Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 9-13-11
--SS Jhonny Peralta got Detroit rolling with a two-run home run in the second inning that erased a 1-0 Chicago lead. He added an RBI single in the second as the Tigers piled up a 5-2 lead through three innings. Peralta now has 80 RBI this season, nine shy of his best but right about on target with what Detroit hoped to get when it signed him to a two-year deal before the season.
--2B/RF Ryan Raburn hit a home run his first time up, and that triggered a four-hit game for the utility player. Raburn followed a two-run home run by SS Jhonny Peralta in the second with his 13th of the season. Raburn pulled three of his hits, but his first of two singles went to right-center. "I was trying to get him early because (LHP John) Danks is really good," Raburn said. "He's got great stuff. We didn't miss the pitches he missed over the plate."
--C Alex Avila returned to the starting lineup and produced a two-hit game. Avila even got the ninth inning off, courtesy of a 14-3 lead. Manager Jim Leyland was loathe to replace him because if something happened to C Omir Santos, that left him with only LF Don Kelly to use behind the plate.
--RHP Rick Porcello faced 10 batters in the first two innings but only allowed a single run in each before settling down to last 6 2/3 innings and pick up his 14th victory. Porcello allowed just one hit, but three walks, in the first two innings, and he gave up only six hits overall. His fastball was darting out of the strike zone in the early innings, but a 5-2 lead might have helped him settle down. "He had a tough time with his breaking stuff (early)," manager Jim Leyland said. "He got the ball on the ground pretty good. I think the cushion certainly helped him out."
--LF Delmon Young remains a big part of Detroit's offense, and he contributed three hits, two runs and an RBI before manager Jim Leyland replaced him in the sixth inning. "Delmon kind of hurt his hip a little bit in the first inning on that ball hit by (LF Juan) Pierre," Leyland said. "He got up all right, but I got him out of there." Young showed no evidence of an injury. His three singles went to left, right and center.
--3B Brandon Inge finally got his batting average above .200 with a three-hit game. Better for Inge, he used the field for his hits. He doubled to left, singled off the pitcher and singled to right. Inge was hitting .177 when sent down to the minors in late July. "I just go up there with a clear head now and take my hacks," Inge said. "I'm a different player now than I was when I went down. Whether I make an out or get a hit, I've learned to deal with it better. Have a good head about you, go out there and have fun. That's the only difference. A lot of things in baseball get overanalyzed up here in the big leagues."
BY THE NUMBERS
11 -- Consecutive games won by the Tigers in 1968, the last winning streak longer than Detroit's current run of 10.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I don't even think about stuff like that. That's nice to read in the paper, but I don't think about stuff like that." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on Detroit's current 10-game winning streak.
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