GDT: 8/8/09 - DET (58-50) VS MIN (53-56) - 7:05 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Fu-Te Ni does a very good impression of Bobby Seay, as he showed in the Tigers clubhouse Friday afternoon. From Seay's walk to the mound, to his hand on the bill of his cap, to his foot-tapping as he waits to deliver, Ni has it down, much to the amusement of his teammates and his manager.

"He's a very comical guy, very funny," manager Jim Leyland said. "They had him come in and do [his impersonation] for me the other day. I laughed my tail off."

So far, Ni's rendition of a Major League lefty reliever looks real. And the Tigers are getting a lot more than a kick out of that.

Six weeks after Detroit gave the Taiwanese southpaw a chance in the bullpen, Ni has established himself as a valuable piece of the Tigers' middle relief corps. With Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau looming as important threats for the Twins this weekend, Ni is all the more critical.

After going through several candidates over the last couple years, from Tim Byrdak to Clay Rapada to Casey Fossum, the Tigers could have a second lefty reliever with whom they'll stick. They just had to go all the way to the Far East to find him.

It isn't just the thriftiness, the three runs allowed on 12 hits over 14 1/3 innings, or the fact that Ni has allowed only one of 13 inherited runners to score. He has been a strikeout lefty who has pounded the zone with more than one pitch, from a low-90s fastball to a dead-fish changeup that often drops below 80 mph.

While right-handed hitters are 7-for-25 (.280) against Ni, they're just 6-for-31 (.194) from the left side. Four of those hits by lefties have gone for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, but he has struck out eight.

More recently, though, nobody's hitting anything off him. His three August outings have totaled 4 1/3 innings of hitless ball, the lone runner in that span being a walk Sunday at Cleveland. He has retired his last 11 batters, including all four Orioles he faced Thursday afternoon.

The first of them, Luke Scott, was what Leyland called the biggest out of the game, with a runner on second and two outs in the sixth inning of a 5-2 game.

"I like him," Leyland said. "I wish his breaking stuff was a little better, but we're working on it. His changeup's improved. He's all right, and he's not scared. I like that about him. He's doing OK."

While Leyland doesn't believe in chemistry's impact on a team, he does believe that Ni's comfort level has played a role in his success. He arrived in Spring Training not knowing a word of English, needing an interpreter for even basic answers. He's now understanding more words and phrases, and can understand instructions on the mound.

With and without words, he's interacting with his teammates, and making an impression.

"I'm impressed with how much he cheers on his teammates, things like that," Seay said. "He's into the game 24-7. He knows that he has to come in and get big outs at big times. He knows how to be a professional here, which you can't always teach."

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Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Justin Verlander (12-5, 3.29 ERA)
Verlander gave up five first-inning runs in his last outing Monday against the Orioles, then shut them down for the next seven innings, allowing Detroit to come back and tie the game before winning on a walk-off homer. It ended Verlander's streak of quality starts at five, but it still marked the Tigers' fifth victory in Verlander's past six starts. He struck out a season-high 13 Twins in his last meeting with Minnesota in May, but ended up with no decision.

MIN: RHP Carl Pavano (9-8, 5.37 ERA)
The Twins acquired Pavano on Friday from the Indians to give their rotation a veteran pitching presence who can eat up innings. It didn't hurt either that the right-hander was 5-1 vs. the Tigers and White Sox this season, the two clubs that Minnesota is currently chasing in the division race. Pavano is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA vs. the Tigers and will make his first start for the Twins on Saturday vs. Detroit, on what would have been his regularly scheduled day to pitch for the Indians.

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Tidbits

... Despite Pavano's success against Detroit this year, including last Sunday at Cleveland, some Tigers have had success off him. Curtis Granderson is 4-for-11 against him this year, despite five strikeouts, while Clete Thomas is 3-for-7. Brandon Inge is 3-for-8 against him with a double and an RBI.
... Saturday marks the Tigers' annual Fiesta Tigres celebration of the Latino contribution to baseball.
... Gerald Laird will get back behind the plate to catch Verlander after rookie Alex Avila caught the last two games. Laird is expected to stay behind the plate for Jarrod Washburn on Sunday and Edwin Jackson on Monday at Boston.
... Miguel Cabrera is batting .368 (32-for-87) with four homers and 15 RBIs in 21 games since the All-Star break.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Sunday: Tigers (Jarrod Washburn, 8-7, 2.93 ERA) vs. Twins (Scott Baker, 9-7, 4.59 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 8-5, 2.62 ERA) at Red Sox (Brad Penny, 7-6, 5.20 ERA), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Tigers (TBD) at Red Sox (TBD), 7:10 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

ooo...pavano and JV...this could be a pitching duel!

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Denard Span doubles (7) on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Orlando Cabrera grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Denard Span to 3rd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Joe Mauer homers (20) on a fly ball to left field. Denard Span scores.
MIN 2, DET 0



B:2 S:0 O:2 -
Justin Morneau flies out to left fielder Clete Thomas.

B:0 S:3 O:3 -
Jason Kubel called out on .

MIN 2, DET 0 after .5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson strikes out swinging, catcher Joe Mauer to first baseman Justin Morneau.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco singles on a line drive to center fielder Denard Span.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Clete Thomas lines out to center fielder Denard Span.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera grounds out, pitcher Carl Pavano to shortstop Orlando Cabrera to first baseman Justin Morneau.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Michael Cuddyer swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Delmon Young grounds out sharply, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Nick Punto swinging.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 1.5 inning

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen pops out to second baseman Alexi Casilla.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Magglio Ordonez singles on a fly ball to right fielder Michael Cuddyer.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Brandon Inge hit by pitch. Magglio Ordonez to 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Gerald Laird singles on a ground ball to third baseman Nick Punto. Magglio Ordonez to 3rd. Brandon Inge to 2nd.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Adam Everett strikes out on foul tip.


B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out softly, pitcher Carl Pavano to first baseman Justin Morneau.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Alexi Casilla grounds out, pitcher Justin Verlander to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Denard Span singles on a ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco, deflected by pitcher Justin Verlander.

B:0 S:0 O:3 -
Orlando Cabrera lines into unassisted double play, second baseman Placido Polanco. Denard Span doubled off 1st.


MIN 2, DET 0 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Placido Polanco lines out to center fielder Denard Span.

B:2 S:2 O:2 -
Clete Thomas grounds out, pitcher Carl Pavano to first baseman Justin Morneau.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Miguel Cabrera lines out to right fielder Michael Cuddyer.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:0 S:3 O:1 -
Joe Mauer swinging.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Justin Morneau grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Jason Kubel grounds out softly to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half


B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen flies out to center fielder Denard Span.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez lines out to left fielder Delmon Young.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

MIN 2, DET 0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:0 -
Michael Cuddyer doubles (23) on a line drive to left fielder Clete Thomas.


B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Delmon Young flies out to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Michael Cuddyer to 3rd.


B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Nick Punto walks.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Alexi Casilla out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Michael Cuddyer scores.
MIN 3, DET 0

omg BALK by JV!!

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
With Denard Span batting, Nick Punto advances to 2nd on a balk.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Denard Span singles on a ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco. Nick Punto to 3rd.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Orlando Cabrera on foul tip.

MIN 3, DET 0 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird grounds out, third baseman Nick Punto to first baseman Justin Morneau.

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Adam Everett doubles (14) on a line drive to right fielder Michael Cuddyer.

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Michael Cuddyer. Adam Everett to 3rd.

B:0 S:0 O:3 - Placido Polanco grounds into double
play, third baseman Nick Punto to second baseman Alexi Casilla to first
baseman Justin Morneau. Curtis Granderson out at 2nd.

MIN 3, DET 0 after 5 innings

Inning 6
Top Half


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Joe Mauer flies out to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Justin Morneau walks.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Jason Kubel doubles (24) on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Justin Morneau scores.
MIN 4, DET 0

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Michael Cuddyer swinging.


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Delmon Young singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Jason Kubel scores.
MIN 5, DET 0

B:2 S:1 O:3 -
With Nick Punto batting, Delmon Young caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Gerald Laird to shortstop Adam Everett.

MIN 5, DET 0 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Clete Thomas flies out to center fielder Denard Span.