SB Nation Detroit - Tigers At Athletics: A's Pitching Stifles Tigers Bats, Earns A's Series Splithttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48919/detroit-fave.png2011-04-17T19:52:43-04:00http://detroit.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18761082011-04-17T19:52:43-04:002011-04-17T19:52:43-04:00Tigers Bats Can't Touch A's Starting Pitching, Split Series
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<p><span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: normal;"> </span></p>
<p>Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - <span>Josh Willingham</span> had a two-run single to help back eight strong innings from <span>Trevor Cahill</span>, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> earned a 5-1 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> in the finale of a four-game set.</p>
<p><span>Conor Jackson</span>, <span>Hideki Matsui</span> and <span>Cliff Pennington</span> also knocked in a run apiece for Oakland, which earned a split in the series and has won three of its last five overall. <span>Mark Ellis</span> had a pair of doubles and scored a run in the victory.</p>
<p>Cahill (2-0) was stellar in his outing, allowing one run on four hits and striking out nine without issuing a walk.</p>
<p>"Great job by Trevor today," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "He definitely answered the challenge, going eight innings and throwing 112 pitches."</p>
<p><span>Casper Wells</span> accounted for the only offense with a homer for the Tigers, who have dropped two in a row after winning the previous four.</p>
<p><span>Brad Penny</span> (0-2) suffered the loss after yielding five runs on four hits, with four walks in five-plus innings of work. The veteran right-hander struck out five.</p>
<p>Oakland manufactured a run in the fourth to open the scoring. <span>Daric Barton</span> drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a single by Jackson. After Willingham struck out, Matsui's groundout plated Barton.</p>
<p>The Athletics then tacked on three more in the fifth. <span>Landon Powell</span> led off with a double and the next two batters were retired before <span>David DeJesus</span> was hit by a pitch and Barton walked. A free pass to Jackson forced in a run and Willingham followed with a two-run single through the left side for a 4-0 game.</p>
<p>Wells' homer leading off the sixth got the Tigers on the board, but Oakland got the run back in the home half on Pennington's sacrifice fly.</p>
<p>Cahill stranded a runner in the seventh, worked around a leadoff single in the eighth and was lifted after throwing 112 pitches -- 80 for strikes -- in favor of <span>Tyson Ross</span> in the ninth.</p>
<p>The young right-hander gave up a leadoff single to <span>Austin Jackson</span> before settling down to strikeout <span>Brennan Boesch</span> and <span>Miguel Cabrera</span>. <span>Ryan Raburn</span> then flied out to left to end the game.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>These two teams split six meetings last season...Cahill improved to 2-1 in four career appearances against the Tigers...Oakland stranded seven runners on base, while Detroit left four.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2011/4/17/2117092/tigers-athletics-starting-pitching-series-splitPackey2011-04-17T00:54:30-04:002011-04-17T00:54:30-04:00Tigers Win Streak Ends With 6-2 Loss To A's
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<p><span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: normal;">(Saturday, April 16th) </span></p>
<p>Final Score: Oakland 6, Detroit 2</p>
<p>Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - <span>Hideki Matsui</span> drove in a run and scored during Oakland's three-run fourth inning, putting the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> on top for good en route to a 6-2 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> in the third meeting of a four-game series.</p>
<p><span>Dallas Braden</span> (1-1) exited with stiffness in his throwing shoulder after allowing one unearned run on three hits in five innings for the A's, whose combined to allow one run on three hits and four walks over the final four frames.</p>
<p><span>Justin Verlander</span> (1-2) surrendered four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in six innings to take the loss, Detroit's first in five games.</p>
<p>The Tigers took an early lead in their second at-bat, as <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> raced home from third on <span>Brennan Boesch</span>'s grounder to first and scored standing up when <span>Kurt Suzuki</span> couldn't handle <span>Daric Barton</span>'s low throw.</p>
<p>The lead was short-lived, as Oakland went ahead with three straight doubles to open the fourth inning. <span>David DeJesus</span> led off with a two-bagger and scored on <span>Josh Willingham</span>'s dribbler down the third-base line.</p>
<p>Matsui followed with a double to right field for a 2-1 lead, then scored on Suzuki's base hit to left.</p>
<p>Oakland added another run on doubles from <span>Kevin Kouzmanoff</span> and <span>Coco Crisp</span> in the sixth.</p>
<p>Pinch-hitter <span>Ryan Sweeney</span> added an RBI triple off <span>Enrique Gonzalez</span> in the eighth, then scored on a Kouzmanoff sac fly for a 6-1 lead.</p>
<p>Fuentes relieved Balfour with two on and no outs in the ninth, and limited the damage to <span>Austin Jackson</span>'s run-scoring fielder's choice grounder.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>The A's came into the series with wins in four of five games, but they were shut out, 3-0, in the opener and lost in 10 innings, 8-4, on Friday...<span>Victor Martinez</span> had two of Detroit's six hits...Tigers outfielder <span>Magglio Ordonez</span> returned from a four-game absence (ankle) and went 1-for-4...DeJesus and Matsui each had two hits.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2011/4/17/2115964/tigers-win-streak-ends-with-6-2-loss-to-asPackey2011-04-16T01:58:14-04:002011-04-16T01:58:14-04:00Big 10th Inning Helps Tigers Win Fourth Straight; Jim Leyland Gets 1,500th Career Win
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<p>Heading into the top of the 10th inning tied 1-1, it looked like it could be a long night for the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Tigers</a> and <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Athletics</a>. Then the Tigers’ bats woke up.</p>
<p><span>Miguel Cabrera</span> homered in the top of the ninth to tie the game, then the Tigers drove in seven runs in the 10th inning to beat the Athletics 8-4 for their fourth straight win. Jim Leyland won his 1,500th game as a manager in the process.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, giving up only one run didn’t get <span>Rick Porcello</span> his first win of the season. Porcello (0-2) scattered seven hits in six innings, giving up only a <span>David DeJesus</span> third inning <span class="caps">RBI</span> single in the scoring department.</p>
<p>Oakland didn’t help itself much in the big 10th inning, committing three errors in the frame. The Tigers managed just three hits in the inning but still piled the runs on.</p>
<p><span>Alex Avila</span> started things off, reaching on Daric Barton’s throwing error. After reaching third on a sacrifice bunt and an error by <span>Brian Fuentes</span>, <span>Jhonny Peralta</span> and <span>Ryan Raburn</span> walked to load the bases. <span>Brennan Boesch</span> then lined a breaking ball off the wall in right field to score Avila and Peralta.</p>
<p>Cabrera was intentionally walked, but that didn’t help the matter. <span>Victor Martinez</span> hit a run-scoring single to make it 4-1, then Cabrera and Boesch scored on yet another throwing error. <span>Brandon Inge</span> scored Martinez on a fielder’s choice and Avila—who led off the inning—singled home <span>Casper Wells</span> to finish the onslaught.</p>
<p>The game wasn’t over yet. Brayan Villareal gave up three straight hits to start the bottom of the inning, and was then relieved by <span>Joaquin Benoit</span>. Beniot gave up three runs—which were charged to Villarreal—before getting the final out.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2011/4/16/2114479/big-10th-inning-helps-tigers-win-fourth-straight-jim-leyland-getsRyan Weiss2011-04-15T19:25:39-04:002011-04-15T19:25:39-04:00Tigers At Athletics: Tigers Go For Fourth Win In A Row, Jim Leyland Goes For Career Win No. 1,500 Tonight
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<p>(Sports Network) - <span>Rick Porcello</span> takes another crack at win No. 1 this evening when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> continue their four-game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> at the Coliseum.</p>
<p>A 14-game winner as a 20-year-old rookie in 2009, Porcello struggled at the outset of last season and was eventually demoted to the minors before finishing with 10 wins. Porcello appears to be off to another slow start this year, as he has dropped his first two starts, allowing five runs and nine hits in five innings of each contest.</p>
<p>"I don't think my mix of pitches was [executed] very well, and then at times when I needed to make some pitches and locate some fastballs, I didn't do it quite well enough," Porcello said. "It's something I have to bear down on and focus on. It's inexcusable to not make the right pitch selection that I need to make to get those guys out."</p>
<p>Porcello has also struggled against the A's, posting a 1-3 mark to go along with a 5.32 ERA in four starts.</p>
<p>Detroit can only hope that Porcello gives it the type of performance that <span>Phil Coke</span> did in the series opener. Coke tossed seven scoreless innings and <span>Ramon Santiago</span> went 2-for-3 with an RBI to help the Tigers to a 3-0 win.</p>
<p>Coke (1-2) gave up just three hits to go with two strikeouts and two walks for the Tigers, who have won three in a row since a three-game skid. <span>Jose Valverde</span> pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.</p>
<p>Oakland starter <span>Gio Gonzalez</span> was just as good as Coke, but did not get the support, as he tossed six scoreless frames to lower his earned run average to 0.47 on the year. <span>Tyson Ross</span> (1-1) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on two hits over one-plus innings to take the loss.</p>
<p>Oakland's best chance to score came in the first inning. <span>Daric Barton</span> walked and <span>Conor Jackson</span> singled to put men on first and second with one out. Barton moved to third when <span>Josh Willingham</span> popped out. Coke kept the A's off the board, though, by getting <span>Hideki Matsui</span> to ground out.</p>
<p>Oakland will hand the ball to righty <span>Brandon McCarthy</span>, who was terrific in beating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> his last time out. McCarthy surrendered just two runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 frames on Sunday to improve to 1-1 on the year, while lowering his ERA to 3.52. He also did not walk a batter in the win and has issued just one free pass in 15 1/3 innings this season.</p>
<p>"Any time I go out there, [command] has got to be one of my strong points," McCarthy said. "I have to be able to hit my spots and move the ball around. I did a pretty good job of that today and was able to stay consistent."</p>
<p>McCarthy has faced the Tigers 12 times (five starts) and is 1-3 against them with a 4.83 ERA.</p>
<p>Detroit split its six meetings with the A's last season.</p>
<p>Tonight's Tigers lineup: </p>
<p>1. <span>Will Rhymes</span>, 2B<br>2. <span>Ryan Raburn</span>, LF<br>3. <span>Brennan Boesch</span>, RF<br>4. <span>Miguel Cabrera</span>, 1B<br>5. <span>Victor Martinez</span>, DH<br>6. <span>Don Kelly</span>, CF<br>7. <span>Brandon Inge</span>, 3B<br>8. <span>Alex Avila</span>, C<br>9. Ramon Santiago, SS<br><br>Rick Porcello on the bump.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2011/4/15/2113908/tigers-at-athletics-jim-leyland-1500-winsPackey2011-04-15T01:30:29-04:002011-04-15T01:30:29-04:00Phil Coke Gets First Win As Tigers Capitalize On Oakland Errors
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<p>Oakland, CA (<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/72728/recap?article_id=149985">Sports Network</a>) – <span>Phil Coke</span> tossed seven scoreless innings, helping the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> edge the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a>, 3-0, in the opener of a four-game series at the Coliseum.</p>
<p>Coke (1-2) gave up just three hits to go with two strikeouts and two walks for the Tigers, who have won three in a row since a three-game skid. <span>Jose Valverde</span> pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.</p>
<p><span>Ramon Santiago</span> went 2-for-3 with an <span class="caps">RBI</span> and run scored for Detroit, which started a seven-game road trip on Thursday. <span>Ryan Raburn</span> also knocked in a run for the victors.</p>
<p>Oakland starter <span>Gio Gonzalez</span> tossed six scoreless frames to lower his earned run average to 0.47. Gonzalez also struck out six and walked six. <span>Tyson Ross</span> (1-1) gave up three runs — two earned — on two hits over one-plus innings to take the loss.</p>
<p>Oakland’s best chance to score came in the first inning. <span>Daric Barton</span> walked and <span>Conor Jackson</span> singled to put men on first and second with one out. Barton moved to third when <span>Josh Willingham</span> popped out. Coke kept the A’s off the board by getting <span>Hideki Matsui</span> to ground out.</p>
<p>Detroit stranded runners on second and third in the fifth and sixth.</p>
<p>The Tigers, though, got on the board in the seventh. Ross took over on the mound for Gonzalez and allowed a leadoff single to Santiago, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Raburn’s double off the wall in right.</p>
<p>Detroit tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth without recording a hit in the frame.</p>
<p>Ross walked <span>Jhonny Peralta</span> and <span>Brennan Boesch</span>. <span>Jerry Blevins</span> came in from the bullpen and issued another free pass to <span>Brandon Inge</span> to load the bases. Santiago then hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Willingham, who threw the ball to third base. But there was nobody covering third, which allowed another run to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.</p>
<p><span>Joaquin Benoit</span> tossed a perfect eighth for the Tigers before Valverde’s 1-2-3 ninth.</p>
<p>Detroit split its six meetings with the A’s last season…Oakland started a six-game homestand on Thursday…The A’s pitching staff walked 11 batters…Jackson had two of Oakland’s three hits.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2011/4/15/2112469/phil-coke-gets-first-win-as-tigers-capitalize-on-oakland-errorsRyan Weiss2011-04-14T21:15:43-04:002011-04-14T21:15:43-04:00Tigers At Athletics: Detroit Begins Seven-Game West Coast Trip In Oakland
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> may be on something of a turnaround after winning two of three from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> at home and climbing to within two games of .500. A West Coast road trip might not be the best way to continue a winning streak, but the Tigers will be facing the bottom two teams in the AL West.</p>
<p><span>Phil Coke</span> makes his second start for Detroit. His first one went well, as he allowed two runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings versus the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a>. Even more impressive was his seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, Coke didn't get the win he deserved as the Tigers couldn't score any runs against <span>Bruce Chen</span>. (I still can't believe I just typed that sentence.)</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> counter with <span>Gio Gonzalez</span>, who's off to a fantastic start. In his first two outings of the season, he's allowed just one run and 10 hits over 13 innings. Maybe the Tigers can present more of a challenge than the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a>. Gonzalez has certainly had his struggles against Detroit, compiling an 0-3 record and 10.22 ERA in three starts.</p>
<p>With the lefty Gonzalez on the mound, the Tigers have <span>Casper Wells</span> and <span>Ramon Santiago</span> in the starting lineup. Batting Wells in the No. 2 spot could be interesting, as he brings some power and speed to the top of the order.</p>
<p>Here are those starting lineups:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Detroit Tigers</b><br> 1. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31807/austin-jackson">Austin Jackson</a>, CF<br> 2. Casper Wells, RF<br> 3. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/271/ryan-raburn">Ryan Raburn</a>, LF<br> 4. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/427/miguel-cabrera">Miguel Cabrera</a>, 1B<br> 5. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/85/victor-martinez">Victor Martinez</a>, C<br> 6. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/32059/brennan-boesch"></a><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/87/jhonny-peralta">Jhonny Peralta</a>, SS<br> 7.<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/32059/brennan-boesch"> Brennan Boesch</a>, DH <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/87/jhonny-peralta"></a><br> 8. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/280/brandon-inge">Brandon Inge</a>, 3B<br> 9. Ramon Santiago, 2B<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/280/brandon-inge"></a></p>
<p><b>Oakland Athletics</b><br> 1. <span>Coco Crisp</span>, CF<br> 2. <span>Daric Barton</span>, 1B<br> 3. <span>Conor Jackson</span>, RF<br> 4. <span>Josh Willingham</span>, LF<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/854/adrian-beltre"></a><br> 5. <span>Hideki Matsui</span>, DH<br> 6. <span>Mark Ellis</span>, 2B<br> 7. <span>Kurt Suzuki</span>, C<br> 8. <span>Andy LaRoche</span>, 3B<br> 9. <span>Cliff Pennington</span>, SS</p>
<p>For more on the Tigers, check out <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/">Bless You Boys</a>. And click over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> for more on Major League Baseball.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2011/4/14/2333516/tigers-at-athletics-detroit-begins-seven-game-west-coast-trip-inIan Casselberry