GDT: 4/17/09 - DET (5-4) AT SEA (7-2) - 10:10 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a plan for Justin Verlander over the next month or so. Friday's series opener at Seattle is a big start for it.

"My goal is, within the next four or five starts, is to get Verlander through seven innings on a consistent basis for the rest of the year," Leyland said earlier this week. "If we can do that, that's huge for us."

Verlander lasted just three-plus innings on Opening Day, then bumped up to five innings last Saturday against the Rangers. He might've gotten into the sixth if not for two errors that extended his final inning by eight pitches, but four walks didn't help, either. That leaves him with two innings to make up and plenty of strikes to throw in his next five turns.

The positive note for Verlander was that his pitches were potentially good enough to get him through seven innings his last time out. After Leyland suggested he'd be a more effective, efficient pitcher throwing at less than maximum effort and getting more movement on his pitches, Verlander gained the same pitch action with the same velocity with a little adjustment. The result was eight strikeouts over five innings, and maybe 10 pitches by Verlander's count that he threw at maximum effort.

"There were some real hard 96-97 [mph fastballs], and there were some effortless 95, 96, 97 [mph pitches]," Leyland said. "That's the difference. There were a few that were muscled and there were a few nice and easy."

If he can take the same pitches with him to Seattle, Verlander's set up for a potentially big outing, of which he has had many against the Mariners. And if he can intersperse some quick outs among the strikeouts, he could be in for a deeper outing, as well.

Verlander's 6-1 career record in seven meetings with the Mariners marks his second-highest win total against any opponent, trailing only his seven victories over the Royals. He split two decisions at Safeco Field last year, but lasted six and seven innings in those turns. Add in another win over the Mariners at Comerica Park, and two of Verlander's 11 victories in 2008 came at Seattle's expense.

So far, however, the Mariners look like a different team in 2009. At 6-2 entering Wednesday's game against the Angels, the Mariners surged atop the American League West in the first couple of weeks as the only team in the division over .500. Their wins have included a 2-0 shutout of the Twins and a 1-0 blanking of the Athletics, followed by a 3-2 win in their home opener Tuesday. The Tigers begin their nine-game, 10-day West Coast road trip as the middle part of a nine-game homestand for new manager Don Wakamatsu's club.

"They're going to be very enthusiastic," Leyland said. "They're very energetic. They've been playing really good. They have a fresh manager out there, who, from what I understand, is very good. They have a lot of hungry players, a lot of energy, a tremendous arm at the end of their bullpen in [Brandon] Morrow. They'll be playing the game the way it's supposed to be played."


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 9.35 ERA)
Verlander's second start of the season didn't last much longer than his first, with the Rangers chasing him after five innings and 97 pitches last Saturday. However, both Verlander and Leyland pointed to a vast improvement in his pitches, which had good velocity and required less effort while regaining some movement, evidenced by his eight strikeouts against four walks. Leyland wants to see Verlander lasting around seven innings consistently within the next three to five starts, which makes Verlander's matchup with the Mariners a big stepping stone. The more outs he can get early in counts, the deeper he'll last into the game.

SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-0, 4.15 ERA)
The ace right-hander struck out a season-best eight batters in his last start, but didn't have the same command he had against the Twins in his Opening Day win. Three of the seven hits Hernandez surrendered to the Athletics went for extra bases, and they drove in four of the five runs, including a decisive two-run home run by Oakland slugger Jack Cust, the second of his career off Hernandez.

Tidbits
... The Tigers hope to have the services of shortstop Adam Everett on Friday after he missed Wednesday's game with illness. He's the second player to be knocked out of action that way, which has Leyland worried about the bug spreading around the team.
... Zach Miner is expected to be available out of the bullpen Friday after the Tigers rearranged their rotation for four pitchers over the next week.
... Placido Polanco has a seven-game hitting streak that includes four straight games with an extra-base hit.
... Curtis Granderson's eighth-inning single Wednesday snapped an 0-for-16 streak.

To track MLB play-by-play: http://m.mlb.com/scores/

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FS-D

On radio
• WXYT 1270 / 97.1 FM

Up next
• Saturday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 0-0, 3.38 ERA) at Mariners (Erik Bedard, 1-0, 2.03 ERA), 9:10 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 0-1, 7.20 ERA) at Mariners (Carlos Silva, 0-1, 6.00 ERA), 4:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Granderson, CF .205
Polanco, 2B .314
Ordonez, RF .273
Cabrera, M, 1B .486
Guillen, LF .167
Thames, DH .273
Laird, C .308
Inge, 3B .267
Everett, SS .238

Seattle AVG
Suzuki, RF .333
Chavez, LF .415
Griffey Jr., DH .227
Beltre, 3B .184
Branyan, 1B .258
Lopez, J, 2B .194
Johnson, R, C .231
Betancourt, SS .364
Gutierrez, F, CF .200

Tigers Weekly said next week's episode will be entirely about The Bird.

laprimamirala wrote:

Tigers Weekly said next week's episode will be entirely about The Bird.

Ohhhh I want that!

Weather: 56 degrees, clear

Inning 1
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 - :curtis: pops out to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

Go Tigers!

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Placido Polanco strikes out swinging.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez strikes out swinging.

Soulrat

SoulLess and GoGetEmTigers!

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Ichiro Suzuki flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Endy Chavez grounds out, first baseman Miguel Cabrera to pitcher Justin Verlander.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ken GriffeyJr. swinging.

0-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.(missed HR by inches)

Base hit!

I'm not really here, fishies are in the 10th :haha:

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Carlos Guillen singles on a ground ball to third baseman Adrian Beltre. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.

base hit!

SoulRat wrote:

I'm not really here, fishies are in the 10th :haha:

I'm trying to be here but the computer is running like it's 1989.

:thames:

HBP

hit by pitch, bases loaded

2 rbi single!

2-0

2 runs score!

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I'm not really here, fishies are in the 10th :haha:

I'm trying to be here but the computer is running like it's 1989.

Uh oh, fishies take the lead

oh yeah, go

West coast game and I join the game just in time to see a squeeze play - how cool is that!

Evening folks - this looks like a healthy start!

sucide bunt, scores

3-0

Oh nooo I missed a squeeze?? Dammit, hurry up and win !!

TigerBob

Bunt single.

3-0

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out to first baseman Russell Branyan. Brandon Inge to 3rd. Ramon Santiago to 2nd.