GDT: 6/18/10 - DET (36-29) VS ARI (26-41) - 7:05 p.m. ET

Reunion weekend begins with D-Train in Detroit

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

It's reunion weekend at Comerica Park beginning on Friday.

It starts in the opener of the Interleague series with the D-backs, as former Tiger Dontrelle Willis takes the mound. It continues on Saturday when Edwin Jackson follows Willis.

Willis was designated for assignment on May 29 and, eventually, dealt to Arizona for hurler Billy Buckner. Now, thanks to Interleague Play and a split fingernail, D-Train will have the chance to make another stop in Detroit. The left-hander was originally slated to start against the Red Sox in Boston, but got skipped, at least partially, because of a fingernail split on his left middle finger.

Willis won his first start as a D-back, throwing six shutout innings against the Rockies, though he walked four. Command issues hurt him more in his second outing, as he walked six in four frames, throwing 95 pitches in the process. Willis walked 67 in 101 combined innings with Detroit from 2008-10.

On Saturday, he'll be followed by Jackson, who hasn't been able to live up to the 13-9, 3.62 ERA season that earned him an All-Star berth with the Tigers a year ago. He's gone 3-6 with a 5.18 ERA in 14 starts thus far. But as Tigers manager Jim Leyland is keenly aware, all bets are off when a player faces a former team.

"I've followed him a little bit," Leyland said about Willis. "It will be interesting, him coming back here. I believe Jackson is scheduled to pitch against us. That's two of our former pitchers that we are going to see the next series. Obviously, you know they are going to be pumped up for it."

So will Armando Galarraga, who will be looking for his first win since his near-perfect game on June 2. He hasn't pitched poorly -- four earned runs over 12 2/3 IP in two starts -- but the right-hander has received no-decisions in both outings.

D-backs: Road weary
The last time the D-backs won a game away from Chase Field was back on May 17, when they beat the Florida Marlins, 5-1, in Miami. That's a span of 12 straight road losses for Arizona heading into the series finale against the Red Sox on Thursday night.

Tigers: Back-to-back brooms
Detroit is certainly enjoying some home cooking lately. The Tigers have won all six of their games at Comerica Park during this homestand, sweeping the Pirates and Nationals, and are now just 1 1/2 games behind the American League Central-leading Twins. A six-game winning streak is nice, but the Tigers don't want to make too much of it.

"We won six in a row. I look at [Friday]'s game," Leyland said. "I'm not worried about the past six, and I wasn't worried about the few before that. We weren't playing bad, we just weren't getting timely hits. We weren't putting anything together. I look at [Friday], and Galarraga has to pitch well for us to win that game. If we'd have lost six or won six in a row, I don't look at that."

Worth noting
Since Interleague Play began in 1997, the Tigers are now 130-108. They're particularly good at home, compiling a 62-33 record at Comerica Park. With a 7-2 Interleague record thus far in 2010, the Tigers now have the best winning percentage (59-22, .728) in the Majors in Interleague Play since 2006.



Pitching matchup

TIGERS: RHP Armando Galarraga (2-1, 2.67 ERA)
Galarraga has recorded two straight no-decisions since his near-perfect game on June 2 against the Indians. But he's been good enough to earn wins in both starts. He allowed only two earned runs in each game and walked a combined three batters. However, he only recorded two strikeouts, total. This is credit to his ability to find the bottom of the strike zone and induce opposing hitters to uncomfortable flyball and groundball swings.


D-BACKS: LHP Dontrell Willis (2-2, 4.39 ERA)



From MLB Tigers Game Notes



INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Zach Miner (right elbow tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 26),
RHP Ryan Perry (right shoulder bicipital tendinitis, 15-day DL on June 7),
LHP Bobby Seay (left shoulder strain, 60-day DL on March 26).



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Up next (Probable Pitchers)


• Saturday, June 19
Tigers (RHP Rick Porcello (4-6, 6.09 ERA)) VS Diamondbacks (RHP Edwin Jackson (3-6, 5.18 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1)

• Sunday, June 20
Tigers (RHP Max Scherzer (3-6, 6.14 ERA)) VS Diamondbacks (RHP Ian Kennedy (3-4, 3.57 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1)

Inning 1
Top Half

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Kelly Johnson walks.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Stephen Drew flies out to center fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Justin Upton singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brennan Boesch. Kelly Johnson to 2nd.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Montero pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge on the infield fly rule.


B:2 S:1 O:3 -
Chris Young grounds out softly, pitcher Armando Galarraga to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

0-0 after .5 inning

Bottom Half

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Ryan Raburn walks.


B:1 S:1 O:1 - Johnny Damon grounds into a force out,
first baseman Adam LaRoche to shortstop Stephen Drew. Ryan Raburn out
at 2nd. Johnny Damon to 1st.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez homers (9) on a line drive to left center field. Johnny Damon scores.

DET 2, ARI 0




B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera walks.


B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Brennan Boesch swinging.


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

DET 2, ARI 0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Adam LaRoche swinging.


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Tony Abreu pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge in foul territory.


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Gerardo Parra reaches on fielding error by first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Augie Ojeda pops out to second baseman Carlos Guillen.

DET 2, ARI 0 after 1.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Brandon Inge doubles (17) on a line drive to left fielder Gerardo Parra.


B:3 S:2 O:0 -
With Alex Avila batting, wild pitch by Dontrelle Willis, Brandon Inge to 3rd.


B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Alex Avila walks.


B:3 S:2 O:0 -
Danny Worth doubles (2) on a line drive to left fielder Gerardo Parra. Brandon Inge scores. Alex Avila to 3rd.

DET 3, ARI 0


B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Ryan Raburn out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Chris Young. Alex Avila scores.

DET 4, ARI 0





B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Johnny Damon called out on .


B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, shortstop Stephen Drew to first baseman Adam LaRoche.

DET 4, ARI 0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

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


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Stephen Drew grounds out, second baseman Carlos Guillen to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Justin Upton grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 4, ARI 0 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, first baseman Adam LaRoche to pitcher Dontrelle Willis.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Brennan Boesch swinging.


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, shortstop Stephen Drew to first baseman Adam LaRoche.

DET 4, ARI 0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Miguel Montero homers (1) on a line drive to right field.

DET 4, ARI 1




B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Chris Young grounds out, second baseman Carlos Guillen to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Adam LaRoche singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Tony Abreu pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge.


B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Gerardo Parra flies out to center fielder Ryan Raburn.

DET 4, ARI 1 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Brandon Inge grounds out, third baseman Tony Abreu to first baseman Adam LaRoche.


B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Alex Avila lines out to right fielder Justin Upton.


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Danny Worth walks.


B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn grounds out, third baseman Tony Abreu to first baseman Adam LaRoche.

DET 4, ARI 1 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Don Kelly replaces first baseman Miguel Cabrera, batting 4th, playing first base.(Miggy suffering dizziness)



B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Augie Ojeda grounds out, second baseman Carlos Guillen to first baseman Don Kelly.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Kelly Johnson doubles (22) on a ground ball to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Stephen Drew singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ryan Raburn. Kelly Johnson scores.

DET 4, ARI 2





B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Justin Upton singles on a line drive to left fielder Brennan Boesch. Stephen Drew to 2nd.


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


B:3 S:2 O:1 - With Miguel Montero batting, throwing
error by Armando Galarraga on the pickoff attempt, Stephen Drew to 3rd.
Justin Upton to 2nd.


B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Miguel Montero walks.






B:2 S:2 O:1 - Chris Young singles on a line drive to
left fielder Brennan Boesch. Stephen Drew scores. Justin Upton scores.
Miguel Montero to 2nd.

ARI 4, DET 4




B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Brad Thomas replaces Armando Galarraga.


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

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Tony Abreu grounds into a force out, fielded by third baseman Brandon Inge. Miguel Montero out at 3rd.

ARI 4, DET 4 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Johnny Damon singles on a soft ground ball to third baseman Tony Abreu.


B:0 S:1 O:0 - Magglio Ordonez singles on a line drive
to left fielder Gerardo Parra. Johnny Damon to 3rd. Magglio Ordonez to
2nd on the throw.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Don Kelly out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Chris Young. Johnny Damon scores.

DET 5, ARI 4

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Brennan Boesch grounds out, second baseman Augie Ojeda to first baseman Adam LaRoche. Magglio Ordonez to 3rd.


B:2 S:1 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen flies out to right fielder Justin Upton.

DET 5, ARI 4 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Gerardo Parra singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Augie Ojeda walks. Gerardo Parra to 2nd.


B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Kelly Johnson swinging.


B:3 S:1 O:1 -
Stephen Drew singles on a ground ball to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Gerardo Parra scores. Augie Ojeda to 2nd.

ARI 5, DET 5




B:3 S:1 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Eddie Bonine replaces Brad Thomas.



B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Justin Upton called out on .


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Miguel Montero grounds out, pitcher Eddie Bonine to first baseman Don Kelly.

ARI 5, DET 5 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Blaine Boyer replaces Dontrelle Willis.


B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Brandon Inge singles on a ground ball to center fielder Chris Young.


B:1 S:1 O:2 - Alex Avila grounds into double play,
second baseman Augie Ojeda to shortstop Stephen Drew to first baseman
Adam LaRoche. Brandon Inge out at 2nd.


B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Danny Worth grounds out, second baseman Augie Ojeda to first baseman Adam LaRoche.

ARI 5, DET 5 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Chris Young grounds out, pitcher Eddie Bonine to first baseman Don Kelly.


B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Adam LaRoche singles on a line drive to center fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Tony Abreu pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge.


B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Gerardo Parra flies out to center fielder Ryan Raburn.

ARI 5, DET 5 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Ryan Raburn lines out to shortstop Stephen Drew.


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Johnny Damon grounds out, shortstop Stephen Drew to first baseman Adam LaRoche.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, second baseman Augie Ojeda to first baseman Adam LaRoche.

ARI 5, DET 5 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Rusty Ryal replaces Augie Ojeda.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Rusty Ryal pops out to second baseman Carlos Guillen.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Phil Coke replaces Eddie Bonine.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Kelly Johnson flies out to left fielder Brennan Boesch.


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Stephen Drew grounds out, second baseman Carlos Guillen to first baseman Don Kelly.

ARI 5, DET 5 after 7.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive switch from third base to second base for Tony Abreu.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Rusty Ryal remains in the game as the third baseman.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Chad Qualls replaces Blaine Boyer.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Don Kelly grounds out to first baseman Adam LaRoche.


B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Brennan Boesch walks.


B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, shortstop Stephen Drew to first baseman Adam LaRoche. Brennan Boesch to 2nd.


B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Brandon Inge triples (1) on a line drive to center fielder Chris Young. Brennan Boesch scores.

DET 6, ARI 5


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Alex Avila singles on a line drive to left fielder Gerardo Parra. Brandon Inge scores.

DET 7, ARI 5





B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Danny Worth singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Rusty Ryal. Alex Avila to 2nd.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn swinging.

DET 7, ARI 5 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Jose Valverde replaces Phil Coke.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Justin Upton lines out to left fielder Brennan Boesch.

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Miguel Montero swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Chris Young pops out to second baseman Carlos Guillen.

DET 7, ARI 5 final box score >> click here <<