Detroit Tigers Clips Thursday, April 19, 2012

Detroit Free Press Detroit 4, Kansas City 3: Prince Fielder backs Max Scherzer as Tigers sweep (Lowe) Rangers' pitching presents Texas-sized challenge for Tigers (Lowe) Rangers certainly no strangers to Tigers C Gerald Laird (Lowe) Tigers ace Justin Verlander talks pitch count on 'PTI' (Staff) Former Tiger Pudge Rodriguez retiring (AP) Detroit Tigers 4, Kansas City 3: Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder carry the offense (Crawford) The Detroit News Tigers hang on to win fourth straight (Gage) Ex-Tiger Craig Monroe trades dingers for zingers as rookie TV analyst (Paul) Ex-Tiger Dan Petry happy with radio relief role (Paul) Rangers roll into town for AL pennant replay (Henning) Report: Tigers savior Pudge Rodriguez ready to retire (Paul) So far, so good with Tigers' cool Drew Smyly (Gage) Abdominal pain ends throwing session by Tigers' Doug Fister (Gage) Ex-Tigers explain why Jim Leyland left Justin Verlander in this time (Paul) Mighty Bookstock (Rubin) MLive.com Report: Former Detroit Tigers rescuer Pudge Rodriguez to announce retirement Monday (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder takes page out of Miguel Cabrera's book to knock in winning run (Iott) Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals players spill onto field after catchers exchange words (Iott) Prince Fielder knocks in two runs, steals base as Detroit Tigers complete sweep (Iott) Miguel Cabrera gives Detroit Tigers teammates a laugh by calling for ball after streak-ending single (Iott) Detroit Tigers 'backing off' on Doug Fister after he cut throwing session short (Iott) Jim Leyland stacks lineup with right-handed hitters in Detroit Tigers' series finale vs. Royals (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers set to face fourth straight southpaw after Luke Hochevar's start pushed back (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers reliever Octavio Dotel on verge of 700th career appearance (Iott) MLB draft order released, Detroit Tigers won't pick until late in second round (Schmehl) MLB.com Fielder drives in go-ahead run for Scherzer's first win (Falkoff) Tigers set to host Rangers in ALCS rematch (Star) Fister has setback in rehab program (Falkoff)

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Benoit flashes post-All-Star form (Falkoff) Tigers prepare for ALCS rematch (Falkoff) Tempers flare as Scherzer plunks Quintero (Kaegel) Associated Press Fielder, Scherzer help Tigers rally past Royals (Staff) CBSSports.com Daily Transactions

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Detroit 4, Kansas City 3: Prince Fielder backs Max Scherzer as Tigers sweep April 19, 2012 By John Lowe / Detroit Free Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Behind a pair of big two-out RBIs from Prince Fielder against left-handed pitchers, the Tigers put themselves and Max Scherzer in position for a come-from-behind win over the Royals on Wednesday night. The Tigers took a one-run lead in the seventh, and their bullpen blanked Kansas City the final three innings. The Tigers won, 4-3, for a three-game sweep and their fourth straight win. When they took the lead in the seventh, the Tigers had scored all of their runs with two outs. In the second and fifth, they scored a run after the first two hitters of the innings were retired. By contrast, they loaded the bases with none out in the fourth and didn't score. Fielder doubled in Miguel Cabrera from first base with two outs in the fifth to bring the Tigers within 3-2. That blow came off Jonathan Sanchez, the fourth straight left-handed starter the Tigers faced. With two outs in the seventh, Gerald Laird scored the tying run from third base on a two-out wild pitch by left-hander Jose Mijares. That wild pitch made the count 1-0 on Fielder. On 1-1, with the Royals shifted on him, he singled through the vacated shortstop hole to score Cabrera with the go-ahead run. As he rounded first base, Fielder appeared to roar with glee at this hit in which he won a lefty-lefty matchup and defeated the shift. Scherzer hit Humberto Quintero with a pitch to open the K.C. seventh. Quintero jawed with Laird, and the benches emptied briefly. No one was ejected, but each side received a warning against throwing at hitters. Phil Coke relieved Scherzer and got the next three. In his third start, Scherzer turned in his second straight quality start after he got knocked out early by Boston in his debut. In each of the past two games, Scherzer's line has been six innings and three earned runs -- the minimum requirements for a quality start. Scherzer retired the first seven hitters in order. Then he walked Mitch Maier on five pitches and allowed a two-run homer on a high pitch to No. 9 hitter Alcides Escobar. That put K.C. ahead, 2-1. After the Tigers loaded the bases with none out in the fourth, Sanchez retired Jhonny Peralta (soft liner to short), Brandon Inge (pop-out) and Laird (fly to center after his bid for a double down the leftfield line was barely foul). Kansas City made it 3-1 on Quintero's two-out double in the fourth. The Tigers made it 3-2 in the fifth on Fielder's double. The Royals put runners at first and second with one out in the fifth for slugger Eric Hosmer. With the count 2-2, Alex Gordon broke too soon on a double steal, and Scherzer threw to third to get him. Manager Jim Leyland gave Scherzer high praise for picking off Gordon and called it "the biggest play of the game" because it aborted what could have been a lead-widening rally. Then Hosmer grounded out sharply, and the Tigers remained within a run. Kelvin Herrera replaced Sanchez for the sixth. He retired the side in order, including Peralta, who fanned on a 100-m.p.h. fastball. Laird opened the two-run seventh with a single.

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Rangers' pitching presents Texas-sized challenge for Tigers April 19, 2012 By John Lowe / Detroit Free Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Right away tonight, the Tigers will see why the Texas Rangers appear even more formidable than last season. In the teams' first meeting since the Rangers beat them in the American League Championship Series, the Tigers will face Yu Darvish. He's the right-handed starter from Japan in whom the Rangers invested more than $100 million this off-season to win his rights as a free agent and then sign him. He's not the only new pitcher on the team. The closer is now Joe Nathan, who never has blown a save against the Tigers. He's 33-for-33 against them in save opportunities, all with the Twins. Nathan's arrival as a free agent allowed Neftali Feliz to move from closer to the rotation. The addition of Darvish and Feliz to the rotation appears to more than offset the Rangers' one significant off-season loss: starting pitcher C.J. Wilson going to the Angels as a free agent. Leadoff man Austin Jackson is in line to be the first Tiger to face Darvish tonight. "He looks pretty good," Jackson said. "It will be interesting." Manager Jim Leyland has studied Darvish on tape. "He has six different pitches," Leyland said. "I don't know what they call them. He's got a bunch of them. He's a real talented guy." Darvish is 25 and stands 6-feet-5. With his spectacular work in Japan, he made a believer of Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher who now runs the Rangers. "In my opinion, he's the most upside player to come out of the Japanese leagues," Ryan said in January, after Darvish signed. "I feel that way because of his size and durability. And then if you look at what he's accomplished over there, his numbers keep getting better." Tonight will mark the third start of the season for Darvish, who's 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA. He gave up four runs in the first inning of his first start; since then, he has allowed two earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

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Rangers certainly no strangers to Tigers C Gerald Laird He broke into majors with Texas in team's tougher days April 19, 2012 By John Lowe / Detroit Free Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tigers catcher Gerald Laird has seen the rise of the Texas Rangers from interesting angles. He broke into the majors with the Rangers in 2003. That season, the Rangers finished 20 games under .500, last in the American League West for the fourth straight season. His final season with Texas was 2008. That season, the Rangers finished four games under .500. Laird was traded to the Tigers before the 2009 season. As Laird played against Texas for the first time, the Rangers that season finished 12 games over .500 for their second winning season in a decade. By last fall, when Laird was catching for St. Louis, he found himself on the other side of the field from the Rangers in their second straight World Series. Now Laird is back on the Tigers as they try to keep the Rangers from winning their third straight American League pennant. So far, Texas looks stronger than in the past two years. The Rangers lead the AL with 69 runs, have allowed the fewest in the league (30) and are 10-2. "They have finally gotten on the right track," Laird said. "When I was there, it didn't seem like they knew what they wanted to do." "For the most part, Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan took the bull by the horns," Laird said of the team's current general manager and chief executive, respectively. "They decided they wanted to build from within, and they made some pretty good trades. They built their farm system that produced prospects you see in the big leagues now. They continue to draft well and develop players. "It's definitely turned around for them. I'm glad to see it for them, especially for guys like Michael Young and Ian Kinsler who have been there for a while and who have been there through some of their tougher times." HATS OFF TO MOYER: Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones smiled Wednesday as he talked about how Colorado's Jamie Moyer, 49, became the oldest pitcher to win a major league game when he beat San Diego on Tuesday night. "He had surgery (on his elbow, which cost him last season) and he wanted to keep playing," Jones said of the one-time Tigers minor leaguer. "My hat is off to him. I'm really happy for him." Asked if he'd cite Moyer as an inspirational example for pitchers, Jones said, "Absolutely. Here's a guy who had pitched more than 20 years in the big leagues and won as many games as he had and still wanted to compete. When it gets in your blood, it's hard to get it out." DIRKS UPDATE: Tigers manager Jim Leyland said outfielder Andy Dirks wouldn't play Wednesday night because of the injury to his left hamstring he suffered as he rounded third and headed home with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning Tuesday night. "It's like a mild strain -- it will be all right," Dirks said Wednesday afternoon. Tuesday's game turned out to be bittersweet for Dirks, who said at least 15 people from his hometown in Kansas were on hand to watch him. He started the winning rally with a single off lefty Bruce Chen. He scored what became the winning run. But he got hurt while scoring that run.

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Tigers ace Justin Verlander talks pitch count on 'PTI' April 19, 2012 By Staff / Detroit Free Press Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who never met a camera he didn’t like, was on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” on Wednesday. In the wake of his 131-pitch outing against the Royals on Monday, the hosts asked him for his pitch limit. “I haven’t reached it yet, so I don’t know,” Verlander said. “I think it’s unfair to stamp everybody and say 100 pitches, 110. So I’m blessed to have a manager like Jim Leyland, who doesn’t really listen to what everybody else has to say. He goes with his gut. … He’s more of an old-school manager, and I’m an old-school pitcher.” Speaking of old school, Verlander also was asked about ancient Rockies starter Jamie Moyer. “Oh, man, that is unbelievable,” he said. “I hope I’m still hanging around when I’m 49. C’mon, baby, just hang in there for 20 more years.”

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Former Tiger Pudge Rodriguez retiring April 19, 2012 By Associated Press / Detroit Free Press NEW YORK — Ivan Rodriguez plans to announce his retirement Monday, ending a 21-year major league career that included a record 13 Gold Gloves at catcher. A person familiar with the arrangements said Rodriguez intends to make the announcement in Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers start a homestand Monday against the New York Yankees. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an announcement. A 14-time All-Star known as Pudge, Rodriguez spent his first 12 major league seasons with the Rangers and won the 1999 American League MVP with Texas, when he hit .332 with 35 homers and 113 RBIs. He returned to the Rangers briefly in 2009, but not before spending 4 1/2 seasons with the Tigers, leading them to the World Series in 2006. Rodriguez becomes the third longtime catcher to retire since last season ended, joining Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek. Rodriguez finishes with a .296 batting average, 2,884 hits, 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs. He broke the record of 10 Gold Gloves at catcher that had been held by Johnny Bench and hit .300 or better 10 times. He was a World Series champion with the Florida Marlins in 2003. Now 40, Rodriguez spent the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals. He decided not to accept a contract offer from the Kansas City Royals, who were interested after Salvador Perez injured a knee and needed surgery. Rodriguez hit just .218 last year with two homers and 19 RBIs in 124 at-bats. He nearly was forced to retire three years ago. He didn’t have an offer when spring training began but went 10 for 20 with two homers and six RBIs for Puerto Rico and signed in mid-March with the Houston Astros. In the minds of some, Rodriguez was tainted by the cloud of baseball’s steroids scandal. Former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged he injected steroids into Rodriguez. Asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball’s 2003 survey, Rodriguez said in 2009: “Only God knows.”

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Detroit Tigers 4, Kansas City 3: Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder carry the offense April 19, 2012 By Kirkland Crawford / Detroit Free Press The Tigers' two big bats carried the offense with four singles as Detroit completed a three-game series sweep of the Royals with a 4-3 victory tonight in Kansas City, Mo. Miguel Cabrera had two hits and scored twice. Both times he was driven in on Prince Fielder singles. Down a run in the seventh, the Tigers scored twice to take the lead. Gerald Laird opened the inning with a single to center off reliever Kelvin Herrera. With one out, lefty Jose Mijares came into the game and got Brennan Boesch to fly out to left. But the pitcher stayed into the game to face Cabrera, who singled to push Laird to third. During Fielder's at bat, Mijares (0-1) uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Detroit to tie the game. Then with the lefty shift against him, Fielder singled where a shortstop would normally be to score Cabrera. Laird also had two hits and a walk for Detroit. Max Scherzer (1-1) opened the seventh inning by hitting Humberto Quintero in the elbow. The Royals catcher seemed to take exception to that and slammed hit bat down next to Laird behind the plate. The two catchers then exchanged words and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown and no one was ejected. It did spell the end for Scherzer, who gave up three earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three on 94 pitches. Phil Coke came in, got pinch-hitter Jason Bourgeois to foul out to first, Alcides Escobar to fly out to right and Alex Gordon to pop out to shallow center. Joaquin Benoit walked two hitters but got Jeff Francouer to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Jose Valverde gave up a walk and a single, but got Escobar to ground into 5-4-3 double play for his third save of the season. The Tigers took the first lead of the game with a run in the second. With two outs, Ryan Raburn walked. He then stole second base and scored on a Jhonny Peralta single to left. But Kansas City took the lead in the third when, after Mitch Maier drew a one-out walk, Escobar homered to left. Detroit had a chance to do some damage in the fourth. Fielder led off by reaching on an error by starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. The new Tiger then stole second base. Delmon Young singled and Raburn walked to load the bases. But Peralta lined out to short, Brandon Inge popped out to first and Laird flied out to center to end the threat. The Tigers' No. 3 and 4 hitters did help cut into the deficit in the fifth. Cabrera hit a two-out single to left and then scored all the way from first on a Fielder double into the gap in right-center. Sanchez threw 97 pitches over five innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. Billy Butler had two singles for Kansas City.

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Tigers hang on to win fourth straight April 19, 2012 By Tom Gage / The Detroit News He loves his home runs, of course. He's a slugger and is paid handsomely to hit the ball a long way. But that's not all Prince Fielder is — and he demonstrated that again Wednesday night in a 4-3 Tigers victory which completed a three-game sweep over the Royals. Odd team so far, the Royals. Twelve games into the season they've found a way to fade — what with a seven-game losing streak. "But I'm glad to be getting out of here," manager Jim Leyland said. "They're about to break loose. It's not going to be pretty when they do." The Tigers, meanwhile, are 9-3 and coming home to face another powerhouse in the Texas Rangers. It wasn't exactly a power attack with which the Tigers got past the Royals again, but it didn't have to be. Not with speedster Fielder stealing his first base of the season — he's also had one in each of the last two seasons — but more important, foiling a shift in the seventh with a run-scoring single where the shortstop would have been. On both occasions, the steal and the Fielder hit that put the Tigers ahead for good, he reacted enthusiastically at second after the steal and at first after the hit. That's because the big man had shown once again he's made up of far more than home runs. "That's the little kid in all of us," Leyland said. "When good things happen, they're happy. "He went on first move, got a great jump, did it just right, and he made it," Leyland said of Fielder's stolen base. "We're not a very fast team, but we're a very good team." The Tigers scored two runs in the seventh, Gerald Laird coming home on a wild pitch before Miguel Cabrera scampered home with the winning run on a Fielder single, to hand Max Scherzer (1-1) his first win of the season. Scherzer allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. Jose Valverde closed it out for his third save — getting help with a good play from Cabrera at third to start a game-ending double play. Of how Fielder contributed, Scherzer said, "He's a baseball player and any way you can help your team win, that's what we are all about. "If you ask me to go out there and bunt a guy over, I'd love to do it." The only shame of it is that, despite how rare it was, Fielder's stolen base was nothing other than that: a stolen base. In other words, it led to nothing more than a threat the Tigers wasted — a big-time, bases-loaded threat with no outs, in fact. With Fielder at second, the Tigers got only to the brink of tacking on multiple runs — but not over the brink. Delmon Young singled Fielder to third, and Ryan Raburn walked (for the second consecutive time) to load the bases. The walks to Raburn underscored the difficulty Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez had in throwing strikes. After five innings, with his pitch count at 97, he was out of the game. Sanchez threw strikes with the bases loaded, though — and retired three consecutive Tigers: Jhonny Peralta on a liner to short, Brandon Inge on a pop-up to first and Laird on a fly ball to center. "We should have been able to take advantage of (Sanchez) tonight," Leyland said. "He has outstanding stuff, but under normal circumstances we come out of that inning with something." Laird later began the two-run seventh with a single, however. Fielder's steal went for naught, but Raburn's baserunning in the second didn't. On second after a walk and stolen base, Raburn scored on a single to short by Peralta. Actually, the ball caromed away from shortstop Alcides Escobar into left, but Raburn never broke stride while being waved home for the Tigers' first run. With K.C. in front by a pair, Fielder cut the lead to 3-2 with an RBI double in the fifth.

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The Royals ran themselves out of a first-and-second chance with one out in the fifth when Alex Gordon was out trying to steal third. Except for Humberto Quintero getting upset by the Scherzer pitch that hit him, leading off the bottom of the seventh — a mild squabble between Quintero and Laird — the Royals weren't loudly heard from again.

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Ex-Tiger Craig Monroe trades dingers for zingers as rookie TV analyst April 19, 2012 By Tony Paul / The Detroit News Detroit— Craig Monroe started showing such an affinity for being on camera during his playing days with the Tigers that Fox Sports Detroit's Rod Allen and John Keating starting planting the idea that he might, one day, have a future in the business after his playing career was over. That time has come. This offseason, Monroe started seriously exploring the opportunity, and just before the season started, he was hired by FSD to serve as an in-studio analyst during pregame and postgame segments. He's serving a role similar to Mateen Cleaves' work on FSD's Pistons coverage. Like when he was breaking into the major leagues with the Rangers in 2001 or when he was a rookie and played his first full season, with the Tigers in 2003, Monroe doesn't claim to be a seasoned veteran. But he's thrilled with the opportunity. "It's a lot different. There's no spring training for it," Monroe, 35, told The Detroit News this week. "I'm been thrown in the fire and I'm excited about it. I love it. I am having fun." Monroe's used to the spotlight. From 2003-06, he was one of the Tigers best sluggers — and he developed a reputation for coming through in the clutch, particularly during the 2006 run to the World Series. With the media, he often gave colorful and insightful interviews. But being on TV full-time? That's still a challenge, and one that he continues to work through. "I am just going to learn as I go," he said. "(As a player) you have those juices flowing and you have the motivation and confidence of being on the field. I am starting to feel that same feeling of wanting to be better, wanting to be the best at what I am doing. "I am taking that baseball attitude and that desire to be better and compete." 'You gotta tell the truth' He's had some help in the transition. Allen, Keating and Mario Impemba have been super supportive, he said, as has much of the cast and crew at the FSD offices. Monroe once was a big-name athlete in this town — from 2003 until he was traded away in the summer of 2007, he hit .259 with 101 home runs and 379 RBIs — but now he's the new guy. And he understands that. "They really want to help me succeed at it," Monroe said. "Anything that's going to make me better, I am open to listening to any suggestions. "I don't mind constructive criticism." Ah, but will his friends? Monroe's job is to analyze, pure and simple. And there will be times when that means saying some not-so-flattering things about guys he used to call teammates — like Brandon Inge, Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago and Justin Verlander (not that there's much bad to say about Verlander). Monroe understands his role, and he's even talked about it with some of the Tigers. He believes the current Tigers understand he has a job to do. "I can see that being a little tough because you do have these teammates of yours, you're never going to forget them, they're always going to have a special place in your heart," said Monroe, who also played a season-and-a-half under the current Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "I got a chance to go down and introduce myself. And it's funny, it came up. "I said, 'You know what, I'll always remember you're a player. And the great thing about having been a player, I know exactly what happened and what you're going through.' It's fair for me to state the facts." Still, Monroe concedes that when push comes to shove, he probably will tend to be more "pro player," because, as a guy who played nine seasons in the major leagues for five different teams, he certainly understands what they're going through on a daily basis. That said, he also has the obligation to be frank with viewers. He admits that's a fine line he'll be walking. "You gotta tell the truth," Monroe said. "People wanna know the truth." Tough customer

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Monroe, who made quick stops with the Cubs, Twins and Pirates before walking away from the game in the summer of 2009, said he doesn't miss playing professional baseball as much as you'd might think. Mostly, he said, he misses the clubhouse camaraderie — where everybody on the team, from players to coaches to front-office folks, all share a common goal: to win a World Series. He got quite close as a player, making it to the World Series in 2006, when the Tigers were beaten by the Cardinals in five games. While his dreams of playing for a champion are over, he at least hopes to now have a front-row seat as the Tigers finally accomplish what they haven't since 1984. Monroe even goes so far as to call the 2012 Tigers "10 times" better than the 2006 team, because of the thunder of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the middle of the lineup, the ace (Justin Verlander), the bullpen, Austin Jackson, and the versatile bench of Don Kelly, Ramon Santiago and Andy Dirks. The role players are more important than most think, Monroe said. "They are doing everything in their power to bring that championship," Monroe said. "You gotta love it." Monroe also loves being back in Detroit, a city, he said, "made baseball fun for me." He recently moved to Troy from Texas for the gig. On the job, he still has some improving to do, of course. Looking at the right camera, for instance. (Though, to be fair, that's a common rookie gaffe; just ask ex-Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who also struggled with that when her Current TV show debuted.) But be patient; he's still less than three weeks on the job. Monroe also knows he won't be perfect, and he won't please everybody — after all, there isn't a baseball broadcaster or analyst in this town who doesn't have critics, though some more than others. But like the 672 times he took the field in a Tigers uniform, Monroe plans to give it his best shot — even if that means he'll strike out or make an error on occasion. "You sign up for it. You sign up for the good and the bad, the upside and the down," he said. "I have gotten a little tough skin because of being a player, so the criticisms won't be as bad. "At the end of the day, my job is to be honest, give an honest opinion, and be who I am." Tony's top five 1. Texas (3): Detroit gets first look at Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish on Thursday. 2. Detroit (1): Gasp! Gerald Laird, Brandon Inge keyed back-to-back victories. 3. L.A. Dodgers (NR): Matt Kemp (six homers, 17 RBIs) is off to a monster start. 4. St. Louis (4): Adam Wainwright's comeback (11.42 ERA) from Tommy John surgery has hit a snag. 5. Washington (NR): The Nationals' starting pitching (5-1, 1.65) has been tops in the majors. Tony's bottom five 27. Kansas City (NR): That hyped youth movement? It's proving a bust early. 28. Pittsburgh (NR): Good pitching (35 runs) has been by awful hitting (26). 28. Minnesota (30): Finally getting his shot, Clete Thomas had three hits in first nine at-bats. 29. Chicago Cubs (29): Outfielder Marlon Byrd is off to a hard start (.081, 3-for-37). 30. San Diego (27): Ex-Tiger Cameron Maybin whiffed 17 times in his first 47 at-bats. Note: Last week's rankings in parentheses Diamond digits 2 — Indians pitchers who've been suspended this year for intentionally throwing at hitters — Ubaldo Jimenez and Jeanmar Gomez. 6 — Errors by Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, matching his total from all of last season. 14-2 — Tigers ace Justin Verlander's career record against the Royals. That's a winning percentage of .875. 4/20/1912 — The Red Sox play their first game at Fenway Park. On Friday, they will celebrate the legendary stadium's 100th anniversary. He said it "It's like throwing water balloons."

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Ex-Tiger Dan Petry happy with radio relief role April 19, 2012 By Tony Paul / The Detroit News Detroit— Dan Petry sure had fun. But he's made this perfectly clear, too: He's not out to take anybody's job. "I told Jim Price, 'I am keeping your seat warm. Hurry up and get back,'" Petry said this week from Kansas City, Mo., where he worked with Dan Dickerson on three Tigers radio broadcasts while Price was out with an illness. "I was in the pinch-hitter's role." Petry, a longtime Tigers starting pitcher who played a big role on the 1984 world championship team, has served as an analyst for the club in a variety of ways, including TV game coverage with Frank Beckmann, and is a guest on special Fox 2 coverage. He also has co-hosted a Tigers-themed radio show with Dickerson, but until this week, hadn't called a game on radio. He certainly enjoyed the experience, albeit a brief one. Price, 70, in his 20th season as a Tigers broadcaster and 14th on the radio team, is due back for today's game at Comerica Park. "It's wonderful," Petry said. "Any time you're at a major league ballgame and get to witness it and be a part of it, you can't ask for anything more." The fact Detroit played well during his stint — it swept the series in Kansas City — is icing on the cake. "I guess I can brag a little," he quipped Wednesday afternoon. Petry, 53, has long been one of the most visible members of the 1984 Tigers because he still lives in Metro Detroit. Aside from his work as an on-air analyst, he has held a variety of sales jobs, including with the Lions. He also has helped coach prep baseball. Today, he's an assistant for Orchard Lake St. Mary's, where his son, Matt, is the varsity coach. That said, if a full-time broadcasting gig ever opened up, Petry would be intrigued. "If it ever presented itself, certainly I would enjoy doing something like that," he said. "But I won't hold my breath. "If not, I have a nice, enjoyable life anyway." Petry, a California native, was a fourth-round pick by the Tigers in 1976 and pitched 13 seasons in the majors, from 1979-91, mostly with Detroit. A tall right-hander, he was 125-104 overall, and 18-8 in 1984.

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Rangers roll into town for AL pennant replay April 19, 2012 By Lynn Henning / The Detroit News Baseball's cosmic clashes normally are reserved for October, when playoff teams rip at each other in set numbers of games to decide who wins a World Series. In other words, it's what the Tigers and Rangers did last fall ahead of the Rangers qualifying for a World Series they came within a couple anguished moments from winning. Six months later, the guys from Texas and Michigan will go at it again. This time, the blood-wrestling happens within a four-game set at Comerica Park that begins at 7:05 tonight. Those who have tickets will have learned they cost about a fraction of what those ALCS ducats went for, which isn't bad when there might be minimal discount on this weekend's drama. "It's the most interesting series of April," said Randy Galloway, the longtime Rangers radio host/columnist who has chronicled the team since it pulled into Dallas-Ft. Worth 40 years ago. "Even though it's April, I'm eager to see it." The Rangers are, in words more closely associated with a certain pizza company, hot and ready. On Wednesday, they were five games up on an Angels team that was supposed to have been giving them fits in a presumed showdown between two West Division brutes. They are killing the ball, from Josh Hamilton clouting 469-foot home runs (Tuesday's Fenway Park bomb blast), to Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler, who are hammering home runners who needn't be as fleet as shortstop Elvis Andrus. They are pitching on a par with their Gatling Gun lineup. Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison have been joined by celebrity rookie Yu Darvish to bottle up opponents who haven't often matched the Rangers' batting-order thunder nor done anything injurious to Texas' starters. And so they arrive at Detroit, armed and dangerous, and bringing with them many of the main characters from last October's ensemble that whipped the Tigers in six games. A natural question is whether the 2012 Rangers might be a notch better than the 2011 version. "I would say that remains to be seen," said Galloway, who isn't sure the Rangers have conclusively compensated for the loss of C.J. Wilson to the Angels (free agency) and Alexi Ogando (to the bullpen). "I don't want to say they're better than those 96 wins from a year ago and that they're going back to a World Series they were one pitch away from winning — twice. "But it's certainly a different team from the standpoint of the rotation, and the back end of the bullpen. It's going to be hard to top that (2011) rotation when you had five starters who didn't miss a start. They don't have the same names in their rotation this season, although they have a lot of talent in that rotation." There might even be a soft spot in the Rangers batting order: first base, where the Rangers wouldn't have minded an offseason upgrade over Keith Moreland. They were believed to be close to ordering a generous-sized Rangers jersey for Prince Fielder until the Tigers decided in January, a week after Victor Martinez tore up a knee, they would write a check the Rangers found a bit too ample. "I think they underplayed too long," Galloway said of the Rangers. "And all of a sudden Pizza Man (Tigers owner Mike Ilitch) came in." Because of divisional responsibilities, the Angels remain Public Enemy No. 1 for a Rangers team that doesn't want to fool around with wild-card scenarios in October. But the fact manager Ron Washington's team has opened up an early lead on the Angels and their new headliner, Albert Pujols, means the Tigers are good for greater tingles than might otherwise be the case in April. "The Angels thing is eyeball-to-eyeball," Galloway said. "But the next team everybody brings up is the Tigers. Even more than the Yankees, because Detroit is expected to dominate the division. "It's going to be fun. I'm eager to see it. Even though it's April, I'm very eager to see it."

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Report: Tigers savior Pudge Rodriguez ready to retire April 19, 2012 By Tony Paul / The Detroit News If there's a face of the Tigers turnaround last decade, it's Pudge Rodriguez. With the team coming off an American League-record 119 losses in 2003, Detroit was about as much of a free-agent destination as Siberia. But Rodriguez, himself fresh off a World Series title with the Marlins, listened to Mike Ilitch's sales pitch and stunned all of baseball by signing a four-year contract — a move that set up the Tigers amazing run to the World Series three years later. It was in Detroit where Rodriguez, one of the game's greatest catchers, had the last great years of his career. On Monday, he officially will announce his retirement, according to a report Wednesday by the Associated Press. "Absolutely awesome," was how Rodriguez described his Tigers tenure after being traded from Detroit to the Yankees in July 2008. "I remember five years ago, we averaged 11,000 (fans). Now we're at 40,000. Just good things to say. Thanks for everything." It's the fans who, perhaps, should thank him. Before 2006, the Tigers had 12 straight losing seasons. Today, they are annual contenders. Rodriguez's signing set into motion a steady stream of big-name players coming to Detroit, including Magglio Ordonez before the 2005 season and Kenny Rogers before 2006. And if Rodriguez hadn't helped make the Tigers a winner again, who knows if Miguel Cabrera would've decided to sign a long-term extension after being traded from the Marlins, or if Prince Fielder would've come here. On the field, Rodriguez gave Tigers fans some thrilling moments — from his runner-up showing at the Home Run Derby at Comerica Park in 2005, to his walk-off homer in the ninth against the Indians in August 2006, to the postseason journey. He made the All-Star team his first four years in Detroit, and finished his Tigers career hitting .298 with 300 RBIs in 611 games. He hit .334 in 2004, .300 in 2006. With the Tigers six games out of first in late July 2008, he was traded to the Yankees for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. Rodriguez, 40, never again put up big offensive numbers before calling it a career after 21 seasons. He spent the last two seasons in Washington, mostly starting in 2010 and mostly backing up in 2011. He told The News in 2010 he hoped to keep playing until reaching 3,000 hits, but he will fall 156 short. He reportedly was offered a deal by the Royals for 2012, but said no. Rodriguez played the first 12 seasons of his career in Texas, winning the 1999 MVP after hitting .332 with 35 home runs and 113 RBIs. It was the only time he'd ever top 30 homers or 100 RBIs. He could hit, but might've been more known for his defense, winning 13 Gold Gloves, a record for a catcher. He had a cannon of an arm, and often made throws from his knees. Rodriguez's next stop should be the Hall of Fame, though suspicion of steroid use could slow his selection. There's no definitive evidence linking him to PEDs, but former teammate Jose Canseco accused him of using in his best-selling book, "Juiced."

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So far, so good with Tigers' cool Drew Smyly April 19, 2012 By Tom Gage / The Detroit News Kansas City, Mo — He hasn't won yet, but so far, so good with Drew Smyly as the Tigers' fifth starter. After two starts, but especially during his second start on Tuesday night in a 3-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals, the rookie left-hander looks right at home in the big leagues Smyly even weathered a big-league scare when he got nailed in the back by a line drive, but was able to continue after making several practice throws to make sure he was all right. Which he was. In fact, six innings of allowing only an unearned run is better than all right. It's excellent. "Six innings, I'd be happy with that all year," he said. And why not? The Tigers' bullpen is ideally set up to finish six-inning starts with Octavio Dotel (the winning pitcher Tuesday night) working the seventh, Joaquin Benoit the eighth and Jose Valverde the ninth. Manager Jim Leyland was understandably pleased with Smyly. "He threw the ball extremely well," said Leyland. "He changed speeds on his fastball — I liked the way he used his fastball — and his breaking ball was pretty good. Overall the kid did a great job." But Leyland spent some extra time at the mound to be sure Smyly was all right after getting hit in the back. "Usually guys throw a couple of pitches and say 'I'm fine,' but he threw more than that, so I was a little concerned about it. "I told him I didn't want him to favor anything and end up hurting his arm," said Leyland. "But he threw the ball well. He doesn't rattle too much." That's one of the things Leyland liked about him in spring training when he called him "a cool customer." Being as calm as he is helped Smyly get through Brayan Pena's 13-pitch at-bat, although Pena hit the ball well on the 13th pitch, lining out to left. "He didn't give in. He didn't panic." Pena hit the ball hard, but Smyly didn't give in by walking him. That's impressive poise for a rookie. Of the pitches Smyly throws, Leyland said his change-up is "the one that needs a little work, but it's getting better."

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Abdominal pain ends throwing session by Tigers' Doug Fister April 19, 2012 By Tom Gage / The Detroit News Kansas City, Mo. — The Tigers are not calling it a setback. But any interruption of progress for a pitcher on the disabled list isn't ideal. And Doug Fister has encountered exactly that: An interruption of progress Fister threw 12 pitches off a bullpen mound on Tuesday, his second session of doing so since going on the disabled list April 8 because of a left side strain. But he had to cut the session short because of abdominal discomfort. No resumption of throwing has been scheduled yet. Fister is eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, but at this rate, there's little to no chance he will. "We're backing off him for a couple of days to give him a chance to regroup," said trainer Kevin Rand. "He stopped (throwing) because he was having some pain in his abdomen. At this point, we're just being overly cautious because he wasn't ready to let it go full-tilt." Fister's only start for the Tigers was April 7 against Boston. He experienced right middle finger soreness in spring training, but nothing related to his side and abdomen issues. Andy Dirks is still sore from the left hamstring "spasm" he experienced Tuesday night as he rounded third base in the eighth inning while scoring the Tigers' go-ahead run in their 3-1 triumph over the Royals. "It tightened up on him," said Rand. "He's kind of a day-to-day guy, very similar to what Gerald (Laird) was at the end of spring training." Meaning what in terms of absence? ""Probably two to three days." Raburn, too? Unlike Miguel Cabrera , who kiddingly asked for the baseball on Tuesday night when his 0-for-22 streak ended, Ryan Raburn didn't think of doing so. But he now wishes he had. Because he got a big kick out of what Cabrera did. Both slumps were 0-for-22 and both ended in the Tigers' 3-1 victory against the Royals — Cabrera's with a single (the first of his two in the game) and Raburn's with a double. "I should have done the same thing," Raburn said about asking for the ball. "But I felt kind of out of place because I hadn't been out there in so long. "I didn't know what to do." Dirks out Andy Dirks said he was still sore, but improving, after experiencing a left hamstring "spasm" as he rounded third base with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on Tuesday night. Rand called it a "day-to-day" situation for Dirks that will probably keep him out "two or three" more days. When asked if it was a positive report that it isn't more serious than that, an always-cautious manager Jim Leyland said, "I don't know about that." Around the horn Brandon Inge described Prince Fielder 's swing: "The most balanced I think I've ever seen." … Leyland about tonight's starter for the Rangers, Yu Darvish : "He's obviously a talented guy. We're well aware of every pitch he throws." … Dan Dickerson said he's spoken with his partner Jim Price (absent from the last four games due to illness) and that Price is feeling better — and will be back at the microphone tonight for the start of the Rangers' series at Comerica Park. … Leyland about the Rangers, after high praise for the White Sox and Royals on the last two stops: "They've been to the World Series two years in a row and kicked our butts in the playoffs. There's not much to say about them."

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Ex-Tigers explain why Jim Leyland left Justin Verlander in this time April 19, 2012 By Tony Paul / The Detroit News Detroit - Tigers manager Jim Leyland can't seem to win. He leaves Justin Verlander in, fans gripe. He pulls his ace, it's a similar reaction - perhaps even louder. Leyland, though, has two notable supporters for his latest decision to let Verlander finish off Monday night's 3-2 victory over the Royals, even though he still struggled to finish off his latest gem. "I called that," said former Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe, Fox Sports Detroit's newest pregame and postgame analyst. "I understand Jim, I understand what he's doing. He loves building confidence in his guys. He puts you in a situation where you believe you can succeed. He made a statement. He said, 'You're the best pitcher in the game, this is your game to win or lose.' "To me, that speaks volumes." Said former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry, who is filling in on the radio broadcasts while color man Jim Price recovers from illness: "Justin was so hard on himself because he had such a rough time closing it out against Tampa. Last night, I think he was trying to make amends for that one." Have a little faith Like when Petry was shown such displays of faith by Sparky Anderson years ago, Leyland was allowing his top-shelf right-hander to make those amends. That is a staple of the Tigers skipper's managerial philosophy: When a guy is coming off a rough outing, he believes, it's better to give him a chance to make up for it ASAP and get in a good frame of mind, rather than allowing him to sit and stew over his mishaps - and, in turn, possibly let some self-doubt sink in. It's why Leyland, for instance, often goes right back to a reliever who is coming off a rough game. Jose Valverde struggled April 11 (a Verlander loss) but was back in there the next day. Daniel Schlereth was roughed up April 13, yet was called on to pitch again the following day. It applies to hitters, too. Leyland isn't quick to sit down a slumping player, because you can't snap out of a slump on the bench. "That's just total trust in your guys," Monroe said. "As a player, you have to love that." Earlier in the season, of course, you have that luxury. Even if the fans don't always understand it. Verlander was baffling one Red Sox hitter after another on Opening Day, but with his pitch count at 105 - plenty for Game 1 - Leyland pulled him after eight innings. And Jose Valverde blew his first save since September 2010. The next start, against the Rays, Verlander tossed a similarly dominant first eight innings, but that time - with his pitch count at a ridiculously efficient 81 - Leyland left him in (as 29 other major league managers would've). But the Tigers ace shockingly unraveled, and let that one get away. Many hindsight-heavy fans cried foul both times, no doubt most only after the end result. (Similarly, I'm really smart while watching an episode of "Jeopardy" for the second time, too.) The Tigers won one game and lost the other, but Verlander, the reigning Cy Young and MVP winner, stood at 0-1. "That," said Petry, "is just part of the scrutiny the manager is under." Regardless whether it's fair. And, frankly, it often isn't. Just wins, baby The increased questions about how Leyland manages Verlander's outings probably is a big reason the Tigers manager has been increasingly snippy with reporters in recent days. (The team's sky-high prospects could be another.) Leyland even reportedly quipped to Verlander on Monday night, "You're going to get me fired." That was funny. Truth is, though, Leyland doesn't manage for the fans or the press. He manages for wins - even if he's thinking more about wins later in the season as much or even more than the actual day at hand. Even if Verlander had blown Monday's game, Leyland's move still might've paid off down the road. The theory is, Verlander would quickly come to learn: Your starts are yours to finish; don't be looking over your shoulder.

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So, given the chance to get the bad taste of his mouth from the previous outing, Verlander eventually shut the door Monday, despite allowing one run and loading the bases. He struck out Alex Gordon to end it, recording his first win of a season in which he has pitched well enough to be 3-0. "Now when he's back in that position," said Monroe, "he'll know exactly how to calm himself down." Calming down the fans and Leyland's critics, however, won't be as easy. But that's the price you pay for great expectations.

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Mighty Bookstock Volunteers once again organize enormous charity book sale for literacy programs April 19, 2012 By Neal Rubin / The Detroit News Someone else might boast at a moment like this, but Janet Berman sounds almost apologetic. She's standing amid some of the stacks of some of the thousands of cartons holding some of the tens of thousands of books bound for the largest event of its kind in Michigan. A moving van will arrive Thursday to haul them to Laurel Park Place in Livonia, where the 2012 edition of the Bookstock Used Book and Media Sale will occupy not only both ends of the mall when it kicks off Sunday, but for the first time, the middle. As Bookstock turns 10 years old, it has raised more than $650,000 for literacy and education programs, while paying its staff exactly nothing. It has funded library science scholarships at Wayne State, given hundreds of carloads of merchandise to other nonprofits, and funneled untold numbers of books out of basements and into people's laps where they belong. So there stands Berman, a co-chair since 2007, in one of the three rooms plus a hallway at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield Township that's serving as the Bookstock warehouse. Maybe she's thinking of the poor crew from DMS Moving Solutions in Canton Township that will have to lug the load to the shopping center. Or the setup staff that will work all night from the mall's close Saturday until the pre-opening sale at 8:15 a.m. Sunday. Or the waves of volunteers who will spend the week arranging fresh cartons of merchandise atop 240 long folding tables. Whatever the cause, there is a tone much like remorse in her voice as she looks around and says, "It's even bigger than last year." Vested interest For the record, I am an honorary co-chair of Bookstock, as well as a fervent booster. Put upward of 100,000 books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, records and even VHS movies in one spot, price them low for a good cause, and I am in your corner. So is Al Kaline, if only in a limited way. Bookstock runs through April 29 at Laurel Park, east of I-275 on Six Mile. The sale keeps mall hours — 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays, and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday — and it's free, except for the grand opening presale. That's $10, and it gets you first crack at the merchandise Sunday morning from 8:15-11. Among the regulars is the delightful Mary Spencer of Northville, a chef and cooking teacher who rolls in with a metal pull cart every year and rolls out with more cookbooks. I asked her once where she keeps her collection, which passed 5,000 several Bookstocks ago. "Everywhere," she said. Extra perks Kaline has never made an appearance at the presale, but he and the Detroit Tigers donated a signed baseball from the Hall of Fame outfielder that could become yours with minimal effort. Wednesday and Thursday of next week, from 3-9 p.m., are Bookbuster days. Buy four items and the least expensive one is free. Spend $25 or more, and your name will be entered into a drawing for the baseball. That's very nearly as good a deal as the final day, when everything is half price. Full price is already cheap: 25 cents for magazines, $1 for most paperbacks, $3 for most hardcovers. Collectibles and newer hardcovers cost more, but consider that a new paperback of Stieg Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" runs $9.99. The hardbound version that seemed to have escaped a box in the Bookstock storeroom will go home with someone for $4. Just to see who was lurking inside, I opened a carton of $1 paperback mysteries and found a bestseller all-star team: Michael Connelly, Robert Ludlum, David Baldacci, Ken Follett, Stuart Woods. Woods is increasingly a hack, but that's not Bookstock's fault — or Janet Berman's. At a buck a book, she has nothing at all to apologize for.

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Report: Former Detroit Tigers rescuer Pudge Rodriguez to announce retirement Monday April 19, 2012 By James Schmehl / MLive.com DETROIT -- Without a team to call home in 2012, it appears former Detroit Tigers catcher Pudge Rodriguez will call it a career. Rodriguez intends to announce his retirement Monday in Arlington, Texas, according to multiple reports. The announcement ends a 21-year major league baseball career that included four straight All-Star appearances with the Tigers during his five-year stint in Detroit. The Tigers were reportedly among four teams that expressed interest in Rodriguez this past offseason before re-signing Gerald Laird to a one-year deal. Rodriguez reportedly held out hope of receiving a minor-league contract from the Texas Rangers with an invitation to spring training. No offers to his liking emerged. A 13-time Gold Glove winner, Rodriguez played an integral part in the rebirth of a Tigers organization that desperately needed a prominent face to resurrect the franchise. Coming off an American League-worst 119 losses in 2003, the Tigers signed Rodriguez to a four-year, $40 million contract. It was a significant change of scenery for Rodriguez, who captured his only World Series title with the Florida Marlins the year before. With the addition of Rodriguez, the Tigers pieced together one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history with their run from 43 wins in 2003 to 95 in 2006 en route to their first World Series appearance since 1984. A career .297 hitter, Rodriguez’s signing essentially paved the way for a handful of highly touted free agents to come to Detroit, including Magglio Ordonez -- both represented by Scott Boras. His addition also spearheaded the signing of pitcher Kenny Rogers in 2006, and quite possibly played a role in Miguel Cabrera agreeing to an eight-year extension in 2008. Rodriguez is retiring with the Rangers, with whom he spent his first 12 seasons with before leaving as a free agent and signing a one-year contract with the Marlins. He spent the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals. Rodriguez finishes with a .296 batting average, 2,884 hits, 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs. He broke the record of 10 Gold Gloves at catcher that had been held by Johnny Bench and hit .300 or better 10 times.

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Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder takes page out of Miguel Cabrera's book to knock in winning run April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chicks dig the long ball. Teammates appreciate guys who play hard, run the bases well and do the little things it takes to win ballgames. Prince Fielder's teammates appreciated him Wednesday night. And he never hit a ball that even had a chance to go over the fence. Fielder had two hits in a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals. He knocked in two runs, including the game-winner. He even stole second base. When it was all said and done, he was the difference in the game for the Tigers. The Royals had three infielders to the right of second base when Fielder came to the plate with the score tied 3-3 and Miguel Cabrera on second base with two outs in the seventh inning. But Fielder beat the shift with a ground ball up the middle -- just to the left of second base, in fact -- to knock in the winning run. "I saw the hole over there," Fielder said. "I'm trying to learn from Miguel how to go that way. I'm trying mostly to stay up the middle, but I know if I'm a little late I've got a lot of space over there. "I was just trying to get the run in. Those RBIs are like gold." That RBI made a winner out of Max Scherzer (1-1), who allowed three runs in six innings. He said he wasn't surprised that Fielder executed the little things so well, or that he showed enthusiasm after doing so. "He's a baseball player," Scherzer said. "Baseball players love doing that. Anytime you can help a team win in any facet. That's what we're all about. That's why he fits so well in this clubhouse." Fielder came to the Tigers with a reputation as a guy who can mash the ball. He also came with a reputation for being a great teammate who plays the game the right way. For being a guy who, despite his large size, runs the bases hard and runs the bases well. That was easy to see in the third inning, when he stole second. But it was also easy to see in the first inning, when he raced down the line to first after hitting a ground ball to first baseman Eric Hosmer that had "easy out" written all over it. He was out on that play, but he reached base on an error on a ball he hit the same way two innings later. "He plays the game hard, and he plays the game right," said Gerald Laird, who was in the National League with Fielder last season. "That's one thing I noticed when I played against him. He plays the game the right way all the time, and good things happen to guys who do that. "I think it's good for a lot of young guys to watch how he goes about his business." The steal of second was memorable in part because it was so surprising. Fielder now has one steal this season, which matches his season total from both 2011 and 2010. It was the 17th steal of his career and the first against a left-handed pitcher since 2008. "It was pretty good baserunning," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Prince got a great jump. He went on first move, and he got a great jump." Fielder did get a great jump. So have the Tigers, who head home with a 9-3 record after their series sweep of the Royals.

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Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals players spill onto field after catchers exchange words April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was not the fact that Humberto Quintero was hit by a pitch that led to both benches clearing in the seventh inning. It was the reaction Quintero had to being hit, and the reaction catcher Gerald Laird to that reaction, that led to players from both teams jogging onto the field. The Detroit Tigers led 4-3 when starter Max Scherzer hit Quintero with a pitch to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Laird and Quintero exchanged words. Home-plate umpire Brian Knight stepped between them as players from both teams emptied out of the dugouts and bullpens and gathered at home plate. The episode did not come close to escalating into anything ugly as order was quickly restored. In fact, the players came onto the field in what could be best described as a slow jog. The exchange of words started when Laird said something to Quintero after the Royals catcher threw the bat on the ground at Laird's feet. "It wasn't like we were trying to hit him," Laird said. "Then he slammed the bat down, which I just had a little comment. We talked after that. I've known him for a long time. It's over with. It's left there. It's just one of those things. Guys get kind of heated." Quintero said he didn't throw the bat because he thought Scherzer hit him on purpose. He said he threw the bat because getting hit by the pitch "hurt a little bit." "We've known each other for a long time, so we both apologized," Quintero said. "It's nothing personal. Everything is cool. It's not a big deal." Laird said he just reacted to a situation that can be dangerous. "I just don't like the bat thrown at my toes or my feet," Laird said. "That's the only thing. If it breaks and something happens or it hits me in the foot or something. That's all." In the end, Quintero was willing to take the blame. "I think it's my fault because I threw the bat too close to him," he said. "That's why he got mad. Like I said, nothing personal."

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Prince Fielder knocks in two runs, steals base as Detroit Tigers complete sweep April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Tigers expect Prince Fielder to knock in runs. They don't expect him to steal bases. On Wednesday, he did both. Fielder knocked in two runs -- including the game-winner -- and stole second base as the Tigers earned a 4-3 victory to complete a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Fielder had an RBI double in the fifth inning, then knocked in another run in the seventh to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead that stood up thanks to three shutout innings from the bullpen. Fielder had one stolen base in each of the past two seasons and now has 17 for his career. It was the fourth steal of his career with a left-handed pitcher on the mound and his first of that variety since the 2008 season. The Tigers scored first when Jhonny Peralta hit a single to left that was too hot for Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar to handle. That scored Ryan Raburn from second base and gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with two outs in the top of the second. Tigers starter Max Scherzer retired the first seven batters he faced, but he ran into some trouble in the bottom of the third. After Scherzer issued a one-out walk to Mitch Maier, Alcides Escobar hit a line drive into the Royals bullpen beyond the wall in left field to make it 2-1. The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth. After Fielder reached on an error and stole second, Delmon Young singled. Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez then walked Raburn to load the bases. But the Tigers came up empty in the inning. Peralta lined out to the shortstop, Brandon Inge hit a pop-up to first and Gerald Laird hit a fly ball to center to strand three. The Tigers cut into the lead with a two-out rally in the fifth. After Miguel Cabrera singled, Fielder hit a double into the gap in right-center that scored Cabrera from first and made it 3-2. The Tigers scored two runs with two outs in the seventh inning. Laird led off the inning with a single, then went to third on a two-out single by Cabrera. A wild pitch allowed Cabrera to advance to second and Laird to score to tie the game 3-3. Fielder followed with a ground-ball single up the middle to make it 4-3. Players poured out of both dugouts and both bullpens in the seventh inning after Scherzer hit Humberto Quintero with a pitch to lead off the inning. Quintero and Laird exchanged words, and home-plate umpire Brian Knight stepped between them before players jogged to the home-plate area. Scherzer (1-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk in six-plus innings. He struck out three. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth and earned his third save. Sanchez allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out three. It was the fourth consecutive game the Tigers faced a left-handed starter.

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Miguel Cabrera gives Detroit Tigers teammates a laugh by calling for ball after streak-ending single April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a good sense of humor. So when he gestured -- in jest -- that he wanted the baseball as a keepsake after singling in the third inning Tuesday night, it probably didn't surprise his teammates. But it made them laugh. Television cameras caught Cabrera gesturing for the ball after the single, which broke a streak of 22 consecutive at-bats without a hit for Cabrera. "I heard about it, but I didn't see it," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "They were all laughing about it." Cabrera knocked in the winning run with his second hit of the night, a single in the eighth inning that scored Andy Dirks. That gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in what turned out to be a 3-1 victory. Cabrera finished 2-for-4 while raising his average to .256 for the season. Ryan Raburn also broke an 0-for-22 streak with a double in the same game. "I felt like doing the same thing," Raburn said of calling for the ball. "I felt kind of out of place because I hadn't been out there in so long."

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Detroit Tigers 'backing off' on Doug Fister after he cut throwing session short April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The return of Doug Fister from the disabled list is on hold for now. Fister cut short a throwing session Tuesday, one day after he threw for the first time since going on the disabled list with a left costochondral strain. "He went up off the mound yesterday and he wasn't ready to really let it go full," Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Wednesday afternoon. "We're backing off him for a couple of days here and giving him a chance to kind of regroup a little bit." Rand said Fister cut the session short because he had some pain in his abdomen. Rand said there still is no timetable for Fister's return, but he said it was more accurate to term the latest bump in the road as a delay rather than a setback. Fister threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox on April 7 before coming out of the game. He is eligible to return from the disabled list Monday, but it seems very unlikely that he will be ready to return to the rotation immediately. Other injury updates: Andy Dirks: Dirks had his left hamstring tighten up Tuesday night while scoring the winning run in a 3-1 victory over the Royals. Rand said it was a hamstring spasm, which is less serious than a strain. "It's a little sore today," Rand said. "Basically, we're treating him and he's kind of a day-to-day guy. It'll probably be a couple, three days. But at this point it's hard to tell." Drew Smyly: Smyly was hit in the back with a line drive off the bat of Alcides Escobar during the game Tuesday night. He is expected to make his next scheduled start. "It's good," Smyly said. "It's a little stiff and it's a little tight." Drew-Smyly-mug-3-7-12.jpgDrew Smyly Smyly said after the game Tuesday that the ball hit him right on the muscle and that it could have been much worse had he been hit elsewhere. Rand agreed and said a line drive off the shoulder blade or the spine could have been more problematic. "He got smoked," Rand said. "He took a good shot. He took it in the lower lat part of the back." Jacob Turner: Turner remains in Lakeland, Fla., while working his way back from tendinitis that forced him out of action during spring training. "He's in his throwing progression down there," Rand said. "He's scheduled to pitch here soon." The Toledo Blade reported late Wednesday night that Turner will start Monday for Single-A Lakeland.

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Jim Leyland stacks lineup with right-handed hitters in Detroit Tigers' series finale vs. Royals April 19, 2012 By James Schmehl / MLive.com DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland stacked the Tigers’ lineup heavy with left-handed hitters Tuesday when left-hander Bruce Chen took the mound. It was an uncharacteristic lineup move that paid off when left-handed hitter Andy Dirks led off the eighth inning with a leadoff single, and eventually scored the go-ahead run. It was simply a gut decision, Leyland said Tuesday. But with Dirks nursing a left hamstring injury, Leyland has elected to go back to his accustomed right-handed lineup Wednesday with Kansas City left-hander Jonathan Sanchez set to start. It’s the fourth consecutive left-handed starting pitcher the Tigers will have faced this week. As a result, the Tigers have penciled in only two left-handed hitters (Brennan Boesch and Prince Fielder) tonight, opposed to the four they used Tuesday. Jhonny Peralta returns from a day off and will bat seventh in front of Brandon Inge, who is expected to make starts at second base against left-handed starters. Gerald Laird will receive his third start behind the plate in place of the left-handed hitting Alex Avila, who is 1-for-11 the past three games. Celebrating his 29th birthday today, Miguel Cabrera will try to build on his 2-for-4 showing Tuesday, which snapped an 0-for-22 hitless streak. It was the second-longest stretch of his 10-year career, and longest as Tigers player. Detroit is looking for its first series sweep in Kansas City in nearly four years, while the Royals will try to avoid their first seven-game skid since early May in 2010. The Tigers will counter with right-hander Max Scherzer, who will make his third start this season in the team’s series finale against the Kansas City. Scherzer is still seeking his first win this year after suffering a loss in his last start, despite giving up only three runs and striking out 11 over six innings in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. His ERA remains a bloated 10.38 after he allowed seven runs over 2 2/3 innings in his disastrous season debut April 8. Here's tonight's starting lineups: DETROIT TIGERS 1. Austin Jackson, CF 2. Brennan Boesch, RF 3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B 4. Prince Fielder, 1B 5. Delmon Young, DH 6. Ryan Raburn, LF 7. Jhonny Peralta, SS 8. Brandon Inge, 2B 9. Gerald Laird, C KANSAS CITY ROYALS 1. Alex Gordon, LF 2. Yuniesky Betancourt, 2B 3. Eric Hosmer, 1B 4. Billy Butler, DH 5. Jeff Francoeur, RF 6. Mike Moustakas, 3B 7. Humberto Quintero, C 8. Mitch Maier, CF 9. Alcides Escobar, SS

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Here are the probable pitchers for the Tigers' four-game series against the Texas Rangers: Thursday vs. Texas DETROIT: LHP Adam Wilk. TEXAS: RHP Yu Darvish. Friday vs. Texas DETROIT: RHP Rick Porcello. TEXAS: LHP Matt Harrison. Saturday vs. Texas DETROIT: RHP Justin Verlander. TEXAS: RHP Neftali Feliz. Sunday vs. Texas DETROIT: LHP Drew Smyly. TEXAS: RHP Colby Lewis.

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Detroit Tigers set to face fourth straight southpaw after Luke Hochevar's start pushed back April 19, 2012 By James Schmehl / MLive.com DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers were expecting to face right-handed starting pitcher Luke Hochevar in their series finale Wednesday. That's changed. Hochevar's start was tentatively pushed to Friday as he continues to nurse a sore left ankle after being struck by a liner in the Royals’ home opener last Friday. In his place, the Royals will send left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to the mound on short rest. It will be the fourth straight left-handed starting pitcher the Tigers will have faced this week. The past three games, Detroit has faced southpaws Chris Sale (Sunday), Danny Duffy (Monday) and Bruce Chen (Tuesday) and were limited to a combined seven runs in 18 2/3 innings. The pitching change will certainly play a role in how Jim Leyland will manage Wednesday's lineup. On Tuesday, Leyland inserted four left-handed hitters in the starting lineup against a southpaw -- a change from a lineup typically reserved for right-handed hitters. It's unlikely Leyland will follow suit Wednesday with another left-hander on the mound, as left-handed hitter Andy Dirks is nursing a sore left hamstring and Jhonny Peralta is coming off a day of rest. Sanchez, who will be pitching on three day's rest, will try to help Kansas City avoid its first seven-game skid since May of 2010. He only threw 75 pitches and worked 2 2/3 innings in a loss against Cleveland last Saturday and lost his only start against Detroit in 2008 when he was with San Francisco. Texas left-hander Matt Harrison was scheduled to start Friday's series opener against Detroit, but he flip-flopped with right-hander Yu Darvish in the Rangers' rotation. The move essentially splits up the Rangers' left-handers with southpaw Derek Holland tentatively scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Harrison will be pitching on six days' rest when he takes the mound on Friday.

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Detroit Tigers reliever Octavio Dotel on verge of 700th career appearance April 19, 2012 By Chris Iott / MLive.com KANSAS CITY -- Octavio Dotel has pitched for a lot of teams. He has also pitched in a lot of games. The next game Dotel pitches in will be the 700th of his 14-year career, which has seen him pitch for 13 different teams. Dotel threw a scoreless seventh inning and earned the victory Tuesday night in a 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers signed Dotel as a free agent in the offseason. He has fit in well in the bullpen and in the clubhouse. "He's a very usable relief pitcher who's full of life and energy and loves the game," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He's still hungry. That's pretty good. I like him a lot. He's a nice fit for us." Dotel generally partners with left-hander Phil Coke to handle seventh-inning duties for the Tigers. The game Tuesday night allowed Leyland to use his bullpen perfectly. Drew Smyly pitched six innings, then Dotel handled the seventh, Joaquin Benoit the eighth and Jose Valverde the ninth. When the Tigers rallied for two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie, Dotel earned the win. "I think he's a real good pitcher that can really help us," Leyland said. "And he's a wonderful personality. That pretty much sums it up."

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MLB draft order released, Detroit Tigers won't pick until late in second round April 19, 2012 By James Schmehl / MLive.com DETROIT -- It cost the Tigers more than $214 million to bring prized free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder to Detroit. It required them to forfeit their first-round pick, too. Major League Baseball finalized the selection order for the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, and it won’t feature a Tigers pick until late in the second round. Detroit’s first selection will be at No. 91 after the club forfeited its No. 27 pick to Milwaukee by signing Fielder, a Type A free agent. The Tigers also own pick Nos. 121 and 154. It's the second straight year Detroit hasn't drafted in the first round and third consecutive year the club has relinquished a first-round pick. The Tigers forfeited their first-round picks in 2010 and 2011 when they signed free agents Jose Valverde and Victor Martinez, respectively. However, the club gained two supplemental first-round picks in 2010 when it lost relievers Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney. As a result, the Tigers were able to land infielder Nick Castellanos, the club’s top position prospect, and reliever Chance Ruffin. Ruffin was packaged with outfielder Casper Wells and left-hander Charlie Furbush in a trade with Seattle that brought pitchers Doug Fister and David Pauley to Detroit. This year’s draft could provide a few new challenges for the Tigers, who will be operating under a new rule in the collective bargaining agreement that will give each team a pool of money to use to sign players picked in the first 10 rounds. Any team that spends beyond the pool for the first 10 rounds will face stiff penalties, from heavy fines to the loss of future draft picks. Given the draft restrictions, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers shy away from perceived costly high school players given the restrictions set by the new rules. In the past, Detroit has spent significant money on its first-round picks, yielding high school standouts Rick Porcello, Jacob Turner and Castellanos. The new rule spells out a hard slotting system that is expected to help eliminate the holdouts, deadline deals and above-slot bonuses. The size of the pools will depend on the number of picks a club has in a given year and where those picks fall each round. The club picking No. 1 overall will have the largest pool to draw from. The first overall selection will go to the Houston Astros, who had the league's worst record last year. The first round of the draft will be held on Monday, June 4, along with the first compensation round. Rounds two through 10 will follow on June 5, with the draft then concluding the next day. Baseball has shortened the Draft from 50 rounds to 40. The Brewers also get a compensation pick after the first round, No. 38, because of losing Fielder to free agency. The compensation for losing Fielder was kept in order because the Brewers offered him salary arbitration. St. Louis acquired a compensation pick (No. 52) for losing Type B free agent Octavio Dotel, but Detroit wasn’t required to forfeit a pick when it signed the 38-year-old this offseason.

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Fielder drives in go-ahead run for Scherzer's first win April 19, 2012 By Robert Falkoff / MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- Memo to the American League: If you want to apply the shift and pack the right side of the infield against Prince Fielder, proceed at your own risk. The Royals applied the shift against Fielder on Wednesday night and the left-handed power hitter promptly foiled the strategy in the seventh inning, stroking a grounder through the shortstop hole to drive in the winning run in the Tigers' 4-3 victory at Kauffman Stadium. In sports, it's all about taking what the defense gives you. Instead of focusing on pulling the ball and playing to his power, Fielder beat the shift to send Detroit home with a three-game sweep of Kansas City and a 4-2 road trip. "I see the hole over there," Fielder said. "I'm trying to learn from Miguel [Cabrera] how to go that way. I'm trying mostly to stay up the middle, but I know if I'm a little late I've got a lot of space over there. I was just trying to get the run in. Those RBIs are like gold." The majestic home run to right field is Fielder's calling card, but simple RBI singles to center have loomed large in the Tigers' last two games. The series finale was particularly enjoyable for Fielder, who had a rare stolen base in the fourth and got up clapping his hands. "Just having fun," Fielder said. "Every day, we have a chance to win. It's a really great opportunity." The Tigers, 9-3, received a six-inning start from Max Scherzer, who saw his teammates get him a win by scoring two in the seventh. Scherzer surrendered a two-run homer to Alcides Escobar and the Royals had a 3-2 lead when Detroit came through with the winning rally. After Gerald Laird opened the seventh with a single, the next two Tigers were retired. But Cabrera singled to right-center, setting up a first-and-third situation. A wild pitch by reliever Jose Mijares allowed Laird to score and then Fielder drove home the winner. Joaquin Benoit got out of an eighth-inning jam and Jose Valverde earned his third save. Scherzer showed poise on the mound in the fifth when he caught Alex Gordon breaking early for third as the Royals tried to pad a 3-2 lead. With two on and one out, the Royals went for the double steal but came up empty as Scherzer held the ball rather than make a standard delivery to the plate. "I had kind of been in a rhythm going to the plate," Scherzer said. "I was able to catch him when he was stealing and that turned out to be a big play. It kept them at bay at that point in the game." Tigers manager Jim Leyland thinks the Royals are a much better club than their record indicates. Kansas City, 3-9, has dropped seven in a row. "I'm glad we're getting out of here, because this club is about ready to break loose," Leyland said. After Detroit pulled ahead in the seventh, Scherzer hit Humberto Quintero and Quintero threw his bat down at the feet of Laird. When the Detroit catcher voiced his objection, both dugouts emptied and players from the bullpen ran toward the plate. It turned out to be much ado about nothing. "I just don't like the bat thrown at my toes or my feet," Laird said. "It's over with. It's left there." Said Quintero: "We both apologized. I think it's my fault because I threw the bat too close to him." For the second night in a row, Detroit's bullpen was outstanding. Phil Coke came on after Scherzer hit Quintero and quickly retired three consecutive batters. "That's what big league pitchers do," said Leyland, noting that Coke hadn't worked in six days. "A big league pitcher has to be able to sit down there for five or six days and then come out and throw strikes. I know it's not easy." The Tigers are headed home to face the Rangers after a road trip that started shakily in Chicago, but ended with Detroit winning the last four. "We had a little hiccup in Chicago, but we came on and made it a pretty good road trip," Fielder said. "We want to get home now and keep the momentum going."

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Tigers set to host Rangers in ALCS rematch April 19, 2012 By Jon Star / MLB.com The Rangers and Tigers followed up their meeting in the 2011 American League Championship Series with plenty of action on the free-agent market during the winter. The two sides didn't have to wait long this season for a rematch, as they meet for a four-game series in Detroit starting Thursday. While both teams are once again favored to reach October, an early-season meeting is bound to provide plenty of excitement, said Rangers infielder Michael Young. "It will be a fun series," said Young. "They've got a great team. They had a great team before Prince Fielder. They are even better now. The ALCS, it was a great series. Over a long series, one thing that happens is you respect how good the other team is. That whole series, we knew how good Detroit was. They're a great team. We saw it last season." The biggest addition during the Rangers' offseason, Yu Darvish, will get his first look at arguably the AL's best lineup. The right-hander has yet to go a full six innings in either of his starts, but Darvish (1-0, 4.76 ERA) comes off a positive outing in which he held the Twins to two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings. Rangers manager Ron Washington acknowledged Darvish has a challenge ahead of him. "They're a very good club," Washington said. "They've got pitching and they've added Fielder to the lineup. They got [Brennan] Boesch back, which makes them even more dangerous. They have a potent lineup. They can play." A fellow new face will be sharing the mound with Darvish, as Adam Wilk makes his second Major League start and seventh big league appearance. Wilk (0-1, 3.60 ERA) allowed two earned runs over five innings against the White Sox on Saturday. Originally, there had been some concern that Wilk would not be available for Thursday's series opener after he was removed from his previous outing when he was struck by a foul ball while in the dugout. A line drive off Fielder's bat resulted in a bruised right shoulder, but the right-hander showed no lasting ill-effects. "It was disappointing," Wilk said following the injury. "I'd like to keep going out there and try to keep the team in the game where it was, just try to give them an opportunity to come out. But we might as well just be safe at this point. Getting hit in your throwing shoulder isn't always a good thing." Rangers: Cruz breaks out of his slump • Nelson Cruz suffered through an 0-for-12 stretch over a four-game period from April 10-13. However, the slugger has turned a corner over the last four games, going 7-for-18 with one home run, two RBIs, five runs scored and three doubles. Cruz's average had dipped as low as .138 prior to his outburst. Cruz hit .314 (11-for-35) with three home runs and nine RBIs against the Tigers last season. • Young could return to the lineup Thursday after sitting out Wednesday due to lower back stiffness. Tigers: Jackson setting the table • Despite an 0-for-4 night on Wednesday, Austin Jackson's hot start has set the table for the Tigers' potent lineup. Jackson is hitting .333 (15-for-45) with two home runs, three doubles and four RBIs. The center fielder's start is a stark contrast to 2011, when Jackson opened the year with a .178 average in April. Jackson tallied just 18 hits in 101 April at-bats last season. Worth noting • The Rangers were 3-6 against the Tigers in 2011 -- with four losses decided by one run -- and 5-16 since the start of the 2007 season. • The Rangers began the season 9-2 for the second straight season -- the second-best start in franchise history, only surpassed by their 10-1 start in 1989. • Tigers starting pitchers own a 2.74 ERA (18 earned runs in 59 innings pitched) over their last nine games since April 10.

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Fister has setback in rehab program April 19, 2012 By Robert Falkoff / MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- The Tigers have decided to temporarily slow right-hander Doug Fister's rehabilitation program after Fister felt something in the abdomen area while throwing on Tuesday. Fister, recovering from a left costochondral strain in his rib cage, cut short the Tuesday session after experiencing discomfort. "We're backing off him for a couple of days," Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said. "He stopped because he was having some pain in the abdomen." Fister, who was 8-1 for the Tigers with a 1.79 earned run average in 10 starts last year, went on the 15-day disabled list April 8. He had thrown 10 fastballs off the mound on Monday before throwing again on Tuesday. "At this point, we're just being overly cautious," Rand said. "When he went up on the mound [Tuesday], he wasn't ready to really let it go in full." In another injury-related development, Andy Dirks is receiving treatment after tweaking his left hamstring while scoring the go-ahead run from second in the eighth inning Tuesday night. Dirks, who had a single to start the winning two-run rally, felt tightness as he scored on a Miguel Cabrera single. "It's a little sore," Rand said. "Basically, he's a day-to-day guy. It'll probably be a couple to three days at this point. It tightened up on his way around third. He didn't force it or do anything to really pull it."

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Benoit flashes post-All-Star form April 19, 2012 By Robert Falkoff / MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- Tigers reliever Joaquin Benoit had an impressive eighth inning on Tuesday while flashing the form that he showed after the All-Star break in 2011. Benoit, who had a 1.33 earned run average in 27 appearances after the All-Star break last year, struck out the side while allowing one hit in Detroit's 3-1 win over the Royals. "He was terrific," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. Not even a misplay in the outfield could fluster Benoit. Wit two outs, right fielder Brennan Boesch tried to make a play on Jeff Francouer's liner, which looked like a routine single. Boesch came up well short with his diving attempt and the ball rolled past him for a triple. But Benoit promptly fanned Mike Moustakas, leaving closer Jose Valverde with a two-run lead to work with in the ninth.

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Tigers prepare for ALCS rematch April 19, 2012 By Robert Falkoff / MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- A series in mid-April isn't going to make up for a loss in the 2011 American League Championship Series last October. But the Tigers would like to establish a different tone against the Texas Rangers, beginning Thursday night at Comerica Park. The Tigers will get their first look at heralded Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, who gets the ball in the series opener. "We've scouted him heavily," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's a really talented guy and he's bigger than most Japanese pitchers." The Tigers want what the two-time defending AL champion Rangers have. "They've been in the World Series two years in a row and they kicked our butts in the playoffs last year," Leyland said. "There's not much else to say."

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Tempers flare as Scherzer plunks Quintero April 19, 2012 By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com KANSAS CITY -- Nothing personal, the Royals' Humberto Quintero said, it's just that the darn thing hurt. That's why Quintero reacted angrily at being struck on the left elbow by a pitch from right-hander Max Scherzer in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 4-3 Kansas City loss to the Detroit Tigers. Quintero threw his bat to the dirt and exchanged words with his counterpart, Tigers catcher Gerald Laird. That prompted players from both dugouts to trot onto the field, with reinforcements charging in from both bullpens. Other than milling around a bit, the assemblage exchanged nothing but a remark or two, and the attendees were shooed to their proper places by the umpiring crew. "I didn't get mad because I got hit; I got mad because it hurt a little bit -- that's why I threw the bat," Quintero said. "I didn't think he hit me on purpose or anything like that. He throws a lot of sinkers and the sinker hit me in the elbow, and that's it." When Quintero angrily slammed down the bat, it got too close to Laird's foot for comfort, and he had a few words for Quintero. "I don't like to have the bat thrown down at my feet like that," Laird said. "We talked about it, and it's fine." Quintero admitted it was his fault for almost hitting Laird with the bat. "This is part of the game," Quintero said. "We've known each other for a long time, so we both apologized. It's nothing personal. Everything is cool; it's not a big deal." Laird agreed with Quintero. "It wasn't like we were trying to hit him," Laird said. "Then he slammed the bat down, for which I had a little comment. We talked after that. I've known him for a long time. It's over with; it's left there. It's just one of those things -- guys get kind of heated." Benches-clearing incidents are becoming rather common at Kauffman Stadium. Just Saturday night, it was Quintero who intervened with Shin-Soo Choo when the Indians slugger took umbrage at being drilled on the knee by Jonathan Sanchez, who also started Wednesday night's game for the Royals. Quintero helped keep Choo at bay in the first of two benches-clearing incidents in that game. When Indians pitcher Jeanmar Gomez responded by hitting Mike Moustakas with a pitch, another ruckus broke out, but that, too, was reined in promptly. Gomez, along with Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta, was ejected from that game. On Wednesday, Gomez was suspended for five games by Major League Baseball and fined for intentionally hitting Moustakas. Gomez has appealed the suspension. In Wednesday night's incident, both the Tigers and Royals were warned to cease and desist. Detroit manager Jim Leyland took Scherzer out of the game before he faced another batter, and nothing further developed. During the milling about on the field, the Tigers' Prince Fielder and the Royals' Yuniesky Betancourt, teammates last year with the Brewers, were chatting and yukking it up. Fielder shrugged off the Quintero-Laird incident. "It was just a misunderstanding between two people -- no big deal," Fielder said.

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Fielder, Scherzer help Tigers rally past Royals Tigers on 4-3 win over Royals April 19, 2012 By Staff / Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera used singles instead of home runs to help top the Kansas City Royals. Fielder drove in Cabrera twice with two-out hits, Max Scherzer got his first win of the season and the Detroit Tigers beat the Royals 4-3 Wednesday night. The Royals have lost seven straight, including their first six games at Kauffman Stadium, the most consecutive home losses in franchise history to start a season. The Royals lost their first five at home in 1993. The Tigers scored two runs in the seventh off relievers Kelvin Herrera and Jose Mijares (0-1). Gerald Laird led off the inning with a single off Herrera, advanced to third on Cabrera's two-out single and scored on Mijares' wild pitch. Fielder singled home Cabrera with the go-ahead run. "Miguel was the batting leader," Fielder said. "We're trying to be good hitters in that situation. That's what the situation was. That's just being a baseball player." Cabrera, who snapped an 0-for-22 slide Tuesday, and Fielder combined to go 4 for 9. Fielder also stole his first base of the season. Royals manager Ned Yost was second-guessing himself for not intentionally walking Fielder after Mijares' wild pitch moved Cabrera to second with two out. "The first time it was just a good case of hitting," Yost said of Cabrera's single beating a shift. "The second time was pure stupidity on my part, plain and simple that's what it was. After the wild pitch, we had a runner on second. I started to overthink the situation." Scherzer (1-1), who had given up 10 runs and 13 hits and three walks in 8 2-3 innings in his first two starts, held the Royals to three runs and seven hits and one walk in six innings. Scherzer lowered his ERA from 10.38 to 7.98. "It's always good to get a win here," Scherzer said. "I was able to work around some trouble. I executed some pitches and they were hitting them. They have a good hitting lineup. The offense gave us a lead and the bullpen got some key double plays. That's what those guys do. We've got four or five guys who can come in and give you a quality appearance and get some guys out when you need it. That's big." Alcides Escobar's home run in the third gave the Royals a 2-1 advantage, their first lead in 27 innings and the second one of the homestand. Humberto Quintero hit an RBI double in the fourth inning for the other Kansas City run. Billy Butler celebrated his 26th birthday by extending his hitting streak to eight games. Royals left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, who was starting on three days' rest for only the fourth time in his career, pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth. Sanchez left after five innings and 97 pitches, giving up two runs and four hits, while striking out three and walking three. Jhonny Peralta singled in the second for the first Detroit run, and Fielder's two-out fifth-inning double to right-center scored Cabrera with the other run off Sanchez. Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his third save in four chances. Valverde got Escobar to ground into a game-ending double play. The dugouts and bullpens emptied briefly in the bottom of the seventh when Quintero was hit by Scherzer's pitch to lead off the inning. Quintero had words with Tigers catcher Laird before going to first base, which led to the players streaming onto the field. Words were exchanged, but no punches. "He slammed the bat down and I said something to him about it," Laird said. "I don't like to have the bat thrown down at my feet like that. We talked about it and it's fine." NOTES: 2B Yuniesky Betancourt batted second, the sixth Royals player to hit in the No. 2 slot in the first 12 games. ... Tigers RHP Octavio Dotel is one appearance shy of appearing in his 700th game. He would become the 93rd pitcher in big league history to appear in at least 700 games. ... The Tigers are 38-19 at Kauffman Stadium since Jim Leyland took over as manager in 2006. ... The Royals have two blown saves in four opportunities. They are without closer RHP Joakim Soria, who is out for the season because of elbow surgery.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Team Player Transaction

Arizona Diamondbacks Geoff Blum Placed on 15-Day DL, (Strained left oblique)

Arizona Diamondbacks Brent Clevlen Signed to a Minor League Contract

Arizona Diamondbacks Chris Young Placed on 15-Day DL, (Right shoulder contusion)

Arizona Diamondbacks Daniel Stange Released

Arizona Diamondbacks Cody Ransom Purchased From Minors

Arizona Diamondbacks A.J. Pollock Purchased From Minors

Boston Red Sox Junichi Tazawa Called Up from Minors

Boston Red Sox Mark Melancon Sent to Minors

Cleveland Indians Jeanmar Gomez Suspension Announced By League, (five games)

Minnesota Twins Jason Marquis Called Up from Minors

Minnesota Twins Luke Hughes Designated for Assignment

New York Yankees Cody Eppley Called Up from Minors

New York Yankees Brett Gardner Placed on 15-Day DL, (Sore right elbow)

Pittsburgh Pirates Brad Lincoln Called Up from Minors

Pittsburgh Pirates Jeff Karstens Placed on 15-Day DL, (Right shoulder inflammation)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Team Player Transaction

Baltimore Orioles Josh Bell Designated for Assignment

Baltimore Orioles Luis Exposito Sent to Minors

Baltimore Orioles Luis Exposito Acquired Off Waivers From, Boston

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Cincinnati Reds Todd Frazier Called Up from Minors

Cincinnati Reds Miguel Cairo Placed on 15-Day DL, (Strained left hamstring)

Cincinnati Reds Jordan Smith Sent to Minors

Cincinnati Reds Jordan Smith Removed From 15-Day DL, (Right elbow strain)

Cleveland Indians Johnny Damon Signed to a Minor League Contract

Cleveland Indians Nick Hagadone Called Up from Minors

Colorado Rockies Edgmer Escalona Called Up from Minors

Colorado Rockies Tyler Chatwood Sent to Minors

Milwaukee Brewers Alex Gonzalez Reinstated from Paternity Leave List

Oakland Athletics Andrew Carignan Sent to Minors

Oakland Athletics Tyson Ross Called Up from Minors

Oakland Athletics Collin Cowgill Sent to Minors

Oakland Athletics Neil Wagner Called Up from Minors

Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Gomes Called Up from Minors

Monday, April 16, 2012

Team Player Transaction

Cleveland Indians Asdrubal Cabrera Placed on Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List

Philadelphia Phillies Jose Contreras Removed From 15-Day DL, (Recovery from right elbow surgery)

San Diego Padres Mark Kotsay Removed From 15-Day DL, (Right calf strain)

San Diego Padres Brad Brach Sent to Minors

San Diego Padres Mark Kotsay Recalled From Minors, Rehab Assignment

San Francisco Giants Madison Bumgarner Signed, ( 2013-2017; Opt 2018-2019)(five-year extension)

Tampa Bay Rays Alex Cobb Sent to Minors