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Below Remains A Candidate For Another Start

Rookie Duane Below has one thing going for him -- he throws strikes.

Whether he makes a third start in the majors isn't up to him.

It may not be up to Tigers manager Jim Leyland, either, if general manager Dave Dombrowski plucks a starter off the trade pile by Sunday, the last day for deals without obtaining waivers.

Below has made two starts, with his inexperience showing each time he ran into trouble.

He's thrown a lot of first-pitch strikes in his first two starts, and a pitcher can do a lot with that.

Below's box score line Monday in the Tigers' 6-3 loss to the White Sox shows four runs allowed on six hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. Two of the runs came in after he left the game.

"Below actually was pretty good," Leyland said. "He couldn't get his curve down; kept leaving his curve up."

Leyland said Below did all right in his first start, and he especially liked how the rookie threw strikes with all of his pitches.

The left-hander hasn't been smashed around, but he has had problems dealing with adversity.

He'll start again, but whether it's for Detroit or Class AAA Toledo will be determined by whether Dombrowski can deal for another starter before the end of business Sunday.

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