Don Kelly News

In a rotation with two rookie right-handers and a converted reliever, Rangers left-hander Derek Holland has become increasingly important to his team.

FALSE HOPES: Detroit Tigers OF Don Kelly is congratulated by third base coach Tom Brookens after hitting a home run as Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish grabs a rosin bag in the first inning of their MLB American League baseball game in Arlington, Texas May 16, 2013.

In fact, if the stats weren't available to indicate just how much Justin Verlander has struggled in his last two starts, , you might have thought there was nothing from which to bounce back.

Long before there were sabermetrics and Baseball-Reference.com, dad kept notebooks in which he would meticulously log the daily box score lines of all the major league pitchers.

How good has reserve outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo been for the Tigers? Minutes after the Tigers' 7-5 loss to the Astros Thursday, angry Tiger fans were complaining about Don Kelly pinch hitting for Tuiasosopo in the ninth inning.

Justin Verlander is 4-3 with a 1.93 ERA heading into the game tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Avisail Garcia became the 100th player in West Michigan Whitecaps' history to make it to the major leagues when he was called up to the Detroit Tigers late last season and helped contribute to the club's postseason run.

Getting a spark from the bottom of the lineup, the Tigers continued to dominate the Houston Astros, winning their sixth straight against the Texas team, 6-2, on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

When the Tigers called up Jose Ortega a few weeks ago as an injury replacement for Octavio Dotel, the right-hander was a gifted young arm with some streaks of wildness.

These days, there's no better way to come back from losing four of five than to catch a series against the Oklahoma Citya I mean, Houston Astros, which is exactly the situation the Tigers find themselves in right now.

Torii Hunter won't play center field with Austin Jackson on the disabled list, Max Scherzer has not stranded very many runners this season, and Bryce Harper is good at baseball.

Andy Dirks, batting leadoff for the second straight day, hit his first career grand slam as part of a six-run fourth inning for the Tigers.

When Andy Bernard became manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, he decided it was time for a change.

Jim Leyland has said all along that he won't use Torii Hunter in center field. A stint on the disabled list for Austin Jackson has not changed that a bit.

Billfer likes long walks in Comerica Park. Check out the About page for more about me and the site.

GAME INFORMATION Who: Houston Astros at Detroit Tigers . Where: Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.

The Tigers aren't hamstrung with Austin Jackson just yet, but he's enough of a concern that manager Jim Leyland wants to keep him from becoming an injury loss.

Detroit Tigers' Don Kelly waits for batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees on March 23 in Lakeland, Fla.

The Indians start a short five game road trip with their first meeting with the division leading rival Detroit Tigers.

Miguel Cabrera can create a highlight every time he takes a swing. He can also create a panic every time he takes a funny step.