Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 8-17-11

--RHP Justin Verlander became the first 18-game winner in the majors, allowing Minnesota one run on seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. It was also the 101st win of his career. "Every win's important for our guys right now," Verlander said. "The personal accolades and stuff really doesn't mean anything." He had eight strikeouts to surpass 200 for the third straight year, and he pushed his innings total past 200 for the fifth straight year.

"He was a little sluggish early on," manager Jim Leyland said. "I was a little concerned because the pitch count got pretty high in the first inning (29 after one, 60 after three). But he took care of that as the game went on. We get spoiled, to be honest with you. He just volunteered to pitch Sunday, but we're going to stay with the plan (to give him an extra day of rest)."

Verlander said. "For a couple starts in a row, I haven't felt fantastic. It's coming down to the last few starts here. I just wanted to go in there and let him know that if he wanted me to go on (Sunday), I was more than willing."

--C Alex Avila looks as if he's getting stronger, not weaker, from playing every day. Manager Jim Leyland bumped his catcher up to sixth in the batting order, a notch or two higher than he generally hits, against Minnesota RHP Nick Blackburn. The result was a pair of four-pitch walks sandwiched around a pair of singles, the second of which drove in a run. Avila is hitting .442 (19-for-43) with three homers and 11 RBI in August after batting under .200 in July.

--1B Miguel Cabrera ran his hitting streak to 14 games with two-run single in the third inning, adding an RBI single in the sixth. He now has driven in 78 runs this season. "Miguel's a star player," manager Jim Leyland said. "There's no telling what he can do when he makes them get in the strike zone on a more consistent basis. He's swinging at a few too many balls right now."

--CF Austin Jackson didn't make any game-turning catches, but he did get two singles and walked twice. He'll get a day off Thursday, manager Jim Leyland said, with Andy Dirks replacing him in center. Jackson suffered a mild leg injury when he tried to score from third on a ground ball to third and slid over a discarded bat as he was being tagged out. "It's kind of like a charley horse," Jackson said. "It just hurt for a couple minutes, and then it went away."

--2B Ramon Santiago had one home run entering play Sunday, now he's got three. Santiago added a solo home run Tuesday against Minnesota to the one he hit Sunday at Baltimore. "I got a fastball in the idle of the plate," he said. "I hit it hard, and the ball went out." He doubled in the eighth inning as he continues to do well as a spot player for the Tigers.

--RF Brennan Boesch returned to the lineup, replacing Magglio Ordonez, and he doubled in the third inning. It was his only hit, but he showed his power potential. Boesch had been out since Aug. 10 due to a sore right thumb.

--LF Delmon Young had two hits in his second game with Detroit. Young had homered and singled in his debut with the Tigers on Monday night. It would seem Young is going to benefit from batting in front of 1B Miguel Cabrera because it will give him better pitches to hit.

--RHP Lester Oliveros was sent to Minnesota as the player to be named in Monday's deal that sent LF Delmon Young from the Twins to the Tigers. Oliveros pitched in nine games for Detroit this season, posting a 5.63 ERA. Oliveros, assigned to Minnesota's Class AAA Rochester team, was 1-3 with a 6.43 ERA and five saves in 22 games for Class AAA Toledo and 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA in 10 games with Class AA Erie.

BY THE NUMBERS
45 -- Consecutive starts in which RHP Justin Verlander has thrown a minimum of 100 pitches. That includes all 27 starts this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We get spoiled, to be honest with you." -- Manager Jim Leyland, commenting on the latest start by RHP Justin Verlander, who earned his big-league-best 18th win.

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