DETROIT - Alan Trammell knew there would be days like this, and lots of them. He just wished it had been different on his first day as a major league manager.

Detroit lost 3-1 to the Minnesota Twins yesterday on Opening Day at Comerica Park, playing before a sellout crowd of 40,427 in its first game under the former Tiger great.

“I felt comfortable, but I can't say I enjoyed it unless we would have won,” Trammell said. “I figured we'd probably lose a few games along the way this season, but I don't get any satisfaction out of losses.

“The reception I've had in Detroit has always been great, especially on Opening Day, and I appreciate the fans' response. They have been super, and I don't know how to repay them other than winning.”

Trammell gave the Detroit fans, whose team has been the losingest franchise in baseball during the past decade and has gone without a winning season since 1993, a quick look at how he has put his stamp on the Tigers in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff man Gene Kingsale bunted his way on base, then Trammell put the hit-and-run on two pitches later with Omar Infante at the plate. Infante eventually struck out and Kingsale was caught stealing moments later, but it was evident that Trammell wants to try to force the issue offensively as much as possible.

“We'll continue to do that,” Trammell said. “We're not going to be right all of the time, but it's not any secret that we'll try and generate some things when we're at the plate. Offensively we've struggled, and it's going to be tough, and today it was just a case of us not swinging the bats very well.”

Detroit starter Mike Maroth quickly worked through the first inning, putting the Twins down in order on seven pitches. Minnesota touched him for a pair of runs in the second, however, as Michael Cuddyer singled to left-center, and after Maroth struck out Doug Mientkiewicz, Dustan Mohr hit a rocket line drive over the new fence in left field for a 2-0 lead.

The left field fence in Comerica, the bane of right-handed hitters since the park opened in 2000, was moved in for this season to make it 345 feet down the line. It is now 370 feet to left-center, down from 395. Maroth took no solace in the fact that Mohr's homer hit the original wall on the fly.

“That's last year; the fence is where it is now,” Maroth said. “If I start looking at that, and thinking that all the balls that go over it would have stayed in the park last year, then it's just going to get into my head. I can't worry about that stuff. The fence is where it is now and I've just got to pitch.”

After Kingsale reached on the bunt single in the first, Minnesota starter Brad Radke put the next 18 Tigers down in a row. Maroth settled down and worked out of his only jam - a first-and-third situation in the sixth - and then put the Twins down in order in the seventh.

The Tigers pushed across a run in the bottom of the inning when Infante singled to right, Dmitri Young moved him to second by grounding out in front of the plate, and Bobby Higginson walked. Dean Palmer beat out a slow roller to third and Infante, coming hard all the way, scored under the tag of catcher A.J. Pierzynski to make it 2-1.

Craig Paquette, pinch-hitting for Carlos Pena, then grounded out to end the inning, stranding two baserunners.

Pierzynski homered off Detroit reliever Jamie Walker leading off the eighth to set the final at 3-1. Maroth allowed just five hits in his seven innings, and Trammell thought his starter put the Tigers in position to win the game.

“Mike Maroth did exactly what we were hoping for - he kept us in the game,” Trammell said. “Anytime your starter works that deep into the game and only gives up two runs, we'll take it.

“The thing I see with our hitting was that we just didn't adjust well, but I don't have the answers today.”

Trammell, a star shortstop on Detroit's last World Series champion team in 1984, said he found some positives in the Opening Day defeat.

“We did some things well. Basically, we played mistake- free and gave ourselves an opportunity to stay in the game. But again, we didn't swing the bats,” Trammell said.

It was 36 degrees at the start if the game, and the temperature topped out at 41. The crowd of 40,427 was the third-largest in Comerica Park history.

First Published April 1, 2003, 1:16 p.m.