Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 6-6-11
--2B Ryan Raburn walloped the third grand slam of his career to cap a six-run fourth inning and extend his hitting streak to five games. Raburn has just one hit in each of those five games and his batting average lurks dangerously close to .200 but hitting safely in five games could be a sign his quiet bat could be about to get loud again. "Check what he was hitting last year May 30 or June 1st," manager Jim Leyland said. "I said the other day I think he's starting to come around and I believe that." Raburn has surged in August and September of each of the last two years. Raburn hit .333 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI to end 2010 and closed 2009 by hitting .342 with 10 home runs. "It's getting closer. It's not quite there," Raburn said.
--RHP Brad Penny worked in and out of trouble but a six-run Detroit fourth turned a potential loss into a victory. Penny gave up three of his eight hits in the first inning and allowed two runs, but one of those were the result of his own wild pitch when he was one pitch away from getting out of the inning. He gave up two singles in the second but LF Juan Pierre was thrown out trying to steal with runners at first and third and one out to snuff that rally. After giving up a solo home run to 2B Gordon Beckham in the fourth, he stranded runners at second and third with one out in the fifth. "They hit a lot of foul balls off him," manager Jim Leyland said. "That got his pitch count up. I thought he had good stuff; his control isn't what it needs to be." He was not allowed out for the fifth, his pitch count at 100. His fastball again was touching 95 mph but his control was spotty.
--1B Miguel Cabrera beat Chicago with a two-out, two-run home run Saturday night and added a solo shot in the final game of the three-game series. But his biggest at-bat of the day might have come in the fourth, when his 13-pitch walk loaded the bases and triggered a six-run inning after RHP Jake Peavy had retired the first nine Tigers he faced. The walk was followed by a sacrifice fly, RBI double, another walk and a grand slam. Cabrera hit a 3-2 breaking ball that hung up in the strike zone for his leadoff home run in the sixth. His Saturday night blast was off a 1-2 slider.
--LF Andy Dirks turned in another plus game for the Tigers. Dirks was the sixth out in a string of 10 straight batters retired by RHP Jake Peavy of Chicago. However, he lined an RBI double to right center that created a 2-2 tie in the middle of a six-run fourth that turned the game around for Detroit. He singled to center in the sixth and both of his hits came on 0-2 pitches as he shortened up an already short swing.
--RHP Al Alburquerque remains averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning. Alburquerque worked scoreless sixth and seventh innings at Chicago, fanning three batters on sliders and one on a fastball. He has 35 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. His wipeout slider is becoming well-known throughout the league, but he's been throwing strikes a good share of the time with a fastball that runs up to 99 mph. It's tough for hitters to lay off the slider when Alburquerque can zip a good fastball in for a strike.
--DH Alex Avila has now played 45 games this season, with the first 44 coming as Detroit's catcher. Avila and DH/C Victor Martinez switched places. Chicago pitched around Avila in the sixth, giving him a four-pitch walk in the fourth to load the bases and precede 2B Ryan Raburn's grand slam that capped a six-run inning. Adjusting to being in the lineup but not being in the field wasn't much of a problem for Avila as he singled and doubled his two trips after the walk. Both hits were hit sharply to left as Avila is willing to drive outside pitches the other way.
--RHP Justin Verlander came in for some high praise from manager Jim Leyland after gaining his sixth win of the season Saturday night, 4-2 at Chicago against the White Sox. "He's got the best stuff of anybody I've ever managed," Leyland said. "(RHP Doug) Drabek was probably the best pitcher, but Verlander's got the best stuff, without question." Verlander struck out seven and is about to move into Detroit's top 10 for career strikeouts. His 109th pitch Saturday was a 100-mph 3-2 fastball that struck out DH Carlos Quentin with a man on third and one out in the eighth. "He's destined for greatness if he continues to make progress and doesn't take it for granted," Leyland said. "That's how good his stuff is." Leyland said Verlander replaces RHP Kevin Brown at the top of his 'best stuff' list. Drabek pitched for Leyland with Pittsburgh while Brown was with Leyland in Florida.
--LHP Adam Wilk was called up Sunday by Detroit to take the place of LHP David Purcey, who left the Tigers on Saturday for a paternity leave. His wife is expected to deliver twins at any moment. Wilk was returned to Class AAA Toledo on May 28 after appearing in one game for Detroit, working 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
--LHP David Purcey will return to Detroit on Monday when it opens a three-game series in Texas. Purcey was granted a paternity leave Saturday to be on hand when his wife gave birth to twins. "We sent (LHP Andy) Oliver down and Purcey will rejoin us in Texas," manager Jim Leyland said. "If he gets any sleep, he'll be all right." Players are granted up to 72 hours of paternity leave under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players. Purcey has pitched two scoreless inning for the Tigers since being obtained from Oakland in a trade.
--LHP Andy Oliver was optioned back to Class AAA Toledo by Detroit to make room for LHP David Purcey's return from paternity leave. "We sent Oliver down and Purcey will rejoin us (Monday) in Texas," manager Jim Leyland said. Oliver made two starts in place of disabled LHP Phil Coke and was 0-1, making him 0-5 in seven starts over two seasons. "I think he's going to really be good at some point," Leyland said. "I think it is pretty much how we termed it when we called him up: Right now, he's in the outstanding prospect stage. That's where he's at. I think you can see he's not quite ready yet, but that's OK. He's definitely got a chance to be an outstanding pitcher."
--LHP Phil Coke rejoined Detroit on Saturday following a rehab start for Class AAA Toledo. He is scheduled to start for Detroit on Wednesday night in Texas. The Tigers are expected to return LHP Andy Oliver, who made two starts for Coke, to Toledo. Coke was out of action with a bone bruise in his right foot.
BY THE NUMBERS
13-6 -- Detroit's record within the AL Central after beating the Chicago White Sox, 7-3. The Tigers are under .500 against all other divisions they have played.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"He's got the best stuff of anybody I've ever managed. (RHP Doug) Drabek was probably the best pitcher, but Verlander's got the best stuff, without question. He's destined for greatness if he continues to make progress and doesn't take it for granted. That's how good his stuff is." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on his ace, RHP Justin Verlander, who earned his sixth win Saturday and has two no-hitters to his credit since breaking into the majors in 2006.
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