GDT: 8/14/09 - DET (60-54) VS KC (45-69) - 7:05 p.m. ET

BOSTON -- Brandon Inge isn't going to pretend his left knee isn't hurting anymore. It's still aching, and Tuesday's pile of players on Rick Porcello and Kevin Youkilis didn't help.

"It aggravated it," Inge said.

Yet as the Tigers return home from a four-game road trip where a lot went wrong in Boston and prepare to host the Royals for a three-game weekend set, the aggravation is more from Inge on himself. To him, a day off here and there or even a longer stretch off probably isn't going to help. He's going to have to find a way to make it work.

"I'm just going to have to make the adjustment," Inge said. "I don't need the days off. I understand [them]. But I need to find a way to perform better with this. It's not going to go away. There's no days that are going to help. I need to bear down.

"It's on me. It's on my shoulders."

It isn't his shoulders that have the Tigers worried.

Inge talked a couple weeks ago about the tendinitis in his left knee, and his need to play through it. So far, though, he has struggled. His flyout in his lone plate appearance Thursday dropped him to 2-for-11 in the series, including an 0-for-7 streak, and a .188 average (16-for-85) with 32 strikeouts since the All-Star break.

His average for the season is down to an even .250, his lowest point since he went 1-for-4 on Opening Day. And he admits that the knee is helping him fall into bad habits at the plate.

It's enough of a concern that manager Jim Leyland held Inge out of the lineup Thursday. Whether or not the day off helps, his struggles were reason enough.

"I need to get him away from it. He's hurting," Leyland said before Thursday's 2-0 win.

Leyland characterized it as an injury that "barks" from time to time. Because of it, he expects to give Inge a day off now and then for the rest of the season.

"It's like almost anything that anyone else has got," Leyland said. "You're walking down the street and something hurts. All of a sudden, you step a certain way and something hurts. It goes away, and two days later, you're walking down the street and boom, something grabs you again, same thing. It's very unpredictable."

In Inge's case, the funny step was the quick cut he made to his right, then his left as Youkilis charged after Porcello and threw his helmet. The pile on top of Youkilis and Porcello, and eventually on top of Inge, had nothing to do with it.

If it wasn't the fracas, however, it could've easily been something else down the line. Inge is expected to be back in the lineup Friday, but the challenge is to get back to being effective doing it.

"If I didn't have the injury, I would have no problems whatsoever," Inge said. "I could go right back into my old swing, be my old self, throw across the infield with no problems. I'm just going to have to figure it out."

While the Tigers were hoping to do a lot more damage on this trip than they did, they knew going in that this was their only road series for nearly a three-week stretch, with week-long homestands on either side. If they could succeed at home, they could absorb some trouble on the road.

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Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Jarrod Washburn (8-7, 3.12 ERA)
Detroit's big acquisition at the non-waiver Trade Deadline is still looking for his first win as a Tiger after taking a loss and a no-decision in his first two starts for Detroit. He left with a lead after six innings against Minnesota, but gave up five runs on 10 hits over six innings. Washburn is 8-6 with a 3.16 ERA in his career against the Royals.

KC: RHP Zack Greinke (11-7, 2.43 ERA)
Greinke got his first victory in seven starts last Saturday night when he held the A's to three runs in seven innings. That ended a string of six games in which he lost four times and had two no-decisions. Greinke, though, wasn't entirely happy with his outing, especially in the first two innings, when his location was off. Also, his curveball wasn't very good, so he used more changeups. But he got the win and his ERA of 2.43 still was the American League's best. He's already faced the Tigers three times this year, going 2-1 with two complete-game victories, both 6-1.

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Tidbits

... The Tigers will have Eddie Bonine available in the bullpen Friday. Detroit recalled him from Triple-A Toledo after Thursday's game in Boston to replace Freddy Dolsi, who was sent back to the Mud Hens. Bonine, who was scheduled to start for Toledo on Friday, could be Plan B for the Tigers if Armando Galarraga can't start Sunday.
... Tests on Galarraga came back negative for any contagious illness, head athletic trainer Kevin Rand.
... Leyland does not believe jitters were the cause of Washburn's struggles last Sunday, his second start in a Tigers uniform. "I think the first game, he did [have jitters]. I think the second game, he was over that. I think that's past him."
... Placido Polanco is 5-for-11 this season against Greinke. Gerald Laird is 5-for-9 off the Royals ace.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Saturday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 8-5, 2.79 ERA) vs. Royals (Luke Hochevar, 6-5, 5.38 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 6-10, 5.23 ERA) vs. Royals (Kyle Davies, 4-8, 6.11 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:


Kansas City AVG
DeJesus, D, LF .266
Bloomquist, CF .257
Butler, 1B .300
Olivo, C .243
Callaspo, 2B .307
Teahen, RF .278
Pena, B, DH .314
Gordon, A, 3B .224
Betancourt, Y, SS .241

Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .256
Polanco, 2B .274
Thomas, C, RF .251
Cabrera, M, 1B .327
Guillen, C, DH .236
Thames, LF .257
Inge, 3B .250
Laird, C .230
Everett, SS .237

Inning 1
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
David DeJesus flies out to right fielder Clete Thomas.


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Willie Bloomquist swinging.


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

0-0

Bottom Half

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


B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Placido Polanco on foul tip.


B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Clete Thomas on foul tip.

0-0 AFTER 1 INNING

Inning 2
Top Half

B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Miguel Olivo lines out to left fielder Marcus Thames.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Alberto Callaspo grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Mark Teahen swinging.

0-0 AFTER 1.5 INNING

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to first baseman Billy Butler.


B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen walks.



B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Marcus Thames pops out to second baseman Alberto Callaspo.


B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Brandon Inge flies out to right fielder Mark Teahen.

0-0 AFTER 2 INNING

Inning 3
Top Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Brayan Pena flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Alex Gordon flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Yuniesky Betancourt lines out to shortstop Adam Everett.


0-0 AFTER 2.5 INNING

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird grounds out, first baseman Billy Butler to pitcher Zack Greinke.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Adam Everett flies out to center fielder Willie Bloomquist.


B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson doubles (14) on a line drive to right fielder Mark Teahen.


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Placido Polanco lines out to right fielder Mark Teahen.

0-0 AFTER 3 INNINGS

Inning 4
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
David DeJesus flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Willie Bloomquist called out on .


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Billy Butler walks.


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

0-0 AFTER 3.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Clete Thomas called out on .


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera pops out to first baseman Billy Butler.


B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Carlos Guillen walks.



B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Marcus Thames singles on a line drive to left fielder David DeJesus. Carlos Guillen to 3rd.


B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Brandon Inge swinging. ( WHAT'S NEW)

0-0 AFTER 4 INNINGS

Inning 5
Top Half

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


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Mark Teahen grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Brayan Pena singles on a ground ball to left fielder Marcus Thames.


B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Alex Gordon flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

0-0 AFTER 4.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird pops out to catcher Miguel Olivo in foul territory.


B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Adam Everett flies out to left fielder David DeJesus.


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



B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Placido Polanco walks. Curtis Granderson to 2nd.


B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Clete Thomas strikes out swinging. ( THE LAST TWO PITCHES WERE BALLS, DON'T SWING AT THEM CLETE!!!)

0-0 AFTER 5 INNINGS

Inning 6
Top Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Yuniesky Betancourt pops out to catcher Gerald Laird in foul territory.


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


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Willie Bloomquist singles on a ground ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:0 S:0 O:3 - With Billy Butler batting, Willie
Bloomquist caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Gerald Laird to second
baseman Placido Polanco.


0-0 AFTER 5.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera lines out to first baseman Billy Butler.


B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Carlos Guillen flies out to left fielder David DeJesus.


B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Marcus Thames grounds out, third baseman Alex Gordon to first baseman Billy Butler.

0-0 AFTER 6 INNINGS

Inning 7
Top Half



B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Billy Butler grounds out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Miguel Olivo lines out sharply to third baseman Brandon Inge.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Alberto Callaspo pops out to shortstop Adam Everett.


0-0 AFTER 6.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Brandon Inge pops out to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.


B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Gerald Laird flies out to center fielder Willie Bloomquist.


B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Adam Everett reaches on fielding error by shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to left fielder David DeJesus. Adam Everett to 2nd.




B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Placido Polanco flies out to right fielder Mark Teahen.


0-0 AFTER 7 INNINGS

Inning 8
Top Half

B:2 S:0 O:0 -
Mark Teahen singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson.


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Brayan Pena out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher Gerald Laird to second baseman Placido Polanco. Mark Teahen to 2nd.


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Alex Gordon grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Mark Teahen to 3rd.


B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Yuniesky Betancourt walks.


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

0-0 AFTER 7.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Roman Colon replaces Zack Greinke.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Clete Thomas grounds out, second baseman Alberto Callaspo to first baseman Billy Butler.


B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera swinging.


B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen flies out to left fielder David DeJesus in foul territory.

0-0 AFTER 8 INNINGS

Inning 9
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Brandon Lyon replaces Jarrod Washburn.


B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Willie Bloomquist swinging.


B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Billy Butler lines out to right fielder Clete Thomas.


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



0-0 AFTER 8.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

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


B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Brandon Inge homers (23) on a fly ball to left field.


DET wins 1, KC 0

August 14, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Kansas City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	3	1
Detroit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	0

Kansas City AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB -AVG- DeJesus, D, LF 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .263 Bloomquist, CF 4 0 1 0 0 3 0 .257 Butler, 1B 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .297 Olivo, C 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .240 Callaspo, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304 Teahen, RF 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .278 Pena, B, DH 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .318 Gordon, A, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .216 Betancourt, Y, SS 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .239 Totals 28 0 3 0 2 5 5 BATTING TB: Bloomquist; Teahen; Pena, B. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: DeJesus, D. S: Pena, B. Team RISP: 0-for-2. Team LOB: 4. BASERUNNING CS: Bloomquist (4, 2nd base by Washburn/Laird). FIELDING E: Betancourt, Y (11, fielding).		Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Granderson, CF 3 0 2 0 1 1 0 .259 Polanco, 2B 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .272 Thomas, C, RF 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .246 Cabrera, M, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .324 Guillen, C, DH 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 .233 Thames, LF 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .257 Inge, 3B 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 .250 Laird, C 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .227 Everett, SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .234 Totals 30 1 4 1 4 8 9 BATTING 2B: Granderson (14, Greinke). HR: Inge (23, 9th inning off Colon, R, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Granderson 3; Thames; Inge 4. RBI: Inge (65). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Polanco 2; Inge; Thomas, C. Team RISP: 0-for-4. Team LOB: 8.
Kansas City IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Greinke 7.0 3 0 0 4 6 0 2.33 Colon, R (L, 1-2) 1.1 1 1 1 0 2 1 6.00		Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Washburn 8.0 3 0 0 2 4 0 2.95 Lyon (W, 6-4) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.95
Pitches-strikes: Greinke 106-65, Colon, R 22-13, Washburn 107-63, Lyon 12-9. Groundouts-flyouts: Greinke 3-12, Colon, R 1-1, Washburn 8-11, Lyon 0-2. Batters faced: Greinke 29, Colon, R 5, Washburn 28, Lyon 3. Umpires: HP: Ed Rapuano. 1B: Paul Schrieber. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B: Joe West. Weather: 82 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, R to L. T: 2:21. Att: 34,799. August 14, 2009