Cold weather leads to postponement of Tigers vs. Blue Jays

The game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers scheduled for Thursday afternoon was postponed because of cold weather. The game will be made up on Sept. 10 at 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 Recap: Detroit 10, Toronto 9

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 Recap

The Detroit Tigers got their AL championship rings, then treated thousands of hardy fans to the same roller-coaster experience of last October. Coming off their first pennant since 1984, the Tigers lost Monday's opener 5-3 in 10 innings, but took the second game in the 3 game series with the Blue Jays.

Kenny Rogers drew the loudest ovation from fans when players received their championship rings in a pregame ceremony. The 42-year-old left-hander, who won all three of his starts during the 2006 postseason, had surgery Friday to remove a blood clot from his pitching shoulder. He's not expected back until July.

Detroit built a nine-run lead Wednesday, and the Tigers held on for a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Detroit chased A.J. Burnett (0-1) early in this one, and Granderson connected off Shaun Marcum for his first homer (first career grand slam) of the season, capping an eight-run third with a drive that landed on top of the wall in right-center, hitting the yellow home-run line, and bounced back onto the field. Granderson also had an RBI triple in the seventh off Victor Zambrano and tied his career high with five RBIs. He added a stolen base as well to round out his monster day.

Toronto closed with seven runs in the eighth off relievers Jason Grilli and Fernando Rodney but the potential tying run was stranded at third when Magglio Ordonez, who lost two fly balls in the swirling wind earlier in the inning, made a running catch of Troy Glaus' drive to right-center. The wind became a factor in the late innings, holding up several pop flies and carrying a handful of seemingly easy outs out of the reach of Ordonez.

Todd Jones worked the ninth for his first save. After Toronto put two on with one out, Jason Smith flied out and Reed Johnson popped out. Nate Robertson (1-0), who moved up to Rogers' spot in the rotation, allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings, leaving after Aaron Hill's two-run homer. He recorded 4 strikeouts.

A.J. Burnett gave up six runs, five hits and four walks in two-plus innings, leaving after Detroit's first six batters reached in the third. It was his shortest start since June 30, 2004, when he got three outs for Florida at Atlanta.

Pudge, who was hitless in the opener, went 4-for-5 for the Tigers. Carlos Guillen added two RBIs. Gary Sheffield singled in the fifth for his first hit with Detroit.

While a record crowd of 44,297 came to the opener, just 24,881 fans turned out on a day with a 43-degree temperature, chilly wind and a threat of snow.

Wednesday's Box score

Tigers Opening Day roster set

In the end, having options was not a good option for players in Tigers camp.
The defending American League champions made their final decisions to get down to their 25-man Opening Day roster on Monday, and they didn't have to risk losing anybody they wanted. Chad Durbin won the final spot on manager Jim Leyland's 12-man pitching staff, while Neifi Perez held on to the second utility-infield role on Detroit's bench.

Infielder Ramon Santiago was optioned to Triple-A Toledo along with first baseman Chris Shelton and right-hander Zach Miner. Left-hander Bobby Seay, a non-roster invitee, was sent to Minor League camp. So were fellow pitchers Preston Larrison and Tim Byrdak, catcher Steve Torrealba and outfielders Timo Perez and Ryan Raburn. Lefty reliever Felix Heredia was released.

Both of the roster battles were close. In the end, they were close enough that roster factors came into consideration. "I don't really look at it as a 25-man roster," president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "I really look at it as a 30- or 32-man roster with the depth we need as an organization. So when you look at it this way ... I'd rather keep the depth if we're close [on two players]."

Durbin followed up his impressive 2006 season at Triple-A Toledo by enjoying a solid spring, capped by four scoreless innings on Saturday against an Astros lineup that included most of Houston's regulars. He has allowed eight hits over 16 innings this spring with a 2.81 ERA. His spot came at the expense of Miner, who spent the final four months of last season on the club. He went 2-1 with a 5.79 ERA this spring, allowing 14 hits and six walks over 14 innings, but striking out 11.

Seay was the likely option had the Tigers decided to keep a second lefty reliever alongside Wilfredo Ledezma. He had given up just one earned run this spring before a two-run inning of work on Sunday against the Yankees. "We think he's better than a lot of names that have come up this spring for guys that are available [by trade]," Dombrowski said. In the end, however, they decided not to go with any lefty.

"We're in a good situation," Dombrowski said. "It just so happens [Joel] Zumaya and [Fernando] Rodney get left-handers out as well as they get right-handers out. It's a unique situation. Ideally, we'd like to have one, but I think on our club it's not as significant because of how the back of our bullpen already is." While Miner had one option left, Durbin had none, meaning he would've had to pass through waivers to be sent to the Minor Leagues. Asked if he expected Durbin would have been claimed, Dombrowski said, "I think there's a strong chance, yes."

The Tigers undoubtedly would've lost Perez, an 11-year veteran whose $2.5 million salary is guaranteed for this year under a two-year contract he signed with the Cubs before last season. The Tigers, however, wanted to see more out of Perez to justify keeping him. Acquired last August in the wake of the Placido Polanco injury, Perez struggled down the stretch, batting .200 (13-for-65) in 21 games. When asked about him during the Tigers' Winter Caravan, Leyland said the trade might have been a mistake and that he needed to play better to make the team. "I never got nervous," Perez said Monday, "because anything that happened was going to happen. But I knew I had to be three times better than the manager saw last year." After a rough start to the spring, Perez responded. He entered Monday hitting .324 (12-for-37) with three doubles and four RBIs. "He had to [play better]," said Dombrowski, who noted Perez came to camp in good shape and with a hop in his step. "We think he's played better than he did last year for us. If he hadn't, we would've made a different decision."

Because of his service time, Santiago had to clear revocable waivers to be optioned, but that didn't end up haunting Detroit. He batted .303 with eight walks and a .439 on-base percentage. "Sometimes, you have to think the way they're thinking," Santiago said. "They can keep two players without losing one. When you've got options, sometimes you know you're doing right [and still get sent down]. From a business standpoint, it's bad for me because I'm the one sent down."

Shelton seemed to take the decision the toughest. After hitting two home runs last Opening Day and nine in just over two weeks, Shelton was left fighting for a bench spot. But what seemed like a longshot became more viable as Shelton continued to hit well. Only Polanco entered the week with more hits than Shelton, who hit .388 with six doubles, two homers and five RBIs. At decision time, however, Leyland wanted two utility infielders. "I hit almost .400 this spring," Shelton said. "What more could I possibly do? All I could say is I made this as tough as I possibly could on them. It still doesn't sit very well with me." He still left the Tigers with a decision down the road. "We still look at [Shelton] as our first baseman of the future," Dombrowski said. "He has the ability to do it. We think he can do it. When I say that, he still has to go out and perform."
Source: MLB.com

Tigers place SP Rogers on 15-day DL

Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers will miss at least one regular-season start after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a tired arm. General manager Dave Dombrowski said Rogers was seeing a specialist and would not speculate on how long he will be out, but did say the left-hander will miss at least one start. The designation is retroactive to March 25. Right-hander Chad Durbin will take Rogers' spot in the rotation, and lefty Bobby Seay will take his roster spot.

Rogers, 42, finished 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 34 outings during his first season with the Tigers in 2006. He won all three of his starts during the playoffs and did not allow a run in 23 innings.
Source: AP

Bonderman Named Opening Day Starter

Tigers manager Jim Leyland named Jeremy Bonderman the Tigers starter on Opening Day, which is April 2 against Toronto at Comerica Park. Bonderman, the 24-year-old right-hander, will be followed in the starting rotation by Kenny Rogers, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth. In 34 starts last season, Bonderman was 14-8 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 202 K's in 214 innings during the regular season. He was 1-0 in the postseason.

Robertson: Pitching Well In Florida

Nate Robertson pitched five sharp innings Sunday, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-0 victory over Tampa Bay in a split-squad game. The left-hander limited the Devil Rays to a pair of singles while reducing his ERA to 0.73 through four spring starts. He struck out four and walked one.

"You have to be careful in spring training not to put a lot of stock into when somebody does good," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said, "but he's throwing the ball extremely well."

Robertson was most pleased with his efficiency, which enabled him to put in more work in the bullpen before calling it a day.

"As long as I'm not going deep in counts and issuing free passes," he said, "and keeping my pitch count down -- those are all good things."

Last season, Robertson posted career bests with 13 wins and 208 2-3 innings to help the Tigers win the AL pennant. Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez attributes the improvement to experience.

"He came a long way in one year, I think more than anything from the mental aspect of the game," Hernandez said. "A lot of times, it takes those three or four years to really feel like you know exactly what you want to do and what your plan is when you go out there."
Source: AP

Granderson Cutting Down On The K's

Curtis Granderson led the American League in strikeouts last year, so most of his Spring Training has been about not striking out.

His emphasis on his two-strike approach has yielded him just one strikeout all spring, but he also entered yesterday's game (March 14th) with just one extra-base hit. He has focused on putting the ball in play rather than powering it. On Wednesday, he multiplied that total against the Mets, falling just a triple shy of the cycle in a 4-for-4 performance, hitting his first homer of the spring.

Granderson has been working with Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon and Triple-A Toledo hitting coach Leon Durham and most of the corrections this spring have revolved around reducing Granderson's strikeouts. Considering his walk total last year, he already shows good judgment of the strike zone, so coaches focused on making his swing shorter and quicker to put the ball in play.

The approach has worked, but recently it worked almost too well. Durham and McClendon are not trying to turn Granderson into a punch and Judy hitter, they still want him to drive the baseball. They want him to keep his same approach, not give up with two strikes, but to shorten up and put the ball in play.

Even with all the strikeouts last year, Granderson had 255 total bases out of the leadoff spot, fifth highest in the AL, including 19 home runs. A balanced attack, cutting down on the strikeouts, while increasing his contact with two strikes, could help Granderson improve on his .260 average.

Granderson will be a key table setter at the top of the Tigers lineup providing RBI opportunities for new addition Gary Sheffield, and Magglio Ordonez.

It is a possibility that Granderson could be moved down in the lineup, as The Detroit Free Press' reports that manager Jim Leyland is considering batting catcher Ivan Rodriguez leadoff during the regular season, at least against left-handed pitchers. Stay tuned.

My All-Time Favorite Tiger: Alan Trammell

I have put together my list of the Tigers All-Time team. Of course, since I was born in 1973, I was not able to see some of these cats play (i.e. Ty Cobb). But based on stats, and Hall-Of-Fame status, how could I leave someone like Cobb off. Included on my list is my all-time favorite Tiger, Alan Trammell.

Trammell was my idol growing up as a kid. On the diamond, I always found myself playing shortstop, dreaming of playing in the majors. Who could forget the double plays with Sweet Lou Whitaker. The World Series MVP in 1984...Six-time All-Star...Four-time Gold Glove winner...One of 3 Tigers (Al Kaline & Ty Cobb) to play 20 seasons in a Tigers uniform.

One of my favorite Trammell memories was in 1987, when he led the Tigers to an American League East title. Lance Parrish left via free agency, and manger Sparky Anderson needed a clean-up hitter. Enter Alan Trammell. He responded with a career year, hitting .343, with 28 home runs and 105 RBI. He finished second to George Bell of Toronto for the AL MVP award. I am still upset he did not win!

Trammell was a clutch player, in the field and at the bat. In his prime, he was the best to play the shortstop position. Yes, I know there was iron-man Cal Ripken around, but what can I say, I am biased.

Since I collected baseball cards as a kid, I thought I would include this picture of Trammell's 1978 Topps rookie card:



Thanks for the memories Tram!

Detroit Tigers All-Time Team

Ty Cobb

Here is my list of the Detroit Tigers All-Time team.

Manager: Sparky Anderson
Outfield: Ty Cobb
Outfield: Al Kaline
Outfield: Harry Heilmann
First Base: Hank Greenberg
Second Base: Charlie Gehringer
Shortstop: Alan Trammell
Third Base: George Kell
Catcher: Bill Freehan
Starting Pitcher: Jack Morris
Starting Pitcher: Hal Newhouser
Starting Pitcher: Mickey Lolich
Relief Pitcher: John Hiller

Tough to leave off:
Outfield: Kirk Gibson
Catcher: Lance Parrish
Second Base: Lou Whitaker
Relief Pitcher: Willie "Guillermo" Hernandez

Tigers Notes From Spring Training

Mike Maroth

Maroth fully recovered

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mike Maroth has fully recovered from last year's surgery on his left elbow-- in his opinion. But he's fully recovered in his manager's opinion, as well.

Maroth was sharp in a three-inning effort Tuesday, shutting out the Blue Jays on one hit and a walk.

"He looked good," Jim Leyland said. "He's had absolutely no problems. I don't think there's any question that he's healthy. It's just a matter of arm strength now.

"Barring anything unforeseen, he'll be in our rotation -- and he should be."

Good start

Chris Shelton wasn't over-eager about getting into the lineup after missing the first week because of a strained abdomen. He knew it could work against him.

Shelton played first base Tuesday and went 2-for-3 -- his first hit was a double in his first at-bat against Roy Halladay .

"I wasn't hesitant, I felt good," Shelton said. "But there's no reason I shouldn't feel good. I'm not worried about anything."

Not even about making the team?

"That's not my decision," he said. "All I can do is have the right attitude and get myself ready for whatever happens, which I'm doing."

Just a bump

Brent Clevlen was held out of the game after being hit in the head Monday against the Yankees -- and for the resulting bump he was sporting a day later.

"I'm fine," he said. "They're just being careful."

Said Leyland: "He's OK. But he has a pretty good goose egg."

Quotable

Leyland, on Brandon Inge needing to take more of an attitude to the plate this year: "I don't know if angry is the right word. He needs more of a plan if he gets in a hole, as in what is my approach going to be if I'm 0-2? But he's making progress. He's a power hitter and we're just trying to refine him a little bit. I'm very pleased with him. You just have to have a plan about what you're going to do."

Leyland, on Ryan Raburn : "I've certainly been impressed with what I've seen." Raburn is a handy position player who's been in the organization since 2001, the last two years at Toledo.
Source: detnews.com

Register For Opening Day Tickets - Deadline March 11

If you want to go to opening day at Comerica, you have to register for the random drawing by Sunday, March 11. I know I hope to score a ticket! Good Luck.

Here is the article from The Detroit News:

The Tigers sold 86,606 tickets during the first weekend that individual game seats went on sale, the team announced Monday.

The team said 76,317 were sold Saturday -- the first day of the individual game sale. By comparison, approximately 29,000 were sold on the first day of the sale last season -- and about 9,000 of those were for Opening Day.

This year, the Tigers are conducting a random drawing for Opening Day tickets, due to the increased demand. Fans can register for the drawing at tigers.com, or by calling (313) 471-BALL. The deadline to register is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, and winners will be notified no later than Friday, March 16

Kenny Rogers Tries To Get Better

Kenny Rogers turned 42 a few weeks after the World Series. He's back with the Tigers for the second year of his two-year contract. He went 17-8 in his first season with the Detroit and pitched a remarkable 23 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason, picking up a win in each of his 3 starts.

As he enters his 19th big-league season, he will keep trying to get better. "I'm as much of a competitor as anybody, more than most," Rogers said. "I'm a maniac out there. I enjoy that challenge."

Despite his success of last season, he plans to make adjustments this season.

"Always," he said. "I don't stop tinkering or trying to make myself better."

Kenny Rogers' 23 consecutive scoreless postseason innings last year was the sixth-best total in major league history:

PITCHER	IP
Mariano Rivera	34.0
Whitey Ford	33.0
Babe Ruth	29.0
Christy Mathewson	28.0
Lew Burdette	24.0*
Kenny Rogers	23.0*
Jerry Reuss	23.0*
George Earnshaw	22.0*
Orel Hershisher	21.1*
Bob Gibson	19.0
* in one postseason

Source: freep.com

2007 Tigers Projected Lineup

Batting Order

1. CF Curtis Granderson, .260, 19 HR, 68 RBI
2. 2B Placido Polanco, .295, 4 HR, 52 RBI
3. DH Gary Sheffield, .298, 6 HR, 25 RBI
4. RF Magglio Ordonez, .298, 24 HR, 104 RBI
5. SS Carlos Guillen, .320, 19 HR, 85 RBI
6. C Pudge Rodriguez, .300, 13 HR, 69 RBI
7. LF Craig Monroe, .255, 28 HR, 92 RBI
8. 1B Sean Casey, .272, 8 HR, 59 RBI
9. 3B Brandon Inge, .253, 27 HR, 83 RBI

Rotation

1. Kenny Rogers, 17-8, 3.84 ERA
2. Justin Verlander, 17-9, 3.63 ERA
3. Jeremy Bonderman, 14-8, 4.08 ERA
4. Nate Robertson, 13-13, 3.84 ERA
5. Mike Maroth, 5-2, 4.19 ERA

Bullpen

Closer: Todd Jones, 37 saves, 3.94 ERA
RH setup: Joel Zumaya, 1.94 ERA
RH setup: Fernando Rodney, 3.52 ERA
LH setup: Wilfredo Ledezman, 3.58 ERA

Bonderman Working On His Changeup

Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman has been working on his changeup in training camp. During the 2006 World Series, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said that Bonderman was "about one Spring Training and two months into the season" from having a good changeup. If we’re to heed the words of the wise old skipper, then this may be the year the 24-year-old puts it all together and delivers the breakout campaign we’ve all been waiting for.
Source: MLB.com

Tigers loaded with arms, and they can't slack off

BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

Joel Zumaya sought solitude "underground" in his southern California home during the off-season. But he quickly discovered there's little refuge when pop culture stamps your 15 minutes worth of attention.

He couldn't escape his new role of The Man Who Made A-Rod Look Silly. Zumaya's profile rose as quickly as his 100-plus-m.p.h. fastball in the strike zone. Newsweek briefly mentioned him in the magazine's popular Conventional Wisdom barometer, placing a rookie pitcher in the same room as world power brokers and rehabbing entertainers.

It's not outrageous suggesting that the colorful Zumaya was the most recognizable player's name on the Tigers pre-Gary Sheffield.

And he's merely the set-up man for the set-up man in the bullpen.

It's a good thing Major League Baseball doesn't share pitching like it does revenue, because a wealth of hearty arms is as good as currency in this game. And the Tigers are happily and selfishly hoarding pitching, much to the envy of adversaries and anxiety of those fighting for a spot.

Zach Miner deservedly won accolades for his emergency rotation stint after Mike Maroth's elbow injury last season. The rookie notched six victories in six consecutive starts, amassing an ERA of 1.69 during that period. One would assume such a baptism would prove invaluable this season.

But there's no guarantee that Miner will even make the team because there might be only one bullpen spot open for competition in Florida.

New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi wondered out loud to reporters in Tampa recently why the Tigers would let a 95-m.p.h.flamethrower like Humberto Sanchez leave.

President and general manager Dave Dombrowski packaged Sanchez and two other minor league pitching prospects for Sheffield. What was truly interesting about the trade was that Dombrowski could pry away a nine-time All-Star from a perennial contender like the Yankees without it costing one player from his major league roster.

"I'm sure there are a lot of teams (that) would like to be like us," said Zumaya. "I know everybody says that you can't have enough pitching because you never know if injuries become a problem. But having a lot of good pitching creates a lot of competition, and that's good news."

Miner attached a codicil to Zumaya's assessment. "I'm sure it's good news if you make the team," he said a wry grin.

The Tigers hold their own version of "American Idol" every day in Lakeland with a half dozen guys on the mound at any given time, side by side, hoping to impress the arbiters of their fate standing in the distance.

It's not coincidental that manager Jim Leyland voluntarily tosses out bouquets about how much he likes how the ball pops out of top prospect Jair Jurrgens' hand. It's meant as a confidence booster to the young man, but it's also a message to everybody else that if you're not pushing yourself even harder than before, there's always somebody else lurking in the wings for a chance at dazzling.

"You can't toss a rosin bag in this clubhouse without hitting a quality arm somewhere," Miner said. "And it helps you through association. People think so highly of this staff that it doesn't hurt you in other people's eyes if you don't make the team. It pushes you to work even harder, and that's something that could benefit you elsewhere."

Elsewhere is always a possibility when you're as loaded with arms like the Tigers.

That's why you stockpile. For every 10 pitching prospects, you hope one-third pan out into players you can use on the major league roster. Another third will wash out, and the other third will serve as bait to lure other valuable commodities.

This is how the Tigers will find Pudge Rodriguez's inevitable replacement at catcher. Instead of drafting and developing one of their own, they'll apply their organizational pitching depth to pry one from another team.

The Tigers' pitching situation creates the perfect balance of confidence and competition. Despite all the praise showered upon him, Zumaya isn't overly comfortable. He hears all the talk about him becoming a future closer.

"But there are two pretty good guys (Todd Jones and Fernando Rodney) already ahead of me there," he said. "But that's cool. That just keeps you hungry and wanting to get better."

An even hungrier Zumaya isn't something the Yankees want to contemplate.
Source: Detroit Free Press