A day after watching their bullpen blow a sure-fire victory, the Detroit Tigers will send ace Justin Verlander to the hill for the second game of a three-game set with Seattle on Tuesday night.
Utility man Ryan Raburn, currently the Tigers' answer at second base, will bat sixth behind designated hitter Delmon Young. Slotted in the No. 2 spot after another multi-hit game on Monday, outfielder Andy Dirks has impressed quite often as of late, and will look to lock down an outfield position for the foreseeable future with another strong performance.
In addition, backup catcher Gerald Laird will also give Alex Avila a day off behind the plate for Detroit. Laird, who is primarily a defensive catcher, has been red-hot as a hitter this season in limited action with a .316 average.
Tonight's lineup: Jackson 8, Dirks 7, Cabrera 5, Fielder 3, Young dh, Raburn 4, Peralta 6, Boesch 9, Laird 2. Verlander is starting. #tigers
— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) May 8, 2012
Here are the full lineups for both teams (first pitch is scheduled for 10:10 pm ET):
Tigers
1. Austin Jackson - CF
2. Andy Dirks - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Ryan Raburn - 2B
7. Jhonny Peralta - SS
8. Brennan Boesch - RF
9. Gerald Laird - C
Justin Verlander - SP
Mariners
1. Dustin Ackley - 2B
2. Brendan Ryan - SS
3. Ichiro Suzuki - RF
4. Jesus Montero - C
5. Kyle Seager - 3B
6. John Jaso - DH
7. Justin Smoak - 1B
8. Mike Carp - LF
9. Michael Saunders - CF
Kevin Millwood - SP
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