Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 5-6-11

--RF Brennan Boesch is 4-for-7 in two games at the third spot in manager Jim Leyland's batting order. Boesch drove in three runs in Detroit's third straight win over the Yankees, one with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, another with an RBI single in the sixth, and the third with his second home run of the season, which came in the eighth. The single in the sixth was only Detroit's second hit of the game and tied the score at 2-2. Even better for Boesch, it came on the second of back-to-back curves at the bottom of the strike zone. "I felt like we had to have it," Boesch said of his two-out hit. "(RHP A.J. Burnett) made a couple tough pitches on me, and I was able to stay on a breaking ball and get a single. That's all I was trying to do, and whenever you're rewarded for what you're trying to do, it's a pretty good feeling."

--RHP Rick Porcello threw a career-high 120 pitches while pitching seven innings of two-run ball. Porcello threw more flyball outs then he would have liked, but he did an excellent job against a Yankees lineup in which the first seven batters hit left-handed. He mixed in a lot of changeups to the lefties and tried to throw a few on first pitches to keep the Yankee hitters from looking for any particular pitch. Overall, the left-handed batters were 5-for-19 with a walk against Porcello. "He gave up quite a bit of yardage of flyballs," manager Jim Leyland said. "But his velocity was better (peak of 93 mph), and he got them to mishit the ball when he needed to." Porcello gave up both his runs in the fourth inning. He allowed eight hits and two walks.

--RHP Jose Valverde closed out Detroit's 6-3 win over New York, though it wasn't a save situation because the Tigers led by four runs when he started the ninth inning. Valverde continued to feature mostly fastballs -- except when he faced RF Nick Swisher, striking him out on a 1-2 forkball to end the game. Valverde will not pitch Friday in Toronto, according to manager Jim Leyland. "(Joaquin) Benoit hopefully will come into the game Friday," Leyland said.

--C Victor Martinez was behind the plate in his second game since coming off the disabled list. Martinez had one hit, a seventh-inning single, after which he was removed for a pinch runner when he reached second base. PR Casper Wells, representing the winning run, came around to score to snap a 2-2 tie. Martinez is expected to return to designated hitter duties Friday in Toronto.

--C Alex Avila didn't start for the first time in 13 games. However, he didn't get a whole game off, having to come in to catch the eighth and ninth innings when C Victor Martinez was removed for a pinch runner in the bottom of the seventh. Avila batted once in the game, flying out to left. He's supposed to catch Friday night in Toronto.

--1B Miguel Cabrera saw his career-high streak of six games with at least one RBI come to an end Thursday. Cabrera went hitless in four at-bats. Previously, Cabrera had driven in a run in five straight games seven times.

--UT Don Kelly got a rare start in center field and also replaced CF Austin Jackson as Detroit's leadoff man. Kelly shifted to right when Jackson entered to replace RF Brennan Boesch defensively. Kelly was hit by a pitch as the first batter of the game, advanced to third on a wild pickoff threw and scored on a sacrifice fly. Kelly also sacrificed successfully and reached first on a throwing error that let in two runs in the seventh. He's been a productive part-time player for Detroit in his second season with the team.

--2B Scott Sizemore has come back to Earth a little after hitting safely in his first three at-bats when called up from the minors. Sizemore followed his three-hit game Tuesday with a one-hit effort but was shut out at the plate in the final game of the four-game series. He played a solid defensive game, though, taking part in two double plays that let RHP Rick Porcello work three-batter fifth and sixth innings.

BY THE NUMBERS
120 -- Career-high pitch total thrown by RHP Rick Porcello as he worked seven innings of two-run ball against the Yankees. Porcello was kept on a tight leash his rookie season, generally five to six innings at the most, with a pitch count around 90. Those limits were not eased a great deal last season.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We're doing things to win games. Before, we weren't. There's no magic formula, that's just how it is." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on his Tigers following a seven-game losing streak with three consecutive wins.

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