Tigers open road series vs. Mariners
Detroit (57-28) at Seattle (42-43), Friday, 10:05 p.m. ET

Detroit has just three games left to play this year in the Pacific Time zone, and they'll be in the recently friendly confines of Seattle's Safeco Field.

The Tigers thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to Safeco this season, when they swept the Mariners in three games April 21-23.

Things will be a little different this time around, however, as two of the starting pitchers on that trip Mike Maroth and Justin Verlander -- will be spectators this time around.

Only Nate Robertson, who went seven innings in a 2-0 shutout, will be getting another crack at the Mariners on Sunday.

Missing the Mariners in Detroit's last trip to Seattle, Friday starter Jeremy Bonderman (7-4, 3.65 ERA) had pitched in Oakland the day before the series began, and Saturday starter Zach Miner (5-1, 2.68 ERA) wasn't yet on the 25-man roster.

Pitching matchup
DET: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (7-4, 3.65 ERA)
The Washington native has recovered from the stomach pains that helped knock him out of his last outing on Saturday at Pittsburgh with two runs allowed in five innings.

SEA: RHP Joel Pineiro (6-7, 5.86 ERA)
Pineiro is 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA in seven career starts against Detroit.

Player to watch
Ivan Rodriguez, who went 3-for-5 on Wednesday to improve his average on the current road trip to .388 (7-18), is 5-for-9 in his career vs. Pineiro.

Up next
• Saturday: Tigers (RHP Zach Miner, 5-1, 2.68) at Mariners (LHP Jarrod Washburn, 4-8, 4.75),
10:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Tigers (RHP Nate Robertson, 8-4, 3.35) at Mariners (RHP Felix Hernandez, 8-8, 4.95),
4:05 p.m. ET
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060705&content_id=1540620&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

Scouting Report:

Jeremy Bonderman, RHP (7-4, 3.65): Stomach pains helped knock Bonderman out of his last outing Saturday at Pittsburgh with two runs allowed in five innings, but steering away from spicy foods should leave the young right-hander in good shape for his return to his native Washington state. He hasn't lost in six starts since a May 29 defeat to the Yankees.

Joel Pineiro, RHP (6-7, 5.86): Pineiro had what pitching coach Rafael Chaves called his "best stuff" of the season. That said, Pineiro left far too many fastballs up in the strike zone in his last start on July 1 and allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings. The Mariners are convinced that Pineiro felt so good that he tried to overthrow.

The Mariners have hitters that have killed the Tigers in recent history(Beltre/Sexson/Ibanez). The Mariners have pretty decent as of late so hopefully our pitching and defense step up and bitch smack these pretenders.

God.

Seattle will be lucky to go 1-2. Pineiro is garbage, Washburn has done nothing, and King Felix is probably the best chance for a win, but he's inconsistent.

As for the hitting, it's decent, but only 3 guys per game step up to the plate for the team. Even Ichiro is prone to disappear.

God.

Seattle will be lucky to go 1-2. Pineiro is garbage, Washburn has done nothing, and King Felix is probably the best chance for a win, but he's inconsistent.

As for the hitting, it's decent, but only 3 guys per game step up to the plate for the team. Even Ichiro is prone to disappear.

I don't know about that.

The dude just keeps on hitting. For the season, his line stands at .351/.405/.458. That's fucking mindblowing.

I would love to see what he can do playing his home games at Comerica.

Man, these Seattle announcers are terrible. Seriously, don't you have to watch baseball if you're going to announce it?

First inning, when Maggs comes up, he spends the at-bat talking about Maggs's injury plagued 2005 that he spent in CHICAGO, saying something like that his feuding with Ozzie Guillen there last year led to his signing with the Tigs THIS year.

Second inning, when Craig Monroe flies out to center, he says "Centerfielder Willie Bloomquist hauls it in and makes a fine one hop throw to third." In reality, Centerfielder Shin-Soo Choo (Bloomquist isn't even in the game) makes the catch and makes a terrible throw, missing the cutoff man and the ball ends up a third of the way down the third baseline where Beltre gets it.

Seriously.

Also, when Pudge is up, he talks about what an outstanding job Pudge has done getting himself in shape for the second half of his career, he's really slimmed down, etc...Uhhhhh...did he miss the whole steroid thing?

Wow, Ichiro's just ridiculous. What a throw.

LMAO @ M's announcers


I loves me some Craig Monroe.

Bases loaded, no outs, Tigers up 6-0 with more maybe to come....Bonderman's only thrown 97 pitches....interested to see if they bring him out or give it to Grilli or someone.

Bondo it is, and he just gave up his fourth hit...let's see if he can keep the shutout in place.

I had typed this before Zumaya got the call, assuming Bondo would get through things, but apparently not. Jimmy should of given Jeremy one more batter in my opinion, but I love his keeping an eye oin the pitch count like this. The concept could bode quie well for all our young pitchers' arms:

"They warmed up Zumaya in the ninth. Two ways to look at it: He just needed some work or they wanted to give him his first real chance in a save type opportunity (I know he has a save, but it wasn't quite so planned...) if Bondo got in too much trouble....I wonder."

nice to see us pick up a win with the sox getting crushed tonight.

Everyone played well it seemed.

And how many fucking asians do the M's have? Holy shit.

Great performance by the Tigers tonight.

Monroe desteroniced that ball out the park. He spanked it so hard I had to make a new word to describe it.

lmfao.

desteroniced


we have to save that one

That 9th inning was the worst 1-2-3 inning I've ever seen. Thank God for the Comerica Park-like outfield at Safeco Field.

LMAO @ Betancourt for thinking he had it.

Anyone mind if I use this moment to praise my look-alike?

Ever since this kid made a so-so major league debut against the Red Sox, he has won every outing, going 6-0 with a 2.13 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. If Liriano, Zumaya, Verlander and Papelbon weren't around, and there weren't questions about what his role will be when Maroth returns, it would be hard to keep from talking about this kid as a potential rookie of the year.

By the way, how the crap does Ibanez have 20 HR and 70 RBI? He's only hit 20 or more in an entrie season twice, never with more than 24, and his season high for RBI is 103. Considering how bad the team is hitting around him, this kid is playing insane.

By the way, how the crap does Ibanez have 20 HR and 70 RBI? He's only hit 20 or more in an entrie season twice, never with more than 24, and his season high for RBI is 103. Considering how bad the team is hitting around him, this kid is playing insane.

No doubt, I was wondering the same thing the other day. WTF?

nice to see us pick up a win with the sox getting crushed tonight.

Everyone played well it seemed.

And how many fucking asians do the M's have? Holy shit.

LMAO. There's Ichiro, Choo, Baek (I think he's been demoted), and a couple others down in the minors. Choo isn't very good, and neither is Baek.

re: Ichiro, I know the M's have been relatively successful this season, but that is the quietest .351/.405/.458 I've ever seen. Bottom line: he just gets it done.

re: Ibanez, someone had to step up while Beltre and Sexson were choking on opposing pitchers' cocks and he fit the bill nicely. Although I didn't realize he had 20 HRs...holy shit.

It's not surprising that they, as a team, have a tendency toward scouting Asian players. Seattle has a HUGE Asian community (I lived there for 2 years in the mid-90's) and there might as well be a bridge from Tokyo to Seattle, as Seattle is one of the gateways to the US for a number of Asian communities. Hawaii may be the only larger "gateway".

nice to see us pick up a win with the sox getting crushed tonight.

Everyone played well it seemed.

And how many fucking asians do the M's have? Holy shit.

LMAO. There's Ichiro, Choo, Baek (I think he's been demoted), and a couple others down in the minors. Choo isn't very good, and neither is Baek.

They also have Kenji Johjima(sp?), who is a pretty good hitter. He just needs to adapt to American pitchers in terms of D.

By the way, how the crap does Ibanez have 20 HR and 70 RBI? He's only hit 20 or more in an entrie season twice, never with more than 24, and his season high for RBI is 103. Considering how bad the team is hitting around him, this kid is playing insane.

He's been eating his Wheaties.

This has been a pretty cold week for Granderson.

Maggs brought the whipping stick today.

nice to see us pick up a win with the sox getting crushed tonight.

Everyone played well it seemed.

And how many fucking asians do the M's have? Holy shit.

LMAO. There's Ichiro, Choo, Baek (I think he's been demoted), and a couple others down in the minors. Choo isn't very good, and neither is Baek.

They also have Kenji Johjima(sp?), who is a pretty good hitter. He just needs to adapt to American pitchers in terms of D.

LMAO. How could I forget Kenji? Probably because the Mariners go through catchers like Barry Bonds goes through HGH. Rene fucking Rivera caught today for the M's. I don't think the Mariners have had a catcher do 120 games in years.

Jeth, I heard today that, of the top Asian-American communities in the United States, Seattle is No. 1, LA is No. 2, and Portland is No. 3. Just FYI.



Oh, and I'd like to apologize for that win today. Seriously.

Aren't they also owned by Nintendo?

Aren't they also owned by Nintendo?

Yep. if you look closely, half of the rotating ads behind home plate are written in Japanese too.

Aren't they also owned by Nintendo?

Yep. if you look closely, half of the rotating ads behind home plate are written in Japanese too.

Correct. Nintendo DS ads. And, occasionally, more obscure Asian companies.