1. Much better contact hitter than his first time around as a Tiger. He struck out 112 times in 503 at-bats as a Tiger in 2004 – but only 67 times in 579 at-bats with Marlins last year (with only slightly higher ratio this season). 2. Probably won’t be, but he can be used as … Continue Reading →

1. Even if he can pitch on Sunday, are you really comfortable eventually heading into August with Drew Smyly as the Tigers’ fifth starter? 2. He’s pitched some good games, but probably not. 3. So do you want to see Jacob Turner again? 4. At some point in the future, perhaps, but not this season. … Continue Reading →

1.More hits than the Rangers (17-16). 2. Three hits each for Alex Avila, Quintin Berry and Jhonny Peralta. 3. Nine runs, eight earned off Doug Fister in 4 1/3 innings. 4. Three games under .500 again. 5. Second base.

From Arlington, Texas 1. The Tigers’ catcher said he was nervous about the results of the MRI he underwent on Monday – and more than that, manager Jim Leyland admitted before the game he was worried. 2. But the findings are that there is no structural damage to the knee, just recurring patellar tendinitis – … Continue Reading →

1. Consistency – he was 13-for-39 in May, is 13-for-39 in June. 2. Also has the same number of runs, RBI, doubles, triples and walks in both months – amazingly identical. 3. Hitting .357 against right-handers. 4. Higher on-base percentage (.446) than slugging (.411) as befits a top-of-the-order guy. 5. As many hits (4) as … Continue Reading →

1. Before the Tigers play another game, those two sacrifices on Thursday by Justin Verlander deserve more attention – and more credit. 2. Verlander was able to swing away his first time up, and you know, of course, that his first major-league hit still eludes him. But his next two at-bats called for squaring around. … Continue Reading →

1. Brennan Boesch turned an ankle on his slide at home while scoring the winning run against the Reds, but manager Jim Leyland said “he’s all right.” 2. Leyland, however, is also holding his breath about it because “we’ve had too much of that this year.” 2. Doug Fister had what Leyland labeled “a great … Continue Reading →

Or to put it another way, it didn’t help that. . . 1. The Tigers went from the second inning through the eighth with only two runners past first base. 2. Delmon Young was called out at second base, and rightly so, on the game’s closest (and probably biggest) call in the ninth. 3. The … Continue Reading →

Not seeing enough improvement in Andy Dirks’ right Achilles tendinitis, the Tigers placed him on the 15-day disabled list Sunday morning, retroactive to May 31 Matt Young, who hit .208 in 20 games for Atlanta last season, will be his replacement. Young wss hitting .259 at Toledo, with one HR and 16 RBI, but with … Continue Reading →

1. With three wins in a row, Max Scherzer is making smooth adjustments when his delivery gets out of sync. 2. Quintin Berry rebounded from a four-K game with three hits and the game’s best catch in deep center. 3. The Tigers didn’t stall at four runs. They are 9-24 when scoring four or fewer. … Continue Reading →