Motown Ball

Fister and Tigers Play Doubront and Red Sox in Series Opener

Mon, 28 May 2012 04:58:56 +0000

Doug Fister (0-2, 1.84 ERA) takes on Felix Doubront (4-2, 3.96 ERA) while the Tigers (23-24) start a four-game series with the Red Sox (23-24) on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park. Today's game is set to start at 1:35pm EDT and will be shown on FSN-DET and NESN.

Fister is 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA against the Red Sox in his career and faces a tall task in trying to slow down the Boston offense that is hitting an impressive .270 for the year. Doubront is attempting to earn his fifth win of the season and pitches against the Tigers for the first time. Detroit has won all three meetings against Boston this year. The Tigers beat the Twins 4-3 in their last game, while the Red Sox are coming off a loss to the Rays 4-3. The Tigers are hitting well against the Red Sox this season, batting .345 with seven home runs.

Players sorted by their StatPoints:

		Red Sox Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
A+	116.1	S. Podsednik	LF	13	.455	3	1	1	1
A	92.4	D. Nava	LF	67	.286	11	2	11	1
B+	89.4	W. Middlebroo	3B	91	.307	12	5	18	2
B+	88.8	D. Ortiz	DH	201	.305	32	10	30	0
B	83.1	J. Saltalamac	C	125	.265	16	8	21	0
B-	80.8	K. Shoppach	C	70	.288	7	2	8	1
C+	79.4	D. Pedroia	2B	217	.294	30	5	20	3
C+	79.3	K. Youkilis	3B	91	.250	17	3	11	0
C+	78.9	M. Aviles	SS	204	.260	28	8	29	6
C	75.6	A. Gonzalez	1B	209	.269	24	4	26	0
F	55.2	M. Byrd	CF	144	.201	10	1	9	0
F	50.5	N. Punto	SS	49	.132	4	0	3	0

		Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
A+	105.7	Q. Berry	CF	25	.381	6	0	2	3
B+	88.7	A. Dirks	LF	136	.328	24	4	16	1
B+	88.5	M. Cabrera	3B	208	.312	25	9	40	2
B	86.3	P. Fielder	1B	203	.317	27	7	28	1
C+	79.2	G. Laird	C	39	.286	7	1	3	0
C	75.4	A. Avila	C	149	.237	18	5	20	2
C-	71.8	B. Boesch	RF	191	.249	23	5	18	3
D+	67.1	D. Young	DH	159	.252	12	2	15	0
D	66.1	J. Peralta	SS	166	.241	13	2	12	1
F	57.4	R. Santiago	2B	82	.203	5	0	6	0
F	54.1	D. Kelly	RF	69	.164	5	0	5	1
F	49.5	R. Raburn	DH	131	.151	7	1	7	1

		Red Sox Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
B+	88.7	S. Atchison	27	1	0	1.00	0.93	20
B	83.1	M. Albers	21	0	0	2.14	0.95	13
B	82.0	J. Beckett	56.1	4	4	4.15	1.19	45
B-	80.9	F. Doubront	50	4	2	3.96	1.42	53
C	75.9	A. Aceves	22.2	0	2	4.76	1.32	24
C-	71.7	V. Padilla	20	1	0	5.40	1.45	21
D+	68.7	J. Lester	61	3	4	4.72	1.36	41
D	66.4	D. Bard	48	4	5	4.69	1.56	28
F	45.0	C. Buchholz	56.1	4	2	7.19	1.83	33

		Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	99.2	J. Verlander	75.1	5	2	2.15	0.81	75
B+	88.5	D. Fister	29.1	0	2	1.84	1.12	22
B	85.9	D. Below	22	2	1	2.45	0.86	19
B	83.4	D. Smyly	48.2	2	1	3.14	1.23	46
C	72.0	M. Scherzer	54	4	3	5.67	1.54	72
D	64.0	R. Porcello	57	3	4	5.21	1.53	35

Tigers Get By Twins 4-3

Sun, 27 May 2012 22:03:16 +0000

Miguel Cabrera hit a home run to put the Tigers ahead in the ninth and Jose Valverde closed it out in the ninth as Detroit turned back a final rally to edge Minnesota, 4-3. The Tigers swept the Twins on the road 3-0.

Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth and with the Twins up at bat, Josh Willingham hit a single off starter Rick Porcello, driving in Joe Mauer.

The Tigers went ahead for good in the top of the ninth when Cabrera took reliever Matt Capps deep to drive in Quintin Berry.

Porcello worked six innings and picked up a no-decision with a satisfactory outing on the mound in which he surrendered three runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks. After one inning of work, Valverde collected the save, his ninth of the season, allowing no runs on one hit while recording no strikeouts and one walk. The loss went to Capps (0-3), who went one inning and allowed two runs on two hits with no strikeouts and no walks. Berry made the most of his at-bats for the Tigers, going 3 for 4 with two runs. Cabrera also had great output, going 2 for 5 with three RBIs and one run. Alexi Casilla went 3 for 3 with one RBI in the loss.

Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A+	99.1	Q. Berry	CF	4	3	2	0	0	1	0
A	93.6	M. Cabrera	3B	5	2	1	1	3	0	0
A-	90.6	P. Fielder	1B	3	2	0	0	0	2	0
B+	87.8	A. Dirks	LF	4	2	1	0	0	0	1
B	85.4	A. Avila	C	3	1	0	0	0	1	0
B	84.5	J. Peralta	SS	3	1	0	0	0	0	1
C	72.7	R. Raburn	2B	4	1	0	0	0	0	2
C-	70.3	B. Boesch	DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	1
C-	70.0	D. Young	PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
D	65.0	D. Kelly	RF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0

Twins Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A+	99.6	A. Casilla	2B	3	3	0	0	1	1	0
A-	90.2	J. Willingham	LF	2	1	0	0	1	2	0
B+	89.8	B. Revere	RF	5	2	1	0	0	0	0
B+	89.7	J. Mauer	C	5	2	1	0	1	0	0
B+	87.8	D. Span	CF	5	2	0	0	0	0	1
B	85.1	R. Doumit	DH	3	1	1	0	0	1	0
C	74.7	J. Carroll	SS	4	1	0	0	0	0	0
D-	61.0	T. Plouffe	3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
F	58.0	J. Morneau	1B	5	0	0	0	0	0	1

Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
B+	89.8	D. Below	1.1	0.00	0.75	1	0	0	15
B	86.0	B. Villarreal	0.2	0.00	1.50	1	1	0	19
B	82.4	J. Valverde	1	0.00	2.00	1	0	1	14
C	73.8	R. Porcello	6	4.50	2.00	9	2	3	106

Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A-	90.4	G. Perkins	1	0.00	1.00	1	2	0	15
B	82.4	J. Burton	1	0.00	2.00	2	0	0	15
C+	78.1	P. Walters	6	3.00	2.00	7	4	5	93
D	62.0	M. Capps	1	18.00	2.00	2	0	0	17

The Tigers will play the Red Sox Monday at Fenway Park at 1:35 PM EDT.

Porcello and Tigers Look to Beat Walters and Twins for Series Sweep

Sun, 27 May 2012 05:56:31 +0000

Rick Porcello (3-4, 5.29 ERA) takes on P.J. Walters (2-1, 2.95 ERA) who earned the first complete game of his career in his last outing while the Tigers (22-24) go for the three-game series sweep of the Twins (15-31) on Sunday afternoon at Target Field. In yesterday's game, the Tigers took care of the Twins 6-3. First pitch is at 1:10pm CDT and the game will be broadcast on FSN-DET and FSN-N.

Porcello is 6-4 with a 2.95 ERA against the Twins in his career and faces a weak Minnesota lineup that is hitting just .243 for the season. Walters has a 1-0 record with a 4.34 ERA vs. the Tigers in his career. Thus far, the season series between these two teams is tied 2-2. The Tigers offense is looking forward to facing the Twins, after hitting .309 with three home runs against them this season.

Players sorted by their StatPoints:

		Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B+	88.3	A. Dirks	LF	131	.322	23	4	16	1
B+	87.1	M. Cabrera	3B	203	.310	24	8	37	2
B	85.8	P. Fielder	1B	198	.311	27	7	28	1
C+	79.2	G. Laird	C	39	.286	7	1	3	0
C	75.6	A. Avila	C	145	.234	18	5	20	2
C	72.5	B. Boesch	RF	186	.254	23	5	18	2
D+	67.4	D. Young	DH	158	.253	12	2	15	0
D	66.0	J. Peralta	SS	162	.239	13	2	12	1
F	57.4	R. Santiago	2B	82	.203	5	0	6	0
F	55.8	D. Kelly	RF	66	.172	5	0	5	1
F	49.3	R. Raburn	DH	127	.148	7	1	7	1
F	47.2	D. Worth	2B	23	.158	1	0	0	0

		Twins Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B	84.9	J. Willingham	LF	179	.267	25	8	27	1
B	84.3	J. Morneau	DH	126	.248	18	9	23	0
C+	79.4	R. Doumit	DH	134	.263	14	5	24	0
C+	79.3	J. Mauer	C	195	.297	23	2	20	2
C	76.0	D. Span	CF	190	.305	22	1	12	5
C	72.2	B. Revere	LF	56	.280	7	0	1	2
C-	71.3	D. Butera	C	35	.300	3	0	1	0
C-	70.8	B. Dozier	SS	85	.247	8	2	12	0
D+	67.3	A. Casilla	2B	126	.229	14	0	8	7
D	65.0	J. Carroll	SS	187	.236	17	0	14	4
D-	60.7	T. Plouffe	3B	99	.163	10	4	7	0
F	57.5	E. Komatsu	CF	58	.216	5	0	1	0

		Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	99.2	J. Verlander	75.1	5	2	2.15	0.81	75
B+	88.5	D. Fister	29.1	0	2	1.84	1.12	22
B	85.7	D. Below	20.2	2	1	2.61	0.87	19
B	83.4	D. Smyly	48.2	2	1	3.14	1.23	46
C	72.0	M. Scherzer	54	4	3	5.67	1.54	72
D	64.7	R. Porcello	51	3	4	5.29	1.47	33

		Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	98.1	S. Diamond	25.1	3	1	1.78	1.14	17
A	94.3	P. Walters	21.1	2	1	2.95	0.94	15
B-	80.4	B. Duensing	24.2	0	2	2.92	0.97	16
C	73.5	A. Burnett	24.2	1	0	2.92	1.30	11
D	62.4	A. Swarzak	36	0	4	5.75	1.33	22
F	58.5	C. Pavano	59.1	2	4	5.46	1.31	31
F	50.8	C. De Vries	5	0	1	5.40	1.40	4
F	22.7	F. Liriano	34	0	5	8.47	2.06	30

Tigers Get 6-3 Win Over Twins

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:03:16 +0000

Quintin Berry hit a go-ahead single in the fifth and Jose Valverde picked up the save in the ninth as Detroit beat Minnesota, 6-3.

The Tigers began the scoring in the top of the first when Andy Dirks came home on a double by Miguel Cabrera off starter Carl Pavano. Up to bat next, Prince Fielder hit a single that brought in Cabrera to make it 2-0.

Tied 2-2 in the top of the fifth, the Tigers took a lead they would not relinquish when Berry drove in Alex Avila after hitting a single off starter Pavano. Up next, Dirks hit a double to bring in Berry and Ramon Santiago. The rally came to an end when Cabrera hit a single, bringing home Dirks to make the score 6-2.

Max Scherzer pitched 5 1/3 innings and went to 4-3 on the season after a satisfactory performance in which he allowed three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. Valverde worked one inning to pick up the save, his eighth of the season, giving up no runs on no hits while fanning one and walking no one. Pavano (2-4) took the loss after allowing six runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Fielder put on a clinic at the plate for the Tigers, going 4 for 4 with one RBI. Dirks also contributed, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Denard Span was 2 for 4 with one RBI and two runs in the loss.

Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A+	102.0	P. Fielder	1B	4	4	0	0	1	0	0
A	93.3	A. Dirks	LF	4	2	2	0	2	0	2
A	92.1	M. Cabrera	3B	4	2	1	0	2	0	1
C	75.7	A. Avila	C	4	1	1	0	0	0	0
C	74.7	R. Santiago	2B	4	1	1	0	0	0	1
C	74.7	J. Peralta	SS	4	1	0	0	0	0	0
C	72.0	B. Boesch	RF	3	0	0	0	0	1	2
C-	71.0	Q. Berry	CF	5	1	1	0	1	0	2
D	62.0	D. Young	DH	4	0	0	0	0	0	0

Twins Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A	96.6	D. Span	CF	4	2	2	1	1	0	0
A	95.0	B. Revere	RF	4	3	0	0	0	0	0
B+	87.5	J. Morneau	1B	4	1	1	1	1	0	1
B	82.0	J. Carroll	3B	3	1	0	0	0	0	2
C	73.7	J. Mauer	DH	4	1	0	0	0	0	1
D	62.0	D. Butera	C	3	0	0	0	0	0	3
D-	60.0	A. Casilla	2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	2
F	58.0	B. Dozier	SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	3
F	58.0	J. Willingham	LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	4

Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A+	99.2	O. Dotel	1.2	0.00	0.00	0	4	0	20
A	96.3	J. Valverde	1	0.00	0.00	0	1	0	12
B	83.9	J. Benoit	1	0.00	2.00	2	2	0	24
B-	80.9	M. Scherzer	5.1	5.06	1.13	6	9	0	80

Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A	95.9	G. Perkins	1	0.00	0.00	0	2	0	10
A	93.6	B. Duensing	2.2	0.00	0.75	1	3	1	34
B+	88.6	J. Burton	1	0.00	1.00	1	1	0	12
D-	61.3	C. Pavano	4.1	12.46	2.31	10	2	0	69

Sunday, the Tigers will face the Twins again at Target Field at 1:10 PM CDT.

Scherzer and Tigers Try For Win Against Pavano and Twins

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:55:32 +0000

Max Scherzer (3-3, 5.73 ERA) will face Carl Pavano (2-3, 4.91 ERA) as the Tigers (21-24) take on the Twins (15-30) on Saturday afternoon at Target Field. In yesterday's game, the Tigers defeated the Twins 10-6. First pitch is at 1:10pm CDT and FSN-DET, FSN-N and MLB Net will provide coverage of the game.

Scherzer is 1-1 with a 6.45 ERA against the Twins in his career and should be able to take advantage of a Minnesota offense that is hitting just .244 for the year. Pavano has gone 5-4 with a 4.31 ERA in his career against the Tigers. This season, the Tigers offense has pounded Twins pitching, hitting .301 with three home runs in three games.

Players sorted by their StatPoints:

		Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B	86.3	A. Dirks	LF	127	.316	21	4	14	1
B	86.1	M. Cabrera	3B	199	.306	23	8	35	2
B	83.9	P. Fielder	1B	194	.295	27	7	27	1
C+	79.2	G. Laird	C	39	.286	7	1	3	0
C	75.8	A. Avila	C	141	.234	17	5	20	2
C	73.3	B. Boesch	RF	182	.259	23	5	18	2
D+	68.7	D. Young	DH	154	.261	12	2	15	0
D	66.3	J. Peralta	SS	158	.239	13	2	12	1
F	56.7	R. Santiago	2B	78	.200	4	0	6	0
F	55.8	D. Kelly	RF	66	.172	5	0	5	1
F	49.3	R. Raburn	DH	127	.148	7	1	7	1
F	47.2	D. Worth	2B	23	.158	1	0	0	0

		Twins Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B	86.6	J. Willingham	LF	175	.274	25	8	27	1
B	83.3	J. Morneau	DH	122	.248	17	8	22	0
C+	79.9	J. Mauer	C	191	.298	23	2	20	2
C+	79.4	R. Doumit	DH	134	.263	14	5	24	0
C	76.8	D. Butera	C	32	.333	3	0	1	0
C	73.9	D. Span	CF	186	.300	20	0	11	5
C	73.4	B. Dozier	SS	81	.260	8	2	12	0
D+	68.9	A. Casilla	2B	122	.237	14	0	8	7
D+	67.6	B. Revere	LF	52	.239	7	0	1	2
D	65.0	J. Carroll	SS	184	.234	17	0	14	4
D-	60.7	T. Plouffe	3B	99	.163	10	4	7	0
F	57.5	E. Komatsu	CF	58	.216	5	0	1	0

		Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	99.2	J. Verlander	75.1	5	2	2.15	0.81	75
B+	88.5	D. Fister	29.1	0	2	1.84	1.12	22
B	85.7	D. Below	20.2	2	1	2.61	0.87	19
B	83.4	D. Smyly	48.2	2	1	3.14	1.23	46
C-	70.1	M. Scherzer	48.2	3	3	5.73	1.58	63
D	64.7	R. Porcello	51	3	4	5.29	1.47	33

		Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	98.1	S. Diamond	25.1	3	1	1.78	1.14	17
A	94.3	P. Walters	21.1	2	1	2.95	0.94	15
C+	78.4	B. Duensing	22	0	2	3.27	1.00	13
C	73.5	A. Burnett	24.2	1	0	2.92	1.30	11
D	63.8	C. Pavano	55	2	3	4.91	1.24	29
D	62.4	A. Swarzak	36	0	4	5.75	1.33	22
F	50.8	C. De Vries	5	0	1	5.40	1.40	4
F	22.7	F. Liriano	34	0	5	8.47	2.06	30

Tigers Defeat Twins 10-6

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:03:13 +0000

Alex Avila stroked a go-ahead double in the second as Detroit defeated Minnesota, 10-6.

The Twins opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when a double by Brian Dozier off starter Drew Smyly drove in Joe Mauer and Denard Span.

Behind 2-1, the Tigers moved in front for good in the top of the second when Avila hit a double off starter Anthony Swarzak to bring in Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young. Later, Quintin Berry hit a single to drive in Avila to get it to 4-2.

Smyly went five innings and lifted his record to 2-1 on the season while allowing four runs on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Swarzak (0-4) got tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and one walk. Boesch was impressive at the plate for the Tigers, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Prince Fielder also had a big game, going 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs. Span finished 3 for 5 with one run in the loss.

Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A+	101.3	B. Boesch	RF	4	3	2	0	2	0	0
A+	98.1	P. Fielder	1B	5	3	2	0	2	0	0
A	95.1	D. Young	DH	5	3	1	0	1	0	1
A	94.3	A. Avila	C	4	2	2	0	3	0	2
A-	90.7	Q. Berry	CF	4	2	1	0	1	1	2
B+	87.3	M. Cabrera	3B	3	1	2	0	0	2	0
C	74.7	R. Raburn	2B	4	1	0	0	1	0	1
C-	71.0	R. Santiago	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
D+	69.0	A. Dirks	LF	5	1	0	0	0	0	2
D	62.0	J. Peralta	SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0

Twins Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A	96.0	D. Span	CF	5	3	1	0	0	0	0
B+	87.4	J. Carroll	3B	2	1	0	0	2	1	0
B	86.1	T. Plouffe	LF	4	1	2	0	0	0	0
B	86.1	B. Dozier	SS	4	1	0	0	2	0	0
B	84.2	J. Willingham	DH	4	1	0	0	0	1	1
C	75.7	J. Morneau	1B	4	1	1	0	1	0	1
C	72.0	J. Mauer	C	5	1	2	0	0	0	1
D+	69.0	B. Revere	RF	5	1	0	0	0	0	2
D	65.0	A. Casilla	2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	1

Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A	95.5	J. Benoit	1.1	0.00	0.00	0	1	0	17
B+	89.3	J. Valverde	1	0.00	1.00	1	2	0	22
B	84.2	B. Villarreal	0.2	0.00	1.50	1	0	0	18
C	74.2	D. Smyly	5	5.40	1.60	6	2	2	93
D	63.9	P. Coke	1	9.00	2.00	2	1	0	21

Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A	95.1	G. Perkins	1	0.00	0.00	0	1	0	7
A	94.8	J. Gray	0.2	0.00	0.00	0	1	0	7
B-	81.3	M. Capps	1	0.00	2.00	2	0	0	14
D	62.0	F. Liriano	2.2	13.50	2.63	5	3	2	46
F	58.8	A. Swarzak	3.2	14.73	2.73	9	3	1	60

The Tigers will face the Twins again Saturday at Target Field at 1:10 PM CDT.

Smyly and Tigers Kickoff Series Against Swarzak and Twins

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:57:25 +0000

Drew Smyly (1-1, 2.89 ERA) battles Anthony Swarzak (0-3, 4.73 ERA) when the Tigers (20-24) open a three-game series with the Twins (15-29) on Friday night at Target Field. Today's game is set to start at 7:10pm CDT and will be shown on FSN-DET and FSN-N.

Smyly is making his first appearance against the Twins in his career. Swarzak holds a 0-1 record with a 7.62 ERA in his career vs. the Tigers. The Tigers dropped their last game 2-1 to the Indians, while the Twins fell to the White Sox 11-8. The Tigers lineup should be more effective against a Twins pitching staff that has limited them to a .234 average with three home runs in two games this season.

Players sorted by their StatPoints:

		Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
A	93.7	A. Jackson	CF	159	.331	29	5	17	6
B+	88.0	A. Dirks	LF	122	.321	21	4	14	1
B	85.4	M. Cabrera	3B	194	.305	21	8	35	1
B	82.0	P. Fielder	1B	189	.286	25	7	25	1
C+	79.2	G. Laird	C	39	.286	7	1	3	0
C	73.1	A. Avila	C	137	.225	15	5	17	2
C-	70.8	B. Boesch	RF	178	.247	21	5	16	2
D+	67.7	J. Peralta	SS	154	.246	13	2	12	1
D	66.7	D. Young	DH	149	.248	11	2	14	0
F	57.3	R. Santiago	2B	77	.203	4	0	6	0
F	55.8	D. Kelly	RF	66	.172	5	0	5	1
F	48.6	R. Raburn	DH	123	.144	7	1	6	1

		Twins Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B+	87.4	J. Willingham	LF	170	.275	25	8	27	1
B	83.4	J. Morneau	DH	118	.248	16	8	21	0
B-	80.2	J. Mauer	C	186	.301	21	2	20	2
C+	79.4	R. Doumit	DH	134	.263	14	5	24	0
C	76.8	D. Butera	C	32	.333	3	0	1	0
C	72.9	B. Dozier	SS	77	.260	8	2	10	0
C	72.6	D. Span	CF	181	.291	19	0	11	5
C-	70.0	B. Revere	LF	47	.244	7	0	1	2
D+	69.8	A. Casilla	2B	118	.243	14	0	7	7
D	64.0	J. Carroll	SS	180	.231	17	0	12	4
F	59.6	T. Plouffe	3B	95	.159	8	4	7	0
F	57.5	E. Komatsu	CF	58	.216	5	0	1	0

		Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	99.2	J. Verlander	75.1	5	2	2.15	0.81	75
B+	88.5	D. Fister	29.1	0	2	1.84	1.12	22
B	85.7	D. Below	20.2	2	1	2.61	0.87	19
B	85.3	D. Smyly	43.2	1	1	2.89	1.19	44
C-	70.1	M. Scherzer	48.2	3	3	5.73	1.58	63
D	64.7	R. Porcello	51	3	4	5.29	1.47	33

		Twins Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	98.1	S. Diamond	25.1	3	1	1.78	1.14	17
A	94.3	P. Walters	21.1	2	1	2.95	0.94	15
C+	78.4	B. Duensing	22	0	2	3.27	1.00	13
C	73.5	A. Burnett	24.2	1	0	2.92	1.30	11
D+	68.6	A. Swarzak	32.1	0	3	4.73	1.18	19
D	63.8	C. Pavano	55	2	3	4.91	1.24	29
F	50.8	C. DeVries	5	0	1	5.40	1.40	4
F	25.8	F. Liriano	31.1	0	5	8.04	2.01	27

Tigers Fall Short 2-1 Against Indians

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:02:57 +0000

Justin Verlander notched his MLB-best third complete game on the season and Miguel Cabrera collected his 1000th career single as the Tigers surrendered a one-run fourth and fell in a close one to Cleveland, 2-1. The Tigers also suffered a 3-0 sweep.

The Indians opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Shin-Soo Choo cranked a solo home run off starter Verlander.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the Indians went on top to stay when Jose Lopez hit a single off starter Verlander to bring in Michael Brantley.

Verlander went eight innings and fell to 5-2 on the season with a solid pitching performance in which he allowed only two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. The win went to Justin Masterson (2-3), who pitched seven innings and allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Brantley went 2 for 3 with one run in the win.

Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A	92.0	R. Santiago	PH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
B	86.5	B. Boesch	RF	3	1	0	0	0	1	0
B	85.4	A. Avila	C	3	1	0	0	0	1	0
B	85.4	P. Fielder	1B	3	1	0	0	0	1	0
B	85.2	Q. Berry	CF	3	1	1	0	0	1	1
C	76.9	D. Worth	2B	2	0	0	0	0	1	1
C	74.7	M. Cabrera	3B	4	1	0	0	1	0	1
D	62.0	J. Peralta	SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
D-	61.0	D. Young	DH	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
F	58.0	A. Dirks	LF	5	0	0	0	0	0	1

Indians Offense
Grade		Player	P	AB	H	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO
A	93.0	M. Brantley	CF	3	2	1	0	0	0	0
B+	89.9	S. Choo	RF	3	1	1	1	1	1	1
B	85.5	C. Kotchman	1B	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
B	85.0	J. Lopez	3B	3	1	0	0	1	0	0
B	84.0	L. Marson	C	3	1	0	0	0	0	1
D	65.0	S. Duncan	LF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
D	64.0	C. Santana	DH	3	0	0	0	0	0	1
D-	61.0	J. Kipnis	2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
F	59.0	A. Cabrera	SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	3

Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A-	91.8	J. Verlander	8	2.25	0.88	6	7	1	117

Indians Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	HA	SO	BB	PC
A	95.5	V. Pestano	1	0.00	0.00	0	0	0	13
B+	89.7	C. Perez	1	0.00	1.00	1	1	0	16
B+	88.8	J. Masterson	7	1.29	1.43	5	4	5	100

Friday, the Tigers will go up against the Twins at Target Field at 7:10 PM CDT.

On this day 4 years ago - May 24, 2008

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:19:10 +0000

Magglio Ordonez had 6 RBI in the 19-3 win against the Twins. That was the 3rd time in his career he had at least six RBI in a game.

Magglio Ordonez - Games with 6+ RBIs
3 most recent games
RBIs	Date	Opp	Outcome
6	05/24/2008	Twins	W(19-3)
6	06/09/2002	Expos	W(13-2)
6	07/16/2000	Brewers	W(11-5)

Verlander and Tigers Need Victory Over Masterson and Indians to Avoid Sweep

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:56:00 +0000

Justin Verlander (5-1, 2.14 ERA) is coming off his fifth win of the season and squares off against Justin Masterson (1-3, 5.04 ERA) while the Tigers (20-23) try to take the series finale and avoid a sweep against the Indians (25-18) on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field. In yesterday's game, the Indians downed the Tigers 4-2. First pitch comes at 12:05pm EDT and will be shown on FSN-DET.

Verlander is 13-11 with a 4.81 ERA against the Indians in his career and faces a struggling Cleveland offense that's hitting just .248 on the year. Masterson has a 0-4 record with a 5.14 ERA vs. the Tigers in his career. The Tigers lineup hopes to be more effective against an Indians pitching staff that has allowed them to hit just .229 with one homer in two games this season.

Players sorted by their StatPoints:

		Indians Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
B	84.4	A. Cabrera	SS	170	.308	23	5	19	2
B-	80.9	J. Kipnis	2B	194	.266	29	6	24	6
C+	79.3	J. Lopez	2B	57	.283	5	2	9	0
C+	78.3	J. Hannahan	3B	116	.287	9	3	18	0
C+	77.8	C. Santana	C	182	.257	21	5	23	2
C+	77.4	S. Choo	RF	165	.266	19	2	15	7
C	76.1	T. Hafner	DH	166	.242	14	6	23	0
D+	69.3	M. Brantley	CF	177	.262	20	0	14	6
D+	69.3	C. Kotchman	1B	149	.220	17	3	15	3
D	66.2	S. Duncan	LF	107	.202	12	3	10	0
F	55.5	A. Cunningham	RF	56	.208	4	0	2	0
F	50.3	J. Damon	LF	73	.156	6	0	2	0

		Tigers Offense
Grade		Player	POS	PA	BA	R	HR	RBI	SB
A	93.7	A. Jackson	CF	159	.331	29	5	17	6
A-	91.2	A. Dirks	LF	117	.336	21	4	14	1
B	85.8	M. Cabrera	3B	190	.306	21	8	34	1
B	82.2	P. Fielder	1B	185	.285	25	7	25	1
C+	79.2	G. Laird	C	39	.286	7	1	3	0
C	73.2	A. Avila	C	133	.222	15	5	17	2
C-	70.8	B. Boesch	RF	174	.246	21	5	16	2
D+	69.2	J. Peralta	SS	150	.254	13	2	12	1
D+	68.1	D. Young	DH	145	.256	11	2	14	0
F	55.8	D. Kelly	RF	66	.172	5	0	5	1
F	55.8	R. Santiago	2B	76	.191	4	0	6	0
F	48.6	R. Raburn	DH	123	.144	7	1	6	1

		Indians Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
B+	87.2	D. Lowe	58.2	6	2	2.15	1.41	15
B	83.0	J. Gomez	42.1	3	2	3.19	1.09	23
C	75.3	Z. McAllister	25	1	1	3.96	1.24	22
C	73.7	J. Asencio	22.1	1	1	4.43	1.12	19
D	65.7	U. Jimenez	52	5	3	5.02	1.71	30
D-	61.4	J. Masterson	55.1	1	3	5.04	1.50	38

		Tigers Pitching
Grade		Player	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K
A+	100.2	J. Verlander	67.1	5	1	2.14	0.80	68
B+	88.5	D. Fister	29.1	0	2	1.84	1.12	22
B	85.7	D. Below	20.2	2	1	2.61	0.87	19
B	85.3	D. Smyly	43.2	1	1	2.89	1.19	44
C-	70.1	M. Scherzer	48.2	3	3	5.73	1.58	63
D	64.7	R. Porcello	51	3	4	5.29	1.47	33
F	37.1	L. Putkonen	7.1	0	2	8.59	2.59	6