GDT: 9/26/09 - DET (82-71) AT CWS (74-80) - 7:05 p.m. ET

CHICAGO -- When Nate Robertson was asked earlier this season about the toughest places to pitch on the road, he didn't hesitate to mention U.S. Cellular Field.

"I hate giving them credit, but they're just a rough crowd," Robertson said. "There's things that are said that shouldn't be said sometimes. I guess that goes for every place."

With the White Sox out of contention, the crowd might not be as big, but they're not exactly soft, either. Yet given the circumstances, Robertson wouldn't miss a start like this for the world.

Detroit's loss Friday night combined with a Minnesota win whittled the Tigers' lead in the American League Central to just two games, the same margin at which it stood before Robertson's last start Sunday at the Metrodome. He beat the Twins to halt their momentum and restore a buffer zone in the standings.

This marks the first time since then that the lead crept back to two. Robertson now has to try to repeat his performance. He hasn't exactly thrived at U.S. Cellular Field in his career, but he's thriving lately. If he can have the same bite on his slider that he produced on Twins hitters, then the White Sox could be in for a tough night.

If not, Robertson's battle won't be with just the ballpark.

The veteran left-hander stands by his belief that it's a tough place to play, though it's about more than the crowd. The home run totals, the lineup and the atmosphere all make for an unfriendly combination for pitchers who get the ball in the air.

"It's not a park laid out for pitching, that's for sure," Robertson said. "Their lineup, since I've been here, it seems like they've always had a big-bopper type of lineup, especially in the middle of the order. The only time that they didn't seem like they had that much of a focus on that was in '05, when they won it all.

"And the fans, they're a little rough. There's a major contrast between the fans at Wrigley and the fans on the South Side. But it probably seems that way because we play there so many times, since it's within the division. I think we've had our share of misfortune there. They play well there."

Another loss here would be potentially more misfortune, depending on how the Twins fare in Kansas City. It would also be their 11th loss in 16 games on Chicago's South Side since the start of last year.

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Pitching matchup

DET: LHP Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.13 ERA)
The odd man out of the Tigers' rotation at the end of Spring Training is a starter again just in time to provide Detroit with a left-handed boost. While his five innings with two runs allowed Sunday at Minnesota don't sound like a major accomplishment, the outing met the challenge of holding down the Twins offense long enough for the Tigers to pull ahead and salvage a game in a key series. His slider is back to resembling its old bite, and his control has rounded back into shape.


CWS: RHP Freddy Garcia (2-3, 4.01 ERA)
Make it six straight quality starts for Garcia, who held the Royals to two runs on five hits over eight innings on Sunday. Garcia also struck out three and walked one, needing just 94 pitches. Unfortunately for Garcia, the offense could not support him during a 2-1 setback, his seventh straight loss to Kansas City. Garcia, who pitched for the Tigers last year but whom Detroit did not want to bring back, has a 15-5 career record against Detroit with a 3.63 ERA.

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Tidbits

...Look for Gerald Laird to get back behind the plate for Robertson. He had Friday off while Alex Avila worked with Eddie Bonine, his teammate at Triple-A Toledo this summer.
... Placido Polanco is batting .500 (13-for-26) in his past six games.
... Aubrey Huff is 9-for-21 (.429) off Garcia for his career with three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs.
... Jermaine Dye is 14-for-42 (.333) off Robertson with six doubles, five home runs and nine RBIs.

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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Sunday: Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 13-7, 3.25 ERA) at White Sox (Daniel Hudson, 0-1, 3.38 ERA), 2:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Tigers (Rick Porcello, 14-9, 4.14 ERA) vs. Twins (Nick Blackburn, 11-11, 4.18 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 17-9, 3.41 ERA) vs. Twins (Brian Duensing, 5-1, 3.33 ERA), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

TIGERS

1. Granderson, CF
   
2. Polanco, 2B
   
3. Ordonez, RF
   
4. Cabrera, 1B
   
5. Huff, DH
   
6. Guillen, LF
   
7. Inge, 3B
   
8. Laird, C
   
9. Everett, SS
   

P: Nate Robertson

WHITE SOX

1. Scott Podsednik, DH
   
2. Gordon Beckham, 3B
   
3. Alexei Ramirez, SS
   
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
   
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
   
6. Carlos Quentin, LF
   
7. Alex Rios, CF
   
8. Jayson Nix, 2B
   
9. Ramon Castro, C
   

P: Freddy Garcia

Inning 1
Top Half

B:1 S:2 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson grounds out, second baseman Jayson Nix to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Placido Polanco flies out to left fielder Carlos Quentin.

B:2 S:1 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez flies out to left fielder Carlos Quentin.

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Scott Podsednik singles on a bunt ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
With Gordon Beckham batting, throwing error by Nate Robertson on the pickoff attempt, Scott Podsednik to 2nd.

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Gordon Beckham singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Scott Podsednik scores.
CWS 1, DET 0



B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Alexei Ramirez flies out to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:0 S:0 O:3 - Paul Konerko grounds into double play,
second baseman Placido Polanco to shortstop Adam Everett to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Gordon Beckham out at 2nd.


CWS 1, DET 0 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:3 S:1 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Carlos Quentin.

B:0 S:1 O:2 -
Aubrey Huff grounds into double play, first baseman Paul Konerko to pitcher Freddy Garcia. Miguel Cabrera out at 2nd.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out to first baseman Paul Konerko.

Bottom Half

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Jermaine Dye walks.

B:1 S:1 O:2 - Carlos Quentin grounds into double play,
shortstop Adam Everett to second baseman Placido Polanco to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Jermaine Dye out at 2nd.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Alex Rios homers (17) on a fly ball to left field. CWS 2, DET 0



B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Jayson Nix swinging.

CWS 2, DET 0 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Brandon Inge flies out to left fielder Carlos Quentin.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Gerald Laird pops out to catcher Tyler Flowers.

B:1 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett flies out to left fielder Carlos Quentin.

Bottom Half

B:4 S:2 O:0 -
Tyler Flowers walks.

B:2 S:1 O:2 - Scott Podsednik grounds into double
play, second baseman Placido Polanco to shortstop Adam Everett to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Tyler Flowers out at 2nd.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Gordon Beckham grounds out softly, pitcher Nate Robertson to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.


CWS 2, DET 0 after 3 innings

Inning 4
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson flies out to center fielder Alex Rios.

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Placido Polanco flies out to center fielder Alex Rios.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Magglio Ordonez lines out to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

CWS 2, DET 0 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Alexei Ramirez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:2 S:1 O:0 -
With Paul Konerko batting, wild pitch by Nate Robertson, Alexei Ramirez to 2nd.

B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Paul Konerko swinging.

B:4 S:0 O:1 -
Nate Robertson intentionally walks Jermaine Dye.

B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Carlos Quentin homers (18) on a fly ball to left field. Alexei Ramirez scores. Jermaine Dye scores.
CWS 5, DET 0



B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Alex Rios singles on a line drive to left fielder Carlos Guillen.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Alfredo Figaro replaces Nate Robertson.

B:3 S:2 O:2 - Jayson Nix grounds out, third baseman
Brandon Inge to second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel
Cabrera. Alex Rios to 2nd.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Tyler Flowers swinging.

CWS 5, DET 0 after 4 innings

Inning 5
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:0 -
Miguel Cabrera homers (32) on a fly ball to left field.
CWS 5, DET 1



B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Aubrey Huff singles on a ground ball to shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Carlos Guillen flies out deep to center fielder Alex Rios.

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

B:3 S:1 O:3 -
Gerald Laird grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

CWS 5, DET 1 after 4.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:0 -
Scott Podsednik singles on a line drive to center fielder Curtis Granderson.

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Gordon Beckham pops out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera in foul territory.

B:0 S:0 O:3 - Alexei Ramirez grounds into double play,
shortstop Adam Everett to second baseman Placido Polanco to first
baseman Miguel Cabrera. Scott Podsednik out at 2nd.

CWS 5, DET 1 after 5 innings

Whooo Figaro!

Let's get some bats!!

Inning 6
Top Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Adam Everett grounds out, shortstop Alexei Ramirez to first baseman Paul Konerko.

B:0 S:3 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Placido Polanco singles on a line drive to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez doubles (21) on a fly ball to right fielder Jermaine Dye. Placido Polanco to 3rd.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Alex Rios. Placido Polanco scores. Magglio Ordonez scores.
CWS 5, DET 3


B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Aubrey Huff flies out to center fielder Alex Rios.

CWS 5, DET 3 after 5.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Paul Konerko grounds out, second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Jermaine Dye grounds out, pitcher Alfredo Figaro to second baseman Placido Polanco to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Carlos Quentin grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

CWS 5, DET 3 after 6 innings

Keep on rallying!!

Inning 7
Top Half

B:1 S:0 O:0 -
Carlos Guillen singles on a line drive to right fielder Jermaine Dye.

B:1 S:3 O:1 -
Brandon Inge swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Gerald Laird singles on a ground ball to left fielder Carlos Quentin. Carlos Guillen to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Adam Everett singles on a ground ball to left fielder Carlos Quentin. Carlos Guillen scores. Gerald Laird to 2nd.
CWS 5, DET 4


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Curtis Granderson singles on a line drive to center fielder Alex Rios. Gerald Laird scores. Adam Everett to 3rd.
DET 5, CWS 5


B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Pitcher Change: Tony Pena replaces Freddy Garcia.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Placido Polanco singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jermaine Dye. Adam Everett scores. Curtis Granderson to 3rd.
DET 6, CWS 5

B:0 S:2 O:1 - Magglio Ordonez singles on a line drive
to right fielder Jermaine Dye. Curtis Granderson scores. Placido
Polanco to 2nd.
DET 7, CWS 5



B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Clete Thomas replaces Magglio Ordonez.

Whooo for leads!

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to right fielder Jermaine Dye in foul territory. Placido Polanco to 3rd. Clete Thomas to 2nd.

B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Randy Williams replaces Tony Pena.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Marcus Thames replaces Aubrey Huff.

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Randy Williams intentionally walks Marcus Thames.

B:3 S:2 O:3 -
Carlos Guillen grounds out, third baseman Gordon Beckham to first baseman Paul Konerko.

DET 7, CWS 5 after 6.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Clete Thomas remains in the game as the right fielder.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Marcus Thames remains in the game as the designated hitter.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Ryan Raburn replaces left fielder Carlos Guillen, batting 6th, playing left field.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Zach Miner replaces Alfredo Figaro.


B:2 S:3 O:1 -
Alex Rios swinging.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Dewayne Wise replaces Jayson Nix.


B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Dewayne Wise singles on a line drive to right fielder Clete Thomas.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Tyler Flowers swinging.




B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Scott Podsednik grounds out, third baseman Brandon Inge to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

DET 7, CWS 5 after 7 innings

As long as we keep our lead!

Inning 8
Top Half

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Defensive Substitution: Brent Lillibridge replaces Dewayne Wise, batting 8th, playing second base.

B:0 S:0 O:0 -
Pitcher Change: Scott Linebrink replaces Randy Williams.

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

B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Gerald Laird singles on a line drive to center fielder Alex Rios.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
With Adam Everett batting, Gerald Laird steals (5) 2nd base.


B:2 S:3 O:2 -
Adam Everett swinging.


B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Curtis Granderson triples (8) on a fly ball to left fielder Carlos Quentin. Gerald Laird scores.
DET 8, CWS 5



B:1 S:1 O:2 -
Placido Polanco doubles (31) on a ground ball to left fielder Carlos Quentin. Curtis Granderson scores.
DET 9, CWS 5

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Clete Thomas singles on a line drive to center fielder Alex Rios. Placido Polanco scores.
DET 10, CWS 5

B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jermaine Dye. Clete Thomas scores. (100 RBI's for Miggy)

DET 11, CWS 5



B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Jhonny Nunez replaces Scott Linebrink.

B:4 S:2 O:2 -
Marcus Thames walks. Miguel Cabrera to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn singles on a ground ball to pitcher Jhonny Nunez. Miguel Cabrera to 3rd. Marcus Thames to 2nd.

B:1 S:0 O:3 -
Brandon Inge grounds out, shortstop Alexei Ramirez to first baseman Paul Konerko.

DET 11, CWS 5 after 7.5 innings