Tigers place lefties Liriano, Stumpf on DL

DETROIT -- Just when the Tigers seemed to be trimming their lengthy disabled list, the injury bug bit them again, as starter Francisco Liriano and reliever Daniel Stumpf both went on the 10-day DL Tuesday.
Liriano, who had been scheduled to face the Angels on Thursday, is sidelined with a right hamstring strain. Stumpf, who yielded a four-pitch walk to the only batter he faced Monday, went on the DL after being diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation in his left elbow.
Ryan Carpenter will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo to fill Liriano's spot in the rotation. Right-hander Johnny Barbato has been recalled from Toledo to replace Stumpf, leaving the Tigers with no left-handers in their bullpen.
Liriano and Stumpf join Miguel Cabrera, Jordan Zimmermann, Alex Wilson and Daniel Norris on Detroit's disabled list. Cabrera (right hamstring strain) could be back this week, while Zimmermann (right shoulder impingement) began a rehab assignment with Toledo last Sunday. Wilson, out with a ruptured left plantar fascia, could begin a rehab stint in the coming days.
Liriano complained of soreness in his hamstring after his last start Saturday against the White Sox.
"He thought it was getting better, and obviously it's not getting better," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's having a hard time with it, so we'll put him on the DL and let him get well. That's all we can do. …
"He's had a history of leg problems, as violent as he is with his windup. He's always been able to make it back through it. This time, he's pretty sore."
Stumpf acknowledged having trouble in his fingers after Monday's outing, when four pitches well out of the strike zone made coaches suspicious something wasn't right. An MRI conducted Tuesday showed swelling in his elbow.
"That's why we asked him, because he wasn't close, and his mechanics changed," Gardenhire said. "He was more stiff-arming than using his elbow. He told [bullpen coach Rick Anderson] he had a few zingers, giving him a little shock. That kind of tells you the story of why he was misfiring. He wasn't even close."
Liriano has been a pleasant surprise in Detroit's rotation, though he struggled in two of his last three outings. He struck out eight batters last Saturday against the White Sox but gave up three homers in five innings, raising his ERA to 3.90. The veteran lefty has allowed just 41 hits over 57 2/3 innings.
Stumpf entered Tuesday tied for the AL lead with 28 appearances, but has struggled through May with nine runs on 13 hits over six innings with seven walks and six strikeouts. Left-handed batters are 10-for-35 (.286) against him this year with five walks and nine strikeouts, compared with a .220 average (13-for-59) last year.