Opposite dugout: Tigers trying to escape from recent woeful skid

Opposite dugout: Tigers trying to escape from recent woeful skid
Manager: Brad Ausmus (3rd season) Record: 15-18 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Nick Castellanos (.378/.405/.640), DH Victor Martinez (.348/.407/.571), RHP Justin Verlander (2-3, 5.40 ERA, 42 K's), RHP Francisco Rodriguez (8 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (3-4 in 2015) Pitching probables: May 12: RHP Mike Pelfrey vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 13: RHP Justin Verlander vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 14: RHP Anibal Sanchez vs. RHP Mike Wright,...
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Tigers clubhouse reacts to Max Scherzer's 20-strikeout performance

Tigers clubhouse reacts to Max Scherzer's 20-strikeout performance
The Nationals' Max Scherzer became history's fifth pitcher to have 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game when Washington beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 Wednesday night. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has been involved three of the 20-strikeout games. He was the Houston catcher when the Chicago Cubs' Kerry Wood struck out 20 Astros on May 6, 1998 at Wrigley Field in a 2-0 Cubs win. And Ausmus was the Detroit catcher the night Boston's Roger Clemens struck out 20 Tigers on Sept. 18, 1996 in Tiger...
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Ramos reaches elite company following another game caught for Scherzer

Ramos reaches elite company following another game caught for Scherzer
Hey, I hear you are a Major League catcher? Yes, yes I am. What have you accomplished in your last 150 games? Oh, I don't know, three no-hitters, one by Jordan Zimmermann, two from Max Scherzer, plus a record-setting 20 strikeout performance from Scherzer. No big. I beg your pardon. That is just part of the resume for Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who caught Zimmermann's no-hitter to end the 2014 season, followed that up with a pair of no-hitters in 2015 and now a 20-strikeout performance...
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Zimmermann good in return to D.C., but not as good as Scherzer

Zimmermann good in return to D.C., but not as good as Scherzer
On a night when his former teammate Max Scherzer struck out a career-high and MLB-record-tying 20 batters, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann never backed down from the battle. In a 3-2 loss to the Nationals, Zimmermann went seven innings and allowed seven hits, three runs and three walks with three strikeouts. It was his second setback after five wins to start the season. The Nationals touched Zimmermann for three hits and a run in their first at-bat. "I was able to wiggle out of the first,"...
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Baker on switching Murphy and Zimmerman in the lineup

Baker on switching Murphy and Zimmerman in the lineup
Manager Dusty Baker finally moved hot-hitting Daniel Murphy ahead of Ryan Zimmerman in the batting order. He said before the game he doesn't believe it is that big a deal, it was more about the matchup with Tigers right-hander and former National Jordan Zimmermann. "It would probably be unusual to you guys but not unusual to me because I've been thinking about some things for quite sometime," Baker said. "I talked to Zim and talked to Murphy first because I thought about it today in...
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Trading Places: Zimmermann back at Nats Park to face Scherzer

Trading Places: Zimmermann back at Nats Park to face Scherzer
The rubber match could not be any better Wednesday night as former Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann takes on former Tigers hurler Max Scherzer. "Of all the ways this could of shook out, this has to have happened exactly this way where I'm facing Jordie," Scherzer said. "He asked for a fastball right down the middle and I definitely said, 'no, you're not getting that'." "I saw it's Max and I just talked to him a few minutes ago, joked around and said we will be locking horns...
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Opposite dugout: Tigers slink into D.C. on six-game losing streak

Opposite dugout: Tigers slink into D.C. on six-game losing streak
Manager: Brad Ausmus (3rd season) Record: 14-16 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 3B Nick Castellanos (.375/.393/.596 with 5 HR, 24 RBIs), DH Victor Martinez (.311 with 5 HR, 18 RBIs), 2B Ian Kinsler (.304 with 6 HR, 17 RBIs), 1B Miguel Cabrera (.291 with 13 RBIs), RHP Jordan Zimmermann (5-1, 1.10 ERA), RHP Francisco Rodriguez (7 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (2-2 in 2013) Pitching probables: May 9: RHP Anibal Sanchez vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m. MASN May 10: RHP...
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Did Jordan Zimmermann join a Tigers team on the rise or in decline?

Did Jordan Zimmermann join a Tigers team on the rise or in decline?
As expected, Jordan Zimmermann is gone from the Nationals. He's agreed to a five-year, $110 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, his first chance to pitch in the American League. But what kind of team are the Tigers going to be next season? They could either be an aging team in need of a rebuild, much like the Philadelphia Phillies, or a team planning to return to first place in the AL Central with the addition of Zimmermann. Zimmermann, who turns 30 in May, will slot No. 2 in the Tigers...
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Opposite dugout: Tigers are in unfamiliar territory as trade deadline nears (updated)

Opposite dugout: Tigers are in unfamiliar territory as trade deadline nears (updated)
Manager: Brad Ausmus (2nd season) Record: 49-52 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: SS Jose Iglesias (.313, 10 SB), LF Yoenis Cespedes (.289 with 17 HR, 58 RBIs), RF J.D. Martinez (.286 with 27 HR, 63 RBIs), 2B Ian Kinsler (.280, 44 RBIs), RHP Joakin Soria (23 saves, 1.03 WHIP) Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2 Pitching probables: July 30: RHP Alfredo Simon vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN July 31: RHP Buck Farmer vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 7:05 p.m. MASN2 Aug. 1: RHP Anibal Sanchez vs. RHP Kevin...
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Opposite dugout: Tigers boast offense, but pitching has been an issue

Opposite dugout: Tigers boast offense, but pitching has been an issue
Manager: Brad Ausmus (2nd season) Record: 44-44 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: SS Jose Iglesias (.314, 9 SB), LF Yoenis Cespedes (.297 with 13 HR, 51 RBIs), RF J.D. Martinez (.289/.347/.565 with 25 HR, 59 RBIs), LHP David Price (9-2, 2.38 ERA), RHP Joakim Soria (3.38 ERA, 20 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (5-1 in 2014) Pitching probables: July 17: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Anibal Sanchez, 7:08 p.m., MASN2 July 18: RHP Chris Tillman vs. LHP David Price, 7:08 p.m., MASN2 July...
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Ausmus on sweep: "You feel like you let the fans down and you feel like you let the organization down"

Ausmus on sweep: "You feel like you let the fans down and you feel like you let the organization down"
The Tigers won 90 games to take the American League Central and were seeking their fourth straight appearance in the AL Championship Series. So to call being swept in the AL Division Series a letdown doesn't quite capture what first-year manager Brad Ausmus was feeling after Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles. "It's disappointing. You feel like you let the fans down and you feel like you let the organization down. You feel like you let the Ilitches down," Ausmus told reporters at Comerica...
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Ausmus after Game 2 loss: "If we have a lead in the eighth inning Sunday, we're going to have to find somebody"

Ausmus after Game 2 loss: "If we have a lead in the eighth inning Sunday, we're going to have to find somebody"
After again watching his bullpen let the Orioles post a big eighth inning to cement a Division Series win, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus didn't know how he'd handle a lead going forward with his club one game away from being eliminated. For the second straight game, Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria simply couldn't record outs. Handed a three-run lead in the eighth, the late-inning duo combined to surrender four runs on three hits and a walk in their combined one inning of work. In Game 1 a...
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Tigers J.D. Martinez: "It's just one loss" (updated)

Tigers J.D. Martinez: "It's just one loss" (updated)
During his Game 2 American League Division Series pregame press conference at Camden Yards this morning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he would not know if outfielder Rajai Davis would play today until after batting practice. Davis has been hampered since Saturday by a ligament sprain in the pelvic area. He played last night, going 1-for-3 but was pinch hit for in the ninth inning. Update: Davis is in the lineup for Game 2, batting ninth in center field. Ausmus talked about his team...
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Ausmus discusses Tigers' end of 12-3 loss in ALDS Game 1

Ausmus discusses Tigers' end of 12-3 loss in ALDS Game 1
Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus' first postseason game as a manager didn't quite go the way he hoped. A tight contest turned into a rout when few miscues in the eighth contributed to an eight-run inning for the Orioles, who handed Detroit a 12-3 loss in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. In the top of the eighth with the dangerous heart of the Tigers' order due up, Torii Hunter lined into a double play when Ian Kinsler ran on his own, making it easy work for J.J. Hardy after a...
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Some notes from the Tigers pregame press conference

Some notes from the Tigers pregame press conference
Some notes and quotes from the Tigers' press conference earlier today with manager Brad Ausmus and Game 2 starter Justin Verlander. Ausmus talked about outfielder Rajai Davis, who has a sprained pelvic ligament that forced him out of Saturday's game against the Twins. He is starting today and batting ninth in center field. "We got here this morning at 8:30 and he got some treatment done," Ausmus said. "We took him outside and he did some agility drills. He looked fine and he said he felt...
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Manager Brad Ausmus, pitcher Max Scherzer talk about Detroit's postseason experience

Manager Brad Ausmus, pitcher Max Scherzer talk about Detroit's postseason experience
During separate press conferences this afternoon at Camden Yards, Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and Game 1 starting pitcher Max Scherzer gave quite different answers when asked about the club's playoff experience. This is the fourth year in a row that Detroit has reached the postseason and the Tigers have won the American League Division Series the last three years by winning Game 5 on the road each time. "For guys that have been through it, the experience is an enormous help," Ausmus...
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Opposite dugout: Tigers bring power arms, power bats into ALDS

Opposite dugout: Tigers bring power arms, power bats into ALDS
Manager: Brad Ausmus, first year Record: 90-72 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Miguel Cabrera (.313/.371/.524, 52 doubles, 25 HR, 109 RBIs, 101 R); DH Victor Martinez (.335/.409/.565, 33 doubles, 32 HR, 103 RBIs); RHP Max Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP); LHP David Price (15-12, 3.26 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 5-1, 33 runs scored, 20 runs allowed Pitching probables Game 1, Oct. 2: Max Scherzer vs. Chris Tillman, 5:30 p.m., TBS Game 2, Oct. 3: Justin Verlander vs. TBA, 12...
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Taking a look at the Tigers, the O's opponents in the ALDS

Taking a look at the Tigers, the O's opponents in the ALDS
The Detroit Tigers will be in Camden Yards on Thursday to play the Orioles in the American League Division Series. Here are 10 things to know about the Tigers: * The Tigers have a rookie manager in Brad Ausmus, a former catcher known for communication. General manager Dave Dombrowski went with a rookie after the experience of Jim Leyland couldn't bring Detroit a World Series title in the first three years of the Tigers' postseason run. Dombrowski said that when Leyland retired, he had a...
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Opposite dugout: Tigers to throw plenty of hitting and pitching at Birds in Baltimore

Opposite dugout: Tigers to throw plenty of hitting and pitching at Birds in Baltimore
Manager: Brad Ausmus, first year Record: 21-12 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 1B Miguel Cabrera (.291/.333/.485, 5 HR, 29 RBIs); DH Victor Martinez (.325/.377/.577, 8 HR, 22 RBIs); RHP Justin Verlander (4-2, 2.67 ERA, 43 K); LHP Drew Smyly (2-2, 2.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 2-1, 18 runs scored, 13 runs allowed Pitching probables May 12: Rick Porcello vs. Bud Norris, 7 p.m., MASN HD May 13: Drew Smyly vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., MASN HD May 14: Justin Verlander vs. Wei-Yin...
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Nats and Tigers lineups from Nats Park

Nats and Tigers lineups from Nats Park
The Nationals and Tigers are preparing for the final exhibition game today here at Nats Park. Detroit arrives with a 15-12-2 record in spring games. The Nationals are 15-13-2. Also, the teams will work under American League batting rules, so designated hitters will be employed and the pitchers will not bat. Here are the starting lineups: For the Nationals Denard Span CF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Jayson Werth RF Wilson Ramos C Bryce Harper LF Ian Desmond SS Adam LaRoche 1B Danny Espinosa DH Anthony...
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