Leyland tips cap to Angels' pitchers

ANAHEIM -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland was talking Sunday morning about batting advice he had gotten from Major League greats over the years to pass along to his hitters when he changed the topic to his struggling offense.

"If you've been around long enough, you can basically see what's happening," Leyland said. "Yesterday, they got some big guys out [swinging] out of the strike zone. And sometimes, that's a tribute to their stuff. It's not like your guys are necessarily doing something wrong. Sometimes it's a tribute to a guy's stuff."

The data from Angels starter Garrett Richards' seven shutout innings Saturday would support that. Richards induced 12 ground-ball outs from a lineup that has been making a living on line drives this season. Moreover, Richards got 11 swings and misses from Tigers hitters, nearly three times as many as he drew from Astros hitters in his previous start April 13.