Tigers welcome Garner, Astros
Houston (37-38) at Detroit (51-25), 7:05 p.m. ET

Phil Garner knows the way back to Comerica Park. He just took the long route to get there.

The last time Garner was in Detroit, he was taking the high road out. He and general manager Randy Smith were dismissed six losses into Detroit's 0-11 start in 2002. Garner not only attended a press conference announcing the move, but answered media questions. He could've pointed the finger at the old organization for leaving him with a rebuilding project, but he didn't.

"When you become a manager, you realize you're going to be judged by the team's performance on the field," Garner said that day. "I didn't come here to rebuild, but obviously I had to change that a little bit. These things happen."

As it turned out, the rebuilding project was just starting. The Tigers lost 106 games that year, tied for baseball's worst record, then nearly set a modern record for losses in their historic 119-loss season of 2003. Both the Tigers and Garner have had better fortunes since.

Detroit began its road back to respectability with 72 wins in 2004. Midway through that season, Garner took his path back to managing, accepting an offer to take over the Houston Astros around the All-Star break.

When the Tigers dismissed Garner, the stat constantly cited was one winning year and no postseason berths in 10 full seasons managing in the Major Leagues. All he has done since is lead the Astros to the National League Championship Series in 2004 and the World Series last year.

He has seen the Tigers plenty of times since. The two teams are less than an hour apart from each other in Spring Training and played four times this spring alone. This will be their first encounter, however, when the games actually count.

Just two Tigers remain from the Garner era, and Todd Jones only came back this year after four seasons elsewhere.

"I've never had anything against him," said Brandon Inge, who has been a Tiger from the Garner era through Luis Pujols, Alan Trammell and now Jim Leyland. "It's always going to be kind of special to me because he's my first big-league manager. It's always fun to see him, but I'm trying to beat him every time."

It won't be Garner's return that most Detroiters will be anticipating, nor ex-Tigers catcher Brad Ausmus. Roger Clemens was never a Tiger, but his outings on the visiting side have given him more of a history in Detroit than most players who have donned the old English D.

The last time Clemens pitched in Detroit, he was in Yankees pinstripes, trying for his 300th career victory. He watched a 7-1 lead evaporate before him, giving him a no-decision in a game that lasted 17 innings. He earned No. 300 and 41 more wins since, but he'll be trying for his first this season.

"I think the highest compliment you can pay somebody is the only way you can beat those guys is outcompete him," Leyland said. "Not only is he talented and good, but he competes as good as anybody. That pretty much sums it up."

Pitching matchup
HOU: LHP Wandy Rodriguez (4-2, 5.30 ERA)
Rodriguez admitted that his control wasn't great in the first inning of his last outing June 21 against the Twins. But he recovered and allowed just two earned runs over six innings of a no-decision. Rodriguez escaped jams in the second, third and fourth innings when the Twins stranded runners on third base.

DET: RHP Zach Miner (3-1, 2.08 ERA)
Miner, the June callup to fill injured Mike Maroth's rotation spot, is on track with the rest of Detroit's rotation. He won his third consecutive start Wednesday at Milwaukee, falling an out shy of his first Major League shutout, but settling for his first big-league complete game.

Player to watch
Former longtime National Leaguer Placido Polanco is batting .310 (22-for-71) with six doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs over his last 17 games, nine of them against NL competition.

Interleague by the numbers:
All-time record vs. Astros: 2-7
Interleague record in 2006: 10-2
All-time club Interleague record: 81-88

Up next
• Tuesday: Tigers (LHP Nate Robertson, 7-3, 3.38) vs. Astros (RHP Roger Clemens, 0-1, 3.60), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Tigers (RHP Justin Verlander, 9-4, 3.39) vs. Astros (LHP Andy Pettitte, 6-8, 5.75), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060625&content_id=1522649&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

So far, so good, 5-1 Tigers. We need to pour it on here, their bullpen's wrecked from last nights extra innings affair.

10-4 final. Decent game for the boys. Zach was a little rough, with a WHIP over 2 for the game, but was fortunate to avoid serious damage in a few spots.
Rodney was a beast, facing 4 batters and striking out every one.

Offensively it was a group effort. Every position player that was in the game reached base and hit at least one run or RBI.

Tomorrow night is Clemens. He owns the Tigers and he's had his warm-up game. The crowd should be strong. We counter with Nate, who is 2-0 with a 3.24 in 4 June starts. The pen blew both of his no-decisions, both 4-3 losses. Interesting note, all 4 of his June starts were on the road. He hasn't pitched at home since a May 31 loss to the Evil Empire.

Great game. With Jones warming up, how happy was everyone to see that 8th inning 3-run spurt to keep us out of Grand Slam range??

LMAO at Garner and Berkman getting thrown out, by the way. He was out by half a step.

Curtis Granderson is turning into a RBI machine. Wow.

How long did it take Garner to get thrown out? Seriously he was kicking and screaming for a good 5 minutes, but the ump wasn't having any of it. He must have been beggin the ump to throw him out there at the end to avoid embarrassment.

The chair toss was funny though.

I was at this game. Took my daughter and wife to the upper box infield seats since they were half off. Almost didn't go because of the weather forcast (it didn't rain a drop at the field).

Houston didn't have any Es but their defense definately cost them a couple bases at least. There was a line drive to left field (not very deep) that their left fielder got off a bounce or two and then seemed to stare down Granderson who was trotting in to 3rd while Guillen (or maybe it was Polanco) churned out a double. It appeared that if the left fielder would have tried he could have got the guy going to 2nd or at least made a very close call out of it.

We missed the 1st inning (on the carousel) so Minor looked better to me then he apparently pitched (4 hits in the 1st). Rodney was a beast and Pudge's homerun seemed important when he hit it, since the Astros had strung together a bunch of solo run innings and the Tigers hadn't produced anything in a while, closing the gap to 6-4 before the homer. Of course, they scored 3 in the next inning so it wasn't that close in the end.

My daughter (almost 3) had a blast. She loved the fountain in center going off after every run and at the end of every defensive half of the inning. She liked the Tiger heads around the stadium and all the tigers walking on top of the building and the score board, though she was a little afraid of the big tiger sitting on the ground in front of the place. She liked the carousel and kept looking for the Chevy that drove around the field to announce some promotion, thinking it would come back again. She clapped for every organ or trumpet song (the "Charge!" build-up and all the others) throughout the night. She danced during all the pitching changes and to a couple of the batter's intro songs. We bought her one of those foam tiger claws and she kept giving everyone "tiger fives" and even took it with her to the sitter's this morning. She got excited whenever the crowd cheered or clapped (though she had no clue why they did so), she was singing "Let's go Tigers" the all the way home, and she absolutely loved jeering and booing Garner when he got thrown out (which was very contrived by the way, it took like ten minutes for him to decide he was "upset" enough to do something that got him thrown). Had some nachos and called it a day.

big 7th gooooooooo tigers

Nate's got the freaks, and that's a known fact.

Nate is becoming My Tiger.

It's not man-crush serious yet, but it's getting close.

That was a very impressive stand by Robertson. Nice to see Zoom work out of his jam as well (though better to not get in them in the first place). Good crowd as well.

Verlander is starting to strike cats out again. GO JUSTIN!

Did they just pull off a double steal?

Verlander appears to be dominating the Astros. 7 Ks and 3 hits in 7 IP.

Verlander appears to be dominating the Astros. 7 Ks and 3 hits in 7 IP.

Spoken like someone who is following the game on the internets.

LOL@pluralized internet.

And yes, I'm just watching it on Gameday.

Also, the flood gates appear to be opening. (NM Shelton was up, I should have figured)

I am having a good day I am watching on FSN Houston. Great game by JV, a lot of captializing on Houston mistakes, I would bet almost all runs are unearned. However goods teams take advantage of mistakes.

Two of those runs are earned.

Brad Lidge is dealing fire. When he's not tipping his pitches, he's the best reliever in baseball.

V is making them look like the Cubs.

Congrats to JV on his 10th win!

SWEEP!

11th Shutout of the year most for Tigers before the AS break since 69. Houston broadcasters were pissed that JV didn't finish the game.

Will JV make the AS game? I say another win and the answer is yes...Thoughts?

Where is the white girl booty picture?

http://wtfdetroit.com/miscpics/tigerssweep.jpg

I like the addition, Glenn.

Verlander now has a 3.12 ERA, which is third in the AL. 8)

Will JV make the AS game? I say another win and the answer is yes...Thoughts?

absolutly. Only reason he wouldn't is if Nate and Kenny make it.

Truth be told though we gotta start cutting back on his innings. 100 already.

Verlander and Rogers have 10 wins before the All Star break, with Robertson and Bonderman with 8 & 7 respectively. We better have at least 2 pitching representatives in the AS game.

I was at the game today. It was hot.

the guys on 1270 were going nuts. great 6 game sweep of the home stand. should turn into a 9 game sweep, no way in hell we should lose the next 3.

Will JV make the AS game? I say another win and the answer is yes...Thoughts?

absolutly. Only reason he wouldn't is if Nate and Kenny make it.

Truth be told though we gotta start cutting back on his innings. 100 already.

I think you'll see innings cut after the All-Star break. When Maroth comes back, look for a 6-man rotation every other time through to ease him back while taking mounting innings away from the other 5.

http://wtfdetroit.com/miscpics/tigerssweep.jpg
I still say they should be sweeping an Astros logo

They're just kids, they'll learn one day.

If this is going to bother Wizzle this much, maybe we need to reassemble the girls and get a few new shots taken.

We'll have to talk to their agent, I'll see if we can get something set up for early next week.

I'll take the pictures. I know where to focus the camera, and where all the good angles are.

thank you....I appreciate your attention to my concern

What we need is for a cartoon tiger head to pop out of the logo on the floor and grab a broom from one of the girls, like used to happen on the old telecasts (only with a bat). To bad the powers that be just canned our best animator.

[Thank you Wikipedia!]
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Tiger4.gif