Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 35

TIGERS FRIDAY, APRIL 21. 2006 7 DETROIT FREE PRESS I WWW.FREEP.COM TIGERS CORNER Horn games shaded. Also on Channel 20. Leyland's meeting: Healthy, necessary Polanco poised at plate On deck: Mariners Second baseman strokes hit iu! sat 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Dot. f.

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I 10, 4, 11, 4, 10:05 9:05 He. 0 Det. 3 Oak. 4 Oak. 3 FSN FSN 24 25 26 27 28 29 Sea.

LAA LAA LAA Min. Min. 4.05 10:05 10:05 3:35 7:05 1:05 FSN' FSN FSN FSN By JOHN LOWE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER Tn 13 seasons, I've played for JLthe following managers in order (grab a pen): Art Howe, Terry Collins, Buddy Bell, Larry Parrish, Phil Garner, Tom Kelly, Bell again, Clint Hurdle, Grady Little, Dave Miley, Larry even after Young returns from Series: Tigers at Seattle for three games, tonight through Sunday. TVradio: Tonight Fox Sports Net, WXYT-AM (1270); Saturday 9:05 p.m., FSN, WXYT; Sunday 4:05 p.m., FSN (until 6:30 p.m.) and Channel 20 (full game), WXYT. Pitching: Tonight LH Mike Maroth (2-0, 0.73 ERA) vs.

LH Jarrod Washburn (1-2, 5.00); Saturday LH Nate Robertson (1-2, 7.36) vs. RH Gil Meche (1-0, 6.46); Sunday RH Justin Verlander 5.40) vs. RH Felix Hernande.7 (0-2, 6.14). only strikeout this season was on a called third strike. With that ability to make contact, and with his new feeling of relaxed security, the 30-year-old Polanco could just be getting started.

He has notched most of his hits without either a steady position or a long-term contract. Now that he's got both, who knows what could happen? "Exactly," Polanco said. "I've just got to stay focused." In surveying those 1,000 hits, he said: "Now the goal is to get to 2,000." FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Ivan Rodriguez at first base? "I'll put him out there if (Chris) Shelton needs a day off," manager Jim Leyland said Thursday. "He played it in winter ball for four years." With Carlos Pena's release and Dmitri Young's current disabled-list stay, the Tigers' supply of backup first basemen has dwindled. Rodriguez has never played any position in the big leagues besides catcher.

Leyland said he'd consider using Rodriguez at first base OAKLAND, Calif. The idea is more realistic than a shot. Placido Polanco's career might be just getting started. Polanco delivered his career hit Wednesday night. He got most of those hits without holding a steady, full-time job.

He moved around the infield with St. Louis and Philadelphia. The Tigers obtained Polanco in June from the Phillies for reliever Ugueth Urbina and immediately installed him at second base. "I felt really relaxed when I came over here and I was given the second-base job," Polanco said. "And then signing for four years made it even better." Tigers officials quickly realized what they had in Polanco, who was due for free agency last fall.

The club signed him to a four-year deal a few months before season's end. the strain in his upper right leg. The manager acknowledged that Rodriguez's career could be lengthened if he took some breaks from catching and played first base. "Yeah, and the other thing is that Pudge is trying to get to the Hall of Fame as a catcher, so you have to be careful there," Leyland said. "That's his trademark.

If you can save him some rough days, that's one thing. But he's known for his catching, and that's where he'll probably be most of the time." With the Tigers way ahead in the sixth inning Wednesday night, Alexis Gomez and Carlos Guillen each aggressively took an extra base. In his post-game press briefing, Leyland repeatedly complimented the Tigers for their baserunning in the game. Then he went through the clubhouse and told the players the same thing. "This is a game where you have to be relaxed and not put pressure on yourself," Polanco said.

"It's already hard. When you're hitting, you need a loose grip and loose hands. And I'm signed for four years and playing second base. All those factors really help." As a Tiger, Polanco has shown he knows as much about getting the bat on the ball as anyone. He struck out less often last season than any other everyday player in the majors.

His TODD JONES OUTGFTUCPIJN ers will have a wake-up call meeting. This one can turn ugly- A manager never calls a guy out individually in a meeting, so he asks a lot of rhetorical questions and if one question fits you to a tee, there's a good chance he's talking about you. Leyland's meeting was not even a meeting. He didn't gather everybody up. He got fired up quickly.

The No. 1 thing about the meeting was: Hey, guys, don't push me. I can't tell you how much he means it. He's an old-school manager who doesn't play favorites. He treats his superstars and bench guys all the same.

He asks one thing: Play hard. He won't put up with guys who go through the motions. He always finishes his meetings by saying: If anybody has a problem with what he says, just come into his office and he'll talk about it with you. But the catch is, he says: Don't come in there unless you want the truth. I bet you won't hear about the Tigers having many more meetings like that this year.

We're actually pretty quick learners or we better be. Tigers reliever TODD JONES will share his thoughts each week throughout the season. Contact him at tigers afreepress.com. Bowa, Jack McKeon and Jim Leyland. Different managers have different reasons for meetings.

Leyland lit into us last week because we played lousy. To be a better team, he said, you have to find ways not only to win a series, but take three of four when you can. Meetings have different effects on teams. For the most part, they are called to head off what could be potentially bigger problems down the road. Those are the most effective meetings.

They are healthy and necessary. You have to realize we are around each other for eight months. We won't all get along all the time. When the manager calls a meeting, he usually does most of the talking. There's a formula for a good meeting two things positive, one thing negative, and repeat until the players get the point.

That's how a family figures things out. Other meetings are wake-up calls. Players make a lot of money. Most have a longer contract than the manager or have been with the team longer. In major league baseball, you don't get a guy's attention by not playing him if benching him will hurt the team.

But managers have to use the lineup card to motivate guys. If you move guys down in the lineup and they don't seem to get it, manag- TIGERS I Stun Athletics with three runs in ninth, 4-3 JONES BACK: The Tigers activated closer Todd Jones from the disabled list after the game and sent reliever Chris Spurling to Triple-A Toledo. Leyland pointed out that Spurling (5.14 ERA in the regular season) has struggled since spring training. Led by Rodney in the closer's role and rookie Joel Zumaya in the setup role, the bullpen didn't lose or blow any games in Jones' absence. Contact JOHN LOWE at 313-223-4053 or jloweta freepress.com.

brought up Inge. As someone who wants to cut down his strikeouts, he was asked what it meant to foul nine two-strike pitches. "A lot," Inge said. "It really does. That did feel good." Until the ninth, all the scoring had occurred in the first inning, when Oakland got three runs off Jeremy Bonderman for a 3-1 lead.

On Bonderman's final pitch of the day, Dan Johnson lined the ball off the right-hander's behind. "I'm fine," said Bonderman, walked the 14th of the at-bat folks in the Oakland dugout thought Inge had struck out on a check-swing. But first-base umpire Angel Hernandez ruled no swing. Street, the AL's reigning rookie of the year, was out with a slight strain under his right arm. Duchscherer entered for the ninth, and the first four Tigers got hits.

Magglio Ordonez singled and Alexis Gomez, batting for Marcus Thames, doubled him to third. Chris Shelton (on 0-2) and Carlos Guillen lined RBI singles, and it was 3-3. Craig Monroe, trying for a sacrifice, bunted into a force at third for the first out. That From Page 3D The right-hander got Jason Kendall on a force at the plate on a 3-1 pitch for the second out, then fanned pinch-hitter Adam Melhuse swinging on three pitches. "Even had we ended up losing the game," Leyland said, "we still got a good message today.

We showed that we can battle. Even if we lose that game, it shows a little something to build on. The discipline that Inge showed I hope people see stuff like that. This is a game in April, but that's a nice ballgame for us." On the pitch before Inge who fielded the ball and got the third out of the seventh. aL ft.

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