Tigers manager Jim Leyland says he won’t use Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit in Game 5:
Jim Leyland Says Jose Valverde And Joaquin Benoit Won’t Pitch Thursday
Leyland said last night that Valverde and Benoit were working on heart and fumes…and today, he says they won’t pitch.
“Heart And Fumes” could be the name of a rock band, but Leyland is obviously saying they’re out of gas. Valverde, in particular, has to be exhausted — he’s been in three consecutive games with a total of 61 pitches thrown. It showed Wednesday night when Valverde gave up a run-scoring single to Mike Napoli and a three-run homer to Nelson Cruz that put the game away for the Rangers.
Benoit has also thrown in the same three games and threw 34 pitches Wednesday night. He kept the Tigers in the game, only to see Valverde lose it.
Leyland hopes to get through today with Verlander and Coke.
Verlander & Coke. Could be one of those late-1960s rock duos, right? Coke. That’s Phil Coke. What were you thinking?
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