Prince Fielder's 30th Home Run Leads the Tigers to a 2-1 Win

The first place Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins today 2-1.

After the top of the 7th innings it was a 0-0 game, and Anibal Sanchez's outing was over after he allowed a run in the bottom of the inning (because he was left out there too long). He pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4 batters.

Phil Coke came in for relief and got the final 2 outs of the inning; he ended up getting the win.

Austin Jackson led the 8th inning off with a single, and with 2 outs, Prince Fielder hit a 2-run home run that just got over the wall and the Tigers took a 2-1 lead; it's his 30th of the season.

Octavio Dotel came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning to get his 34th save of the season and it secured a Tigers win.

Tigers Magic Number: 1

The Tigers open up a 3 game road series against the Royals tommorrow as Rick Porcello (9-12 4.68 ERA) goes up against Bruce Chen (11-13 5.13 ERA). It's the last regular season series for the Tigers.

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Miguel Cabrera's 43rd Home Run Helps the Tigers to a 6-4 Win

The first place Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins today 6-4.

Prince Fielder got Detroit the lead today in the 2nd inning with a solo home run; it's his 29th of the season. After Andy Dirks had an infield single, Jhonny Peralta hit a double to drive Dirks in and the Tigers had an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 8th inning after a single by Austin Jackson, Quintin Berry drew a walk after Jackson stole 2nd base, then Miguel Cabrera hit a 3-run home run; it's his 43rd of the season. Andy Dirks added a solo home run to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead; it's his 8th of the season.

Justin Verlander's outing ended after an error by Jhonny Peralta to lead off the 8th inning. He pitched 7 innings and allowed 1 unearned run on 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8 batters; he earned his 17th win of the season.

Joaquin Benoit came in for relief and gave up a grand slam after getting only one out. Why Leyland continues to use Benoit and Valverde in games that aren't close is a mystery.

Al Alburquerque replaced Benoit and got the last 2 outs of the inning.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to earn his 33rd save of the season and it got the Tigers the win.

The Tigers finish their series with the Twins tommorrow as Anibal Sanchez (9-13 3.95 ERA) takes on Liam Hendriks (1-8 6.09 ERA).

Tigers Magic Number: 3

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Doug Fister Sets an AL Record in a 5-4 Tigers Extra Innings Win

The first place Detroit Tigers swept the Kansas City Royals today with a 5-4 extra innings win.

The Tigers scored in the 1st inning today after Quintin Berry reached based on a fielding error, then advanced to 2nd base on a throwing error, after a single by Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder hit a single to drive in Berry; a fielding error allowed Fielder to 2nd base and Cabrera to 3rd. Delmon Young came up next and had a sacrifice fly to score Cabrera and the Tigers had an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 2nd inning after a 2 out infield single from Omar Infante who reached 2nd base on a throwing error, Austin Jackson drew a walk, then Quintin Berry came up and hit a 2 run triple and the Tigers took a 4-0 lead.

Douf Fister set an American League record today with 9 straight strikeouts today according to Brian Britten.

Fister pitched very well today, although he did allow 3 runs in the 8th inning. He pitched 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, and striking out 10 batters.

Phil Coke came in for relief and got the last out of the 8th inning.

Joaquin Benoit came in to go for the save, but allowed a home run to tie the game 4-4; he ended up winning the game.

Prince Fielder led off the 9th inning with an infield double (no, it really happened), then Delmon Young was walked intentionally (no, that also really happened). Ramon Santiago (for some reason) pinch-hit for Andy Dirks to lay down a sacrifice bunt, however, the Royals got the force out at 3rd base. Jhonny Peralta was up next and hit a likely double-play ball, but reached safely on a fielding error, and the bases were loaded with 1 out for Alex Avila. What did he do? He grounded into a force play, but the fielder had to dive for the out and the Tigers scored the winning run!

The Tigers open up a 3 game road series in Minnesota tommorrow as Drew Smyly (4-3 4.24 ERA) makes a spot start and goes up against Scott Diamond (12-8 3.64 ERA).

Tigers Magic Number: 6

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Anibal Sanchez Throws a Complete Game Shutout in a 2-0 Tigers Win

The first place Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals tonight 2-0.

The Tigers scored in the 1st inning tonight after singles by Austin Jackson and Omar Infante, then Prince Fielder hit a single to drive in Jackson. Delmon Young came up next with runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and he hit a single to drive in Infante and the Tigers had an early 2-0 lead, and that would be enough to win tonight.

Anibal Sanchez pitched his best game as a member of the Tigers tonight. He had a complete game shutout. He gave up only 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 10 batters; he earned his 9th win of the season.

The Tigers finish their series with the Royals tommorrow as Rick Porcello (9-12 4.57 ERA) goes up against Jeremy Guthrie (7-12 4.80 ERA).

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Justin Verlander Pitches Well in a 6-2 Tigers Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals tonight 6-2.

Prince Fielder got the Tigers an early lead after a solo home run in the 2nd inning; it's his 28th of the season. After Jhonny Peralta reached base on a fielder's choice, Alex Avila drove him in with a double and they had a 2-0 lead.

The Royals made it a 2-1 game, but in the 4th inning the Tigers responded after Alex Avila drew a walk, Omar Infante hit a single, then Austin Jackson hit a double to drive in Avila, and Infante scored on a throwing error which gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 6th inning after singles by Miguel Cabrera and Delmon Young to set up runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out for Andy Dirks who had a sacrifice fly to drive in Cabrera and it was a 5-1 game.

Justin Verlander pitched well tonight going 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits, and striking out 8 batters; he earned his 16th win of the season.

Detroit extended their lead in the 8th inning after singles by Prince Fielder and Delmon Young, then Andy Dirks hit a single to drive in Fielder and the Tigers took a 6-2 lead.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning to secure a Tigers win.

The Tigers continue their series with the Royals tommorrow as Anibal Sanchez (8-13 4.14 ERA) pitches against Bruce Chen (11-12 5.22 ERA).

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Jose Valverde's Bad Pitching Continues in a 2-1 Tigers Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings tonight 2-1.

The Tigers took a quick lead in the 1st inning after a single by Austin Jackson, then Miguel Cabrera hit a double to drive in Jackson and the Tigers had a 1-0 lead.

Brian Britten reported that after Cabrera's double, he became only the 2nd player in Tigers history to have 40 doubles and 40 home runs in a season.

Drew Smyly's day was done after loading the bases. He pitched 4 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 (unearned) run on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2 batters.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief and got the final 2 outs of the 5th inning, but a run scored on an error, so it was a 1-1 game. Alburquerque came back out and pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Alburquerque also pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Benoit came back out and pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Jose Valverde came in and gave up a run in the 10th inning. At this point Valverde is a platoon pitcher being used as a closer, and that isn't right.

The Tigers open up a 4 game home series with the Royals tommorrow as Justin Verlander (15-8 2.74 ERA) takes on Luke Hochevar (8-14 5.40 ERA).

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Andy Dirks' Poor Defense Costs the Tigers in a 10-4 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins today 10-4.

The Tigers scored first today in the 4th inning after a single by Omar Infante, then Miguel Cabrera hit a double to score Infante. Delmon Young eventually came up and hit a single to drive in Cabrera and the Tigers had a 2-0 lead.

Thanks to an error by Andy Dirks (which was somehow called a triple), and then a bad defensive play by Omar Infante (shocker), which led to the end of the day for Max Scherzer. He pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 due to bad defense) on 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4 batters.

Phil Coke came in for relief and the first batter hit a bloop single thanks to more bad defense from Andy Dirks. After walking the next batter, Coke was pulled without getting an out; he was charged with allowing 2 runs. Brayan Villarreal came in to replace Coke. A mental mistake led to a 4th run scoring; Villarreal eventually got through the 6th inning, but the Twins had a 5-2 lead.

Villarreal came back out and got the first 2 outs of the 7th inning. He gave up an unearned run in the process. Darin Downs came in and got the final out of the 6th inning. Down came back out for the 8th inning and got the first 2 outs, but gave up a 2 runs. Luke Putkonen came in and got the final out of the inning, but allowed 2 runs to score in the process (of course).

Putkonen came back out and pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Thanks to the bullpen imploding, and Dirks' awful defense, the offense never had a chance to make a comeback. Two runs scored in the 9th inning thanks to a single from Avisail Garcia, but it obviously wasn't enough, and the Tigers lost.

The Tigers play the 2nd game of a double header against the Twins tonight as Drew Smyly (4-3 4.45 ERA) makes a spot start against P.J. Walters (2-4 6.39 ERA).

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Justin Verlander Earns his 15th Win of the Season in a 6-2 Tigers Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics tonight 6-2.

The Tigers scored in the 3rd inning after bunt singles by Andy Dirks and Gerald Laird, then they eached advanced a base on a ground out from Austin Jackson, then Omar Infante came up and hit a double to drive in Dirks and Laird. An intentional walk was given to Miguel Cabrera, then Prince Fielder drew a walk to load the bases with 1 out for Delmon Young who had a sacrifice fly to drive in Infante and the Tigers had a 3-0 lead.

Detroit added to their lead in the 5th inning after a double by Delmon Young, then a single by Jhonny Peralta to drive Young in and the Tigers had a 4-0 lead.

Justin Verlander struggled with his pitch count, but was very good today. He pitched 6 shutout innings on 5 hits, walking 3 and striking out 5 batters; he earned his 15th win of the season.

Octavio Dotel came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Miguel Cabrera added to the Tigers lead in the 7th inning with a solo home run; it's his 41st of the season, and the Tigers had a 5-0 lead.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Tigers scored again in the 8th inning after singles by Avisail Garcia and Andy Dirks, then Austin Jackson drew a walk to load the bases with 1 out for Omar Infante who hit into a force out to drive in Garcia and the Tigers had a 6-0 lead.

Jose Valverde came in and gave up 2 runs in the 9th inning, but the Tigers won anyways.

The Tigers finish up their series with the Athletics tommorrow as Anibal Sanchez (8-12 4.02 ERA) takes on Tommy Milone (13-10 3.81 ERA).

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Miguel Cabrera Hits 2 Home Runs in a 12-2 Tigers Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics tonight 12-2.

The Athletics took a 1-0 lead, but the Tigers quickly responded in the bottom of the 1st inning with singles from Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry to set up runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs for Miguel Cabrera who hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Jackson and it was a 1-1 game after an inning.

The Tigers took the lead in the 2nd inning after a solo home run from Jhonny Peralta; it's his 12th of the season and gave Detroit a 2-1 lead.

Max Scherzer started the game, but left after 2 innings due to injury. In the 2 innings, he gave up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4 batters.

James Schmehl reported Scherzer's MRI showed no structural damage.

Miguel Cabrera added to the Tigers lead in the 3rd inning with a solo home run to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead; it's his 39th of the season which is a career high.

Darin Downs came in for relief for the injured Scherzer. He pitched 2 and 2/3 innings allowing no runs on 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 1 batter; Downs ended up getting the win tonight.

Brayan Villarreal came in and got the last out of the 5th inning.

Detroit scored again in the 5th inning after a double by Miguel Cabrera, then Prince Fielder hit a 2-run home run to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead; it's his 27th of the season, and it was RBI #100 for Fielder.

Villarreal came back out and got the first out of the 6th inning, then Phil Coke came in and got the last two outs of the inning.

The Tigers continued to score in the 6th inning after a walk by Jhonny Peralta, then Omar Infante reached base on a fielder's choice, and advanced to 2nd base on a throwing error. Gerald Laird drew a walk, then Austin Jackson hit a double to drive in Infante; Quintin Berry came up next and hit a double to score Laird and Jackson which gave the Tigers a 8-1 lead.

Phil Coke came back out and gave up 1 run in the 7th inning.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Detroit continued their scroing in the 8th inning after singles by Gerald Laird, Austin Jackson, and Avisail Garcia to load the bases with no outs for Miguel Cabrera who hit a grand slam; it's his 40th of the season, 2nd of the night, and gave the Tigers a 12-2 lead.

Luis Marte came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to secure the win for the Tigers.

The Tigers continue their series with the Athletics tommorrow as Justin Verlander (14-8 2.82 ERA goes up against Brett Anderson (4-1 1.93 ERA).

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Omar Infante's Defense Costs the Tigers in a 5-4 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Chicago White Sox today 5-4.

The Tigers scored first today in the 3rd inning after singles by Avisail Garcia and Gerald Laird, then Austin Jackson hit a single to drive in Garcia. After a sacrifice bunt by Omar Infante, Miguel Cabrera was walked intentionally to load the bases. Delmon Young eventually came up and hit a double to drive in Laird and Jackson which gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Country Joe West had to be bigger than the game, as usual, though. On a 3-2 count a pitch was called ball 4, despite being down the middle of the plate, the White Sox went on to score 3 runs because they were essentially given 4 outs, so after 4 innings it was a 3-3 game.

The Tigers came back quickly in the 5th inning though with a double from Miguel Cabrera, then Prince Fielder reached base on an infield single, which was actually a blown call by the 1st base umpire. Funny how that works, right? Delmon Young came up next and hit a single to drive in Cabrera, and the Tigers were back on top 4-3.

Doug Fister was not good today. He pitched 4 innings, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2 batters.

Al Alburquerque came in for relief with runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, and no runs would've scored, but Omar Infante again showed some awful defense and it let 2 runs score instead of zero. Alburquerque came back out for the 6th inning, but only got 1 out, and was pulled after walking 2 batters.

Phil Coke came in to get the 2nd out of the inning, then Octavio Dotel got the final out of the inning. Dotel came back out and pitched a scoreless 7th inning. For some reason, Dotel came out to start the 8th inning, but only got 1 out before being pulled after allowing runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Brayan Villarreal came in and got the last 2 outs of the inning without giving up a run due to bad baserunning.

The Tigers weren't able to get anything, and because of Omar Infante's poor defense, lost the game, and are now 3 games back of the White Sox.

The Tigers begin a 3 game home series with the Oakland Athletics tommorrow as Max Scherzer (16-6 3.77 ERA) takes on A.J. Griffin (6-0 1.94 ERA).

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Miguel Cabrera Named AL Player of the Week

According to Brian Britten, Miguel Cabrera has been named AL player of the week for September 10th-September 16th.

In the week, Cabrera hit .407, with 3 Home Runs, 7 RBI, 7 runs scored and he drew 1 walk.

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Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox: Monday Preview

The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox play each other for the final time on Monday, a game being made up due to a rain out on Thursday. The Tigers enter the game 2 games behind Chicago.

Doug Fister (9-8 3.49 ERA) will be pitching for the Tigers against Jose Quintana (6-4 3.52 ERA) of the White Sox.

The Tigers have had their struggles against left handed pitching this year, but Chicago, a mainly right handed hitting lineup will take on a very good right handed pitcher.

Douf Fister missed much of the first half of the season due to injury, but has only missed 1 start in the 2nd half, and has pitched well. Since the All-Star break, Fister is 7-2 with a 2.49 ERA.

Quintana, on the other hand, came out of no where and pitched well for the White Sox early on, but since the All-Star break, he is 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA. Perhaps he is getting tired? Maybe the league has figured him out?

These two pitchers both pitched last week in the Tigers/White Sox series, and both had success. In Fister's start he went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6 batters. In Quintana's start, he went 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7 batters (and he was almost pulled in the 2nd inning).

The difference in this series may be the managers. While I'm not a fan of Jim Leyland, I must say Robin Ventura has been less than impressive lately. He seems determined to overmanage to the best of his ability, which includes making a ton of pitching changes, that generally don't make much sense.

My prediction: the Tigers pitch well and score just enough to win the game 4-2. Robin Ventura will find another way to overmanage and cost his team a win.

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Anibal Sanchez Pitches Well in a 5-3 Tigers Victory

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians today 5-3.

The Tigers scored in the 1st inning after walks to Andy Dirks and Prince Fielder, then Brennan Boesch reached base on a fielding error and Dirks scored; Fielder reached 3rd base on the error. Alex Avila came up next and hit a single to drive in Fielder which gave the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 4th inning after singles by Quintin Berry and Omar Infante to give Detroit runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs for Austin Jackson who hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Berry and the Tigers took a 3-0 lead.

Detroit came back in the 5th inning to score again after Brennan Boesch drew a walk, then Alex Avila hit a double to drive Boesch in and the Tigers took a 4-0 lead. A 5th run would've scored, but Alex Avila didn't touch 3rd base, and even though there was no appeal, he was called out (for some reason).

Miguel Cabrera added to the Tigers lead in the 7th inning with a solo home run; it's his 37th of the season and the Tigers had a 5-0 lead.

Anibal Sanchez was great tonight. He took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, and his first hit came with 2 outs in the inning. He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out 7 batters; he earned his 8th win of the season and 3rd as a Tiger.

Phil Coke came in for relief and got the last out of the 7th inning.

Joaquin Benoit gave up 1 run in the 8th inning, then Jose Valverde pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his 31st save of the season to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers finish their 3 game series with the Indians tommorrow as Rick Porcello (9-12 4.59 ERA) goes up against Ubaldo Jimenez (9-16 5.52 ERA).

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Justin Verlander Throws 7 Shutout Innings in a 4-0 Tigers Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians tonight 4-0.

The Tigers scored in the 1st inning after singles by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, which set up runners on 1st and 3rd for Delmon Young who hit a single to drive in Cabrera. Brennan Boesch was up next and hit a single to drive in Fielder and the Tigers took an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 2nd inning after a walk from Alex Avila, who reached 2nd base on a hit-and-run play, then scored on a double from Austin Jackson. Miguel Cabrera eventually came up and hit a single to drive in Jackson which gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead.

Justin Verlander did well tonight. He pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6 batters; he earned his 14th win of the season.

Joaquin Benoit came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers continue their series with the Indians tommorrow as Anibal Sanchez (7-12 4.07 ERA) pitches against Justin Masterson (11-13 4.96 ERA).

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Prince Fielder's 3 Run Homer Helps the Tigers to a 8-6 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox tonight 8-6.

The game was scoreless till the bottom of the 4th inning when the White Sox took a 1-0 lead, however, the Tigers responded in the top of the 5th inning with a single by Brennan Boesch, walk to Jhonny Peralta, then a sacrifice bunt by Alex Avila to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out for Omar Infante who hit a ground ball that scored Boesch. With 2 outs, Austin Jackson hit a single to score Peralta. Andy Dirks was up next and drew a walk, then Miguel Cabrera came up and hit a single to score Jackson and it was a 3-1 Tigers lead.

Max Scherzer was great again tonight. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, and striking out 7 batters; he earned his 16th win of the season.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 7th inning after singles from Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera, then Prince Fielder came up and hit a 3-run home run to extend the Tigers lead to 6-1; it's his 26th of the season.

Brayan Villarreal came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Jhonny Peralta led off the 8th inning with a single, then scored on a double from Alex Avila. Austin Jackson came up next and hit a double of his own which scored Avila and the Tigers took a 8-1 lead.

Villarreal came back out and got the first out of the 8th inning, but after walking 2 batters, he was pulled. Why in a 7 run game does Villarreal throw a 2nd inning, though, Leyland? Then for some reason, Leyland brought in Joaquin Benoit who gave up 4 runs, but got the last 2 outs of the inning. However, because of the poor use of the bullpen by Leyland, it was a 8-5 game.

Jose Valverde came in and gave up 1 run in the 9th inning but got his 30th save of the season, which got the Tigers the win.

The Tigers finish up their series with the White Sox tommorrow as Justin Verlander (13-8 2.91 ERA) pitches (again) against Chris Sale (16-6 2.88 ERA).

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Detroit Tigers 2013 Schedule Released

Parts of the Tigers 2013 schedule has been released, and according to Matt Dery of 971theticket, the Tigers will open the season at the Minnesota Twins (April 1st-4th), and their home opener will be against the New York Yankees (April 5th-7th).

You can also find the rest of the schedule on the Detroit Tigers website.

Some of the highlights include:

Atlanta Braves (April 26th-28th at home)
Washington Nationals (May 7th-8th on the road and July 30th-31st at home)
Pittsburgh Pirates (of course) (May 27th-28th at home, and May 29th-30th on the road)
Boston Red Sox (June 20th-23rd at home)
Philadelphia Phillies (July 26th-28th at home)
New York Mets (August 23rd-25th on the road)
Miami Marlins (September 27th-29th on the road)
Chicago White Sox (July 9th-11th at home; first home series against them of the season)


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Austin Jackson's 14th Home Run Helps the Tigers to a 5-3 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox tonight 5-3.

The White Sox took an early 2-0 lead tonight, but the Tigers responded in the 5th inning after a single by Omar Infante, then a 2-run home run from Austin Jackson; it's his 14th of the season. Miguel Cabrera eventually came up and hit a solo home run to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead; it's his 36th of the season.

The Tigers tried to add to their lead in the 7th inning with walks to Omar Infante (yes, he really drew a walk) and Austin Jackson, then Andy Dirks bunted the runners to 2nd and 3rd which led to Miguel Cabrera being intentionally walked to load the bases with 1 out for Prince Fielder who had a hard line out, then Delmon Young ended the inning without a run being scored. Hey Leyland, has anyone ever told you to not take the bat out of your best hitters hands?

Doug Fister did well tonight. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6 batters; he earned his 9th win of the season.

Detroit added to their lead in the 8th inning after Avisail Garcia was hit-by-the-pitch to leadoff the inning, then Jhonny Peralta hit a single, and Garcia got to 3rd base on the hit, then Alex Avila hit a single to drive in Garcia. Omar Infante was up next and tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but beat it out for an infield single. With the bases loaded, Andy Dirks hit a single to drive in Peralta and the Tigers took a 5-2 lead.

Joaquin Benoit came in and gave up 1 run (on 3 cheap hits) in the 8th inning.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to earn his 29th save of the season.

The Tigers continue their series against the White Sox tommorrow as Max Scherzer (15-6 3.85 ERA) takes on Gavin Floyd (9-9 4.55 ERA).

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Miguel Cabrera's 35th Home Run Helps the Tigers to a 7-1 Win

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians tonight 7-1.

Austin Jackson led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a single, got to 2nd base on a hit-and-run play, then Miguel Cabrera came up and hit a 2-run home run; it's his 35th of the season and it gave the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead.

Doug Fister pitched well tonight, going 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6 batters; he earned his 8th win of the season.

Joaquin Benoit came in for relief and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Tigers added to their lead in the 8th inning after a walk to Austin Jackson, then a triple by Andy Dirks to score Jackson. Miguel Cabrera came up next and hit a sacrifice fly to score Dirks. Prince Fielder was up next and hit a solo home run; it's his 24th of the season. Delmon Young and Avisail Garcia each hit a single, then Jhonny Peralta hit a double to score both runners and the Tigers took a 7-1 lead to the 9th inning.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning to get the Tigers the win.

The Tigers have an off day tommorrow, but open up a 3 game road series with the Angels on Friday as Max Scherzer (15-6 3.93 ERA) pitches against Ervin Santana (8-11 5.32 ERA).

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Miguel Cabrera's 34th Home Run Isn't Enough in a 3-2 Tigers Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Cleveland Indians tonight 3-2.

The Tigers found themselves down 3-0 early in the game, and it stayed that way for a while.

Rick Porcello pitched 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2 batters.

Drew Smyly came in for relief and got the last out of the 6th inning.

After a walk to Austin Jackson in the 6th inning, Andy Dirks reached base on a fielder's choice, then Miguel Cabrera hit a 2-run home run to make it a 3-2 game; it's his 34th of the season.

Smyly came back out and got the first 2 outs of the 7th inning, but was pulled after walking 2 batters. Al Alburquerque replaced Smyly and got the last out of the inning in his season debut. Alburquerque came back out and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Joaquin Benoit came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning

The Tigers finish up their series with the Indians tommorrow as Doug Fister (7-8 3.67 ERA) pitches against Ubaldo Jimenez (9-14 5.61 ERA)

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Miguel Cabrera Named AL Player of the Month

According to Brian Britten, Miguel Cabrera was named AL player of the month for August.

Cabrera hit .357 with a .429 on-base and a .663 slugging percentage (1.092 OPS). Cabrera hit 8 home runs, had 24 RBI and scored 19 runs. The impressive thing is Cabrera has been playing on a sprained ankle for several weeks now and has still hit the ball very well.

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Tigers Offense Struggles in a 3-2 Loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Cleveland Indians today 3-2.

The Indians took a quick 1-0 lead thanks to an passed ball in the 1st inning, but the Tigers responded in the bottom of the 1st with a leadoff single by Quintin Berry, who stole 2nd base, Miguel Cabrera drew a walk, then Prince Fielder was hit-by-the-pitch to load the bases with 1 out for Delmon Young who hit a single to score Berry and it was a 1-1 game.

The Indians went on to take a 2-1 lead, but the Tigers responded in the 4th inning after a double by Delmon Young, then a single by Brennan Boesch to set up runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs for Jhonny Peralta who hit a single to drive in Young and the Tigers made it a 2-2 game.

Anibal Sanchez did his job today. He pitched 6 innings giving up 2 (unearned) runs on 8 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2 batters.

Darin Downs came in for relief and got the first out of the 7th inning, but was pulled after loading the bases. Hey Jim, is it too much to ask to use your best relievers to start an inning when it's late in a game?

Brayan Villarreal came in and got the final 2 outs, but allowed a run to score in the process and the Tigers were down 3-2. Villarreal came back out and pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Octavio Dotel came in and got the first out of the 9th inning, but with a runner on 3rd and one out, for some reason, Phil Coke was put in the game, but thanks to a great defensive play by Prince Fielder, Coke got the last 2 outs of the inning.

The Tigers needed a rally in the 9th inning and Prince Fielder led the inning off with a double. Delmon Young of course had an unproductive bad AB, then Brennan Boesch came up and was hit-by-the-pitch after being down 0-2 in the count. Jhonny Peralta came up with runners on 1st and 2nd, but swung at ball 4, then Avila ended the game after a great defensive play by Jason Kipnis.

The Tigers continue their series with the Indians tommorrow as Rick Porcello (9-10 4.57 ERA) goes up against Justin Masterson (10-12 4.91 ERA).

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Delmon Young's 3 Run Homer Gets the Tigers a 4-2 Victory

The first place Detroit Tigers swept the Chicago White Sox with a 4-2 win.

The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning, but it became a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 5th inning after a Brennan Boesch solo home run; it's his 12th of the season.

The Tigers took the lead in the 6th inning after a single by Omar Infante, walk to Miguel Cabrera, then Delmon Young hit a 3-run home run and the Tigers took a 4-1 lead; it's his 17th of the season.

Justin Verlander was great tonight. He pitched 8 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 11 batters; he earned his 13th win of the season.

Jose Valverde came in and pitched the 9th inning (and gave up 1 run) to get his 28th save of the season and the win put the Tigers into a first place tie with the White Sox.

The Tigers open a 3 game home series with the Indians tommorrow as Anibal Sanchez (7-11 4.24 ERA) takes on Corey Kluber (0-3 5.16 ERA).

Picture credit: zimbio.com
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