GDT: 8/31/08 - DET (65-70) VS KC (57-78) - 1:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- The Tigers have seen the best and worst sides of their pitching staff in the first two games of the three-game set against Kansas City.

On Friday, Zach Miner tossed a nearly effortless six innings of one-run baseball to pick up his eighth win, a career high.

Saturday showed the other side of the coin. Kenny Rogers gave up six runs and struggled through all of his six innings, even commenting about how frustrated he is with his own pitching ability.

Part of the problem might have been his health.

"We went out to check on him earlier in the night, and his back was kinda tight, legs were kinda tight, hamstring was kinda tight," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It felt like he was OK to get through it. Some starts, he's pretty good, and other times he's [not]."

If the Tigers are going to pull out a series win on Sunday, they'll need a strong performance from Armando Galarraga, who is 12-4 with a 3.20 ERA in 2008. He's been a workhorse this season, pitching consistently on regular rest.

Galarraga has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his past seven starts, which should give the Tigers' offense all the room it needs to earn a win.

Of course, the starting pitching wasn't the only problem facing the Tigers on Saturday. Nate Robertson allowed six runs of his own in just 1 1/3 innings of relief. He faced 12 batters and got only four of them out.

"Just too many bad pitches," Leyland said of Robertson's outing. "That just seems to haunt him all year long. He struck [John] Buck out on a couple nasty sliders. Then he got one up to the lefty. You've got to turn the page and move on. It was a tough outing for him."



Pitching matchup

DET: Armando Galarraga (12-4, 3.20 ERA)
Galarraga left some pitches up and paid for them Monday against Cleveland, including a pair of Grady Sizemore home runs early. However, the Venezuelan rookie recovered to salvage a quality start and a no-decision in the seven-inning performance, leaving him unbeaten in his last seven starts since July 18. His only meeting with the Royals this season saw him take a perfect game into the seventh before Kansas City put together three hits.

KC: Gil Meche (10-10, 4.13 ERA)
Meche gave up a career-high 14 hits in losing to the Rangers on Monday night. He did manage to hold them to five runs, three on Nelson Cruz's homer. Meche has not won in his last four starts, although the previous three were no-decisions, and he was leading in two of them when he left the game. This was his first loss since the All-Star break. He was 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his previous seven starts. This season, Meche has started twice against the Tigers, and the Royals won both times.


Tidbits

Curtis Granderson legged out his league-leading 12th triple of the season to lead off the game on Saturday. The speedy center fielder ranks second in the Major Leagues with 44 triples since the start of the 2006 season, trailing only New York's Jose Reyes with 45. ...

Magglio Ordonez is hitting .316 with seven doubles, four home runs and 27 RBIs since the All-Star break. He also stole a base on Friday, his first since Aug. 23, 2007.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Mon., Sept 1: Tigers (Justin Verlander (10-14, 4.53 ERA)) vs. Yankees (RHP Sidney Ponson (7-5, 4.80 ERA)), 1:05 p.m. ET

• Tue., Sept 2: Tigers (RHP Chris Lambert (0-1, 6.75 ERA)) vs. Angels (LHP Joe Saunders (14-7, 3.67 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Wed., Sept 3: Tigers (RHP Zach Miner (8-4, 3.46 ERA)) vs. Angels (RHP Jon Garland (12-8, 4.54 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Kansas City AVG
DeJesus, LF .291
Aviles, M, SS .331
Guillen, RF .249
Butler, DH .273
Teahen, 3B .246
Olivo, C .264
Gload, 1B .275
Callaspo, 2B .296
Gathright, CF .248

Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .303
:placido: Polanco, 2B .311
Ordonez, RF .310
Cabrera, 1B .287
:joyce: Joyce, LF .275
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .226
Larish, 3B .230
Santiago, SS .325
:dane: Sardinha, C .108

81 degrees at Game Time

Mostly Sunny


Southeast Wind 5-15mph

86 for a high

Zero Chance of rain

They are discussing with the players what superheroes they wanted to be as kids. :haha:

Maggs wanted to be aquaman

Matt likes a bunch of different superheroes.

This is quite entertaining. :haha:

Top of the first.

LETS GO GALA!

Basehit.

2 outs. runner on 1st.

That was bad.... single. runners on 1st and 3rd.

3 outs.

Come on Curtis!
---
1 out.

Polly at bat...
---
2 outs.

Maggs

Top of the 2nd.

Matt makes the catch. 1 out.

TG wrote:

They are discussing with the players what superheroes they wanted to be as kids. :haha:

I think they had run out of material...this was on Tigers Weekly!

TG wrote:

Maggs

I think we are watching the gradual downfall of our campeon.

Hit to matt again, 2 outs.

He looks like he's feeling better!

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

Maggs

I think we are watching the gradual downfall of our campeon.

poor maggs.

laprimamirala wrote:

He looks like he's feeling better!

TG wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

Maggs

I think we are watching the gradual downfall of our campeon.

poor maggs.

Maybe he is burning out, like Jonesy

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

Maggs

I think we are watching the gradual downfall of our campeon.

poor maggs.

Maybe he is burning out, like Jonesy

I really hope not. He is still doing better than a lot of our hitters though.

3 outs.

1 out. Matt at bat.

Matt

3 outs. 1,2,3 inning.

TG wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

Maggs

I think we are watching the gradual downfall of our campeon.

poor maggs.

Maybe he is burning out, like Jonesy

I really hope not. He is still doing better than a lot of our hitters though.

How close did you get to him at your last game?