GDT: 6/9/09 - DET (31-26) AT CWS (27-31) - 8:11 p.m. ET

CHICAGO -- The spotlight is back on Dontrelle Willis, as the Tigers look for better results as he starts Tuesday. But manager Jim Leyland can say the same about the offense supporting him.

Five days after a third-inning meltdown against the Red Sox brought back flashbacks to his earlier struggles, Willis takes the mound in the third game of this five-game series against the White Sox with arguably something to prove.

When Willis returned to the Tigers nearly a month ago, he was asked what was the best sign he had seen in his rehab starts that he was past his old struggles. He said it was a home run -- not the hit itself, but the way he could shake off from a bad pitch or bad result and go back to what he was doing without lingering on the result.

Willis struggled to do that last Thursday against the Red Sox after he didn't get a called strike on a pitch that went for a strike, and he knew it. Now is his chance to try to rebound from the outing itself.

"Just stay focused," Willis said. "That's the bottom line. Stay focused and continue to try to make your pitches and not really get carried away about what's being called for your side or not."

A strong outing could go a long way towards providing some certainty in the back end of the Detroit rotation, not to mention some certainty for Willis. As it is, with Jeremy Bonderman struggling in his return to the big leagues Monday night, the Tigers have six starters at the moment after Monday's doubleheader and need just five going forward. Leyland said Monday that the Tigers will need to get down to five going forward, mainly to get the bullpen back to full strength in time for their upcoming National League stretch without the designated hitter.

Still, Leyland said, "I'm in no hurry for that."

There's more urgency to get more consistent offense from a club that has struggled to put a big inning together. Only a Marcus Thames pinch-hit home run in the ninth separated the Tigers from a shutout Monday night, and Leyland was disappointed in his team's swings against White Sox starter Jose Contreras.

Against Mark Buehrle, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning the last time he faced Detroit here May 7, the risk for more struggles is pretty high.

Nevertheless, Leyland maintains Detroit needs better performances from its big-name hitters to extend the club's strong start into the summer. He said after Monday's game that he'll likely use the exact same lineup against Buehrle that he used against fellow White Sox lefty Clayton Richard in Monday's first game, except for Gerald Laird at catcher in place of Dane Sardinha.

Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge had two hits each in that game. Ordonez is 15-for-30 lifetime against Buehrle with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. Miguel Cabrera, though, went hitless for Monday's doubleheader with a handful of ground balls.

"We have to get our big boys going," Leyland said. "It's that simple."

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Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Dontrelle Willis (1-3, 6.84 ERA)
Willis is coming off his worst start of the season, when he walked four batters and hit another in the third inning of Thursday's game against the Red Sox. He finished with an unusual line: 2 1/3 innings pitched, zero hits, five earned runs and five walks. But Willis said that control wasn't so much the problem, but rather that he was rattled by some questionable calls. That's notable, because Willis spent the first part of the season on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder, and said Thursday was the first time all year he lost his composure.

CWS: LHP Mark Buehrle (6-2, 2.91 ERA)
Buehrle may have taken his second loss in his last start, on Thursday against the A's, but it was also the second time this season that he lasted eight innings and just the second time he allowed more than three runs in a start. Buehrle has not faced the Tigers this season, but he has a 13-8 lifetime record against Detroit. Buehrle also holds a 70-40 career record with a 3.65 ERA at U.S. Cellular Field.

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Tidbits

... Placido Polanco is 13-for-32 (.406) with two doubles and two RBIs lifetime off Buehrle.
... Tigers pitchers have thrown 18 quality starts over Detroit's past 24 games. They entered Monday second in the American League in quality outings, at least six innings pitched with three or fewer earned runs allowed.
... The Detroit bullpen is expected to be at full strength Tuesday, though it'll be a man down with Ryan Perry optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday.
... Tuesday's game will be broadcast on AM 1270 in Detroit only, an adjustment to make room for Game 6 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals on 97.1 FM.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Wednesday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 6-2, 3.26 ERA) at White Sox (John Danks, 4-4, 5.10 ERA), 8:11 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 6-3, 2.16 ERA) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd, 4-5, 5.35 ERA), 2:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 6-4, 3.98 ERA) at Pirates (Ian Snell, 1-6, 5.54 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .259
Polanco, 2B .248
Ordonez, RF .284
Cabrera, M, 1B .340
Thames, DH .296
Inge, 3B .279
Raburn, LF .237
Laird, C .229
Everett, SS .270

Chi White Sox AVG
Podsednik, LF .304
Ramirez, SS .261
Dye, RF .288
Thome, DH .252
Konerko, 1B .296
Pierzynski, C .298
Beckham, 3B .000
Nix, 2B .200
Anderson, B, CF .234

61 degrees at game time


Cloudy Skies

East Winds at 10mph


Low 53 degrees

30 percent chance of showers before midnight

Inning 1
Top Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson swinging.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco singles on a line drive to left fielder Scott Podsednik.


B:0 S:0 O:3 - Magglio Ordonez grounds into double
play, second baseman Jayson Nix to shortstop Alexei Ramirez to first
baseman Paul Konerko. Placido Polanco out at 2nd.

0-0

Bottom Half

B:4 S:0 O:0 -
Scott Podsednik walks.


B:3 S:2 O:0 -
With Alexei Ramirez batting, Scott Podsednik steals (8) 2nd base.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Alexei Ramirez grounds out softly, catcher Gerald Laird to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Scott Podsednik to 3rd.


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Jermaine Dye grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:2 O:2 -
With Jim Thome batting, wild pitch by Dontrelle Willis, Scott Podsednik scores.


B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Jim Thome swinging.

CWS 1-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Marcus Thames swinging.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Brandon Inge homers (13) on a fly ball to left field.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn called out on .

tied 1-1 after 1.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Paul Konerko grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
A. J. Pierzynski swinging.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
On-field Delay.

B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Gordon Beckham singles on a fly ball to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Jayson Nix grounds into a force out, shortstop Adam Everett to second baseman Placido Polanco. Gordon Beckham out at 2nd.

tied 1-1 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Gerald Laird swinging.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Adam Everett lines out softly to second baseman Jayson Nix

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out, second baseman Jayson Nix to first baseman Paul Konerko.

tied 1-1 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Brian Anderson grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Scott Podsednik grounds out, pitcher Dontrelle Willis to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Alexei Ramirez singles on a fly ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Jermaine Dye walks. Alexei Ramirez to 2nd.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Jim Thome grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

tied 1-1 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:4 S:1 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez walks.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to left fielder Scott Podsednik.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
With Marcus Thames batting, wild pitch by Mark Buehrle, Magglio Ordonez to 2nd.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Marcus Thames flies out to left fielder Scott Podsednik.

tied 1-1 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Paul Konerko swinging.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
A. J. Pierzynski grounds out softly, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
On-field Delay.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Gordon Beckham flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

tied 1-1 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Brandon Inge walks.

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Ryan Raburn singles on a bunt ground ball to pitcher Mark Buehrle. Brandon Inge to 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:1 - Gerald Laird out on a sacrifice bunt,
catcher A. J. Pierzynski to second baseman Jayson Nix. Brandon Inge to
3rd. Ryan Raburn to 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Adam Everett doubles (8) on a ground ball to left fielder Scott Podsednik. Brandon Inge scores. Ryan Raburn scores.


B:3 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson flies out to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Placido Polanco pops out to second baseman Jayson Nix.

3-1 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Jayson Nix singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Brian Anderson homers (2) on a fly ball to left center field. Jayson Nix scores.

B:0 S:2 O:0 -
Scott Podsednik singles on a fly ball to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Alexei Ramirez walks. Scott Podsednik to 2nd.

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:1 S:2 O:2 - Jermaine Dye grounds into double play,
second baseman Placido Polanco to shortstop Adam Everett to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Scott Podsednik to 3rd. Alexei Ramirez out at
2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Jim Thome walks.

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Paul Konerko walks. Jim Thome to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
A. J. Pierzynski grounds out softly, pitcher Dontrelle Willis to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

tied 3-3 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, shortstop Alexei Ramirez to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Marcus Thames grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

tied 3-3 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Zach Miner replaces Dontrelle Willis.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Gordon Beckham flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Jayson Nix grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Brian Anderson swinging.

tied 3-3 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Brandon Inge walks.

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Ryan Raburn walks. Brandon Inge to 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:1 - Gerald Laird out on a sacrifice bunt,
third baseman Gordon Beckham to second baseman Jayson Nix. Brandon Inge
to 3rd. Ryan Raburn to 2nd.

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

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Octavio Dotel replaces Mark Buehrle.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Adam Everett swinging.

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

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson walks.

B:1 S:0 O:2 - Placido Polanco doubles (16) on a fly
ball to center fielder Brian Anderson. Brandon Inge scores. Ryan Raburn
scores. Curtis Granderson scores.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, second baseman Jayson Nix to first baseman Paul Konerko.

6-3 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Clete Thomas replaces right fielder Magglio Ordonez, batting 3rd, playing right field.

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Scott Podsednik grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Alexei Ramirez pops out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Jermaine Dye swinging.

6-3 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera swinging.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Marcus Thames hits a ground-rule double (2) on a line drive down the left-field line, on fan interference.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn flies out to left fielder Scott Podsednik.

6-3 after 7.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Bobby Seay replaces Zach Miner.

B:4 S:0 O:0 -
Jim Thome walks.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Paul Konerko flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
A. J. Pierzynski flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Joel Zumaya replaces Bobby Seay.

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
With Gordon Beckham batting, passed ball by Gerald Laird, Jim Thome to 2nd.


B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Gordon Beckham walks.

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

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Chris Getz replaces Jayson Nix.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Chris Getz grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Joel Zumaya.

6-3 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Chris Getz remains in the game as the second baseman.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Jimmy Gobble replaces Octavio Dotel.

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Adam Everett grounds out, shortstop Alexei Ramirez to first baseman Paul Konerko.


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson doubles (6) on a line drive to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Jimmy Gobble intentionally walks Placido Polanco.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Clete Thomas flies out to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

6-3 after 8.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Fernando Rodney replaces Joel Zumaya.

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Brian Anderson walks.

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

B:4 S:0 O:0 -
Scott Podsednik walks. Brian Anderson to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Alexei Ramirez walks. Brian Anderson to 3rd. Scott Podsednik to 2nd.

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

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Brandon Lyon replaces Fernando Rodney.

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Jermaine Dye swinging.

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

B:4 S:1 O:1 -
Jim Thome walks. Brian Anderson scores. Scott Podsednik to 3rd. Alexei Ramirez to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Dewayne Wise replaces Jim Thome.

B:0 S:2 O:2 - Paul Konerko doubles (15) on a line
drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn. Scott Podsednik scores. Alexei
Ramirez scores. Dewayne Wise out at home on the throw, left fielder
Ryan Raburn to shortstop Adam Everett to catcher Gerald Laird.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Josh Fields replaces Paul Konerko.

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Brandon Lyon intentionally walks A. J. Pierzynski.

B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Gordon Beckham swinging.

Tied 6-6 after 9 innings!

Inning 10
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Dewayne Wise remains in the game as the designated hitter.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Josh Fields remains in the game as the first baseman.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Scott Linebrink replaces Jimmy Gobble.

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera homers (11) on a fly ball to left center field.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Marcus Thames flies out to center fielder Brian Anderson.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Brandon Inge walks.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn grounds out, second baseman Chris Getz to first baseman Josh Fields. Brandon Inge to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Gerald Laird walks.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett lines out to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

7-6 after 9.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Chris Getz flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Brian Anderson called out on .

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Scott Podsednik swinging.

TIGERS WIN 7-6

June 9, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Detroit	0	1	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	1		7	8	0
Chi White Sox	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	0		6	6	0

Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Granderson, CF 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 .259 Polanco, 2B 4 0 2 3 1 0 1 .252 Ordonez, RF 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 .279 --Thomas, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .245 Cabrera, M, 1B 5 1 1 1 0 1 1 .337 Thames, DH 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 .281 Inge, 3B 2 3 1 1 3 1 1 .281 Raburn, LF 4 2 1 0 1 1 2 .238 Laird, C 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .226 Everett, SS 5 0 1 2 0 1 4 .267 Totals 35 7 8 7 8 7 15 BATTING 2B: Everett (8, Buehrle), Polanco (16, Dotel), Thames (2, Dotel), Granderson (6, Gobble). HR: Inge (13, 2nd inning off Buehrle, 0 on, 2 out), Cabrera, M (11, 10th inning off Linebrink, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Granderson 2; Polanco 3; Cabrera, M 4; Thames 2; Inge 4; Raburn; Everett 2. RBI: Inge (40), Everett 2 (23), Polanco 3 (24), Cabrera, M (39). 2-out RBI: Inge; Polanco 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Thames; Polanco; Ordonez; Raburn; Thomas; Everett. S: Laird 2. GIDP: Ordonez. Team RISP: 2-for-11. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING PB: Laird (4). Outfield assists: Raburn (Wise at home). DP: (Polanco-Everett-Cabrera, M).		Chi White Sox AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Podsednik, LF 4 2 1 0 2 1 0 .302 Ramirez, SS 3 1 1 0 2 0 1 .262 Dye, RF 4 0 0 0 1 2 6 .282 Thome, DH 2 0 0 1 3 1 2 .248 --1-Wise, PR-DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .150 Konerko, 1B 4 0 1 2 1 1 1 .295 --2-Fields, PR-1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237 Pierzynski, C 4 0 0 0 1 1 4 .291 Beckham, 3B 4 0 1 0 1 1 2 .059 Nix, 2B 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 .206 --a-Getz, PH-2B 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .239 Anderson, B, CF 4 2 1 2 1 2 0 .234 Totals 34 6 6 5 12 9 19 a-Grounded out for Nix in the 8th. 1-Ran for Thome in the 9th. 2-Ran for Konerko in the 9th. BATTING 2B: Konerko (15, Lyon). HR: Anderson, B (2, 5th inning off Willis, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Podsednik; Ramirez; Konerko 2; Beckham; Nix; Anderson, B 4. RBI: Anderson, B 2 (8), Thome (36), Konerko 2 (39). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Thome; Pierzynski 2; Getz; Beckham. GIDP: Dye. Team RISP: 1-for-9. Team LOB: 10. BASERUNNING SB: Podsednik (8, 2nd base off Willis/Laird). FIELDING DP: (Nix-Ramirez-Konerko).
Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Willis 5.0 5 3 3 5 3 1 6.60 Miner 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.74 Seay (H, 12) 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.76 Zumaya (H, 4) 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.15 Rodney 0.0 0 3 3 3 0 0 4.68 Lyon (BS, 2)(W, 2-3) 2.0 1 0 0 2 4 0 5.06		Chi White Sox IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Buehrle 6.1 4 5 5 4 4 1 3.24 Dotel 1.2 2 1 1 1 3 0 2.53 Gobble 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 6.30 Linebrink (L, 2-4) 1.0 1 1 1 2 0 1 2.08
Rodney pitched to 3 batters in the 9th. WP: Willis, Buehrle. IBB: Pierzynski (by Lyon), Polanco (by Gobble). Pitches-strikes: Willis 105-64, Miner 26-15, Seay 8-3, Zumaya 10-5, Rodney 18-6, Lyon 33-20, Buehrle 94-56, Dotel 29-17, Gobble 17-7, Linebrink 26-14. Groundouts-flyouts: Willis 11-1, Miner 2-2, Seay 0-2, Zumaya 1-0, Rodney 0-0, Lyon 0-1, Buehrle 9-6, Dotel 1-1, Gobble 2-1, Linebrink 1-2. Batters faced: Willis 24, Miner 6, Seay 3, Zumaya 2, Rodney 3, Lyon 8, Buehrle 26, Dotel 8, Gobble 5, Linebrink 6. Inherited runners-scored: Zumaya 1-0, Lyon 3-3, Dotel 2-2. Umpires: HP: Jim Joyce. 1B: Brian Runge. 2B: Derryl Cousins. 3B: Bill Miller. Weather: 56 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, In from LF. T: 3:36. Att: 25,676. June 9, 2009