Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 44

NI)AY, JULY 2. 2W7 7B DETROIT FREE PRESS WWW.FRKEP.COM Tiqes lESPN. en he Timers trade for TIGERS CORNER Br JOHN LOWE Hit PKtSKHISWRIIi New Tiger reliever Jose Capellan, acquired from the Brewers for minor league pitcher Chris Cody. JjM0NjTUElWFp THU fRt SAT i ljIjLJ i Det 1, Cle Cle. CI? Eos.

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Min Min. KC. KC. 4 05 8:10 8:10 1:10 7:05 7 05 FSN I FSN 1 FSN I FSN 1 FSN I FSN pellan to the minors at the end of spring training, he asked to be traded, then soon went AWOL for two games. The Brewers acknowledged the unexcused absence played a small part in the decision to trade Capellan instead of sending him back to the minors.

DEPARTING: Cody, the pitcher traded for Capellan, is a second-year pro who was recently promoted to Class- A Lakeland. Dan Lunetta, the Tigers director of minor-league operations, said Cody has big-league potential. Contact JOHN LOWE Check out his Tigers blog at www.freep.comsports.JiVM Paul Morosi contributed to this report pen attribute: versatility. "He was pitching against Kansas City recently with a runner on third and one out," Melvin said. "He struck out the next two hitters.

"Jose can pitch in long relief, or he can pitch in back-to-back games." Capellan spent all of last season with Milwaukee, but spent most of this season in the minors. In his seven appearances this season with Milwaukee, he was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. Melvin said he traded Capellan to open a bullpen spot. "We wanted to give Jose a chance to stay in the majors," Melvin said "We talked to a number of clubs about a trade for him." When the Brewers sent Ca "No I'm not concerned," Ley-land said. "I'm concerned about our bullpea" The relief corps is missing its three late-inning specialists from last season besides closer Todd Jones: Jamie Walker (gone as a free agent), Joel Zu-maya (in a long-term stay on the disabled list) and Fernando Rodney (who has either struggled or been on the disabled list much of the season).

Capellan takes the roster spot of right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz, who was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo. Leyland said Capellan would be likely to pitch in the middle innings. Capellan throws hard enough to power his way out of trouble, and he has a prize bull ALL-STAR TICKER When right-hander Jose Ca-pellan arrived at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Sunday morning, the Tigers remained where they have been for weeks near the bottom of the American League in bullpen ERA. That's why Capellan was soon on his way from Wrigley Field to the airport for a flight to Detroit. Before their game with the host Cubs, the Brewers traded Capellan to the Tigers.

In return, Milwaukee received minor leaguer Chris Cody, a left-handed pitcher who was an All-Star this season at Class-A West Michigan. Capellan is a 26-year-old right-hander. He has pitched in 88 big-league games, almost all as a reliever. "He should help Detroit," said Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin. Capellan 's arrival represents the Tigers' latest attempt to stabilize their bullpen.

Before Sunday night's game, manager Jim Leyland was asked if he was concerned that his team had lost four of its last five games. 'f 7T (Ore II All-Star rosters Major League Baseball named 62 of the 64 starters for the All-Star Game on July 10 in San Francisco. The rosters and stats through Sunday: American League ma '-if KIRTHMON F. DOZIIKDetroit free Press The Tigers' Curtis Granderson got 376,033 write-in votes. Tiger OF write-in favorite Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson Isn't an All-Star yet, but this year's fan voting showed that he might be on his way to a future Midsummer Classic.

2i tits 4J my i A 23j POS PLAYER TM BT AS AB AVG HR RBI Games Ivan Rodriguez DET RR 14 275 .280 33 8 43 IB David Ortiz BOS lL 4 267 .318 49 13 49 2B Placido Polanco SET RR ljj09.330 56 2 36 3B Alex Rodriguez NYY RR 11 291 .330 73 28 79 SS Derek Jeter NYY RR 8 313 ".33 55 5 38 0F Vladimir Guerrero LAA RR 8 283 .329 44 14 72 OF Magglio Ordonez DET RR 6 295 369 65 13 68 Of' Ichiro Suzuki SEA LR 7 321 .368 56 5 39 RCSEWCS POS PLAYER TM BT AS AB AVG HR RBI Games Victor Martinez CLE SR 2 282 .323 63 Posad NYL SR 5 265 .336 42 9 45 IB Justin Momeau MIN LR 1 286 .280 50 20 61 2B Brian Roberts BAL SR 2 315 .327" 50 5 24 SS Carlos Guillen DETSR 2 259 .320 45 12 59 SS Michael Young TEX RR 4 335 .293 45 4 48 3B Mike Lowell BOS RR 4J73 29733 12J5 0F Carl Crawford "TB LL 2 319 .288 43 6 49 OF Torii Hunter MIN RR 2 294 .303 48 17 63 0F Manny Ramirez B0S RR li284.28540l.l43 OF Alex Rios TOR RR 1 328 237 58 17 45 OF Grady Sizemore CLE LL 2 316 .285 67 13 41 PITCITHS POS PLAYER TM BT AS IP W-L ERA BB SV Games SP Josh Beckett BOS RR 1 96.0 SP Dm Haron OAK RR 1 123.0 10-2 2.20 98 31 0 RP Jenks CWS RR 32.2" 2-3 2.76 29 10 22 SP Jon lackey LAA RR 1 112.2 11-5 3.04 87 32" 6 SPGilMeche KC RR 1 109.2 5-6 3.28 83 29 0 RPJon Papelbon BOS RR 2 30.0 6-1 1.50 42 10 29 RP J.J. Putz SEARR 1 39.0 1-0 0 92 43 7 23 RP Francisco Rodriguez LAAr7R 2 35.2 1-2 2.27 49 14 24 SP C.C. Sabjthia CLE LL 3 129.1 12-2 3.20 116 17 0 SP Man Sanfana MIN LL 3 114.0 9 6 2.76 120 23 0 SP Justin VerlandeFl DET RR 1 102.0 9-3 3.18 90 39 0 JULIAN H. GONZALEZ Detroit Free Press MEET MR. ALL-STAR: Tigers closer Todd Jones, right, pretends to pull All-Star Magglio Ordonez away from fans during photo day at Comerica Park on Sunday.

TIGERS I Five are All-Stars From Page IB 3230 SPOT CAKorDATES IPW-L ERA BB SV TM BT POS PLAYER AS Games 0 98 9-1 3.58 DET pear in the game. "I need to talk to the skipper," Guillen said, "and make sure he gets me one at-bat." When Guillen, a noted collector of teammates' bats, was asked whose bat he might want to use next week, he said, "Maybe A-Rod." For both Polanco and Verlander, Sunday's selection represents yet another benchmark in their collective ascent over the past two years. When the 2005 season began, Polanco was a part-time player with the Philadelphia Phillies and Verlander had yet to throw his first professional pitch. Then they became crucial components in the Tigers' 2006 pennant run Polanco as the AL Championship Series MVP, Verlander the AL Rookie of the Year and are now among the game's best players at their respective positions. "That means a lot, to be voted in by the players," said Verlander, who didn't hurt his candidacy when he tossed a no-hitter on June 12 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"That's special, to know your peers respect you." Polanco defeated Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano by roughly one million votes. "I have to thank my wife for voting a million times," Polanco said, laughing. The Tigers nearly had a sixth All-Star. Leyland said his final decision was between Detroit outfielderdesignated hitter Gary Sheffield and Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez. Sheffield has had a major impact on the Tigers' lineup this season he leads the team with 18 home runs, and has helped Ordonez achieve his MVP-caliber numbers but Martinez has driven in 63 runs while playing a demanding position for the Central-division leading Indians.

"I could've picked Sheffield, but I would have had to leave Martinez off," Leyland said. "And I didn't think that was right." Leyland said he and Sheffield agreed that he wouldn't be used as a replacement if an outfielder were injured. Sheffield was upbeat Sunday, as he talked about plans to spend his All-Star break on the beach. "We had a great conversation," Leyland said. "He was fine.

In reality, it's hard to ask somebody to sit around and wait, and see if somebody, at the last minute, is not going to come." Contact JON PAUL MOROSI at 313-223-4097 or jmorosifreepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at wwwJrjpeep.comsports. me. That worked out great." The Tigers might have a sixth Ail-Star, Right-hander Jeremy Bonderman is one of five candidates to earn the final roster spot by way of a vote on MLB.com. Regardless of how Bonderman fares, the Tigers will have their most selections since six made the team in 1985 the last time Detroit enjoyed the boost in popularity and recognition that accompanies a World Series trip the previous autumn.

Rodriguez, who set a new record for catchers with his 12th start, was the Tigers' only All-Star in 2005, when the Midsummer Classic was held at Comerica Park. Now, he'll travel to San Francisco on a packed charter flight. "It's going to be fun," Rodriguez said. "The plane's going to be full. It's nice to see the guys who are going for the first time even for me.

Every time I'm part of the All-Star Game, for me, it's like the first." Ordonez made five All-Star teams four as a member of the Chicago White Sox and one last season as a Tiger but none as a starter until now. Polanco and Verlander are first-time All-Stars. Guillen made the team in 2004, but did not ap JL J.00.1 3 3.32 0 39.1 3-0 1.37 SP Jeremy Bonderman SP Kelvim Escobar SP Roy Halladay RP Pat Neshek RP Hideki Okajima LAA JO MIN BOS" 40 2-0 0.90 36 10 National League STAPTTR5 Granderson received the most write-in votes of any player in baseball, with 376,033. He did not appear on the regular ballot, because Tigers club officials opted to nominate the outfielders with the most seniority: Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez and Craig Monroe. Sheffield could not appear on the ballot as a designated hitter, because the All-Star Game will take place in a National League ballpark.

Toast of Tigertown The timing of the Sunday evening All-Star announcement coupled with the 8:09 p.m. first pitch afforded Tigers fans a rare opportunity to greet their All-Stars in a public forum, just as word became public. About 20 minutes before the game began, the public address announcer recognized American League manager Jim Ley-land and each of the Tigers' five All-Stars. The players ascended the dugout steps, shook Leyland's hand, and doffed their caps to the applause. Young back on top Dmitri Young missed the great festivities last fall, when the Tigers released him about six weeks before winning the American League pennant.

Now, he will be back at the center of the baseball world: On Sunday, he was named as one of manager Tony La Russa's selections to the National League All-Star team. Young, whose only other All-Star appearance came with the Tigers in 2003, is the only member of the Washington Nationals on the team. "He's having a great year," said Carlos Guillen, his former teammate. "He deserves it." Quick hits I Some of Leyland's selections mirrored those of the player ballot. For example: Johan Santana was the sixth starting pitcher on the player ballot, followed by Jeremy Bonderman and Iloy Halladay.

Leyland picked Santana for his roster, and placed Bonderman and Halladay on the MLB.com ballot. I Sunday's game-time tempera- ture was 65 degrees more typical for San Francisco than Detroit this time of year. Quotable I Leyland, on Placido Polanco's now-fading label as an underrated wonder: "I don't think they can call you underrated, when the players and fans vote for you. They have a great appreciation for his abilities, and his performance." The All-Star Ticker was compiled by Free Press staff writer Jon Paul Mom- TIGERS I Thames' homer in 8th, enough From Page IB POS PLAYER TM BT AS AB AVG HR RBI Games Russell Martin LADRR 1 283 .297 46 9 53 IB Prince Fielder MIL LR 1 303.281572766 2BChase Utley PHl" 2 316 .326 59 i5 66 3B David Wright NYM RR 2 29 9 SS Jose Reyes NYM SR 2 325 317 56 4 34 OF Carlos Beltran NYM SR 14 299 .274 45 14 49 0F Ken Griffey jr. CINLL 4 267 .292 45J640 OF Barry Bonds" SF LL 13 194" .304 43 22 53 FESEFVES POS PLAYER TM BT AS AB AVG HR RBI Games Brian McCann ATL LR 2241.26124741 IB Oerrek Lee CHC RR 2 289 346 42 6 41 IB A bert Pjjols STL RR 6 283 .307 47 16 49 IB Dmitri Young WSH SR 2 259 .340 38 7 37 2B Orlando Hudson ARI SR 1 301 .302 38 7 46 2B Freddy Sanchez PIT RR 2 296 .301 28 1 28 SS JJJardy MIL RR 1 303 .284 47 18 51 3B Miguel Cabrera FLA RR 4 301 .329 49 17 57 OF Matt HoTliday C0LR 2 332 .349 49 13 62 OF Carlos Lee" HOU RR 3 314 .293" 44 15 68 OF AaronRowand PHI RR 1 301 .312 50 11 42 OF Alfonso Soriano CHC RR 6 316 .304 53 15 30 POS PLAYER TM BT AS IPW-L ERA BB SV Games RP FranciscoCordero MIL RR 2 34.0 0-2 2-91 47 12 27 RP Brian Fuentes C0L LL 3 36.2 0-4 4-17 92 11 20 SP Cole Hamels PHI LL 111.2 9-4 3.87 116 29" 0 RP Trevor Hoffman SD RR 6 31.0 2-3 2.03 18 6 23 SP Jake Peavy SD RR 2 1120 9-2 2.09 119310 SPBradPenny LAD RR 2 "112.210-1 2.00 77 30 0 RPTakashiJaito LA 1 111 3 J2 SF1 Ben Sheets MIL RR 3 110 010-3 3.19 81 24 0 SP John Smoltz ATL RR 8 99.2 9-4 2.98 90 21 0 RP Jose Valver ARI RR 1 33.1 2 2.703?1226 RP Billy Wagner NYM LL 5 361 1 0 1.73 49 9 16 centerfielder Granderson made what Leyland called "one of the best defensive plays I've seen this year." With the bases empty and one out in the sixth, Granderson used a diving grab to corral a drive by the right-handed Michael Cud-dyer as it kept tailing away from him in right-center.

Entering Sunday, Grander-son had been tied with Jake Wood (14 in 1961) for most triples by a Tiger since 1940. The season is one game short of the halfway point, and Granderson already has become only the fifth big leaguer since 2000 to have 15 triples in a season. Granderson remains on pace to shatter the AL record for triples of 26. It's held by Cleveland's Shoeless Joe Jackson (1912) and the Tigers' Wahoo Sam Crawford (1914). He hasn't caught them yet.

But he did catch Cuddyer's drive. "I got the wind knocked out of me a little bit," Granderson said. You and everyone else, Curtis. It was a breathless catch in a breathless game. strike out Placido Polanco (.408 with runners in scoring position), getting Sean Casey to pop up and Magglio Ordonez to ground out.

"He had a great game plan, and he pitched tremendous," Leyland said. "Bonderman just pitched a tad better." In his eight-inning complete game, Baker threw only 79 pitches, an astoundingly low total. Of Bonderman, Leyland said, "(He had) an extra day's rest, cool weather (the 60s), he was bound and determined, he was strong, he had a great slider, threw some much better chan-geups against a lineup loaded with (six) left-handed hitters That's one of the more impressive wins I've seen him get." Bonderman said: "I was right where I wanted to be. I thought I made some good pitches to everybody, basically." His biggest out came when he fanned Justin Momeau, the reigning MVP, to end the third with runners on first and second. Momeau batted with the bases empty on his next at-bat because It was a virtual repeat of an epic Tigers-Twins game of last season at Comerica: Justin Verlander and Johan Santana were in a scoreless duel until Vance Wilson, as Thames did Sunday, hit a two-out homer in the eighth.

Wilson's two-run blow provided a 2-0 win, and like Thames on Sunday, he was hitting eighth in the order. The Tigers prevented a Twins sweep in the three-game series and stayed l'A games behind first-place Cleveland in the American League Central. After today's open date, the Tigers host the Indians in a three-game series starting Tuesday. The right-handed Baker allowed only two hits until Thames' homer. The first was Curtis Granderson's leadoff triple in the fourth.

It was Grander-son's 15th triple. It's the most triples by a Tiger in a season in 67 years, since Barney McCosky had a league-high 19 in 1940. But Baker stranded Grander-son by striking out the hard-to- ZiD srOT CANStSATES POS PLAYER TM BT AS IPW-L ERA BB SV Games SPTom Gorzelann PIT (r 112 8-4 3.05 70 33 0 SP Roy Oswalt HOU 0121 7-5 3.42 8343 6 SP Brandon Webb ARI 0 118 8-5 3.05 100 42 0 SD 0 96.2 8-3 2.14 90 36 0 SP Carlos Zambrano CHC 2 111.1 9-6 4.20 94 47 0.