2011 Grapefruit League TIGERS' Schedule

Martinez, Coke lead Tigers past Astros
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com | 03/21/11 4:18 PM ET

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Astros starter Brett Myers wasn't at his best Monday afternoon and the Detroit Tigers took advantage.

Myers, the Astros' Opening day starter, allowed 12 hits -- including three each to center fielder Austin Jackson and catcher Victor Martinez -- and five earned runs in five-plus innings as the Tigers handed Houston its third consecutive loss, 9-1, at Osceola County Stadium.

Jackson (3-for-5) and catcher Martinez (3-for-3, walk) led the Tigers' 18-hit attack. Martinez had an RBI single in the third, Alex Avila had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Will Rhymes tripled and scored in the fifth to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.

Tigers starter Phil Coke held the Astros to four hits, two walks and one run in five innings, throwing 70 pitches in his sixth start of the spring. He gave up a run in the first inning, but escaped a bases-loaded jam.

Myers was pulled after loading the bases in the sixth and giving up an RBI single to Jackson that stretched the lead to 4-1.

"I felt like I could have had results today, but some balls found the hole," Myers said. "There were some weak ground balls that got through. It's the game of baseball, and that's what happens. I'd rather give them up now than during the season."

Wesley Wright allowed one of Myers' runners to score on a sacrifice fly, and the Tigers added another run in the seventh on a second sacrifice fly by Avila.

Up next for next for the Tigers: The Tigers have one more game left before Wednesday's off-day, and an MLB.TV broadcast at that, fitting in a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup against the Mets on Tuesday at Joker Marchant Stadium.Adam Wilk, Daniel Schlereth and Robbie Weinhardt are expected to get their next outings as they try to build their cases for bullpen spots, while Brad Penny makes his sixth start of the spring. Lefty Jonathon Niese is scheduled to start for the Mets.

Up next for the Astros: Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, who hasn't pitched since leaving his March 10 start with mild shoulder tendinitis, returns to the mound Tuesday when the Astros face the Washington Nationals at 12:05 p.m. CT in Viera, Fla. The game will be available on MLB.com's Gameday Audio. Rodriguez, who will start the second game of the year, has pitched in only three games this spring, allowing three earned runs in seven innings in his previous two starts following a rocky debut.

Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cabrera continues to heat up in Tigers' loss
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/25/11 9:30 PM ET

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Chipper Jones' three-run, first-inning homer off Adam Wilk propelled the Braves to a 5-3 win over the Tigers at Champion Stadium on Friday night.

Jones' mammoth first-inning shot sailed over the tall scoreboard in left field, traveling an estimated 450 feet. This was the fourth home run hit by the veteran third baseman, who has recorded 15 hits in his past 27 at-bats and batted .411 this exhibition season.

"That really was impressive," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He's had a terrific spring. He's running the bases and he feels good. I'd like to put him in a deep freeze until the season starts."

Wilk, who is bidding for one of the Tigers' final bullpen spots, allowed four earned runs and five hits in three innings. Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez accounted for two of those hits with a first-inning single and second-inning double.

Right-hander Brayan Villarreal's bid to win a Tigers bullpen spot took a hit, when he suddenly lost the command that he previously possessed this month. Villarreal proved perfect in the fourth inning, and then walked four of the six batters he faced in the fifth inning.

Brandon Beachy limited the Tigers to two hits over six scoreless innings. The right-hander learned on Thursday that he won the battle for the final spot in the Braves' rotation.

The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh when pinch-runner Don Kelly, running for Miguel Cabrera, scored on a wild pitch by reliever Scott Linebrink.

Cabrera, who also doubled earlier in the game, is now hitting .306 this spring.

Detroit tacked on two additional runs in the top of the eighth on Will Rhymes' sacrifice fly and on a wild pitch by Braves pitcher George Sherrill that allowed Danny Worth to score.

Up next for the Braves: Derek Lowe will make his final exhibition start on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET when he pitches three innings against the Mets at Port St. Lucie. This will be Lowe's final preparation before he makes his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Braves on Thursday afternoon in Washington D.C. This will mark the second time this week that some of the Braves' position players will face Mets ace Mike Pelfrey.

Up next for the Tigers: The Tigers hope to make most, if not all, of their remaining moves on Saturday morning before completing the home portion of their Spring Training schedule with a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup against the Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium. Justin Verlander will make his final tuneup before his Opening Day start, looking to finish the process of getting into his June form by the end of March. Phil Coke, who will work in the bullpen for the season's first week, is also scheduled to pitch. Ryan Feierabend will start for the Phillies split squad.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Verlander strong in Tigers' win over Phillies
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/26/11 3:37 PM ET

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LAKELAND, Fla. -- Justin Verlander was expected to put up some stingy numbers in his final Spring Training tuneup. Ryan Feierabend probably wasn't. But together, they put on a pitching duel to wrap up Spring Training at Joker Marchant Stadium before Deik Scram's two-run homer in the eighth inning powered the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Phillies on Saturday.

Verlander came to camp six weeks ago with a goal of getting into midseason form in time for Opening Day. His numbers suggest he found it, having tossed 28 innings of three-run ball this spring, including seven innings of one-run ball Saturday. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced before giving up his lone tally in the fifth.

John Mayberry Jr. hit a bloop double between three players in short-center field, then scored on Brian Schneider's ground ball through the left side. Verlander recovered to retire seven of his final eight Phillies, and recorded his three strikeouts by fanning the side in order in the seventh.

The Tigers quickly answered Philadelphia's run with a Ryan Raburn home run, his fourth of the spring, leading off the bottom of the fifth. He took over the team lead in homers from Miguel Cabrera. Raburn added a seventh-inning single, giving him his second multi-hit game this week.

Scram, a Minor League player added to the roster for the day, completed a two-out rally after Austin Jackson was hit by a pitch.

Up next for the Tigers: Detroit is on the road for the final three days of camp, starting with a 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Astros at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla. Brad Penny will make his final spring tuneup opposite Wandy Rodriguez. The game is available on MLB.TV.

Up next for the Phillies: The Phillies play their final Grapefruit League game on the road Sunday. They travel to Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to play the Atlanta Braves at 1:05 p.m. ET. The game is available on MLB.TV and Gameday Audio. Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay makes his final Spring Training start before pitching Opening Day against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Quote :

Scram, a Minor League player added to the roster for the day, completed a two-out rally after Austin Jackson was hit by a pitch.

Beck Should have said:

Scram, a Minor League player added to the roster for the day, completed a two-out rally, by hitting a 2-run homer, after Austin Jackson was hit by a pitch.

Cabrera drives in four as Tigers best Astros
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com | 03/27/11 3:59 PM ET

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Brad Penny allowed seven hits, four walks and two runs in six innings, and Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs to lead the Tigers to an 8-4 win over the Astros on Sunday afternoon at Osceola County Stadium.

The Astros' final home Grapefruit League game of the season wasn't without some drama, when the benches emptied in the sixth. One pitch after giving up a homer to Cabrera, Astros reliever Jose Valdez threw inside to Victor Martinez, who took a few steps toward the mound in agitation.

Martinez was restrained as the benches emptied and both dugouts were issue a warning by plate umpire Greg Gibson.

The Tigers took advantage of Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez's lack of command, scoring twice in the first inning and three times in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Martinez had an RBI single in the first, and Cabrera drove in a pair in the second with a bloop double to right.

Rodriguez, making his final start before taking the ball Saturday in Philadelphia, gave up six hits, five runs, four walks and struck out five batters in three innings, finishing with a spring ERA of 8.04.

The Astros scored two in the second on a throwing error by left fielder Ryan Raburn and an RBI triple by Tommy Manzella, who was playing his first game since coming back over from Minor League camp in the wake of Clint Barmes breaking his hand.

Carlos Lee belted a two-run homer in the eighth to cut the lead to 7-4.

Up next for the Tigers: Right-hander Max Scherzer makes his final start of the spring Monday afternoon when the Tigers play the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, Fla. Scherzer went seven innings in his previous start, allowing one run. The Tigers won't have to wait too long to see the Orioles in the regular season. The teams play in the second week of the season.

Up next for Astros: In their final Grapefruit League game of the season, the Astros travel to Clearwater, Fla., to meet the Philadelphia Phillies at 12:05 p.m. on Monday. Bud Norris will face off against Cliff Lee in a game that will mark the Houston debut of infielder Joe Inglett, who was acquired in a trade with the Rays on Sunday.

Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Rhymes shines, but Tigers can't solve O's
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com | 03/28/11 4:26 PM ET

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SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles top pitching prospect Zach Britton continued his impressive spring campaign and was backed by an offensive onslaught, as Baltimore cruised past the Tigers, 14-9, Monday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium.

Britton, who is likely ticketed for Triple-A to start the season, entered Monday's game having allowed just one earned run in 14 official spring innings. The 23-year-old lefty continued with three scoreless innings to start off the Tigers, allowing a fourth-inning run on Ryan Raburn's RBI single.

"This was a great experience. I'm really happy [manager Buck Showalter] threw me against some good lineups," said Britton, who has a staff-best 1.35 ERA. "Or not necessarily just good lineups, but being able to face the big league teams that I'm going to face in the AL East this year. I think that's a big confidence booster that I can go up there and compete."

Britton stumbled in the fifth, allowing another run and issuing his first walk of the game. He allowed two runs on eight hits with one walk and four strikeouts in six innings of work.

Jim Johnson worked a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Britton and was relieved in the eighth by Jeremy Accardo, who served up a two-out solo homer to Brennan Boesch.

The O's jumped on Tigers starter Max Scherzer right away, with Brian Roberts doubling, Nick Markakis getting a hit and Derrek Lee getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Left fielder Luke Scott blasted a grand slam -- his first of two homers in a seven-RBI afternoon -- to give the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish. Scott entered Monday's game with just six RBIs the entire spring.

Jake Fox belted a solo shot in the second, while Scott clubbed a three-run homer two outs later.

Scherzer lasted just 2 1/3 innings and was charged with 12 runs (11 earned) on nine hits with a walk and a hit batsman. He also struck out two.

Will Rhymes went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. He scored the Tigers' first run on Raburn's single in the fourth.

Detroit struck for five runs in the ninth. Jeff Rowland hit a three-run triple in the ninth after three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out. Rowland scored on Boesch's single and Jeff Kunkel walked in a run to make it 14-8. A wild pitch plated the final run. The Tigers loaded the bases four times in the final inning.

Up next for the Tigers: Detroit closes out Spring Training on Tuesday with the same opponent it'll face on Opening Day, stopping by George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., for a 1:05 p.m. ET meeting with the Yankees before flying to New York Tuesday night. ESPN and MLB.TV will have the spring finale, pitting Rick Porcello against former Tiger Freddy Garcia.

Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Boesch's homer only noise by Tigers in finale
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com | 03/29/11 3:42 PM ET

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TAMPA, Fla. -- Freddy Garcia and Rick Porcello each turned in solid outings before New York backup catcher Austin Romine launched a solo home run to lift the Yankees, 2-1, over the Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday. With that, Spring Training came to a close for both teams.

Romine crushed a Ramon Garcia offering to left field to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie.

Neither Garcia nor Porcello were having great springs up to that point, but both starters finished off on a positive note.

Garcia gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings while Porcello scattered a run in 5 1/3 frames, as both right-handers faced essentially the Opening Day lineups for both clubs.

Curtis Granderson, still recovering from a right oblique strain, was the only starter held out of the Yankees' lineup, and Ryan Raburn was the only regular not in the Tigers' batting order.

Garcia, recently named the fifth starter despite a 5.93 ERA entering the tilt -- he lowered it to 4.91 with his start -- scattered two walks and four hits and retired six of the first seven hitters he faced. He pitched a scoreless third inning despite putting three runners on, then gave up a solo homer to left field fill-in Brennan Boesch in the fourth -- Boesch's second homer in as many days.

Porcello, coming off an outing in which he gave up five runs on eight hits in five innings, left two Yankees runners stranded in the second, then gave up only one run in the third after loading the bases with one out. Alex Rodriguez worked a one-out walk to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead and give him at least one RBI in 10 of his last 12 games.

After that free pass, Porcello retired his last nine hitters in order -- and none of them hit a ball out of the infield.

Following Garcia, Luis Ayala and Steve Garrison -- in the mix for the Yankees' final bullpen spot -- each hurled scoreless two-thirds of an inning.

The Yankees finished Grapefruit League play 12-15-3. The Tigers finished 20-13.

Up next for Tigers: The Tigers will break camp on Tuesday night and head to New York, where they'll work out at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday afternoon to get ready for Opening Day against the Bronx Bombers on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET. That afternoon, Justin Verlander will get his fourth Opening Day start and will look for his first win.

Up next for Yankees: The Yankees are on the same track as the Tigers as they get set for the first Opening Day at the new Yankee Stadium. Getting the ball for New York will be CC Sabathia, who finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting last season and posted a 3.31 ERA in 16 1/3 Grapefruit League innings this spring.

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and his blog, listen to his podcast and follow him on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.