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Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes

--LHP Phil Coke didn't have control of his fastball at Seattle and it cost him. Coke walked the first two batters he faced, made an error on a topped ball near the first-base line and walked the next man as the Mariners wound up with four unearned runs. Coke struggled throwing strikes with his fastball. His control with his curve and changeup was better but he got into too many bad counts. He allowed two earned runs in the fourth and was on the mound when RF Ichiro Suzuki (2) and Shone Figgins (1) stole three bases. "He didn't have command of his fastball and he didn't have command of the strike zone," manager Jim Leyland said.

--RF Brennan Boesch likely will inherit the fifth spot in the batting order in the absence of DH/C Victor Martinez. Boesch has become an unannounced regular in manager Jim Leyland's lineup, mostly batting sixth or third. As one of the few productive lineup members, Boesch could provide some protection on those occasions cleanup hitter 1B Miguel Cabrera gets pitched around. Boesch has shown more plate discipline this season over his poor 2010 second half. He's been hitting outside pitches to left or up the middle, like he did with his second-inning double (left) and seventh-inning single (center). In the eighth, he pulled a pitch to first for a single off LHP Aaron Laffey.

--RF Don Kelly replaced RF Magglio Ordonez both in right field and in the third spot in manager Jim Leyland's batting order. Kelly made a couple of nice defensive plays, reaching into the stands to snag a foul fly in the third and throwing a runner out trying to stretch a fifth-inning single into a double.

--LF Ryan Raburn has suddenly developed a strikeout problem. Raburn entered the evening tied for the league lead in whiffs with 22 and fanned two more times against Seattle pitching. He has averaged exactly two strikeouts per game over his last eight contests, most of them weak-looking swings at two-strike breaking balls out of the strike zone.

--DH/C Victor Martinez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right groin muscle. The soreness was just as great when he woke up as it was when he had to be taken off second base for a pinch-run in the second inning Monday night. "It's pretty tender in that one area, the same sore spot that was there," manager Jim Leyland said. "It's pretty tender in that one area, the same sore spot that was there. I kick myself in the butt for playing him, but he felt great. You just never know about stuff like this. Obviously we don't want him on (the DL), but there's no sense taking silly chances. We have to get it right. Hopefully by the time he comes back, it will have warmed up some. Cold conditions are not conducive to keeping it healthy." Martinez limped to first on a single and struggled to reach second on another base hit. "That's what is frustrating," Martinez said. "It didn't happen when I was doing anything. It was just on my stride as I took a pitch."

--C Omir Santos joined Detroit in Seattle after the Tigers purchased his contract from their Toledo farm club. He gives Detroit some catching insurance behind C Alex Avila with the placement of DH/C Victor Martinez on the disabled list. Santos just returned to action after suffering a broken toe early in spring training. He was hitting .429 in 14 at-bats for the Mud Hens. Santos, who turns 30 on April 29, hit .254 in 107 games with Baltimore and the New York Mets in 2008 and 2009. Detroit signed him as veteran insurance during the winter. Santos doesn't figure to get a lot of playing time but he might catch a handful of games over the next two weeks.

--RHP Ryan Perry was eligible to be activated off the disabled list Wednesday. "Ryan Perry will be rejoining the team very shortly," manager Jim Leyland said. Perry, out with eye inflammation, pitched rehab innings Friday and Monday for Class AAA Toledo. The chances of his being activated despite it being a 'fly in, fly out' trip went up when LHP Brad Thomas threw 58 pitches in mopping up the game, rendering him unavailable until at least Friday.

--RHP Enrique Gonzalez walked four batters, although one was intentional, to remain vulnerable to be the pitcher trimmed from the roster with the impending activation of RHP Ryan Perry from the disabled list. Perry could be activated Wednesday. Gonzalez made the team out of spring training but has been very ineffective in spot use this season. He walked three of the first four batters he faced in relief of LHP Phil Coke.

BY THE NUMBERS
11 -- Walks issued by Detroit pitchers in its 11-2 loss at Seattle, the most walks turned in by Tigers' pitchers in a nine-inning game since June 14, 2009.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"That's what is frustrating. It didn't happen when I was doing anything. It was just on my stride as I took a pitch." -- DH/C Victor Martinez, who went on the disabled list Tuesday with a right groin strain. Martinez aggravated the strain just by taking the first pitch he saw when he batted in the second inning Monday night.

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