GDT: 9/17/08 - DET (70-80) AT TEX (75-77) - 8:05 p.m. ET

ARLINGTON -- At this point of his career, there are more questions than answers for Tigers starter Freddy Garcia and his repaired right shoulder, but there are at least two certainties.

Garcia will start Wednesday night against the Rangers, marking his first big league appearance since last June while with the Phillies, and he will pitch for the Navigante del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter Leagues starting in October.

The rest, including Garcia's future, is to be determined.

"First, I thank God that I'm back here and I made it back," Garcia said. "I just hope to do a good job and see what happens. It's been a long time and a lot of work, but I'm feeling good. I'm hoping to get one or two starts and then see where I am."

The Tigers are just as curious. The club signed Garcia to a Minor League contract on Aug. 12, and he responded with five scoreless innings while pitching in the organization's Minor Leagues. He's also pitched a simulated game. Garcia had season-ending shoulder surgery on Sept. 1, 2007.

"My shoulder doesn't hurt. It actually feels really good," Garcia said. "Right now I have to build up arm strength, and I want to do that in Venezuela."

Garcia said he expects to throw 70-75 pitches against Texas and is comfortable pitching in the hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington dating back to his days in the American League West with the Mariners. For his career, Garcia is 117-76 with a 4.07 ERA in 263 games. The two-time All-Star is a free agent at the end of the season.

"With Freddy, you are going to look at him in competition and see what he looks like," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I think it's just a matter of getting him out there and trying to make some kind evaluation on when you think the arm strength will come back with a little more velocity. You try to project that."

Leyland added that he's not sure how many starts it will take for the club to evaluate Garcia's progress, but Wednesday is a good starting point.

"He's going to work his way back to the big leagues. There is no doubt in my mind," Leyland said. "I believe that. Whether it is here or somewhere else, I don't know. He's just too proud of a guy and too much of a good competitor. He's a good teammate and really impressive guy. I like him a lot, and I'm pulling for him."

He's not the only one.

"I'm really happy for Freddy, because he's gone through a lot to get back here," said countryman Magglio Ordonez. "I'm glad he's with us, and we are going to do what we can to help him get a win."



Pitching matchup


DET: RHP Freddy Garcia, 2008 debut
Garcia hasn't pitched in the Majors on June 8, 2007, when he was a Phillies starter trying to pitch through discomfort in his right shoulder. An unsuccessful summer of rest and rehab stints led to surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff just over a year, and he has spent most of this year working his way back into pitching shape. The Tigers signed him last month in what has essentially been a two-way tryout: Detroit gets to see where he's at in his rehab and gauge whether to try to re-sign him this winter, while Garcia has had the chance to work with the Tigers coaching staff on the finishing touches to his comeback and get an idea about the organization before free agency.

TEX: RHP Dustin Nippert (3-4, 6.20 ERA)
In his last three starts, Nippert has taken 163 points off his ERA as he's made his case to continue as a big league starter. His last time out in Oakland, he held the A's to one run on four hits and four walks in five-plus innings and he struck out seven. He shut the A's out over the first five innings, they finally scratched a run off him in the sixth when he couldn't record an out. Nippert will aim to extend his winning streak to three against the Tigers on Wednesday. It will be his first outing against Detroit.

Tidbits

In 11 games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington since 2006 entering Tuesday, the Tigers lead the American League in home runs per game by an opponent with 1.82. ...

Entering Tuesday, Ordonez was hitting .354 with 22 doubles, 16 home runs and 57 RBIs in 79 games in his career against the Rangers. His average is fourth-best all-time among active players against the Rangers. His .595 slugging percentage is seventh best all-time against them. In 36 games at Rangers Ballpark entering Tuesday, he was hitting .387 with 18 doubles, four home runs and 26 RBIs. Entering Tuesday, he also had hit safely in 20 of his last 24 games. ...

Curtis Granderson had reached base safely in 25 of his last 30 games.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Thurs., Sept 18: Off-day

• Fri., Sept 19: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga, (12-6, 3.58 ERA)) at Indians (RHP Fausto Carmona, (8-7, 5.16 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Sat., Sept 20: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander, (10-16, 4.78 ERA)) at Indians (LHP Jeremy Sowers, (3-8, 5.70 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

DETROIT:
:curtis: Granderson, CF
:thames: Thames, LF
Ordonez, RF
Cabrera, 1B
:sheff: Sheffield, DH
:edgar: Renteria, SS
:ryan: Raburn, 2B-RF
Inge, 3B
:dusty: Ryan, C

TEXAS:
Boggs, LF
Young, SS
Hamilton, DH
Byrd, CF
Blalock, 1B
Cruz, RF
Davis, C, 3B
Laird, C
Arias, J, 2B

75 degrees at Game Time

Clear Skies

NE Winds at 9mph

cmon guys...Let's grind 'em out & GIT ER DONE

Hey...Garcia doesn't look so bad. Of course, like Galarraga, he hasn't been around Hernandez long enough to SUCK! Give it time, right?

2 - 1 Tigers with Renteria at bat in the top of the 4th.

Renteria walks.
No outs.

Raburn at bat.

What's going on TG?

Raburn walks.

Ty...we gotta getU outta Yankee status!

Ty McCobb wrote:

What's going on TG?

Not much. I should actually be doing homework but I really don't want to do it and it's not do until friday. What about with you?

I need 399 more posts....

I am playing hookey from work! no seriously just a little break...

TG wrote:

I need 399 more posts....

do play by play g/f!!

laprimamirala wrote:

TG wrote:

I need 399 more posts....

do play by play g/f!!

:haha: I should...

Inge flies out.

Dusty at bat.

runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

I learned today I am really bad at softball....

Dusty

Granderson at bat with 2 outs.

Thames on deck

Granderson
3 outs.

2 - 1 tigers in the bottom of the 4th

laprimamirala wrote:

Ty...we gotta getU outta Yankee status!

I'm trying. How many posts until I move up to the next status?

Ty McCobb wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

Ty...we gotta getU outta Yankee status!

I'm trying. How many posts until I move up to the next status?

I don't remember.

1 out.

Ty McCobb wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

Ty...we gotta getU outta Yankee status!

I'm trying. How many posts until I move up to the next status?

I think it's 100.

[quote="TG"]

Ty McCobb wrote:

What's going on TG?

Not much. I should actually be doing homework but I really don't want to do it and it's not do until friday. What about with you?[/quote

Nothing much. Watching the Tigers, hanging out with my son, helping him with his homework. I should be practicing the guitar....but that can wait.