Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 6-18-11

--3B Alex Avila made an error in his major league debut at third base but it turned out to be like trying to clean up the Gulf oil spill with an eyedropper full of detergent. "He didn't really get any action," manager Jim Leyland said. "That (error) had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. We got him in there for his bat. If he misses a ball, you're certainly not going to panic about something like that." Avila said he borrowed one of UT Don Kelly's gloves. "You're taking a chance by doing it," Leyland said. "But I don't want to sit one of the two of them in every game of this trip. I don't want to do it. But it's a tough call. If it works, you're smart. If it doesn't, you're a dummy. I'm used to that, though." "I've been working at it the last couple of weeks," Avila said. "The biggest thing with any position is just trusting your instincts. It's the hot corner for a reason, but I won't be opposed to putting my body in front of the ball. I've taken shots behind the plate, too."

--RHP Rick Porcello had what he described as a "terrible" start, allowing nine runs (six earned) on eight hits in three innings of work. He put too many pitches too high in the strike zone. "It wasn't very pretty," Porcello said. "I wasn't locating my fastball, really. They were all over it. Terrible start, really."

--C Victor Martinez won't catch every game of Detroit's two stops in National League cities, but he's certain to be behind the plate for most of them. The alternative is to sit because the Tigers don't have any place else for him to play. Martinez can play first base but won't dislodge 1B Miguel Cabrera. Manager Jim Leyland will give Martinez at least one day off in the trip, however. He hit cleanup under Leyland's revamped lineup and collected two hits plus an RBI groundout.

--1B Miguel Cabrera hit third in the batting order as manager Jim Leyland moved everyone up as a result of taking his recent No. 2 hitter, 3B Don Kelly, out of the lineup. Cabrera hits fourth for Detroit but won't when C Alex Avila is taking over Kelly's spot at third. The last time Cabrera hit anywhere but fourth for the Tigers was July 23, 2009, when he batted third in a 2-1 loss to Seattle. Cabrera had three hits in the game.

--LF Brennan Boesch, who normally hits third, was batting second in Detroit's first game in Colorado. With 3B Alex Avila playing third and bumping 3B Don Kelly from the lineup, Boesch and everybody below him was bumped up one notch in the batting order. He went hitless but had three solid swings that were turned into outs.

--LHP Adam Wilk had to save Detroit's bullpen by going four innings in relief of RHP Rick Porcello. Wilk entered with the score 9-1 in the fourth and allowed four runs in his four innings of work. "I thought Adam Wilk did a great job," manager Jim Leyland said. Wilk even got to bat once, striking out. Leyland kept Wilk in because he needed to save his bullpen for the remainder of the series.

--RF Magglio Ordonez had a pair of singles in five at-bats but still might be a little anxious at the plate as he grounded into a double play to end the game. "He's swinging okay," manager Jim Leyland said. "We'll see. I'm not going to play him Saturday, probably play him the next day." It wasn't a ringing endorsement, but the Tigers need more than just singles from Ordonez.

--SS Jhonny Peralta provided the bulk of Detroit's offense with just one swing of the bat. The swing resulted in a grand slam in the sixth inning. Peralta singled his last time up.

--LHP Phil Coke is anticipating batting Saturday for just the second time in his major league career. "I've got one career at-bat in the big leagues," Coke said, "and they told me, 'Bunt or you'll get fined.'" That came in an interleague game while Coke was with the New York Yankees in 2009. His bunt attempt on a 1-2 pitch from Atlanta RHP Manny Acosta went foul. Coke said he stood and watched the ball roll down the line hoping it would stay fair. "It was fun," Coke said. "I enjoyed the moment just because I got to step up to the plate in the major leagues, which is something you dream of."

BY THE NUMBERS
3 -- Grand slams by SS Jhonny Peralta in his career. However, the one he hit in the series opener at Colorado was his first with Detroit.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"That (error) had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. We got him in there for his bat. If he misses a ball, you're certainly not going to panic about something like that." -- Manager Jim Leyland on 3B Alex Avila's major league debut at third base. Avila handled a ground ball in the first successfully, but a shot in the third went right between his legs for an error.

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