Detroit catcher Laird uses three-finger throw (AP)
In the duel between catcher and base runner, success and failure are separated by fractions of a second. Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird may have found an edge by using an unorthodox, three-finger throwing grip. “I can get it out a little quicker because I don't need to find the seam,” Laird said.

Tigers’ Inge gets redemption at third base and at the plate

Oakland, Calif. — All’s well that ends well — sometimes before it ends at all.

Baseball Today (AP)

Two days left to give Cabrera All-Star push
Cabrera in need of Tigers fans’ votes Miguel Cabrera’s recent surge at the plate might be too late to earn him a surge at the virtual ballot box.

Khalil Greene goes back on DL with anxiety
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Khalil Greene was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the second time with social anxiety disorder on Monday.

Tigers go quietly in opener vs. A’s
Tigers go quietly in opener vs. A’s Rick Porcello surrendered five runs in 4 1/3 innings and Brett Anderson struck out seven in 5 1/3 as the Tigers fell to the A’s, 7-1, in Monday’s series opener.

Manny’s minors stint reaches its end
Manny Ramirez was scheduled to lead off and be the designated hitter for Class A Inland Empire in what’s expected to be the final stop in his minor league rehab tour.

Ellis, Sweeney homer in A’s 7-1 win over Tigers (AP)

Mark Ellis has always possessed an ineffable knack for timely hits during his years with the Oakland Athletics. Now that he's back from a two-month injury absence, maybe he can show his light-hitting teammates how to get it. Ellis hit a two-run homer in his second game back in the A's lineup, and Ryan Sweeney homered and drove in two runs in Oakland's 7-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on…

Manny drops to seventh among OFs in NL All-Star voting
Manny Ramirez dropped one spot to seventh place in All-Star voting among NL outfielders with four days remaining in balloting for starters.

Tigers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

He didn’t pitch well Monday night, but rookie Rick Porcello is still mighty impressive for a kid who two years back had just finished up his career at Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey.

One of his impressive attributes is his poise. Porcello acts the same whether he’s just worked out of a jam, just completed a 1-2-3 inning, just served up a big home run or finished off a multi-run inning.

Guys can look poised giving up 16 runs on 13 hits and seven walks, too, so you have to add talent to that in-control demeanor on the mound.

Porcello doesn’t blow you away but he’s got a nice 90-93 mph fastball that generally sinks almost like a split-finger, a solid 12-to-6 classic curve plus a changeup that needs work but has nice potential.

Teams have had some success…

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for the Detroit Tigers

Welcome to the end of June. The Tigers remain in first place after a decent winning streak at home.

Seay proven swing man in Tigers ‘pen
Seay proven swing man in Tigers ‘pen The Tigers have a healthy Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya to credit for a good part of their bullpen resurgence. But Bobby Seay quietly keeps getting his work done.

French called up, slated to start Friday

Inge’s homer in ninth lifts Tigers over Astros (AP)

Brandon Inge knew what pitch was coming, and he salvaged the Detroit Tigers' final game in Houston with a single swing. Inge hit a two-run homer off Jose Valverde with two outs in the ninth inning and the Tigers averted a sweep with a 4-3 win over the Astros on Sunday. Kaz Matsui's RBI double off Edwin Jackson in the seventh gave Houston a 3-2 lead.

Tigers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The elephant in Detroit’s room is sitting quietly in the corner for now, but unless right fielder Magglio Ordonez picks it up markedly at the plate in the next week or two the pachyderm is going become as noticeable as if it had zebra stripes.

Ordonez has played five games, out of a possible six, since getting a four-game hiatus to see if he could get refreshed at the plate and get his old power back.

It would be a stretch to call 3-for-18 with one home run and two RBI either hot or a return to his old thumping ways.

He returned to the lineup hitting .273 but now is at .265.

Manager Jim Leyland kept Ordonez out of Saturday’s game with right-hander Felipe Paulino throwing mid-90s gas.

Ordonez home run gives Tigers 6-5 win over Cubs

Magglio Ordonez ended a career-long, 40-game drought without a home run by connecting for the go-ahead shot, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Chicago Cubs 6-5 for their seventh straight victory.

Tigers put LHP Nate Robertson on disabled list (AP)
The Detroit Tigers placed left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with what they're calling “a mass” in his left elbow. The move is retroactive to June 27. To take his place on the roster, the Tigers purchased the contract of left-hander Fu-Te Ni from Triple-A Toledo.

Guillen plays catch, will hit off tee

Paulino leads Astros over Tigers 8-1 (AP)

Houston manager Cecil Cooper thought Felipe Paulino could develop into a good pitcher for the Astros. But even he was a bit surprised at just how good the rookie right-hander was Saturday night. Paulino pitched seven solid innings and the Astros used a five-run third to pull away from the Detroit Tigers for an 8-1 victory.

Detroit Tigers on Precipice, But to What?

With all the scuffling the Tigers have been doing this season, I was startled to learn that as of this final weekend in June they sport the third best record in the majors, behind only Boston in the AL East and Los Angeles in the NL West… by J. Conrad Guest 36 reads Stats With all the scuffling the Tigers have been doing this season, I was …

Porcello is Tigers‘ sudden star

The list of pitchers 20 and younger who have won 10 games before the All-Star break in the last 50 years is short — really short.

Tigers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Almost since there have been stitches on baseballs there have been bases on balls.

And since there have been managers, there have been managers moaning about bases on balls.

Joel Zumaya walked in the tying run in the eighth inning Friday night, something Tigers manager Jim Leyland has seen far too often for his liking this season.

“He hasn’t been throwing strikes,” Leyland said of Zumaya, who has been lighting up radar guns to between 102 and 104 mph with fastballs but hasn’t made umpires use their right hands often enough lately. “You gotta throw strikes up here. All our pitchers.”

Zumaya’s bases-load walk was the 15th given up by Detroit pitchers this season, most in the majors.

Tigers finding a way to get it done (Yahoo! Sports)
Things haven’t been smooth for the Tigers, but they’ll take it because they’re leading the AL Central.

Off-duty officer shoots two in lot after Angels game
An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in the crowded Angel Stadium parking lot after Wednesday night’s Colorado Rockies-Los Angeles Angels game, authorities said.

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TBS baseball analyst Darling endearing with honesty
Baseball analyst Ron Darling of TBS doesn’t like comparing himself to Fox’s Tim McCarver for the title of best national game analyst. “Tim McCarver’s the top of the food chain,” he says.

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Podsednik hit pulls out White Sox win in 13th inning
Scott Podsednik knows what it’s like to thrive in the clutch in Chicago and he loves the feeling.

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Tigers win seventh straight thanks to Ordonez’s HR
Magglio Ordonez ended a career-long, 40-game drought without a home run by connecting for the go-ahead shot, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Chicago Cubs 6-5 Thursday for their seventh straight victory.

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Mags’ locks: hair today, gone tomorrow
Mags’ locks: hair today, gone tomorrow Magglio Ordonez’s hair has gone from the chopping block to the auction block. The Tigers slugger has put the long locks he had cut Wednesday up for bid on eBay in an effort to raise money for charity.

Pirates send slumping Snell (2-8) to minors
Ian Snell, the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ No. 2 starter, has been demoted to the minors after winning only once in his last 12 starts.

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Berkman’s four RBIs lead Astros past Royals
Lance Berkman homered twice and drove in four runs to help the Houston Astros overcome an error-filled day and beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Thursday.

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Power Rankings: Tigers jump five spots (Yahoo! Sports)
The Yankees, Brewers, Phillies, Rangers and Mets dip. The Cardinals get a boost along with Detroit.

Yankees‘ Sabathia says he’s OK for Friday’s start
New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia threw in the bullpen before Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves and said he’ll be ready to start the opener of a weekend series against the New York Mets.

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Voters step to ballot box, make smart All-Star choices
With just more than a week remaining in All-Star balloting, are the fans getting it right? USA TODAY’s Paul White takes a look at the leaders and the deserving choices:

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Sandberg: Sosa doesn’t deserve Hall of Fame
Former Chicago Cubs star Ryne Sandberg says Sammy Sosa doesn’t belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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El Duque activated by Rangers’ minor league team
The Oklahoma City RedHawks have activated former major league pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez.

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Shoulder surgery looking likely for D’Backs’ Webb
Shoulder surgery appears to be a strong possibility for Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Webb, who on Tuesday underwent …

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Reds‘ Votto finds strength to battle mental health stigma in locker room
Joey Votto said Tuesday he thought he was going to die, following the death of his father last August. It took guts for the Cincinnati …

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MLB All-Star Game could be true scorcher

Joel Pineiro’s right leg gave way at the end of his seven-inning stint in 90-degree heat last week, the cramping in his calf so painful that his teammates had to carry the Cardinals pitcher off the field.

Raburn’s pinch-hit, walkoff homer lifts Tigers over Cubs
Pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a seesaw, 5-4 win over the Chicago …

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Fanalytics: To see pitchers’ futures, keep eyes on flies
Pitchers don’t have full control of what happens to a batted ball once it’s hit. What they do have some control over is whether …

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Angels set up team award in Nick Adenhart’s name
Named the Nick Adenhart “Pitcher of the Year” award, the accolade will be given to the Los Angeles Angels pitcher whose performance is selected by his teammates as the most outstanding through the season.

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Nats gain ground in race not to be all-time worst
The loss was like many others suffered by the Washington Nationals this season. The starting pitcher dug himself a big hole in the first inning, the bullpen made things worse, and the lineup couldn’t get a timely hit.

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Daily Pitch: Called shot part of Albert Pujols’ big weekend
Thanks to Albert Pujols’ almost unbelievable weekend which included a called home-run shot in his hometown the St. Louis Cardinals have their largest lead in the National League Central since May 11.

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Daily Pitch: Sinkerballer Aaron Cook helps Rockies win again
Monday night was good for two sinkerball pitchers. Aaron Cook’s sinker stymied the hot-hitting Los Angeles Angels 11-1 in Anaheim, while up the road in Oakland, rookie Trevor Cahill pitched a strong seven innings in the Athletics‘ 5-1 win against the San Francisco Giants.

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Yankees file protest after Sunday’s loss to Marlins
The New York Yankees filed an official protest with the commissioner’s office after a disputed loss to the Florida Marlins.

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