GDT: 6/23/09 - DET (38-31) vs CHC (34-31) - 7:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Magglio Ordonez was used to gearing up for the Cubs in his previous job with the White Sox. His rematch with Chicago's North Side club this week, however, takes on a whole new meaning.

After all the reactions and speculation over Ordonez's benching, his time out of Detroit's starting lineup could end up being less than a week. He's likely to return to the Tigers lineup at some point during this Interleague series, and manager Jim Leyland will spend Monday's off-day weighing whether to start him in Tuesday's series opener against the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano and resume his season-long quest to put some punch back into Ordonez's bat.

Considering the pitcher he'll have to face, it likely won't be a warm welcome. But Leyland is thinking well beyond Tuesday as he tries to come up with ways to spark Ordonez at the plate.

"This is just one of the many things that you try as a manager," Leyland said. "Is it going to work? I have no idea. I'm not looking to be some sort of brilliant guy here."

The idea was to get Ordonez away from the plate for a while and clear his head of the issues he has been dealing with. Such issues have ranged from the boos he received in the World Baseball Classic from fellow Venezuelans in the stands over his support of Hugo Chavez to the time he spent on Major League Baseball's family medical emergency list to be with his wife while she underwent surgery last month.

Those issues seem to be behind him, but the trouble at the plate remains. He has spent the last several days taking batting practice with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who has spent much of the season working with him.

The issue of riding the bench didn't flare up with Ordonez, who has remained relatively quiet during his time off. The debate took off Friday with comments from agent Scott Boras questioning the move and providing statistics that supported Ordonez at the plate. Leyland took issue with Boras' comments.

That matter seemingly died down after the two traded voicemails on Saturday night. Now, Leyland has to decide when Ordonez is ready.

"I was thinking about Tuesday, and I'm going to continue to think about it," Leyland said. "I have a day off to think a little bit longer about it. The one thing is, it's going to be a pretty tough pitcher to come back against, so I'm thinking about that. Somewhere along the line, my gut just has to take over, to play him Tuesday or wait another day or two."

Part of the trickiness about the timing is that Leyland doesn't want it to be a one-day move. Whenever Ordonez does return to the lineup, he's going to stay there for a while.

"I'm not going to play him one game, and if he gets no hits, take him right out again," Leyland said. "I'm going to try to use common sense. I'm really looking at stuff like batting practice right now to see if the ball's jumping [off his bat] a little bit better, see if there's a little more flexibility in his swing, things of that nature."

It's a big enough matter that it overshadows the return of former Tigers manager and current Cubs bench coach Alan Trammell to Comerica Park.

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Edwin Jackson (6-4, 2.39 ERA)
Jackson gave up three runs over six innings in his previous start in St. Louis but was really only hurt by three bad pitches. He gave up a solo home run to Yadier Molina and two RBI hits by rookie Colby Rasmus but pitched well enough to win the game. He fell victim, though, to the Tigers' seventh straight game of scoring three runs or fewer. He continues to hold the Tigers' team lead in ERA.


CHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano (4-2, 3.44 ERA)
Zambrano recorded his eighth quality start in his last outing against the White Sox. He gave up three runs on six hits over seven innings, walking three. However, he did give up his first home run since April 17, snapping a homerless streak of 51 2/3 innings. Big Z is 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five starts since he was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. He has never faced Detroit.

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Tidbits

...The Tigers will add a relief pitcher before Tuesday's game to replace Ryan Perry, who was optioned to Triple-A Toledo after Sunday's 3-2 win over the Brewers.
... Adam Everett is just 3-for-29 with nine strikeouts off Zambrano from his Houston Astros days. Miguel Cabrera is 4-for-18 off the fellow Venezuelan with two home runs and four RBIs.
... The Tigers and Cubs have made four trades since 2005, but none of the players involved will be part of this series on either side. Left-hander Clay Rapada is at Triple-A Toledo, while infielder Neifi Perez, outfielder Jacque Jones and reliever Kyle Farnsworth are long out of the organizations. The one player the Cubs received who's still in their system is catcher Chris Robinson, currently at Triple-A Iowa.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 6-4, 2.39 ERA) vs. Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 4-2, 3.44 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 8-4, 3.54 ERA) vs. Cubs (Rich Harden, 4-3, 5.27 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 3-7, 5.62 ERA) vs. Cubs (Ted Lilly, 7-4, 3.04 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 8-3, 3.31 ERA) at Astros (Wandy Rodriguez, 6-6, 3.18 ERA), 8:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Chi Cubs
1. Soriano, A, LF
2. Theriot, SS
3. Bradley, RF
4. Lee, D, 1B
5. Hoffpauir, M, DH
6. Soto, C
7. Fukudome, CF
8. Fontenot, 3B
9. Blanco, A, 2B

Starting pitcher: C. Zambrano


Tigers
1. Curtis Granderson, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Marcus Thames, DH
5. Don Kelly, LF
6. Brandon Inge, 3B
7. Magglio Ordonez, RF
8. Gerald Laird, C
9. Ramon Santiago, SS

Starting pitcher: Edwin Jackson

87 degrees at Game Time

Humid

Light Winds

Parly Cloudy


No chance of rain at all

Magic 8 Ball says it will likely be a Tigers sweep over the Cubs

Thought I would add the Cubs' side of the game article...

Trammell excited to go back to Detroit
Chicago (34-32) at Detroit (38-31), 6:05 p.m. CT

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

06/22/09 10:44 PM ET

ATLANTA -- Alan Trammell had planned on getting in a car Sunday and driving to Detroit after the Cubs' game but a makeup game Monday in Atlanta changed those plans. Instead, he'll arrive late Monday, and try to see as many of his Detroit buddies as he can during the Cubs' Interleague series.

Now the bench coach for the Cubs, Trammell played his entire career with the Tigers, from 1977-96. He also managed the club from 2003-05. There's talk about a 25th anniversary reunion for the 1984 Tigers team on Sept. 28. It's an off-day for Trammell and the Cubs, but they'll be returning from a long trip. He's not sure he can go. That makes these three days this week something to cherish.

"It'll always be special," Trammell said of Detroit. "It's almost been three years since I've been back. It'll never change -- the way people treated me throughout my career there, I don't know how to thank them. I know I'll always be known as a Tiger, as I should, and I love it."
Staying with one team was important to Trammell. He has a World Series ring from 1984 -- he batted .314 that season -- and lots of good memories.

The Cubs have some bad memories regarding the Tigers, who beat Chicago, 4-3, in the 1945 World Series. That was the Cubs' last trip to the championship. It was a little payback for the Tigers, who lost to the Cubs in the 1907 and 1908 World Series.

These two teams have met as recently as 2006, and Detroit has an 8-3 record in Interleague Play against the Cubs.

They'll be playing at Comerica Park, not Tiger Stadium. There isn't much left of the ballpark that Trammell called home for so many seasons.

"The state and the city of Detroit have been hit hard and haven't been able to put any money into it," Trammell said.

The grass gets mowed once a week, maybe. They spray the weeds. Some of the walls have been torn down. Trammell has seen pictures, and it's sad. He remembers Kirk Gibson hitting a home run out of Tiger Stadium and onto a lumber company. The stadium used to be enclosed but now, because of the demolition, you can see the outside.

"When people ask me about Tiger Stadium, it was inevitable this would happen but the one thing they can never take was the memories," Trammell said. "I can see Lou [Whitaker], I can visualize the upper deck, the dugout. Hopefully, I can do that for a lot longer. That's very clear and very special."

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. Adam Rosenberg contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Current Conditions

Comerica Park

Sunny 86 F

Humidity: 45 %

Wind: from the SE at 9 mph

Barometer: 29.88 in

last updated: 6/23/09 6:05 PM EDT

what makes me think Tramm wants his old job back?

Inning 1
Top Half

B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Alfonso Soriano singles on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

laprimamirala wrote:

what makes me think Tramm wants his old job back?

He is probably pissed that they just extended Leyland's contract.

B:3 S:1 O:0 -
Ryan Theriot singles on a ground ball to left fielder Don Kelly. Alfonso Soriano to 2nd.

THROW STRIKES!

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Milton Bradley walks. Alfonso Soriano to 3rd. Ryan Theriot to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:2 S:2 O:1 - Derrek Lee grounds into a force out,
shortstop Ramon Santiago to second baseman Placido Polanco. Alfonso
Soriano scores. Ryan Theriot to 3rd. Milton Bradley out at 2nd. Derrek
Lee to 1st.

CHC 1, DET 0

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Micah Hoffpauir swinging.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Geovany Soto grounds into a force out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to second baseman Placido Polanco. Derrek Lee out at 2nd.

CHC 1, DET 0

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Curtis Granderson doubles (8) on a ground ball to right fielder Milton Bradley.

B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Placido Polanco triples (2) on a fly ball to center fielder Kosuke Fukudome. Curtis Granderson scores.
CHC 1, DET 1

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera pops out to first baseman Derrek Lee in foul territory.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Marcus Thames pops out to first baseman Derrek Lee in foul territory.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Don Kelly pops out to third baseman Mike Fontenot.

CHC 1, DET 1 AFTER 1 INNING

Wonder if they interviewed Tramm at all tonight

Inning 2
Top Half

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Kosuke Fukudome swinging.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Mike Fontenot swinging.

laprimamirala wrote:

Wonder if they interviewed Tramm at all tonight

I WOULD GUESS THAT THEY DID.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Andres Blanco grounds out, shortstop Ramon Santiago to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

CHC 1, DET 1 AFTER 1.5 INNINGS

Bottom Half

B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Brandon Inge flies out to center fielder Kosuke Fukudome. (ANY WHERE ELSE IN THE OUTFIELD, THAT WOULD BE A HOMER)

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, third baseman Mike Fontenot to first baseman Derrek Lee.

B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Gerald Laird flies out to right fielder Milton Bradley.

CHC 1, DET 1 AFTER 2 INNINGS