Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

Tigers go with a new model out of Motown

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July 3

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Navigating through the Detroit Tigers lineup used to be a nightmare for pitchers. There was Magglio Ordonez with his curly locks and lethal swing in the batter's box. Placido Polanco would grind through at-bat after at-bat. Power threats such as Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield and Marcus Thames were up and down the order. The Tigers scored 821 runs last season, fifth most in baseball. Detroit leads the American League Central by 2 1/2 games over the White Sox and three games over the Twins heading into the Tigers' trip to the Metrodome tonight. But it's not because they are clubbing opposing pitching staffs into submission. Ordonez has struggled for most of the season, has cut his hair and ..."

Lefty Luke French gets shot in rotation against Minnesota tonight

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July 3

Detroit Free Press

"Given the slew of quality left-handed hitters in the majors, it's usually a good idea for a big-league team to have at least one left-hander in its starting rotation. Tonight, Luke French begins to have a chance to fill that job for the Tigers French makes his first big-league start when he faces the Twins in Minnesota. It will be the third big-league appearance for French, 23. He had two scoreless relief outings for the Tigers in May. It will be only the eighth start by a Tigers left-hander this season. Dontrelle Willis made the first seven. He's on the disabled list indefinitely because of an anxiety disorder. French has been a starter throughout his five years in the Tigers' farm ..."

Tigers could end up with four All-Stars

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July 3

Detroit News

"They have some problems, but they also have some All-Stars. In fact, the Tigers might have more All-Stars than problems. With their trip not going well -- the offense struggling and mystery of Magglio Ordonez coming to a head -- and by however the Tigers address it tonight when they begin a three-game series against the Twins, it's all too easy to miss the upside of the season as it nears the halfway point. And as it nears the announcement of the All-Star teams Sunday (1 p.m., TBS). The Tigers could have as many as four players on the American League team, including two first-timers: Edwin Jackson and Brandon Inge. None of the Tigers will be voted in by the fans. But that won't stop ..."

Leyland: Inge should be on All-Star team

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July 2

Detroit Free Press

"Brandon Inge had started all but one Tigers game this season until Wednesday. And in the game he didn't start, he entered to play third base. On Wednesday, Inge didn't play for the first time this season. He got the entire game off to rest his recently troublesome left knee. Don Kelly started at third in Inge's place. But something impressive happened for Inge on the day of his first game off this season. His manager endorsed him for the All-Star team. "He deserves to make the team," Jim Leyland said. "He should be (Evan) Longoria's backup." Inge entered Wednesday leading AL third basemen in homers (18) and was second in RBIs (52, 11 behind Tampa Bay's Longoria, the runaway leader in the ..."

Verlander, Tigersseries finale

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July 2

Detroit Free Press

"Justin Verlander struck out six Wednesday, raising his league-best total to 130 for the season. But strikeouts weren't the last word. Verlander fanned Jack Cust in the second. Next time up, Cust erased the Tigers' one-run lead with a two-run, opposite-field homer to left. The Tigers right-hander struck out Jason Giambi the first two times he faced him -- swinging on a 96 m.p.h. fastball, then looking at a curve. But the third time up, Giambi pulled a two-run homer to right. Verlander said both homers came on good, down-and-away pitches. "I'm disappointed in the results, but when I look myself in the mirror, I can't say I'm too disappointed in the pitches I made," Verlander said after this ..."

A's hit on all cylinders

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July 2

Contra Costa Times

"With trade winds beginning to circulate across the major league baseball landscape, July may end with an A's team that looks much different from the one that took the Oakland Coliseum field Wednesday. But for one day at the beginning of the month, the A's looked a lot like the team that management and fans were hoping would show up in April. Orlando Cabrera, Matt Holliday, Jack Cust and Jason Giambi were all factors in a 5-1 victory that allowed the A's to take two of three in their series against the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers. "This was the epitome of an all-around effort," said Dallas Braden, who picked up the win by giving up just five hits over seven innings to ..."

Giambi, Cust bust out

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July 2

San Francisco Chronicle

"Two of Oakland's slumpingest players drove balls out of the Coliseum on Wednesday, and they did it against one of the league's top pitchers. Jason Giambi, who entered the day with a league-low .197 average, whacked his 407th career homer, tying him with Hall of Famer Duke Snider on the all-time list. And Jack Cust, pushed down in the order because of a recent slump, also hit a two-run homer off Justin Verlander in Oakland's 5-1 victory over Detroit. Though the A's have lost six of their past eight and 14 of 21, they still took the series from the AL Central-leading Tigers. Giambi had struck out in his first two at-bats Wednesday against Verlander, and his third time up, with no outs, he ..."

Cust, Giambi lead A's past Tigers

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July 2

Detroit Free Press

"Jason Giambi and Jack Cust know that if they both start hitting more consistently, it could do a lot for Oakland's chances heading into the second half. Giambi and Cust broke out of funks with two-run homers, Dallas Braden ended a four-start winless stretch and the Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Wednesday. "Hopefully we'll start to get hot," Giambi said. "Hopefully it's coming around. I've been kind of waiting." So have the A's faithful, accustomed to Giambi's powerful stroke during his first stint with the franchise from 1995-01. He won the AL MVP in 2000 with a career-best 43 home runs, then left for the New York Yankees after the '01 season. Giambi's drive in the sixth off ..."

Tigers top Gio Gonzalez, A's

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July 1

San Francisco Chronicle

"Gio Gonzalez has an unexpected chance to win a spot in Oakland's rotation with Josh Outman out for at least a year after Tommy John surgery. Gonzalez has yet to firmly seize the spot, after putting up two so-so starts in a row. On Tuesday night at the Coliseum, Gonzalez had allowed two runs only two batters into the game, on Placido Polanco's home run, and Detroit beat Oakland 5-3. Gonzalez did show greater composure, which is what the A's want to see. After the homer, he settled down, allowing only one more run in his five innings, and he was much more effective in limiting damage than in past outings, twice stranding runners at third with inning-ending strikeouts. He kept a level head ..."

Porcello will be OK, Ordonez maybe not

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July 1

Detroit News

"With his second consecutive victory, Armando Galarraga nudged his 10-start drought farther into the past on Tuesday night. The Tigers still thirst for comfortable leads, however. Galarraga gave up one run on two hits (and six walks) in 661/37 innings of the Tigers' 5-3 victory over the Oakland A's. He's now 5-7 after going winless during a slump that lasted nearly two months. But once again, the game wasn't a showcase for the kind of offense the Tigers will need in the days ahead. As late as the seventh when Joel Zumaya retired Matt Holliday on a fly ball to right with two runners on and the Tigers ahead by three - after Holliday had fouled off four consecutive triple-digit fastballs ..."

Tigers find groove on field and in clubhouse

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June 30

Detroit Free Press

"Close has emerged as a good description of both the Tigers' style and their make-up. Entering Monday, four of the Tigers' last five wins had been by one run. That included two games they pulled out with ninth-inning homers - Ryan Raburn's against the Cubs last Tuesday in Detroit, and Brandon Inge's in Houston on Sunday. "That was a great win, and it was a great plane ride (to Oakland) after a win like that," manager Jim Leyland said Monday. "This is a very good group of guys. It's probably the closest team that I've had since I've been here." Leyland said "closest" applied everywhere the team is together - in the dugout, in the clubhouse, on the plane. "It's really a fun group," Leyland ..."

Tigers haven't been golden against lefties recently

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June 30

Detroit Free Press

"In hitting, 14-k doesn't mean 14-karat. Hardly. In baseball, "K" stands for struck out. On Monday night, the Tigers struck out a season-high14 times against the A's. They lost, 7-1. Manager Jim Leyland had eight right-handed hitters in the lineup against Oakland left-hander Brian Anderson. "I thought that lineup certainly was capable of scoring more than one run," he said. Leyland was so frustrated with the offense that he said he might soon play more left-handed hitters against left-handed pitchers. "I'm not going to look at this," he said. Leyland said he might not go to more lefties as soon as tonight, against Oakland left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Wednesday, perhaps? That's when Oakland's ..."

Early fall for Porcello at Bay

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June 30

Detroit Free Press

"Rick Porcello did fine two weeks ago in the overwhelming heat of St. Louis. He did decently in the warm weather at home last week against the Cubs. On Monday night, involved with an opponent and a climate that couldn't be classified in any way as hot, he really cooled off. The game-time temperature was 63 degrees. As a breeze floated into the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Porcello faced the A's, who'd lost five straight while struggling for runs. Porcello had his worst start in two months. After blanking Oakland for three innings, he gave up five runs over the fourth and fifth, which he exited with one out. He took the 7-1 loss. "I wasn't throwing my off-speed pitches in the later ..."

A shake-up in A's order leads to rare easy win

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June 30

Contra Costa Times

"The A's are in experimental mode with their offense right now. Their batting order had an outside-the-box look to it Monday night, and they tried being a little more aggressive on the base paths. Whatever the spark was behind a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the A's would like to repeat it. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and gave a sparse Oakland Coliseum crowd of 10,563 plenty to cheer about. Mark Ellis hit a two-run homer and Ryan Sweeney added a solo shot to highlight the offensive backing for Brett Anderson (4-7), who won for the first time in four starts. The A's had combined for 25 hits over the previous two games, but getting runs across the plate with any ..."

Turnabout is fair play

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June 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"Apparently, the Tigers and A's swapped identities Monday night, in a baseball version of "The Parent Trap." Mostly awful the past few weeks, the Oakland lineup turned it on against one of the American League's top teams and against a starter who had mystified them last month. The A's 7-1 victory over Detroit also ended a season-high-tying five-game losing streak. The AL Central-leading Tigers, meanwhile, were held mostly quiet by well-rested Brett Anderson, and they made an error that led to a run. "It's just good to get a win," said Oakland center fielder Ryan Sweeney, who hit one of the team's two home runs. "We hadn't won in a while, and they had a good pitcher on the mound." Rookie ..."

Rookie Fu-Te Ni makes striking debut

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June 30

Detroit News

"Jason Giambi has hit 406 home runs in his career, 100 of them against left-handed pitchers. So to strike out Giambi on Monday night as the first batter he faced in his major-league career must have felt pretty good to Tigers' left-hander Fu-Te Ni. It did. But because it was a strikeout -- not because it came against a proven power hitter whose name he's known a long time. In fact, the rookie from Taiwan had never heard of Giambi. "He doesn't know him," Ni's interpreter said. But the strikeout ball is going on a shelf at home all the same -- the shelf that his father, Jin-Chi Ni, is making to hold his son's memorabilia. Through his interpreter, Ni said he was both nervous and excited ..."

Porcello hit hard vs. A's

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June 30

Detroit Free Press

"Ryan Sweeney had three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs as the Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-1, tonight in Oakland, Calif. There was no scoring until the bottom of the fourth when, after Matt Holliday singled and Jason Giambi walked, Kurt Suzuki doubled down the leftfield line to score Holliday with one out. Sweeney then legged-out an infield single to score Giambi. In the fifth inning, Rick Porcello (8-5) gave up a lead off single to Landon Powell and a two-run homer to Mark Ellis. That was followed by singled by Adam Kennedy and Orlando Cabrera, moving Kennedy to third. Holliday then grounded into a fielder's choice at second base, scoring Kennedy. That was the end of ..."

Tigers' Inge gets redemption at third base and at the plate

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June 30

Detroit News

"All's well that ends well -- sometimes before it ends at all. And, no, we're not talking about the Tigers' season. There are obvious reasons to be encouraged: First place among them. There also are reasons to be guarded: Their come-and-go offense among them. Brandon Inge's offense, however, has not come and gone. It has come and stayed. This is a story that ends well before ending -- one that can be declared a success before his team's season is even half over. • Inge hit just .153 after the fifth inning last year with 22 RBIs. This year, he's hitting .306 after the fifth with 32 RBIs. • He's hitting .293 on the road, compared to .169 last year. • He's hitting .339 against ..."

Valverde blows save; Astros can't finish sweep

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June 29

Houston Chronicle

"The Astros were within one strike of completing what would have been a satisfying three-game sweep, and most in the crowd were on their feet. If not completely rocking, the atmosphere at Minute Maid Park on Sunday was more in tune with a pennant chase rather than a contest in late June. But the mood soured when closer Jose Valverde gave up a two-run homer to Detroit's Brandon Inge, and the Astros suffered one of their most deflating losses of the season. Inge's home run with two outs in the ninth inning lifted the Tigers to a 4-3 victory and helped them avoid a sweep. " Let me just say that this one hurts — real bad," manager Cecil Cooper said after the Astros wasted an opportunity to ..."

Inge's two-run homer in the 9th lifts Tigers

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June 29

Detroit Free Press

"Can Brandon Inge keep playing with his painful left knee? He hopes so. The Tigers had better hope so. For the second time in the past week, Inge aggravated his left knee in mid-game, then later in the game hit a lead-changing homer. This one came today with the Tigers one out away from getting swept in Houston. His high, massive drive way over the leftfield fence against closer Jose Valverde gave the Tigers a 4-3 win. It came after Marcus Thames had rallied from a 1-2 count to draw a two-out walk from Valverde. Inge said the technical name for his problem is tendinitis of the patellar tendon. "Tendinitis means rest, and I don't have time to rest," Inge said. "It definitely hurts," he ..."

Tigers place Nate Robertson on D.L.; call up Fu-Te Ni from Triple-A Toledo

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June 29

Detroit Free Press

"The Detroit Tigers today placed left-handed reliever Nate Robertson on the 15-day disabled list and called up left-handed reliever Fu-Te Ni from Triple-A Toledo to take his place on the 25-man roster. Robertson was placed on the D.L. with a what the club described as a mass in his pitching elbow. Kevin Rand, the Tigers head athletic trainer, said "it looks like" Robertson will have surgery Tuesday to remove the mass from the inside of his elbow. Rand said he would until after such surgery to say how long he expects Robertson to be out."

Left elbow puts Nate Robertson on DL

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June 29

Detroit News

"The Tigers have placed left-handed reliever Nate Robertson on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 27, because of a mass in his left elbow. Robertson is scheduled to meet with team orthopedic doctor Stephen Lemos in Detroit today and should have the mass removed by Lemos with minor surgery Tuesday morning. "At this point it is hard to put a timetable on it until the surgery is performed because of the proximity to the ulnar nerve," said Tigers trainer Kevin Rand. "He had tingling and numbness into his ring and little finger." Robertson has dealt with masses in his elbow for some time, but this is the first time they've affected his health, Rand said. He likened the masses to ..."

Paulino gets outpouring?of support upon return

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June 28

Houston Chronicle

"Once Kaz Matsui capped the Astros' five-run rally in the third inning Saturday night, Felipe Paulino sensed a bit of relief. Yet, he maintained focus out of a healthy respect for the Detroit Tigers. Paulino hasn't had an opportunity to work with a comfortable lead this season, and he wasn't ready to take anything for granted while delivering his best start of the season after being activated from the disabled list. Paulino (2-4) did his part, and his Astros teammates broke out the bats to beat the Tigers 8-1 before a crowd of 37,123 at Minute Maid Park. "It was always a relief to have that run support, but I was always careful with those batters," Paulino said. "Like I said earlier, the ..."

Tigers' Edwin Jackson remains calm when it matters

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June 28

Detroit Free Press

"The game was only 14 pitches old, but already it had been an unusual first inning for the starting pitcher. Edwin Jackson had given up back-to-back singles and a walk to the first three batters. He was struggling to find his rhythm, but he was composed. "It's all good," Jackson told himself. This was Tuesday night at Comerica Park, where the Tigers were playing the Chicago Cubs. The shadow cast by the stadium had already crept past the pitcher's mound. But there was no relief from the heat from where Jackson stood. It was a humid 86 degrees. Bases loaded and no outs -- and slugger Derrek Lee up next -- Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp emerged from the dugout for a chat with his starter. ..."

Tigers' Jim Leyland: Alfredo Figaro not aggressive

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June 28

Detroit Free Press

"Length isn't everything. In his second big-league start, Tigers right-hander Alfredo Figaro threw one more inning Saturday night than in his victorious debut against Milwaukee a week earlier. He threw 14 more pitches than he did in that first game. But as Winston Churchill once said of a thick treatise, "The length of this document defends it well against the risk of being read." Despite the length of his outing, not much could defend Figaro against what three consecutive batters did in the third inning. Those three hitters got extra-base hits that drove in five runs. That outburst turned a temporarily close game into an 8-1 Astros victory. Yes, Figaro lasted long enough -- six innings -- ..."

Astros hammer Tigers, held to 3 hits

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June 28

Detroit Free Press

"Michael Bourn had three hits and Lance Berkman and Kaz Matsui each had two RBIs as the Astros beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-1, tonight in Houston. The Tigers were held to only three hits. The big inning for the Astros was their five-run third. Jeff Keppinger led things off with a walk and Miguel Tejada singled. With one out, Berkman doubled to score both runners and then stole third. Hunter Pence then doubled to score Berkman and Matsui followed with a two-run homer. In his second major-league start, Alfredo Figaro (1-1) pitched six innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and two walks while striking out five. "Sometimes you are going to have a bad game, but they have all ..."

Tigers' Gerald Laird leaves game with back spasms

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June 28

Detroit News

"Tigers starting catcher Gerald Laird left Saturday's game in the bottom of the first inning against Houston with back spasms. Laird blocked a ball in the dirt thrown by Tigers starter Alfredo Figaro. The ball bounced off Laird's chest protector and squirted a few feet away. He popped up and chased it down, and after retrieving the ball, winced over in pain."

Injured Tiger Carlos Guillen begins throwing rehab

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June 28

Detroit News

"Tigers designated hitter Carlos Guillen, out with a right shoulder injury, started throwing Thursday in Miami with a personal trainer, Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said Saturday. "He threw at 45 feet -- two sets of 25 throws," Rand said. "Everything went great. I talked to him (Friday) and he feels much, much better." Guillen was scheduled to repeat that workout Saturday, increasing the duration to three sets of 25 throws at 45 feet. He'll start hitting off a tee on Monday."

Astros don't quit, top Tigers

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June 27

Houston Chronicle

"Down by four runs after two innings Friday night, Wandy Rodriguez kept thinking that there wouldn't be much more room for error with Justin Verlander on the mound for the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park. Forced to dig out of an early deficit against one of baseball's hottest teams, the Astros methodically worked on keeping their fans interested before rewarding them late with a 5-4 victory. Rodriguez settled down after a miserable start, and Miguel Tejada capped the Astros' game-winning, two-run rally in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly to snap the Tigers' seven-game winning streak. "The pitching coach (Dewey Robinson) just kept telling me, 'Keep it here. Keep it here,'" Rodriguez ..."

Tigers' Brandon Inge wowed by Alan Trammell's praise

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June 27

Detroit Free Press

"Before Friday night's game, the Tigers' Brandon Inge read what Alan Trammell had said this week about his abilities as a third baseman. "Brandon's first-step quickness is as good as there is in the big leagues," Trammell said. "Really. He's that good at it. ... (He) should win a Gold Glove at some point. I think he will." Trammell, the Cubs' bench coach, said that during the Tigers-Cubs series this week. Inge's reaction: "For a man that I respect that much to say that about me, that's one of the highest compliments I can receive. "I have such a high amount of respect for that guy because he played 20 years in the big leagues in Detroit. One team only. I'd like to follow in his footsteps. ..."

Walks wear on Jim Leyland in Tigers loss

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June 27

Detroit Free Press

"Each team walked seven hitters Friday night. Those 14 walks combined to tell how the Tigers didn't score -- and how the Astros did score in their 5-4 win. "I am tired of looking at walks," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, sounding a theme about his pitchers from last year. "I am tired of looking at walks -- that I can assure you. That's too many people walking too many people." Of the seven Tigers who walked, one scored. Four Tigers who walked were stranded in scoring position. Tigers starter Justin Verlander walked four. It was emblematic of how he didn't have his best stuff. His two most egregious walks came in the third. With the 4-0 lead, he walked speedster Michael Bourn to start the ..."

Pudge Rodriguez is still close to Tigers

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June 27

Detroit News

"Pudge Rodriguez forever will be revered by Tigers fans, many of whom still credit him with helping turn around a bumbling, 119-loss team in 2003 to a World Series participant in 2006, his third season in Detroit. Rodriguez will be considered one of the best free-agent acquisitions in Tigers history, coming to the Motor City at a time when Detroit wasn't exactly on the top of the free-agent destination list. He was traded to the Yankees from the Tigers in the middle of last season, and though he faced his old team as a Yankee last year, Rodriguez still takes pleasure in seeing all his old Tigers teammates -- as the new Astros catcher did Friday night. He was sharing hugs and joking around ..."

Porcello is Tigers' sudden star

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June 27

Detroit News

"The list of pitchers 20 and younger who have won 10 games before the All-Star break in the last 50 years is short -- really short. It consists only of Dwight "Doc" Gooden, who accomplished the feat for the Mets in 1985. With two more victories, Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello can become the second member of that elite club. Nearing the halfway point of his rookie season, Porcello is 8-4 with a 3.57 ERA, is considered the front-runner for the American League rookie of the year award and could earn a spot on the All-Star team. But more importantly for the Tigers, Porcello, 20, has proved to be one of the stabilizing forces in a rotation that's been, to some extent, unstable in several ..."

Zumaya coughs up lead; Tigers' run ends

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June 27

Detroit News

"Joel Zumaya could do nothing more that stare stone-faced into his locker after Friday night's game in Houston. Zumaya walked back onto the field in the eighth inning after getting Zach Miner out of a jam in the seventh. But it turned out Zumaya couldn't save himself. He allowed two runs after walking three Astros and giving up a hit. He walked onto the mound with a 4-3 lead and left with the Tigers behind, 5-4. And that's where the score finished as the Tigers' seven-game winning streak came to an end. Afterward, Tigers manager Jim Leyland made it very clear that walks are not acceptable. "You've got to throw strikes up here," he said. "I'm tired of looking at walks, and that's everybody. ..."

Tigers' win streak over at 7

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June 27

Detroit Free Press

"Miguel Tejada had two hits and two RBIs as the Astros beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4, tonight in Houston, snapping the Tigers' seven game winning streak. In the eighth, Joel Zumaya (3-2) loaded the bases after getting Ivan Rodriguez to line out to right. He gave up a single to Kaz Matsui and walked pinch hitter Daren Erstad and Michael Bourn. He then walked Jeff Keppinger for the game-tying run. Zumaya was lifted for Freddy Dolsi, making his season debut. His first pitch to Miguel Tejada was hit deep to leftfield for a sacrifice fly and the go-ahead run, scored by Bourn. Miguel Cabrera led off the ninth inning with a single to left-center. Josh Anderson reached on a fielder's choice, ..."

Tigers' Brandon Inge wowed by Alan Trammell's praise

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June 27

Detroit Free Press

"Before Friday night's game, the Tigers' Brandon Inge read what Alan Trammell had said this week about his abilities as a third baseman. "Brandon's first-step quickness is as good as there is in the big leagues," Trammell said. "Really. He's that good at it. ... (He) should win a Gold Glove at some point. I think he will." Trammell, the Cubs' bench coach, said that during the Tigers-Cubs series this week. Inge's reaction: "For a man that I respect that much to say that about me, that's one of the highest compliments I can receive. "I have such a high amount of respect for that guy because he played 20 years in the big leagues in Detroit. One team only. I'd like to follow in his footsteps. ..."

Walks wear on Jim Leyland in Tigers loss

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June 27

Detroit Free Press

"Each team walked seven hitters Friday night. Those 14 walks combined to tell how the Tigers didn't score -- and how the Astros did score in their 5-4 win. "I am tired of looking at walks," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, sounding a theme about his pitchers from last year. "I am tired of looking at walks -- that I can assure you. That's too many people walking too many people." Of the seven Tigers who walked, one scored. Four Tigers who walked were stranded in scoring position. Tigers starter Justin Verlander walked four. It was emblematic of how he didn't have his best stuff. His two most egregious walks came in the third. With the 4-0 lead, he walked speedster Michael Bourn to start the ..."

Porcello is Tigers' sudden star

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June 27

Detroit News

"The list of pitchers 20 and younger who have won 10 games before the All-Star break in the last 50 years is short -- really short. It consists only of Dwight "Doc" Gooden, who accomplished the feat for the Mets in 1985. With two more victories, Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello can become the second member of that elite club. Nearing the halfway point of his rookie season, Porcello is 8-4 with a 3.57 ERA, is considered the front-runner for the American League rookie of the year award and could earn a spot on the All-Star team. But more importantly for the Tigers, Porcello, 20, has proved to be one of the stabilizing forces in a rotation that's been, to some extent, unstable in several ..."

Pudge Rodriguez is still close to Tigers

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June 27

Detroit News

"Pudge Rodriguez forever will be revered by Tigers fans, many of whom still credit him with helping turn around a bumbling, 119-loss team in 2003 to a World Series participant in 2006, his third season in Detroit. Rodriguez will be considered one of the best free-agent acquisitions in Tigers history, coming to the Motor City at a time when Detroit wasn't exactly on the top of the free-agent destination list. He was traded to the Yankees from the Tigers in the middle of last season, and though he faced his old team as a Yankee last year, Rodriguez still takes pleasure in seeing all his old Tigers teammates -- as the new Astros catcher did Friday night. He was sharing hugs and joking around ..."

Online balloting to decide '09 All-Stars

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June 26

MLB.com

"We, the people, are deciding who goes to the 80th All-Star Game July 14 in St. Louis.We are ready for the mad rush.We are entering that Validation Key over and over, submitting our 25 allotted votes in the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com.We punched those Walt Disney Pictures G-Force All-Star Game paper ballots and left those little chads all over ballparks, and now those last paper ballots are being collected tonight at Pittsburgh and Houston as it goes online-only for the homestretch.We know it's the final week to decide starters. Our deadline as empowered fans is 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, and we know that only because we have been staring at this javascript voting app ..."

Mother's Day bats now up for auction

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June 26

MLB.com

"It has been a big first half of baseball for current American League All-Star first baseman vote front-runner Mark Teixeira, and that included that memorable Mother's Day game back in his hometown of Baltimore, where he crushed a two-run homer for the Yankees.He was swinging a pink bat."It's obviously huge -- I think that's the first home run I've hit with a pink bat, so I'm going to go bring that to Mom right now," Teixeira said on May 9, referring to Margy, a breast cancer survivor who had been diagnosed when he was a freshman at Baltimore's St. Joseph's High School. "As soon as I hit it, I thought about it. It's pretty special to me."Margy may have gotten that pink bat, but another one ..."

Got $5,000? Maggs' hair is up for sale

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June 26

Detroit Free Press

"Magglio Ordoñez's hair just keeps on giving. Not only has Maggs gone 3-for-8 with a home run and a couple of RBIs since he had it cut, those game-worn curly locks are up for auction on eBay with proceeds going to charity, as he promised Wednesday. It includes a skybox for a Tigers game and an autographed bat, but no one had come up with the $5,000 starting bid by Thursday evening. Even I don't miss hair that much. How much for Jim Leyland's mustache?"

Tigers' Magglio Ordoñez shows signs of shaking slump

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June 26

Detroit Free Press

"Magglio Ordoñez raced out of the Tigers clubhouse after Thursday's 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs without saying a word. He may not have wanted to disrupt his rhythm. Ordoñez finally ditched his personal rain cloud in the fourth inning when his home run to leftfield -- not far from where his 2006 American League pennant-clinching homer landed -- snapped a massive home run drought, dating to April 27. The homer ended the longest drought for a Tigers regular this season and gave the Tigers their first lead of Thursday's game, 5-4. "I'm just glad that he contributed something, and I think he's feeling much better about himself, and hopefully this is the start of getting something going," ..."

Weather holds, Tigers reign in sweep of Cubs

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June 26

Detroit Free Press

"Storm clouds gathered over Comerica Park in the top of the ninth inning Thursday and threatened to open over a sellout crowd. But it didn't rain on the Tigers' parade, and neither did the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers completed their perfect six-game home stand Thursday with another nail-biter, a 6-5 victory. They swept the Cubs and improved to a season-high 10 games over .500 at 41-31, their highest level since the end of the 2007 season. Fernando Rodney made it interesting, giving up a ninth-inning home run and allowing the tying run to get to second base, but the Tigers held on. They will take a major league-best seven-game winning streak with them on a nine-game trip. All the hallmarks of ..."

Magglio Ordoñez hits go-ahead homer in Tigers' victory

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June 26

Detroit Free Press

"Maybe the slump was in his hair. Magglio Ordoñez ended a career-long drought without a homer by connecting on a go-ahead shot, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, today for their seventh straight victory. "It was huge for us," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. It had to be big for Ordoñez, too, but the quiet player didn't talk to reporters after ending his 40-game skid without a homer. Ordoñez had two hits Wednesday night in his first game since cutting his flowing locks, which are now being auctioned on eBay for charity. "If I had hair like that, I'd still be single," Leyland joked. The six-time All-Star and 2007 AL batting champion was benched for almost a week before ..."

Tigers sweep Cubs, win streak at seven

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June 26

Detroit News

"They fell behind, 3-0, in the first inning in what looked as if it could be a long, hot day for a sellout crowd (42,332) at Comerica Park on Thursday. But they came back with verve to beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, to sweep the three-game series and nail down their seventh consecutive victory. Ramon Santiago and Magglio Ordonez each belted two-run home runs against Cubs starter Ted Lilly as the Tigers scored twice in the third, three times in the fourth, and added a run in the fifth to move their record to 41-31. Ryan Raburn chipped in with three hits, including an RBI-double in the fourth. Santiago, a switch-hitter who hit his first right-hand homer of the season to get the Tigers on the ..."

Tigers' winning streak gets fans buzzing

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June 26

Detroit News

"There's something about a Cubs series that brings out the buzz. Three years ago, the Tigers had the look, the feeling, and above all, the record of a good team. They had just swept the Cubs, each game more lopsided than the last -- all the while marveling at the turnout of Tigers' fans at Wrigley Field. It was the start of an intensifying bond that season between the Tigers and their fans, even though the sweep had been on the road. This year's buzz -- this year's conviction that the Tigers are indeed legitimately good again -- very well could have started this week with another sweep against the Cubs, this one at Comerica Park. There was nothing particularly easy about it. The Tigers ..."

Tigers are on pace to walk in 31 runs

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June 26

Detroit News

"One small problem. Despite being in first place and having the second-lowest ERA in the American League, the Tigers are the worst at something. They've allowed 14 bases-loaded walks, the most in the majors -- not to mention a total that's well on its way toward being the most Tigers have allowed since Jim Leyland has been their manager. Prompting this particular piece of research is the fact the Tigers received and put to good use -- since they won by two runs -- two bases-loaded walks from the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Any thought the Tigers have been on the receiving end of more generosity than they've bestowed, however, is incorrect. Going into Thursday's game against the ..."

Chicago Cubs swept by Detroit Tigers

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June 26

Chicago Tribune

"Ted Lilly may be the best bet to represent the Cubs in the All-Star Game next month, but the veteran left-hander turned in one of his worst outings of the year Thursday in a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Handed a quick 3-0 lead on Jake Fox's three-run homer in the first inning, Lilly coughed it up by the fourth, leading to the Tigers' three-game sweep. Lilly tied a career high by allowing 10 hits, including home runs to Ramon Santiago and Magglio Ordonez. Asked if he was disappointed with his performance, Lilly replied: "Well, we lost, so, yeah, I'm quite disappointed. That's the whole objective going in there -- find a way to win."

Scott Sizemore sole Tigers prospect picked for Futures Game

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June 25

Detroit Free Press

"The rosters for the 2009 All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis were announced today, with only one Detroit Tigers prospect -- Toledo second baseman Scott Sizemore, who is on the U.S. team. There are a few coaches with Tigers ties. Torey Lovullo, who played for the Tigers, will be a coach for the U.S. team. Former Tigers interim manager Luis Pujols will be a coach for the World team."

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