NewsLeyland praises Tigers' team chemistry
Detroit (42-34) at Oakland (32-43), 10:05 p.m. ET
By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com
06/30/09 1:38 AM ET
OAKLAND -- Ask Jim Leyland about how well his players seem to get along and he can't help but smile. Leyland throws his feet up on his desk, takes a smoke from his cigarette and answers with a matter-of-fact tone. "This is the closest team we've had since I've been here," said Leyland, whose Tigers face the Oakland A's Tuesday in the second game of a three-game set. "This is a team with guys that pull for each other." What makes this team so close? Is it the way they play together on the field? How they spend their time off of it? "It's all-around," Leyland said. "We have a lot of characters. ...It's a really fun group." A fun group that doesn't mind being made fun of. Leyland referenced a recent clubhouse moment in Houston involving Gerald Laird. The catcher left Saturday's contest against the Astros in the first inning with lower back spasms. Felipe Paulino allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine in seven innings to lead Houston to an 8-1 win. Laird was back in the lineup the next day. "I called it Paulino-itis. It was a miraculous comeback. He got rid of it in about 12 hours," Leyland joked. "We had fun with him, and he handled it like a champ." Pitching matchupDET: RHP Armando Galarraga (4-7, 5.65 ERA)
Galarraga broke a 10-game winless streak last Thursday with six innings against the Cubs, limiting them to four runs on six hits despite a three-run first. He had lost seven consecutive decisions since his previous victory, on April 26. Galarraga still has some improvement to do, but he said after his most recent start that he felt like he made a big step and had a better plan with which to attack hitters. In Galarraga's last outing against Oakland, on May 17 at Comerica Park, the A's knocked him out in the first inning with five earned runs on four hits and three walks. OAK: LHP Gio Gonzalez (0-1, 8.03 ERA)
Gonzalez got off to a solid start against the Giants Wednesday, retiring five of the first seven batters he faced with four strikeouts. Then San Francisco shook him. Gonzalez surrendered three runs in both the second and fourth frames and was chased after just 3 2/3 innings of work. He allowed 10 hits and walked two, losing his first Major League start of the season to Randy Johnson. Tidbits
Recalled from Triple-A Toledo Sunday night, left-hander Lucas French landed at San Francisco International Airport Monday and went straight to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The flight came on the heels of a road trip with the Mud Hens through Indianapolis. "I need some sleep," joked French, who's scheduled to start Friday at Minnesota. ... Recent callup Fu-Te Ni is apparently all the rage back in his native Taiwan. "[My friends] are telling me I'm the front-page guy in the paper back home," Ni said through an interpreter. ... The Tigers had homered in 12 consecutive games until Monday. It's the longest streak since the 1999 club pulled the same trick. ... Fernando Rodney is streaking, too. He's converted 17 saves in as many chances -- the longest streak by a Detroit closer since Todd Jones had 19 straight in 2006. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Tigers (Justin Verlander, 8-3, 3.40) at Athletics (Dallas Braden, 5-7, 3.26), 3:35 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Off-day
• Friday: Tigers (TBD) at Twins (TBD), 8:10 p.m. ET
Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
