GDT: 8/11/08 - DET (58-59) VS TOR (59-59) - 7:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland enjoys seeing old acquaintances. He gets a chance on Monday when Cito Gaston's Blue Jays come to Comerica Park.

Gaston, who managed the Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93, returned to Toronto 74 games into the season to became the club's first two-time manager. He also held the position from 1989-97.

"I know him pretty good," Leyland said. "I haven't seen him in a long time. I've gotten to know him over the years."

Gaston took over for John Gibbons after the Jays endured a disappointing 35-39 start to the season. Under Gaston, however, the Jays have gone 24-19. Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi has already said Gaston will manage the club through next season.

"Obviously, his record speaks for itself," Leyland said. "Two world championships, that's pretty impressive. He's always done a good job."

For Leyland, his reunion with Gaston conjures memories of both managers' heydays in the early '90s.

Twice Leyland, then the Pirates' manager, thought he would meet Gaston's Jays in the World Series.

In 1991, both teams reached their respective League Championship Series after the Pirates finished with the best record in baseball and the Jays won the American League East crown. But Pittsburgh fell to Atlanta, and Toronto lost to eventual champion Minnesota.

The two teams reached the LCS the next year, as well. Again, the Pirates lost to the Braves in the National League Championship Series. Toronto, on the other hand, beat Atlanta for its first World Series title.

"Almost," Leyland said. "I wish we would have seen him."

Gaston has his team at .500, but behind Tampa Bay, Boston and New York in the AL East. The Jays trail the first-place Rays by 12 1/2 games.

Detroit is behind first-place Chicago by 7 1/2 games and is seven games back of Minnesota as it enters the fourth game of what's been deemed a now-or-never homestand.

Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Justin Verlander (8-12, 4.56 ERA)
From a pure pitching standpoint, Verlander actually took a step forward in his third consecutive loss, sending down 12 straight White Sox at one point and 21 out of 24 from the first inning into the eighth. The problem was that he allowed a Jim Thome three-run home run -- Thome's sixth career homer off Verlander -- before that streak began, and ended up with two more tack-on runs in the eighth. His past three losses have left him a combined 6-16 against the White Sox and Indians, but he'll get his first matchup with the Blue Jays in his next scheduled outing.

TOR: RHP Shaun Marcum (6-5, 3.44 ERA)
Facing the A's in his last outing, Marcum had his best start since returning form the disabled list on July 22. The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out seven batters, needing 89 pitches in the outing to collect his first win since May 26 -- a stretch of seven starts.

Tidbits

Detroit scratched outfielder Marcus Thames from the starting lineup with shoulder soreness on Sunday. He is listed as day-to-day. ...

Tigers All-Star third baseman Carlos Guillen needed another day of rest after experiencing lower back spasms on Friday night. He will return to the lineup on Monday. ...

Before Monday's game, reliever Todd Jones will throw for the first time since since going on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Tue., Aug 12: Tigers (RHP Zach Miner (6-4, 3.57 ERA)) vs. Blue Jays (RHP A.J. Burnett (14-9, 4.62 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Wed., Aug 13: Tigers (LHP Kenny Rogers (8-9, 4.92 ERA)) vs. Blue Jays (TBA), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Thurs., Aug 14: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga (10-4, 3.23 ERA)) vs. Blue Jays (RHP Roy Halladay (13-9, 2.72 ERA)), 1:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Toronto AVG
Inglett, 2B .295
Scutaro, 3B .256
Rios, RF .281
Wells, V, CF .283
Stairs, DH .250
Barajas, C .260
Lind, LF .296
Overbay, 1B .271
McDonald, SS .207

Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .301
:placido: Polanco, 2B .313
Guillen, 3B .287
Ordonez, RF .318
Cabrera, 1B .299
:joyce: Joyce, LF .275
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .222
:edgar: Renteria, SS .261
Inge, C .212

ON THIS DATE IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.


1961 - The Vancouver Mounties steals nine bases in the eighth inning against the Salt Lake City Bees in a 10–2 win.

Didn't the Babe hit some kind of landmark # run at Tiger Stadium? like 760 or something like that?

laprimamirala wrote:

Didn't the Babe hit some kind of landmark # run at Tiger Stadium? like 760 or something like that?

Yes, but I forget what the number was.

Inglett -

Scutaro - ground out

Rios -

:curtis: grounds out

:placido: lines out

singles

singles

grounds out

end of 1 inning
0-0

Wells - singles

Stairs - singles

Barajas - rbi single

Jays 1-0

Verlander still sucks

Lind - sac fly

Jays 2-0

catbox_9 wrote:

Verlander still sucks

yep

Overbay - dp

Jays 2-0

:joyce: flies out to cf

:sheff: what's new

MARCO!

:edgar: pops out

McDonald - reaches on fielding error

Inglett - flies out

bobrob2004 wrote:

MARCO!

Double play!

Scutaro - gidp - 3 outs