2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Ninth-inning comeback short-lived
Rally against Feliz ties it before walks cause Tigers' loss

By Todd Wills / Special to MLB.com

04/24/10 1:40 AM ET

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ARLINGTON -- The travel-weary Tigers staged a two-out ninth-inning rally against one of the hardest throwers in the American League Friday night, tying the game and snubbing their noses at 6:45 a.m. CT hotel check-in times.

Then Fu-Te Ni and Ryan Perry walked the bases loaded, and Perry allowed a game-winning single to Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus on an 0-2 count as the Tigers lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at Rangers Ballpark.

The Tigers' walkfest in the bottom of the ninth ruined a second ninth-inning rally in three games. Detroit came back with two runs in the ninth to beat the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

The Tigers scored two runs with two out against flamethrowing Texas closer Neftali Feliz to tie the game at 4. Rookie center fielder Austin Jackson beat out a grounder in the hole at shortstop for an infield single. Johnny Damon fell behind, 0-2, in the count before blooping a double into right field.

That brought up Magglio Ordonez, who came into the series batting .382 lifetime at Rangers Ballpark. Against one of the nastiest pitchers he's probably faced in Texas, Ordonez took the correct approach against the right-handed Feliz's 100-mph fastball, going the other way and lining a single into right field to score Jackson and Damon.

"That's why he's batting third in the lineup," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "That's why he's been around that long. He's a tremendous hitter."

The game was tied for about 10 minutes. Ni, who got two big outs in the eighth inning, walked Rangers rookie Justin Smoak, making his Major League debut, to start the bottom of the ninth. Texas catcher Matt Treanor then laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving pinch-runner Joaquin Arias to second base. Ni followed that by intentionally walking pinch-hitter Ryan Garko.

The Rangers went to their bench again, calling upon their best hitter early in the season, Nelson Cruz. Tigers manager Jim Leyland countered with Perry, who walked Cruz on five pitches to load the bases.

Perry then got ahead in the count on Andrus with two strikes. But Perry left a pitch up and Andrus lined it into center field to end the game.

"We battled and got it down to the last out," Tigers starter Max Scherzer said.

The Tigers have settled into a stretch where they'll likely play three rookies every day, though Leyland said before the game that his lineup will be versatile, meaning it will change some.

Rookies have their ups and downs during a season and even a game -- as Leyland happened to point out before Friday's game -- and that happened Friday.

Designated hitter Brennan Boesch, making his Major League debut, had two hits, including a ringing double in his first at-bat. He said he didn't get it all, but at first it felt like it might leave the park.

"I was hoping it would get out," Boesch said. "It definitely felt good to get that first hit out of the way."

Boesch also was doubled off first base to end a Detroit second inning that cut a three-run Texas lead to 3-2, an uprising that also knocked Rangers starter Rich Harden out of the game. The Tigers had the bases loaded when Brandon Inge lined out to second and Boesch was thrown out at first.

"I just got off the base a little too far," Boesch said. "It's something to learn from."

Combined, rookies Boesch, Jackson and Scott Sizemore were 3-for-12 with six strikeouts. Jackson had one of his strikeouts in the two-run fifth, making the only out as five of the first six Tigers reached base before Inge's double-play lineout ended the inning.

Sizemore left two men on with a strikeout to end the second and another in the fourth to end that inning.

Scherzer allowed a two-run home run to Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning as Detroit fell behind, 2-0. He did go seven innings, allowing two earned runs. He struck out seven and walked only two.

"I needed to put a good quality start in," Scherzer said. "I knew I couldn't be walking people."

The Tigers fell behind, 3-0, in the fourth when Avila corralled the baseball with his mask and was called for an error, forcing Guerrero home from third base.

It was the strange play of the night -- fielders by rule can't use any of their equipment to stop the ball. It is a two-base error.

Avila didn't think home-plate umpire Mike Everitt saw what happened. But first-base umpire Andy Fletcher came in and ruled that Avila's mask had in fact stopped the ball.

"That's tough," Avila said. "It's a little embarrassing."

Losses like the one the Tigers suffered Friday night are tough, too.

Todd Wills is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Bonine excellent in relief as Tigers win
Right-hander pitches three scoreless innings

By Todd Wills / Special to MLB.com

04/25/10 12:39 AM ET

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ARLINGTON -- Johnny Damon, who knows a thing or two about playing on the best team at the end of the season, stood at his locker after Saturday's 8-4 victory over Texas and determined this was a victory of some significance.

The Tigers got a yeoman's effort from the bullpen, which turned in six shutout innings. Detroit got enough key hits to rally from a 4-0 deficit, and big defensive plays from rookie center fielder Austin Jackson and utility infielder Ryan Raburn.

"This was big win for us," said Damon, who has won World Series rings with the Yankees and Red Sox. And it's supposed to be one of 162.

Sometimes it's not, and Saturday's victory for the Tigers was a meaningful one. They started the night in a bind with Dontrelle Willis forced to miss his start because of an upset stomach. That meant an overused bullpen had to get all nine innings.

Enter middle reliever Eddie Bonine, who has quietly become a crucial part of the relief corps. So key that manager Jim Leyland considered starting Bonine on Saturday night, and thought better of it because the skipper didn't want to mess with the order in his bullpen. So Brad Thomas got the start and made it through the first third of the game trailing, 4-3.

Bonine delivered a shutdown inning after the Tigers scored five two-run outs in the top of the fourth for an 8-4 lead. He allowed a leadoff single to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, then got one of the league's best hitters, Michael Young, to hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

Bonine ended the fifth inning with another double play with runners at first and second, and got three groundball outs in the sixth.

Bonine, who has been using a knuckleball as an out pitch, used it more often Saturday knowing his outing would be extended. He said he used his knuckleball 80 to 90 percent of the time he went with an offspeed pitch, sometimes early in counts. He did get both of the double play balls on fastballs.

"The guys played great defense behind me," Bonine said. "We knew this was a bullpen day. Brad got us three innings and got us out of the gate. [Joel] Zumaya had great stuff."

Zumaya, still building himself up after being hurt most of last season, had five strikeouts in two innings. He is moving closer to becoming the dominant setup man he's been in the past. Closer Jose Valverde breezed through the ninth inning, though he did give up an infield hit to Young.

"We're all going pretty well in the bullpen," Bonine said. "As a group, we all feel pretty good."

The Tigers fell behind, 4-0, before grinding their way back. Thomas gave up four runs and eight hits in three innings. He did get a crucial out in the second, forcing Nelson Cruz to groundout back to the mound with the bases loaded and the score already 4-0.

"Sometimes the big out in a game comes in the second, or third, or fourth inning," Leyland said. "Brad took it for us tonight. It's not an easy thing to do. It's good for him to get to pitch."

The Tigers cut the lead to 4-3 in the third as Adam Everett started the rally with a single and Jackson reached on a bunt. Damon, one of the hottest hitters in the American League, pounded a two-run double and Magglio Ordonez grounded out to score another run.

The Tigers produced five runs with two outs in the top of the fourth.

Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and rookie Brennan Boesch had consecutive RBI doubles in the inning.

Defense also played a key role. Jackson made a splendid running catch on a deep drive hit by Young to start the bottom of the seventh. Raburn had all three assists in the ninth inning, including a play in which he went deep behind second base to throw out Andrus.

Damon called Saturday's victory one of those team wins, then gave the credit where it belonged, to the bullpen.

"They've been getting us our wins," he said.

Todd Wills is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Porcello can't overcome rocky start
Right-hander yields six runs on 10 hits in four innings

By Todd Wills / Special to MLB.com

04/25/10 8:16 PM ET

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ARLINGTON -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland bemoaned the lack of production from his starting pitching once again before Sunday's game against Texas.

He emphasized the importance of Rick Porcello going deep into his start.

Then Porcello went out and gave up six runs on 10 hits, all in the first two innings, and was gone after the fourth inning, leaving Leyland to lean on his bullpen yet again for four more innings in an 8-4 loss to Texas.

It was yet another aggravating early-season moment for Leyland, who said of Porcello's outing, "Not good, next question." Then Leyland elaborated when it was pointed out that Porcello didn't give up a run in the third and fourth innings, even though he allowed four baserunners.

"He really wasn't good all day," Leyland said. "We need to stack the pictures and see if his arm angle is off. He's throwing more four-seamers, I don't know what happened. We'll have to wait and see.

"He hasn't been able to keep the ball down with any movement. He's got no movement and he's right over the middle of the plate."

Porcello has now had consecutive poor starts -- he also allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday in Anaheim -- but doesn't think his struggles are because of his arm slot. He came in after his start and watched video. Porcello did agree with his manager that he's leaving too many pitches in the hitting zone.

"It's there," Porcello said of his stuff, especially his best pitch, his sinker. "I'm just leaving balls high. I'm throwing way too many belt-high fastballs. I have to do a better job of getting the ball down."

His offense staked him to a 3-0 lead in the first, but that didn't help Porcello settle into the game. He went to a full count to the third batter he faced, David Murphy, with a runner at first and tried to get a fastball by him. But the pitch drifted back inside and Murphy got it up into the jet stream to right-center field for a home run.

Porcello gave up three consecutive singles to the last three hitters in the Rangers' lineup to start the bottom of the second. That brought a visit to the mound from Leyland, who told Porcello to minimize the damage and not think about the runners at first and second. Just get a ground ball, he said.

Porcello went away from his sinker to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who is young and prone to swing at pitches out of the strike zone. So Porcello threw two sliders, both of which were way high and out of the strike zone. He ended up walking Andrus to force in a run, the key moment in the ballgame.

That's because Michael Young, one of the American League's top hitters, drilled a line drive double over center fielder Austin Jackson's head, clearing the bases for a 6-4 Texas lead.

"Michael Young is a great hitter," Leyland said. "He's going to get his hits. You're flirting with disaster when you walk that guy and start going to the big boys like Young and [Vladimir] Guerrero and [Nelson] Cruz. You're asking for a disaster."

Porcello, who is still only 21-years old, said there is no connection between his start in Anaheim and the one in Texas. He said poor pitch selection doomed him in the 6-5 loss to the Angels. This time around, it was location.

"I'm not executing where I need to be to get people out," Porcello said. "I was leaving the ball up when I struggled last year. I just need to lower my sights and get the ball down."

The bigger problem, aside from Porcello struggling in back-to-back outings, is the bullpen is now up to 66 innings in 19 games. That's 3 1/2 innings per game, which means the starters on average aren't getting out of the sixth inning. Leyland said that can't happen over a 162-game season.

The Tigers were able to use starter Dontrelle Willis in relief after he missed Saturday's game with an upset stomach, saving an already depleted relief corps with Brad Thomas, Eddie Bonine and Joel Zumaya all unavailable after pitching multiple innings in Saturday's 8-4 win.

Willis lasted one inning, which is what Leyland targeted him for, allowing a two-run single to Young after walking the bases loaded.

Willis will be ready to go for his start Thursday against Minnesota.

The Tigers started the game with a bang. Jackson hit his first Major League home run to lead off the game. Johnny Damon had an RBI double and Don Kelly picked up a two-out, run-scoring single for a 3-0 first-inning lead.

Ramon Santiago had an RBI single in the second to make it a 4-2 game, giving Porcello his second multiple-run lead to work with, but it didn't help.

Porcello was gone after four, and the bullpen was back at work.

"Our bullpen has been doing an incredible job," said Porcello of a group that has a 2.45 ERA. "I've got to do a better job of getting deeper into the game and giving those guys a break."

Todd Wills is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

In all seriousness: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

We go from having JV win 19 games and Ricky P winning 14 (I think) and now they can't get their mechanics in check? We need to turn it around quickly!

Our hitting has been really good, but our pitching can't even keep us in a game.

Ninth-inning homers pack punch for Tigers
Cabrera, Inge belt back-to-back long balls at Texas

By Todd Wills / Special to MLB.com

04/27/10 12:46 AM ET

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ARLINGTON -- Miguel Cabrera doesn't want to hear any talk about Cooperstown, even with his manager putting a guarantee on it.

"It's too early," Cabrera said when hearing of Jim Leyland's proclamation that Cabrera is Hall of Fame-bound after Monday's 8-6 victory at Texas that saw the first baseman hit the game-winning home run with a moon ball to right-center field in the top of the ninth.

It's that attitude that seems to push Cabrera to a new level every season. For him, it's a neverending quest to show the baseball world what he can do every day.

"I try to push myself," he said. "Push harder."

Cabrera was in his element Monday night. The Tigers had blown a 6-1 lead they took into the bottom of the fifth. Tied at 6 with one out in the top of the ninth, Cabrera stepped in against Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, the young gun with the 101-mph fastball.

Where others would have tried to do too much, Cabrera made the moment look easy. He got ahead in the count taking two balls. He swung and missed a fastball. He stayed inside on the next fastball, and lifted it over the right-field fence for his fifth home run and his American League-leading 24th RBI.

"Big time players come through in big-time moments," Leyland said.

Cabrera barely looked like he swung at Feliz's 95-mph fastball that was off his usual radar gun reading, but still barreling in on the Tigers' slugger.

"You don't have to swing hard," Cabrera said. "Just make contact."

Cabrera's homer was followed by the second of the night from Brandon Inge, who hadn't gone deep in 19 games this season (he had seven homers last April).

Inge made it 8-6 with a home run to left field. It was almost the exact spot he belted a two-run home run for a 6-1 lead in the top of the fifth.

Inge admitted he had been trying to do too much lately. He was 5-for-37 on the road trip entering his fifth-inning at-bat. He said he tried to relax.

"I didn't take anything differently," Inge said. "I just had to stay with it and not get too frustrated."

The night began with the Tigers getting four runs in the top of the first -- the first four Detroit batters reached and Ryan Raburn had a three-run double.

That set up Jeremy Bonderman to work with a big lead. And Bonderman dealt, retiring the first 11 batters he faced on 35 pitches. Pitch 36 didn't go as well, as Josh Hamilton swatted an opposite-field home run to make it 4-1.

Inge provided a five-run lead with his first home run, but Bonderman wasn't able to feed off of it. He allowed a run in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch, and got a pitch up to David Murphy for a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Bonderman was out of the game after walking the next batter.

"He got some quick outs," Leyland said. "That's why I was kind of surprised. I thought he hit a wall. He disagreed."

Joel Zumaya came out of the bullpen off a five-strikeout effort Saturday to strike out Ryan Garko with two on to end the sixth

Zumaya wasn't as sharp in the seventh. He gave up three singles, forcing Leyland to go to the bullpen for left-hander Phil Coke to face left-handed-hitting Josh Hamilton.

"I pitched fine," Zumaya said. "I gave up a couple of hits. I'm not going to have a 0.00 ERA the whole season."

Zumaya proved correct. Coke struck out Hamilton on three pitches for the second out of the inning, but wasn't so fortunate against slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who lined a two-run single up the middle to end Zumaya's scoreless innings streak at 12 and to tie the game at 6.

The Tigers responded in the ninth and finished the trip with a 5-6 record against three solid AL West teams in Seattle, the Los Angeles Angels and the Rangers. It's the longest road trip of the season for Detroit.

"It was OK," Leyland said. "It was a good trip."

Now comes Minnesota to Comerica Park, and the Tigers still don't have their starting pitching in line. Ace Justin Verlander goes Tuesday night against the Twins, and it is up to him to get the rotation turned around.

Leyland said as much after Monday's game.

"Up to this point, the reality of the situation is, if we can just get Verlander and [Rick] Porcello going, that gets us where we need to be," Leyland said. "I'm not upset about it. These guys have a couple of good starts and that takes the pressure off of the 'pen."

Todd Wills is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Story of our season: Hitters bail Tigers out late in game.

Tigers cut down by Twins' ace
Detroit's Verlander shows his command is back despite loss

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/28/10 12:32 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Another showdown, another dramatic duel between the Tigers and Twins. This time, however, wasn't win-or-go-home.

If the Tigers learned anything from their one-game playoff loss in Minnesota last October, it's that every win is golden, whether it's in April or September. In that context, they couldn't feel good about a 2-0 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, even as they ventured home to catch up on sleep from their early-morning flight back from Texas. They had a chance to pull out a win, but couldn't solve Francisco Liriano's slider.

"Wow," Miguel Cabrera said. "He looked good."

At the same time, the Tigers know they can't go very far this season unless Justin Verlander pitches well, certainly better than his first four outings. And in that sense, though this decision goes down as a loss for Verlander, he and his manager couldn't help but feel this was the start that turns him around.

He said after his five-inning, 125-pitch grind last time out that he didn't deserve the win that went on his record. He wouldn't say that about Tuesday's loss, even though both runs were unearned, but he had to feel better about himself.

It wasn't as long of an outing as he would've liked, still throwing 120-plus pitches and not getting through the sixth, but it was better. It was enough to keep him trading zero for zero with Liriano heading towards the late innings.

"I think it's definitely a big step," Verlander said. "I felt 10 times better today, just overall, than I had at any point this season. I feel like I kind of found what I was missing. Just take that, log it away and go to the next one."

All he was missing from a scoreless outing, really, was a catch. It would've been a tough catch from left fielder Ryan Raburn, who had to run a long way to get under it, but his reaction as J.J. Hardy's fly ball fell into his glove and popped out suggested that he thought he had it.

It was the first two costly two-out Tigers errors that led to runs, along with rookie second baseman's Scott Sizemore throw wide of first base on a ground ball deep behind the bag in the seventh. But as Verlander and manager Jim Leyland both said, it's part of the game. Raburn's error came after a two-out walk to Jim Thome extended the inning, just as a Fu-Te Ni walk extended the seventh inning for Thome's ground ball and Sizemore's error.

The way Liriano was pitching, they still would've had to put up a run at some point to win it. But Verlander at least gave them a shot.

Raburn's error came on Verlander's 121st and final pitch. According to research on baseball-reference.com, just four other pitchers in the last 20 years threw 120 pitches in back-to-back outings without getting through the sixth inning either time. Scott Erickson, Wilson Alvarez, Dwight Gooden and Mark Langston all did their feats after Memorial Day. Verlander did it in April.

Given the Tigers' situation, they didn't have a whole lot of alternatives. With the Tigers bullpen taxed and Verlander needing to find command, Leyland decided before the game even started that Verlander was going to throw his share. How deep into the game it took him was up to him.

"I had my mind made up before the game that he was going to throw 120 pitches, whether it was [into] the fourth inning or the eighth inning," Leyland said. "And he threw 121."

Verlander knew the bullpen situation and the lack of an off-day anytime soon. He also knew what he needed to do to get his command back.

Verlander and Tigers coaches noticed watching video of that last start that he was opening up too much in his delivery, throwing off his command and his sharpness. He said it was a quirk in his body positioning at the top of his leg kick that caused it. He didn't avoid it every pitch Tuesday, he said, but he cured a lot of it.

The result wasn't an efficient outing, but it as an outing that showed him with an out-pitch again, whether it was his fastball on most counts or his secondary pitches on others. He walked his old nemesis Thome three times, but that was it for his walks. Though the Twins worked him for more than a half-dozen three-ball counts, they didn't get much to show for it. Their two star, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, went 0-for-8 combined with four strikeouts, the first time they both went hitless against Detroit since May 5 of last year.

"Goodness gracious, he had a lot of pitches thrown, but man alive, was he game-on," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "A tough guy and he made it tough on us."

Seventy-one of Verlander's 121 pitches went for strikes, including his last. He said he could think of at least four pitches off the top of his head that, had they gone different, would've saved him 20-25 pitches.

That it fell, allowing Thome to score from first, wasn't something he was going to harp on, not after the win he picked up last time out.

"It's part of the game," Verlander said. "Those guys have played their tails off for me all year, in the field and at the plate, and really kept me in some games that I had no right being in. Is it tough? Yeah, and I'm sure those guys are the first to tell you that. But this is a team game, and that's part of it. You just have to go out there, slap them on the butt, and say, 'Let's get them next time.'"

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

Tigers roar to victory with 10 unanswered
Six-run sixth leads Detroit to ninth comeback win of season

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/29/10 12:55 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Just when it seems the Tigers are fresh out of comebacks, they find a new one. This one wasn't a late-inning rally, but it was still big.

The game arguably turned in Detroit's favor Wednesday on a fly ball that sent Minnesota center fielder Denard Span scrambling to try to make the catch, then sent the Twins scrambling to argue that he made it. But it was the Tigers' comeback that ended up frantic.

"There's no quit with this team," said Johnny Damon, whose fly ball and Span's ensuing error put the go-ahead run on base in what ended up an 11-6 win over the Twins. "We get down a couple runs, but this team understands that if you get one run here and another run there, American League teams put up potent lineups that can score runs in bunches. And we were able to do that tonight."

They've overcome a bigger deficit -- it's actually their third comeback from five or more runs down in 2010 -- but the Tigers hadn't come back quite so resoundingly. What was a 6-1 deficit entering the bottom of the fourth wasn't even a save situation for Jose Valverde by the time he entered in the ninth thanks to 10 unanswered runs.

Whether Span dropped Damon's drive to deep left-center or made the catch, it's undeniable that the Tigers are taking advantage of opportunities. Rallies that might've been extinguished after a few batters over the past couple of years, if they happened at all, are carrying over into big innings and lead changes.

Hitters aren't giving away at-bats, no matter what the deficit. And what were quick outs and all-too-quick innings off bullpens in the past are now opportunities that chase starters and torment bullpens.

"That's the difference this year to last year or the year before," said Miguel Cabrera. "We battle because we fight every at-bat. That's what [hitting coach Lloyd] McClendon and the coaches say every inning: Don't give away at-bats."

Cabrera has five home runs that have changed leads this season. On Wednesday, he drove in the tying run by taking a Pat Neshek pitch off his left elbow.

The Span play in question was two batters earlier. It ensured that the go-ahead run was on base, but it didn't drive in any runs. Cabrera's hit-by-pitch came after Neshek replaced Ron Mahay and loaded the bases. Three doubles and five more runs followed out of Jesse Crain's first four pitches -- Brennan Boesch and Brandon Inge on consecutive pitches, then Ryan Raburn off the left-field fence two pitches later.

"The first two pitches, they were all over the fastball," Crain said. "Just something to take in and remember the next time you go in there."

Boesch is having a first stint in the big leagues that will be hard to forget. Less than a week into his Major League career, he has already been part of two comeback victories.

"I think when a team feels like it's not out of a game, it's a contagious feeling for everyone," Boesch said. "We keep battling and we keep fighting, and we might come out on top. It keeps happening that way."

That feeling extends over to the bullpen, which has been called upon time and again early to keep deficits from getting out of hand. Once five fourth-inning hits knocked out Max Scherzer, the task fell to Brad Thomas against his original organization, the team for which he made his debut back in 2001.

Thomas retired 10 out of the 12 hitters he faced. Once he had the lead, he kept a leadoff double in the sixth from becoming a Twins rally. It was by far his best performance so far this season, and, to manager Jim Leyland, the key to the game. Considering the innings he saved from the rest of the bullpen, it might well be the key to their chances Thursday, too.

"If he doesn't shut it down there and we have to go to someone else early, we're in trouble," Leyland said.

In the same line of thought, Leyland said, getting Twins starter Scott Baker out of the game in the fifth inning was crucial. Boesch's first double of the night, leading off that inning, did the honors. Alex Burnett retired the Tigers from there in the fifth, but left after Austin Jackson legged out an infield single with one out in the sixth.

Mahay entered to face Damon, who hit his fly ball. Everything else followed.

"I think it just put us in a good opportunity, put us in a good spot, where a couple big hits here and there were going to open the game up a little bit," Boesch said of the Span error. "And that's what happened. When you have a talented group that's fighting and grinding, you're never out of anything."

As Leyland says each time, they can't afford to keep doing this -- at least the part about falling behind. But with their starting pitchers struggling to record innings, let alone quality starts, they can't afford not to keep fighting back.

Thomas' first Major League win was the Tigers' ninth comeback win of the season. They have twice as many wins when the opponent scores first than when they do. They're 7-8 when they're trailing in the fifth inning.

"That's a heckuva win," Leyland said. "You're playing a heckuva team, and you're down, 6-1, and you still have a little jet lag. To come back, it's pretty good. But like I've said, we have to quit doing that."

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

D-Train sends feel-good vibes with first win
Willis outduels Pavano to lead Tigers to shutout victory

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/29/10 6:01 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Dontrelle Willis tries to block out the crowd noise when he's trying to pitch. He couldn't ignore the reception he got on his way off the mound on Thursday if he tried.

Willis couldn't get a hug from fans like he did from his manager, Jim Leyland, after Thursday's 3-0 win over the Twins, but even as he stewed over his leadoff walk to Jason Kubel in the seventh, he could feel the fans' support on his way to the dugout. The lefty was looking down, but he tipped his cap as the crowd stood to applaud him.

It wasn't just the fans positioned behind the Tigers' dugout. It was all around the ballpark.

"Oh boy," Leyland said afterwards, recalling the moment.

Not long ago, it might've been tough to imagine Willis getting that kind of appreciation from 25 people in Detroit, let alone a crowd of more than 25,000. He had a warm reception in Spring Training, but this is different.

In a city that appreciates a good comeback story, Willis has the chance to be a big one. His manager and teammates hope that his first win of the season is just the start of a good run.

"I think it all comes full circle," Willis said later. "I think if I wasn't the person I am and someone who really truly works hard and really appreciates everything -- and I think people from the outside see that -- I think you wouldn't get that. I firmly believe it. I was upset because I walked a guy, but I'm really thankful."

His coaches and teammates have seen it from the moment he came to Spring Training in early January. The comeback isn't anywhere near complete, the Tigers caution, but Thursday was a big step.

"Everybody's pulling for him," Leyland said. "I don't think there's any question. And he's an interesting guy when he's doing good. I think everybody was suffering with him some. But we just have to build on it."

Willis' building block ended up being a huge step for the Tigers. On a day when they desperately needed innings from their starter to help rest an overworked bullpen and a stingy start to help counter the all-too-familiar mastery from old nemesis Carl Pavano, the Tigers got more than they could've asked from Willis to start, and they were able to use their late-inning relief corps as they wanted rather than as needed.

Willis' first victory since May 19 of last year sent the Twins to their first series loss since early last September. And what could've easily ended up as a Minnesota series sweep and a continuation of its division dominance resulted in a big boost for Detroit.

That gave Willis just as much of a smile as the reception.

"I'm finally in a role where I think my teammates believe in me and they need me," Willis said. "When teammates believe in you and say they need you, it's really gratifying. It makes you work a little bit harder. You want to take a little bit longer in that bullpen [session]. It makes you want to lift weights a little longer. You want to run a little longer, because you know you're needed. In a situation right now where our best guys are struggling, it's vital for us in the back of the rotation to pitch quality [starts]."

Though Willis (1-1) has had some solid outings in his return from essentially two lost seasons as a Tiger, he hadn't gotten a victory to go with it, thanks partly to two low-scoring duels in which he picked up a no-decision and a defeat. More important than wins, Leyland said before the game, was Willis pitching effectively enough to give Detroit a chance.

It wasn't simply a matter of Willis pounding the strike zone against hitters who were going to wait him out. The Twins took that approach for the first few hitters, but then began swinging at his first pitches if they felt they could hit it.

He threw not only strikes, but some quality strikes. He threw fastballs with enough movement that Twins hitters struggled to hit them with the barrel of the bat. They didn't have Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau in the lineup, the first time for that since May 5, 2006, but they had enough offensive catalysts to make Willis pay for mistakes.

Building on his last start against the Angels a week and a half ago, Willis continued to change speeds effectively once he got ahead in the count. He led off the game by inducing a swing and a miss from Denard Span on a 1-2 slider, then in the third, Willis came back with a changeup to send Span down swinging to start an inning-ending double play, with Luke Hughes, who was trying to steal second, caught in a rundown at first.

His other four strikeouts were called third strikes, spotting fastballs on the outside corner.

Willis had a scoreless outing on his Detroit resume already; his other Tigers win featured six-plus scoreless against the Rangers. Not since 2006 had he pitched at least six scoreless with at least six strikeouts.

"I think the key is that he's keeping the ball down pretty good, he's changing speeds on the ball and it's moving," Leyland said. "I was really tickled with his control today."

Leyland wasn't the only one. To a player, one teammate after another did a little hop to congratulate Willis in the postgame line on the field. Even Pavano, Willis' teammate on the 2003 World Series champion Marlins, appreciated it.

"I saw the same kid that I won a World Series with in 2003 and watched dominate the National League and win Rookie of the Year [Award], the same kid that I see every time I come to this park and say hi to," Pavano said. "He's a great person. He's going to put it together. He's on his way. He looked really good out there. He's the opposing pitcher, but he did. He's going to turn it around."

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

Rookies have a milestone night in Detroit
Sizemore, Boesch hit first homers; Jackson goes 5-for-5

By Jason Beck / MLB.com


05/01/10 12:25 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Brandon Inge gives out his share of abuse to rookies, being the longest-tenured Tigers player, but he also gives out his share of congratulations. He has a tradition going where he'll give a bottle of champagne to a hitter after his first Major League home run. When Inge hit his first back in 2001, he had a bottle waiting in his locker from Lance Parrish, then a Tigers broadcaster.

On Friday night, Inge was shelling out doubly for the bubbly. Scott Sizemore and Brennan Boesch didn't have game balls waiting for them in their lockers Friday night, but they each had a bottle of Dom Perignon.

"It's well worth it," Inge said after the Tigers' 10-6 win over the Angels Friday. "They'll remember it."

A lot of people are going to remember this game.

Not since 2002 had two rookie teammates hit their first Major League home runs in the same inning of the same game, according to STATS. It was the first time a pair of Detroit rookies had accomplished the feat since 1901, when Pop Dillon and Kid Elberfeld -- otherwise known as The Tabasco Kid, according to his Baseball Reference page -- did the honors.

Sizemore and Boesch did it in the fourth inning, in the same rally off Angels starter Joel Pineiro, who shut out the Tigers for 7 1/3 innings last week in Anaheim. Gerald Laird hit his first home run of the season that inning, too. Austin Jackson had the third of his five hits on the night, making him the first Tigers rookie in five years with a five-hit game.

It was an onslaught that brought 11 Tigers to the plate, and it turned what was shaping up to be a learning experience for Rick Porcello into the Tigers' second double-digit scoring outburst in three days. The bats behind it turned Detroit's third straight win into a night for the rookies.

"Gosh," Boesch said, "it's nice to see guys that are your buddies on the team [have a good game], guys that you have a special bond with, especially Scott and Alex [Avila], Jackson too. Scott and Alex, I played with in the Minor Leagues. Being with them up here allows me to feel at home and feel like I can play my game and be successful with it."

Pineiro had regrouped from two first-inning runs to quiet the Tigers offense. He worked through the order so quickly that he entered the fourth inning having thrown just 38 pitches. That's his game, to work ahead on hitters and make them hit his pitch for quick outs, and it worked perfectly for him against the Tigers last week.

The flip side of that efficiency, though, is that an inning can fall apart just as quickly. Once Inge worked a leadoff walk out of him in the fourth, the Tigers didn't hesitate to attack him when he hit the strike zone.

Laird pounced on a 1-0 fastball and sent it 402 feet into the left-field seats, taking with it any frustrations over a slow start at the plate. After a first-pitch strike right over the middle of the plate, Sizemore didn't wait for him to do it again.

"He just kind of left it up in the zone, let it out over the plate a little bit," Sizemore said. "His ball moves so much, I think it faded back in. Just pulled the hands inside and got the barrel there."

His teammates gave him the silent treatment on his way into the dugout, then finally relented and showered him with congratulations. They didn't have much time before the rest of the lineup resumed the damage.

Jackson's one-out single to left started a string of five straight Tigers to reach base safely in a span of just seven pitches. Once Boesch stepped to the plate, the bases were loaded and Pineiro was reeling.

It's normally a situation where rookies might try to do too much, but Boesch said RBI situations are when he usually feels more comfortable, more confident. His numbers so far this season in Detroit and Triple-A Toledo seem to support him.

Considering how much time Boesch spent watching video of Pineiro earlier in the day, he was supremely confident. They had a team luncheon at the Detroit Economic Club, and Boesch came straight to the park from there.

"We got here from that luncheon super early," Boesch said. "All that was on [TV] was Pineiro throwing, so I just sat on the couch and watched him for like three hours out of boredom. I mean, I pretty much saw every single pitch he'd thrown all season. But he was throwing a lot of first-pitch curveballs that were pretty good pitches to hit. I kind of had it in the back of my mind."

He got a fastball instead, and he drilled it. The ball went out in one of the deepest parts of the park, an estimated 417-foot line drive into the visiting bullpen in left-center field. Boesch raised his hand and kept running.

"Obviously, it's great to get the first one out of the way," Sizemore said. "I'm super pumped for Boesch over there. He's a great hitter and he's already been doing well here. It was just a matter of time before he got one up and out of the yard."

With that, Sizemore and Boesch became the first teammates to hit their first big league home runs in the same inning since Cleveland's Victor Martinez and Earl Snyder did it off Kansas City's Darrell May on Sept. 29, 2002. Pineiro left with 10 runs allowed, nine earned, on 10 hits over 3 1/3 innings.

Neither Sizemore nor Boesch left with their home run balls. But they left with a gift.

"Are you serious?" Boesch asked Inge half-jokingly, a little unsure if it was a prank.

It was real, just like the display the rookies put on at the plate.

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

Johnny on the spot for Tigers with walk-off
Outfielder hits first home run for Detroit in dramatic fashion

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/01/10 6:33 PM ET

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DETROIT -- The Tigers don't do shaving cream pies very often. The long run from the dugout to the clubhouse at Comerica Park makes the timing difficult. Once Johnny Damon's first home run as a member of the Tigers cleared the right-field fence, Gerald Laird was on the move.

It was a walk-off homer for Damon, sending the Tigers to their fourth straight win with a 3-2 victory over the Angels Saturday afternoon, but it was a runoff for Laird. He already showed off his speed an inning earlier with his first stolen base of the year, but he seemingly made it to the clubhouse and back in record time.

Damon had barely started answering questions in front of the television cameras when he got a face full of shaving cream. It was a thorough enough shot that he still had shaving cream deep in his ears as he talked with reporters well after. He's been a Tigers player for barely two months, but he's had that kind of impact on his new team that it made total sense.

"I'm gonna get Gerald," Damon said, his nose still running after being stuffed with shaving cream.

Before Damon's homer, Laird was on the receiving end of Damon's other clutch play for the game, taking a throw from left field to retire Hideki Matsui at home to keep the game tied in the sixth inning. Once Damon topped that play, Laird delivered the final blow.

"I just ran up here," Laird said, "and I was gassed. It was just something. He's a fun guy to be around. We appreciate him being here."

On Saturday, so did much of the crowd of 31,042, which gave him a standing ovation.

Manager Jim Leyland enjoyed it, but didn't go overboard.

"He brings a lot of good things to the clubhouse, obviously," Leyland said, "but we wanted him because he can perform. That's why I wanted him."

There aren't many surprises in Damon's game. The Tigers knew they were getting a savvy veteran hitter with some power, and a smart baserunner whose expertise hasn't dropped with age. They fully realized they weren't getting a strong arm in left field.

The rest of the league knows it, too. Though Matsui isn't a fast runner by any standard, there was no hesitation from Angels third-base coach Dino Ebel to send him home once Juan Rivera's line drive landed in left field, even though Damon retrieved the ball before Matsui touched third.

"I wasn't looking for him to throw him out there," Leyland said. "I didn't really expect that, but he did. That's a good thing. But when I saw the hit, I thought the run would score."

Damon isn't going to feign disrespect from anybody over his arm, let alone Matsui, his teammate last year on the World Series champion Yankees.

"In that situation, you have to run," Damon said. "There's a base hit with two outs hit to me, you have to run. If it was hit to Ichiro, maybe they stop, but it was me."

Damon said he timed the hop perfectly, and the ball skipped to his throwing side. He knew his limitations as he readied to fire home. A throw on a line had no chance, not with his arm.

"I knew I had to try to air it out," Damon said.

The throw had plenty of air, but when it landed, it was right on the line heading for Laird. He tried as best he could to pretend there was no throw coming, but Matsui was sliding anyway. Laird got the throw with just enough time to get a tag down as Matsui tried to slide through him.

"I just wanted to make sure I stayed in front of the plate," Laird said. "He made a good throw, right where it needed to be."

It was just what Jeremy Bonderman needed to leave with the game still tied. Both Bonderman and Angels starter Scott Kazmir gave up two runs, one earned, over six innings. But while the Angels racked up 10 hits on Bonderman, they made four outs on the basepaths, from Damon's play at the plate to two failed steal attempts on Laird.

The Tigers figured Damon's home run total would drop some once he moved out of new Yankee Stadium and into more spacious Comerica Park. They figured his knack for hitting in the clutch wouldn't wane, and it hasn't. He entered the day batting .329 overall with an .890 OPS, numbers that rose to .375 and 1.044 respectively in situations with the Tigers tied or up or down a run. He was 9-for-15 in "Close and Late" situations -- seventh inning or later with the Tigers tied, up a run, or with the tying run at least on deck.

Once Scot Shields (0-1) fell behind on a 2-0 count, he went after Damon with a fastball. Damon got enough of it to loft it to right field. Bobby Abreu kept backpedaling to the fence and readied for a jump, still seemingly expecting a play.

He fell a home run shy of the cycle on Friday, but he got just enough of this one that it carried into the right-field seats, earning Ryan Perry (1-1) his first Major League victory.

"Runs were hard to come by for both teams today," Damon said. "Fortunately, I got a pitch I could handle."

That he could handle the gag he got for it was no surprise. He was barely halfway between third and home when he tossed his helmet off his head, readying to be mobbed at the plate. He wasn't ready for the shaving cream, but he was ready with a response.

"He was pretty good," Laird said. "He said, 'Can we get some whipped cream next time?'"

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

Verlander dominates Halos for sweep
Right-hander retired 23 consecutive batters at one point

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/02/10 5:56 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander emerged from his previous outing against the Angels last week and said he didn't deserve the win, not with 125 pitches over five innings. He certainly didn't have to make any apologies Sunday.

He didn't really have to say much. With 8 1/3 innings of four-hit ball, 23 consecutive Angels retired, a 99-mph fastball and a one-hit shutout going into the ninth inning, his numbers coming out of Sunday's 5-1 win followed the message: Verlander is back.

He started on his dominant stretch of starts around this time last year. If he needed an outing from which to build to get there, he's got it.

"Since the beginning of the season, I've been working hard to get my body in a position to be able to repeat my delivery," Verlander said. "And I felt like today I was able to do that. I got in some good counts because I was able to throw some quality strikes when I needed to.

"[I need to] just continue to do that. Easier said than done, but just realize what I did to get where I am now."

It took quite a bit to get there, from a mechanical tweak aimed at helping his command to a better mix of pitches. But once Verlander found it and got into a rhythm, he made outs seem easy Sunday.

Verlander needed just seven pitches to send down the middle of the Angels' lineup in order in the fourth inning. He struck out Mike Napoli looking at a curveball in the second inning, then sent him swinging and missing at a 98-mph fastball in the fifth. He hit 99 mph on his final pitch of the eighth inning, and he had just crossed the 100-pitch mark in that at-bat.

"I think I've got one of the best seats to watch him pitch like that," rookie center fielder Austin Jackson said.

Alex Avila might be able to rival that. He was behind the plate for Verlander for the first time in a regular-season game. In either case, they had better views than Angels who had to step into the box and try to hit those pitches.

"That's as close to a no-hitter as you're going to get without actually throwing one," Avila said. "He was in a zone like guys that have thrown no-hitters before. He's thrown one, so obviously he knows that feeling.

"That was fantastic. We all needed it. He needed it."

With a 5.53 ERA and back-to-back outings with at least 120 pitches but fewer than six innings, Verlander definitely needed it. Manager Jim Leyland had put him on what he called a strict pitch count and said he couldn't let the young ace rack up pitch after pitch after pitch without results.

Leyland softened his stance Sunday and let Verlander throw 120 pitches again. By the time he hit that mark, though, he was in the ninth inning -- not the sixth -- and he was trying for a complete-game shutout.

"He was tremendous," Leyland said. "The tape was on the right speed today. It wasn't on fast-forward."

In other words: Verlander wasn't overthrowing, he wasn't trying to throw pitches at rapid-fire speed, and he wasn't throwing at top speed from the get-go. This was the rhythm not only Verlander wanted, but Leyland as well.

Verlander threw a heavy dose of fastballs in his opening inning, but he changed speeds on them, ranging from 93 mph to 98 mph, according to MLB.com's Gameday application. Torii Hunter centered a 96-mph fastball and lined it up the middle for a two-out single, but Verlander retired Hideki Matsui to end the inning.

That was the Angels' lone baserunner until the ninth inning, when pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis drew groans out of a crowd of 25,603 with a line-drive single to right.

Not only did Verlander not walk a batter, he had just a trio of three-ball counts. He retired more than twice that many batters in three pitches or less. Despite the Justin Verlander K-counter bobblehead giveaway before the game, he wasn't anywhere near a high-strikeout performance until he fanned four of the final 10 batters he faced.

His pitches weren't as nasty as his no-hitter three years ago, he said, but his control was actually better. He used many of them to create contact and outs, not just swings and misses.

"He threw every pitch for a strike -- fastball, changeup, breaking ball," shortstop Ramon Santiago said. "That's the best I've seen him."

Command was what he lacked in April. He would control his fastball or his secondary pitches, but not both.

Verlander kept a scoreless battle going with Angels starter Jered Weaver until Santiago hit another nasty pitch, this one from Weaver. It was a fastball up and inside near his hands, and he turned on it for a soft fly ball down the right-field line, landing on chalk as Avila came home.

"I don't know how I hit that pitch," Santiago said.

It was the Tigers' third consecutive hit of the inning, and it sent Weaver reeling from there. A run-scoring wild pitch and a Miguel Cabrera RBI single later, Weaver was out, having used up 107 pitches over 4 2/3 innings.

That was a Verlander type of outing in April. Not Sunday.

"Hopefully this is a really good learning curve for him," Leyland said of Verlander.

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

Scherzer labors, puts Tigers in early deficit
Rookie center fielder Jackson home run shy of cycle

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/04/10 12:19 AM ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Leyland didn't want to get caught up in the joy of the Twins' move out of the Metrodome, the Tigers' house of horrors for nearly 30 years. Part of what makes a ballpark so tough, he pointed out Sunday, is the team that plays in it.

The Twins gave him good reason to think that way Monday night. Target Field felt cozy and comfortable before the game, but the feeling after the Tigers' 10-4 loss was much the same as it was in the old place.

"You can't dig a hole like that against anybody, let alone a team like this," Leyland said after the Twins raced to a 7-0 lead in the second inning.

The Tigers' first trip to the Twin Cities since their AL Central tiebreaker loss last October brought them to the other end of downtown, but brought about the same result they suffered so many times in the dome. The more relevant flashback for Max Scherzer, however, was the damage the Twins posted against him last week at Comerica Park.

The Tigers took two out of three from the Twins in Detroit, but one of those wins included 10 unanswered runs after the Twins posted six runs over 3 2/3 innings against Scherzer, who used up 84 pitches in the process. He didn't walk anybody in the outing, but the Twins took advantage of some pitches left in the strike zone.

Scherzer has struggled at times in the past when facing the same team in back-to-back outings, as he did against the Royals in the season's opening week. This time, while he might've had a plan to counter that, his pitch execution let him down.

Two starts ago in Texas, Scherzer said, he felt his slider coming around and felt positive. His last two outings, and especially Monday, left him feeling like he took a step back.

"I made a lot of mistakes tonight," Scherzer said. "I didn't pitch well tonight at all. I was walking people, leaving sliders right in the middle.

"I just didn't pitch well. I don't have a reason for it. I just didn't go out there and do my thing. I didn't give my team a chance to win, and that's what's frustrating."

It didn't take long for Minnesota to repeat its onslaught. After Jim Thome opened the scoring with an RBI single, Michael Cuddyer took advantage of a hanging slider and drove it 411 feet into the second deck of the left-field seats for a 4-0 Twins lead in the first.

An inning, a leadoff single and a walk later, Denard Span fouled off a tough slider on a 1-2 count and then turned on an offspeed pitch. The line drive into the right-field corner plated both runners and left Span on third, where he scored two pitches later on Orlando Hudson's groundout.

Thus, 11 batters into the outing, the Twins had a touchdown-size lead.

"You get the ball out and over -- like any pitcher if they are getting the ball up and it's not sinking enough -- it looked like we got some pitches up and over the plate today and we put some pretty good swings on them," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

That would be true in the Metrodome, Target Field or any other park, which is why Leyland downplayed the relevance of a new ballpark in the Tigers' fortunes against this team.

"I always use the example: In the '60s, nobody liked to hit at Shea Stadium," Leyland said Sunday, "but it had nothing to do with the park. [The Mets] had Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan. That's why it was tough to hit in. It had nothing to do the surroundings of the park."

Monday was the opposite impact. It was about an opportunistic offense taking good swings, and the frustrations of a young pitcher trying to solve his own issues as well as the opponents. Add up Scherzer's last two starts, and he has allowed 16 earned runs on 18 hits over eight innings, both times against the Twins but in two different ballparks.

With Scherzer slotted into the rotation immediately after Justin Verlander, it's easy to forget that he made an Opening Day roster for just the second time in his career. Monday was his 43rd Major League start.

The 25-year-old doesn't have the answers yet, but he's looking.

"Couple starts ago, I really felt I threw my slider really well," Scherzer said, "and I thought I was making strides with it. So I don't think it's a process of trying to revamp the slider or anything like that. It's trying to find the right mechanics with it and just tweak the little things, like have the fingers on top and have it break right.

"I'm not going to go back to the drawing board, but I'm obviously going to tweak a couple things."

He can find some solace in the middle innings. Scherzer regrouped to retire nine of 10 batters, allowing the Tigers to start creeping back into the game with Brennan Boesch's RBI double in the fourth and two more tallies in the fifth. Just when Detroit showed the makings of another potential comeback, however, back-to-back walks and consecutive RBI hits led to three more Twins runs in their half of the fifth.

Wilson Ramos' RBI double chased Scherzer, having allowed 10 earned runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. He became the first Tigers starter to give up 10 earned runs in a game since Jeremy Bonderman in 2007.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were too far out for a comeback, despite a second straight three-hit performance from Austin Jackson, who fell a home run shy of the cycle. He has 14 multi-hit games in his first 26 Major League contests. He also has reached base safely in 20 straight games.

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

Cabrera, Avila homer twice in Tigers' loss
Walks by Porcello, error by Boesch prove costly

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/05/10 6:32 PM ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- New park. New challenges. Same frustrating fortunes.

Short of the sinus problems some players experienced at the Metrodome, the Tigers' first trip to Target Field ended with much the same feelings they had in the old place. No matter what they did in this series, they didn't do enough to overcome the Twins, who made the plays to win. Hours after the Tigers pounded out singles but no big home runs, they hit four solo homers -- two each from Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila -- and fell by a run to a Twins team that made Rick Porcello pay for big hits after too many walks and one costly dropped ball.

Sundays' 5-4 Detroit loss marked the Tigers' second one-run defeat in less than 24 hours and sealed their first series sweep of the season. While fly balls became an adventure in the swirling winds, they were different challenges altogether from what greeted the Tigers in the Dome.

Add this series together with the past two seasons, and the Tigers are now 5-17 in the Twin Cities since 2008, indoors and out. In this week's case, the ballpark elements were secondary to fundamental baseball.

"We know they're a good team," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "They throw strikes. They're good defensively. They've got some guys with power. But for us to beat them, we can't play as crappy as we did this week."

Or as manager Jim Leyland put it: "Outdoor baseball, the fans seemed to be enjoying it. Unfortunately, we let them enjoy it a little too much."

Porcello pitched in the most heartbreaking of those previous Metrodome losses, taking a no-decision in the American League Central tiebreaker last October. This marked his first game in Minneapolis since then, but more than trying to avenge anything from last year, he's trying to regain his form from then.

In terms of pure pitches, he still feels close. In terms of pitching, he feels frustrated. He can live with most of the five hits he allowed over 5 1/3 innings against a good lineup. The walks that came ahead of them, though, were crippling.

"The stuff is there," Porcello said. "It's just a matter of making good pitches consistently."

Before Justin Morneau hit what both Porcello and catcher Alex Avila described as a quality changeup in the first inning, the right-hander walked Orlando Hudson to put a second runner on base with nobody out. Morneau's drive off the center-field wall advanced Hudson to third, where he scored on Michael Cuddyer's groundout.

Two innings later, a leadoff walk to Span ahead of a fielder's choice put a runner on for Jason Kubel's two-out double.

The first of Cabrera's home runs, a line drive over the left-field fence, brought the Tigers within a run in the fourth, and Porcello retired the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth. Then came most frustrating moment for Porcello, who fell behind on a 3-0 count to Alexi Casilla en route to a five-pitch walk.

Punto's fly ball to right got caught up in the wind. However, Brennan Boesch had his glove under the ball before dropping it. He was charged with a three-base error, essentially leading to two extra runs; Porcello blamed himself for letting it get to that point in the first place.

"If I get two quick outs," Porcello said, "I can't walk the No. 8 hitter. I can't do it. That was probably the thing I was most upset about. I mean, it ended up costing us the game."

Leyland wasn't quite that harsh, calling Porcello's outing "just OK." He was a little tougher on his defense.

"We have some issues we're going to have to take care of," Leyland said, "whether we'd won or lost today."

Leyland planned to have some of his outfielders working on defensive plays, including catches on the run with one hand. Porcello planned to continue working on his sinker and fastball, but he feels like he's getting close to where he was last year.

Where they stand in relation to the Twins again is a matter of perception. Their sweep in Minnesota included two one-run decisions, but they took two out of three from the Twins in Detroit with 10 unanswered runs in one game and a shutout of a Twins lineup that didn't include Morneau or Joe Mauer in another.

Considering this ends their stretch of 20 games over 20 days in five cities, it could have been much worse.

"I don't think anybody is going to go away," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "These guys are a great baseball team on the other side, and they get after the game pretty good. They've got the big guys. You saw Cabrera. We throw it inside to him and he hit it over the left-field fence and we threw it away and he hits it over the right-field fence. He's a great hitter and it's going to be a heck of a battle all year long."

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

Tigers, Indians will have to replay opener
Rain washes away Friday's game after just four innings

By Skip Snow / Special to MLB.com

05/07/10 11:59 PM ET

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CLEVELAND -- The Tigers and Indians battled for four eventful innings Friday, but the 13 runs in the 7-6 game (which the Tigers led) were washed away after a two-hour, 18-minute rain delay.

The teams will replay the game in its entirety at a date to be determined. With continued troublesome weather expected in the Cleveland area Saturday, it won't be this weekend. The Tigers next come to Cleveland for the first series after the All-Star break; a three-game set is currently slated for July 16-18.

The Tigers started Friday's game, and what looked like the series, with a bang. Three hard-hit doubles and a booming two-run home run off the bat of Miguel Cabrera led to three runs off Indians starter David Huff. The Tribe's lefty hurler came into the game having allowed nine runs over his past 11 1/3 innings, and the Tigers, for their part, continued that trend. Detroit got to the southpaw for eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings.

Johnny Damon, Brandon Inge and Ryan Raburn each ripped doubles to left field in the first. Damon was plated by Cabrera's two-run shot to right-center, and the first baseman's round-tripper was followed by the doubles by Inge and Raburn. Those three consecutive hits came with two outs; all of Detroit's seven runs were plated with two outs.

The Tigers scored four more runs in the third to chase Huff, with the damage once again being done with two outs. In that four-run third, Detroit strung together four hits and a walk. The Indians returned the favor in the home half of the third when they banged out six straight hits and scored six runs to knock out Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman. His final line: six runs allowed on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings; he walked one, struck out three and gave up two home runs.

The good news for Bonderman is that his stats from the game, like everyone else's, don't count since the game never made it through five innings.

But Bonderman's third-inning meltdown was part of what has been a season-long trend for him: trouble after the first time through the order. Through his five official starts this season, Bonderman has held foes to a .119 batting average (5-for-42) the first time through and has been hit at a .381 mark (24-for-63) afterward. On Friday, Cleveland hitters went 6-for-6 after seeing Bonderman the first time through.

"Its an issue," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "Tonight, all you can say is that he made some hittable pitches in [the third] inning, and they hit them."

On the bright side, Detroit's offense looked very comfortable. Cabrera, in particular, seems to be in a groove. He came into the game 12 for his past 22 and off of a two-homer game in the finale of the series against the Twins. On Friday against the Indians, he hit the ball hard twice -- the homer over the right-center wall and a drive into the mitt of Grady Sizemore on the warning track in left-center. "[Cabrera's] an elite player," said Leyland. "When he's going like this, he just seems to hit everything hard."

Skip Snow is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cabrera sparks Tigers past Indians
Detroit rallies off Wood to earn victory for Verlander

By Stephen Ellsesser / MLB.com


05/08/10 6:10 PM ET

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CLEVELAND -- The Tigers made the best of a miserable afternoon, spoiling Kerry Wood's season debut in the process.

Wood came off the disabled list for this series, and the Tigers tagged him for two runs Saturday, battling through occasional rain and wind gusts over 40 mph in a 6-4 win over the Indians at Progressive Field.

The victory made it 10 straight for the Tigers over the Tribe, breaking a record that stood for 75 years.

Bad as the weather was Saturday, it was an improvement from Friday's game, which was postponed with four innings in the books.

"Well, both teams battled hard under the conditions," manager Jim Leyland said. "It was tough. Both teams really showed me something [playing in the conditions]. That was a miserable day to play."

Wood, normally the closer, came in to face Detroit in the seventh inning Saturday, retiring the first two batters he faced before Austin Jackson got the Tigers going.

Jackson, who has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games, doubled down the right-field line, knocking Wood out of his rhythm. Wood (0-1) then walked Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez, bringing American League batting leader Miguel Cabrera to the plate with the bases loaded.

Cabrera singled, driving in Jackson and Damon to make a winner of Detroit starter Justin Verlander.

Wood made some good pitches, and his velocity was up, but he couldn't shut down the top of the order.

"I just got a fastball I could handle, it was a little down in the zone," Jackson said. "He definitely had velocity, threw it hard. You don't really have too much time to think."

Time to think wasn't sought after much Saturday, at least by Verlander. Once the right-hander's rhythm got slowed down, his early dominance faded.

Verlander (3-2) started strong, retiring the first 10 batters he faced, including five straight by strikeout. Verlander didn't give up a hit till the fourth inning.

"The first few innings, I was in a great rhythm, throwing the ball the way I wanted, hitting my locations," Verlander said. "Then, I just came out that one inning and didn't feel right, kind of reverted to the way I had been throwing."

Verlander said the conditions were the most challenging aspect of Saturday's game.

"It was definitely tough on hitters, but on the flipside, it was tough on us too," he said. "I know my changeup had more depth today than it usually does, but my curveball wasn't breaking the same, then my fastball was running a little more."

Verlander, who has won three of his past four starts, gave up three runs on four hits and four walks over six innings. He punched out nine Cleveland batters.

"He had some strikeouts," Leyland said. "He's kind of a strikeout guy. I think there are some situations where he's got to understand that strikeouts are not the most important thing, but I think he's got the capability of doing that when he gets into a jam, and that's important."

Scott Sizemore's bases-clearing double in the fourth inning put Detroit on the board, but the Indians chipped away at Verlander and the lead, tying it on Austin Kearns' two-run single in the sixth.

Sizemore, 0-for-8 last series against the Twins, stepped to the plate with two outs in the fourth. Battling Justin Masterson, Sizemore ripped one into the gap in left-center field.

"Sizemore got the big hit, obviously, and Cabrera got a big one," Leyland said. "But two outs and bases loaded, when they could get out of it, he puts one in the gap. That's tough. Sizemore was the huge at-bat of the game, I thought."

Cabrera put the Tigers back on top in the next frame, and Detroit added an insurance run in the eighth. Jackson grounded to shortstop, but Luis Valbuena struggled getting the ball out of his glove and couldn't make the throw in time, scoring Sizemore.

Detroit's bullpen protected the lead, although Joel Zumaya gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth. Zumaya hit triple digits regularly, striking out five in two innings of work, allowing a run on three hits.

Jose Valverde pitched a scoreless ninth inning, earning his eighth save.

Stephen Ellsesser is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Scherzer can't extend Tigers' streak
Detroit's 10-game dominance over Cleveland ends

By Stephen Ellsesser / Special to MLB.com

05/09/10 6:32 PM ET

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CLEVELAND -- For Max Scherzer, it was one inning. For the Indians, it was enough to set up a victory.

Scherzer struggled at times with control, giving up four runs in the second inning and the go-ahead run once the Tigers had tied it. Cleveland took advantage, winning, 7-4, on Sunday at Progressive Field and ending the Tigers' 10-game winning streak against the Tribe.

With Friday's rainout, the series goes down as a split.

Scherzer (1-3) threw 105 pitches in five innings of work, but only 61 for strikes. He gave up five runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out four. The Indians took an early lead, putting up four runs in the bottom of the second.

"Obviously, it's never satisfying to have a loss, but there were some things I did right today," Scherzer said. "I was able to locate my fastball today. In the end, walks, especially that leadoff walk in the second inning, were just killer."

Scherzer has a 15.54 ERA in his past three starts, allowing 21 earned runs over 13 innings, but after an extra day off between starts to work on mechanics, Scherzer did see progress Sunday.

"I had better mechanics today, that extra day was able to get two [bullpen sessions] in," Scherzer said. "I think I was able to locate the ball a little better today. To me, I thought I had a much better slider and changeup compared to last outing."

Scherzer walked Russell Branyan to open the second frame, and Branyan went to second on a wild pitch. Mark Grudzielanek, who finished 3-for-4, followed with a single.

Bringing both runners home, Andy Marte tripled off the left-field wall, coming less than three feet from being Marte's second home run of the season. Marte's triple bounced back over the heads of left fielder Johnny Damon and center fielder Austin Jackson, giving Marte plenty of time to make it to third.

Lou Marson followed with an RBI single, and Marson came around later in the frame on Shin-Soo Choo's RBI base hit.

The second inning aside, Tigers manager Jim Leyland was encouraged by Scherzer's efforts.

"I thought Scherzer was little better today," Leyland said. "He's got to continue to work at it, continue to get better, but I thought he was a little better. They did nickel and dime him that one inning for a couple of runs."

Scherzer buckled down over the next couple of innings, allowing a runner in each frame, but nothing more. Meanwhile, behind RBI hits from Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers crept back into the game.

Brennan Boesch battled Indians starter Mitch Talbot (4-2) and earned a sacrifice fly, which scored Damon and tied the game at 4.

Scherzer unwound a bit more in the bottom of the fifth, which wouldn't have been a problem save for Cleveland's four-run second.

"That's sometimes how baseball goes," Scherzer said. "I'm going to give up runs. Every pitcher is."

Like Scherzer, Talbot also had a short night of work. Talbot gave up four runs in five innings on six hits and a walk, fanning four hitters.

The Indians stretched out their lead with a two-run seventh, as Fu-Te Ni and Ryan Perry combined to walk the bases loaded before Grudzielanek's RBI single and Marte's sacrifice fly brought home two more.

"He is a very professional hitter," Leyland said of Grudzielanek. "He's hurt us a lot. We kept making a lot of mistakes to him. Not that one, but leaving a lot of pitches where he likes to hit them. He's been hitting the high fastball for a long time."

Cleveland's bullpen bent but didn't break, throwing four scoreless innings of relief. Till the ninth inning, Tribe relievers even did a good job of keeping the Tigers off the basepaths. Detroit had just one baserunner between the sixth and eight innings.

In the ninth, Cleveland brought in closer Chris Perez. Perez gave up a leadoff single to Scott Sizemore and walked Ramon Santiago, putting two runners on with no outs and the top of the order coming up.

Perez struck out Jackson and got Damon to pop out to third base, bringing Ordonez to the plate. When Ordonez hit into a game-ending fielder's choice, Perez grabbed his fifth save of the season.

Stephen Ellsesser is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers have a tough series coming - Yankees. Boston, and Chicago.
Let's see how they're made.

On Harwell's night, Tigers show grit
Damon's homer complements Boesch's three RBIs vs. Yanks

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/10/10 10:25 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Johnny Damon homered in his first game against the Yankees, his former club, and rookie Brennan Boesch drove in three runs, building a lead that Magglio Ordonez saved with a sliding catch to preserve a 5-4 Tigers victory on Monday night at Comerica Park.

On a night when the Tigers paid tribute to Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell, they provided the kind of entertaining game that Harwell probably would've loved to call. The combination of a hot-hitting rookie and a veteran haunting his old squad helped put the Tigers in front of the defending World Series champions before Ordonez came up with one of the best catches of his career.

Damon, who signed with the Tigers as a free agent in February after winning a World Series ring with the Yankees last year, plated a run with his second-inning groundout before he drove a fifth-inning fastball from Yankees starter Sergio Mitre (0-1) into the right-field seats for his second home run of the year.

Those tallies furthered a Tigers lead that opened up when Boesch singled in two runs in the opening inning. The left-handed slugger added a big insurance run in the seventh inning, when he tripled off the right-field fence. Both hits came off the first pitch Boesch saw, but the latter off Boone Logan's 94-mph fastball was his first hit of the year against a left-handed pitcher.

By contrast, Mark Teixeira's two-run homer in the third inning marked the Bronx Bombers' only damage in what amounted to a bullpen start for Detroit until New York rallied in the eighth. With Dontrelle Willis unavailable to make his scheduled start with a 102-degree fever, Brad Thomas stepped in for three innings before Eddie Bonine (3-0) tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Joel Zumaya stranded the bases loaded in the sixth, then loaded the bases in the eighth with nobody out. Marcus Thames' infield single off Zumaya and Brett Gardner's fielder's-choice grounder off lefty Phil Coke whittled Detroit's lead to a lone run.

Coke erased a sacrifice-fly opportunity with a Randy Winn popout to third, but Derek Jeter shook off a 1-2 pitch just off the corner to run the count full on Ryan Perry. Jeter sliced a fly ball to right that seemingly kept drifting away from Ordonez, but the 36-year-old outfielder closed in enough to make a sliding catch, getting his glove under the ball just in time.

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

Yessssss!!! Valverde was lights out!!!

Rain postpones Yanks-Tigers tilt
Day-night doubleheader set for Wednesday in Detroit

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/11/10 8:00 PM ET

DETROIT -- Tuesday's game between the Tigers and Yankees at Comerica Park was postponed because of rain.

The game was rescheduled for Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. ET as part of a day-night doubleheader, with Wednesday's nightcap starting at 7:05 p.m.

The pitching matchups will remain as expected for the second and third games of the series. Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello (2-3) will oppose Javier Vazquez (1-3) in the opener, and in Game 2, Tigers righty Jeremy Bonderman (1-1) will face Phil Hughes (4-0).

This four-game series, which kicked off Monday with a 5-4 Tigers win, is the only trip the Yankees will make to Detroit.

Tuesday's original forecast called for the weather to improve, but rain lingered all day and continued into the evening, with temperatures in the mid-40s and blistery winds.

The rainout gives Tigers manager Jim Leyland an opportunity to rest his overworked pitching staff, after Detroit's bullpen tossed nine innings on Monday in place of a sick Dontrelle Willis.

Tigers lefty Brad Thomas, usually a middle reliever, started on Monday and threw 68 pitches in place of Willis. Eddie Bonine entered the game in relief of Thomas and threw 34 pitches, so he likely would not have been available on Tuesday night. The same could be said about Joel Zumaya, who threw 33 pitches -- two short of his season high -- and hasn't appeared in back-to-back games all season.

With Willis still battling flu-like symptoms, the Tigers would have had a four-man bullpen consisting of Phil Coke, Ryan Perry, Fu-Te Ni and Jose Valverde if Tuesday's game had been played as scheduled.

When asked what his pitching situation would be like if the game started and then a long rain delay ensued, Leyland said "that would be absolutely disastrous."

"We're strapped," Leyland said of his bullpen.

Tickets from Tuesday's postponed game will be valid for Wednesday's 1:05 p.m. game. Unused tickets may be exchanged for any game within 12 months, not including Opening Day.

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Porcello shuts down Yankees in Game 1
Tigers starter shakes off slump for seven scoreless innings

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/12/10 5:25 PM ET

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DETROIT -- This is what Rick Porcello had been trying to find all season.

When Tigers manager Jim Leyland went to the mound to check on his 21-year-old starter after Nick Swisher's line drive bounced off his shoulder, Leyland had to have a little bit of fear. Porcello, by contrast, had a smile on his face.

"It's amazing, really, because when I went out to check on his shoulder, the first pitch he threw to see if he was all right just sunk like crazy," Leyland said after Porcello's seven scoreless innings helped the Tigers to a 2-0 win over the Yankees.

Nothing could get Porcello off of his sinker -- not the vaunted Yankees lineup, not a couple of line-drive hits, not even a line drive off his shoulder. Once Porcello got rolling, nothing could get the Yankees going against him.

As a result, he couldn't have helped his team much more. A Detroit squad that had been struggling a bit heading into a huge homestand guaranteed no worse than a four-game series split against the defending World Series champions. At the same time, a team with an exhausted bullpen started off a day-night doubleheader with a deep, effective outing to pull out a pitching duel.

"My past couple starts have been those types of games, too, where our bullpen has been pretty depleted," Porcello said, "and I haven't been able to pitch deep in those games. It was nice to be able to go out there today and give our relievers a little bit of a break, especially with two games today."

The struggles with the sinker had really gone on for much of the season. They were the main reason behind Porcello's 7.50 ERA and 46 hits allowed over 30 innings heading into the day, including 36 hits over a four-start stretch in April.

Bring on the Yankees and their vaunted lineup that included five switch-hitters, two left-handed batters and Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. It seemed like the last place for a pitcher to recover.

But Porcello and the Tigers felt in his previous two starts, including last Wednesday at Minnesota, that his sinker was coming around, even if the results weren't. He and pitching coach Rick Knapp worked on his mechanics between outings for the past couple weeks, and he could see the movement returning, even if his control wasn't there yet.

Once he warmed up in the bullpen before the game Wednesday, everyone from Porcello to Knapp to catcher Gerald Laird could tell he had it.

"It felt a lot better," Porcello said. "It felt more comfortable. It felt like I was getting good extension [on his delivery] and I was able to keep the ball down, even in the 'pen. I knew I felt good. It was a matter of going out there and performing and making the pitches that I need to make."

He made them from the outset. He needed just 10 pitches to retire Jeter, Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira in order, all on groundouts to his middle infielders. Rodriguez grounded out leading off the second, and though Robinson Cano followed with a single, it was on a ground ball through the middle.

They were going to pound the Yankees with sinkers until they hit them.

"I wanted to come in today and establish the sinker," Laird said. "If we were getting the sinker working early, it would open up some pitches away."

Once Nick Swisher's two-out single and and a four-pitch walk to Randy Winn loaded the bases in that second inning, Porcello worked the outside corner to his advantage, getting ahead of ninth hitter Ramiro Pena to induce a fly out and escape the jam.

Brennan Boesch's jumping catch at the right-field fence stranded Gardner on third base to end the third, then Porcello went to work on his power arsenal after Jorge Posada's double in the fourth. Swisher and Pena both went down chasing high fastballs.

That was New York's last real threat. Porcello (3-3) not only sent down nine of the final 10 Yankees he faced, he needed precious few pitches doing it. He got through the seventh with just 90 pitches and probably could've gotten into the eighth. Leyland was able to go to his bullpen because he wanted to, not because to had to.

"He was good today," said Jeter, who went 0-for-3 against Porcello and 0-for-4 on the game. "He was ahead of us. He was throwing strikes. He really didn't have too much trouble. He put a couple of guys on with two outs, but he pitched well."

Even Swisher's liner off Porcello's shoulder went for a groundout, deflecting to shortstop Adam Everett for one of 13 ground ball outs for the game. That wasn't why Porcello smiled, though.

"I didn't really feel it when they came out," Porcello said. "I threw my two pitches and it almost started to get a little more sore. I still felt good. I was cruising at that point. I just wanted them to get off the field so I could get going."

Porcello traded scoreless innings with Yankees starter Javier Vazquez (1-4) until back-to-back singles from former Yankees Austin Jackson and Johnny Damon set up a two-run sixth. Damon's line drive over first baseman Teixeira on a well-placed hit-and-run play put runners at the corners with nobody out, leading to an easy RBI for Magglio Ordonez on a fielder's choice groundout.

From there, Miguel Cabrera and Brennan Boesch put up consecutive ground-ball singles to drive in Ordonez and notch a big insurance run. Ryan Perry retired the side in order in the eighth before Jose Valverde earned his 10th save of the season.

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

Bonderman one-upped in twin-bill split
After taking Game 1, Tigers silenced by Hughes in nightcap

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/13/10 12:25 AM ET

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DETROIT -- The nightcap turned ugly for the Tigers. Their manager's mood did not.

Jim Leyland could've regretted a chance at a day-night doubleheader sweep lost, but he really couldn't. He could've bemoaned a six-run ninth inning that turned a pitchers' duel into an 8-0 loss to the Yankees, but he didn't. He did look back on the few scoring chances his team had against Phil Hughes, but he didn't belabor it.

At the end of a long day at Comerica Park, Leyland's bigger fear of a pitching staff in tatters didn't happen. He came out of it with his bullpen in much better shape than it was when the day started and his rotation looking much more promising after seven strong innings each from Rick Porcello and Jeremy Bonderman.

Both starters had their issues to address and hit them. The Tigers managed just two runs against Hughes and Javier Vazquez and still split the twin bill. Aside from an ugly ninth inning from Phil Coke and Alfredo Figaro, the worst damage Detroit's pitching staff suffered was a bunch of mohawk haircuts. A Detroit bullpen that was overtaxed enough to require a roster move for an extra arm in the morning was better rested by the end of the night. That'll work.

"Vazquez was really good in the game; Porcello was a little better," Leyland said. "Bondo was really good in the second game; Hughes was just a little better. It worked out that way for both teams."

Bonderman (1-2) remains winless in his past five starts since taking Detroit's home opener, not counting a rough outing in Cleveland last Friday that was eventually wiped out by rain. However, he had bigger issues than victories. He had to find a way to ward off the big innings that had plagued him -- usually the second time through the opposing order -- and in turn, he had to work on mixing his pitches better.

Bonderman did that, allowing two baserunners each time through New York's lineup. He mixed sliders and splitters for seven strikeouts, his highest total since he underwent right shoulder surgery in 2008. His seven innings also marked his longest post-surgery outing, and he needed just 99 pitches to do it.

The keyword used with Bonderman in the last few days was pitchability, learning to work with the stuff he has. This outing worked for him.

"It was a good step," Bonderman said. "It was only one start, but I'll take it any day of the week. I'm looking forward to building off it."

Leyland will take it, too.

"I just thought he mixed stuff pretty good," Leyland said. "I thought he had some movement on it. I thought he was rested; I think that probably helped him. But I just thought overall, he pitched very, very well."

In the end, the only lingering issue that haunted Bonderman might have been basestealers. And given the baserunning acumen at the top of the Yankees' order, that would've been tough to stop.

Brett Gardner's one-out single in the opening inning pretty much guaranteed he'd be in motion. Rookie catcher Alex Avila got off a strong, accurate throw but had little chance of nabbing Gardner.

"The kid can absolutely fly," Leyland said.

Alex Rodriguez's two-out single sent Gardner flying home with the opening run.

Bonderman retired five straight batters from there before issuing a one-out walk to Derek Jeter in the third that sent the Yankees back into run-manufacturing mode. Jeter swiped second, again despite a good throw, and put himself in position to score on another two-out single, this one a ground ball through the right side from Mark Teixeira.

"They made a difference," Leyland said of the steals, "because they got hits after them."

Bonderman allowed just two hits after that, but the Yankees put up enough for Hughes (5-0) to earn the victory.

The Tigers had two realistic scoring chances, and Hughes picked up his pitching to thwart them both. Miguel Cabrera doubled leading off the second inning, then watched Hughes strike out Brennan Boesch, Avila and Don Kelly in order, all swinging. After Boesch's single loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, Hughes fanned Avila again, then put Kelly in an 0-2 hole before inducing a popout to second.

"He was able to do everything right tonight," Tigers designated hitter Johnny Damon said. "His fastball had life to it. We had some opportunities, but we just couldn't capitalize."

That said, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said much of the same at day's end that made Leyland happy.

"I'm very pleased with the performances of our starters. When you get seven [innings] out of both of them, you don't overwork your bullpen," Girardi said. "You get some guys some days off. It's really good."

All in all, it was a good day.


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

Verlander bests CC to lead Tigers
Detroit wins first home series vs. New York since 2007

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/13/10 6:03 PM ET

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DETROIT -- There was a time when CC Sabathia ruled this town. Whether he had a dominant outing -- good or simply mediocre -- the lefty didn't lose at Comerica Park, not for the first six years of this stadium's existence.

It's becoming a tougher and tougher place for him to pitch. The hitters he's facing make it so, and the new ones aren't making it any easier.

"I just want to get results to win games. I don't care who's pitching," said rookie Brennan Boesch, whose first career start against a Major League left-hander yielded a home run, a double and two runs scored in a 6-0 Tigers win over the Yankees on Thursday.

"I think the biggest thing is getting the win and winning the series. It was a grind today, and we grinded it out. That's the most important thing. We had a doubleheader last night, came in with an early game today. We could've dragged a little bit, and instead, we came out and played. That's what's a big deal."

That said, the pitching matchup was a big enough deal that manager Jim Leyland thought about it. Before Justin Verlander took the field, Leyland said he made a point to have someone remind his starter that he was facing the Yankees, not the great Sabathia.

Verlander didn't need the note. He insists after every big game that he never thinks about pitching against the opposing starter. Besides, he's pretty familiar with this matchup.

The last time Sabathia pitched here last April, Verlander started for Detroit and tossed seven scoreless innings. Sabathia outlasted him, but he gave up four runs over his eight innings and took the loss.

"I've had a bunch of matchups against marquee guys like CC," Verlander said. "You just learn to not worry about what they are doing. You go out there and pitch your game and make your pitches. Hopefully, your team can battle and scratch across some runs.

"We capitalized on a couple mistakes he made. Once that happens, once you get one or two runs, you can't expect much more than that off a guy like him. Seeing that, it's my job to go out and shut them down from there on out."

This time, they got six off Sabathia, his highest run total of any start this season, and knocked out nine hits. Yet he got through six innings in just 79 pitches, a sign of how aggressive the Tigers were against him.

They've swung early against him plenty of times over the years, but they connected often on Thursday.

The fact that Miguel Cabrera hit Sabathia isn't really much of a surprise. He was 5-for-8 with one home run and six RBIs lifetime off the Yanks' ace coming into the game, and on an overall tear for much of the season. That in itself was a big matchup, almost as much as Sabathia and Verlander.

Once Sabathia tried to follow two high fastballs with a sinker over the plate against him on a 2-1 pitch, Cabrera does what he often does with those pitches, taking it deep to right for his eighth home run of the year. That stretched the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning.

The surprise arguably came four pitches later, when Sabathia tried to get Boesch on a 1-2 pitch and left a slider too far over the plate. Boesch drove it toward the right-field corner and watched it carry just over the fence for another solo shot.

Not only had Boesch never faced Sabathia until Thursday, he hadn't faced a left-handed starter in the Majors. Sabathia entered the day having held left-handed batters to a .203 average and four home runs since the start of last season.

Boesch's first at-bat against Sabathia was a second-inning double before Gerald Laird, 5-for-12 off Sabathia entering the day, had an excuse-me check swing that made contact and lofted a soft line drive into short right field for the game's opening run.

"Anything that finds a hole, I'll take it," said Laird, who doubled in Cabrera in the sixth inning to finish the damage off Sabathia after Cabrera doubled in two runs himself.

Verlander's win opposite Sabathia last year was Sabathia's only loss against the American League Central the whole season. This was his first start against the Central this year. More important to the Tigers, it earned Detroit its third win of the four-game series.

Verlander used up far more pitches, 119 over 6 2/3 innings, but he didn't allow a runner past second base. His lone solid base hit allowed was a sixth-inning double off the fence from Jorge Posada.

"He was really good," said Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira. "He threw a couple of fastballs to me at 98 [mph], and he was mixing in his curveball and changeup, which are two plus pitches. When he can do that, he's going to be pretty difficult to hit."

When he can do that opposite Sabathia, it's pretty difficult for Sabathia to win.

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

Despite struggles, Scherzer stays confident
Tigers' young righty gives up five early runs in loss to Red Sox

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/14/10 11:40 PM ET


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DETROIT -- Max Scherzer is competitive enough that he isn't going to back down from pretty much anyone. When he's fighting himself, though, it's a battle that he can't seem to win right now, no matter how much he works at it.

As long as he's losing battles on the mound like this, though, he needs to continue the fight. After Friday's 7-2 loss to the Red Sox, he was ready to pick it back up. He doesn't have much choice.

"I'm not questioning myself at all," Scherzer said. "I know I belong in the big leagues. I have a backbone. You have to have a strong backbone to be able to pitch in this league. You are going to go through ups and downs. I'm in no way losing my confidence."

Any hopes of Scherzer recovering from his struggles didn't quite go out the window in the opening inning as the Red Sox took his pitches out of the park Friday night, but they were clearly hampered.

So, obviously, were the Tigers' chances of competing in this series opener.

They had just taken three out of four from the Yankees, but as manager Jim Leyland likes to say, momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. Six batters into Friday's game, Detroit's starter had given up five runs on two homers, including a 450-foot shot onto the outfield walkway from the supposedly powerless David Ortiz.

When Scherzer tries to do what he feels he needs to correct his arm slot, he said, is one of the hardest adjustments to make. When he does it, he said it feels like he's throwing over the top of his head. When he falls into the comfort zone of leaving his arm angle too low as his throw, well, the results end up over his head.

"He just made bad pitches," Leyland said. "[Dustin] Pedroia's going to hit that pitch that he hit out. He's going to hit that hard every time."

Pedroia two-run homer opened the scoring. Ortiz's three-run homer turned a rough inning into something worse. Ortiz's solo homer in the fourth capped the damage. All of them came on fastballs. The way Scherzer was struggling with his secondary pitches, it was the one way to try to get him back into the game.

"He's a power guy," catcher Gerald Laird said. "He's a guy that I think his fastball early in the game is going to open things up for him later in the game. It's just one of those things [that] he just wasn't locating it today, but I feel like if you're going to have a good game, you have to establish that fastball."

While the Tigers are starting to get their rotation in order, the damage on Scherzer (1-4) is piling up. He has lasted just 18 innings over his past four starts, giving up 27 runs on 33 hits in the process.

"Has lack of confidence in his breaking ball has hurt him some," Leyland said, "and he was in the middle of the plate with pitches. I mean, you couldn't miss those pitches early on."

It's counterintuitive for Scherzer pitching against the way he feels, but after watching film from last season in Arizona, it's the problem he has pinpointed. It's not like he hasn't tried other adjustments; they just haven't worked. So he's throwing two side sessions between his starts, trying to throw his way into a comfort level with where he should be.

"I've tried to come up with every other thing that I work on, between balance and tempo and pitching with your legs," Scherzer said. "I went back and tried to make the fixes I know how to make, and when those weren't working, obviously on video you can see the arm slot, so that's the thing I'm trying to do."

With an extra day before his next start, Scherzer will be back on the bullpen mound in the coming days, raising his arm, trying to get back to what he did last year. And barring something drastic from Leyland, he will make that next start.

When asked about having to make any tough decisions on Scherzer, Leyland didn't dismiss it, but indicated it hasn't been discussed.

"It's a legitimate question," the skipper pointed out, "but I wouldn't discuss that right now, because I don't have any thought about it, to be honest with you."

Though Pedroia's homer gave Boston a 2-0 lead before Scherzer had retired a batter, he had a good chance to leave it at that. He recovered to get a groundout from Victor Martinez and put Kevin Youkilis in an 0-2 hole with back-to-back called strikes.

Scherzer's next four pitches from there, though, missed the strike zone. Youkilis didn't have to foul off any pitches to stay alive. He just had to not chase.

It arguably had a snowball effect, especially once J.D. Drew worked the count full to follow with a ground-ball single, but Scherzer felt the turning point came to Ortiz.

"The turning point was when I didn't get ahead of Ortiz," he said. "When I fell behind, I couldn't walk Ortiz. I made a halfway decent pitch, fastball in. Obviously he was sitting fastball, and he hit it. That was the turning point."

Ortiz turned that pitch into just the second homer ever to clear the brick wall beyond the outfield and land on the concourse, territory that had been claimed by Carlos Pena in 2005. It tied him with Juan Gonzalez for the fourth-longest home run in park history, 11 feet behind Pena, seven behind Eric Munson and three behind Chipper Jones.

"Needless to say, that was a bomb," Leyland said.

Ortiz's second homer, a drive down the right-field line off a decent fastball inside, was the ninth homer off Scherzer in eight starts this season, tying him for second in the Majors. Six of those long balls have been in three starts at Comerica Park.

On a night when Leyland called Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz "effectively wild," the three homers Friday were too much.

"We're playing good baseball," Scherzer said, "but I'm not giving the team a chance to win."

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

Tigers prevail in 12 after staging late rally
Detroit evens series on bases-loaded walk to Santiago

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/16/10 2:07 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Tigers rookie outfielder Brennan Boesch struck out swinging in his first two at-bats of Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

You'd expect a rookie to hang his head or get down on himself. Not Boesch.

Instead, he went on to reach base in his next four at-bats, missing the cycle by a home run, and leading the charge for a mammoth comeback that eventually led to a 7-6 win over the Red Sox in 12 innings on Saturday at Comerica Park.

Second baseman Ramon Santiago was the hero, although he didn't even need to swing the bat to play the role. With the bases loaded, Boston reliever Ramon Ramirez walked Santiago on four straight pitches to allow Magglio Ordonez to trot home and give Detroit the win.

Although he's a rookie, Boesch is no longer a secret. His teammates have the utmost confidence in the left-handed slugger, who is proving he can also be successful against lefty pitching.

"We keep telling him, 'Don't change,'" third baseman Brandon Inge said. "I don't care what people say. Go ahead and keep doing your thing. He's strong and he hits the ball hard. It's good seeing him do well."

The Tigers fell into a five-run hole by the sixth, mainly due to a shaky start by Dontrelle Willis. It was an up-and-down start for the lefty, who had missed his previous outing due to a sinus infection.

Signs of rust were evident, as Willis issued a season-high seven walks and surrendered four earned runs. But it wasn't an alarming start; Willis just never seemed to find his groove. He did manage to strike out five in 3 1/3 innings.

Luckily for Willis, the Tigers' offense bailed him out. Middle reliever Eddie Bonine entered and slipped up early on, allowing two runs to give the Red Sox a commanding five-run lead.

From then on, Detroit's bullpen was lights-out, as it so often has been this season.

Four different pitchers came in and posted zeros to leave the game wide open for the offense.

Cue Boesch, who recorded two RBIs in the victory and slugged the ball from the right-center-field gap to the right corner. His 19 RBIs lead all American League rookies.

"I just knew if I kept battling, I would give my team a better chance to win instead of hanging my head after two strikeouts," Boesch said. "I'm going to fight my butt off and try to get it done."

Boesch has appeared in 18 games since being called up due to an injury to Carlos Guillen. Now that Guillen is nearly healthy, the question was posed to manager Jim Leyland if Boesch would be sent back down.

"I think they would probably run me out of town if we sent Boesch down, so I don't think that would be a very bright move," Leyland said.

"He's an awful dangerous hitter and he's swinging the bat extremely well, obviously, right now. So he's pretty big for us."

Perhaps most impressively, the Tigers were able to solve Red Sox starter Jon Lester, who showed why he is one of the best lefties in the AL.

Lester struck out 10 in his seven innings. He didn't miss many pitches early on, but eventually, Detroit was able to get to him. Lester gave up four runs and received a no-decision.

"He was hitting his spots," Inge said. "He had a cutter and a really hard slider. He was sinking the ball away. He was spotting every single one of them. He wasn't giving us much of an opportunity to get one in the middle of the plate to drive."

With the Tigers posting three runs in the sixth, and two more in the eighth, the game was headed for extra innings. Both teams exchanged chances to earn the win in extra frames.

But with the bases loaded and two outs, and the sold-out Comerica Park crowd on their feet, Santiago came to the plate.

After taking a 98-mph fastball from Boston's Daniel Bard off his left forearm Friday, it was unclear if Santiago would even be available Saturday. But he came on as a pinch-hitter and lined out to third in the eighth with a chance to bring home the go-ahead run. In his second plate appearance, he stood strong, taking four fastballs in the mid-90s from Ramirez.

When Santiago dug in, he was thinking aggressively. But after taking two balls, he figured he'd lay off the next pitch and make Ramirez throw him a strike. Sure enough, Ramirez missed, and with a 3-0 count, the decision was a no-brainer, he was taking it all the way. The pitch came high and inside, and the Tigers' dugout cleared to celebrate.

But wait, Santiago still had to make the walk to first base and Ordonez still had to touch home. A few seconds of confusion ensued, before the players made their way over to first base to celebrate.

"I've never walked off [that way] in my career," Santiago said, "and I didn't know I had to [go to first] until the guys told me, 'Go! Go! Go!' You learn something every day."

It was a long night for the Tigers -- the game took a whopping four hours, 35 minutes -- especially with the rubber match slated for 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Sure, a walk-off walk may not be the prettiest way to win a game. But a comeback is a comeback.

"It was one of those games where it was just an all-around fun game to be in," catcher Gerald Laird said. "I'm just glad that if you are going to be out there for five hours, you might as well win the thing."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

In '10 debut, Galarraga leads Tigers to win
Righty allows one run in 5 2/3 innings, defeats Red Sox

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/16/10 6:24 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Armando Galarraga has a perfectionist streak in him. He doesn't simply want to win; he wants to pitch as close to brilliant as he can while doing it, which made Sunday a mixed bag for him.

"Today, I got the win," Galarraga said after Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Red Sox, "but I can't be happy, because I know I can do a lot better."

The Tigers aren't necessarily in the business of pitching brilliance right now. Given their starting struggles and marathon relief work, manager Jim Leyland wants innings from his starters. Get outs pretty or ugly, but get Detroit to the late innings with a lead. So while Sunday didn't win Galarraga any extra security, it sure didn't hurt.

"We don't care what the names are," Leyland said. "We're worried about outs. If you can get outs, that's good. If you can't, that's bad."

Galarraga and the Tigers believe he can.

"If he pitches like that," Leyland continued, "he can pitch in the big leagues."

The Tigers needed outs badly enough Sunday that what would normally be Jeremy Bonderman's bullpen session turned into an actual bullpen outing for him, earning him his first hold of the season. With a chance to take the three-game series from and finish with a seven-game stretch against the Yankees and Red Sox with five wins, they did what they had to do.

Without Galarraga's 5 2/3 innings, it could've been worse. Given Galarraga's opening inning, it could've been far worse.

Fourteen pitches into Galarraga's outing, he was staring at the heart of the Red Sox's order with Kevin Youkilis at the plate and David Ortiz on deck with two runners on, having walked two of Boston's first three hitters. The Tigers, having fallen behind big the previous couple nights, had little to no long relief options if Galarraga was roughed up, and Galarraga didn't throw a strike until his sixth pitch of the afternoon.

If Galarraga was ever going to get back to pragmatic pitching, the kind of craftiness that helped him earn 13 wins in 2008, this was a good point. He pounded back-to-back fastballs inside on Youkilis, who lined the second of them to right fielder Brennan Boesch for the second out.

After Galarraga threw his first pitch to Ortiz off the plate, he didn't miss again. Ortiz swung and missed at a fastball in, took a slider around the knees, then watched Galarraga hit 94 mph on the Comerica Park radar gun and hit the outside corner for a called third strike.

That's what the Tigers wanted to see from Galarraga, not whether he could get hitters to chase his pitches outside the strike zone.

"That was big, because I was getting my rhythm," Galarraga said.

Once he got it, he kept it. Though he surrendered a Jonathan Van Every leadoff double in the third and a Jeremy Hermida RBI double, those were the only baserunners he allowed in an 18-batter stretch until he had two outs in the sixth. He retired 10 in a row at one point, three by strikeout, and started getting ahead of hitters despite four three-ball counts.

When Leyland sent Galarraga to Triple-A Toledo among the first cuts in Spring Training, he talked in general about looking for pitchers to get outs while throwing in the strike zone, not try to get hitters to chase pitches off the plate.

Galarraga did a little much of that last year. He was trying to top his 2008 season, and he ended up struggling to the point where he was out of the rotation by mid-September. He admitted in the offseason that he was pitching through injury problems around his elbow, but was feeling better. It took an early-season stint at Triple-A Toledo to get him back to form.

This was a little more like what Leyland wanted earlier. But again, at this point, what Leyland mainly wanted was outs.

"I was really impressed with his arm slot," Leyland said. "He popped the ball pretty well. He threw some pitches with a little more velocity than he normally does. I thought overall, his performance was tremendous. It was just what the doctor ordered for us."

What was once expected to be a spot start for Galarraga (1-0) in his callup from the Mud Hens became a bit of a longer stint once the Tigers optioned Max Scherzer to Triple-A Toledo late Saturday night. Leyland said Sunday he's committed to Galarraga for at least two starts and they'll react from there.

"I was in Toledo and sometimes that little break, you need it," Galarraga said. "I feel like I belong here. I think I can do my job here. ... Last year was super tough for me. This year makes me more strong."

He was strong enough to outpitch Red Sox starter John Lackey (4-2), who took his first loss since April 19. Danny Worth, called up Sunday morning from Toledo along with Galarraga, ran out a second-inning infield single on a ground ball to first when Lackey missed the bag. Miguel Cabrera scored on the play, then Don Kelly scored when Johnny Damon drew a bases-loaded walk.

After Magglio Ordonez singled and scored in the fourth, Santiago lofted a ball deep to right off Lackey for his first home run of the season. His 18th career Major League home run was also his fourth against the Red Sox, who had to wonder what happened after a runaway win Friday night and a big lead squandered Saturday.

"After the first game against the Red Sox, it didn't look pretty for us," Damon said. "But we battled. We got down 6-1 [on Saturday] and we battled. Today, we made a bunch of moves and those guys stepped up for us. ... We know we are a good team. We just can't ever let down. This game won't let you."

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

Rain pushes Porcello back to Tuesday
Monday's opener vs. White Sox postponed

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/17/10 6:53 PM ET

DETROIT -- For the second time this homestand, heavy rains have forced the Tigers to postpone a game. This time, it was Monday night's opener of a two-game series against the White Sox.

No makeup date was announced, but it's expected to take place later in the season when the White Sox are back in town. The Tigers are scheduled to fly to Oakland after the getaway game Tuesday afternoon, when there's also chance of rain. Whenever a makeup game is announced, tickets for Monday's game will be good for that contest, with no ticket exchange necessary.

The chance of rain Monday night quickly became a certainty Monday afternoon. A storm system settled over the Detroit area and barely budged, increasing the intensity of rain pouring at Comerica Park.

Both of Monday's scheduled starters, Detroit's Rick Porcello and Chicago's Freddy Garcia, were pushed back to pitch Tuesday instead. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman were both moved back a day to pitch in Oakland on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

No pitching assignments were announced past that, but the pitching shuffle means Dontrelle Willis will not pitch Thursday in his hometown of Oakland as scheduled. If he's pushed back a day, he could pitch Friday night in the opener of a three-game Interleague series against the Dodgers, which would give him a chance to bat.

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

Clutch hitting lacking in loss to White Sox
Starter Porcello shaky through early innings

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/18/10 6:51 PM ET

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DETROIT -- It would have been tough for Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello to top his last start.

The White Sox lineup wasn't nearly as threatening as the Yankees lineup he shut down for seven innings six days ago, and Porcello wasn't quite as good, as the Tigers fell to their divisional rival, 6-2, on Tuesday afternoon to end an eight-game homestand.

Because Monday's game was rained out, Porcello (3-4) was pitching on an extra day of rest, which led him to feel too strong on the mound. The extra power he felt actually ended up hurting him, leading to several sinkers staying up in the strike zone early in the game.

He settled down and regained his usual velocity as the game progressed, but the damage was already done.

In the first inning, Porcello loaded the bases on two walks and a single with no outs and escaped allowing only one run. But in the fourth inning, he wasn't as fortunate. The struggling White Sox offense scored three two-out runs and never looked back.

"He was too strong, I thought," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He certainly didn't have a brutal performance. He, just early on, was a little strong and couldn't get the ball down and they whacked it."

Porcello calmed down and got back to the form he displayed against the Yankees after the big fourth inning. He retired his final nine batters from the fifth inning on and needed just 12 pitches combined in the fifth and sixth.

"With the exception of that one inning, I thought I threw the ball pretty well," Porcello said. "It was just that one inning where they got a couple consecutive hits that cost us."

Opposite Porcello on the mound was day-game extraordinaire Freddy Garcia. The White Sox pitcher entered the afternoon with a career 48-20 record in day games. And he'd been strong against the Tigers, too -- 16-6 overall and 7-3 in games at Comerica Park.

His numbers only improved Tuesday. He was able to stay out of trouble and keep the Tigers off balance by mixing up fastballs, changeups and sliders to record his third straight win (3-2).

The Tigers had their chances but were unable to find the gaps in the White Sox defense. The home team left five runners in scoring position. Twice the Tigers had runners on third base with fewer than two outs and came up empty-handed.

"We had tons of squandered opportunities," said outfielder Johnny Damon, who recorded his third home run of the season in the first inning. He went 0-for-4 after his shot to right field.

"We had situations with guys on third base and if we could have pushed those runs across, it's a different ballgame," Damon added.

The momentum may have swung in the Tigers' favor in the sixth inning when third baseman Brandon Inge lined a ball over the fence down the left-field line. Third-base umpire Dan Iassogna initially ruled it a home run, which would have brought the Tigers within a run. But after reviewing the long ball, the umpires deemed it foul. It was the 27th home run negated by replay.

The Tigers' best opportunity to claw back into the game came in the seventh inning, trailing by two runs. Leyland couldn't have hand selected a better candidate to step into the batter's box with the bases loaded and two outs.

Slugger Miguel Cabrera connected with a 96-mph fastball and sent the ball rifling to right-center field. But the ball started to slice as it left the infield and resulted in a routine catch for right fielder Andruw Jones.

"Miggy hit a couple balls that were bullets," Inge said. "We had some guys that hit some balls hard that just happened to be hit right at people. If those balls fall in, it's a whole different ballgame. But that's the way it goes sometimes. I feel like we still competed."

The White Sox went on to record two runs in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach.

With the Tigers kicking off a seven-game, eight-day West Coast road trip, it sure would have been nice to leave town ridding a four-game winning streak. But series victories against the Yankees and Red Sox were certainly a bright spot early on this season.

Now it's time for the Tigers to pack their bags and head on the road, where they own an 8-11 record.

"We've stunk on the road so far this year," Damon said. "If we can play better on the road, the sky is the limit for this team. We are going to have to play on the road in tough playoff conditions. Hopefully we can start playing well right now."

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Verlander runs May record to 4-0
Four-run seventh is more than enough offense for Tigers ace

By Alex Espinoza / MLB.com

05/20/10 2:40 AM ET

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OAKLAND -- The Verlander Express keeps on rolling.

Winner of his previous three starts, Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander turned in his finest performance of the year on Wednesday in a 5-1 Tigers win over Oakland. Verlander went the distance, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out five.

During his postgame meeting with reporters, Verlander started off his first response by saying, "I didn't have my best stuff tonight."

This prompted Detroit's colorful closer, Jose Valverde, who was within an earshot of Verlander, to yell out, "What?" in disbelief.

The way Verlander was dealing, one could hardly blame Valverde. Through seven innings, Verlander only faced one batter over the minimum. His final out, a strikeout of A's outfielder Ryan Sweeney, came on a fastball that touched 96 mph on the stadium radar gun.

"The biggest key for me is controlling my fastball, and I was able to do that tonight to both sides of the plate," Verlander said. "That's where it starts and ends with me. If I'm able to do that, I'm usually going to have a pretty good game."

Aside from harnessing his powerful fastball, Verlander said he made a recent mechanical adjustment -- trying to stand more upright on the rubber -- that's aided him in his last few starts. Over his last four starts, Verlander is now 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 30 innings.

"He's one of the best pitchers in baseball," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "He was tough. He certainly didn't run out of gas there at the end. After 110 pitches, he was still throwing 96, 97 [mph]. A lot of pitchers can keep it up when they start to smell the finish line."

Verlander needed 99 pitches to get through eight innings, but assured manager Jim Leyland he was still good to go in the ninth.

"I checked with him after the eighth and he said he had plenty in the tank yet," Leyland said. "He deserved to be out there obviously in the ninth inning. I thought he was our best choice."

The game was a pitcher's duel to start, as A's starter Dallas Braden matched Verlander's initial six shutout innings, until the Tigers' offense broke it open with four runs in the seventh.

Leyland said he thought Braden's quick pace and rhythm actually benefitted Verlander, as it kept the tempo of the game rolling.

"Braden was good, we weren't doing too much with him," Leyland said. "It was kind of in-and-out, in-and-out. Both pitchers really good tempo going and like I said, I think their guy pitching good helped our guy really."

Braden left the game in seventh inning with an illness and said he received IV on Tuesday and another one after the game. Leyland praised Braden for being able to keep Detroit's hitters off balance, calling it the best performance Braden had ever delivered against the Tigers.

"He was tremendous," Leyland said. "He used both sides of the plate, he used his changeup, he really pitched extremely well. He had tremendous control, I was very impressed with him."

Aside from Verlander's stellar outing, Wednesday was yet another marquee day for Detroit's talented rookies.

Outfielder Casper Wells, who was inserted into the lineup shortly before game time to replace Magglio Ordonez (right ankle), recorded his first big league hit during the third inning. He made the evening even sweeter by doubling in a pair of his teammates during the seventh.

"Man, I can finally take a deep breath," Wells said. "I've got a lot of weight off my shoulders. ... Getting your first knock is the next step, then you can just play the game from there."

Wells said he didn't even keep track of the ball once he hit it, though it eventually ended up in the hands of catcher Gerald Laird in the dugout. Wells said he got a congratulations from A's first baseman Daric Barton upon reaching base, but that he doesn't know what he'll do with the ball.

"When I have a house and have my own room, I can put some of my stuff up there," Wells said. "I've got some Little League trophies in my room now. Little gold guys standing there."

Wells' fellow rookie, second baseman Danny Worth, also had his biggest game since being called up from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. Worth finished 3-for-3 with an RBI, which came via a single in the eighth to extend Detroit's lead to 5-0.

Wells and Worth are just two of five rookies to make their debut this season, making it the earliest a quintet of Tigers has debuted since 1922.

"We're just going out there and trying to hit the crap out of the ball," Worth said.

Brandon Inge started off the scoring by sending a Braden changeup over the left-center field wall for a leadoff homer in the seventh. The next batter, Laird, laid a bunt down the first-base line and Braden failed to make the play before exiting the game. Laird said he bunted on his own.

"It's something I like to do when I'm struggling like I am now," Laird said.

Laird came around to score on an RBI single by Austin Jackson, before Johnny Damon was intentionally walked. Casper, the next batter, hit the first pitch he saw to left-center, plating Damon and Jackson to make it 4-0.

"When we bring them up, we don't sit them," Leyland said of his rookies. "I think that's what you should do. I don't like to bring guys up and just sit them down, I want to throw them in the fire and see what happens."

Alex Espinoza is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.