GDT: 6/26/10 - DET (39-33) AT ATL (43-31) - 4:00 p.m. ET
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Detroit Tigers at Atlanta BravesSaturday, June 26, 2010Turner Field, Atlanta, GAGame Time - 4:00 p.m. EDT
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Braves, Tigers seeking strong starting pitching By Didier Morais / MLB.com
The Braves were feeling the effects of the broom. After going two months without being swept, the Atlanta ballclub relived the experience at the hands of the White Sox this week. It was the first time a club swept the Braves since St. Louis took care of business in late April.
"I think there's only one way to look at it: You got swept," pitcher Derek Lowe said. "But I don't think anyone is leaving here thinking we're a bad team. Those things happen. But in no way do we think this is the start of something. It's just a bad three-game series."
And Lowe's prediction proved to be true. The Braves immediately rebounded from the disappointing sweep, edging the Tigers, 3-1, Friday night.
Atlanta's Saturday starter Kenshin Kawakami will aim to maintain the club's success in the second game of the series against the Tigers. In the process, though, Kawakami will try to earn his first victory of the season.
Detroit's Max Scherzer, meanwhile, has relished the return to Interleague Play. The former National League pitcher has claimed back-to-back wins against the Diamondbacks and the Nationals during his last two outings.
The right-hander's most impressive outing was against the D-backs -- his former club. In that start, he dominated for seven innings, surrendering only one run on four hits. Scherzer's performance left Detroit skipper Jim Leyland raving about the performance.
"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. "He learned the art of pitching, not just pumping fastballs."
Tigers: Porcello has good Triple-A outingMaking his first start for Triple-A Toledo on Thursday night, pitcher Rick Porcello responded to his demotion from the Tigers quite nicely. The righty subdued the Louisville lineup, surrendering one hit and striking out three over eight innings to capture the win.
The 21-year-old has only compiled one year of experience in the Minor Leagues, reaching the Majors last season after one year with Class A Advanced Lakeland. Following his first start, Porcello remained upbeat about his upcoming stint with Toledo.
"I think it's good for me to come down here and work on a couple of things and get some confidence," Porcello said.
Braves: Jurrjens could pitch WednesdayPitcher Jair Jurrjens continues to recover from his strained left hamstring. Jurrjens made his third rehab start Thursday night for Triple-A Gwinnett against Buffalo, allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings.
The right hander also enjoyed a solid night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Jurrjens will throw Sunday and is slotted in to start Wednesday against the Nationals.
Worth notingDetroit has transferred pitcher Zach Miner to the 60-day DL to make room for Friday's starter Andy Oliver.
... Magglio Ordonez belted his 100th home run of his Tigers career Thursday night against the Mets, making him the sixth active player to blast 100 or more homers with two teams. He joins Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome.
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Pitching matchupTIGERS: RHP Max Scherzer (4-6, 5.67 ERA)A temporary return to facing National League hitters has done a world of good for Scherzer, the former Diamondbacks rookie who has won back-to-back starts against NL foes in the past week and a half. He allowed one run on four hits over seven innings against his old squad last Sunday in Detroit. Combine that with his victory over Washington last week, and he has struck out 17 batters over his past 13 innings. Monday's off-day gives him an extra day of rest coming into this outing, which could be a blessing after he used up 118 pitches against the Diamondbacks and 112 in dealing with the Nationals.
BRAVES: RHP Kenshin Kawakami (0-9, 4.78 ERA) The 2010 season has been a struggle for Kawakami, who has yet to win a game this season. He's come fairly close on numerous occasions, only to see a fluke hit or bullpen lapse derail his win attempt. But recently, the right-hander hasn't made things easy for himself. He left his past start against the Royals after just two innings, having surrendered four earned runs. In his outing before against the Rays, Kawakami allowed five runs. Before his shortened start against the Royals, the 35-year-old had thrown 100 or more pitches in each of his past three starts.
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From MLB Tigers Game NotesRECENT RESULTS: The Tigers suffered a 3-1 loss to the Braves last night at Turner Field. Andy Oliver (0-1) took the loss in his major league debut for the Tigers after allowing two runs in six innings of work. Brennan Boesch singled and drove in Detroit’s lone run, while Miguel Cabrera added two hits. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip with the second game of a three-game series at Atlanta this afternoon. The trip concludes with a threegame series in Minnesota beginning on Monday.
INTERLEAGUE HAPPENINGS: Today’s contest against the Braves is Detroit’s 17th game of interleague play in 2010. Since interleague play started in 1997, the Tigers have compiled a 133-112 record. The Tigers are 65-34 in interleague games at Comerica Park. Detroit is 10-6 in interleague games during the 2010 season.
AMONG THE BEST SINCE 2006: The Tigers have compiled a 62-26 record, a .705 winning percentage, during interleague play since the start of the 2006 season. The .705 winning percentage during interleague action is the best among major league clubs during that stretch. The Red Sox are second among all clubs with a 61-27 record, a .693 winning percentage, during interleague action over that stretch.
MAGGLIO MASHES DURING INTERLEAGUE ACTION: Magglio Ordonez enters today’s game versus Atlanta hitting .335 (225x671) with 44 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 148 RBI in 180 games during interleague action in his career. He is third among all active major league players with a .335 batting average during interleague action, while he is seventh with a .571 slugging percentage.
CABRERA’S A ROAD WARRIOR: Miguel Cabrera enters today’s game at Atlanta hitting .356 (48x135) with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 34 games on the road this season. He is tied for the lead among all American League players with 35 RBI on the road this season, while he is second with 11 home runs and a .674 slugging percentage and fourth with a .356 batting average.
BOESCH BASHING DURING JUNE: Brennan Boesch is hitting .366 (30x82) with 15 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 18 RBI in 22 games during June. He is tied for second among all American League players with a .683 slugging percentage during the month, while he is tied for third with seven home runs and is 10th with 18 RBI.
INGE CLOSING IN ON KELL ON ALL-TIME LIST: Brandon Inge enters today’s game at Atlanta with 824 games played at third base during his Tigers career, two games shy of tying George Kell for fifth place in franchise history with 826 games played at third base.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .373 (44x118) with 23 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 26 RBI over his last 30 games dating back to May 13. He is third among all American League players with a .427 on-base percentage during that stretch, while he is fourth with a .373 batting average.
BOESCH PROVIDES EXTRA-BASE POP: Brennan Boesch is leading all major league rookies with 28 extra-base hits this season, while he is tied for the lead with 11 home runs and is second with 40 RBI. His 11 home runs, 40 RBI and 28 extra-base hits mark the most by a Tigers player in his first 51 career games since at least 1952.
PAPA GRANDE POWERS THE PEN: Jose Valverde has converted each of his last 17 save opportunities for the Tigers, the eighth-longest such single-season streak in franchise history. Additionally, he has held opponents scoreless in 30 of his 32 outings this season. Valverde is tops among all American League relievers with a 0.57 ERA and .101 batting average against, while he is tied for fourth with 17 saves.
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 38 runs scored and 78 hits, while he is second with a .301 batting average. Boesch is tops among all league rookies with a .344 batting average, 11 home runs and 40 RBI, while he is second with 65 hits.
DIALED IN DURING THE DAY: The Tigers enter this afternoon’s game at Atlanta with a 21-11 record during the day this season. Tigers pitchers have compiled a 3.40 ERA (281.0IP/106ER) during the club’s 32 day games.
BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Tigers relievers have compiled a 16-6 record and 3.20 ERA (216.1IP/77ER) through the club’s first 72 games this season. Tigers relievers are second in the American League with 16 victories, while the club is third with a 3.20 ERA.
PERRY TO JOIN TOLEDO TODAY: Ryan Perry is slated to join Triple A Toledo today at Indianapolis to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment. Perry has been sidelined since June 7 with right shoulder bicipital tendinitis.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Zach Miner (right elbow tendinitis,
60-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)• 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• Monday, June 28TIGERS (RHP
Jeremy Bonderman (3-5, 4.20 ERA))
at TWINS (LHP
Francisco Liriano (6-5, 3.11 ERA)),
8:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1)• Tuesday, June 29TIGERS (RHP
Armando Galarraga (3-1, 3.68 ERA))
at TWINS (RHP
Nick Blackburn (6-5, 6.10 ERA)),
8:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD[color=Purple] / 1270 & 97.1)/color]• Wednesday, June 30TIGERS (LHP
Andy Oliver (0-1, 3.00 ERA))
at TWINS (RHP
Kevin Slowey (7-5, 4.79 ERA)),
1:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD[color=Purple] / 1270 & 97.1)/color]
Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:28 pm
swinging.