Detroit Tigers Clips Saturday, April 21, 2012 Detroit Free Press Tigers ace Justin Verlander faces hard-hitting Rangers tonight (Lowe) Pitcher Fister's stay on disabled list likely will be extended (Lowe) Tigers-Rangers game postponed by rain; doubleheader Saturday (Staff) Tigers bring back RHP Zach Miner via trade with Royals (Staff) Tiger Stadium anniversary: Fans mark 100th by returning to Michigan and Trumbull (Fenech) The Detroit News Tigers manager Jim Leyland has had enough of the questions (Henning) Tigers-Rangers game postponed; doubleheader Saturday (Gage) Happy 100th birthday, Tiger Stadium (Staff) Right-hander Zach Miner headed back to Tigers (Henning) MLive.com Detroit Tigers' Doug Fister still not ready to return, likely out until May (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers-Texas Rangers postponed, day-night doubleheader scheduled Saturday (Schmehl) Steady, persistent rain forces delay between Detroit Tigers-Texas Rangers (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers' Brennan Boesch makes precautionary start at DH after turning ankle (Schmehl) Tonight's lineup: Detroit Tigers' Delmon Young back in left field, Brennan Boesch tabbed DH (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers acquire ex-Tiger Zach Miner in trade with Kansas City (Schmehl) Detroit Tigers' Drew Smyly tests bruised back, says he's ready for Sunday's start (Schmehl) MLB.com Tigers-Rangers postponed; twin bill Saturday (Beck) Miggy looks for elusive starting nod in ASG vote (Beck) Fister improves, but unlikely to return until May (Odoardi) Struggling Schlereth looking for results (Odoardi) Penciled in as DH, Boesch downplays ankle (Odoardi) Detroit twin bill to feature fresh, not-so-rested hurlers (Roberts) Royals deal Miner back to Tigers for cash (Kaegel) FOXSportsDetroit.com Tigers will play doubleader Saturday (Staff) 1 Fans gather at Tiger Stadium site to celebrate (Hogg) Miner returns, joins Double-A Erie (Hogg) Yahoo! Sports Detroit Tigers Will Need Big Bats of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder Against Texas Rangers (Biggers) Forbes.com Earth Day In Detroit: Motor City Becomes Cycle City (Maynard) CBSSports.com Tiger Stadium would also have been 100 today (Perry) Daily Transactions 2 Tigers ace Justin Verlander faces hard-hitting Rangers tonight April 21, 2012 By John Lowe / Detroit Free Press After Justin Verlander beat the Royals on Monday night, Kansas City manager Ned Yost called him "the best pitcher in the world." The Texas Rangers have hit the ball this season like they have the best lineup in the world, or at least in the American League. The Rangers entered Friday leading the league in scoring with six runs per game; they scored 10 on Thursday night against the Tigers even though they left 15 runners on base. It could be quite the showdown when Verlander faces the Rangers at 7:05 tonight in the second game of a makeup day-night doubleheader at Comerica Park. Rick Porcello, who had his Friday night start rained out, will face Texas at 1:05 today. Verlander has pitched compelling, dominant ball in all three of his starts this season. He has pitched at least eight innings in all of them, and in the first eight innings of those games, he has given up one run in 24 innings - - an ERA before the ninth inning of 0.38. But Verlander has won just once, in part because his starts summarize how the Tigers haven't hit with a lot of consistency. In Verlander's three starts, the Tigers have scored a total of seven runs while he has been in the game: two runs against Boston on Opening Day, two against Tampa Bay and three against Kansas City. In five of the Tigers' past seven games, they've scored three runs or fewer. This might all speak to the importance of cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera and leadoff hitter Austin Jackson. Cabrera has gone nine games without an extra-base hit, matching the fifth-longest such streak of his career. His longest is 12 games, and it came in April 2009, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Manager Jim Leyland frequently speaks of Jackson as the player who makes the Tigers go. Jackson reached base in each of the first 10 games of the season, often more than once per game. But in the three games since then, Jackson hasn't reached base. He's 0-for-13 in those three games with six strikeouts. In general, the Tigers have gotten strong enough pitching to win low-scoring games. They're 9-4, and their 3.46 team ERA was the fourth best in the AL entering Friday. Perhaps Verlander tonight is in for the kind of low-scoring challenge like the one he had when he faced Texas last April at Comerica Park. In that one, he pitched a six-hitter. He lost, 2-0. Verlander will see essentially the same booming Texas lineup he confronted then and in the playoffs in October. Here are some of the interesting Rangers career numbers off Verlander (regular season only): leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler is 3-for-18 off him but has four walks; Mike Napoli (who has homered in Texas' past four games) has one homer in 15 at-bats against Verlander; and Josh Hamilton is 4-for-11 against him -- a .364 average, the best among the current Rangers off Verlander. Verlander will face right-hander Neftali Feliz, the Rangers' closer the past few seasons who has been moved to the rotation. He has won both of his starts so far, and he's 1-for-2 in quality starts. 3 Pitcher Fister's stay on disabled list likely will be extended April 21, 2012 By John Lowe / Detroit Free Press Right-hander Doug Fister's absence remains indefinite. As long as he's out, the Tigers apparently will have two rookie left-handers in the rotation -- Drew Smyly, who won the fifth spot in spring training, and Adam Wilk, who has lost both his starts since he stepped in for Fister. Fister has been out since suffering a strained side two weeks ago today in his first start of the season. He's eligible to come off the disabled list in a few days, but it appears there's no way he'll be back that soon. He stopped throwing Tuesday when he felt discomfort near the spot of injury and, as of Friday afternoon, he hadn't resumed throwing. "He is better today," manager Jim Leyland said Friday. "Where that leads to, I really don't know." Pitching coach Jeff Jones said he expected Fister would resume on-field activity in the next few days. Miner back in organization: The Tigers reacquired right-hander Zach Miner on from Kansas City for cash. He was assigned to Double-A Erie. "We are happy to have Zach back in the organization," assistant general manager Al Avila said. "He gives us added depth. We plan to have Zach start games in Erie, and he can and may also be used as a reliever." Miner, 30, pitched for the Tigers in 2006-09, primarily as a reliever. He also made 35 starts for the Tigers. In May 2010, he had reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow. 4 Tigers-Rangers game postponed by rain; doubleheader Saturday April 21, 2012 By Staff / Detroit Free Press The Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers have been postponed by rain. The game will be rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader Saturday at Comerica Park. Tonight's second game of a four-game set was called after a 25-minute rain delay at the start. Tigers right- hander Rick Porcello and Rangers lefty Matt Harrison will pitch in the 1:05 p.m. game Saturday. Righties Justin Verlander and Neftali Feliz will start at 7:05. Tickets for tonight’s game will be honored for the second game Saturday; no exchange is necessary. Fans unable to attend the rescheduled game may exchange their unused tickets at any time for a future regular- season non-premium game within 12 months. This is the only trip the Rangers are scheduled to make to Detroit during the regular season. Texas routed the Tigers, 10-3, on Thursday night in the teams’ first meeting since the Rangers beat Detroit in six games in the 2011 AL Championship Series. Texas has won seven straight games and is off to a major league-best 11-2 start. 5 Tigers bring back RHP Zach Miner via trade with Royals April 21, 2012 By Staff / Detroit Free Press The Kansas City Royals have traded former Tiger Zach Miner back to Detroit for cash considerations, the Kansas City Star reported this morning. The Tigers' media relations director, Brian Britten, confirmed the Star report this afternoon. Miner, 30, will be sent to Double-A Erie. Miner broke in with the Tigers in 2006, after the team acquired him via trade the off-season before, and pitched four seasons with Detroit. He compiled a 25-20 record with a 4.24 ERA with the Tigers in primarily a relief role. Over the years, however, he started 35 games. Miner underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2010, missed the entire season and signed with the Royals that off-season. He didn’t pitch in the majors in 2011, instead compiling a 5.26 ERA between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha in the Royals’ organization. 6 Tiger Stadium anniversary: Fans mark 100th by returning to Michigan and Trumbull Precious memories, fun, work fill air at old site April 21, 2012 By Anthony Fenech / Detroit Free Press John Benech stepped to the plate Friday afternoon at the site formerly known as Tiger Stadium, took a lob for a strike and another for a ball, before hitting a weak chopper to Alan Trammell at shortstop.