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Rogers successful in return against Braves

Jun 23, 2007 - 4:14 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Kenny Rogers picked up where he left off.

Rogers hurled six shutout innings in his 2007 debut and the Detroit Tigers scored five times with two outs in the sixth inning to defeat the struggling Atlanta Braves, 5-0, in the opener of a three-game set on Friday.

After missing nearly three months because of surgery on his left shoulder to remove a blood clot, Rogers (1-0) was back with a vengeance.

Returning to Atlanta for the first time since he surrendered a game-winning walk to Andruw Jones in the decisive Game Six of the 1999 National League Championship Series as a member of the New York Mets, the 42-year-old Rogers scattered just two hits, striking out five without a walk in six dominant frames.

"It surpassed what I would have expected," Rogers said. "I didn't think going into the game that I was going to throw a shutout. I couldn't draw up a better game for my first game to get my feet on the ground."

Rogers, who was signed as a free agent prior to the 2006 campaign, dominated the opposition in the postseason, hurling 23 consecutive scoreless innings to help the Tigers win the American League pennant. But his status for this season was in doubt when the lefthander had surgery to remove a blood clot and repair two arteries on March 30.

Back, but not quite feeling comfortable yet on the mound, the southpaw struggled early, hitting Kelly Johnson with his first pitch of the night and throwing two balls to rookie Yunel Escobar. But from there, Rogers cruised, retiring 10 straight batters before issuing a two-out single to Edgar Renteria in the fourth.

"The first pitch was one that I wanted to throw down and away, but it went up and in," Rogers said. "It wasn't a good omen. I tried to make adjustments. I didn't feel like I have my rhythm yet."

"Kenny, he's a smart guy," Ivan Rodriguez said. "He knows what he's doing. He knows what to do when he was (struggling). He throws strikes. He tries to make them put the ball in play and that's what to do."

Rogers allowed just one other single, a harmless flare by Scott Thorman in the sixth in a 75-pitch performance.

"Kenny was Kenny," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He moved the ball in-and-out and changed speeds. He picked up right where he left off. I got everything I wanted."

Detroit gave Rogers all the run support he needed with a five-run two-out rally against Atlanta starter John Smoltz (8-4) in the sixth.

Magglio Ordonez singled up the middle to plate Curtis Granderson and scored along with Placido Polanco on Carlos Guillen's double as the Tigers took a 3-0 advantage.

Ivan Rodriguez hit an RBI double and scored on a single by Brandon Inge to cap the rally.

"I think I pitched a good game," Smoltz said. "With two outs and a great hitter (Ordonez) at the plate, and he found a hole. I only think I threw one bad pitch that inning, but that's how it goes."

Smoltz, who was drafted by the Tigers in 1985, scattered five runs and eight hits, walked one and struck out seven over six frames to fail in his bid to beat his hometown team for the first time.

However, the 20-year veteran added two more records into his burgeoning set of accomplishments, passing Jim Bunning for 16th place on the all-time strikeout list with 2,861 strikeouts and besting Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for first place on the all-time Atlanta Braves strikeout list.

His teammates are setting all sorts of records of the other kind as the Braves, who were blanked in their last two contests, continued their June offensive struggles.

Atlanta was shut out in three consecutive games for the first time since April 20-22, 1998, and has failed to score a run in its last 28 innings. The club is batting just .135 (12-for-89) over their past three games. Just one of the 12 hits went for extra bases.

"It's one of those things," Thorman said. "I don't think we're hitting the panic button, but we definitely have to get it going."

"We've got to get ourselves out of it," Smoltz said. "The more we think about numbers and the streak, the tougher it's going to be."

Andruw Jones continued his struggles at the plate, going hitless in three at-bats to extend his hitless streak to 21 at-bats and see his average plummet to a woeful .199 on the year, the lowest mark of any regular player in the majors.

Magglio Ordonez left the game in the eighth after plunked on the right hand by Atlanta reliever Chad Paronto. X-rays were negative and he is listed as day-to-day.