GDT: 6/22/08 - DET (35-39) VS SD (32-44) - 4:05 p.m. ET

SAN DIEGO -- Justin Verlander will get his last swings of the regular season on Sunday. Marcus Thames will get his latest.

Though Verlander remains unbeaten in Interleague Play, having gone 7-0 in eight career regular-season starts against the National League, he remains hounded by his demons of never getting a hit. The competitor in him has a hard time looking at his line: 0-for-7, three sacrifice bunts and three strikeouts.

If it's any consolation, Verlander has never faced a left-handed pitcher. That will change Sunday, when he goes up against Padres veteran southpaw Randy Wolf. At the very least, it should be different than going up against Giants power righty Tim Lincecum last Monday at San Francisco.

More important for Verlander will be how he performs on the mound against a San Diego team that is starting to hit its way out of the funk that the Yankees helped put it in last week. Yet as Verlander's 2.10 career ERA and .201 batting average allowed to National League teams shows, he has a way of putting the Senior Circuit back into a slump.

With a left-handed starter on the mound, meanwhile, Thames is all but guaranteed to be back in Detroit's starting lineup after hitting a go-ahead, two-run home run in Saturday night's 7-5 victory. And his hitting likely will have more effect on Verlander's outcome than Verlander's bat ever will.

Saturday's 413-foot drive to the deepest part of PETCO Park continues Thames' power tear that has gained momentum since the Tigers hit the road against the National League West. He has homered in six of Detroit's last eight games, and nine of his 10 hits since June 7 have been home runs.

As the next day's pitcher, Verlander was inside charting the game when Thames hit his latest home run.

"I've never seen anything like it, that's for sure," Verlander said.

Few people have, of course. The way it's going, even Thames is having a hard time keeping down expectations.

"We won another game," Thames said after Saturday's home run. "That's all I'm trying to do is help this team win. It was good to get [the series] tied up, and hopefully we can win the series."

A win would give them not just a 4-2 Interleague road trip, but a 4-2 trip on the West Coast, something that isn't easy to do, regardless of the league. For a team out west for the third of four times in a span of two months, it would be a quality feat heading back home.



Interleague record: 107-97 overall, 7-4 in 2008

2008 Interleague schedule
• May 16 at Diamondbacks: Lost, 4-3
• May 17 at Diamondbacks: Won, 3-2
• May 18 at Diamondbacks: Lost, 4-0
• June 13 vs. Dodgers: Won, 5-0
• June 14 vs. Dodgers: Won, 12-7 SWEPT SERIES
• June 15 vs. Dodgers: Won, 5-4
• June 16 at Giants: Lost, 8-6
• June 17 at Giants: Won, 5-1
• June 18 at Giants: Won, 7-2
• June 20 at Padres: Lost 2-6
• June 20 at Padres: Won 7-5
• June 22 at Padres:
• June 24-26 vs. Cardinals
• June 27-29 vs. Rockies


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Justin Verlander (3-9, 4.55 ERA)
Verlander's tough luck Monday at San Francisco was less about run support than it was about a blown lead in the late innings after his six innings with two earned runs and seven strikeouts allowed him to leave with a 4-3 lead.


SD: LHP Randy Wolf (5-5, 4.16 ERA)
Wolf told reporters after his last start Tuesday against the Yankees that he could count on one hand the number of pitches that he executed. Wolf, who was coming off a blissful run during which he allowed two or fewer runs in his previous five starts, allowed three home runs, two to Jason Giambi.



Tidbits
Curtis Granderson has a 10-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .361 (13-for-36). ... Placido Polanco's 11-game hitting streak ended Saturday with an 0-for-3 performance. He's 24-for-51 over his last 12 games. He is 4-for-6 in his career off Wolf. ... Miguel Cabrera is 10-for-19 lifetime against Wolf with four doubles, two home runs and six RBIs.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Mon., June 23: Off-day

• Tues., June 24: Tigers (LHP Kenny Rogers (5-4, 4.36 ERA)) vs Cardinals (RHP Braden Looper (8-5, 4.10 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Wed., June 25: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga, (7-2, 3.03 ERA)) vs Cardinals ( RHP Kyle Lohse, (9-2, 3.63 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS

Go TIGERS!!!! GO VERLANDER!!!

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Stat of the day: Justin Verlander's ERA in the month of June this year...2.45.

is the chat working? I have a black screen.

laprimamirala wrote:

is the chat working? I have a black screen.

It's not working for me either

Gogetem or brob probably have to start it.

... What's up with the Padres' uniforms? They're really cool

The Pad's where those every Sunday to honor the U.S. Military...
I like them.

Hey grandersin!!!

Hmm.... not so sure about the blog thingy. It's confusing me.

Yeah, Padres uniforms, WTH?? They are cool, but a little strange.

bottom of the first. 2 outs. 0-0

Damn. Homerun.

Gonzalez with a very impressive homerun.

mrsrabelo wrote:

Hmm.... not so sure about the blog thingy. It's confusing me.

Yeah, Padres uniforms, WTH?? They are cool, but a little strange.

Maybe some sort of military thing at the park?

1 - 0 padres.

Once again...
The Pad's where those uniforms every Sunday to honor the Military...

Okay inning over. GO TIGERS

Maggs K.
Cabrera.. on first I was talking so I missed how.

Thames basehit!!

Magglio looked good hittin' that HR!!!

Justin needs to get out of this jam! Come on Justin!!!

Good job Justin!

Justin be MUY CALIENTE....

What is the line-up? When is the pitcher supposed to bat?? I really want to see :hollimon:

Is Mike still here? or back down in Toledo?

I hope he's not back to toledo... I love him..... (Okay, So I love a lot of them but he is really cute)

Mike has nice lips............handsome face.........

he should be a model!