GDT: 5/7/10 - DET (16-13) at CLE (10-17) - 7:05 p.m. ET

Tigers, Indians look for quick turnaround

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

At least both teams know how each other feels.

Both the Indians and the Tigers, in Cleveland for a three-game series beginning on Friday, are trying to turn things around after being swept. Cleveland lost three at home to the Blue Jays, the last of which being a heartbreaker on an error and ninth-inning home run.

"Tough loss, tough series, tough homestand so far," Indians manager Manny Acta said after Wednesday afternoon's lost that dropped the club's record on this homestand to 1-5. "There's nothing more discouraging than battling for eight or 8 2/3 innings and then not winning the ballgame."

The Tigers would rather forget their first trip to Target Field in Minneapolis, as they got swept away by the American League Central-leading Twins to end a grueling stretch of 20 straight games in five cities.

"We're going to get a well-deserved day off," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I'm proud of our guys. They went through a real tough stretch here. The day off is a welcome thing and we'll get back to work Friday."

They'll try to turn things around by sending Jeremy Bonderman to the mound on Friday, and that might give the Indians some cause for optimism. That's because the Detroit right-hander has gone 8-9 with a 5.68 ERA in his career against his division rival. He did beat the Indians earlier this year by allowing one run on one hit over five innings in his first start. That one was in Detroit; this one is in Cleveland, where Bonderman has gone 6-5 with a 4.82 ERA. In his last start, against the Angels, Bonderman gave up just two runs -- one earned -- albeit on 10 hits over six innings in a no-decision.

The Indians can hope left-handed starter David Huff will be an advantage. While the Tigers are among the best hitting teams in baseball, leading the AL with a .280 average and fourth in OPS (.794), they hit just .241 off lefties. Huff faced the Tigers for the first time in his career last month and allowed four runs (one earned) over six innings. He'll be trying to shake off three straight losses, in which he's allowed 13 runs and 25 hits over 16 1/3 innings of work.

Tigers: Laird should be back Friday
If you're going to pick a good time to bruise a shin on a foul ball, Tigers catcher Gerald Laird may have found it.

Laird came out of Tuesday's game against the Twins early with the shin bruise and was listed as day-to-day. Leyland had already planned to have Alex Avila catch on Wednesday afternoon and the Tigers have Thursday off, giving Laird two full days to recover.

He'll be ready to go against the lefty Huff on Friday, but with a pair of righties taking the mound for Cleveland after that, don't be shocked to see Avila in there a bit more. Leyland said the rookie will get more playing time against right-handed pitching as long as he produces. He hit two solo homers on Wednesday.

"The way he's starting to swing now, basically what that means is it earns you more playing time," Leyland said. "That's the way it is. That's what this stuff's about. We got some nice production from him."

Indians: Cabrera close to being ready
The Indians expect to have Asdrubal Cabrera back in the lineup Friday night, and that's a good thing. Cabrera, who was out of the lineup Tuesday and Wednesday because of left quadriceps tightness, has been one of the few reliable factors in the lineup this year. The leadoff hitter is batting .311 with 14 runs scored, six doubles, a homer and four RBIs in 25 games, and he had gone 11-for-45 (.44) with five runs scored and two doubles over his past six games before getting hurt.

Actually, the injury is something Cabrera also dealt with in Spring Training, so it could be a lingering concern. But Acta said he expects Cabrera to be back in there against the Tigers.

"He's a tough kid," Acta said of Cabrera, who had played through the pain for several days.

Worth noting
Tigers slugger Carlos Guillen, on the disabled list since April 23 with a left hamstring strain, is still "not close to a rehab assignment," according to Leyland.

... With another 2 2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday, the Tigers' bullpen has a 1.07 ERA over its past 18 games (58 2/3 innings, seven earned runs).

... The Indians' Travis Hafner might be the one most happy to see Bonderman on the mound. The DH has a 1.084 OPS in 34 at-bats against the Tigers right-hander.

... The Indians have not gotten a home run from their catchers, first basemen or center fielders this year.



Pitching matchup

DET: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 5.74 ERA)
Bonderman's first month back in the Tigers rotation was about slow, steady progress after shoulder surgery to correct a blood vessel restriction cost him the better part of two seasons. His last start was an encouraging one in that regard despite 10 hits allowed over six innings against the Angels. His fastball velocity averaged higher than at any point since surgery, and his top speed of 94 mph is believed to be his best since his younger days four years ago. He's throwing an increasing number of splitters and has been drawing more swings and misses as he sharpens it. Bonderman is 8-9 lifetime against the Indians, including a victory in the Tigers' home opener on April 9.


CLE: LHP David Huff (1-4, 4.60 ERA)
Huff was victimized by the long ball in a loss to the Twins on Sunday. He allowed four runs on 10 hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings. All of the runs came in as a result of home runs. Since tossing a complete-game victory against the Rangers on April 15, Huff has lost three straight starts and given up 13 runs in 16 1/3 innings along the way. He faced the Tigers on April 9 and allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings in a loss.


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Up next (Probable Pitchers)

• Saturday, May 8:
Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander (2-2, 4.50 ERA)) at Indians (RHP Justin Masterson (0-3, 5.40 ERA)), 1:05 PM ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1)

• Sunday, May 9:
Tigers (RHP Max Scherzer (1-2, 6.47 ERA)) at Indians (RHP Mitch Talbot (3-2, 2.88 ERA)), 1:05 PM ET (FS-D HD / 1270 & 97.1)

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Jackson, A, CF .369
Damon, DH .308
Ordonez, RF .280
Cabrera, M, 1B .372
Inge, 3B .252
Raburn, LF .217
Sizemore, 2B .237
Laird, C .141
Everett, SS .182
Totals .280

Cleveland AVG
Grudzielanek, 2B .229
Sizemore, CF .220
Choo, RF .307
Kearns, LF .343
Hafner, DH .212
Peralta, J, 3B .216
Branyan, 1B .212
Marson, C .211
Valbuena, SS .175
Totals .242

Inning 1
Top Half

B:0 S:2 O:1 -
Austin Jackson pops out to first baseman Russell Branyan.

B:2 S:2 O:1 -
Johnny Damon doubles (11) on a line drive to left fielder Austin Kearns.

B:1 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Miguel Cabrera homers (8) on a fly ball to right center field. Johnny Damon scores.

DET 2, CLE 0

B:2 S:1 O:2 -
Brandon Inge doubles (12) on a fly ball to left fielder Austin Kearns. (just barely missed a home run)


B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn doubles (6) on a line drive to left fielder Austin Kearns. Brandon Inge scores.

DET 3, CLE 0


B:3 S:1 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:1 O:3 -
Scott Sizemore grounds out, third baseman Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Russell Branyan.

DET 3, CLE 0 after .5 inning

Bottom Half

B:2 S:1 O:1 -
Mark Grudzielanek grounds out, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Grady Sizemore homers (1) on a fly ball to right field.

DET 3, CLE 1



B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Shin-Soo Choo grounds out, second baseman Scott Sizemore to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:3 O:3 -
Austin Kearns swinging.

DET 3, CLE 1 after 1 inning

Inning 2
Top Half

B:3 S:2 O:1 -
Gerald Laird lines out to right fielder Shin-Soo Choo.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Adam Everett swinging.

B:3 S:3 O:3 -
Austin Jackson swinging.

DET 3, CLE 1 after 1.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:0 S:1 O:1 -
Travis Hafner grounds out, second baseman Scott Sizemore to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Jhonny Peralta walks.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Russell Branyan swinging.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Lou Marson swinging.

DET 3, CLE 1 after 2 innings

Inning 3
Top Half

B:4 S:1 O:0 -
Johnny Damon walks.

B:2 S:2 O:0 -
Magglio Ordonez singles on a line drive to center fielder Grady Sizemore. Johnny Damon to 2nd.


B:1 S:0 O:1 -
Miguel Cabrera flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:0 S:2 O:2 -
Brandon Inge flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:1 S:2 O:2 -
Ryan Raburn singles on a ground ball to left fielder Austin Kearns. Johnny Damon scores. Magglio Ordonez to 2nd.

DET 4, CLE 1


B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Scott Sizemore doubles (5) on a fly ball to center fielder Grady Sizemore. Magglio Ordonez scores. Ryan Raburn scores.

DET 6, CLE 1


B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Gerald Laird singles on a ground ball to right fielder Shin-Soo Choo. Scott Sizemore scores.

DET 7, CLE 1



B:3 S:2 O:2 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Pitcher Change: Rafael Perez replaces David Huff.

B:0 S:2 O:3 -
Adam Everett grounds out, third baseman Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Russell Branyan.

DET 7, CLE 1 after 2.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:2 S:2 O:1 - Luis Valbuena grounds out softly, shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

B:0 S:2 O:1 - Mark Grudzielanek singles on a line drive to center fielder Austin Jackson.

B:1 S:0 O:1 - Grady Sizemore singles on a ground ball to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Mark Grudzielanek to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Shin-Soo Choo singles on a line drive to right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Mark Grudzielanek to 3rd. Grady Sizemore to 2nd.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Austin Kearns singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ryan Raburn. Mark Grudzielanek scores. Grady Sizemore scores. Shin-Soo Choo to 3rd. Austin Kearns to 2nd. Fielding error by left fielder Ryan Raburn.

DET 7, CLE 3


B:0 S:0 O:1 - Coaching visit to mound.


B:0 S:1 O:1 - Travis Hafner homers (4) on a fly ball to right center field. Shin-Soo Choo scores. Austin Kearns scores.

DET 7, CLE 6


B:0 S:0 O:1 - Jhonny Peralta doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn.


B:0 S:0 O:1 - Coaching visit to mound.

B:0 S:0 O:1 - Pitcher Change: Brad Thomas replaces Jeremy Bonderman.


B:4 S:1 O:1 - Russell Branyan walks.

B:1 S:2 O:3 - Lou Marson grounds into double play, second baseman Scott Sizemore to shortstop Adam Everett to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Russell Branyan out at 2nd.


DET 7, CLE 6 after 3 innings

now lets get hitting!

And no more runs by the Indians...

Inning 4
Top Half

B:2 S:0 O:1 -
Austin Jackson flies out to center fielder Grady Sizemore.

B:1 S:1 O:1 -
Johnny Damon singles on a soft fly ball to left fielder Austin Kearns.

B:0 S:0 O:2 -
Magglio Ordonez grounds out, third baseman Jhonny Peralta to first baseman Russell Branyan. Johnny Damon to 2nd.

B:4 S:0 O:2 -
Rafael Perez intentionally walks Miguel Cabrera.

B:1 S:1 O:3 -
Brandon Inge grounds into a force out, fielded by second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. Miguel Cabrera out at 2nd.

DET 7, CLE 6 after 3.5 innings

Bottom Half

B:3 S:2 O:0 -
Luis Valbuena singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Raburn.

B:0 S:0 O:1 -
Mark Grudzielanek flies out to center fielder Austin Jackson.


B:4 S:1 O:1 -
Grady Sizemore walks. Luis Valbuena to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Shin-Soo Choo walks. Luis Valbuena to 3rd. Grady Sizemore to 2nd.

B:4 S:2 O:1 -
Coaching visit to mound.

B:1 S:3 O:2 -
Austin Kearns swinging.

B:2 S:3 O:3 -
Travis Hafner called out on .

DET 7, CLE 6 after 4 innings

RAIN DELAY

Postponed: Rain