From the FSN Daily Wire

Detroit Tigers Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange


Updated: August 7, 2009, 4:40 AM EDT
--LHP Nate Robertson made his first rehab start for Class AAA Toledo and went 2 2/3 innings Tuesday before being removed one pitch shy of his 40-pitch limit. Robertson threw 31 strikes and allowed four hits and a run in his first game since having four fatty deposits removed from his left elbow more than a month ago. Robertson didn't walk anyone and struck out two. The only run he allowed came on a solo home run. He is scheduled for several more starts before being considered for a return to Detroit.
--RHP Jeremy Bonderman worked a perfect inning for Toledo on Tuesday in his first rehab appearance since undergoing a second shoulder strengthening program. Bonderman didn't strike out anybody. He is targeted for the Tigers' bullpen if he shows sufficient fastball velocity. Bonderman threw just 13 pitches, seven for strikes, but was on a one-inning limit.
--LHP Jarrod Washburn gave up six hits Tuesday in his Detroit debut, but he also allowed six runs. Washburn may have been a little too amped up, although he retired 10 straight from the second until he gave up a solo home run in the fifth. But he allowed a two-run home run among four runs in the sixth and was relieved with one out, having thrown 90 pitches. "I was terrible," said Washburn, who admitted to being nervous. He declined to make excuses even though he was pitching two days later than normal because of being traded from Seattle to Detroit. "He was rusty. You could see his command wasn't there," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's not going to be an issue for us. He's going to be good for us. We have other things much worse than that."

BY THE NUMBERS: 43 -- Games pitched by closer RHP Fernando Rodney before he muffed his first save of the season Aug. 1 in Cleveland. Rodney converted his first 21 of the season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If you can find a better owner in sports than Mike Ilitch, I'm not sure where he is. He wants to win and is very clear about that. But, yes, it does bump our payroll up. I know there are a lot of clubs that wouldn't be able to do it, because it's not an insignificant sum, but it also gives us a chance to win." -- General manager Dave Dombrowski, after the Tigers' payroll went up about $3.5 million with the acquisition of LHP Jarrod Washburn from Seattle.

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


August 10, 2009, 5:20 AM EDT
Right fielder Magglio Ordonez is showing signs of life at the plate, second baseman Placido Polanco is getting hot again and designated hitter Carlos Guillen is a threat at the plate once more.
And Detroit has won five of its last seven games.
Is this turning into one of those "Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make" situations?

Detroit added left-hander Jarrod Washburn to bolster its rotation at the end of July, not willing to overpay for a hitter and maybe banking on some of its slumping veteran hitters to return to form.

Hitters at the top of the lineup getting on base more often was a starting point, and center fielder Curtis Granderson went 8-for-24 over Detroit's last seven games, while Polanco went 13-for-30 with six RBI.

Over the last two weeks Polanco is 20-for-55 to lift his season's average to .276.

Guillen was 9-for-23 over the last seven games but is 18-for-57 since returning from the disabled list little more than two weeks ago. He has two home runs and eight RBI in that time.

Ordonez, given up for lost over the last two months, doesn't have run production (one home run, two RBI in two weeks) was 9-for-24 in Detroit's last seven games and shows he still knows how to work a count and get some hits. He has quietly become a de facto regular again.

There are still trouble spots (third base, catcher, shortstop) but getting base hits out of Guillen, Ordonez and Polanco has been big for the Tigers over the last week.

TIGERS 8, TWINS 7: 2B Placido Polanco's opposite field single to right in the eighth inning Sunday broke a 6-6 tie and RF Clete Thomas followed with an RBI groundout to give Detroit its last two runs and a victory on a day when LHP Jarrod Washburn struggled for the second time in two starts as a Tiger. Washburn was touched for 10 hits and five runs in six innings, but Detroit's bullpen couldn't hold a lead of its own, forcing the Tigers to rally for their fifth win in seven games. LF Marcus Thames touched off a four-run fourth inning with the 100th home run of his career, and 1B Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run home run, his 23rd, in the fifth. RHP Brandon Lyon pitched a scoreless eighth and won his fifth of nine decisions with RHP Fernando Rodney allowing a solo home run while registering his 23rd save of the season.

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


Updated: August 14, 2009, 4:00 AM EDT
If he hits, Magglio Ordonez will vest his $18 million option for 2010.
And if he doesn't, he won't get enough plate appearances (now less than 100) to trigger the option and Detroit likely will buy him out for $3 million.
Ordonez has been hitting .300 since DH Carlos Guillen returned from the disabled list near the end of July.

He went from a strict platoon arrangement with Clete Thomas to his current status of being nearly a full-time player again. His power isn't all the way back but after going 1-for-4 Thursday, Ordonez's average sat at .271.

He's not the Magglio Ordonez who has ripped everything the past few seasons but he is scorching some balls, and even when he wasn't hitting, he was still giving the Tigers quality at-bats.

Through it all, Ordonez has kept his opinions to himself and worked hard with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon to get a quicker trigger to his swing.

He went to a more open stance a couple of weeks ago but lately has pulled his front foot back in line with the pitcher's rubber again.

Ordonez's fate will be an interesting subplot to the rest of the season. If he keeps hitting the ball with authority, though, the mystery will be taken away.

TIGERS 2, RED SOX 0: RHP Justin Verlander shut down Boston on four hits with eight strikeouts over eight innings Thursday while substitute 3B Ryan Raburn drove in both Detroit runs with an infield single and a solo home run. Verlander came out throwing fastballs in the upper 90s and the last of his 123 pitches, a strikeout of LF Jason Bay, was clocked at 100 mph. RHP Fernando Rodney worked a clean ninth for his 24th save. Raburn came up with runners on first and third with two out in the fourth and beat out a hit to third to drive in the first run of the game. He lined a 1-0 fastball into the seats atop the Green Monster in the seventh. The victory allowed Detroit to leave Boston with its only win over the Red Sox this season (1-6) while Verlander is now 8-2 when he pitches following a Detroit loss.

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


Updated: August 18, 2009, 5:20 AM EDT
The Tigers have hunted Aubrey Huff for a number of seasons. They finally bagged the left-handed power hitter Monday.
"Run production plays into it quite a bit," general manager Dave Dombrowski said after the deal that sent 2008 fourth-round draft choice Brent Jacobson, a pitcher, to Baltimore. "We think he's a guy who can drive in runs."
The Tigers didn't announce a roster move because they don't have to until the 32-year-old Huff reports. But they likely will option slumping outfielder Clete Thomas to Class AAA Toledo until Sept. 1.

Dombrowski has ruled out cutting right fielder Magglio Ordonez at this time.

Huff, whose contract is up after the season, is batting .253 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs this season. He is a lifetime .284 hitter with 201 home runs and 739 RBIs during a 10-year career with Tampa Bay, Houston and Baltimore.

Manager Jim Leyland has been going left-right-left-right in his lineup as much as possible recently, so that would indicate Huff will share third or fifth with designated hitter Carlos Guillen around cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera.

The problem for the Tigers is fitting Huff into the lineup. He's been primarily a first baseman and DH with Baltimore but he won't push Cabrera off first base. Huff has seen limited action at third and even less time in the outfield in recent years.

With the ailing Guillen unable as of yet to play the outfield, Huff likely will see action in left more than anyplace else.

"He can play first. Of course, he's not going to play there on a regular basis," Dombrowski said. "He can play third if we decide to rest (Brandon) Inge. He has not played outfield since 2006, but he can play out there, and some people think that's his best position. That's something Jim will decide on a daily basis."

Detroit Tigers Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange

Updated: August 20, 2009, 5:40 AM EDT
--LF Carlos Guillen hadn't played left field since May 4 prior to Tuesday night but now has started in the outfield twice in a row since the Tigers acquired DH Aubrey Huff. Guillen made his first hard throw on an RBI single to left in the fifth. It wasn't a bullet but he didn't chicken-wing it either. The test on that will be how sore the shoulder is on Thursday. Guillen reported he hadn't been swinging from the right side for nearly a week and doesn't sound optimistic about batting right-handed soon, which means he's not likely to be in the starting lineup until Saturday because left-handers are starting the next two games against Detroit. Guillen hit his fifth home run of the season for Detroit's lone run Wednesday night.
--RF Magglio Ordonez is now 85 plate appearances away from vesting his $18 million option for 2010. He enhanced his chances with three singles Wednesday night, including a ground ball up the middle in the ninth after fouling off some mid-90s fastballs. He is probable to start the Tigers' next two games with left-handed pitchers going against Detroit.
--RHP Eddie Bonine was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo to create a roster spot for DH/OF Aubrey Huff, acquired Monday from Baltimore. Bonine was brought up Aug. 13 in case he was needed to start but did not appear in a game.

--RHP Chris Lambert was designated for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for newly signed No. 1 draft choice RHP Jacob Turner. Lambert was brought up from Toledo on Aug. 5 and allowed 11 runs in two appearances before being optioned back to the minors Aug. 11. Lambert, if not claimed or traded, likely would be outrighted back to Toledo if he clears waivers.

--RHP Armando Galarraga got a little pep talk from manager Jim Leyland after he was way too deliberate during a hot, humid first inning in which he allowed one run. "I went down and talked to him and (catcher) Gerald (Laird) and said, 'Put the sign down and throw the ball. You're going to have fans passing out, players passing out and everything,'" Leyland said. "After that, he was pretty good." Laird said, "It's 90 degrees back there, and he's taking his time. I kept telling him, 'Let's go.' He seems to work better when he gets into a rhythm. He doesn't seem to think so, but I'm back there most of the time, and I know what's best for him." Galarraga struck out four straight batters for five in a row after that and didn't allow a run until his final inning, the fifth. He missed his previous scheduled start due to a severe case of the flu that caused him to lose some 15 pounds.

BY THE NUMBERS: 4-5 -- The Tigers' record in games on the West Coast this season. Detroit makes its final visits to the coast, at Oakland and Anaheim, in a six-game trip starting this weekend.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's got a real quiet ability to slow the game down when he hits. That's a tremendous trait. He has a knack for identifying early a ball from a strike. Slowing it down -- he's really good at that." -- Manager Jim Leyland on what he's seen from Alex Avila after the rookie catcher's first two weeks in the majors.

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


Updated: August 21, 2009, 4:20 AM EDT
It's not going to happen.
No matter how much Tigers fans want to rush rookie catcher Alex Avila and his hot bat into the lineup right away, it isn't going to happen. Not yet.
It might be different if Detroit were way out of consideration for first place in the AL Central and next year was looking a lot closer than this year. Then manager Jim Leyland might be tempted to dump catcher Gerald Laird, whom the Tigers went to great pains to acquire from Texas last winter.

But not with Detroit holding steadily onto first place, a position it gained back in early May with Laird calling games, skillfully guiding a pitching staff he'd met for the first time in February and throwing out baserunners better than anyone else in the league.

Last year, when Leyland gave catcher Dusty Ryan a long look in September, was a different story. Detroit was on its way to last place, it had already decided Brandon Inge was going back to third and it was important to solidify whether Ryan would be the guy behind the mask in 2009.

Avila has played nine impressive games for Detroit since being called up from Double-A early this month. He hit a home run Tuesday to ignite a four-run rally that gave the Tigers a win.

And Thursday he pinch-hit a two-run single up the middle with two out in the sixth off a 2-2 curveball that was about nine inches off the ground. It brought Detroit up from a 6-3 deficit and put the Tigers in position for a two-run rally in the ninth to win the game.

Avila now has nine RBI in his nine games, he's hitting .435, and he's got a left-handed swing as sweet as a two-quart jug of maple syrup.

Leyland has violated his pledge not to pinch-hit Avila because he didn't want to leave himself with just Ryan Raburn as his emergency catcher. He's done it twice this week as Detroit's offense continues to stumble.

TIGERS 7, MARINERS 6: Clete Thomas lined a 3-2 fastball past first base into right field for an RBI single with two out to complete a two-run ninth and a Detroit rally from a 6-2 deficit. Brandon Inge, who made two excellent catches of foul balls into the stands, hit a solo home run in the fourth and delivered a score-tying sacrifice fly to center with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth. Jarrod Washburn started for Detroit against his former teammates and gave up four home runs worth six runs to put the Tigers in their 6-2 hole.

Detroit Tigers Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange


August 25, 2009, 5:20 AM EDT
--RHP Jeremy Bonderman might be getting to the point where he'll be able to help Detroit out of the bullpen in September. Bonderman threw two scoreless innings in relief Sunday for Triple-A Toledo, but the most important news was that his fastball was clocked at a peak of 95 mph. Earlier this year he had trouble reaching 90. "He threw 95 mph," Manager Jim Leyland said. "He's getting close, and that's good."
--RHP Rick Porcello threw a pair of home run balls to DH Jack Cust on Sunday that accounted for four of the five runs he allowed. Porcello came out throwing mostly fastballs, largely two-seamers but the odd four-seam fastball as well. He seemed to lose some composure in the third when Oakland scored four runs to erase a 1-0 Detroit lead. Three of the runs scored on a Cust home run to left center. SS Cliff Pennington singled and advanced to second on a fly to center, a move that paid off when CF Rajai Davis singled. Cust hit his home run one out later.
--CF Curtis Granderson is faring so poorly against left-handers that manager Jim Leyland pinch-hit for him Sunday when a southpaw reliever was brought into the game in the seventh inning. Granderson is hitting just .178 against lefties after two seasons of steady improvement against them. He missed Thursday's game entirely against a southpaw starter and entered Friday's game as a late-inning sub when the left-hander was out of the game. He doubled and scored in the first inning (against a right-hander) Saturday and hit a home run to start Sunday's game -- against another right-hander. But Leyland elected to bat UTL Ryan Raburn with runners on in the seventh because the Athletics brought in a lefty reliever. The leadoff home run was the fourth for Granderson this season and 21st in his career.

BY THE NUMBERS: 7.82 -- Millions of dollars in bonus money Detroit showered on three draft choices it signed on deadline day, Aug. 17. No. 1 pick RHP Jacob Turner got $4.7 million, No. 2 pick LHP Andrew Oliver got $1.495 million and sixth-round selection SS Daniel Fields netted $1.625 million.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Thirty-plus years ago, I was drafted by the same organization in the seventh round. To have my son follow along in my footsteps, it was a dream come true." -- Former Detroit outfielder, minor league manager and major league hitting coach Bruce Fields after his son, Daniel, a shortstop, signed an estimated $1.625-million contract Aug. 17 as the Tigers' choice in the sixth round of the June draft. Bruce Fields is now a minor-league hitting instructor with Cleveland.

Team exec Avila's kid off to fast start in Detroit
Associated Press

Updated: August 25, 2009, 2:32 PM EDT
DETROIT (AP) - The Tigers clubhouse was almost empty the morning after a close loss to Seattle.
Justin Verlander plopped down in front of a computer monitor in the locker room. Third base coach Gene Lamont read a newspaper inside the manager's office.
Catcher Alex Avila sat at a table in the cafeteria, chatting with a Tigers executive. Jim Leyland strolled by.

"Hey, Alex," the manager barked. "How ya doin'?"

"OK, Skip," the rookie said.

Avila's morning talk with the team's vice president and assistant general manager might have been about more than just baseball.

After all, Avila was talking to his father. Al Avila, a longtime baseball man, has had the good fortune to have a front-row seat for his son's successful first month in the big leagues.

"We talk about anything from what goes on that day to the game that I just finished playing. Really it's all typical family conversation," Alex Avila said. "Whenever he sees something, he doesn't hesitate to tell me. He's very truthful and likes me to be in touch with reality. He reminds me of what I need to do to continue to improve."

Alex Avila never expected to play in the majors this season. He started out at Double-A Erie, where he hit .264 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs, but he still was two levels from the big leagues.

Plus, there were two catchers ahead of him at Triple-A Toledo, and the team signed former Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor to back up Gerald Laird.

Treanor lasted only four games before injury ended his season. Dane Sardinha and Dusty Ryan were brought up from Toledo, but hit .097 and .160 respectively and were sent back down.

So Detroit decided to give Al Avila's kid a shot. The Tigers promoted him in early August, two years after he was drafted in the fifth round after three seasons at Alabama.

On Aug. 6, the 22-year-old catcher from Hialeah, Fla., made his major league debut against the Baltimore Orioles, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Al Avila accepted handshakes from those around him and a hug from Tigers great Al Kaline at Comerica Park after his son's first hit. Alex Avila followed with another 2-for-4 showing and his first home run the next night against Minnesota.

Entering Tuesday night's game at the Los Angeles Angels, Avila was hitting .333 with four doubles, three homers and nine RBIs in only 30 at-bats. The 5-foot-11 catcher also is drawing praise for his work behind the plate.

"He's doing a really good job for not catching all these guys since spring training," Laird said. "He's asking a lot of questions and listening a lot. He's doing a tremendous job."

The Tigers may have found that backup catcher after all.

"As of right now, he's a major league player, and he's doing the job," Leyland said. "He got called up, and he responded very favorably. We like him. He's got a chance to have a bright future because left-handed hitting catchers are golden."

Leyland showed his faith in Avila on Thursday. With his team down three runs to Seattle and runners on second and third in the sixth inning with two outs, Leyland used Avila to pinch hit for shortstop Adam Everett.

Mariners reliever Chris Jakubauskas got ahead in the count 0-2. Avila, who holds the bat flat against his shoulder, took two pitches outside the strike zone before driving a breaking ball up the middle to score both runners and put his team within a run of Seattle.

"Knowing that your manager has confidence in you is a great thing," Avila said.

Now it's up to Avila to do what Sardinha and Ryan couldn't: stick with the club for the rest of the season. Either way, he'll always have at least one fan in Tigers management.

"He's made me very happy as a father," said Al Avila, whose father, Ralph, was a Los Angeles Dodgers vice president. "As a baseball player, he's done everything that's expected of him. So in that sense, as a father, I'm very happy. He's made me very happy since he was a little kid. I'm happy for him. He's worked very hard for this, and it's paying off for him."

Detroit Tigers Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange

Updated: August 28, 2009, 5:20 AM EDT
--RHP Edwin Jackson, relief pitcher? That was manager Jim Leyland's first impression when he saw Jackson while he was pitching for Tampa Bay. "I thought he could be a top-notch closer," Leyland said. "He's been a horse, he's been tremendous. But to this day, I think he could still be a great closer. This is a great arm with a great athlete." Leyland acknowledged, though, Jackson will remain in the rotation because he has established himself as a starter.
--RHP Rick Porcello moves up one day in the rotation to start Friday against Tampa Bay at Comerica Park. However, because of Thursday's day off in the schedule, Porcello will still be going on normal rest. The move lets the Tigers spot LHP Nate Robertson back in the rotation even though he'll be working on the fourth day instead of his fifth. Robertson threw 68 pitches Tuesday in his rehab start for Class AAA Toledo and RHP Zach Miner will probably come in around the fourth or fifth inning.
--LHP Nate Robertson's rehab assignment was cut short, and he will start Saturday for Detroit against Tampa Bay. RHP Armando Galarraga, scheduled to pitch Friday, was optioned to Class AAA Toledo for 10 days because of an inflamed right elbow. RHP Rick Porcello will move up a day and start Friday, and Robertson, who hurled 6 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday for Toledo, will go Saturday. Robertson has a 1.89 ERA in five starts for Toledo after undergoing surgery to remove four masses from his left elbow earlier this season. "Nate threw the ball very well," GM Dave Dombrowski said. "He threw only three (called) balls through five innings. He had good command of his pitches. His slider was good and his fastball was good." Porcello will also be starting on normal rest because Detroit is off on Thursday and manager Jim Leyland was going to give all his starters an extra day of rest.

BY THE NUMBERS: 7.82 -- Millions of dollars in bonus money Detroit showered on three draft choices it signed on deadline day, Aug. 17. No. 1 pick RHP Jacob Turner got $4.7 million, No. 2 pick LHP Andrew Oliver got $1,495,000 and sixth-round selection SS Daniel Fields netted $1,625,000.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Thirty-plus years ago, I was drafted by the same organization in the seventh round. To have my son follow along in my footsteps, it was a dream come true." -- Former Detroit outfielder, minor league manager and major league hitting coach Bruce Fields after his son, Daniel, a shortstop, signed an estimated $1.625-million contract Aug. 17 as the Tigers' choice in the sixth round of the June draft. Bruce Fields is now a minor league hitting instructor with Cleveland.

Tigers to recall Bonderman
Associated Press

Updated: August 31, 2009, 1:15 PM EDT
DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Tigers plan to recall right-hander Jeremy Bonderman from an injury rehab assignment Tuesday, the same day they promote five other players from Triple-A Toledo.
Bonderman missed half of last season after undergoing surgery to correct a blood clot in his right shoulder and lasted just four innings of his only start this summer, a June loss at the Chicago White Sox. He was 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 13 relief appearances in Toledo.
Manager Jim Leyland said Monday the right-hander will pitch for the Tigers, but added there's "no chance" he will start.

Detroit also will recall right-handers Eddie Bonine and Casey Fein, as well as catcher Dusty Ryan and outfielder Wilkin Ramirez from Toledo on Tuesday. The club also will purchase the contract of shortstop Brent Dlugach from its Triple-A affiliate and place infielder Michael Hollimon (shoulder) on the 60-day disabled list.

Updated: September 3, 2009, 4:55 AM EDT
Rick Porcello is being protected by the Tigers, but who's protecting hitters from him?
Porcello pitched 125 innings of Class A ball last year, his first out of high school, and passed that level in his previous start.
He tacked seven more innings onto that Wednesday night for a total of 135 2/3. By the end of the month, the 20-year-old will have exceeded the current thinking that young pitchers should increase their innings by no more than 25 percent from year to year. Porcello's ceiling under that thinking would be 156 1/3.

"I was looking at his innings the other day," manager Jim Leyland said. "It's OK. The rest (at the All-Star break) did him good. A lot of people questioned it. He's going to get an extra day before his next start."

Porcello has only been over 100 pitches only once this season and generally has come out in the fifth or sixth having thrown somewhere between 70 and 90 pitches.

Wednesday he threw 80, only 28 of them balls.

"He's growing by leaps and bounds," Leyland said.

TIGERS 4, INDIANS 2: RF Magglio Ordonez singled three times, driving in one run, to help rookie RHP Rick Porcello win his 12th game -- most in a season by a Detroit pitcher under 21. Porcello pitched one batter into the eighth, driven out by a solo home run, and ended Wednesday's game with four hits allowed, no walks and one strikeout. He also threw his 22nd double play grounder of the season. RHP Fernando Rodney threw a double play ball to close out the game with runners on first and third, earning his 31st save.

2B Placido Polanco singled with one out in the first and alertly advanced to third on Ordonez's infield hit when the Indians made their first of five errors in the game. 1B Miguel Cabrera delivered Polanco with a sacrifice fly to deep right center, tying the score at 1-1. A walk to Cabrera in the fourth, a single by DH Marcus Thames and a double error by 3B Jhonny Peralta broke the tie. Rookie LF Wilkin Ramirez hit an 0-2 pitch to center for a sacrifice fly. Polanco doubled and Ordonez singled to right in the seventh to make it 4-1.

Detroit increased its lead over second-place Minnesota in the AL Central to 4 1/2 games.

Where would this team be without Rick and Placido! I am so glad they brought Porcello up this year, he is learning the game faster in Detroit and has turned into a great MAJOR LEAGUE pitcher. I can only picture how great he will be in the coming years.

I also hope they sign Placido for at least 1 more year, possibly 2. I don't think our minor league 2nd basemen are ready for a full time Tigers situation yet.

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


Updated: September 9, 2009, 5:40 AM EDT
The Tigers have another increasingly important ally -- the calendar -- in their bid to win the division title in the weak AL Central.

Though they lost Tuesday at Kansas City, the Twins and White Sox also lost and remained 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 games, respectively, out of first place.
With another day ripped off the schedule. That means that Detroit is virtually assured of still leading the division on Sept. 15.

There's only one complication: Detroit has six games left with Chicago and seven with Minnesota.

For the Tigers, the formula is easy -- win as often as they can. For the Twins and White Sox, they not only have to beat the Tigers, they also have to defeat one another.

ROYALS 7, TIGERS 5: Two outfield miscues and a rare instance of bullpen leakage Tuesday ended Detroit's six-game winning streak. LF Ryan Raburn misjudged a sharp flyball that turned into a double in the fifth, and the Royals chopped two runs off the Tigers' 5-2 lead with a double and a sacrifice fly. RF Clete Thomas shied away from the wall on a foul fly in the seventh and 1B Billy Butler made him pay with an RBI single to tie the score. DH Mike Jacobs followed with an RBI single to put Kansas City in front for the first time since the bottom of the second. The Royals added an insurance run in the eighth.

Tigers' Rodney suspended for 3 games by MLB
Associated Press

Updated: September 8, 2009, 8:35 PM EDT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Detroit Tigers closer Fernando Rodney has been suspended for three games and fined for throwing a ball toward the stands following a game last week.
The penalty, announced Tuesday by baseball vice president for discipline Bob Watson, comes after Rodney threw a ball toward the seats and into the press box at Tropicana Field following Detroit's 4-3 win at Tampa Bay on Friday night. No one was hit by the ball and Rodney said afterward that he was throwing it to the fans.
Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said Rodney clearly didn't have any intent to injure anyone and will appeal the suspension.

"I cannot condone what Fernando did. That was inappropriate - you're not supposed to throw the ball into the stands like that and the players know that," he said. "Fortunately, no one got hit, but beyond that it's not like he was upset at anyone other than himself. He wasn't throwing it anyone, he wasn't throwing it in the press box on purpose. He just threw the ball."

Rodney's heave came after he allowed two runs in the ninth inning before closing out his 32nd save. Once it was over, he grabbed the game ball from teammate Miguel Cabrera and hurled it over the screen into the press box, where it crashed off the front row into the back.

Rodney said Tuesday he wasn't trying to hit anyone and thought the suspension was too severe.

"That's surprising. I think if I hit (intentionally) somebody with the ball, then I need to pay the penalty," Rodney said. "I know it's not a good idea to throw the ball into the stands, but it's an emotional time. It's an emotional thing to do."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland didn't see Rodney throw the ball into the stands, but Dombrowski did and called him into the manager's office after the game to tell him his behavior was inappropriate. Dombrowski said Rodney apologized and said he was mad at himself and had let his emotions got the best of him.

Dombrowski also said the length of the suspension was due, in part, to a letter sent to Major League Baseball by the president of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Dombrowski said he was told that the letter from Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, which he has a copy of, was a "strong" factor in MLB's decision to suspend Rodney.

"What bothers me - and, again, I don't condone what happened - was that a lot of it was driven by the letter," Dombrowski said. "He didn't think that Rodney was at all sorry or remorseful. I know Fernando and I know he was remorseful when I spoke to him. He was very, very sorry and it's a shame. He wrote the letter and I wish he would have spoken to me beforehand.

"I do know that without the letter being written, the suspension wouldn't been strong and I don't know that there would be a suspension."

Topkin said he was only following procedure as president of the BBWAA chapter.

"The e-mail was sent to inform MLB media relations officials of what occurred, Rodney throwing the ball into the press box and what he said afterward, as is common practice for a BBWAA chapter chairman when something unusual happens involving the media," Topkin said. "I did not advocate any discipline. This was a decision by MLB officials, and obviously they felt this was a serious matter."

Detroit Tigers Inside Pitch
by Sports Xchange


Updated: October 7, 2009, 3:20 AM EDT
When your offense sputters, executing the little things becomes paramount.
Detroit got a little offense in its divisional championship playoff game Tuesday at Minnesota, but an inability to convert on some of the game's fundamentals combined to send the Tigers home after a 163-game season.
Left fielder Ryan Raburn tried to make a shoe-top catch on a hit by Michael Cuddyer leading off the 10th inning at a time when Detroit held a 5-4 lead. It went for a triple, and he scored the tying run on a single. Raburn did throw out the potential winning run at the plate to end the inning, but the game was prolonged.

Gerald Laird was unable to get a sacrifice bunt down -- he popped up his bunt to first base instead -- after Brandon Inge led off the seventh with a walk, and Curtis Granderson singled with two out in the inning. Laird also ended five of the six innings in which he batted.

Curtis Granderson was doubled off first when Magglio Ordonez hit a line drive to short with runners at first and third and one out in the ninth. Placido Polanco also failed to get the man in from third just before Ordonez batted, striking out for the second time in the game. Granderson was unable to get back to first on Ordonez's liner because he'd taken a step toward second, a no-no in that situation.

Brandon Inge lined to short on a 2-0 pitch with runners at first and third and one out in the second. He was unable to hit the ball to the right side or outfield, which that situation calls for.

Right-hander Rick Porcello made a pickoff throw to first with runners on first and third and two out in the third. The throw went off the runner for an error that allowed Minnesota's first run to score at a time Detroit held a 3-0 lead. No need to make that throw in that situation, even with Joe Mauer at bat. He walked Mauer anyway and struck out Jason Kubel to end the inning.

The Tigers did reverse a distressing trend they displayed too often this season by getting several hits with runners on. Ordonez had an RBI single and a game-tying home run. Miguel Cabrera had a two-run home run. Inge had a two-out RBI double to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead in the 10th.

"I guess it's fitting to say there was a loser in this game because we lost the game, but it's hard for me to believe there as a loser in this game," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Both teams played their hearts out. You can't ask for anything more than that."

Detroit players will undoubtedly be replaying this season in their minds all winter, knowing all the little things that did not happen that cost them the division title.

It happened in 1967. The Tigers lost the pennant on the last game of the season. It was motivation that propelled them to the 1968 World Series win.

It happened in 1983, when Detroit felt it had the best team but came up just short. It won the World Series the next year.

The players who return will need to find enough fuel to fire them in 2010.

TWINS 6, TIGERS 5 (12 innings): Right-hander Fernando Rodney got the groundball he was looking for with one out and two on in the 12th inning, but it scooted into right field and the run scored that sent Minnesota on to the playoffs in New York and Detroit home to think of what might have been. Miguel Cabrera followed an RBI single by Magglio Ordonez in the third with a two-run home run to give Detroit a 3-0 lead, but Minnesota chipped away and took a 4-3 lead on Orlando Cabrera's two-run home run in the seventh. Ordonez tied the score with a home run leading off the eighth, and Brandon Inge's RBI double in the 10th gave Detroit a 5-4 lead. RHP Rick Porcello held the Twins to two runs, one unearned, in 5 2/3 innings. Detroit had held or shared first place in the AL Central since May 10 but stumbled to the finish line and blew a lead that was up to seven games in early September and was at three games with four to play.

Tigers GM Dombrowski was 'upset' with Cabrera
Associated Press

Updated: October 8, 2009, 6:44 PM EDT
DETROIT (AP) - Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski spoke to the media for more than an hour Thursday about last season and next year.
The first question and many more that followed were about Miguel Cabrera's infamous weekend.

"We know he made a mistake. He knows he made a mistake," Dombrowski said. "I feel confident that he going to address the issues he needs to address to take care of the problems that he has. Those issues will remain personal and private."

Cabrera, the slugging first baseman with a $152 million contract, got drunk enough between Friday night's game and Saturday morning to have what police said was 0.26 blood-alcohol reading and a bruised and cut left cheek.

Authorities said he got in a fight with his wife, who called 911. He was taken to a police station, where Dombrowski picked him up.

Dombrowski acknowledged being angry and sad to get a call at 7:30 a.m. Saturday - in the middle of a key series against Chicago with the American League Central title largely Detroit's for the taking - to pick up Cabrera.

Still, he said it wasn't unprecedented in baseball or elsewhere.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, not with him but with players, it's just that you don't know about the other ones," Dombrowski told reporters. "I would gather there's probably somebody out here that has come to work and had a little bit of a hangover at some time."

Cabrera likely still had some alcohol in his system when he played the White Sox on Saturday night - going 0-4 with runners on base for each at-bat - but Dombrowski said the team stands by putting him in the lineup.

"The feeling was that he was capable of playing in the game," Dombrowski said.

The Dombrowski-led Tigers have some key decisions to make in the offseason.

Closer Fernando Rodney, second baseman Placido Polanco and shortstop Adam Everett are all eligible for free agency.

"We have some good players that are becoming free agents," Dombrowski said. "We still have to sit down with the owner on what we're going to do there. We have a complicated formula this year because we have a lot of dollars spent, and some young players we think are ready to step in and help us."

"We are not going to be able to keep all of our players," Dombrowski added. "But I'm not ready to declare who we are and who we are not going to pursue."

The clutch-hitting, strong-fielding Polanco hopes to return to play for the Tigers, but he might have to go elsewhere for more than a one-year contract.

"I would love to come back, but I do not control the situation," Polanco said Thursday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I had a great time on and off the field with the Detroit Tigers."

Dombrowski said if Polanco isn't back, prospect Scott Sizemore likely will be Detroit's second baseman.

The Tigers aren't sure if they have a player in their organization who could be a closer next year, but they might not be able to afford to keep Rodney after he had 37 saves in 38 chances.

"It only takes one club to give a tremendous deal," Dombrowski said.

The Tigers had a seven-game lead with less than a month left in the season and became the first team to miss out on the playoffs after having a three-game lead with four games left. Detroit's season ended Tuesday night at Minnesota with a 6-5 loss in 12 innings in the division tiebreaker.

Dombrowski said he never thought the 2009 Tigers were a powerhouse, but acknowledged it was tough to come so close to winning the division.

"When you're in first place from May 10th and you lose on the last day of the season, it's heartbreaking," Dombrowski said.

Detroit Tigers Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange


Updated: October 16, 2009, 5:02 AM EDT
--First base coach Andy Van Slyke will not return next season, the Tigers announced Oct. 9. Van Slyke had been on the coaching staff for four years. The team announcement said Van Slyke left to pursue other opportunities.

--C Gerald Laird batted six times in Detroit's final game of the season and ended five innings. Hitting coach Lloyd McClendon will have to get Laird to make changes that his Texas counterpart, Rudy Jaramillo, could not. Laird must escape his power-hitter mentality and go the other way or hit the ball on the ground to take advantage of the fact he's a relatively fast catcher.

--RHP Edwin Jackson topped 200 innings for the first time in his career but seemed to hit a wall in mid-August. He reached a career high with 161 strikeouts and reduced his walks, to 70, for the third year in a row, but his slider was inconsistent at the end and his command of his fastball was spotty. He was 1-3 over his last five starts.

--CF Curtis Granderson hit a career-high 30 home runs and drove in 71 runs, primarily as a leadoff batter, but his batting average (.249) and on-base percentage (.327) were low for a top-of-the-order hitter. He seems to be settling in as hitter who walks 70 times a season and strikeouts out 140 times. Detroit might be tempted to move him down in the batting order if it can find a suitable replacement as the leadoff man.

--INF Ramon Santiago played a bigger role this season than most expected him to, just as manager Jim Leyland predicted in spring training. Santiago appeared in a career-high 93 games, most of them as a shortstop, and batted a career-best 262 times. Santiago, who added weight and strength last winter, hit .267 but reached career peaks with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. He showed an ability to drag-bunt and was a tough out in the clutch.

--RHP Fernando Rodney had an exceptional season entering his free agent year, saving 37 games and muffing just one. Rodney was the losing pitcher in Detroit's divisional title playoff game with Minnesota but worked a season-high three innings in the 12-inning game. Rodney, who will pitch at 33 next season, had a 4.40 ERA, but his ERA in save situations was less than 2.20.

--UT Don Kelly may have earned consideration as a utility player for somebody next season. Kelly, who began the season as a non-roster player in a return to the Detroit organization, was called up in mid-year to take advantage of his versatility in a string of games against National League opponents. He was added to the roster again in September and played a key role in the divisional playoff game at Minnesota. Kelly entered as a pinch runner when PH Aubrey Huff drew a walk with one out in the 10th inning. The wisdom of that move was proved when Kelly scored from first on a two-out double to left by 3B Brandon Inge. Kelly, a left-handed batter, hit with one out in the 12th and singled to center, moving 1B Miguel Cabrera to third and taking second on the throw.

BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Teams since 1901 that have blown a three-game lead with four scheduled games to play in a season. However, the 2009 Tigers are the only one to actually lose first place, as 1980 Astros and the 1982 Brewers both won tiebreakers to make the playoffs.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It was the best game by far that I ever played. But no matter what we did, it just wasn't meant to be." -- 3B Brandon Inge, who made a sensational diving stop to prevent the winning run from scoring in the ninth inning and doubled home the go-ahead run in the 10th of the division tiebreaker game Oct. 6 at Minnesota. The Twins won 6-5 in 12 innings.

Friday, Nov. 13
--RHP Justin Verlander was unanimously voted Tiger of the Year on Nov. 12 by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers of America. Verlander, 26, bounced back from an 11-17 2008 to post a 19-9 record and 3.45 ERA this summer. He led the league in starts (35), innings (240), strikeouts (269) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.1). He was the first Detroit pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts since RHP Jack Morris in 1983, and his innings total was the most by a Tiger pitcher since Morris logged 249 2/3 in 1990.

--2B Placido Polanco, who may be headed elsewhere as a free agent this offseason, has been awarded his second Gold Glove in the last three years with Detroit. Polanco made just two errors in 2009 after not making any in 2007, when he also won a Gold Glove at his position. The recent announcement of the award let Polanco join SS Alan Trammell and 2B Lou Whitaker as the only Tiger infielders to win multiple Gold Gloves, an award begun in 1957.

--C Gerald Laird missed out on winning his first Gold Glove despite leading the majors with a .997 fielding average, 42 caught stealings and a 42 percent success rate on steal attempts for regular catchers. Minnesota C Joe Mauer won for the second year in a row. Laird, 30, who can become a free agent after next season, knows he has to improve his offense to get more notice for his defense and a big contract. "This will be a big year for me to do everything I can to have a better year," Laird said.

--RHP Brandon Lyon joined five of his teammates in filing for free agency, but says he's open to staying with Detroit. "I don't really have a hunch on what will happen," Lyon said, "but I know the Tigers have some interest. Detroit has been in touch with my agent (Barry Meister) once or twice and talked of their interest in bringing me back. And it would be great to play there again. I liked it and felt comfortable." Lyon is looking for something more than two years, and whether he can find that could determine whether he returns to the Tigers.

--LF/DH Marcus Thames was removed from Detroit's roster recently and allowed to become a free agent. Thames hit 13 home runs this season but none after mid-August. He batted .252 and drove in 36 runs in 87 games. "I could see it toward the end of the season," he said. "(Ryan) Raburn was playing well, and I never could get into a rhythm." Thames hit 26 home runs in 2006 and drove in 60 runs and nearly matched those totals in 2008, but an early-season injury put him behind, and then Raburn took off just before mid-year.

--C Matt Treanor was removed from the 60-day disabled list recently and removed from Detroit's 40-man roster. Treanor was signed to back up C Gerald Laird before the season but played in just four games, going hitless in 13 at-bats before needing surgery on his right hip April 30 to remove a bone spur that was causing inflammation. Treanor, 33, could still be offered a minor league contract by Detroit if the club decides rookie C Alex Avila still needs more development time in the minors.

--RHP Jay Sborz, drafted in the second round by Detroit in 2003, recently was added to the major league roster for the first time as the Tigers reshaped their 40-man roster for the offseason. Sborz has been slow to develop, but he has a swing-and-miss fastball. He pitched at the Class A, Class AA and Class AAA levels for the organization last season and in 17 games went 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. "Jay has a power arm and power stuff," said GM Dave Dombrowski, who obviously felt Sborz would have been taken in the Rule 5 draft had he been left unprotected. "He has a plus slider and a plus fastball and is very close to pitching in the big leagues." Sborz would have been brought up in September, the GM said, were it not for a pulled oblique muscle.

BY THE NUMBERS: 65-43 -- RHP Justin Verlander's record after four full seasons plus two 2005 starts. Verlander won 17 and 18 games in his first two seasons and rebounded to win 19 games this year after slumping to 11 victories in 2008.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I had a hard time getting to first base when I was a player, so this should be easy. I can make up for all those times I couldn't get to first." -- Former Detroit third baseman Tom Brookens, after succeeding Andy Van Slyke as the Tigers' first base, outfield and baserunning coach.

Tigers Team Report
Updated: June 12, 2010 05:38 EST


INSIDE PITCH

You keep waiting for the Brennan Boesch bubble to burst; instead it just keeps getting bigger.

The young slugger added another dimension to his game -- the stolen base.

Boesch got another big power hit, belting a first-pitch home run to right in the fourth to break a scoreless tie between Pittsburgh and Detroit. The Tigers went on to score twice more in the inning. It was his eighth home run this season and third in four games.

He's had 24 extra-base hits in his first 39 major league games, the kind of career-opening power display only a handful of players have had as they broke in. He now has 30 RBIs.

Lefties had their way with Boesch in the minors but he was hitting .538 against them until Dana Eveland got him to ground out in the seventh.

Boesch rarely looks at tapes of himself or of opposing pitchers. When he does look at the tape, it's to see how they throw and not what they throw. He's a "See ball, hit ball" type.

He led off the sixth and ripped an outside 1-0 changeup to center for a base hit. Boesch then stole second, his second stolen base, putting himself in position to score on a single by Alex Avila.

Boesch doesn't have base-stealer speed but he's excellent going first-to-third and second-to-home, pretty good for a 6-foot-6 player. He has enough speed, though, to get 10-15 per season until he hits his mid-30s. Dave Parker (6-5) and Dave Winfield (6-6) come to mind as taller players who stole 10-20 bases a year in their prime.

His second time around the league is coming up soon. It'll be interesting to see the size of the bubble then.

TIGERS 6, PIRATES 2: Right fielder Brennan Boesch triggered a three-run second with a leadoff home run and shortstop Ramon Santiago added a two-run blast in the sixth to back right-hander Justin Verlander's four-hit pitching over seven innings. Catcher Alex Avila went 3-for-3 with a walk and drove in two runs while third baseman Brandon Inge extended his hitting streak to seven games with a three-hit night, including an RBI double. Verlander struggled to command his fastball but got enough quick outs to last until a double and walk starting the eight drove him from the game. Lefty Phil Coke and righty Jose Valverde finished up.

NOTES, QUOTES

--RHP Justin Verlander didn't have his best stuff -- and still only gave up four hits in seven innings. "He struggled all night with the command of his fastball," said his catcher, Alex Avila. "Justin labored," said his manager, Jim Leyland. "Pittsburgh came in with a good game plan against him; they were going to go after him early, hit the fastball. We were fortunate they hit some fly balls that hung up there. That saved him some pitches. But when you've got good stuff, you can get away with some things." Verlander allowed a leadoff double and his fourth walk of the game to start the eighth and got taken out.

--RF Brennan Boesch keeps putting up those good power numbers, and at significant moments, too. Boesch broke a scoreless tie with a leadoff home run in the fourth inning, his eighth home run of the season and 24th extra-base hit in 39 games. "I got a pitch I could drive and just reacted to it," he said. He showed some hitting prowess in the sixth, reaching out to get a 1-0 outside changeup and swatting it to center for a base hit. LHP Dana Eveland managed something most lefties have not been able to do when he got Boesch out on a ground ball in the eighth. Boesch was hitting .358 against lefties, who had handled him quite easily in the minors, prior to the at-bat.

--C Alex Avila went 3-for-3 with a walk and is trying to hit enough to wrest the starting catcher's job from Gerald Laird. Manager Jim Leyland is giving Avila that chance because he needs hits and RBI from the position. Avila singled under the first baseman's glove in the third and also scooted another ball by him for an RBI single in the sixth. Avila lined an RBI single to center in the fourth in a good at-bat. He was at 1-2 when he took a curve in the dirt and a fastball upstairs before driving his single to center. "I had some good at-bats," Avila said. "I finally got a couple of weak hits. It all works out in the end."

--RF Magglio Ordonez was held out of the starting lineup for a fourth straight game with a left oblique strain. The Tigers remain cautious after Ordonez took batting practice Thursday and reported he had trouble extending for outside pitches. Detroit does not want Ordonez out for a significant length of time since he's a key to what little offense the club has shown recently. "He's a little bit better (Friday)," head trainer Kevin Rand said Friday afternoon. "He's still not the way we want him, but he's a lot closer (Friday). He feels a lot better about where he's at." Ordonez was examined by team physician Jeff Michaels and diagnosed with general muscle soreness, nothing pulled or strained. "Obviously we put him through a thorough exam with range of motion and strength where we were looking for pain," Rand said. "The good thing was that he wasn't able to point specifically where the pain was. It was just soreness in the oblique, especially when he stretched out his side." He may be held out of action Saturday as well.

--3B Brandon Inge is slowly creeping his average up to .250. Inge had two singles and an RBI double to stretch his hitting streak to seven games. He's hitting above .300 for his last 10 games. He grounded a ball up the middle, doubled down the third base line and singled to right. Moving the ball around is something Inge does when he's hitting well.

--CF Austin Jackson is battling his first significant slump in his rookie season. Jackson went 1-for-14 in Kansas City and 1-for-12 in Chicago so after making outs his first two times up he tried bunting, unsuccessfully, in the fifth. It was a nice bunt but too close to the first-base line and he was unable to beat it out as he endured an 0-for-5 night. He still plays superlative defense so manager Jim Leyland is loath to take him out of the lineup. Example: He made an over-the-shoulder catch of a booming fly ball on the dead run heading toward the scoreboard in right-center with one out and a man on first in the seventh inning.

--LF Don Kelly replaced RF Magglio Ordonez in the batting order, hitting in the regular's No. 3 spot. Kelly played left and made two good catches on defense, one in foul territory and the other near the fence in left. He hit a couple of balls well but went 0-for-4.

--2B Carlos Guillen took his first solid hit as a second baseman while turning a 6-4-3 double play in the eighth. "Carlos made the play of the game," manager Jim Leyland said. "He hung in t here." Guillen took the feed from SS Ramon Santiago and completed the turn as he was bowled over making the throw. He had a double and scored a run in the fourth.

--RHP Rick Porcello will miss a start as manager Jim Leyland takes advantage of a break in the schedule Monday to let the second-year starter work out his problems on the side. Porcello has been rocked in his last two starts but has been erratic in five starts since pitching seven innings of shutout ball May 12. "I think the No. 1 thing he needs to accomplish is to get the sinker back," Leyland said. "I think you have to go one step at a time. I think that's the first step. We are going to try and accomplish that and try to slow him down a little bit. You always have ideas and thoughts and stuff. We just haven't been able to slow him down. He's kind of jumping at the hitters getting out there. We need to iron this situation out. He's throwing way too many balls from the belt up, where last year he threw from the belt down, with a much better sink. He's getting more run on his ball than sink right now." Porcello makes his next start a week from Saturday against Arizona. RHP Max Scherzer will start Tuesday against Washington, followed by RHP Jeremy Bonderman, RHP Armando Galarraga and RHP Justin Verlander.

BY THE NUMBERS: 22 -- Consecutive scoreless appearances by closer RHP Jose Valverde through Sunday, equaling the known best by a Detroit reliever. RHP Todd Jones posted 22 straight scoreless games in 2000. It's the best string since at least 1952, when extensive records began being kept, but is probably a club record since relievers were used differently before then.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm going to try him a little more for awhile to get a little more thunder at the bottom of the order. Justin (Verlander) and him had a pretty good rapport (Saturday). He called a good game and swung the bat pretty well... But I will not forget about Gerald Laird." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on giving rookie C Alex Avila more playing time.
ROSTER REPORT

MEDICAL WATCH:

--OF Magglio Ordonez (strained left oblique muscle) missed his fourth straight game on June 11 but was deemed "a little bit better" by head trainer Kevin Rand. Ordonez was examined by team physician Jeff Michaels and diagnosed with general muscle soreness, nothing pulled or strained. He may be held out of action June 12 as well.

--RHP Ryan Perry (right shoulder tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 7. He said he hoped to throw again in mid-June.

--LHP Bobby Seay (left shoulder soreness) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 18. He was set to begin a throwing program in Lakeland, Fla., in early June.

--RHP Zach Miner (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery May 28.

ROTATION:

RHP Justin Verlander

RHP Rick Porcello

RHP Armando Galarraga

RHP Jeremy Bonderman

RHP Max Scherzer

BULLPEN:

RHP Jose Valverde (closer)

RHP Joel Zumaya

LHP Phil Coke

RHP Eddie Bonine

LHP Brad Thomas

LHP Fu-Te Ni

RHP Enrique Gonzalez

CATCHERS:

Gerald Laird

Alex Avila

INFIELDERS:

1B Miguel Cabrera

2B Carlos Guillen

SS Ramon Santiago

3B Brandon Inge

INF Danny Worth

OUTFIELDERS:

LF Johnny Damon

CF Austin Jackson

RF Magglio Ordonez

OF Brennan Boesch

UT Ryan Raburn

UT Don Kelly