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 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeFri Jun 11, 2010 11:42 pm

Verlander leans on defense, which obliges
Glove work sharp as offense scores all six runs with two outs

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/11/10 11:58 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander called his fastball "horrible." His manager, Jim Leyland, said the Pirates seemed to be sitting on his fastball.

In some outings this year, that would be the setup for a long night at the ballpark and another night of Tigers struggles. Friday's 6-2 win over the Pirates, by contrast, was a curveball off of that, a quick, active night in which Verlander started using his offspeed and breaking ball to get hitters to put the ball in play and let the defense do a lot of the work.

Two full years had passed since Verlander had walked more batters than he struck out, which he did Friday with four free passes and three strikeouts. His nine flyouts against six groundouts continued his recent pattern of getting the ball into the air. Austin Jackson's sprinting catch in right-center field continued his pattern of running those balls down, and Carlos Guillen's double-play turn was a sign that there's still some stinginess in the infield defense.

It left Pirates manager John Russell wondering what more his hitters could've possibly done, other than hit the ball out of the park.

"We hit the ball pretty hard," Russell said. "Their defense made some real nice plays against us. Contact-wise, we hit the ball fairly well. We've just got to see if we can get some to start dropping in with guys on base."

They tried. Struggling Akinori Iwamura's fourth-inning drive took Don Kelly to the left-field fence before he corralled it, stranding two runners and setting up Verlander to face the bottom of Pittsburgh's order in the fifth inning. Kelly, starting in left field with Magglio Ordonez out for a fourth straight game, leaned into the seats to get the third out of the third inning on Neil Walker, his brother-in-law. Walker returned the favor with a sliding catch to retire Kelly later, but Kelly's catch halted a Pittsburgh rally after Andrew McCutchen had doubled in Iwamura.

"There are a lot of ways you can impact a game," Kelly said. "Tonight, I was able to help the team out on defense. I made a good catch at the fence and one in the stands. It's great to get back in the win column, especially at home."

None of those could compare with what Jackson still had in store. Detroit's rookie center fielder has found a knack for running, over-the-shoulder catches, having made at least a handful of them this season. He's blurring the line on balls his teammates expect to get caught versus what they think is going to fall.


"I don't ever think [he can't catch a ball] anymore," third baseman Brandon Inge said. "The ball better be 20 feet over the fence before I think [that]. And even then, he might find a way to go get it. I don't know."

Said catcher Alex Avila: "He's making me into a believer, every time I see a ball that's hit that normally a center fielder doesn't get to."


Most center fielders don't track down the drive Ronny Cedeno hit to right-center field unless they're playing deep to that side. Jackson was playing Cedeno to straightaway center and somewhat shallow. Once he saw the ball off the bat, he took off.

"He's been making those all year," Leyland said. "I thought he had no chance on that one."

Jackson made a true read on the ball almost immediately and ran at full speed toward where he thought the ball would fall. Once it finally came down, he was still running all out, and fast enough to get his glove under it just shy of the warning track in right-center field.

"When it was first hit, I was like, 'No way,' " Avila said. "But those last few feet, he has another gear. He has such long strides out there and reads the ball so well. It was an unbelievable catch, it really was."

Said Inge: "His speed is incredible. It's a different speed than I've ever seen. It's so smooth, it doesn't even appear that he's running fast until you can gauge the ball and him running at the same time. It's amazing to watch."

By then, Verlander had a comfortable lead thanks to the bottom half of the Tigers' order, which produced five two-out hits off Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf (0-4). Avila singled in runs in the fourth and sixth to go with Brennan Boesch's solo homer and Ramon Santiago's two-run shot.

Still, with Lastings Milledge on first base and one out, Cedeno's drive would've surely driven in a run had it fallen. It also would've put another runner in scoring position with one out and ensure that the dangerous McCutchen would have a chance to drive him in and turn it into a full-blown rally.

Instead, Verlander (7-4) struck out Jason Jaramillo to finish the threat. He left after giving up a McCutchen double and Walker walk in the eighth, but he pulled out a quality start on a night when his stuff was probably less than that.

"He has good enough stuff to where, when he makes mistakes, he can get by," Avila said. "That's what a No. 1 is supposed to do. Even on his bad days, he pitches well."

That's what a defense is supposed to do behind him, especially on days like this.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 13, 2010 12:13 am

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Jeremy Bonderman allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. (Duane Burleson/AP)

Guillen sinks Pirates with walk-off homer
Blast in 10th was team's 13th hit of game and first long ball

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/13/10 1:15 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Carlos Guillen could feel his right calf tightening early in Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, and it was getting worse as the game progressed.

Luckily for Guillen, and the Tigers, the second baseman didn't have to do much running late in the game. All he had to do was trot around the bases after hitting one over the right-field fence for a walk-off victory.

Guillen blasted a home run in the 10th inning off Pirates pitcher Brendan Donnelly to propel the Tigers past the Pirates, 4-3, at Comerica Park.

With one swing, Guillen bailed out a hot-and-cold offense. Detroit had recorded 12 hits but had only three runs to show for it before Guillen's game-ending shot.

The Tigers left 11 runners stranded and went just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Normally, that's not going to get the job done. On Saturday, Guillen's homer let the team throw away those disheartening numbers.

"We missed a lot of opportunities," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We have to start doing a little bit better. We should've had more runs than we did. But it worked out OK."

If Guillen would have recorded a single in the 10th inning, Leyland would have taken him out for a pinch-runner. But that wasn't necessary.

After going ahead, 2-0, in the count, Guillen was able to be selective and wait for his pitch. He got a hold of a fastball and knew right away it was gone.

His numbers at home haven't been staggering this season -- he's hitting just .208 at Comerica and .362 on the road. But his fourth homer of the season couldn't have come at a better time.

"I have to look for a pitch on the inside, trying to track the ball, not trying to do too much, trying to get a strike," Guillen said of being ahead in the count. "I was just trying to make good contact, trying to hit it hard."

Guillen lightly jogged around the bases and was greeted by his teammates at home plate after his homer. But with the Angels' fluke celebration injury that already occurred this season, his teammates were careful not to overdo it, especially with Guillen's tender right leg.

"It was a heck of an at-bat by him, and we were all happy," catcher Gerald Laird said. "We just wanted to make sure he touched the plate healthy, and then we went and got him."

Said right fielder Brennan Boesch: "We took it easy. We let him get to home plate. Then when he hit home plate it was mayhem from there."

The game was a seesaw battle in which the teams exchanged runs in the second inning before Pirates designated hitter Garrett Jones hit a home run off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman.

From there, Bonderman was solid. He retired the last 12 batters he faced before exiting after seven complete innings. He allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.

It felt like Bonderman's efforts were going to go to waste. The Tigers had no problems getting on base -- tacking eight hits on Pirates ace Paul Maholm -- but they couldn't come up with clutch hits with runners in scoring position.

No Tiger felt the pain more than Laird. With the bases loaded in the second inning, he crushed the ball to deep right-center field, surely to be a bases-clearing knock. But Pirates right fielder Ryan Church sprinted and made the catch, resulting in only one run coming across the plate on the sac fly as Guillen was thrown out at third.

"We hit balls hard all night," Laird said. "We just couldn't get a break. It's one of those things where I thought we could have easily scored seven, eight or nine runs tonight. They played a good defensive game, but we stuck at it and grinded it and just got enough runs to win the game tonight."

The Tigers scored two runs in the seventh inning to take their first lead thanks to an error by first baseman Ryan Doumit. The tallies resulted in Bonderman taking the no-decision in a pitching performance he described as so-so.

"I didn't throw the ball extremely well," Bonderman said. "But we won, and I was able to keep us in the game. The other game I just didn't do any of that. I'm just trying to go out there and give us quality innings and hopefully we will find a way to win at the end."

The Pirates scored a run on Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya in the eighth inning to tie the game, 3-3.

The Tigers' bullpen took care of the rest. Closer Jose Valverde struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Phil Coke threw the 10th inning and earned the win (4-0) despite allowing a deep fly ball to right field by Andrew McCutchen that had the home crowd holding its breath.

But Boesch made the catch at the warning track to retire the side and pave the way for Guillen's heroics.

"When you win by walk-off, it's always nice," Coke said. "For us to win in that fashion was perfect."

Saturday's victory gives the Tigers the opportunity to go for the series sweep Sunday afternoon. After the game, Laird repeated a goal he thinks is attainable for the Tigers this homestand: He wants to see the team win at least seven of its nine consecutive Interleague home games.

"This is the point where the good teams make their runs," Laird said. "We played good at home, and we are playing three pretty good teams. But they are three pretty good teams I think we should beat. We have a good enough lineup with good enough pitching. I think seven is a good number. Seven or more would be a really good homestand."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 13, 2010 5:14 pm

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Miguel Cabrera hits a three-run home run to right-center to give the Tigers the lead in the bottom of the eighth

Cabrera powers Tigers to sweep of Bucs

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/13/10 6:25 PM ET

Box >

DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera was in an offensive rut. The Tigers slugger had gone 1-for-11 during the three-game homestand against the Pirates.

That all changed with one swing of the bat on Sunday afternoon. For the second straight game, the Tigers' offensive woes throughout the majority of the game were erased with a late long ball.

On Saturday, it was Carlos Guillen's walk-off home run in the 10th inning. On Sunday, it was Cabrera's three-run bomb in the eighth inning that helped the Tigers defeat the Pirates, 4-3, at Comerica Park.

"It was a big situation and he hadn't hit them very good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But when he does, it's a long one. We were hoping he'd run into one there and he did."

Although Cabrera struggled early in the series, the Tigers really couldn't have selected a better candidate to step up to the plate trailing by a run with men on first and second and two outs. And with a 1-1 count, Cabrera hit a no-doubter to right-center field, his Major League-leading 19th home run of the season.

"I got like one hit in 20 at-bats," Cabrera said. "I wanted to drive the run in to tie the game. I was focused to make my best swing and just try to make something happen."

While Leyland credited Cabrera for his homer, the Tigers skipper said the play of the game came a batter earlier. The Pirates elected to bring in left-hander Javier Lopez to face lefty hitter Johnny Damon. Damon coaxed a two-out walk, opening the door for the Tigers' slugger to do some damage.

"The left-handed specialist came in to get the left-handed hitter and he walked him," Leyland said. "That was the key to the game. That's happened to us sometimes. When they come in, they have to get those lefties out. It's a whole different ballgame with Cabrera hitting with two guys on, than it is with him leading off the [ninth] inning."

Pirates manager John Russell agreed.

"You don't want their best hitter coming to the plate right there," Russell said. "That's why we brought [Lopez] in. We felt like we had a good chance to get out of it. It didn't [work]. You can't walk guys late in games. We know that. It ended up hurting us."

For the second straight game, the Tigers' early offensive difficulties nearly spoiled an impressive pitching performance. In his first game back at Comerica Park since his near perfect game, Armando Galarraga had good stuff but took the no-decision. He allowed just two runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Galarraga battled through most of the game on a strict diet of fastballs and changeups. His slider didn't have the late movement that was so lethal in his previous home outing. But he forced the Pirates' hitters into uncomfortable swings despite not notching a single strikeout.

"I used my changeup in 2-2 counts a lot and got a lot of fly balls and ground balls," Galarraga said. "These guys were super aggressive. I only had a 3-2 count like twice. That's good for me. I like to see the first-pitch swing or the second-pitch swing."

Galarraga received some help from the outfield, which went most of the game without everyday center fielder Austin Jackson, who exited in the bottom of the first inning with lower back spasms.

In the first inning, Don Kelly made a diving catch in left field. Then in the fourth, right fielder Brennan Boesch followed suit with a diving play of his own.

Galarraga only really struggled against Garrett Jones. The Pirates first baseman hit a solo home run in the second inning and drove in another run with a ground-rule double in the fourth.

The defense and pitching were up to par, but the offense lagged behind, as the story has been for many games this season for the Tigers.

But Leyland was more frustrated with Saturday's game than he was with Sunday's. On Saturday, the Tigers were able to get runners on base but failed to bring them home before Guillen's walk-off. Sunday, the Tigers just ran into a solid outing from Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, who went a season-high seven-plus innings and allowed two runs.

Alex Avila was responsible for the Tigers' first run. The rookie catcher rocked a first-pitch sinker over the fence in straight-away center field, by far the deepest area in Comerica Park.

"I hit it well enough that it had a chance," Avila said. "But you never can be too sure, unless you are Miguel."

Cabrera's home run came against Pirates closer Octavio Dotel, a close friend of the Tigers slugger. Before his home run, Cabrera was only 2-for-11 in his career with one home run and 11 strikeouts against Dotel.

"Today was one of those days that he got better luck than I," Dotel said. "I just threw my pitch and he hit it. I think it was a good location, but he's a great professional hitter. There's nothing I can do."

Even though Cabrera was struggling in the series, the Tigers had confidence he would get the job done when he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning.

"He's in a class all by himself," Damon said. "This park could be the only thing keeping him from winning the Triple Crown. He's that good. The thing is that he still has a chance to be a Triple Crown candidate even playing in this big ballpark. It really shows how good he is."

The Tigers would obviously prefer to post more runs throughout the duration of the game. But winning in such dramatic fashion in back-to-back games was certainly enjoyable.

"It's great," Damon said. "Obviously, we wish we could have the lead early on. But we will take winning any way possible. It reminds me a lot of what we did with the [defending World Series champions] Yankees last year. We had a lot of comeback wins. This feels no different."

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


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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 13, 2010 5:46 pm

Last Updated: June 13. 2010 4:26PM
Tigers 4, Pirates 3:
Cabrera's homer leads to series sweep
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Miguel Cabrera had an outstanding first strike to hit from Octavio Dotel in the eighth inning on Sunday, and swung right through it.

He did not miss the second strike, however.

Cabrera drove a three-run home run into the seats in deep right-center to enable the Tigers to complete a three-game sleep against the floundering Pittburgh Pirates with a 4-3 victory at Comerica Park.

Carlos Guillen led off the eighth with a pinch-hit infield single. Guillen did not start the game because of a sore right calf. With two outs, Guillen was at second when Johnny Damon drew a walk from Javier Lopez.

That's when the Pirates went to their closer, Dotel, whose 92-mile an hour fastball was right where Cabrera, with his opposite-field power, likes them to be -- up and out over the plate.

Just like that, the Tigers, who had trailed since the second inning, were in front to stay with the assistance of Jose Valverde's 13th save.

Valverde did give up a run, ending his streak of 25 scoreless appearances, but the Tigers won all the same.

Brad Thomas (4-0) earned the win in relief.

Armando Galarraga allowed two runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings for the Tigers. The Pirates didn't score after the fourth against him, though.

Garrett Jones opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the second for the Pirates. A single-double combination, with Jones again knocking in the run, gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the fourth.

They neither scored nor threatened against him otherwise.

Magglio Ordonez sat out his sixth game with soreness in his side, but feels he should be ready to play again on Tuesday when the Tigers open a three-game series against Washington.

The Tigers also lost centerfielder Austin Jackson to backs spasms in the first inning. His status is day-to-day.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100613/SPORTS0104/6130332/1129/Austin-Jackson-leaves-Tigers-game-with-back-spasms/Tigers-4--Pirates-3--Cabrera-s-homer-leads-to-series-sweep#ixzz0qlfplfLr
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeWed Jun 16, 2010 12:40 am

Raburn jacks first homer to sink Nats
Hitting adjustments pay off as Tigers win fourth straight

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/16/10 12:20 AM ET

Box >

DETROIT -- Ryan Raburn arrived at Comerica Park earlier than usual on Tuesday afternoon. Something just wasn't right with his swing, so he and hitting coach Lloyd McClendon spent the afternoon analyzing it.

He made an adjustment to his hip movement and it paid off almost immediately. Raburn smacked his first home run of the season, a three-run blast in the fifth inning, to help the Tigers defeat the Nationals, 7-4, at Comerica Park and extend the team's winning streak to four games.

"It's about time," Raburn said of his 2-for-4 night.
"I was pretty confident before the game after making the adjustment. I could feel things that I hadn't felt all year."

Prior to his big night on Tuesday, Raburn had been ice cold from the plate. He owned a .165 average in 30 games this season, struggles that resulted in a short stint to Triple-A Toledo earlier this year. He was on an 0-for-15 streak entering the game, in which he started in center field and hitting leadoff in place of an injured Austin Jackson.

"I was able to contribute a lot and help this ball club win some ball games last year," said Raburn, who hit .291 last season with 16 homers in 113 games. "It seems like I haven't done much at all to help this ball club this year. For me today, it was a huge break and huge hit."

The change in Raburn's swing was noticeable in batting practice. So noticeable that McClendon told Tigers manager Jim Leyland that Raburn was going to get hot right before he stepped in the batter's box and hit his go-ahead homer.

"I just had a feeling it was about time," McClendon said. "He had better swings in batting practice today, which is the first step. Then you have to take it to the game. It's amazing when you can see what you are doing, visualize it and understand it, then you are better able to take it into the game. He did that. I'm just really happy for him."

Raburn wasn't the only Tiger to have a big night offensively. In fact, every Tiger in the starting lineup made it on base at least once.

Catcher Gerald Laird, hitting .178, recorded a season-high three hits. He almost had four, too, if not for a nifty catch by Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan in the sixth inning.

"I feel good," Laird said. "I'm just working in the cage with [McClendon]. I'm trying to have good at-bats. It's one of those things where it gets frustrating at times, but you have to keep going and plug away. Today felt good. It was nice to see some balls fall out there."

Third baseman Brandon Inge tallied a hit for the 10th straight game and right fielder Magglio Ordonez, in his first game back after missing six games with an oblique injury, tied a career high with four hits.

Luckily, the Tigers' offense bailed out starting pitcher Max Scherzer. Scherzer had an extremely rocky start to the game, falling behind hitters and taking counts deep. He had thrown 81 pitches by the end of the fourth inning, giving up four runs, three earned, in the process.

But after giving up a solo home run on an 0-2 count to Nationals first baseman Michael Morse in the fourth inning, he settled into a groove and pitched through the sixth inning, striking out nine, to earn the win (3-6).

"I didn't feel great tonight," Scherzer said. "I had to generate everything I was doing tonight. It just didn't come to me. I was giving up those early runs and to give up a home run like that, that's typical in the fifth or six innings when you can fall apart, especially on a high pitch count. But I needed to battle for the last two innings and shut the door and at least give our team a chance to win. I was missing spots. I was wanting to accomplish more. I wasn't, and it was frustrating. I had to sit there and take a deep breath and realize I could still battle and give our team a chance to win."

Scherzer did just enough. Relievers Phil Coke and Joel Zumaya kept the Nationals off the board in the seventh and eighth innings. And closer Jose Valverde earned his 14th save of the season in the ninth inning, despite walking two batters.

With Jackson still day-to-day, Raburn may find himself back in the lineup on Wednesday. And with the way he swung the bat on Tuesday, that may be a good thing for the Tigers.

"We've been playing a little bit handicapped lately because we haven't been able to put our team on at the same time for awhile," Leyland said. "But that's the sign of a good team, when other guys pick each other up."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeWed Jun 16, 2010 11:27 pm

Verlander fans 11 as Tigers win fifth straight
Righty settles down, receives plenty of support from Boesch

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/16/10 11:40 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Tigers ace Justin Verlander hadn't been happy with his breaking balls all year. Well, at least until Wednesday.

Verlander mixed his offspeed pitches with a hot-and-heavy fastball to keep the Nationals off balance all night en route to a season-high 11 strikeouts and an 8-3 Tigers victory at Comerica Park.

"That's just something that's been not quite there for me all year," Verlander said of his offspeed pitches. "I've been able to get some outs with it, but not the strikeouts. I felt like it really didn't look like a fastball coming out of my hand. There was a little loop out of it coming out of my hand. I think tonight, for the most part, I felt like I was able to throw it and have it look like a fastball coming out of my hand."

With Verlander (8-4) throwing upwards of 95 mph all night -- even touching 101 mph in the sixth -- his curveball and changeup were just too difficult to lay off.

He gave up solo home runs in the first and second innings, but rebounded quickly. Verlander didn't let the homers get to him. In fact, he said he'd rather see a well-hit ball go over the fence then have a blooper fall into a gap.

Verlander made it though eight innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits and no walks to improve his career record against National League teams to 11-1.

"His curveball was real sharp," catcher Gerald Laird said. "It was one of the better curveballs I've caught. ... That was huge for him because when he gets that offspeed stuff going, you can't just sit on that 95-98 mph fastball."

Wednesday's win marks yet another game where Detroit's starting pitching has looked strong. And it has looked especially dominant this series. In the two games against the Nationals, the Tigers have recorded 24 strikeouts.

It's come to the point where the starters are constantly trying to one-up each other. Armando Galarraga has the near perfect game, Max Scherzer has the 14-strikeout outing, and Verlander has, well, the consistency.

"Early in the season, we struggled as a staff," Verlander said. "Then we turned it around. We feed off each other. That's what staffs do. You get a bunch of guys who are able to go out there and get quality innings and keep our team in the game. It's just start, after start, after start. It's a snowball effect.

"We are all competitive guys. That's just the game of baseball and our personalities. It's fun when you are on a roll as a starting staff, whether you score eight, or two or three you have a chance to win."

Unlike several previous starts for Verlander this season, the offense provided some support for the ace. He didn't need much, but he got a hefty amount.

Rookie slugger Brennan Boesch blasted a three-run homer to deep right-center field in the seventh to put the game out of reach. As hot as the rookie has been, he said he wouldn't want to face a 101-mph fastball from Verlander.

"He's had that in his back pocket," Boesch said of Verlander's ability to increase his velocity as the game goes on. "I looked up and that's just JV for you. He can pull that out of his pocket and let it fly that late in the game. You can count on probably zero fingers other guys that can do that. It's pretty fun to play behind somebody that wants to win as bad as he does. I think that's contagious to the team, his competitive nature."

With the way Boesch has been swinging the bat -- going 3-for-4 to improve his average to .344 -- Verlander doesn't want anything to do with the rookie, either.

"I don't know," Verlander said when asked how he'd pitch to Boesch. "It's tough. I couldn't tell you. I'm glad he's not on the other team."

Early in the game, Verlander realized the Nationals were coming after his fastball. He had to make the adjustment to work in his offspeed pitches and commit to sticking with them.

"After the first couple innings, seeing how those guys were charging my fastballs, you have to make an adjustment," Verlander said. "Usually when I'm in a rhythm with my breaking ball for strikes, my fastball is good."

Verlander's offspeed pitches, surprisingly, were more potent than Nationals starter Livan Hernandez. Tigers skipper Jim Leyland managed Hernandez on the 1997 World Series champion Marlins squad and praised his former player before the game, calling him "a master pitcher."

But what he saw from Hernandez on Wednesday was not what he remembered. Hernandez walked a season-high six, three of which came in the second inning and led to Detroit posting a four-spot.

"He's obviously changed a little bit," Leyland said. "It was strange to see him walk those guys. That's not him. He has changed a little bit deeper into his career to try and get you out outside of the strike zone."

With the victory, Verlander earned his third straight win and lowered his ERA to 3.54. To Laird, the club's ace is just getting started this season.

"I've caught some good pitchers, and for starting pitchers, he's got to be right up there at the top," Laird said. "He's got tremendous stuff. The main thing is that it seems he gets better as the season goes. That's something that a lot of guys don't. He seems to get stronger the more innings he gathers up and better as the game goes. A lot of guys tend to wear down, but he tends to get stronger and his fastball gets better as he gets into the game."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeThu Jun 17, 2010 5:42 pm

Roaring Tigers grab sweep with 19-hit attack
Cabrera plates three runs in season-high sixth straight win

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/17/10 7:16 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Thursday's game could have been drastically different for the Tigers. In the first and second innings, starter Jeremy Bonderman didn't have control of his fastball, and he left four pitches hanging up in the strike zone that were clobbered by Nationals hitters

The four deep hits would have been home runs in most ballparks, and it looked like it was going to be a long day for Bonderman. Instead, the Tigers defense came up big and made four clutch catches at the warning track. From there, it was all Detroit, as the Tigers tallied a season-high 19 hits and pummeled the Nationals, 8-3, to earn the series sweep. With the win, the Tigers earned back-to-back home sweeps and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Twins for first place in the American League Central.

"I think Jeremy was very good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he pitched on the right day, because the ball was being held up by the wind. I think if you ask him, he'd say the same thing. Some days that kind of stuff works for you, some days it works against you. Early on they hit some balls pretty deep that were caught [and] stayed in the ballpark today."

While Bonderman (3-4) racked up his fifth quality start in his last six outings -- going seven innings and giving up two runs on five hits while striking out seven -- the Tigers' offense was spraying the ball all over Comerica Park en route to the club's season-high sixth straight win.

And for the first time this homestand, the Tigers didn't record a home run. They didn't need it. Detroit recorded at least one hit in every inning, except the fourth, and every Tigers starter recorded a multihit game, minus Don Kelly.

But Kelly made his presence felt in the field. He started in center field for the second consecutive game in place of an injured Austin Jackson. He filled in nicely and came up with a catch to rob the Nationals' second batter of the game, Roger Bernadina, of extra bases, crumbling into the wall in left-center field.

"It was unbelievable," Bonderman said of Kelly's catch. "This is a team effort. It doesn't matter what I do. You have to have the guys behind you. Donny made a heck of a play and that was big early in the game. Sometimes you just need a little luck on your side."

Bonderman took control of his fastball after three more Nationals hits fell just short of leaving the yard. He had a no-hit bid going through 3 2/3 innings, retiring the first 11 hitters he faced, much to the credit of increased velocity on his fastball.

"I'm getting firmer," Bonderman said. "I didn't expect to coming into this year, honestly."

Catcher Alex Avila has noticed Bonderman's increased velocity, too.

"He's throwing it harder in his last couple starts," Avila said. "He had very good movement. His slider was very good and sharp today. He threw some good changeups, and we were able to keep them off balance."

The Tigers' starting pitching completely shut down the Nationals in the series. The starters owned a 27-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and combined to go 21 innings, allowing only eight earned runs. The longevity of their outings gave the bullpen a nice break, as well.

"We've [been] pitching well as a staff," Bonderman said. "We've been pitching deep into games, and giving the bullpen a break. We aren't using some of the guys that we were early in the year. That's big, because we are going to have stretches where we don't throw the ball as well."

But Thursday's game was all about the Tigers' bats. Detroit had fallen behind in every game through the six-game winning streak. Not on Thursday.

"I just thought, we put pretty good swings on the ball," Leyland said of his team's 19 hits. "We got some good pitches to hit today, and we hit them. It was just one of those days where it was probably a little contagious."

"A little" may be an understatement from the skipper. The Tigers' hitters looked like they were swinging at a beach ball from the plate.

First baseman Miguel Cabrera led the way with three RBIs to increase his Major League-leading total to 59 and shortstop Ramon Santiago made an adjustment to his swing before the game, and he went 4-for-4 with three runs scored.

The score could have been even more lopsided if long shots by Cabrera and Avila had left the yard. Both had two runners on base when knocking balls to the warning track, yet both settled for two-run doubles, when both balls fell just short.

Getting the catchers going offensively was a major concern for Leyland entering the homestand, and both have answered the call. Avila has posted a .385 average with six RBIs in his nine games in June, while Laird is hitting .400 in his past four starts.

"I just think they've finally loosened up a little bit," Leyland said of his catchers. "I think they were both pressing a little bit early on. Everybody was making a big deal about the bottom of the order and not getting much from the bottom of the order. I think they finally started to relax a little bit. They are swinging much better right now."

The Tigers recorded seven or more runs in every game of the series against the Nationals, a much needed offensive outpouring after the team's struggles from the dish in late May and early June.

But for third baseman Brandon Inge, the Tigers' bats weren't that bad during that stretch. They were just suffering from bad luck.

"There was a lot of hype two weeks ago about offense and lack of production," Inge said. "We were hitting the ball well, it was just going right at people. You can twist that around any way you want. When you aren't putting up runs, you aren't putting up runs. We will take the blame for it. At the same time, we aren't doing anything different. We are putting good at-bats [together] now. We can be dangerous when things start falling in there."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeFri Jun 18, 2010 11:38 pm

Inge delivers Tigers' seventh straight win
With stormy weather bearing down, Valverde shuts door

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/19/10 1:05 AM ET

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DETROIT -- There was no doubt about it, the weather was about to get nasty at Comerica Park. Severe thunderstorms were rolling in, and with the score tied at 5, it seemed a lengthy rain delay was in store.

But third baseman Brandon Inge wanted to get home. The last thing he wanted was to sit in the clubhouse and twiddle his thumbs while the storm system passed. So he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning and knocked an RBI triple to help the Tigers defeat the D-backs, 7-5, on Friday.

"It's in the back of your mind, I'm not going to lie," Inge said of the impending weather. "You don't want to go out and have a tie ballgame and sit in the rain delay. You could be down there for two hours or even lose at that point. It kind of makes you focus a little bit. For me, I was really trying to be selective and make sure I got a pitch to drive. I didn't want to just waste an at-bat right there with a guy in scoring position."

It was a good thing Inge recorded his first triple of the season and scored on an Alex Avila single. Less than 10 minutes after closer Jose Valverde retired all three batters he faced, the sky lit up with lightning.

The victory moved the Tigers to within a half-game of the American League Central-leading Twins and extended the club's winning streak to a season-high seven games.

Although the last couple of innings moved along at a quick pace because of the weather coming in, the game began at a complete crawl. Starting pitchers Armando Galarraga and Dontrelle Willis struggled to find the strike zone and exited early en route to taking no-decisions.

Willis was making his first start against the Tigers since the club traded him this month. He allowed five earned runs in five innings, two of which came off a two-run homer by Miguel Ordonez in the first inning.

He looked similar to how he did when he pitched in Detroit -- wild, yet effective at times, issuing four strikeouts and four walks.

"Well, they jumped on me early, and I just wanted to try and slow the game down and make some pitches, keep us in the ballgame, which I was able to do," Willis said.

Galarraga also struggled early against a D-backs lineup that featured seven left-handed hitters. He lost his go-to pitch against lefties, his slider, early in the game and had to ditch it. He said his struggles might have been a result of the hot and muggy weather before the storm system rolled in.

"This was tough because I was fighting with myself," Galarraga said. "In the first couple innings, I was all right. I felt a little tired. I was sweating so much.

"I changed my T-shirt like four times."


Tigers manager Jim Leyland pulled Galarraga after surrendering four runs on only 88 pitches in 4 1/3 innings.

"He's too tentative," Leyland said of Galarraga. "I really understand some of it. That's a lot of left-handed hitters. That's tough. He wasn't quite aggressive enough for me. He didn't really let it get out of his hand. I just didn't think he was aggressive enough. But in fairness to him, that's a good hitting lineup with a lot of home runs in the lineup. That's a very good hitting team."

It seemed the Tigers would be able to back up a shaky start by Galarraga early in game. Detroit posted a pair of runs in the first and second innings, but the visitors tied the score by the fifth, and the Tigers bats had gone quiet. Detroit tallied a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Arizona again responded, and the game stayed tied until Inge's triple in the eighth.

Rookie slugger Brennan Boesch was struggling when he came up to the plate in the eighth inning. He was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but he worked a walk in a pivotal nine-pitch at-bat to get the inning started for the Tigers.

Then, on a 0-1 count, he took off for second base and forced D-backs shortstop Stephen Drew to take the sure out at first when Carlos Guillen hit a ground ball. Boesch was able to break up the double play and get in position to score easily on Inge's triple.

"Any way you can help the team win is just as fulfilling," Boesch said. "I just wanted to bear down in all facets of the game. That just happened to be an opportunity to get the job done."

After the Tigers took the two-run lead, Valverde entered and shut the door in lightning-quick fashion. He retired the side on six pitches.

Three of the strikes came to Miguel Montero, a former teammate of Valverde's who wasn't too fond of the post-strikeout celebration.

"He threw me three splities in a row," Montero said. "I wasn't expecting that. I didn't think he had that kind of brain to throw three splits in a row. He surprised me.

"The way he acts, it's not right. You've got to be professional, dude. I've always felt that way, and I always told him, but that's the way he is I guess. He thinks it's right, but I don't care."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSat Jun 19, 2010 11:32 pm

Streak ends as Tigers fall to Jackson
Detroit had won seven in a row; Porcello exits in sixth

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/19/10 10:00 PM ET

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DETROIT -- The Tigers' season-high seven-game win streak finally came to an end Saturday, as Detroit fell to the D-backs, 6-5, in front of a soldout crowd at Comerica Park.

The Tigers went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position, with nine hits and eight men left on base. They loaded the bags in the first inning with no outs, but were only able to bring a single run across the plate.

The D-backs posted four runs in the sixth inning, which proved to be too much for the Tigers to battle back from. The home team chipped away with one run in the sixth inning and another in the seventh, but was unable to get over the hump.

Tigers starter Rick Porcello, making his first start since being skipped in the rotation his last turn, lasted only 5 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs. He surrendered two home runs, both of which came on fastballs.

Former Detroit hurler Edwin Jackson struggled to find the strike zone early and got himself into jams in the first and second innings. He allowed single runs in the first two innings, then went on a stretch where he retired nine consecutive batters en route to working 7 2/3 innings.

TO BE UPDATED

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 20, 2010 5:15 pm


Scherzer delivers gem against D-backs
Boesch, Guillen hit back-to-back jacks in Tigers' win

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/20/10 6:43 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Max Scherzer is known as a power pitcher who blows away opposing hitters with his fastball. He had a game earlier this season where he fanned 14 batters in 5 2/3 innings, and he's struck out seven or more in four of his last five starts.

But after his performance on Sunday to help the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the D-backs, Tigers manager Jim Leyland wants to reclassify him as, well, a pitcher's pitcher.

Despite running up a high pitch count early, Scherzer (4-6) established his slider early and stuck with it throughout the game. And when the slider is on, watch out. He located the third pitch in his arsenal on both sides of the plate and gave the D-backs' hitters fits on the afternoon, going seven innings with one earned run and striking out eight.

"I think if Scherzer takes to this what he should take from it, this should be a giant step, not only this year, but for his career," Leyland said. "Today he pitched. He learned the art of pitching, not just pumping fastballs.

"He was tremendous. I thought he took a giant step forward."

Scherzer did to the D-backs on Sunday what Edwin Jackson did to the Tigers the previous night. Both playing against their former teams, they brought their best stuff to the table. Luckily, for Scherzer, the Tigers hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to back up his one earned run outing.

It didn't start out pretty for Scherzer, though. It took him 36 pitches to get through the first inning and he allowed his lone run of the game. But he was fine with it. For him, it was all about getting the slider going early and sticking with it.

Two starts ago, on June 10 against the White Sox, Scherzer decided he was going to start utilizing his slider early. In the past, he would wait to get his slider going until the third or fourth inning. But starting it out that late didn't give him a good feel for the pitch. If he could get it working out of the gates to both right and left-handed batters, it would open the door for his sizzling fastball.

It only took four sliders in the 36-pitch first inning for Scherzer to have confidence in the pitch when he needed an out.

"That was a big key for me," Scherzer said of his slider. "I was able to incorporate my slider and start pitching with that. That allowed me to have success. I was able to throw three pitches to both left-handed and right-handed batters."

Despite the gem tossed by Scherzer, the Tigers' bats made him sweat it out. Entering the seventh inning the score was still 1-0 and Scherzer was in position to take the loss.

But rookie Brennan Boesch came to the rescue. With Miguel Cabrera on base, he blasted a 410-foot shot to right field to give the Tigers the lead. The very next batter, Carlos Guillen, did the same thing, hitting a solo homer to right field.

"I was so happy when that ball went out," Scherzer said. "As soon as he hit it, it was a no-doubter. I was happy because I battled through the whole game to give our team a chance to win. That was really gratifying for me to grab the lead in the seventh inning."

Masked by the Scherzer outing was an impressive performance by D-backs starter Ian Kennedy.

After surrendering a double in the first inning and a single in the second, Kennedy went on to retire 13 consecutive Detroit batters before taking the loss due to a pair of errant pitches that left the park in the seventh.

"That was an outstanding pitching performance," Leyland said of Kennedy. "He had good control. On a hot day he got a couple there he didn't want to and we happened to run into them. But he was tremendous. He really pitched. When you look at him you don't go 'oohh' and 'aahh' because you don't see 96 or 97 [mph]. But this guy is a really good pitcher. I was really impressed. He pitched one of the better games against us that's been pitched this year I felt."

Reliever Joel Zumaya threw a shutout eighth inning and closer Jose Valverde entered to toss the ninth -- a hot topic of debate lately, especially with Miguel Montero, because of his celebratory antics on the mound. After striking out Montero with three consecutive splitters on Friday, Valverde did his usual postgame celebration, even though the K was only the second out of the inning.

Montero took exception, saying the way Valverde acts "is not right."


The stage was set when Montero came to the plate after Valverde retired Justin Upton. Valverde threw a fastball on the first pitch then went back to his splitter, resulting in an easy groundout.

"He's a good pitcher," Montero said. "I thought he was going to challenge me with a fastball and he didn't."

Valverde went on to retire the next batter, Chris Young, to end the game and give the Tigers their third consecutive series win.

Prior to the nine-game homestand, catcher Gerald Laird said the Tigers needed to win at least seven of the nine games against three National League bottom-feeders. Mission accomplished. And it sure feels sweet to have pulled back within 1 1/2 games of the Twins before heading out on a nine-day road trip.

"It was a good homestand," Laird said. "They are teams that all of us thought we should beat, but they are all big league teams. They aren't slouches and you have to bring you're A-game.We have a tough road trip coming up and to get some momentum, especially winning that last one, was huge."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeWed Jun 23, 2010 1:20 am

Rain, Mets' offense pile it on Tigers' staff
Verlander roughed up in rain-shortened start

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/23/10 1:09 AM ET

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NEW YORK -- The Tigers had a forgettable night that they can't quite forget.

Justin Verlander can't forget it yet, because he wants to figure out how to correct this trend of extra-day struggles he has developed.

Jay Sborz couldn't forget it even if he wanted, not after making his debut. He became the first Tiger since 1925 to hit two batters in his first Major League outing, and the first big league hurler since 2002 to hit his first two Major League batters faced.

For the rest of the Tigers, Tuesday's 14-6 loss to the Mets was a reminder that momentum is only as good as the next day's pitching.

"We made about as many bad pitches in one game as you could make," frustrated Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It wasn't our night. Our horse was not our horse tonight."

That normally is Verlander, who actually didn't throw many of the bad pitches, mainly because of the rain delay. A third-inning downpour at Citi Field and the 58-minute wait that ensued left him with the second-shortest outing of his career. But the Mets had him on the brink of an early exit before that, trailing from the second batter on and then in a treacherous situation to break the game open in the third.

Three straight baserunners had plated a run in the third and left the potential for far more. If the rains hadn't come, Verlander had a jam to face. That didn't happen, but he still has larger issues to confront, from an extra day of rest between starts, to mechanics he has to settle.

"I just felt out of sync from the get-go," Verlander (8-5) said. "I kind of felt like I reverted back to old form. Some of the stuff I've been working so hard to get back -- throwing the ball where I wanted, especially my fastball -- really felt like that wasn't there tonight.

"It's always tough for me on an extra day's rest to kind of keep that feeling going, especially with a day off right before my start and not getting to throw. But it's something that I know personally I have to get better at and be able to go out there and repeat my delivery on an extra day's rest. It's to the point where I'm kind of tweaking what I'm doing between starts and trying to figure out how to get where I need to be."

Verlander has looked at the numbers. With his standard four days' rest, he's 44-19 with a 3.64 ERA. He's now 24-24 with five days of rest, and has a 4.34 ERA when pitching on his sixth day. He struggles to repeat his delivery with that extra time off, he said, and his fastball command suffers.

His stats aren't miserable with the extra day, but they're not what one would expect from a No. 1 starter. Sborz, on the other hand, will have to look at his numbers for a while if he doesn't get into another game this series.

He became the Tigers' extra reliever and their latest rookie when they called him up to take Rick Porcello's roster spot, but he'll likely be heading back when Andy Oliver makes his Major League debut Friday at Atlanta. But Tuesday wasn't a matter of getting his feet wet. To Leyland, looking at the situation Verlander left -- runners at second and third, with nobody out in a 3-0 game -- it was a chance to limit control.

"Because of the situation," Leyland said, "I was only going to pitch him an inning probably, so we were just hoping that -- they haven't seen him, and the guy has good stuff -- we were trying to maybe get a strikeout there, maybe a strikeout or two and keep it to three [runs].

"We took a shot. Obviously it didn't work, but that's OK. If he had struck out two and popped the guy up or something, I wouldn't be jumping up and down. What happened, happened. It's too bad. You hate to see a debut like that."

It was a tough situation, but Sborz actually came close. He had a 1-2 count on Rod Barajas before losing a breaking ball inside. That loaded the bases for Jeff Francoeur, who took a first-pitch fastball high and inside to knock in a run and knock Sborz's nerves further.


"After the first one, that next pitch kind of just flew by," Sborz said. "I was way ahead of myself. I was in a decent position with the first batter, and then the second guy, I let that one go. After that, Leyland came out to calm me down. But after the first [hit by pitch], that one kind of got me spinning. I think he came out at a good time and calmed me down. I think that helped out a lot."

He had adrenaline going, which he had to settle down to go on.

"I was excited and nervous and everything combined," he said. "Not too many people are able to say they pitched on a Major League mound. I was definitely excited, had some butterflies. I'm glad I got it out of the way, I guess."


Verlander gave up five runs on as many hits in two-plus innings, his shortest performance since a Sept. 1, 2008, loss to the Yankees. Sborz became the first pitcher to hit his first two Major League batters since Justin Miller in 2002, and the first Tiger to hit two batters in his debut since Ownie Carroll in 1925.

That actually isn't bad company. Miller is now a veteran relief specialist in his seventh Major League season. Carroll went on to pitch 248 games over nine seasons.

The inning gained momentum from there until eight runs came in, putting the Mets in double digits.

Brennan Boesch lined a two-run homer into the Tigers' bullpen in right-center field to put Detroit on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, then singled in another tally as part of a four-run fifth to give the Tigers a chance, but Fernando Nieve held it there to earn the win.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeThu Jun 24, 2010 12:44 am

Bonderman solid, but outdueled by Dickey
Offense unable to get it going behind righty's quality start

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/23/10 11:57 PM ET

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NEW YORK -- The Tigers can explain what makes a good knuckleball. Some of them can even explain the physics behind it, the difference a little momentum off one finger can make on the spin of a knuckleball that flattens out and gets pummeled. What the Tigers can't do, not with any certainty, is hit it.

When R.A. Dickey's knuckler is tumbling at two different speeds, as it was for the Mets on Wednesday night, what could they do?

"Nothing," Brandon Inge said after the 5-0 loss and a second straight defeat. "Just what we did. You take hard swings and you hope that it doesn't move at the very end."

No such luck. The way Jeremy Bonderman has pitched at times this season with no result, eight scoreless innings from Dickey against a team that's quite capable of pounding knuckleballs was about fitting.

The Tigers know how to hit the bad ones, and they have the track record for it. Not only is Detroit the only team since 1940 to hit six home runs off a pitcher, sharing the Major League record, it has done it twice, both off knuckleball pitchers.

One of them was Dickey, whose only start for Texas in 2006 saw him give up two shots to Chris Shelton and another to Inge. Another was Tim Wakefield, who gave up six homers on a hot August afternoon at Comerica Park in 2004 but still ended up with a win.

Wakefield has done well vs. Detroit, with six wins in seven starts since, allowing just seven homers total. Though Dickey had faced the Tigers a half-dozen times since that drubbing, he hadn't won any of them. This was his turn at revenge.

Instead of six homers, Dickey scattered four singles, one in each of the first four innings, two of them setting up legitimate scoring chances. Magglio Ordonez's ground ball through the middle played a part in loading the bases with two out in the opening inning. Johnny Damon's leadoff single and stolen base allowed Ramon Santiago's sacrifice bunt to set up a runner on third with one out for the heart of the Detroit order.

Both times, Dickey escaped with the knuckler. He used it to put Carlos Guillen in an 0-2 hole before grounding out to end the first. More impressive, he needed just two pitches in the third -- one a fastball to Ordonez, the other a knuckleball to Cabrera -- to get back-to-back groundouts and strand Damon.

"We actually had our chance right off the bat," manager Jim Leyland said. "We couldn't get the big hit, and they did. That was the difference in the game."

That was the last chance for the Tigers to make a difference. Once Inge singled in the fourth, Dickey (6-0) retired the final 13 batters he faced, many of them quickly. That was part of the Tigers' plan of attack, to be aggressive when they felt they had something to hit.

"I think you have to hit like every time you've got two strikes," Cabrera said. "You've got to keep [the swing] short. If you get beat, it's with a lot of ground balls, like we hit today. But myself, I didn't do a very good job, because I had two times with men in scoring position.

"I didn't do my job. I think that's a big part of the difference in the game. I think if we got a hit right there, or we score a run right there, I think we put pressure on that team. I think it's going to be a completely different game."

Realistically, though, there wasn't much they could do as long as Dickey was pitching like he did.

"I think early in the game, he was leaving the knuckleball up a bit more," Damon said. "As the game progressed, he was able to keep it down. And then you didn't know which way it was going to move, whether it was going to move in or move out. When he keeps it down, he's very successful. But obviously, he was very successful the whole day."

It wasn't just movement, Inge said, but movement late, when they couldn't react. That's the problem, he said, when a pitcher can throw the knuckleball without spin.

"There's a certain time period when you're swinging the bat that it's too late to make any sort of adjustment," Inge said. "Your swing is what it is at a certain point. If a ball moves in that last probably two to three feet, you're not hitting it, because you're already determined where you're going with your swing. That last two to three inches where it drops off, you're not going to make an adjustment on that."

If Tigers hitters couldn't adjust, obviously Bonderman couldn't do anything about it, either. All he could do is try to keep the game close, which he did. He worked through every Mets hitter except Jose Reyes. Unfortunately for Bonderman, Reyes fell a double shy of the cycle and scored three times.

"I threw the ball well," Bonderman said. "Really, I made one bad pitch to Reyes. That's the way it goes. Not a whole lot I can say, really. I kept the ball down, moved it around. It just didn't work out."

Despite all that Reyes damage, Bonderman worked through six innings in just 66 pitches, 49 of them for strikes. Yet with the Tigers struggling for runs, he was out following back-to-back singles leading off the seventh. Joel Zumaya entered to try to keep Dickey from bunting the runners over, but ended up walking him on four pitches to load the bases and set up three big insurance runs.

"They have real good pitching, Zumaya and Valverde and all those guys in the bullpen," Jeff Francoeur said. "But we found ways to score runs and hold them, so these first two games have been nice."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeFri Jun 25, 2010 12:05 am

With early lead, Tigers fend off Mets' rally

By Jason Beck / MLB.com


06/25/10 1:10 AM ET

Box >

NEW YORK -- It's hard to call a getaway night in June a must-win game, especially in the thick of a division race. But if there are such things, the Tigers were pretty close to it on Thursday.

Once they built a five-run lead over the Mets, it definitely fit the category. They very nearly gave it up, but their 6-5 victory also ended up fitting the bend-but-don't-break category.

From Armando Galarraga to Phil Coke, Joel Zumaya to Jose Valverde, the pitching didn't break. They'll certainly take it, as well as the extra game in the standings it gave them to move within a half-game of Minnesota in the American League Central.

"I'm not putting that much stock into it, but obviously, we need to do a little better on the road," manager Jim Leyland said. "Like I told the guys, we're a good team, and good teams win on the road. You're not going to win all the time on the road, but you've got to win more than we have on the road. There's no question about it.

"If you want to do anything, you have to do a little bit better on the road, and we're a good enough team to do that. There's no reason why we shouldn't be a good road team, and I'm very proud to take this team anywhere. Let the other people see them. Let the Mets fans and the Braves fans and the Twins fans or whoever, let them see the Detroit Tigers."

The Tigers are seeing all of those fans on this trip, fresh on the heels of the 8-1 homestand that brought them back from the fringes of the division race. Their 25-11 home record ranks among the best in baseball, but they owned one of the lesser road marks in baseball entering the night.

At 14-21 heading into Atlanta, it's still not acceptable to Leyland or his players. Had they lost on Thursday, though -- especially had they blown the five-run lead -- it could have been far worse.

As it was, it was enough that Leyland talked with his players after Tuesday's loss, and the players sensed the urgency.

"We know have to turn things around on the road," Johnny Damon said on Tuesday. "We never like to say 'make or break the season,' but we need to put some wins up in the column. If that's the case, we'll definitely be buyers instead of sellers come the Trade Deadline in a month and a half."

Alex Avila also didn't want to use the "make or break" term, but he mentioned the urgency of avoiding a road sweep.

"The biggest thing is, you don't want to get swept," Avila said. "You want the sweep, but you don't want to get swept."

The thing about Coke is that he likes the feeling of the road environment. He likes the sound of boos when he enters a game, and he got his fill of it as he made his usual dash in from the bullpen. Once Jesus Feliciano greeted him with a chopper over his head for an infield single, he had to hear the roar of the Citi Field crowd for David Wright.

What was a five-run Tigers lead after five innings was down to a lone run, and Chris Carter was on third ready to erase that on a Wright base hit or sacrifice fly. Once Coke missed with back-to-back sinkers for a 2-0 count, it looked as though Carter might be able to simply walk in.

"The first two pitches, out of his hand they were strikes," Avila said, "but they were moving so much they were moving off the plate. That third one would have been a ball, but it moved so much, Wright was a little fooled on it, and that kind of opened the door on 2-1. He was able to throw a changeup and get the swing and miss, and that kind of turned the at-bat around for us."

The 2-0 sinker was designed to induce a ground ball -- at least an out at home, maybe an inning-ending double play. Those two pitches changed the mentality.

"Not that I was looking for it, but luckily it happened," Coke said. "He's a good hitter, and I was able to beat him on a pitch that was away from him that had movement on it. That played into our favor, because he was being aggressive, trying to knock in the tying and/or winning run, and in that particular situation, that played into our favor instead of his."

Once he got to 2-2, Coke went from 93 mph to 94, then 95. Wright swung and missed at the last.

"Just a 95-mph sinking fastball on the outer black," Wright said. "Not much I can do about that. Too close to take, and not an easy pitch to hit."

Zumaya overcame back-to-back two-out singles in the eighth to strand the tying run in scoring position again, handing the lead to Valverde, who recorded his 17th save.

With that, Galarraga (3-1) earned his first win since his would-be perfect game. It wasn't a dominant outing after three consecutive baserunners set up a three-run sixth, but he survived to leave the potential tying run at the plate.

"We need to play better than we'd played [the past two days]," Galarraga said. "We definitely played good. We got hits, we got the score. I want to get the win. I want to get the game right there. Don't lose it."

He didn't lose it. They didn't.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeFri Jun 25, 2010 11:39 pm

Oliver not intimidated in loss to Braves
Lefty allows two runs over six innings in debut

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/25/10 10:15 PM ET

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ATLANTA -- Andy Oliver never really lost his poise, no matter how many times the Braves tried to work him into a mistake. He never lost the velocity on his mid-90s fastball, nor did he seem to lose the bite on his much-improved slider as he worked through innings on a hot night in Georgia.

All he really lost was the game, which had as much to do with the other guy on the mound, Atlanta's Kris Medlen.

"It happens. That's baseball," Oliver shrugged after his six innings of two-run ball kept the Tigers close but not ahead in a 3-1 loss to the Braves on Friday night.

That pretty much summed up the manager, too.

"He was good," Jim Leyland said of his rookie left-hander. "Their guy just baffled us."

Oliver wanted it badly enough, but even at 22 years old, he already knows what he can control and what he can't. His emotions and his demeanor clearly fall into the controlled category.

Considering how other Tigers pitchers fared in their first Major League starts, he didn't have much reason for frustration. Justin Verlander could command only his fastball when the Indians roughed him up five years ago in Cleveland. Rick Porcello more than held his own last year at Toronto after making the rotation out of Spring Training, but two home runs doomed him.

Not only did Oliver have a quality start, he featured some of the best of his quality stuff. He fired fastballs from 94-97 mph with relative ease, mixed it with a sharp slider that dropped down around 83, tossed in some offspeed pitches, and even mixed in a two-seam fastball or two.

"Coming from the left side, 95-97, that's pretty tough," said Alex Avila, the rookie catcher charged with handling his game.

Nearly all of that task involved handling the pitches. Keeping Oliver calm, surprisingly, wasn't much of a challenge.

Not only did Friday mark Oliver's first start in the Major Leagues, it was his first day in the big leagues. He worked out with Double-A Erie for a couple days, then traveled to Atlanta on Thursday ahead of the team, which was coming in from New York.

By the time he took the field, fellow rookie Brennan Boesch's RBI single in the top of the first gave him a 1-0 lead.

"The biggest thing was warming up and going out to the field for the first time; I didn't know what to expect," Oliver said. "I had some nerves going, obviously. I think that's human nature to have that. But after I threw the first pitch, I was kind of locked in. It was like any other game that I played from high school on up."

Combined with the slider, Oliver's arsenal basically kept the Braves hitting the ball on the ground the first time through Atlanta's order. After Martin Prado's leadoff single, Oliver got a would-be double-play grounder from Jason Heyward that ended up requiring a barehand catch from Carlos Guillen at second for one out. Oliver threw another slider and got another double-play grounder, this one from Chipper Jones.

After a one-out walk to Brian McCann, Oliver nearly ended the next inning with a Yunel Escobar twin-killing to third. But an off-balance throw from Guillen took first baseman Miguel Cabrera just far enough wide that he couldn't stay on the bag, leaving Escobar safe at first.

"Should've made the play," Guillen admitted.

Omar Infante's ensuing single extended the inning for Melky Cabrera, who fought out of a 1-2 count to run it full and force Oliver into a decision with the pitcher on deck and runners on first and second. Oliver challenged him with a slider, which Cabrera lined through the middle for an RBI.

"With the pitcher coming up, 3-2, I could've made a better pitch," Oliver said.

If anything on Oliver's part haunted him, it was the full counts, seven of them out of the final 16 batters he faced. It wouldn't have meant a longer outing for him, even with the extra pitches, but it changed how he pitched to some batters.

Oliver (0-1) rolled on from Cabrera's RBI to retire 11 of Atlanta's next 12 hitters, but it was the one exception that got him. He had McCann in a 1-2 count before missing twice off the outside corner to run it full.

"There's situations where I was ahead in the count," he said, "and I tried to make too fine of a pitch rather than making the pitches I made to get to that position in the count."

After McCann fouled off a full-count fastball, Oliver went to the slider. McCann seemingly expected it, and took it deep to center for his ninth home run of the year and the 100th of his career.

"I could've made a better pitch in a better situation," Oliver said.

Avila wasn't nearly that critical.

"He made a good pitch," Avila said. "McCann hit it to the farthest part of the ballpark, stayed on the slider pretty well. [Oliver] just got right back in there and got the next guy."

That's what stood out, the lack of a rattling.


"I liked him," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "Great fastball for a kid that is in his first year of professional baseball. We're not exactly a pushover team with the hitting. He did a great job."

The way Medlen (5-1) pitched for Atlanta, it was the difference in the game. Ramon Santiago's first-inning run was the lone scoring damage off Medlen, who stranded runners at the corners with a Cabrera leaping catch in center field that inning before retiring nine straight. He scattered six hits over 6 2/3 innings to drop Detroit to 2-5 on the road in Interleague Play this year.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSat Jun 26, 2010 10:17 pm


Tigers' rally falls short on debated call
Damon, Leyland think final pitch should have walked in run

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/26/10 7:35 PM ET

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ATLANTA -- The Tigers forgave one bad call when it ruined a would-be perfect game. They weren't in a forgiving mood with Gary Cederstrom Saturday.

Three weeks after Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga entered the national spotlight with a missed call at first base, it was a called third strike on Johnny Damon for the final out that left the Tigers disappointed Saturday. This one didn't determine history, but the Tigers believe it might have determined the final score and the end to a bizarre comeback in a 4-3 loss to the Braves.

"The game should've been tied there," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We should've had [Ramon] Santiago up with a tie game. I mean, that doesn't make the walks excusable or stuff like that, but, you know, you can't miss those pitches. You just can't miss those."

Leyland wasn't about to blame all his team's trouble on one call. His Tigers managed three hits Saturday, and only put the tying run within 90 feet of scoring with four straight two-out walks in the ninth. They were trailing after Joel Zumaya walked Melky Cabrera on four pitches ahead of Chipper Jones' three-run homer.

On the other hand, he couldn't ignore the replay that showed Peter Moylan's payoff pitch off the plate to end the game. Judging by the number of players watching the replay online in the visiting clubhouse at Turner Field following the loss, nobody could ignore it.

"It's a shame that we can't see [what] may have happened," Damon said, carefully choosing his words. "Unfortunately, he saw it differently."

Damon didn't erupt. Though he was ejected in April for drawing the inside corner of the strike zone in the dirt, that's not really his style.

Leyland usually doesn't blame calls, either, but when he was pressed about it, he picked up his tone.

"You know what you guys need to do, truthfully? You guys need to ask the umpire about that pitch instead of me commenting," Leyland said. "You need to go ask him. You guys should all march over there, and ask him right now, 'What about the pitch?' See what happens. That's what should be done. Because that's the only way some of this stuff gets taken care of. Ask him. I don't need to comment on it. I know it was outside.

"I don't mean to bury anybody or anything, but you need to ask the umpire about it. The pitch wasn't close. It was that far outside."

Cederstrom said: "It was a sweeping pitch, going away from Damon. It looked good coming in, then broke late.

"My timing was fast. Whenever you have fast timing as an umpire, you usually get in trouble."

Asked what he thought of the call after looking at a replay, Cederstrom said, "It didn't look very good."

The Tigers would agree. And they didn't sound willing to hug this one out.

"If it's a close pitch, that's something," said Gerald Laird, whose walk in the previous at-bat brought in a run and moved the tying run to third. "But from the looks of it, it wasn't even close. You have to get that right. That's why it's so frustrating. They had the lead, and we battled back in the ninth."

It took a ninth-inning home run from Miguel Cabrera, a marathon at-bat from Brandon Inge and a bizarre series of walks from the Braves bullpen to set up the controversial finish. What had been a 4-1 deficit was whittled down when Cabrera took Takashi Saito deep for his 20th homer of the year.

Saito caught Brennan Boesch looking for the second out and was a pitch away from getting Carlos Guillen and Inge before walking them both. Inge fouled off six straight full-count pitches before taking ball four on the 12th pitch of the battle.

"That was strictly good instinct," said Inge, who went from thinking game-tying homer to just staying alive in the at-bat.

"In my opinion, I wasn't going to let him [strike me out]. I'm sure his attitude was he was trying to strike me out. I was just trying to really compete right there in that situation, not think of anything else. ... It was one of my better at-bats this year. You don't always have to get a hit. That can lift a team just as much as a home run.

"It's so hard at that particular point in the game when you've got two strikes. I don't want to try to hit a home run there. I want to try to hit a gapper or put it in play somewhere. With two strikes, you kind of have to not necessarily hit breaking ball speed, but you kind of have to be in between, so you can just foul off a breaking ball."

That was it for Saito, but the collapse was just beginning. With closer Billy Wagner unavailable with an injured left ankle, Braves manager Bobby Cox went to lefty Eric O'Flaherty to face left-handed hitting rookie Alex Avila. Leyland countered by pinch-hitting with rookie infielder Danny Worth, who took a four-pitch walk to load the bases.

With the pitcher's spot up and O'Flaherty still in, Leyland used the .176-hitting Laird, his only right-handed hitter left on the bench. He took a sinker outside for ball four.

"Guys that normally are not wild got wild for some reason," Cox said. "I don't know. The good thing is we won the game."

Once Cox went to the right-handed Moylan, Damon was ready. He didn't swing until he had a 3-1 count, then pulled a pitch foul to run it full. After fouling off another pitch, Moylan fired outside -- and got the call the Tigers will be debating for a while.

"I mean, it's definitely a crucial situation," Damon said. "Anytime guys are on base, you want to try to put together as good of an at-bat as possible. I felt like that's what I did. Unfortunately, things don't go well for you all the time, but I just wish I could've come through."

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


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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 27, 2010 12:24 am

Last Updated: June 26. 2010 9:27PM
Braves 4, Tigers 3: Another blown call halts Detroit's rally
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Atlanta -- The umpire strikes again.

Three weeks ago, a blown call by umpire Jim Joyce cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game. On Saturday afternoon, a blown call by home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom cost the Tigers at least a chance to extend the game in the ninth inning.

"It's just very frustrating," said Johnny Damon, who was called out on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. Replays showed the pitch was clearly wide, but instead of tying the game at 4 with two outs, the Tigers wound up losing to the Braves for the second straight day, 4-3.

"He had a walk, it's as simple as that," manager Jim Leyland said. "But he didn't get it. You can't miss those. You just can't miss them."

A frustrated Leyland implored reporters to ask Cederstrom about the call.

"Go ask him what happened, that's the only way some of this stuff gets taken care of," Leyland said. "I don't need to comment on it. I know the pitch was outside."

Cederstrom, through a pool reporter, did not defend his call.

"It was a sweeping pitch, going away from Damon," Cederstrom said. "It looked good coming, then broke late. My timing was fast. Whenever you have fast timing as an umpire, you usually get in trouble."

When asked what he thought of his call after seeing the replay, Cederstrom said, "It didn't look very good."

The blown call, though, was only part of the Tigers' problems Saturday.

They managed just two hits off Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami, who had come in with nine straight losses to start the season. They managed three hits in the game and just eight hits in the last two games.

"When you start talking about concern, you are talking about your roster," Leyland said. "We have what we have and I like what we have. We just haven't hit for a couple of days. That's the way it goes."

The Tigers did take a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout from Miguel Cabrera in the top of the sixth, and the way Max Scherzer was throwing, it seemed like it might be enough.

Scherzer allowed three hits and struck out eight through 5 2/3 innings. But he walked two in the bottom of the six and his pitch count reached 102. With Yunel Escobar coming up, a hitter who's had success against Scherzer, Leyland summoned Joel Zumaya.

"Scherzer was over 100 pitches, Escobar has had success against him, the shadows were coming in and Zumaya throws 100 mph," Leyland said. "I thought it would be a good match-up and it was."

Zumaya got Escobar to pop out to end the threat, but he walked No. 8 hitter Gregor Blanco to lead off the seventh, and with two out walked Melky Cabrera, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

"We walked a couple of guys you can't walk and it lead to runs," Leyland said.

Chipper Jones made Zumaya pay for his wildness, knocking a 100-mph fastball some 400 feet over the right-center field fence.

"Usually you get in trouble when you walk the leadoff batter," Zumaya said. "Just threw a pitch to Chipper and he got a hold of it, man. It wasn't laid in there. It wasn't nothing. I threw it at 100. It's my best pitch. Guy just hit the best of me. Good for him. He got me today."

The Braves added another run off reliever Enrique Gonzalez to make it 4-1, setting up a wild ninth.

Miguel Cabrera blasted his 20th home run off Takashi Saito to make it 4-2. Then with two out, Saito walked Carlos Guillen and on a 12-pitch at-bat, Brandon Inge. Manager Bobby Cox brought in Eric O'Flaherty, who walked pinch-hitters Danny Worth and Gerald Laird.

That made it 4-3 with the bases still loaded. Cox summoned right-hander Peter Moylan. Leyland countered with Damon.

"If that 3-2 pitch was a strike, I would have definitely swung at it," Damon said. "You never know what would have happened in the ballgame. We had (Ramon) Santiago coming up and their pitcher wasn't throwing a lot of strikes.

"It's a shame we can't see what might have happened."

Tigers at Braves

First pitch: 1:35 p.m. Sunday, Turner Field, Atlanta

TV/radio: FSD/WXYT 97.1, 1270

Sunday's scouting report


Justin Verlander, Tigers (8-5, 3.48): Ace right-hander will try to help the Tigers avoid the three-game sweep, but he's coming off his roughest outing of the year (five runs, two innings in loss to the Mets).

Tommy Hanson, Braves (7-4, 4.17): Right-hander has 86 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings, and the Braves are 11-4 in games he pitches. But he's also coming off a stinker (nine runs, 3 2/3 innings in loss to the White Sox).

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100626/SPORTS0104/6260409/Braves-4--Tigers-3--Another-blown-call-halts-Detroit-s-rally#ixzz0s1IGEMX9
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSun Jun 27, 2010 6:21 pm


Tigers pound out 16 singles in win
Verlander throws seven innings; Boesch drives in three

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/27/10 7:16 PM ET

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DETROIT -- It would not be melodramatic to say the Tigers had some frustration to get off their chests against the Braves on Sunday. But more important for Jim Leyland as he had it out with umpires Fieldin Culbreth and Gary Cederstrom, he had an ace pitcher to keep in the game.

And as many key plays as the Tigers pulled out for their 10-4 win over the Braves Sunday at Turner Field, from Austin Jackson's two-out, two-run single to Brennan Boesch's two-run homer to Gerald Laird's RBI liner back up the middle, Leyland's ejection might well have been the play of the day.

The win, combined with losses by the Twins and White Sox, gained a game for the Tigers in the standings, heading into their three-game series in Minnesota that starts Monday night. Detroit moved back to within a half-game of the Twins and a game ahead of the White Sox in the American League Central.

Leyland doesn't talk much about ejections -- he rarely ever talked about umpires until the strange events of this month -- but he didn't have to. He reflected it with the pace of his jog out to first base, as Justin Verlander looked incredulously at Culbreth following an out call at first base in the fourth inning.

Leyland's bullpen was short after Joel Zumaya pitched three times in four days and Eddie Bonine pitched on back-to-back days. Detroit's manager has three upcoming games in Minnesota to fret about and a bullpen that he wants to keep fresh. The last thing he needed was his ace, his innings eater, exiting the game after three innings with a lead to protect.

Verlander said he wasn't close to picking up an argument, but he threw up his hands after saying something to Culbreth.

"I was just walking back," Verlander said. "I don't think he was protecting me. I felt safe."

Still, the way things had been going for his team on this road trip, Leyland couldn't take a chance. Asked if losing Verlander at that point would've been disastrous, he said, "Absolutely."

Asked if a manager had to protect his player at that point, Leyland wouldn't bite.

"Nice try," answered Leyland, who set a goal before the season not to get ejected this year.

Nonetheless, out went Leyland to argue the call with a 4-2 lead and two runners still on base. And out seemingly went a lot of frustrations -- first at Culbreth, then at crew-chief Cederstrom, whose called third strike on what replays showed was a pitch outside turned what would've been a game-tying walk into a game-ending strikeout Saturday.

By game's end, the Tigers had taken out their frustrations on the Braves, scoring as many runs as they had the previous three games combined.

"I know we were fired up about it, but I don't know if it had anything to do with today or not," said Verlander, who worked through the heat to last seven innings with four runs allowed. "I do know in this game you have to have a short memory, no matter what happens the day before. That's the good thing about this game. You can be 0-for-5 or whatever, give up some runs out of the bullpen; you can come in the next day, and it's a fresh start. You go up there 0-for-0 and go from there, see what happens."

Six successive Tigers had reached base safely to begin the inning, including RBI singles from Boesch, Don Kelly and Laird. Verlander's double play merely paused the rally with a 4-2 lead. Jackson waited patiently in the on-deck circle for an RBI opportunity with runners at second and third, two outs and Braves starter Tommy Hanson hanging by a thread.

"You know you're coming up next at-bat, and you know you've got to keep your focus," Jackson said. "You don't really worry about it too much. I guess it kind of fires you up a little bit when that happens."

Once Leyland had his say, following Cederstrom across the infield before heading into the dugout and up the tunnel, Jackson fouled off the first pitch before getting enough of a curveball to bloop a single into left field, plating both runners for a 6-2 lead and chasing Hanson (7-5) from the game.

An inning later, Miguel Cabrera's two-out single brought up Boesch, who skied a Cristhian Martinez pitch into the hot Atlanta air and over the right-field fence. Boesch's 12th home run of the season moved him past inactive Braves slugger Jason Heyward and into the lead among Major League rookies.

"It was a big day for us," Boesch said. "I didn't want what had been going on the last day or so to slow us down."

If anything, Boesch's homer picked up the Tigers after the Braves scored twice the previous inning to halve Detroit's lead.

"Boesch's hit was huge," Leyland said. "We needed to come right back after we gave up a couple. We needed to come right back and score, and we did."

More than that, they needed this game, as much for their issues with games on the road recently as their issues with Cederstrom Saturday. A loss would've cost them a golden opportunity to gain ground, would've left them needing a series sweep to take the division lead out of Minnesota. Instead, they headed to the Twin Cities feeling some vindication.

It was one game, but they know from last year how much single games mean.

"If we learned anything from last year, every game matters," Boesch said, "especially when you're competing against the Twins, who battle every game and are a good club."

They also knew that they needed Verlander this particular game.


"We needed him to go a little longer today," Laird said. "We had some guys that were down today in the bullpen, and he gutted it out."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeMon Jun 28, 2010 12:37 am

Leyland ejected
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Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 02:22
6/27/10: Jim Leyland is ejected after arguing a close double play on a ground ball hit by Justin Verlander in the fourth inning


Tigers' five-run fourth
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Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 01:14
6/27/10: The Tigers offense erupts for five runs in the fourth inning


Verlander turns two
2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Mlbf_9425567_th_1
Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 00:24
6/27/10: Justin Verlander starts a double play on a grounder hit by Eric Hinske to end the bottom of the seventh inning


Boesch's two-run blast
2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Mlbf_9418057_th_1
Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 00:55
6/27/10: Brennan Boesch sends a two-run homer over the right-field wall to extend the Tigers' lead to 8-2 in the top of the fifth inning


Cabrera's strong throw
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Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 01:10
6/27/10: Miguel Cabrera fields a grounder by Troy Glaus, then fires to get Eric Hinske at home for the second out of the fifth inning


Jackson's two-run single
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Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 00:45
6/27/10: Austin Jackson knocks in two runs with a single to left field, capping off a five-run fourth inning for the Tigers


Cabrera's RBI single
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06/27/2010
Duration: 00:36
6/27/10: Miguel Cabrera knocks in Austin Jackson with a single in the top of the sixth inning


Santiago's RBI single
2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Mlbf_9406231_th_1
Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 00:42
6/27/10: Ramon Santiago hits a single to right field to score Austin Jackson, giving the Tigers an early lead


Recap: DET 10, ATL 4
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Added: 06/27/2010
Duration: 02:05
Daily Recap: Detroit's offense erupted for five runs in the fourth inning, including a Brennan Boesch two-run homer, as they routed Atlanta
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeTue Jun 29, 2010 12:48 am

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Cabrera's two-run double

Tigers strike early to snatch division lead
Reliever Zumaya lost to apparent elbow injury in eighth

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/29/10 2:44 AM ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Eight months after their AL Central tiebreaker, the Tigers finally beat the Twins to pull in front in the standings. But pardon them if they weren't in a mood to celebrate.

The Tigers won at Target Field for the first time in four tries, holding on for a 7-5 win over the Twins on Monday night, but they lost a key member of their club when Joel Zumaya injured his right elbow on a an eighth-inning pitch in a devastating scene on the mound.

Even if Zumaya hadn't gotten injured, they wouldn't have been celebrating first place. They learned last year that first place in June means next to nothing. But as they waited for word on Zumaya, there was no celebration in the clubhouse, no music playing.

They get it.

"I couldn't care less about first place right now," said manager Jim Leyland, whose club took over the top spot for the first time since April 11. "Is it nice? Yes. But does it mean anything? No, it doesn't mean anything. We've found out the last several years. The thing when it means [something] is the 163rd game last year. That's when you want to be in first place."

The win moved them ahead of the Twins by a half-game. They also moved two games up on the White Sox, who lost at Kansas City. It was a game the Tigers led from the outset, but never really got comfortable until closer Jose Valverde recorded the last five outs.

It wasn't a move Leyland wanted to do, but under the circumstances, he felt like he had to do it -- not for the standings, but for the team.

Despite losing Magglio Ordonez from the starting lineup to a sore left side and illness, the Tigers offense put up a big inning early on against Twins starter Francisco Liriano, who blanked the Tigers for eight innings at Comerica Park in April. Five consecutive Detroit hits followed a leadoff hit-by-pitch to Austin Jackson, including Miguel Cabrera's drive to the fence in left-center field and Brennan Boesch's liner to the gap in right-center.

The back-to-back doubles from Cabrera and Boesch drove in two runs each to build a 4-0 lead by the time Jeremy Bonderman took the mound. His last pitch against Minnesota came last season, when he hit Delmon Young to start a bench-clearing incident that earned Bonderman a three-game suspension that he served at the start of this season.

He started off his first meeting with the Twins on Monday by hitting Denard Span with a pitch, not intentionally. It never really smoothed out for him after that.

Span came around to score on Joe Mauer's sacrifice fly, before a walk to Justin Morneau brought up Jason Kubel with two on and one out. Bonderman fell behind before making a 2-1 pitch on which Kubel hit a hard grounder to the right side. Ramon Santiago, a last-minute insert at second base, scooped it on a short hop in the hole and flipped it to rookie shortstop Danny Worth to start a double play to end the threat.

Three of Bonderman's first four innings ended on double plays, including a bases-loaded jam in the third inning and a two-run fourth that brought the potential tying run to the plate.

Asked how to explain it, Bonderman had the answer before the question was even finished.

"Luck," he interrupted. "That's all I've got to say is luck. If it wasn't for Kubel today, I probably would've given up a 10-spot here. He's the only guy I could get out for some reason. Luck was on my side, I guess. I definitely didn't deserve to win, and they probably should've scored a bunch of runs on Monday."

Bonderman has had six quality starts this season end without him getting a win. If there's karma in baseball, his came through on Monday.

"The game evens itself out sometimes," he said.

Bonderman gave up four runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings before Brad Thomas finished out the sixth. Phil Coke entered in the seventh and gave up two singles, one of them an RBI from Kubel to make it 6-5, before Zumaya ended the threat with a line out from Cuddyer.

If Zumaya could get through the eighth, now with a two-run lead thanks to Gerald Laird's homer in the top of the inning, he'd hand the lead over to Valverde. Zumaya was a pitch away from his second out when he was injured.

Leyland could've gone to another reliever and given him as much time as needed to warm up, but he handed the ball to Valverde.

"That's a game as a manager you do not want to let slip away," Leyland said. "Tonight I felt like this was a necessary game to win -- not because of the pennant race, forget about that -- just because I felt like, with what the team did, it would've been a big downer had we not won that game. I felt like we had to do everything to win that game."

They did. Leyland will have to figure out a way to get through Tuesday without Valverde, who he said will absolutely not pitch, and Zumaya. With Ryan Perry still on rehab assignment, their options to call up are limited. Leyland was already thinking of that, thinking about Zumaya while trying not to think the worst.

He wasn't thinking about first place.

"I don't care about first place right now," he said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeWed Jun 30, 2010 5:04 pm

Three triples force Tigers out of first
Galarraga struggles to find groove in loss to Twins

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/30/10 1:20 AM ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Tigers' lead in the American League Central lasted just over 24 hours. They hope their struggles with Denard Span dissipate just as quickly. If his track record is any indication, it won't.

A day after losing Joel Zumaya to a season-ending elbow injury, late-inning relief wasn't anywhere near the top of Detroit's list of issues in Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Twins. They never got close enough for it to be a need. Three Span triples in the first five innings took care of that.

"Obviously, he's pretty good," manager Jim Leyland said. "There's not much else to say. Guy gets three triples, that's pretty impressive. He's hurt us in the past quite a bit. There's a few games we started to get him out a little bit, but we went right back to making bad pitches tonight."

When Span batted .419 (36-for-86) against the Tigers last year, Leyland would just about rejoice whenever they held him in check. By contrast, his .310 average (9-for-29) versus Detroit this season entering the evening seemed downright mundane.

That's over with. Now, the Tigers are again searching for ways to keep him off the bases. On Tuesday, at least, retiring Nick Punto would've helped.

Span hit the third pitch of the night from Armando Galarraga (3-2) to the center-field fence for a leadoff triple, one of three Twins hits to reach the fences in a two-run opening inning. His other two triples both came with two outs, and drove in five runs combined. Both came after two-out walks to ninth hitter Punto.

"Obviously, not disrespectul to Nick Punto, but you can't do that," Leyland said. "You turn the lineup around when you do that. And that really had a lot to do with the blowout, to be honest with you."

They came from different pitchers in somewhat different situations, but they amounted to the same damage. Galarraga had seemingly settled down from his early damage and was trying to find some sort of rhythm, mixing in more breaking balls against an aggressive Twins lineup. He lost Jim Thome to a one-out walk in the fourth, but retired Delmon Young for the second out and put Span in an 0-2 hole with back-to-back foul balls.

Galarraga tried to get Punto to swing at a slider in the dirt and couldn't induce it. After two more foul balls, he threw two more sliders in the dirt, again without a swing to run the count full.

"I don't know how many foul balls this guy had," Galarraga said. "He don't swing. He's like trying to touch the ball."

Finally tired of that game, Galarraga challenged him with a full-count fastball over the plate and got another foul ball. He went back to the heater for the inside corner and thought he hit it, but home-plate umpire Scott Barry didn't see it that way.

"I think it was a strike, but I didn't watch the video yet," Galarraga said.

His 0-1 slider to Span, by contrast, caught plenty of the plate, and Span one-hopped it to the fence in right field to plate Thome and Punto for a 5-3 lead. It was a microcosm for the battle Galarraga fought all day, as much with himself as with Twins hitters.

"I started realizing they're going to be aggressive with me [after the opening inning]," said Galarraga, whose four-plus innings marked his shortest outing of the year. "I threw a lot of breaking balls. They still were real aggressive. What can I say? They got so many doubles and triples."

By contrast, it was a Joe Mauer single leading off the fifth that knocked Galarraga out of the game in favor of Fu-Te Ni. He got the lefty he needed by striking out Justin Morneau, but retired only one of Minnesota's next seven batters. Left-handed hitter Jason Kubel wasn't one of them; he drew a one-out walk.

Ni recovered from Michael Cuddyer's RBI double to strike out Thome, but intentionally walked Young to bring up Punto. He missed the outside corner on his next three pitches on his way to a four-pitch walk that loaded the bases and extended the inning for Span.

That was the golden opportunity for Span, who drove another one off the wall in right to clear the bases.

"It was just a good day for me, for the team," said Span, now a .403 career hitter against Detroit. "We got a win that we really needed. Detroit came in last night and beat us and took over first place. It was just good for us to regrab it for a couple hours."

The Tigers could still leave town atop the division, but they'll need to win Wednesday's series finale in Andy Oliver's second big league start. Lose it, and they could conceivably fall back into a second-place tie with the White Sox.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeWed Jun 30, 2010 8:12 pm

Tigers drop rubber match at Target Field
Club's struggles away from home continue with loss to Twins

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/30/10 6:32 PM ET

Box >

MINNEAPOLIS -- Perhaps it was fitting that the only run the Tigers scored Wednesday came when an emergency alarm mistakenly went off around Target Field.

Not that the Tigers had any advantage with the sirens blaring, or that their offensive struggles against the previously struggling Kevin Slowey were alarming, but Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Twins reflected a team that looked like it needed a wake-up call.

At the very least, it reflected a team with some concern that it still can't get on a roll anywhere other than Detroit.

"I have no idea [why]," Brandon Inge said. "We're just not getting it done. I know it's not lack of effort. We've got a good group of guys. We're just not getting it done, plain and simple."

In terms of the standings, they held their own. The Tigers return to Detroit down a game and a half to the Twins, the same deficit they faced when they left a week and a half ago on this nine-game, nine-day, three-city road trip. Less than 48 hours earlier, they sat atop the division for the first time since mid-April.

The Tigers have been to New York, Atlanta and Minnesota since then and lost two of three in each place. That 3-6 record better reflects the frustration. They haven't won a road series of three games or more since their season-opening set at Kansas City. They arguably deserved a better chance to take the series at Atlanta, where they lost on a bad strike-three call Saturday, but they also lost four games on this trip by at least four runs.

"We knew going into it we were facing three heavyweights," Johnny Damon said. "If we would've gotten that win today, I think we definitely would be in much better spirits. It would get us back to first place in our division."

It was a tough trip against three teams with winning records, two of them division leaders. At the same time, manager Jim Leyland pointed out, "You have to beat good teams."

They've struggled to do that away from Comerica Park. No team with a winning overall record has more losses on the road than Detroit, which has 25.

Leyland isn't going to pretend that the Tigers' inability to beat a good team in the Twins the past two days is devastating, not in a 162-game season.

"It's a good team over there," Leyland said. "We didn't execute today and we got beat. Before [this year], everybody was saying it was because of the Metrodome. Now what is it? Because it's Target Field? No, it had nothing to do with it. They're a good team. They played better than we did two of the three games.

"We didn't execute enough today to win the game. We had some opportunities where we gave them extra outs. You just can't do that, not against a good team."

Their series-opening win here Monday night was a very good win against a good team, and it vaulted the Tigers into first place. Once they fell behind in the middle innings of the past two games, they struggled to muster a rally.

Andrew Oliver more than held his own in his second Major League start, though he paid for a couple first-pitch strikes too far over the plate. But once Miguel Cabrera's RBI double put the Tigers on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, they didn't get another base hit until Gerald Laird doubled off Matt Guerrier in the eighth. Slowey (8-5) and two relievers retired 11 of 12 Tigers in between.

One key, Slowey said, was his curveball, the same pitch that did wonders for Nick Blackburn on Tuesday night.

"This is a team that's a fastball-hitting team," Slowey said. "Watching Nick throw last night, when he threw curveballs, they took them or it kind of kept them off-balance just enough. To be able to see Nick throw well and use his curveball certainly encouraged me to do the same."

Oliver (0-2) also made some adjustments from his Major League debut, working to find better break on his slider, and it paid off at various times. Half of his six strikeouts over six innings came against Jim Thome, the noted Tigers killer who had haunted Detroit in the first two games of the series.

Oliver recovered from a leadoff walk to Denard Span to retire eight of his next nine batters and entered the bottom of the fourth with a 1-0 lead thanks to Cabrera's RBI double. But after Orlando Hudson's leadoff single, Oliver tried to get ahead with a first-pitch fastball over the plate to Justin Morneau and paid for it.

"I was struggling to get ahead in the first couple innings there," Oliver said. "They probably wanted to sit on a strike. The second at-bat, he hit a fastball away."

Austin Jackson nearly ran down Morneau's drive to straightaway center but fell just short as it one-hopped the fence. After Nick Punto led off the next inning with a single, an errant throw from Oliver on Drew Butera's sacrifice bunt set up two more runs in the fifth.

Once Morneau came back up leading off the sixth, Oliver tried to start him off with a slider. Again, Morneau connected, sending it deep to right for his 16th home run of the season.

"Coming up there, I threw a slider that hung over the middle of the plate," Oliver said.

Jason Kubel singled and scored on Damon's error later that inning to finish Oliver's line with five runs allowed, two of them earned.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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7/2/10: Max Scherzer strikes out seven over eight innings and earns the win against the Mariners

Tigers shine in return to Comerica
Club wins 11th in past 12 at home behind Scherzer, bats

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

07/02/10 11:56 PM ET

Box >

DETROIT -- The Tigers can't explain what it is about coming home that heals them. They admit they need to play better on the road. But with a nine-game homestand heading into the All-Star break and an AL-best 26-11 home record, they're going to ride this.

"I can't put a finger on it," said Max Scherzer, whose eight solid innings led Detroit to a 7-1 win over Seattle on Friday night at Comerica Park. "We are just playing really well at Comerica. Maybe it's the fans. I believe it is. They come out and support so well. We always seem to play well at home. Hopefully we can continue that this homestand and go into the All-Star break finishing really well."

The Tigers returned to Detroit needing to sort out their bullpen without Joel Zumaya, and they got a career-high eight innings from Scherzer. They lost Miguel Cabrera for the night with what the team called lower back tightness, only to have Don Kelly double in two runs in his place. They brought a slumping Johnny Damon back from their three-city road trip, and he chipped in his first home run since May 18.

Can't explain it, but with 11 wins in their past 12 games at Comerica Park, they'll take it.

"We know we are a good team, no matter where we play," said Brennan Boesch, who churned out three more singles to raise his average to .340. "We like playing here in front of our fans a lot. We are going to come out here and play our best baseball."

True, the Tigers came home to greet a Mariners squad that just fell to 13 games under .500. But it's the same team that just took two games at Yankee Stadium and took four of five from the Tigers in Seattle in mid-April and late May.

Doug Fister, in particular, had been tough on the Tigers in their May visit, tossing seven innings of three-run ball to keep them close against Justin Verlander before rallying late.

Fister had walked more than one batter in just two of his 11 starts this year, including a lone walk against Detroit in May. He walked three Tigers on Friday night, all with two outs, and two of them set up runs.

Detroit had Boesch on second with two outs in the second inning when it rallied for four straight baserunners, all in unlikely fashion. Fister had a 1-2 count when Brandon Inge's squibber to the third-base side of the mound left him without a play and Boesch scampering into third. Alex Avila walked on four pitches, none of them particularly close, to load the bases.

"He doesn't walk many guys," Kelly said, "so I was just looking for a fastball out over the plate, because he doesn't want to get behind with the bases loaded."

Kelly got the fastball on the first pitch, and he laced it to the gap in left-center field, where it bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double and two RBIs.

"That was a big hit," manager Jim Leyland said. "That guy threw a lot of high fastballs and got a lot of outs on high fastballs. He got one down a little bit to Donnie that he was able to get the bat on and hit to the right spot."

Fister tried to gather himself and started off Austin Jackson with a breaking ball. Jackson, 8-for-20 over his previous five games, centered it and lofted a soft line drive into center for two more runs.

"I think the key was just to be relaxed," Jackson said. "We wanted to get all that stuff behind us from the road. We obviously didn't play that well or as well as we would have liked. But coming home, we are always strong at the house."

The add-on rally that knocked out Fister (3-4) in the fifth came together much the same way once Damon, batting .140 over his previous 11 games, worked a two-out walk. Fister fell behind on a 3-0 count to Magglio Ordonez, who drilled a 3-1 fastball off Fister's left ankle and left the Mariners without a play. Boesch followed with a line drive to right to send Damon home and chase Fister from the game.

"We've been battling some tough teams on the road," Boesch said. "We have a chance to come home and play our style of baseball. We are going to play hard here. We like playing in front of the fans here. It's a big win for us."

It's a win that required very little work from the bullpen, which now with Zumaya out has to work together to bridge the gap between the starters and closer Jose Valverde. Even with an offensive outburst, that seemingly set up as a question for the Tigers behind Scherzer, whose summer warmup still had seen him pitch past the sixth inning just twice in six outings since returning from Triple-A Toledo.

Scherzer loved his fastball command, but also effectively mixed in his slider and changeup. The result wasn't consistently quick outs, but first- and second-pitch outs when he needed them, allowing him to get through his first seven innings on just 101 pitches.

"I was executing pitches," Scherzer said. "For me, tonight I was really executing fastballs. Allowing me to do that got me to my offspeed pitches. That's why I was able to start getting on a roll."

Leyland sent Scherzer out to face the bottom third of the Mariners order in the eighth, but was set to pull him rather let him face Ichiro Suzuki. A first-pitch bunt popout from Jack Wilson set up Scherzer for a nine-pitch inning.

"Offensively, you have to tip your hat to Scherzer," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "I thought he was awfully tough. He was 94-96 [mph] and efficient with his pitches. I thought his changeup was outstanding. It had kind of a splitter action. Other than [Franklin] Gutierrez's home run, we just couldn't get anything going."

The Tigers have everything going at home. They don't have to worry about the road for a while, so they can enjoy this.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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PostSubject: Re: 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS   2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Icon_minitimeSat Jul 03, 2010 11:09 pm

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7/3/10: Justin Verlander strikes out ten Mariners over seven innings of work and earns the win

Verlander puts Tigers back on top in Central
Right-hander secures first-place tie with win over Mariners

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

07/03/10 11:50 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Three days after leaving Minneapolis, the Tigers are back into a tie with the Twins atop the American League Central. But as the Tigers pointed out when they led the division earlier in the week, that's not their focus right now.

Their focus is getting back to quality baseball. Saturday's 6-1 win over the Mariners was another step in that direction. For Justin Verlander, it was a return to the nasty curveball that drew so many swings and misses in 2009, just at the right time to avenge two low-scoring losses to Seattle earlier this year. For the offense, it was a revival of the two-strike approach the Tigers preached heading into the season.

Now they have to carry it into the final week before the All-Star break.

"We have to start playing good baseball day in and day out," said Brandon Inge, whose two-run single opened up the lead in the fourth inning. "We've got a good team."

Six runs over the fourth and fifth innings turned what was shaping up as potentially another pitching duel for Verlander (10-5) against Seattle into his fourth season in five years with double-digit wins by the All-Star break. Considering two of his five losses this year came against the Mariners at Safeco Field, it was a good piece of retribution.

But considering his previous couple outings in the Tigers' recent road trip -- a rain-shortened rough-up by the Mets and a hot, humid battle with the Braves -- this was progress from a pure pitching standpoint. He struck out the side in order in the first and third innings, but in different fashions, and the result left Seattle hitters off balance for much of the night.

Verlander started the game by sending down the top third of the Mariners' order swinging at 96-97-mph fastballs, but he needed 20 pitches to do it. Eighteen of those pitches were heaters, several cranked up near top velocity.

It could've been a point of worry for the Tigers on a warm evening, but he transitioned soon enough. All three of his strikeouts on the third inning came on the curve. Michael Saunders looked at one for strike three leading off. Jack Wilson waved at one off the outside corner, then Ichiro Suzuki did the same on a ball in the dirt.

"That was huge," Leyland said of the curveball from Verlander, who was not available for comment after the game. "He obviously had a good fastball, but I think that the curveball really made it look that much better tonight. He had a good one. He made some really good pitches. He really didn't get out of sync too bad. A couple times, he wanted to overthrow it when he smelled the strikeout. You worry about him getting out of a groove when he does that. But tonight, he was able to gather himself and get right back in it."

Said Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu: "The thing that set the tone early was his curveball. He has the ability to reach back at any time and go 97 or 98. Pitch 93 to get ahead and elevate a pitch that's hard to lay off."

Verlander entered the seventh inning with a three-hit shutout going before Casey Kotchman's liner fell just out of the reach of Austin Jackson in left-center for a one-out double. Josh Bard's bloop single and Saunders' infield chopper brought Kotchman around to score before Ichiro's infield single loaded the bases again. Verlander regrouped with one of his better at-bats, starting off Chone Figgins with a curveball before coming back with a 98-mph fastball on his 113th pitch. He threw a changeup on pitch 114, his last, and watched Figgins ground it to second for the out that ended Seattle's best threat.

"Up here, things happen fast," Leyland said. "If Figgins hits a double there, all of a sudden it's 6-3. Stuff happens fast up here so you have to be prepared for it, and I thought he settled down. They were kind of nickle and diming him that inning. I thought he didn't lose any composure or anything. He stayed right there within himself and got the big out."

By then, the Tigers had built Verlander a comfortable lead. Mariners starter Jason Vargas held Detroit to one hit over the first three innings, but a two-out walk to Miguel Cabrera extended the fourth for three straight singles. Inge capped the rally by working out of an 0-2 hole before staying on a 2-2 changeup that he grounded through the left side for a two-run single.

"I know he's got a good changeup, very good changeup," said Inge, who had his second straight two-hit game since adjusting his batting stance. "He'd been spotting his fastball at that point. It was just a matter of trying to compete with him, make sure to put the ball in play no matter what, give myself a chance and the team a chance to drive in runs."

Five straight one-out baserunners chased Vargas (6-4) from the game en route to a four-run fifth that gave Verlander room to cruise. Magglio Ordonez doubled in a run and Carlos Guillen singled in another before an Inge groundout added in insurance tally.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Cabrera, Valverde are Tigers' All-Stars
Closer first from Detroit to be honored in 10 seasons

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

07/04/10 12:55 PM ET

DETROIT -- The Tigers missed out on an All-Star starter, but they didn't miss out on All-Star firepower. While first baseman Miguel Cabrera earned his first All-Star selection as a member of the Tigers, Jose Valverde became the first Detroit closer to make the Midsummer Classic in 10 years.

Both were named to the AL All-Stars thanks to player balloting, which determines many of the reserve spots as well as much of the pitching staff.

It marks the fifth All-Star selection for Cabrera, who is just 27 years old. He made four consecutive NL All-Star rosters with the Florida Marlins but had been left out the past two years with the Tigers. His midseason shift from third to first base in 2008 hurt him in the balloting, as did a rough start at the plate that year. He had a case for selection last year but was the odd man out in a stacked group of AL first basemen.

Cabrera's numbers this year, though, have been impossible to ignore. He entered Sunday ranked second in the Majors with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs, and his 1.047 OPS ranked second among AL hitters behind Justin Morneau.

Cabrera fell about 347,000 votes shy of Morneau in fan balloting for the starting nod at first base, but a late rally of online ballots pushed him past Mark Teixeira for second place. His 2,586,207 votes was by far the highest of any Tigers player.

Valverde was an All-Star in 2007 in Arizona, when he saved 47 games for the D-backs. His 18 saves for the Tigers entering Sunday ranked fifth in the American League, but his surrounding numbers have made the real impression. Opponents have managed just two earned runs 11 hits off him in 35 innings, good for a 0.51 ERA. One of those runs came on a homer. He has walked 14 and struck out 33.

Not since Todd Jones in 2000 had the Tigers put a closer into the All-Star Game.

Among the All-Star snubs was Brennan Boesch, who was vying to become the first Tigers rookie to get into the Midsummer Classic since Matt Nokes in 1997. His .342 batting average would tie him with Morneau for second in the Majors in batting average if Boesch had enough at-bats to qualify, while his .991 OPS would rank fourth.

Fans, having already decided the starters and this week the final player on each team, once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevy via the 2010 All-Star Game MVP Vote sponsored by Sprint on MLB.com during the All-Star Game.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.

2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 RyRBAlGe

2010 All-Stars
2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video AL starters
C: J. Mauer, MIN
1B: J. Morneau, MIN
2B: R. Cano, NYY
SS: D. Jeter, NYY
3B: E. Longoria, TB
OF: J. Hamilton, TEX
OF: I. Suzuki, SEA
OF: C. Crawford, TB
DH: V. Guerrero, TEX

2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video NL starters
C: Y. Molina, STL
1B: A. Pujols, STL
2B: C. Utley, PHI
SS: H. Ramirez, FLA
3B: D. Wright, NYM
OF: R. Braun, MIL
OF: A. Ethier, LA
OF: J. Heyward, ATL

AL Final Vote
P. Konerko, CWS | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
N. Swisher, NYY | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
D. Young, MIN | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
M. Young, TEX | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
K. Youkilis, BOS | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video

NL Final Vote
H. Bell, SD | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
C. Gonzalez, COL | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
J. Votto, CIN | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
B. Wagner, ATL | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video
R. Zimmerman, WAS | 2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - Page 4 Video


CAST FINAL VOTE
Campaign Manager
All-Star FanFest
All-Star Sunday
All-Star Game shop

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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7/4/10: Jeremy Bonderman and Gerald Laird are ejected between innings for arguing with the umpire

Mariners' fireworks cost Tigers a sweep
Bonderman allows two three-run homers before ejection

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

07/04/10 7:15 PM ET

Box >

DETROIT -- After a Tigers win on Saturday night, Comerica Park lit up with fireworks. On Sunday afternoon, there were plenty of fireworks at Comerica Park as well -- just not the kind the Tigers were hoping for.

On Independence Day, the fireworks came in the form of heated arguments between the Tigers and home-plate umpire CB Bucknor. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman and catcher Gerald Laird were ejected after the top half of the fifth inning, but the damage was already done by that point in the Tigers' 8-1 loss to the Mariners at Comerica Park.

The loss prevented Detroit from earning the series sweep of Seattle and jumping into sole possession of first place in the American League Central. Minnesota lost to the Rays for a second straight game, keeping the division deadlocked.

Sunday brought far from a strong outing from Bonderman (4-6). His fifth inning was likely going to be his final of the day after giving up his second three-run homer of the game. But Bonderman ensured his exit by having words with Bucknor on his way off the mound after the third out. Catcher Gerald Laird kept Bonderman and Bucknor separated, but couldn't keep him in the game.

"I didn't get some strikes called and it took some pitches away from me," Bonderman said. "I wouldn't have argued if I didn't think I was getting squeezed."

Even so, manager Jim Leyland felt Bonderman allowed the calls to unravel his outing.

"I think Bondo let the umpire get to him a little bit," Leyland said. "I can't say I blame him on a couple of pitches, but that's all part of it. You can't do it."

Laird was already fuming after taking a called strike three from Bucknor in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runners aboard, which ended the Tigers' best scoring threat against Mariners starter Cliff Lee.

So after quickly taking a look in the clubhouse video room at some of Bonderman's pitches that were called balls and then realizing Bonderman had been tossed, Laird began chirping at Bucknor from the dugout and was ejected.

"When you see your pitcher out there battling, it's tough," Laird said. "[Bucknor] was just missing pitches. It's hard on the guy out there on the mound. I just wanted to stick up for my pitcher. Those are some big at-bats in the game there where you are missing pitches. Unfortunately it worked out for them."

To make matters worse for Bonderman, he was going up against Lee (8-3), named an All-Star earlier in the day. Lee had thrown complete games in each of his past three starts. He didn't go the distance Sunday, but he struck out a season-high 11 batters, five of them on called third strikes. Bonderman, who struck out four, felt like he wasn't getting the same strike zone.

"He was calling strikes for Cliff that he wasn't giving me," Bonderman said. "But the game is on me, not on him.

"When I gave up [that first] three-run homer, I didn't execute the pitch. Then I got flustered that inning and got beat. It's on me. I've got to be better."

The game wasn't over at that point. But with the Mariners holding a six-run lead, it sure felt like the ejections were the grand finale of a long afternoon for the Tigers.

But the afternoon didn't start off so miserably for Detroit. In the first, it actually looked like Lee's hot streak would come to an end.

On the first pitch he saw after being named to the All-Star team, slugger Miguel Cabrera recorded a base hit to plate Austin Jackson. Then in the fourth, Cabrera and Brennan Boesch both reached base to kick off the inning. But the Tigers were unable to plate either baserunner, and the side was retired on the called strike that Laird thought missed outside.

The Tigers were able to tally nine hits on Lee through eight innings but left 11 men on base. Much of the credit goes to Lee, who got on a roll and kept Detroit hitters uncomfortable at the plate.

"He's a tremendous pitcher," Boesch said. "He's effective because he's efficient. He gets quick outs and he throws strikes and has great command. But it's the Major Leagues. You are going to come across great pitching every day. We have to do a better job with coming out with a better offensive effort. Today, we just didn't have it."

Leyland agreed.

"We had a lot of hits, no runs, and we didn't pitch well," Leyland said. "That sums up the day."

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