Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 6-11-11

--DH Victor Martinez hit his first home run of the season batting right-handed, a two-run shot in the fourth that gave Detroit a short 2-1 lead. "It's nice I hit the home run, but in the end we lost the game. It doesn't matter, the home run." Martinez had not hit a home run since May 30.

--RHP Brad Penny surrendered a 2-1 lead but still only allowed three runs in seven innings of work. He gave up a first-inning home run when he hung a 1-2 slider to 1B Justin Smoak and gave up another two-run home run on a low, inside 1-2 breaking ball to RF Carlos Peguero that broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh. In between, Penny squandered a lead achieved on a two-run home run by DH Victor Martinez. Peguero tripled to lead off the fifth and scored on a one-out single by C Chris Gimenez. "Probably the killer was they scored the very next inning," manager Jim Leyland said. "A lot of times that spells disaster for you. (Peguero) hit a pretty good pitch on the triple. Once you score that go-ahead run, it's pretty important to hold 'em."

"That last home run, I shouldn't have given it up," Penny said. "I had command of the strike zone for the most part."

--3B Danny Worth started against Seattle's left-handed starter and doubled to right his first time up. Worth lined a full-count fastball to right and has done a good job for Detroit while getting sparse playing time. Worth has played both third and second.

--CF Austin Jackson has been on a hitting surge lately but had just one official at-bat against Seattle in a 3-2 loss. Jackson fuels Detroit's offense, but in this game, Jackson walked twice and laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in four trips to the plate. Strikeouts are not the problem they were earlier in the season.

--LHP Charlie Furbush has a good chance to stay with Detroit when RF Magglio Ordonez comes off the disabled list. The Tigers are likely to cut a pitcher because they sent C Omir Santos out when LHP Phil Coke returned from the DL. Furbush has been outstanding in longer relief roles. He was brought in to begin the eighth inning against Seattle and retired all three batters he faced with a good fastball and a very good slurve. Furbush gave up a leadoff double to 2B Adam Kennedy to open the ninth and was relieved by RHP Al Alburquerque.

--RHP Al Alburquerque is averaging 16 strikeouts per nine innings of pitching and it didn't go down with his latest outing. Alburquerque pitched the ninth inning and fanned the last two batters he faced, both on his nasty slider. He entered with a runner on second after a leadoff double but saved the Tigers some trouble by catching a popped up bunt. Alburquerque throws two different sliders, a 'get-me-over' breaking ball he throws early in the count and then the wipeout, hard-diving slider he throws with two strikes.

--2B Ryan Raburn is struggling again. Raburn fanned all three times he batted, twice looking, and is in a rut of taking pitches he should swing at and swinging at pitches he should take. He was not given the opportunity to strike out a fourth time as manager Jim Leyland pinch-hit IF Ramon Santiago for him with two out and a man on in the ninth. Raburn might be given a game off with Seattle's top two pitchers going in the next two games.

BY THE NUMBERS
50 -- Runs scored by Detroit in the fourth, their most productive inning this season, after scoring two in that inning against Seattle.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's a little early for scoreboard watching. But what we do realize is that every game is important. You've got to come out with your best every game." -- C Alex Avila, commenting as Detroit closes on first-place Cleveland in the AL Central race.

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