The Tigers bullpen is back at full strength, so they optioned Colby Lewis back to Triple-A Toledo. Outfielder Brent Clevlen has been recalled from Double-A Erie.

His right thumb is still sore, so he’s out of tonight’s lineup. Hoping to play Saturday. Craig Monroe’s batting third again, with Vance Wilson catching and batting ninth.

Forecast highs of 99 degrees today, 94 tomorrow, then 99 again Sunday. Excessive heat warning all weekend. With cold weather in April and this kind of weather in the summer, sorry, but I like having the dome right about now.

Humberto Sanchez is expected to start again next Thursday, August 3, three days after the non-waiver trade deadline. Read into that what you will.

I found a lot of comments under Monday’s blog entry, and they weren’t about the 1891 Browns. So instead of burying a response in there, I figured I’d make it into a separate entry:

• I like the MacDougal acquisition for the White Sox. Though he just came off the DL a couple weeks ago with shoulder problems, he’s a big upgrade over Cliff Politte as a late-inning lefty. He hasn’t been downright dominant against left-handed hitters for his career, but he has the stuff to be. They gave up a good prospect to get him, but that’s what the price for quality relief seems to be.
• As for the Soriano rumors, it’s very challenging to tell what’s fact and what’s spin with these rumors. The Nationals are trying hard to drive up the market for this guy. Out of all the players they have on the block, this is the one chance they have to grab top prospects. The headlines say Jim Bowden refuted the reported deal, but he didn’t deny it. All he said was no deal was in place yet.
• Yes, it was a worrisome night for part of the bullpen, especially Rodney. He did not mention mechanics after the game last night when asked about his struggles. Even with Michaels up in the eighth, Hafner on deck and his pitch count approaching the upper 30s, he said he had a game plan against him. In his defense, he was sitting a pretty long time after finishing up the seventh, both because the Tigers added on runs in their half and because Indians relievers were working very slowly.
• As for relief help, I think one more guy who can work the late innings would be helpful. You’re seeing Leyland having to go with multiple innings for Zumaya and Rodney most times out, and he was a batter away from having to do it with Jones. That said, you’re not going to see any trades for relief. It’s such a seller’s market, even for seventh-inning guys, that it’s impossible to get fair value. The help is going to have to come from somebody in the bullpen now stepping up, possibly Jason Grilli. Unless Rogers goes eight innings, somebody’s going to have to fill the role tonight, because Leyland expected to give Zumaya two days off after Sunday’s outing and he won’t have Rodney available.
• As for rearranging the rotation for the Minnesota series, that’s not going to happen. Leyland has made a point of giving his starters the extra day of rest when they have an off day instead of skipping anyone, and with everyone talking about resting starters, it’s especially important now. The Twins can make a move like lining up their rotation because this is finally their shot at making up ground. The advantage of having a 7 1/2-game lead is that you don’t have to make moves for one series.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Tigers are the first Major League team since the 1891 St. Louis Browns of the American Association to put up at least five runs in the first inning over three straight games. The Browns won all three games.

He’s day-to-day with a bruised left jaw. X-rays were negative for any structural damage, and other tests indicated no concussion. Head trainer Kevin Rand said Polanco is eating and talking fine, which is a surprisingly good sign. The fact that the pitch hit the helmet before it hit him was the difference between a bruise and a break.

Welcome the White Sox into the bidding for Nationals left fielder Alfonso Soriano, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. Ozzie Guillen downplayed the reports and said he doesn’t see a deal happening, according to Scott Merkin. But you have to wonder: If the White Sox believe the Tigers are a real threat to acquire Soriano, and if they believe Soriano makes the Tigers that much better, do they go ahead and try to snatch him partly to keep him out of Detroit?

The closer we get to the deadline, the fewer healthy prospects they have available to deal. Now it appears Jose Vidro’s hamstring problems might force him to stay put. From the Washington Post:

Vidro, a candidate to be traded given the long-term rebuilding projectthe club is undertaking, drew significant interest from the San
Francisco Giants earlier this week, a club source said, but that
interest has since waned, perhaps in part because of Vidro’s recent
hamstring problems.

How does this affect the Tigers, you ask? Well, it further reinforces the fact that Alfonso Soriano is the one tradeable commodity they have. You can look at that two ways: Either GM Jim Bowden has to make sure he gets top prospects in any Soriano deal, or he has to make sure he can get wahtever he can.

A baseball source raised the possibility that the Nationals could well decide to keep Soriano if they don’t like what they’re being offered, let him leave as a free agent, and take the draft picks next summer as compensation. It’s most likely posturing on Washington’s part, but when you think about it, it’s not a totally crazy idea for a team that’s looking for young talent and has money to spend for it. If you can’t get first-round type prospects for Soriano by trading him, you can get a couple by holding onto him.

He’s in the lineup at DH tonight. Nothing set beyond that. Ramon Santiago was optioned to Toledo to make room.