Justin Verlander allowed five runs in five innings to take the loss against the Orioles on Tuesday.
Verlander didn't have his best night, as the Orioles got to him for two home runs among his seven hits allowed. He also walked four batters on the night. He'll likely be better his next time out, Sunday against the Red Sox.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland reiterated Tuesday that Victor Martinez will not catch unless there's an emergency.
Leyland has already said it on multiple occasions, but the topic was raised again after Alex Avila (forearm) was placed on the disabled list Monday. "I won't catch Victor unless it's some freak situation," said Leyland. The Tigers will go with Brayan Pena and Bryan Holaday behind the plate for now.

Max Scherzer pitched six innings of one-run ball and struck out 10 in Detroit's 5-1 win over Baltimore on Monday.
Scherzer, still unbeaten on the year, is the AL's first 10-game winner. He's very fortunate to have such a record -- Anibal Sanchez has a better ERA (2.76 to 3.08) and is just 6-5 -- but it also goes to show how talented he is; that he can be 10-0 and he's not even pitching over his head. His 10-strikeout game tonight was his fifth of the year.

Drew Smyly pitched three perfect innings for his second career save Monday in a 5-1 game against the Orioles.
Under other circumstances, we'd question Jim Leyland leaving his best or second best reliever in to throw three innings in a four-run game. Smyly, though, needed just 33 pitches to get his nine outs, so he may need only one day off before he's ready to work again.

Miguel Cabrera busted out of a minislump by going 3-for-4 and hitting his 19th homer Monday.
Cabrera hadn't homered in a week, and it had been 11 days since his previous multihit game. It's almost like he's human after all.

Omar Infante went 4-for-4 and swiped his third base Monday against the Orioles.
With limited home run power and stolen base speed, Infante brings more to the table for the Tigers than he does for fantasy teams. He does have his average up to .308 at the moment, but he's more likely to come in closer to the .280-.290 range the rest of the way.

Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Monday that an MRI on Anibal Sanchez's right shoulder showed no structural damage.
Encouraging news for the Tigers, though Sanchez was placed on the disabled list Monday. The hope is that he'll be ready to return right around when he's eligible at the end of the month.

The Tigers will call up left-hander Jose Alvarez to start Thursday against the Red Sox.
Alvarez will fill in for Anibal Sanchez (shoulder) in the starting rotation. The 24-year-old left-hander struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball against the Indians on June 9 and should carry some value in AL-only leagues for now.

Tigers recalled C Bryan Holaday from Triple-A Toledo.
Holaday will replace Alex Avila (forearm) on the active roster. The 25-year-old backstop was batting .259/.317/.386 in 47 games at Triple-A this season and figures to backup Brayan Pena for now.

Tigers placed RHP Anibal Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 16, with a right shoulder strain.
After being scratched from a start last week due to shoulder stiffness, Sanchez lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his return on Saturday. Given his history, the smart play would have been to place him on the disabled list at the first sign of symptoms, but the Tigers aren't going to take any chances now. Jose Alvarez will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to start in his place Thursday against the Red Sox.

Tigers agreed to terms with competitive balance pick RHP Corey Knebel.
Knebel was the 39th overall selection in this month's first-year player draft. The hard-throwing right-hander out of the University of Texas got a $1,433,400 signing bonus, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland acknowledged Sunday that he is "a little concerned" about Anibal Sanchez.
Sanchez was scratched from a start last week due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder and lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his return to the Tigers' rotation on Saturday night against the Twins. "We'll see how it goes," Leyland said of the $80 million right-hander. Fantasy owners must take the same patient approach.

Alex Avila (forearm) is not expected to be in Monday's lineup.
Avila will miss at least one game after being hit by a pitch Sunday. The Tigers are calling him day-to-day for now, but a stint on the DL can't be ruled out. He finished 2-for-3 with a run scored before exiting.

Alex Avila left Sunday's game with a left forearm injury.
Avila was hit by a pitch and had to be removed in ninth inning. The severity of the injury isn't yet known, but Tigers should provide an update on his status soon.

Joaquin Benoit earned his fourth save of the season Sunday as the Tigers beat the Twins 5-2.
Jose Valverde has been shaky lately so Tigers manager Jim Leyland decided to give this one to Benoit, who entered the game in the eighth inning and closed it out with 1 1/3 scoreless frames. Benoit remains a solid stash in standard mixed fantasy leagues.

Torii Hunter hit his 300th home run of the season in the Tigers' win over the Twins on Sunday.
Hunter is just the 136th player in major league history to join the 300-homer club. He finished the day 2-for-5 with three RBI and is now batting .292/.341/.407 with three homers and 27 RBI in 60 games this season.

Andy Dirks was hitless in four at-bats in his return to the lineup Saturday.
Dirks hadn't played since Tuesday due to knee soreness. He should be fine physically, but his batting line is down to .245/.299/.348 for the season.

Anibal Sanchez lasted just 3 2/3 innings Saturday in the Tigers' loss to the Twins.
Sanchez was scratched from his last turn in the Detroit rotation due to shoulder stiffness and did not look comfortable in his return to action on Saturday night in Minnesota. The right-hander threw just 72 pitches, 42 of which were strikes, allowing two earned runs on five hits and four walks. He may need some time off.

Alex Avila is batting .166/.265/.280 this season.
That's through 181 plate appearances. The jig is clearly up in one-catcher mixed leagues, while Avila's .243/.352/.384 2012 slash offers little hope for players in two-catcher formats. Avila's excellent 2011 - where he hit .295/.389/.506 - is looking more and more like the outlier campaign in his five-year career. It wouldn't be stunning if Avila finally started to hit, but there's not a ton of upside in waiting for him to do so.

Prince Fielder went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI, helping to lead the Tigers to a 4-0 victory over the Twins in Minnesota on Friday.
Rick Porcello and Scott Diamond were engaged in a scoreless pitcher's duel heading into the sixth inning, where Fielder's two-run double broke the game open and provided more than enough support for the Tigers. He's having another excellent season, hitting .289/.390/.536 with 12 homers and 52 RBI.

Rick Porcello delivered another outstanding performance in Friday's victory over the Twins, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings.
Porcello fanned five on the night without walking a batter. He's been particularly impressive over his last four outings, where he's compiled a 1.33 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 29/4 K/BB ratio over 27 innings. Aside from one debacle of an inning against the Rangers in April, the 24-year-old has actually pitched very well this season. He'll look to continue that trend when he takes on the Orioles at home on Wednesday.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland indicated Friday that he's not ready to remove Jose Valverde from the closer role.
"We're going to use Jose Valverde until we decide Jose Valverde can or can't do it or we've got somebody else better," said Leyland. It's not exactly a vote of confidence, but it sounds like they will stick with him for now. The 35-year-old has a 4.15 ERA, three blown saves and five homers allowed in just 18 appearances this season. It would be surprising if he didn't eventually lose the closer gig.

Tigers agreed to terms with first-round pick RHP Jonathan Crawford.
Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Crawford will receive $2.0017 million, matching the slot value for the No. 20 pick. Some feel Crawford might wind up in the bullpen, but he can run his fastball up to 96 mph and he has flashed promise with his slider.

Tigers optioned OF Avisail Garcia to Triple-A Toledo.
Garcia hit a solid .288/.324/.455 with two homers and 10 RBI over 24 games, but the Tigers don't have an everyday spot in the lineup for him with Austin Jackson returning. He should get another shot later this summer.

Tigers activated OF Austin Jackson from the 15-day disabled list.
Jackson was cleared to return after making it through three rehab games with no issues with his hamstring. He wound up missing over a month with the injury. Jackson returns to a .272/.333/.371 batting line with two homers, 11 RBI, five steals and 33 runs scored.

Justin Verlander was denied a victory after blanking the Royals for seven innings on Wednesday.
Verlander struck out eight before leaving with a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, Jose Valverde couldn't make it stand up. Still, Verlander can't complain too much. Thanks to ample run support, he had won his last four starts, even though he had a 4.85 ERA during the span.

After coming in with a man on first, Jose Valverde gave up a two-run homer to Lorenzo Cain to take a blown save on Wednesday.
Manager Jim Leyland left Drew Smyly in to face fellow left-hander Eric Hosmer to start the ninth in a 2-0 game, even though Hosmer has hit lefties better than righties this year. The strategy backfired when Hosmer singled, and Valverde went on to give up his 15th homer in 17 1/3 innings this year. That's two more than he allowed in 69 innings in the regular season last year. Valverde is still an acceptable 9-for-12 saving games for the Tigers, but he doesn't look like any sort of long-term fix. We'd be surprised if he finishes the season on Detroit's roster.

Andy Dirks (knee) is not expected to return to the starting lineup until Saturday.
Dirks is dealing with some knee soreness, so Tigers manager Jim Leyland is trying to keep him off his feet. He was out of the lineup Wednesday and will sit out again Friday following Thursday's scheduled off-day. "He's going to get three days off, and that's a good thing," said Leyland. "I think his knees are a little sore. He will have today off, obviously tomorrow off -- we're all off -- and then the first pitcher in Minnesota's a left-hander, so that should freshen him up good. That works out good."

Max Scherzer won his ninth game Tuesday, limiting the Royals to two runs over seven innings in the Tigers' 3-2 victory.
Scherzer is easily one of the best pitchers going these days and showed why again Tuesday, holding the Royals to just three hits and two walks through his seven innings of work. He also struck out six batters on the night. Scherzer now has a 3.19 ERA and 0.87 WHIP to go along with his perfect 9-0 record. He'll go for win No. 10 against the Orioles on Monday.

Jose Valverde worked a scoreless ninth inning against the Royals to pick up his ninth save of the season on Tuesday.
Valverde is still a high-wire act, as the Royals had a runner on second base with nobody out before he escaped without harm. Despite his uneasiness, he's earned nine saves in 11 chances and is still getting the call from Tigers manager Jim Leyland. The right-hander has struck out 16 batters in 16 2/3 innings this season.

Octavio Dotel is currently limited to playing catch after feeling more soreness in his right elbow after throwing from a mound.
"I don't know what's going on with Dotel," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he's just trying to see if he still has it." Leyland added that some days Dotel feels good enough to play catch, but other days he doesn't. Multiple MRIs on Dotel's elbow have shown no structural damage, but Jason Beck of MLB.com writes that Dotel's season "appears to be in question." It's a fair question given that he's been out since late April and has yet to make notable progress.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts Monday in his first rehab game with Triple-A Toledo.
Jackson made the start as the DH, but he's expected to play seven innings in center field on Tuesday. The hope is that he'll be ready to return for Friday's series opener against the Twins. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since May 11 with a strained right hamstring.

Prince Fielder went 0-for-4 in Monday's loss to the Royals.
It was only Fielder's second hit-less game in June after a subpar May. The slugger is batting .284/.388/.500 with 12 homers and 51 RBI (third in the AL) over 236 at-bats.

Miguel Cabrera slammed his 18th homer of the season in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.
Miggy's two-run job -- his first homer since June 1 -- accounted for the totality of Detroit's offensive output on the evening. Another Triple Crown is in play for the prestigious Venezuelan: He leads the AL in batting average (.361) and RBI (69) and is second in round-trippers.

Doug Fister took a complete-game loss after giving up three runs in eight innings Monday against the Royals.
Fister has now gone five straight starts without a win. He struggled in the first of those outings, but in the last four, he's given up a total of nine runs. The problem is that the Tigers have scored a total of four runs in those games, getting shut out twice.

Tigers recalled RHP Evan Reed from Triple-A Toledo.
Reed appeared in two games with the Tigers earlier this season and has a 2.53 ERA over 21 appearances at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old will provide bullpen depth.

Tigers optioned LHP Jose Alvarez to Triple-A Toledo.
Alvarez allowed one run over six innings and had seven strikeouts in his debut Sunday against the Indians. The Tigers will call up right-hander Evan Reed to replace him on the active roster.

Jose Alvarez tossed six innings of one-run ball in his major league debut Sunday, picking up the win in a 4-1 victory over the Indians.
Alvarez had a no-hitter going until Ryan Raburn took him deep with two outs in the fifth. He then pitched out of a two-out jam in the sixth before the Tigers took the lead for good in the bottom of the frame. Alvarez struck out seven on the day while allowing just three hits and one walk. Anibal Sanchez is expected to be ready for his next start, but the Tigers won't be worried about calling on Alvarez if need after this performance.

Joaquin Benoit recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless inning in Sunday's win over the Indians.
With Jose Valverde having pitched three days in a row, Benoit was called upon in the ninth and responded with a two-strikeout scoreless frame. Valverde still has some leash, but Benoit is the guy to own for saves in Detroit if Papa Grande falters.

Don Kelly launched a three-run homer in Sunday's win over the Indians.
The blast broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning and proved to be the winning runs. Kelly also drew a couple walks on the day. Despite the nice day, with Austin Jackson due back later this week, Kelly's playing time is about to disappear.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) is hoping to be activated from the disabled list next weekend.
Assuming he feels OK on Sunday, Jackson will be sent to Triple-A Toledo to begin a rehab assignment. He'll test out his left hamstring in a game setting for a few days and will be back in the Tigers' lineup next weekend in Minnesota if all goes well. The outfielder hasn't played since May 11 due to the injury.

Tigers purchased the contract of LHP Jose Alvarez from Triple-A Toledo.
Alvarez will make his major league debut on Sunday in place of the injured Anibal Sanchez (shoulder). The left-hander isn't much of a prospect but has been terrific at Toledo this season, posting a 2.42 ERA and 76/15 K/BB ratio over 74 1/3 frames. Sanchez is expected to be OK for his next start, so Alvarez should be sent back down after his debut no matter how he fares.

Tigers optioned RHP Jose Ortega to Triple-A Toledo.
The move was made to clear a spot on the roster for Jose Alvarez who will be recalled on Sunday to start in place of Anibal Sanchez. Ortega posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 10/6 K/BB ratio in 11 2/3 innings with the Tigers. He'll be back with the club at some point during the season.

Jose Valverde tallied his eighth save of 2013 in the Tigers' 6-4 win over Cleveland on Saturday.
Valverde allowed a one-out single to Indians slugger Carlos Santana and then walked Yan Gomes, but he worked out of that jam by netting back-to-back strikeouts from Ryan Raburn and Mike Aviles. Valverde has a rough 4.02 ERA in 15 2/3 frames this season but he is locked into the Tigers' ninth-inning role for the time being.

Rick Porcello allowed only two runs -- one earned -- in six innings Saturday as the Tigers beat the Indians.
Porcello was solid once again, yielding only three hits and two walks while striking out seven Cleveland hitters. The 24-year-old right-hander has looked sharp in three straight starts and has lowered his ERA from 5.29 to 4.86 since the end of May. He also has a cool 1.22 WHIP, and his strikeout rate is way better than it has ever been. Consider streaming Porcello next week at pitcher-friendly Target Field.

Tigers transferred RHP Octavio Dotel from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.
The move clears a spot for Sunday's starter Jose Alvarez on the 40-man roster. Dotel has been out since late April with right elbow tendinitis.

The Tigers will call up LHP Jose Alvarez from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.
With Anibal Sanchez on the disabled list, Alvarez will make his major league debut Sunday against the Indians. The 23-year-old has a 2.42 ERA over 11 starts at the Triple-A level.

Anibal Sanchez has been scratched from his start Sunday with shoulder stiffness.

Victor Martinez homered for the second consecutive night, helping to power the Tigers to a 7-5 victory over the Indians on Friday.
Martinez finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. He's really turned it on once the calendar flipped to June, as he's hitting .347 (8-for-23) with three homers and five RBI through six games.

Justin Verlander turned in a quality start in Friday's victory over the Indians, allowing three runs on seven hits over his seven innings.
Verlander fanned six on the night while walking a pair. Outside of the three-run fifth inning, he was in complete command the rest of the evening. It's the fourth consecutive win for Verlander, who now sits at 8-4 on the season with a 3.71 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 93/26 K/BB ratio through 80 innings. He'll attempt to extend that streak to five when he does battle against the Royals in Kansas City on Tuesday.

Jose Valverde, coming on in a non-save situation, allowed a pair of solo home runs against the Indians on Friday.
He also allowed a single to Jason Kipnis, and nearly blew the four-run lead that he was tasked with protecting. While he started off the season strong, he's now allowed six runs (four home runs) in his last 2 2/3 innings. With the Tigers expecting to compete for a World Series, you have to wonder how long they'll trust Valverde with the ball in the ninth inning.

Alex Avila is not in the Tigers' lineup Friday.
It's just a day off for Avila. Brayan Pena is getting the start against Ubaldo Jimenez and the Indians.

Tigers made Texas RHP Corey Knebel the 39th overall selection in the 2013 draft.
Knebel, a hard-throwing reliever who served as the Longhorns' closer, could be one of the first players from the draft to reach the majors. It might even happen this year. He's probably not as good of a long-term prospect as Bruce Rondon, but he might turn out to be the Tigers' future closer if Rondon doesn't pan out.

Tigers selected University of Florida right-hander Jonathan Crawford with the 20th pick.
Crawford is a little smaller than teams prefer their right-handers, but he's been durable so far and he has a nice fastball-slider combination. His changeup will determine whether he sticks as a starter. If it fails to come along, he might turn out to be a late-game reliever instead.

Doug Fister was dealt a tough-luck loss Wednesday, allowing three runs over 8 1/3 innings in a defeat at the hands of the Rays.
Fister was unscored upon in the first eight frames, but, in hindsight, Tigers manager Jim Leyland probably wishes he didn't send him out for the ninth. He allowed three hits and was charged with three runs in that frame, though the last one crossed the plate after he left. Despite the unhappy ending, it was another great start for Fister, who now holds a 3.27 ERA and 1.18 WHIP for the year. He'll pitch in Kansas City next.

The Detroit News speculates that the Tigers could call up Nick Castellanos soon.
With Austin Jackson on the disabled list and Andy Dirks struggling, the Tigers could consider a promotion for Castellanos after the Super Two deadline. The 21-year-old top prospect is batting .279/.354/.464 with eight home runs and 29 RBI over 60 games at Triple-A Toledo.

Anibal Sanchez allowed one run over seven innings, striking out nine, as the Tigers beat the Rays 10-1 on Tuesday.
In sticking with a trend, Sanchez picked up the win after taking the loss his last time out. The right-hander struck out nine while allowing just four hits and a walk in the outing. Sanchez is now 6-5 but has a 2.65 ERA in what is shaping up to be a career year. His next start is against the Indians on Sunday.

Prince Fielder went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in the Tigers' win over the Rays on Tuesday.
Fielder had two singles to go along with his 12th homer, and even his one out was an RBI sacrifice fly. The first baseman is now hitting .283/.395/.519, and his 48 RBI would be more impressive if he wasn't on the same team as Miguel Cabrera.

Omar Infante went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against the Rays on Tuesday.
Infante sometimes gets lost in that potent Tigers lineup, but the steady second baseman is hitting .298/.336/.424 with 30 runs scored this year. Tuesday was his eighth game this season batting leadoff, a spot that also benefits Infante's numbers. Alas, when Austin Jackson comes back Infante will likely return to the lower part of the lineup.

Luis Marte is out for the season after undergoing cleanup surgery on his right shoulder.
Marte had a procedure to clean up debris around his right labrum. He will rehab for about three months before beginning a throwing program.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) will attempt to resume running later this week.
Jackson took batting practice and shagged fly balls on Tuesday, but he hasn't ran since feeling soreness last Friday while running at 80 percent. He will need a few rehab games until returning, so the best fantasy owners can hope for is probably getting A-Jax back late next week.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) will attempt to resume baseball activities on Tuesday.
Jackson was sore after doing some running last Friday but was able to get in a light workout on Sunday. "I'm definitely making progress," he said. "You're just sore the next day, so you don't want to push it too much after that." There's no timetable for when Jackson will begin a rehab assignment, but he's progressing slowly but surely.

Tigers acquired OF Francisco Martinez from the Mariners in exchange for cash or a player to the named later.
Martinez was sent from the Tigers to the Mariners in the Doug Fister deal but flopped in the Seattle organization, batting just .206/.242/.254 with 43 strikeouts in 136 plate appearances this season at Double-A Jackson. He's just 22, so his original organization is hoping he'll right the ship with a change of scenery.

Tigers designated OF Quintin Berry for assignment.
Berry provided spurts of production last season with the Tigers, but he was never close to getting called up this year while batting just .168/.278/.234 at Triple-A Toledo. It's possible his speed will make him attractive to some on waivers.

Miguel Cabrera hit his fourth career grand slam Saturday in the Tigers' 10-3 win over the Orioles.
Cabrera's slam off T.J. McFarland punctuated the Tigers' eight-run fourth inning. Cabrera is now hitting .420 in 131 career at-bats with the bases loaded, though his home run rate is much lower than usual in those situations. He's averaged a homer ever 33 at-bats with the bases loaded, compared to one every 17 at-bats the rest of the time.

Justin Verlander yielded three runs in seven innings Saturday in a victory over the Orioles.
Verlander had it easy today after the Orioles scored eight times in the fourth to make it 9-1. He did give up two homers to J.J. Hardy before leaving. He had allowed just three homers in 66 innings this season coming in.

Alex Avila homered Saturday off the Orioles' Jason Hammel for his first extra-base hit in 22 days.
Avila's homer was the third of back-to-back-to-back blasts with Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta. He's been making adjustments to his swing lately, and it will be interesting to see if it pays off in the coming weeks.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) appears to be nearing a rehab assignment.
Jackson told reporters he will run the bases and take batting practice on Saturday before consulting with the Tigers' medical staff on the next step. That next step may be a rehab assignment, possibly beginning sometime early next week. That would put him on track to return to the Tigers by sometime the following week. Jackson hasn't played since May 11.

Jose Valverde gave up four runs for his second blown save of the season in Friday's loss to the Orioles.
Valverde entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 5-3 cushion, but gave up a leadoff homer to Nick Markakis and back-to-back singles to Adam Jones and Chris Davis. He was able to retire Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy on pop-ups, but Chris Dickerson then connected for a walk-off three-run homer to win it for Baltimore. Valverde entered Friday's outing having allowed just one run on three hits and four walks over his first 12 innings this season, so there's no reason for panic quite yet. But the honeymoon might be over.

Max Scherzer yielded three runs in eight innings as part of a no-decision against the Orioles.
He struck out 10 for his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season. Scherzer gave up a sacrifice fly to Matt Wieters in the second inning and a two-run homer to Adam Jones in the third, but bounced back to retire the final 16 batters he faced. Unfortunately for the Tigers and Scherzer owners, Jose Valverde coughed up the lead in the bottom of the ninth. Scherzer will bring a 3.42 ERA into a start against the Rays next week.

Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's loss to the Orioles.
Well, of course he did. Cabrera finishes with 12 home runs and 33 RBI in 28 games this month. He now has driven in 61 runs in 53 games this season. For what it's worth, he had 44 RBI through his first 53 games last season.

Torii Hunter will not play Friday or Saturday in order to attend his son's high school graduation.
Hunter sat out Thursday's game after he was hit in the elbow by a pitch on Wednesday. The good news is that the swelling should be down by the time he returns Sunday. Don Kelly will start in his place in right field Friday.

Doug Fister wasn't involved in the decision after pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out 12 Pirates on Thursday.
No support for Fister. The Tigers got seven hits in 5 1/3 innings against Jeff Locke, but they couldn't push across a run then or in 5 2/3 innings against the Pirates bullpen. Fister bested his previous season high for strikeouts by four tonight. He's still allowed just two homers in 68 2/3 innings for the year.

Victor Martinez is out of the Tigers' lineup again Thursday.
V-Mart is taking a seat again with the DH unavailable under National League rules in Pittsburgh. He should be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Orioles.

Torii Hunter (elbow) is not in the Tigers' starting lineup on Thursday night against the Pirates.
Hunter will now have two full days to rest his swollen left elbow. He was hit by a pitch on Wednesday night.

Anibal Sanchez allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 2/3 frames in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.
It all unraveled in a hurry for Sanchez, who was cruising through six innings. After getting a strikeouts to start the seventh, the righty allowed five straight baserunners to reach, resulting in four runs. After a two-out single, he was finally removed. Sanchez has been brilliant this season, so we're not going to ding him too much for one bad inning. He has a good shot to rebound next week against the Rays.

Miguel Cabrera blasted a two-run homer in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.
It was his lone hit in five trips to the plate, which could qualify as an off night for the slugger if you're being really greedy. Cabrera's average dropped to .368, which still leads all of baseball. He has 15 homers and a whopping 59 RBI.

Torii Hunter left Wednesday's game against the Pirates as a precaution due to an elbow injury.
Hunter was plunked by a pitch in the game. He'll undergo X-rays just in case, but the Tigers seem to think he'll be fine.

Victor Martinez is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Pirates.
He'll take a seat since the DH isn't available under National League rules. Tigers manager Jim Leyland hasn't said anything about him playing first base on Thursday, so it would be a good idea to have a backup plan in place in daily leagues.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland indicated Tuesday that he would prefer Bruce Rondon to stay in the minors for now.
Rondon has an 0.82 ERA and 12/5 K/BB ratio over 11 innings since his demotion earlier this month, but Leyland wants to see more sustained success. "He's doing a good job, but that's the idea," said Leyland. "Don't get excited when they do a good job for three weeks or a month. Let him keep pitching." The hard-throwing right-hander should get another chance in the Tigers' bullpen later this summer.

The Tigers are trying to retool Alex Avila's swing.
The change consists of eliminating the toe-tap before his swing. The 26-year-old backstop is batting just .177/.259/.290 with 43 strikeouts in 124 at-bats this season, so it's worth a shot. However, it could take him a while to get comfortable.

Octavio Dotel (elbow) is not ready for a rehab assignment.
Dotel has resumed throwing bullpen sessions, but he's not at 100 percent yet and it's not clear when he'll advance to facing hitters. "He threw at 70 percent and said he felt good," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "When he throws 100 percent and feels good, then we will send him out on a rehab assignment." Dotel has been sidelined since late April with right elbow inflammation.

Torii Hunter will miss games on Friday and Saturday in order to attend his son's high school graduation.
Hunter will play the series finale in Pittsburgh on Thursday before returning for the series finale against the Orioles on Sunday. The Tigers are expected to just play a man short for a couple days. "This is just once in a lifetime," Hunter said. "I hope people forgive me for it."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday that he's hopeful Austin Jackson (hamstring) can begin a rehab assignment by the end of this weekend.
"I'm hoping, possibly, that sometime on this trip, he can go out and get some at-bats," Leyland said, "but I can't swear to that." Leyland is likely being overly optimistic, as Jackson has yet to be clear to hit or pick up his running. It's more realistic that he might ramp up his activities this week before possibly starting a rehab assignment next week. "The last thing you want to do," Jackson said, "is, one day it feels really good and you get out there and try to push it and possibly re-injure it, and then we're back at step 1."

Victor Martinez went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Monday's victory against the Pirates.
Don't look now, but V-Mart has a five-game hitting streak going. The veteran designated hitter still sits at an anemic .230/.277/.310 slash line, but he's been unlucky in a few peripherals, including BABIP, and we're confident his recent success represents a harbinger of better things to come.

Jose Valverde earned his sixth save of the season Monday in the Tigers' 6-5 defeat of the Pirates.
Valverde allowed a one-out single to Travis Snider but retired the next two batters, finishing off the Tigers' Memorial Day victory in Detroit with a strikeout of Pirates star Andrew McCutchen. Valverde has a gorgeous 0.75 ERA and 0.58 WHIP in 12 innings this season. Maybe there really is something left in the tank.

Justin Verlander struck out 13 batters Monday in the Tigers' afternoon victory over the Pirates.
Verlander gave up seven hits and three runs but was mostly pretty sharp in the interleague outing. He's now 6-4 with a 3.68 ERA and 82/32 K/BB ratio in 66 innings this season. And while those aren't his usual ace-like stats, they've still been plenty good in standard fantasy formats. The Orioles are up next.

Max Scherzer had little trouble with the Twins Sunday, striking out six while tossing six innings of one-run ball in the 6-1 victory.
Scherzer walked three, which led to an elevated pitch count and a relatively early exit, but he gave up just three hits. The six strikeouts tied his season-low, as the hard-throwing righty now has 81 punchouts over 68 1/3 innings this season. He'll take a 3.42 ERA and 0.92 WHIP into Baltimore next weekend.

Torii Hunter belted a solo homer in Sunday's win over the Twins.
Hunter's power fell off last season and it's been slow to come around again this year, as today's bomb was just his second of the season. However, like last year, he's hitting for average, sporting a .311 mark.

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News writes that it "could be a while" before Austin Jackson (hamstring) is activated from the disabled list.
Jackson is eligible to be activated on Monday, but he's not remotely close to being ready for action. The outfielder has been throwing for a few days and will hit off a tee soon, but it appears that trying to run is a ways down the road. Don Kelly and Avisail Garcia will continue to share center field until A-Jax is ready.

Prince Fielder went 0-for-4 in Saturday's loss to the Twins.
Fielder hasn't hit a home run since May 10 and is batting just .235/.380/.383 this month. He's seeing the ball fine and drawing plenty of walks. The power will return. Cecil's son is scuffling a bit and being overshadowed by demigod Miguel Cabrera. If someone is dumb enough to sell low on Prince, be smart enough to buy.

Doug Fister allowed three runs over seven innings Saturday in the Tigers' loss to the Twins.
Fister surrendered all three runs in the top of the first inning. He settled in nicely after that and wound up striking out a total of seven batters, but the Tigers' offense was unable to rise past the early deficit. Fister will carry a 5-2 record, 3.65 ERA and 1.26 WHIP into his next start against the Pirates.

Anibal Sanchez twirled an absolute gem against the Twins on Friday, surrendering just one hit and three walks while striking out 12 over nine shutout innings.
He carried his no-hitter into the ninth inning, where a one-out single from Joe Mauer spoiled the memorable night. He was in complete command on the evening, at one point retiring 18 consecutive hitters. He was making a bid for his second career no-hitter, already having turned the feat against the Diamondbacks on September 6, 2006. Sanchez been absolutely dynamite for the Tigers and fantasy owners alike this season, compiling a 5-4 record, 2.38 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 80/17 K/BB ratio over his first 64 1/3 innings. He'll look to follow up with an encore performance when he takes on the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Don Kelly belted a two-run homer on Friday, providing more than enough support for Anibal Sanchez and helping to lead the Tigers to a 6-0 victory over the Twins.
The third inning blast off Samuel Deduno was his only hit in four trips to the plate on the night. Through his first 66 at-bats on the season, he's hitting a paltry .197/.274/.348 with a pair of homers and six RBI. He shouldn't be owned anywhere but the very deepest of AL-only leagues.

Jose Valverde worked a scoreless ninth inning against the Twins on Thursday, striking out two and earning his fifth save of the season.
Papa Grande -- unwanted by 30 teams a month and a half ago -- has been lethal out of the back end of Detroit's bullpen. Through 11 innings, he has a 0.82 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 10/4 K/BB rate. He's only given up two hits and one run.

Rick Porcello was chased by the Twins for five runs on 10 hits over five innings Thursday, but escaped with a no-decision when Detroit mounted a late comeback.
He struck out two and walked one. Porcello was 0-2 with a 11.08 ERA on April 20 before a solid four-game stretch lowered his earned run average to 5.92. It's back up to 6.28, courtesy of the toothless Minnesota offense. Gamble on Porcello at your own risk Tuesday, when he has a date against the Pirates.

Miguel Cabrera continued to torment major league pitching Thursday, going 2-for-3 with another homer in a comeback win against the Twins.
He also walked twice. Now on a four-game home run streak, Cabrera is 9-for-15 (.600) with five walks, a double, six homers, 13 RBI and nine runs during that stretch. He's first in the AL in batting average (.391), second in homers (14), and first in RBI (55), runs (39), slugging percentage (.701) and OPS (1.168). He's only eighth in walks (25) at the moment, but he'll be gifted plenty more of those as teams realize it's an awful idea to throw Cabrera a hittable pitch at the moment.

Octavio Dotel (elbow) threw a bullpen session Thursday.
It's the first time he's thrown from the bump since being shut down over the last week. Dotel will eventually need a rehab assignment, but it's not clear when it will begin. He'll likely return sometime next month if all goes well.

Austin Jackson (hamstring) is unlikely be activated from the disabled list when he's eligible Monday.
Jackson landed on the disabled list earlier this month with a strained left hamstring, but we haven't heard much about his progress. That's probably because there's little to update, as Chris Iott of MLive.com hears that he isn't currently doing any physical activity. Fantasy owners will have to hope that changes real soon.

Brayan Pena went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in the Tigers' 11-7 victory over the Indians on Wednesday.
Pena doesn't play much -- Wednesday was just his 14th game of the year -- but when he does, he usually hits. His three-hit game raised his average to .304, and with starting catcher Alex Avila struggling it may mean more at-bats for Pena in the near future.