Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 7-8-11
--CF Austin Jackson had to come out of the game in the top of the third inning with soreness in his left wrist. 2B Ramon Santiago pinch-hit for Jackson, who had a 10-pitch at-bat in the first inning before striking out. LF Casper Wells moved over to center. Jackson appeared to hurt or aggravate the wrist on his first foul ball of his first at-bat and was flexing it all during his plate appearance. The club said there seems to be some inflammation in the wrist, and Jackson probably will sit out Friday night's game.
--RHP Max Scherzer turned in his second walk-free start of the season and picked up his 10th win, giving up six hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. Scherzer acknowledged his recent slump -- 3-3 with a 7.84 ERA in his previous eight starts -- was a contributing factor in the firing of pitching coach Rick Knapp, and that may have sharpened his focus. "I didn't walk anybody," he said. "I didn't put myself in any dangerous positions."
Scherzer did a better job of mixing his pitches. Defensively, he helped himself by throwing out 2B Chris Getz as he was trying to steal third in the opening inning, helping stifle a Kansas City rally.
"I thought Scherzer was much better," manager Jim Leyland said. "He got the ball down better, which was the goal."
--LF/CF Casper Wells showed his versatility in the outfield by shifting from left to center when CF Austin Jackson had to leave the game with a sore left wrist. Wells has played all three outfield positions for Detroit this season. He has a power arm and decent speed, and he gets good reads on flyballs. Wells contributed a double to the Tigers' offensive attack.
--DH Victor Martinez finished second in the online voting for the final AL All-Star spot. Martinez was beaten out by White Sox 1B Paul Konerko. "He's a guy who really deserves it," Martinez said of Konerko.
--2B/LF Ryan Raburn is still struggling but got a big hit in the series opener at Kansas City. He looked for a fastball on a 1-2 count, got it and drilled it over the left field fence for a two-run home run in the second inning to break a scoreless tie. It was Raburn's eighth home run despite a .206 batting average. He moved from second to left when CF Austin Jackson left the game in the third inning. "He's been a Jekyll-Hyde," manager Jim Leyland said. "He looks good, then he doesn't."
--RHP Joaquin Benoit worked his fourth game in five days and earned his third hold in that span. Benoit has allowed just one run in his last 10 appearances. Mostly it's been a matter of spotting his fastball better. He isn't throwing his breaking ball but is utilizing a changeup effectively.
--RHP Jose Valverde wriggled out of a self-created jam in the ninth to convert his 22nd save. He gave up a two-out walk plus a single but got 3B Mike Moustakas to fly out to left to end the game. "For the young guys like Kansas City has right now, you have to be careful," Valverde said. Valverde has five saves in his last six games with a loss mixed in that streak that included the only runs he has given up in his last 17 appearances. Valverde continues to go mostly fastball, usually at 95-96 mph, after having problems with his split-finger pitch and his elbow in the second half of last season.
--OF Brennan Boesch might have started against a right-handed pitcher, but manager Jim Leyland elected to keep him out of the lineup one more night. Boesch suffered a bruised right knee when he fouled a ball off it Tuesday night. "We've got two righties the next two days. I'll probably play him three straight days," Leyland said.
--RF Don Kelly was a defensive replacement who provided Detroit some extra offense. Kelly was sent in to play defense for RF Magglio Ordonez in the bottom of the seventh inning. He batted for the first time to lead off the ninth and swatted the first pitch he saw over the fence in right to pad the Tigers' lead to 3-1. His manager calls him the best 25th player in baseball.
BY THE NUMBERS
16 -- Victories over AL Central opponents by Detroit this season in 23 games. Recent seasons have seen the Tigers below .500 within the division, so two years ago manager Jim Leyland began making games with division foes a point of emphasis. The majority of the club's remaining games (49 of 73) are within the division.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We need to get back to doing what he was doing last year and when he was successful this year, pitching downhill and away, throwing the ball downhill instead of throwing the ball flat." -- New pitching coach Jeff Jones, on what he was talking to RHP Max Scherzer about before his start.
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