Tigers Look For Win Against Boston
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Boston will get its first look at Detroit left-hander Andy Oliver, who was called up from the minors to make his 2011 debut Saturday in place of the injured Phil Coke.
Oliver, who went 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts for the Tigers last summer, was 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA for Triple-A Toledo.
"Oliver's obviously a top prospect," manager Jim Leyland told the Tigers' official website. "Is he ready? I can't answer that. This is one of those deals where if Coke hadn't been injured, we wouldn't be talking about this right now."
Jhonny Peralta went 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs on Friday for the Tigers (25-25), who have dropped seven of 10. He's batting .353 and hit seven of his eight homers in 20 games this month.
Peralta is 3 for 9 with a double versus Buchholz.
Leyland announced after Friday's game that Ryan Raburn would be the new everyday second baseman after the team traded Scott Sizemore to Oakland earlier in the day. Raburn is hitting .200 this season, including 5 for 50 in May.
Boston, which won 14-1 in Thursday's opener, has outscored Detroit 34-14 during its five-game series winning streak.
Detroit looks to salvage a game or two from the four game series against the Red Sox after two dismal outings.
Tune in to 97.1 The Ticket for game three in the four game series against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at 7:10 p.m.
Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
