DET. TIGERS 2008 REG SEASON SCHEDULE & SCORES

Monday, August 4, 2008
Rays 6, Tigers 5, 10 innings
Leyland's rage becomes silence after Tigers' loss
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It was Jim Leyland's day for rage Sunday no more than it was a day when the entire Tigers galaxy threatened to explode with ire.

And when it all ended Sunday -- a 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay bracketed by verbal fire from a manager who had seen enough even before Sunday's torture-rack of a defeat -- one question protruded from the wreckage that was the Tigers clubhouse:

What players will no longer be in Detroit uniforms Tuesday when the Tigers meet the Chicago White Sox for a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field?

Best guess for a quick exit: reliever Fernando Rodney.

Rodney was the most sadistic participant Sunday in a horrific bullpen crime spree that turned a splendid starting pitching performance by Armando Galarraga and three gallant late-inning home runs by the Tigers into a 6-5 defeat to the Rays, who swept Detroit in their three-game set and sent the Tigers plummeting to their fourth consecutive loss.

"You guys saw it," Leyland seethed, stabbing at a plate of salad and beef in his office inside Tropicana Field afterward. "Write what you want."

He said not another word.

It was six hours after Leyland had seemingly done his venting. He talked before the game about being "shocked" and "embarrassed" by the Tigers' sickly season, which has seen a supposed World Series nominee descend again beneath the .500 mark at 55-56.

"From the start of the season to this point has been more than disappointing -- I've been shocked by our performance," Leyland said during his pregame media briefing. "We've got too many guys not producing. And I'm not talking about one or two guys. But we've had some performances that have been terrible. I've been disgusted the last few nights. The last few weeks, we had situations where we should have dominated a game and we didn't come close.

"You've got to step it up if you want to be in the hunt. If not, go home and come back next spring training. I'll bring up some kids to play.

"If you don't want to grind it out, then start your vacation early.

"We should be embarrassed," Leyland said. "And I'm not sure enough people are."

And that was before Sunday's storyline, straight from Edgar Allan Poe, was woven at Tropicana Field, ending in a defeat that was hard to fathom even by this season's grisly standards.

The facts were these:

Galarraga entered the seventh inning working on a one-hitter and a 2-0 lead. Ten days after he pitched six innings of perfect baseball at Kansas City, Galarraga had allowed only an infield single to Evan Longoria, and only because Longoria beat out a routine grounder to Carlos Guillen at third in the second inning.

The high-flying Rays (first place, American League East) managed three hits off Galarraga in the seventh to cut Detroit's lead to 2-1.

And then the drama began.

Gary Sheffield torched a home run into the left-center field bleachers in the top of the eighth to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead as new reliever Kyle Farnsworth came on to pitch the bottom half of the inning.

Farnsworth immediately gave up a home run to Eric Hinske, a one-out single, and a long home run by B.J. Upton that instantly put Tampa Bay on top, 4-3.

But the Tigers, who had been raked by Leyland before the game for not producing, took a different tack Sunday. They performed mightily in the late innings.

Curtis Granderson stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth against Rays closer Troy Percival and swatted the former Tiger's first pitch into the right-center field seats to tie the game, 4-4.

Bobby Seay, the best of Detroit's relievers the past six weeks, pitched a perfect ninth, leaving it to Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers their second lead in three innings when he rocketed a Percival pitch so high and so far it hit the catwalk in deep left field. The ball tumbled to Tropicana's playing field but was ruled an obvious home run by umpires who saw Sunday's blast clearly, compared with a similar blow Thursday by Cabrera that was ruled a triple.

The Tigers were ahead, 5-4. On came the Rays for the 10th. And when Rays manager Joe Maddon pinch-hit switch-hitting Willy Aybar for Gabe Gross, Leyland opted for Rodney over Seay, a left-hander, against Aybar, who is a weaker hitter from the left side than from the right.

Now, the game turned gruesome.

Rodney nearly hit Aybar twice with pitches before walking him. Jason Bartlett followed and tried to bunt Aybar to second. But the ball Bartlett attempted to bunt, although it touched the bat, smashed into Bartlett's right index finger for a strike call. Bartlett had to leave the game because of the contusion, which brought on pinch-hitter Shawn Riggins.

Rodney's first pitch to Riggins was a 97-mph fastball that slammed into Riggins' right pectoral muscle. Riggins lay and sat on the ground for two minutes before being able to walk to first base.

Akinori Iwamura followed with a sacrifice bunt that pushed ahead the hitters. Rodney promptly walked Upton to load the bases, after which Carl Crawford singled to left to score Aybar and tie the game, 5-5. Rodney then struck out Evan Longoria for the inning's second out.

But on a 3-2 pitch to ex-Tiger Carlos Pena, Rodney walked Pena for the winning run.

Five minutes later, Leyland sat in his office, smoke all but rolling from his uniform. The changes he threatened to make before Sunday's game are all but certainties now.

And one pitcher, among others on the Tigers' current roster, looks as if his time might have run out in Detroit.

Last edited by GoGetEmTigers on Wed Aug 06, 2008 7:20 am; edited 1 time in total

08/06/2008 2:36 AM ET

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Tigers can't cling to lead in extras
Polanco homers twice; Zumaya allows game-winner in 14th
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- A game that took just under five hours ended on a 98-mph fastball that seemingly went out just as fast. The end result, however, was a lesson brought home again and again over the course of the Tigers' 14-inning, 10-8 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday night, if not the past several days.

Finishing a game is tougher than simply getting an out.

"I think everybody in the bullpen is finding out how tough Todd Jones' job was. That's what I think," manager Jim Leyland said after Nick Swisher's three-run home run sent the Tigers to their fifth straight defeat after holding leads of 6-1 and 8-6. "It's a tough job. Everybody thinks they can get the 27th out. It's a little tougher than people think.

"It was a heck of a battle. But if you can't hold one-run, two-run leads late -- I'm talking about anybody -- you're not going to win the game."

The Tigers lost for the ninth time this season when leading after the seventh inning, but they lasted seven more innings before this loss unfolded. They've won two games over the past month lasting 13 innings or more, essentially outlasting the other team's pitching staff. This time, they had to feel how it felt on the short end of a long battle in which they had their chances to win.

"When you need three outs to win the game [and lose it], it's tough luck," said Placido Polanco, whose second home run of the night pulled the Tigers ahead in the 14th. "What can you do? We're all professionals here. Turn the page."

The first lead was early and big. Detroit batted around in a four-run fifth inning to build a five-run lead, fueled in part from Curtis Granderson's two-run homer and one of four Ryan Raburn singles on the night.

Bolstered with a five-run lead and an early exit from Tigers killer Gavin Floyd, Detroit gave back one run in the bottom of the inning on a Carlos Quentin RBI single. Two batters and six pitches into the bottom of the sixth, the White Sox were back in it with a Paul Konerko two-run homer.

Quentin struck again in the seventh with his 29th home run of the year, a seventh-inning solo shot off Aquilino Lopez to cut the lead to one. Bobby Seay stranded the potential tying run at second by striking out Jim Thome, then retired the first two batters in the eighth. With Alexei Ramirez batting .354 against left-handed pitching as he entered the night, however, Kyle Farnsworth entered to try to sew it up. Ramirez pounced on a hanging slider and sent it on a line to left to tie the game.

That's where it stayed for the next five innings while the two bullpens went through a battle of attrition, starting with Farnsworth's recovery to hold down the White Sox in the ninth. Fernando Rodney, whose late-inning struggles over the past week had characterized Detroit's bullpen woes, turned in one of his strongest outings of the year with three hitless innings and five strikeouts. His outs -- not only the number, but the efficiency -- gave the bullpen an edge after being summoned so early in the game.

He wouldn't have gotten the win when Polanco homered to pull the Tigers ahead again -- Freddy Dolsi faced the White Sox in the 13th -- but he certainly would've gotten a good share of credit. The Tigers had saved Joel Zumaya to close down a lead in the final inning, whenever that came. Once he took the mound for the bottom of the 14th, he was the Tigers' last reliever available.

"We had all the momentum going for us," Leyland said. "We had Zumaya coming in. Just didn't get it done tonight."

They came tantalizingly close.

Orlando Cabrera's single leading off the bottom of the inning and Quentin's one-out double promptly put the potential tying run in scoring position against Zumaya (0-1). He recovered to induce what should've been a big out to Jermaine Dye, but the ground ball hit off the base of Edgar Renteria's glove and kicked back toward the mound for an error.

"I don't know what happened," Renteria said. "I thought I played the ball perfect. Everything was right. I don't know what happened at the last minute."

He didn't know what happened, but he tried to take the blame.

"I have to make that play," he said. "I lost the game."

Even with the out, though, the White Sox would've still had the tying run on base for the middle of their order. Zumaya, seemingly energized, hit 99 mph on the stadium radar gun on his way to sending down Jim Thome swinging for the second out and keeping the Tigers ahead. After falling behind on Swisher, however, he left a fastball over the plate.

With that, a night that could've changed the Tigers' fortunes ended with familiar struggles.

"You find out it's not that easy," Leyland said, "no matter who's out there."

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

Bullshit

_________________
bow

must be fired!!!

I'm depressed...

08/07/2008 12:26 AM ET

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Tigers overpowered by White Sox
Verlander retires 12 straight after giving up home run
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- The Tigers needed a deep outing from Justin Verlander, and they got it. The better pitch selection from Verlander after back-to-back losses was there, too.

Whatever the performance, though, Detroit's most pressing need at this point is a win. The way White Sox starter John Danks was pitching, that wasn't happening. And after Wednesday's 5-1 loss, the Tigers' hopes of making a playoff race out of this stretch run are looking less likely, too.

"I'd never count us out," a flustered Verlander said, "but it's getting down to cutting time."

The Tigers' sixth straight defeat dropped them to 8 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the American League Central with 49 games to play. In the process, Detroit fell three games under .500 for the first time since June 25, a point just before the Tigers finally broke past the break-even mark at the end of June.

As frustrated as Verlander can be with another loss to the White Sox, it's that sense of the season in the balance that seemingly weighed more on his mind as he discussed his third straight defeat. More than resting the bullpen or reversing his own skid, Verlander wanted to be the streak-stopper. He saved the bullpen from some extra work, but there was no victory to save.

In a way, it made the Tigers' previous two losses -- both winnable games -- all the more painful for lost opportunities.

"I get tired of saying we've got to start winning some games. That's just a matter of fact," manager Jim Leyland said. "Whatever the combination, we just haven't done it."

This latest combination was more reminiscent of the Tigers' early-season struggles than anything from them this summer. While Verlander (8-12) retired 21 of 24 batters from the first inning until Chicago tacked on two runs in the eighth, that streak came after Jim Thome's first-inning, three-run homer put Danks and the White Sox in command for the night.

Thome has historically commanded Verlander pitches over the course of the Tigers ace's young career, one reason Verlander entered Wednesday with a 2-7 record against the White Sox and a winless mark at U.S. Cellular Field. No one, in fact, has more homers (six) against Verlander than Thome. Yet for all of Verlander's struggles with Chicago this year, he had held Thome to a lone single in 11 at-bats this year with a different approach.

If not for a Carlos Quentin slide and Jermaine Dye's stride to beat out a potential double-play ball, Verlander might've been able to pitch him aggressively leading off the second inning instead of facing him in a first-inning jam. A Nick Swisher walk and Quentin's single had created trouble with one out, but Verlander jammed Dye into a broken-bat grounder to third. Carlos Guillen fired to second for the trailing runner as the bat came his way, but Polanco's sidestep and throw couldn't beat Dye.

"It was weird to see so many bats flying," Leyland said. "That's either a sign of bad wood or good pitching."

The 0-1 pitch to Thome was one of the few signs of good hitting against Verlander. Instead of pitching Thome inside and trying to get him to pull the ball into the infield shift, Verlander tried to go away from him with runners on base and not risk the hit. Thome went after the pitch and lofted it over the left-field fence as Marcus Thames tried to reach over it.

"Ball was a little bit up, and he hit to the opposite field," Verlander said. "If nobody's on base, you pitch him a little bit different."

It was Chicago's only extra-base hit until Dye's eighth-inning double started a two-out rally that knocked Verlander out of the game and broke it open. In between the first and the eighth, Verlander allowed just four balls in play out of the infield and struck out eight of 21 batters, many on offspeed pitches.

After looking out of sync in his previous two games, Verlander wouldn't allow Thome's homer to change his focus.

"I thought [Verlander] made some strides tonight," Leyland said. "He had good mechanics, threw the ball inside some. ... I thought he pitched a great game. I really did. He showed me a lot tonight."

Problem is, so did Danks, which left the Tigers with very little.

Two singles were all Detroit had to show for the first six innings against Danks (9-4), who retired the side in the opening inning on three straight ground balls to third base and struck out four Tigers in a five-batter span from the second inning to the third. Gary Sheffield's leadoff walk in the fifth was erased on a line-drive double play to third, also involving a broken bat.

"I really thought that tonight was the best I've seen Danks' control," Leyland said. "Not that he hadn't pitched well against us, but his control was outstanding tonight. We had a pretty good right-handed lineup in there tonight, and he handled it pretty darn well."

Not until Magglio Ordonez slashed the gap in left-center field on a seventh-inning double that rolled to the wall did the Tigers had a real threat going. After Miguel Cabrera lined to left for the second out, Sheffield fouled off back-to-back pitches to get into a 1-2 count before driving a fastball to left-center, driving in Ordonez and knocking Danks out of the game.

D.J. Carrasco kept it a single-run rally, but it gave the Tigers hope. After Octavio Dotel retired the side in order in the eighth, however, Dye's two-out double in the bottom of the inning helped start the rally that decided it. Verlander intentionally walked Thome to take on Konerko, but walked him to load the bases. Alexei Ramirez haunted the Tigers again with a two-run single off Aquilino Lopez.

With that, Wednesday's hope was gone. The hope for the season keeps dimming.

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

Haven't done it the entire season, starting with Spring Training!
No kidding, next year's ST needs to be a freakin' BOOT CAMP. otherwise we're in for a repeat of this year.
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Thursday, August 7, 2008
White Sox 5, Tigers 1
Thome's homer beats Verlander
Three-run drive gives White Sox early lead, sending Tigers to sixth consecutive defeat.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

CHICAGO -- This is why the Tigers need to win the games that are within their grasp: because there are too many teasers just beyond it.

Such as the game they lost 5-1 to the White Sox on Wednesday night.

The Tigers never really looked completely out of it, although a two-run single Aquilino Lopez allowed in the eighth certainly didn't help.

The problem is that after Jim Thome hit a three-run home run in the first inning off Justin Verlander, the Tigers never really looked completely in it.

It can't be said that everything went wrong for them. A lot went right, especially the way Verlander pitched between Thome's home run in the first and having to leave with the bases-loaded and two outs in the eighth. By then, Verlander had thrown 130 pitches.

"There wasn't anything left in the tank at that point," manager Jim Leyland said.

John Danks of the Sox simply pitched better. Not longer, but bottom-line better.

And because he did, the Tigers lost their sixth consecutive game when no matter how they lose, the task of getting back in the American League Central race gets more challenging.

That's why Verlander (8-12), standing at his locker clearly perturbed at having to discuss another loss, cut right to the chase.

"I never count us out," he said, "but it's getting down to cutting time. When it comes right down to it, we need to win ballgames."

Falling behind 3-0 in the first, however, was not a step in that direction.

"With guys on base and two outs, I wanted him to go get something as opposed to throwing him in, having him cheat and hit one out," Verlander said of Thome's home run. "It was a hair up and he did what good hitters do."

The mighty Thome went with the pitch, clearing the fence in left, after which Verlander clamped down until he ran out of gas in the eighth.

Verlander left after walking Paul Konerko to load the bases, only to have the Sox get a two-run single from Alexei Ramirez off Lopez.

"Not that we would have gotten to Bobby Jenks, but I would have liked to have seen what happened if we'd kept it 3-1," Leyland said. "That was very important."

The Sox already had done enough damage, already had scored enough runs for Danks, and already were headed for their second victory in two nights over the Tigers, who are now 2-7 with one game remaining of a 10-game trip.

They say they still believe in themselves, though.

"We have a shot," Leyland said, "but we have to start doing something about it. We can't keep letting games like the one in Tampa and the one here (Tuesday night) get away and have a shot. Nobody can.

"You have to nail those games down. Sooner or later, though, you have to do it and we just haven't done it. I get tired of saying we have to start winning some games, but that's just a matter of fact."

Despite allowing five runs, Verlander's start was encouraging. After Thome's home run, he retired 12 in a row and the hit that he gave up to end that streak, a two-out single to left in the fifth to Orlando Cabrera, proved harmless.

The Sox put together a threat in the sixth, at least it had the look of a threat. But the way Verlander handled it took the teeth out of it.

Carlos Quentin led off with a single, after which Verlander hit Jermaine Dye with a pitch. First and second with no outs, however, soon became first and second with three outs.

Thome popped to second. Then Verlander struck out Konerko and Ramirez to end the inning quietly.

For the Tigers, though, all their innings were quiet until the seventh when Magglio Ordonez doubled with one out and Gary Sheffield, who'll not start tonight, singled him in with two outs.

Marcus Thames ended the inning with a ground ball to second, however, dropping him to 1-for-21 on the Tigers' three-city trip.

Such was the extent of the Tigers offense.

Not much. Not enough.

You can reach Tom Gage at tom.gage@detnews.com

08/07/2008 11:15 PM ET
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Tigers end skid in finale vs. White Sox
Cabrera and Granderson homer to prevent sweep
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Zach Miner can't help what happens in games with the rest of the Tigers rotation, let alone Detroit's bullpen. To listen to his reasoning, he can't totally control the damage he allows, either. All he can control is the way he executes his pitches.

That part worked out well Thursday. For a three-game series that didn't go the way the Tigers had planned, the one starter to hold down the White Sox lineup was the guy who wasn't supposed to be a starter again. With six innings and one earned run allowed from Miner, Detroit had the quality start it needed to salvage a game out of this series and end a six-game losing streak with an 8-3 win at U.S. Cellular Field.

It could've gone better, the series and the 10-game road trip. Considering what could've happened without Miner, it could've been worse.

"They gained one game," Leyland said of the White Sox, now 7 1/2 games up on the Tigers in the American League Central. "That's not the end of the world. This could've been disastrous. I was hoping to come in here and win two out of three. ... I still feel OK. I don't feel great."

Miner isn't feeling giddy, like he has proven anything, but he has every reason to feel good about himself. The Tigers have won four of their last 13 games, but Miner has won two of them. He wasn't supposed to be in this spot, but so far, he's making the most of his chance.

"It's awesome," Miner said. "As excited as I am for the opportunity, I'm just trying to stay calm and pitch my game. It's gone well so far."

Miner has pitched three quality starts in four outings since being called up for the rotation soon after the All-Star break. He was also the only Tigers starter to hold the White Sox lineup at Comerica Park a week and a half ago. Thursday's outing, however, came in a ballpark that plays for power, especially in warm weather.

When Miner was pitching in relief earlier this year, the Tigers struggled to get him to mix his pitches and keep from overthrowing his fastball. This was a good ballpark to show the difference.

Miner (6-4) retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced before the middle of the White Sox order hit him the second time around. Instead of home runs, however, they were back-to-back singles from Jim Thome and Paul Konerko, loading the bases with one out after Miner hit Carlos Quentin with a pitch to start the threat.

"I was just trying not to let them get a big inning," Miner said. "At that point, with the bases loaded, I'm trying to get an out any way I could. If it's a fly ball and they get a run, I was going to be OK. Obviously, it's a big couple of hitters there, but I'm trying not to do too much."

Up came Ken Griffey Jr., and after a heavy dose of changeups, down he went swinging for the second out. Alexei Ramirez, who had haunted the Tigers through two games of the series, fell into an 0-2 hole before laying off two pitches in the dirt. Miner finally finished him off with a fastball inside that sent him swinging and left Miner pumping his fist on his way off the mound.

A couple of fastballs in the next inning finally put the White Sox on the scoreboard with back-to-back doubles from Nick Swisher and Juan Uribe, but Miner retired the top of the Chicago lineup in order from there. Ramon Santiago's two-out throwing error led to another run in the sixth.

It was just the second quality start for the Tigers on this 10-game road trip.

"He's picked us up, obviously, when we needed it," Leyland said.

It's a different scenario and shorter span so far, but similar results to when Miner was a rookie starter two summers ago filling in for injured Mike Maroth. He admits now that he became too caught up in stats after racking up six straight wins, especially once Maroth was trying to come back, and it led to his bump out of the rotation by the end of August. Other than a couple of spot assignments, he hadn't been a starter since then until this summer.

He learned from former teammate Chad Durbin that all he could control was how he prepared.

"I can control how I prepare between starts. I can control my running, my weights and throwing the ball," Miner said. "I really can't control what happens. Guys are going to get hits sometimes, and guys are going to get outs on bad pitches. That's kind of where I am now. I just learned you can't put too much pressure on yourself out there. That's something I was struggling with out of the bullpen."

By the time the White Sox offense picked up, the Tigers had built enough of a lead to take control of the game, thanks in large part to three RBIs from Miguel Cabrera off White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (8-10). Cabrera's lined shot over the left-field fence in the third inning opened the scoring with a two-run homer. After Carlos Guillen tripled in Placido Polanco in the fifth inning, Cabrera drove in Guillen with a two-out single.

A couple of big plays from left fielder Ryan Raburn kept this game from spiraling out of control once Chicago rallied against the Tigers bullpen in the eighth. Quentin's 30th home run of the season drew Chicago closer, then Bobby Seay's four-pitch walk to Thome brought the potential tying run to the plate.

Konerko followed with a double that bounced around the left-field corner, but a decision to send Thome around third backfired when Raburn collected the ball and fired to relay man Santiago in time to easily throw out Thome at the plate. Seay left with a lower back injury after hitting Griffey with a pitch to put the tying run back on base, but Ramirez's liner off Fernando Rodney stayed up long enough for Raburn to charge in and get his glove down for the catch.

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

Friday, August 8, 2008
Tigers 8, White Sox 3
Cabrera puts an end to Tigers' losing streak
He homers, has three RBIs; Miner pitches six solid innings as skid ends at six games.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

CHICAGO -- All is not magically well that ended well.

Coming home with an 8-3 victory over the White Sox on Thursday night didn't make it a good road trip for the Tigers. But it ended their six-game losing streak and made their flickering hope less hollow of still making a move in the American League Central.

"They gained one game in this series," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of the White Sox. "That's not the end of the world. This could have been disastrous."

In their favor isn't the way the Tigers are hitting although Miguel Cabrera is still knocking in runs at a torrid pace. With a two-run home run and a single in this game, he knocked in three more, giving him 85 RBI for the season.

Cabrera is now on a pace to knock in 120 runs.

Curtis Granderson hit a solo home run, Carlos Guillen tripled in a run and Magglio Ordonez tripled in two.

Also not in the Tigers' favor is the way they are pitching although Justin Verlander deserved better on Wednesday night and Zach Miner got what he deserved Thursday night, his sixth victory of the season.

"He's picked us up when obviously we needed it," said Leyland.

To put it away, however, it took an outstanding throw home in the eighth by Ramon Santiago to nab a sliding, but dreadfully slow Jim Thome; a diving catch, also in the eighth, by Ryan Raburn of a liner to left that would have sliced the Tigers' lead to a run.

And to top it off, a three-run ninth.

"Initially," said Raburn, "I was just going to cut it off and hope for a play at the plate. Then I realized I had a shot at it."

So he took it, and it paid off.

What's finally in the Tigers' potential favor, however, is the schedule. At long last, the team that's played the fewest home games in the A.L, the team that also hasn't been home for more than three days in nearly a month, can actually unpack and stay awhile.

But the Tigers are 56-58. The season is 70 percent over and they are still closer to last than first.

Making a move might not materialize. But whether they make one or not at least will unfold, for the most part, in the next four weeks at home.

"If we're not out going to make a run now," Leyland said, "we probably aren't going to make one. I'd like it down to three games (behind) by Sept 1."

The Tigers are 7 1/2 back now, but were looking at 9 1/2 if they'd lost.

"I was hoping to win two of three," Leyland said, "but I still feel O.K.. I don't feel great, the Sox aren't over there sweating it, but we're still playing.

"The key date for me is Sept. 1. If you can get it down to two, three or four games by then, a lot can happen."

The Tigers need to do at home what they were not able to do on their 3-7 trip, however. They have to string victories together.

Cabrera's bat will help in that regard. He drove in 31 runs in July and has knocked in six in six August games.

Heck, in his last 18 games, he has driven in 28 runs.

His shoulders alone, however, won't be enough for the Tigers to climb back in it.

It will come down to pitching, and probably to whether the Tigers as Leyland says can get it "in sync." That means having everyone in a set role, not having a closer du jour -- nor, for that matter, a fatigued bullpen.

Justin Verlander threw 7 2/3 innings in Wednesday's loss. Miner lasted six innings. The Tigers can live with that.

With this upcoming stretch of home games, however, the question becomes will they do more than live?

You can reach Tom Gage at tom.gage@detnews.com

08/08/2008 9:44 PM ET

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Tigers drop opener of important series
Homestand starts with a loss as Rogers can't earn win
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers liked how their lineup looked before Friday's game. They didn't like what it accomplished after.

This season, the Tigers have feasted on left-handed pitching. They own the best record in the Major Leagues against southpaws and faced lefty Dallas Braden in the opener of a crucial 10-game homestand. They also faced a team that had lost 10 straight.

Add Tigers starter Kenny Rogers, who has the second-highest career win total in history against the A's, and all signs pointed toward a solid start to the next 10 days.

But there would be no feast. Only famine.

The Tigers dropped the opener of a three-game set, 4-2, before a sellout crowd of 41,457 fans at Comerica Park. They dropped three games below .500 and 8 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the American League Central.

"We just didn't do anything offensively," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "If you look at that right-handed-hitting lineup we had, you'd have to say it was impressive. There's no excuses for this one."

Braden had the longest outing of his young career. He earned his third win of the season after allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings.

Right-handed hitters entered Friday's game hitting .310 off Braden in his career.

"He pitched well, used his changeup, kept the ball down," Leyland said. "You have to tip your hat to him for his performance. But with that right-handed-hitting lineup, you would think you could get more than two runs off him."

Rogers didn't gain on former Tiger Frank Tanana on the all-time list for victories over Oakland. He still has 21 and trails Tanana by two.

While Leyland pointed to the offense as the cause for the loss, Rogers pointed at himself.

"I didn't pitch well enough to win," said Rogers, who allowed four runs -- three earned -- in seven innings. "I gave up four runs and didn't have the luxury to give up that many. Sometimes all you have to work with is two runs. I need to pitch better."

Marcus Thames opened the scoring with a 433-foot home run into the second tier of bushes beyond the center-field fence to make it 2-0 Tigers. Thames, who tied a team record earlier this season after homering in five straight games, hit his first home run since July 27, a 24-at-bat drought.

He now shares the team lead with Miguel Cabrera and needs five more to tie his career-high set in 2006.

But the Tigers would not score again. In fact, they had no hits after the fifth. A lot of that had to do with Braden.

"If you're going to go out there and give up a home run, and that's going to bother you, you're in the wrong profession," Braden said. "I pitched inside. When you don't throw a million [mph], you've got to be able to hit your spots and just let them know you're going to control that part of the plate."

Reigning AL Player of the Month Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, who entered Friday's game tied with the Yankees' Johnny Damon for second in AL average, combined for just one hit.

The top of the order -- Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco -- went hitless on the night.

Worse, All-Star third baseman Carlos Guillen came out of the game in the eighth with lower back spasms. He is day-to-day. Guillen described his back as "tight" after the game.

Rogers cruised early, allowing just one hit over four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. It started with a bunt single by Carlos Gonzalez that Rogers misplayed. A walk to Kurt Suzuki and Daric Barton's groundball single loaded the bases with no outs.

"I loaded the bases without letting a ball off the grass," Rogers said. "I can't do that."

Oakland's Rajai Davis smacked a first-pitch single to right to plate a pair and tie the game. After Jack Hannahan struck out, Mark Ellis singled through the left side to give Oakland the lead.

"It's all about how many runs you give up, and I gave up too many," Rogers said. "I would have liked to minimize the damage in the fifth, but no matter how you slice it, you have to win with what you're given, and I didn't do that."

The next inning didn't start much better for Rogers. Emil Brown led off the sixth with a tape-measure shot just to the right of the flagpole in left-center field.

Granderson got a one-out walk in the eighth, but the Tigers couldn't capitalize, as pinch-hitter Matt Joyce flied to center to end the inning. Then in the ninth, Ordonez, Cabrera and Gary Sheffield went down in order.

"We were very porous with our offense, and that's why they won the ballgame," Leyland said.

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

08/09/2008 10:58 PM ET

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Tigers connect for four homers in win
Cabrera goes deep twice, Sheffield hit 490th of his career
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- This is the Miguel Cabrera the Tigers expected.

This is the Miguel Cabrera the Tigers traded a bundle of talented prospects for, the one they believed would serve as the cornerstone of Detroit baseball for years to come.

He took time to get acquainted to a new team and a new league, but it's safe to say he's comfortable.

Cabrera's two home runs and four RBIs helped lift the Tigers to a 10-2 victory on Saturday night, before a sellout crowd of 41,308 at Comerica Park. They gained one-half game in the American League Central standings, as the White Sox lost, but the Twins won to take over first place. Detroit trails Minnesota by eight games.

But the Tigers cannot worry about the other teams. They have lot of work to do.

"We need to worry about winning," Cabrera said. "Who knows what will happen."

Cabrera, whom the Tigers acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade with the Marlins, had two of Detroit's four home runs. The others came from Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria, two of the Tigers that have struggled the most. Detroit scored seven runs in their final two turns at-bat to bust it open.

More nights like this from Cabrera would help. The Tigers' first baseman now has 89 RBIs on the season. In his last 10 games, he has six home runs and 14 RBIs.

"He's a force," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He's the Cabrera we traded for, obviously. He's unbelievable."

The offense's power surge backed a sluggish start from Armando Galarraga. But the rookie right-hander did enough to become the first Tigers starter to reach 10 wins. Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens won on Saturday, so Galarraga still trails by one for the rookie wins lead.

"I got the win, that's what's most important," Galarraga said.

The game see-sawed back and forth in the early innings.

In the first, Frank Thomas belted a first-pitch fastball into the Athletics' bullpen beyond the left-center-field fence.

Thomas' solo shot marked his 521st career home run, which ties him for 17th all-time with Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Ted Williams.

Sheffield answered back. His homer to left, which evaded the glove of a leaping Ryan Sweeney, tied it in the second. For Sheffield, it marked his 490th career homer and 1,609th RBI, which tied him for 28th place on the all-time list with Hall of Famer Goose Goslin.

Renteria gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with a solo homer to left leading off the third.

"It was good to see him get one," Cabrera said. "He's a good hitter, and he showed it."

The A's tied it in the fourth. Carlos Gonzalez zipped a double past Cabrera and into the right-field corner. Jack Cust followed with an RBI single to center.

Cabrera provided another. He showed off his opposite-field might in the bottom half of the inning with his first homer of the game. It gave Detroit a 3-2 lead, as the teams continued to exchange blows, though neither team could deliver the knockout punch.

That is, until the seventh -- after the Tigers escaped a bases-loaded jam in the previous inning.
Curtis Granderson started it with a single to right. Placido Polanco bunted him over to second, and with one out, Oakland reliever Alan Embree fell behind Magglio Ordonez, 3-0. With first base open, the A's decided to walk him intentionally to get to Cabrera, the reigning AL Player of the Month.

"After he went 3-0, we just wanted to get a fresh count on the next hitter," A's manager Bob Geren said.

Cabrera didn't take it personally.

"That's just part of the game," he said. "A man on second. First base open. It makes sense."

However, Cabrera made them pay immediately. He cranked Embree's first offering deep into the left-field seats to give the Tigers a 6-2 lead. They added four runs in the eighth to tie this three-game series at one apiece.

"We need to play hard and keep winning games," Cabrera said. "If we do that, we'll see what happens at the end."

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

Saturday, August 9, 2008
Tigers 10, A's 2
Cabrera powers Tigers to rout of A's
David Goricki / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Mother Nature put on a show before the Tigers-A's game Saturday night at Comerica Park.

The Tigers -- led by Miguel Cabrera -- then did the damage on the field, using a power display in their 10-2 victory.

The game was pushed back for nearly an hour after a thunderstorm hit the downtown area at approximately 5:30 p.m. The storm featured a hailstorm and a bolt of lightning that hit the top of the scoreboard.

A rainbow developed above the field in the early innings as the Tigers connected for solo home runs in the second (Gary Sheffield), third (Edgar Renteria) and fourth (Cabrera) innings off left-hander Dan Meyer.

The biggest blow of the game came on Cabrera's second blast of the game, a three-run shot off of Alan Embree in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-2 cushion.

"He's just a force," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Cabrera, who now has 23 homers and 89 RBIs. "He's more relaxed. He can do things most other players can't. The first pitch he sees from Embree he hits out of the ball park and that's hard to do."

Cabrera's three-run shot came after Embree intentionally walked Magglio Ordonez. The Tigers had stranded runners in scoring position in each of the previous four innings to keep the game close.

Since the Fourth of July, Cabrera is hitting .343 (45-for-131) in his last 31 games with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs.

"I feel more comfortable and confident now," Cabrera said. "I know what they're trying to do against me in every at-bat. I just go out and work hard and let things happen."

Rookie right-hander Armando Galarraga earned his team-high 10th win. He worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits. He left with the bases-loaded and two outs in the sixth with the Tigers leading 3-2.

Tigers left-handed reliever Bobby Seay replaced Galarraga and retired Daric Barton on a fly out to end the threat. Seay worked a scoreless seventh. Joel Zumaya (eighth) and Kyle Farnsworth (ninth) each worked a scoreless inning.

A's slugger Frank Thomas greeted Galarraga with a home run in the first inning, the slugger's 521st of his career to put him in a tie for 17th place on the all-time homer list with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams.

Sheffield's homer was the 490th of his career.

Nate Robertson will try to help Detroit win the series Sunday afternoon and pull closer to Central Division-leading Twins, who have an eight-game advantage on the Tigers.

You can reach David Goricki at david.goricki@detnews.com

08/10/2008 5:30 PM ET

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Robertson solid in Tigers' win
Left-hander holds A's to one run to claim series victory
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers said they needed a good start out of Nate Robertson. They got even better.

Turns out, the left-hander had one of his best performances this season.

The 40,743 at Comerica Park on Sunday sure thought so. They gave him a standing ovation after he allowed just one run over 7 2/3 innings in a 6-1 win over the Athletics on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. The victory gave Detroit the series victory, its first since July 30, and put it 7 1/2 games back of Chicago and seven games back of Minnesota in the American League Central.

"It's important to win every series right now," Robertson said. "We'd like to win all three on this [10-game] homestand, but it's important we got the first one."

With a bullpen full of inconsistency, injuries and pitchers under careful watch, the Tigers needed an outing like this out of Robertson, who earned his first win since June 21. Late movement on his fastball resulted in many easy outs and quick innings.

"He really helped us out. He saved our bullpen," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We've been grasping at straws down there because of the injuries and guys coming back, so we have to get some innings out of our starters. If we can do that, we can mix and match good enough to get by. Today was much needed and Nate rose to the occasion."

Robertson attacked the inside part of the plate with pinpoint command. Seventy of his 104 pitches went for strikes, and he only walked one.

The southpaw attributed his control to bullpen work with pitching coach Chuck Hernandez during the week.

"We worked on getting my arm more free and getting my hands away from my body," Robertson said. "There's quite a bit of a change. It's helped out. It's helped me get my location and command the inside [of the plate]."

New mechanics or not, Robertson had his opponents impressed.

"It seemed like everything was working for him today," A's manager Bob Geren said. "His location was excellent, and he mixed his pitches. He looked like his old self."

Robertson only faced one real threat, which occurred in the fourth.

The Athletics loaded the bases with two out on a walk and two infield hits. Second baseman Placido Polanco rescued Robertson, though. Kurt Suzuki's liner looked like it would get over Polanco's head and up the alley, but the 5-foot-10 Gold Glove winner leaped, stretched and pulled it down.

"That was big," Robertson said. "That was a 0-0 ballgame at the time. They get some runs there, and you never know.

"Usually, it comes down to one big hit. I think that's what it comes down to in most of my starts is one big hit that makes a big inning. I didn't have that. There was the bases loaded, but we got out of it and I got the job done from there."

The Tigers couldn't capitalize on several chances early, but they broke through in the fifth.

Curtis Granderson turned on an inside fastball and hammered it 361 feet into the right-field seats for a 1-0 lead. He has four homers in his past seven games to give him 15 on the season.

Two walks sandwiched around an Edgar Renteria single to center loaded the bases in the sixth. Polanco continued his success against Oakland, as he bounced a single through the right side to score one. With two out, Ordonez zipped a single by a diving Jack Hannahan to plate two more for a 4-0 lead.

Detroit capped the scoring with a bizarre play in the eighth.

Ryan Raburn hit a double toward left fielder Emil Brown to score Polanco. However, Bobby Crosby's throw home went past Suzuki to pitcher Jerry Blevins, who backed up the play. Raburn broke for third and Blevins uncorked a wild throw into left, allowing Raburn to trot home.

Fernando Rodney finished the eighth for Robertson and worked through a Brown double in the ninth to earn his third save.

"We got some timely hits, but it starts with pitching," Leyland said. "Pitching gave us a chance to win."

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

Monday, August 11, 2008
Tigers 6, A's 1
Batting title race creates some suspense for Tigers
Ordonez, Polanco -- who contribute in the Tigers' victory -- are vying for crown.
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The race is heating up. It is?

They're near the lead, moving up, and could win it. They could?

What the heck did the Tigers do Sunday? Win 12 games?

Not quite, but it was a good day for them. With a fine game from Nate Robertson while handling a struggling team the way they should, the Tigers downed the A's, 6-1, for their second consecutive victory and their third in four games after losing six in a row.

In other words, after listing severely last week, the ship appears to be in the process of righting itself.

But that's not the race in question right now. The Tigers still are a long way out of first.

Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco aren't, however.

With Ordonez hitting .318 after his two singles on Sunday, one of which drove in two runs in the sixth -- the inning in which the Tigers put the game a way -- and with Polanco hitting .313 overall, including .339 since April 29, two Tigers are in the thick of the batting title race.

When play ended Sunday, Ordonez was fourth, just three points behind front-running Johnny Damon of the Yankees. Polanco was eighth, eight points back.

Curtis Granderson, who held steady at .301 with a solo home run off losing pitcher Greg Smith (5-11) for the game's first run in the fifth, likes the chances of a teammate winning the title.

Granderson wasn't asked which of the two is more likely because he'd never choose one over another, but as a .300 hitter himself, he was an objective judge about how the two contenders are doing.

Keep in mind that Granderson doesn't think he's been swinging particularly well, so he's familiar with the fine line between warm and hot.

And it's going to take more than warmth for the batting title to be won.

"I'd say for both our guys, I've yet to see them get hot," Granderson said. "They'll get their two hits here, their three hits there, but I haven't seen them do what I've seen them do over the past two years."

The best is yet to come, in other words?

He believes it is.

"They still have a hot streak in them," Granderson said. "If they can get that going, and finish strong, they both have a shot. It would be fun to see it come down to the two of them."

Which it might.

At the same time, though, the Tigers hope the division comes down to the three of them, but to do that -- to make it a contending threesome with the White Sox and Twins -- they'll have to pitch many more games as well they pitched Sunday.

That's another way of saying that any time Robertson leaves a game with two outs in the eighth inning, instead of in the fifth or sixth, it's an encouraging sign.

Winning for the first time since June 21 after a stretch of eight starts in which he went 0-2 with six no-decisions, Robertson took what would have been his first career shutout into the eighth. A run-scoring single by Mark Ellis ended the bid and brought about a pitching change.

Even so, with a better slider and a fastball that manager Jim Leyland said "had more late life to it," Robertson pitched an outstanding game.

Plus the one big threat that tested him, bases loaded in the fourth when the game still was scoreless, went his way when a leaping Polanco was able to snag Kurt Suzuki's liner that had two-run single written all over it.

"What it comes down to in a lot of my starts," said Robertson, "is that you can't give up a big inning. I've allowed some critical hits.

"That can be a tricky ball to track because of the spin on it. If they get a couple of runs there, you never know."

But they didn't, and it was the Tigers instead who soon took the lead an inning later.

They only had seven hits themselves, but 10 walks helped immensely -- and besides, Ordonez got the timely two-run single that Suzuki didn't.

Then again, Ordonez singled in both the fifth and the sixth -- a sign he's getting hot?

Granderson, for one, wouldn't be at all surprised.

You can reach Tom Gage at tom. gage@detnews.com

08/11/2008 9:42 PM ET

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Verlander avoids big hits, but not loss
High pitch counts in past take toll on Tigers right-hander
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- This game didn't leave Tigers manager Jim Leyland blindsided, flabbergasted or caught off guard.

Instead, after Justin Verlander's fourth consecutive defeat sent Detroit on its way to a 7-2 loss to Toronto on Monday night at Comerica Park, Leyland's term was "blah."

It didn't describe the effort. To Leyland, it described Verlander's arm.

"Tonight was self-explanatory," Leyland said. "This was just the blahs from [Verlander's] last outing -- 130 pitches. No doubt in my mind. It was kind of a dead-arm night for him, certainly related to the 130-pitch night in Chicago for him."

Verlander felt well enough to throw that many pitches on Wednesday against the White Sox, and with the bullpen spent from a 14-inning game the previous night, he pretty much had to go deep. Longer-term, he had tossed at least 110 pitches in his past three starts, and only CC Sabathia had thrown more pitches among Major Leaguers this season.

Monday's outing lasted just 78 pitches before Leyland made the move to go to the bullpen with one out in the fifth inning. Verlander's previous low pitch count this season was 97, and that was on Opening Day.

Leyland had seen enough early to know it wasn't happening on this night for his 25-year-old ace. Verlander had hitters in two-strike counts, but he didn't have enough to finish them off.

"I felt a little fatigued, but I don't want to make excuses," Verlander said. "I still have to go out there and pitch. I felt like I tried to create a little bit, and that's when my ball got up in the zone. Store that in the memory bank and know that if it's not there, just continue to go along, throw quality strikes and let those guys get themselves out instead of trying to create."

It was a bla