Jose Valverde took the loss for the Tigers tonight after giving up a run in the 10th against the Twins.

There was no saving Valverde for a save situation with the Tigers in extras at home. Unfortunately, pitching outside of save situations has never been Valverde's strong suit. He's given up five runs in 2 1/3 innings in his last three appearances.

Jose Valvarde slammed the door on the Indians on Saturday, retiring all three hitters he faced to preserve a 5-3 victory.

After struggling through the first half of the season, Valverde has really turned things around after the All-Star break. Since the mid-summer classic, he's posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 19/4 K/BB ratio over 26 2/3 innings. It's not always pretty, but Valverde get the job done more often than not, converting 31 of his 35 chances on the season, including his last 15.

Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Angels on Saturday, earning his 26th save of 2012.

For those keeping track, that's now seven straight scoreless outings for the usually terrifying Valverde, which has lowered his ERA from 3.86 to 3.42. While not always pretty, Valverde should continue to trudge along and consistently rack up saves over the final six weeks of the season.

Jose Valverde pitched around a leadoff double on Tuesday night in Detroit to lock down his 24th save of the season in a victory over the Blue Jays.

Valverde took over with a 5-3 lead and promptly surrendered a leadoff double to Jeff Mathis, putting the tying run at the plate. After getting Anthony Gose to pop out on the infield, Valverde then hit Rajai Davis to bring the winning run to the dish. He battled back nicely though to get Colby Rasmus, then punched out Edwin Encarnacion to end the game. It's not always a smooth ride, but Valverde seems to get the job done more often than not.

Jose Valverde returned to action on Wednesday July 25.

Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit each blew save opportunities as the Tigers dropped a heart-breaker in 13 innings Saturday to the Orioles.

Valverde came in with a one-run lead in the 11th and allowed an RBI single to Adam Jones after recording the first two outs. Benoit took over with a one-run lead in the 13th and allowed a pair of home runs to J.J. Hardy and Taylor Teagarden, ending the night. If the Tigers want to dominate the AL Central, the back of their bullpen needs to perform much better.

Jose Valverde returned to action on Tuesday June 26.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Saturday that Jose Valverde (wrist) might be available Sunday.

"A possibility tomorrow but not a sure thing," is how Leyland framed Valverde's status when asked Saturday evening. The Detroit closer has been idle since Tuesday night due to a sprained right wrist. Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit are handling ninth-inning duties in his absence.

Jose Valverde (wrist) expects to miss 3-4 days.

Valverde paid a visit to a specialist on Wednesday, who confirmed the Tigers' diagnosis of a sprained right wrist. Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit are the leading candidates for save chances in his absence. Benoit seems like the best option in fantasy leagues, what with his sparkling 1.99 season ERA.

Jose Valverde picked up his 13th save despite allowing a run in the ninth Thursday versus the Cubs.

The run resulted from a double, a fly out to advance the runner and an RBI groundout. Despite looking shaky, Valverde has converted his last four save chances and nine of his last 10.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, MLB has reviewed video of Jose Valverde allegedly throwing a spitball on Sunday.

Valverde and the Tigers have not been given an official warning, but Olney opines that "MLB's handling of the incident indicates a de facto warning." For what it's worth, Valverde claims that he only put his glove to his mouth to wipe away sweat.

Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth inning for a save versus the Indians on Thursday.

It was Valverde's first save since May 27. He didn't look right in blowing a save against the Yankees on Saturday, but after three days off, he's come back with perfect innings the last two days and he seemed to have the splitter working better in this one. It is worth noting that he's now gone five straight outings without a strikeout.

Jose Valverde vultured a win on Saturday when the Tigers came back in the bottom of the ninth against the Yankees after Valverde blew the save in the top half.

That's Valverde's third blown save in 12 chances on the season, and it could've been much worse. Entering with a one-run lead, he hit Russell Martin with the first pitch he threw leading off the inning. After Dewayne Wise pinch ran and stole second, he walked Derek Jeter. Curtis Granderson popped out to center for the first out of the inning, then a double steal put both runners in scoring position with one out. After hitting Alex Rodriguez to load the bases, he bore down to get Robinson Cano to pop out. Just when it seemed like he would escape danger, he walked Mark Teixeira to tie the game. He simply doesn't have the dominating stuff any longer, and needs to improve his command drastically if he wants to have success.

Jose Valverde returned to action on Friday May 25.

Jose Valverde (back) will throw prior to Sunday's game to determine whether he'll be available.

"Valverde is day-to-day, but he is going to throw (Sunday) and see how he feels. If he feels great, he may be available (Sunday)," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I doubt that. I think it'll be Tuesday in Cleveland. He's a gamer; he's a tough guy. If he throws and tells me he's ready, he may go (Sunday)." Valverde hasn't pitched since leaving Tuesday's game with a lower back strain. The Tigers haven't had any save chances while he's been out.

Jose Valverde is considered day-to-day with a lower back strain.

Valverde left Tuesday's game against the White Sox with the injury. It's not a major concern, but he's likely to miss a day or two. Joaquin Benoit will likely serve as the closer in the interim.

Jose Valverde was lifted from Tuesday's game against the White Sox with an apparent injury.

Valverde allowed two hits but had the White Sox down to their last strike before walking off the field with a trainer by his side. It's not clear what happened.

Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit are both getting the night off Monday.

Valverde is unavailable after pitching three straight days while Benoit has worked in back-to-back games. It's not clear who would get the ball in a potential save situation, but Octavio Dotel is a strong possibility.

Jose Valverde was handed his second blown save of the season on Saturday after allowing a two-run blast to Adam Dunn in the ninth inning.

After converting every opportunity he was given last season, Valverde has been very unremarkable to begin 2012. He's already blown two saves and has given up eight runs on 14 hits in just 11 2/3 innings for a 6.17 ERA. His leash is as long as any closer in the league, but if he continues to struggle the Tigers may be better-served giving Joaquin Benoit or Octavio Dotel a chance.

Jose Valverde had another adventurous ninth inning against the Yankees on Saturday, giving up three runs on three hits, and needing 31 pitches to get through his inning of work.

Valverde hadn't pitched since Sunday, so manager Jim Leyland wanted him to get some work in during a 7-2 game. After surrendering an opposite field solo shot to Nick Swisher, he got Robinson Cano to fly out before walking Alex Rodriguez. After a Mark Teixeira pop out, consecutive RBI hits from Curtis Granderson and Raul Ibanez brought the Yanks to within 7-5. Finally, he was able to retire Eric Chavez on a fly ball to right to end the madness and seal Drew Smyly's first MLB win. Though Valverde has an extremely long leash on the ninth-inning role, he has not pitched well this season. Fantasy owners would be wise to grab Joaquin Benoit as his handcuff where available.