GDT: 6/29/10 - DET (41-34) AT MIN (41-35) - 8:10 p.m. ET
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Detroit Tigers at Minnesota TwinsTuesday, June 29, 2010Target Field, Minneapolis, MNGame Time - 8:10 p.m. EDT
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Division lead still up for grabs at Target FieldBy Tim Britton / MLB.com
The tables, it seems, have turned just a bit in the American League Central.
Just about midway through the 2010 season, it's the Tigers who have chased down the Twins, with Detroit moving into sole possession of first place for the first time since April 11 thanks to Monday's win.
If Minnesota wants to seize control of the division right back, it will need someone other than Carl Pavano to come through with a quality start. That's been too high a standard over the last month for Nick Blackburn, who has been laboring through one of the worst stretches of his career.
After winning all five of his starts in May, Blackburn is 0-4 in five June starts. He can't really blame a lack of run support, either; Blackburn allowed five earned runs or more in all four of his losses. His ERA on the season has rocketed from 4.28 at the end of May to 6.10, and his position in the rotation is on increasingly thin ice.
"It's never a good feeling to see a guy scuffling, but we've seen him battle it before," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "It's just a confidence thing now -- keep his confidence going and run him back out, see what happens."
Gardenhire and the Twins hope a return to Target Field equals a return to form for Blackburn. He is, after all, undefeated at Minnesota's new ballpark. He's 4-0 with a 3.19 ERA at home, as opposed to 2-5 with an ugly 9.40 ERA on the road.
Detroit, meanwhile, hopes home/road splits don't mean much with regard to their Tuesday starter. Armando Galarraga has been lights-out -- and almost perfect -- at Comerica Park, with a 2-0 record and a 2.22 ERA. On the road, though, it's been a different story. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA away from the Motor City.
That lone road win for Galarraga, however, was in his last outing at Citi Field, in which he went six and gave up four runs on five hits. Three of the four Mets' runs were scored in Galarraga's final inning.
Tigers: Boesch showing rare rookie consistencyBrennan Boesch continued his fantastic rookie campaign on Monday night, lacing a two-run double to right-center as part of Detroit's four-run first. Boesch isn't enmeshed in a particularly hot streak; he just keeps mashing in the middle of the Tigers' order with a consistency rarely seen from a rookie. Boesch is hitting .344 in June after batting .345 in May. His 22 RBIs this month are tied for the sixth-most in baseball.
Twins: Bullpen remains a strengthThe Minnesota bullpen has remained one of the team's strong points even during this recent slide. Although the bullpen's scoreless inning streak was snapped at 11 when Gerald Laird homered off Matt Guerrier in the eighth on Monday, it owns a 2.71 ERA in June. Even the Twins' worst-reliever this month, Alex Burnett, has a respectable 4.22 mark in 12 appearances. Overall, the Twins' 2.94 bullpen ERA is best in the American League and second-best in all of baseball, behind only the Padres.
Worth noting... Magglio Ordonez was scratched from the Detroit lineup on Monday.
... The Tigers were 4 1/2 games back of the Twins on June 11. The 16 games it took Detroit to overcome that deficit is the exact same number it took Minnesota to tie the Tigers from 4 1/2 games back down the stretch of last season.
... The Twins have lost four straight series openers, although this was only the fourth series opener at Target Field that they have dropped all season. Minnesota had not lost the first game of a homestand at Target Field until Monday night.
... The four runs Francisco Liriano allowed in the first inning on Monday were more than he had given up in a start since May 20. It was only the third time this year that Liriano surrendered more than three earned runs in a game.
... Jim Thome's fourth-inning triple on Monday was his first since 2004, when he was a member of the Phillies.
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Pitching matchupTIGERS: RHP Armando Galarraga (3-1, 3.68 ERA)Galarraga owns just eight strikeouts over 32 innings in June, but his work to pitch to contact is working. His six innings last Thursday against the Mets earned him his first win since his would-be perfect game June 2, but the Tigers have won all five of his starts this month.
TWINS: RHP Nick Blackburn (6-5, 6.10 ERA) Blackburn's rotation spot has become tenuous, as he's gone 0-4 with a 12.05 ERA in his last five starts. Coming off a tremendous month of May, Blackburn has been unable get through four innings in four of his last five starts, and an inability to command his sinker could be to blame.
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From MLB Tigers Game NotesRECENT RESULTS: The Tigers knocked off the Twins 7-5 last night at Target Field. Jeremy Bonderman (4-5) picked up the win for Detroit, while Jose Valverde recorded the final five outs for his 18th save. Miguel Cabrera, Brennan Boesch and Ryan Raburn all drove in two runs for the Tigers, while Gerald Laird belted a solo home run. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip with the second game of a three-game series at Minnesota this evening. Following an off day on Thursday, the club begins a nine-game homestand with Seattle, Baltimore and Minnesota beginning on Friday night.
ZUMAYA PLACED ON DL, FIEN’S CONTRACT PURCHASED: The Tigers today placed righthanded pitcher Joel Zumaya on the 15-day disabled list with an injured right elbow. Detroit today purchased the contract of righthanded pitcher Casey Fien from Triple A Toledo to take Zumaya’s spot on the 25-man roster. Fien appeared in 26 games with Toledo, posting a 1-0 record, 2.29 ERA (39.1IP/10ER), three saves and 27 strikeouts.
MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST MINNESOTA: Since joining the Tigers in 2005, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .348 (108x310) with 28 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs and 73 RBI in 83 games against the Twins. He is tops among all active major league players with 28 doubles and 73 RBI against the Twins during this stretch, while he is tied for third with 16 home runs, is fifth with a .600 slugging percentage and ninth with a .348 batting average.
MIGGY PLAYS LONGBALL VERSUS MINNESOTA: Miguel Cabrera has connected for 10 home runs over his last 27 games against Minnesota dating back to September 7, 2008. During the 27-game stretch versus the club, Cabrera is hitting .336 (37x110) with eight doubles and 24 RBI. He is tops among all major league players with 10 home runs and 24 RBI against the Twins during that stretch.
CABRERA’S A ROAD WARRIOR: Miguel Cabrera enters tonight’s game at Minnesota hitting .361 (53x147) with 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 37 games on the road this season. He is tops among all American League players with 40 RBI on the road this season, while he is second with 12 home runs and a .687 slugging percentage and fourth with a .361 batting average.
BOESCH BASHING DURING JUNE: Brennan Boesch is hitting .344 (33x96) with 17 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 23 RBI in 25 games during June. He is tied for second among all American League players with eight home runs during the month, while he is third with a .656 slugging percentage and tied for third with 23 RBI.
ROOKIE DUO HITTING OVER .300 AFTER 75 GAMES: Brennan Boesch is hitting .335 for the Tigers, while Austin Jackson is hitting .310 to become the first pair of rookies to hit better than .300 in a major league team’s first 75 games of the season (minimum: 200 at bats) since Ken Walters (.308) and Pancho Herrera (.303) did so for the Phillies during the 1960 season. (Source: Elias Sports Bureau)
INGE PASSES KELL ON ALL-TIME LIST: Brandon Inge saw action in the 827th game of his Tigers career at third base last night at Minnesota, surpassing George Kell for sole possession of fifth place in franchise history in games played at third base.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .364 (44x121) with 23 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 26 RBI over his last 31 games dating back to May 13. He is second among all American League players with a .422 on-base percentage during that stretch, while he is fourth with a .364 batting average.
PAPA GRANDE POWERS THE PEN: Jose Valverde has converted each of his last 18 save opportunities for the Tigers, the eighth-longest such single-season streak in franchise history. Additionally, he has held opponents scoreless in 32 of his 34 outings this season. Valverde is tops among all American League relievers with a 0.53 ERA and .102 batting average against, while he is tied for third with 18 saves.
BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Tigers relievers have compiled a 16-7 record and 3.25 ERA (224.1IP/81ER) through the club’s first 75 games this season. Tigers relievers are second in the American League with 16 victories, while the club is third with a 3.25 ERA.
PERRY ON INJURY REHAB WITH TOLEDO: Ryan Perry joined Triple A Toledo to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment on Saturday. He worked a scoreless inning on Saturday night at Indianapolis, walking two batters and fanning one. 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),
RHP Joel Zumaya (injured right elbow, 15-day DL on June 29).
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Up next (Probable Pitchers)• 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 1270 & 97.1)• Thursday, July 1OFF DAY• Friday, July 2TIGERS (RHP
Max Scherzer (4-6, 5.26 ERA))
VS MARINERS (RHP
Doug Fister (3-3, 2.81 ERA)),
7:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD 1270 & 97.1)• Saturday, July 3TIGERS (RHP
Justin Verlander (9-5, 4.02 ERA))
VS MARINERS (LHP
Jason Vargas (6-3, 2.80 ERA)),
7:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD 1270 & 97.1)• Sunday, July 4TIGERS (RHP
Jeremy Bonderman (4-5, 4.36 ERA))
VS MARINERS (LHP
Cliff Lee (6-3, 2.39 ERA)),
1:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD 1270 & 97.1)
Tue Jun 29, 2010 3:28 pm
swinging.