GDT: 6/17/09 - DET (34-30) AT STL (35-29) - 8:15 p.m. ET

ST. LOUIS -- Jim Leyland likes managing against his friend Tony La Russa. He just doesn't like talking about it.

But every time the two meet, as they will on Wednesday night as the Tigers and Cardinals continue a three-game Interleague series at Busch Stadium, Leyland gets asked about his relationship with his longtime friend and former coworker.

"I think that's overrated," Leyland said. "We're probably going to get together after the games and we're old friends, and that's the way it is, but both he and I like to downplay that because this is about the Cardinals and the Tigers, not about Tony and Jim. It never has been and never will be."

Leyland worked for the Cardinals as a Spring Training coach and scout for six years between his managing stints and was a friend of La Russa's for many years before that. The two first faced one another in 1996 when Leyland's Pirates went 3-10 against La Russa's Cardinals, and the two have met while Leyland has guided the Marlins, Rockies and Tigers as well.

"I had a great experience coaching for him and a great experience working for him in Spring Training and scouting for him," Leyland said. "I had great experiences over the years managing against him. I think we both know how we feel about each other but that won't change one bit how we compete.

"I love the Cardinals organization. I spent six years in it and they treated me wonderful. I had a lot of wonderful games here in the old stadium and a lot of great memories. It's my favorite place to go on the road."

The two are meeting in St. Louis for the first time since the Cardinals beat the Tigers in five games in the 2006 World Series. The Tigers hosted the Cardinals in Interleague Play in Detroit in 2006, 2007 and 2008, but the Tigers finally made the return trip in 2009.

And while Leyland can look across the field and into the Cardinals dugout and see the third-winningest manager of all-time, he doesn't get caught up in trying to predict what move La Russa might make next.

"Truthfully, I don't pay any attention to him," Leyland said. "I know going in that he's going to be aggressive, I know that he's not going to give up when they get behind, I know he's going to be on top of everything and not miss a trick. I know that he's one of the top five managers in the history of the game. I know all of that stuff.

"But after everything that I know, I called him and asked him not to play Pujols and he's still going to play him."

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Edwin Jackson (6-3, 2.24 ERA)
Jackson's no-decision Thursday against the White Sox ended his string of quality starts at six over the past month, but it also showed another sign of progress from previous inconsistencies with the Rays. His struggles getting in sync and Chicago hitters' patience cost him 99 pitches over five innings, but with two runs allowed, he avoided the kind of big innings that plagued him in years past. He's 1-3 with a 6.80 ERA over 13 games in Interleague Play, nine of them starts.

STL: RHP Todd Wellemeyer (5-6, 5.50 ERA)
Wellemeyer's fastball hovered in the 90-91 mph range in his last game against the Marlins. That's about five mph slower than he was accustomed to averaging last season. Add the fact that Wellemeyer had significant trouble against the Marlins and you have a situation worth monitoring, in the least. Wellemeyer struck out just one Marlin in six innings and gave up five runs and 11 hits. The little-used Ross Gload got to him for two home runs, accounting for three runs. But Wellemeyer came away thinking he kept the damage to a minimum, especially considering his velocity woes. The Tigers, with a better-than-average offense, figure to be a significant test for him.

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Tidbits

...Before Justin Verlander's rough outing on Tuesday in which he gave up eight hits and five runs in four innings to the Cardinals, the Tigers' starting staff had been leading the American League with a .253 opponents' batting average and 8.56 hits per nine innings. Its 4.05 ERA was third in the AL.
... Double-A pitcher Alfredo Figaro was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the week for June 8-14. The right-hander went 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA and had 18 strikeouts.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Thursday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 7-4, 3.71 ERA) at Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 5-7, 3.99 ERA), 8:15 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 3-7, 5.56 ERA) vs. Brewers (Braden Looper, 5-3, 4.39 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Tigers (TBD) vs. Brewers (Dave Bush, 3-3, 5.31 ERA), 4:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .256
Polanco, 2B .260
Cabrera, M, 1B .325
Thames, LF .302
Ordonez, RF .272
Inge, 3B .264
Laird, C .220
Everett, SS .266
Jackson, P .000

St. Louis AVG
Schumaker, 2B .284
Rasmus, CF .261
Pujols, 1B .326
Duncan, LF .258
Ludwick, RF .241
Molina, Y, C .270
Thurston, 3B .240
Wellemeyer, P .160
Greene, T, SS .258

Tigers are projected to win tonight 56% to 44% according to ESPN.

Current Conditions

Busch Stadium

Partly Cloudy 91 F

Humidity: 55 %

Wind: from the N at 1 mph

Barometer: 29.86 in

last updated: 6/17/09 6:05 PM CDT

possible tornado coming threw near me, I will log back on once it is safe

Inning 1
Top Half

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

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

B:3 S:3 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera swinging. Curtis Granderson steals (11) 2nd base.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Marcus Thames on foul tip.

Bottom Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Skip Schumaker grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Colby Rasmus grounds out sharply, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Edwin Jackson.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Albert Pujols grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

0-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez pops out to second baseman Skip Schumaker.


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Brandon Inge lines out softly to first baseman Albert Pujols.


B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Gerald Laird grounds out softly, shortstop Tyler Greene to first baseman Albert Pujols.


Bottom Half

B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Chris Duncan swinging.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Ryan Ludwick swinging.


B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Yadier Molina homers (5) on a fly ball to left center field.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Joe Thurston grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

STL 1-0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Adam Everett bunt grounds out, pitcher Todd Wellemeyer to first baseman Albert Pujols.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Edwin Jackson called out on .

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson homers (15) on a line drive to right field.

B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Placido Polanco singles on a line drive to left fielder Chris Duncan.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Ryan Ludwick. Placido Polanco to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Marcus Thames walks. Placido Polanco to 3rd. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.

B:0 S:2 O:3 - Magglio Ordonez grounds into a force
out, second baseman Skip Schumaker to shortstop Tyler Greene. Marcus
Thames out at 2nd.

tied 1-1 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Todd Wellemeyer called out on .

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Tyler Greene singles on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Marcus Thames.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
With Skip Schumaker batting, throwing error by Edwin Jackson on the pickoff attempt, Tyler Greene to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Skip Schumaker grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Tyler Greene to 3rd.

B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Colby Rasmus singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Tyler Greene scores.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Albert Pujols walks. Colby Rasmus to 2nd.

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

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Chris Duncan grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Edwin Jackson.

STL 2-1 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Brandon Inge singles on a line drive to right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

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

B:2 S:0 O:3 - Adam Everett grounds into double play,
second baseman Skip Schumaker to first baseman Albert Pujols. Brandon
Inge out at 2nd.

STL 2-1 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Ryan Ludwick swinging.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Yadier Molina singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Joe Thurston flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Todd Wellemeyer swinging.

STL 2-1 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Edwin Jackson lines out softly to right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson homers (16) on a fly ball to center field.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out sharply, shortstop Tyler Greene to first baseman Albert Pujols.

tied 2-2 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Tyler Greene grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Skip Schumaker singles on a line drive to left fielder Marcus Thames.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Colby Rasmus triples (1) on a fly ball
to right fielder Magglio Ordonez, deflected by center fielder Curtis
Granderson. Skip Schumaker scores.

B:4 S:0 O:1 -
Edwin Jackson intentionally walks Albert Pujols.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Chris Duncan reaches on a fielder's choice out. Colby Rasmus out at home. Albert Pujols to 2nd.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Ludwick called out on .

STL 3-2 after 5 innings

storm, will update once it passes

Inning 6
Top Half

B:3 S:3 O:1 -
Marcus Thames swinging.


B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez singles on a soft ground ball to pitcher Todd Wellemeyer.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Jason Motte replaces Todd Wellemeyer, batting 8th.


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


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Brandon Inge swinging.


B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Gerald Laird on foul tip.


Bottom Half

B:1 S:2 O:0 - Yadier Molina singles on a sharp ground
ball to third baseman Brandon Inge, deflected by pitcher Edwin Jackson.
Yadier Molina advances to 2nd, on throwing error by third baseman
Brandon Inge.


B:0 S:0 O:1 - Joe Thurston reaches on a fielder's
choice out, catcher Gerald Laird to third baseman Brandon Inge. Yadier
Molina out at 3rd.


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


B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Jason Motte on missed bunt.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
With Tyler Greene batting, Joe Thurston caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Gerald Laird to second baseman Placido Polanco.



STL 3-2 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Josh Anderson replaces Adam Everett.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Dennys Reyes replaces Jason Motte, batting 8th.


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


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Josh Anderson bunt grounds out sharply to first baseman Albert Pujols.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Ryan Raburn replaces Edwin Jackson.


B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn flies out to left fielder Chris Duncan.


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to left fielder Chris Duncan.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Kyle McClellan replaces Dennys Reyes, batting 8th.


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


B:3 S:1 O:3 -
Placido Polanco pops out to third baseman Joe Thurston in foul territory.


Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Joel Zumaya replaces Edwin Jackson, batting 8th.


B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Ramon Santiago replaces Ryan Raburn, batting 9th, playing shortstop.


B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Tyler Greene swinging.


B:4 S:1 O:1 -
Skip Schumaker walks.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Colby Rasmus singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Skip Schumaker to 2nd.


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Albert Pujols pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge in foul territory.


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Chris Duncan walks. Skip Schumaker to 3rd. Colby Rasmus to 2nd.


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Ryan Ludwick walks. Skip Schumaker scores. Colby Rasmus to 3rd. Chris Duncan to 2nd.


B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Yadier Molina grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

STL 4-2 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive switch from second base to left field for Skip Schumaker.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Brendan Ryan replaces left fielder Chris Duncan, batting 4th, playing second base.

B:3 S:2 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera doubles (12) on a line drive to right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Marcus Thames grounds out, first baseman Albert Pujols to pitcher Kyle McClellan. Miguel Cabrera to 3rd.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Colby Rasmus. Miguel Cabrera scores.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Brandon Inge singles on a line drive to left fielder Skip Schumaker.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Gerald Laird pops out to third baseman Joe Thurston in foul territory.

STL 4-3 after 7.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Bobby Seay replaces Joel Zumaya, batting 8th.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Joe Thurston grounds out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Nick Stavinoha replaces Kyle McClellan.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Nick Stavinoha pops out to second baseman Placido Polanco.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Tyler Greene pops out to second baseman Placido Polanco.

STL 4-3 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Ryan Franklin replaces Kyle McClellan, batting 8th.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Don Kelly replaces Bobby Seay.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Don Kelly grounds out, first baseman Albert Pujols to pitcher Ryan Franklin.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Ramon Santiago grounds out, first baseman Albert Pujols to pitcher Ryan Franklin.

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

Tigers LOSE AGAIN 3-4

June 17, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Detroit	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0		3	9	2
St. Louis	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	X		4	8	0

Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Granderson, CF 4 2 3 2 1 1 0 .264 Polanco, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .259 Cabrera, M, 1B 4 1 2 0 0 1 1 .328 Thames, LF 3 0 0 0 1 2 2 .283 Ordonez, RF 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 .273 Inge, 3B 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .268 Laird, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .214 Everett, SS 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .262 --a-Anderson, J, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .254 --Zumaya, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 --Seay, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 --c-Kelly, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Jackson, P 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 --b-Raburn, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .234 --Santiago, SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282 Totals 34 3 9 3 2 8 13 a-Bunted out for Everett in the 7th. b-Flied out for Jackson in the 7th. c-Grounded out for Seay in the 9th. BATTING 2B: Cabrera, M (12, McClellan). HR: Granderson 2 (16, 3rd inning off Wellemeyer, 0 on, 2 out; 5th inning off Wellemeyer, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Granderson 9; Polanco; Cabrera, M 3; Ordonez; Inge 2. RBI: Granderson 2 (39), Ordonez (22). 2-out RBI: Granderson. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Thames; Ordonez 2. SF: Ordonez. GIDP: Everett. Team RISP: 0-for-3. Team LOB: 7. BASERUNNING SB: Granderson (11, 2nd base off Wellemeyer/Molina, Y). FIELDING E: Jackson (3, pickoff), Inge (6, throw).		St. Louis AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Schumaker, 2B-LF 3 2 1 0 1 0 1 .284 Rasmus, CF 4 0 3 2 0 0 0 .271 Pujols, 1B 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 .323 Duncan, LF 3 0 0 0 1 1 4 .254 --Ryan, 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 Ludwick, RF 3 0 0 1 1 3 2 .236 Molina, Y, C 4 1 3 1 0 0 3 .280 Thurston, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .234 Wellemeyer, P 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 .148 --Motte, P 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 --Reyes, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 --McClellan, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 --a-Stavinoha, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .234 --Franklin, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Greene, T, SS 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 .257 Totals 31 4 8 4 5 8 16 a-Popped out for McClellan in the 8th. BATTING 3B: Rasmus (1, Jackson). HR: Molina, Y (5, 2nd inning off Jackson, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Schumaker; Rasmus 5; Molina, Y 6; Greene, T. RBI: Molina, Y (22), Rasmus 2 (26), Ludwick (32). 2-out RBI: Molina, Y; Rasmus; Ludwick. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Duncan; Ludwick; Molina, Y 2. Team RISP: 1-for-8. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING CS: Thurston (2, 2nd base by Jackson/Laird). FIELDING DP: (Schumaker-Pujols).
Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Jackson (L, 6-4) 6.0 7 3 3 2 7 1 2.39 Zumaya 1.0 1 1 1 3 1 0 3.27 Seay 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.26		St. Louis IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Wellemeyer (W, 6-6) 5.1 6 2 2 2 5 2 5.36 Motte (H, 13) 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.56 Reyes (H, 12) 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.00 McClellan (H, 8) 1.1 2 1 1 0 0 0 3.45 Franklin (S, 16) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.05
IBB: Pujols (by Jackson). Pitches-strikes: Jackson 99-64, Zumaya 31-15, Seay 6-4, Wellemeyer 91-58, Motte 7-6, Reyes 8-4, McClellan 29-16, Franklin 12-9. Groundouts-flyouts: Jackson 9-1, Zumaya 1-1, Seay 1-2, Wellemeyer 6-5, Motte 0-0, Reyes 1-1, McClellan 1-3, Franklin 2-0. Batters faced: Jackson 26, Zumaya 7, Seay 3, Wellemeyer 23, Motte 2, Reyes 3, McClellan 6, Franklin 3. Inherited runners-scored: Motte 1-0, McClellan 1-0. Umpires: HP: Tony Randazzo. 1B: Chris Guccione. 2B: Mike Winters. 3B: Jerry Layne. Weather: 88 degrees, clear. Wind: 1 mph, In from CF. T: 2:49. Att: 39,699. June 17, 2009