Johnny Guillen

The Detroit Tigers currently sit seven games out of the AL Central division lead, and unless youre in the AL East dont expect clinching that Wild Card spot anytime soon. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News wonders if the Detroit Tigers could trade outfielder Johnny Damon if the team falls out of contention for the division title. With the ability to trade players throughout this month, would the Tigers consider trading him before they let the free-agent-to-be walk without compensation? Henning points out that the Tigers could use the prospect boost, and Damon would surely appreciate the playoff opportunity. Hes been a positive player on the team, and the Tigers owe it to him and themselves to move him to a contender. He signed a one-year contract in February for $8 million, so hes owed about $2.6 million left. That may be enough for teams to let him go through waivers without putting in a claim. The San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay Rays could be candidates to trade for Damon. Both teams have been mentioned as candidates for Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals, so if the Tigers make Damon available the teams could use him as leverage in a trade and either go directly after Damon or make the Royals drop their price for Guillen. Guillen is also a free agent after the season, so the the Royals would be motivated to move their DH/OF.

White Sox SP Freddy Garcia has left his start against the Tigers after two innings with a stiff lower back. Garcia came out with Chicago trailing 2-1 on Tuesday night. He allowed three hits, including Johnny Damon's two-run homer in the first inning and was replaced by Lucas Harrell. "When a pitcher like Freddy says he has to come out of the game, you know something is really wrong," Guillen said. "I don't know if he'll be ready for Sunday, and I'm not sure what our Plan B will be, but we have options if we need them." [...] Read more Freddy Garcia news

John Raffel AHN Sports Correspondent Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) A.J. Pierzynski realizes nows not the time for the Chicago White Sox to cool down. Pierzynskis RBI single in the top of the 10th inning lifted the White Sox over the Detroit Tigers 5-4 Monday at Comerica Park. Pierzynskis single scored pinch-runner Alejandro De Aza with one out and helped the White Sox extend their winning streak to seven games. The Chicago catcher had three RBIs for the game. The White Sox entered the contest 3.5 games behind first-place Minnesota in the American Leagues Central Division. The only problem is we cant seem to pick up any games over the Twins because they keep winning too, Pierzynski said. We have to keep fighting. We have to face Justin Verlander tomorrow. Its going to be a tough game. We cant afford a letdown. We have to try to win every game. Don Kellys two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning gave the Tigers a 4-3 advantage over the White Sox. Alexei Ramirez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the eighth off Tiger reliever Ryan Perry to tie the game 4-4. In the bottom of the eighth, it appeared the Tigers had taken a 6-4 lead when the umpires ruled Brandon Inge had homered just inside the left field foul pole. But the umpires, after looking at the replay, reversed the call and Inge wound up striking out. Everyone pretty much knew it was foul, Pierzynski said. Thats why they have instant replay and it worked out they made the right call. I had a good feeling it was foul, Inge said. Its hard to come back at bat on a 3-2 count. Its pretty tough. I was trying to keep my mind on the at-bat because I knew it would probably be overturned. Kelly, who also had an RBI single in the first inning, hit the first pitch from former Tiger Edwin Jackson for his sixth home run of the season with Miguel Cabrera on base in the fourth. Detroit had taken a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Austin Jackson, Will Rhymes and Johnny Damon had consecutive singles to open the inning. Jackson scored on Damons single while Rhymes came home on a single by Kelly. Chicago tied the game in the second off Tiger starter Max Scherzer on Pierzynskis two-run single. The White Sox took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth on Juan Pierres RBI single. But later in the inning, Tiger outfielder Brennan Boesch threw out Mark Kotsay at the plate to keep the White Sox lead at one run. It was a great game to watch, said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. There was a lot of action there and a lot of movement and a lot of decisions to make. Good things happened today. Detroit Tiger starter Max Scherzer went the first 7.1 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. Jackson had the same line for Chicago. Chicago reliever Chris Sale retired the side in the bottom of the 10th to preserve the victory. He took the pitching win while Jose Valverde took the loss for Detroit. Hes done everything right since hes been here, Pierzynski said of Sale, who had 2.2 scoreless innings for his first Major League victory. So far so good. Hes a very pleasant surprise, Guillen said. I have confidence in him the way he was throwing the ball. Article AHN All Rights Reserved

In the seventh inning, Guillen went to home plate to argue a call with the umpire D. J. Reyburn, who called Chicago catcher Steve Clevenger safe just under the tag of catcher John Buck. Fans loudly booed Reyburn as Guillen returned to the dugout.

“I’m not going to bench a guy that got three hits,’’ Guillen said. But Guillen said he still considers John Buck the team’s regular catcher. “I’ve got to continue to have confidence in Buck,’’ Guillen said. “I think he can ...

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375 in eight games) and a second straight day on the bench for starting catcher John Buck (.190 in 18 games). “I’m not going to bench a guy who got three hits,” maanger Ozzie Guillen said. “He has been swinging the bat good. I’ve got ...

Johnny Damon is officially with the Cleveland Indians ... The talkative, opinionated, vulgar Guillen said he won't change — but then added he will steer clear of certain subjects from now on. "Obviously, talking about some issues is not ...

It's obvious the Indians needed someone to come in and stir things up. And since Ozzie Guillen is a bit preoccupied, why not Johnny Damon? This isn't meant to sound like a joke. Although Damon sat unemployed throughout spring training and the ...

Brett Hayes also was given his first start, as he caught in place of John Buck. "Dobbs, I need to get him some at-bats," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I can't leave a guy on the bench for a couple of weeks and expect him to get a hit. That's why ...

Giancarlo Stanton, John Buck and Omar Infante are not in today’s lineup, forcing manager Ozzie Guillen to improvise. Greg Dobbs is starting in right field, a position he has played just 18 times in his nine year career. Brett Hayes is catching ...

"I'm not going to bench a guy who had three hits," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think he's swinging the bat good. I've got to take advantage of that." Of late, Hayes has gained more playing time, almost splitting the position with veteran John ...