GDT: 4/21/09 - DET (7-5) AT LAA (4-8) - 10:05 p.m. ET

It's safe to say Gerald Laird never had it so good.

The Tigers' regular catcher arrived from Texas via a trade during the Winter Meetings in exchange for a couple of promising pitchers. During Laird's tenure with the Rangers, the team's pitchers often struggled.

Then Laird comes to the Tigers, who seem to have an abundance of pitching talent.

"I'm just excited. Nothing against my old teammates, I love them to death, but just the opportunity here," Laird said. "It's a new staff to see what I can do. All these young guys I saw when I came to camp, I was like, 'Wow.'

"I wanted to do the best I can to get them going. The challenge was great.''

He's handled the challenge thus far. As the Tigers continue on their nine-game West Coast swing with three games against the Angels beginning Tuesday, they are among league leaders in most pitching categories.

"He's OK. He likes to play," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Laird. "I like him a lot, to be honest with you."

When the club decided it would not resign Ivan Rodriguez, they searched around the league for his replacement.

"The way they expressed it was that they were targeting me,'' Laird said. "That made me feel good. I just want to do the best I can. I looked at this team and thought, 'This team was in the World Series in '06 with a lot of the same faces here, a lot of the same pitchers.''

He believes Justin Verlander can rebound from his 17-loss season in 2008. He thinks young guys such as Rick Porcello, Armando Galarraga, Edwin Jackson and Zach Miner can step up. He likes the veterans, Fernando Rodney, Bobby Seay and rehabbing Jeremy Bonderman and Joel Zumaya.

"This team has some talent," Laird said. "I know a lot of people weren't picking us to do much, but if everything clicks like '06, with the hitters in our lineup and the way we've been pitching so far, we're going to win some games.''


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (2-0, 0.68 ERA)
Galarraga continued to dominate hitters in his second straight start to begin the 2009 season, firing 6 1/3 shutout innings against the White Sox on Wednesday at Comerica Park. Galarraga gave up four hits and struck out five batters while walking two. He threw 110 pitches, which wasn't quite as efficient as his first start on April 10 against Texas, when he threw 97 pitches in seven innings, struck out eight, walked one and gave up one run on five hits.

LAA: RHP Jered Weaver (1-1, 3.09 ERA)
Weaver began the season with 9 2/3 scoreless innings before the Mariners broke through with four runs to hang a loss on the slender right-hander on Wednesday night in Seattle. Weaver has been in top form, despite the loss, serving notice that he could be returning to his rookie form of 2006, when he looked like a dominant starter of the future. He is putting his fastball in good locations and keeping hitters off balance with quality breaking stuff. He has 10 strikeouts against four walks in 11 2/3 innings.

Tidbits

... Leyland has set the Tigers' rotation for the rest of the week. Jackson, who had an outstanding outing in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Mariners, will start on Thursday against the Angels. Rick Porcello, who started Sunday, will return on Friday against the Royals. Zach Miner, who was skipped because of off-days and a rainout, will start Saturday.
... Leyland lauded Jackson again Sunday after he gutted out 7 2/3 innings despite being sick. "He's a warrior,'' the manager said. "He's something. He likes to be out there and he likes to compete. If I had his stuff, I would, too. He doesn't back off. I really like him -- his personality, makeup."
... Since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers are hitting a league-high .283 with 141 doubles, 34 triples and 96 home runs in 79 games against American League West teams.
... Entering Sunday's game, the Detroit bullpen had a 2-0 record and had allowed just five runs in 25 2/3 innings (1.75 ERA) over the previous nine games.

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

Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Wednesday: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander, 0-2, 7.88 ERA) at Angels (LHP Joe Saunders, (2-1, 2.18) ERA), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Tigers (RHP Edwin Jackson, 1-0, 2.14 ERA) at Angels (LHP Darren Oliver, 0-0, 2.35 ERA), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (RHP Rick Porcello, 1-1, 3.75 ERA) at Royals (RHP Zack Greinke, (3-0, 0.00 ERA), 8:10 p.m. ET

I wish I got to see the game today

I have got to watch 3 or 4 so far this year.... I miss baseball!!

There's no game today so you won't miss it.

The game is tomorrow, the 21st.

I still won't see it tomorrow.

85 degrees and sunny Tuesday Afternoon in Anaheim

71 degrees by game time

55 for an overnight low


SW winds 5-15mph

Go Tigers!!

Tell you what, come Friday we're gonna have a tough time with Greinke, 34 scoreless innings?!!?!? Straight?! He's good.

Go tigers!

they win tonight...

No Vlad, anyway...

Just one thing we don't have to worry about. They still have a quietly good lineup though. And if it's close, at least they don't have K-Rod.

Stat of the day:

Miguel Cabrera has hit 3 of his 4 homers this year on the first pitch of the AB.

Stat of the day Part II:

Tigers starters ERA: 4.29.

Tigers relievers ERA: 3.51.

90 degrees right now in Anaheim


About 75 degrees at game time on light southwest winds

88 degrees; Fair Skies


SW winds at 7mph

59 tonight for a low in Anaheim



77 degrees on Wednesday

I've gotta say I don't know why Leyland's starting Carlos in left tonight. I know they've had a day off but heel injuries are slow to respond, he's not hitting well and Anderson has looked promising.

Please prove me wrong Carlos.

And we're underway...........

1-0 Tigers!!!! Curtis leads off with a HR to center!

Tigs away. 1-0 Middle of the 1st.

BTW, Happy Birthday catbox!

Whooo! Gooo Tigers!!! Nice leadoff shot Curtis! Too bad I can never watch.

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Curtis Granderson homers (3) on a fly ball to center field.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco flies out to left fielder Bobby Abreu.

B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez strikes out on foul tip.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to right fielder Gary MatthewsJr. in foul territory.

1-0

Bottom Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Chone Figgins grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Howard Kendrick grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Throw at Abreu!

Bottom of the first

Figgins grounds out 4-3.

Kendrick grounds out 4-3.

Izturis singles to center off Galarraga's lower right calf.

B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Bobby Abreu singles on a fly ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Maicer Izturis to 2nd.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Bottom Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Chone Figgins grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Ah, glad you're here. I suck at posting all the plays!!

Evening GG.

Gonna make it official: I need a new laptop.

gdennis59 wrote:

Gonna make it official: I need a new laptop.

I love my iMac.

Ohhh, nice play by Inge kills off the threat. 3 out.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Torii Hunter lines out sharply to third baseman Brandon Inge.

1-0 after 1 inning

TBob and gdennis

Where's catbox? Gone to the game for his birthday?




Is he 21 today? Can he get a beer with his dog?