Astros def. Tigers 11-10 on 3/4/08

Astros def. Tigers 11-10 on 3/4/08

March 4, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Detroit	3	0	1	2	0	0	1	3	0		10	19	0
Houston	0	0	0	6	1	2	2	0	X		11	17	2

BOX SCORE AVAILABLE AT:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2008_03_04_detmlb_houmlb_1

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03/04/2008 3:59 PM ET
Nineteen hits not enough vs. Astros
Robertson's start wasted as Houston gets to Detroit's Jones
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

ASTROS 11, TIGERS 10
at Kissimmee, Fla.
Tuesday, March 4

Tigers at the plate: Placido Polanco was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Timo Perez was 2-for-3 with a run scored. FreddyGuzman was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Ivan Rodriguez hit a home run on the first pitch of the game. Wilken Ramirez knocked a two-run homer off Josh Muecke in the eighth. Detroit finished with 19 hits.

Astros at the plate: J.R. Towles was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs. He knocked a three-run homer to contribute to the Astros' six-run fourth. Darin Erstad was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Geoff Blum knocked a two-run double in the fourth. Houston finished with 17 hits.

Tigers on the mound: Starter Nate Robertson pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out four. Todd Jones allowed five hits and six runs over one inning.

Astros on the mound: Starter Roy Oswalt allowed four runs, but only one was earned, over three innings. Miguel Tejada made two errors at shorstop -- one in the first and one in the third -- that contributed to the unearned runs. Geoff Geary weathered an interesting ninth to finish off the win.

Grapefruit League records: Tigers 3-3; Astros 2-5.

Up next: The Tigers have split-squad games scheduled for Wednesday. They will host the Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium at 1:05 p.m. ET, and half the team will travel to Bradenton, Fla., to play the Pirates, also at 1:05 p.m. Justin Verlander will start the home game, while Yorman Bazardo will start the road game. The Astros will travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., to play the Rays at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Runelvys Hernandez, a non-roster invitee competing for a rotation spot, will face Rays righty Jason Hammel.

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

Detroit	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Rodriguez, C	3	1	1	1	0	2	2	.167
Skelton, C	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	.500
Polanco, P, 2B	3	2	3	1	0	0	0	.533
Sizemore, 2B	2	1	2	1	0	0	0	.375
Guillen, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.133
Larish, 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000
Ordonez, DH	3	0	0	2	0	0	1	.417
b-Trzesniak, PH-DH	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.500
Cabrera, 3B	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	.188
Hollimon, M, 3B	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Renteria, SS	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	.200
Santiago, SS	2	1	1	0	0	0	1	.500
Perez, T, LF	3	1	2	1	0	1	0	.417
a-Ramirez, W, PH-LF	2	1	2	2	0	0	0	.545
Clevlen, RF	3	1	1	0	0	1	0	.455
Thomas, RF	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	.125
Guzman, Fre, CF	5	1	3	1	0	0	2	.500
Totals	44	10	19	10	0	5	16
a-Homered for Perez, T in the 8th. b-Popped out for Ordonez in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Renteria (2, Oswalt), Polanco, P (1, Brocail), Santiago (1, Muecke), Thomas (1, Geary). HR: Rodriguez (1, 1st inning off Oswalt, 0 on, 0 out), Ramirez, W (2, 8th inning off Muecke, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Rodriguez 4; Skelton; Polanco, P 4; Sizemore 2; Hollimon, M; Renteria 2; Santiago 2; Perez, T 2; Ramirez, W 5; Clevlen; Thomas 2; Guzman, Fre 3. RBI: Rodriguez (1), Renteria (1), Perez, T (1), Ordonez 2 (4), Guzman, Fre (1), Polanco, P (2), Ramirez, W 2 (7), Sizemore (1). 2-out RBI: Renteria; Perez, T; Polanco, P. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Guillen 2; Trzesniak 2; Guzman, Fre 2. SF: Ordonez. GIDP: Cabrera. Team LOB: 8. BASERUNNING SB: Sizemore (1, 2nd base off Borkowski/Towles), Guzman, Fre (1, 3rd base off Muecke/Towles). FIELDING DP: (Santiago-Sizemore-Larish).

Detroit	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Robertson	3.0	2	0	0	0	4	0	1.80
Jones, T	1.0	5	6	6	1	0	1	31.50
Byrdak (L, 0-1)	1.0	3	1	1	0	1	0	6.00
McBride	2.0	7	4	4	1	1	0	9.00
Beltran	1.0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0.00

Ground outs-fly outs: Robertson 2-3, Jones, T 2-1, Byrdak 0-2,
McBride 3-2, Beltran 0-1, Oswalt 4-3, Brocail 2-0, Valverde 2-1,
Borkowski 4-0, Muecke 1-0, Geary 0-4.
Batters faced: Robertson 11, Jones, T 9, Byrdak 6, McBride 13, Beltran 5, Oswalt 14, Brocail 7, Valverde 3, Borkowski 8, Muecke 7, Geary 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Geary 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Joe West. 1B: Laz Diaz. 2B: Lance Barksdale. 3B: D.J. Reyburn.
Weather: 80 degrees, overcast.
Wind: 20 mph, Out to LF.
T: 2:46.
Att: 3,272.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tigers drop 11-10 slugfest vs. Astros
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- If spring training is for getting the bugs out, the Tigers should have called an exterminator during the middle innings of Tuesday's game at Osceola County Stadium.

After taking a 6-0 lead, they watched Houston come back with six runs in the fourth off reliever Todd Jones en route to a 11-10 victory over the Tigers.

The Tigers had 19 hits and the Astros 17 during a game in which a heavy wind blew out to left field.

Pudge Rodriguez hit the first pitch of the game from Roy Oswalt for a home run, which set Tuesday's tone. Outfield prospect Wilkin Ramirez also hit his second home run in two days for the Tigers, who nearly tied the game in the ninth.

Ramirez singled and would have scored had Tigers minor-league outfielder Clete Jones' blast to left field not bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double that ultimately left Ramirez stranded at third.

Nate Robertson started for the Tigers and was sharp through three innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. He walked no one.

Jones had trouble with his location, but in manager Jim Leyland's mind, he suffered only from the fact that bullpen closers used in early relief situations are notoriously vulnerable during spring training.

Placido Polanco had three hits for the Tigers, including a double. Reserve outfielder Freddy Guzman also had three hits.