2010 DETROIT TIGER SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Austin Jackson with an RBI, Worth with an RBI, Wells with two! WHOOOOO ROOKIES!

Bonderman controls A's lineup in finale
Righty overcomes three-walk third to shut down Oakland

By Alex Espinoza / MLB.com

05/20/10 8:45 PM ET

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OAKLAND -- At long last, Jeremy Bonderman is returning as a consistent force for Detroit's starting rotation.

On Thursday, he tossed six innings of one-run ball to lead the Tigers to a 5-2 win over the A's.

"I knew it was a matter of time before I got back to where I felt comfortable," Bonderman said. "Today I didn't feel as good as I have, but I was able to battle through it and keep the ball down."

Since his career year in 2006, when he went 14-8 with a 4.08 ERA, Bonderman's career has been marred by injuries and inconsistency. First came the up-and-down season of '07. Then came his bout with a vein disorder, thoracic outlet compression syndrome, which derailed his '08 season and essentially wiped out '09.

For now, Bonderman said he's just happy to be getting through the year healthy.

"I'm definitely making progress," Bonderman said. "It's just a matter of executing pitches."

Over his six innings of work Thursday, Bonderman struck out a season-high eight batters, but he also issued a season-high-tying four walks along with three hits. Three of those walks came in the third inning, when Bonderman nearly unraveled.

Bonderman walked the bases loaded, bringing up Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki, whom he eventually hit with a pitch, bringing in a run. Bonderman was able to get out of the jam, though, by getting Jack Cust to fly out to right field.

"He got in that one stretch where, all the sudden, he couldn't find the plate," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "He was scuffling as well as a little frustrated. I think [pitching coach] Jeff Jones did a hell of a job in that situation. He calmed him down, told him exactly what he was doing and he got back in sync pretty good."

Bonderman responded by retiring nine of the final 12 batters he faced, five of which struck out.

"Everyone has innings like that," catcher Alex Avila said. "But to be able to stop it from snowballing is what the veteran guys like him do."

While he was struggling, Bonderman said he was opening up his body too much on his release, and he said he fixed it by standing on top of the rubber more. Though he threw 103 pitches, Bonderman said he wanted to take the mound in the seventh.

"I could have definitely went farther," Bonderman said. "I kind of [hurt] myself a little bit when I walked three guys and I hit a guy. That killed me a little bit."

Bonderman has an ERA of 1.89 over his past three starts, a span of 20 innings, and has struck out 19 while allowing 18 hits and four walks.

After Bonderman, the bullpen combined to throw three innings, allowing an earned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out four. Coupled with Justin Verlander's complete-game effort on Wednesday, Bonderman's start allows Detroit's relievers to be well-rested for this weekend's three-game Interleague series against the Dodgers.

"I have a lot of confidence in [the bullpen]," Leyland said. "As long as they keep their head on straight, keep their nose to the grindstone, they'll be fine. I'm very satisfied with our bullpen. I think we measure up pretty good with most teams."

Lefty Phil Coke relieved Bonderman in the seventh, allowing an earned run in 1 1/3 innings of work. Ryan Perry struck out a pair of batters to end the eighth before Jose Valverde recorded his 11th save of the year.

Magglio Ordonez, who sat out Wednesday's game with a right ankle injury, singled in Austin Jackson and Johnny Damon in the third to score the game's initial runs.

Shortstop Ramon Santiago singled in Avila in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1 before Miguel Cabrera opened the game up with his two-run blast in the fifth that extended Detroit's lead to 5-1.

Avila, who entered the game hitting .140, finished 2-for-4, notching his third multihit game of the year.

Leyland said it was nice to get some offensive production out of his catchers, who have struggled all year.

"We got to get some more of that," Leyland said. "That'd be really good."

Avila, on the other hand, said he was more excited about taking both games from the A's, who have been among the American League's best teams at home this year.

"It was big," Avila said. "We haven't played as well as we wanted to on the road. ... But overall, the last few games we've pitched well, hit well, had some timely hitting and played good defense."

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

Willis battles control as Tigers fall in LA
Two of lefty's four runs score on hit batter, wild pitch

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/22/10 2:37 AM ET

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LOS ANGELES -- The one-liner about Dodgers fans is that they don't arrive to the game until about the third inning, thanks in no small part to traffic. Those who didn't arrive until later Friday night had little idea how well Dontrelle Willis looked early on, or how quickly his outing truly fell apart.

For about four innings of Detroit's 4-1 loss, Willis dueled Chad Billingsley in the Pacific twilight, holding down one of baseball's hottest teams and showing no ill effects from his control woes from his last start. Once the sun went down and Matt Kemp's two-out single landed in left field, Willis' chances at a victory faded into the cool California night.

It was an outing that left manager Jim Leyland struggling to make one determination on the two sides of Willis' performance.

"That was one of those starts that it's hard to sum it up," Leyland said. "It certainly wasn't a great start, but it certainly wasn't a bad start."

With some offensive support, Leyland said, it could have gotten them a victory. But without question, Billingsley had a very good start.

"It was a well-played game," Willis said. "I got outpitched by Billingsley today. He did a great job against us."

For nearly four full innings, Billingsley was being outpitched on the scoreboard, with Austin Jackson's aggressive baserunning for a leadoff double setting up the game's first run in the opening inning. Billingsley retired eight straight Tigers from there, but Willis kept pace.

Not only did Willis retire 11 of the first 12 Dodgers, but Reed Johnson's second-inning single was the one ball he allowed out of the infield in that span. He used two slick fielding plays from rookie Danny Worth at second base to overcome a Brandon Inge error in the bottom of the first inning and generally moved ahead of hitters from there.

He needed just three pitches to retire Ronnie Belliard and Manny Ramirez for the first two outs of the fourth inning and was a strike away from getting the third before Kemp worked out of a 1-2 count to run the count full and line a single to left.

For just the third time all night, Willis had to pitch from the stretch. He had to pitch that way for most of what was left of his outing. A wild pitch moved Kemp to second en route to a five-pitch walk to Casey Blake. He lost fastballs high to fall behind on a 3-0 count to Johnson, worked it back full, then watched Johnson foul off three quality pitches before ball four loaded the bases.

"I went to a cutter and it backed up on me," Willis said. "It was a great at-bat, though, regardless of whether I get him out. He did exactly what he wanted to do, get the pitch count up, so hat's off to him. It was a good battle."

Willis (1-2) didn't believe the stretch was any cause behind his collapse.

"Just tried to get too fine instead of executing the pitch," Willis said.

He tried to go inside on Nick Green on his 1-1 slider, but went too far in, hitting Green to knock in a run. A lineout to second prevented far worse damage, but a one-out walk to Jamey Carroll and a Belliard double resumed trouble in the fifth.

"I don't know whether he got a little quick or what," Leyland said. "He actually had some decent movement on the ball, and they stayed on a couple balls pretty good and hit it, but he made them mishit a few balls."

The only run-scoring hit he surrendered didn't leave the infield, a hard-hit grounder from Ramirez that ricocheted off Inge at third. His second wild pitch of the night, though, scored Carroll ahead of that.

Back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth chased Willis, who gave up four runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. It wasn't the seven-walk debacle that troubled him last Friday against the Red Sox, but it wasn't his form from earlier this season, either. Instead of settling into a rhythm after a shaky first inning, he had the opposite.

"I'm not OK with that," Willis said. "You have to finish out games. You have to finish out innings. And I didn't do that. But it's one of those things where you have to continue to build and get better. From the last outing I had, I felt like I did that. But still, we've got to win ballgames, especially when ballgames are close like this.

"We're going to play a lot of games like this, and I have to find a way to keep us in it, do a better job of keeping us in it so we can strike."

Billingsley (5-2) fit that strategy perfectly. He scattered four hits over seven innings, and Jackson had two of them. Inge's double to left that Ramirez misplayed was another.

"He's got good rhythm," Magglio Ordonez said. "He was working quick. We were working into his rhythm. He didn't give us any breaks."

Leyland didn't figure he would. His nephews faced Billingsley as a high schooler in Defiance, Ohio, and Leyland said they didn't have much fun trying to hit him. This one was similar.

"Billingsley was good," Leyland said. "He threw the ball extremely well. We had a couple innings where he had quick outs. We just let him have a couple innings there where he didn't have to labor at all. I thought that took its toll on us. We didn't really muster much offense at all. That pretty much summed it up."

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 can't be falling apart on us now! We're gonna need ALL of our pitchers to be good, not three or four!

Hopefully Gala is pitching consistently good now... also it sounds like Max has made the arm slot changes needed to continue pitching well now, is so, he could come back soon to replace D-Train.

Boesch homers, but Tigers fall in LA
Outfielder Jackson leaves after being plunked in eighth

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/23/10 12:52 AM ET

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LOS ANGELES -- Fans at Dodger Stadium go crazy for their closer, since Eric Gagne and his spectacled look nearly 10 years ago. On Saturday, in a game that was crazy for most of the afternoon, the Tigers nearly sent the stadium silent -- except for the small pocket of fans cheering for local boy Brennan Boesch.

Barely an hour after the Tigers trailed by four runs, there stood Boesch on second base, Detroit's potential tying run in the ninth inning. His two-out RBI double had Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton reeling, but Broxton had one more surprise left. As Brandon Inge stood stunned at the plate by the 98-mph fastball on the outside corner to seal the Tigers' 6-4 loss, they had to feel stunned at the end of a wild day.

Austin Jackson was headed to a local hospital for precautionary tests after he took an eighth-inning pitch off his helmet above his left eye. Armando Galarraga was headed back to video work in the days ahead after some issues with his slider. And as the Tigers left a quiet clubhouse, they headed back to their hotel hoping to find a way to avoid a series sweep here Sunday afternoon.

"We got a little something going there," manager Jim Leyland said. "[Broxton's] one of the best in the business, so you have to feel good about the effort there, still battling that guy, still tough to see, battling him like we did. But we just couldn't get that one extra hit."

Considering the Tigers have won a half-dozen games this season after trailing in the sixth inning, it probably shouldn't be a surprise that they rallied again. Though Blake DeWitt's two-run triple and solo homers from Matt Kemp and Casey Blake chased Galarraga in the fifth inning on a day when he hung too many sliders, the combination of Fu-Te Ni and Joel Zumaya held the Dodgers scoreless from there.

Though the late-afternoon shadows proved challenging for hitters on both sides, the Tigers had better fortunes against the Dodgers bullpen after rookie John Ely held them to two first-inning runs. They loaded the bases on Hong-Chih Kuo in the seventh before he escaped with a Miguel Cabrera comebacker. When Ramon Troncoso fell behind on Boesch to lead off the eighth, Boesch pounced on a fastball over the plate and sent it out to straightaway center field.

It was his fourth home run of the season, but his first in the park where he grew up watching Dodgers games with his dad, who was in attendance with much of his family and several friends. When they stood up and went crazy, there was the odd sight of fans near them in Dodgers jerseys cheering for Boesch, the Santa Monica native who has become a rookie sensation in Detroit.

"He's blessed with the ability to just not overanalyze a situation, get up there and do what he does best, and that's swing hard," Inge said. "Good things will happen when you do that. It'll rub off on you."

Troncoso hit Inge with a pitch, induced a ground-ball double play from Gerald Laird, then lost a fastball inside that hit Jackson just above his left eye and sent him to the ground in pain. He left the game and was taken to a local hospital for precautionary tests, but is expected to be fine.

"You had a guy throwing pretty good, and it was pretty tough to see at that time of the day," Leyland said. "It's just one of those unfortunate things. They happen. It's all part of the game."

Former Tigers hurler Jeff Weaver ended the eighth-inning threat, setting up Broxton for a save chance with a three-run lead but the top of the Tigers order coming up. Back-to-back singles from Johnny Damon and Ramon Santiago -- the latter his third hit of the game -- brought up the middle of the lineup with the potential tying run at the plate.

At that point, however, the National League rules were as almost as big of a foe as Broxton. The Tigers used three pinch-hitters in the seventh to try to spark a comeback, and had to use rookie infielder Danny Worth once Jackson left. The third spot was where Zumaya entered, and Alex Avila was their last hitter on the bench.

"Some guys, you keep saving them, and you're sitting there with three or four players, and the other guy wins the game," Leyland said. "That's the situation you get into once in a while."

Leyland took a shot and went with his rookie catcher rather than bunt. Broxton struck Avila out, bringing up Cabrera with one out. Cabrera's sharp ground ball seemed headed through the left side, but third baseman Blake -- who haunted the Tigers time and again with Cleveland in years past -- made a diving stab to get the out at second.

Up came Boesch as the Tigers' final chance. Out went Broxton's first-pitch slider on a line into the right-field corner and over the fence on a hop for a ground-rule double.

"He's a dangerous guy," Leyland said. "When he hits it, something happens."

Inge, hoping for some of that as he stepped to the plate, felt like he had his opportunity with a 2-1 count. Broxton came back with a 97-mph fastball inside that Inge swung and missed for strike two. With the crowd on its feet, Broxton spotted the outside corner at 98 on the stadium radar gun for a called third strike.

"He didn't throw anywhere near [98 before]," Inge said. "I know the scouting report says he can throw that. He was throwing some fastballs at 91-92, getting them in on me. And then the last pitch was 98. I'm like, what do you do with that? In two days, I haven't seen one close to that, and then all of a sudden he humped up to 98."

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

Porcello takes shots, but holds off Dodgers
Comebackers don't knock Tigers righty out of fourth win

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/23/10 9:29 PM ET

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LOS ANGELES -- The damage on Rick Porcello's pitching line read far better than one might have expected for nine Dodgers hits, turning in a quality start that helped the Tigers finally cool off the red-hot Dodgers for a 6-2 win.

The damage on Porcello's right forearm and right thigh suggested he took a worse beating than that.

"He's hurting," manager Jim Leyland said. "But he did well. He's a tough kid."

Porcello has had his share of sophomore struggles this season in which opposing hitters looked like they were taking batting practice. This outing looked more like target practice, with Porcello right in the crosshairs.

"I've never seen that," first baseman Miguel Cabrera said. "It was crazy."

No less than three Dodgers comebackers took aim at Porcello on the mound. One, he admitted, happened to find his glove. The other two found body parts that he needs to pitch, and they left him smarting.

"Tell him to catch it," Inge said, jokingly. "Just kidding."

Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit grounder with the bases loaded, on the other hand, left Porcello victorious -- still smarting, but victorious. And as Porcello dressed for the bus to the airport for the Tigers' flight to Seattle, he had the look of a quarterback who had been knocked down a couple times, but not knocked out.

"The forearm is sore, but it'll be fine," Porcello said. "I'll be good to go for my next start."

If he can keep his sinker working like it did Sunday, he should be in good shape.

When Porcello has his sinker working, he has the ability to roll off one ground ball after another and send down opponents quickly. But as Inge explained, it can also get a lot of comebackers from left-handed hitters who dive out over the plate at sinkers that start on the outside corner, then pull their hands in once it comes back inside.

While all nine Dodgers hits were singles, Porcello induced 11 ground-ball outs compared with just three in the air, a mix that will usually lead the Tigers to victory. One of those flyouts was a Matt Kemp line drive that Porcello somehow snared with his glove before firing to second base to complete the double play and end the first inning.

"I think the hardest one that was hit back at me was the one that Kemp hit that I caught," Porcello said.

Russell Martin's leadoff liner to center that inning was the Dodgers' lone hit until Xavier Paul shot a one-out grounder through the middle (of course) in the fourth and Kemp hit a liner to left-center. James Loney centered a 95 mph fastball and sent it back to Porcello's arm with equal ferocity.

Had Porcello not recovered so quickly, it would have left the bases loaded and one out for Casey Blake. Instead, Porcello gathered himself so quickly that he barely missed a double play, firing to second for the force out before Loney barely beat the throw to first.

"That one hit me pretty square," Porcello said. "There'll be a bruise."

It did not, however, affect his range of motion, a point Porcello demonstrated in his warmup tosses as Leyland and head athletic trainer Kevin Rand watched. He stayed in the game to get a groundout to third from Blake, then a Garret Anderson groundout to first before Blake DeWitt centered the last of the shots.

DeWitt's comebacker hit Porcello right on his right hamstring, and it left no chance at a play. That started the Dodgers' lone scoring rally, capped by Paul's line drive to left before Porcello retired Kemp to keep the Tigers ahead.

That was it for the shots off Porcello, but it wasn't his last test. Three straight two-out singles, including a Jamey Carroll grounder to deep short, loaded the bases in the sixth and brought Ramirez out of the dugout. Ramirez didn't start Sunday, but with a chance to pull Los Angeles ahead for a series sweep, he hit for starting pitcher Huroki Kuroda.

The roar for Ramirez from the 46,053 at Dodger Stadium lasted longer than his at-bat. Porcello threw one of his better sinkers of the night, bearing it inside on the star, and Ramirez grounded it to third as the crowd hushed.

Porcello's day was done, but by a groundout, not a knockout.

"He's obviously a great hitter, and if he gets me on a pitch that I wanted to throw to him, and it's in the location that I want it to be in, then you have to tip your hat," Porcello said. "But I was just trying to make a pitch and get a good sinker in on his hands. ... That was pretty much where I wanted it."

Porcello's performance preserved a lead the Tigers built in the opening inning off Kuroda and extended after Porcello left. After Magglio Ordonez singled in Johnny Damon, Miguel Cabrera followed with a line drive that cleared the "Mannywood" banner on the left-field fence in a hurry for Cabrera's 10th home run of the season.

Ordonez added an insurance run in the eighth with his sixth home run of the season, a drive to left-center field off Ronald Belisario. Adam Everett's pinch-hit squeeze bunt in the eighth and Damon's two-out RBI single put the game essentially out of reach.

It also gave Porcello a win for his trouble. He improved to 4-0 in five Interleague starts, but won in California for the first time in his big league career.

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

Porcello is having a VERY topsy turvy year. He needs to keep it together and not let his sinkers stay up.

Bradley proves Verlander's nemesis in loss
Tigers fall to Mariners as ace runs into trouble in eighth

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/26/10 2:41 AM ET

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SEATTLE -- Considering the retractable roof that looms over Safeco Field, the last thing Justin Verlander would've expected was rainfall.

It was that kind of night for him Tuesday.

Really, it was that kind of night for the Tigers, who didn't have their cleanup hitter but had their ace going against the Mariners. After Milton Bradley's two-run homer off a Verlander fastball put Seattle ahead in the first, his go-ahead single off a Verlander changeup put them up for good in the eighth -- and put Verlander on the wrong end of another pitching duel, this one a 5-3 loss.

Verlander's defeat in Seattle five weeks ago had him feeling like he was on the verge of a dominant stretch. His loss Tuesday essentially ended it, even as he felt closer to his complete repertoire than he had been in a while.

He got his fastball working after a shaky opening inning, then started mixing in a breaking ball he has honed in recent outings. He used an offspeed pitch to get some bats out of tune. He even let loose a cutter, he said.

Only problem is that Verlander doesn't throw a cutter, and he didn't mean to throw that one. Bradley didn't seem fazed by it when he took it deep to right field in the opening inning.

That pitch, Verlander said, was partly the product of a wet mound.

"It's not a big deal," Verlander said. "It was a little wet. That's the game of baseball. You have to make adjustments, and I wasn't able to. I slipped a couple times, threw a two-seam cutter to Bradley and ran it right into his bat."

It came over the plate at 94 mph and went out in a hurry, plating Franklin Gutierrez after his two-out single.

Verlander never felt completely in sync with his pitches, but he rolled from there. Not only did he retire 14 of Seattle's next 16 batters, he struck out five of them and didn't allow a ball in play out of the infield for a 12-batter stretch.

While the roof rolled along the rails atop Seattle's beautiful park to provide shelter in the third inning, Verlander rolled through the heart of Seattle's order to strike out the side, including Bradley on a changeup that seemed to dive out of the strike zone after he laid off a curveball inside on the previous pitch.

"They eventually closed the roof and got it all fixed," Verlander said. "It was a combination of that and I didn't feel very good early. My control wasn't that great. But as the game went on, I progressed and got a little bit better and better."

It was the kind of stretch the Tigers needed to compete on a night when they didn't have Miguel Cabrera in the lineup. He was back in Miami with his wife for the birth of their second child, and there were stretches when it looked like they wouldn't need him.

The Tigers had an RBI single from Danny Worth and a run-scoring double from Austin Jackson in his first game since being hit in the helmet by a pitch against the Dodgers, tying the game in the second and putting runners on second and third and one out. But Mariners starter Doug Fister induced a groundout to third from Ramon Santiago, batting second, and a flyout to left from third hitter Johnny Damon to escape the frame tied at 2.

A better chance went for naught the next inning, after back-to-back singles from Brennan Boesch and Brandon Inge put runners at the corners, again with one out. Manager Jim Leyland put runners in motion to try to avoid the double play, and Don Kelly tried to execute by hitting to the right side, behind the runner.

Kelly was as amazed as anyone when second baseman Chone Figgins came up with the sliding catch and doubled off Inge.

"That's the game," Kelly said. "Sometimes you're going to hit the ball hard right at guys, and sometimes you're going to get jammed, break your bat and it's going to fall in. That's what makes it fun. We hit some balls pretty hard. Just didn't get much to show for it in those situations."

After Brandon Inge and Gutierrez traded solo homers in the sixth inning, it was Verlander's turn at amazement in the eighth. He went back out for the inning with just 98 pitches thrown and seemed to be cruising after striking out Ichiro Suzuki for the second time. Figgins' ensuing double changed that.

A five-pitch walk to Gutierrez brought back Bradley, caught watching a curveball drop over the corner a couple of innings earlier for his second strikeout. Once Verlander got him in a 2-2 count, he went back to the change of speeds. Bradley went with it and lined it to right, scoring Figgins just ahead of Magglio Ordonez's throw for what became the game-winning run.

"He hit a good pitch," Verlander said. "Changeup down and away. He was able to elevate it. How he did that, I don't know. "

It wasn't nearly as surprising to Bradley.

"If I keep my balance and keep my hands back and the bat in the zone, I'm able to stay on the changeup," he said.

Verlander had allowed just five runs on 15 hits over 30 innings over his previous four games. Seattle needed just seven hits over Verlander's 7 1/3 innings Tuesday to match that scoring total.

It was that kind of night.

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

Tigers' bullpen spoils Bonderman's gem
Mariners rally for four runs in eighth inning off Perry

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/26/10 9:21 PM ET

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SEATTLE -- The Tigers were at Safeco Field for barely 24 hours and had late-inning heartbreak twice. As much as losing with Justin Verlander on the mound hurt Detroit, however, Wednesday hurt more.

For seven innings of this 5-4 loss to the Mariners, Jeremy Bonderman looked like he was back to his front-line starter self, only with more pitchability. It wasn't just the five-hit performance, it was the efficiency with which he did it, using just 94 pitches in the process.

The way Detroit's bullpen has pitched this season to date, it seemed like a sure win. But the Mariners put up as many hits on Ryan Perry in the eighth as they did on Bonderman through seven. One of them was Mike Sweeney's two-run homer to put them back in the game. The last of them was Josh Wilson's two-run single to pull them back ahead.

The Tigers' final day without slugging cleanup man Miguel Cabrera was expected to remind them how much he means to their offense. Given the extra scoring chances they had, that point came home. But they also received an unexpected reminder that their talented bullpen is also a relative young one, the 23-year-old Perry being among the youngest.

"I think you can sit here and talk until you're blue in the face, but he didn't have a good outing," manager Jim Leyland said. "The bullpen's been outstanding, like I've said a thousand times. The bullpen didn't do it today. That happens. They're not going to do it every time out.

"Those hurt, because that's a game in hand that you feel you should win, but the other team kept playing. You give them credit. They hit a home run. They got a couple big hits after that. They played nine innings hard and they beat us. I tip my hat to them. One of our better relievers didn't have it today. It's that simple."

Considering the early-season struggles Bonderman had to battle to get to this point, he wasn't about to point fingers.

"Our bullpen's been the strength of the team all year," Bonderman said. "Starters pitched like crap at the start of the year. [The 'pen] had a bad day. So be it."

It was not an exhausted Bonderman at the end. That wasn't why he left. Though he's getting back into the rhythm of pitching every five days again after missing a season and a half to injuries, Leyland said pitch count wasn't a factor, either. Moreover, he was just as strong late as he was early.

Not only did Bonderman retire the last seven Mariners he faced, none of them hit the ball in play out of the infield. He needed just seven pitches to retire the side in order in the seventh, thanks in part to a diving stop from fill-in first baseman Ryan Raburn to rob Michael Saunders of an extra-base leadoff hit.

It was a strong finish to an outing that showed the workhorse side that Bonderman had a few years ago.

"Today I was moving the ball in and out," Bonderman said. "I was throwing backdoor sinkers to righties and to lefties. The slider was there when I wanted it. Just kept the ball down, moving it around, and kept guys off-balance."

Said catcher Gerald Laird: "He had some of the better stuff I've seen from him since I've caught him this year."

From Leyland's standpoint, Bonderman had done everything he needed to turn over a lead to Detroit's late-inning bullpen, the group that had been a big reason the Tigers hadn't lost a game they led through seven innings. There was no debate whether to send Bonderman back out for the eighth.

"I just felt it was definitely the right move to make," Leyland said. "You felt like it's set up with the right-handed hitters. Bonderman, he was OK. No excuses on my part. He was OK. But you watch it when it gets like that.

"I felt the inning before, they just missed hitting a double down the line, and Figgins just skied one up, missed it. I felt like it was set up. I do watch him, absolutely, but I don't want any excuses. I felt totally comfortable."

Perry has been the right-handed setup man all season, having recorded a save and nine holds without blowing a lead. Three batters into this situation, though, Perry appeared in trouble.

"I felt like I had a couple good pitches they hit and a couple bad ones," Perry said. "They capitalized on mistakes."

Franklin Gutierrez's leadoff single off a full-count pitch might've been the harbinger, but Perry regrouped to strike out hot-hitting Milton Bradley. It was Perry's next pitch, a slider over the plate that Sweeney golfed into the left-field bleachers, that changed the tone dramatically.

After Jose Lopez's ensuing single put the potential tying run on base, Leyland went to the mound to try to calm him down.

"I told him, 'Look, you're fine,'" Leyland said. "This is all part of the process of growing as a pitcher. Just turn the page and concentrate on making pitches."

Perry felt he did turn the page. The Mariners kept coming. Rob Johnson fouled off a 2-2 slider, worked the count full and nearly drove a fastball out for a go-ahead homer. Instead, the ball bounced high off the left-field scoreboard, and a quick pursuit from Don Kelly prevented Lopez from trying to score.

It was temporary. With one out and the tying run on third, Perry looked for a strikeout or a ground ball. Wilson lined a fastball to left, angled just enough to center to give Kelly no chance of throwing out Johnson at the plate.

"It just seemed like a few of his pitches kept coming back across the middle of the plate," Laird said. "They put some good swings on them and hit some balls hard. That's a game you feel like you have to win, but that's baseball."

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

I blame Leyland for this loss, he saw that Perry was having a hard time, but left him in!

Cabrera belts three homers in loss to A's

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/28/10 9:26 PM ET

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DETROIT -- For the first time in his career, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera recorded three home runs in a single game.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Cabrera's bat was the only one that came to life on Friday, as the Tigers fell, 5-4, to the A's in front of a sellout crowd at Comerica Park.

Cabrera's first home run was a two-run shot in the first inning on the first pitch. His second and third homers were both solo shots, coming in the fourth and ninth innings, marking only the 21st three-home run game in Tigers history.

The Tigers only recorded seven hits in the game, compared to the A's 14, but were able to hang around late thanks to Cabrera's heroics from the plate. But the lead was too much for Cabrera to tackle alone.

Tigers starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis allowed two hits and two walks in the first inning before escaping on a double play. Such was the story of the night for Willis, who put himself in sticky situations but was able to escape with a no-decision. For the second consecutive game he exited after 5 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

With the game tied at 3 entering the top of the ninth inning, the A's jumped out to a two-run lead. Cabrera led off the ninth inning with his home run, but his fellow Tigers were unable to erase the damage as the Tigers' losing streak extended to three games.

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 outdueled by A's Anderson
Starter allows two runs in 6 1/3 but Oakland starter sharper

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/30/10 12:30 AM ET

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DETROIT - Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello was quick to admit he didn't have very good stuff on Saturday night.

He struggled with his command, couldn't get his sinker on track and was leaving fastballs up in the zone. But, through it all, Porcello did enough to give the Tigers a chance to win.

Unfortunately, for the second straight night, the Tigers ran into a hot starting pitcher and couldn't get anything rolling offensively en route to a 6-0 loss to the A's at Comerica Park.

On Saturday it was A's starter Brett Anderson who looked like a pitcher at the top of his game, not one who was making his first start since being placed on the disabled list April 27.

Anderson took control of the game early, limiting the Tigers to three hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings. After giving up a hit to Johnny Damon in the first inning, he went on a tear and retired 16 straight Tigers batters.

Porcello, on the other hand, wasn't himself on the night. Normally slinging his dangerous slider, Porcello is known as a ground-ball pitcher. But on Saturday, Porcello's command was so poor that he was just trying to put everything over the plate, resulting in 16 flyouts and only two groundouts.

Nonetheless, Porcello left the game after 6 1/3 innings with the Tigers trailing only 2-0.

"He really didn't have good control," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He had very good stuff, but not good control. He was up a lot and didn't get the ball down very well. It wasn't walking people, it was just all over the place control problems. Not being sharp and everything, to hold them to two runs was a pretty good accomplishment. You can feed off that and build off that, but that's how I'd sum up his performance."

But without run support, Porcello was left out to dry and took the loss, dropping to 4-5 with a 5.27 ERA.

"I didn't really have a good feel for any of my pitches today," Porcello said. "But I tried to do the best I could to battle through it. It was a tough one."

The Tigers' best chance to get on the board came in the third inning with the game still scoreless. Catcher Gerald Laird was an unlikely candidate for coming up with a big offensive play, as he was hitting .158 entering the game and was in the midst of a slump so lasting he actually changed his number prior to Friday's game.

In his first at-bat sporting his new No. 12, Laird belted a shot to deep left-center field that seemed to be a sure home run.

But A's left fielder Gabe Gross had different plans. Gross timed his jump perfectly and leaped over the fence to rob Laird of a home run.

"I've taken homers away," Gross said, "but that's the best one I can remember. They don't come around very often."

Said Anderson of the highlight reel catch: "You can't expect anything like that. After it was hit, I turned around, and all of a sudden someone was throwing the ball back to me. I thought it was gone for sure."

The negated home run could have changed the complexion of the game by giving the Tigers an early lead. Instead, Anderson went on to mow down the next 10 batters.

And the A's took control of the momentum in the fifth inning by putting up two runs on Porcello. The first came off the bat of Mark Ellis, his first home run of the season and the first home run surrendered by Porcello in his last four starts. Ryan Sweeney laced a triple to center field to score the final run of the inning off Porcello.

The A's tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth inning off the Tigers' bullpen to put the game out of reach. Reliever Brad Thomas surrendered three earned runs, while Eddie Bonine surrendered one.

The Tigers have dropped a season-high four straight games, and Saturday's shutout loss marked the fourth time this season the club has posted a goose egg.

No doubt, the Tigers have run into two very hot pitchers in the first two games of the four-game series. And it won't get any easier Sunday, as Dallas Braden will take the mound for the A's, with only three starts between his perfect game May 9.

"We've gotten two tough outings in the past couple days," Laird said. "These guys have good pitching. We have to bring our A-game. Obviously, they have some good performances the past couple nights. You have to tip your cap. That was a tough lefty we faced tonight, and we are going to be back here in 12 hours to face another tough lefty. Everyone is tough here. We have to continue to do what we can. We know we are a good baseball team. We have a lot of good talented players in here. It seems we are in a little funk 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.

Scherzer's 14 strikeouts pace Tigers in win
Righty K's a career high in return to Major Leagues

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/30/10 7:11 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Now that's the type of performance the Tigers were expecting when they brought in Max Scherzer from Arizona in the offseason. In fact, on Sunday he was even better than they could have hoped.

In his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo, Scherzer showed why the Tigers were so high on the right-handed slinger entering this season.

He recorded 14 strikeouts in 5 2/3 shutout innings, the most ever thrown in less than six innings by a Major League pitcher since 1920 according to baseballreference.com, as the Tigers pummeled the A's, 10-2, on Sunday at Comerica Park.

His 14 strikeouts were the most tossed by a big league pitcher this season and the most tallied by a Tigers hurler since Jeremy Bonderman recorded 14 strikeouts on Aug. 23, 2004.

"It was fun," Scherzer said of his dominant performance. "Strikeouts are fun. But at the same time it ran my pitch count up and got me out of the game earlier. As much fun as they are, I would have liked to pitch longer."

"At one point I was like, 'How many strikeouts does he have?' catcher Gerald Laird said. "I remember him striking out the side twice or three times. He had it all running today."

With the way Scherzer's season had gone prior to Sunday, it would have been a far-fetched dream to even think the Tigers' righty could accomplish such a feat -- especially after being sent down to the Minors on May 15, sporting a 1-4 record with a 7.29 ERA. In his past four starts with the Tigers, he was absolutely rocked, giving up 27 runs on 33 hits over 18 innings.

But Scherzer used his time in Toledo as a learning experience, not a punishment. He threw a bullpen session his first day there and altered his mechanics. Before leaving Detroit, he said his arm slot needed adjusting. In reality, he tweaked his arm action to get more on top of the ball and create more leverage at his release point.

"It was really a six-week process," Scherzer said. "In my first start, I thought my tempo was off. But it was the same. So I was searching for answers throughout the whole process. I knew something was still off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It really took me getting shelled to come up with new ideas.

The result: an outstanding individual performance in his first game back in the big leagues that completely shut down the A's bats. He struck out every Oakland batter at least once and allowed only two hits.

Prior to Sunday, reports from Toledo indicated to Tigers manager Jim Leyland that it would be pointless for Scherzer to throw another game for the Mud Hens. He was just too dominant in his two starts, boasting a 2-0 record and a 0.60 ERA. But not even Leyland could have expected to witness how impressive Scherzer was on Sunday.

"I hope everybody understands sending a player down isn't punishment," Leyland said. "It's to hopefully get results like we got today. You have to go down there and work on something and get better and get yourself back in sync and grab the bull by the horns. This was one outing so I don't want to get too carried away, but obviously that was pretty impressive."

Scherzer's fastball command was at the heart of his success. He brought the heat in 81 of his 113 pitches, staying in the mid-90s for the duration of his outing. By establishing the fastball early, he set himself up perfectly for the trickery of his offspeed pitches.

"Someone woke up Cy Young and brought him to the park today," said A's starting pitcher Dallas Braden (4-5), whose start was completely overshadowed by Scherzer. Braden surrendered five earned runs and tied a career high by surrendering 11 hits.

"I really didn't see anything or hit anything," said Daric Barton, who fanned three times against Scherzer. "He dealt. He basically threw two pitches to us today and dominated. He showed us, and them, that he belongs here. You have to tip your cap.

"I don't ever want to face him again," Barton added. "He's nasty."

While Scherzer was mowing down A's hitters early in the game -- he struck out six of the first eight batters he faced -- the Tigers' bats were coming to life for the first time in the series. The home team tallied one run in each of the first four innings.

Most importantly for the Tigers, the offense was coming from someone other than Miguel Cabrera. Brandon Inge (.229) and Laird (.168) came up big on the afternoon. Inge went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run, while Laird went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

While the bottom of the order was productive, Cabrera (4-for-5) wouldn't let them completely steal the offensive show. In the eighth inning, he sent a slider soaring through the air that appeared to be a sure flyout to left field. But the ball carried the fence for a three-run homer, his fourth of the series.

But Sunday's win was all about Scherzer's dramatic return to the big leagues, and the work he put forth to make it possible. On the same day that the Tigers designated for assignment clubhouse favorite, Dontrelle Willis, Scherzer gave the team something else to talk about.

"Today was big for us because it was Scherzer coming back," Leyland said. "And we didn't know what was going to happen. Did he get straightened out down there? What was it going to be like? It really was a big game for us and a big game for our pitching staff. If we can get him on a roll like that, that really upgrades our rotation."

The changes Scherzer made weren't just with his mechanics. He also selected a new locker in the Tigers' clubhouse and almost made another big change, as well.

"I was contemplating changing my number," Scherzer said. "But I was watching the game last night and I saw G-money [Laird] hit a home run that got taken back, so I realized that wasn't for me. I realized I better just stay 37. It worked out today."

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

After rain delay, Tigers drop finale
Verlander strikes out eight but takes his fourth loss

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

05/31/10 9:15 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander tried his best to keep the Tigers in the game with a nasty curveball, and probably should've kept them closer. The offense behind him, however, continues to throw manager Jim Leyland a changeup.

"No, we haven't been doing too much offensively lately. That would be an understatement," Leyland said after Monday's 4-1 loss to the A's.

While the long-expected heavy downpours finally arrived at Comerica Park Monday night after a long day that began with a delay, the mood in the Tigers clubhouse was similarly gloomy over a lineup that can't seem to produce more than intermittent sprinkles of offense lately.

Not only did Monday's loss cede the four-game series to Oakland, it marked the Tigers' seventh loss in their past nine games. They haven't scored more than four runs in any of the losses, and they've been held to one run or less three times.

Two losses came in Seattle with Miguel Cabrera away from the team. Yet take away Sunday's 10-run outburst, and the Tigers scored five runs in their three losses to Oakland with Cabrera back at cleanup.

Thus, the same team that held up surprisingly well during a brutal month-long stretch that included matchups with five of last year's eight postseason teams is now struggling in what was expected to be their time to catch momentum. That same A's team boasts what has the potential to be a formidable pitching staff. But while Trevor Cahill outpitched Verlander, the Tigers had their chances to change that.

"Obviously, he threw pretty well," Leyland said of Cahill. "He stuck it to us. We had a couple chances to get right back in it. We just didn't do it. You have to take advantage of those opportunities, and we just didn't do it."

Verlander has lost his last two starts with a total of four runs of support. In contrast to last week's loss at Seattle on an eighth-inning Milton Bradley RBI, the way Cahill pitched Monday, Verlander never pitched with a lead and trailed two batters into the game.

Verlander settled down and used his breaking ball to rack up eight strikeouts for the game. He might have held Oakland scoreless the rest of the way had he drawn a call for a ninth strikeout in his seventh and final inning.

That was little consolation for him. Neither the run support nor the two hour and 42 minute weather delay served as an excuse for him.

"I took the loss and I need to do better," Verlander said. "The bottom line is their guys hit the ball extremely well and I needed to throw the ball better to get the win."

Verlander has given up multiple-run opening innings in each of his back-to-back losses. This time, the A's forced him to go early to his upper-90s heater, throwing eight of his 23 first-inning pitches at 97 mph or harder. Rajai Davis lined one of them for a leadoff single, then Daric Barton saw all fastballs before hitting a 3-1 pitch into the gap in right-center field on a hit-and-run play for an RBI double.

"To lead off the game, I'm trying to throw a fastball down and away, and it's up in the middle of the plate for a base hit," Verlander said. "The same to Barton, it was up and middle and he hits a double. At that point, it's tough to get out of that situation without giving up a run or two."

Verlander (5-4) sent down 16 of Oakland's next 18 batters from there, including 10 in a row from the third inning through the sixth. He used his curveball with two strikes for at least four of his eight strikeouts, two of them watching him spot the breaking ball over the plate.

After Kurt Suzuki's leadoff double in the seventh gave Oakland a chance at an insurance tally, Verlander nearly had one more. He sent down Jack Cust looking at 99 mph fastball at the knees, then put Kevin Kouzmanoff in an 0-2 hole. With a 1-2 count, he went to back-to-back breaking balls at the inside corner. Home-plate umpire Laz Diaz ruled them both balls, running the count full as Verlander glared back.

With a payoff pitch, Verlander went back to the fastball, and Kouzmanoff sent it back up the middle to plate Suzuki as Verlander and Diaz exchanged words at the plate. Verlander retired the side from there, but had more words for Diaz on his way back to the dugout while Diaz followed him into foul ground.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I thought they were strikes and he thought they were balls," Verlander said. "But that's the game of baseball. I was a little upset because it's a big situation in the game and obviously I'm somebody that gets pretty fired up out there. But that's the game of baseball, love it or hate it."

The way Cahill performed, it didn't matter. He retired Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez and Cabrera in order with Don Kelly in scoring position in the opening inning, then retired Damon and Ordonez again with runners on second and third two innings later.

"I definitely can't be happy with the way I've been hitting with runners in scoring position," Damon said. "I'm definitely a much better hitter. You do have to tip your hat to their pitchers."

Brandon Inge's single with a runner in scoring position went for naught when left fielder Gabe Gross threw out Brennan Boesch at the plate. Not until Austin Jackson's pinch-hit, two-out single off Jerry Blevins in the seventh did the Tigers get their run.

"Verlander is one of the best pitchers in the game," Cahill said. "You knew it would be a close game from the get-go ... it was one of those days that worked in my favor."

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

Tigers can't back Bonderman's solid start

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/02/10 12:08 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Both starting pitchers in Tuesday's game had no problem finding the bottom of the strike zone.

For the Tigers, Jeremy Bonderman pounded his fastball down low all evening, while the Indians' Jake Westbrook found the bottom of the zone by utilizing his deceptive offspeed arsenal.

In a downright pitchers' duel, Westbrook's offspeed command trumped Bonderman's power, as the Tigers fell to the Indians, 3-2, on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

Bonderman went eight innings in his longest start since July 7, 2007, and surrendered only three runs, marking his fourth straight start where he's given up three earned runs or fewer. Two of those games resulted in losses.

For the second straight night, the Tigers' offense spoiled an impressive starting performance. On Monday, the offense couldn't provide any run support for ace Justin Verlander. Then Tuesday, the same stayed true for Bonderman.

"He pitched his heart out," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We just haven't been mustering much offense lately."

Tuesday's lack of offense can certainly be attributed to Westbrook. The right-hander only recorded one strikeout in 7 2/3 innings of work but allowed only one earned run -- a testament to his ability to keep the ball down in the zone and tally ground-ball outs.

Bonderman received his fair share of groundouts as well. But two costly pitches that stayed up in the zone proved to be too much for the Tigers' slumping sluggers to battle back from.

In the fifth and sixth innings, Bonderman gave up solo homers that traveled to almost exactly the same spot, just barely over the right-field fence. Bonderman had only given up two home runs the entire season prior to Tuesday's loss.

Other than that, Bonderman's mix of fastballs and sliders was effective, minus a hiccup in the seventh inning that led to an Indians run. That run would prove to be costly for the Tigers late in the game.

Bonderman was obviously upset to take the loss after such a performance. But when the offense isn't working, it just isn't working.

"I went out and did my job, and it stinks," Bonderman said. "I'm mad. But [the offense] carried us the whole first half of the season. It's just a matter of everyone putting it together at the same time. It's going to happen. We'll find a way and we will start rolling."

Other than Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers' offense has been foundering this homestand. Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a double and scored in the second inning when Carlos Guillen lined an RBI base hit to center field.

But other than a ninth-inning rally that fell short, the Tigers couldn't solve Westbrook.

"What I noticed about [Westbrook] today was, when we did get a pitch that was good, there was nobody on and nobody out, and he would go after you, which you're supposed to do as a pitcher," third baseman Brandon Inge said. "Those are the only balls that you could really drive, and some of them, guys would get good wood on them, but maybe popped them up. You can't knock that, it's a matter of a couple millimeters. When he did get guys in scoring position, when he did get into some sort of a jam with runners on, he didn't throw you much to hit, and he was really good. He was throwing strikes -- quality, down where you had to swing at it."

Bonderman forced the Indians to go 1-2-3 through the first two innings before surrendering a triple in the third. He got out of the jam and looked strong until giving up a leadoff home run to Russell Branyan in the fifth inning.

Then in the sixth inning, Bonderman gave up his second home run of the night, this time on a slider, to Shin-Soo Choo, who was in an 0-for-19 slump before his homer.

Down, 3-1, entering the ninth inning, the Indians brought in closer Kerry Wood. He retired Cabrera on a groundout and rookie Brennan Boesch went down looking on three pitches.

But an error by Branyan helped Guillen reach base, and after a walk to Inge, the Tigers were in business.

Catcher Alex Avila, who owns a .187 batting average, had a whopping 10 pitch at-bat before driving a pitch to right field to score Guillen from second.

"It was one of the best at-bats I've had all season," Avila said. "I've had a few good ones and a lot of bad ones. Wood is an amazing pitcher, and I was able to just battle and get a good pitch and I hit it pretty hard."

Said Leyland of Avila's at-bat: "It was tremendous. It was a very good at-bat. I wish he would have got it up because it would have gone out. He hit it really hard on the button for a line drive. If he got it up on the same sweet spot, there's a chance it would have gone out. He did a great job and had a good at-bat."

Avila's at-bat was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers' offense on the night. The game ended when Ramon Santiago flew out to left field, dropping Detroit's record to 1-4 this homestand.

The Tigers have now lost eight of their past 10 games and haven't scored more than four runs in that span.

But Leyland still has confidence in his lineup.

"We have a pretty good hitting ballclub," Leyland said, "and it's just a matter of getting it going again. I don't think you look to one thing. You don't sit around and hope you get better. I mean, we are what we are, and that's pretty good.

"You just come the next day ready to grind it out. There's not really a lot of panic. We've been through this a thousand times since I've been here."

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

Missed call ends Galarraga's perfect bid
Tigers righty loses perfect game on 27th hitter

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/02/10 8:54 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Tigers right-hander Armando Galarraga nearly made history, and might have anyway. He fell one batter and a disputed call shy of a perfect game, settling for a one-hitter in a 3-0 Tigers victory over the Indians on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.

What would've been the third perfect game this season and the first in Tigers history instead ended up with a controversial ending when rookie Jason Donald hit a ground ball to first with two outs in the ninth inning. Miguel Cabrera fielded it towards the hole and flipped to Galarraga covering first, but first-base umpire Jim Joyce ruled Galarraga didn't have his foot on the bag.

Replays showed Galarraga had his foot on the bag before Donald got there. The play was ruled an infield single, breaking up the no-hitter as well as the perfect game.

Galarraga retired Trevor Crowe to preserve the shutout, but Tigers players Gerald Laird and Jeremy Bonderman took a detour from the postgame celebration to have words with Joyce, as did manager Jim Leyland.

The play in question came two batters after Austin Jackson made a basket catch in deep left-center field to preserve the bid for perfection.

It would've been an incredible feat for someone who wasn't in the Detroit rotation until a few weeks ago and was skipped in the rotation last weekend. But on a night when Cleveland batters kept swinging and missing at Galarraga's retooled slider, the Venezuelan sent down the first 26 batters in order in remarkably efficient fashion. He finished with 88 pitches, 67 of them for strikes.

Galarraga's first start since May 22 showed none of the rust one might have expected and all of the bite in his slider that the Tigers hoped to see after extra work in the bullpen. He didn't face a three-ball count until Travis Hafner worked one leading off the fifth.

Until Jackson's catch, the only challenging defensive play the Indians mustered through eight innings was Russell Branyan's comebacker to end the fifth. Galarraga deflected it, but right to third baseman Brandon Inge, who fired to first for the out.

Galarraga barely had any time to let his arm cool down. Detroit held a slim 1-0 lead, with Miguel Cabrera's second-inning solo homer accounting for the lone run. Cleveland's Fausto Carmona was working almost as efficiently as Galarraga for quick outs, finishing with 96 pitches.

Galarraga seemed to get stingier as the game got deeper. He needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in the fifth, eight pitches to do the same in the sixth, then tossed a six-pitch seventh and an 11-pitch eighth.

Dallas Braden tossed the 19th perfect game in Major League history May 9 against the Rays. Roy Halladay made it 20 with a perfect outing against the Marlins on Saturday.

No Tigers hurler has pitched a perfect game. Justin Verlander pitched Detroit's last no-hitter, on June 12, 2007, against the Brewers.

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

Seriously so pissed off about that. Cannot believe Jim Joyce.

If I were the league, I'd fire him. If I were him and the league didn't fire me, I'd quit.

Last Updated: June 02. 2010 11:07PM
Umpire admits he cost Tigers' Galarraga perfect game
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Jim Joyce was like a person at fault in an accident scene, his emotional state chaotic and distraught.

He paced back and forth in the umpire's clubhouse at Comerica Park. His big arms were folded tight, like a straitjacket, against his chest. His face was flushed red. His tongue did its best to chop an umpire into pieces, which is where Joyce's psyche lay minutes after Wednesday night's near-perfect game by Armando Galarraga.

Near-perfect when it was clearly perfect.

"I missed it, I missed it," Joyce barked, his voice at the extreme end of anguished.

"I took a perfect game from that kid who pitched a perfect game.

"It was the biggest call of my career and I kicked the (stuff) out of it.

"I'm sorry. I had a great angle and I missed the call."

It was the kind of call Joyce, 54, who has been one of the game's better umpires for 23 years, has made a thousand times.

Mistakes are brutal. Mistakes that come from an Edgar Allan Poe manuscript are indescribably cruel.

Joyce's imperfect act that ruined a perfect game came with two out in the ninth, after Galarraga had put somehow put away 26 consecutive Cleveland Indians batters. He was ready to put a flourish on history, on a previously unremarkable career that was about to slip into baseball lore, when he got Jason Donald to smack a grounder between first base and second.

Miguel Cabrera snared the ball, waited a split-second to line up Galarraga, who was a few feet from history. Cabrera threw neatly to his soon-to-be celebrity teammate as Galarraga stepped on the bag, a split-second ahead of Donald's foot.

Joyce's hands, palms-down, stretched left and right.

"Safe!"

And at that moment, hellfire descended on Comerica Park's infield. As quickly as television replays confirmed what Joyce's blunder ruined, an umpire's nightmare began.

Galarraga got the final out of a 3-0 Tigers victory and, in an instant, Tigers manager Jim Leyland was breathing fire into Joyce's face, as were Tigers players, who came dangerously close to having a physical confrontation with an umpire whose name was about to know infamy.

"I really thought he beat the ball," Joyce said, speaking of Donald as he continued to pace 5 feet one way, 5 another, over and over, his crew members sitting silently at a nearby table.

"At that time I thought he beat the ball. I asked the guy in the (video) room to cue up the play as soon as we got in here.

"And I missed it from here to that wall."

Joyce had the appearance of a man who had done something far worse than make a mistake in a baseball game. He was inconsolable. He ripped at himself mercilessly. He would not hear about the game being human, about people being fallible.

"I don't blame the Tigers for anything that was said after the game," he said. "If I had been Galarraga, I would have been the first one in my face."

"And he never said a word to me. I don't blame one person for their reaction.

"This wasn't a call," Joyce said, emphasizing the third word. "This was a history call. And I kicked the (stuff) out of it."

Joyce later met with Galarraga, who said, "He probably feels more bad than me. Nobody's perfect. Everybody's human. I understand. I give the guy a lot of credit for saying, 'I need to talk to you.' You don't see an umpire tell you that after a game. I gave him a hug."

Joyce was asked if he had not come to terms with the perils of a profession where mistakes are displayed on a grand stage. He had to have known about Don Denkinger's grief when Denkinger blew a call that cost the St. Louis Cardinals the 1985 World Series.

"I've never been through anything like this," Joyce said, his voice quivering. "I worked with Don Denkinger, and I know what he went through, but I've ever had a moment like this."

Joyce stopped pacing. He stood for a moment, listening to someone's reminder that far more heartbreaking mistakes are made by other people each day. He turned to head for the shower. And he broke down.

Leyland heard about Joyce's psychological state in the Tigers clubhouse.

"I gotta get over there," the Tigers manager said, heading for the doorway, and for the tunnel leading to the umpire's dressing room.

Leyland returned 15 minutes later.

"He's better now," the manager said, forgiving an umpire who could not forgive himself.

Gannett news services contributed to this report.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100602/SPORTS0104/6020433/Umpire-admits-he-cost-Tigers--Galarraga-perfect-game#ixzz0pkx4kR00

Offensive outburst lifts Tigers in finale
Ordonez, Jackson shine at the plate in victory

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/03/10 7:38 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Almost Mr. Perfect, Armando Galarraga, was awarded a brand new Chevrolet convertible for Wednesday's near-perfect outing during a pregame ceremony held on Thursday.

Chevrolet didn't announce it to the crowd, but they told the Tigers that they would also award a new car to anyone on the team that hit for the cycle in the rubber match of Detroit's three-game series against the Indians.

Magglio Ordonez almost made them back up their words. The Tigers right fielder was a single short of hitting for the cycle, as the Tigers defeated the Indians, 12-6, to take the series at Comerica Park.

Ordonez didn't even realize he had a shot at the feat until the sixth inning. His three-run home run in the seventh inning put him a base knock short of the cycle, but the Tigers fell two batters shy of giving him a chance to earn some new wheels.

"We just couldn't get Magglio up there that last time," Tigers manager Jim Leyland joked after the win.

Ordonez may not have received a new ride, but the Tigers' offense certainly got on a roll Thursday. The club recorded a season-high 10 extra-base hits, the most since recording 11 on May 6, 2007 at Kansas City.

Earlier in the homestand, a game like Thursday would likely have fallen in the loss column. The Tigers received a far from stellar performance from starting pitcher Rick Porcello and the defense committed a season-high tying four errors. It was a defensive and pitching performance that likely would have been a recipe for disaster earlier in the homestand with the offense unable to provide any support.

But not on Thursday.

The bats finally came to life and bailed out a mediocre pitching performance. On Wednesday, of course, Galarraga didn't need much help from his teammates. But in the team's previous two starts, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander were left out to dry by cold bats. The Tigers had only posted more than four runs in six of their last seven games entering Thursday.

Leading the way offensively were the expected candidates, Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, who hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to bust open what had been a one-run game. Cabrera's solo shot was his 16th of the season and puts the slugger in a three-way tie for tops in the Major Leagues. Eight of Cabrera's past 18 hits have gone for home runs, and he is the first player in the Majors to reach 50 RBIs this season.

Along with the expected bats, the two rookies in the lineup also came up in the clutch.

Hidden under Galarraga's near-perfect game on Wednesday night was an outstanding performance by center fielder Austin Jackson.

Most fans probably saw his over-the-shoulder, full-speed catch in the top of the ninth inning that kept the perfecto alive. But many probably didn't see that he also went 3-for-4 from the plate on Wednesday.

On Thursday afternoon, Jackson's bat wasn't as quiet. The rookie went 4-for-6 with a career-high three doubles. If that wasn't enough, Jackson also made another phenomenal grab in the second inning. The play was almost a mirror image of Wednesday's catch. Instead of tearing through left-center field and making the catch over his left shoulder, he sprinted to right-center and made the grab over his right shoulder.

"I think that was a little easier than it was yesterday," Jackson said. "I was positioned a lot better than I was yesterday. And it didn't mean as much as it did yesterday."

Rookie Brennan Boesch joined in offensively with a 3-for-4 performance with a triple and two runs scored.

It was the type of offensive game the team desperately needed. The Tigers went 3-5 in the homestand and other than Cabrera -- who went 13-for-27 this homestand -- struggled to come up with hitting in the clutch.

"We swung a hot bat today and the team did great," Boesch said. "Any time you have a game like today where the offense shows up and produces those kinds of runs, you carry that momentum in and ride that out."

Porcello struggled with his command early but didn't run into any serious trouble until the fourth inning. The young righty beaned the leadoff man and walked the next batter on five pitches. Then after allowing a base hit, the Tigers' defense committed back-to-back errors. The Indians ended up posting five runs in the inning to erase a four-run deficit and actually take a 6-5 lead.

"That one inning, it was a struggle," catcher Gerald Laird said. "It was nice to see him go out there and kind of go five-plus after giving up six runs, but it was one inning, a couple rough plays for him. That's part of the game. He did good enough to keep us in the game."

Porcello excited after 5 1/3 innings and received the no-decision. He saw the Indians score six runs under his watch, but only three were earned. With the no-decision, he maintains an undefeated record (4-0) against the Indians in his two-year career with the Tigers.

It was a topsy-turvy game that was close until the seventh inning when the Tigers posted five runs of their own. The offensive outpouring was a good way to get the ball rolling, as the club prepares for a six-game road trip.

"We knew we could hit," Laird said. "We've got a good lineup and we've got good pitching. We're going to have to win games like this, too. We're not always going to go out and put up zeroes, and today was a good game. They came back and challenged us, got the lead back, and we were able to come back and get the lead."

Although the Tigers' offense was a bright spot, the sportsmanship displayed before and after the game will likely be remembered more than what happened on the field on Thursday. And for Leyland, that's just fine.

"I couldn't be prouder of the Tigers fans today," Leyland said. "I'm proud to be the manager of this franchise and I'm proud to manage for these fans. They showed me a lot of class today and it was a hard thing to do. They are competitors in this town. They've had to be forever. To accept that was tough. But they did it like champions and I'm proud of them."

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

Missed opportunities cost Tigers

By Samuel Zuba / MLB.com

06/05/10 1:08 AM ET

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KANSAS CITY-- It was a perfect mix of poor hitting and a shaky bullpen performance that tanked the Tigers on Friday night.

The two went hand-in-hand as the Tigers fell to the Royals, 7-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Tigers fell behind, 4-0, as the Royals offense surged behind starting pitcher Bruce Chen -- who was making just his second start of the year. Chen went five-plus innings, allowing only four hits and two earned runs, and the Tigers couldn't get a hit when it counted most.

There certainly were chances to put runs on the board for the Tigers, but the team was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Run production has been Detroit's downfall lately as it has scored four runs or fewer in eight of its last 10 games.

"We have to swing the bat better," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We had a leadoff double to start the second inning and he's still there at the end of the inning. Chen pitched a good ball game, but not the type that should shut you down."

For a moment, the Tigers climbed back into the game after a leadoff walk in the sixth inning to Magglio Ordonez. A single to Miguel Cabrera ended Chen's day, and right-hander Kyle Farnsworth came on in relief. Farnsworth's first pitch to Brennan Boesch landed in the Royals' bullpen for a three-run homer, putting the Tigers within one run of the Royals.

"Any time you get a chance to drive in runs and get the game a little bit closer, you're putting your team in an opportunity to get a win," Boesch said. "When I get that opportunity, I want to capitalize regardless of what happened before. You just have to bear down and, every opportunity you get to drive in runs, you have to take advantage of it."

Boesch certainly took advantage of that opportunity as he belted his fifth homer of the season.

Royals manager Ned Yost had an interesting take on the home run that cut his team's lead to one.

"[Farnsworth] came in and was on the attack and tried to throw strike one and the kid hit it out of the park," Yost said. "I don't really want him to hit a three-run homer there, but I'm proud [Farnsworth] went after him, trying to get ahead. That's what we asked him to do."

Detroit's hopes of a comeback were short-lived after Tigers starter Max Scherzer was pulled following a leadoff single by Alberto Callaspo in the Royals' half of the sixth. Ryan Perry came on in relief and after getting two quick outs, Perry gave up three straight singles, and the Royals scored three times, extending their lead to 7-3.

Sending Perry in while the Tigers were only down one run seemed like a safe bet to Leyland. But that safe bet turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the Tigers.

"That killed us," Leyland said. "[After Scherzer was taken out] I thought it was a good time to get Perry going. It really wasn't a big pressure situation, he just left the ball in the middle of the plate, as he has been doing for awhile."

After facing only five batters, Perry was pulled. The right-hander gave up three hits and two earned runs, increasing his ERA to 5.91. All in all, Perry blamed his slider for his inconsistency.

"I feel it's catching [too] much of the plate," Perry said of his slider. "The last hitter I faced, I got a 3-1 count. He knows what's coming. That's the way it goes."

And just like that the Tigers were back where they started -- trailing by three runs.

After the game, Leyland gave credit to Chen, but wasn't going to use Chen's performance as an excuse for sub-par hitting.

"He pitched good," Leyland said of Chen. "I don't want to take anything away from him, but we can't keep saying everybody pitches good. This is the big leagues. If you're saying every night that somebody pitched good, then you got problems. Every now and then you have to hit good."

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

Verlander, Cabrera one-two punch Royals
Starter works seven-plus; slugger goes yard

By Samuel Zuba / MLB.com

06/06/10 12:30 AM ET

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KANSAS CITY -- Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera did it again.

The duo combined solid pitching with clutch hitting as the Tigers edged the Royals, 4-2, Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Detroit's ace pitched seven-plus innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits. Make that Verlander's 10th career victory against the Royals in 15 starts.

Over those 15 starts, Verlander has a staggering 2.57 ERA, and this game was no exception to those stats.

Both Verlander and Royals starter Luke Hochevar were rolling as they brought a scoreless game into the sixth inning. Miguel Cabrera ended that scoring drought when he sent Hochevar's two-out offering soaring over the left-field fence. Cabrera is now hitting .529 (9-for-17) lifetime off Royals starter Luke Hochevar.

"The guys seems to do that day in and day out," Verlander said of Cabrera's blast. "The thing that is so special about him, is that you can come for one game, or you can come to every game, and still get an appreciation for what he does."

Cabrera has now hit nine home runs over his last 13 games and is batting .406 (13-for-32) over that period.

Hochevar, who lasted seven-plus innings, allowing only one run on six hits, caught Tigers manager Jim Leyland's eye.

"I think that guy has made great strides," Leyland said. "I think [Royals catcher Jason] Kendall and [Bob] McClure, the pitching coach, have done a great job with him. Now, he's backing off some and using his changeup and other pitches. They've done a spectacular job with him, and it was an outstanding pitching effort by both guys tonight."

Heading into the eighth, the Tigers held a slim 1-0 lead before Carlos Guillen knocked a two-out, two-RBI double off right-handed reliever Blake Wood. Guillen missed Friday's game with a bruised toe but the day off only rejuvenated him as he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

"I was just trying to stay aggressive and I was looking for a good pitch to hit," he said. "I wasn't trying to do too much, just trying to hit it hard."

Leyland thinks Guillen is finally settling down now that he is back at second base where he feels comfortable.

"Happy players are good players," Leyland said, "and he's happy to be back in the infield. So I think that's a big thing. There's a lot more bounce in his step and there's a better look in his face."

The Royals finally got to Verlander when they led off the eighth inning with back-to-back base hits, but even still, Royals second baseman Mike Aviles said Verlander was basically untouchable.

"He was good, mixing his pitches, throwing all three for strikes," Aviles said. "That's just the kind of pitcher he is. It was just one of those deals where we got to him late. It would've been nice to get to him a little earlier but he kept us basically where he wanted."

As reliever Phil Coke and closer Jose Valverde took over for Verlander, the Royals' hopes of a late-inning comeback were squashed. The relief tandum combined to pitch two innings of hitless baseball.

Valverde officially closed the door on the Royals in the eighth and ninth as he picked up a five-out save, his 12th save of the season.

"I never like to bring my closer in during the eighth inning, not at all, but what a job by Valverde," Leyland said.

Cabrera -- who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a key homer that opened up the game -- earned the praise of Verlander after the game.

"I think it's amazing for everyone, the talent and ability that he possess," Verlander said of his teammate. "We're around the best baseball players in the world, and he amazes us every day. That's something pretty special."

Leyland's thoughts on Cabrera's ability to break open any game were simple and true.

"Great players do great things," Leyland said.

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

Tigers' offense gets shut down in finale
Bonderman struggles as Detroit drops series in KC

By Samuel Zuba / MLB.com

06/06/10 6:53 PM ET

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KANSAS CITY -- It's plain and simple. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman got rocked. The right-hander put his team in a hole it just could not get out of, as the Royals topped the Tigers, 7-2, on Sunday to claim the rubber match of the three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

With the loss, Bonderman fell to 2-4 on the season. He was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The brunt of Bonderman's struggles came in the first two innings, when he gave up a combined five runs on six hits.

Royals designated hitter Jose Guillen belted a three-run home run -- his 13th of the season -- after back-to-back two-out singles from David DeJesus and Billy Butler.

"In the first inning, I had the opportunity to get the first two outs, and then I gave up a couple of singles and I tried to come in on [Guillen]," Bonderman said. "Whatever the case may be, I'll just have to regroup and go get them next time."

This wasn't the first time Guillen has gotten to Bonderman. Guillen is 5-for-16 with eight RBIs lifetime against him. Only two of those three hits have stayed in the ballpark.

Guillen didn't seem to care about his past success against the Tigers' right-hander.

"I don't keep stats on those things, I don't watch video or any of that stuff," Guillen said. "I got a good swing on it, a fastball coming in, and that was it."

Entering Sunday's start against the Royals, Bonderman had only given up four earned runs in his last 21 innings.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland kept it simple.

"[Bonderman] just didn't have it today, just didn't have it," Leyland said. "He was fighting himself and it was just one of those days. He'll just have to turn the page and move on. He's been pitching extremely well, and today, he just didn't have it.

"We didn't do much offensively, Bonderman didn't have a good day."

After Bonderman's disastrous first two innings, he settled down and retired nine of the next 10 batters, before falling back into trouble in the sixth. The Tigers' bullpen came on and didn't allow a run over 2 1/3 innings.

After falling into a five-run hole early, the struggling Tigers offense needed to explode to have a chance. Royals starter Brian Bannister made sure that didn't happen.

Bannister picked up his fifth consecutive win, allowing two runs on five hits through 7 1/3 innings. In nine career starts against the Tigers, Bannister is 5-2 with an ERA of just over 2.00.

"He's always pretty effective against us," Leyland said. "He changed speeds, switched his pitches, used both sides of the plate. He cuts it, curves it, sinks it -- he's a good pitcher. It's his fifth win in a row, so it's not just us. But he's carved us up pretty good."

The Tigers' offensive woes continued, as they have now scored four runs or fewer in 10 of their last 12 games.

After Friday night's loss in the series opener, Leyland said the Tigers couldn't keep blaming their offensive struggles on good pitching because, as he said, "Sometimes, you have to pitch good, too." Sunday's six-hit performance was a step in the wrong direction for Detroit.

Johnny Damon put most of that blame on himself. The 16-year veteran feels the responsibility for his team to generate offense starts with him.

"We're just not hitting like people thought we would be at the beginning of the season, and today, we dug ourselves a hole in the first, and we just couldn't get anything going," he said. "I've been scuffling to try to catch up to the fastball. Pitchers know me, so they're showing me everything in the book. I feel like if I go, this offense goes, too. I just haven't been able to figure it out."

Losing the series to the Royals wasn't the only piece of bad news. After the game, Leyland announced that shortstop Adam Everett had been designated for assignment.

Everett, who hit .248 with 48 RBIs in 1 1/2 seasons with the Tigers, will either be traded, or if he clears waivers, will be free to sign with any team. The Tigers called up Danny Worth from Triple-A Toledo and he will join the team Tuesday in Chicago.

"This is a sad day, because I never wanted to be the guy to tell Adam Everett this," Leyland said. "There is nobody that's classier -- nobody -- that's ever played for me than Adam Everett. That's exactly the way he handled it, too."

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

Seventh-inning outburst carries Tigers
Boesch, Guillen homer; Galarraga earns no-decision

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/09/10 12:59 AM ET

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CHICAGO -- Armando Galarraga wasn't perfect. He wasn't robbed, either. He was good enough.

"One of my friends texted me," Galarraga said after Tuesday's 7-2 Tigers win over the White Sox. "He said, 'Here we go. This is the Armando that I know, not the last time. This is the Armando that I know: five innings, a home run.' He was joking around."

Brennan Boesch and a rejuvenated Tigers offense eventually made sure it was good enough with six seventh-inning runs. And Galarraga, who has been in the national spotlight ever since his bid for a perfect game fell a blown call short last Wednesday, could finally get back to some normalcy.

His previous start will be indelibly etched in Tigers history, albeit not with the result he should have had. This one won't make history, but it'll make for a more comfortable spot in the rotation.

"It's reality," Galarraga said. "I don't want to be battling myself. I'm not doing anything special in the big leagues to be like a superstar. I need to keep going."

That was hard to do in recent days. First came Thursday's celebration, complete with the new Chevy Corvette. The debate over the missed call lingered into the weekend.

Galarraga talked on the phone with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez a couple days ago, he said, and he received recognition from U.S. President Barack Obama more recently. There were fans shaking hands with him on the streets of Chicago during the Tigers' off-day Monday.

Even as he warmed up for his first inning Tuesday night, there was a standing ovation from a White Sox crowd that is usually rough on the Tigers, a fact that caught some of his teammates off guard.

"I was excited the way people gave respect to Galarraga," Miguel Cabrera said. "They love baseball. They know baseball. That's good to see."

They cheered the quick end to perfection when Juan Pierre singled leading off the bottom of the first inning. Galarraga didn't dominate from there, but he settled in, which is what his manager wanted to see.

"I think there was a lot of really nice pressure on him tonight," Jim Leyland said. "He's a kid that's being talked about of a sudden. It's kind of like that rock band that nobody ever heard of and all of a sudden they've got a big hit, or that actor that nobody heard of and all of a sudden comes up with an Oscar-winning performance. I think that's kind of like this is for him."

Most of those one-hit wonders usually flop with their second effort. This was not one of them. Galarraga stranded runners at the corners to escape the first inning, then had a well-timed pitchout to nab Pierre in the third.

"There were some times when he tried to get too fine on some guys," catcher Alex Avila said, "but the biggest thing, at least for today, was staying aggressive in the strike zone."

He had a run of 13 consecutive scoreless innings when he made his one real mistake of the night, a 10-pitch battle with Mark Kotsay that included four two-strike foul balls. It ended when Galarraga challenged him with a fastball, a pitch Kotsay sent out to right field for his sixth home run of the season.

"I was tired," Galarraga said. "I was two strikes, one ball, and I threw everything. Foul ball, foul ball. He made the count 3-2, and I had thrown changeup, fastball, slider, foul ball, foul ball, foul ball. He definitely got a pitch that was not a good pitch, but I was like, 'OK, hit it if you want to hit it.'"

Galarraga recovered to strand two more runners that inning, and two more in the fifth. Still, the way Gavin Floyd was pitching, that home run stood to be the difference in the game.

Floyd struck out eight Tigers over six innings and had a scoreless effort going until Ryan Raburn, playing in place of injured Magglio Ordonez, doubled and scored on Carlos Guillen's single in the sixth. Floyd stranded two runners by retiring Avila, but his 101st pitch was his last.

Ramon Santiago's infield single off Matt Thornton started the seventh-inning outburst. After Johnny Damon's walk moved Santiago into scoring position, Raburn's sharp liner into right field drove him in. Gordon Beckham's error on the throw into second base allowed Damon to score, pulling Detroit ahead.

With first base open, Thornton intentionally walked MVP candidate Cabrera and opted instead to face the rookie Boesch, whose strikeouts his previous three at-bats were making this a perfectly awful night. He was poised for another with a 1-2 count, but fouled off three consecutive fastballs. After shrugging off a slider in the dirt, he got a fastball he could center -- all the way over the fence.

"He fell behind Boesch and threw one down and in and he hit it," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "That guy has got power."

That's why Leyland has no problem with the three strikeouts.

"Boesch is Boesch," Leyland said. "They throw it. He swings."

The three-run homer, Boesch's sixth homer of the year, and Guillen's subsequent solo shot came too late for Galarraga to get a decision. But that's fine with him. He's had enough recognition.

"Now we come back to reality," Galarraga said.

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

Porcello's problems compounded in loss
Starter charged with eight runs over 3 1/3 innings

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/10/10 1:39 AM ET

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CHICAGO -- The lasting image of Rick Porcello from his rookie season was his poise on the mound at the Metrodome last October in the American League Central playoff against the Twins. The Tigers have to hope that Wednesday doesn't end up the snapshot of his 2010 campaign.

At the very least, however, the 15-3 Tigers loss to the White Sox found a new depth to his sophomore slump.

Two words from manager Jim Leyland summed it up: "I'm concerned."

Porcello was again calm in the face of pressure, but he couldn't keep the hits from falling all over U.S. Cellular Field in a seven-run fourth inning. He gave up five straight hits so quickly that he didn't quite grasp it. When he finally caught his breath with an out, Ramon Castro knocked it out of him on his next pitch with a three-run homer.

The young man, who retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, gave up six runs in a seven-batter span and retired only one of his final eight batters.

"They got those hits so quick, it was like a slap in the face," Porcello said. "I didn't even realize what happened until I was out of the game. That's a perfect example of just letting the game speed up on me, and I've done that a couple times this year and not been able to stop it."

To be fair, most 21-year-old pitchers are still coming up through the Minor Leagues. Many pitchers who graduated high school at the same time as Porcello were drafted as college pitchers in the past few days. Porcello is battling to stay afloat in the big leagues with a breaking ball that has flattened out.

"He just hasn't been able to do much with his breaking ball at all," Leyland said, "and he basically tried to pitch with one pitch. The breaking ball was not doing anything. It was just spinning."

Porcello, too, is struggling to find the reason. He went into the clubhouse after his outing and immediately went to the video of his undoing.

"I watched those at-bats several times," Porcello said. "All three of those breaking balls that they hit, they were just hanging right there. The one to [Alex] Rios for the base hit, and then [Paul] Konerko, and then [Gordon] Beckham. And the fastballs, they just stayed up. They were more middle half [of the plate] than in.

"You're not going to get guys out with those types of pitches. I mean, those guys were just ready to pounce on it. They're looking to put runs on the board. They're struggling, too."

Rios was the second straight hitter Porcello fell behind to start the fourth inning, and he lined a pitch to right. Two pitches later, Konerko took the breaking ball and lined it off the left-field fence. Beckham hit Porcello's 57th and final pitch off the fence in left-center for a double, his first extra-base hit since April 29.

With just 3 1/3 innings, the only quicker exit Porcello has made came not from an offensive onslaught, but a fight with Boston's Kevin Youkilis last August. Chicago's eight earned runs marked a new career high. His ERA for the season jumped from 5.25 to 5.95.

The questions of what the Tigers can do about Porcello's struggles are likely to be raised as well. Pragmatically, the seven-run eighth inning the White Sox put up on Eddie Bonine and Fu-Te Ni was academic by comparison.

Asked if Porcello is spinning his wheels, Leyland cautiously agreed.

"I would probably say there's some truth to that," he said. "I don't know if I'm accurate, but if you're asking me which way I would lean, I would say that's probably a possibility, yeah. That's probably a pretty good observation. Am I right? I don't really know that, but my gut would tell me yes.

"I think there's some frustration there that probably has never been there before. It's just a matter of getting it worked out."

That might be the first time the Tigers have used the term frustration with Porcello. But then, he has never had struggles like this before, not just professionally.

"It's not outthinking," Porcello said. "I'm honestly just trying to get guys out. It's not like I'm trying to outsmart anybody or anything. It's not just doing what I want it to."

Theories abound as to why Porcello hasn't recaptured his 2009 form. An inconsistent sinker has been a common theory, while the balance between two-seam and four-seam fastballs is another possibility. Before Wednesday's game, Leyland again raised the idea that Porcello is actually still growing, and is still learning to pitch with a bigger body frame.

They've had time to work on it, but haven't solved it so far. The breaking ball, Leyland said, has been "hit and miss all year with Rick."

It isn't as simple as asking whether Porcello can work his way through these issues in Detroit's rotation. It would not be a stretch to say that the Tigers' fortunes hinge on an effective Porcello every fifth game. Other pitchers can step in, but few have Porcello's potential to work through a game.

That potential is still there, but the progression hasn't been. This doesn't take away his potential by any means, but the present results aren't pretty.

"There's no doubt in my mind that I can go out and pitch well in my next start, keep us in the game," Porcello said. "There's no reason why I can't do that. Today, I lost track of what I was supposed to be doing. I got hurt for it. But there's no reason why my next start, I can't go out there and bear down and get these guys out. There's nothing wrong with any of my stuff except for just making quality pitches. I have to stay focused every single pitch."

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

Cold bats cost Tigers in finale
Scherzer's seven strikeouts spoiled in loss to White Sox

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/10/10 7:07 PM ET

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CHICAGO -- The Tigers aren't going to be an offensive juggernaut. That's not how they're built, and people who expect them to break out are probably going to be disappointed. But if they're going to stay in contention, they'll have to hit better than this.

Manager Jim Leyland had little problem tipping his cap to White Sox left-hander John Danks and his seven scoreless innings in Thursday's 3-0 Tigers' loss. It's the pattern of hat-tipping that had him bothered as he readied for a flight back to Detroit.

The Tigers were outscored by a 20-10 margin for the series, but six of those 10 Detroit runs came in one inning off Chicago's bullpen. They scored four runs in 20 innings against White Sox starters Danks, Freddy Garcia and Gavin Floyd, and they scored in just four of the 27 total innings in which they came to the plate. On Thursday, their first runner in scoring position didn't get there until the eighth inning.

"Up here, you've got to beat guys that pitch good," Leyland said. "They're going to pitch good up here. That's why they're Major League pitches. You've got to beat some of those guys.

"Danks pitched very well, but we've been saying that night after night against everybody. Up here, you have to beat good pitchers. Guys up here are good hitters. Guys up here are good pitchers, so you have to be able to beat them. That's just the way it is. I mean, they beat Max Scherzer. He pitched well. He pitched very well."

He tried hard to have it not sound like a rant. He said he wasn't upset, and he wasn't pointing criticism towards any particular player. By the end of his media session, it sounded like a general venting about an offense he has tried to tweak and spark.

It has been sparked at times this year, as others will point out. So will the stats, which show the Tigers ninth in runs scored but having played fewer games than most clubs this season. It also shows Detroit fifth in OPS at .762 with two rookie offensive catalysts and a potential Triple Crown candidate batting cleanup.

Leyland just wishes that offense could've ignited on a day when Scherzer pitched one of his more effective outings of the season.

"I'm not upset with anybody or anybody in particular or anybody in general," Leyland said. "I'm just stating a fact.

"We've got the hitters I want," Leyland said. "We've got the hitters we've got. We're better than that. The hitters are fine. We've got what we've got, and I like what we've got. But one thing I don't buy is everybody doesn't pitch their best game of the year against you."

The Tigers had the hitter they needed against Danks on the bench instead. Magglio Ordonez was hoping to return to the Tigers lineup and add to his 16-for-23 career mark against Danks. Instead, once he felt the pain return in his left side, he was taken out of the lineup. Without him, Detroit went 1-for-21 against Danks.

"Don't get me wrong, I credit the other team as much as anybody," Leyland continued. "But at the same time, it's three friggin' days. Floyd stuck it [to us], Garcia stuck it, and Danks stuck it. That's three starting pitchers. I mean, you've got to hit somebody."

If they're pressing at the plate, it's news to the players.

"Today, they got another good pitching performance," said catcher Gerald Laird. "We pitched well. We just didn't score enough runs. Do I see us pressing? No, not any of us, any of the players. We're just playing hard and trying to win ballgames.

"I think we're just one click away from getting it going. We've just got to find this click. We've been here for two, two and a half months where we're almost over the hump. We've just got to get that one click going, because we could be a really good ballclub."

Brandon Inge agreed.

"I don't feel like one guy is pressing at all," he said. "Overall, we're pretty good. We're stinging bats and just not [getting] much to show for it sometimes."

Though Danks offered four walks, no Tigers runners reached scoring position until Laird singled and Austin Jackson walked against Sergio Santos in the eighth. Johnny Damon's ensuing walk loaded the bases with one out, but Santos induced a pop out behind first base from Ryan Raburn -- batting in Ordonez's place -- before striking out Miguel Cabrera chasing a fastball in the dirt.

The effort from Danks (5-5) to earn his first win against Detroit since 2008 nullified a quality rebound effort from Scherzer, who recovered from Omar Vizquel's first-inning solo homer to retire 13 of the next 14 batters he faced. Chicago used back-to-back sacrifice bunts, including a squeeze play from Vizquel, to score Gordon Beckham for an insurance run in the sixth.

The Tigers sensed the play coming, but Scherzer's pitchout throw went too far inside. Laird stayed in his crouch until the last minute to try to sell the play, but Scherzer didn't hit the target.

"I missed it," Scherzer said. "I saw a pitchout. It caught me off-guard when Laird threw it down because of the signal. My gut instinct was I didn't want to throw it over him, and I missed."

Once the Tigers left the eighth inning still scoreless, A.J. Pierzynski jumped Scherzer's first pitch in the bottom of the inning for a solo homer and the final margin.

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

Verlander leans on defense, which obliges
Glove work sharp as offense scores all six runs with two outs

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/11/10 11:58 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Justin Verlander called his fastball "horrible." His manager, Jim Leyland, said the Pirates seemed to be sitting on his fastball.

In some outings this year, that would be the setup for a long night at the ballpark and another night of Tigers struggles. Friday's 6-2 win over the Pirates, by contrast, was a curveball off of that, a quick, active night in which Verlander started using his offspeed and breaking ball to get hitters to put the ball in play and let the defense do a lot of the work.

Two full years had passed since Verlander had walked more batters than he struck out, which he did Friday with four free passes and three strikeouts. His nine flyouts against six groundouts continued his recent pattern of getting the ball into the air. Austin Jackson's sprinting catch in right-center field continued his pattern of running those balls down, and Carlos Guillen's double-play turn was a sign that there's still some stinginess in the infield defense.

It left Pirates manager John Russell wondering what more his hitters could've possibly done, other than hit the ball out of the park.

"We hit the ball pretty hard," Russell said. "Their defense made some real nice plays against us. Contact-wise, we hit the ball fairly well. We've just got to see if we can get some to start dropping in with guys on base."

They tried. Struggling Akinori Iwamura's fourth-inning drive took Don Kelly to the left-field fence before he corralled it, stranding two runners and setting up Verlander to face the bottom of Pittsburgh's order in the fifth inning. Kelly, starting in left field with Magglio Ordonez out for a fourth straight game, leaned into the seats to get the third out of the third inning on Neil Walker, his brother-in-law. Walker returned the favor with a sliding catch to retire Kelly later, but Kelly's catch halted a Pittsburgh rally after Andrew McCutchen had doubled in Iwamura.

"There are a lot of ways you can impact a game," Kelly said. "Tonight, I was able to help the team out on defense. I made a good catch at the fence and one in the stands. It's great to get back in the win column, especially at home."

None of those could compare with what Jackson still had in store. Detroit's rookie center fielder has found a knack for running, over-the-shoulder catches, having made at least a handful of them this season. He's blurring the line on balls his teammates expect to get caught versus what they think is going to fall.

"I don't ever think [he can't catch a ball] anymore," third baseman Brandon Inge said. "The ball better be 20 feet over the fence before I think [that]. And even then, he might find a way to go get it. I don't know."

Said catcher Alex Avila: "He's making me into a believer, every time I see a ball that's hit that normally a center fielder doesn't get to."

Most center fielders don't track down the drive Ronny Cedeno hit to right-center field unless they're playing deep to that side. Jackson was playing Cedeno to straightaway center and somewhat shallow. Once he saw the ball off the bat, he took off.

"He's been making those all year," Leyland said. "I thought he had no chance on that one."

Jackson made a true read on the ball almost immediately and ran at full speed toward where he thought the ball would fall. Once it finally came down, he was still running all out, and fast enough to get his glove under it just shy of the warning track in right-center field.

"When it was first hit, I was like, 'No way,' " Avila said. "But those last few feet, he has another gear. He has such long strides out there and reads the ball so well. It was an unbelievable catch, it really was."

Said Inge: "His speed is incredible. It's a different speed than I've ever seen. It's so smooth, it doesn't even appear that he's running fast until you can gauge the ball and him running at the same time. It's amazing to watch."

By then, Verlander had a comfortable lead thanks to the bottom half of the Tigers' order, which produced five two-out hits off Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf (0-4). Avila singled in runs in the fourth and sixth to go with Brennan Boesch's solo homer and Ramon Santiago's two-run shot.

Still, with Lastings Milledge on first base and one out, Cedeno's drive would've surely driven in a run had it fallen. It also would've put another runner in scoring position with one out and ensure that the dangerous McCutchen would have a chance to drive him in and turn it into a full-blown rally.

Instead, Verlander (7-4) struck out Jason Jaramillo to finish the threat. He left after giving up a McCutchen double and Walker walk in the eighth, but he pulled out a quality start on a night when his stuff was probably less than that.

"He has good enough stuff to where, when he makes mistakes, he can get by," Avila said. "That's what a No. 1 is supposed to do. Even on his bad days, he pitches well."

That's what a defense is supposed to do behind him, especially on days like this.

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

Guillen sinks Pirates with walk-off homer
Blast in 10th was team's 13th hit of game and first long ball

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/13/10 1:15 AM ET

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DETROIT -- Carlos Guillen could feel his right calf tightening early in Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, and it was getting worse as the game progressed.

Luckily for Guillen, and the Tigers, the second baseman didn't have to do much running late in the game. All he had to do was trot around the bases after hitting one over the right-field fence for a walk-off victory.

Guillen blasted a home run in the 10th inning off Pirates pitcher Brendan Donnelly to propel the Tigers past the Pirates, 4-3, at Comerica Park.

With one swing, Guillen bailed out a hot-and-cold offense. Detroit had recorded 12 hits but had only three runs to show for it before Guillen's game-ending shot.

The Tigers left 11 runners stranded and went just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Normally, that's not going to get the job done. On Saturday, Guillen's homer let the team throw away those disheartening numbers.

"We missed a lot of opportunities," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We have to start doing a little bit better. We should've had more runs than we did. But it worked out OK."

If Guillen would have recorded a single in the 10th inning, Leyland would have taken him out for a pinch-runner. But that wasn't necessary.

After going ahead, 2-0, in the count, Guillen was able to be selective and wait for his pitch. He got a hold of a fastball and knew right away it was gone.

His numbers at home haven't been staggering this season -- he's hitting just .208 at Comerica and .362 on the road. But his fourth homer of the season couldn't have come at a better time.

"I have to look for a pitch on the inside, trying to track the ball, not trying to do too much, trying to get a strike," Guillen said of being ahead in the count. "I was just trying to make good contact, trying to hit it hard."

Guillen lightly jogged around the bases and was greeted by his teammates at home plate after his homer. But with the Angels' fluke celebration injury that already occurred this season, his teammates were careful not to overdo it, especially with Guillen's tender right leg.

"It was a heck of an at-bat by him, and we were all happy," catcher Gerald Laird said. "We just wanted to make sure he touched the plate healthy, and then we went and got him."

Said right fielder Brennan Boesch: "We took it easy. We let him get to home plate. Then when he hit home plate it was mayhem from there."

The game was a seesaw battle in which the teams exchanged runs in the second inning before Pirates designated hitter Garrett Jones hit a home run off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman.

From there, Bonderman was solid. He retired the last 12 batters he faced before exiting after seven complete innings. He allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.

It felt like Bonderman's efforts were going to go to waste. The Tigers had no problems getting on base -- tacking eight hits on Pirates ace Paul Maholm -- but they couldn't come up with clutch hits with runners in scoring position.

No Tiger felt the pain more than Laird. With the bases loaded in the second inning, he crushed the ball to deep right-center field, surely to be a bases-clearing knock. But Pirates right fielder Ryan Church sprinted and made the catch, resulting in only one run coming across the plate on the sac fly as Guillen was thrown out at third.

"We hit balls hard all night," Laird said. "We just couldn't get a break. It's one of those things where I thought we could have easily scored seven, eight or nine runs tonight. They played a good defensive game, but we stuck at it and grinded it and just got enough runs to win the game tonight."

The Tigers scored two runs in the seventh inning to take their first lead thanks to an error by first baseman Ryan Doumit. The tallies resulted in Bonderman taking the no-decision in a pitching performance he described as so-so.

"I didn't throw the ball extremely well," Bonderman said. "But we won, and I was able to keep us in the game. The other game I just didn't do any of that. I'm just trying to go out there and give us quality innings and hopefully we will find a way to win at the end."

The Pirates scored a run on Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya in the eighth inning to tie the game, 3-3.

The Tigers' bullpen took care of the rest. Closer Jose Valverde struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Phil Coke threw the 10th inning and earned the win (4-0) despite allowing a deep fly ball to right field by Andrew McCutchen that had the home crowd holding its breath.

But Boesch made the catch at the warning track to retire the side and pave the way for Guillen's heroics.

"When you win by walk-off, it's always nice," Coke said. "For us to win in that fashion was perfect."

Saturday's victory gives the Tigers the opportunity to go for the series sweep Sunday afternoon. After the game, Laird repeated a goal he thinks is attainable for the Tigers this homestand: He wants to see the team win at least seven of its nine consecutive Interleague home games.

"This is the point where the good teams make their runs," Laird said. "We played good at home, and we are playing three pretty good teams. But they are three pretty good teams I think we should beat. We have a good enough lineup with good enough pitching. I think seven is a good number. Seven or more would be a really good homestand."

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

Cabrera powers Tigers to sweep of Bucs

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/13/10 6:25 PM ET

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DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera was in an offensive rut. The Tigers slugger had gone 1-for-11 during the three-game homestand against the Pirates.

That all changed with one swing of the bat on Sunday afternoon. For the second straight game, the Tigers' offensive woes throughout the majority of the game were erased with a late long ball.

On Saturday, it was Carlos Guillen's walk-off home run in the 10th inning. On Sunday, it was Cabrera's three-run bomb in the eighth inning that helped the Tigers defeat the Pirates, 4-3, at Comerica Park.

"It was a big situation and he hadn't hit them very good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But when he does, it's a long one. We were hoping he'd run into one there and he did."

Although Cabrera struggled early in the series, the Tigers really couldn't have selected a better candidate to step up to the plate trailing by a run with men on first and second and two outs. And with a 1-1 count, Cabrera hit a no-doubter to right-center field, his Major League-leading 19th home run of the season.

"I got like one hit in 20 at-bats," Cabrera said. "I wanted to drive the run in to tie the game. I was focused to make my best swing and just try to make something happen."

While Leyland credited Cabrera for his homer, the Tigers skipper said the play of the game came a batter earlier. The Pirates elected to bring in left-hander Javier Lopez to face lefty hitter Johnny Damon. Damon coaxed a two-out walk, opening the door for the Tigers' slugger to do some damage.

"The left-handed specialist came in to get the left-handed hitter and he walked him," Leyland said. "That was the key to the game. That's happened to us sometimes. When they come in, they have to get those lefties out. It's a whole different ballgame with Cabrera hitting with two guys on, than it is with him leading off the [ninth] inning."

Pirates manager John Russell agreed.

"You don't want their best hitter coming to the plate right there," Russell said. "That's why we brought [Lopez] in. We felt like we had a good chance to get out of it. It didn't [work]. You can't walk guys late in games. We know that. It ended up hurting us."

For the second straight game, the Tigers' early offensive difficulties nearly spoiled an impressive pitching performance. In his first game back at Comerica Park since his near perfect game, Armando Galarraga had good stuff but took the no-decision. He allowed just two runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Galarraga battled through most of the game on a strict diet of fastballs and changeups. His slider didn't have the late movement that was so lethal in his previous home outing. But he forced the Pirates' hitters into uncomfortable swings despite not notching a single strikeout.

"I used my changeup in 2-2 counts a lot and got a lot of fly balls and ground balls," Galarraga said. "These guys were super aggressive. I only had a 3-2 count like twice. That's good for me. I like to see the first-pitch swing or the second-pitch swing."

Galarraga received some help from the outfield, which went most of the game without everyday center fielder Austin Jackson, who exited in the bottom of the first inning with lower back spasms.

In the first inning, Don Kelly made a diving catch in left field. Then in the fourth, right fielder Brennan Boesch followed suit with a diving play of his own.

Galarraga only really struggled against Garrett Jones. The Pirates first baseman hit a solo home run in the second inning and drove in another run with a ground-rule double in the fourth.

The defense and pitching were up to par, but the offense lagged behind, as the story has been for many games this season for the Tigers.

But Leyland was more frustrated with Saturday's game than he was with Sunday's. On Saturday, the Tigers were able to get runners on base but failed to bring them home before Guillen's walk-off. Sunday, the Tigers just ran into a solid outing from Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, who went a season-high seven-plus innings and allowed two runs.

Alex Avila was responsible for the Tigers' first run. The rookie catcher rocked a first-pitch sinker over the fence in straight-away center field, by far the deepest area in Comerica Park.

"I hit it well enough that it had a chance," Avila said. "But you never can be too sure, unless you are Miguel."

Cabrera's home run came against Pirates closer Octavio Dotel, a close friend of the Tigers slugger. Before his home run, Cabrera was only 2-for-11 in his career with one home run and 11 strikeouts against Dotel.

"Today was one of those days that he got better luck than I," Dotel said. "I just threw my pitch and he hit it. I think it was a good location, but he's a great professional hitter. There's nothing I can do."

Even though Cabrera was struggling in the series, the Tigers had confidence he would get the job done when he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning.

"He's in a class all by himself," Damon said. "This park could be the only thing keeping him from winning the Triple Crown. He's that good. The thing is that he still has a chance to be a Triple Crown candidate even playing in this big ballpark. It really shows how good he is."

The Tigers would obviously prefer to post more runs throughout the duration of the game. But winning in such dramatic fashion in back-to-back games was certainly enjoyable.

"It's great," Damon said. "Obviously, we wish we could have the lead early on. But we will take winning any way possible. It reminds me a lot of what we did with the [defending World Series champions] Yankees last year. We had a lot of comeback wins. This feels no different."

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

Last Updated: June 13. 2010 4:26PM
Tigers 4, Pirates 3:
Cabrera's homer leads to series sweep
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Miguel Cabrera had an outstanding first strike to hit from Octavio Dotel in the eighth inning on Sunday, and swung right through it.

He did not miss the second strike, however.

Cabrera drove a three-run home run into the seats in deep right-center to enable the Tigers to complete a three-game sleep against the floundering Pittburgh Pirates with a 4-3 victory at Comerica Park.

Carlos Guillen led off the eighth with a pinch-hit infield single. Guillen did not start the game because of a sore right calf. With two outs, Guillen was at second when Johnny Damon drew a walk from Javier Lopez.

That's when the Pirates went to their closer, Dotel, whose 92-mile an hour fastball was right where Cabrera, with his opposite-field power, likes them to be -- up and out over the plate.

Just like that, the Tigers, who had trailed since the second inning, were in front to stay with the assistance of Jose Valverde's 13th save.

Valverde did give up a run, ending his streak of 25 scoreless appearances, but the Tigers won all the same.

Brad Thomas (4-0) earned the win in relief.

Armando Galarraga allowed two runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings for the Tigers. The Pirates didn't score after the fourth against him, though.

Garrett Jones opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the second for the Pirates. A single-double combination, with Jones again knocking in the run, gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the fourth.

They neither scored nor threatened against him otherwise.

Magglio Ordonez sat out his sixth game with soreness in his side, but feels he should be ready to play again on Tuesday when the Tigers open a three-game series against Washington.

The Tigers also lost centerfielder Austin Jackson to backs spasms in the first inning. His status is day-to-day.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100613/SPORTS0104/6130332/1129/Austin-Jackson-leaves-Tigers-game-with-back-spasms/Tigers-4--Pirates-3--Cabrera-s-homer-leads-to-series-sweep#ixzz0qlfplfLr