Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 6-23-11
--OF Don Kelly hit his first pinch home run in the eighth inning on Wednesday against the Dodgers. His second home run of the season gave Detroit a 7-5 lead it managed to hang on to. Kelly stayed in the game and played left field. He's been playing third base most of the time for rehabbing 3B Brandon Inge and manager Jim Leyland said he's been doing a great job.
--CF Casper Wells started and gave CF Austin Jackson 8 1/2 innings off. Wells batted leadoff for the first time in his career and opened the game with his third home run of the season. Wells shifted to right when Jackson entered for the bottom of the ninth inning.
--RF Magglio Ordonez made key contributions to Detroit's 7-5 victory on offense and defense. His two-run home run in the second inning erased a 2-1 Los Angeles lead and the Tigers never trailed the Dodgers again. But part of that was due to a very good catch-throw double play in the fourth. Los Angeles had scored a run and had runners on second and third with one out when Ordonez caught a high fly by Jamey Carroll and made a perfect one-hop throw to C Victor Martinez, who blocked the plate and tagged out 1B James Loney. "The home run was fun and the throwout at the plate was really exciting because we killed that inning," Ordonez said. "It was a good play by Martinez." The home run was the first by Ordonez since May 4.
--RHP Al Albuerquerque pitched 2 1/3 critical scoreless innings to keep his magical rookie season going. He picked up a victory since starter RHP Rick Porcello was one out shy of the necessary five innings to qualify for a victory. Alburquerque entered after LHP Charlie Furbush gave up an RBI single to the only batter he faced and walked LF Marcus Thames on four straight pitched before striking out C Dioner Navarro with his wicked slider. He also walked a man with two out in the seventh, but four of his seven outs came on strikeouts and Alburquerque has fanned 44 in 26 1/3 innings.
--RHP Jose Valverde remained perfect in 17 save situations against the Dodgers, but the latest didn't come easily. Valverde had not pitched since June 16, was a little wild and only trusted his fastball. He retired the first batter he faced but two singles sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases. He struck out pinch hitter Casey Blake to keep Detroit on top, 7-5, and CF Austin Jackson went to the warning track to make a running catch of C Dioner Navarro's bid for a game-winning hit and end the game. "Anybody can have days like this," C Victor Martinez said. "You have to give credit to their guys, too."
--CF Austin Jackson had a huge impact on Detroit's 7-5 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles even though he played only half an inning. Jackson was given most of the game off by manager Jim Leyland so he'll have two days of rest before playing again with the Tigers off Thursday. But he was put into center field for the bottom of the ninth to help Detroit protect its two-run lead. Jackson raced to the warning track to haul down a two-out, bases-loaded drive by C Dioner Navarro, a blast that OF Casper Wells, who started in his place, would have had more trouble with. "Austin made a very, very good play," Leyland said. "I thought when he hit it, it was going to be in the gap pretty good."
--RHP Rick Porcello fell one out shy of qualifying for a victory, giving up nine hits and five runs. "He made a lot of great pitches," C Victor Martinez said. "He gave up a lot of bloopers. There's nothing you can do about that. He pitched better than what the scoreboard says." Porcello pitched 1-2-3 second and third innings but needed a double play throw-out at the play following a catch by RF Magglio Ordonez to escape the fourth with only one run scoring. A double play after two singles opened the fifth didn't save Porcello because he gave up two more hits and manager Jim Leyland had to pull him in an effort to retain the lead in the game. "I felt bad for Porcello," Leyland said. "He got nickel-and- dimed so bad. That's all part of the game, but I felt bad for him."
--RHP Ryan Perry was recalled from Class AAA Toledo when Detroit optioned out LHP Adam Wilk, cutting their number of southpaws in the bullpen to three with another, LHP Brad Thomas, due to return from a rehab assignment soon. Perry was optioned out May 27 after giving up seven runs in two games covering 1 2/3 innings. Manager Jim Leyland said earlier this month the Tigers wouldn't bring Perry back until he got back on track. That must have been the case as Perry worked in 10 games for the Mud Hens, going 1-0 with four saves and a 1.69 ERA. He struck out 16 in 16 innings, walking three and giving up nine hits. He can be expected to be used in a variety of late-inning roles once he gets acclimated to being back with Detroit.
--LHP Adam Wilk was optioned to Toledo to make room for the recall of RHP Ryan Perry. Wilk worked four innings, allowing four runs, on June 17 in his last appearance and had only pitched three times since being brought up to Detroit for the second time this season. In four appearances overall, he has a 5.91 ERA in 10 2/3 innings, allowing 12 hits and striking out eight.
--3B Brandon Inge might be coming back from his rehab assignment Friday but no announcement has been made. Inge has been out since June 2 after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. Inge hit two home runs Tuesday night for Triple-A Toledo and was in the lineup for Wednesday. "We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out," manager Jim Leyland said. "I would assume something would probably happen in the near future with the Inge situation. I don't know how near future."
--C Alex Avila was denied his opportunity to play a second game at third base by a baseball. "I've got a baseball in my leg right now," Avila said of a knot he picked up at the plate Tuesday night. Avila fouled a ball off his leg and while he remained in the game, manager Jim Leyland noted he was "banged up." Detroit returns home and will resume play following a day off Thursday, which means the Tigers could employ Avila as the designated hitter and catch DH/C Victor Martinez.
BY THE NUMBERS
35 -- Strikeouts by Detroit hitters in three games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The Tigers fanned 11 times in each of the first two games and 13 in the winning conclusion to the 2-4 trip.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I felt bad for (RHP Rick) Porcello. He got nickel-and-dimed so bad. That's all part of the game, but I felt bad for him." -- Manager Jim Leyland, who had to remove starter Porcello with two out in the fifth, one out shy of the requirement to qualify as the winning pitcher in Detroit's 7-5 victory over the Dodgers.
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