Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes
--RHP Justin Verlander has now provided Detroit the only starts this season that have lasted seven innings or longer. Verlander took a complete-game loss when he allowed the only two runs of the game, in the seventh inning. A pair of RBI doubles gave Texas its runs. "I made a couple of mistakes in the seventh inning," he said, "and they took advantage of them. I walked (LF Josh) Hamilton and that was the catalyst for the inning." He walked just one batter but that batter scored the first of the two runs in the seventh. Verlander retired the first 11 batters he faced, but Alexi Ogando threw seven two-hit innings for Texas.
--C Alex Avila struck out on a 3-2 pitch against a left-handed pitcher in the eighth inning. It was a situation some might have felt called for a pinch-hitter but had OF Casper Wells or INF Ramon Santiago been brought up to bat, Texas would have brought in a right-handed reliever. So it was a case of manager Jim Leyland preferring to have Avila face the veteran LHP Darren Oliver. Avila has good patience at the plate and took three outside breaking balls to run the count to 3-1 before striking out on two breaking pitches that were over the plate.
--RF Magglio Ordonez will get a few days off after being removed from the game due to a sore right Achilles tendon after flying out to right field leading off the seventh inning. "He felt great when he came to the park," manager Jim Leyland said. "I'm going to get him out (of the lineup) for a few days. You can't go day-to-day and worry about making out your lineup and stuff. We've got to get this where it isn't an issue." That will mean more playing time for OFs Ryan Raburn, Brennan Boesch and Casper Wells.
--CF Austin Jackson wasn't in the starting lineup Monday as manager Jim Leyland gave his slumping center fielder a brief mental break. Jackson entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-hitter starting CF Don Kelly and singled to right-center. He had bunted for a base hit his last time up Sunday.
--2B Will Rhymes hit leadoff in place of slumping CF Austin Jackson, who did not start. Rhymes went 0-for-4 but part of his problems is that he's been spotted as a singles hitter and thus outfielders play him extremely shallow, allowing them to get short fly balls that would be base hits for power hitters. Rhymes has lost at least three hits that way thus far this season. Including one against Texas with one out in the fifth inning.
--DH Victor Martinez was signed as a free agent by Detroit so he could take advantage of situations when 1B Miguel Cabrera was walked intentionally. Cabrera was walked with a man on second and two out in the ninth against Texas but Martinez swung at the first pitch he saw and grounded out to second to end the game. He was hitless in four at-bats in the game.
--1B Miguel Cabrera hit the 300th double of his career Monday in the fourth inning of Detroit's 2-0 loss to Texas. Cabrera hit the 251st home run of his career Sunday against Kansas City. He was walked intentionally, the tying run at the time, with two out in the ninth by Texas manager Ron Washington. The strategy worked as DH Victor Martinez grounded out to second to end the game on the next pitch.
BY THE NUMBERS
300 -- Career doubles by 1B Miguel Cabrera after he lined a two-base hit to left in the fourth inning Monday. He has 251 home runs in his career.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I don't think it's a terrible disappointment for me. It's a terrible disappointment for the team." -- RHP Justin Verlander after losing, 2-0, to Texas. He allowed six hits in nine innings but three came when the Rangers scored twice in the seventh.
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