GDT: 7/21/09 - DET (48-42) VS SEA (49-43) - 7:05 p.m. ET

NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson put it best. The first series of the second half of the season was nothing short of a disappointment. The Tigers were swept by the Yankees and had ample opportunities to win all three games. All it would have taken was a couple more clutch hits scattered about.

But as far as Granderson's concerned, it's already a distant memory. The only thing to do now is forget about it. Despite a weekend laden with what-ifs and frustration, the Tigers are still in first place in the American League Central and are returning to their favorite destination: Comerica Park.

After an off-day on Monday, the Tigers begin a seven-game homestand against the Mariners and the White Sox. Rookie right-hander Rick Porcello, who has not pitched since July 5, will start the opening game on Tuesday opposite Seattle's Garrett Olson.

"It is what it is, it's done, it's over with," Granderson said of the series at Yankee Stadium. "That's it. We move on and get ready to play at home. Nothing to make out of it. That's it."

Returning home could be exactly what the Tigers need. They have struggled of late on the road, falling to 4-13 in their past 17 games away from Detroit.

But they will have a difficult task waiting for them. Detroit took two of three from Seattle earlier in the season, but manager Jim Leyland stressed before Sunday's game that the Mariners are a different team now than the one the Tigers saw in mid-April.

"I just think they're doing things right," Leyland said. "It seems that they're all on the same page. They kind of turned the whole atmosphere around over there, and that's very impressive. That's a very talented club. I think they turned the atmosphere around, and they're playing well.

They key to this next stretch of games is improving the offense, especially with runners in scoring position. In New York, the Tigers went 1-for-26 in those situations, drawing criticism from Leyland throughout the series. Detroit scored five runs in the three losses.

Leyland said after Sunday's game that at times his players "didn't know what they were doing" with runners in scoring position and stressed that the team will take extra batting practice at home to try to smooth out the kinks. He added that he is preaching that his lineup improve its concentration and try to stay relaxed.

Leyland was pleased with his pitchers, and extolled praise upon all of his starters, especially Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson for their strong efforts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

But that doesn't take the sting out of the series against the Yankees. It certainly was not the way the Tigers wanted to come out of the All-Star break, but Leyland hopes it was nothing more than a flash in the pan.

"We had three good games, but just didn't win any of them," Leyland said. "When you hold the Yankees to nine runs in three games, with that powerful left-handed lineup, it isn't far-fetched to expect a sweep, or at least two out of three.

"We just need to move on from this series, get back home and work on some things."

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.14 ERA)
Porcello will make his first start since July 5, the result of the Tigers' effort to hold down his workload as the 20-year-old enters the second half of his rookie season. He pitched 125 innings last year in his only full pro season, and he's at 87 innings now, leaving Leyland to estimate he has about 15 starts left in him this year. If he starts every five games after this, not counting Friday's day-night doubleheader, he'd use up 14 of those in the regular season. His first of those pits him against the same Mariners squad he beat for his first Major League win with seven innings of one-run ball on April 19 at Seattle.

SEA: LHP Garrett Olson (3-3, 4.53 ERA)
Olson never got going on Thursday against the Indians, giving up three runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks before the Tribe chased him in the third inning. Olson will have the ball in the series opener against the Tigers as manager Don Wakamatsu plans to experiment with a four-man rotation until he decides who will take the fifth spot. In two starts against Detroit last season, Olson gave up 10 earned runs on 11 hits and seven walks in 7 2/3 innings.

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Tidbits

... Leyland spent part of Sunday afternoon admiring the Yankee Stadium Old-Timers' Day festivities, and spoke extensively with Don Zimmer and Yogi Berra. Many Detroit players watched the game from the dugout. "I love stuff like this," Leyland said. I'm a baseball buff. I love the tradition, it's great." Leyland added he would like to see the Tigers create an Old-Timers' Day, too.
... Jackson lost for the first time on Sunday since June 17 in St. Louis, when he allowed just two runs in even innings.
... The Tigers finished their season series with the Yankees with a 1-5 record and have lost seven of their past eight against New York. They have also lost five straight against the Bombers, marking their longest single-season losing streak versus the Yankees since dropping six consecutive games in 1997.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Tigers (Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.14 ERA) vs. Mariners (Garrett Olson (3-3, 4.53 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 5-8, 5.09 ERA) vs. Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 10-3, 2.51 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Tigers (Lucas French, 1-0, 1.89 ERA) vs. Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 7-6, 2.87 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 10-5, 3.34 ERA) vs. White Sox (TBD), 1:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Seattle:
1. Suzuki, I, RF
2. Branyan, 1B
3. Lopez, J, 2B
4. Griffey Jr., DH
5. Gutierrez, F, CF
6. Langerhans, LF
7. Johjima, C
8. Hannahan, 3B
9. Cedeno, SS


Detroit:
1. Curtis Granderson, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Marcus Thames, DH
5. Magglio Ordonez, RF
6. Ryan Raburn, LF
7. Brandon Inge, 3B
8. Gerald Laird, C
9. Adam Everett, SS

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Ichiro Suzuki doubles (20) on a fly ball to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Russell Branyan pops out to shortstop Adam Everett.

B:3 S:0 O:1 -
With Jose Lopez batting, Ichiro Suzuki steals (21) 3rd base.

B:3 S:1 O:1 -
Jose Lopez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Ichiro Suzuki scores. SEA 1, DET 0



B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Ken Griffey Jr. flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Franklin Gutierrez grounds out, pitcher Rick Porcello to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

SEA 1, DET 0

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.


B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Placido Polanco doubles (22) on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Curtis Granderson scores.
SEA 1, DET 1


B:4 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera walks.


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


B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Marcus Thames walks. Placido Polanco to 3rd. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.


B:2 S:2 O:0 - Magglio Ordonez hits a grand slam (5) to
left field. Placido Polanco scores. Miguel Cabrera scores. Marcus
Thames scores.
DET 5, SEA 1


B:3 S:2 O:0 -
On-field Delay.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Ryan Raburn grounds out, third baseman Jack Hannahan to first baseman Russell Branyan.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Brandon Inge singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Langerhans.


B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Gerald Laird pops out to second baseman Jose Lopez.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

DET 5, SEA 1 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Ryan Langerhans strikes out swinging.


B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Kenji Johjima singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:0 S:1 O:2 - Jack Hannahan grounds into a force out,
second baseman Placido Polanco to shortstop Adam Everett. Kenji Johjima out at 2nd. Jack Hannahan to 1st.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Ronny Cedeno singles on a ground ball to third baseman Brandon Inge. Jack Hannahan to 2nd.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Ichiro Suzuki grounds out, pitcher Rick Porcello to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 5, SEA 1 after 1.5 inning

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson flies out to center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.


B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco homers (7) on a line drive to left center field.
DET 6, SEA 1

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera walks.


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


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Chris Jakubauskas replaces Garrett Olson.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Marcus Thames flies out to left fielder Ryan Langerhans.(almost a homer)

B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez walks. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn triples (2) on a fly ball to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Miguel Cabrera scores. Magglio Ordonez scores.
DET 8, SEA 1




B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Injury Delay. (Gutierrez hits CF wall full speed -- may be badly hurt)


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Defensive Substitution: Wladimir Balentien replaces center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, batting 5th, playing left field.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Defensive switch from left field to center field for Ryan Langerhans.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Brandon Inge grounds out, third baseman Jack Hannahan to first baseman Russell Branyan.

DET 8, SEA 1 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Russell Branyan singles on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.


B:2 S:1 O:0 - Jose Lopez hits a ground-rule double
(22) on a ground ball down the left-field line, on fan interference.
Russell Branyan to 3rd.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Ken GriffeyJr. singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Jose Lopez to 3rd.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Wladimir Balentien singles on a fly ball to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Jose Lopez scores. Ken GriffeyJr. to 2nd.
DET 8, SEA 2



B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Ryan Langerhans strikes out swinging.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Kenji Johjima flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.


DET 8, SEA 2 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.


B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Adam Everett pops out to second baseman Jose Lopez.


B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ryan Langerhans.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.



DET 8, SEA 2 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:0 -
Jack Hannahan homers (2) on a fly ball to right center field.
DET 8, SEA 3




B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Ronny Cedeno grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Ichiro Suzuki strikes out swinging.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Russell Branyan grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Rick Porcello.



DET 8, SEA 3 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a ground ball to left fielder Wladimir Balentien.


B:2 S:1 O:0 -
With Marcus Thames batting, wild pitch by Chris Jakubauskas, Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Marcus Thames flies out to left fielder Wladimir Balentien.


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, pitcher Chris Jakubauskas to first baseman Russell Branyan.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn grounds out, third baseman Jack Hannahan to first baseman Russell Branyan.

DET 8, SEA 3 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Jose Lopez flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Ken GriffeyJr. strikes out swinging.


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Wladimir Balentien walks.


B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Ryan Langerhans homers (1) on a fly ball to left center field. Wladimir Balentien scores.
DET 8, SEA 5





B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Kenji Johjima grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 8, SEA 5 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Seattle Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez left the game due to an injured arm.


B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Brandon Inge called out on strikes.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Gerald Laird flies out to center fielder Ryan Langerhans. (almost a bloop single)


B:2 S:0 O:3 -
Adam Everett flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

DET 8, SEA 5 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Fu-Te Ni replaces Rick Porcello.


B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Jack Hannahan homers (3) on a line drive to right field.
DET 8, SEA 6




B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Ronny Cedeno singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:1 S:1 O:1 - Ichiro Suzuki grounds into a force out,
first baseman Miguel Cabrera to shortstop Adam Everett. Ronny Cedeno
out at 2nd. Ichiro Suzuki to 1st.



B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Russell Branyan swinging.


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


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Zach Miner replaces Fu-Te Ni.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Jose Lopez on foul tip.

DET 8, SEA 6 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Shawn Kelley replaces Chris Jakubauskas.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson flies out to center fielder Ryan Langerhans.




B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Placido Polanco called out on .


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera homers (19) on a line drive to left field.
DET 9, SEA 6





B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Marcus Thames walks.



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


B:2 S:1 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds into a force out, shortstop Ronny Cedeno to second baseman Jose Lopez. Marcus Thames out at 2nd.

DET 9, SEA 6 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Clete Thomas replaces right fielder Magglio Ordonez, batting 5th, playing right field.


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


B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Ken Griffey Jr. grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Wladimir Balentien homers (4) on a fly ball to left field.
DET 9, SEA 7





B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Ryan Langerhans bunt grounds out, pitcher Bobby Seay to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Kenji Johjima flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

DET 9, SEA 7 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Roy Corcoran replaces Shawn Kelley.


B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Ryan Raburn walks.



B:2 S:2 O:2 - Brandon Inge grounds into double play,
third baseman Jack Hannahan to second baseman Jose Lopez to first
baseman Russell Branyan. Ryan Raburn out at 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Gerald Laird singles on a ground ball to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.


B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Adam Everett pops out to first baseman Russell Branyan in foul territory.

DET 9, SEA 7 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Jack Hannahan swinging.


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


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Brandon Lyon replaces Bobby Seay.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Ronny Cedeno called out on .


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Ichiro Suzuki flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.

DET 9, SEA 7 after 7.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Sean White replaces Roy Corcoran.


B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out, first baseman Russell Branyan to pitcher Sean White.


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, second baseman Jose Lopez to first baseman Russell Branyan.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera doubles (18) on a fly ball to center fielder Ryan Langerhans.


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

DET 9, SEA 7 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half


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


B:1 S:2 O:0 -
Russell Branyan hit by pitch.


B:0 S:2 O:0 -
Jose Lopez singles on a ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco. Russell Branyan to 2nd.



B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Ken GriffeyJr. grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Russell Branyan to 3rd. Jose Lopez to 2nd.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Wladimir Balentien swinging.


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Ryan Langerhans flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.

DET WINS 9, SEA 7

July 21, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Seattle	1	0	1	1	2	1	1	0	0		7	13	0
Detroit	5	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	X		9	11	0

Seattle AB- R-- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Suzuki, I, RF 5 1 1 0 0 1 3 .361 Branyan, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .275 Lopez, J, 2B 5 1 3 1 0 1 1 .269 Griffey Jr., DH 5 0 1 0 0 1 3 .215 Gutierrez, F, CF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .294 --Balentien, LF 3 2 2 2 1 1 2 .223 Langerhans, LF-CF 5 1 1 2 0 2 4 .224 Johjima, C 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .270 Hannahan, 3B 4 2 2 2 0 1 1 .191 Cedeno, SS 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .193 Totals 40 7 13 7 1 9 19 BATTING 2B: Suzuki, I (20, Porcello), Lopez, J (22, Porcello). HR: Hannahan 2 (3, 4th inning off Porcello, 0 on, 0 out; 6th inning off Ni, 0 on, 0 out), Langerhans (1, 5th inning off Porcello, 1 on, 2 out), Balentien (4, 7th inning off Seay, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Suzuki, I 2; Lopez, J 4; Griffey Jr.; Balentien 5; Langerhans 4; Johjima; Hannahan 8; Cedeno 2. RBI: Lopez, J (52), Balentien 2 (12), Hannahan 2 (11), Langerhans 2 (4). 2-out RBI: Langerhans 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Suzuki, I; Johjima; Langerhans 2. Team RISP: 3-for-10. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING SB: Suzuki, I (21, 3rd base off Porcello/Laird). FIELDING DP: (Hannahan-Lopez, J-Branyan).		Detroit AB- R-- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Granderson, CF 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 .256 Polanco, 2B 5 2 2 2 0 1 1 .259 Cabrera, M, 1B 3 3 3 1 2 0 0 .330 Thames, DH 3 1 0 0 2 1 3 .271 Ordonez, RF 3 2 1 4 1 0 2 .261 --Thomas, C, RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 Raburn, LF 3 0 1 2 1 0 1 .262 Inge, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .260 Laird, C 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .239 Everett, SS 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .249 Totals 34 9 11 9 6 3 12 BATTING 2B: Polanco (22, Olson), Cabrera, M (18, White). 3B: Raburn (2, Jakubauskas). HR: Ordonez (5, 1st inning off Olson, 3 on, 0 out), Polanco (7, 2nd inning off Olson, 0 on, 1 out), Cabrera, M (19, 6th inning off Kelley, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Granderson 2; Polanco 6; Cabrera, M 7; Ordonez 4; Raburn 3; Inge; Laird. RBI: Polanco 2 (43), Ordonez 4 (32), Raburn 2 (25), Cabrera, M (52). 2-out RBI: Raburn 2; Cabrera, M. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Inge; Raburn; Thames. GIDP: Inge. Team RISP: 2-for-7. Team LOB: 7.
Seattle IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Olson (L, 3-4) 1.1 5 7 7 3 0 2 5.46 Jakubauskas 3.2 3 1 1 1 1 0 5.25 Kelley 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 5.40 Corcoran 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 6.16 White 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.49		Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Porcello (W, 9-6) 5.0 9 5 5 1 4 2 4.40 Ni (H, 3) 0.2 2 1 1 0 1 1 2.79 Miner (H, 3) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.80 Seay (H, 20) 1.1 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.97 Lyon (H, 7) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.63 Rodney (S, 20) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.83
WP: Jakubauskas. HBP: Branyan (by Rodney). Pitches-strikes: Olson 53-30, Jakubauskas 53-32, Kelley 19-10, Corcoran 17-10, White 16-12, Porcello 85-58, Ni 14-9, Miner 10-7, Seay 16-11, Lyon 9-6, Rodney 18-14. Groundouts-flyouts: Olson 1-3, Jakubauskas 3-7, Kelley 1-1, Corcoran 2-1, White 2-0, Porcello 6-5, Ni 1-0, Miner 0-0, Seay 2-1, Lyon 0-1, Rodney 1-1. Batters faced: Olson 12, Jakubauskas 15, Kelley 5, Corcoran 4, White 4, Porcello 25, Ni 4, Miner 1, Seay 5, Lyon 2, Rodney 5. Inherited runners-scored: Jakubauskas 1-1, Miner 1-0. Umpires: HP: Paul Nauert. 1B: Joe West. 2B: Ed Rapuano. 3B: Paul Schrieber. Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, L to R. T: 2:59. Att: 32,906. July 21, 2009