Blogs > Out of Left Field

A sometimes-irreverent look at Detroit's Boys of Summer, the Tigers, as they try to return to the top of the American League Central.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Suarez returns to lineup after missing time with sore back


After missing a game and a half essentially with lower back stiffness, shortstop Eugenio Suarez returned to the Tigers lineup for Thursday's series finale. Torii Hunter was also in the lineup for a day game after a night game, in part because he's got the second-most RBI in the American League in July (23), and in part because he's 15-for-49 (.306) lifetime against Chicago's John Danks, with three home runs.


DETROIT TIGERS (58-46)
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
J.D. Martinez, LF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

Pitcher: Drew Smyly, LHP (6-9, 3.77 ERA)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (52-56)
Adam Eaton, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Dayan Viciedo, LF
Paul Konerko, DH
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Tyler Flowers, C
Moises Sierra, RF
Leury Garcia, 3B

Pitcher: John Danks, LHP (9-6, 4.40 ERA)

Andy Dirks to restart rehab assignment on Friday


DETROIT — Andy Dirks will resume his rehabilitation assignment at Class A West Michigan on Friday.

He was recalled from his assignment after six games, following a setback.

Coming back from back surgery in March, Dirks experienced low-back muscular inflammation, causing the Tigers to recall him on July 16, and leave him on the disabled list.

“It’s kind of things you go through sometimes in rehabilitation. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s missed obviously so much time and this was kind of his spring training, normal rehab assignment you’d probably say just give it a couple days, you’re still gonna get the at-bats we need. In the case of him, where every day is very, very important for him because he doesn’t get that many, we want to make sure we get every one we can,” Tigers head trainer Kevin Rand said at the time.


“He expected it. He said to me on the phone, ‘I’m doing everything but right now with this soreness, I don’t have that first-step quickness.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s get that back.’ You don’t lose anything by doing it.”

Although Dirks already played in six rehabilitation games in the minors, but the 20-day clock on the assignment resets, since he missed more than five days.  

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Castellanos back in the Tigers lineup, Suarez still missing


Nick Castellanos missed all of Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox after taking a grounder off his finger in batting practice. He's back in the lineup for Wednesday's second game in the series.

Eugenio Suarez, who left midway through Tuesday's game with lower back stiffness, is still out of the lineup.

Here are the lineups for the game:

DETROIT TIGERS (57-46):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
J.D. Martinez, LF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Andrew Romine, SS

Pitcher: Max Scherzer, RHP (12-3, 3.37 ERA)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (52-54):
Adam Eaton, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Adam Dunn, DH
Dayan Viciedo, RF
Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Alejandro De Aza, LF
Tyler Flowers, C

Pitcher: Hector Noesi, RHP (5-6, 4.37 ERA)

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Suarez leaves game early with back stiffness


DETROIT — Eugenio Suarez was going to make some rookie mistakes — that was to be expected.

He hadn’t looked overwhelmed at any point in time, though.

Tuesday might have been his worst game, defensively, since joining the Tigers, as me made two misplays in the first four innings, before Andrew Romine pinch hit for him in the fourth.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad that the 22-year-old rookie left the game with lower back tightness, and is day to day.

Suarez misplayed an Adam Eaton grounder, his throwing error allowing Eaton to take second base in the third. He made a diving stop on Dayan Viciedo’s grounder, then rushed a throw to second, trying to start a double play, but threw wide of second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Jack White set to toss first pitch



In the day off between playing a pair of concerts in his hometown, Detroit native Jack White was scheduled to throw out the first pitch before Tuesday’s game, but according to reports, was rebuffed in a request to have Miguel Cabrera stand in the batter’s box when he did so.

“I don’t really have a feeling either way on it,” manager Brad Ausmus said of the request.

“Depends on how hard he’s going to throw the ball. If he throws 95 (mph), then I don’t want Miggy standing there, but we might want to sign him.”

It took a minute for Ausmus to even register who the celebrity hurler was.

“Oh, White Stripes? ... I only know one song by the White Stripes, ‘Seven Nation Army,’” Ausmus said, tongue-in-cheek calling himself a “big fan. I do have that song on my iPhone.”

Lineups for opener vs. Chicago White Sox


If you look closely in the pic, you can see the damage done to the outfield by last week's Jimmy Buffet concert. You can also see former manager Jim Leyland in the foreground (shorts, checked shirt) talking with White Sox personnel.

Brad Ausmus went with a less conventional batting order for Tuesday’s game, batting Miguel Cabrera in the cleanup spot for just the fifth time this season. Rajai Davis moved up into the second spot, while Ian Kinsler hit in Cabrera’s normal third slot.

The previous four times, it was a matter of trying to get Davis up in the order, and on the basepaths ahead of Cabrera and Victor Martinez.

“It has to do more with how Raj is doing against (Jose) Quintana, more of a matchup thing,” Ausmus said of Davis, who coming in was 8-for-20 vs. the White Sox starter, with two doubles and a home run.

Cabrera, who was sitting near Ausmus’ media scrum in the Tigers dugout, agreed with the move, even if it was just to make a joke at his own expense.

“Miggy’s only hitting .309. You gotta move the lineup. You gotta do something because he doesn’t do anything. So you gotta move different lineups so we can score runs, guys,” Cabrera interjected.

And the thought of more runners on base in front of him?

“Yes, please,” Cabrera said.

The lineup had more changes before the game started, though, when Nick Castellanos had to be scratched late. He was struck by a grounder in batting practice, leaving a contusion on his right index finger. He is day-to-day.

Cabrera slid back over to third base, while J.D. Martinez slid into the lineup and hit in the seventh spot.


DETROIT TIGERS (57-45):
Austin Jackson, CF
Rajai Davis, LF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Bryan Holaday, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

UPDATED lineup:
Austin Jackson, CF
Rajai Davis, LF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 3B
Victor Martinez, 1B
Torii Hunter, DH
J.D. Martinez, RF
Bryan Holaday, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

Pitcher: Anibal Sanchez, RHP (7-4, 3.45 ERA)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX:
Adam Eaton, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Adam Dunn, DH
Dayan Viciedo, RF
Connor Gillaspie, 3B
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Alejandro De Aza, LF
Tyler Flowers, C

Pitcher: Jose Quintana, LHP (5-7, 3.15 ERA)


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Replay hasn't reduced umpire arguments, manager ejections — just ask Tigers' Brad Ausmus


The assumption, naturally, was that the implementation of expanded instant replay would put to bed the old — and amusing — occurrence of Major League Baseball managers giving an earful to umpires, before getting ejected.

The numbers, however, have not borne out that theory.

In fact, the ejection numbers — including the second ejection of the season for Brad Ausmus Saturday evening — are up from a year ago.

“Someone said there’s actually been more ejections of managers this year than in the past,” Ausmus said last week. “I don’t know if that’s changed since that was brought up, but I was shocked by that.”

It hasn’t.

According to tracking by Umpire Ejection Fantasy League, Ausmus’ was the 134th ejection of the season, and the 60th time a manager got heaved.

On the same date in 2013, there had been 104 ejections, including 52 managers. In 2012, there were 99 total ejections, 49 of managers.

So, clearly, there’s not a correlation between replay getting more calls right, and managers arguing with umpires about missed calls.

Managers’ forays onto the field have become more civil, for the most part, and that’s fine. Often, they’re chatting with umpires while stalling for time to find out if they should or should not challenge.

“Yeah, I don’t mind it. It’s definitely more civil. It’s definitely hard to go out and start screaming at an umpire when all you have to do is say ‘Hey, take a look at it,’” Ausmus said. “You can’t generally make it personal. I can’t call the umpire a name, so to speak, a flowery name. That’s about it. You don’t want to make it personal. Or I don’t, anyway.

“Once that game is over, the general rule is it’s over. You don’t bring it back the next day, or bring it up again. Generally, you don’t go out and exchange lineup cards, and tell the home plate umpire he was awful the night before.”

Ausmus was not very civil Saturday night, when he stormed onto the field after replay overturned a call on the field in the top of the third inning. Umpire Jim Joyce — he of the infamous blown call in the Armando Galarraga near-perfect game — initially ruled that Tigers baserunner Eugenio Suarez had gotten back to first base safely on a pickoff attempt.

Replay overturned the call, purportedly showing that Suarez had been tagged out before reaching the base.

Ausmus, who came charging out of the dugout with a card in hand, appeared to be incensed that the replay had been allowed after the batter, Austin Jackson, had stepped back in the batter’s box, and Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker had stepped back on the pitching rubber.

By rule, it is not supposed to be reviewed after the next play has started, like the NFL’s version of replay.

In his postgame press conference, carried on Fox Sports Detroit, Ausmus said that Joyce had told him that the review was crew-chief-initiated (Joyce was the crew chief), meaning that the timing was irrelevant. The play, however, was not going to be reviewed until Angels manager Mike Scioscia came out on the field to question that call, so that seems a hollow argument.

"The umpires have discretion to initiate the review on their own, but clearly they didn't initiate the review," Ausmus said.

And Joyce himself told reporters that it was indeed a manager-initiated challenge (see tweets below).

Ausmus’ only other ejection as a manager — he recalls having 10 or so ejections as a player in a 19-year career — came on May 21, after star Miguel Cabrera had been tossed.

“Clearly the umpire was wrong and I was right,” Ausmus joked. “It was a check-swing call on Miguel Cabrera. Miggy started talking to the umpire (Tim Timmons), and he got tossed before I got out there.”


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Tigers try to avoid a series sweep vs. Indians in Sunday's finale


The Tigers lost both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, extending their losing streak to four games, and are trying to stave of a series sweep in Sunday's finale (1:08 p.m./FSD) before heading off to Arizona.

DETROIT TIGERS (53-41):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, DH
Victor Martinez, 1B
J.D. Martinez, LF
Torii Hunter, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Andrew Romine, SS

Pitcher: Drew Smyly, LHP (4-8, 4.00 ERA)

CLEVELAND INDIANS (50-47):
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Michael Brantley, CF
Carlos Santana, 1B
Ryan Raburn, LF
Nick Swisher, DH
Yan Gomes, C
David Murphy, RF
Mike Aviles, 3B

Pitcher: Josh Tomlin, RHP (5-6, 4.21 ERA)

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Tigers lineup for Game 2 of doubleheader vs. Indians


The Tigers have dropped three straight, including the last game before the break, and go into the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader with their divisional lead down to 5 1/2 games.

Victor Martinez will indeed start both games of the doubleheader at designated hitter.

DETROIT TIGERS (53-40):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
J.D. Martinez, LF
Torii Hunter, RF
Don Kelly, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

Pitcher: Max Scherzer, RHP (11-3, 3.35 ERA)

CLEVELAND INDIANS (49-47):
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Mike Aviles, SS
Michael Brantley, CF
Carlos Santana, DH
Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B
Nick Swisher, 1B
David Murphy, RF
Roberto Perez, C
Chris Dickerson, LF

Pitcher: Zach McAllister, RHP (3-5, 5.63 ERA)

Tigers lineup for Game 1 of doubleheader vs. Indians


The Tigers came into Saturday's doubleheader needing an arm for the bullpen, so they brought Corey Knebel back up.

Drew VerHagen was called up as the 26th man, and got the start in the first game.

Victor Martinez was in the starting lineup for the second straight game, after missing 11 of 13 to finish out the first half of the season, but manager Brad Ausmus was unsure he'd play Martinez in both games of the doubleheader.

"That won’t be decided until after the first game. Let’s see how it goes," Ausmus said Saturday morning.

DETROIT TIGERS (53-39)
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
JD Martinez, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Eugenio Suarez, SS
Bryan Holaday, C
Rajai Davis, LF

Pitcher: Drew VerHagen, RHP (MLB debut)

CLEVELAND INDIANS (48-47)
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Michael Brantley, CF
Carlos Santana, 1B
Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B
Nick Swisher, DH
Yan Gomes, C
David Murphy, RF
Ryan Raburn, LF

Pitcher: Corey Kluber, RHP (9-6, 3.01 ERA)

Tigers option Smith to Toledo, call up Knebel prior to doubleheader


DETROIT — The Tigers got reinforcements for their bullpen prior to Saturday’s doubleheader, recalling Corey Knebel, and sending down Chad Smith.

The team had already used its 26th-man exception to bring up their Game 1 starter, Drew VerHagen, so adding another arm required them to drop someone, and Smith threw 37 pitches in Friday’s loss. In all, the Tigers used five relievers in the final three innings Friday.

To get VerHagen on the 40-man roster, the Tigers cleared room by moving Joel Hanrahan to the 60-day disabled list.

Knebel was up earlier in the season, so was already on the 40-man roster.

Friday, July 18, 2014

VMart opens 2nd half, back in Tigers lineup for first time since July 4


Victor Martinez missed the final eight games of the first half for the Tigers, and 11 of the final 13 before the break, but he's back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Cleveland Indians. It's his first game action since he left the July 4 game with recurring soreness in his side.

DETROIT TIGERS
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
J.D. Martinez, LF
Torii Hunter, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

Pitcher: Anibal Sanchez, RHP

NOTES: It's Motown Night, so the national anthem will be sung by the Four Tops, while one of the group's members, Duke Fakir, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Sgt. Ryan Roush (Republic, Ohio) of the U.S. Marine Corps will deliver the game ball.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Porcello will pay (or at least donate) for #PickRick votes


With one more day to go in the Final Vote, Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello has announced that he'll donate $0.21 for every vote he receives (up to 100,000 votes) in Thursday's Twitter balloting.

Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (EDT) Thursday, every use of the #PickRick hashtag will count as one vote, earning a contribution from Porcello for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Porcello has been steadily running in third place in the online voting for the first two days of the Final Vote, behind Chicago's Chris Sale and the Angels' Garrett Richards, but ahead of Cleveland's Corey Kluber and Houston's Dallas Keuchel.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

No Miggy in the lineup, as Tigers close out series with Dodgers


DETROIT — Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has been trying to get a day off for Miguel Cabrera for about a week, a task made harder by the fact that Victor Martinez — the team’s backup first baseman — has been out of the lineup with an injury.

Wednesday is finally the day.

Cabrera was out of the lineup for the first time this season in Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Dodgers, with Don Kelly starting in his place.

“Miggy’s earned a day off,” Ausmus said. “I think he’s the one guy that hasn’t had a day off all year.”

Cabrera recorded his 359th multi-hit game with the Tigers on Tuesday, tying him with Rudy York for 14th-most in franchise history. It was his 101st game of three or more hits since coming to Detroit.

“That’s why he hasn’t had a day off all year. He’s not the type of guy you want out of the lineup,” Ausmus joked. “But he had three hits yesterday, so I figured the odds are in my favor that he doesn’t get three hits today. But I’d never bet against Miggy.”

There were other reasons for choosing Wednesday:

“Generally speaking, when you’re a regular player, you want a day game off. Night games are much easier, you get to sleep in, get a full night’s sleep. Day games are usually what regulars like,” Ausmus said.

“It’s tough to play matchups with Miggy, because he hits most people. To be truthful, the best time would’ve probably been Sunday, if they hadn’t changed it to a night game, because historically, he and David Price — the numbers are in Price’s favor. But when they changed it to a night game, that kind of changed my thought process, because again, day games are better for regulars.”

And the final four games of the first half are against the Tigers’ closest competitor in the American League Central Division.

“We’re playing outside the division, we’re playing outside the league, if you want to get technical,” Ausmus said. “So that was kind of the thought process behind it.”

Cabrera has played in 148 or more games every full season in the big leagues, and 157 or more in eight of his first 10 full seasons.

Last year, dealing with the core muscle injury that necessitated offseason surgery, he missed 13 games in the second half of the season after taking just one day off in the first half.



DETROIT TIGERS (49-37):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Torii Hunter, DH
J.D. Martinez, RF
Don Kelly, 1B
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS
Rajai Davis, LF

Pitcher: Max Scherzer, RHP (10-3, 3.47 ERA)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (51-41):
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS

Pitcher: Zack Greinke, RHP (11-4, 2.66 ERA)

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Andy Dirks to begin rehab assignment at Class A Lakeland, final step in five-month rehab


DETROIT — Andy Dirks will begin a rehabilitation assignment with Class A Lakeland, the Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday, putting him on the last stage of his comeback from March back surgery.

He can remain on his rehabilitation stint for 20 days.

Dirks had microdiscectomy on March 10, and initial estimates had him missing 12 weeks, but the initial portion of the rehab process has gone slowly, and he may end up missing something closer to 19 or 20 weeks.

Dirks has been performing baseball activities since early May, but hadn’t gone into live scrimmages until recently.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Sunday night baseball matchup between Rays and Tigers


The Tigers and Rays wrap up a four-game series with a Sunday Night affair on ESPN, with Rick Porcello — tied for second in wins in Major League Baseball — and David Price on the mound.

Victor Martinez is out of the lineup again, as expected, while Austin Jackson drops from the leadoff spot to ninth.

DETROIT TIGERS (48-36):
Rajai Davis, LF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Eugenio Suarez, SS
Bryan Holaday, C
Austin Jackson, CF

Pitcher: Rick Porcello, RHP (11-4, 3.12 ERA)

TAMPA BAY RAYS (40-50):
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Matt Joyce, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Logan Forsythe, 2B
Sean Rodriguez, DH
Jose Molina, C
Kevin Kiermaier, RF

Pitcher: David Price, LHP (7-7, 3.50 ERA)

Lefty-for-lefty swap: Ian Krol returns from DL, Patrick McCoy goes on


DETROIT — Ian Krol’s rehab stint didn’t last as long as he thought it would.

Expecting to pitch Friday night and Sunday afternoon for Class A West Michigan, then return to the Detroit Tigers after their off day, instead, he’ll be back with the Tigers Sunday night.

Krol was recalled from his DL stint Sunday afternoon, replacing Pat McCoy on the active roster. McCoy injured his hamstring in Saturday’s game, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Krol threw a clean inning on Friday, but did not end up pitching as planned Sunday afternoon.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Tigers will miss Clayton Kershaw again, when Dodgers come to town


DETROIT — The Tigers will have their hands full with the fellow first-place-dwelling Los Angeles Dodgers in the next series.

They won’t have to deal with Clayton Kershaw, though.

“I wish him well. ... I’m not necessarily concerned about Clayton Kershaw, but I’m not unhappy that he’s starting on Thursday,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “I’d like to see him, give him a hug, and then watch him pitch on TV on Thursday.”

The Dodgers left-hander and two-time Cy Young winner — who extended his streak of scoreless innings to 36 on Friday — will not be moved up to face the Tigers in the brief, two-game series on Tuesday or Wednesday. With an off day Monday — like the Tigers — manager Don Mattingly chose to keep his rotation in line, and give everyone an extra day’s rest, meaning Kershaw will throw again on Thursday ... after the Dodgers leave town.

“In two-game series, especially, the odds go down of facing a particular guy,” said Ausmus, who texted with Mattingly on Friday, but didn’t swap rotation plans. “I’m sure Donnie wants to give his pitchers an extra day of rest, as well, just like we’re planning to do with ours.”

Kershaw was on the disabled list the first time the two teams met, in Los Angeles in April.

Ausmus and Kershaw worked together for parts of two seasons, 2009 and 2010, after the former catcher joined the Dodgers as a free agent.

“He was fun to catch,” Ausmus recalled. “I knew he was good. Really, his whole trajectory changed when he started throwing the slider. I think he was going to be good, but I think the slider is what has really made him great. The amazing thing about the slider is that he threw it once in the bullpen, and took it into his next start. He’s really kind of taken off since the slider.

“He’s always had the velocity, always had the big curveball, was the one game-changer for him, I think.”

As expected, no VMart in lineup vs. Rays


As expected, Victor Martinez will miss Saturday's game, after re-aggravating his sore side. Austin Jackson is back in the leadoff spot, after a four-strikeout game Friday.

DETROIT TIGERS (48-35):
Austin Jackson CF
Ian Kinsler 2B
Miguel Cabrera 1B
JD Martinez RF
Torii Hunter DH
Nick Castellanos 3B
Alex Avila C
Andrew Romine SS
Rajai Davis LF

Pitcher: Anibal Sanchez (5-2, 2.63 ERA)

TAMPA BAY RAYS (39-50):
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Matt Joyce, DH
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Brandon Guyer, LF
Logan Forsythe, 2B
Ryan Hanican, C
Kevin Kiermaier, RF

Pitcher: Chris Archer (4-5, 3.24 ERA)


Friday, July 4, 2014

Tampa's Joe Maddon ejected as potential beanball battle begins with Tigers


DETROIT — Has last year’s game of one-upmanship and retaliation spilled over to this season?

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon was ejected in the sixth inning of Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, after warnings were issued to both benches following a third hit batter of the game.

Last year in July, the two teams exchanged pleasantries in Tampa, when then-Rays closer Fernando Rodney buzzed Miguel Cabrera, leading to a Rick Porcello plunking of Ben Zobrist a day later.

At the time, Maddon said he wished Cabrera “didn’t cry so much.”

Friday’s plunking battle started in the fourth inning, when Tampa starter Alex Cobb hit Victor Martinez on the knee.

In the top of the sixth, Drew Smyly plunked Rays cleanup hitter Evan Longoria in the upper back.

In the bottom of the inning, Cobb hit Ian Kinsler to start the inning, and home plate umpire Quinn Walcott — just promoted to full-time umpiring duty with the retirement of veteran ump Gary Darling — warned both benches.

Maddon took umbrage with the warnings, and came out onto the field to argue — despite warnings from both Walcott and crew chief Greg Gibson not to — and was ejected by Gibson.

Even though he's in the lineup, Victor Martinez still a post-BP decision



DETROIT — Victor Martinez still might be a game-time decision.

A day after he returned to the lineup, and hit a home run in his first at-bat, Martinez’s batting practice performance was still under scrutiny on Friday.

“He said he felt good today. Generally, over the last couple of days, it’s felt better swinging from the right side, as opposed to the right side,” said manager Brad Ausmus of including the switch-hitting Martinez in the lineup against Tampa’s Alex Cobb, a right-hander, who would force Martinez to hit left-handed.

Right now he’s in the lineup, but we just want to make sure that he’s OK from the left side. If he goes out there and takes batting practice, and doesn’t feel right, then there could be a last-minute lineup change.

“But he did come in feeling even better today than he did yesterday.”

Tigers Independence Day lineup vs. Rays


The Tigers take on the Rays on Independence Day, with essentially the same lineup they used in Game 1 of the series.

Don Kelly is the lone addition to the lineup, making his first start for the Tigers since June 20, and his first start at third base since June 3. He's made just one trip to the plate — Thursday night's trip to the on-deck circle notwithstanding — since June 20.

DETROIT TIGERS (48-34):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
J.D. Martinez, LF
Torii Hunter, RF
Don Kelly, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Eugenio Suarez, SS

Pitcher: Drew Smyly, LHP (4-7, 3.57 ERA)

TAMPA BAY RAYS (38-50):
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Brandon Guyer, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Logan Forsythe, 2B
James Loney, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, DH
Jose Molina, C
Kevin Kiermaier, RF

Pitcher: Alex Cobb, RHP (3-6, 4.20 ERA)

Military theme for pregame ceremonies today.
Tech. Sgt. William Hyde, 171st Aerial Refueling Squadron, is delivering the game ball to the mound.

Ceremonial first pitches: Keith Sekuterski representing the Detroit chapter of Disabled American Veterans, Lt. Colonel Shawn Holtz, 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge Air Force Base, representing active service members.

Finally, Staff Sgt. Mario Jimenez of 127th Wing will sing the National Anthem.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Rays go with Tommy Tutone (867-5309) lineup, VMart returns to Tigers lineup


Rays manager Joe Maddon is going with what he calls the "Tommy Tutone" lineup — or, if you don't recall that, try the lyric "Jenny, I've got your number ...." In order, the positions are 8-6-7-5-3-0-9 ...

The Tigers did not post a lineup before batting practice, waiting on whether or not Victor Martinez (side) is available. He was good to go after taking his swings, and back in the lineup for the first time after missing the entire A's series.

Manager Brad Ausmus was intentionally as cautious as possible to make sure it did not get worse. It helped that the Tigers won all three vs. the A’s without him.

“Well, all things being equal, I’d rather have Victor Martinez in the lineup. You can absorb a guy being out of the lineup for a day, maybe three or four days,” Ausmus said. “But over the course of six months, I want Victor in the lineup on a regular basis.”

But was he concerned?

“I mean, no more concerned than I would have been with Torii (Hunter’s hamstring), and he was out about a week,” said the manager, indicating his concern level with with that injury never really grew, either. “Not really, no, because he was steadily improving.

“I think in Cleveland, for a split second, we talked about ‘Well, should we DL him, because it’s going to be about a week?’ After talking to him, I just wasn’t concerned it was going to go any longer than that.”





DETROIT TIGERS (47-34):
Austin Jackson CF
Ian Kinsler 2B
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Victor Martinez DH
J.D. Martinez LF
Torii Hunter RF
Nick Castellanos 3B
Alex Avila C
Eugenio Suarez SS

Pitcher: Max Scherzer, RHP (9-3, 3.64 ERA)

TAMPA RAYS:
Desmond Jennings CF
Ben Zobrist SS
Matt Joyce LF
Evan Longoria 3B
James Loney 1B
Vince Belnome DH
Kiermaier RF
Ryan Hanigan C
Cole Figueroa, 2B

Pitcher: Erik Bedard (4-5, 4.21 ERA)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

VIDEO: Comerica Park vendor catches foul ball with his beverage bucket



One of the Comerica Park vendors made a snag of an Ian Kinsler foul ball down the third-base line in Wednesday afternoon's game, using only the ice water in his beverage bucket to slow down the ball's sizzling pace. He gave the ball to a young fan before taking a well-deserved bow.

MLB first basemen pay tribute for 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's 'Luckiest Man' speech



Seventy-five years ago, in early May, Lou Gehrig's 14-year iron man streak of 2,130 games came to an end when he did not take the field for a game at Detroit's Briggs Stadium (above).

He never played again for the Yankees, diagnosed later that season with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that now bears his moniker, often called "Lou Gehrig's disease."

On July 4, 1939, he was honored at Yankee Stadium, and gave a speech, calling himself "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

Major League Baseball first basemen — including the Tigers' part-timer there, Victor Martinez — helped the sport pay tribute to the Iron Horse in the following video, where they take turns reciting lines from that speech, 75 years ago Friday.



Tigers reportedly sign Domincan OF Julio Martinez to start international signing period

The international signing period for Major League Baseball opened on Wednesday, and the Tigers reportedly nabbed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Julio Martinez right off the bat.

Jim Callis of Baseball America reported the signing, as well as the $600,000 price tag. The Tigers have a bonus pool of $1,946,900 to spend on international signings.

He was not one of Baseball America’s top 30 international prospects, although Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com had Martinez ranked No. 19 on his top 30.

According to Baseball America’s scouting report, the right-handed-hitting Martinez profiles as a left-fielder or first baseman with limited footspeed and a tendency to let his swing get long. He's already 6-foot-3 and 183 pounds at 16, and has shown raw power.


Lineups, as Tigers close out series vs. A's


Believe it or not, the Tigers will already halfway through the regular season after Wednesday's series finale against the Oakland A's, playing game No. 81.

"It goes faster in this seat than it does as a player," said manager Brad Ausmus, noting that it had been a roller coaster ride in the first half of the season.

Win or lose Wednesday, the Tigers will have their best midpoint mark since 2007's 47-34 spot.

Victor Martinez (side) was out of the lineup initially for the the third straight game. Ausmus said he planned to hold him out, even if he tried to talk his way into the lineup after batting practice again.

With Victor Martinez out, Torii Hunter will be the DH for the first time this season, and the first time in a Tigers uniform. The last time he was penciled in as DH was Aug. 19, 2012, as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

J.D. Martinez, just named the Tigers Player of the Month for June, will start in right field.

DETROIT TIGERS (46-34):
Austin Jackson, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
J.D. Martinez, RF
Torii Hunter, DH
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Andrew Romine, SS
Rajai Davis, LF

Pitcher: Justin Verlander, RHP (6-7, 4.80 ERA)

OAKLAND A'S (51-32):

Pitcher: Jesse Chavez, RHP (6-4, 2.94 ERA)

J.D. Martinez, Anibal Sanchez earn Tigers monthly honors for June


After earning American League Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, J.D. Martinez (above right) was named the Tigers' Player of the Month for June.

Anibal Sanchez earned the team's Pitcher of the Month honors.

Martinez hit .345 with seven home runs and nine doubles, driving in 21 runs and scoring 12 more.

"He’s been, for the last three weeks, he’s been probably our main run-producer. He swung the bat well. He’s a guy, right now, that you don’t want out of the lineup very often, other than to give him a rest here and there. His power makes him such a threat that, even if he’s not swinging the bat well, a pitcher’s gotta be careful with him," manager Brad Ausmus said.

"But he’s been a huge, huge asset these last few days."

Sanchez was one of only four pitchers in the American League (with a minimum of three decisions) to go unbeaten in the month of June. He was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA and held opponents to a .211 batting average.