GDT: 9/19/08 - DET (71-80) AT CLEV (75-77) - 7:05 p.m. ET

ARLINGTON -- The race for third place continues on Friday in Cleveland.

How the Tigers fare this weekend against the Indians could be the difference between finishing in third or fourth place in the American League Central for the home team. The next stretch of games also could impact the overall American League playoff picture. The Tigers square off against the Royals next week, followed by three games against the American League East-leading Rays.

The Tigers have become spoilers.

"It's not something you usually look forward to as a manager," Tigers skipper Jim Leyland said. "Obviously your goal is to be in it. The spoiler role is not a good role to be in, because it just means you are not there."

The Tigers have gone from World Series favorite at the beginning of the season to evaluating for the future at the end of it, but the club still has plenty to play for in 2008.

Magglio Ordonez is in a tight race for the American League batting title, and Gary Sheffield is three home runs away from reaching 500 in his career. Carlos Guillen is working his way back into the lineup, and Nate Robertson will join the rotation soon. The club also is taking a close look at its young talent.

"Our season is the result of a lot of things. Some things were out of our hands, and some not," Ordonez said." We started off the season badly. We had some pitchers get hurt. We were inconsistent offensively. It seems like we were not able to have the right combination of hitting and pitching when we needed it. It didn't work out the way we all wanted it to, but that's baseball, and sometimes it happens that way."

Things can get better starting Friday.


Pitching matchup


DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (12-6, 3.58 ERA)
The Tigers wanted to give Galarraga some extra rest after he looked like he was tiring down the stretch over his last couple outings, but they weren't planning to sit him for this long. Thanks to rainouts at Chicago last Friday and Saturday, Galarraga hasn't pitched since giving up five runs over four innings against Oakland on Sept. 10. He hasn't won in his last four starts, but he'll get a chance to rebound against a Cleveland club he has beaten three times in four meetings this season.

CLE: RHP Fausto Carmona (8-7, 5.16 ERA)
Carmona continued to prompt head scratches as he again ran into trouble in the sixth inning on Saturday against the Royals. With the scored tied at 2, the young right-hander gave up two quick runs, which stood to be enough for him to pick up his seventh loss of the season. In his last three outings, Carmona has yielded 10 runs in the sixth inning. All told, he went 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, allowing seven runs on 11 hits and three walks. Carmona has been dominant against the Tigers this season, picking up three wins in three appearances while allowing just seven runs over 19 innings pitched. Carmona is 6-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 11 career appearances (eight starts) against the Tigers.

Tidbits

The Tigers' 17 runs on Wednesday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington were the second-most by an opponent in the last nine seasons. The only time a team scored more was on Aug. 8, 2001, when the Tigers beat the Rangers, 19-6. ...

All nine of Detroit's starters on Wednesday scored at least one run. ...

Wednesday was the third time this season the Tigers scored at least nine runs in an inning against the Rangers. ...

Freddy Garcia recorded his first win since April 22, 2007, on Wednesday. ...

Miguel Cabrera compiled at least four hits in a game for the fourth time this season on Wednesday. He finished the three-game series 8-for-14 with a home run and five RBIs. ...

Dusty Ryan's four hits on Wednesday set a career high. ...

Ordonez has 45 RBIs in 54 games since the All-Star break. The Tigers are 21-6 in games in which Ordonez drives in multiple runs.

On the Internet

MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSND, ESPN


On radio
• 97.1FM/1270AM

Up next

• Thurs., Sept 18: Off-day

• Fri., Sept 19: Tigers (RHP Armando Galarraga, (12-6, 3.58 ERA)) at Indians (RHP Fausto Carmona, (8-7, 5.16 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Sat., Sept 20: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander, (10-16, 4.78 ERA)) at Indians (LHP Jeremy Sowers, (3-8, 5.70 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET

• Mon., Sept 21: Tigers (Zach Miner, 8-4, 4.16) vs. Royals (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
:curtis: Granderson, CF .290
:placido: Polanco, 2B .308
Ordonez, RF .326
Cabrera, 1B .296
:joyce: Joyce, LF .267
:sheff: Sheffield, DH .221
Inge, 3B .213
Santiago, SS .279
:dusty: Ryan, C .400

Cleveland AVG
Sizemore, CF .272
Dellucci, LF .242
Choo, RF .300
Peralta, SS .276
Martinez, C .275
Hafner, DH .215
Aubrey, 1B .214
Marte, 3B .219
Cabrera, 2B .248

69 degrees at Game Time

Winds SE at 6mph

Partly Cloudy

Umpires: HP: Phil Cuzzi. 1B: Jim Wolf. 2B: Jerry Layne. 3B: Brian Knight.

Go Inge at 3B!
Go Ryan!
Go Tigers!

:curtis:

:placido: grounds out

flies out to rf

Sizemore - grounds out to ss

Dellucci - grounds out to 1st

Choo - home run

Tribe 1-0

Peralta -

end of 1st inning
Tribe 1-0

pops out

:joyce: singles

:sheff: gidp - 3 outs

Martinez - flies out

Hafner - hit by pitch on foot

crap...are we just goin' through the motions again??

Aubrey - grounds into force out at 2nd

Marte - flies out

grounds out

grounds out

:dusty:

after 2.5 innings Tribe 1-0

A. Cabrera -

Sizemore - g out

Dellucci -

:curtis: doubles

:placido:

gout Curtis goes to 3rd

2 rbi homer! 35th homer

2-1

magglio had best get his crapola together if he wants that BT!!!

:joyce: fly out

lead 2-1

We gotta keep that Tiger spirit alive folks!