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08/23/2008 7:50 PM ET
Lambert to start for Tigers on Tuesday
Solid Triple-A campaign earns righty Majors debut vs. Tribe
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
Chris Lambert leads the IL with three complete games and is fifth with a 3.50 ERA. (Toledo Mud Hens)

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KANSAS CITY -- Chris Lambert will make his Major League debut on Tuesday in Detroit, where the Tigers will tab him to make the start against the Indians at Comerica Park.

Lambert, a first-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, joined the Tigers farm system last August as the player to be named later in the Mike Maroth trade. He made one start for Triple-A Toledo at the end of last season before becoming an anchor in the Mud Hens rotation this year.

The 25-year-old right-hander owns a 12-8 record and 3.50 ERA in 26 starts for the Hens. He has ranked in the International League's top 10 lowest ERAs for much of the season and has recently risen to fifth lowest. Four of his last five outings have been quality starts.

Lambert was scheduled to start for the Hens on Sunday against Richmond. Instead, he'll work on the side before the Tigers purchase his contract from Toledo on Tuesday. He'll have to be added to the 40-man roster, but the team has one open spot left, so that won't be an issue. Still, the Tigers will have to send out a player to make room on the 25-man roster.

Lambert will be the ninth starting pitcher the Tigers will have used this season.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.