GDT: 6/8/08 - DET (25-36) VS CLEV (28-34), 1:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland sat at his office desk in the team clubhouse after Saturday's win. Everyone had left. He wanted to be alone and think, hopefully coming up with an answer.

That is, an answer to what he calls Detroit's biggest puzzle in a puzzling season.

He tried to concoct a lineup for Sunday that would sustain Saturday's eight-run output, for, in his opinion, the Tigers' biggest problem this season is offensive inconsistency. One game the bats explode, the next, it seems, they go silent.

And, he admitted, Leyland doesn't have an answer.

That's what he worked on alone in the clubhouse as the sun disappeared behind the Detroit skyline. An answer. Something that could get his offense clicking like it did in Saturday's eighth inning every time out.

"I don't have any answers for you. I don't know what to say," Leyland said. "If I had answers, it would be solved by now. I mean, I've used about every adjective to describe our surprising lack of offensive punch. So we'll keep grinding, and try to get going. That's what you do. You don't sit around and feel sorry for yourself."

Even with the news of pitcher Jeremy Bonderman's possible season-ending injury, Leyland said snapping the offense permanently out of its funk is top priority.

"The only thing I'm puzzled about right now is why this club hasn't hit," he said. "That doesn't change with a very serious situation with one of your players. You put that in a special place in your heart and you deal with that however you deal with it. That doesn't change the fact that I'm puzzled right now how we haven't hit, and that's most puzzling thing for me right now."

Leyland said recent callup Brent Clevlen and Marcus Thames would likely start Sunday. He said Curtis Granderson might also start, but he wasn't sure, and Ivan Rodriguez will likely return to the lineup after a day out of it.

Whatever he decides on, Leyland hopes to see some offensive consistency in Sunday's third game of a four-game series with Cleveland at Comerica Park.

2008 Interleague Schedule
• May 16-18: at Diamondbacks
• June 13-15: vs. Dodgers
• June 16-18: at Giants
• June 20-22: at Padres
• June 24-26: vs. Cardinals
• June 27-29: vs. Rockies


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (4-2, 3.76 ERA)
Galarraga will return to the rotation after pitching three innings of relief in an unconventional piggyback start last Tuesday at Oakland. He walked two batters and allowed a three-run home run before retiring the last seven batters he faced. His return to the Tigers' rotation gives him a rematch against the team he beat for his first Major League victory April 16 at Jacobs Field. He held the Tribe to a hit and two runs with six strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings that night, starting him on the roll that has made him stick on the Tigers' staff.

CLE: LHP Jeremy Sowers (0-0, 5.23 ERA)
With Jake Westbrook back on the disabled list with elbow inflammation, the Indians will once again have to dip into their starting depth to round out the rotation. Sowers has made two spot starts for the Tribe this season, and now he'll get his first chance at a more sustained stay in '08. Through 10 starts at Triple-A Buffalo, Sowers had a 4-3 record and 2.08 ERA that ranked fourth in the International League. Sowers struck out 43 batters and walked just 17 in 60 2/3 innings. Sowers is 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two career starts against the Tigers and has never pitched in Comerica Park.


Tidbits

On Saturday, Kenny Rogers hit two batters in a game for the first time since 2005. ... Brandon Inge has extended his hitting streak to four games, during which he is batting .363. Thames also has a .363 average during his current three-game hit streak. ... Carlos Guillen is batting .351 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs in 58 career games against the Indians.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Mon., June 9: Tigers (LHP Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 4.50 ERA)) vs. Indians (LHP Cliff Lee (9-1, 2.45)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Tue., June 10: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson (3-6, 6.03 ERA)) vs. White Sox (RHP Jose Contreras (6-3, 2.76 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Wed., June 11: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander (2-9, 5.05 ERA)) vs. White Sox(RHP Javier Vazquez (6-4, 3.64 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

_________________
The year of the "paper tiger?" -- great
on paper, but just a collection of players and not a team yet. It takes
excellent coaching and management to pump up players which makes a
great team!

STARTING LINEUPS

CLEV
CF Sizemore
LF Gutierrez
C Martinez
1B Garko
SS Peralta
DH Dellucci
3B Blake
RF Choo
2B Cabrera

DET
SS :edgar:
2B :placido:
LF :thames:
DH
1B
3B
C :pudge:
RF :clevlen:
CF :curtis:

91 degrees and very humid on Sunday!


Where is ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball when you need it?

this one'll be a stinker!

I agree!! I want this to be a night game. It is gonna be so hot down there, and not enough shade.

Drink lots of water, (not beer.) Beer does not have the same helpful effect in the sun, just makes it worse sometimes.

If I were you GS, I would save up the extra you need to get season tickets on the shadier side of the stadium next year! It's worth your health to not pay to sit in the hottest area of COPA!

I will be listening to this game with my girls while I swim today!

I do enjoy the Tigers on the radio.

It will be DELAYED mlb audio radio for me too, fricken comcast has Indians games blacked out for me, yet says I am in Pittsburgh market. so I get FSN PIT. At least Dish network gave me FSN Cin, and STO so I could see Indians/Detroit games!

I get it out on Tigers radio out of some station in Archbold, Ohio.
The Detroit Stations come in okay here in Toledo, but the Archbold one is clearer.

Stat of the day: Indians' record and ERA of their relief pitching so far this year...5-12, 4.90.

Lineups posted.

GO !!!

:pudge: throws out the bunt attempt, 1 out.

Awesome play by :edgar:!!! 2 out.

Martinez out, 6-3, 3 out. 8 pitches that inning.

Sowers makes the catch, 1 out.

Fair! 2B for :placido:!!

BB for :thames: Runners on 1st and 2nd, 1out.

Garko makes the catch, 2 out.

1B for !!! Run scores, 1-0 Tigers!!

Sizemore makes the catch, 3 out.

1-0 Tigers!!

Should be hot enough for everybody now!

:pudge: throws him out, 1 out.

laprimamirala wrote:

Should be hot enough for everybody now!

Yeah it should! 90 degrees and it almost feels like 100 out there!

:curtis: makes the catch, 2 out.

Cabrera makes the play, 3 out.

:pudge: K's, 1out.

:clevlen: out, 4-3, 2 out.

Go Tigers!