--LHP Kenny Rogers threw two mistakes that ended up as home runs worth three runs. C Kelly Shoppach slammed a 2-0 fastball over the left-field fence for a solo home run in the sixth and 2B Asdrubal Cabrera put a soft 3-1 off-speed pitch into the left-field seats with a teammate on later in the inning. Rogers showed his Gold Glove talents three times during his 5 2/3 innings of work. He gave up nine hits but might have fared better with some offensive support.
--RHP Joel Zumaya played some light catch Monday afternoon and pronounced himself ready to help the Tigers. "He said he could have pitched," manager Jim Leyland said, "but I wasn't going to pitch him." Zumaya suffered tightness in his right triceps Sunday and had to come out of the game after 1 1/3 innings. --RHP Fernando Rodney didn't pitch Monday and probably couldn't have. Manager Jim Leyland indicated he was not going to use his newly installed closer -- and might not use him Tuesday, either, as he recovers from a 42-pitch outing Sunday.
--RHP Aquilino Lopez saved Detroit's battered bullpen with 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief. The Tigers didn't have RHPs Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya available, so they needed someone to shoulder the load after starting LHP Kenny Rogers was done.
--CF Curtis Granderson collected half of Detroit's four hits off Cleveland starter Paul Byrd. Most of the Tigers were trying to go the other way against Byrd, but Granderson yanked a double to the right-field corner in the sixth and singled to center in the eighth.
--DH Gary Sheffield did not play as his manager elected to go with rookie OF Matt Joyce in left field and LF Marcus Thames at DH. Sheffield was only 4-for-25 last week, although he did drive in six runs. He has been sporadic this season.
--LF Matt Joyce got the start after not starting Saturday and Sunday against Chicago. Joyce got one of Detroit's four hits, a single to center in the seventh. It was only his second hit since going 4-for-6 a week ago.
--3B Carlos Guillen was one of the few Detroit players with a decent hitting history against Cleveland RHP Paul Byrd, but it was worse going out than it was coming in. Guillen entered the game batting .410 (16-for-39) in his career against Byrd but went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk.
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- One-run losses at home Detroit suffered at the hands of Minnesota and Chicago in seven games, two of which the Tigers won. Also the number of consecutive three-hit games RF Magglio Ordonez was seeking as he went 1-for-4 Sunday, which would have been the first time that had happened in the majors since George Brett in 1976.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You have to live with the fact that someone might write something disruptive to your team, but that there's no truth to it whatsoever. Every once in a while you see a player get a little nervous in the clubhouse, but that's another thing you learn to live with because it's only natural for reporters to do their job. I understand that. You have to cope with that. But I don't get too excited, because I know what's going on. Besides, I've always told my players, if your name is involved in a trade, and you ask me, I'll tell you." -- Manager Jim Leyland of Detroit on rumors that always buzz around as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.
