DETROIT — Alarm bells were ringing all over Comerica Park late in Friday’s game, but it wasn’t a bullpen alert.

No, it was an actual emergency — of sorts.

According to the team, the alarms were tripped by a mechanical fire in a janitor’s closet in the Tiger Club, one that was contained and put out before the Detroit Fire Department even arrived on scene, according a team spokesperson.

The alarm bells — along with flashing lights all over the stadium — began in the top of the ninth inning. The system overrides the public address system in the stadium, meaning that for the rest of the game, there were no introductions, or in-game music.

It didn’t really impact the play on the field.

“When it first initially happened, it’s like ‘Oh, the alarm’s going off,’” catcher Alex Avila said. “But after that, whether the PA’s going, or the guy’s announcing me, you gotta go up there and do your job.”

The essence of good headline writing is using silly puns, plays on words and phrases.


So it was inevitable that Drew Smyly's name would fit that bill perfectly. 


[Look no further than our own "Rookie pitcher puts Smyly face on 5-1 homestand" to see what I mean.]


But the funniest part of the whole thing? It's kind of an oxymoron. At least when he's on the mound, Drew Smyly isn't tremendously smiley. 


He seems to be no-nonsense. All business.


That's the thing that — apart from his clear propensity to throw strikes — his teammates and manager have noticed most about the 22-year-old through his first big league spring training and the start of the regular season.


"The thing is, he’s a really — he doesn’t show any emotions. He could be doing bad, but you can’t really tell," said Tigers catcher Alex Avila, who wasn't really sure how the rookie was faring emotionally, when he loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning of his MLB debut last week. 
"You really get to know guys now, how they react in adversity, times like that. But he’s a cool customer. You can tell. He doesn’t get rattled easily. His demeanor, his poise, everything is very good. Even when he was struggling a little bit, just got back up there, and went right after them. You like that. You want that in guys. You can teach that. You’ve gotta be born with it, and he is. He’s pitched in big situations before, in circumstances where things are on the line, and he’s been through it, just fine. I know he was pretty excited about this one."


The Tigers might want to get a little excited about this one, too.


Despite not having pitched above the Double-A level in his first year of professional ball, Smyly's credentials as the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year earned him a spot in the six-man derby for the fifth starter role. Even before spring training began, General Manager Dave Dombrowski tabbed him as one to watch, saying that some in the organization felt he might be the most ready.


In the end, it was his composure that may have won him the job. More than anything truly impressive that he did, it was the fact that didn't let the mounting pressure — as the competition narrowed from six to just three late in camp — get to him at all that separated him. His competitors can't necessarily say the same, as two of them — Andy Oliver and Duane Below — both had shaky starts in the final week of the competition.


So far, it doesn't look like joining the big league rotation has ruffled Smyly's feathers all that much, either. In his first start, despite the fact that he lasted just four innings, as his pitch count hit 90 way too early, he kept the Tigers in the game. He was disappointed he didn't go deeper.


In Tuesday's second start, he was much more efficient, doing just what he'd promised he'd do, going six innings, giving up just one unearned run. That came in the third inning, when he was hit by Alcides Escobar's line drive in the small of the back, on the first truly hard-hit ball of the evening. 


"It was pretty scary. He got smoked in the back pretty good," manager Jim Leyland said in his postgame TV interview.


Smyly tracked the ball down near the first-base line, and still tried to get Escobar out at first, but fired a bullet low, near the shoetops of Prince Fielder, and on past. The error put Escobar on second, and he'd come in two pitches later, as Alex Gordon singled to center on an 0-2 pitch to tie the game at 1-1.


Another instance where Smyly could have folded under the pressure, and let the inning snowball. He certainly could have come out of the game after getting dinged by the line drive.


Instead, he calmly got a fielder's choice to end the third, then wiggled out of a two-on, two-out jam in the  fourth to keep it 1-1. He'd last three full innings after getting hit by the line drive, coming out after throwing six innings, giving up the lone unearned run on seven hits, striking out four. His only walk was an intentional pass to Jeff Francouer in the sixth. 


While he still has yet to get a win, he's already shown that he deserved the trust the Tigers organization has placed in him. He'll do exactly what's expected of the fifth man in the rotation: Keep the Tigers in the game.


"That’s what we want him to do. As our fifth guy, pitch five, six innings, keep us in the game, give us a chance to win," Avila said. "That’s it."
So far, he's done that perfectly. He left his first start with the Tigers down 1-0. He left his second with the score tied 1-1. 


With a team that has the potential to score a ton of runs, that's perfect. 
"You’re not worried about being down 1-0, or 2-0, or whatever. You know this team’s going to go out and score runs every game," Smyly said after his debut. "So you’ve gotta stay within yourself, make sure you keep getting outs, keep it close."


And stay cool.

You've seen all the angles and highlights of Alex Avila's 11th-inning, two-run, walk-off home run on Sunday, helping the Tigers complete their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox since 2007.

You may have also seen a clip of Alex's postgame reaction from the locker room. (If not, click [HERE])

But here's what it looked like from the right-field seats. The video is courtesy Dennis L. Hubbard, a realtor in the Farmington/Farmington Hills area. (Click [HERE] to go to his business website.)

[NOTE: You might want to turn down the volume, if you're at work.]

The last thing any manager or executive wants is to have someone injure themselves in the last week of camp. No one wants injuries at any time, but if they come early, there's at least time to deal with them.

So that's why the Tigers' brain trust of manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski had to be swallowing hard when they saw back-up catcher Gerald Laird go down in a heap in the second inning of Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Baltimore Orioles. Laird had been tracking a foul fly off the bat of Jai Miller when third baseman Don Kelly ran into his left knee. By all reports, Laird went down in pain, clutching the knee, and had to be helped off the field by head trainer Kevin Rand and minor league infielder Brandon Douglas.

There was a sigh of relief when it turned out to be less serious that it could have been.

The Tigers announced that it was a left knee sprain, that Laird's status was day-to-day, and that he'd be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Laird told the Detroit News' Tom Gage that he'll miss "only a couple of days. Glad I didn't blow it out."

Why all the angst over a journeyman catcher, a career .241 hitter?

Well, having seen the cost of not having a reliable back-up catcher on the roster — especially when the injury to Victor Martinez’s knee forced starter Alex Avila to be in the lineup for 18 straight games at one point last season — the Tigers brought Laird back on a one-year deal to take up the slack. Initially, it was to keep Martinez from having to do double duty. The signing became doubly important when Martinez tore up his knee in January, shelving him for the season.

Laird certainly won’t make anyone forget V-Mart’s offensive contributions when he’s in the lineup, but he’ll certainly help keep Avila fresh for the playoffs, which may be just as important. Avila was worn to a nub by playoff time, suffering from tendinitis in both knees, and hitting .073 in the postseason as a result.

Laird's absence on a short-term basis is probably not all that problematic. Last year's third-string catcher, Omir Santos, who split time between the big league team and Triple-A Toledo, and was sent to the minor league camp Friday morning, could be called back. He'd have to be added to the 40-man roster to do so, but the Tigers could easily open a slot by placing Al Alburquerque (elbow surgery) on the 60-day disabled list, among a handful of possible moves.

The problem is that Santos would not be a long-term solution, should Laird have to miss significant time. As it stands now, the Tigers have at least two 'emergency' catchers on the roster — Kelly and Brandon Inge — but neither would be considered anything more than a band-aid for a game, or at the extreme outside, two. Inge has had multiple knee surgeries since his own days behind the plate, eliminating him from realistic consideration for the role.

Having said that, you have to wonder where the Tigers might turn, if Laird were to get hurt (or if Friday's injury turned out to be serious)? Santos, who was re-signed as an insurance policy? One of the minor-league catchers, like recent draft picks Bryan Holaday, Curt Casali Rob Brantly or James McCann? Someone outside the organization?

That's a more interesting question.

The third-year Tigers catcher joined Karl Ravech and Buster Olney on Friday afternoon's show, and talked about several topics, including the signing of Prince Fielder, and the impending move of Miguel Cabrera to third.
Here's a short synopsis of the highlights:

Second-year catcher Alex Avila was rewarded for his breakout season with the bat Wednesday, earning a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award as the American League's best offensive catcher, after missing out a day earlier on a Gold Glove award, as the AL's best defensive catcher.

Avila hit .295 in 2011 — nearly 70 points higher than a year earlier — finishing with 19 home runs, four triples, 33 doubles and 82 RBI.

One of five first-time honorees in the American League — along with Boston's Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury, Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera and former Tiger Curtis Granderson — Avila is the youngest among the American League honorees at 24.

When the Gold Glove Awards are announced Tuesday night, a pair of second-year Tigers could be among the honorees in the American League: Both center fielder Austin Jackson and catcher Alex Avila were among the finalists at their positions.

For Avila, who was voted in as the AL starting catcher for the All-Star Game, and earned mention as a postseason All-Star by The Sporting News, the competition for the Gold Glove at catcher are Baltimore's Matt Wieters and the Chicago White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski.

Jackson's competitors in center field are Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and Los Angeles Angels speedster Peter Bourjos.

The 18 Gold Gloves will be handed out in a televised awards show on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. Eastern.

UPDATE: Neither Jackson nor Avila won a Gold Glove. Ellsbury took home the Gold Glove in center, while Wieters won the catcher's Gold Glove.

Here's a quick synopsis of all the postseason awards garnered by Detroit Tigers players after the conclusion of the 2011 season:

MIGUEL CABRERA
• Miguel Cabrera wins Luis Aparicio Award
(best Venezuelan player in MLB)

JUSTIN VERLANDER
• Verlander named to The Sporting News' AL All-Star team (unanimous selection)
• Verlander named The Sporting News' MLB Player of the Year
• Verlander wins a pair of Players Choice awards, becoming the second pitcher to win Player of the Year.
• Verlander wins his first AL Cy Young award.
• Verlander bucks the odds, voter bias to become first pitcher in 19 years to win AL Most Valuable Player award.

ALEX AVILA
• Avila named as the catcher for The Sporting News' AL All-Star team
• Avila a finalist for AL Gold Glove at catcher.
• Avila wins his first Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award.

JOSE VALVERDE
• Valverde named MLB Delivery Man of the Year (best reliever in MLB)

AUSTIN JACKSON
• Jackson a finalist for AL Gold Glove in center field.
• With his league-leading 22 runs saved, Jackson wins the Fielding Bible's 2011 award for center fielders.

AL ALBURQUERQUE
• Al-Al was named the 2011 Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters' Association.

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander and his catcher, Alex Avila, were named to the Sporting News AL All-Star team, unveiled on Thursday.

Verlander was the only unanimous selection among the 11 American League honorees, selected by a vote of 26 members of front offices across the league. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp was the only other unanimous selection for either team.

Click HERE to see the full teams.

Delmon Young's side is still hurting. So is Victor Martinez's.

Wilson Betemit probably isn't totally right. And Alex Avila is "running" like he has a two-ton elephant on his back.

None of those things are being touted as an excuse for the Tigers' 3-1 deficit in the ALCS.

"Not this team. Everybody’s battled all year. And we’re not going to stop playing hard," utilityman Don Kelly said.

"We’re kind of limping through this series right now, and you’ve just got to find a way to get the job done, regardless," Avila said.

"You know, both teams got some guys hurting. I just don't want to make a big deal about that. I don't think that looks good. Do we have some guys? Yeah, I think truth be known, Alex Avila might be hurting as much as any of them. We don't really talk about that as much," manager Jim Leyland said.

"Both teams have that issue at this point. We have no excuses. We've had — these games have been great games, and so far, they've done enough to win three of them, and we've only done enough to win one of them. That pretty much sums it up."

There's no doubt Avila is exhausted. He was behind the plate for 47 of the team's final 49 games in the regular season, and all nine games so far in the postseason.

But he's banged up, too, dealing with a pair of balky knees.

"To be honest with you, this is probably some of the wear and tear that I played him a little too much turning the season, probably. And we ran into that one stretch (in August) where Victor could not catch," Leyland said. "So we really beat him up a little bit more than I would have like to. But he's as tough as they come. There's nobody tougher on our team than him. ... Believe me, I know what these guys are going through. I've been in the trainer's room. You guys don't have that same availability.

"But I know what these guys are going through. It's unbelievable."

As worn out as he surely was, Alex Avila probably didn't feel like he was hustling too much in August; after all, he got just two games off in the month.

Clearly, he was, however, as he was tabbed the Tigers' Player of the Month, hitting .360 with seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 18 RBI in 26 games. (Unsurprisingly, Justin Verlander was named the Pitcher of the Month, going 5-0 with a 3.12 ERA.)

Avila will be getting another award on Saturday, as former Tiger Willie Horton will present him with the award honoring him as the Tigers' selection for the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association's Heart and Hustle Award. One nominee from each of the 30 teams will go into the final competition, and the winner of the award for the year will be announced on Nov. 3.

Previous winners include: David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009) and Roy Halladay (2010).

If, when the season started, you figured Alex Avila was the Tigers' best chance for to be a starter for the American League in the All-Star Game, raise your hand.

Then stop lying. Possibly also check yourself into a clinic.

Based on last year's .228 average and relative tame power numbers (seven HRs, 12 doubles, .340 slugging pct.), Avila looked to be a long way away from being a household name nationally. But coming in to Wednesday, he was hitting .280 with 10 doubles and 29 RBI — all of which lead full-time AL catchers — and eight home runs, which is tied for third. His RBI total is best among all MLB backstops.

People are noticing. When MLB released the first fan voting totals for next month's All-Star Game in Arizona, Avila was one of two Tigers among the leaders at his position. The second-year pro had only half as many votes as the Yankees' Russell Martin, who is hitting just .242.

The other Tiger among the league's leading vote-getters is Miguel Cabrera, who finished second in last year's AL MVP race. He's not far behind Boston's Adrian Gonzalez — who could make a case for being the early favorite for this year's MVP — but nearly 250,000 votes behind the Yankees' Mark Teixeira.

If the voting ended today, the Yankees would have starters at every position but DH, including an outfield starter in former Tiger Curtis Granderson. He sits second behind the overall leading vote-getter, Toronto slugger Jose Bautista.

Fans can vote online (click here) through June 30, and at the ballpark through June 12.

Here are the vote totals announced by MLB on Wednesday:
CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 843,459
Joe Mauer, Twins: 593,949
Alex Avila, Tigers: 407,463
Carlos Santana, Indians: 395,892
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 337,737

FIRST BASE
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 827,247
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 685,262
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 657,594
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 278,055
Adam Lind, Blue Jays: 256,782

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,185,952
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 586,361
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 502,012
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 384,004
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 352,904

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 945,127
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 755,551
Evan Longoria, Rays: 588,463
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 491,422
Maicer Izturis, Angels: 199,423

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 931,410
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 672,105
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 560,309
Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays: 320,874
Erick Aybar, Angels: 215,991

DESIGNATED HITTER
Michael Young, Rangers: 646,979
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 618,609
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 414,733
Travis Hafner, Indians: 407,334
Johnny Damon, Rays: 353,340

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 1,261,659
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 994,315
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 748,240
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 674,406
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 514,006
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 494,721
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 465,984
Grady Sizemore, Indians: 457,185
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 440,626
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 407,517
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 370,989
Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: 366,575
Sam Fuld, Rays: 310,520
J.D. Drew, Red Sox: 307,684
B.J. Upton, Rays: 277,173