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Game 135: Tigers at Rays

Armando Galarraga (6-10, 5.05) vs. James Shields (9-10, 3.86), 7:08 p.m. EST

The Tigers repeated Sunday's pitching duel between Justin Verlander and Jeff Niemann with another low-scoring match-up last night. The Rays would surely love to replay Monday's 11-run outburst for James Shields. But they won't have Jarrod Washburn to knock around this time.

Shields hardly pitched a gem last Monday against the Tigers, giving up five runs (four earned) and 10 hits over seven innings. However, after getting an early 6-0 lead, he could afford to just throw strikes and let the Tigers hit the ball a bit. At home this season, Shields has a 4-6 record and 3.35 ERA in 15 starts. Carlos Guillen got four hits the last time he faced Shields. Can he swing that kind of bat again?

Armando Galarraga was already set to be recalled from Triple-A today. But the original plan was for him to pitch a rehab start for the Mud Hens last night. Change of plans, thanks to Washburn's sore knee. Before Galarraga was optioned to Toledo to rest his sore elbow, he'd pitched two consecutive starts in which he allowed two runs. In one start at Tropicana Field last year, Galarraga gave up one and four hits in seven innings.

Lineup-wise, Alex Avila gets the start at catcher tonight. Will he be able to shut down the Rays' running game the way Gerald Laird has. (Avila got the start last Monday, but Tampa didn't have to steal any bases, as they were too busy scoring runs.) Magglio Ordonez is in right field, while Ramon Santiago starts at shortstop.