GDT: 4/26/08 - Tigers (10-14) vs. LAA (15-9), 3:55 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- For the first time in Armando Galarraga's brief Major League career, he's going to face a team that has seen him before. And the brightest spot of a beleaguered Tigers rotation is going to get a pretty good idea how much better of a pitcher he is.

Galarraga was still a member of the Texas Rangers when he made his first Major League start last September. He held the Angels hitless for four innings, but had stranded three walks in the process before a leadoff walk in the fifth set up his demise. Two singles, a double and a Casey Kotchman home run powered a four-run inning that knocked Galarraga out of the game before it was over.

He left with 87 pitches thrown over 4 2/3 innings and as many walks as hits allowed -- four apiece. He fell to the same control problems that led him to work with coaches in his native Venezuela over the winter to better his command. The result has been a stellar April with two wins each at Triple-A Toledo and Detroit in as many starts, with just four hits and four walks allowed over 12 innings in his Tigers tenure while striking out 10.

His mechanics are better now, Galarraga said, and his command is much better. Now, he'll see how far he has come.

"I don't worry about what they can do," Galarraga said. "[Saturday], I'm going to do my best and worry about what I can do, worry about locating my fastball and my breaking balls, too, and trying to get outs."

Because the Angels had already clinched a postseason berth, neither Vladimir Guerrero nor Garret Anderson were in the lineup against Galarraga last September. He'll likely face both of them on Saturday, plus familiar faces like Chone Figgins, Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Rivera, Maicer Izturis and, of course, Kotchman.

And they're adept at pouncing on pitchers who pound the strike zone early. The Angels enter Saturday second in the Majors with a .291 batting average. When they hit the first pitch, that average jumps to .362.

Few hitters in the Majors are as aggressive as Guerrero. And as he demonstrated to Nate Robertson on a 2-2 pitch Friday night, the pitch doesn't have to be in the strike zone for him to pounce.

"There's no such thing as pitching around Vladimir Guerrero," manager Jim Leyland said.

Galarraga has thrived on first-pitch strikes. However, he has also been adept so far at scouting his opponent. He watched Indians games for two days leading into his start, and he knew that aggressiveness was the way to beat a then-struggling lineup. He had a scouting report on the Blue Jays going into his start Monday, not to mention three days of watching their hitters before the series finale in Toronto.

He knows what to expect from Angels hitters on Saturday. They know him, but he knows them, too.

"You can see they swing at the first pitch, the first couple," Galarraga said. "I'm [going to] try to be smart about it."

How he adjusts while still maintaining his aggressiveness could help determine whether his hot start can continue or whether hitters are about to catch up.

"He's got a delivery that's really conducive to throwing strikes," Leyland said. "He's done a good job. I'm really happy with him."



Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.50 ERA)
By winning each of his first two starts as a fill-in for injured Dontrelle Willis, Galarraga owns the statistical oddity of taking the team lead in wins, even though the rest of the rotation has been unchanged since the season began. For Galarraga, it's about throwing strikes and getting ahead in counts while opposing teams try to figure out his game. He has scattered just four hits over 12 innings with four walks and 10 strikeouts.

LAA: RHP Dustin Moseley, 1-2, 7.78 ERA)
Moseley will make it his focus to get deeper in the game after not getting past the fifth inning in three of his four starts, the exception being a six-inning effort against the Indians. He's been a pitch or two away from getting out of trouble, and manager Mike Scioscia thinks he has been better than his record suggests. The plan is to keep him in the rotation until John Lackey returns, presumably in mid-May. Moseley is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in four career appearances against the Tigers, and he hasn't allowed a run in three innings at Comerica Park.

Tidbits

Carlos Guillen might be able to return to action Saturday, but is questionable at best. He has missed the last two games with a badly bruised right knee suffered on a foul tip Wednesday night against Texas. ... Curtis Granderson is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts for his career against Moseley. ... Edgar Renteria is batting .394 (26-for-66) over his last 17 games, with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs.


On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FOX

On radio
• 1270AM

Up next

• Sunday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 1-3, 5.93) vs. Angels (Jered Weaver, 1-3, 4.50), 8:05 p.m. ET

• Monday: Off-day

• Tuesday: Tigers (LHP Kenny Rogers, (1-3, 7.66 ERA) @ Yankees (RHP Phil Hughes, (0-3, 7.85 ERA), 7:05 PM ET

Starting Lineup

LA Angels
Figgins, 3B
Matthews, DH
Guerrero, RF
Kotchman, 1B
Hunter, CF
Anderson, LF
Izturis, 2B
Mathis, C
Aybar, SS

Detroit
Granderson, CF
Polanco, 2B
Sheffield, DH
Ordonez, RF
Cabrera, 1B
Jones, J, LF
Renteria, SS
Rodriguez, C
Inge, 3B

GO GET EM Galarraga! Show the Tiger management that you deserve to be a permanent part of our pitching rotation!

Tigers are taking the next two games in this series!

Temps in the mid 60's Breezy; West Winds at 15-25 miles an hour.


GO TIGERS GO!

Stat of the day: Armando Galarraga's career ERA against the Angels...9.64.

he can pare that baby down! He's gooooooooooooooooood!!!

LETS GO TIGERS!! WE SHOULD OF WON LAST NIGHT...LETS WIN BY A LOT TODAY!!

At least we're ahead at the end of the 1st--1-0. Placido did great! Maggs hit him home!

screw these Fox news announcers! *yawn*

BRING BACK ROD AND MARIO MUY PRONTO!!!

yayyy magglio redeems himself!!

dang he's good for that! looked sooo hot last night!

laprimamirala wrote:

screw these Fox news announcers! *yawn*

We want Rod and Mario!!! We want Rod and Mario!!!!!!

Hi everyone

Damn MLB.tv has me blacked out, because of Fox covering the game, only thing is Fox is showing me Indians-Yuckees game!

i kind of want the yankees to win so we can climb up in our division but i hate both teams really!

these announcer turds are making me despise this game!
they are Rod and Mario wannabes!

Come on Tigers, get some more runs!

i think we will get to mosely in the 6th!!

Bottom of 4th

:sheff: grounds out

this guy is throwing a lot of balls. why aren't we taking walks?

Pity that. Nice stroke by Renteria.

Evening all.

Hey guys. basehit

Inge flies out

now i know why these announcers suck...they're ANGELS announcers!

Nice!

:curtis: doubles

I had to change mlb audio to wxyt to get detroit announcers

3 - 0

WOOOHOOOOOO!!!