Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 10-10-11: What Happened To Ordonez?

--RF Magglio Ordonez's season and possibly his career is over because of a second fracture of the right ankle he originally broke in July 2010.

"I don't know," manager Jim Leyland said when asked how Ordonez hurt his ankle. "I don't know the answer to that. It doesn't appear that there was any significant movement or anything that did it. It just all of a sudden flared up. After some medical tests and results, it shows that there is a situation there that is not conducive to playing the rest of the year."

The Tigers later revealed tests showed another fracture to the ankle. Ordonez missed the last two months of last season, but Detroit signed him to a $10 million contract as a free agent last winter after he was declared medically sound to play.

He was not ready, however, and was placed on the disabled list early in the season after it became obvious he was unable to swing properly. He rebounded to hit .419 in September and was a contributor to Detroit's Division Series win over the New York Yankees. He hit into a first-inning double play Saturday as Texas beat Detroit, 3-2. He struck out and then walked after the first rain delay and was removed for a pinch-runner following the second rain delay.

"There is an issue going on there which will keep him out of this series and the rest of the season," Leyland said. As to who Detroit would add to its roster, the manager said, "I don't have any information right now as to what we're going to do because we don't know." After taking nearly a year to get near completely recovering from the last ankle break, Ordonez could be looking at the end of his career this time.

--RHP Rick Porcello remains Detroit's Game 4 starter in the eyes of manager Jim Leyland. Porcello pitched two innings of perfect relief Saturday and totaled 22 pitches. After discussing various scenarios with his coaches, Leyland decided to keep his previously announced rotation. That would have Porcello pitching Game 4 followed by RHP Justin Verlander. Porcello will start on three days of rest, but his relief appearance was roughly comparable to a bullpen session.

--RHP Max Scherzer will start the second game at Texas as scheduled, but it will be on Monday afternoon after it was rained out Sunday. Saturday's series opener was delayed twice for a total of 110 minutes. Scherzer told manager Jim Leyland on Friday he felt fully recovered from his relief appearance in the divisional playoff round. Monday was scheduled as a day off for travel, but now the teams will go directly to Detroit from Arlington, Texas, after the second game of the series is completed.

--RF/3B Don Kelly is one of manager Jim Leyland's options for increased playing time to cover the loss of RF Magglio Ordonez. Kelly, though, hits left-handed, and Texas has three lefty starters it is using against Detroit in this round of the playoffs. However, Detroit's options are limited in that it has no strong right-handed hitters it could use in right field. Kelly would have been a late inning replacement anyway, especially when the Rangers were running out their right-handed relievers at the end of games.

--RHP Justin Verlander won't be pitching on three days of rest. Manager Jim Leyland announced he would have his top starter pitch Thursday with his normal four days of rest after talking things over with his coaches following Detroit's 3-2 loss to Texas in the first game of the AL Championship Series. Verlander threw 82 pitches and was not allowed to continue past the fourth inning because of a 110-minute rain delay. Leyland has yet to work Verlander on short rest, instead often pushing him back to pitch on five days' rest in hopes of protecting the probable AL Cy Young Award winner.

--RHP Ryan Perry might have moved up in the postseason bullpen pecking order with three strong outings. Perry pitched a scoreless inning Oct. 1 against New York, went 1 1/3 innings without giving up a run to the Yankees on Oct. 4 and pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief Saturday at Texas. With RHP Al Alburquerque experiencing some ineffectiveness recently, Perry might be the man manager Jim Leyland turns to when he wants to quiet a mid-game rally.

BY THE NUMBERS
2 -- Postseason series started by RHP Justin Verlander that were interrupted by rain. Verlander opened at New York in the AL Division Series and lasted just an inning before rain suspended the game. He did not return when play resumed the next day. He lasted four innings (82 pitches) in the AL Championship Series opener at Texas.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I just didn't have it. My location wasn't very good at all. Off-speed stuff wasn't great. The funny thing is, I went and threw during the first rain delay and thought I figured something out that was creating problems. I felt great and was excited to go back out there and implement that but never got the opportunity." -- RHP Justin Verlander, on his rain-shortened start in the AL Championship Series opener at Texas. He pitched the first four innings, allowing all three runs Texas scored, but was not permitted to come out after two rain delays totaling 110 minutes.

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