GDT1: 9/13/08 - DET (70-76) AT CWS (81-64) - 3:55 p.m. ET

CHICAGO -- The Tigers skipped Kenny Rogers for a turn through the rotation to allow him to rest and gear up for the White Sox on Saturday. Now, they'll have to hope that steady rain in the Windy City doesn't push his start back any longer.

After Friday's series opener was rained out, the Tigers and White Sox will try to play a doubleheader on Saturday, starting with an afternoon game on FOX and continuing with a nightcap 30 minutes after the first game finishes. It will be Rogers' first outing in more than a week.

Rogers last pitched on Sept. 4 against the Angels, who hit him around for six runs on eight hits in two innings before he was pulled after just 39 pitches.

It was then that questions began to surface regarding how the 43-year-old Rogers was feeling. However, Rogers said his arm felt very good and any soreness simply was the general aches and pains he usually gets at his age at this point of the season. His problem, he said, was coming down to a lack of adjustments to how hitters were approaching him.

Angels hitters were diving out over the outside corner to get to Rogers in his last outing, and pitching inside didn't get them off there.

"You have to make adjustments," Rogers said last week. "I haven't made enough recently to put good starts together. That's the name of the game."

He even suggested "inventing a pitch or two," but that isn't expected to happen. Instead, he'll likely work with what he has and try to hit his locations while keeping Chicago's dangerous hitters off balance by changing speeds.

Likewise, Zach Miner will be trying to rebound from a rough outing in his previous start. He gave up eight runs on 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings against the A's on Monday, using up 110 pitches in the process.

Miner was slated to have an extra day of rest before pitching Sunday's series finale, but he had to be moved up to pitch on Saturday. Since the Tigers and White Sox were preparing to begin Friday's game on time, both scheduled starters -- Justin Verlander and John Danks -- went through their full pregame warmups, almost like a side session. Thus, managers Jim Leyland and Ozzie Guillen wanted to get them a day of rest before gearing up again, rather than sending them back out through the same process.

The big changeup, however, could come from Mother Nature. Friday's rainout and a weekend forecast that isn't very promising forced a straight doubleheader on Saturday to try to get the series caught up. However, the forecast calls for even more showers and thunderstorms on Saturday as the temperatures cool to more fall-like conditions in the Chicago area.

If there's a way to play all three games this weekend, the teams will find it, because the alternative gets very complicated. The Tigers and White Sox have one more off-day each over the season's final two weeks, and they aren't on the same day. That theoretically could force a game to be made up on Sept. 29, the day after the close of the regular season, if the game has any postseason implications. Obviously, neither the Tigers nor White Sox want that to happen.



Pitching matchup

Game 1
DET: LHP Kenny Rogers (9-13, 5.49 ERA)
Rogers' start was pushed back four days because of hip soreness. The left-hander has struggled since the All-Star break, going 3-7 with a 7.45 ERA in 10 starts. Rogers didn't allow an earned run in eight innings of a 2-1 Tigers victory on June 12 against the White Sox.


CWS: RHP Javier Vazquez (11-13, 4.29 ERA)
Although he pitched well enough to win Tuesday's first game of a doubleheader, Vazquez came up on the short end of the Blue Jays' ninth straight win. The right-hander allowed two runs, with both scoring after two outs were recorded in the sixth, on five hits while striking out five and walking three. He dropped to 4-4 with a 3.l9 ERA in his last eight starts, after posting a 6.55 ERA in his previous nine starts. Vazquez will return on short rest Saturday afternoon after throwing 98 pitches on Tuesday. Vazquez has a 1-3 record with a 5.33 ERA against Detroit this season. He holds a 5-7 career mark and a 4.93 ERA when facing the Tigers.

Tidbits

Outfielder Clete Thomas underwent successful Tommy John surgery Thursday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. There's no official timetable for his return, but Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said it will be a lengthy rehab process. ... The weather conditions for this weekend do not look promising for the return of Carlos Guillen, who has been out since Aug. 25 with lower back stiffness. Guillen played catch Friday, but he was unable to take ground balls with the tarp on the field for much of pregame. He has done light swinging but has not taken batting practice.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FOX/None

On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Sun., Sept 14: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 10-15, 4.78 ERA)) at White Sox (RHP Javier Vazquez, 11-13, 4.29 ERA)), 8:05 p.m. ET

• Mon., Sept 15: Tigers (LHP Dontrelle Willis, 0-1, 10.32 ERA)) at Rangers (RHP Vicente Padilla (13-7, 4.79 ERA)), 8:05 p.m. ET

• Tues., Sept 16: Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 12-6, 3.58) at Rangers (Kevin Millwood, 9-9, 5.15), 8:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

I think it is ridiculous they are playing a DH on Saturday

Chicago is supposed to get 1-2 inches of rain on Saturday

Plus it will be a regular DH

People that had tickets to last night's game are screwed

I guess playing a Day-Night DH on Sunday was out of the question


Of course the Tigers would have played that Day- Night bullshit

i love regular Doubleheaders

And I got full season tickets

so of course it doesn't happen

74 degrees at Game Time; Rain showers; possibly T storm,

80 percent chance of rain;

SW Winds 5-15 mph

I think the DH is on Sunday, gs....

laprimamirala wrote:

I think the DH is on Sunday, gs....

They "may" get the night game in, but looking at radar, I would be shocked to see the 3:55 game.

maybe the next Thursday they have off?

laprimamirala wrote:

I think the DH is on Sunday, gs....

Not according to White Sox.com


People that had tickets for Friday were pissed that they were no good for Saturday's DH

Raining in Chicago

74 Degrees

Winds 10mph from the West

not sure. ESPN and Tigers.com disagree as well.

Both games postponed

*sigh*

:puke2:

I just went out in the damn rain and bought all this junk food thinking I was gonna sit on my watching for 8 hours!!!! Guess I'll have to watch something else and chow down!!!

Both games postponed

At this rate, tomorrow is also in question!

Yep, they have had more than 5 inches of rain by early Sat morning with much more to come. Don't think there will be games there Sun. either.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Yep, they have had more than 5 inches of rain by early Sat morning with much more to come. Don't think there will be games there Sun. either.

1 to 2 inches of more rain through Sunday Morning in Chicago


Trashy Park has recieved just 0.57 inches of rain so far


Just very light rain and drizzle here since 3pm