Brennan Boesch feeling loose during second season

DETROIT Tigers third baseman Don Kelly was answering questions from the media following Thursdays 6-2 victory over Cleveland when teammate Brennan Boesch joined the interview. Boesch held up one of the local TV stations microphones and played the role of reporter. What do you think about upcoming trip against Los Angeles, Boesch asked. Are you excited to go to L.A. for me because Im from there? Yeah, that will be sweet, Kelly answered. Going home, fun time to go home, Boeschy. Thank you, Boesch said before handing the mic back to a reporter. Boesch, in his second year in the majors, is feeling loose and confident these days. He went 3-for-4 in the finale of a three-game series against Cleveland and is now hitting .407 (24-for-59) in the last 14 games. Boesch has seven multi-hit games during that stretch while raising his average from .250 to .290. I think hes just more relaxed now, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Hes growing up, hes maturing. He had a drastic measure last year of high and low. Now I think hes starting to settle in somewhere in the middle, which is what we hoped he would do. Mentally, I think hes really learning how to handle it up here, to his credit. Theyll still be some ups and downs, but hes swinging exceptionally well right now. The test for Boesch, 26, is going to be whether he can remain consistent throughout the 162-game schedule. He hit .342 with 12 homers and 49 RBI in 65 games before the All-Star break last year as a rookie, but plummeted to .163 with two homers and 18 RBI in 68 games after the break. Asked to identify the area hes made the most improvement from last year, Boesch said, I think just year two, nothing is a surprise. First year went by pretty quickly for me. This year, Im slowing things down a little bit and being able to make adjustments quicker. I think for any player the second years usually a little bit easier. Boesch, a third-round draft pick by the Tigers in 2006, has been hitting in the third slot lately in the Tigers lineup, just ahead of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. His singles contributed to the Tigers two-run rallies in the first and fifth innings. He also struck out looking in the third and singled in the seventh. Its been going good for me, but you know how this game goes, Boesch said. Im just trying to ride out a good feel right now. If I can get on base for Miguel and Victor, those are two tremendous guys at driving runs in. Im just trying to get on base and make things happen for those guys. As for how he gets pitchednow that he'******** ahead of Cabrera and Martinez, Boesch said, They still try to make pitches, they still try to get me out. Theyre not just going to give me a pitch to drive, but its nice to have those guys behind you, definitely. Followinga three-game weekendseries in Colorado, the Tigers move on to play three against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Monday. Boesch was born in Santa Monica, Calif., and lives in Los Angeles during the off-season. Last season, the Tigers lost 2-of-3 at Dodger Stadium while Boesch went 3-for-12 with a homer and three RBI. Its great, Boesch said, looking ahead to next weeks homecoming. Ill have family and friends there waiting for me. To be able to play at Dodger Stadium two years in a row is a dream come true. Its the team I rooted for as a kid so every time I walk out on that field, its a special feeling. Lately, wheneverhe walksinto the batters box, its a pretty good feeling, too.