Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 5-3-11
--RHP Justin Verlander felt good, too good. Throwing as high as 100 mph in both his first and last innings, Verlander had trouble with his control. And while he gave up three runs in the first two innings against the Yankees, the 127 pitches he threw limited him to six innings. "I felt the best I have all year," said Verlander, who had nine full counts and walked four. "That got me in some trouble. I was elevating pitches, having trouble throwing strikes with my fastball."
"He was throwing too hard at the beginning," manager Jim Leyland said.
Verlander now has a streak of 25 games with a pitch count of 100 or higher.
--1B Miguel Cabrera is making teams pay on those rare occasions they pitch to him with men on base. Cleveland opted to walk him, even in the first inning, during the weekend after he torched them for a two-run home run in the first inning of the first game. The Yankees, fortified with a 3-1 lead, pitched to Cabrera with a man on second and two outs in the third inning -- and he lined an RBI single to right. He had three singles.
--RHP Jose Valverde showed some rust, and like his setup man before him, couldn't hold the opposition scoreless at game's end and suffered a loss. Valverde entered a 3-3 game in the ninth inning, and his control troubles contributed to a two-run inning that produced the Yankees' victory. Valverde walked the first two batters he faced, staving off imminent disaster when CF Curtis Granderson overslid second on a steal attempt and was tagged out. Two singles and a passed ball gave New York its two runs. "Here I go again," manager Jim Leyland said, "I may be making excuses, but Jose hadn't pitched in three days -- I couldn't get him any work in Cleveland -- and he probably hasn't pitched enough." Whether Valverde will be available Tuesday is doubtful after he exceeded 30 pitches in the loss.
--CF Austin Jackson's inability to hit with any consistency is a key reason for Detroit's offensive struggles. Jackson offered a flicker of hope Sunday with two hits and a walk as the No. 9 hitter, but restored to the top spot in the lineup Monday, he couldn't handle the fastballs of RHP Bartolo Colon, striking out three times and grounding out to third. As of now, manager Jim Leyland is likely to keep him first in the order because he has no realistic alternatives.
--RF Brennan Boesch is in a slump, possibly of his own making. Boesch has been hitting behind 1B Miguel Cabrera, and with Detroit's offense out of whack, teams are walking the cleanup man in critical situations -- bringing up Boesch. The fifth hitter is putting pressure on himself to come through, seldom a good formula for success. Boesch grounded out easily to second three times and struck out on a bad slider his last time up Monday against the Yankees after going 2-for-16 in Cleveland.
--C Alex Avila is not only one of Detroit's hottest hitters, he's at the forefront of American League catchers. Avila went the other way for a pair of home runs, and they boosted his season's RBI total to 21, tops among league catchers. Avila is batting .309, and manager Jim Leyland hasn't been able to keep him out of a lineup that needs all the hot hitters it can get.
--2B Scott Sizemore was promoted from Class AAA Toledo, and he will to start and bat second against the Yankees on Tuesday. It was slightly less than a year ago that Sizemore went the other way on the Detroit-Toledo shuttle, getting sent to the minors when he hit .206 as the Tigers' successor to Placido Polanco. But hitting .408/.495/.605 with two home runs and 15 RBI in 23 games for the Mud Hens earned him another shot at the job. He'll replace 2B Will Rhymes, unless he doesn't hit, and then he'll be replaced again.
--2B Will Rhymes was optioned to Class AAA Toledo after Detroit's 5-3 loss to the Yankees. Rhymes had recently boosted his average above .200 (.221/.321/.235), but he fell victim to a faltering overall offense. "Let me say this about Rhymes," manager Jim Leyland said. "Sometimes you're the victim of a situation. It's not what Will Rhymes did so much as it was the situation. Scott Sizemore was hitting .400 and plays second base."
--DH/RF Magglio Ordonez remains mired in a slump that has lasted since the beginning of the season. Ordonez was hitless again, but he did crunch one line drive to left center that Yankees LF Brett Gardner ran down and caught. However, Ordonez didn't get the ball out of the infield in his other three at-bats. He probably will be part of a rotation with LF Ryan Raburn and OF Brennan Boesch when DH/C Victor Martinez is activated Wednesday.
--3B Brandon Inge called a quick team meeting Sunday after Detroit lost its sixth straight game. Manager Jim Leyland spoke first, and Inge, who also spoke to his teammates, called the meeting "unifying. We are going to be a winning team," he said. "This is going to be a turning point, you watch." The Tigers then lost 5-3 to the Yankees on Monday.
--DH/C Victor Martinez (right groin strain) went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk Monday in his first of two scheduled rehab games for Class AAA Toledo. Barring a setback, he is expected to be activated Wednesday.
BY THE NUMBERS
9 -- Full counts registered by New York hitters against RHP Justin Verlander, very much a factor in the Detroit pitcher leaving after six innings, having thrown 127 pitches. Yankee hitters were 2-for-6 with three walks in those nine 3-2 counts. Overall, Verlander walked four and allowed eight hits.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"These last few games have been very tough on us. We've been right there at the very end, we just haven't been able to get a win. It seems like everyone we play is going through things right, and things aren't going our way. The mood in here is not as high as it could be. But we're all professionals in there, we know what we need to do to get out and win. We know we have a good ball team." -- RHP Justin Verlander, after Detroit lost its seventh game in a row Monday.
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