GDT: 7/10/09 - DET (46-38) vs CLE (33-52) - 7:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland had a simple, informal message for his players Tuesday afternoon after their loss to the Royals on Monday. He wanted to make sure they didn't look too far ahead to the All-Star break and let it cost them this final homestand.

"When you grind like this," Leyland said Tuesday, "you look so forward to the break that you have to make sure you don't get to the break before you get there. The mental toughness in this game is a lot more important than people think. There's a mental toughness that goes with surviving this stuff."

With the Tigers now entering their final series before the break, that toughness becomes critical.

Detroit closes out the season's first half by welcoming an Indians squad that had lost 15 of their last 19 entering Thursday's matinee against the White Sox. Cleveland now owns the worst record in the American League, and only the Nationals have fared worse in the Majors.

A rivalry that had been budding over the past few years, even earlier this season with some stellar May matchups at Comerica Park and Progressive Field, now has a little different feel. And with Detroit owning a chance to build on its American League Central lead before the break, keeping the mindset in the present becomes all the more important.

The Tigers won five of six from the Indians in that May stretch, but five of them were decided by two runs or less. Detroit swept its three-game set in Cleveland with just 10 runs scored total, thanks to Justin Verlander's complete-game shutout in the opener and Edwin Jackson's seven scoreless innings the next evening.

Verlander and Jackson will take their turn in this series, too, with their final outings before they head to St. Louis for the All-Star Game. Jackson will get Friday night's series opener before Verlander pitches Sunday. But the Tigers would love to see their offense pick up in time for a few days off, from leadoff man Curtis Granderson on down.

That won't be quite as easy against Indians left-hander Cliff Lee, who took two hard-luck losses to Verlander during that May stretch despite allowing just four runs over 15 combined innings. He has been a little more rocky lately, losing his past two starts with 19 hits allowed over nine innings, but he has a way of coming up with quality pitching against the Tigers, who had roughed him up consistently before his breakout 2008 season.

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Edwin Jackson (6-4, 2.59 ERA)
Jackson will make his final start before his first All-Star Game looking to end a personal five-game winless streak that has been more a matter of bad support than bad pitching, a season-long issue many players recognized when they voted him onto the AL's All-Star squad. All five games have been low-scoring battles and one-run decisions, four of them by a 4-3 score. He struck out nine Minnesota Twins over 6 1/3 innings last Saturday at the Metrodome, yet took a no-decision when Detroit's bullpen couldn't hold onto the lead. His lone appearance against Cleveland this season involved seven scoreless innings and seven strikeouts in a 4-0 win on May 9 at Progressive Field.

CLE: RHP Carl Pavano (7-7, 5.36 ERA)
Pavano was solid for the second straight start against the A's on Saturday. He allowed just two runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. He has righted himself after some mechanical issues led to three consecutive subpar starts, and he appears to have gotten past the right shoulder soreness that bothered him in mid-June. Pavano allowed two runs over 7 1/3 innings to get a win over the Tigers on May 1.
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Tidbits

... Magglio Ordonez will return to the starting lineup against Lee, part of the new right-field platoon that has Ordonez sharing time with Clete Thomas. Ordonez is 17-for-45 (.378) off Lee.
... Leyland said Wednesday he'll give the left-handed hitting Granderson a rare game off against Lee. "He's tired," Leyland said. "He needs to get away from it, because whether you play or don't play in the All-Star Game, it's very draining."
... The Tigers could announce a Minor League rehab assignment for outfielder Carlos Guillen Friday. Guillen, on the DL since May 5 with right shoulder inflammation, has been taking batting practice all week.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 6-4, 2.59 ERA) vs. Indians (Carl Pavano, 7-7, 5.36 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 5-7, 5.03 ERA) vs. Indians (Cliff Lee, 4-8, 3.45 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 9-4, 3.59 ERA) vs. Indians (Tomo Ohka, 0-2, 5.65 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:

Cleveland AVG
Cabrera, A, SS .298
Sizemore, CF .233
Martinez, V, 1B .298
Choo, LF .297
Hafner, DH .282
Peralta, J, 3B .260
Garko, RF .279
Valbuena, 2B .210
Shoppach, C .199

Detroit AB AVG
Raburn, LF .279
:placido: Polanco, 2B .265
Cabrera, M, 1B .323
:thames: Thames, DH .248
Inge, 3B .264
Ordonez, RF .260
Laird, C .243
Everett, SS .265
:anderson: Anderson, J, CF .252

Hot, Humid with a chance of isolated T Storms


Temps in the mid to upper 80s Friday Evening!

gs78 wrote:

Hot, Humid with a chance of isolated T Storms


Temps in the mid to upper 80s Friday Evening!

yuck!

Go Tigers!!!

Let's sweep those damn Indians!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Hot, Humid with a chance of isolated T Storms


Temps in the mid to upper 80s Friday Evening!

yuck!

However it does look like it will cool down by Sunday

Highs near 80 with low humidity

gs78 wrote:

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Hot, Humid with a chance of isolated T Storms


Temps in the mid to upper 80s Friday Evening!

yuck!

However it does look like it will cool down by Sunday

Highs near 80 with low humidity

That is better!

Current Conditions

Comerica Park

Cloudy 83 F

Humidity: 39 %

Wind: from the S at 6 mph

Barometer: 30.09 in

last updated: 7/10/09 6:05 PM EDT

Inning 1
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Asdrubal Cabrera flies out to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Grady Sizemore flies out to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:2 S:2 O:3 -
Victor Martinez pops out to third baseman Brandon Inge in foul territory.

0-0

Bottom Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Ryan Raburn swinging.

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Placido Polanco grounds out, third baseman Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Victor Martinez.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a ground ball to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Marcus Thames swinging.

0-0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Shin-Soo Choo walks.

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Travis Hafner flies out to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
With Jhonny Peralta batting, passed ball by Gerald Laird, Shin-Soo Choo to 2nd.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Jhonny Peralta flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Shin-Soo Choo to 3rd.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Garko swinging.

0-0 after 1.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Brandon Inge singles on a line drive to left fielder Shin-Soo Choo.

B:2 S:2 O:0 -
Magglio Ordonez singles on a line drive to right fielder Ryan Garko. Brandon Inge to 2nd.

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Gerald Laird doubles (12) on a line drive to right fielder Ryan Garko. Brandon Inge scores. Magglio Ordonez to 3rd.
DET 1, CLE 0

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Adam Everett swinging.

B:0 S:1 O:2 - Josh Anderson singles on a ground ball
to center fielder Grady Sizemore. Magglio Ordonez scores. Gerald Laird
scores. Josh Anderson out at 2nd, center fielder Grady Sizemore to
first baseman Victor Martinez to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.
DET 3, CLE 0

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Ryan Raburn swinging.


DET 3, CLE 0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Luis Valbuena flies out to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Kelly Shoppach grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:1 O:3 -
Asdrubal Cabrera lines out to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

DET 3, CLE 0 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco pops out to first baseman Victor Martinez in foul territory.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Marcus Thames flies out to right fielder Ryan Garko.

DET 3, CLE 0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Grady Sizemore pops out to shortstop Adam Everett.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Victor Martinez flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:4 S:1 O:2 -
Shin-Soo Choo walks.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Travis Hafner singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn. Shin-Soo Choo to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:3 - Jhonny Peralta grounds into a force out,
shortstop Adam Everett to second baseman Placido Polanco. Travis Hafner
out at 2nd.

DET 3, CLE 0 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Brandon Inge called out on .

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Gerald Laird walks.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett lines out to right fielder Ryan Garko.

DET 3, CLE 0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:2 S:1 O:0 -
Ryan Garko homers (9) on a fly ball to left field.
DET 3, CLE 1