Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 5-19-11

--C Alex Avila had two hits but could not get the tying run home from third with one out in the ninth inning Wednesday. He was 9-for-12 with a runner on third and less than two outs this season prior to striking out in the ninth on three pitches. Avila doubled with one out in the fifth and singled with a man on first and one out in the seventh.

--LHP Daniel Schlereth committed the cardinal sin for a relief pitcher -- walking a batter he was specifically brought in to face. The southpaw walked left-handed-hitting Boston LF Carl Crawford after RHP Ryan Perry had gotten the first two outs in the eighth. A double off the left field wall by C Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored the only run of the game.

--RHP Ryan Perry acted as the partial stand-in for setup man Joaquin Benoit, opening the eighth inning. Perry retired the only two batters he faced and showed a good focus. His fastball and slider were both in the strike zone. Perry and LHP Daniel Schlereth will initially work as the setup men while Benoit gets his control back.

--2B Scott Sizemore is living down his rap as a mediocre defender. Sizemore, whose batting average is fading south of .250, made two sterling defensive plays to keep the game scoreless. He went into right-center to make an over-the-shoulder catch of a pop fly with two outs and a runner on first in the seventh. In the eighth, Sizemore ranged near the stands in right field foul territory to make a grab of a ball before it could hit the ground. That was the second out of an inning in which Boston eventually scored the only run of the game.

--LHP Phil Coke turned in a sterling performance Wednesday at Fenway Park, allowing just three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings. Coke was allowed to face Boston because the Red Sox were going to have four left-handed hitters in their lineup, and while Coke has struggled at times making the transition from the bullpen to the rotation, he has been solid against left-handed hitters. Coke held the four lefty swingers to a collective 0-for-11, and left-handers are now hitting just .172 against him. Coke threw just 78 pitches but was lifted following a 26-minute rain delay.

--RF Magglio Ordonez has gone back to his home in Florida to work on strengthening his right ankle following an encouraging report from the doctor who performed surgery on the fracture last August. "He hasn't been able to push off the way he'd like," Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said, "so he has to continue working on that. That's what we're going to use these two weeks to do, try to strengthen him out. (Dr. Phillip Kwong) was pleased with (Ordonez's) range of motion. He was pleased for the most part with the strength of his ankle. (Ordonez) still needs to continue to work on his inversion and inversion strengthening and lateral strengthening, which kind of coincides with what Mags has felt." Rand said he is hopeful Ordonez will be able to come off the disabled list when eligible May 26.

--RHP Joaquin Benoit won't pitch eighth innings, manager Jim Leyland has confirmed, but it's going to be a daily decision as to when the former setup man does work. "I don't know," Leyland said. "I can't really tell you. Go by feel." Benoit, signed for three years at $16.5 million, has been knocked around since the end of April. The Tigers feel he's been inconsistent with his mechanics, thus his pitches haven't gone where they're supposed to. Benoit is 1-3 with a 7.98 ERA in 16 games this season. Leyland said he would try to help Benoit by using him "in a little less stressful situations and see if we can get him straightened out."

BY THE NUMBERS
2 -- Errors by SS Jhonny Peralta this season after he muffed a grounder up the middle in the fourth inning. The ability to make the plays he's supposed to make are one reason Detroit brought Peralta back to play short this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"In his defense, he hasn't pitched much lately. It looked like he tried to rush and left the pitch up. That wasn't the problem, though. Walking the left-hander was the problem." -- Manager Jim Leyland, partially absolving LHP Daniel Schlereth for giving up the game-deciding hit to Boston C Jarrod Saltalamacchia after walking LF Carl Crawford with two outs in the eighth inning.

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