Tigersground.com | Detroit Tigers News, tigers Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div> --LHP Nate Robertson wasn't very good on a night Detroit needed him to be. Robertson's slider was flat -- except when it was arcing out of the park -- and his fastball was delivered to the fat part of the plate way too often. He was touched for nine hits and eight runs in just three innings Wednesday night.</div>--RHP Kyle Farnsworth may not be able to make travel arrangements in time to join Detroit for its afternoon game Thursday at Cleveland. Farnsworth told GM Dave Dombrowski he was going to try to make it but wasn't sure he could get a flight in time. He would then join Detroit on Friday in Tampa Bay. This will be Farnsworth's second tour of duty; he spent half of 2005 with Detroit before being dealt to Atlanta. Manager Jim Leyland has not specified a role for Farnsworth but is likely to use him in a variety of late-inning roles. "Let's put it this way," Leyland said, "He won't be a long man." --C Brandon Inge becomes the Tigers' regular catcher now and in the future in the wake of Detroit sending C Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for RHP Kyle Farnsworth. "Our plans were to make him the everyday catcher in the future," GM Dave Dombrowski said. "I'm excited about it," Inge said. "Let's keep this thing rolling." He hit a home run Wednesday, his second in two games. --C Dane Sardinha's contract was purchased from Class AAA Toledo, and he becomes the backup to C Brandon Inge. Sardinha showed the Tigers solid defense in an earlier trial with the club. He won't hit a lot, but Detroit won't expect him to. What it wants is for Sardinha to call a good game, play good defense and throw runners out. --RHP Freddy Dolsi is the likely candidate to be sent to the minors Thursday or Friday when RHP Kyle Farnsworth joins the club. Dolsi has been spotty lately and could use regular work under less pressure in the minors. Manager Jim Leyland likes Dolsi but would like him to improve his breaking ball and get sharper with spotting his fastball. Dolsi pitched an inning Wednesday night and allowed one hit but didn't have a strikeout. His fastball was in the mid-90s. --RHP Todd Jones was brought in during the sixth inning Wednesday night, the earliest he had entered a game since his second tour of duty with Detroit began in 2006. Jones served up a two-run home run in the sixth, which is one of the reasons he no longer is the Tigers' closer. He also pitched a scoreless seventh, and at this point, he needs innings to get some sharpness back. It was revealed after the game Jones reported some right shoulder soreness. "There might be some action there," manager Jim Leyland said. "We need another pitcher for the game." Jones will be examined for tendinitis. --LHP Casey Fossum wriggled out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the 12th Wednesday night and survived a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 13th to earn a victory. Fossum struck out C Kelly Shoppach to get the first out in the bottom of the 12th and then got Andy Marte to hit into a double play. He got three straight outs after the leadoff walk in the 13th. His control got him into trouble in the 12th (a single and two walks). --LHP Bobby Seay worked two ragged but scoreless innings Wednesday night, keeping Cleveland off home plate in the 10th and 11th innings. He gave up two hits and walked a pair but five strikeouts helped him keep the Indians scoreless. Seay had life on his fastball, and his breaking ball was good against left-handed hitters. --RHP Fernando Rodney is not building a strong case for himself to remain Detroit's closer. Rodney needed to get three outs to nail down a 12-11 Detroit win but gave up a solo home run to C Kelly Shoppach that tied the score and forced extra innings. He also walked two batters and threw 33 pitches. It's not what manager Jim Leyland is looking for in a closer. --1B Carlos Guillen entered the game in extra innings Wednesday night and wound up scoring the winning run. Guillen singled, went to third on Curtis Granderson's fifth hit and scored on a groundout to short by 2B Placido Polanco. Guillen entered at first base because INF Ramon Santiago had gone in as a pinch runner for 1B Miguel Cabrera. Santiago played third. Guillen was scheduled for a day off because he's been under some strain due to the health of his wife, who had childbirth complications. --CF Curtis Granderson had five hits, and his ground single to right in the top of the 13th sent 1B Carlos Guillen to third, from where he scored the winning run. Granderson is using the whole field to hit. --2B Placido Polanco had a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to give Detroit a 12-11 lead and grounded out to short with runners at the corner to score the winning run in the 13th. Polanco executed a hit-and-run play, chopping the ball to short, and 1B Carlos Guillen was running on the play and scored without a throw. BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- One-run losses at home Detroit suffered at the hands of Minnesota and Chicago in seven games. 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 approached.

--LHP Nate Robertson wasn't very good on a night Detroit needed him to be. Robertson's slider was flat -- except when it was arcing out of the park -- and his fastball was delivered to the fat part of the plate way too often. He was touched for nine hits and eight runs in just three innings Wednesday night.

--RHP Kyle Farnsworth may not be able to make travel arrangements in time to join Detroit for its afternoon game Thursday at Cleveland. Farnsworth told GM Dave Dombrowski he was going to try to make it but wasn't sure he could get a flight in time. He would then join Detroit on Friday in Tampa Bay. This will be Farnsworth's second tour of duty; he spent half of 2005 with Detroit before being dealt to Atlanta. Manager Jim Leyland has not specified a role for Farnsworth but is likely to use him in a variety of late-inning roles. "Let's put it this way," Leyland said, "He won't be a long man."

--C Brandon Inge becomes the Tigers' regular catcher now and in the future in the wake of Detroit sending C Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for RHP Kyle Farnsworth. "Our plans were to make him the everyday catcher in the future," GM Dave Dombrowski said. "I'm excited about it," Inge said. "Let's keep this thing rolling." He hit a home run Wednesday, his second in two games.

--C Dane Sardinha's contract was purchased from Class AAA Toledo, and he becomes the backup to C Brandon Inge. Sardinha showed the Tigers solid defense in an earlier trial with the club. He won't hit a lot, but Detroit won't expect him to. What it wants is for Sardinha to call a good game, play good defense and throw runners out.

--RHP Freddy Dolsi is the likely candidate to be sent to the minors Thursday or Friday when RHP Kyle Farnsworth joins the club. Dolsi has been spotty lately and could use regular work under less pressure in the minors. Manager Jim Leyland likes Dolsi but would like him to improve his breaking ball and get sharper with spotting his fastball. Dolsi pitched an inning Wednesday night and allowed one hit but didn't have a strikeout. His fastball was in the mid-90s.

--RHP Todd Jones was brought in during the sixth inning Wednesday night, the earliest he had entered a game since his second tour of duty with Detroit began in 2006. Jones served up a two-run home run in the sixth, which is one of the reasons he no longer is the Tigers' closer. He also pitched a scoreless seventh, and at this point, he needs innings to get some sharpness back. It was revealed after the game Jones reported some right shoulder soreness. "There might be some action there," manager Jim Leyland said. "We need another pitcher for the game." Jones will be examined for tendinitis.

--LHP Casey Fossum wriggled out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the 12th Wednesday night and survived a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 13th to earn a victory. Fossum struck out C Kelly Shoppach to get the first out in the bottom of the 12th and then got Andy Marte to hit into a double play. He got three straight outs after the leadoff walk in the 13th. His control got him into trouble in the 12th (a single and two walks).

--LHP Bobby Seay worked two ragged but scoreless innings Wednesday night, keeping Cleveland off home plate in the 10th and 11th innings. He gave up two hits and walked a pair but five strikeouts helped him keep the Indians scoreless. Seay had life on his fastball, and his breaking ball was good against left-handed hitters.

--RHP Fernando Rodney is not building a strong case for himself to remain Detroit's closer. Rodney needed to get three outs to nail down a 12-11 Detroit win but gave up a solo home run to C Kelly Shoppach that tied the score and forced extra innings. He also walked two batters and threw 33 pitches. It's not what manager Jim Leyland is looking for in a closer.

--1B Carlos Guillen entered the game in extra innings Wednesday night and wound up scoring the winning run. Guillen singled, went to third on Curtis Granderson's fifth hit and scored on a groundout to short by 2B Placido Polanco. Guillen entered at first base because INF Ramon Santiago had gone in as a pinch runner for 1B Miguel Cabrera. Santiago played third. Guillen was scheduled for a day off because he's been under some strain due to the health of his wife, who had childbirth complications.

--CF Curtis Granderson had five hits, and his ground single to right in the top of the 13th sent 1B Carlos Guillen to third, from where he scored the winning run. Granderson is using the whole field to hit.

--2B Placido Polanco had a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to give Detroit a 12-11 lead and grounded out to short with runners at the corner to score the winning run in the 13th. Polanco executed a hit-and-run play, chopping the ball to short, and 1B Carlos Guillen was running on the play and scored without a throw.

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- One-run losses at home Detroit suffered at the hands of Minnesota and Chicago in seven games.

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 approached.