Chat-World » e, he hasnt had his (split-fingered fastball) and hes had co

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers designated reliever Jose Valverde for assignment Friday, less than two months after bringing the veteran right-hander back to the major leagues for another chance to be the teams closer. Valverde went 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA, converting nine saves in 12 chances. The Tigers will likely use Joaquin Benoit in most save situations for the time being. Detroit has 10 days to trade, release or send Valverde outright to the minors. "We have asked him if he would go to Triple-A for us, and try to work with him there, try to get him straightened out," general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "He did not give us an answer on that. It really doesnt make a difference at this point, since we would still have to get waivers at some time. He was open-minded to it. He didnt say no to it, but he needed some time." The Tigers recalled right-hander Al Alburquerque from Triple-A Toledo to replace Valverde in the bullpen. They also put outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo on the disabled list with a strained left ribcage and recalled outfielder Avisail Garcia from Toledo. The 35-year-old Valverde faltered during the 2012 post-season, and the Tigers were prepared to let him leave via free agency. But he didnt sign anywhere else, and Detroit eventually brought him back on a minor league deal. He was called up to the majors in late April and allowed only one run through his first 12 appearances, but has not looked good at all lately. "We think we have a guy that can still close games for us, if we get him fixed," Dombrowski said. "His velocitys been fine. Of course, he hasnt had his (split-fingered fastball) and hes had command problems. The last couple weeks havent been good. Before that, he threw the ball fine, and thats what were hoping that we can get back. We figure we have nothing to lose to try." Detroit entered the season without much stability at closer when hard-throwing rookie Bruce Rondon failed to win the job during spring training. Benoit is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and four saves, and Drew Smyly has also pitched well out of the bullpen. "Benoit, when available, healthy and ready to go and rested, will get most of the closing opportunities," manager Jim Leyland said. "And anything else, well mix and match." Octavio Dotel has hardly pitched this year because of right elbow inflammation. Alburquerque was sent down because of control problems, but he has 26 strikeouts in 14 1-3 innings for Detroit, and the Tigers hope he can give the bullpen a lift now. Dombrowski didnt want to look ahead to the possibility of a trade for help. "Were comfortable with this group right now," he said. The Tigers arent the only team that could use some help in relief. In fact, Detroit won Thursday nights game on a ninth-inning homer by Jhonny Peralta off Bostons Andrew Bailey. The Red Sox are now giving Bailey a break from closing. Manager John Farrell said Koji Uehara would be the choice Friday night if a closer were needed. "If you look out there right now, there are not a lot of shut-down, lock-down closers out there -- anywhere," Dombrowski said. "A lot of people have struggled with the back end of their bullpens." Leyland said he hopes Valverde decides to stay in the organization, but he wasnt about to pressure him publicly. "Whichever way he wants to go, I would respect," Leyland said. Wholesale Basketball Jerseys . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Cheap Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.nbajerseyschinawholesale.com/ . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Authentic NBA Jerseys Cheap .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. Below are 32 notes covering each of the NFLs 32 teams from a fantasy perspective. Use these tidbits to make the best waiver-wire, trade and lineup decisions for Week 5. Be sure to check back each week of the season for a new version of the Fantasy 32.Throughout this piece, Ill be referencing OTD. OTD stands for opportunity-adjusted touchdowns. It is a statistic that weighs every carry/target and connverts the data into one number that indicates a players scoring opportunity.ddddddddddddFor example, if a player has an OTD of 3.0, it means that a league-average player who saw the same number of targets in the same area of the field wou