current Conditions

Comerica Park

Partly Cloudy 84 F

Humidity: 52 %

Wind: from the WSW at 14 mph

Barometer: 29.92 in

last updated: 8/18/09 6:05 PM EDT

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Ichiro Suzuki singles on a line drive to shortstop Adam Everett, deflected by third baseman Brandon Inge.


B:0 S:0 O:2 - Russell Branyan grounds into double
play, shortstop Adam Everett to second baseman Placido Polanco to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Ichiro Suzuki out at 2nd.


B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Jose Lopez grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

0-0

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson called out on strikes.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco singles on a line drive to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.


B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Carlos Guillen lines out to shortstop Josh Wilson.


B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Langerhans. Placido Polanco to 2nd.



B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Aubrey Huff grounds out, first baseman Russell Branyan to pitcher Felix Hernandez.

0-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Ken GriffeyJr . swinging.


B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Franklin Gutierrez swinging.

B:3 S:1 O:3 -
Jack Hannahan lines out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

0-0 after 1.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Clete Thomas walks.


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Brandon Inge pops out to shortstop Josh Wilson.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Alex Avila swinging. Clete Thomas steals (2) 2nd base.


B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Adam Everett singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Clete Thomas scores.
DET 1, SEA 0


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
With Curtis Granderson batting, Adam Everett steals (5) 2nd base.


B:2 S:0 O:3 -
With Granderson batting, Adam Everett out at 3rd, catcher Rob Johnson to third baseman Jack Hannahan.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Rob Johnson grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Ryan Langerhans grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Josh Wilson swinging.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson called out on .


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, shortstop Josh Wilson to first baseman Russell Branyan.


B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen flies out to left fielder Ryan Langerhans.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 3 innings

Felix at 54 pitches
Rick at 33 pitches

Inning 4
Top Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki swinging.


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


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Jose Lopez grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a ground ball to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.


B:1 S:0 O:2 - Aubrey Huff grounds into double play,
second baseman Jose Lopez to first baseman Russell Branyan. Miguel
Cabrera out at 2nd.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Clete Thomas swinging.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Ken GriffeyJr. grounds out, pitcher Rick Porcello to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Franklin Gutierrez swinging.

career best 6 k's for Rick!


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Jack Hannahan reaches on fielding error by third baseman Brandon Inge.



B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Rob Johnson swinging.

7 k's for Rick!

DET 1, SEA 0 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Brandon Inge grounds out, pitcher Felix Hernandez to first baseman Russell Branyan.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Alex Avila swinging.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Adam Everett swinging.

DET 1, SEA 0 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Ryan Langerhans strikes out swinging.


B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Josh Wilson homers (2) on a fly ball to left center field.
SEA 1, DET 1

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki singles on a ground ball to right fielder Clete Thomas.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Russell Branyan singles on a line drive to right fielder Clete Thomas. Ichiro Suzuki to 2nd.


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


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Jose Lopez flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.


B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Ken GriffeyJr. walks. Ichiro Suzuki to 3rd. Russell Branyan to 2nd.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Ryan Perry replaces Rick Porcello.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Franklin Gutierrez flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

SEA 1, DET 1 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson swinging. (again!)


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, third baseman Jack Hannahan to first baseman Russell Branyan.


B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen lines out to second baseman Jose Lopez.

SEA 1, DET 1 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Jack Hannahan swinging.


B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Rob Johnson swinging.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Langerhans called out on .

SEA 1, DET 1 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, third baseman Jack Hannahan to first baseman Russell Branyan.

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Aubrey Huff singles on a ground ball to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Clete Thomas called out on .


B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

SEA 1, DET 1 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Josh Wilson singles on a ground ball to left fielder Carlos Guillen.


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


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Bobby Seay replaces Ryan Perry.


B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Ichiro Suzuki doubles (24) on a fly ball to right fielder Clete Thomas. Josh Wilson to 3rd.


B:3 S:0 O:1 -
Russell Branyan out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Clete Thomas. Josh Wilson scores. Ichiro Suzuki to 3rd.
SEA 2, DET 1


B:4 S:0 O:1 -
Bobby Seay intentionally walks Jose Lopez.

B:1 S:1 O:2 - Ken GriffeyJr. out on a sacrifice fly to
center fielder Curtis Granderson. Ichiro Suzuki scores. Jose Lopez to
2nd on the throw.
SEA 3, DET 1


B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Bobby Seay intentionally walks Franklin Gutierrez.


B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Jack Hannahan walks. Jose Lopez to 3rd. Franklin Gutierrez to 2nd.



B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Rob Johnson flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.

SEA 3, DET 1 after 7 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Mark Lowe replaces Felix Hernandez.

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Alex Avila homers (3) on a fly ball to left center field.
SEA 3, DET 2

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Ramon Santiago replaces Adam Everett.

B:3 S:2 O:0 -
Ramon Santiago singles on a line drive to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.


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

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson pops out to first baseman Russell Branyan in foul territory. (Grandy sucks today!)


B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Placido Polanco reaches on fielding error by shortstop Josh Wilson. Ramon Santiago to 3rd.


B:4 S:1 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen walks. Placido Polanco to 2nd. (bases loaded)


B:0 S:1 O:1 - Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive
to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Ramon Santiago scores. Placido
Polanco scores. Carlos Guillen to 2nd.
DET 4, SEA 3

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

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Sean White replaces Mark Lowe.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Ryan Raburn replaces Carlos Guillen.


B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Aubrey Huff flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Ryan Raburn to 3rd.


B:2 S:0 O:2 -
With Clete Thomas batting, Ryan Raburn steals (4) home. Miguel Cabrera steals (3) 2nd base.

DET 5, SEA 3


B:2 S:0 O:3 -
Clete Thomas flies out to left fielder Ryan Langerhans.

DET 5, SEA 3 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Ryan Raburn remains in the game as the left fielder.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Ramon Santiago remains in the game as the shortstop.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Fernando Rodney replaces Bobby Seay.

B:1 S:2 O:0 -
Ryan Langerhans singles on a ground ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:2 S:2 O:1 - Josh Wilson grounds into a force out,
shortstop Ramon Santiago to second baseman Placido Polanco. Ryan
Langerhans out at 2nd. Josh Wilson to 1st.



B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Josh Wilson to 3rd.



B:0 S:2 O:1 -
With Russell Branyan batting, Ichiro Suzuki steals (24) 2nd base.



B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Russell Branyan swinging.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Jose Lopez swinging.

Tigers WIN 5-3

August 18, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Seattle	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0		3	8	1
Detroit	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	X		5	8	1

Seattle AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Suzuki, I, RF 5 1 4 0 0 1 0 .365 Branyan, 1B 4 0 1 1 0 2 3 .256 Lopez, J, 2B 4 0 0 0 1 1 4 .274 Griffey Jr., DH 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 .223 Gutierrez, F, CF 3 0 0 0 1 2 3 .291 Hannahan, 3B 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .218 Johnson, Ro, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .226 Langerhans, LF 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 .220 Wilson, Jo, SS 4 2 2 1 0 1 1 .190 Totals 33 3 8 3 4 13 15 BATTING 2B: Suzuki, I (24, Seay). HR: Wilson, Jo (2, 6th inning off Porcello, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Suzuki, I 5; Branyan; Langerhans; Wilson, Jo 5. RBI: Wilson, Jo (6), Branyan (70), Griffey Jr. (40). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Gutierrez, F 2; Johnson, Ro 2; Lopez, J 2. SF: Branyan; Griffey Jr.. GIDP: Branyan. Team RISP: 0-for-5. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING SB: Suzuki, I (24, 2nd base off Rodney/Avila). FIELDING E: Wilson, Jo (5, fielding). DP: (Lopez, J-Branyan).		Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Granderson, CF 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .256 Polanco, 2B 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .273 Guillen, C, LF 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .244 --1-Raburn, PR-LF 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .258 Cabrera, M, 1B 4 0 3 2 0 0 0 .334 Huff, A, DH 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 .253 Thomas, C, RF 3 1 0 0 1 2 2 .242 Inge, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .246 Avila, C 3 1 1 1 0 2 1 .450 Everett, SS 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 .242 --a-Santiago, PH-SS 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .256 Totals 31 5 8 4 2 9 12 a-Singled for Everett in the 8th. 1-Ran for Guillen, C in the 8th. BATTING HR: Avila (3, 8th inning off Lowe, M, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Polanco; Cabrera, M 3; Huff, A; Avila 4; Everett; Santiago. RBI: Everett (33), Avila (7), Cabrera, M 2 (72). 2-out RBI: Everett. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Huff, A; Thomas, C. GIDP: Huff, A. Team RISP: 2-for-5. Team LOB: 4. BASERUNNING SB: Cabrera, M (3, 2nd base off White/Johnson, Ro), Everett (5, 2nd base off Hernandez, F/Johnson, Ro), Thomas, C (2, 2nd base off Hernandez, F/Johnson, Ro), Raburn (4, home off White/Johnson, Ro). FIELDING E: Inge (14, fielding). DP: (Everett-Polanco-Cabrera, M).
Seattle IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Hernandez, F 7.0 5 1 1 1 9 0 2.66 Lowe, M (BS, 5)(L, 1-6) 0.1 3 4 2 1 0 1 3.38 White 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.05		Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Porcello 5.2 4 1 1 1 8 1 4.21 Perry 1.1 1 1 1 0 3 0 3.70 Seay (W, 3-2) 1.0 1 1 1 3 0 0 3.49 Rodney (S, 25) 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 3.57
Perry pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. IBB: Lopez, J (by Seay), Gutierrez, F (by Seay). Pitches-strikes: Hernandez, F 106-69, Lowe, M 21-13, White 6-4, Porcello 93-63, Perry 21-14, Seay 27-8, Rodney 28-22. Groundouts-flyouts: Hernandez, F 7-4, Lowe, M 0-1, White 0-2, Porcello 7-2, Perry 0-1, Seay 0-3, Rodney 1-0. Batters faced: Hernandez, F 25, Lowe, M 6, White 2, Porcello 22, Perry 5, Seay 7, Rodney 5. Inherited runners-scored: White 2-1, Perry 3-0, Seay 1-1. Umpires: HP: Mike Estabrook. 1B: Larry Vanover. 2B: Dan Iassogna. 3B: Sam Holbrook. Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 11 mph, Out to LF. T: 2:51. Att: 33,710. August 18, 2009