Detroit Lions Notes And Quotes
--RHP Justin Verlander finishes April with two wins after a spotty outing Wednesday in which he just wasn't sharp. Verlander gave up a three-run home run in the first inning and a bad run during the fifth that he contributed to with a wild pickoff throw. "This April was better," Verlander said, "but not where I want it to be." He is 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA including his March 31 start. How can a guy strike out eight and be spotty? His control came and went, and Verlander threw 114 pitches in just six innings. His curveball wasn't consistent, and Verlander wasn't able to spot his fastball as he generally does. "I didn't have a great feel for one pitch in particular," Verlander said, "and that was my changeup."
--1B Miguel Cabrera drove in Detroit's only run with a first-inning double. Cabrera now has an eight-game hitting streak, and his hit came in his only at-bat with a runner on base. Cabrera is getting hits on borderline pitches. He gets pitched to very carefully if he can't be pitched around. His RBI double came in a two-out situation on a low, inside first pitch.
--LF Brennan Boesch got another hit off a left-hander and is now hitting .417 (10-for-24) against them, not bad for a left-handed hitter. "He's made some adjustments," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's made some mental adjustments, but some of that is experience. The outhouse and the penthouse, he's seen both of them." Boesch isn't hitting with the home run power he showed a year ago, but his overall average is .342. "Now I think he's just kind of settling in and becoming the player we think he can be," Leyland said. "I don't want to put too much on him, but I think he has a really high ceiling."
--LHP Daniel Schlereth worked a scoreless inning of relief -- with a little self-help. Schlereth pitched the seventh and gave up a one-out walk to Seattle 3B Chone Figgins, then picked him off first base on a 1-3-6 caught stealing. Schlereth is being eased into pressure situations slowly by the Tigers, and he did well in limited exposure to late-inning roles when RHP Ryan Perry was disabled with an eye infection.
--RHP Al Alburquerque is showing some tools that could make him a late-blooming find. Alburquerque struck out the side in the eighth -- all left-handed hitters -- after giving up a leadoff single. He was signed by Detroit in November with a reputation of having a fastball with no control but a killer slider he could spot anywhere at any time. Wildness in spring training put him back in the minors, in Class AAA for the first time in his career, but since being called up, he's pitched extremely well. The Tigers have him using his slider, especially with two strikes, or in situations where he needs a strike. All three of his strikeouts came on sliders.
--DH/C Victor Martinez expects to be ready to come off the disabled list when eligible to do so May 4. Martinez has been out since April 19 due to a strained right groin. He is batting .250 with two home runs and nine RBI. "This is the first day I can say I'm feeling great," he said Tuesday, "because this is the first time I went outside, did some stuff and didn't feel any soreness. That's what you want to hear, that's what I want to feel."
Manager Jim Leyland said, "He's doing great, but I don't want him to rush it. ... I'd fully expect him to come off (the disabled list) on time."
BY THE NUMBERS
.417 -- OF Brennan Boesch's batting average against left-handed pitching this season. He batted .337 off lefties last season.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's better, but not where I want it to be. Not where Detroit wants it to be." -- RHP Justin Verlander, who devoted his offseason and spring training to bettering the last two Aprils, when he won just once each season. Including the last day of March, Verlander was 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA this month.
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