Nationals 7, Tigers 2

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Marcus Thames got a big opportunity when the Detroit Tigers released Gary Sheffield on Tuesday, and the slugger was stunned.

"I never saw this coming," said Thames, who was crowded out of the Tigers outfield by Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Curtis Granderson. "I just want to play. I kept hearing about being traded and I didn't want that. It needs to sink in."

Thames, who went 0-for-3 in Detroit's 7-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, likely will get more at-bats at designated hitter with Sheffield gone.

Sheffield enters the 2009 season with 499 homers. The nine-time All-Star left Tigers camp as the rest of his former teammates were reporting for the game.

"I wouldn't say I'm shocked, but I am surprised," Sheffield told The Oakland Press of Pontiac. "To do this when somebody is one home run away ... I don't know how to react to it."

The 40-year-old Sheffield hit .178 in 18 spring training games this year. He had eight hits, including five home runs, in 45 at-bats.

"I will call him when he hits No. 500," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He's a good guy but we went in another direction. We won a World Series together. This was tough."

Likely candidates to replace Sheffield on the opening-day roster are Brent Clevlen, Jeff Larish and Ryan Raburn.

Rick Porcello, in the mix for one of two openings in the Tigers rotation, allowed an unearned run and two hits over five innings in his final spring appearance. He was hit just below his right rib cage by a line drive in the fourth but stayed in.

Leyland said Porcello wasn't happy about being taken out.

"(Catcher Matt) Treanor said he thought Porcello's arm was stiffening, so I wasn't taking any chances," Leyland said. "He didn't chew me out, but I knew he wasn't happy about it."

Porcello will find out in the next couple of days if he will be heading to Toronto for opening day with the Tigers or to Double-A Erie.

"I did the best I could and that's all I can do," said Porcello, who has a 2.63 spring ERA. "I'm trying not to think about it and I can't lose any sleep over it because I have to be here early in camp every morning."

Nate Robertson, another candidate for one of the rotation openings, allowed five runs in three innings. But his outing was interrupted by a half-hour rain delay, so Leyland said he wouldn't pay too much attention to it.

Dmitri Young hit a three-run homer off Robertson and went 2-for-4 in his second spring game. He hadn't played since March 1 due to a back injury.

"Dmitri Young is a born hitter," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "He's ready to play, there's no question. Whenever he has a bat in his hand he can do anything."

Austin Kearns and Justin Maxwell also homered for Washington.