GDT: 6/24/10 - DET (38-32) AT NYM (41-30) - 7:10 p.m. ET
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Detroit Tigers AT New York MetsThursday, June 24, 2010Citi Field, New York, NYGame Time - 7:10 p.m. EDT
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Tigers' Galarraga hopes to slow Mets' rolllBy Tim Britton / MLB.com
Coming into the season, one of the main questions surrounding the Mets was whether they could hit home runs at Citi Field. After all, New York hit only 49 homers in its home park last season en route to an National League-worst 95 long balls in 2009.
But it turns out that home runs weren't the be-all and end-all for this Mets offense, which has used the expansive dimensions at Citi Field and its excess of speed to run off the most home wins of any team in the Majors.
The Mets are second in baseball in both stolen bases and success rate on steals -- a rare combination.
"I think it's partly the design of the roster. When we went into the winter and we played a season here, we thought that the best fit would be some speed at different positions -- which we had to start with," manager Jerry Manuel said. "We had David Wright, Jose Reyes, [Luis] Castillo, Carlos Beltran -- we pretty much had a nucleus of speed. They would fit any place, but in this ballpark, it gives us a slight advantage in speed."
Reyes has been a catalyst of late, with the kind of prolonged hot streak the shortstop hasn't had in several seasons. With three more hits on Wednesday, Reyes now has 27 hits in his last 14 games, including five home runs. He's also stolen four bases, while the Mets have gone 11-3 over that period.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have now lost three of four after their seven-game winning streak ended over the weekend. They'll send Armando Galarraga to the mound to try to slow the Mets down.
Galarraga struggled his last time out against the D-backs, unable to finish the fifth inning for just the second time this year. That ended a streak of three consecutive fabulous starts from Galarraga, starting of course with his infamous near-perfect game -- which he's ready to put in the past by now.
"It's funny," Galarraga said, "because the last game I didn't throw really good, and I just hear about the perfect game. The perfect game has already passed. I don't want to hear about the perfect game when I throw four innings and give up four runs, know what I mean?
"Perfect game? What does that have to do with this? I just threw a horrible game!"
Detroit did still beat the Diamondbacks in Galarraga's last start, and the Tigers have won the past four games started by Galarraga.
Galarraga said he felt better in his most recent bullpen session.
"I just need to put it all together when I run into circumstances during the game," Galarraga said. "Sometimes your command is good, but sometimes when you have runner on third, runner on second, one out, you're trying to get out, sometimes you push too much and your command is not quite there."
Tigers: Incredible in Interleague PlayEntering Wednesday night, Detroit was a remarkable 61-24 in Interleague Play since the start of the 2006 season. That was the best Interleague record in the Majors, one game ahead of the Red Sox and Twins. A big part of that success has been the offensive prowess of Magglio Ordonez, who has raked to the tune of a .337 average with 35 home runs and 146 RBIs in 177 career Interleague games. The average is third best among active big leaguers.
Mets: Takahashi looking to buck trendHisanori Takahashi will oppose Galarraga, looking for a third straight quality start. Takahashi has made six starts since moving into the rotation, and a pattern has emerged. The left-hander had two good starts, then two bad starts, then two more good starts. He'll try to avoid taking a step back in his fourth start against an American League team. In his previous three starts against the Yankees (twice) and the Orioles, Takahashi has allowed one earned run in 19 innings.
Worth notingJerry Seinfeld stopped by the SNY broadcast booth from the third through the seventh inning on Wednesday night. Seinfeld and Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez reminisced about Hernandez's cameo on the memorable 1992 "Seinfeld" episode, "The Boyfriend." ... For the second successive night, the Mets had a player come one hit short of the cycle. After Angel Pagan finished a homer short on Tuesday, Reyes came up a double shy of the cycle on Wednesday. ... Pagan left Wednesday's game in the seventh inning and is day-to-day with spasms in his right side. ... The Tigers were shut out for the sixth time this season on Wednesday night. It was the Mets' 10th shutout win. New York had 11 shutouts all of last season. ... R.A. Dickey became the first Mets starter to go 6-0 through his first seven starts with the team.
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Pitching matchupTIGERS: RHP Armando Galarraga (2-1, 3.32 ERA)In a battle against former teammate Dontrelle Willis -- the man who's spot in the Detroit rotation Galarraga filled -- the near-perfect righty lasted only 4 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs. Maybe it was the hot and muggy temperatures, or the D-backs' lefty-heavy lineup, that gave Galarraga problems on the night. He didn't have command of his slider early and strayed away from the pitch much to the disliking of Tigers manger Jim Leyland, who said Galarraga was being "too tentative" on the mound.
METS: LHP Hisanori Takahashi (6-2, 3.13 ERA) After two successive sub-par starts, Takahashi's spot in the starting rotation seemed less than concrete going forward. But in his past two outings, the left-hander has allowed just one run in 13 innings of work on the road against the Orioles and Yankees. He earned the win in both of those games and has now pitched 12 innings of shutout baseball against the Yanks this season. John Maine does not look ready to return to the rotation, as he has had mixed result in his two rehab assignments. As a result, Takahashi will take the mound against the Tigers, holding his spot in the rotation for at least one more orbit.
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From MLB Tigers Game NotesRECENT RESULTS: The Tigers dropped their second straight game to the Mets at Citi Field, falling 5-0 last night. Jeremy Bonderman (3-5) took the loss for Detroit after allowing four runs in six innings of work. Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge and Alex Avila all finished with a hit for the Tigers. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip with the final game of a three-game series at New York this evening. The trip continues with a three-game series in both Atlanta and Minnesota.
INTERLEAGUE HAPPENINGS: Tonight’s contest against the Mets is Detroit’s 15th game of interleague play in 2010. Since interleague play started in 1997, the Tigers have compiled a 132-111 record. The Tigers are 65-34 in interleague games at Comerica Park. Detroit is 9-5 in interleague games during the 2010 season.
AMONG THE BEST SINCE 2006: The Tigers have compiled a 61-25 record, a .709 winning percentage, during interleague play since the start of the 2006 season. The .709 winning percentage during interleague action is the best among major league clubs during that stretch. The Red Sox and Twins are tied for second among all clubs with a 60-26 record, a .698 winning percentage, during interleague action over that stretch.
MAGGLIO MASHES DURING INTERLEAGUE ACTION: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game versus New York hitting .337 (223x662) with 44 doubles, three triples, 35 home runs and 146 RBI in 178 games during interleague action in his career. He is third among all active major league players with a .337 batting average during interleague action, while he is seventh with a .571 slugging percentage.
CABRERA’S A ROAD WARRIOR: Miguel Cabrera enters tonight’s game at New York hitting .346 (44x127) with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 32 games on the road this season. He is second among all American League players with 11 home runs, 34 RBI and a .685 slugging percentage on the road this season, while he is fifth with a .346 batting average.
BOESCH BASHING DURING JUNE: Brennan Boesch is hitting .351 (26x74) with 15 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 17 RBI in 20 games during June. He is second among all American League players with a .689 slugging percentage during the month, while he is tied for second with seven home runs and tied for ninth with 17 RBI.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .385 (42x109) with 21 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, five home runs and 24 RBI over his last 28 games dating back to May 13. He is second among all American League players with a .443 on-base percentage during that stretch, while he is third with a .385 batting average.
PAPA GRANDE POWERS THE PEN: Jose Valverde has converted each of his last 16 save opportunities for the Tigers, tied for the eighth-longest such single-season streak in franchise history. Additionally, he has held opponents scoreless in 29 of his 31 outings this season. Valverde is tops among all American League relievers with a 0.59 ERA and .104 batting average against, while he is tied for fifth with 16 saves.
BOESCH PROVIDES EXTRA-BASE POP: Brennan Boesch is tied for the lead, along with Atlanta’s Jason Heyward, among all major league rookies with 11 home runs and 27 extrabase hits for the Tigers this season. His 11 home runs and 27 extra-base hits mark the most by a Tigers player in his first 49 career games since at least 1952.
ON THE OFFENSIVE DURING INTERLEAGUE: The Tigers enter tonight’s game at New York hitting .285 (135x473) with 69 runs scored, 27 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs in 14 games during interleague action in 2010. Detroit is fifth among all major league clubs with a .285 batting average during interleague action this season.
INGE IGNITES: Brandon Inge enters tonight’s game versus the Mets having hit safely in 18 of his last 21 games dating back to May 30. He is batting .373 (28x75) with five doubles, a triple, home run and six RBI over the 21-game stretch.
GUILLEN GETS IT GOING: Carlos Guillen enters tonight’s game versus New York having hit safely in 13 of his last 17 games dating back to June 3. During the 17-game stretch, he is batting .313 (20x64) with five doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI.
LOOKING AT THE ROOKIE LEADERS: Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch have both enjoyed success during their rookie campaigns. Jackson is tops among all American League rookies with 37 runs scored and 78 hits, while he is second with a .307 batting average. Boesch is tops among all league rookies with a .337 batting average, 11 home runs and 39 RBI, while he is second with 61 hits.
BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Tigers relievers have compiled a 16-6 record and 3.19 ERA (211.1IP/75ER) through the club’s first 70 games this season. Tigers relievers are second in the American League with 16 victories, while the club is third with a 3.19 ERA.
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)• Friday, June 25Tigers (LHP
Andy Oliver (0-0, 0.00 ERA))
at BRAVES (RHP
Kris Medlen (4-1, 3.33 ERA)),
7:35 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1) & MLBN• Saturday, June 26Tigers (RHP
Max Scherzer (4-6, 5.67 ERA))
at BRAVES (RHP
Kenshin Kawakami (0-9, 4.78 ERA)),
4:00 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1) • Sunday, June 27Tigers (RHP
Justin Verlander (8-5, 3.94 ERA))
at BRAVES (RHP
Tommy Hanson (7-4, 4.17 ERA)),
1:35 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1) & TBS
Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:55 pm
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bases loaded and Los hits into a dp! If you are going to get out, at least strike out!