Prince Fielder, Delmon Young Lead The Tigers to a 7-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox tonight 7-3.

First off, the umpiring picked up right where they left off today, blowing calls and ejecting coaches because they made the wrong call! Everyone goes to watch the umpiring show, right?

Moving on though, the Tigers found themselves down 2-0 early, but a Don Kelly single and Danny Worth double to begin the 3rd inning had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and Quintin Berry at the plate; Berry hit a single to drive in Kelly, and Berry stole 2nd base to put runners back on 2nd and 3rd with no outs still for Brennan Boesch who hit a sacrifice fly and the score was tied 2-2. After Miguel Cabrera hit a fly ball that got Quintin Berry to 3rd base, Prince Fielder drove Berry in with a single and the Tigers took a 3-2 lead.

Alex Avila had to leave the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning after being cut open on his nose by a foul ball. Brian Britten reported that there were no signs of a concussion. He is day-to-day.

After The Red Sox tied the game up 3-3, the Tigers responded in the 5th inning. After a bunt single by Quintin Berry, he stole 2nd base and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error with 1 out and Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Cabrera ended up driving Berry in with a single and the Tigers took a 4-3 lead.

After struggling through the first 3 innings, Max Scherzer settled down and went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6 batters, and earned the win. After Scherzer walked the leadoff batter in the 7th inning, Phil Coke came in and pitched a scoreless inning.

In the 8th inning Delmon Young hit a solo home run to put the Tigers up 5-3; It's his 4th of the season.

Phil Coke got the first out of the 8th inning, and then Joaquin Benoit came in to finish off the 8th.

The Tigers added some insurance runs in the 9th inning. After Miguel Cabrera hit a single, he stole 2nd base and advanced to 3rd base on a throwing error. Prince Fielder drove him in with a triple. Delmon Young came up next and drove in Fielder with a single.

Jose Valverde came in to pitch the 9th inning and got the Tigers the win.

Casey Crosby makes his major league debut tommorrow as the Tigers open a 3 game home series against the Yankees and CC Sabathia (6-2 3.66 ERA).

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Tigers Continue to Struggle in a 6-4 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Boston Red Sox tonight 6-4.

The Tigers got going in the 1st inning with singles by Danny Worth, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder to load the bases with 1 out. Delmon Young hit into a fielder's choice, but a run scored and the Tigers took a 1-0 lead.

Quintin Berry led off the 3rd inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Worth. Miguel Cabrera then hit a double, advanced to 3rd base on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground ball from Prince Fielder to make it 3-0.

Drew Smyly was cruising, but he gave up 2 2-run home runs in the 4th inning, with 2 outs.

In the 7th inning, Alex Avila hit a ball off the green monster and was called out at 2nd base, although instant replay clearly shows Avila was safe. Gerald Laird was up next and hit a double, so that call cost the Tigers a run. Great umpiring in this series!

Luckily, the Tigers had some luck from the Baseball gods, and after a pinch hit infield single by Andy Dirks, Miguel Cabrera hit a flyball that Adrian Gonzalez made a sliding play for, and had the ball in his lap, but couldn't hang onto it, so it was a RBI double for Cabrera to tie the game at 4.

Drew Smyly was done after 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, and striking out 4 batters.

Octavio Dotel came in for the 7th inning and got the first 2 outs of the inning, then Phil Coke came in to face Adrian Gonzalez, but gave up a run and the Tigers entered the 8th inning down 5-4.

The lead eventually became 6-4 and was too much for the Tigers to overcome tonight.

The Tigers finish up their 4 game road series with Boston tommorrow as Max Scherzer (4-3 5.67 ERA) takes on Josh Beckett (4-4 4.15 ERA).

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Doug Fister Headed to the DL

According to Brian Britten the Tigers have placed starting pitcher Doug Fister on the DL with a left side strain. The move is retroactive to May 29th, and Casey Crosby will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to take his spot in the rotation.

Doug Fister was 0-3 this season in 6 starts this season with a 3.15 ERA, but had struggled in his last start against the Boston Red Sox, and going on the DL may mean he was pitching hurt.

Casey Crosby in Triple-A Toledo this season is 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

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Ryan Raburn Optioned to Triple-A Toledo

According to Brian Britten the Detroit Tigers have optioned Ryan Raburn to Triple-A Toledo. The team will make a corresponding move tommorrow.

Ryan Raburn has been called a '2nd half hitter' many times over his career, because of his splits before the all-star break which is .214/.273/.369 and after the all-star break Raburn hits .300/.351/.397. Quite the difference, however the 1st half of the 2012 season thus far has even been bad for the standards that Raburn is given in the first half.

This season Ryan Raburn has a hitting line of .146/.209/.211. Raburn has only 1 home run and 7 RBI in 123 at-bat's. Tigers fans can only hope that either Raburn gets into his 2nd half form, or he doesn't play if he still can't hit when he eventually comes back.

UPDATE: Danny Knobler reported that the Tigers have called up catcher Omir Santos from Triple-A Toledo to replace Ryan Raburn on the Tigers active roster. It can be assumed he will be sent back down to Toledo once Austin Jackson comes off of the DL.

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Justin Verlander Not Sharp in Tigers 6-3 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Boston Red Sox tonight 6-3.

Justin Verlander struggled a bit today, he allowed 4 runs after 4 innings, and the Tigers found themselves down 4-0 going into the 5th. Jhonny Peralta responded with a solo home run to make it 4-1; it's his 4th of the season.

Verlander gave up another run in the 5th, but Prince Fielder responded in the 6th inning with a solo home run that might still be traveling; it's his 8th of the season.

Justin Verlander did not pitch well today, going 6 innings, giving up 5 runs on 10 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7 batters. Going 6 innings made it 53 straight starts of 6 innings or more for Verlander, which is the longest since Steve Carlton had 69 straight from 1979 to 1982, according to Matthew B. Mowery.

The Tigers continued trying to get back into the game in the 7th inning after a double by Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder drove him in with a single to make it a 5-3 game.

The Red Sox would go on to make it a 6-3 game, and that was too much for the Tigers to overcome.

Drew Smyly (2-1 3.14 ERA) makes the start tommorrow for Detroit against Jon Lester (3-4 4.72 ERA).

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What's Wrong With the Tigers Offense? - Andy Dirks

The 2nd part of "What's Wrong With the Tigers Offense" goes to Andy Dirks.

Dirks, like Austin Jackson, has been pretty good this season. His batting line is .318/.367/.512 in 125 ABs. Let's look into this a little deeper though.

First off, Dirks is in his 2nd season with the Tigers after putting up a line of .251/.296/.406 in his rookie season in which he had 219 ABs.

This season for Dirks, atleast in the month of May has been 2 different type of seasons, so to speak. From May 1st to May 10th, Dirks hit 14/28 (.500 average), and from May 11th to May 28th, Dirks hit 18/69 (.260 average). Just looking at that, you assume while both are small samples, that the 28 at-bat sample size is more of a fluke than the 69 at-bat sample, right?

Well, it's very hard to tell, because he only has 2 seasons in the major leagues that combine for a total of 112 games.

It's difficult to say what to expect from Dirks. Looking at fangraphs.com, his O-Swing% (percentage of pitches a batter swings at outside the strike zone) is up slightly 37.9% from 35.1% last season, the alarming stat is his Z-Swing% (percentage of pitches a batter swings at inside the strike zone) is down a lot from his rookie season which was at 77.6% whereas this season it's at 61.6%. What makes this odd is that while that may mean Dirks is being more patient, his walk percentage is only slightly up from 4.7% last year to 5.7% this season. To his credit though his strikeouts are down. He struck out 15.3% of the time last year and this season it's only 12.9%.

Dirks is in such an odd case here that it's just too hard for the average fan to know what they can expect from him the rest of the way. The best thing you can say is to be happy with what he's doing right now, but understand it may not keep up at this pace.

Up next in this series will be the #3 hitter, Miguel Cabrera.

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Doug Fister Struggles* in Tigers 7-4 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost* to the Boston Red Sox today 7-4.

After Doug Fister gave up a run in the bottom of the 1st inning, Delmon Young hit a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning; It's his 3rd home run of the season.

The Red Sox came back in the bottom of the inning to score 3 runs, thanks in part to bad umpiring. Doug Fister had thrown strike 3 and Mike Aviles swung at it and was a foul tip that Gerald Laird caught it (which can be seen on instant replay), however the umps called it otherwise and because of that, the Red Sox scored 3 runs in the inning, and the floodgates had opened instead of the inning ending.

3rd base coach Gene Lamont, and manager Jim Leyland both got ejected. I guess the umpires wanted to be the stars of the game today because the first Tigers at bat of the 3rd inning, Danny Worth was safe on a double, but the umpires blew another call and called him out, even though instant replay again showed he was safe.

The Tigers were down 5-1 going into the 5th inning, but Gerald Laird made it a 5-2 game with a solo home run; It's his 2nd of the season.

Doug Fister struggled a bit today going 5 innings, giving up 6 runs (should've been 3) on 11 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2 batters.

Luis Marte came in out of relief to make his season debut and pitched 3 innings, giving up 1 run and striking out 3 batters.

The Tigers make one last try in the 9th inning after a double by Prince Fielder, and then Jhonny Peralta hit a 2-run home run; It's his 3rd home run of the season. However, that's all they got, and thanks to the 3 runs the umpires gave the Red Sox, instead of it being a tie game, it was a loss.

Justin Verlander (5-2 2.15 ERA) takes the mound tommorrow for the Tigers against Daniel Bard (4-5 4.69 ERA).

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Miguel Cabrera's Home Run in the 9th Gives the Tigers a 4-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers swept the Minnesota Twins today 4-3.

Quintin Berry led off the game with a walk, and Andy Dirks hit a single, that got Berry to 3rd base, and Dirks advanced to 2nd on a throw to 3rd base. Miguel Cabrera followed it up with a single of his own to drive in Berry. Prince Fielder drew a walk, and Brennan Boesch hit a ground out to score Dirks.

In the 3rd inning, Quintin Berry hit a single, and according to Chris Iott, Berry is the first Tigers hitter since 1918 to have atleast 1 hit in his first 5 games with Detroit.

Rick Porcello started off well, but gave up 2 runs in the 5th inning and ended up pitching 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits, walking 3 and striking out 2 batters.

Duane Below, and Brayan Villarreal pitched the 7th and 8th innings without giving up a run.

The Tigers had one last chance to get a lead in the 9th inning. Quintin Berry hit a single, and stole 2nd base, and Miguel Cabrera, on a 0-2 count hit a 2-run home run to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead; It's his 9th home run of the season.

Jose Valverde came in for the 9th inning and got the save.

The Tigers open up a 4 game road series with the Boston Red Sox tommorrow as Doug Fister (0-2 1.84 ERA) takes on Felix Doubront (4-2 3.96 ERA).

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Prince Fielder Gets 4 Hits, Max Scherzer Strikes Out 9 in Tigers 6-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers defeated the Minnesota Twins today 6-3.

The Tigers offense started off quickly today in the 1st inning with a double by Andy Dirks followed by a RBI double by Miguel Cabrera, and then Prince Fielder drove in Miguel Cabrera with a single and took a 2-0 lead.

After the Twins tied the game, the Tigers came back in the 5th inning with singles by Alex Avila and Ramon Santiago. Quintin Berry followed it up with a RBI single, and then Andy Dirks hit a 2 RBI double. Miguel Cabrera joined the party with a RBI single on his own.

Max Scherzer was done after 80 pitches because of a lengthy rain delay. He pitched 5 and 1/3 innings, gave up 3 runs on 6 hits, he didn't walk a batter and struck out 9, and got the win; He was pitching well and probably would've gone 7 innings had the rain not ended his start.

Octavio Dotel came in to replace Scherzer and pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings; Joaquin Benoit pitched a scoreless 8th inning, and Jose Valverde got the save.

Tigers pitching ended up striking out 16 batters today.

Rick Porcello (3-4 5.29 ERA) takes the mound tommorow as the Tigers look for a series sweep against P.J. Walters (2-1 2.95 ERA).

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Alex Avila Leads Tigers Offense In 10-6 Victory

The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins tonight 10-6.

Bad defense by Jhonny Peralta led to 2 runs scoring in the bottom of the first inning for the Twins in the first inning, but the Tigers responded in the top of the 2nd inning with singles by Prince Fielder and Delmon Young, followed up by a RBI double for Brennan Boesch. Alex Avila had a 10 pitch at-bat that led to a 2 RBI double, and Quintin Berry had a RBI single to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

The Tigers came back in the 4th inning with a double by Brennan Boesch followed by a RBI double from Alex Avila. Ryan Raburn was next and hit a single to score Alex Avila and the Tigers extended their lead to 6-2.

After the Twins scoring a run in the bottom of the 4th, the Tigers responded in the 5th. After a walk, and stolen base (speed kills) by Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder drove him in with a double.

It would be plenty for Drew Smyly who didn't pitch well, but did enough to win his 2nd game of the season going 5 innings, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2 batters.

Brayan Villarreal came in and was trying his best acting job of the 2006 World Series by having 3 bad fielding plays that cost the Tigers 2 runs.

The Tigers came back though in the 7th inning. After bunt single and stolen base by Quintin Berry, Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked. Prince Fielder came up and hit a RBI single, and Delmon Young followed that up with a RBI double. Brennan Boesch was next and hit a RBI single (well, kinda) to give the Tigers a 10-5 lead.

Phil Coke, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde finished the game and the Tigers got the win.

Max Scherzer (3-3 5.73 ERA) takes on Carl Pavano (2-3 4.91 ERA).

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What's Wrong With the Tigers Offense? - Austin Jackson

Most Tigers fans have been very angry, especially in the last few weeks with the Tigers offense, myself included. Tigers fans expected much better, and the players have underperformed thus far. To perhaps explain their struggles better, I will break down player-by-player to see what the problems are or may be.

Assuming the lineup would be this on an everyday basis, this is how i'll go in order for each blog post.

1. Austin Jackson, 2. Andy Dirks, 3. Miguel Cabrera, 4. Prince Fielder, 5. Delmon Young, 6. Brennan Boesch, 7. Alex Avila, 8. Jhonny Peralta, 9. Ryan Raburn/Ramon Santiago (I will combine them into one post).

We'll start off with Austin Jackson.

Jackson, unlike most the other players on the team this season has played very well, some consider his play at a MVP level. He was however placed on the 15 day DL yesterday, and he'll be missed.

This season, Jackson has hit at a line .331/.414/.544. Based on his career line of .277/.340/.403, we can assume that Jackson may be playing a bit over his head right now, however, we can't be too sure because of the new mechanics in his swing that he's used this season. Maybe this is what we can expect from Jackson?

Well, lets look at why Jackson is doing so well.

Austin Jackson in his career strikes out a lot, and fangraphs.com show that Jackson has a career strikeout rate of 25.3%, however this year it's down to 18.2%. That means Jackson is making much more contact, and has more chances to get hits. Also, by making more contact, he is fouling off more balls and thus drawing more walks. He has a career walk percentage of 8.2%, but this season that is up to 12.6%.

Why else may Jackson be having success? He is swinging at better pitches. His O-Swing percentage (percentage of swings a player swings at out of the strike zone) is down to 22.2% from his career average of 27.4%. Jackson is also being more selective with his swing% (the overall percentage of swings a batter takes); His career average is 45.4% and this season it's at 42.4%.

It's proven Jackson is making better contact by his SwStr% (percentage of pitches a batter swings and misses on), his career average is 9.5%, but is down to 8.3% this season.

The power numbers may be up for Jackson because his natural power is coming more to him as he gets older and stronger. Jackson is playing in his age 25 season, and when making more contact and putting more balls in play, it gives him a chance to use his speed more often.

According to ESPN.com Austin Jackson is on pace to play 133 games, hit for 37 doubles, 7 triples, and 18 home runs. Once Jackson comes off the DL, we have to expect his games played will be higher than 133, I think the doubles and triples are very realistic, if not a higher amount. Jackson hit 34 doubles his rookie season, so it's not out of the possibility for him to hit 35-40 doubles. Jackson hit 10 triples in 2010 and 11 triples in 2011, so I would expect him to hit for the same amount in 2012. Now the home runs; Jackson hit 4 in 2010 and 10 in 2011, so his power is coming in. I think 15 is a realistic number for him, but it could be a little bit higher or lower depending on his flyball percentage.

So, Jackson hasn't been a problem, unlike most of his teammates, but hopefully these numbers help explain why Jackson is having the success that he has had this season.

The next player in this series will be Andy Dirks.

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Luis Marte Activated from the DL; Luke Putkonen to Toledo

According to Brian Britten the Tigers will activate relief pitcher Luis Marte from the DL for Friday's game vs the Twins, and will option Luke Putkonen back to the Toledo Mudhens.

Marte injured his leg in the Tigers final spring training game after being named to the 25 man roster towards the end of spring training. Marte in limited time with the Tigers last season was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. However, that was a small sample size (3 and 2/3 innings). In the minor leagues last season, Marte was 4-0 with a 1.92 ERA and .95 WHIP. He also averaged 11.2 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, so it's safe to say the Tigers expect a positive contribution from him.

Luke Putkonen on the other hand, well, it's a good thing he's going back to Toledo. Putkonen with the Tigers this season was 0-2 with a 8.59 ERA and 2.59 WHIP in 7 and 1/3 innings pitched. To say that was bad would be an understatement.

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Austin Jackson Placed on the 15 Day DL

According to
Brian Britten the Tigers will place Austin Jackson on the 15 day DL today. The move according to Britten will be retroactive to May 17th.

Jackson left a game last weak with a side strain, and will miss the next week with being placed on the DL. Austin Jackson had arguably been the Tigers best player on offense for the Tigers this season hitting a line of .331/.414/.544 including 5 home runs, 17 RBI, 6 stolen bases, and 29 runs scored. He also has drawn 20 walks this season.

Quintin Berry is expected to start every day while Jackson is on the DL, but this is just another injury the Tigers will have to try and overcome.

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Justin Verlander Throws a Complete Game, but Tigers Lose 2-1

The Detroit Tigers were swept by the Cleveland Indians today 2-1.

After a leadoff home run by Shin-Soo Choo off of Justin Verlander, the Tigers responded in the 3rd inning after a bloop hit to center field which became a double by Quintin Berry, Andy Dirks got him to 3rd base with a ground ball and Miguel Cabrera drove him in with a ground out to tie the game 1-1.

The Tigers game back in the 5th inning with a Quintin Berry walk, however the inning didn't come to much after a blown balk call on Justin Masterson which ended up in 1st base coach Tom Brookens and manager Jim Leyland being ejected.

Justin Verlander pitched great, but lost the game due to poor run support from the offense. He went the distance today, pitching 8 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7 batters; It's hit 3rd complete game of the season.

Detroit had other chances to score, but they blew their chances, and continue to struggle on offense right now.

The Tigers open up a 3 game road series with the Minnesota Twins as Drew Smyly (1-1 2.89 ERA) takes on Anthony Swarzak (0-3 4.73 ERA).

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Prince Fielder's Error Cost the Tigers in a 4-2 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost tonight to the Cleveland Indians 4-2.

The Tigers struggled to get much going through 5 innings, but in the 6th inning, Quintin Berry got his first career hit in the 6th inning, and advanced to 2nd base on poor fielding by Cleveland; It was ruled a double officially, though. Andy Dirks followed that up with a RBI double, with more poor fielding by the Cleveland defense. Prince Fielder reached base after Asdrubal Cabrera tried to throw Andy Dirks out at home, but was too late (and Carlos Santana dropped the ball anyways).

After Doug Fister gave Travis Hafner a meatball that was hit for a 2-run home run, the Tigers came back in the 7th inning.

Ramon Santiago and Gerald Laird each hit a single, Quintin Berry reached base on a fielder's choice, and Andy Dirks took a walk to load the bases with 2 outs for Miguel Cabrera. Miguel Cabrera had taken ball 4, but the umpire was blind and called it a strike, Cabrera went on to ground out and it cost the Tigers a run and the lead.

Doug Fister went 6 and 2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3 batters. Phil Coke came in for relief and got the last out of the 7th inning.

After a fielding error by Jason Kipnis that allowed Prince Fielder to reach base, Delmon Young hit a single, and Brennan Boesch hit a single of his own to load the bases with no outs in the 8th inning. However, they didn't score a run and the game remained tied 2-2.

Bad defense by Prince Fielder let the winning run score in the bottom of the 8th and the Tigers couldn't come back in the 9th.

Justin Verlander (5-1 2.14 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale tommorrow against Justin Masterson (1-3 5.04 ERA).

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Rick Porcello Implodes in a Tigers 5-3 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost tonight to the Cleveland Indians 5-3.

After trailing 1-0 early, Brennan Boesch hit a double, Jhonny Peralta drew a walk, and Alex Avila hit a 3-run home run to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead; It's his 5th of the season.

Rick Porcello did not pitch well tonight going 5 and 1/3rds innings giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, walking 3 and striking out 6 batters. Duane Below came in to replace Porcello and went 1 and 1/3rd of scoreless Baseball; Luke Putkonen got the last out of the 7th inning, and pitched a lucky inning of scoreless Baseball.

The Tigers offense had their chances, and put one last run together in the 9th inning.

After a Ramon Santiago walk, Andy Dirks hit a single, and Santiago got to 3rd base, however, nothing came of it.

Doug Fister (0-2 1.59 ERA) takes the mound for Detroit tommorow against Zach McAllister (1-1 4.34 ERA).

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Max Scherzer Strikes out a Career High 15 Batters in Tigers 4-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates today 4-3.

The Tigers offense only had 1 hit through the first 5 innings, but after a Rod Barajas solo home run in the top of the 5th, Jhonny Peralta responded with a solo home run in the bottom of the 5th; It's hit 2nd home run of the season.

Max Scherzer pitched great today pitching 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 15 batters. The 15 strikeouts are a career high for Scherzer; He earned his 3rd win of the season.

The Tigers responded in the 7th inning with a leadoff double by Prince Fielder, and Delmon Young followed with a RBI single to tie the game. Jhonny Peralta was up next and drew a walk, then a passed ball let Peralta and Young advance 1 base each. Alex Avila was the next batter and hit a 2 RBI single to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

Octavio Dotel came in for the 8th inning and got 2 outs, then Phil Coke came in to get the last out of the inning. Joaquin Benoit gave up 1 run in the 9th inning, but got the save.

The Tigers have an off day tommorrow, but begin a 3 game road series against the Cleveland Indians as Rick Porcello (3-3 5.12 ERA) takes on Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3 5.09 ERA).

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Justin Verlander Throws a Complete Game Shutout, 2 Outs Shy of No-Hitter in Tigers 6-0 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight 6-0.

The Tigers started the scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning with an Andy Dirks single and a Miguel Cabrera RBI double. Prince Fielder followed that up with a RBI double of his own to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.

Delmon Young hit a solo home run in the 4th inning. It's his 2nd of the season. After singles by Alex Avila and Brennan Boesch, Don Kelly hit a RBI single to give the Tigers and 4-0 lead and that would be plenty.

Justin Verlander walked Neil Walker in the 1st inning, and from there he would go on to retire the next 18 in a row before walking Andrew McCutchen in the 7th inning. The Pirates didn't get their first hit until a Josh Harrison ridiculous bloop single with 1 out in the 9th inning.

Verlander struck out 12 batters and walked only 2.

Drew Smyly (1-0 2.31 ERA) takes the mound tommorrow as he goes up against A.J. Burnett (1-2 5.12 ERA)

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Lack of Clutch Hitting Has Tigers Lose 4-3

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins today 4-3.

The Tigers offense struggled to get going today. They didn't get their first hit till the 5th inning, which was a solo home run from Brennan Boesch; It's his 5th of the season.

Andy Dirks responded in the 6th inning with a solo home run of his own; It's his 4th of the season. Prince Fielder followed that up with a solo home run of his own; It's his 6th of the season.

Doug Fister struggled a bit today going only 6 innings, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5 batters.

Phil Coke came in and pitched a scoreless 7th inning, Brayan Villarreal pitched 2 scoreless innings.

The Tigers started the 8th inning off with walks by Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera, so Prince Fielder came up with 2 on, no outs, but a strikeout from Prince Fielder and double play by Delmon Young killed the scoring chance. Hey Leyland, quit batting Delmon Young 5th. He stinks. That ended up being the last chance the Tigers had and couldn't get another run.

Interleague play starts tommorrow as the Tigers open a 3 game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit sends Justin Verlander (4-1 2.47 ERA) to take on Charlie Morton (2-3 4.05 ERA).

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Tigers Lose 11-7 Due to Bad Defense & Poor Pitching

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins tonight 11-7.

Down 2-0 early, the Tigers responded in the bottom of the 1st inning with a leadoff single by Austin Jackson and a walk by Andy Dirks. After a flyout by Miguel Cabrera that advanced both runners up a base, Prince Fielder hit a sacrifice fly to score Austin Jackson.

After 3 unearned runs scored in the 2nd inning, the Tigers once again came back to score in the 2nd inning after a walk to Ryan Raburn and single by Brennan Boesch, Ramon Santiago had a RBI single. Austin Jackson came up next and had a RBI single of his own. Andy Dirks followed the trend with a RBI single of his own, and advanced to 2nd base on an error. Miguel Cabrera was up next and what did he do? Of course! A RBI single for him. Prince Fielder was up next, and didn't hit a RBI single, but did get a sacrifice fly to score Andy Dirks and got the Tigers a 6-5 lead.

Rick Porcello struggled today going only 4 innings giving up 6 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and struck out 3 batters. He didn't factor into the decision.

Austin Jackson left the game after an at-bat in the 4th inning with a mild abdominal strain according to Brian Britten. He is day-to-day.

The Tigers scored another run in the bottom of the 5th inning after a single by Andy Dirks followed by a RBI double from Miguel Cabrera.

Duane Below entered the game in relief in the 5th inning and had a quick 1-2-3 inning, but struggled in the 6th inning giving up 2 runs. He went pitched 2 and 1/3rds innings.

Luke Putkonen was the next guy in, and of course allowed a run to score in the 7th inning to give the Twins a 9-7 lead, and the Tigers couldn't come back from it.

Just to make sure the game was out of reach, Collin Balester gave up a 2 run meatball to make it a 4 run game in the top of the 9th inning.

The Tigers finish up their 2 game series with the Twins tommorrow when they send Doug Fister to the mound (0-1 0.54 ERA) to face P.J. Walters (0-1 3.00 ERA)

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Austin Jackson, Ryan Raburn Lead a 10-8 Comeback Win for the Tigers

The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox today 10-8.

The Tigers had a chance to score in the first inning after a walk to lead off the game by Austin Jackson, but a failed hit-and run turned into a double play. Miguel Cabrera then hit a single, and was thrown out at home by about 10 feet after a Prince Fielder double, thanks to Gene Lamont. Why couldn't you take him off the Tigers hands, Boston?

From there, it went from bad to worse. Max Scherzer gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning, and it took 36 pitches to get out of the inning.

Scherzer struggled today only going 4 innings, giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits, walking 3 and striking out 3 batters; Scherzer got a no-decision.

It wasn't looking good for the Tigers, but in the 6th inning, Andy Dirks hit a single that was followed up by a Miguel Cabrera 2-run home run. After a double by Prince Fielder and a hit-by-pitch to Brennan Boesch, the most unlikely guy hit a 3-run home run. Yes, it was Ryan Raburn, and the Tigers were now only down by 1 run. After a walk to Jhonny Peralta and a hit-by-pitch to Delmon Young, Austin Jackson hit a 3-run home run to put the Tigers in the lead 8-6.

The Tigers came back in the 7th inning for some more runs. After an Alex Avila walk, and single by Brennan Boesch, Ryan Raburn (shockingly) drove in Avila with a single. Jhonny Peralta followed that up with a RBI single of his own.

Collin Balester came on in the 5th inning and pitched 1 and 1/3rds scoreless innings and got the win today; Phil Coke came into the game and pitched 1 and 2/3rds of scoreless Baseball.

Joaquin Benoit pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Jose Valverde had the first two outs of the 9th inning, but left the game with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th with an apparant injury. Octavio Dotel came in and gave up a 2 RBI double to Alexei Ramirez before getting the final out of the game.

The Tigers open up a 2 game home series tommorow with the Minnesota Twins when Rick Porcello (3-3 5.18 ERA) takes on Nick Blackburn (1-4 7.18 ERA).

Picture credit: mlive.com
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Jim Leyland Makes Costly Decision in a 7-5 Tigers Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Chicago White Sox thanks to Jim Leyland and Gerry Davis tonight 7-5.

The Tigers scoring started in the 1st inning after a walk by Andy Dirks and single by Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder broke a lengthy slump with a 2 RBI double. Delmon Young followed that with a double of his own to score Fielder. Ryan Raburn did something only he could next. He swung on a 3-0 count against a pitcher who was struggling to throw strikes. Thanks, Ryan.

After an Austin Jackson double and a hit-by-pitch to Andy Dirks in the 2nd inning, Miguel Cabrera hit a fair ball, that was clearly fair, but called foul by the Gerry Davis. Of course since the Tigers are playing Chicago, the umps have to help them. Glad we don't have instant replay! The Tigers didn't end up scoring because of Davis in the inning.

Detroit came back in the 3rd inning with base hits by Prince Fielder and Delmon Young, and then Ryan Raburn came up. What did he do? He tried to bunt for a base hit, with 2 on and 0 outs. He bunted into a force out at 3rd base, so again, thanks Ryan. Brennan Boesch came up next and had a base hit which brought Jhonny Peralta to the plate with the bases loaded; Peralta drew a bases loaded walk. Gerald Laird was up next and hit a sacrifice fly to score Ryan Raburn. Austin Jackson came up to the plate and drew a walk, so the bases were loaded for Andy Dirks and he once again failed to deliver.

In the 4th inning, Miguel Cabrera was able to steal 3rd base standing up.

Drew Smyly struggled keeping the ball down today, for a ground ball pitcher, he had a lot of fly ball outs. Smyly went 5 innings, gave up 4 runs on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4 batters; Smyly only threw 69 pitches and recieved a no decision.

Of course Leyland making this move put in Luke Putkonen, who is a bad pitcher and gave up 3 runs in the 6th inning, to give Chicago a 7-5 lead. Hey Jim, thanks for costing us the game!

The Tigers send Max Scherzer to the mound tommorow to face off with Jake Peavy.

Picture credit: cbssports.com
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Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera Lead the Tigers to a 3-1 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics today 3-1.

Justin Verlander looked like it may be one of those days where he could throw a no-hitter, but after retiring the first 11 hitters in a row, Josh Reddick hit a cheap bloop single.

In the top of the 5th inning the Tigers finally got on the board. After Austin Jackson hit a single, stole 2nd base, and advanced to 3rd base on a wild pitch, Miguel Cabrera drove him in with a single to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Verlander gave up a solo home run though to Seth Smith in the bottom of the inning to tie the game back up.

The Tigers had a chance to score again in the 6th inning after a Brennan Boesch double, and walks to Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn, so after a pitching change, Austin Jackson came to the plate with the bases loaded and Grant Balfour on the mound. Could Jackson deliver for the Tigers?

He would! Jackson drew a walk to score Brennan Boesch and put the Tigers back up 2-1.

When Justin Verlander completed the 6th inning, it marked his 50th straight start going atleast 6 innings according to James Schmehl.

Justin Verlander was suprisingly done after 7 innings and 104 pitches. He gave up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 8 batters, and earning his 4th win of the season; Joaquin Benoit pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Tigers added an insurance run in the 8th after a double by Ryan Raburn, a walk by Austin Jackson, then a RBI single by Miguel Cabrera after a failed bunt attempt by Danny Worth.

Jose Valverde came in for the 9th inning and had a 1-2-3 inning to get the save.

Drew Smyly takes the mound against John Danks tommorrow as the Tigers begin a 3 game road series with the Chicago White Sox.

Picture credit: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
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Tigers Offense Struggles in 3-1 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Oakland Athletics tonight 3-1.

Doug Fister after a rough begining to the game, due to a horrid strike zone, ended up pitching very well going 6 innings, giving
up 1 run on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8 batters.

Phil Coke came in for the 7th inning, got 2 outs and gave up 2 runs; Octavio Dotel came in to replace him and got the final out of the inning.

The Tigers offense was close to being shut out for the first time in 100 games, but an Alex Avila sacrifice fly in the 9th inning made sure that didn't happen, however, the Tigers still lost.

The Tigers finish up this series with Oakland tommorrow when Justin Verlander takes on Jarrod Parker.

Picture credit: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
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Tigers Bullpen Pitches Horrible in 11-4 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Oakland Athletics tonight 11-4.

The Tigers began the game with a double by Austin Jackson followed by a single by Andy Dirks. Miguel Cabrera was up next and hit into a double play, but Austin Jackson scored from 3rd base to give the Tigers the early 1-0 lead.

Down 2-1, the Tigers tied the game in the 3rd inning after Miguel Cabrera hit RBI single to score Gerald Laird from 3rd base.

Rick Porcello didn't pitch very well tonight going 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks. Porcello also struck out 4 batters.

Duane Below came in for the 6th inning and things didn't get any better. He gave up 4 runs in the 6th inning and the Tigers fell behind too far.

Collin Balester came in next and gave up 3 runs in the 7th inning. Hey Collin, I hope you enjoy Toledo. I hear they are very nice down there.

The Tigers would try to make a charge late in the game with walks by Austin Jackson and Andy Dirks, then Miguel Cabrera and Delmon Young each hit a RBI single, but the Tigers offense couldn't come back from being 9 runs down.

The Tigers continue their series with Oakland tommorow when Doug Fister starts against Brandon McCarthy.

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Miguel Cabrera, Andy Dirks Lead the Tigers to a 10-6 Victory

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics tonight 10-6.

The Tigers started the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run from Andy Dirks; It is his 3rd of the season.

After a 2 run home run by Kila Ka'aihue, the Tigers came back in the 3rd inning with singles by Austin Jackson and Andy Dirks to set up a RBI double by Miguel Cabrera which tied the game 2-2. Prince Fielder hit a ball hard to Ka'aihue who made a fielding error and Andy Dirks was able to score on the error; Fielder got a RBI on the play. Delmon Young was next and hit a single, but a fielding error by Josh Reddick let Fielder get to 3rd base and Young got to 2nd base. Alex Avila then hit a 2 RBI double. After an out by Ryan Raburn, Brennan Boesch drove in Avila with a double. Ramon Santiago was up next and drove in Boesch with a double of his own. After an Andy Dirks walk, Miguel Cabrera hit a RBI single to score Santiago. The Tigers ended up scoring 8 runs on 8 hits in the 3rd inning, and they scored plenty of runs to secure a victory.

Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera each had a 4 hit game.

Max Scherzer pitched well tonight going 6 and 1/3rds innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 9 batters, he earned his 2nd win of the season; Octavio Dotel got the final 2 outs of the 7th inning.

Phil Coke loaded the bases with 2 outs and Colin Balester came into the game, and ended up giving some scrub on the A's a meatball which was hit for a grand slam to make it a 10-6 game.

Joaquin Benoit came in to get the last out of the 8th inning, and Jose Valverde pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning. Yes, I was as shocked as all of you, and no, i'm not making that up.

Rick Porcello takes the mound tommorrow as he goes against Tommy Milone.

Picture credit: mlive.com
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Tigers Offense Still Sleeping in a 2-1 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Seatte Mariners tonight 2-1.

The Tigers had a tough time getting runners on base today, but they got things going in the 6th inning after a leadoff double by Gerald Laird followed up by a bloop single by Danny Worth. Next up was Austin Jackson who hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

Drew Smyly pitched very well once again tonight going 6 innings giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 run and striking out 5 batters; Smyly ended with a no decision. Luke Putkonen pitched a scoreless 7th inning, but for some reason came out for the 8th inning and gave up a run, which was the game winning run.

The Tigers open a 4 game road series vs Oakland tommorrow and it starts with Max Scherzer taking the mound against Bartolo Colon.

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Andy Dirks 3 RBI Helps the Tigers to a 6-4 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners tonight 6-4.

Austin Jackson started off the game with a double, and Andy Dirks drove him in with a single to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

The Tigers came back in the 2nd inning to score more runs. After singles by Brennan Boesch and Gerald Laird, Austin Jackson had a questionable sacrifice bunt, however Andy Dirks hit a 2 RBI double to make the bunt work out. After a walk to Prince Fielder, Delmon Young hit a 2 RBI double to make it a 5-0 game.

Justin Verlander gave up 3 runs in the 3rd inning, and Jim Leyland got ejected for arguing with the home plate umpire. Later in the 3rd, Verlander began arguing, but wasn't ejected. Miguel Cabrera also had words with the home plate umpire. The strike zone was a joke though, so that explains a lot.

Verlander finished the outing going 6 innings, giving up 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6 batters, and got the win; It was Verlander's 49th straight start going atleast 6 innings. He didn't pitch very well, but did enough.

Prince Fielder hit a home run in the 7th inning to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead; it was his 5th home run of the season.

Phil Coke came in and gave up 1 run in the 7th inning and Joaquin Benoit pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

It was a 6-4 game going into the 9th inning, and Jose Valverde came on for the save. He made it very, very interesting, but managed to close out the game for the Tigers, although every Tigers fan may of had a heart attack.

Drew Smyly will start the series finale tommorow as he faces Jason Vargas.

Picture credit: yahoosports.com
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Octavio Dotel Implodes as Tigers Lose 3-2

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Seattle Mainers tonight 3-2.

The Tigers started the scoring in the 1st inning tonight after a double by Andy Dirks, Prince Fielder drove him in with a double.

The Tigers came back in the 4th inning to score again. Prince Fielder and Jhonny Peralta each had a single, and Brennan Boesch drove in Fielder with a single.

Doug Fister made his first start since coming off the DL, and he pitched very well going 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, striking out 3 batters, but didn't get the win, thanks to the bullpen.

With Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde not available to pitch today, Phil Coke pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

But then...

Octavio Dotel had to go and ruin a great outing by Fister, and cost the Tigers the win. Thanks Octavio, Detroit hates you now.

Also, thanks Leyland for overmanaging the game. It's not like Doug Fister only threw 73 pitches or anything.

Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Tigers tommorow as he takes on Kevin Millwood.

Picture credit: mlive.com
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Rick Porcello Leads the Tigers to a 3-1 Victory

The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox today 3-1

The game started out with an Adam Dunn home run in the top of the first inning, but then Austin Jackson led the bottom of the inning off for the Tigers with his 4th home run of the season.

In the 3rd inning, Prince Fielder hit his 4th home run on the season; a 432 foot bomb.

Rick Porcello pitched very well going 6 and 1/3rds innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks. striking out 5 batters and getting his 3rd win of the season. Octavio Dotel got the 2nd out of the 7th inning and Phil Coke got the last out of the inning.

Joaquin benoit pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Andy Dirks hit his 2nd home run of the season in the bottom of the 8th to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.

Jose Valverde came in for the 9th inning and had a chance to close out the game, and he made it interesting, but this time he got the job done.

The Tigers start a 3 game road series with the Seattle Mariners tommorow with Doug Fister making his 2nd start of the season against Blake Beavan

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Jhonny Peralta Hits a Walkoff Home Run in Tigers 5-4 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4.

Drew Smyly pitched well again going 6 innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out 7 batters.

The Tigers got on the board in the 2nd inning with an Alex Avila double and a single by Jhonny Peralta to have runners on first and third for Ryan Raburn who hit a sacrifice fly.

Alex Avila hit a solo home run in the 4th inning to put the Tigers back in the lead; it was Avila's 4th home run of the season.

Miguel Cabrera drove in Don Kelly in the 8th inning to make it a 4-3 game, but Octavio Dotel's 2-run home run to Gordon Beckham in the 7th inning looked like it may be too much for the Tigers to overcome tonight.

However....

A single in the 9th inning by Alex Avila was followed up by a 2-run walkoff homer by Jhonny Peralta to get the Tigers the victory.


The Tigers send Max Scherzer to the mound tommorow as he takes on Gavin Floyd.

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Tigers and Verlander Patch Mailday

Yesterday, I got these cards in the mail:

First, I got a bunch of random Tigers cards from Jerry at the Cardboard Connection Forums.

He sent me these just because he knows how much I like the Tigers, here are some of my favorites that I recieved from him.

The other cards I recieved in the mail came from Woody at the Cardboard Connection. I've been trading with him for years. He sends me Detroit cards, and I send him Boston cards. He sent me some Wrestling and MMA event used and Autograph cards as well as this Justin Verlander patch for my collection.

This card is numbered 91/199!

I'd like to thank Jerry and Woody for helping me add cards to my collection!

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I Was the Tigers Social Media Fan of the Game Winner!

Every home game the Detroit Tigers on twitter send out the following tweet. Well, I usually forget to do tweet the information needed when I go to a game, but today I remembered and gave my information of where I was sitting and my favorite (in this case, 2nd favorite) Tigers player, which was Alex Avila. I was sitting in section 105, row L, seat 21.

To my suprise, I ended up winning! 1 for 1, not bad, right?

Here was my prize for winning:

I'd like to thank the Tigers for giving away this signed photo today!

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Tigers Offense Struggles, Verlander Not Enough in 3-2 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Kansas City Royals today 3-2.

Justin Verlander pitched very well going 8 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and had 7 strikeouts; he didn't factor into the decision.

The Tigers offense struggled to do much of anything today, but down 2-0 in the bottom of the 8th, after an Austin Jackson single, Brennan Boesch tied the game with his 4th home run on the season.

However, Kansas City went on to score a run in the 9th off of Joaquin Benoit and it was the game winning run.

The Tigers have an off day tommorow, and on Friday open a 3 game series with the Chicago White Sox. Drew Smyly will make the start against Jake Peavy.

Photo credit: mlive.com
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Porcello Rebounds in Tigers 9-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals tonight 9-3.

Some were concerned about the Tigers offense starting the season slower than expected. Well, tonight they started off very, very fast.

Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch each hit a single to start the game. Miguel Cabrera, who owns Luke Hochevar, followed with a RBI double. Next, Prince Fielder hit a ball hard to Eric Hosmer who had a throwing error trying to throw Brennan Boesch out at home. The ball got past the catcher and allowed Miguel Cabrera to also score. Andy Dirks was next and he hit a single to score Prince Fielder thanks to a bobble in the outfield by Jarrod Dyson. Alex Avila came up next and hit a single, so Jhonny Peralta was now up with runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs; Peralta went hit a RBI single which scored Andy Dirks. Ramon Santiago made the first outs of the inning when he hit into a double play, and Don Kelly made the final out of the inning. The Tigers entire lineup hit in the first inning and had a 5-0 lead, and Hochevar threw only 22 pitches.

The Tigers came back in the 3rd inning to score after back-to-back walks to Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta. Ramon Santiago attempted to lay a sacrifice bunt down, but Alex Avila got thrown out at 3rd on a force play. Don Kelly was next and had a RBI single, and then Austin Jackson followed with a 2 RBI double. After 3 innings it was 8-0.

The Tigers scored again in the 4th after Alex Gordon lost a ball in the lights which was ruled a double for Andy Dirks. However, Dirks appeared to hurt his hamstring again, so he left the game. Brad Eldred came to pinch run for him and scored on a RBI single by Jhonny Peralta to make it 9-0.

Austin Jackson had his third 4 hit game tonight on the season. He had only two 4 hit games in all of 2011.

Rick Porcello pitched well tonight after struggling in his past two starts. He pitched 8 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, striking out 3 batters to earn the win.

Phil Coke pitched a scoreless 9th inning in relief.

The Tigers finish up their series with the Royals tommorow when Justin Verlander takes the mound against Luis Mendoza.

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