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Ausmus eases Alburquerque's workload out of bullpen.
DETROIT -- Two weeks after Tigers manager Brad Ausmus openly worried about overworking strikeout-tossing reliever Al Alburquerque, he seems to have found a plan to ease the workload while still using him when needed. Essentially, he's saving him for situational work.
Nearly two weeks into June, Alburquerque has pitched in just three games this month. Part of that has been the lack of need for him when they've been trailing so frequently. When he has pitched, though, he has been limited to short work.
Alburquerque faced four batters and threw 11 pitches while recording four outs on May 31, the end of a stretch in which he pitched nine times in a two-week stretch. He has faced four batters and thrown 11 pitches in three appearances since.
"I've certainly been aware of how much we've used Alburquerque over the first two months," Ausmus said. "I've tried to be a little more careful on how we use Alburquerque, because we're going to need him for August and September."
All three June appearances have come with two outs and two runners on base. It's a risk given Alburquerque's past tendencies to struggle throwing strikes early on, but it has forced Alburquerque to focus on his stuff warming up so that he can throw his best stuff from the first pitch.
"When you have to come in with people on base, you have to make a good pitch," Alburquerque said. "Try to be aggressive and make a good pitch. It's different."
Alburquerque, too, has done his part to watch his arm, trying to give it a little more rest between outings instead of too much side work.
The result has seen Alburquerque drop off from the American League lead in games pitched. He entered Friday with 32 appearances, tied for third in the league behind Cleveland lefty Marc Rzepczynski and Oakland setup man Luke Gregerson. He's also tied for the team lead with lefty Ian Krol.
Tigers official site
 
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/06/tigers_twins_3.html
Twins 2 - Tigers 0: Detroit shut out for third time in three weeks, wastes solid outing by Drew Smyly.
mlive

http://www.freep.com/article/20140613/SPORTS02/306130153/detroit-tigers-minnesota-twins-game-thread
Minnesota 2 - Detroit 0: Tigers' bats silenced once again.
freep

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...0127/Tiger-bats-go-dormant-shutout-loss-Twins
Drew Smyly sharp, but Tigers offense takes the night off in 2-0 loss to Twins.
detnews

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/inde...014_06_13_minmlb_detmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=det
Smyly turns in sharp start, but big hit eludes Tigers.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/inde...d=det#gid=2014_06_13_minmlb_detmlb_1&mode=box
Boxscore.
Tigers official site
 
June 14 in Tigers and mlb history:

1933 - Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak stays intact, even though he and Yankees manager Joe McCarthy are thrown out of a game. McCarthy is suspended for three games but not Gehrig, whose streak, now at 1,249, continues.

1939 - The Indians trade Hall of Fame center fielder Earl Averill to the Tigers.

1969 - Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics collects 10 RBI with two home runs, a double and two singles against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In the 8th inning, Jackson drives in three runs with a single when he easily could have made second base. Oakland wins, 21 - 7.

1974 - At Anaheim Stadium, Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 Boston Red Sox batters in 13 innings, including Cecil Cooper six consecutive times, to help the California Angels to a 4 - 3 victory in 15 innings.

2002: With all 14 interleague games - and one National League game - taking place in NL parks, a designated hitter is not used in a full slate of major league games for the first time since 1972. Visiting pitchers will have plenty of opportunities to swing the bat as there is not a home game scheduled in American League parks for 10 consecutive days.

2005: Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners becomes the third major leaguer since 1900 to reach 1,000 hits in fewer than 700 games when he singles in the bottom of the 1st inning in the Mariners' 3 - 1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Suzuki's 1,000th hit comes in his 696th game. Chuck Klein reached the mark in 1933 in 683 games, and Lloyd Waner reached it in 1932 in 686 games.

2011: Justin Verlander comes within 5 outs of pitching his second no-hitter of the season in leading the Tigers into first place in the AL Central with a 4 - 0 win over Cleveland. He strikes out 12 in pitching a two-hit shutout, with Orlando Cabrera's 8th-inning single the first safety of the night against his overwhelming stuff.

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mandeha01.shtml
Hal Manders 1941-1942, 1946.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/faheybi01.shtml
Bill Fahey 1981-1983.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Mike_Laga
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lagami01.shtml
Mike Laga 1982-1986.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hollimi01.shtml
Michael Hollimon 2008.

Tigers players who passed away:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Hal_Woodeshick
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodeha01.shtml
Hal Woodeshick 1956, 1961.

from baseball reference
 
Ausmus, Tigers need to get closer Nathan going.
DETROIT -- Joe Nathan became a closer in a Twins uniform. What he did with the role made him a hero in Minnesota, and built the track record that Tigers manager Brad Ausmus is leaning on as he counts on a turnaround for his closer.

It made for a striking intersection of past and present, then, as Ausmus walked to the mound to pull Nathan with two outs in the ninth inning, having watched Nathan walk in an insurance run for the Twins in their 2-0 win Friday night.

It wasn't a save situation, but it was a game the Tigers needed to keep close. It was also a night when Ausmus needed to get Nathan some work, having not pitched him since last Saturday. At the same time, he reiterated, he needs to get Nathan going.

He ended up having to take Nathan out. Six days after giving up four hits to the Red Sox before finishing out a win for the Tigers, he gave up an insurance run -- albeit unearned -- without allowing a hit.

He threw 29 pitches, 16 for strikes, yet walked two batters and hit another, before Phil Coke entered to end the inning.

"It's no different now than it was 24 hours ago," Ausmus said when asked about his concern over Nathan. "I've said before, we need Joe Nathan to pitch well. This wasn't a save situation, obviously, but we need him to pitch well. We need him to close out games when he's called upon to do that."

Nathan was not available for comment after the game.

The run he allowed actually reached base on an error, Eugenio Suarez's first in the Majors, putting Josh Willingham on base after a ground ball. Kendrys Morales drove Nathan's next pitch to the depths of center field, but Austin Jackson ran it down for a long out.

Nathan threw a wild pitch that advanced pinch-runner Sam Fuld into scoring position, but used a 93-mph fastball to retire Oswaldo Arcia on a ground ball to second. Fuld moved to third base, but Nathan only needed an out to keep it a 1-0 game.

The out never came, even though the big hit didn't either. Nathan put ex-teammate Trevor Plouffe in a 1-2 count before missing on his next three pitches for a walk. After using a slider for a first-pitch foul ball from Eduardo Nunez, Nathan lost a fastball and hit Nunez to load the bases.

Up came Eduardo Escobar, whose third-inning home run off starter Drew Smyly accounted for the game's lone run at that point. Nathan recovered from a 2-0 count to get two strikes on Escobar, including a 93-mph fastball for his only swing-and-miss of the inning.

Nathan tried for another, but Escobar fouled off his next five pitches to stay alive. Nathan then tried to spot back-to-back fastballs, but missed.

"The 2-2 was definitely a ball," catcher Bryan Holaday said. "The 3-2 was, too, but it was fairly close. It was a good pitch, just off barely."

It was a microcosm of the struggles Nathan has been facing recently. He has recorded seven strikeouts over 11 innings over the past month, but only one in four June outings. At the same time, he has recorded just 12 swings and misses in 220 pitches in that stretch, and not more than two in an outing.
Tigers official site
 
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