GDT: 9/8/08 - DET (69-74) vs OAK (65-77) - 7:05 p.m. ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota and Chicago need not worry that their competition in the race for the American League Central pennant will get a free ride from Detroit.

Manager Jim Leyland sent this message prior to Sunday's game against the Twins: The Tigers might not be in the pennant race, but they have an obligation to compete hard against those who are.

"[We are not] going to start experimenting at the expense of the White Sox or the Twins," Leyland said. "Those teams have earned the right; they are in a dogfight. We are going to play the Twins hard [Sunday], we are going to play the White Sox [next weekend], and we are going in there with the best equipment we can."

Detroit took two of three from Minnesota, winning consecutively on Saturday and Sunday. The Tigers will not play the Twins again in 2008.

"You feel a responsibility to give the fans your best team, as well as your own team the best chance to win games," Leyland said. "This just happens to be another piece of the puzzle that we are involved with, where we are playing two teams that are separated by 2 1/2 games."

The Tigers now return to Detroit for a three-game series with Oakland starting on Monday. After an off-day on Thursday, the club will head to Chicago for a three-game set next weekend against the White Sox.

Leyland doesn't want to hear from anyone that he didn't play his best players while possibly inadvertently affecting a pennant chase between two rival teams.

"I'm going to play the [lineup] that gives us the best chance to win the game, both against the Twins and the White Sox," Leyland said. "I don't want to hear any weak comments from Minnesota or Chicago that we weren't playing our guys. Not that they would, but I'm just saying. So I think the stakes are real big for us, obviously the stakes are real big for them."


Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Zach Miner (8-4, 3.72 ERA)
Miner ended up with a no-decision in his previous outing -- on Wednesday against the Angels -- giving up five runs on eight hits over six innings. It was just his third non-quality outing out of nine starts since joining the Tigers' rotation a month and a half ago. Miner is trying to make his case for a full-time starting spot. Whether he does depends a lot on what happens with other Tigers starters in the offseason, but his performance down the stretch is the part of that equation he can control. Miner's only outing against the A's this season was a June relief appearance at Oakland, where he suffered a blown save while allowing a hit and two walks over 1 2/3 innings.

OAK: LHP Gio Gonzalez (1-3, 7.18 ERA)
Gonzalez, a rookie with a live fastball and good breaking stuff, has struggled with his command since being called up from Triple-A in August and hasn't won since Aug. 12. In his past two outings, including a loss to the Royals on Tuesday, Gonzalez has walked eight and allowed seven earned runs over seven innings of work. He only gave up two hits over four innings in Kansas City, but both of the hits were long home runs on balls that missed their intended spots by at least two feet. Gonzalez, 22, has never faced the Tigers.

Tidbits

Dontrelle Willis and Freddy Garcia will both throw simulated games on Monday in Detroit. Both are expected to throw more pitches than in their most recent sessions. Willis previously threw a little more than 70 pitches and Garcia threw 54, according to Leyland. Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez said Garcia would throw about 70 pitches on Monday. ...

Leyland said rookie catcher Dusty Ryan could play again in a day game on Wednesday against Oakland.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN-HD

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Tue., Sept 9: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson (7-10, 6.30 ERA)) vs. Athletics (LHP Dana Eveland (8-8, 4.28 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Wed., Sept 10: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga (12-5, 3.39 ERA)) vs. Athletics (RHP Sean Gallagher (4-6, 5.23 ERA)), 1:05 p.m. ET

• Thurs., Sept 11: Off-day

STARTING LINEUPS:

Oakland AVG
Davis, CF .253
Barton, 1B .221
Sweeney, R, RF .284
Cust, DH .230
Suzuki, C .286
Hannahan, 3B .219
Cunningham, LF .353
Patterson, 2B .198
Pennington, SS .171


Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .309
:placido: Polanco, 2B .307
Ordonez, RF .319
Cabrera, 1B .291
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .223
:thames: Thames, LF .239
:edgar: Renteria, SS .268
:hessman: Hessman, 3B .214
Inge, C .213

WE DA SPOILERS!!

THAT IS WHEN A TEAM CAN BE DANGEROUS! Tigers have no pressure to win a division, BUT THEY DO HAVE PRESSURE TO KEEP THEIR JOBS!

Starting lineups posted

Davis - Singles
Barton - rbi triple

A's 1-0

Sweeney pops out

and here comes the rain

Cust - walk

Suzuki - rbi single

A's 2-0

Hannahan - pops out

Cunningham - walk - bases loaded

35 pitches for Miner

Patterson - flies out

Miner threw 40 pitches that inning

:curtis: grounds out

:placido: singles

2 rbi homer!

Game tied 2-2

flies out in deeeeep center

Sheff homers!

:sheff: homers

3-2

WE DA SPOILERS!!!

:thames: walks

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THAMES IS IN THE GAME INSTEAD OF MATT!

Hi TG and Lap

:edgar:

end of 1 inning

3-2

TG wrote:

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THAMES IS IN THE GAME INSTEAD OF MATT!

2 outs for Miner

Barton - ground out

better inning for Zach

3-2

INGE TRIPLES!!! Run scores!

2 outs.
Come on Maggs...

Maggs walks. Cabrera hit in the chest with the ball. bases loaded.