2008 Gameday Press Passes

2008 Gameday Press Passes

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Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals - Monday, March 31, 2008
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI - Game Time - 1:05 p.m. EDT
7 pages - CLICK HERE TO SEE, DOWNLOAD, OR PRINT (PDF file)

WHAT’S ON TAP: The Tigers open the 2008 campaign this afternoon against the Kansas City Royals, the first game of a three-game series. Following Thursday afternoon’s game, Detroit will welcome the Chicago White Sox to Comerica Park for a three-game set beginning on Friday.

OPENING DAY NOTES: Today’s contest with the Kansas City Royals marks the 108th Opening Day in Tigers history. The club enters action today with a 50-56-1 record in the previous 107 season openers. The Tigers and Royals have matched up five times previously on Opening Day, including a 3-1 Tigers win in 2006 at Kansas City. Three of the prior four Opening Day games had been played in Kansas City, with the two clubs splitting
the four games. In 1977, the Tigers were defeated 7-4. Detroit picked up the win over the Royals in 1980 by the score of 5-1, before falling in the 1982 opener 4-2. The Tigers posted an 11-2 victory over the Royals at Comerica Park in 2005.

HOME OPENER NOTES: Today’s game against the Kansas City Royals marks the 108th home opener in Tigers history. The club enters today with a 56-50-1 record in the previous home openers, including a 3-5 mark at Comerica Park. The only time the Tigers have hosted the Royals in Detroit to open the season was in 2005, when Detroit posted an 11-2 win at Comerica Park.

SPRING RECAP: The Tigers concluded the spring season with a 15-14-3 record. The Tigers hit .291 (334x1148) with 71 doubles, 11 triples and 44 home runs this spring. Detroit topped all American League clubs with 44 home runs and a .487 slugging percentage this spring, while the club tied for second with 71 doubles and finished third with a .291 batting average.

THE READ ON THE ROSTER: Notes about Detroit’s 25-man, season-opening roster:
- 4 are on an Opening Day roster for the first time (Bazardo, Miner, Raburn, Thomas), compared to one in 2007.
- 6 were not active with the team in 2007 (Bautista, Cabrera, J. Jones, Renteria, Thomas, Willis).
- 8 have less than three years in the major leagues (Bautista, Bazardo, Grilli, Lopez, Miner, Raburn, Thomas, Verlander), compared to nine in 2007.
- 11 have five-or-more years in the majors (Bonderman, Guillen, Inge, J. Jones, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Renteria, Rodriguez, Rogers, Sheffield), compared to 10 in 2007.
- 3 have less than a full season in the majors (Bazardo, Raburn, Thomas), compared to one in 2007.
- 13 return from last season’s 25-man, season-opening roster (Bonderman, Guillen, Grilli, Inge, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Robertson, Rodriguez, Seay, Sheffield, Thames, Verlander).
- 11 have been selected all-stars (Cabrera, Guillen, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Renteria, Rodriguez, Rogers, Sheffield, Verlander, Willis).

SHEFF’S 20 STRAIGHT OPENING DAYS: Gary Sheffield is in an Opening Day lineup at the major league level for the 20th straight season today versus Kansas City, the longest such active streak in the majors. Sheffield’s streak dates back to the 1989 season with the Milwaukee Brewers.

FLAWLESS AT SECOND: Placido Polanco has not committed an error at second base since July 1, 2006 at Pittsburgh, a stretch of 181 errorless games. He now owns the major league record for second basemen, surpassing Luis Castillo’s old major league record of 143 games established May 30, 2006-June 5, 2007. Polanco has recorded 888 consecutive errorless chances during his streak, establishing a major league record for second basemen. Castillo held the previous record with 647 consecutive errorless chances.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

2008 Gameday Press Passes

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Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals - Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Comerica Park, Detroit, MI - Game Time - 1:05 p.m. EDT
7 pages - CLICK HERE TO SEE, DOWNLOAD, OR PRINT (PDF file)

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers suffered a 5-4 loss in 11 innings to the Kansas City Royals to open the 2008 season on Monday afternoon. Denny Bautista (0-1) allowed one run in two innings of relief to take the loss for Detroit. Carlos Guillen led the Tigers with three hits, including a double and solo home run. Miguel Cabrera homered in his Tigers debut, while Magglio Ordonez added two hits. The Tigers will battle the Royals in the second game of the 2008 campaign this afternoon at Comerica Park, the second game of a three game series. Following Thursday afternoon’s game, Detroit will welcome the Chicago White Sox to Comerica Park for a three-game set beginning on Friday.

PUDGE PACKS A PUNCH AGAINST ROYALS: Ivan Rodriguez enters today’s game with a .347 batting average (222x640), 92 runs scored, 51 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs and 102 RBI in 167 games during his career against the Kansas City Royals. He is tops among all active players in the majors with 221 hits and 51 doubles against the Royals, while he is fifth with a .347 batting average and 102 RBI.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 63 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .403 (95x236) with 54 runs scored, 22 doubles, 15 home runs and 59 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 58 of the games.

CLOSING IN ON 2,500 HITS: Ivan Rodriguez singled in the fourth inning on Monday versus Kansas City and he now has 2,496 hits during his career. With four more hits, he will become just the 87th player in major league history to reach 2,500 hits.

THE READ ON THE ROSTER: Notes about Detroit’s 25-man, season-opening roster:
- 4 are on an Opening Day roster for the first time (Bazardo, Miner, Raburn, Thomas), compared to one in 2007.
- 6 were not active with the team in 2007 (Bautista, Cabrera, J. Jones, Renteria, Thomas, Willis).
- 8 have less than three years in the major leagues (Bautista, Bazardo, Grilli, Lopez, Miner, Raburn, Thomas, Verlander), compared to nine in 2007.
- 11 have five-or-more years in the majors (Bonderman, Guillen, Inge, J. Jones, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Renteria, Rodriguez, Rogers, Sheffield), compared to 10 in 2007.
- 3 have less than a full season in the majors (Bazardo, Raburn, Thomas), compared to one in 2007.
- 13 return from last season’s 25-man, season-opening roster (Bonderman,
Guillen, Grilli, Inge, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Robertson, Rodriguez, Seay, Sheffield, Thames, Verlander).
- 11 have been selected all-stars (Cabrera, Guillen, T. Jones, Ordonez, Polanco, Renteria, Rodriguez, Rogers, Sheffield, Verlander, Willis).

RISP MANAGEMENT: Since both Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez joined the Tigers in 2005, they are among the best in the American League when hitting with runners in scoring position. Polanco is second in the league with a .374 batting average (113x302) with runners in scoring position, while Ordonez is third in the league with a .373 batting average (158x424) with runners in scoring position.

FLAWLESS AT SECOND: Placido Polanco has not committed an error at second base since July 1, 2006 at Pittsburgh, a stretch of 182 errorless games. He now owns the major league record for second basemen, surpassing Luis Castillo’s old major league record of 143 games established May 30, 2006-June 5, 2007. Polanco has recorded 893 consecutive errorless chances during his streak, establishing a major league record for second basemen. Castillo held the previous record with 647 consecutive errorless chances.

SPRING RECAP: The Tigers concluded the spring season with a 15-14-3 record. The Tigers hit .291 (334x1148) with 71 doubles, 11 triples and 44 home runs this spring. Detroit topped all American League clubs with 44 home runs and a .487 slugging percentage this spring, while the club tied for
second with 71 doubles and finished third with a .291 batting average.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

THE READ ON ROGERS: Rogers is making his first start of the season for the Tigers this afternoon against the Kansas City Royals.

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LEFTY LIST: Rogers is currently in 22nd place on the all-time win list among lefthanded pitchers with his 210 career victories. With one more win, he will match Billy Pierce for 21st on
that all-time list.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Rogers is making his 32nd career appearance, 29th start, this afternoon at Comerica Park. In his previous 31 outings, he is 13-6 with a 3.32 ERA (178.2IP/66ER).

WINNING WAYS: Rogers is sixth among all active lefthanded pitchers with a .595 winning percentage during his major league career. The following is a list of the top 10 active lefthanded pitchers in the majors:
Pitcher_________W____L____%
Randy Johnson__284__150__.654
Andy Pettitte___201__113__.640
Mark Mulder____103___60___.632
C.C. Sabathia___100___63__.613
Tom Glavine_____303__199__.604
Kenny Rogers____210__143__.595
Barry Zito_______113___77__.595
Mark Buehrle_____107___75__.588
Mike Hampton____138__101__.577
Jamie Moyer______230__178__.564

Detroit Tigers Media Relations Department - 4/10/08

RECENT RESULTS:
The Tigers snapped a seven-game losing streak to open the 2008 season with a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park last night. Jeremy Bonderman (1-1) picked up the win for Detroit, limiting Boston to two runs (one earned) in five innings of work. Edgar Renteria led the Tigers with three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI. Marcus Thames belted a two-run home run for Detroit, while Carlos Guillen added a solo home run. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip with the final game of a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park this evening. Detroit concludes the trip with a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field against the Chicago White Sox beginning on Friday.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers have compiled a 93-71 record on the road. Detroit’s 93 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch, trailing the 96 road wins by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.12 ERA (1421.0IP/650ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .281 batting average
(1656x5899) on the road.

ORDONEZ HITS WELL AGAINST WAKEFIELD: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .455 batting average (15x33) during his career versus Tim Wakefield. Ordonez is tops among all active major league players with a minimum of 30 plate appearances against Wakefield with a .455 batting average and .788 slugging percentage.

PITCHING PERFORMS AGAINST THE RED SOX: In nine games since the start of the 2007 season against the Boston Red Sox, Tigers pitchers combined to compile a 2.89 ERA (81.0IP/26ER). The 2.89 ERA is tops among all American League clubs against the Red Sox since the start of the 2007 season.

ORDONEZ SWINGS A HOT BAT AGAINST RED SOX: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .354 batting average (99x280), 47 runs scored, 26 doubles, 13 home runs and 55 RBI in 75 games during his career against the Boston Red Sox. He is currently second among active major leaguers with a .354 batting average and .420 on-base percentage against the Red Sox, while he is third with a .586 slugging percentage. Additionally, Ordonez is second among all active players with a .340 batting average (53x156) in 40 games at Fenway Park.

PUDGE REACHES 2,500 HITS: Ivan Rodriguez collected the 2,500th hit of his major league career last night at Boston, a single in the eighth inning off of Julian Tavarez. He became just the 87th player in major league history to reach 2,500 hits.

AMONG THE LEADERS SINCE 2005: Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen are all among the American League’s best in batting average since the start of the 2005 season. Ordonez is second in the league during the stretch with a .324 batting average (494x1526), while Polanco is fifth with a .320 batting average (455x1420) and Guillen is ninth with a .311 batting average (457x1468).

RISP MANAGEMENT: Since both Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez joined the Tigers in 2005, they are among the best in the American League when hitting with runners in scoring position. Ordonez is second in the league with a .368 batting average (158x429) with runners in scoring position, while Polanco is third in the league with a .368 batting average (113x307) with runners in scoring position.

MARCUS MASHES: Marcus Thames belted his first home run of the season last night at Boston. Since the joining the Tigers in 2004, Thames has homered once every 14.50 at-bats (899AB/62HR) in 298 games. He is sixth among all American League players (with a minimum of 900 plate appearances) during this stretch with a home run once every 14.50 at-bats.

PUDGE STOPPING THE RUNNING GAME: Ivan Rodriguez threw out both runners attempting to steal last night at Boston. Rodriguez has thrown out 43.4 percent of baserunners attempting to steal (493x1135) during his career, tops among all active major league catchers.

TIGERS MINOR LEAGUERS OFF TO FAST START: The Tigers four full-season minor league affiliates have combined to post a 20-8 record so far in 2008. The 20 wins are the most by any organization’s minor league affiliates, while the combined .714 winning percentage is second.

INJURY UPDATE:
OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

Detroit Tigers Media Relations Department - 4/12/08

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers won for the second time in the club’s last three games last night, posting a 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Aquilino Lopez (1-0) held the White Sox to one run in four innings of relief to earn the win for Detroit. Todd Jones fired a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the season. Magglio Ordonez singled and drove in two runs for the Tigers, while Brandon Inge singled, doubled and drove in a run. The Tigers
continue a six-game road trip with the second game of a three-game series against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field this afternoon.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers have compiled a 94-72 record on the road. Detroit’s 94 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch, trailing the 96 road wins by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.16 ERA (1438.0IP/664ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .281 batting average
(1677x5970) on the road.

TIGERS TRIO IN A GROOVE AGAINST WHITE SOX: Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco are among the leaders in batting average against the Chicago White Sox during their respective careers. Ordonez is tied for fourth among active major leaguers with a .333 batting average (64x192) against Chicago, while Guillen is sixth with a .331 batting average (113x341) and Polanco is 10th with a .320 batting average (64x200).

TIGERS ON THE OFFENSIVE AT U.S. CELLULAR FIELD: In 10 games at U.S. Cellular Field since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers are hitting .322 (119x369) with 63 runs scored, 24 doubles and 11 home runs. The Tigers are second among all major league clubs with a .322 batting average at U.S. Cellular Field since the start of the 2007 season.

MULTI-RBI MAGGLIO: Magglio Ordonez posted his first multi-RBI game of the season last night at Chicago, driving in two runs. It marked the 79th time since he joined the Tigers in 2005 that Ordonez has driven in at least two runs in a game. The Tigers have posted a 58-21 in the 79 games.

AMONG THE LEADERS SINCE 2005: Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen are all among the American League’s best in batting average since the start of the 2005 season. Ordonez is fourth in the league during the stretch with a .323 batting average (496x1535), while Polanco is fifth with a .321 batting average (458x1427) and Guillen is ninth with a .311 batting average (459x1476).

RISP MANAGEMENT: Since both Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez joined the Tigers in 2005, they are among the best in the American League when hitting with runners in scoring position. Polanco is second in the league with a .373 batting average (116x311) with runners in scoring position, while Ordonez is third in the league with a .367 batting average (159x433) with runners in scoring position.

LOPEZ ON THE LEADER BOARDS: Aquilino Lopez matched a career high with four innings of relief last night at Chicago as he earned his first major league win since June 1, 2004 at Seattle. He is tops among all American League relievers with a 11.1 innings pitched this season, while he is tied for third with eight strikeouts.

THOMAS SPARKS TIGERS: Clete Thomas finished with two hits and an RBI last night at Chicago and he has now hit safely in six of his seven games this season. He is second among all American League rookies with a .476 batting average, while he is tied for second with 10 hits and three multi-hit games.

GRILLI GREAT ON THE ROAD: Jason Grilli tossed three scoreless innings of relief last night at Chicago. In 36 outings on the road dating back to August 1, 2006, he has posted a 5-1 record and 1.96 ERA (55.0IP/12ER).

MARCUS MASHES: Marcus Thames belted his first home run of the season on Wednesday night at Boston. Since the joining the Tigers in 2004, Thames has homered once every 14.56 at-bats (903AB/62HR) in 299 games. He is seventh among all American League players (with a minimum of 900 plate appearances) during this stretch with a home run once every 14.56 at-bats.

PUDGE STOPPING THE RUNNING GAME: Ivan Rodriguez threw out both runners attempting to steal on Wednesday night at Boston. Rodriguez has thrown out 43.4 percent of baserunners attempting to steal (493x1136) during his career, tops among all active major league catchers.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

Detroit Tigers Media Relations Department

Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Game Time - 7:05 p.m. EDT

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Minnesota Twins 11-9 last night at Comerica Park to snap a six-game losing skid at home. Ivan Rodriguez drove in the tying runs with a two-run triple in the eighth inning and finished the game with a triple, home run and three RBI to lead the Tigers offense. Carlos Guillen finished with three hits and three RBI, while Magglio Ordonez added three hits and Gary Sheffield, Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria each finished with a pair of hits. Francis Beltran (1-0) tossed a scoreless eighth inning to earn the victory, while Todd Jones fired a scoreless ninth for the save. Detroit will battle the Twins in the final game of a two-game series tonight at Comerica Park, before heading to Cleveland and Toronto as part of a six-game road trip beginning tomorrow evening.

GUILLEN AMONG THE EARLY LEADERS: Carlos Guillen finished last night’s game against the Twins with three hits and ranks among the early leaders in a number of categories. Guillen ranks third in the American League with a .479 on-base percentage, fourth with a .641 slugging percentage, tied for fifth with seven extra-base hits, tied for sixth with five doubles and eighth with a .359 batting average.

LATE-INNING SCORING: The Tigers posted six runs on six hits in the eighth inning last night against the Twins, marking the most runs scored by a Tigers team in the eighth inning or later since also scoring six runs in the eighth inning on April 19, 2004 at Cleveland.

JONES MATCHES JONES: Todd Jones fired a scoreless ninth inning last night against the Twins to earn the 303rd save of his career and move into a tie for 19th place on the all-time list with Doug Jones. Jones needs one save to move into a tie with Jeff Montgomery for 18th place on the all-time list.

COMEBACK TRAIL: The Tigers overcame a five-run deficit last night to secure an 11-9 victory over the Twins at Comerica Park. The five-run comeback is the most by a Tigers team since also coming back from a five-run deficit to win 7-6 against the Cleveland Indians on August 4, 2006 at Comerica Park.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 69 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .396 (103x260) with 56 runs scored, 24 doubles, 15 home runs and 60 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 63 of the games.

POLANCO PRODUCES AGAINST THE TWINS: Placido Polanco enters tonight’s game against Minnesota with a .335 batting average (66x197) in 46 games against the club. He is sixth among all active major league players with a .335 batting average against the Twins.

MAGGLIO’S A MENACE VERSUS MINNESOTA: Magglio Ordonez has hit safely in 26 of his last 31 games against the Minnesota Twins dating back to May 17, 2006. During the 31-game stretch, Ordonez is hitting .358 (39x109) with 13 doubles, four home runs and 27 RBI.

AMONG THE LEADERS SINCE 2005: Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen are all among the American League’s best in batting average since the start of the 2005 season. Ordonez is third in the league during the stretch with a .323 batting average (499x1544), while Polanco is fifth with a .320 batting average (459x1435) and Guillen is seventh with a .312 batting average (462x1480).

RISP MANAGEMENT: Since both Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez joined the Tigers in 2005, they are among the best in the American League when hitting with runners in scoring position. Polanco is second in the league with a .373 batting average (117x314) with runners in scoring position, while Ordonez is third in the league with a .367 batting average
(160x436) with runners in scoring position.

RUNNING WILD: The Tigers have been successful in all eight of their stolen bases attempts this season. Dating back to September 18, 2007, the club has been successful in each of its last 18 stolen bases attempts.

THOMAS AMONG ROOKIE LEADERS: Clete Thomas has now hit safely in seven of his 10 games with the Tigers this season. He is tied for second among all American League rookies with 11 hits and three multi-hit games, while he is third with a .344 batting average and 15 total bases.

MARCUS MASHES: Marcus Thames belted his first home run of the season on Wednesday night at Boston. Since the joining the Tigers in 2004, Thames has homered once every 14.63 at-bats (907AB/62HR) in 300 games. He is eighth among all American League players (with a minimum of 900 plate appearances) during this stretch with a home run once every 14.63 at-bats. The Tigers are 40-18 in the 58 games Thames has homered.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

2008 Gameday Press Passes

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Detroit Tigers vs. Toronto Blue Jays - Friday, April 18, 2008

Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON - Game Time - 7:07 p.m. EDT
7 pages - CLICK HERE TO SEE, DOWNLOAD, OR PRINT (PDF file)

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 11-1 to the Cleveland Indians last night at Progressive Field, snapping the club’s three-game winning streak. Justin Verlander (0-3) allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings of work to take the loss. Miguel Cabrera drove in the lone Tigers run with a sacrifice fly, while Brandon Inge and Clete Thomas both doubled to round out the offensive attack. Detroit continues a six-game road trip tonight with the first game of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Following the conclusion of the current road trip, the club heads home for a six-game homestand featuring visits from the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

LOOKING FOR THE LEFTY: The Tigers face lefthanded pitcher David Purcey tonight as they battle the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers have compiled a .291 batting average (417x1433) against lefthanded pitchers. Detroit leads the American League during this stretch with a .476 slugging percentage against lefthanded pitching, while the club is second with a .291 batting average. Since the start of the 2007 season, Detroit has posted a 30-16 record in games started by lefthanded pitchers.

JACQUE NORTH OF THE BORDER: Jacque Jones is batting .349 (61x175) with 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 27 RBI in 46 career games against the Toronto Blue Jays. He ranks second among active players with the .349 batting average, while he is sixth with a .583 slugging percentage.

CABRERA HEATING UP: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in eight of his last nine games dating back to April 9. During that stretch, Cabrera is batting .361 (13x36) with six runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. He has also collected at least one RBI in each of his last four games, one shy of his career high, last accomplished from July 27-August 1, 2007 with the Florida Marlins.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers have compiled a 95-75 record on the road. Detroit’s 95 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch, trailing the 96 road wins by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.25 ERA (1471.0IP/695ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .280 batting average
(1709x6104) on the road.

MAGGLIO CLOSING IN ON 1,000 RBI: Magglio Ordonez finished Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota with two RBI and is two RBI shy of reaching 1,000 in his major league career. Ordonez would become just the second Venezuelan native to reach 1,000 RBI, joining Andres Galarraga (1,425).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIGUEL: Miguel Cabrera is celebrating his 25th birthday today.

GUILLEN AMONG THE EARLY LEADERS: Carlos Guillen ranks among the early leaders in the American League in a number of categories. Guillen ranks second with a .475 on-base percentage, third with a .653 slugging percentage, fourth with a .367 batting average and tied for eighth with eight extra-base hits.

RUNNING WILD: The Tigers have been successful in all nine of their stolen bases attempts this season. Dating back to September 18, 2007, the club has been successful in each of its last 19 stolen bases attempts.

BELTRAN OUTRIGHTED TO TOLEDO: The Tigers today announced that righthanded pitcher Francis Beltran has been outrighted to Triple A Toledo. Beltran posted a 1-0 record and 5.79 ERA (4.2IP/3ER) in five appearances with the Tigers this season.

GRANDERSON SET TO BEGIN REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Curtis Granderson is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment tonight at Single A West Michigan as the Whitecaps battle the Burlington Bees at Fifth Third Ballpark. Granderson has been sidelined since March 23 with a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Jordan Tata (fractured fifth metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

7 pages - CLICK HERE TO SEE, DOWNLOAD, OR PRINT (PDF file)

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 yesterday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Armando Galarraga (2-0) held the Blue Jays scoreless over 5.1 innings of work to earn the victory. Ivan Rodriguez led the Tigers offense with four hits, including a double and an RBI. Edgar Renteria finished the game with two hits, including a solo home run. Ryan Raburn collected two RBI to round out the Tigers offense. The Tigers kick off a six-game homestand tonight with the first game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. The Los Angeles Angels round out the homestand with a three-game series beginning Friday.

ORDONEZ ON TARGET AGAINST RANGERS: In 72 career games against the Texas Rangers, Magglio Ordonez is batting .360 (95x264) with 52 runs scored, 21 doubles, 13 home runs and 48 RBI. He is third among active players with the .360 batting average, while he is seventh with a .587 slugging percentage and 10th with a .410 on-base percentage.

RENTERIA’S RED HOT: Edgar Renteria has been swinging a hot bat, hitting safely in 11 of his last 13 games dating back to April 9. Renteria is batting .360 (18x50) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI during that stretch. He is tied for third in the American League during that stretch with three home runs, while he is tied for fourth with 12 RBI and a .600 slugging percentage.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 70 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .398 (105x264) with 58 runs scored, 25 doubles, 16 home runs and 62 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 64 of the games.

LOPEZ ON THE LEADER BOARDS: Aquilino Lopez tossed 1.1 scoreless innings yesterday afternoon against the Blue Jays and remains among the American League relief pitching leaders. He is currently tied for the lead among league relievers with 14.1 innings pitched, while he is tied for eighth with 10 strikeouts and tied for ninth with nine appearances.

CABRERA SHARES AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Major League Baseball announced yesterday that Miguel Cabrera was named the American League Co-Player of the Week for the week of April 14th. Cabrera shared the award with Boston’s Manny Ramirez after batting .429 (12x28) with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI during the week. It is the fifth weekly honor for Cabrera and his first in the American League.

WALK THIS WAY: The Tigers have collected 83 walks through the first 20 games this season and rank third in the American League. Additionally, five Tigers players have collected three-or-more walks in a game this season, matching the club’s total for games with at least three walks in 2007.

MAGGLIO CLOSING IN ON 1,000 RBI: Magglio Ordonez finished Friday night’s game against Toronto with one RBI and is now one RBI shy of reaching 1,000 in his major league career. Ordonez would become just the second Venezuelan native to reach 1,000 RBI, joining Andres Galarraga (1,425).

GUILLEN AMONG THE EARLY LEADERS: Carlos Guillen ranks among the early leaders in the American League in a number of categories. Guillen ranks fourth with a .576 slugging
percentage, while he is tied for fourth with seven doubles and 10 extra-base hits, fifth with a .429 on-base percentage and ninth with a .333 batting average.

RUNNING WILD: The Tigers have been successful in all 10 of their stolen bases attempts this season. Dating back to September 18, 2007, the club has been successful in each of
its last 20 stolen bases attempts.

CRUCETA ASSIGNED TO TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Francisco Cruceta has been assigned to Triple A Toledo today, an assignment that can last a maximum of 16 days. Cruceta was signed by the Tigers as a free agent on November 30, 2007.

GRANDY’S REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Curtis Granderson started in center field for Single A West Michigan last night as part of a rehab assignment. He finished the game 1x4 with a run scored, triple and an RBI and is batting .353 (6x17) with a double and two triples in four games during his rehab assignment. Granderson will continue the rehab assignment this evening at Single A West Michigan as the Whitecaps battle the Beloit Snappers at Fifth Third Ballpark. Granderson has been sidelined since March 23 with a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand.

INJURY UPDATE: OF Curtis Granderson (non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in right hand, 15-day DL on March 23), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).


JUSTIN’S CASE: In his third full season at the major league level, Verlander will make his fifth start of the season tonight against the Texas Rangers.

OPENING DAY NOD: Verlander made the first Opening Day start of his major league career on March 31 against the Royals. He became the third different
Tigers pitcher to start Opening Day during Jim Leyland’s tenure as manager. Kenny Rogers started in 2006, while Jeremy Bonderman started in 2007.

RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM HIS TEAMMATES: In his 67 career starts at the major league level, Verlander has received 6.59 runs per nine innings of
support. Since the start of the 2006 season, he is tops among all major league pitchers with 6.75 runs per nine innings of support.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Verlander is making his 35th career start at Comerica Park this evening. In his previous 34 starts, he is 18-8 with a 3.80 ERA (210.2IP/89ER).

NO-NO: Verlander fired the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history on June 12, 2007 versus Milwaukee, the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history. It was the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984 against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to toss a no-hitter in Detroit since Virgil Trucks on May 15, 1952 versus Washington at Briggs Stadium.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Verlander was selected by the Tigers in the first round (second overall) of the June 2004 draft. He was selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the first time in 2007. Verlander was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006.

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RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Texas Rangers 10-2 last night at Comerica Park, marking the club’s sixth win in the last nine games. Justin Verlander (1-3) started for the Tigers and limited the Rangers to one run on six hits to earn the victory. Edgar Renteria led the Tigers offense with four hits, including a double and an RBI, while Ramon Santiago finished with a double, home run and three RBI. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera belted back-to-back solo home runs for the Tigers. The Tigers continue a six-game homestand tonight with the second game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. The Los Angeles Angels round out the homestand with a three-game series beginning Friday.

GRANDERSON RECALLED FROM REHAB ASSIGNMENT, ACTIVATED FROM DL: Curtis Granderson was recalled from his rehab assignment with Single A West Michigan and activated from the disabled list prior to tonight’s game against Texas. Granderson, who had been sidelined since March 23 with a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand, batted .350 (7x20) with a double and two triples in five games with West Michigan and Triple A Toledo. To make room for Granderson on the active roster, the club optioned outfielder Clete Thomas to Triple A Toledo prior to tonight’s game. Thomas batted .295 (18x61) with four doubles, a triple and five RBI in 18 games with the Tigers.

CABRERA DRIVING ‘EM IN: Miguel Cabrera finished last night’s game against Texas with two RBI and has collected at least one RBI in seven of his last nine games, dating back to April 14. During that stretch, Cabrera is tied for the American League lead with 13 RBI, while he is tied for second with three home runs, tied for fifth with four doubles and tied for sixth with a .743 slugging percentage.

LONG TIME BETWEEN LONGBALLS: Ramon Santiago belted a two-run home run last night against the Rangers, his first home run since August 1, 2003 at Minnesota. The home run snapped a streak of 417 plate appearances without a home run for Santiago.

GRANDY’S MULTI-HIT MAGIC: Since the start of the 2006 season, Curtis Granderson has collected 102 multi-hit games. The Tigers have posted a 71-31 record in the 102 games Granderson has collected multiple hits and he has batted .512 (236x461) with 48 doubles, 17 triples, 35 home runs and 107 RBI.

ORDONEZ ON TARGET AGAINST RANGERS: In 73 career games against the Texas Rangers, Magglio Ordonez is batting .358 (96x268) with 53 runs scored, 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 49 RBI. He is third among active players with the .358 batting average, while he is seventh with a .587 slugging percentage and 10th with a .410 on-base percentage.

RENTERIA’S RED HOT: Edgar Renteria has been swinging a hot bat, hitting safely in 12 of his last 14 games dating back to April 9. Renteria is batting .407 (22x54) with 12 runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI during that stretch. He is second in the American League during that stretch with 22 hits, while he is fourth with a .648 slugging percentage and tied for fourth with 13 RBI.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 71 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .396 (106x268) with 59 runs scored, 25 doubles, 17 home runs and 63 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 65 of the games.

MAGGLIO COLLECTS HIS 1,000TH RBI: Magglio Ordonez belted a solo home run in the third inning last night against Texas to reach 1,000 RBI in his major league career. Ordonez is the second Venezuelan native to reach 1,000 RBI, joining Andres Galarraga (1,425).

RUNNING WILD: The Tigers have been successful in all 10 of their stolen bases attempts this season. Dating back to September 18, 2007, the club has been successful in each of
its last 20 stolen bases attempts.

CRUCETA’S ASSIGNMENT TO TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Francisco Cruceta made his first appearance with Triple A Toledo last night, working three scoreless innings and striking out six batters. Cruceta was assigned to Toledo prior to yesterday’s game and the assignment can last a maximum of 16 days. Cruceta was signed by the Tigers as a free agent on November 30, 2007.

INJURY UPDATE:
- RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
- LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
- C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
- RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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THE READ ON ROGERS: Rogers is making his fifth start of the season for the Tigers tonight against the Texas Rangers.

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LEFTY LIST: Rogers is currently tied with Billy Pierce for 21st place on the all-time win list among lefthanded pitchers with his 211 career victories. With five more wins, he will match Wilbur Cooper for 20th on that all-time list.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Rogers is making his 33rd career appearance, 30th start, tonight at Comerica Park. In his previous 32 outings, he is 13-7
with a 3.31 ERA (184.2IP/68ER).

TOUGH ON THE LEFTIES: Rogers has limited lefthanded batters to a .199 batting average (50x251) since joining the Tigers in 2006, including a .200 batting average (4x20) in three starts this season.

WINNING WAYS: Rogers is seventh among all active lefthanded pitchers with a .591 winning percentage during his major league career. The following is a list of the top 10 active lefthanded pitchers in the majors:

Pitcher--------- W ---- L ------ %
Johan Santana - 95 - 46 ----.674
Randy Johnson -284 -151 -- .653
Andy Pettitte -- 204 -114 -- .642
Mark Mulder ---- 103 - 60 --- .632
C.C. Sabathia -- 101 -- 66 --- .605
Tom Glavine ---- 303 - 200 -- .602
Kenny Rogers --- 211 - 146 -- .591
Mark Buehrle ---- 108 -- 77 -- .584
Barry Zito -------- 113 -- 81 -- .582
Mike Hampton --- 138 - 101 -- .577

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RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with an 8-2 win at Comerica Park yesterday afternoon, the club’s eighth win in its last 11 games. Magglio Ordonez belted two home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Tigers attack, while Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge and Ryan Raburn all added a solo home run. It marked the fourth time the Tigers have connected for five-or-more home runs in Comerica Park history. Zach Miner (1-1) picked up the win in relief for Detroit, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. The Tigers continue their six-game homestand with the first game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this evening.

RUNS ABOUND AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers have scored 37 runs in the club’s last three games, marking the most runs scored by the Tigers in a three-game stretch since the club scored 47 runs August 10-12, 1993. Detroit has won each of its last five games at home, scoring a total of 54 runs during the winning streak. Tigers hitters have combined to hit .341 (58x170) with 12 doubles, three triples and 15 home runs in the last five games at Comerica Park.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit posted its eighth win in the club’s last 11 games yesterday afternoon against Texas. During the 11-game stretch dating back to April 14, the Tigers are hitting .304 (116x381) with 86 runs scored, 28 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs. The Tigers are leading all American League clubs with 86 runs scored, 19 home runs and a .543 slugging percentage during this stretch, while they are second with a .304 batting average.

MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST ANGELS: Magglio Ordonez enters the game tonight against the Angels with a .329 batting average (95x289) in 74 games against the club, while he has collected 16 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs and 56 RBI. Ordonez is second among all active major league players with a .609 slugging percentage against the Angels, while he is third with a home run once every 13.76 at-bats and fifth with a .329 batting average.

BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Over the club’s last seven games, Tigers relievers have compiled a 0.72 ERA (25.0IP/2ER). During the seven-game stretch, opposing batters have hit .157 (13x83) against club relievers. Detroit’s bullpen has not been scored upon in its last 12.0 innings of work dating back to Tuesday night versus Texas.

WALK THIS WAY: The Tigers collected five walks yesterday against the Rangers, and the club is leading the American League with 103 walks through its first 23 games of the season. Tigers hitters have drawn five-or-more walks in each of the club’s last five games, including a season-high 10 walks on Wednesday night versus Texas. The Tigers have drawn five-or-more walks 11 times so far in 2008. Detroit did not record its 11th five-or-walk game until June 1 during the 2007 season, the club’s 54th game of the season.

RENTERIA’S RED HOT: Edgar Renteria has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games dating back to April 9. During that stretch, Renteria is batting .403 (25x62) with 14 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. He is tied for the American League lead during that stretch with 25 hits, while he is second with a .403 batting average, fourth with a .629 slugging percentage and tied for fifth with 14 RBI.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 73 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .400 (110x275) with 62 runs scored, 25 doubles, 19 home runs and 69 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 67 of the games.

LEADING OFF IN GRAND STYLE: Curtis Granderson connected for his 14th career lead-off home run yesterday afternoon against the Texas Rangers. With the lead-off home run, Granderson now holds sole possession of third place all-time in Tigers history (snapped a tie with Tony Phillips). Only Lou Whitaker (23) and Dick McAuliffe (19) have homered to lead off a game more times than Granderson in Tigers history.

MULTI-RBI MAGGLIO: Magglio Ordonez posted his fourth multi-RBI game of the season yesterday against the Rangers, driving in four runs. It marked the 82nd time since he joined the Tigers in 2005 that Ordonez has driven in at least two runs in a game. The Tigers have posted a 61-21 record in the 82 games.

CRUCETA’S ASSIGNMENT TO TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Francisco Cruceta made his first appearance with Triple A Toledo on Tuesday night, working three scoreless innings and striking out six batters. Cruceta was assigned to Toledo prior to Tuesday’s game and the assignment can last a maximum of 16 days. Cruceta was signed by the Tigers as a free agent on November 30, 2007.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his fifth start of the season this evening against the Angels.

LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.

PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.

MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 139th start as a member of the Detroit Tigers this evening, moving him past Hank Aguirre (138) for sole possession of ninth place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.

TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 130 games for the Tigers. During that stretch, he is fifth among all American League pitchers with the 130 games started. Additionally, Robertson is eighth in the league with 801.1 innings pitched during the stretch.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Robertson is making his 74th appearance, 73rd start, at Comerica Park during his career tonight against the Angels. In his previous 73 outings, he is 22-26 with a 4.37 ERA (445.1IP/216ER).

LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .253 batting average (189x748). During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .301 on-base percentage and .352 slugging percentage.

LIMITING THE LEFTIES, PART II: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has held lefthanded opposition to a .248 batting average (176x709). During that same stretch, Robertson has surrendered only nine home runs to lefthanded hitters, tied for third-fewest in the American League during that stretch. The following is a list of the top six league pitchers in fewest home runs allowed to lefthanded batters since the start of the 2004 season (minimum of 500 batters faced):

Pitcher - HR
Mariano Rivera - 5
Joe Nathan - 8
Jason Davis - 9
Nate Robertson - 9
Mike Timlin - 9

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Robertson was acquired by the Tigers from the Florida Marlins in a five-player deal on January 11, 2003. He originally signed with the Marlins as a fifth-round selection in the June 1999 draft out of Wichita State University.

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RECENT RESULTS: Detroit’s four-game winning streak was snapped with a 4-3 loss to the Angels last night at Comerica Park. Nate Robertson (0-3) took the loss for the Tigers after allowing four runs in seven innings. Curtis Granderson belted a solo home run for the Tigers, while Miguel Cabrera added a single and an RBI. Placido Polanco added a single and double for Detroit. The Tigers continue their six-game homestand with the second game of a three-game series against the Angels this afternoon. After an off day on Monday, the Tigers head out for a six-game road trip to New York and Minnesota.

RABURN TO BE HONORED BY DSBA: Prior to today’s game, Ryan Raburn will receive his 2007 Tigers Rookie of the Year Award from the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won eight of the club’s last 12 games despite suffering a 4-3 loss to the Angels last night. During the 12-game stretch dating back to April 14, Detroit is hitting .295 (122x414) with 89 runs scored, 29 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with 89 runs scored, 20 home runs and a .524 slugging percentage during the stretch, while the club is second with a .295 batting average.

MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST ANGELS: Magglio Ordonez enters the game today against the Angels with a .324 batting average (95x293) in 75 games against the club, while he has collected 16 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs and 57 RBI. Ordonez is second among all active major league players with a .601 slugging percentage against the Angels, while he is fourth with a home run once every 13.95 at-bats and sixth with a .324 batting average.

BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Over the club’s last eight games, Tigers relievers have compiled a 0.67 ERA (27.0IP/2ER). During the eight-game stretch, opposing batters have hit .156 (14x90) against club relievers. Detroit’s bullpen has not been scored upon in its last 14.0 innings of work dating back to Tuesday night versus Texas.

WALK THIS WAY: The Tigers collected four walks last night against the Angels, and the club is leading the American League with 107 walks through its first 24 games of the season. The Tigers have drawn five-or-more walks 11 times so far in 2008. Detroit did not record its 11th five-or-walk game until June 1 during the 2007 season, the club’s 54th game of the season.

RENTERIA’S RED HOT: Edgar Renteria has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games dating back to April 9. During that stretch, Renteria is batting .394 (26x66) with 14 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. He is second in the American League with a .394 batting average during the stretch, while he is tied for second with 26 hits, fifth with a .606 slugging percentage and tied for eighth with 14 RBI.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 74 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .394 (110x279) with 62 runs scored, 25 doubles, 19 home runs and 70 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 67 of the games.

LOVING THE LONGBALL: Curtis Granderson belted his second home run of the season last night against the Angels and the Tigers have now homered in five straight games. During the five-game stretch, the Tigers have connected for 12 home runs. Additionally, the Tigers have homered in each of the club’s last six games at Comerica Park. The Tigers have compiled a 9-5 record in the 14 games the club has homered this season.

FLASHING THE LEATHER: The Tigers have committed just one error in the club’s last six games, a stretch of 228 total chances (.996 fielding percentage). Over the club’s last 11 games, Detroit has compiled a .992 fielding percentage (398TC/3ER).

TV UPDATE: The Tigers game at New York on Tuesday night will be simulcast on FSN Detroit and FSN-PLUS until 10:00 p.m. At that time, FSN Detroit will shift to the Red Wings game, while the conclusion of the Tigers game will air on FSN-PLUS.

CRUCETA’S ASSIGNMENT TO TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Francisco Cruceta made his second appearance with Triple A Toledo last night at Columbus, earning the win as he fanned four batters in two innings of work. In his two outings with the Mud Hens, he is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA (5.0IP/1ER) and 10 strikeouts. Cruceta was assigned to Toledo on April 22 and the assignment can last a maximum of 16 days. Cruceta was signed by the Tigers as a free agent on November 30, 2007.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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ARMANDO’S ANTIDOTE: Galarraga will make his third start with the Tigers this afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His contract was recalled from Triple A Toledo on April 16.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: In his second major league start on April 16 at Cleveland, Galarraga earned his first major league victory.

GOING FOR THREE: Galarraga takes the mound this afternoon against the Angels looking for his third straight win to begin his Tigers career. With a win today, Galarraga would be the first Tigers rookie pitcher to win each of his first three starts with the club since Kip Young won his first four starts for Detroit as a rookie July 24-August 9, 1978.

ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Galarraga has held righthanded batters hitless (0x21) in his first two starts with the Tigers. In his two starts with Toledo, Galarraga limited righthanded batters to a .100 batting average (2x20).

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Galarraga is making his first career appearance at Comerica Park this evening.

VENEZUELAN HERITAGE: Galarraga is the eighth Venezuelan native to pitch in a game for the Tigers, joining Yorman Bazardo, Oscar Henriquez, Wilfredo Ledezma, Felipe Lira, Urbano Lugo, Ugueth Urbina and Lino Urdaneta. He is the fifth Venezuelan native to start a game for the Tigers, joining Bazardo, Ledezma, Lira and Lugo.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Galarraga was acquired by the Tigers from the Texas Rangers in a two-player deal on February 4, 2008. He originally signed with the Montreal Expos as a as a non-drafted free agent on October 31, 1998.

GALARRAGA’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: N/A.
LAST SHUTOUT: N/A.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 6 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland.
WALK HIGH - 2008: 4 - April 21, 2008 at Toronto.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 4 (twice) - last, April 21, 2008 at Toronto.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 1 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland (6.2IP).
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER: 1 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland (6.2IP).

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers knocked off the Yankees 6-4 last night, marking the sixth win in the club’s last eight games. Kenny Rogers (2-3) earned his second straight win for Detroit, limiting the Yankees to two runs in six innings of work. Todd Jones worked the ninth inning for his fifth save. Curtis Granderson doubled and homered for Detroit, while Gary Sheffield belted a two-run home run. Placido Polanco finished with four hits and an RBI for the Tigers, while Magglio Ordonez added a two-run single. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip with the second game of a three-game series against the Yankees tonight. The club concludes the trip with a three-game series in Minnesota.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won 10 of the club’s last 15 games after posting a 6-4 win last night against New York at Yankee Stadium. During the 15-game stretch dating back to April 14, Detroit is hitting .290 (148x510) with 103 runs scored, 36 doubles, four triples and 22 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with 103 runs scored, 22 home runs and a .506 slugging percentage during the stretch, while the club is second with a .290 batting average.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers have compiled a 98-77 record on the road. Detroit’s 98 wins on the road are tied for second in the majors with the New York Yankees during this stretch, with both clubs trailing the 99 road wins by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.23 ERA (1514.0IP/711ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .279 batting average (1754x6276) on the road.

PRODUCTION AGAINST PETTITTE: Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez and Ivan Rodriguez have all enjoyed success in their respective careers against Andy Pettitte. Rodriguez is fifth among all active players with at least 25 plate appearances against Pettitte with a .400 batting average (16x40), while Guillen is eighth with a .375 batting average (9x24) and Ordonez is 14th with a .343 batting average (12x35).

BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Over the club’s last 11 games, Tigers relievers have compiled a 1.24 ERA (36.1IP/6ER). During the 11-game stretch, opposing batters have hit .169 (21x124) against club relievers. Additionally, Tigers relievers have surrendered just three runs in the last 23.1 innings (1.16 ERA) dating back to April 22 versus Texas.

WALK THIS WAY: The Tigers collected four walks last night against the Yankees, and the club is second in the American League with 120 walks through its first 27 games of the season. Last night marked the ninth straight game the Tigers have drawn four-or-more walks in a game, the longest such streak by the club since the the 1997 Tigers did so in 15
straight games April 4-19. The Tigers have drawn five-or-more walks 12 times so far in 2008. Detroit did not record its 12th five-or-walk game until June 5 during the 2007 season, the club’s 57th game of the season.

A GRAND RETURN: Curtis Granderson has hit safely in five of his six games for Detroit since returning from the disabled list on April 23, batting .348 (8x23) with 11 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, three home runs and five RBI. The Tigers have won four of the six games during the stretch and are 74-31 since the start of the 2006 season when Granderson posts a multi-hit game (including 3-0 in 2008).

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 16-game stretch, he is batting .333 (20x60) with 12 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI. Cabrera is tied for second in the American League with four home runs and 17 RBI during the stretch, while he is seventh with a .600 slugging percentage.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 166 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

CRUCETA’S ASSIGNMENT TO TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Francisco Cruceta made his third appearance with Triple A Toledo on Monday night versus Indianapolis, fanning five batters in two innings of work. In his three outings with Toledo, he is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA (7.0IP/1ER) and 15 strikeouts. He was assigned to Toledo on April 22, an assignment that can last a maximum of 16 days.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March
30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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BOOK ON BONDO: In his sixth season with the Tigers, Bonderman makes his sixth start of the 2008 season this evening against the New York Yankees.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINNER: Bonderman won 11 games last season, marking the fourth straight season in which he has posted double-digit totals in wins. He is the first Tigers pitcher to do so since Brian Moehler also won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons (1997-2000).

ROCKIN’ ON THE ROAD: Bonderman makes his third start of the season on the road for the Tigers this evening at New York. In his previous two outings on the road, he is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA (10.0IP/3ER).

ROUGH ON RIGHTIES: In his first five starts of the season, Bonderman has limited righthanded batters to a .245 batting average (13x53). During his career, righthanded batters are hitting .253 (417x1648) with Bonderman on the mound.

RISP MANAGEMENT: In his first five starts this season, Bonderman has limited opponents to a .143 batting average (3x21) with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .100 (1x10) with runners in scoring position and two outs against Bonderman.

RECORD AT YANKEE STADIUM: Bonderman is making his sixth appearance, fifth start, at Yankee Stadium during his career this evening. In his previous five outings, he is 1-3 with a 5.54 ERA (26.0IP/16ER).

FANNING BATTERS WITH THE BEST OF THEM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: During his major league career with the Tigers, Bonderman has averaged 7.43 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Among all pitchers in franchise history with at least as many innings pitched as Bonderman, he is second in club history, just behind John Hiller’s 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings during Hiller’s 15-year career with the Tigers.

STRIKE THREE: Since making his major league debut with the Tigers in 2003, Bonderman has averaged 7.43 strikeouts per nine innings. He is currently eighth among all American League pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings since the start of 2003.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Yankees 6-2 last night, marking the seventh win in the club’s last nine games. Jeremy Bonderman (2-2) picked up the win for Detroit, limiting the Yankees to two runs in 7.2 innings of work. Placido Polanco belted two solo home runs for the Tigers, while Marcus Thames added a two-run home run. Gary Sheffield collected two hits for Detroit, while Carlos Guillen and Edgar Renteria both singled and drove in a run. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip with the final game of a three game series against the Yankees tonight. The club concludes the trip with a three-game series in Minnesota starting tomorrow night.

CRUCETA JOINS TIGERS BULLPEN: The Tigers today recalled righthanded pitcher Francisco Cruceta from his assignment with Triple A Toledo and reinstated him from the restricted list. Cruceta appeared in three games with the Mud Hens, compiling a 1-0 record, 1.29 ERA (7.0IP/1ER) and 15 strikeouts. Cruceta takes the spot of righthanded pitcher Jason Grilli on the Tigers 25-man roster. Grilli was traded to the Colorado Rockies prior to last night’s game at New York for righthanded pitcher Zach Simons. Simons, a second-round selection in 2005 by Colorado, appeared in seven games for Single A Modesto this season, posting a 1-0 record, 2.70 ERA (13.1IP/4ER) and 14 strikeouts. Simons will be assigned to Single A Lakeland by the Tigers.

GOING FOR THE SWEEP: The Tigers have won the first two games of their three-game set at Yankee Stadium against New York. With a victory tonight over the Yankees, it would mark Detroit’s first three-game sweep of the Yankees in New York since April 12-14, 1966.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won 11 of the club’s last 16 games after posting a 6-2 win last night against New York at Yankee Stadium. During the 16-game stretch dating back to April 14, Detroit is hitting .290 (158x544) with 109 runs scored, 37 doubles, four triples and 25 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with 109 runs scored, 25 home runs and a .511 slugging percentage during the stretch, while the club is third with a .290 batting average.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers have compiled a 99-77 record on the road. Detroit’s 99 wins on the road are tied for the most in the majors with the New York Mets during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.21 ERA (1523.0IP/713ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .280 batting average (1764x6310) on the road.

BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Over the club’s last 12 games, Tigers relievers have compiled a 1.43 ERA (37.2IP/6ER). During the 12-game stretch, opposing batters have hit .164 (21x128) against club relievers. Additionally, Tigers relievers have surrendered just three runs in the last 24.2 innings (1.11 ERA) dating back to April 22 versus Texas.

A GRAND RETURN: Curtis Granderson has hit safely in six of his seven games for Detroit since returning from the disabled list on April 23, batting .375 (9x24) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, three home runs and five RBI. The Tigers have won five of the seven games during the stretch and are 74-31 since the start of the 2006 season when Granderson
posts a multi-hit game (including 3-0 in 2008).

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 17-game stretch, he is batting .328 (21x64) with 12 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI. Cabrera is tied for second in the American League with four home runs during the stretch, while he is fourth with 17 RBI and 10th with a .578 slugging percentage.

GOING SOLO: Placido Polanco equaled a career high with his third career two-home run game last night at New York. Both of Polanco’s home runs were solo shots and dating back to the start of the 2007 season, all 11 of his home runs have come with the bases empty.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 167 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

WILLIS TO START FOR TRIPLE A TOLEDO ON FRIDAY: Dontrelle Willis is slated to start for Triple A Toledo on Friday night versus Rochester as part of an injury rehabilitation assignment. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his sixth start of the season this evening against the Yankees.

LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.

PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.

MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 140th start as a member of the Detroit Tigers this evening, moving him within three starts of tying Mike Maroth (143) for eighth place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.

TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 131 games for the Tigers.
During that stretch, he is tied for fourth among all American League pitchers with the 131 games started. Additionally, Robertson is eighth in the league with 808.1 innings pitched during the stretch.

RECORD AT YANKEE STADIUM: Robertson is making his fifth start at Yankee Stadium during his career tonight. In his previous four outings, he is 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA (20.2IP/16ER).

LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .254 batting average (191x751). During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .302 on-base percentage and .353 slugging percentage.

LIMITING THE LEFTIES, PART II: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has held lefthanded opposition to a .250 batting average (178x712). During that same stretch, Robertson has surrendered only nine home runs to lefthanded hitters, tied for second-fewest in the American League during that stretch.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Yankees 8-4 last night, marking the eighth win in the club’s last 10 games. Nate Robertson (1-3) earned the win for Detroit, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings of work. Miguel Cabrera tripled, homered and drove in three runs for Detroit, while Magglio Ordonez added three hits and two RBI. Ramon Santiago added a double, triple and two RBI for the Tigers. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip with the first game of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins tonight.

ORDONEZ, GALARRAGA EARN TIGERS HONORS FOR MARCH/APRIL: Magglio Ordonez and Armando Galarraga were selected the Tigers Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for March/April. Ordonez hit .301 (31x103) with seven doubles, five home runs and 19 RBI in 28 games. Galarraga posted a 2-0 record and 1.50 ERA (18.0IP/3ER) in three starts.

HOW SWEEP IT IS: The Tigers completed a sweep of their three-game set at Yankee Stadium against New York last night with an 8-4 victory. It marked Detroit’s first three-game sweep of the Yankees in New York since April 12-14, 1966.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won 12 of the club’s last 17 games after posting an 8-4 win last night against New York at Yankee Stadium. During the 17-game stretch dating back to
April 14, Detroit is hitting .290 (169x582) with 117 runs scored, 42 doubles, six triples and 26 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with a .290 batting average, 117 runs scored, 26 home runs and a .517 slugging percentage during the stretch.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 100-77 record on the road. Detroit’s 100 wins on the road are the most in the majors during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.21 ERA (1532.0IP/717ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .280 batting average (1775x6348) on the road.

HITTING HERNANDEZ: Placido Polanco and Edgar Renteria have both enjoyed success against Livan Hernandez. Renteria is fourth among all active major league players with a minimum of 35 plate appearances against Hernandez with a .382 batting average (13x34), while Polanco is eighth with a .356 batting average (16x45).

POLANCO POUNDS TWINS: Placido Polanco enters tonight’s game at Minnesota with a .330 batting average (66x200) in 47 games against the Twins. He has scored 35 runs versus Minnesota during his career, while he has collected six doubles, four home runs and 24 RBI. Polanco is 10th among all active major league players with a .330 batting average
against the Twins.

MAGGLIO MASHES AT METRODOME: Magglio Ordonez is seventh among all active major league players with a .321 batting average (84x262) in 67 games at the Metrodome during his career. Ordonez has collected 14 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 58 RBI during his career at the park. Since joining the Tigers in 2005, he is hitting .358 (29x81) with seven doubles, five home runs and 24 RBI in 22 games at the Metrodome.

BULLISH BEHAVIOR: Over the club’s last 13 games, Tigers relievers have compiled a 1.10 ERA (41.0IP/5ER). During the 13-game stretch, opposing batters have hit .170 (24x141) against club relievers. Additionally, Tigers relievers have surrendered just three runs in the last 28.0 innings (0.96 ERA) dating back to April 22 versus Texas.

A GRAND RETURN: Curtis Granderson has hit safely in six of his eight games for Detroit since returning from the disabled list on April 23, batting .310 (9x29) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, three home runs and six RBI. The Tigers have won six of the eight games during the stretch and are 74-31 since the start of the 2006 season when Granderson posts a multi-hit game (including 3-0 in 2008).

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 18-game stretch, he is batting .338 (23x68) with 13 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. Cabrera is second in the American League with five home runs and 20 RBI during the stretch, while he is third with a .647 slugging percentage.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 168 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

WILLIS TO START FOR TRIPLE A TOLEDO TONIGHT: Dontrelle Willis is slated to start for Triple A Toledo tonight versus Rochester as part of an injury rehabilitation assignment. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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ARMANDO’S ANTIDOTE: Galarraga will make his fourth start with the Tigers this evening against the Minnesota Twins. Galarraga’s contract was recalled
from Triple A Toledo on April 16.

ROOKIE LEADERS: Galarraga enters his start at Minnesota this evening tops among all American League rookie pitchers with a 1.50 ERA and .113 batting
average. Additionally, he is tied for the lead with two wins.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: In his second major league start on April 16 at Cleveland, Galarraga earned his first major league victory.

GOING FOR THREE: Galarraga is looking for his third straight win to begin his Tigers career this evening at Minnesota. With a win tonight, he would be the first Tigers rookie pitcher to win his first three decisions with the club since Joel Zumaya did so May 3-25, 2006. Detroit’s last rookie starting pitcher to win his first three decisions was Pat Underwood, who won his first five decisions over a nine-start stretch May 31-July 19, 1979.

ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Galarraga has held righthanded batters to a .034 batting average (1x29) in his first three starts with the Tigers. In his two starts with Toledo, Galarraga limited righthanded batters to a .100 batting average (2x20).

RECORD AT THE METRODOME: Galarraga is making his second career appearance, first start, at the Metrodome this evening. In his previous outing, he allowed one run on four hits in three innings of relief.

VENEZUELAN HERITAGE: Galarraga is the eighth Venezuelan native to pitch in a game for the Tigers, joining Yorman Bazardo, Oscar Henriquez, Wilfredo Ledezma, Felipe Lira, Urbano Lugo, Ugueth Urbina and Lino Urdaneta. He is the fifth Venezuelan native to start a game for the Tigers, joining Bazardo, Ledezma, Lira and Lugo.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Galarraga was acquired by the Tigers from the Texas Rangers in a two-player deal on February 4, 2008. He originally signed with the Montreal Expos as a as a non-drafted free agent on October 31, 1998.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers suffered an 11-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins last night, only Detroit’s third loss in the club’s last 11 games. Armando Galarraga (2-1) took the loss for Detroit after allowing four runs (two earned) in six innings of work. Magglio Ordonez finished with two hits, including a solo home run, for the Tigers. Placido Polanco added two hits, while Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera both doubled. The Tigers continue a sixgame road trip with the second game of a three-game series against the Twins tonight. Detroit returns home for a seven-game homestand on Monday that features a visit from the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won 12 of the club’s last 18 games despite losing 11-1 last night to the Twins at the Metrodome. During the 18-game stretch dating back to April 14, Detroit is hitting .287 (177x616) with 118 runs scored, 45 doubles, six triples and 27 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with 118 runs scored, 27 home runs and a .511 slugging percentage during the stretch, while the club is second with a .287 batting average.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 100-78 record on the road. Detroit’s 100 wins on the road are tied for the most in the majors during this stretch with the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.24 ERA (1540.0IP/726ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .279 batting average (1783x6382) on the road.

BATTLING BAKER: Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez have enjoyed success against Scott Baker. Ordonez is fourth among all active major leaguers with at least 15 plate appearances against Baker with a .417 batting average (10x24), while Guillen is seventh with a .357 batting average (5x14) and Granderson is eighth with a .304 batting average (7x23). Granderson has homered three times against Baker, tied with Travis Hafner for the most against Baker.

POLANCO POUNDS TWINS: Placido Polanco enters tonight’s game at Minnesota with a .333 batting average (68x204) in 48 games against the Twins. He has scored 35 runs versus Minnesota during his career, while he has collected seven doubles, four home runs and 24 RBI. Polanco is 10th among all active major league players with a .333 batting average against the Twins.

MAGGLIO MASHES AT METRODOME: Magglio Ordonez is fifth among all active major league players with a .325 batting average (86x265) in 68 games at the Metrodome during his career. Ordonez has collected 14 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 59 RBI during his career at the park. Since joining the Tigers in 2005, he is hitting .369 (31x84) with seven doubles, six home runs and 25 RBI in 23 games at the Metrodome.

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 19-game stretch, he is batting .333 (24x72) with 13 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. Cabrera is second in the American League with 20 RBI during the stretch, while he is tied for second with five home runs and third with a .639 slugging percentage.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 169 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

WILLIS’ OUTING FOR TRIPLE A TOLEDO: Dontrelle Willis started for Triple A Toledo last night versus Rochester as part of an injury rehabilitation assignment. He took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in 4.2 innings. Willis did not walk a batter and he fanned four as he threw 72 pitches (51 strikes). Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.

GAME TIME CHANGE: The first pitch of the Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park on Saturday, May 10 has been moved up five minutes from 3:45 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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JUSTIN’S CASE: In his third full season at the major league level, Verlander will make his seventh start of the season tonight against the Minnesota Twins.

OPENING DAY NOD: Verlander made the first Opening Day start of his major league career on March 31 against the Royals. He became the third different Tigers pitcher to start Opening Day during Jim Leyland’s tenure as manager. Kenny Rogers started in 2006, while Jeremy Bonderman started in 2007.

MR. MAY: Verlander enters his start tonight against the Twins with an 8-2 record and 2.87 ERA (75.1IP/24ER) in 11 career starts during the month of May. Since the 2006 season, Verlander is tied for second among all American League pitchers with eight wins during May, while he is ninth with a 2.87 ERA.

RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM HIS TEAMMATES: In his 70 career starts at the major league level, Verlander has received 6.56 runs per nine innings of support. Since the start of the 2006 season, he is tops among all major league pitchers with 6.71 runs per nine innings of support.

RECORD AT THE METRODOME: Verlander is making his second career start at the Metrodome this evening. In his previous outing, he earned the win as he limited the Twins to one run in seven innings of work.

ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Verlander has limited righthanded batters to a .237 batting average (18x76) through his first six starts this season. During his career, righthanded hitters are batting .244 (200x820) with Verlander on the mound.

NO-NO: Verlander fired the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history on June 12, 2007 versus Milwaukee, the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history. It was the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984 against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to toss a no-hitter in Detroit since Virgil Trucks on May 15, 1952 versus Washington at Briggs Stadium.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Verlander was selected by the Tigers in the first round (second overall) of the June 2004 draft. He was selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the first time in 2007. Verlander was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers suffered a 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins yesterday afternoon at the Metrodome. Zach Miner (1-2) took the loss in relief for Detroit as he allowed two runs and failed to retire a batter. Curtis Granderson finished with two hits, including a solo home run. Placido Polanco and Edgar Renteria each collected two hits, while Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen both singled and drove in a run. Detroit returns home to begin a seven-game homestand this evening with the first game of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers open a three-game series with the New York Yankees on Friday night to round out the homestand.

WINNING WAYS: Detroit has won 12 of the club’s last 20 games despite losing 7-6 yesterday to the Twins at the Metrodome. During the 20-game stretch dating back to April 14, Detroit is hitting .281 (193x686) with 125 runs scored, 46 doubles, six triples and 29 home runs. Detroit is leading all American League clubs with 125 runs scored, 29 home runs and a .493 slugging percentage during the stretch, while the club is second with a .281 batting average.

HOME COOKING: The Tigers return home to begin a seven-game homestand at Comerica Park this evening. Detroit has won six of the club’s last eight games at home. During the eight-game stretch, the Tigers have outscored the opposition 65-38.

ORDONEZ SWINGS A HOT BAT AGAINST RED SOX: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .352 batting average (100x284), 48 runs scored, 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 76 games during his career against the Boston Red Sox. He is currently second among active major leaguers with a .352 batting average, .419 on-base percentage and .592 slugging percentage against the Red Sox.

A GRAND RETURN: Curtis Granderson is batting .317 (13x41) with 13 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and eight RBI in 11 games since returning from the disabled list on April 23. Since April 23, Granderson is leading the American League with 13 runs scored, five home runs, nine extra-base hits and an .805 slugging percentage.

MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games dating back to April 21, batting .367 (18x49) with three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. He is tied for the American League lead with 16 RBI during the stretch, while he is tied for second with 18 hits and four home runs, fifth with a .673 slugging percentage and seventh with a .367 batting average.

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 21-game stretch, he is batting .309 (25x81) with 13 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. Cabrera is tied for third in the American League with five home runs and 20 RBI during the stretch, while he is fourth with a .580 slugging percentage.

LEADING OFF IN GRAND STYLE: Curtis Granderson connected for his 15th career lead-off home run yesterday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins. Granderson is in third place alltime in Tigers history with the 15 career lead-off home runs. Only Lou Whitaker (23) and Dick McAuliffe (19) have homered to lead off a game more times than Granderson in Tigers history. All 15 of his lead-off home runs have come since the start of the 2006 season and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he trails only Alfonso Soriano (21) and Hanley Ramirez (18) in the majors during that stretch.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 76 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .400 (114x285) with 63 runs scored, 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 72 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 69 of the games.

GRANDY’S SOLO ACT: Curtis Granderson belted his fifth home run of the season yesterday afteroon at Minnesota, a solo shot in the first inning. Since May 9, 2007, all 23 of Granderson’s home runs have come with the bases empty. According to David Vincent, it marks the longest streak of solo home runs in franchise history.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 170 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

GAME TIME CHANGE: The first pitch of the Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park on Saturday, May 10 has been moved up five minutes from 3:45 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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BOOK ON BONDO: In his sixth season with the Tigers, Bonderman makes his seventh start of the 2008 season this evening against the Boston Red Sox.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINNER: Bonderman won 11 games last season, marking the fourth straight season in which he has posted double-digit totals in wins. He
is the first Tigers pitcher to do so since Brian Moehler also won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons (1997-2000).

WINNING AGAINST THE SOX: Bonderman enters his start this evening versus the Red Sox with a four-game winning streak against the club. During the six-start stretch dating back to May 2, 2005, he has compiled a 3.10 ERA (40.2IP/14ER) and 36 strikeouts. The Tigers have won all six of Bonderman’s starts during the stretch.

BEAST OF THE EAST: Tonight’s start against the Red Sox marks Bonderman’s fourth start this season against an opponent from the American League East Division. In his first three starts, he is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA (17.2IP/5ER).

ROUGH ON RIGHTIES: In his first six starts of the season, Bonderman has limited righthanded batters to a .222 batting average (14x63). During his career, righthanded batters are hitting .252 (418x1658) with Bonderman on the mound.

RISP MANAGEMENT: In his first six starts this season, Bonderman has limited opponents to a .200 batting average (5x25) with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .167 (2x12) with runners in scoring position and two outs against Bonderman.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Bonderman is making his 80th appearance, 78th start, at Comerica Park during his career this evening. In his previous 79 appearances, he is 26-30 with a 4.97 ERA (460.1IP/254ER) and 389 strikeouts.

GETTING THE GROUND BALL: Bonderman enters his start this evening against the Red Sox seventh among all American League pitchers with a 1.85 ground ball/fly ball ratio (61 ground ball outs/33 fly ball outs) this season. For his career, he has posted a 1.52 ground ball/fly ball ratio (1426 ground ball outs/937 fly ball outs).

FANNING BATTERS WITH THE BEST OF THEM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: During his major league career with the Tigers, Bonderman has averaged 7.38 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Among all pitchers in franchise history with at least as many innings pitched as Bonderman, he is second in club history, just behind John Hiller’s 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings during Hiller’s 15-year career with the Tigers.

STRIKE THREE: Since making his major league debut with the Tigers in 2003, Bonderman has averaged 7.38 strikeouts per nine innings. He is currently eighth among all American League pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings since the start of 2003.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Bonderman was acquired by the Tigers on August 22, 2002, as the player to be named along with Carlos Pena and Franklyn German from Oakland, in exchange for Jeff Weaver on July 6, 2002. He became the first player to ever
be selected after his junior year of high school when he was selected in the first round of the June 2001 draft by Oakland.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers suffered a 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox last night at Comerica Park. Jeremy Bonderman (2-3) took the loss for Detroit after allowing four runs in six innings of work. Marcus Thames singled and drove in two runs for Detroit, while Curtis Granderson added a single and an RBI. Detroit continues a seven-game homestand this evening with the second game of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers open a three-game series with the New York Yankees on Friday night to round out the homestand.

TIGERS WISH DANNY KNOBLER WELL: Danny Knobler will be covering his final Tigers game for Booth Newspapers tonight at Comerica Park. The Tigers thank Danny for his 18 seasons covering the club and wish him well in his future endeavors with CBS Sports as a national baseball columnist.

ORDONEZ SWINGS A HOT BAT AGAINST RED SOX: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .347 batting average (100x288), 48 runs scored, 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 77 games during his career against the Boston Red Sox. He is currently second among active major leaguers with a .347 batting average and .416 on-base percentage against the Red Sox, while he is third with a .583 slugging percentage.

ORDONEZ HITS WELL AGAINST WAKEFIELD: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .429 batting average (15x35) during his career versus Tim Wakefield. Ordonez is tops among all active major league players with a minimum of 30 plate appearances against Wakefield with a .429 batting average and .743 slugging percentage.

A GRAND RETURN: Curtis Granderson is batting .311 (14x45) with 13 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and nine RBI in 12 games since returning from the disabled list on April 23. Since April 23, Granderson is leading the American League with 13 runs scored, five home runs, nine extra-base hits and a .756 slugging percentage.

MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez has hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games dating back to April 21, batting .340 (18x53) with three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. He is tied for the American League lead with 16 RBI during the stretch, while he is tied for second with four home runs, tied for third with 18 hits, fifth with a .623 slugging percentage and seventh with a .340 batting average.

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 22-game stretch, he is batting .306 (26x85) with 14 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. Cabrera is tied for third in the American League with five home runs and 20 RBI during the stretch, while he is fourth with a .565 slugging percentage.

GOING DEEPER: Jeremy Bonderman tossed six innings for the Tigers last night, marking the eighth time in the club’s last 10 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 77 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .394 (114x289) with 63 runs scored, 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 72 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 69 of the games.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 170 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

RAMIREZ, BONINE EARN APRIL HONORS: Double A Erie outfielder Wilkin Ramirez and Triple A Toledo righthanded pitcher Eddie Bonine have been selected as the Tigers Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for April. In 23 games during April, Ramirez batted .330 (33x100) with 20 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, six home runs, 17 RBI and eight stolen bases. Ramirez finished second in the Eastern League with 65 total bases during April, while he tied for second with six home runs and finished eighth with a .330 batting average. Bonine won all five of his starts during April, compiling a 3.06 ERA (32.1IP/11ER).

FIGARO NAMED ML PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Single A West Michigan righthanded pitcher Alfredo Figaro was selected the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for April 28-May 4. In two starts during the week, he won his only decision and fanned 20 batters as he limited opponents to one unearned run in 15.0 innings of work.

GAME TIME CHANGE: The first pitch of the Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park on Saturday, May 10 has been moved up five minutes from 3:45 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. (my note, this is so Fox has exclusive rights and if I am correct it will be blocked out on mlb.tv )

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his seventh start of the season this evening against the Red Sox.

LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.

PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.

KEEPING BIG PAPI IN CHECK: Robertson has limited David Ortiz to a .136 batting average (3x22) thus far in his career. It is Ortiz’s lowest batting average against all active pitchers in which he has at least 20 plate appearances.

MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 141st start as a member of the Detroit Tigers this evening, moving him within two starts of tying Mike Maroth (143) for eighth place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.

TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 132 games for the Tigers. During that stretch, he is fourth among all American League pitchers with the 132 games started. Additionally, Robertson is eighth in the league with 814.0 innings pitched during the stretch.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Robertson is making his 75th appearance, 74th start, at Comerica Park during his career tonight against the Red Sox. In his previous 74 outings, he is 22-27 with a 4.38 ERA (452.1IP/220ER).

LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .255 batting average (194x762). During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .303 on-base percentage and .356 slugging percentage.

LIMITING THE LEFTIES, PART II: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has held lefthanded opposition to a .250 batting average (181x723). During that same stretch, Robertson has surrendered only 10 home runs to lefthanded hitters, tied for fifth-fewest in the American League during that stretch.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Robertson was acquired by the Tigers from the Florida Marlins in a five-player deal on January 11, 2003. He originally signed with the Marlins as a fifth-round selection in the June 1999 draft out of Wichita State University.

RECENT RESULTS: Placido Polanco singled to score Edgar Renteria in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel the Tigers to a 10-9 win over the Boston Red Sox last night at Comerica Park to snap Detroit’s five-game losing streak. Polanco finished with five hits and three RBI in the game. Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield both collected three hits and an RBI for the Tigers, while Ivan Rodriguez singled, doubled and drove in two runs. Todd Jones (1-0) worked a scoreless inning of relief for Detroit to earn the win. Detroit continues a seven-game homestand this evening with the final game of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers open a three-game series with the New York Yankees on Friday night to round out the homestand.

ORDONEZ SWINGS A HOT BAT AGAINST RED SOX: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .348 batting average (103x296), 49 runs scored, 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 57 RBI in 79 games during his career against the Boston Red Sox. He is currently second among active major leaguers with a .348 batting average and .415 on-base percentage against the Red Sox, while he is third with a .578 slugging percentage.

POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .407 (22x54) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and eight RBI over his last 12 games dating back to April 25. Polanco is leading the American League during this stretch with 12 runs scored and 22 hits, while he is tied for the lead with six doubles and second with a .407 batting average.

SHEFFIELD MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LIST: Gary Sheffield drove in one run last night against Boston to pull within one RBI of tying Al Kaline for 35th all-time with 1,583 RBI. With two more RBI, Sheffield will match Rogers Hornsby and Harmon Killebrew for 33rd all-time with 1,584 RBI. Sheffield is fourth among all active major league players with 1,582 RBI.

WALKING OFF A WINNER: Placido Polanco singled in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Edgar Renteria and propel the Tigers to a 10-9 win over the Red Sox, Detroit’s first walk-off victory since September 10, 2007. It marked Polanco’s fifth walk-off, game-winning hit since he was acquired by the Tigers on June 8, 2005. The five walk-off hits are the most by a Tigers player during that stretch.

MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez is batting .344 (21x61) with three doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI in 16 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with 17 RBI during the stretch, while he is tied for second with 21 hits, tied for fourth with four home runs, seventh with a .590 slugging percentage and eighth with a .344 batting average.

FIVE-HIT NIGHT: Placido Polanco equaled a career high with the third five-hit game of his career last night against Boston. Polanco became the third player in the major leagues to collect five hits in a game in 2008, joining Los Angeles’ Rafael Furcal (April 30 at Florida) and Houston’s Lance Berkman (May 6 versus Washington).

HAPPY AT HOME: In 79 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .394 (117x297) with 64 runs scored, 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 73 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 70 of the games.

GOING DEEPER: Nate Robertson tossed 6.1 innings for the Tigers on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox, marking the ninth time in the club’s last 12 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games.

CABRERA ON THE OFFENSIVE: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 21 of his last 24 games for the Tigers dating back to April 13. During the 24-game stretch, he is batting .296 (26x88) with 14 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. Cabrera is fifth in the American League with 20 RBI during the stretch, while he is tied for fifth with five home runs and 10th with a .538 slugging percentage.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 172 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

GAME TIME CHANGE: The first pitch of the Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park on Saturday, May 10 has been moved up five minutes from 3:45 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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JUSTIN’S CASE: In his third full season at the major league level, Verlander will make his eighth start of the season tonight against the Boston Red Sox.

WINNING AT HOME: Verlander is third among all American League pitchers with 19 wins at home since the start of the 2006 season. He has compiled a 19-8 record in his 35 starts at home during the stretch, a .704 winning percentage. Only New York’s Chien-Ming Wang (24) and Toronto’s Roy Halladay have posted more wins at home during the stretch.

MR. MAY: Verlander enters his start tonight against the Red Sox with an 8-3 record and 3.06 ERA (82.1IP/28ER) in 12 career starts during the month of May. Since the 2006 season, Verlander is tied for second among all American League pitchers with eight wins during May, while he is ninth with a 3.06 ERA.

ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Verlander has limited righthanded batters to a .231 batting average (21x91) through his first seven starts this season. During his career, righthanded hitters are batting .243 (203x835) with Verlander on the mound.

RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM HIS TEAMMATES: In his 71 career starts at the major league level, Verlander has received 6.48 runs per nine innings of support. Since the start of the 2006 season, he is tops among all major league pitchers with 6.62 runs per nine innings of support.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Verlander is making his 37th career start at Comerica Park this evening. In his previous 36 starts, he is 19-9 with a 3.89 ERA (222.1IP/96ER).

QUALITY OUTINGS: Verlander has posted a quality start in 40 of his 71 starts at the major league level during his career. He has worked six-or-more innings in 49 of his starts during his career.

OPENING DAY NOD: Verlander made the first Opening Day start of his major league career on March 31 against the Royals. He became the third different Tigers pitcher to start Opening Day during Jim Leyland’s tenure as manager. Kenny Rogers started in 2006, while Jeremy Bonderman started in 2007.

NO-NO: Verlander fired the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history on June 12, 2007 versus Milwaukee, the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history. It was the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984 against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to toss a no-hitter in Detroit since Virgil Trucks on May 15, 1952 versus Washington at Briggs Stadium.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Verlander was selected by the Tigers in the first round (second overall) of the June 2004 draft. He was selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the first time in 2007. Verlander was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 5-1 to the Boston Red Sox last night at Comerica Park, the club’s sixth loss in the last seven games. Justin Verlander (1-6) allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings of work to take the loss. Marcus Thames led the Tigers offense with a pair of hits, while Ramon Santiago singled to drive in Detroit’s lone run. The Tigers continue a seven-game homestand this evening with the first game of a three-game series against the New York Yankees. Following an off day on Monday, the Tigers head to Kansas City and Arizona on a six-game road trip.

STREAKING AGAINST THE YANKEES: The Tigers have won five consecutive games against the Yankees dating back to August 26, 2007. The streak marks the club’s longest winning streak against the Yankees since also winning five consecutive games from May 12, 2000 until June 28, 2000. The club posted a six-game winning streak against the Yankees from August 9, 1987 until June 28, 1988.

LOOKING FOR THE LEFTY: The Tigers face lefthanded pitcher Kei Igawa tonight as they battle the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers have compiled a .289 batting average (437x1514) against lefthanded pitchers. Detroit leads the American League during this stretch with a .472 slugging percentage against lefthanded pitching, while the club is third with a .289 batting average. Since the start of the 2007 season, Detroit has posted a 32-16 record in games started by lefthanded pitchers.

MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST THE YANKEES: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game with a .307 batting average (92x300), 52 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 70 RBI in 80 games during his career against the New York Yankees. He leads all active players with an RBI once every 4.29 at-bats against the Yankees, while he is sixth with a .567 slugging percentage and seventh with a home run once every 15.79 at-bats.

POWER OUTAGE: The Tigers have not hit a home run in the last six games at Comerica Park, dating back to April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The six-game streak is the second-longest by a Tigers team at Comerica Park and the longest since failing to hit a home run in seven straight games from August 15-29, 2001. Overall, the Tigers have not hit a home run in the last four games, the longest such streak since not hitting a home run in five consecutive games from July 29, 2007 until August 3, 2007.

POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .404 (23x57) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and eight RBI over his last 13 games dating back to April 25. Polanco leads the American League during this stretch with 12 runs scored and 23 hits, while he is second with a .404 batting average and tied for second with six doubles.

SHEFFIELD MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LIST: Gary Sheffield drove in one run Wednesday night against Boston to pull within one RBI of tying Al Kaline for 35th all-time with 1,583 RBI. With two more RBI, Sheffield will match Rogers Hornsby and Harmon Killebrew for 33rd all-time with 1,584 RBI. Sheffield is fourth among all active major league players with 1,582 RBI.

MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez is batting .338 (22x65) with three doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI in 17 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with 22 hits and 17 RBI during the stretch and tied for fourth with four home runs.

HAPPY AT HOME: In 80 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .392 (118x301) with 64 runs scored, 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 73 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 71 of the games.

GOING DEEPER: Justin Verlander tossed six innings for the Tigers last night against the Boston Red Sox, marking the 10th time in the club’s last 13 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games.

ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 173 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.

GAME TIME CHANGE: The first pitch of the Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park tomorrow has been moved up five minutes from 3:45 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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THE READ ON ROGERS: Rogers is making his eighth start of the season for the Tigers tonight against the New York Yankees.

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LEFTY LIST: Rogers is currently in 21st place on the all-time win list among lefthanded pitchers with his 212 career victories. With four more wins, he will match Wilbur Cooper for 20th on that all-time list.

TOUGH ON THE LEFTIES: Rogers has limited lefthanded batters to a .209 batting average (58x278) since joining the Tigers in 2006, including a .255 batting average (12x47) in seven starts this season.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE YANKEES: Rogers picked up the win over the Yankees in his start on April 29, his first win during the regular season against New York since August 17, 1993. The victory snapped a personal seven-game losing streak for Rogers against the Yankees. Rogers did defeat the Yankees in Game Three of the American League Division Series on October 6, 2006 at Comerica Park. Rogers fanned eight batters as he blanked the Yankees on five hits over 7.2 innings of work to pick up the win in Detroit’s 6-0 victory over the Yankees.

GOING FOR TWO IN A ROW: Rogers enters tonight’s start looking for his second consecutive win against the Yankees, which would mark his first consecutive wins against the Yankees since earning the victory on June 6, 1993 and August 17, 1993.

AMONG THE ACTIVE LEADERS: Rogers enters his start tonight against the Yankees among the active major league pitching
leaders in numerous categories. He is seventh with 212 wins and 451 games started, while he is eighth with 3166.1 innings
pitched and 11th with 1905 strikeouts.

RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Rogers is making his 34th career appearance, 31st start, tonight at Comerica Park. In his previous 33 outings, he is 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA (188.0IP/74ER).

WINNING WAYS: Rogers is seventh among all active lefthanded pitchers with a .592 winning percentage during his major league career. The following is a list of the top 10 active lefthanded pitchers in the majors:

Code:

Pitcher..........W....L......%
Johan Santana  96    46    .676
Randy Johnson  286  151    .654
Andy Pettitte  204  116    .638
Mark Mulder    103    60    .632
Tom Glavine    303  200    .602
C.C. Sabathia  101    68    .598
Kenny Rogers  212  146    .592
Mark Buehrle  108    79    .578
Mike Hampton  138  101    .577
Barry Zito    113    83    .577

PICKING-OFF THE OPPOSITION: Rogers is tied with Mark Langston for the top spot in major league history with 91 pitcher
pick-offs since the statistic started being kept in 1974. The following are the top five pitchers in major league history in pitcher
pick-offs:
Pitcher - Pick-offs
Mark Langston - 91
Kenny Rogers - 91
Andy Pettitte - 84
Greg Swindell - 77
Randy Johnson - 77

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 6-5 last night at Comerica Park. Kenny Rogers (3-3) limited the Yankees to two runs on nine hits over six innings of work to earn the victory. Ivan Rodriguez led the Tigers offense with three hits, including two doubles and two RBI. Ryan Raburn finished with two hits and two runs scored, while Magglio Ordonez also added two hits, including a double, and an RBI. The Tigers continue a seven-game homestand this afternoon with the second game of a three-game series against the New York Yankees. Following an off day on Monday, the Tigers head to Kansas City and Arizona on a six-game road trip.
PUDGE 4K: Ivan Rodriguez collected five total bases last night against the Yankees to raise his career total to 4,002. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the 74th player in major league history to reach 4,000 total bases and the first to accomplish the feat playing primarily as a catcher.
ONE FOR THE AGES: Kenny Rogers earned the victory last night against the New York, marking his second consecutive victory against the Yankees. At 43 years, 181 days, Rogers is the oldest pitcher to win consecutive games against the Yankees since Gaylord Perry recorded two straight victories over New York, with the second win coming at 43 years, 233 days on May 6, 1982 at Seattle.
STREAKING AGAINST THE YANKEES: The Tigers have won six consecutive games against the Yankees dating back to August 26, 2007. The streak marks the club’s longest winning streak against the Yankees since also winning six consecutive games from August 9, 1987 until June 28, 1988. The club posted a seven-game winning streak against the Yankees from September 16, 1958 until June 2, 1959.
MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST THE YANKEES: Magglio Ordonez enters today’s game with a .309 batting average (94x304), 52 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 71 RBI in 81 games during his career against the New York Yankees. He leads all active players with an RBI once every 4.28 at-bats against the Yankees, while he is fourth with a .569 slugging percentage and eighth with a home run once every 16 at-bats.
POWER OUTAGE: The Tigers have not hit a home run in the last seven games at Comerica Park, dating back to April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The seven-game streak matches the longest streak by a Tigers team at Comerica Park, established from August 15-29, 2001. Overall, the Tigers have not hit a home run in the last five games, the longest such streak since not hitting a home run in five consecutive games from July 29, 2007 until August 3, 2007.
POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .410 (25x61) with 13 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over his last 14 games dating back to April 25. Polanco leads the American League during this stretch with 13 runs scored and 25 hits, while he is second with a .410 batting average and tied for third with six doubles.
SHEFFIELD TIES KALINE ON ALL-TIME RBI LIST: Gary Sheffield drove in one run last night against the Yankees to tie Al Kaline for 35th all-time with 1,583 RBI. With one more RBI, Sheffield will match Rogers Hornsby and Harmon Killebrew for 33rd all-time with 1,584 RBI. Sheffield is fourth among all active major league players with 1,583 RBI.
MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez is batting .348 (24x69) with four doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI in 18 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with 24 hits and 18 RBI during the stretch and tied for fifth with four home runs.
HAPPY AT HOME: In 81 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .393 (120x305) with 64 runs scored, 28 doubles, 19 home runs and 74 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 72 of the games.
GOING DEEPER: Kenny Rogers tossed six innings for the Tigers last night, marking the 11th time in the club’s last 14 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 174 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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BOOK ON BONDO: In his sixth season with the Tigers, Bonderman makes his eighth start of the 2008 season this afternoon against the New York Yankees.
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINNER: Bonderman won 11 games last season, marking the fourth straight season in which he has posted double-digit totals in wins. He is the first Tigers pitcher to do so since Brian Moehler also won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons (1997-2000).
BEAST OF THE EAST: Today’s start against the Yankees marks Bonderman’s fifth start this season against an opponent from the American League East Division. In his first four starts, he is 2-2 with a 3.42 ERA (23.2IP/9ER).
ROUGH ON RIGHTIES: In his first seven starts of the season, Bonderman has limited righthanded batters to a .244 batting average (19x78). During his career, righthanded batters are hitting .253 (423x1673) with Bonderman on the mound.
RISP MANAGEMENT: In his first seven starts this season, Bonderman has limited opponents to a .250 batting average (7x28) with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .154 (2x13) with runners in scoring position and two outs against Bonderman.
RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Bonderman is making his 81st appearance, 79th start, at Comerica Park during his career this afternoon. In his previous 80 appearances, he is 26-31 with a 4.98 ERA (466.1IP/258ER) and 393 strikeouts.
GETTING THE GROUND BALL: Bonderman enters his start this afternoon against the Yankees ninth among all American League pitchers with a 1.75 ground ball/fly ball ratio (70 ground ball outs/40 fly ball outs) this season. For his career, he has posted a 1.52 ground ball/fly ball ratio (1435 ground ball outs/944 fly ball outs).
FANNING BATTERS WITH THE BEST OF THEM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: During his major league career with the Tigers, Bonderman has averaged 7.37 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Among all pitchers in franchise history with at least as many innings pitched as Bonderman, he is second in club history, just behind John Hiller’s 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings during Hiller’s 15-year career with the Tigers.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 5-2 to the New York Yankees yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park. Jeremy Bonderman (2-4) allowed five runs on six hits in four innings of work to take the loss. Matt Joyce led the Tigers offense with two hits, including the first home run of his major league career. Magglio Ordonez also finished with two hits, while Gary Sheffield chipped in with a double and an RBI. The Tigers conclude a seven-game homestand this afternoon with the final game of a three-game series against the New York Yankees. Following an off day tomorrow, the Tigers head to Kansas City and Arizona on a six-game road trip, beginning Tuesday evening in Kansas City.
PACKING THE PARK: The first two games of the weekend series against the Yankees have featured attendances of 44,062 and 44,580, respectively. It marks the second time crowds have topped 44,000 in consecutive games at Comerica Park. The Tigers also posted consecutive attendances of 44,163 and 44,250 on August 24-25, 2007 against the New York Yankees. Additionally, yesterday’s attendance of 44,580 marked the second-highest
attendance in Comerica Park history and the highest for a non-Opening Day crowd.
SHEFFIELD TIES HORNSBY AND KILLEBREW ON ALL-TIME RBI LIST: Gary Sheffield drove in one run yesterday against the Yankees to tie Rogers Hornsby and Harmon Killebrew for 33rd all-time with 1,584 RBI. With seven more RBI, Sheffield will match Andre Dawson for 32nd all-time with 1,591 RBI. Sheffield is fourth among all active major league players with 1,584 RBI.
LOOKING FOR THE LEFTY: The Tigers face lefthanded pitcher Andy Pettitte this afternoon as they battle the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers have compiled a .292 batting average (448x1533) against lefthanded pitchers. Detroit leads the American League during this stretch with a .476 slugging percentage
against lefthanded pitching, while the club is second with a .292 batting average. Since the start of the 2007 season, Detroit has posted a 33-16 record in games started by lefthanded pitchers.
SHEFFIELD WALKING INTO HISTORY: Gary Sheffield finished yesterday’s game against the Yankees with one walk and is now one walk shy of 1,400 in his major league career. With one more walk, he will be come the 26th player in major league history to record at least 1,400 career walks.
MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST THE YANKEES: Magglio Ordonez enters today’s game with a .312 batting average (96x308), 53 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 71 RBI in 82 games during his career against the New York Yankees. He leads all active players with an RBI once every 4.34 at-bats against the Yankees, while he is fifth with a .568 slugging percentage and ninth with a home run once every 16.21 at-bats.
POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .403 (25x62) with 13 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over his last 14 games dating back to April 25. Polanco leads the American League during this stretch with 13 runs scored and 25 hits, while he is second with a .403 batting average and tied for third with six doubles.
MAGGLIO’S MASHING: Magglio Ordonez is batting .356 (26x73) with four doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI in 19 games dating back to April 21. He leads the American League with 26 hits during the stretch, while he is second with 18 RBI and tied for seventh with four home runs.
HAPPY AT HOME: In 82 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .395 (122x309) with 65 runs scored, 28 doubles, 19 home runs and 74 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 73 of the games.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 175 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
WILLIS SCHEDULED TO START ON MONDAY FOR TOLEDO: Dontrelle Willis is scheduled to start for Triple A Toledo on Monday at Charlotte as part of a rehab assignment. He made one earlier start for Toledo on May 2 versus Rochester as part of an injury rehabilitation assignment and took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in 4.2 innings. Willis did not walk a batter and he fanned four as he threw 72 pitches (51 strikes). Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers series finale against the New York Yankees on Sunday was postponed due to rain. No makeup date has been announced. The Tigers kick off a sixgame road trip this evening with the first game of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The club heads to Chase Field on Friday evening for a
three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
TRIO OF TIGERS ENJOY SUCCESS AT KAUFFMAN STADIUM: Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Ivan Rodriguez have all enjoyed success during their careers at Kauffman Stadium. Ordonez is batting .341 (95x279) with 48 runs scored, 18 doubles, 13 home runs and 54 RBI in 68 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks fifth among active players with the .341 batting average. Polanco is batting .336 (41x122) with 21 runs scored, five doubles, a triple and 13 RBI in 29 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks seventh among active players with the .336 batting average. Rodriguez is batting .340 (118x347) with 46 runs scored, 33 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 56 RBI in 86 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks sixth among active players with the .340 batting average.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 100-80 record on the road. Detroit’s 100 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.24 ERA (1556.0IP/733ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .279 batting average (1799x6452) on the road.
RENTERIA RED HOT AGAINST THE ROYALS: Edgar Renteria has swung a hot bat in his career against the Royals. Renteria is batting .388 (52x134) with 28 runs scored, 11 doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI in 33 games against the Royals. He ranks second among active players with the .388 batting average and is third with a .447 on-base percentage.
PUDGE PACKS A PUNCH AGAINST ROYALS: Ivan Rodriguez enters tonight’s game with a .343 batting average (222x647), 92 runs scored, 51 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs and 102 RBI in 169 games during his career against the Kansas City Royals. He is tops among all active players in the majors with 222 hits and 51 doubles against the Royals, while he is fifth with 102 RBI and sixth with a .343 batting average.
SHEFFIELD WALKING INTO HISTORY: Gary Sheffield finished Saturday’s game against the Yankees with one walk and is now one walk shy of becoming the 26th player in major league history to record at least 1,400 career walks.
POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .403 (25x62) with 13 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over his last 14 games dating back to April 25. Polanco leads the American League during this stretch with 25 hits, while he is second with a .403 batting average, tied for second with 13 runs scored and tied for fifth with six doubles.
TIGERS ASK UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE WAIVERS ON JACQUE JONES: The Tigers today announced that the club has asked unconditional release waivers on outfielder Jacque Jones. The waivers will expire at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Jones was designated for assignment prior to the game on May 5 against Boston. He batted .165 (23x79) in 24 games with the Tigers this season.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 175 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
RICK PORCELLO NAMED FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Single A Lakeland righthander Rick Porcello has been named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. Porcello made two starts during the week and posted a 2-0 record, while not allowing an earned run in 11 innings of work. Porcello is 3-4 with a 1.74 ERA (41.1IP/8ER) and has limited
opponents to a .188 batting average (28x149) in eight starts with the Flying Tigers.
RAMON GARCIA NAMED MIDWEST LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Single A West Michigan lefthander Ramon Garcia has been named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. Garcia made one start during the week, tossing a three-hit shutout on Thursday at Lansing. Garcia is 4-3 with a 2.81 ERA (48.0IP/15ER) in seven starts with the Whitecaps this season.
WILLIS’ REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESULTS: Dontrelle Willis started last night at Charlotte for Triple A Toledo as part of a rehab assignment. He did not factor in the decision after allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking three (one intentional) and striking out three in 6.1 innings. He has posted a 0-1 record and a 6.10 ERA (10.1IP/7ER) with three walks and seven strikeouts in two starts with Toledo. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his eighth start of the season tonight against the Kansas City Royals.
LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.
PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.
MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 142nd start as a member of the Detroit Tigers tonight, moving him within one start of tying Mike Maroth (143) for eighth place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.
TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 133 games for the Tigers. During that stretch, he is fourth among all American League pitchers with the 133 games started. Additionally, Robertson is seventh in the league with 820.1 innings pitched during the stretch.
RECORD AT KAUFFMAN STADIUM: Robertson is making his sixth start at Kauffman Stadium during his career this evening. In his previous five outings, he is 3-2 with a 4.31 ERA (31.1IP/15ER).
LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .255 batting average (196x768).
During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .304 on-base percentage and .359 slugging percentage.
LIMITING THE LEFTIES, PART II: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has held lefthanded opposition to a .251 batting average (183x729). During that same stretch, Robertson has surrendered only 11 home runs to lefthanded hitters, tied for eighth-fewest among American League pitchers with at least 500 batters faced during that stretch.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Robertson was acquired by the Tigers from the Florida Marlins in a five-player deal on January 11, 2003. He originally signed with the Marlins as a fifth-round selection in the June 1999 draft out of Wichita State University.
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ROBERTSON’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: July 9, 2006 at Seattle.
LAST SHUTOUT: No ML SHO.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 - April 10, 2008 at Boston.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 10 - May 15, 2004 vs. Texas.
WALK HIGH - 2008: 2 (four times) - last, May 6, 2008 vs. Boston.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 6 - April 29, 2005 at Chicago White Sox.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 6 (twice) - last, April 25, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER (CG): 5 - June 22, 2005 at Minnesota.
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ROBERTSON VS. ROYALS:
LIFETIME: 4-5, 5.34 ERA, 10 G, 10 GS, 1 CG, 57.1 IP, 62 H, 36 R, 34 ER, 21 BB, 38 SO.
IN 2007: 0-2, 8.71 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 0 CG, 10.1 IP, 17 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 5 BB, 7 SO.
LAST START/LOSS: August 28, 2007 at Kansas City, 6-3 (4.1,6,6,6,4,2).
LAST WIN: July 15, 2005 at Detroit, 4-1 (5.0,5,1,1,2,3).
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BATTER-PITCHER MATCH-UPS:
ROBERTSON vs. ROYALS - CAREER (AVG-AB-H-HR): Buck .375 8-3-0; Butler .333 6-2-1; DeJesus .111 9-1-0; German .400 5-2-1; Gload .375 8-3-0; Gordon .500 2-1-0; Grudzielanek .833 6-5-0; Guillen .462 13-7-2; Olivo .333 3-1-0; Pena .250 4-1-0; Teahen .500 4-2-0.
GREINKE vs. TIGERS - CAREER (AVG-AB-H-HR): Cabrera .000 1-0-0; Granderson .308 13-4-1; Guillen .250 20-5-0; Inge .318 22-7-2; Ordonez .167 18-3-0; Polanco .333 15-5-1; Rodriguez .381 21-8-1; Sheffield .300 10-3-1; Thames .200 5-1-0.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 3-2 to the Kansas City Royals last night at Kauffman Stadium. Nate Robertson started for the Tigers and allowed two runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work, but did not factor in the decision. Francisco Cruceta (0-1) allowed an unearned run in an inning of work to take the loss. Matt Joyce led the Tigers offense with two hits, including a solo home run, while Miguel Cabrera finished with two hits and two walks. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip tonight with the second game of a three game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The club heads to Chase Field on Friday evening for a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
TRIO OF TIGERS ENJOY SUCCESS AT KAUFFMAN STADIUM: Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco and Ivan Rodriguez have all enjoyed success during their careers at Kauffman Stadium. Ordonez is batting .336 (95x283) with 48 runs scored, 18 doubles, 13 home runs and 54 RBI in 69 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks sixth among active players with the .336 batting average. Polanco is batting .331 (42x127) with 22 runs scored, five doubles, a triple and 13 RBI in 30 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks ninth among active players with the .331 batting average. Rodriguez is batting .342 (120x351) with 46 runs scored, 33 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 56 RBI in 87 career games at Kauffman Stadium. He ranks fourth among active players with the .342 batting average.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 100-81 record on the road. Detroit’s 100 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.23 ERA (1564.0IP/735ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .279 batting average (1808x6486) on the road.
RENTERIA RED HOT AGAINST THE ROYALS: Edgar Renteria has swung a hot bat in his career against the Royals. Renteria is batting .384 (53x138) with 28 runs scored, 11 doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI in 34 games against the Royals. He ranks second among active players with the .384 batting average and is third with a .442 on-base percentage.
PUDGE PACKS A PUNCH AGAINST ROYALS: Ivan Rodriguez enters tonight’s game with a .344 batting average (224x651), 92 runs scored, 51 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs and 102 RBI in 170 games during his career against the Kansas City Royals. He is tops among all active players in the majors with 224 hits and 51 doubles against the Royals, while he is fifth with 102 RBI and sixth with a .344 batting average.
SHEFFIELD WALKS INTO HISTORY: Gary Sheffield drew a walk from Kansas City’s Ramon Ramirez in the eighth inning last night to become the 26th player in major league history to record 1,400 career walks. He needs one walk to tie Jeff Bagwell (1,401) for 25th place on the all-time walk list.
POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .388 (26x67) with 14 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over his last 16 games dating back to April 25. Polanco leads the American League during this stretch with 26 hits, while he is second with 14 runs scored, third with a .388 batting average and tied for fifth with six doubles.
GOING DEEPER: Nate Robertson tossed seven innings for the Tigers last night, marking the 12th time in the club’s last 16 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 176 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
WILLIS’ REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESULTS: Dontrelle Willis started Monday night at Charlotte for Triple A Toledo as part of a rehab assignment. He did not factor in the decision after allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking three (one intentional) and striking out three in 6.1 innings. He has posted a 0-1 record and a 6.10 ERA (10.1IP/7ER) with three walks and seven strikeouts in two starts with Toledo. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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JUSTIN’S CASE: In his third full season at the major league level, Verlander will make his ninth start of the season tonight against the Kansas City Royals.
MR. MAY: Verlander enters his start tonight against the Royals with an 8-4 record and 3.36 ERA (88.1IP/33ER) in 13 career starts during the month of
May. Since the 2006 season, Verlander is tied for third among all American League pitchers with eight wins during May.
ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Verlander has limited righthanded batters to a .235 batting average (24x102) through his first eight starts this season. During his career, righthanded hitters are batting .243 (206x846) with Verlander on the mound.
ROYAL PAIN: Verlander enters tonight’s game with a 6-0 record and 2.65 ERA (57.2IP/17ER) in nine starts during his career against the Royals. Verlander is tied for the lead among all major league pitchers since the start of 2006 with the six wins against the Royals, while he is seventh with a 2.65 ERA.
RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM HIS TEAMMATES: In his 72 career starts at the major league level, Verlander has received 6.41 runs per nine innings of support. Since the start of the 2006 season, he is tops among all major league pitchers with 6.55 runs per nine innings of support.
RECORD AT KAUFFMAN STADIUM: Verlander is making his fifth career start at Kauffman Stadium this evening. In his previous four starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA (27.0IP/4ER).
QUALITY OUTINGS: Verlander has posted a quality start in 40 of his 72 starts at the major league level during his career. He has worked six-or-more innings in 50 of his starts during his career.
OPENING DAY NOD: Verlander made the first Opening Day start of his major league career on March 31 against the Royals. He became the third different Tigers pitcher to start Opening Day during Jim Leyland’s tenure as manager. Kenny Rogers started in 2006, while Jeremy Bonderman started in 2007.
NO-NO: Verlander fired the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history on June 12, 2007 versus Milwaukee, the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history. It was the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984 against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to toss a no-hitter in Detroit since Virgil Trucks on May 15, 1952 versus Washington at Briggs Stadium.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Verlander was selected by the Tigers in the first round (second overall) of the June 2004 draft. He was selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the first time in 2007. Verlander was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006.

VERLANDER’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: June 12, 2007 vs. Milwaukee.
LAST SHUTOUT: June 12, 2007 vs. Milwaukee.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 - March 31, 2008 vs. Kansas City.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 12 - June 12, 2007 vs. Milwaukee.
WALK HIGH - 2008: 4 (three times) - last, April 27, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 7 - August 16, 2006 at Boston.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 4 (twice) - last, April 12, 2008 at Chicago White Sox.
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER (CG): 0 - June 12, 2007 vs. Milwaukee.

VERLANDER VS. ROYALS:
LIFETIME: 6-0, 2.65 ERA, 9 G, 9 GS, 1 CG, 57.2 IP, 43 H, 19 R, 17 ER, 16 BB, 48 SO.
IN 2008: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 0 CG, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO.
LAST START/NO-DECISION: March 31, 2008 at Detroit, 5-4 (6.0,4,4,4,1,6).
LAST WIN: September 23, 2007 at Detroit, 7-2 (6.0,5,2,2,2,6).
LAST LOSS: No losses against the Royals.

BATTER-PITCHER MATCH-UPS:
VERLANDER vs. ROYALS - CAREER (AVG-AB-H-HR): Buck .333 15-5-1; Butler .455 11-5-1; DeJesus .263 19-5-0; Gathright .091 11-1-0; German .091 11-1-0; Gload .143 14-2-0; Gordon .188 16-3-1; Grudzielanek .250 16-4-0; Guillen .071 13-1-0; Pena .308 13-4-0; Teahen .176 17-3-0.
HOCHEVAR vs. TIGERS - CAREER (AVG-AB-H-HR): Guillen .000 1-0-0; Inge .000 1-0-0; Polanco .500 2-1-0; Raburn .000 2-0-0; Santiago .000 1-0-0; Thames 1.000 1-1-1.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 4-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, marking the club’s 11th loss in the last 13 games. Jeremy Bonderman started for the Tigers, but did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs on three hits in six innings of work. Zach Miner (1-3) allowed an unearned run in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss. Magglio Ordonez led the Tigers offense with three hits, while Miguel Cabrera belted a two run home run. The Tigers continue a six-game road trip tonight with the second game of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The club enjoys an off day on Monday, before beginning a six-game homestand, featuring visits from the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins.
INTERLEAGUE HAPPENINGS: Tonight’s contest against the Diamondbacks is Detroit’s second of 18 games of interleague play in 2008. Since interleague play was started in 1997, the Tigers have compiled a 100-94 record. Detroit has compiled an 0-1 record thus far in interleague play in 2008.
INTERLEAGUE LEADERS: Four Tigers players are among the top 16 active major league players in batting average during interleague play: Magglio Ordonez leads all active players with a .348 batting average (181x520), Placido Polanco is 14th with a .316 batting average (151x478), Ivan Rodriguez is 15th with a .315 batting average (214x679) and Edgar Renteria is 16th with a .315 batting average (203x645). Ordonez is seventh among all active players with a .594 slugging percentage during interleague action.
NIFTY AGAINST THE NATIONAL LEAGUE: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers are batting .302 (394x1304) in 37 interleague games, tops among all major league clubs. The Tigers also lead the majors with 243 runs scored, 394 hits, 102 doubles, 234 RBI and a .498 slugging percentage in interleague play.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez collected three hits last night against the Diamondbacks and has now reached base safely in 26 of his last 30 games dating back to April 14. Ordonez is batting .357 (40x112) with 23 runs scored, nine doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI during that stretch. Ordonez is second in the American League during this stretch with the .357 batting average, while he is tied for second with 40 hits, tied for third with 23 runs scored, tied for fourth with a .430 on-base percentage, fifth with a .571 slugging percentage and tied for fifth with 23 RBI.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 100-84 record on the road. Detroit’s 100 wins on the road are tied for second in the majors during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.24 ERA (1588.0IP/748ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .278 batting average (1828x6581) on the road.
POLANCO PICKS UP THE PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is hitting .354 (28x79) with 14 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over his last 19 games dating back to April 25. Polanco is second in the American League during this stretch with 28 hits, while he is fourth with a .354 batting average and tied for sixth with 14 runs scored.
GOING DEEPER: Jeremy Bonderman tossed six innings for the Tigers last night at Arizona, marking the 14th time in the club’s last 19 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in four of the last six games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 179 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
WILLIS’ REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESULTS: Dontrelle Willis started Monday night at Charlotte for Triple A Toledo as part of a rehab assignment. He did not factor in the decision after allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking three (one intentional) and striking out three in 6.1 innings. He has posted a 0-1 record and a 6.10 ERA (10.1IP/7ER) with three walks and seven strikeouts in two starts with Toledo. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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ARMANDO’S ANTIDOTE: Galarraga will make his sixth start with the Tigers this evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Galarraga’s contract was
recalled from Triple A Toledo on April 16.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: Since April 16, Galarraga is second among all American League pitchers with a .187 batting average against.
ROOKIE LEADERS: Galarraga enters his start against Arizona this evening third among all American League rookie pitchers with a 3.07 ERA and a .187 batting average against. Additionally, he is tied for fourth with two wins, while he is fifth with 29.1 innings pitched.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: In his second major league start on April 16 at Cleveland, Galarraga earned his first major league victory.
ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Galarraga has held righthanded batters to a .135 batting average (7x52) in his first five starts with the Tigers. He is tops among all American League pitchers with a .135 batting average against righthanded batters. In his two starts with Toledo, Galarraga limited righthanded batters to a .100 batting average (2x20).
QUALITY WORK: Galarraga has posted three quality starts in his first five outings with the Tigers.
RECORD AT CHASE FIELD: Galarraga is making his first career appearance at Chase Field this evening.
VENEZUELAN HERITAGE: Galarraga is the eighth Venezuelan native to pitch in a game for the Tigers, joining Yorman Bazardo, Oscar Henriquez, Wilfredo Ledezma, Felipe Lira, Urbano Lugo, Ugueth Urbina and Lino Urdaneta. He is the fifth Venezuelan native to start a game for the Tigers, joining Bazardo, Ledezma, Lira and Lugo.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Galarraga was acquired by the Tigers from the Texas Rangers in a two-player deal on February 4, 2008. He originally signed with the Montreal Expos as a as a non-drafted free agent on October 31, 1998.

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GALARRAGA’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: N/A.
LAST SHUTOUT: N/A.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 (twice) - last, May 7, 2008 vs. Boston.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 6 (twice) - last, May 7, 2008 vs. Boston
WALK HIGH - 2008: 4 - April 21, 2008 at Toronto.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 4 (twice) - last, April 21, 2008 at Toronto.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 1 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland (6.2IP).
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER: 1 - April 16, 2008 at Cleveland (6.2IP).

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 last night at Chase Field, snapping the club’s five-game losing streak. Armando Galarraga (3-1) limited the Diamondbacks to two runs on one hit in six innings to earn the victory. Carlos Guillen collected a two-run single for the Tigers, while Matt Joyce belted a solo home run. The Tigers conclude a six-game road trip this afternoon with the final game of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The club enjoys an off day tomorrow, before beginning a six-game homestand, featuring visits from the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins.
LOOKING FOR THE LEFTY: The Tigers face lefthanded pitcher Randy Johnson this afternoon as they battle the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Tigers have compiled a .292 batting average (450x1540) against lefthanded pitchers. Detroit leads the American League during this stretch with a .475 slugging percentage against lefthanded pitching, while the club is second with a .292 batting average. Since the start of the 2007 season, Detroit has posted a 33-16 record in games started by lefthanded pitchers.
MORE WITH LESS: The Tigers defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2 last night, marking the club’s first victory in 2008 when scoring four-or-less runs. The victory is the club’s first when scoring four-or-less runs since winning 4-3 at Minnesota on September 15, 2007, a stretch of 29 games without a victory.
GRANDY’S MULTI-HIT MAGIC: Curtis Granderson finished last night’s game against the Diamondbacks with a pair of hits. Since the start of the 2006 season, Granderson has collected 108 multi-hit games. The Tigers have posted a 75-33 record in the 108 games Granderson has collected multiple hits and he has batted .510 (248x486) with 50 doubles, 18 triples, 38 home runs and 112 RBI.
INTERLEAGUE HAPPENINGS: The Tigers have posted a 1-1 record in two games during interleague play this season. Since interleague play was started in 1997, the Tigers have compiled a 101-94 record.
INTERLEAGUE LEADERS: Four Tigers players are among the top 17 active major league players in batting average during interleague play: Magglio Ordonez leads all active players with a .346 batting average (181x523), Placido Polanco is 14th with a .316 batting average (151x478), Ivan Rodriguez is 16th with a .313 batting average (214x683) and Edgar Renteria is 17th with a .313 batting average (203x649). Ordonez is eighth among all active players with a .591 slugging percentage during interleague action.
NIFTY AGAINST THE NATIONAL LEAGUE: Since the start of the 2006 season, the Tigers are batting .299 (400x1337) in 38 interleague games, tops among all major league clubs. The Tigers also lead the majors with 246 runs scored, 400 hits, 103 doubles, 237 RBI and a .494 slugging percentage in interleague play.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 101-84 record on the road. Detroit’s 101 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.23 ERA (1597.0IP/750ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .277 batting average (1834x6614) on the road.
GOING DEEPER: Armando Galarraga tossed six innings for the Tigers last night at Arizona, marking the 15th time in the club’s last 20 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in five of the last seven games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
ORDONEZ FLAWLESS IN THE FIELD: Magglio Ordonez has not committed an error in the outfield for the Tigers since April 6, 2007 at Kansas City, a stretch of 180 games without an error. It is the longest errorless streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline did not commit an error in 242 consecutive games April 15, 1970-July 2, 1972.
WILLIS’ REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESULTS: Dontrelle Willis started last night at Columbus for Triple A Toledo as part of a rehab assignment. He earned the victory after allowing one run on five hits, while walking four and striking out four in six innings. He has posted a 1-1 record and a 4.41 ERA (16.1IP/8ER) with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in three starts with Toledo. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his ninth start of the season this afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.
PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.
MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 143rd start as a member of the Detroit Tigers this afternoon, tying Mike Maroth for eighth place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.
INTERLEAGUE INFORMATION: Robertson is making his 12th career start during interleague play this afternoon. He has posted a 4-2 record and 2.85 ERA (72.2IP/23ER) in his previous 11 interleague starts.
TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 134 games for the Tigers. During that stretch, he is tied for third among all American League pitchers with the 134 games started. Additionally, Robertson is seventh in the league with 827.1 innings pitched during the stretch.
RECORD AT CHASE FIELD: Robertson is making his first career appearance at Chase Field this afternoon.
LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .255 batting average (199x781). During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .303 on-base percentage and .357 slugging percentage.
LIMITING THE LEFTIES, PART II: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has held lefthanded opposition to a .251 batting average (186x742). During that same stretch, Robertson has surrendered only 11 home runs to lefthanded hitters, tied for eighth-fewest among American League pitchers with at least 500 batters faced during that stretch.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Robertson was acquired by the Tigers from the Florida Marlins in a five-player deal on January 11, 2003. He originally signed with the Marlins as a fifth-round selection in the June 1999 draft out of Wichita State University.

ROBERTSON’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: July 9, 2006 at Seattle.
LAST SHUTOUT: No ML SHO.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 - April 10, 2008 at Boston.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 10 - May 15, 2004 vs. Texas.
WALK HIGH - 2008: 2 (four times) - last, May 6, 2008 vs. Boston.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 6 - April 29, 2005 at Chicago White Sox.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 6 (twice) - last, April 25, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER (CG): 5 - June 22, 2005 at Minnesota.

ROBERTSON VS. DIAMONDBACKS:
LIFETIME: 0-0, 1.35 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 0 CG, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO.
IN 2005: Same as lifetime totals.
LAST START/NO-DECISION: May 21, 2005 at Detroit, 3-2 W (6.2,4,1,1,4,5).
LAST WIN: No career wins against the Diamondbacks.
LAST LOSS: No career losses against the Diamondbacks.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Seattle Mariners 12-8 last night at Comerica Park. Justin Verlander (2-7) limited the Mariners to one run on four hits in six innings of work to earn the victory and snap a personal four-game losing streak. Edgar Renteria led the Tigers offense with four hits, including a triple, home run and five RBI. Curtis Granderson belted a two-run home run, while Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen both hit solo home runs. The club continues a six-game homestand tonight with the second game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners. The Minnesota Twins also visit Comerica Park for a three-game series beginning Friday evening.
SOLO NO MORE: Curtis Granderson belted his sixth home run of the season last night against Seattle, a two-run shot off Cha Seung Baek in the sixth inning. The home run is Granderson’s first multiple-run home run since May 6, 2007, snapping a stretch of 23 consecutive solo home runs. According to David Vincent, the 23 consecutive solo home runs marked the longest streak of solo home runs in franchise history.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .340 (34x100) with 16 runs scored, six doubles, five home runs and 20 RBI over his last 26 games dating back to April 21. He ranks third in the American League with 34 hits during that stretch, while he is fifth with the .340 batting average and tied for seventh with 20 RBI.
BOTTOM OF THE ORDER PRODUCTION: Edgar Renteria batted eighth in the Tigers lineup last night against Seattle and finished the game with four hits and five RBI. He is the fourth Tigers player since 1956 to collect at least four hits and five RBI from the bottom two spots in the order. He joins Carlos Pena (8th, May 27, 2004 at Kansas City), Tom Brookens (9th, June 14, 1988 versus Baltimore) and Jim Bunning (9th, May 18, 1959 at Boston).
GRANDY’S MULTI-HIT MAGIC: Curtis Granderson finished last night’s game against the Mariners with a pair of hits. Since the start of the 2006 season, Granderson has collected 109 multi-hit games. The Tigers have posted a 76-33 record in the 109 games Granderson has collected multiple hits and he has batted .509 (250x491) with 51 doubles, 18 triples, 39 home runs and 115 RBI.
RUNNING WILD AGAINST THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST: The Tigers scored 12 runs on 17 hits last night against the Seattle Mariners to continue the club’s hot hitting against teams from the American League West. Thus far in 2008, the Tigers are batting .312 (73x234) with 60 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 59 RBI in seven games against American League West opponents. The Tigers lead all clubs with 8.57 runs per game against the American League West, while they are also tops with a .406 onbase percentage and a .594 slugging percentage. The Tigers are second with the .312 batting average and tied for third with 15 home runs.
POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco has been swinging a hot bat over the last month, batting .375 (33x88) with 14 runs scored, eight doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI over his last 22 games dating to April 25. Polanco leads the American League with the .375 batting average during that stretch, while he is tied for the lead with 33 hits and tied for fifth with eight doubles.
HAPPY AT HOME: In 83 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .396 (124x313) with 67 runs scored, 28 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 74 of the games.
GOING DEEPER: Justin Verlander tossed six innings for the Tigers last night against Seattle, marking the 16th time in the club’s last 22 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in six of the last nine
games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
WILLIS’ REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESULTS: Dontrelle Willis started Saturday at Columbus for Triple A Toledo as part of a rehab assignment. He earned the victory after allowing one run on five hits, while walking four and striking out four in six innings. He has posted a 1-1 record and a 4.41 ERA (16.1IP/8ER) with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in three starts with Toledo. Willis has been sidelined since April 12 with a hyperextension of his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), LHP Dontrelle Willis (hyperextension of right knee, 15-day DL on April 12), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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THE READ ON ROGERS: Rogers is making his 10th start of the season for the Tigers tonight against the Seattle Mariners.
MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LEFTY LIST: Rogers is currently in 21st place on the all-time win list among lefthanded pitchers with his 213 career victories. With three more wins, he will match Wilbur Cooper for 20th on that all-time list.
TOUGH ON THE LEFTIES: Rogers has limited lefthanded batters to a .219 batting average (65x297) since joining the Tigers in 2006.
MANY GAMES AGAINST THE MARINERS: Tonight’s start will mark the 53rd career appearance for Kenny Rogers against the Seattle Mariners. The start will move Rogers into fourth place all time in games pitched against the Mariners, trailing Dennis Eckersley (68), Jesse Orosco (59) and Jeff Montgomery (56).
AMONG THE ACTIVE LEADERS: Rogers enters his start this evening against the Mariners among the active major league pitching leaders in numerous categories. He is seventh with 213 wins and 453 games started, while he is eighth with 3176.1 innings pitched and 11th with 1909 strikeouts.
NO SWIPING: Tony Pena's stolen base against Rogers in the third inning on May 15 at Kansas City was the first time an opponent attempted to steal against Rogers since Toronto's Gregg Zaun was caught stealing in the fourth inning on September 28, 2006. It was a stretch of 20 appearances (19 starts) without an opponent even attempting to steal against him. The last successful stolen base attempt against Rogers was by Boston's Coco Crisp on June 2, 2006 when he stole second base in the fourth inning. It was a stretch of 41 appearances (40 starts) without a stolen base against Rogers. During his Tigers career, opponents have been successful in two of the nine stolen base attempts (22.2%) and he has picked off five runners.
SOLID SUPPORT: Rogers ranks fifth in the American League with 6.27 runs per nine innings of support this season. Since joining the Tigers in 2006, he is seventh in the American League with 6.16 runs per nine innings of support.
RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Rogers is making his 35th career ppearance, 32nd start, tonight at Comerica Park. In his previous 34 outings, he is 14-7 with a 3.53 ERA (194.0IP/76ER).

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers defeated the Seattle Mariners 9-4 last night at Comerica Park. Kenny Rogers (4-4) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings to pick up the victory. Marcus Thames finished with two hits, including a double and a grand slam, while Brandon Inge added a double, triple and two RBI. Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco and Edgar Renteria each finished with a pair of hits. The club continues a six-game homestand this afternoon with the final game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners. The Minnesota Twins visit Comerica Park for a three-game series beginning tomorrow evening.
SEEKING A SEATTLE SWEEP: The Tigers enter this afternoon’s game looking for a three game sweep of the Mariners. A sweep would mark the first time the Tigers have won all three games of a three-game set against Seattle in Detroit since July 3-5, 1995 at Tiger Stadium.
WORD ABOUT THE THIRD: The Tigers scored seven runs on eight hits in the third inning last night against Seattle and recorded six consecutive hits during the course of the inning. The six consecutive hits were the most by a Tigers team since also collecting six straight in the seventh inning on August 6, 2007 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The eight hits were the most by a Tigers team in a single inning since also knocking out eight hits in the fifth inning on May 18, 2007 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
PUDGE’S PRODUCTION: Ivan Rodriguez collected two hits last night against Seattle and has now hit safely in 17 of his last 25 games dating back to April 18. He is batting .313 (30x96) with 10 runs scored, 10 doubles and 12 RBI during that stretch.
GRAND TIME FOR THAMES: Marcus Thames belted his fifth career grand slam in the third inning last night against the Mariners. He is now tied for eighth place in franchise history with the five grand slams. Additionally, Thames leads all players with four grand slams at Comerica Park. Thames is batting .579 (11x19) with a double, five home runs and 35 RBI during his career with the bases loaded.
SCORING POSITION SUCCESS: The Tigers have batted .545 (12x22) with runners in scoring position during the first two games of the current homestand after batting .205 (26x127) with runners in scoring position during the first 16 games in May.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .337 (35x104) with 17 runs scored, six doubles, five home runs and 20 RBI over his last 27 games dating back to April 21. He is tied for fourth in the American League with 35 hits during that stretch, while he is fifth with the .337 batting average and eighth with 20 RBI.
RUNNING WILD AGAINST THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST: The Tigers scored nine runs on 14 hits last night against the Seattle Mariners to continue the club’s hot hitting against teams from the American League West. Thus far in 2008, the Tigers are batting .321 (87x271) with 69 runs scored, 18 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs and 68 RBI in eight games against American League West opponents. The Tigers lead all clubs with 8.63 runs per game against the American League West, while they are also tops with a .403 onbase percentage and a .594 slugging percentage. The Tigers are second with the .321 batting average and tied for second with 16 home runs.
POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco has been swinging a hot bat over the last month, batting .380 (35x92) with 15 runs scored, nine doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI over his last 23 games dating to April 25. Polanco is tied for the American League lead with nine doubles during that stretch and is second with the .380 batting average and 35 hits.
HAPPY AT HOME: In 84 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .394 (125x317) with 68 runs scored, 28 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 75 of the games.
GOING DEEPER: Justin Verlander tossed six innings for the Tigers Tuesday night against Seattle, marking the 16th time in the club’s last 23 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in six of the last
10 games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
BAUTISTA SCHEDULED TO BEGIN REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Denny Bautista is scheduled to begin an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo on Saturday. Bautista has been sidelined since May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis. He has posted a 0-1 record and 4.05 ERA (13.1IP/6ER) in 13 games with the Tigers this season.
INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 21),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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BOOK ON BONDO: In his sixth season with the Tigers, Bonderman makes his 10th start of the 2008 season today against the Seattle Mariners.
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINNER: Bonderman won 11 games last season, marking the fourth straight season in which he has posted double-digit totals in wins. He is the first Tigers pitcher to do so since Brian Moehler also won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons (1997-2000).
ROUGH ON RIGHTIES: In his first nine starts of the season, Bonderman has limited righthanded batters to a .242 batting average (23x95). During his career, righthanded batters are hitting .253 (427x1690) with Bonderman on the mound.
DEEP DRIVES: Bonderman has allowed 1.41 home runs per nine innings this year, fifth most in the American League. By comparison, he allowed 1.06 home runs per nine innings in his first five major league seasons (2003-07). He has allowed at least one home run in five of his last six starts (six total home runs).
DROUGHT IN DETROIT: Bonderman has not earned a victory at Comerica Park since July 1, 2007 versus Minnesota. In his 11 starts at Comerica Park since that victory, he has posted a 0-8 record and 7.42 ERA (60.2IP/50ER). The club is 3-8 during the 11-start stretch.
RISP MANAGEMENT: In his first nine starts this season, Bonderman has limited opponents to a .219 batting average (7x32) with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .125 (2x16) with runners in scoring position and two outs against Bonderman.
RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Bonderman is making his 82nd appearance, 80th start, at Comerica Park during his career this afternoon. In his previous 81 appearances, he is 26-32 with a 5.03 ERA (470.1IP/263ER) and 396 strikeouts.
GETTING THE GROUND BALL: Bonderman enters his start today against the Mariners 12th among all American League pitchers with a 1.55 ground ball/fly ball ratio (82 ground ball outs/53 fly ball outs) this season. For his career, he has posted a 1.51 ground ball/fly ball ratio (1447 ground ball outs/957 fly ball outs).
FANNING BATTERS WITH THE BEST OF THEM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: During his major league career with the Tigers, Bonderman has averaged 7.37 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Among all pitchers in franchise history with at least as many innings pitched as Bonderman, he is second in club history, just behind John Hiller’s 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings during Hiller’s 15-year career with the Tigers. Additionally, Bonderman is two strikeouts shy of becoming the 19th pitcher in franchise history to record at least 800 career strikeouts.
STRIKE THREE: Since making his major league debut with the Tigers in 2003, Bonderman has averaged 7.37 strikeouts per nine innings. He is currently ninth among all American League pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings since the start of 2003.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers knocked off the Seattle Mariners 9-2 yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park, the club’s fourth win in its last five games. The win completed a three game sweep over the Mariners, the club’s first three-game sweep of Seattle in Detroit since July 3-5, 1995 at Tiger Stadium. Jeremy Bonderman (3-4) earned the win for the Tigers after limiting Seattle to two runs in six innings of work. Freddy Dolsi blanked the Mariners over the final three innings to register his first major league save. Matt Joyce doubled, homered and drove in two runs for Detroit, while Magglio Ordonez added two doubles and two RBI. Brandon Inge belted a three-run home run for the Tigers. Detroit continues the current homestand with the first game of three-game series against the Minnesota Twins this evening.
POLANCO POUNDS TWINS: Placido Polanco enters tonight’s game versus Minnesota with a .335 batting average (71x212) in 50 games against the Twins. He has scored 36 runs versus Minnesota during his career, while he has collected eight doubles, four home runs and 24 RBI. Polanco is seventh among all active major league players with a .335 batting average against the Twins.
JUMPING ON THE FIRST PITCH: Tigers hitters have combined to bat .435 (83x191) when putting the first pitch in play, tops among American League clubs. Marcus Thames is fourth in the American League with a .571 batting average (4x7) when putting the first pitch in play, while Miguel Cabrera is 10th with a .519 batting average (14x27) when putting the first pitch in play.
SCORING POSITION SUCCESS: The Tigers have batted .484 (16x33) with runners in scoring position during the first three games of the current homestand after batting .205 (26x127) with runners in scoring position during the first 16 games in May.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .343 (37x108) with 17 runs scored, eight doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI over his last 28 games dating back to April 21. He is tied for second in the American League with 37 hits during that stretch, while he is sixth with the .343 batting average and seventh with 22 RBI. Ordonez collected his eighth
multi-RBI game of the season yesterday versus Seattle and the Tigers improved to 8-0 when he drives in multiple runs.
POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is batting .365 (35x96) with 15 runs scored, nine doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI over his last 24 games dating to April 25. Polanco is second in the American League with 35 hits during the stretch, while he is tied for second with nine doubles and fourth with a .365 batting average.
HAPPY AT HOME: In 85 games at Comerica Park dating back to May 10, 2007, Magglio Ordonez is hitting .396 (127x321) with 68 runs scored, 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 77 RBI. He has reached base safely via a hit or walk in 76 of the games.
GRANDY’S MULTI-HIT MAGIC: Curtis Granderson finished yesterday’s game against the Mariners with a pair of hits. Since the start of the 2006 season, Granderson has collected 110 multi-hit games. The Tigers have posted a 77-33 record in the 110 games Granderson has collected multiple hits, including a 6-2 mark in his eight multi-hit games in 2008.
JOYCE’S JACKS: Matt Joyce connected for his fifth home run of the season yesterday afternoon against Seattle, all coming in his last nine games since May 10. Joyce is tied with Texas’ Josh Hamilton for the lead in the American League with five home runs during that stretch. He is tied for second among American League rookies with his five home runs.
PUDGE’S PRODUCTION: Ivan Rodriguez collected two hits on Wednesday against Seattle and he is batting .313 (30x96) with 10 runs scored, 10 doubles and 12 RBI over his last 25 games since April 18.
GOING DEEPER: Jeremy Bonderman tossed six innings for the Tigers yesterday afternoon against Seattle, marking the 17th time in the club’s last 24 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in seven
of the last 11 games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
BAUTISTA SCHEDULED TO BEGIN REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Denny Bautista is scheduled to begin an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo on Saturday. Bautista has been sidelined since May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis. He has posted a 0-1 record and 4.05 ERA (13.1IP/6ER) in 13 games with the Tigers this season.
INJURY UPDATE: RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3), LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 21), RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30), C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30), RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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ARMANDO’S ANTIDOTE: Galarraga will make his seventh start with the Tigers this evening against the Minnesota Twins. Galarraga’s contract was recalled from Triple A Toledo on April 16.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: Since April 16, Galarraga is second among all American League pitchers with a .167 batting average against.
ROOKIE LEADERS: Galarraga enters his start against Minnesota this evening second among all American League rookie pitchers with a .167 batting average against. Additionally, he is tied for second with three
wins and third with a 3.06 ERA.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: In his second major league start on April 16 at Cleveland, Galarraga earned his first major league victory.
ONE-HIT WONDER: Galarraga limited the Diamondbacks to one hit over six innings of work to earn the win on May 17. It marked the second time this season Galarraga held the opposition to one hit while tossing at least six innings. Galarraga is the lone Tigers rookie pitcher to limit opponents to one hit while tossing at least six innings in a start twice during the same season
since at least 1956.
ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Galarraga has held righthanded batters to a .109 batting average (7x64) in his first six starts with the Tigers. He is tops among all American League pitchers with a .109 batting average against righthanded batters. In his two starts with Toledo, Galarraga limited righthanded batters to a .100 batting average (2x20).
QUALITY WORK: Galarraga has posted four quality starts in his first six outings with the Tigers. He tied for the team lead with Kenny Rogers with the four quality starts.
RECORD AT COMERICA PARK: Galarraga is making his third career start at Comerica Park this evening. In his previous two starts, he has not recorded a decision as he has posted a 4.76 ERA (11.1IP/6ER).
RACKING UP THE SUPPORT: In his six starts with the Tigers, Galarraga has received 7.90 runs per nine innings of support.
VENEZUELAN HERITAGE: Galarraga is the eighth Venezuelan native to pitch in a game for the Tigers, joining Yorman Bazardo, Oscar Henriquez, Wilfredo Ledezma, Felipe Lira, Urbano Lugo, Ugueth Urbina and Lino Urdaneta. He is the fifth Venezuelan native to start a game for the Tigers, joining Bazardo, Ledezma, Lira and Lugo.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Galarraga was acquired by the Tigers from the Texas Rangers in a two-player deal on February 4, 2008. He originally signed with the Montreal Expos as a as a non-drafted free agent on October 31, 1998.

GALARRAGA’S GAME HIGHS:
LAST CG: N/A.
LAST SHUTOUT: N/A.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - 2008: 6 (twice) - last, May 7, 2008 vs. Boston.
STRIKEOUT HIGH - CAREER: 6 (twice) - last, May 7, 2008 vs. Boston
WALK HIGH - 2008: 5 - May 17, 2008 at Arizona.
WALK HIGH - CAREER: 5 - May 17, 2008 at Arizona.
LOW-HIT GAME - 2008: 1 (twice) - last, May 17, 2008 at Arizona (6.0IP).
LOW-HIT GAME - CAREER: 1 (twice) - last, May 17, 2008 at Arizona (6.0IP).

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers were shut out for the eighth time last night, falling 1-0 in 12 innings to the Angels. Freddy Dolsi (0-1) took the loss in relief for the Tigers after allowing one run in 2.1 innings of work. Curtis Granderson and Carlos Guillen both collected a double for Detroit. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip to the West Coast this evening with the second game of a three-game set against the Angels. Following an off day on Thursday, the trip continues with a three-game series in both Seattle and Oakland.

ORDONEZ NAMED AL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Magglio Ordonez has been selected the American League’s Co-Player of the Week, along with Boston’s Jon Lester, for May 19-25. Ordonez hit .478 (11x23) with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBI in six games during the week.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 101-86 record on the road. Detroit’s 101 wins on the road are tied for second in the majors with Philadelphia during this stretch, with both clubs trailing the 105 road victories by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.20 ERA (1616.1IP/755ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .276 batting average (1846x6686) on the road.

ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST: The Tigers are batting .303 (105x346) with 78 runs scored, 26 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs in 10 games against American League West opponents in 2008. Detroit is leading the majors with a .558 slugging percentage against the American League West, while the club is second with a .303 batting average, .384 on-base percentage and 7.8 runs per game.

MAGGLIO MASHES AGAINST ANGELS: Magglio Ordonez enters tonight’s game against the Angels with a .328 batting average (99x302) in 78 games against the club, while he has collected 18 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs and 59 RBI. Ordonez is second among active major league players with a .603 slugging percentage against the Angels, while he is fourth with a home run once every 14.38 at-bats and eighth with a .328 batting average. Additionally, Ordonez is hitting .361 (57x158) with nine doubles, 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 41 games during his career at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. He is tops among active major leaguers with a .361 batting average at the stadium, while he is second with a .639 slugging percentage.

SCORING POSITION SUCCESS: The Tigers are hitting .394 (28x71) with runners in scoring position over the last seven games after batting .205 (26x127) with runners in scoring position during the first 16 games in May.

ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .352 (43x122) with 21 runs scored, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI over his last 32 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with 43 hits during that stretch, while he is fourth with the .352 batting average, tied for fourth with 28 RBI and tied for fifth with seven home runs. Ordonez collected his ninth multi-RBI game of the season on Saturday versus Minnesota and the Tigers improved to 9-0 when he drives in multiple runs.

POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is batting .372 (42x113) with 19 runs scored, 11 doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI over his last 28 games dating to April 25. Polanco is tied for the lead in the American League with 11 doubles during the stretch, while he is second with 42 hits and third with a .372 batting average.

JUMPING ON THE FIRST PITCH: Tigers hitters have combined to bat .420 (89x212) when putting the first pitch in play, tops among American League clubs. Gary Sheffield and Marcus Thames are both tied for third in the American League with a .571 batting average (4x7) when putting the first pitch in play, while Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen are both tied for 11th with a .500 batting average (15x30) when putting the first pitch in play.

LOVIN’ THE LONGBALL: Carlos Guillen belted a solo home run for Detroit on Sunday afternoon, giving the Tigers a home run in nine of the club’s last 11 games. The Tigers have homered 14 times during the 11-game stretch. Detroit had homered just twice in the club’s previous eight games.

GOING DEEPER: Kenny Rogers tossed seven innings for the Tigers last night against the Angels, marking the 21st time in the club’s last 28 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in 10 of the last 15 games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.

TOMAS NAMED ML PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Single A West Michigan infielder Roger Tomas has been selected the Midwest League Player of the Week for May 19-25. In six games during the week, he hit .550 (11x20) with six runs scored, a double and five RBI.

BAUTISTA’S REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Denny Bautista began an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo on Saturday, fanning one batter in a scoreless inning of relief versus Louisville. Bautista has been sidelined since May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis.

INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 21),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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BOOK ON BONDO: In his sixth season with the Tigers, Bonderman makes his 11th start of the 2008 season tonight against the Angels.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINNER: Bonderman won 11 games last season, marking the fourth straight season in which he has posted double-digit totals in wins. He is the first Tigers pitcher to do so since Brian Moehler also won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons (1997-2000).

ROCKIN’ ON THE ROAD: Bonderman makes his fifth start of the season on the road for the Tigers this evening against the Angels. He is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA (23.2IP/8ER) in his previous four outings on the road.

QUALITY WORK AGAINST THE ANGELS: Bonderman has posted five quality starts in his last seven outings against the Angels dating back to the 2004 season. He has worked six-or-more innings in seven of his nine career starts against the club.

ROUGH ON RIGHTIES: In his first 10 starts of the season, Bonderman has limited righthanded batters to a .245 batting average (27x110). During his career, righthanded batters are hitting .253 (431x1705) with Bonderman on the mound.

RISP MANAGEMENT: In his first 10 starts this season, Bonderman has limited opponents to a .196 batting average (9x46) with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .136 (3x22) with runners in scoring position and two outs against Bonderman.

RECORD AT ANGEL STADIUM: Bonderman is making his seventh start at Angel Stadium during his career this evening. In his previous six outings, he is 2-2 with a 6.21 ERA (33.1IP/23ER) and 32 strikeouts.

DEEP DRIVES: Bonderman has allowed 1.26 home runs per nine innings this year, eighth-highest in the American League. By comparison, he allowed 1.06 home runs per nine innings in his first five major league seasons (2003-07). He has allowed at least one home run in five of his last seven starts (six total home runs).

GETTING THE GROUND BALL: Bonderman enters his start tonight against the Angels tied for 12th among all American League pitchers with a 1.56 ground ball/fly ball ratio (92 ground ball outs/59 fly ball outs) this season. For his career, he has posted a 1.51 ground ball/fly ball ratio (1457 ground ball outs/963 fly ball outs).

FANNING BATTERS WITH THE BEST OF THEM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: During his major league career with the Tigers, Bonderman has averaged 7.34 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Among all pitchers in franchise history with at least as many innings pitched as Bonderman, he is second in club history, just behind John Hiller’s 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings during Hiller’s 15-year career with the Tigers.

STRIKE THREE: Since making his major league debut with the Tigers in 2003, Bonderman has averaged 7.34 strikeouts per nine innings. He is currently ninth among all American League pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings since the start of 2003.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday night. Armando Galarraga (4-2) picked up the win for Detroit, allowing two runs in 8.1 innings of work. Marcus Thames homered twice and drove in four runs for the Tigers, while Edgar Renteria added two hits and an RBI. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip to the West Coast this evening with the first game of a three-game set against the Mariners. Detroit concludes the trip with a three-game series beginning on Monday at Oakland.
THOMAS RECALLED FROM TRIPLE A, JOYCE SENT TO TOLEDO: Following the game on Wednesday night against the Angels, the Tigers optioned the contract of outfielder Matt Joyce to Triple A Toledo. To take Joyce’s spot on the 25-man roster, the Tigers today recalled the contract of outfielder Clete Thomas from Toledo. In 18 games during his first stint with Detroit, Thomas batted .295 (18x61) with four doubles, a triple and five RBI.
WINNING WAYS AGAINST SEATTLE: The Tigers swept a three-game series against the Mariners at Comerica Park May 20-22, and the club has won six of its last seven games versus Seattle dating back to July 15, 2007. During the seven-game stretch, the Tigers are hitting .362 (93x257) with 66 runs scored, 22 doubles, four triples and 14 home runs against the Mariners.
GUILLEN SWINGS A HOT BAT AGAINST SILVA: Carlos Guillen enters tonight’s game with a .516 batting average (16x31) during his career versus Carlos Silva. Guillen is tops among all active major league players with a minimum of 25 plate appearances against Silva with a .516 batting average, while he is tied for the lead with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 102-87 record on the road. Detroit’s 102 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch, trailing the 105 road victories by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.19 ERA (1634.0IP/760ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .275 batting average (1860x6753) on the road.
ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST: The Tigers are batting .288 (119x413) with 86 runs scored, 27 doubles, four triples and 21 home runs in 12 games against American League West opponents in 2008. Detroit is leading the majors with a .525 slugging percentage against the American League West, while the club is second with 7.17 runs per game and third with a .361 on-base percentage.
SCORING POSITION SUCCESS: The Tigers are hitting .380 (30x79) with runners in scoring position over the last nine games after batting .205 (26x127) with runners in scoring position during the first 16 games in May.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .357 (46x129) with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI over his last 33 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with a .357 batting average and 46 hits during that stretch, while he is tied for fourth with 28 RBI and tied for seventh with seven home runs. Ordonez collected his ninth multi-RBI game of the season on Saturday versus Minnesota and the Tigers improved to 9-0 when he drives in multiple runs.
POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is batting .364 (44x121) with 20 runs scored, 12 doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI over his last 30 games dating to April 25. Polanco is tied for the lead in the American League with 12 doubles during the stretch, while he is second with a .364 batting average and 44 hits.
GOING DEEPER: Armando Galarraga tossed 8.1 innings for the Tigers on Wednesday night against the Angels, marking the 23rd time in the club’s last 30 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in 12 of the last 17 games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
SIX FLYING TIGERS NAMED TO ALL-STAR SQUAD: The following six players at Single A Lakeland have been selected to participate in the Florida State League’s All-Star Game:
righthanded pitchers Luis Marte, Matt O’Brien and Rick Porcello, catcher James Skelton, second baseman Scott Sizemore and shortstop Cale Iorg. Marte will not participate in the game due to his earlier promotion to Double A Erie.
BAUTISTA’S REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Denny Bautista began an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo on May 24. In two outings, he has fanned four batters and not allowed a run in 2.1 innings. Bautista has been sidelined since May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis.
INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 21),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
OF Gary Sheffield (left oblique strain, 15-day DL on May 27),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).
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NOTES ON NATE: In his fifth full season with the Tigers, Robertson makes his 11th start of the season this evening against the Seattle Mariners.
LONG-TERM DEAL: Robertson agreed to a three-year contract during the off-season, keeping him in a Tigers uniform through the 2010 season.
MOVING UP THE TIGERS LEFTY LIST: Robertson is making his 145th start as a member of the Detroit Tigers this evening, moving him within 14 starts of tying Ted Gray for seventh place among lefthanded pitchers in franchise history. Robertson is one of only 16 lefthanded pitchers in club history to surpass 100 starts in a Tigers uniform.
QUALITY WORK AGAINST SEATTLE: Robertson has posted a quality start in five of his eight career starts against the Mariners, including three of his four against the club at SAFECO Field.
TAKING THE BALL EVERY FIFTH DAY: Since the start of the 2004 season, Robertson has started 136 games for the Tigers.
During that stretch, he is third among all American League pitchers with the 136 games started. Additionally, Robertson is seventh in the league with 839.1 innings pitched during the stretch.
SOLID SUPPORT: Robertson is tied for fifth in the American League with 6.34 runs per nine innings of support this season.
FIRST TIME SUCCESS: Robertson has limited the opposition to a .250 batting average (21x84) the first time through the lineup in 2008. Starting the second time around, opponents are hitting .340 (55x162) against him.
RECORD AT SAFECO FIELD: Robertson is making his fifth start at SAFECO Field during his career this evening against the
Mariners. In his previous four outings, he is 2-2 with a 2.54 ERA (28.1IP/8ER).
LIMITING THE LEFTIES: During his major league career, Robertson has limited lefties to a .256 batting average (203x792).
During that stretch, he has held lefties to a .304 on-base percentage and .357 slugging percentage.
PROUD PAPA: Robertson and his wife, Kristin, welcomed the couple’s first child on February 28, a baby boy named Wyatt Dale.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Robertson was acquired by the Tigers from the Florida Marlins in a five-player deal on January 11, 2003. He originally signed with the Marlins as a fifth-round selection in the June 1999 draft out of Wichita State University.

RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers scored seven runs in the first inning last night at Seattle, posting a 7-4 victory. Nate Robertson (3-5) earned the win for Detroit, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera both finished with three hits and an RBI for Detroit, while Brandon Inge added a two-run triple. The Tigers continue a nine-game road trip to the West Coast this afternoon with the second game of a three game set against the Mariners. Detroit concludes the trip with a three-game series beginning on Monday at Oakland.
WINNING WAYS AGAINST SEATTLE: The Tigers have won all four games this season against the Mariners, and the club has now won seven of its last eight games versus Seattle dating back to July 15, 2007. During the eight-game stretch, the Tigers are hitting .360 (107x297) with 73 runs scored, 24 doubles, five triples and 14 home runs against the Mariners.
GRANDY GETS IT GOING AGAINST HERNANDEZ: Curtis Granderson enters today’s game with a .667 batting average (8x12) during his career versus Felix Hernandez. Granderson is tops among all active major league players with a minimum of 10 plate appearances against Hernandez with a .667 batting average.
ROAD WARRIORS: Since the start of the 2006 season, Detroit has compiled a 103-87 record on the road. Detroit’s 103 wins on the road are second in the majors during this stretch, trailing the 105 road victories by the New York Mets. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with a 4.19 ERA (1643.0IP/764ER) on the road during the stretch. The club is third in the American League during the stretch with a .276 batting average (1874x6793) on the road.
ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST: The Tigers are batting .294 (133x453) with 93 runs scored, 29 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs in 13 games against American League West opponents in 2008. Detroit is leading the majors with a .519 slugging percentage against the American League West, while the club is second with 7.15 runs per game and third with a .364 on-base percentage.
SCORING POSITION SUCCESS: The Tigers are hitting .385 (35x91) with runners in scoring position over the last 10 games after batting .205 (26x127) with runners in scoring position during the first 16 games in May.
GETTING STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT: The Tigers scored seven runs in the first inning last night at Seattle as the club knocked off the Mariners 7-4. It marked the most runs scored by the Tigers in the first inning since the club scored 10 runs in the first inning on September 23, 2006 at Kansas City.
ORDONEZ ON THE OFFENSIVE: Magglio Ordonez is batting .353 (47x133) with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI over his last 34 games dating back to April 21. He is second in the American League with a .353 batting average during that stretch, while he is tied for second with 47 hits, fifth with 28 RBI and tied for ninth with seven home runs. Ordonez collected his ninth multi-RBI game of the season on May 24 versus Minnesota and the Tigers improved to 9-0 when he drives in multiple runs.
POLANCO’S PRODUCTION: Placido Polanco is batting .360 (45x125) with 21 runs scored, 12 doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI over his last 31 games dating to April 25. Polanco is tied for the lead in the American League with 12 doubles uring the stretch, while he is second with a .360 batting average and tied for second with 45 hits.
GOING DEEPER: Armando Galarraga tossed 8.1 innings for the Tigers on Wednesday night against the Angels, marking the 23rd time in the club’s last 31 games the starting pitcher worked at least six innings. Detroit’s starters worked six-or-more innings nine times in the club’s first 23 games. Additionally, Tigers starting pitchers have recorded a quality start in 12 of the last 18 games after collecting eight in the first 36 games of the season.
BAUTISTA’S REHAB ASSIGNMENT: Denny Bautista began an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo on May 24. In three outings with the Mud Hens, he has fanned six batters and allowed an unearned run in 4.1 innings. Bautista has been sidelined since May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis.
INJURY UPDATE:
RHP Denny Bautista (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 3),
LHP Clay Rapada (biceps tendinitis, 15-day DL on May 21),
RHP Fernando Rodney (right shoulder tendinitis, 15-day DL on March 30),
OF Gary Sheffield (left oblique strain, 15-day DL on May 27),
C Vance Wilson (right elbow surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30),
RHP Joel Zumaya (right shoulder surgery recovery, 15-day DL on March 30).

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JUSTIN’S CASE: In his third full season at the major league level, Verlander will make his 12th start of the season this afternoon against the Seattle Mariners.
TERRIFIC IN HIS LAST THREE: Verlander has compiled a 1-1 record and 1.89 ERA (19.0IP/4ER) over his last three starts. Opponents are hitting .224 (15x67) against him during the three-start stretch.
SUCCESS AGAINST SEATTLE: Verlander has won all five of his career starts against the Mariners, posting a 2.43 ERA (33.1IP/9ER). Since the start of the 2006 season, he is tops among all major league pitchers with a 2.43 ERA against Seattle, while he is tied for second with five wins.
AMONG THE BEST AGAINST THE WEST: Verlander has posted a 9-2 record and 2.83 ERA (70.0IP/22ER) in 11 starts against American League West opponents since the start of the 2007 season. He is tied for second during that stretch with nine wins, while he is eighth with 62 strikeouts.
MR. MAY: Verlander enters his start this afternoon against the Mariners with a 9-5 record and 3.10 ERA (107.1IP/37ER) in 16 career starts during the month of May. Since the 2006 season, Verlander is tied for fourth among all American League pitchers with nine wins during May.
DAYTIME DELIGHT: Verlander is making his 25th career start during the day this afternoon at Seattle. In his previous 24 starts, he has compiled a 14-4 record and 3.32 ERA (151.2IP/56ER).
ROUGH ON THE RIGHTIES: Verlander has limited righthanded batters to a .214 batting average (30x140) through his first 11 starts this season. During his career, righthanded hitters are batting .240 (212x884) with Verlander on the mound.
RECORD AT SAFECO FIELD: Verlander is making his third career start at SAFECO Field this afternoon. In his previous two starts, he is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA (14.0IP/5ER).
RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM HIS TEAMMATES: Since the start of the 2006 season, Verlander is tops among all American League pitchers with 6.52 runs per nine innings of support in his 73 starts.
PICKED OFF: Since the start of the 2006 season, Verlander has picked off 11 baserunners. He is second in the American League during this stretch, trailing Chicago’s Mark Buehrle with 16.
QUALITY OUTINGS: Verlander has posted a quality start in 43 of his 75 starts at the major league level during his career. He has worked six-or-more innings in 53 of his starts during his career.