Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 6-21-11

--RHP Brad Penny wasn't perfect, although it would have helped if he were. Penny gave up two runs in six innings Monday at Dodger Stadium but was tagged with a loss because his teammates could not score a run. "Brad pitched well," manager Jim Leyland said. "He only gave up the home run to (Juan) Uribe." Penny gave his own team a scare batting in the sixth, when he swung and hit a little dribbler to second. He stumbled and limped down to first base, his right knee in pain. "My cleat got caught and my knee kind of like slid out of its socket," he said. "I was worried at first, I heard a little pop, but after I got to the dugout, I felt OK. I feel pretty good right now." He walked three and gave up seven hits. His control was better than in recent starts but still wasn't where it could be.

--C Victor Martinez will start at first base Tuesday at Los Angeles, with 1B Miguel Cabrera not starting. Martinez went 0-for-3 as Detroit's starting catcher in the opener of the series at Los Angeles. Playing first base Tuesday could mean Martinez will catch Wednesday against a left-handed Dodgers starter.

--RF Magglio Ordonez is hitting the ball reasonably well, though he has nothing to show for it. Ordonez has made some tough outs since coming off the disabled list a week ago, but the fact is he does not have an RBI in his week of action. Manager Jim Leyland wants to play Ordonez three games out of four. Ordonez likely won't play Wednesday with OFs Andy Dirks and Brennan Boesch flanking CF Austin Jackson.

--LF Casper Wells got one of Detroit's two hits off Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw, a line single to center in the fourth inning. Wells lined a curve into center on an 0-1 pitch. Wells plays mostly against left-handed pitching at this point.

--LHP Daniel Schlereth walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh and eighth innings, the latter contributing to a two-run inning that padded out a 2-0 Los Angeles lead. "I have a lot concerns," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's gotta start throwing his fastball for strikes. No secrets, not upset, not mad. You just gotta be better."

--C Alex Avila did not start against Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw, but he will be back in the lineup Tuesday night against a right-handed pitcher. Manager Jim Leyland has a number of ways he could go with Los Angeles due to start another lefty Wednesday afternoon, and it's possible he could have Avila play third base again.

--SS Jhonny Peralta's chances of making the All-Star team are marginal, although his statistics are not. "You hate to say it, but the (All-Star selection process) is semi-legitimate and semi about popularity," manager Jim Leyland said. "I think that's fair to say." Peralta enters Tuesday night's game against the host Dodgers hitting .299, seven points higher than his best year (2005 for Cleveland). "He's always been a well-kept secret to me," Leyland said. "Look at his numbers. He's always knocked in runs."

--OF Brennan Boesch is having a second homecoming after playing at Dodger Stadium last year as a rookie. "With Father's Day, I can't help but think back to all the times my dad took me to Dodger Stadium," said Boesch, who grew up in Los Angeles. "It's pretty special for me to be around my dad going back to L.A., to be able to play in Dodger Stadium. It's kind of full circle for me." Boesch sat out the first game of the series as manager Jim Leyland loaded his lineup with left-handed hitters. He is hitting .408 (29-for-71) with five doubles, six home runs and 13 RBI in his past 17 games. Overall, he is batting .295 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI for the season.

--RHP Justin Verlander is done -- as a hitter. Detroit has two games left in NL parks, where AL pitchers have to bat, and Verlander won't be coming to the plate against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, not even as a pinch hitter. "Just another 0-for-the-year for me," Verlander said after completing his batting misadventures with three strikeouts and a flyout in Colorado. Verlander pitched a four-hitter in Detroit's 9-1 victory Sunday over the Rockies. Verlander is now 0-for-20 with 13 strikeouts in interleague play.

"I took some good hacks," he said. "But I kind of feel that in the past, last year in particular, I would get out of my game plan by thinking about hitting. What's the point? I need to be focused on pitching."

One thing he won't be focused on, apparently, is pitching in the All-Star Game. Verlander is on track to start the Sunday before the All-Star Game, and Major League Baseball now has a rule that pitchers who start that day can be named to the team but can't work the game. Verlander was also chosen co-AL Pitcher of the Week with Rays RHP James Shields both winning two games and pitching shutouts last week.

BY THE NUMBERS
6 -- Inherited runners who have scored of the 13 on base when RHP Joaquin Benoit has entered the game this season. Benoit gave up a two-run single to LHP Clayton Kershaw in the eighth to expand the Dodgers' lead to 4-0.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"There's no explanation, he's getting a day off." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on his decision to keep 1B Miguel Cabrera out of the starting lineup Tuesday night.

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