Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

[kalinecountry]

June 13 in Tigers and mlb history:

1905 - Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitches his second career no-hitter, beating the Chicago Cubs and Mordecai Brown, 1 - 0. Mathewson and Three Finger Brown match no-hitters for eight innings. The Giants get two hits in the 9th for the win, and a pair of errors committed by Bill Dahlen at shortstop prevent Mathewson from hurling a perfect game.

1912 - Christy Mathewson reaches his 300th career victory as the New York Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 3 - 2. During his 17-year major league career, Mathewson will compile a 373-188 record.

1921 - Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hits a 460-foot home run into the center field bleachers in the Polo Grounds, for the first home run ever hit to that spot. Ruth adds his 21st home run of the season and also pitches five innings in the 13 - 6 win over the Detroit Tigers, giving up four runs, but striking out Ty Cobb. In tomorrow's game, Ruth will hit two more home runs, his sixth and seventh in five games, in a 9 - 6 win over Detroit.

1948 - An ailing Babe Ruth makes his final appearance at Yankee Stadium. With the crowd of 49,641 singing Auld Lang Syne, and members of the 1923 Yankees team (the first to play in the stadium) looking on, the New York Yankees retire Ruth's uniform number 3 during ceremonies that also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Stadium. Fewer than two months later, the 53-year-old Ruth will die from throat cancer.

1957: Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hits three home runs with five runs batted in as Boston beats the Indians, 9 - 3, at Cleveland Stadium. Williams, who had a three-homer game earlier in the year, becomes the first American League player to collect two such games in a single season.

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kavanma01.shtml
Marty Kavanaugh 1914-1916, 1918.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/desauge01.shtml
Gene Desautels 1930-1933.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strambo01.shtml
Bob Strampe 1972.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Drew_Smyly
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...mylydr01.shtml
Drew Smyly 2012-present.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/milleju02.shtml
Justin Miller 2014.

from baseball reference

 

[kalinecountry]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/48476/scherzer-delivers-but-tigers-have-flaws
Max Scherzer delivers, but Tigers have flaws.
espn

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/91436/scherzer-finally-a-finisher
Scherzer finally a finisher.
espn

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/max_scherzers_first_career_com.html
Max Scherzer's first career complete game could be the perfect remedy for slumping Detroit Tigers.
mlive

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140612/SPORTS02/306120218/detroit-tigers-robbie-ray
Robbie Ray throws four shutout innings for Toledo in return from injury.
freep

Left-hander Robbie Ray, the Tigers' No. 1 prospect, returned from the disabled list to throw four scoreless innings Thursday and shortstop Hernan Perez, the club's No. 9 prospect, chipped in four hits and four runs to lead Triple-A Toledo to an 11-0 victory against Buffalo.
Ray, ranked No. 83 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, was making his first start since June 1, when a blister forced him to leave the game after four innings. He had no such problems Thursday night. He threw 78 pitches, struck out four batters and allowed four hits and two walks.
Perez went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. He set a career high for runs, while delivering his fourth four-hit game of the season. He is hitting .280 with 10 stolen bases and 34 runs.
In nine games with the Mud Hens, Ray is 3-3 with a 2.21 ERA. He has struck out 33 batters and walked 12 in 40 2/3 innings. He also made four appearances for the Tigers, including a couple of turns in the rotation while Anibal Sanchez was injured earlier this season.
Between Toledo and Detroit, Ray is 4-4 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in his first season in the Tigers organization. He was part of the package acquired from the Nationals in December in exchange for Doug Fister.
Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://m.mlb.com/det/video/topic/28...rzer-fans-eight-in-threehit-shutout/?c_id=det
Webvideo Max's Complete Game Shutout.

 

[kalinecountry]

Nick Castellanos ranks 4th among AL rookies with 52 hits and 5th with 11 doubles and tied for 5th with 21 RBI.

 

[kalinecountry]

http://outsidepitchmlb.com/2014/06/12/the-regression-of-justin-verlander/
The Regression of Justin Verlander.
from OutsidePitchMLB

However, before calling the contract a big-time loss in investment for the Tigers, remember that the man is human and had core muscle surgery in the offseason which could be a large reason for his dismal numbers of late and for the drop in velocity on both his fastball and slider.

So Tigers fans, instead of freaking out about the recent regression in productivity displayed by JV, keep calm and carry on with your daily routine.

 

[kalinecountry]

http://isportsweb.com/2014/06/12/detroit-tigers-worst-enemy/
Are the Detroit Tigers their own worst enemy?
from Detroit I-sportsweb

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=23881
What You Need to Know: Scherzer's First Gem.
from BaseballProspectus

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-declining-share-of-african-american-baseball-players-part-1/
The Declining Share of African-American Baseball Players, Part 1.
from the Hardball Times

http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-declining-share-of-african-american-baseball-players-part-2/
The Declining Share of African-American Baseball Players, Part 2.
from the Hardball Times

 

[kalinecountry]

http://blog.detroitathletic.com/201...-saw-tigers-blue-jays-battle-exciting-finish/
The final weeks of 1987 season saw the Tigers and blue jays battle to an exciting finish.
from Detroit Athletic

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2014/6/13/5805854/max-scherzer-complete-game-shutout
Max Scherzer and the complete-game shutout.
from bybtb

 

[kalinecountry]

2014 go-ahead RBI leaders
Giancarlo Stanton 17
Miguel Cabrera 15
Edwin Encarnacion 14
Michael Brantley 14
David Wright 14
Josh Donaldson 14

 

[kalinecountry]

Today's Legends of the Game is Lou Whitaker.

YEAR AGE TRAA RCAA FRAA OBA SLG OPS OWP RC/G AVG HR RBI SB G TEAM
1977 20 -7 -2 -5 .333 .281 .615 .289 3.00 .250 0 2 2 11 Tigers
1978 21 22 -1 23 .361 .357 .718 .489 4.58 .285 3 58 7 139 Tigers
1979 22 28 12 16 .395 .378 .774 .582 5.48 .286 3 42 20 127 Tigers
1980 23 -14 -22 8 .331 .283 .614 .329 3.33 .233 1 45 8 145 Tigers
1981 24 16 3 13 .340 .373 .714 .528 4.55 .263 5 36 5 109 Tigers
1982 25 31 13 18 .341 .434 .775 .572 5.39 .286 15 65 11 152 Tigers
1983 26 41 39 2 .380 .457 .837 .682 6.55 .320 12 72 17 161 Tigers
1984 27 12 16 -4 .357 .407 .764 .594 5.27 .289 13 56 6 143 Tigers
1985 28 10 24 -14 .362 .456 .819 .612 6.28 .279 21 73 6 152 Tigers
1986 29 32 8 24 .338 .437 .775 .539 4.82 .269 20 73 13 144 Tigers
1987 30 16 11 5 .341 .427 .768 .551 5.38 .265 16 59 13 149 Tigers
1988 31 22 20 2 .376 .419 .795 .650 5.79 .275 12 55 2 115 Tigers
1989 32 21 27 -6 .361 .462 .822 .650 6.06 .251 28 85 6 148 Tigers
1990 33 25 5 20 .338 .407 .744 .527 4.79 .237 18 60 8 132 Tigers
1991 34 34 37 -3 .391 .489 .881 .697 7.47 .279 23 78 4 138 Tigers
1992 35 12 27 -15 .386 .461 .847 .668 6.50 .278 19 71 6 130 Tigers
1993 36 43 25 18 .412 .449 .861 .667 7.05 .290 9 67 3 119 Tigers
1994 37 21 12 9 .377 .491 .867 .596 6.72 .301 12 43 2 92 Tigers
1995 38 4 12 -8 .372 .518 .890 .618 7.15 .293 14 44 4 84 Tigers
CAREER 369 266 103 .363 .426 .789 .591 5.64 .276 244 1084 143 2390
LG AVG 0 0 0 .330 .400 .730 .500 4.56 .263 218 1042 163

1) Whitaker ranks 8th in Tigers history in TRAA and 9th in RCAA.

MOST CAREER TRAA, TIGERS

1 Ty Cobb 1346
2 Hank Greenberg 618
3 Al Kaline 611
4 Harry Heilmann 490
5 Norm Cash 482
6 Charlie Gehringer 464
7 Bobby Veach 427
8 Lou Whitaker 369
9 Sam Crawford 367
10 Miguel Cabrera 332

MOST CAREER RCAA, TIGERS

1 Ty Cobb 1319
2 Harry Heilmann 624
3 Al Kaline 546
4 Hank Greenberg 531
5 Sam Crawford 492
6 Charlie Gehringer 444
7 Norm Cash 419
8 Miguel Cabrera 375
9 Lou Whitaker 266
10 Bobby Veach 243

2) Whitaker ranks 4th in TRAA and 5th in RCAA in AL history for 2B.

MOST CAREER TRAA, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2B

1 Eddie Collins 762 A's/White Sox/A's
2 Nap Lajoie 726 A's/Indians/A's
3 Charlie Gehringer 464 Tigers
4 Lou Whitaker 369 Tigers
5 Roberto Alomar 361 Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/White Sox
6 Joe Gordon 351 Yankees/Indians
7 Bobby Grich 349 Orioles/Angels
8 Willie Randolph 246 Yankees/A's/Brewers
9 Robinson Cano 214 Yankees/Mariners
10 Rod Carew 200 Twins/Angels

MOST CAREER RCAA, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2B

1 Eddie Collins 752 A's/White Sox/A's
2 Nap Lajoie 593 A's/Indians/A's
3 Charlie Gehringer 444 Tigers
4 Roberto Alomar 320 Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/White Sox
5 Lou Whitaker 266 Tigers
6 Bobby Grich 234 Orioles/Angels
7 Tony Lazzeri 221 Yankees
8 Rod Carew 214 Twins/Angels
9 Robinson Cano 193 Yankees/Mariners
10 Chuck Knoblauch 188 Twins/Yankees/Royals

3) Whitaker led AL 2B in HR 4 times.

MOST YEARS LEADING AMERICAN LEAGUE 2B IN HOMERUNS

1 Joe Gordon 9
2 Tony Lazzeri 8
3 Bobby Grich 6
T4 Del Pratt 5
T4 Eddie Collins 5
T4 Charlie Gehringer 5
T7 Carlos Baerga 4
T7 Hobe Ferris 4
T7 Bobby Doerr 4
T7 Alfonso Soriano 4
T7 Dick McAuliffe 4
T7 Lou Whitaker 4

4) Whitaker led AL 2B in TRAA 7 times.

MOST YEAR LEADING AMERICAN LEAGUE 2B IN TRAA

1 Eddie Collins 11
T2 Joe Gordon 8
T2 Nap Lajoie 8
4 Lou Whitaker 7
5 Charlie Gehringer 6
T6 Roberto Alomar 5
T6 Willie Randolph 5
T8 Rod Carew 4
T8 Tony Lazzeri 4
T10 Billy Goodman 3
T10 Robinson Cano 3
T10 Pete Runnels 3
T10 Del Pratt 3
T10 Bobby Grich 3

5) Whitaker had 4 years with an OBA .050+ better than the league average.

MOST YEARS, OBA .050+ BETTER THAN LEAGUE AVERAGE, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2B

1 Eddie Collins 15
2 Nap Lajoie 8
T3 Willie Randolph 7
T3 Max Bishop 7
5 Charlie Gehringer 6
T6 Roberto Alomar 5
T6 Rod Carew 5
T8 Lou Whitaker 4
T8 Bobby Grich 4
T10 Buddy Myer 3
T10 Pete Runnels 3
T10 Julio Franco 3
T10 Robinson Cano 3
T10 Chuck Knoblauch 3

6) Whitaker ranks 2nd in AL history for HR by a 2B and 10th vs. the league average.

MOST CAREER HOMERUNS, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2B

1 Joe Gordon 253 Yankees/Indians
2 Lou Whitaker 244 Tigers
3 Bobby Doerr 223 Red Sox
4 Robinson Cano 207 Yankees/Mariners
5 Bobby Grich 204 Orioles/Angels
6 Charlie Gehringer 184 Tigers
7 Roberto Alomar 172 Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/White Sox
8 Tony Lazzeri 169 Yankees
9 Ian Kinsler 162 Rangers/Tigers
10 Frank White 160 Royals

MOST CAREER HOMERUNS ABOVE THE LEAGUE AVERAGE, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2B

HOMERUNS DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE
1 Joe Gordon 147 253 106 Yankees/Indians
2 Bobby Doerr 94 223 129 Red Sox
3 Tony Lazzeri 77 169 92 Yankees
4 Alfonso Soriano 60 159 99 Yankees/Rangers/Yankees
5 Bobby Grich 59 204 145 Orioles/Angels
6 Robinson Cano 47 207 160 Yankees/Mariners
T7 Bret Boone 44 143 99 Mariners/Twins
T7 Charlie Gehringer 44 184 140 Tigers
9 Ian Kinsler 27 162 135 Rangers/Tigers
10 Lou Whitaker 26 244 218 Tigers

7) Whitaker led major league 2B in hits during 3 10-year spans and AL 2B during 9 10-year spans,

MAJORS
1978-87 Lou Whitaker 1472 Tigers
1979-88 Lou Whitaker 1445 Tigers
1980-89 Lou Whitaker 1452 Tigers

AL
1978-87 Lou Whitaker 1472 Tigers
1979-88 Lou Whitaker 1445 Tigers
1980-89 Lou Whitaker 1452 Tigers
1981-90 Lou Whitaker 1453 Tigers
1982-91 Lou Whitaker 1496 Tigers
1983-92 Lou Whitaker 1462 Tigers
1984-93 Lou Whitaker 1367 Tigers
1985-94 Lou Whitaker 1303 Tigers
1986-95 Lou Whitaker 1206 Tigers

8) Whitaker led AL 2B in OBA during 6 10-year spans.

1981-90 Lou Whitaker .354 Tigers
1982-91 Lou Whitaker .358 Tigers
1983-92 Lou Whitaker .362 Tigers
1984-93 Lou Whitaker .364 Tigers
1985-94 Lou Whitaker .366 Tigers
1986-95 Lou Whitaker .367 Tigers

9) Whitaker ranks 10th all time in OBA among 2B and 10th vs. the league average. (min: 7500 PA)

HIGHEST CAREER OBA, 2B

1 Eddie Collins .425 A's/White Sox/A's
2 Charlie Gehringer .404 Tigers
3 Joe Morgan .392 Astros/Reds/Astros/Giants/Phillies/A's
4 Nap Lajoie .379 Phillies/A's/Indians/A's
5 Willie Randolph .373 Pirates/Yankees/Dodgers/A's/Brewers/Mets
6 Roberto Alomar .371 Padres/Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/Mets/White Sox/Diamondbacks/White Sox
7 Craig Biggio .371 Astros
8 Frankie Frisch .370 Giants/Cardinals
9 Billy Herman .367 Cubs/Dodgers/Braves/Pirates
10 Lou Whitaker .363 Tigers

HIGHEST CAREER OBA VS. THE LEAGUE AVERAGE, 2B

OBA DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE
1 Eddie Collins .083 .425 .343 A's/White Sox/A's
2 Joe Morgan .063 .392 .330 Astros/Reds/Astros/Giants/Phillies/A's
3 Nap Lajoie .053 .379 .326 Phillies/A's/Indians/A's
4 Willie Randolph .045 .373 .328 Pirates/Yankees/Dodgers/A's/Brewers/Mets
5 Charlie Gehringer .044 .404 .360 Tigers
6 Roberto Alomar .034 .371 .337 Padres/Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/Mets/White Sox/Diamondbacks/White Sox
7 Lou Whitaker .033 .363 .330 Tigers
8 Craig Biggio .031 .371 .340 Astros
9 Billy Herman .029 .367 .338 Cubs/Dodgers/Braves/Pirates
10 Frankie Frisch .022 .370 .348 Giants/Cardinals

10) Whitaker ranks 6th all time among 2B in overall bases and is 9th vs. the league average.

MOST CAREER OVERALL BASES, 2B

1 Eddie Collins 6403 A's/White Sox/A's
2 Joe Morgan 6289 Astros/Reds/Astros/Giants/Phillies/A's
3 Charlie Gehringer 5558 Tigers
4 Roberto Alomar 5255 Padres/Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/Mets/White Sox/Diamondbacks/White Sox
5 Nap Lajoie 4834 Phillies/A's/Indians/A's
6 Lou Whitaker 4793 Tigers
7 Craig Biggio 4784 Astros
8 Rogers Hornsby 4661 Cardinals/Giants/Braves/Cubs/Cardinals/Browns
9 Jeff Kent 4657 Blue Jays/Mets/Indians/Giants/Astros/Dodgers
10 Ryne Sandberg 4390 Phillies/Cubs

MOST CAREER OVERALL BASES ABOVE THE LEAGUE AVERAGE, 2B

OVERALL BASES DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE
1 Rogers Hornsby 1934 4661 2727 Cardinals/Giants/Braves/Cubs/Cardinals/Browns
2 Joe Morgan 1923 6289 4366 Astros/Reds/Astros/Giants/Phillies/A's
3 Eddie Collins 1759 6403 4644 A's/White Sox/A's
4 Nap Lajoie 1232 4834 3602 Phillies/A's/Indians/A's
5 Charlie Gehringer 1078 5558 4480 Tigers
6 Chase Utley 781 3328 2547 Phillies
7 Ryne Sandberg 706 4390 3684 Phillies/Cubs
8 Roberto Alomar 698 5255 4557 Padres/Blue Jays/Orioles/Indians/Mets/White Sox/Diamondbacks/White Sox
9 Lou Whitaker 695 4793 4098 Tigers
10 Craig Biggio 693 4784 4091 Astros

All stats and charts were generated using the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia.

 

[kalinecountry]

TIGERS | DREW SMYLY HAS TURN SKIPPED
Detroit Tigers SP Drew Smyly will have his turn in the rotation skipped after the game Tuesday, June 10, against the Chicago White Sox was rained out. The Tigers will use SPs Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer back to back against their division rivals.
Source: CSNChicago.com - Dan Hayes

BHQ take: Fifth starter Smyly has been skipped or pushed back in the rotation several times this season due to off days and postponements. It is unclear whether the sporadic usage has negatively affected Smyly's performance, though it made him available for three relief appearances in addition to his nine starts. With four PQS-DOM outings and three PQS-DISasters, Smyly has shown a tendency toward extreme outcomes. In fact, innings pitched is the key indicator for Smyly. He has recorded PQS-5s in the four starts in which he has hurled six or more innings, failing to complete six innings in his five other starts. ?Tom Kephart

from Baseball HQ

 

[kalinecountry]

http://opoutofleftfield.blogspot.com/2014/06/luke-putkonen-has-bone-spur-removed.html
Luke Putkonen has bone spur removed from elbow, is out indefinitely.
from the Oakland Press

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/detroit_tigers_luke_putkonen_u.html
Detroit Tigers' Luke Putkonen undergoes surgery to have bone spur removed from right elbow.
mlive

http://www.freep.com/article/20140613/SPORTS02/306130146/detroit-tigers-luke-putkonen-surgery
Detroit Tigers' Luke Putkonen has elbow surgery, out indefinitely.
freep

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...tkonen-undergoes-elbow-surgery-return-unknown
Tigers pitcher Luke Putkonen undergoes elbow surgery, return unknown.
detnews

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2014/6/...tkonen-ungoes-elbow-surgery-bone-spur-removed
Luke Putkonen has elbow surgery to remove bone spur.
from bybtb

Putkonen out two more months after Friday's surgery


Luke Putkonen had surgery Friday to shave down a bone spur.
DETROIT -- An already frustrating, injury-plagued season for Luke Putkonen hit a new hurdle Friday, when the Tigers long reliever underwent surgery to shave down a bone spur on his right elbow.
It's not necessarily season-ending surgery, but it's expected to sideline Putkonen for at least two more months. He'll be limited to rest and rehab work for the next 6-8 weeks before being re-evaluated.
This injury is apparently not new. Though Putkonen has been on the disabled list since April 19 with right elbow inflammation, Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said an MRI exam Putkonen had last month revealed what Rand termed a posterior osteophyte on the elbow. Essentially, it's bone growth near the olecranon, the bone at the tip of the elbow.
"You can have a lot of guys that'll have those type of bony-type changes in their elbow from pitching," Rand said. "The question is, are you going to be able to get that quiet [enough] where you can go through and have no issues with it, and obviously he wasn't able to. You could see he was able to get to a certain level, but he wasn't able to get to that level that he felt he needed to have to be able to pitch."
Putkonen began playing catch again about two weeks ago, but never progressed to the point of throwing off a mound.
"Hopefully that'll take care of his issues," Rand said of the surgery.
Putkonen's injury has left the Tigers without a true long reliever for most of the season. It wasn't an issue when the Tigers were getting dominant starts in bunches from their rotation early in the season, but the absence has been noticeable in recent weeks. Manager Brad Ausmus has used several relievers to cover innings from short starts, leaving Detroit's bullpen short-handed at times.
Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/relief_pitcher_joel_hanrahan_n.html
Relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan getting close to next step in rehabilitation process for Detroit Tigers.
mlive

Hanrahan building up arm strength in recovery.
DETROIT -- Five weeks after the Tigers signed Joel Hanrahan amidst his rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Pirates and Red Sox closer appears to be closing in on facing hitters again. The team medical staff is optimistic that he has regained enough arm strength to start facing hitters soon in live batting practice sessions.
"We're hoping at this point that we can kind of get over the hump in the near future and throw to some live hitters," Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said. "He's close to live hitters at this point."
Essentially, it's like Spring Training for Hanrahan, who underwent surgery a year ago. It's a step that seemingly was ahead a few weeks back, but the Tigers paused Hanrahan's program after he was struggling with arm strength in his mound sessions.
After that, the Tigers took their time with Hanrahan, who has been throwing off a mound without hitters for the past few weeks. It's the scenario the Tigers had in mind when they hesitated to give a timetable for Hanrahan to be brought off the disabled list. Hanrahan, for his part, was hoping for a return sometime in June, but that seems increasingly optimistic.
Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/andy_dirks_participating_fully.html
Detroit Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks likely to start rehabilitation assignment in week to 10 days.
mlive

Dirks nearing Minor League rehab assignment


Andy Dirks could head on a rehab assignment by next week.
DETROIT -- The long rehab process of Andy Dirks might finally have an end in sight. The Tigers outfielder, who underwent back surgery three months ago, has progressed to full baseball activity and could be ready for a Minor League rehab assignment by the end of next week.
Dirks took swings against live pitching Friday in an intrasquad game at the Tigers' Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla., his first game action since his surgery. He did not run the bases because of wet field conditions.
"He's prepared to play in a couple more intrasquad games and once he's ready to start his rehab progression, then we'll make an announcement," head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Friday.
Dirks spent the past few weeks doing light baseball activity, easing slowly back into activity following his surgery to repair a disk in his lower back that had been bothering him since high school.
Dirks' absence changed the Tigers' left-field mix, turning what was expected to be a platoon with him and Rajai Davis into regular play for Davis. A healthy return from Dirks would give Detroit a much-needed impact bat from the left side.
The Tigers have an exhibition game scheduled in Lakeland early next week. Rand said he hopes to get Dirks into that game for full activity before deciding on a rehab assignment. By rule, a position player can go out on rehab for 20 days before a team has to make a decision on him.
Tigers official site

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/detroit_tigers_gameday_austin_3.html
Detroit Tigers Gameday: Austin Jackson batting second; J.D. Martinez, Don Kelly starting in outfield.
mlive

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/20140613/SPORTS02/306130042/justin-verlander-struggles
Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello must be better for Tigers to flourish.
freep