GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: DETROIT (30-21) at TAMPA BAY (21-29)

AL: DETROIT (30-21) at TAMPA BAY (21-29)

<h3>Tigers go for series win against Devil Rays</h3>

Detroit (30-21) at Tampa Bay (21-29) 7:10 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers shook offa tough loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday with a 14-2drubbing on Tuesday.

The reigning American League champions will look for a seiresvictory Wednesday when they visit the Devil Rays in the finale.

The Tigers snapped a four-game skid with their win Tuesday. Withtheir hold on the division already gone, Detroit is attemptingto gain back the three games they lost in the AL Central whenthe Cleveland Indians swept them last weekend.

Nate Robertson (4-4, 4.03 ERA) will be taking the mound for theTigers. The veteran lefthander began the season strong, but hasstruggled to a 1-3 mark over his last four starts.

Robertson surrendered five runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 inningslast Friday against Cleveland to take a loss. He has struggledagainst Tampa Bay in his career, owning an 0-2 mark with a 5.56ERA in three career starts.

Looking to hold the Detroit offense down will be James Shields(3-0, 3.15). The 25-year-old righthander has been a pleasantsurprise for Tampa Bay this season, and a headache for the restof the league.

Shields has been the most consistent arm on Tampa Bay's staffthis season, throwing at least 6 1/3 innings in each of his 10starts. However, he has failed to earn a decision in each ofhis last four starts, despite having yielded a total of eightruns.

Gary Sheffield, who homered twice in Tuesday's game, is the onlyTigers hitter to have faced Shields, going 0-for-3 last seasonwhen the veteran slugger was with the New York Yankees.

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT AT TAMPA BAY -- LINEUPS

DETROIT TAMPA BAY
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Curtis Granderson CF .281 8 27 Elijah Dukes CF .221 9 18
Placido Polanco 2B .332 1 27 B.J. Upton 2B .321 8 28
Gary Sheffield DH .262 12 29 Carl Crawford LF .305 5 29
Magglio Ordonez RF .358 12 48 Ty Wigginton 1B .250 10 27
Carlos Guillen SS .317 6 36 Delmon Young RF .251 6 27
Ivan Rodriguez C .282 5 26 Akinori Iwamura 3B .339 1 5
Marcus Thames 1B .222 4 10 Jorge Cantu DH .269 0 1
Craig Monroe LF .243 7 29 Dioner Navarro C .185 0 9
Omar Infante 3B .327 0 5 Brendan Harris SS .303 2 13

Nate Robertson LHP (4-4, 4.03) James Shields RHP (3-0, 3.15)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY
WARMUPS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON (4-4, 4.03)
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS (3-0, 3.15)

UMPIRES: HP - JEFF NELSON
1B - JIM WOLF
2B - TIM TSCHIDA
3B - JIM JOYCE

WEATHER: INDOORS</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY
STARTING BATS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS AND DIONER NAVARRO

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C GRANDERSO (.285, 8 HR, 27 RBI)
P POLANCO (.332, 1 HR, 27 RBI)
G SHEFFIELD (.262, 12 HR, 29 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PLACIDO POLANCO SCORED CURTIS GRANDERSON.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P POLANCO ON FIRST, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 1
TAMPA BAY 0 TOP, 1ST

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: G SHEFFIELD (.262, 12 HR, 29 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CARLOS GUILLEN SCORED PLACIDO POLANCO.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, C GUILLEN ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2
TAMPA BAY 0 TOP, 1ST

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: I RODRIGUEZ (.282, 5 HR, 26 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MARCUS THAMES SCORED GARY SHEFFIELD.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, M THAMES ON FIRST, C GUILLEN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 3
TAMPA BAY 0 TOP, 1ST

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C MONROE (.243, 7 HR, 29 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 0 0 (BOT 1)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: E DUKES (.221, 9 HR, 18 RBI)
B UPTON (.321, 8 HR, 28 RBI)
C CRAWFORD (.305, 5 HR, 29 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT (3) VS TAMPA BAY (0) - MID 1ST - IN PROGRESS

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .285
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .335
G Sheffield dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .266
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .356
C Guillen ss 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .321
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .234
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .241
O Infante 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .327

Totals 8 3 5 3 0 1 6

BATTING: 3B - C Granderson (8, J Shields). RBI - P Polanco (28), C Guillen
(37), M Thames (11). 2-out RBI - M Thames. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - C Monroe 1. Team LOB - 2.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Dukes cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221
B Upton 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321
C Crawford lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .305
T Wigginton 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Young rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
A Iwamura 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .339
J Cantu dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269
D Navarro c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .185
B Harris ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303

Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 3 -- 3
TAMPA BAY - -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
N Robertson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.03

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Shields 1 5 3 3 0 1 0 3.46

Pitches-strikes: J Shields 23-15. Ground balls-fly balls: J Shields 0-2.
Batters faced: J Shields 8.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Nelson. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Tim Tschida. 3B--Jim Joyce.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY
CONFIRMED STARTERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 0 0 0 (TOP 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: O INFANTE (.327, 0 HR, 5 RBI)
C GRANDERSON (.285, 1-FOR-1)
P POLANCO (.335, 1-FOR-1, RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT (3) VS TAMPA BAY (0) - END 1ST - IN PROGRESS

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .285
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .335
G Sheffield dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .266
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .356
C Guillen ss 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .321
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .234
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .241
O Infante 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .327

Totals 8 3 5 3 0 1 6

BATTING: 3B - C Granderson (8, J Shields). RBI - P Polanco (28), C Guillen
(37), M Thames (11). 2-out RBI - M Thames. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - C Monroe 1. Team LOB - 2.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Dukes cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Upton 2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .319
C Crawford lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303
T Wigginton 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Young rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
A Iwamura 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .339
J Cantu dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269
D Navarro c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .185
B Harris ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303

Totals 3 0 0 0 0 1 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 3 -- 3
TAMPA BAY - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
N Robertson 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.96

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Shields 1 5 3 3 0 1 0 3.46

Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 12-7; J Shields 23-15. Ground balls-fly balls: N
Robertson 2-0; J Shields 0-2. Batters faced: N Robertson 3; J Shields 8.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Nelson. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Tim Tschida. 3B--Jim Joyce.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 0 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 0 0 0 (BOT 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: T WIGGINTON (.250, 10 HR, 27 RBI)
D YOUNG (.251, 6 HR, 27 RBI)
A IWAMURA (.339, 1 HR, 5 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT (3) VS TAMPA BAY (0) - MID 2ND - IN PROGRESS

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .284
P Polanco 2b 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 .333
G Sheffield dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .266
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .356
C Guillen ss 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .321
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .234
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .241
O Infante 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321

Totals 11 3 5 3 0 1 6

BATTING: 3B - C Granderson (8, J Shields). RBI - P Polanco (28), C Guillen
(37), M Thames (11). 2-out RBI - M Thames. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - C Monroe 1. Team LOB - 2.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Dukes cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Upton 2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .319
C Crawford lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303
T Wigginton 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Young rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
A Iwamura 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .339
J Cantu dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269
D Navarro c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .185
B Harris ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303

Totals 3 0 0 0 0 1 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 30 -- 3
TAMPA BAY - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
N Robertson 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.96

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Shields 2 5 3 3 0 1 0 3.42

Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 12-7; J Shields 31-21. Ground balls-fly balls: N
Robertson 2-0; J Shields 2-3. Batters faced: N Robertson 3; J Shields 11.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Nelson. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Tim Tschida. 3B--Jim Joyce.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JORGE CANTU SCORED AKINORI IWAMURA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J CANTU ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 3
TAMPA BAY 1 BOTTOM, 2ND

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: D NAVARRO (.185, 0 HR, 9 RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 0 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 1 1 2 0 (TOP 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: G SHEFFIELD (.266, 1-FOR-1)
M ORDONEZ (.356, 0-FOR-1)
C GUILLEN (.321, 1-FOR-1, RBI)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT (3) VS TAMPA BAY (1) - END 2ND - IN PROGRESS

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .284
P Polanco 2b 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 .333
G Sheffield dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .266
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .356
C Guillen ss 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .321
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .234
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .241
O Infante 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321

Totals 11 3 5 3 0 1 6

BATTING: 3B - C Granderson (8, J Shields). RBI - P Polanco (28), C Guillen
(37), M Thames (11). 2-out RBI - M Thames. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - C Monroe 1. Team LOB - 2.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Dukes cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Upton 2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .319
C Crawford lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303
T Wigginton 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .249
D Young rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
A Iwamura 3b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .349
J Cantu dh 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .296
D Navarro c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .184
B Harris ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303

Totals 8 1 2 1 0 2 1

BATTING: 2B - J Cantu (1, N Robertson). RBI - J Cantu (2). 2-out RBI - J Cantu.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Navarro 1. Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 30 -- 3
TAMPA BAY - 01 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
N Robertson 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 4.04

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Shields 2 5 3 3 0 1 0 3.42

WP - N Robertson. Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 32-20; J Shields 31-21. Ground
balls-fly balls: N Robertson 4-0; J Shields 2-3. Batters faced: N Robertson 8;
J Shields 11.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Nelson. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Tim Tschida. 3B--Jim Joyce.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 0 0 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 1 1 2 0 (BOT 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: B HARRIS (.303, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
E DUKES (.219, 0-FOR-1)
B UPTON (.319, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">DETROIT (3) VS TAMPA BAY (1) - MID 3RD - IN PROGRESS

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .284
P Polanco 2b 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 .333
G Sheffield dh 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .265
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 .356
C Guillen ss 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 .319
I Rodriguez c 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .279
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .234
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .241
O Infante 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321

Totals 14 3 5 3 1 1 8

BATTING: 3B - C Granderson (8, J Shields). RBI - P Polanco (28), C Guillen
(37), M Thames (11). 2-out RBI - M Thames. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - C Monroe 1. Team LOB - 3.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Dukes cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Upton 2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .319
C Crawford lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303
T Wigginton 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .249
D Young rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
A Iwamura 3b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .349
J Cantu dh 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .296
D Navarro c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .184
B Harris ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303

Totals 8 1 2 1 0 2 1

BATTING: 2B - J Cantu (1, N Robertson). RBI - J Cantu (2). 2-out RBI - J Cantu.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Navarro 1. Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 300 -- 3
TAMPA BAY - 01 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
N Robertson 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 4.04

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Shields 3 5 3 3 1 1 0 3.37

WP - N Robertson. Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 32-20; J Shields 49-31. Ground
balls-fly balls: N Robertson 4-0; J Shields 3-5. Batters faced: N Robertson 8;
J Shields 15.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Nelson. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Tim Tschida. 3B--Jim Joyce.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 3 0 0 3 5 0
TAMPA BAY 0 1 0 1 3 0 (TOP 4)

CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON
TAM - JAMES SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M THAMES (.234, 1-FOR-1, RBI)
C MONROE (.241, 0-FOR-1)
O INFANTE (.321, 0-FOR-1)</div>