GDT: 4/16/12 - DET (6-3) AT KC (3-6) - 8:10 p.m. ET

Verlander returns to Kansas City to face Royals
Ace is 8-2 with a 1.82 ERA in 12 games at Kauffman Stadium

By James Walker / MLB.com | 4/15/2012 7:47 PM ET


If history is a guide, you would have to say Justin Verlander has a decent chance to bounce back from his first loss since last July when he takes the mound against the Royals on Monday at Kauffman Stadium.

Verlander wasn't exactly roughed up in his last start Wednesday against Tampa Bay, giving up just four hits and four runs -- all in the ninth inning -- in 8 1/3 innings and taking the loss as the Rays rallied for a 4-2 victory.

He will be trying to get back on track against a Royals team he has dominated in his Major League career. Verlander is 13-2 lifetime against the Royals and hasn't lost to them since 2009.

He is 8-2 with a 1.82 ERA in 12 games at Kauffman Stadium. Verlander hasn't lost back-to-back starts since April 11 and 16 of last year, and he hasn't had back-to-back outings without a quality start since June 22 and 27, 2010.

Tigers Manager Jim Leyland said the Royals lineup Verlander will be facing is younger, but talented.

"I think they're a real good lineup, very good, a lot of good young players," Leyland said. "They have good players that are still young that have been there a while."

Of the present Royals, designated hitter Billy Butler has had the most success against Verlander.

Butler is hitting .359 (14-for-39) against the Tigers right-hander with four doubles, two homers and five RBIs.

On the other hand, Alex Gordon is hitting just .133 (4-for-30) with one homer and 11 strikeouts against Verlander.

Tigers: Leyland climbing wins leaderboard

Leyland is in his seventh season as the manager of the Tigers, compiling a 525-457 record (.535).

Sunday's 5-2 victory over the White Sox gave Leyland 1,594 wins during his managerial career, 18th-most all-time.

He is five wins shy of matching Tommy Lasorda's 1,599 wins. Leyland is tops among all active big league managers.

Royals: Duffy draws tough assignment

Left-hander Danny Duffy, Verlander's mound opponent Monday, faced Detroit three times last season as a rookie and was 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA. Both losses were at Kauffman Stadium, on July 7 and Aug. 6.

Worth noting

After a slow start, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas is starting to heat up. Moustakas was hitting .091 through the first five games, but in the last five, he is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with six RBIs.






Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.20 ERA)

Take away a miserable ninth inning Wednesday against the Rays, and Verlander is scoreless in his other 16 innings this season. He admittedly got fastball-happy with runners on base in the ninth and reverted to his younger form by overthrowing.


Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Duffy's first start ended in a 3-0 victory at Oakland. He held the A's to one hit in six innings and registered eight strikeouts. He did issue four walks and threw 103 pitches, so he lost his way occasionally but was able to get back on track.





RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers snapped their two-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the White Sox yesterday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field. Rick Porcello (1-0) limited Chicago to one run over 7.2 innings of work to earn the win for Detroit. Gerald Laird led the Tigers with three hits, including a double and solo home run, while Prince Fielder and Delmon Young both finished with two hits. The Tigers continue the club’s first road trip of the season this evening with the first game of a three-game series at Kansas City. Detroit returns home for a seven-game homestand with Texas and Seattle beginning on hursday.

RACKING UP WINS AGAINST THE ROYALS: The Tigers enter tonight’s game at Kansas City having won 10 of the club’s last 15 games against the Royals dating back to May 13, 2011. Since Jim Leyland took over as the manager of the Tigers in 2006, Detroit has posted 62-46 record against the Royals, including a 35-19 record at Kauffman Stadium.

MIGGY’S THE MAN VERSUS KANSAS CITY: Miguel Cabrera enters tonight’s game against the Royals hitting .338 (93x275) with 19 doubles, 16 home runs and 56 RBI in 73 games during his career versus the club. He is sixth among all active major league players with a .338 batting average and .582 slugging percentage against Kansas City.

FOR STARTERS: Tigers starting pitchers have combined to post a 3.08 ERA (38.0IP/13ER) over the club’s last six games dating back to April 10. The starting pitchers have combined to post 34 strikeouts during the six-game stretch, while limiting opponents to a .204 batting average against (28x137).

GLOVE WORK: The Tigers enter tonight’s game at Kansas City having committed only one error in the club’s first nine games of the season. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with a .997 fielding percentage this season.

PILING UP THE PUNCHOUTS: Three Tigers pitchers combined to fan six batters at Chicago yesterday afternoon, bringing the club’s season total to 81 strikeouts in the first nine games of the season. Detroit is second among all American League clubs with 81 strikeouts this season.

ACTION JACKSON: Austin Jackson has reached base safely in each of Detroit’s first nine games of the season, scoring at least one run in seven of the nine contests. He is second in the American League with a .512 on-base percentage this season, while he is tied for second with 10 runs scored, is third with a .412 batting average, fourth with seven walks, tied for fifth with 14 hits and is eighth with a .647 slugging percentage.

MIGGY HEADED TOWARDS 1,000 RBI: Miguel Cabrera enters this evening’s game at Kansas City with 993 RBI during his major league career, seven RBI shy of 1,000 in his career. He would become the 21st active major league player with at least 1,000 RBI.

CABRERA, FIELDER FORM POWERFUL COMBO: Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are among the leaders in the major leagues in home runs and RBI since the start of the 2006 season. Fielder is third in the major leagues with 230 home runs during that stretch, while Cabrera is tied for sixth with 202 home runs. Cabrera is third in the major leagues with 703 RBI since the start of the 2006 season, while Fielder is sixth with 651 RBI.

DOTEL CLOSING IN ON HIS 700TH APPEARANCE: Octavio Dotel enters tonight’s game against the Royals having appeared in 698 games during his major league career, two appearances shy of 700 in his career. He would become the 93rd pitcher in major league history to appear in at least 700 games.

PETRY TO FILL IN FOR PRICE DURING KANSAS CITY SERIES: Jim Price will not be in the radio booth for the three-game series in Kansas City due to general health concerns. Dan Petry will join the club in Kansas City today and will work all three games of the series to fill in for Price. Petry pitched 11 seasons with the Tigers (1979-87, 1990-91), compiling a 119-93 record and 3.84 ERA (1843.0IP/787ER) in 306 games (274 starts) with the club.



INJURY UPDATE:
• RHP Doug Fister (left costochondral strain, 15-day disabled list on April 7),
• RHP Luis Marte (strained left hamstring, 15-day disabled list on April 4).
• RHP Al Alburquerque (right elbow surgery, 15-day disabled list on April 4).
• C Victor Martinez (left knee surgery, 60-day disabled list on March 12).





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• TUESDAY, April 17:
Tigers (LHP Drew Smyly (0-0, 2.25 ERA)) AT Royals (LHP Bruce Chen (0-0, 1.64 ERA)), 8:10 p.m. ET (FSD PLUS HD, / 1270 AM)


• WEDNESDAY, April 18:
Tigers (RHP Max Scherzer (0-1, 10.38 ERA)) AT Royals (RHP TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA)), 8:10 p.m. ET (FSD PLUS HD, / WXYT 97.1 FM)


• THURSDAY, April 19:
Tigers (LHP Adam Wilk (0-1, 3.60 ERA)) VS Rangers (LHP Matt Harrison (2-0, 0.64 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET (FSD HD, / WXYT 97.1 FM)

STARTING LINEUPS:


DET Batting

Jackson, A, CF ---- .412
Boesch, RF ------- .243
Cabrera, Mi, 3B --- .242
Fielder, 1B -------- .353
Young, D, DH ----- .310
Raburn, LF -------- .074
Peralta, Jh, SS ---- .273
Avila, C ----------- .320
Inge, 2B ---------- .000


KC Batting

Gordon, LF ------ .118
Getz, 2B -------- .333
Hosmer, 1B ------ .216
Butler, DH ------- .297
Francoeur, RF --- .286
Moustakas, 3B --- .258
Quintero, C ------ .333
Maier, CF -------- .167
Escobar, A, SS --- .265

DET - Top 1st
B:3 S:1 O:0
Austin Jackson homers (2) on a fly ball to left center field.
1 - 0

B:1 S:1 O:0
Brennan Boesch singles on a ground ball to left fielder Alex Gordon.

B:4 S:1 O:0
Miguel Cabrera walks. Brennan Boesch to 2nd.

Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:1 O:2
Prince Fielder grounds into double play, shortstop Alcides Escobar to second baseman Chris Getz to first baseman Eric Hosmer. Brennan Boesch to 3rd. Miguel Cabrera out at 2nd.

B:1 S:1 O:3
Delmon Young lines out to right fielder Jeff Francoeur.


KC - Bot 1st
B:0 S:1 O:0
Alex Gordon doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Brennan Boesch.

B:0 S:0 O:1
Chris Getz out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Justin Verlander to first baseman Prince Fielder. Alex Gordon to 3rd.

B:4 S:1 O:1
Eric Hosmer walks.

B:0 S:0 O:1
Billy Butler singles on a fly ball to second baseman Brandon Inge, deflected by right fielder Brennan Boesch. Alex Gordon scores. Eric Hosmer to 2nd.
TIED 1 - 1

B:1 S:3 O:2
Jeff Francoeur called out on .

B:1 S:3 O:3
Mike Moustakas out swinging.

TIED 1 - 1 AFTER 1 INNING

DET - Top 2nd
B:2 S:2 O:1
Ryan Raburn flies out to center fielder Mitch Maier.

B:2 S:2 O:1
Jhonny Peralta doubles (5) on a line drive to right fielder Jeff Francoeur.

B:2 S:3 O:2
Alex Avila out swinging.

B:0 S:1 O:3
Brandon Inge flies out to right fielder Jeff Francoeur.


KC - Bot 2nd
B:0 S:2 O:1
Humberto Quintero grounds out, third baseman Miguel Cabrera to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:1 S:3 O:2
Mitch Maier out swinging.

B:1 S:2 O:3
Alcides Escobar grounds out softly, shortstop Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Prince Fielder.

TIED 1 - 1 AFTER 2 INNINGS

DET - Top 3rd
B:0 S:3 O:1
Austin Jackson out swinging.

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

B:0 S:1 O:3
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, shortstop Alcides Escobar to first baseman Eric Hosmer.


KC - Bot 3rd
B:2 S:3 O:1
Alex Gordon called out on .

B:0 S:3 O:2
Chris Getz out swinging.

B:2 S:2 O:3
Eric Hosmer grounds out softly, pitcher Justin Verlander to first baseman Prince Fielder.

TIED 1 - 1 AFTER 3 INNINGS

DET - Top 4th
B:2 S:3 O:1
Prince Fielder out swinging.

B:1 S:2 O:2
Delmon Young pops out softly to second baseman Chris Getz.

B:2 S:2 O:3
Ryan Raburn grounds out softly, third baseman Mike Moustakas to first baseman Eric Hosmer.


KC - Bot 4th
B:1 S:1 O:1
Billy Butler grounds out, second baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:0 S:0 O:2
Jeff Francoeur flies out to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:1 S:3 O:3
Mike Moustakas called out on .

TIED 1 - 1 AFTER 4 INNINGS

DET - Top 5th
B:1 S:2 O:0
Jhonny Peralta doubles (6) on a line drive to left fielder Alex Gordon.

B:1 S:3 O:1
Alex Avila called out on .

B:1 S:0 O:1
Brandon Inge homers (1) on a fly ball to center field. Jhonny Peralta scores.
3 - 1

B:1 S:0 O:2
Austin Jackson flies out to left fielder Alex Gordon.

B:1 S:2 O:3
Brennan Boesch flies out to center fielder Mitch Maier.


KC - Bot 5th
B:2 S:0 O:0
Humberto Quintero singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:1 S:2 O:0
Mitch Maier singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Austin Jackson. Humberto Quintero to 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:1
Alcides
Escobar ground bunts into a force out, pitcher Justin Verlander to
third baseman Miguel Cabrera. Humberto Quintero out at 3rd. Mitch Maier to 2nd. Alcides Escobar to 1st.

With Alex Gordon batting, Mitch Maier steals (1) 3rd base. Alcides Escobar steals (2) 2nd base.

B:3 S:3 O:2
Alex Gordon out on foul tip.

B:1 S:1 O:3
Chris Getz lines out softly to second baseman Brandon Inge.

3 - 1 AFTER 5 INNINGS

DET - Top 6th
B:3 S:3 O:1
Miguel Cabrera out on foul tip.

B:0 S:0 O:2
Prince Fielder flies out to left fielder Alex Gordon.

B:1 S:3 O:3
Delmon Young out on foul tip.


KC - Bot 6th
B:1 S:1 O:1
Eric Hosmer grounds out softly, third baseman Miguel Cabrera to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:1 S:0 O:2
Billy Butler flies out to right fielder Brennan Boesch.

B:0 S:3 O:3
Jeff Francoeur out swinging.

3 - 1 AFTER 6 INNINGS

DET - Top 7th
B:0 S:0 O:1
Ryan Raburn grounds out, third baseman Mike Moustakas to first baseman Eric Hosmer.

B:3 S:2 O:1
Jhonny Peralta singles on a line drive to left fielder Alex Gordon.

B:0 S:2 O:2
Alex Avila singles
on a soft line drive to right fielder Jeff Francoeur. Jhonny Peralta
out at 3rd on the throw, right fielder Jeff Francoeur to third baseman
Mike Moustakas.

Coaching visit to mound.

Pitcher Change: Aaron Crow replaces Danny Duffy.

B:0 S:2 O:3
Brandon Inge grounds out, second baseman Chris Getz to first baseman Eric Hosmer.


KC - Bot 7th
B:0 S:1 O:1
Mike Moustakas grounds out softly, pitcher Justin Verlander to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:3 S:2 O:2
Humberto Quintero grounds out, shortstop Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Prince Fielder.

B:1 S:0 O:2
Mitch Maier singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:1 S:1 O:3
Alcides Escobar grounds out, third baseman Miguel Cabrera to first baseman Prince Fielder.

3 - 1 AFTER 7 INNINGS

DET - Top 8th
B:4 S:0 O:0
Austin Jackson walks.

B:0 S:0 O:1
Brennan Boesch grounds out, shortstop Alcides Escobar to first baseman Eric Hosmer. Austin Jackson to 2nd.

B:1 S:0 O:2
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, third baseman Mike Moustakas to first baseman Eric Hosmer.

B:4 S:0 O:2
Aaron Crow intentionally walks Prince Fielder.

B:0 S:2 O:3
Delmon Young grounds out softly to first baseman Eric Hosmer.


KC - Bot 8th
Defensive Substitution: Don Kelly replaces right fielder Brennan Boesch, batting 2nd, playing right field.

B:1 S:2 O:1
Alex Gordon pops out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

B:1 S:0 O:2
Chris Getz lines out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

B:3 S:1 O:3
Eric Hosmer pops out to third baseman Miguel Cabrera in foul territory.

3 - 1 AFTER 8 INNINGS

DET - Top 9th
Pitcher Change: Greg Holland replaces Aaron Crow.

B:1 S:0 O:1
Ryan Raburn pops out to first baseman Eric Hosmer in foul territory.

B:1 S:3 O:2
Jhonny Peralta called out on .

B:3 S:3 O:3
Alex Avila out swinging.


KC - Bot 9th
B:2 S:1 O:0
Billy Butler singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Jason Bourgeois replaces Billy Butler.

B:0 S:2 O:1
Jeff Francoeur grounds out, second baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Prince Fielder. Jason Bourgeois to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:2
Mike Moustakas grounds out, second baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Prince Fielder. Jason Bourgeois to 3rd.

B:3 S:1 O:2
Humberto Quintero singles on a ground ball to right fielder Don Kelly, deflected by first baseman Prince Fielder. Jason Bourgeois scores.
3 - 2

B:4 S:1 O:2
Mitch Maier walks. Humberto Quintero to 2nd.

Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:2
Alcides Escobar hit by pitch. Humberto Quintero to 3rd. Mitch Maier to 2nd.

Injury Delay.

B:2 S:3 O:3
Alex Gordon called out on .

WIN 3 - 2

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Game Info



IBB: Fielder (by Crow).
HBP: Escobar, A (by Verlander).
Pitches-strikes: Verlander 131-85, Duffy 106-74, Crow 17-8, Holland, G 12-7.
Groundouts-flyouts: Verlander 12-2, Duffy 4-5, Crow 4-0, Holland, G 0-0.
Batters faced: Verlander 37, Duffy 26, Crow 6, Holland, G 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Crow 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Wally Bell. 1B: Mark Wegner. 2B: Brian Knight. 3B: Mike Winters.
Weather: 64 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 6 mph, Out to RF.
T: 2:37.
Att: 14,039.