GDT: 8/8/08 - DET (56-58) VS OAK (53-61) - 7:05 p.m. ET

CHICAGO -- It sounds like a familiar refrain by now, but if the Tigers are going to make a move to get into a playoff race, now really is the time to do it.

For all the false starts and struggles over the past few weeks, the Tigers have played the bulk of their second-half schedule on the road. Their only home games were a three-game series against the White Sox on the last weekend of July. They were on the road for seven games leading up to it, then followed it up with a just-completed 10-game trip to Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

Not only are they back home now, but they're going to be there for a while. Friday's series opener against Oakland starts a 10-game homestand, then they'll be on the road for a week ahead of another 10-game homestand.

That's 20 dates at home in a 26-game stretch. And as manager Jim Leyland admits, that's the time the Tigers have to do something to get back into the division race if it's ever going to happen.

"Realistically, if you don't make your run then, then you're probably not going to make a run," Leyland said. "I don't know what's going to happen, but we have to start playing better, and we have to start stringing some wins together."

He has pointed to Sept. 1 as the time to define a playoff race, noting that a team has to be within about five games at that point. With a 7 1/2-game deficit looming at this point, the Tigers have some ground to make up. It's not the point where they wanted to be after this three-game series with the American League Central leaders, but as Leyland pointed out, it could've been worse. Detroit had a 3-7 road trip and lost just one game in the standings for it.

"[The White Sox] gained one game. It's not the end of the world," Leyland said. "This could've been disastrous. I would've rather we gained a game. I was hoping to come in here and win out of three.

"I still feel OK. I don't feel great. I certainly don't feel as good as [White Sox manager] Ozzie [Guillen] and [Twins manager Ron Gardenhire] do right now, that's for sure. But we're still playing. I've said all along, the key date for me is Sept. 1. If you can get it down to two, three, four games by Sept. 1, a lot of things can happen. But you have to get it down to that. If you go into Sept. 1 and you're 7 1/2, 8 1/2, 9 1/2 back and you're behind two teams, you're not going to win. That would be a total miracle."

The Tigers don't need a miracle at this point, but they need to string together wins against teams they should have a chance to beat. The A's have lost 10 straight amidst a flurry of trades that jettisoned starters Rich Harden and Joe Blanton, and they'll send out three left-handed starters for this weekend's series. The Tigers haven't hit lefties as well lately as they did earlier this summer, but their .288 average against southpaws still ranks third among the American League teams.


Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Kenny Rogers (8-8, 4.98 ERA)
Rogers had a bizarre outing on Saturday night, in which the southpaw tied a season-low 3 1/3 innings and garnered a season-high eight strikeouts. The veteran hurler threw 109 pitches in that short span, with only 63 of those for strikes. Afterward, Rogers said he had good stuff, and was disappointed that his pitch count went awry. He had 65 tosses in the first two innings alone. Still, the 19-year veteran should have no problem bouncing back from the loss for Friday's start. In 36 starts vs. Oakland, he is 21-7 with a 4.28 ERA.

OAK: LHP Dallas Braden (2-2, 5.10 ERA)
While battling sickness in his previous start against the Red Sox, Braden lasted just 3 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits while striking out one. It marked his third starting assignment of the season, a time span in which he has allowed nine runs on 16 hits through 15 innings. Braden owns an 0-1 record vs. Detroit in three career starts. His 12.34 ERA against the Tigers represents his highest mark against any team.

Tidbits

Bobby Seay said he expects to be available for Friday after leaving Thursday's game with a stiff lower back. His back had been tight for a few days, he said, and it affected him as he struggled to get through the eighth inning. ...
Miguel Cabrera is batting .353 (30-for-85) with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 28 RBIs in his last 20 games. ...
Curtis Granderson batted .356 (16-for-45) over the just-completed road trip.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Sat., Aug 9: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga (9-4, 3.23 ERA)) vs. Athletics (RHP Sean Gallagher (4-5, 4.39 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Sun., Aug 10: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson (6-8, 6.11ERA)) vs. Athletics (LHP Greg Smith (5-10, 3.99 ERA)), 1:05 p.m. ET

• Mon., Aug 11: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander (8-12, 4.56 ERA)) vs. Blue Jays (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Oakland

Oakland
Ellis, 2B
Crosby, SS
Thomas, DH
Brown, E, LF
Gonzalez, C, RF
Suzuki, C
Barton, 1B
Davis, CF
Hannahan, 3B

Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .302
:placido: Polanco, 2B .313
Guillen, 3B .286
Ordonez, RF .318
Cabrera, 1B .298
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .228
:thames: Thames, LF .239
:edgar: Renteria, SS .255
Inge, C .216

LIVE BLOG IF USED:

Tigers will sweep Oakland


74 degrees at Game Time


NW wind at 10


Mostly Sunny

Go Tigers!

We won when I didn't watch last night, maybe if I don't watch we will win?

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

08/08/08 - A once every 100 year date! Let's hope it is a lucky day for the Tigers!

Someone better win tonight, it's been a bad day :haha:

A's go down 1-2-3 in the 1st

:curtis:

:placido: grounds out

End of 1

0-0

If I got to choose the lineup Thames would be DH, Sheff wouldn't be in there, and Matt would be in LF...

Brown, E, grounds out
Gonzalez, strikes out
Suzuki, linesout

Maggs singles, then gets picked off

Miggy walks

Sheff flies out

Thames - 2 run homer

2-0

Rent singles

Inge

Good job Thames!

Barton - walk

2 on for the A's.

Davis - singles

DP!

uh, MAGGLIO....one foot in the wrong place and you get picked off! RATS

Guy on third with 2 outs.

Hannahan - dp

He was in the Tigers farm system last year.

I need to go download some music....

Ellis - grounds out

laprimamirala wrote:

uh, MAGGLIO....one foot in the wrong place and you get picked off! RATS

What we gonna do with ya Maggs!

:curtis: grounds out

:placido: grounds out