Curtis Granderson News

"Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson responded to San Francisco Chronicle writer Henry Schulman's game story from the June 16 game between the Tigers and the Giants that Detroit won. Schulman called Tigers utility man Ryan Raburn a "scrub" and leftfielder Marcus Thames an "all-or-nothing" guy in his story. Both Tigers homered in the game."

"Those folks trying to figure out the Tigers can probably begin with their bullpen. It hasn't made a lot of sense, either, as a once-scorned crew that has become the Tigers' godsend showed again Sunday in a 5-2 Tigers victory over the Indians at steamy Comerica Park. The triumph gave manager Jim Leyland's team its first-back-to-back victories since May 21-22. It came on a miserably hot day when the mercury topped 90 degrees and the humidity was worse. Most of 39,941 who bought tickets Sunday put up with a 304-pitch, 3-hour, 8-minute game that was at least as excruciating as the heat index."

"Jim Leyland says if the Tigers' big hitters don't hit, the team can't win. Yet Leyland knows he has to keep tweaking his lineup, hoping that somehow he can make the offense look more like it's supposed to. When the Tigers manager was in his hotel room after Tuesday night's latest fizzled effort by his offense, he decided on two lineup adjustments. Curtis Granderson will play against left-handers. Marcus Thames, so powerful in his part-time role, will get a full-time chance. He will play leftfield every day. Leyland didn't say how long he might stay with Thames as a regular player."

"The need to get Curtis Granderson hitting again actually has increased his playing time. As of Wednesday night, when Granderson was in the lineup against Angels left-hander Joe Saunders, manager Jim Leyland said he plans to play him against both right-handers and lefties. Unless, of course, the left-hander is known to be extremely tough on all left-handed hitters. But the Tigers need Granderson to be the consistent offensive catalyst he's been the last two years. So far this season, which he began on the DL with a broken hand suffered in spring training, he's not been."