GDT: 6/24/08 - DET (36-39) VS STL (44-33) - 7:05 p.m. ET

SAN DIEGO -- Forty years after the Tigers came back to beat the Cardinals in the World Series, the Tigers will honor their 1968 championship team. Then they'll go about trying to continue their comeback toward another World Series berth.

It's a rematch of the World Series from two years ago, and it'll start Tuesday night with 2006 postseason hero Kenny Rogers on the mound. Yet neither of these teams are really continuing the momentum from that '06 Fall Classic. Instead, the team that was expected to win and has finally started to do so will run up against the team that was never expected to be this good and continues to defy expectations.

The Cardinals have been one of baseball's surprising success stories with a retooled roster that has brought them back into contention. The Tigers still have plenty of postseason heroes from two years ago, but if they come back from their slow start to get back to the playoffs, it'll be just as surprising of a success story.

The two sagas have been new challenges for veteran managers, former colleagues and longtime friends Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. Given their regular phone calls, they've had plenty of chances to follow each other's tales. Even on Sunday morning, they were talking.

Asked what he has thought about La Russa's Cardinals, Leyland summed up their success in one word: "Tremendous."

It's not a word he uses often to describe another team.

"They've got a lot of good, hungry players," Leyland said. "They have obviously one of the best in all of baseball [with Albert Pujols], though he's out now. They have a Hall of Fame manager, and they've done very well."

The little pieces have become almost as dangerous as the Cardinals were with Pujols healthy. Former Toledo Mud Hens player Ryan Ludwick has filled the power void with 16 home runs to go with a team-high 56 RBIs while batting .297. Troy Glaus has seven home runs in June after a slow start at the plate. Skip Schumaker is batting .324 for the month with a .937 OPS.

Given the work that La Russa has done in the past, the fact that he's been able to put together this group to win isn't a surprise to Leyland.

"I know Tony," Leyland said. "He likes those nice little pieces. I know that team pretty well, and I know the way they go about their business. They're going to come in real hungry, and they'll play their tails off. We're going to have to play our tails off to beat them."

With the National League Central-leading Cubs still one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Cardinals need every win they can get to keep pace.

The key now, though, is that the Tigers are playing just as hungry lately. With series wins this past week at San Francisco and San Diego, they return from the West Coast having won 12 of their last 15 games, including their last six games at home. They're three wins under .500 for the first time since May 3, and a series sweep would even their record for the first time all season.

It's a long climb for them to get back into the AL Central race, but it's looking a lot more possible now.

"You get so far back, you can't make up eight games in one day," Leyland said. "You have to do it over the long haul."

Before they try to continue that, the Tigers will honor members of the 1968 championship team in a pregame ceremony. At least 18 players from that team are scheduled to attend, including Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan, Denny McLain, Mickey Stanley, Dick McAuliffe and Jim Price. Several of them will also be signing autographs at various locations around Comerica Park from 5-6 p.m. ET.

Interleague record: 108-97 overall, 8-4 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: Won, 5-3
• June 24-26 vs. Cardinals
• June 27-29 vs. Rockies


Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Kenny Rogers (5-4, 4.36 ERA)
It took five solid starts, but Rogers finally has a winning record after losing his first three outings this season. He has allowed just four earned runs on 25 hits over 36 innings in those last five starts, the latest being seven innings of one-run ball against the Giants last Tuesday. In the process, the command that marked his 17-win season in 2006 has made a comeback. He'll need to pound the strike zone carefully against a Cardinals lineup that ranks fifth in the Majors in on-base percentage and actually fares better in that regard against left-handers, despite hitting 10 points lower against them than vs. right-handers.


STL: RHP Braden Looper (8-5, 4.10 ERA)
Looper has been rolling lately, and the formula is very simple. Throw strikes and keep it in the ballpark. He's gone four straight starts without allowing a home run, and three straight without a walk. As a result, the right-hander has a 1.95 ERA in May. That's despite a couple of starts in the inhospitable environs of Minute Maid Park and Great American Ball Park. Now he gets another kind of challenge, pitching to a potent lineup that includes a designated hitter.



Tidbits
Curtis Granderson is batting 16-for-43 over the course of an 11-game hitting streak and 17-for-49 over his last 14 games. The Tigers are 11-3 over that stretch. ... Marcus Thames has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games. He's batting .314 (11-for-35) with eight home runs and 13 RBIs since June 11. ... Rehabbing Gary Sheffield is expected to play at least one more game with Class A Lakeland on Monday before the Tigers evaluate his status. Sheffield is working his way back from a left oblique strain that landed him on the disabled list at the end of May.

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

• Thur., June 26: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson (6-6, 5.60 ERA)) vs Cardinals(RHP Todd Wellemeyer (7-2, 3.67 ERA)), 1:05 p.m. ET

• Fri., June 27: Tigers (RHP Eddie Bonine (1-0, 5.84 ERA)) vs Rockies (RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (2-7, 4.52 ERA)) 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS

St. Louis
Barton, LF
Miles, 2B
Ludwick, RF
Glaus, 3B
Ankiel, CF
Molina, C
Stavinoha, DH
Kennedy, 1B
Ryan, SS

DET
:curtis: Granderson, CF
:placido: Polanco, 2B
Guillen, 3B
Ordonez, RF
Cabrera, 1B
:thames: Thames, LF
:sheff: Sheffield, DH
:edgar: Renteria, SS
:pudge: Rodriguez, C

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This will be a hard series! Lohse and Wellemeyer coming up in games two and three.
Go Tigers! Keep those bats hot!

Go Tigers!!!

Hopefully Grandy can have this streak going for a while
And we can roll past the Cards!!!

Maybe even later on, we will contend for the AL Pennant...

Game Time Temp 77 degrees; Winds 5-10; no rain.

Unfortunately that is as cool as it gets;


Stormy, Very Warm and Humid the rest of the homestand
\

Tigers won't lose a game this week!

Join us in the live blog!

GO TIGERS!!!!

I get to go tomorrow!!!

June 24, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	1	0	1	3	3	0	0		8	14	0
Detroit	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	0		4	9	1

St. Louis AB- R-- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Barton, LF 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 .257 - a-Schumaker, PH-LF 2 0 1 2 0 0 1 .300 Miles, 2B 3 0 1 0 1 0 3 .313 Ludwick, RF 4 0 0 0 1 1 5 .292 Glaus, 3B 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 .256 Ankiel, CF 4 1 1 0 1 1 3 .251 Molina, C 5 2 3 0 0 0 0 .297 Stavinoha, DH 5 2 2 1 0 0 2 .273 Kennedy, 1B 4 1 1 1 0 2 3 .268 Ryan, SS 4 1 3 2 0 0 0 .302 Totals 38 8 14 8 4 4 18 a-Singled for Barton in the 6th. BATTING 2B: Barton (7, Rogers), Miles (6, Rogers), Molina (9, Rogers), Ryan (7, Fossum). HR: Barton (2, 5th inning off Rogers, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Barton 6; Schumaker; Miles 2; Ankiel; Molina 4; Stavinoha 2; Kennedy; Ryan 4. RBI: Barton 2 (11), Kennedy (19), Schumaker 2 (29), Stavinoha (1), Ryan 2 (7). 2-out RBI: Barton; Ryan 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ludwick 3; Ankiel 2; Schumaker. S: Miles. GIDP: Glaus. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING SB: Miles (1, 2nd base off Dolsi/Rodriguez). PO: Ankiel (1st base by Rogers). FIELDING DP: 2 (Ryan-Miles-Kennedy 2).		Detroit AB- R- H- RBI- BB- SO- LOB- AVG Granderson, CF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .265 Polanco, 2B 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .314 Guillen, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .296 Ordonez, RF 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .303 Cabrera, 1B 4 1 1 1 0 0 3 .275 Thames, LF 3 1 1 0 1 1 0 .263 Sheffield, DH 4 1 1 2 0 1 1 .214 Renteria, SS 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .265 Rodriguez, C 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .275 Totals 34 4 9 4 2 4 10 BATTING 2B: Thames (6, Looper). HR: Rodriguez (3, 3rd inning off Looper, 0 on, 2 out), Cabrera (11, 4th inning off Looper, 0 on, 2 out), Sheffield (4, 7th inning off Looper, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Granderson; Polanco 2; Ordonez; Cabrera 4; Thames 2; Sheffield 4; Renteria; Rodriguez 4. RBI: Rodriguez (24), Cabrera (44), Sheffield 2 (14). 2-out RBI: Rodriguez; Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cabrera; Rodriguez. GIDP: Cabrera; Ordonez. Team LOB: 5. FIELDING E: Renteria (6, fielding). DP: 2 (Guillen-Cabrera, Renteria-Polanco-Cabrera). Pickoffs: Rogers (Ankiel at 1st base).
St. Louis IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR- ERA Looper (W, 9-5) 6.0 7 4 4 1 3 3 4.22 Springer 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.28 McClellan 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.45 Franklin 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.78		Detroit IP-- H- R- ER- BB- SO- HR-- ERA Rogers (L, 5-5) 5.1 9 5 5 3 2 1 4.60 Dolsi 1.0 4 3 3 0 0 0 3.86 Fossum 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 15.43 Rodney 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33.75
Looper pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. WP: Looper, Fossum. Pitches-strikes: Looper 95-66, Springer 12-8, McClellan 12-8, Franklin 15-10, Rogers 98-57, Dolsi 22-15, Fossum 26-16, Rodney 15-9. Ground outs-fly outs: Looper 9-6, Springer 2-1, McClellan 2-0, Franklin 2-1, Rogers 8-4, Dolsi 1-2, Fossum 3-0, Rodney 1-2. Batters faced: Looper 25, Springer 3, McClellan 3, Franklin 5, Rogers 27, Dolsi 7, Fossum 6, Rodney 3. Inherited runners-scored: Dolsi 2-2, Fossum 2-2. Umpires: HP: Laz Diaz. 1B: Wally Bell. 2B: Paul Schrieber. 3B: Kerwin Danley. Weather: 71 degrees, clear. Wind: 10 mph, R to L. T: 3:14. Att: 44,446.