GDT: 7/27/09 - DET (52-45) AT TEX (54-42) - 8:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Armando Galarraga made his first Major League start at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Sept. 24, 2007, with Gerald Laird as his catcher. Nearly two years later, they're heading back as a battery again, this time to try to keep the Tigers' success against Texas going and help reverse Detroit's summer road struggles.

Neither Laird nor Galarraga make a big deal about facing their old squads, which traded them to Detroit in different offseasons. They've both faced the Rangers since their trades, and both helped beat their old club, including a masterful performance as the battery in Detroit's home opener April 10. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be sweet for them to repeat it in Texas.

"We were a battery down there, and now we're going to be a battery against them," Laird said. "Sometimes things just work out. In Texas, Armando didn't really get an opportunity, and he gets an opportunity here and takes full advantage of it."

It's also an opportunity for the Tigers to build some badly needed momentum on the road against a team they beat six times in as many chances at Comerica Park this year. Galarraga's 15-2 victory in the home opener started the Tigers on their way to a three-game series sweep, then the Tigers repeated the sweep in mid-May.

But as the season has shown, that was at home, and the road can be a different story for Detroit. Even with Sunday night's loss to the White Sox, the Tigers' 31-16 record at home is their best home mark through 47 games since the 1984 team went 32-14 on its way to the World Series.

That's what makes Detroit's road struggles so flustering. Its 21-29 road mark is the worst of any team with a winning overall record aside from San Francisco, which is 21-31 away from AT&T Park. The Tigers haven't won a road series since taking three wins out of five games against the White Sox in early June.

The differences are drastic enough that it almost looks like a different team, and makes it amazing that this team is in first place. But consider how much better Detroit's position would be with a road record close to or at .500.

"It's not a different team," manager Jim Leyland said. "We just haven't performed as well, so we have to take care of that. We've got a good ballclub, and I've always been proud to take my team on the road. For whatever reason, we haven't done as well on the road, and we're going to talk about that in Texas."

They'll be arriving with some groggy eyes. The Tigers flew out from Detroit after Sunday night's loss and were scheduled to arrive in Arlington around 3 a.m. CT. Fortunately, they have three night games before getting a day off ahead of next weekend's three-game clash with Cleveland.

Fortunately for them, the Tigers second-half schedule is heavy on home games. But the road games they play are big.

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (5-8, 4.82 ERA)
Galarraga lowered his ERA by more than a quarter of a run in his last outing, thanks to 7 1/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball. He had a shutout going into the eighth before walking Jack Hannahan ahead of Russell Branyan's two-run homer off Bobby Seay. Galarraga has pitched at least 6 1/3 innings with one run allowed in three of his past four outings to revitalize his season, but the Tigers have won only one of those games.


TEX: RHP Tommy Hunter (2-1, 2.17 ERA)
Hunter pitched six innings and allowed one earned run Tuesday against the Red Sox for his second Major League win. It was his third quality start of the season. He has gone 2-1 with a 1.52 ERA over his last four starts to lower his ERA to 2.16 from 5.06. Hunter produced 10 consecutive batters from the second out of the third inning to the second out of the sixth. This is his debut against the Tigers. In his career at home, Hunter has a 5.01 ERA with a 2-2 record, but a 2.74 ERA with a 2-1 record this season.

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Tidbits

... The Tigers face three right-handed starters from the Rangers this series, so look for Carlos Guillen to be the designated hitter for the next three nights.
... Marlon Byrd is 3-for-6 lifetime off Galarraga.
... Tigers outfielders have combined for 18 assists this season, third-highest among AL clubs.
... Fernando Rodney has converted all 21 of his save opportunities this year, the longest single-season streak by a Tigers pitcher since Matt Anderson converted 22 straight from May 2-Sept. 28, 2001.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Tuesday: Tigers (Lucas French, 1-1, 2.22 ERA) at Rangers (Vicente Padilla, 7-5, 4.67 ERA), 8:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 11-5, 3.12 ERA) at Rangers (Scott Feldman, 9-3, 3.59 ERA), 8:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:


Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .255
Polanco, 2B .262
Thomas, C, LF .262
Cabrera, M, 1B .330
Guillen, C, DH .225
Ordonez, RF .261
Inge, 3B .256
Laird, C .235
Everett, SS .248

Texas AVG
Kinsler, 2B .244
Young, M, 3B .317
Murphy, Dv, LF .284
Byrd, CF .280
Blalock, 1B .254
Cruz, N, DH .268
Hamilton, RF .228
Saltalamacchia, C .246
Andrus, El, SS .251

Current Conditions

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Mostly Cloudy 80 F

Humidity: 79 %

Wind: from the NE at 8 mph

Barometer: 29.93 in

last updated: 7/27/09 5:45 PM CDT

A new thing for tonight.... a blessing of the team...

God, I pray that you bless the Detroit Tigers. Help each
player be relaxed but on fire to play at their best. Give them courage,
and boldness, without cockiness. Help them succeed with many victories,
and bring a World Series championship to Detroit and all Tigers fans.
And give direction to David Dombrowski, to make any trade needed to
help the team succeed! Help Leyland to make good choices in his
management of tonight's game. Amen.

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Curtis Granderson homers (20) on a line drive to right field.
DET 1, TEX 0




B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, pitcher Tommy Hunter to first baseman Hank Blalock.


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Clete Thomas grounds out, pitcher Tommy Hunter to first baseman Hank Blalock.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera called out on strikes.




DET 1, TEX 0

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Ian Kinsler pops out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


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


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
David Murphy pops out to shortstop Adam Everett.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Marlon Byrd lines out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

DET 1, TEX 0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, second baseman Ian Kinsler to first baseman Hank Blalock.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez doubles (13) on a line drive to left fielder David Murphy.


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



B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Gerald Laird swinging.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett pops out to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia in foul territory.

DET 1, TEX 0 after 1.5 inning

Bottom Half

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Hank Blalock lines out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.


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


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Josh Hamilton grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 1, TEX 0 after 2 innings

6 pitch inning for Gala!

Inning 3
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 - Curtis Granderson singles on a line
drive to left fielder David Murphy. Curtis Granderson out at 2nd on the
throw, left fielder David Murphy to second baseman Ian Kinsler.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Placido Polanco singles on a ground ball to shortstop Elvis Andrus.


B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Clete Thomas swinging.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds into a force out, shortstop Elvis Andrus to second baseman Ian Kinsler. Placido Polanco out at 2nd.


DET 1, TEX 0 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Elvis Andrus grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ian Kinsler called out on .

DET 1, TEX 0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, shortstop Elvis Andrus to first baseman Hank Blalock.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Brandon Inge grounds out, third baseman Michael Young to first baseman Hank Blalock.


DET 1, TEX 0 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Michael Young swinging.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
David Murphy flies out to left fielder Clete Thomas.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Marlon Byrd swinging.

DET 1, TEX 0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:0 -
Gerald Laird reaches on fielding error by third baseman Michael Young.

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Adam Everett lines out to third baseman Michael Young.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to right fielder Josh Hamilton. Gerald Laird to 2nd.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
With Placido Polanco batting, wild pitch by Tommy Hunter, Gerald Laird to 3rd. Curtis Granderson to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Placido Polanco walks.

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

B:0 S:0 O:2 - Clete Thomas grounds into a force out,
pitcher Tommy Hunter to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Gerald Laird out
at home. Curtis Granderson to 3rd. Placido Polanco to 2nd. Clete Thomas
to 1st.


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

DET 1, TEX 0 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Hank Blalock flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Nelson Cruz homers (24) on a fly ball to left center field.
DET 1, TEX 1


B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Josh Hamilton grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to second baseman Placido Polanco to pitcher Armando Galarraga.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Jarrod Saltalamacchia swinging.

DET 1, TEX 1 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, third baseman Michael Young to first baseman Hank Blalock.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, shortstop Elvis Andrus to first baseman Hank Blalock.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Brandon Inge flies out to center fielder Marlon Byrd.

DET 1, TEX 1 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:0 O:0 -
Elvis Andrus doubles (6) on a fly ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Ian Kinsler pops out to catcher Gerald Laird in foul territory.

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


B:0 S:0 O:1 - Michael Young singles on a line drive to
center fielder Curtis Granderson. Elvis Andrus scores. Michael Young to
2nd. Throwing error by center fielder Curtis Granderson. Fielding error
by pitcher Armando Galarraga.
TEX 2, DET 1

B:4 S:1 O:1 -
David Murphy walks.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Marlon Byrd pops out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera in foul territory.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Hank Blalock doubles (16) on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Michael Young scores. David Murphy scores.
TEX 4, DET 1


B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Nelson Cruz swinging.

TEX 4, DET 1 after 6 innings

Inning 7
Top Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Gerald Laird grounds out, shortstop Elvis Andrus to first baseman Hank Blalock.


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


B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Curtis Granderson flies out to right fielder Josh Hamilton in foul territory.

TEX 4, DET 1 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Josh Hamilton flies out to left fielder Clete Thomas.


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

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Elvis Andrus doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Clete Thomas.


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



TEX 4, DET 1 after 7 innings

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Jason Jennings replaces Tommy Hunter.


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Josh Hamilton.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Clete Thomas doubles (8) on a ground ball to left fielder David Murphy.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera lines out to right fielder Josh Hamilton.


B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Carlos Guillen singles on a line drive to left fielder David Murphy. Clete Thomas scores.

TEX 4, DET 2





B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez called out on strikes.

TEX 4, DET 2 after 7.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Ryan Perry replaces Armando Galarraga.


B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Michael Young homers (14) on a fly ball to left center field.
TEX 5, DET 2

B:1 S:3 O:1 - David Murphy called out on .

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Marlon Byrd doubles (30) on a line drive to left fielder Clete Thomas.


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


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Fu-Te Ni replaces Ryan Perry.


B:3 S:3 O:2 -
Hank Blalock swinging.


B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Fu-Te Ni intentionally walks Nelson Cruz.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Josh Hamilton called out on .

TEX 5, DET 2 after 8 innings

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: C. J. Wilson replaces Jason Jennings.


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


B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Gerald Laird walks.



B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Marcus Thames replaces Adam Everett.


B:3 S:2 O:1 -
With Marcus Thames batting, wild pitch by C. J. Wilson, Gerald Laird to 2nd.


B:3 S:3 O:2 -
Marcus Thames called out on .


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

Tigers lose 2-5

July 27, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Detroit	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		2	7	2
Texas	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	1	X		5	8	1

Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Granderson, CF 5 1 3 1 0 1 1 .260 Polanco, 2B 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .263 Thomas, C, LF 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 .262 Cabrera, M, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 5 .326 Guillen, C, DH 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 .226 Ordonez, RF 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .260 Inge, 3B 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .254 Laird, C 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .233 Everett, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .244 --a-Thames, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .265 Totals 34 2 7 2 3 10 17 a-Struck out for Everett in the 9th. BATTING 2B: Ordonez (13, Hunter, T), Thomas, C (8, Jennings). HR: Granderson (20, 1st inning off Hunter, T, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Granderson 6; Polanco; Thomas, C 2; Guillen, C; Ordonez 2. RBI: Granderson (47), Guillen, C (10). 2-out RBI: Guillen, C. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Everett; Cabrera, M 2; Granderson. Team RISP: 1-for-8. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING E: Granderson (1, throw), Galarraga (2, fielding).		Texas AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- Kinsler, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .242 Young, M, 3B 4 2 3 1 0 1 0 .322 Murphy, Dv, LF 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 .280 Byrd, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .279 Blalock, 1B 4 0 1 2 0 1 1 .254 Cruz, N, DH 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 .269 Hamilton, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .223 Saltalamacchia, C 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .243 Andrus, El, SS 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 .256 Totals 32 5 8 4 2 8 10 BATTING 2B: Andrus, El 2 (7, Galarraga, Galarraga), Blalock (16, Galarraga), Byrd (30, Perry). HR: Cruz, N (24, 5th inning off Galarraga, 0 on, 1 out), Young, M (14, 8th inning off Perry, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Young, M 6; Byrd 2; Blalock 2; Cruz, N 4; Andrus, El 4. RBI: Cruz, N (56), Blalock 2 (49), Young, M (42). 2-out RBI: Blalock 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cruz, N; Kinsler; Hamilton. Team RISP: 2-for-8. Team LOB: 5. FIELDING E: Young, M (7, fielding). Outfield assists: Murphy, Dv (Granderson at 2nd base).
Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Galarraga (L, 5-9) 7.0 6 4 4 1 5 1 4.84 Perry 0.1 2 1 1 0 1 1 3.90 Ni 0.2 0 0 0 1 2 0 2.38		Texas IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Hunter, T (W, 3-1) 7.0 5 1 1 2 6 1 2.00 Jennings (H, 11) 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 3.66 Wilson, C (S, 11) 1.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 2.80
WP: Hunter, T, Wilson, C. IBB: Cruz, N (by Ni). Pitches-strikes: Galarraga 100-61, Perry 11-7, Ni 17-7, Hunter, T 104-67, Jennings 16-11, Wilson, C 23-12. Groundouts-flyouts: Galarraga 6-10, Perry 0-0, Ni 0-0, Hunter, T 10-4, Jennings 0-2, Wilson, C 0-0. Batters faced: Galarraga 28, Perry 3, Ni 3, Hunter, T 28, Jennings 5, Wilson, C 4. Inherited runners-scored: Ni 1-0. Umpires: HP: Tim McClelland. 1B: Andy Fletcher. 2B: Greg Gibson. 3B: Ted Barrett. Weather: 77 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, L to R. T: 2:30. Att: 17,173. July 27, 2009