Valverde, Tigers stung by Dunn homer in ninth

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin and has no comments yet.

Valverde, Tigers stung by Dunn homer in ninth

Closer surrenders two-run shot for second blown save

Valverde gives two-run homer to Dunn

DETROIT — Losing a lead in the ninth inning isn’t a familiar feeling in the Motor City. Jose Valverde converted 51 consecutive save opportunities — the second-longest streak of all time — and went a perfect 49-for-49 last season. However, the message from the Tigers closer couldn’t be clearer after blowing his second save of 2012 on Saturday.

“Last year is over,” Valverde said.

Adam Dunn delivered the blow in the top of the ninth inning. Valverde entered the game to preserve a one-run lead and Dunn hit a monster 422-foot two-run home run just below the “Pepsi Porch” in right field, as the White Sox shocked the Tigers with a 3-2 victory in front of sellout crowd of 42,404 at Comerica Park.

Valverde took his first loss of the year and first blown save since Opening Day against the Red Sox.

“Everybody knows Adam Dunn is a good hitter,” said Valverde, whose ERA jumped from 5.06 to 6.17 with the two earned runs. “I missed a little bit and he got it. There’s nothing I can do, you know what I mean? I did my job yesterday. I didn’t do it today. And now I got to get ready for tomorrow.”

Alejandro De Aza led off the ninth with a single back up the middle and advanced to third on a stolen base and sacrifice bunt. Dunn got a 1-0 fastball down the heart of the plate and took it deep.

Valverde pitched a scoreless ninth inning Friday night and got credit for the win when Jhonny Peralta belted a walk-off home run. But prior to that outing, the 34-year-old closer had pitched only once in the previous 12 days. Manager Jim Leyland thought rust might be an issue.

“He’s struggling a little bit, obviously, right now,” Leyland said. “Maybe I got to get him out there a little bit more. He threw the ball down right into the groove of the swing and Dunn hit it. He’s just struggling a bit right now and that can happen to closers from time to time.”

The home run erased the work of Max Scherzer, who bounced back from allowing a career-high seven walks to the Yankees in his last start. Scherzer had full command of his pitches facing the White Sox (13-14), allowing only four hits and one run while striking out nine and not walking anyone in seven innings.

The 27-year-old said he looked at video with Leyland and pitching coach Jeff Jones from last season, when he started 6-0 with a 3.20 ERA, and came to the conclusion he needed to correct a mechanical issue with his hands.

“We made the mechanical change of breaking my hands higher and we did countless reps of trying to make that feel natural,” Scherzer said. “The bullpen work, getting on the mound and just constantly thinking about having my hands break higher.”

The work paid off as Scherzer stayed ahead in the count throughout the entire game. Only four times did he face three-ball counts. Three of those came in the third inning and resulted in two strikeouts and a harmless tapper in front of home plate. The fourth came in the seventh, and he forced a soft flyout to third base.

“He is so good,” Dunn said. “Especially when he’s pounding the strike zone like he did tonight. He’s good when he’s throwing strikes. He definitely shut it down.”

The only damage the White Sox could do to Scherzer came in the seventh on a solo shot from Paul Konerko. Konerko drove the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall to make the score 2-1.

The Tigers (13-13) scored both of their runs early off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. Floyd took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his previous start, but found himself in trouble early.

Floyd allowed two runs on four singles in the second inning, which resulted in two runs. Andy Dirks hit a well-placed RBI single in the gap between shortstop and third. And two batters later, Austin Jackson attacked the same area for an RBI single of his own.

After escaping the second, Floyd retired 15 of the final 18 batters he faced. And only one batter, Dirks, made it to scoring position.

“Good pitchers are always going to put down some good hitting,” catcher Alex Avila said. “And that’s baseball. There’s going to be stretches you’re not going to hit, then you’re going to hit. There’s going to be games where you’re going to score a ton of runs, then you’re not. That’s part of the game until you can find some form of consistency.”

Sitting with a .500 record, it’s clear the Tigers haven’t found it yet.

Detroit Tigers Rookie Pitcher Drew Smyly Continues to Impress with Efficient Starts, Consistenc

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin and has no comments yet.

Detroit Tigers Rookie Pitcher Drew Smyly Continues to Impress with Efficient Starts, Consistency

Smyly Has Been Solid Since Joining the Tigers and Has Looked More like a Veteran Than a Rookie in Past Three Starts

COMMENTARY | The Detroit Tigers need some energy in the pitching department. Their starters, other than Justin Verlander, haven’t been consistent. However, rookie left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly has.

Smyly, 22, has given Tigers fans a glimmer of hope in the absence of No. 2 pitcher Doug Fister, who is set to return Monday against the Seattle Mariners after sitting out with a side strain since April 8. Rick Porcello has struggled, Max Scherzer hasn’t looked like he did a year ago, either. Smyly, though, has made Detroit followers, even if for a short time, forget about their team’s pitching woes.

The first-year lefty has had at least seven strikeouts in each of his past three starts this season, with the latest seven coming Friday in a 5-4 walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.

At times, he looks purely dominant. His fastball reaches the low 90s, and he has an effective curve to boot. The word “potential” comes to mind when thinking of Smyly. He has the ability to give Detroit (13-12) a consistent threat after Verlander and Fister get their goes.

In Friday’s win, Smlyly threw 99 pitches — and 62 of them were strikes. Prior to Friday, he surrendered just 18 hits in 22 innings, three earned-runs and four RBI. He also racked up 22 strikeouts during that time (29 after Friday). Effective. Effective. Effective. And he’s a lefty with one of MLB’s lowest ERAs at 1.61. That’s great for the rotation considering it’s made up of right-handers.

Jhonny Peralta, whose two-run shot to right field gave the Tigers the win Friday night, said Smyly has been “really good” for Detroit during his post-game interview with Fox Sports Detroit, adding that he was impressed with him in spring training.

Smyly takes advantage of getting ahead early and staying even with hitters. During 1-2 counts, he’s struck out 11 batters. When even at 1-1, he’s struck out 15. He rarely falls behind, evidenced by his splits. And that’s a great sign for Tigers fans.

Pitching will come around sooner or later. Remember, it’s only May. Verlander will likely continue his dominance. That’s nothing new. Fister should return to form after a rehab stint in Toledo, and Porcello and Scherzer should once again find their groove. Smyly adds to what is, on paper, a stout rotation.

Detroit Tigers need Max Scherzer to get on a roll, Jose Valverde to turn things around

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin and has no comments yet.

Detroit Tigers need Max Scherzer to get on a roll, Jose Valverde to turn things around

AP PhotoJose Valverde waits for a new ball after allowing a two-run home run to Adam Dunn in the ninth inning Saturday afternoon.

DETROIT — Max Scherzer was spectacular for seven innings. But one pitch Jose Valverde left over the plate to Adam Dunn turned out to be the difference in the game.

Dunn hit a two-run home run off Valverde in the ninth inning Saturday afternoon to help the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

“He’s just not real sharp right now,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Valverde. “He wasn’t real firm today. He just threw that pitch probably in the only bad, bad spot he could throw it, down a little bit and over the plate, it looked like, right into the groove of the swing. We’ll get him going. He’s a true professional. He’ll get going.”

After converting all 49 save opportunities last season, Valverde has blown two of six so far in 2012. He is 2-1 with a 6.17 ERA and four saves. One of his victories came on Opening Day, when he blew a save in the top of the ninth only to see the Tigers rally for the victory in the bottom of the inning.

But the Tigers are not yet pushing the panic button.

“(After) what he did last year, you certainly don’t start panicking after 25 games or whatever it is,” Leyland said. “Last year, he stayed out of the middle of the plate on a consistent basis with the combination of the fastball and the splitter. Right now he’s not doing it.”

Catcher Alex Avila said it’s simply a matter of opposing batters taking advantage of Valverde’s rare mistakes.

“He’s the same guy, throwing the same way,” Avila said. “Just not as successful early on, and sometimes it goes that way. His stuff looks good. They’re taking advantage of the one mistake he makes, and Dunn did that today.”

Valverde gave credit to Dunn, who has eight home runs in 2012 after an absolutely atrocious 2011 season that saw him hit .159 with 11 home runs and 177 strikeouts.

“Everybody knows Adam Dunn is a good hitter,” Valverde said. “I missed a little bit, and he got it. There’s nothing I can do. Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guy.”

If Tigers fans see the glass as half-empty due to the struggles of Valverde, they should be encouraged by the performance Scherzer put on. He walked seven in 4 2/3 innings in his last outing and carried a 7.77 ERA into the game, but he was dominant in this one.

Scherzer allowed one run on four hits in seven innings, struck out nine and did not issue a walk. His ERA fell to 6.32. The Tigers expect it to keep heading in the right direction.

“He was terrific,” Leyland said. “That’s the Scherzer we need and that’s the Scherzer we’re capable of getting very often. He was absolutely terrific today. Really, really good.”

Scherzer credited a mechanical adjustment that he made following his last outing for the turnaround. Avila said he was not the least bit surprised that the adjustment paid off.

“I’ve seen it before,” Avila said. “He’s got the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in this league. I’m not at all surprised.”

Tigers fans might be a bit surprised by Valverde’s struggles. Opponents put their fair share of runners on base against him in 2011. It’s just that last season, in save situations, Valverde was able to keep them on base and not allow them to score.

“He’ll get going,” Leyland said. “He’s struggling a little bit right now. That happens to closers from time to time. Hopefully we’ll get him straightened out.”

In short, Scherzer was terrific. Valverde was not.

Whether the success of one or the struggles of the other turns into a long-term trend could be a key for the Tigers this season.

The Tigers need Scherzer to be effective. They need Valverde to be, too.

Alburquerque’s return delayed at least one week

Posted on August 20, 2011 by admin and has no comments yet.

DETROIT — Friday marked one week since Al Alburquerque took a line drive off his head during batting practice in Baltimore and went on the seven-day concussion disabled list. It will be at least another week, however, before he’s ready to pitch again.

Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Alburquerque would be recertified onto the seven-day concussion disabled list, as he remains symptomatic since being hit by that line drive on Aug. 12.

“Al Alburquerque was examined today by the MLB-certified MTBI [Mild Traumatic Brain Injury] specialist, Dr. Andrew Russman here in Detroit,” Rand said. “He determined that [Alburquerque] is still mildly symptomatic with activity, so he’s going to be recertified onto the seven-day DL for another week.”

Ordonez’s sac fly
00:00:30
8/5/11: Magglio Ordonez pops a sac fly to right field in the top of the first inning, plating Brennan Boesch to put the Tigers up, 2-0
Tags: Magglio Ordonez, More From This Game, hitting, Detroit TigersShare:
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Alburquerque ends it

Ordonez’s two-run blast

Alburquerque escapes a jam
Before the concussion, Alburquerque had been dealing with arm issues that put him on the DL on June 30. Since the All-Star break, Alburquerque has pitched eight innings in eight appearances. He had three appearances in August before being hit with the line drive, which is still causing him discomfort. He won’t travel on the team’s upcoming trips to Tampa and Minnesota.

“He feels, still, just a slight bit of pain in front of his ear and it’s enough that it’s cause for concern,” Rand said. “In this day and age, there’s a lot of research out there.”

Ryan Perry was called up to fill Alburquerque’s roster spot. No change will be made.

Leyland opens up about lineups
DETROIT — Most days, Tigers manager Jim Leyland would rather not talk about his starting lineup and batting order. Some days, he’d rather discuss anything but his lineups. On Friday, he started his pregame media session by asking reporters who they’d start at third and second base.

Then he went into his decisions, including a general rule he likes to use for those spots.

“If there’s ever a situation where the offensive part is even, whether it’s [Wilson] Betemit, [Don] Kelly, [Ryan] Raburn, [Ramon] Santiago or whatever, normally, I’ll play the better defender,” Leyland said Friday.

Betemit and Kelly have been mixed and matched at third base, with Raburn and Santiago splitting time at second. In Friday’s case, defense didn’t play a role in the lineup. Betemit got the start based on his 7-for-15, two-homer history against Indians starter Josh Tomlin. Kelly, by contrast, is 1-for-6.

Raburn wasn’t based on Tomlin, but the other starting pitcher. With Max Scherzer’s pitching style geared more toward fly balls and strikeouts than groundouts, Raburn got the start over Santiago at second.

Those are some of the factors that go into Leyland’s lineups.

“I know a lot of people have pushed for Betemit,” Leyland said. “I know that’s been a big topic from what everybody tells me. We basically got him for a bat, to give us a little thunder when [Brandon Inge] went down, and I think he’s done a pretty good job at that.”

But normally, he said, he’ll go with the matchups, or lefty-righty splits, then use defense as a tiebreaker, with the style of the Tigers starting pitcher also a potential factor. The infield alignment that might work behind Scherzer might not for, say, sinkerballer Rick Porcello.

The fact that the numbers are so easy to find now arguably makes those factors more prominent.

“You used to keep it by old-fashioned pencil and paper,” Leyland said. “You wrote down more stuff. Now this is all provided for you, so you don’t have to do that.”

That doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a manager playing a hunch. A manager or a coach might recall that a hitter’s 0-for-6 history against a starter might include a handful of hard-hit line drives, or remember some bloop singles in somebody’s 4-for-7 trend.

Whatever the criteria, stat sheet or gut, it still comes down to the manager’s choice.

“My gut told me to play [Andy] Dirks the other day,” Leyland said, “and that didn’t work out too good.”

Keeping Kids in the Game a big success
DETROIT — The Tigers raised upwards of $200,000 for the Detroit Tigers Foundation and the respective foundations of Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera on Thursday night by drawing 500 attendees to Keeping Kids in the Game, a night of dinner, dancing and ballpark events Thursday night at Comerica Park.

Manager Jim Leyland and Tigers players Delmon Young, Brennan Boesch, Phil Coke, Alex Avila, Rick Porcello and Austin Jackson joined Cabrera and Guillen to entertain and chat with fans. In addition, more than 200 children and family members from Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor and Children’s Hospital of Michigan were able to meet some of their favorite Tigers.

The money will be split among the foundations. Guillen’s foundation has made a difference in his hometown in Maracay, Venezuela, with various projects, from incubators for the maternity ward in a local hospital to helping refurbish local ballfields. This year’s main project, Guillen said, includes replacing beds in the children’s ward at another hospital in Maracay.

Ordonez expected to start on Saturday
DETROIT — Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Magglio Ordonez will be in Saturday’s lineup against the Indians.

Since the Tigers acquired Delmon Young on Aug. 15, Leyland said he would pick his spots for playing Ordonez. He played Aug. 15, going 2-for-4, but hasn’t played since.

Ordonez is hitting .228 with four home runs on the season and .260 since returning from a disabled list stint that was due to ankle soreness. Leyland likes Ordonez’s matchup against Cleveland lefty David Huff. Ordonez is hitting .247 against left-handers this year and is 2-for-5 against Huff in his career.

Worth noting
• Jose Valverde met during batting practice on Friday with Guillermo Hernandez, whose franchise record for consecutive saves Valverde broke last week. Hernandez, who converted 32 consecutive save opportunities during his American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award-winning season of 1984, is at the ballpark for the Fiesta Tigres celebration here scheduled for Saturday.

Leyland opens up about lineups

Posted on August 20, 2011 by admin and has no comments yet.

DETROIT — Most days, Tigers manager Jim Leyland would rather not talk about his starting lineup and batting order. Some days, he’d rather discuss anything but his lineups. On Friday, he started his pregame media session by asking reporters who they’d start at third and second base.

Then he went into his decisions, including a general rule he likes to use for those spots.

“If there’s ever a situation where the offensive part is even, whether it’s [Wilson] Betemit, [Don] Kelly, [Ryan] Raburn, [Ramon] Santiago or whatever, normally, I’ll play the better defender,” Leyland said Friday.

Ordonez’s sac fly
00:00:30
8/5/11: Magglio Ordonez pops a sac fly to right field in the top of the first inning, plating Brennan Boesch to put the Tigers up, 2-0
Tags: Magglio Ordonez, More From This Game, hitting, Detroit TigersShare:
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Alburquerque ends it

Ordonez’s two-run blast

Alburquerque escapes a jam
Betemit and Kelly have been mixed and matched at third base, with Raburn and Santiago splitting time at second. In Friday’s case, defense didn’t play a role in the lineup. Betemit got the start based on his 7-for-15, two-homer history against Indians starter Josh Tomlin. Kelly, by contrast, is 1-for-6.