by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/22/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks homered, drove in two runs and finished with two hits Tuesday against the Indians. It was his fourth home run in his last 16 games (14 starts).
Dirks is batting .302 (19 for 63) with a .556 slugging percentage, one triple, two doubles, two stolen bases, four walks, 10 RBI and 11 runs in his last 16 games. His average has gone from .200 to .252 in that span.
Will the at-bats continue for Andy Dirks?
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer (5/14/2013) After sitting out a couple of games to rest his sore knee, Andy Dirks has been on fire for the Tigers, batting .354 (17 for 48) with four home runs and two steals over his last 13 games. And because he's gotten to start 12 of those games, Fantasy owners have taken notice.
But just because he's getting everyday at-bats doesn't mean he's an everyday player. We can all hope his recent surge will convince the Tigers to keep him in the lineup, especially with Austin Jackson sidelined, but the fact of the matter is Dirks still has sat out each of the Tigers' seven games against left-handed pitchers this year. They just haven't faced one in a while.
For what it's worth, he actually has a higher batting average and OPS against than lefties than righties in his career, but you can't ignore history. Until the Tigers' behavior changes, Dirks will remain an AL-only option.
Andy Dirks back in leadoff spot
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (5/14/2013) After a strong game Monday, Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks will reprise his role in the leadoff spot Tuesday.
Dirks had three hits Monday, including a home run. With Austin Jackson on the disabled list, it looks like Dirks will have a shot to prove himself at the top of the team's lineup. He's hitting .260/.345/.427 in 96 at-bats. He'll face Astros pitcher Lucas Harrell Tuesday.
Andy Dirks does damage in leadoff spot
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/14/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks batted leadoff in Monday's series opener against the Astros and had a productive night at the plate. He went 3 for 4 with a grand slam and a pair of runs scored in a 7-2 win.
The 27-year-old doubled in his first at-bat before singling his next time up. He then launched his fourth long ball with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.
With Austin Jackson on the disabled list, Dirks is expected to bat leadoff against righties. He is hitting .361 (13 for 36) in his last nine games with three homers, seven RBI and two stolen bases.
"He’s going to play," Leyland told MLive.com. "I’ll put him in center against a right-hander. I’ll play him in center against left-handers. I don’t know how it’s going to work out. It could be Dirks, it could be Kelly. But I’m not going to move Torii over."
As for the leadoff spot in Jackson's absence, Leyland added Dirks would likely only hit leadoff against right-handed starters.
Andy Dirks takes over in leadoff role
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/13/2013) Outfielder Andy Dirks hit leadoff Monday against the Astros after the Tigers placed primary leadoff hitter Austin Jackson on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Dirks made his third start in the leadoff spot and is the only other player besides Jackson to start as the leadoff hitter this season.
Dirks is batting .185 (12 for 65) with a .221 on-base percentage, one triple, two RBI and three doubles in 19 career games hitting leadoff.
Dirks enters play Monday batting .318 (14 for 44) in his last 12 games, raising his season average from .167 to .239. He has one triple, two stolen bases, three home runs, four RBI, five walks and eight runs in that span.
Andy Dirks fills up stat sheet Friday
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (5/10/2013) Tigers left fielder Andy Dirks filled up the stat sheet in Friday's 10-4 win against the Indians, going 2 for 5 with his third home run and fourth stolen base of the season.
Dirks has hit .244/.333/.384 in 100 plate appearances this season.
Andy Dirks has big day at the plate
by Adam Moore | CBSSports.com (5/5/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks had one of his better days at the plate Sunday against the Astros. Dirks finished with a season-high four hits in the 9-0 win, including belting his second home run of the year.
He ripped the solo shot off starter Philip Humber in the fourth inning to give Detroit a 8-0 lead.
Dirks singled in his other three at-bats and finished 4 for 4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk. He is batting .243/.337/.365 with two home runs and seven RBI over 27 at-bats.
Andy Dirks looks healthy with HR
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/29/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks claimed he wasn't 100 percent as he got the start Monday against the Twins. Dirks, who missed four straight games with a sore knee, certainly looked healthy.
The starting left fielder went 2 for 3 in the game with his first home run of the season. Dirks went deep off starter Mike Pelfrey in the bottom of the third inning for a solo shot.
Dirks added a walk and scored twice in the contest. He's batting .196. Dirks had gone 0 for 6 in his previous two games and 1 for 13 over his previous four.
Less-than-100-percent Andy Dirks back in lineup
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/29/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks returned to the starting lineup Monday against the Twins after missing four straight starts with a sore knee. While Dirks is available to play, he's not 100 percent.
Dirks initially hurt his knee March 19 after slamming into a wall while trying to make a catch in a spring game.
"The last couple of days it’s felt better than it’s felt in a month, which is good, definitely," Dirks said Sunday, per MLive.com. "But it’s just something we’ve just got to get through, and go from there."
Andy Dirks available but not 100 percent healthy
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks told MLB.com on Sunday that his right knee has been feeling better and he hopes to return to the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Twins.
Manager Jim Leyland said the 27-year-old was available Saturday and Sunday but wasn't completely healthy yet.
"He's available, but not 100 percent," Leyland said Sunday.
Andy Dirks still not healthy enough to start
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks was absent from the starting lineup for a fourth straight game Sunday vs. Atlanta because of a sore right knee. A knee injury hasn't been Dirks' only problem as of late.
He's mired in a 3-for-23 slump, which has dropped his season average from .200 to .167 in the last eight games.
Andy Dirks remains out of lineup
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/27/2013) Outfielder Andy Dirks remained out of the Tigers' starting lineup Saturday against the Braves. He has missed the last three games with a sore right knee and is considered day-to-day.
Andy Dirks dealing with sore knee
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/26/2013) Tigers left fielder Andy Dirks missed Thursday's game with a sore right knee that may have been exacerbated by the weather.
"He probably had a reaction to the cold weather the other night," Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand told MLive.com. "I think that kind of bothered him a little bit."
Dirks was out of the starting lineup again Friday with left-hander Paul Maholm on the mound for the opposing Braves. His availability as a potential replacement was unknown.
Andy Dirks snaps out of funk
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/6/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks enjoyed a solid performance at the plate as he drove in his first runs of the season Saturday afternoon against the Yankees.
Dirks reached on an infield single in the fifth, singled in a run in the sixth and had a sacrifice fly in the eighth to help secure the win. He finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored in an 8-4 victory. Dirks, who started the season 0 for 9, raised his batting average to .154. this season.
Andy Dirks hitless in first two games
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/3/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks, who has gotten starts in left field in each of the team's first two games, struggled at bat Wednesday in Minnesota.
Dirks went 0 for 4 in the game with a strikeout and has yet to record a base hit this season. Dirks went 0 for 2 in the opener with a walk. The 27-year-old hit .255 over the spring with one homer and three RBI over 47 at-bats.
Dirks hit .322 over 88 games last year with eight homers and 35 RBI.
Andy Dirks back on the prowl
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/24/2013) After proceeding with early caution with his bruised right knee, Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks returned to the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League outing against the Mets. He finished 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts before being replaced by Matt Tuiasosopo in the sixth inning. Dirks, who will start in left field at the beginning of the season, had been sidelined since last Tuesday when he crashed into the outfield wall and bruising his knee.
"It's a Catch-22 because you've got to make sure he's getting some at-bats, but you don't want to do anything stupid," manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com. "You always go on the safe side, but he's ready. If he's not, he'd tell me."
Andy Dirks dealing with swelling in knee
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/23/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks was unable to return to Grapefruit League action Saturday as he continued to deal with swelling in his right knee. MLB.com reports the 27-year-old is hopeful of playing in the next couple of days.
Dirks suffered the injury when he ran into a fence Tuesday.
"It feels better," Dirks said Saturday morning. "I just have to get all the swelling out of it."
Andy Dirks to return to lineup Friday
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (3/21/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks is expected to return to the Tigers lineup Friday against the Nationals, according to MLive.com. He hasn't played since Tuesday after slamming his right knee into an outfield wall but is hitting .289/.357/.421 this spring.
Andy Dirks day-to-day with knee contusion
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/19/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks left Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays in the fourth inning with a right-knee contusion. He went 0 for 1 before exiting. The 27-year-old is day-to-day.
Dirks, who will be Detroit's primary left fielder, is batting .289 through 14 spring games with a homer, three RBI and four stolen bases.
Dirks wins starting job
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/13/2013) The Tigers announced Wednesday they released outfielder Brennan Boesch, freeing up Andy Dirks to be the team's primary left fielder. “As we’ve gone through this, Andy Dirks we feel has won the job to be our left fielder,” team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said, per MLB.com. “And in Brennan’s case, we were really looking more for a right-handed hitting outfielder out there [to mix] in left field.”
Dirks back in action for Tigers
(3/1/2013) After being sidelined since Sunday due to a mild intercostal (rib) injury, Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks returned to the lineup for Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts in the 6-2 loss.
Tigers play it safe with Dirks
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/25/2013) Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks is feeling better Monday after being scratched from Sunday's game with a mild intercostal (rib) injury, according to MLB.com. Manager Jim Leyland said Dirks could have played Monday, but they decided it was best to play it safe.
Dirks scratched from lineup
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (2/24/2013) Detroit outfielder Andy Dirks was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League lineup against Philadelphia due to tightness in his left side, reports MLB.com. Dirks said he is not hugely concerned and he was scratched as a precaution. Dirks has already been announced as the team's projected starting left fielder on opening day, though he's competing with Brennan Boesch, Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia for the starting job in left field this spring.
Dirks would start in opener
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/21/2013) Tigers manager Jim Leyland surprisingly laid out his plans for his opening day lineup Thursday, even before the team played it's first spring game Friday. One interesting note from Leyland's lineup is his announcement Andy Dirks would be starting in left field and batting sixth if the Twins start a right-hander on April 1. Dirks is competing with the likes of Brennan Boesch, Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia for the starting job in left field this spring.
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/19/2013) Tigers manager Jim Leyland clarified Tuesday he feels outfielder Andy Dirks can be an everyday player in the majors, but he will monitor his playing time. “I think a lot of people probably misunderstood how it came out,” Leyland said, per the Detroit Free Press. “There was some indication that almost hinted that the organization didn’t think (Dirks) was an everyday player. That’s not what I said. I said, ‘I think it’s best, from what I’ve seen so far, not to overplay him.’ There’s a difference. I’m not saying Andy Dirks isn’t an everyday player. I’m saying that, at this juncture in his career, to get the best out of him, you have to watch him a little bit.” Leyland said he doesn't want to overextend Dirks, who missed two months last season with an Achilles injury. “Don’t get greedy,” Leyland said. “I’m not saying he’s not talented enough to play every day.”
Dirks the favorite in LF
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/5/2013) Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski considers Andy Dirks the favorite heading into spring training to win the starting job in left field over Brennan Boesch. "Andy Dirks is the leading candidate. Boesch has to win the job," Dombrowski said.
Dirks in position battle
(1/23/2013) The Detroit Free Press reports Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday that Andy Dirks and Brennan Boesch will compete for the starting job in left field during the spring. CBSSports.com Senior Writer Danny Knobler reported Tuesday Detroit has been calling around trying to trade Boesch. "We all come in with a clean slate, every one of us, not just Boesch," Leyland said. "We all start over."
