Bless You Boys

The bullpen steps up in a 3-0 shutout of the Phillies

2010-03-21T00:47:52Z

Final - 3.20.2010	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Detroit Tigers	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	3	8	0
WP: Fu-Te Ni (1 - 0) SV: Ryan Perry (1) LP: Roy Halladay (1 - 1)

Complete Coverage >

Roy Halladay may have been, as Jim Leyland claimed,"working on stuff," but the Tigers still managed to tag the Phillies' prize off-season acquisition for 3 runs and 6 hits during a 3-0 win in Lakeland.

The Tigers offense did just enough damage against Halladay, and it was all in 1 inning, the 2nd. Ramon Santiago tripled in 2 runs, then scored on a Robinzon Diaz ground out. It turned out to be more than the Tigers' bullpen arms needed.

As the rotation guys got the day off (Leyland said it was due to both Dontrelle Willis and Max Scherzer throwing on Thursday), the story of the day was the Tigers' bullpen. Leyland used 5 relievers, who combined to toss a 6 hit shutout.

Surprise starter Fu-Te Ni, asked to show he could be more than just a LOOGY, gave up 2 hits in his 3 strong innings to get the win. Eddie Bonine, who apparently is being groomed for middle relief duty, gave up 2 hits in 2.1 innings. Brad Thomas, Enrique Gonzalez and Ryan Perry finished the game without incident.

With Bobby Seay's arm distress creating opportunities in the bullpen, Ni will be asked to do more than get out the occasional left-handed bat. Which is why he got the start, according to Jason Beck:

While Seay underwent further tests on his ailing left shoulder, tests that will be examined by multiple specialists such as Dr. James Andrews, manager Jim Leyland lined up two of his remaining left-handed relievers to give them a test in Saturday's 3-0 win against the Phillies. He assigned Ni the start precisely so that he could face left-handed hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. In the sixth, Brad Thomas entered in relief to face that same pair.

As for Ni, he has all the clichés down, even if he still struggles with the English language:

"He said Spring Training not over yet," said interpreter Steve Xiu. "He hopes that he'll make the 25-man roster at the end of spring. While we still have two weeks left, in that time, he will do as best to his ability to compete for a spot on the roster."

All that was missing from Ni's quote was, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Give him time...

Comment of the night:

After Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch, murrajo, like all Tigers fans, still has issues with the umpiring in game 163...

at least the ump called it

You know, I still can't believe the ump missed that damn call...

Reports: Bobby Seay shut down, Zach Miner has elbow strain

2010-03-20T16:58:53Z

More photos » Gary Malerba - AP

8 months ago: Detroit Tigers pitcher Bobby Seay wipes his brow as he leaves the field after being removed from the game during the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game in Detroit on Tuesday, July 21, 2009. The Tigers won 9-7. (AP Photo/Gary Malerba)

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The news coming out on left-handed reliever Bobby Seay today sounds like quite a set back.

First the Detroit News' Tom Gage reported on Twitter Seay was set to have an MRI, then MLB.com's Jason Beck added to the story.

Seay was shut down after further pain in his shoulder during a bullpen session. He will have an MRI in the next few days and have several specialists check it out. Manager Jim Leyland confirmed Seay will start the season on the DL.

Beck:

Seay was originally diagnosed with bursitis in his upper left arm and tendinitis in the shoulder. He had started throwing last week and began throwing off a mound earlier in the week. His latest attempt, though, stopped before it started.

"Throwing in the bullpen today, I couldn't get my arm in a throwing position," Seay said.

If the Tigers are set on taking three lefties north, Brad Thomas and Daniel Schlereth are the possible beneficiaries. Neither has earned the job all that well. Thomas has had some nice results, but five walks in seven innings is a concern, and a manager who complains about pitchers not attacking the strike zone may not want to take him. Schlereth has just plain struggled in games.

I still like Robbie Weinhardt to give an extra right-handed boost, but the Tigers might want him to close in Triple-A Toledo first, so we'll see.

Update:

Just to couple the injury news together, here's more on Zach Miner, from MLive's Steve Kornacki. Zach Miner is reported to have muscle and ligament strain around his elbow. Apparently it's been bothering him for awhile but he didn't bother mentioning it to anyone. Would someone in the Tigers organization please start slapping these guys upside the head? I'm sick of writing about players hurting themselves by not reporting how they feel to the people who know how to deal with it.

“I will be back as quick as possible,” Miner said. “I hope that’s opening day. But if not, I won’t be very far behind.”

Morning lede: The Tigers All-Bad Contract team for the aughts

2010-03-20T10:00:21Z

After the Tigers named their All-Decade team for the aughts earlier this week, the great people here at BYB took it upon themselves to name a couple of more Tigers All-Decade teams.

I sense a meme!

We've had the hilarious All-Suck team, and the unforgettable All-Name team. So I felt it was my duty to keep the meme going, and name an All-Bad Contract team for the last decade.

I did have a couple of rules.

1. Even if the contract was signed before the decade started, or expires after the decade ended, as long as the majority of the contract was paid out during the 00's, it was eligible for inclusion (Making the Damion Easley and Dean Palmer deals fair game, for example). If the contract was split evenly (say Masao Kida's 2 year deal signed in '99), I allowed it to be included.

2. If a player spent a fair amount of time at a position, even if it wasn't their primary one, I could use the contract. (Making Carlos Guillen eligible as an OF, or Shane Halter as a SS)

With my self-imposed rules out of the way...

The Detroit Tigers All-Bad Contract team for the aughts

OF Bobby Higginson, 2002 - 2005: 4 yrs, $35.4M
OF Gary Sheffield, 2007 - 2008: 2 yrs, $28M
OF Carlos Guillen, 2008 - 2011: 4yrs, $48M
1B Carlos Pena, 2005: 1 yr, $2.575M
2B Damion Easley, 1999 - 2003 : 4 yrs, $26.5M
SS Shane Halter, 2002 - 2003: 2 yrs, $3.65M
3B Dean Palmer, 1998 - 2002: 5 yrs, $35M
DH Craig Pauquette, 2002 - 2003: 2 yrs, $4.75M
C Brandon Inge, 2007 -2010: 4 yrs, $24M
SP Dontrelle Willis, 2008 - 2010: 3 yrs, $29M
SP Nate Robertson, 2008 - 2010: 3yrs, $21.25M
SP Jeremy Bonderman, 2007 - 2010: 4 yrs, $38M
SP Steve Sparks, 2002 - 2003: 2 yrs, $7.5M
SP Jason Johnson, 2004 - 2005: 2 yrs, $7M
RP Masao Kida, 1999 - 2000: 2yrs, $3M
RP Jose "Joe Table" Mesa, 2007: 1 yr, $2.5M
CL Troy Percival, 2005 - 2006: 2 yrs, $12M

We delve deeper into bad contracts and worse memories, after the jump...

Higginson: Higginson, the Tigers All-Decade OF, fan favorite (before he signed what turned into an albatross of a contract) and noted strip club connoisseur, had a career season in 2000 (30 HR, 102 RBI, .915 OPS) The Tigers rewarded him with a monster deal, as GM Randy Smith felt he couldn't let the face of the franchise walk in free agency. But the moment Higginson turned 30, a rapid and irreversible decline took place. It was as if the talent spigot had been closed, never to be reopened. Higgy went from being the most loved Tiger, to the most despised, in 4 short years.

Sheffield: I placed him in the outfield because it turned out to be Sheff's Waterloo. As you remember, GM Dave Dombrowski felt the Tigers needed a big bat to get them over the top in 2007. Sheffield was available, but in order to get him to agree to leave the Yankees, the Tigers had to extend his contract for an extra 2 seasons, at $14M per. The Tigers got great production from Sheffield through the first half of '07. Then he demanded to play the OF, Jim Leyland caved, Sheff tore up his shoulder, and the rest is history Mike Ilitch is still trying to forget. He still has to gag at the memory of eating the last $14M of Sheffield's contract.

Guillen: Guillen's bat made him a productive, valuable player, and worthy of a big contract...as long as he was a SS and remained healthy. A tall order for the glass bodied Guillen, and neither of which were a sure thing when he received a 4 year extension. The Tigers rolled the dice Guillen would remain both healthy and a SS for the majority of the deal...and they came up snake eyes.

Pena: More than anything, this contract was based on wishful thinking. In 2004, Pena had a fairly decent year, power-wise. But he also had 269 K's the 2 seasons previous, and never hit more than .248 as a regular. Yet the Tigers gave the oft-struggling Pena a $2.2M raise for '05. Pena rewarded the Tigers' faith with a .238 AVE and 95 K's in only 76 games. He was shown the door after the season, and not a soul complained. It's hard to believe this is the same player knocking the cover off the ball in Tampa.

Easley: The Tigers' 2nd baseman had a career season in 1998, going to the All-Star game, competing in the Home Run Derby and winning a Silver Slugger. Randy Smith signed the 28-year-old Easley to a massively expensive, Higginson-esque, deal. And just like Higgy, as soon as Easley hit 30 years of age (a year into the deal), the decline began...and never, ever stopped. By 2002, Easley couldn't hit for power, average or to save his life. The Tigers released Easley after the season, eating a then record amount of $14.3 million. How badly did the Tigers want to rid themselves of Easley? Their 2nd basemen in '03 were the forgettable Warren Morris and the overwhelmed Ramon Santiago.

Halter: Shane Halter was 27-year-old rookie with the Royals in 1997, and bounced around MLB as a utility man till the Tigers picked him up in 2000. In '01, the Tigers let the human pylon known as Devi Cruz walk (the ONLY time he walked as a Tiger) in free agnecy, and at age 31, Halter became a regular for the first time in his career. He ended up splitting time between SS and 3B, putting up utterly below average offensive numbers (12 HR, 65 RBI, .284 AVE, .345 OBP). Smith lost his mind, and gave Halter a 2 yr, $3.65M contract to be the everyday SS...even though it was obvious Halter's season was an aberration. As expected by everyone but the Tigers, Halter went back to sucking. Just how bad was this contract, and for that matter, the Tigers? In Halter's final season, his OBP was .269...and he still played in 114 games.

Palmer: Dean Palmer was a good player, a solid citizen, liked by both fans and team alike. Awful luck is what made his contract a bad one. Palmer was brought in as the Tigers' prize free agent in 1998, and had a couple of very good seasons (winning a Silver Slugger in '99). You could chisel his power numbers in stone, 30 HR's and 100 RBI. But Palmer hurt his shoulder during the 2001 season, essentially ending his career...leaving the Tigers on the hook for $16.5M.

Pauquette: In the early 00's, Randy Smith had a fetish for what he called "professional hitters." Pauquette was the "professional hitter" Smith thought the Tigers needed in 2002, giving him a 2 year deal at over $2M a season. Professional hitter my ass. Pauquette hit .194 and .152. And you wonder why the Tigers were dead to many fans during the "Radar Randy" years.

Inge: Inge is a lousy hitting catcher, a great fielding 3B, and the best athlete on the team (as Rod Allen informs us during EVERY BROADCAST). For some reason, many fans LOVE Inge despite his inadequate bat (career .236 AVE) and tendency to whine loudly when told to play behind the plate. As Inge is in the last year of his contract, a question needs to be answered. Does Inge's range, glove and arm at 3B outweigh his issues at the plate? Remember, Binge turns 33 this season, and is coming off of major surgery on both knees. Millions of dollars ride on the answer...

Willis: Like the rest of you, I'm rooting for the D-Train to recover from what's usually a career ending affliction, Steve Blass Disease. But do I even need to remind you of Willis' God awful contract ? I didn't think so.

Robertson and Bonderman: Both signed market deals when they became free agents. (Yes, league average, inning eating starters such as Robertson were getting $7M a season when he signed) No one saw the injuries coming, especially the oddities Bonderman suffered. You could argue the contracts they signed at the time were fair, but were too long...and you'd have been right.

Sparks: This is another of Randy Smith's "Let's give a career journeyman a multi-year, multi-million dollar jackpot" contract. Sparks junkballed his way to a 14-9 record in 2001, by far the best season of his career, and obviously an outlier. Yet Smith rewarded the 36-year-old with a 2 year, $7.5M deal. Sparks was 8-22 during the length of the contract, and was released in August of '03. Again, everyone but the Tigers saw it coming.

Johnson: Johnson was signed when the Tigers were true bottom feeders, and had to overpay to even get lousy pitchers to come to Detroit. Johnson could do only one thing, and one thing only. Eat innings.He sure as Hell couldn't win games. And it got him a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. The thought of it is as laughable now as it was then.

Kida: Radar Randy went fishing in Japan for pitching, and could only catch an aging journeyman, Masao Kida. He should have threw him back. Instead, Smith gave Kida 2 years and $3M. The Tigers got 1 win, no saves and a 6,42 ERA. Randy Smith didn't know much, but he sure knew how to find the worst players on the planet.

Joe Table: Back in the crazy days of 2007, when Jose Mesa was literally throwing batting practice on a nightly basis at Comerica Park, I called Joe Table "a gas can who is the 2nd most hated man in Detroit, behind only Matt Millen." Yes, he was that damn bad in his short time in Detroit. Yes, he was even more hated than Jason Grilli. Yes, that's what a 12.34 ERA in 11.2 IP will get you. Yes, Joe Table's time in Detroit was mercifully short. The Tigers finally figured out what the fans already knew, he was washed up, and released Mesa in June '07.

Percival: Signed for big money to be the Tigers' closer before the '05 season. Percival gave the Tigers 8 SV, a 5.76 ERA, 25 IP and a sore arm. The Tigers gave Percival $12M, an AL Championship ring and a cut of the World Series cash. Not exactly a fair trade.

Dis-Honorable Mention:
1B Sean Casey, 2007: 1yr, $4M. The Mayor was a great guy and had a great '06 World Series. Being good in the clubhouse doesn't make up for having less power than Neifi Perez.
2B Fernando Vina, 2004 - 2005: 2 yrs, $6M. Has anyone made more for doing less? Other than Troy Percival, no.
3B Chris Truby, 2002: Whatever he was paid, it was too much. Far, far too much. (Yes, the Tigers traded for Truby, he wasn't given a contract extension or signed as a free agent. But the jaw-dropping awfulness of his one season with the Tigers has been mentioned so often in these All-Decade threads, I had a find a way to include him!)
C Vance Wilson, 2007 - 2008: 2 yrs, $1.9M. Solid backup, earned an extension with a good '06 season. But injuries kept him off the field for most of the contract.
OF Magglio Ordonez, 2005 - 2011: 7 yrs, $105M. Only because of those pesky option years worth $30+M in 2010-11, while Ordonez turned into a singles hitter.
P Kenny Rogers, 2008: 1 yr, $8M. The Gambler used up everything he had in his marvelous 2006. He had nothing left to give, but the Tigers wouldn't let him fold 'em after '07.

Anyone I miss? Any deals you want to vent your spleen about? Let me know in the comments!

Brennan Boesch, Ryan Strieby, Casper Wells assigned to minor league camp

2010-03-20T03:33:01Z

More photos » Eric Gay - AP

Audy Ciraco was assigned to Erie late Friday.

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The Detroit News' Tom Gage reports tonight the Tigers made their first big round of assignments for positional players.

Outfielders Brennan Boesch, Ryan Strieby and Casper Wells were assigned to the Triple-A Toledo camp. That should provide some pretty exciting nights at Fifth Third Field. Wells was made expendable from the major league roster with the play of Austin Jackson and Ryan Raburn. Boesch and Strieby are just biding time until 25-man roster spots open up, either due to injury or next season.

Shortstop Audy Ciriaco was assigned to Double-A Erie. Thinking out loud, does this mean Detroit will promote Cale Iorg to Triple-A Toledo, even though he really needs to repeat the season in Double-A? I can't imagine Ciriaco would be riding the pine in Erie. Of course Iorg's being advanced to quickly until he stalled completely shouldn't hold up players behind him, either. And where does that leave Brent Dlugach? Second base in Toledo? Maybe third if Don Kelly ends up in Detroit?

It sounds like middle infield in the minors is stacking up as a bit of a mess. But admittedly I haven't spent a lot of time charting out what the minor league rosters might look like, so it's possible I'm completely missing something. Feel free to connect the dots in the comments.

Tigers, Braves each earn a point. Wait, wrong sport.

2010-03-20T02:55:04Z

Final - 3.19.2010	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	13	1
Atlanta Braves	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4	15	1

Complete Coverage >

Seems only the latest linescore is available. So that was the evening half of the Tigers' split squad today. Detroit fell to the Yankees earlier in the day, 6-2.

Yankees 6, Tigers 2

Rick Porcello gave up his first runs of the spring. Three of them were unearned, one was earned. He also struck out three in three innings.

Detroit's offense never really got untracked. Austin Jackson had a pair of strikeouts, as did Miguel Cabrera. Clete Thomas had two hits and scored two runs.

Tigers 4, Braves 4 (10 innings)

The Tigers and Braves could not settle the decision after nine innings and decided to drop the matter entirely after 10. Typical spring training fair, especially when Detroit had a split squad day. Teams just don't often have the pitching depth available on the road in spring training because managers want to make sure everyone gets their work in.

Getting the start today, Jeremy Bonderman allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. He also walked two, hit a batter and struck out a pair. Bonderman's in-game results are not giving a lot of confidence right now, although it's always hard to get much feel based on a split-squad defense and box score analysis.

Tom Gage of the Detroit News provides the only quote I can find about Bonderman's day:

"Instead of throwing the ball at 96, and blowing it by guys, he has more movement on his pitches now -- and he's just trying to figure out how to use it," catcher Alex Avila said of Bonderman. "I thought he threw the ball well, but he's still trying to find the command."

Reliever Robbie Weinhardt gave up a run in the ninth inning to allow the extra inning. It sounds like the run wasn't really his fault eithe.

At the plate, Alex Avila had a pair of doubles and both Johnny Damon and Jeff Larish homered.

Comment of the night

Tigerdog1 is not impressed by the fact it is the greatest sports weekend of the year.

Buck Fasketball, the Tigers are playing!

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:51Z

Just bringing attention to the fact if we all do this survey, we have a great shot at helping a charity earn $500! I'm thinking the Grand Kids Foundation myself, what better thing to do than help some children get an education? So fill it out! -- Kurt

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

You can take the survey HERE

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WYR2WQT

Thanks for your support!

SB Nation's 2010 MLB Previews: Detroit Tigers, Sights Set On Success - SB Nation

2010-03-19T19:21:26Z

SB Nation's 2010 MLB Previews: Detroit Tigers, Sights Set On Success - SB Nation

Written by yours truly. And slightly outdated already, thanks to Bobby Seay.

Tigers vs. Yankees (Till Kurt gets back from the grocery store)

2010-03-19T17:17:54Z

Tigers lineup

1 Jackson CF

2 Thomas RF

3 Inge 3B

4 Cabrera 1B

5 Guillen DH

6 Laird C

7 Ramirez LF

8 Dlugach 2B

9 Santiago SS

Pitching -- The Kid

In the first -- Jackson struck out, Clete doubled, Inge doubled and Thomas scored. Miggy struck out and Carlos flied out. Tigers lead 1 - 0 with Yankees coming up. I missed the Yankees lineup while trying to type this.

Jeter leading off -- hah just struck out!!!

Morning Prowl: Follow-ups on Willis, Galarraga, Turner

2010-03-19T10:00:26Z

OK, so admittedly there isn't much of a Morning Lede today. Some combination of a certain someone watching too much basketball and accidentally using the best blogging material the night before. Whoops.

While I will admit I did not pick many of the upsets on Thursday -- the BYB Pool standings will confirm that -- I don't mind. Everyone loves watching a top-seed lose. It's just that sometimes I forget which team I took. Like I find myself rooting for Montana over New Mexico tonight, because I'd prefer to vacation in Montana. (Thus answering the question: where does someone who lives in the UP go to get away from the hustle and bustle of it all.) And then I remember I have New Mexico in the Elite Eight. Whoops.

Go Grizzlies! (And you thought I meant Oakland, didn't you?)

Inspired by "Why don't they make music like this anymore?" here's the links I would have written more about.

Anytime Samara is apologizing to Edvard Munch, you're gonna want to see it
MLB.com's Jason Beck: Willis in good spirits after scoreless effort
"I must be one of the most frustrating guys ever to watch," Willis said. "You never know what you're going to get. But as long as we're getting people out, that's a good thing."
Lynn Henning looked at the Tigers present and future outfield
Tigers' Broken Arms Seeking Redemption -- MLB FanHouse
Detroit Tigers 2010 Primer -- MLB FanHouse
West Michigan is happy about receiving "shot in the arm" from Jacob Turner

All-Star Name Team

2010-03-19T02:57:29Z

I love names (read the phone book as a kid. Picked my favorite name off of each page, then staged a March Madness style bracket competition. Winner of Ann Arbor phonebook ca. 1985: Tetsufumi Ueda.) . I love baseball. I love baseball names.

This year's spring training rosters seem to have been unusually rich in name possibilities. Whether you are a fan of the simply unusual (Dlugach), the image evoked (Seay, Lyon) , the poetic effect (Rainwater, Fu Te Ni), or the double entendre (Coke), this year had something for you. It has made me think about great names of teams past.

So now that we've done the Tigers all-aught team, and the Tigers all-suck team, how about the All-Name Team? What are the best Tigers names in franchise history? Feel free to use any criteria you want, but explain your choices!

Dontrelle Willis, Austin Jackson continue to ace the tests

2010-03-19T00:33:22Z

Final - 3.18.2010	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston Astros	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	0	4	6	1
Detroit Tigers	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	1	5	10	0

Complete Coverage >

Left-hander Dontrelle Willis has continued to do everything in his power to make the Tigers. And despite appearing to pitch through some pain, he allowed just two baserunners in three innings. One was a hit batter, the other a walk. So again, the control wasn't perfect, but it was actually quite good. I don't know the final strikes-thrown percentage, but the Detroit News' Tom Gage reported he was 14 for 19 at one point.

Rookie center fielder Austin Jackson also impressed today. I managed to catch some of the game. And what I see every time Jackson plays is a batter who is selective with his swings and one who has exhibited a pretty good eye. His second at-bat, for instance, he fell behind 0-2. He battled back to a full count from there, finally ending the at-bat with a ground-ball hit to the left side. From there he went from first to third on a single and later scored. I know it's spring training but I keep finding myself saying, "This is a rookie?"

Another observation from Gage:

(A)s Jim Leyland said, he's not chased bad pitches this spring, which is rare for a rookie. What's really made a good impression, however, is that Jackson hasn't even checked his swing on bad pitches.

That said, the better test will be the big-league breaking balls he'll see from this point on.

In other notables: Brennan Boesch hit the game-winning RBI in the ninth. Ryan Perry gave up a home run. Donnie Kelly went 2-for-2 with a double.

Comment of the Night

OK, it wasn't about the game. But it was about ex-Tiger Casey Fien, who was released by a third team this spring:

Trysdor wrote:

Hey, this guy's pretty good, right?

Ehh, guess not. See ya.

Hey, this guy’s pretty good, right?

Ehh, guess not. See ya.

Hey, this guy’s pretty good, right?

Ehh, guess not. See ya.

Hey, this guy’s pretty good, right?

Ehh, guess not. See ya.

Poor Casey.

Galarraga optioned, Seay slow to recover: What it means for Tigers

2010-03-18T23:54:25Z

More photos » Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Armando Galarraga was optioned out of a bid to make the rotation

Browse more photos »

The inexplicable Armando Galarraga was optioned to Triple-A Toledo today, as the Tigers made just their second round of roster moves during this spring training camp. Also, pitchers Jay Sborz and Jacob Turner were sent out -- Sborz to Toledo, Turner to Single-A West Michigan. (That should make the prospect watchers in the state happy.)

The other news of the day had to do with injuries: Bobby Seay's bursistis will probably cost him a chance to break camp with the Tigers. Manager Jim Leyland told the media:

"We're not prepared at this time to say whether (Miner) will or won't be ready -- but in the opinion of all our people so far, it's not impossible, but it's doubtful Seay will be ready."

And finally, Zach Miner is feeling some elbow pain, though it is not said to be serious. (While this always sounds good, the initial reports the Tigers give the media have been overly rosy so often, I think the best thing to do is to watch and see rather than accept it at face value.)

So what does this mean for the Tigers' possible 25-man roster?

You want the short version? If camp broke today, I think the pitching side of the roster would look like this:

Starters: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman. Dontrelle Willis to the DL for some reason or another.

Bullpen: Jose Valverde, Ryan Perry, Joel Zumaya, Phil Coke, Robbie Weinhardt, Fu-Te Ni, Zach Miner/Eddie Bonine

And now, the explanations:

I thought all along Galarraga was a long shot to make the Tigers' roster. The main reason for that is, he isn't particularly exciting as a pitcher. Since his luck-driven 2008 season, he's come back to earth. Actually, that might even be a misnomer. He's started digging a hole right into the earth ever since about last May.

And then we have the matter of his having an option available. (Credit the Tigers with sending him down to Toledo at the right time last August so as to avoid burning up his final option while allowing him to get some work in.) With Jeremy Bonderman assumed to be in the starting rotation and lefties Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis both owed a load of money while attempting comeback seasons, Galarraga was in a bad place to starter.

Galarraga did nothing to change things on the field this spring, and one imagines he did little off the field either.

Based on a recent quote from Leyland, Galarraga must work on his control to earn his way back to the team. Leyland told the media:

"He threw the ball fine, but his command was inconsistent."

The battle for the rotation, practically speaking, is now Willis, Robertson and Bonderman fighting for two spots. Bonderman just isn't doing enough to assure his spot is safe. Longshots Phil Coke and Eddie Bonine seem to have transitioned into bullpen roles, as Leyland is limiting them to about an inning per appearance. While Willis would appear to be a favorite to make the rotation, along with Nate Robertson, it's hard to figure out what the Tigers do with Jeremy Bonderman if that happens. More likely, I think something will still unravel Willis' rotation bid before April 5.

The second point is what happens if Miner's injury turns out to be something that lingers a bit longer, Bonine is in favorable position to win a spot in the roster as the long reliever.

The third point is more interesting: Who makes the bullpen in April if Seay is not ready?

Do not automatically assume it will be a left-hander. The best argument for Leyland taking three lefties north is that they are his three best options in the bullpen. Neither Fu-Te Ni nor Phil Coke is having a great spring between the lines, but I don't know if that particularly means much right now.

Coke is safer than Ni, but both have options remaining and could lose out to Aussie-import Brad Thomas. Thomas has no options and will be owed a decent portion of his contract -- reported to be $1 million in December. It would fit the Tigers' M.O. to give a veteran player the benefit of the doubt before releasing him a month into the season if he doesn't perform. Of course, Thomas has walked five batters in six innings, which can't make the manager happy.

So to me, the most interesting figure right now is Robbie Weinhardt. You have to figure he's penciled in as the closer for Toledo at this point in time. The TIgers have used him in the ninth inning this spring, too. But at the same time, Seay's injury does open the door for giving him a spot pitching in the sixth or seventh inning. The best thing going for him? He has given up just one walk in five innings. If the Tigers decide to go with the talent, I think Weinhardt makes it. Or else it's Thomas.

Tigers option Galarraga to Triple-A

2010-03-18T21:20:42Z

Tigers option Galarraga to Triple-A

We have our first roster casualty in the battle for the 4th and 5th spots in the Tigers' rotation. Armando Galarraga, welcome to Toledo! This leaves Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and amazingly, Dontrelle Willis, as your leaders for the rotation openings.

Source: Anthony DiComo, MLB.com

Guillen staying healthy key to Tigers' run production

2010-03-18T10:00:54Z

More photos » Paul Sancya - AP

Carlos Guillen explains the No. 1 thing he must do this year is remain healthy.

Browse more photos »

It's been all downhill for Carlos Guillen the past few years. After a long climb that began last season, maybe he'll be back on top of his game finally.

Guillen (stats) peaked in 2006, when he played in all but nine games. He had a .920 on-base percentage plus slugging average (or .390 weighted on-base average if that's your style) to show for it. In 2007, he made it in 151 more games and continued to hit well (.859 OPS/.361 wOBA)

Since that time, it's been nothing but downhill for Guillen, as he's battled ache after pain after ache, culminating in a .727 OPS (.328 wOBA) across just 81 games last season.

Guillen told MLB.com's Jason Beck the key to his season is staying healthy. Actually, that's a big key for the Tigers' season, as they've had among the worst-hitting designated hitters in the league over the past two seasons. That and they seriously lack for consistent left-handed hitting in the middle of the lineup, and Guillen provides that.

If he's healthy.

"I'm 34 years old," he said. "Maybe I have a different vision of the game, a little more experience, than young guys. But I learned that sometimes you need to learn from those injuries. That's why I think I'm still in the game.

"I learned to play hard, but at the same time, you have to play smart."

And in other news:

Beck's Blog: Seay feels good, still has ways to go. Seay's arm feels better, but he does not know when he will be able to pitch in a game.
Lynn Henning thinks Don Kelly has the edge for 25th man. His main competition is Clete Thomas, Henning thinks.
At T75N, Matt adds the name Brent Dlugach to those.
Beck: Robertson consults Tanana, Rogers. Some pretty good names for a left hander to talk to.
Dmitri Young is back in Detroit ... well, Metro Detroit and he's coaching with the Oakland County Cruisers of the Frontier League!
Now that John Smoltz has retired, can Tigers fans retire their lament? A great post by Ian. I've been so sick of hearing the Smoltz whining. So many people seem paralyzed by one trade. That's why they're not general managers.
Jamie Samuelsen: Tigers 3B Brandon Inge is what he is ... a below-average hitter. I think Jamie's arguing with himself here. I don't know a lot of Inge fans who think he's a good hitter. It's everything else about Inge people like. It's kinda like Winston Churchill said about democracy. "No one pretends Inge is perfect. Inge is the worst option for the Tigers at third base, except all the others."
Freep: GM Dave Dombrowski pleased with Tigers' spring. So am I. Now we just have to see if the team can keep doing this in April.
Edited by Mike: To illustrate the offense, David Pinto got around to the Tigers in his Lineup Analysis. Predicted lineup, if they played every out of the 162 games is 4.63 runs per game or 750 over the course of the season.

For your consideration: The Detroit Tigers All-Suck team

2010-03-18T00:58:39Z

In response to my post earlier today about the Tigers naming their All-Decade Team for the aughts, specifically the part where I claimed there just as easily could be an "All-Suck" team, BYB commenter "Misopogon" (aka Seth,.the Tiger guy from "The Wright Stache") took it upon himself to e-mail me. He told me he was having trouble logging into SBNation.

In addition, I received a long, well thought out and funny diatribe about Tigers futility.

I didn't want his All-Suck team to be lost in the wilderness, plus I was thinking of doing my own post anyway. No need, as Seth already did the work!

So with his permission, I'm posting his All-Suck team on the front page, and letting you all have it in the comments.

Here's what "Misopogon" had to say:

The all-suck team. Brilliant.

Rules: It had to be starters -- crappy injury call-ups and designated backups don't count. Was Neifi Perez in a Tiger uniform at one point? Christ help us, yes. Was he supposed to be anything other than a backup glove man? No.

Non-injury-related Opening Day Starters all count, as do all players who played a plurality of one season at a given position, even if that wasn't planned. I also count established MLB trade acquisitions who quickly washed out, even if their actual time on the Tigers was minimal, since their expected contribution was much greater.

For each player, I figured their value as the sum of their contributions while a Tiger from 2000 to 2009. Years before that don't help you (sorry Damion, Deivi and Higgy), and neither does it help if you moved on to become a star for another team (stern look, Carlos Pena).

My All-Suck Seventeen:

C     Meluskey
1B     Pena
2B     Infante
SS     Renteria
3B     Truby
LF     Jones
CF     Kingsale
RF     Higgy
DH     Palmer? (Note from Al: DH is explained below)
SP     Lima
SP     Washburn
SP     Willis
SP     Holt
SP     Cornejo
MR     Grilli
SU     German
CL     Anderson

After the jump, the thought process behind the Tigers All-Suck team...

Catcher: Mitch Meluskey
Candidates: Gerald Laird (2009), Pudge Rodriguez (2004-08), Brandon Inge (2002-03), Rob Fick (2001), Mitch Meluskey (2001), Brad Ausmus (2000).

There are a lot of trades that fans can rag on, but if there's ever a case of a trade being dumb from the get-go....how is it Randy Smith is the only guy in the world who didn't know Meluskey's .300 batting average in 2000 was a red herring? He couldn't hit, couldn't catch, certainly couldn't replace one of the only beloved Tigers of the time, and to top it all off, was a prick.

1st Base: Carlos Pena
Candidates: Miguel Cabrera (2007-09), Sean Casey (2006), Carlos Pena (2003-06), Chris Shelton (2005-06), Randall Simon (2002), Tony "The Tiger" Clark (2000-01)

The Year of the One Thousand Bad 1st Basemen (2000) had guys like Greg Jefferies and Hal Morris (not to mention Rob Fick), but Tony was Plan 1 and is the only guy who counts. Carlos Pena could be putrid at times, but then he would always flash a bit of that brilliance he finally discovered in Tampa Bay. Simon couldn't take a pitch or a throw to 1st base, but he at least got the bat on the ball. Shelton tailed off after his hot start in '06, but he was okay. Overall, Pena's not bad, but picture Pena on those days when he didn't go 6-for-6. In the end, I went with Pena over Shelton because Big Red beat him out twice for the job.

2nd Base: Omar Infante
Candidates: Placido Polanco (2005-2009), Omar Infante (2004), Fernando Vina (2004), Ramon Santiago (2003), Hal Morris (2003), Damion Easley (2000-02).

I could take the easy way out and go with Vina, since he contributed about diddly squat. But he was a poor man's Placido for the limited time he played, and I'm not one to count injuries against guys. So then what? Ramon Santiago was tagged by Tram, but he was really a shortstop. However, Infante's move to 2nd base was probably the lowlight of his career. Infante actually hit better than Easley while playing in the hole, but Easley's defense trumped the catastrophe that Infante was in '04.

Shortstop: Edgar Renteria
Candidates: Adam Everett (2009), Ramon Santiago (2002-03, 2009), Edgar Renteria (2008), Carlos Guillen (2004-07), Omar Infante (2003), Ramon Santiago (2003), Shane Halter (2001-02), Deivi Cruz (2000).

Renteria wins out, even though some of the individual seasons by his competition were much worse statistically, since he and his untucked shirt personified the can't-defend Tigers of 2008.

Third Base: Chris Truby
Candidates: Brandon Inge (2005-07, 2009), Carlos Guillen (2008), Miguel Cabrera (2008), Eric Munson (2003-04), Chris Truby (2002), Jose Macias (2001), Dean Palmer (2000-01).

So much suck to choose from, but you tagged this one right. Truby's probably the worst Tiger starter in my lifetime, except perhaps one guy coming up....

Left Field: Jaques Jones
Candidates: Ryan Raburn (2009), Carlos Guillen (2009), Marcus Thames (2008), Jaques Jones (2008), Craig Monroe (2003, 2006-07), Rondell White (2004-05), Bobby Higginson (2000-02).

Aquiring Jones was obviously a flop. That it caused us to play Marcus Thames and Gary Sheffield in left for much of the season makes it a bigger flop. True or false: had we let Timo Perez play left all year, 2008 would have gone a little better? Amiright?

Centerfield: Gene Kingsale (Note from Al: That's SIR Gene Kingsale!)
Candidates: Curtis Granderson (2006-09), Nook Logan (2005), Craig Monroe (2005), Alex Sanchez (2003-04), Gene Kingsale (2003), Wendell Magee (2002), Jose Macias (2002), Roger Cedeno (2001), Juan Encarnacion (2000).

In case you don't remember (Note from Al: To be honest, I'd rather not) the utter black hole of talent we had in centerfield since Co-Park opened, remember that Kingsale beat out Hiram Bocachica and George Lombard, all of whom were aquired for that same position. Trivia: which one was "Tram's Man" (after pre-2003 Spring Training interview). Also remember that after Grandy, the "Toolshed" Encarnacion was probably our second-BEST!

Right Field: Bobby Higginson
Candidates: Magglio Ordonez (2005-09), Bobby Higginson (2003-04), Rob Fick (2002), Juan Encarnacion (2001), Juan Gonzalez who can go screw himself (2000)

When Bobby moved to right field, he was so awful that Tiger fans still don't remember how good he used to be. I'd rather not talk about how bad Higgy was during his right field stay, because it's depressing and I liked Bobby. Fick was a pathetic fielder, but he hit pretty well while trying to learn the outfield. I'd love to stick it to Juan-Gone who can go screw himself here, but I'm gonna just leave it at he can really go screw himself and screw that guy. (Note from Al: Trust me, Seth didn't use "screw")

Designated Hitter: Why did you have to bring up Juan Gonzalez? This was a fun exercise until you brough him up.

Yes, well screw Juan Gonzalez.

Your candidates for DH are Carlos Guillen, Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames, Dmitri Young, Dean Palmer, Luis Polonia, and Juan Gonzalez and screw him. (Note from Al: See what I said above)

Starting Pitchers: Jose Lima, Jarrod Washburn, Dontrelle Willis, Chris Holt, and Nate Cornejo (HM: Adam Bernaro, Gary Knotts)

Candidates: Oh my God are we really going to do this? Okay, fine, but I'm not giving you years. Here's guys: Washburn, Willis, Verlander, Jackson, Porcello, Bonderman, Galarraga, Miner, Kenny Rogers, Nasty Nate, Mike Maroth, Chad Durbin, Sean Douglass, Jason Johnson, Gary Knotts, Adam Bernaro, Nate Cornejo, Jeff Weaver, Steve Sparks, Mark Redman, Jose Lima, Chris Holt, Dave Mlicki, Hideo Nomo and Brian Moehler.

People still rag on Mlicki today, but he wasn't as bad as the guys above, for one, and two, he would at least give the bullpen a rest. He and Sparks together were always good for a 4-run game that Tigers could win 6-4 or lose 4-3. Washburn and Willis have to make the list for, respectively, tanking our chances in '09, and personally killing the buzz from 2006-07. That all the other guys I chose (and the runners up) were all in the same rotation together at one time is a testament to how awful our pitching was before Dombrowski had the marvelous idea of collecting pitchers who can throw a fastball.

Middle Relief: Jason Grilli
Candidates: Dude, I know you're just waiting for me to say it, so rather than give you a whole list of every Fu-Te-Ni the Tigers have rolled out in the aughts, I'll just say it: C.J. Nitkowski.

Like, duh.

Setup Man: Franklyn German
Candidates: Brandon Lyon, Aquilino Lopez, Bobby Seay, Freddy Dolsi, Fernando Rodney, Joel Zumaya, Kyle Farnsworth, Franklyn German, Esteban Yan, Jamie Walker, Julio Santana, Jose Paniagua, Juan Acevedo, Matt Anderson, Danny Patterson, Doug Brocail

Look it up: Lopez pitched more 8th innings than Seay or Dolsi in 2008. Man that year sucked. But not as bad as German sucked as setup man in 2005. He later found a role as guy-who-blows-save-then-wins-in-extra-innings. German is the second guy from the DD-defining Weaver deal to appear on this list, which says to me "whoa, we got two bad major leaguers and one halfway decent one for Jeff Weaver, and I criticized it at the time? Shows what I know!"

Closer: Matt Anderson
Candidates: Fernando Rodney, Todd Jones, Ugueth Urbina, Franklyn German, Juan Acevedo, Matt Anderson

I counted German as '03's closer. It's not like there were actually many games to SAVE in 2003 -- most 9th innings (the 107 we actually even got to see) were basically Chris Spurling or Chris Mears or Matt Roney working on their curveballs at the end of a blowout. Anyway, there's plenty of bad here, but Matt Anderson after he lost his velocity and ability to find the strike zone was a special brand of crummy closer.

There you have it, folks. Now you know why I had to throw this up on the front page for dicussion. And I apologize for any traumatic memories Seth's list may have brought back.

Looking back at the past decade, who would you have on a Tigers All-Suck Team?

Carlos Guillen's bat finally makes it to Florida, leads the Tigers to victory

2010-03-18T00:23:45Z

Final - 3.17.2010	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	0	1	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	6	10	1
Pittsburgh Pirates	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	8	0
WP: Nate Robertson (1 - 0) SV: Josh Rainwater (2) LP: D.J. Carrasco (0 - 1)

Complete Coverage >

After the bats took the day off in a loss to the Phillies yesterday, the Tigers' offense came out of a 1 day slumber in a 6-3 win over the Pirates. Maybe it was those God awful green caps? (There seems to be no photos of the game available. I'm going to say that's a GOOD thing). More likely, it was the 12 base on balls allowed by Pirates pitching.

Remember Carlos Guillen? You know, the former SS/3B/1B/LF, who is supposed to be the primary DH? Guillen had all but disappeared at the plate this spring, but broke out in a big way this afternoon. Starting the game as the LF, Guillen had a pair of hits, reached base in all 4 plate appearances, and knocked in 2 runs. That's the sort of game the Tigers need from Guillen this summer, and haven't seen often enough due to his injuries/position hopping/ineffectiveness the last couple of seasons.

In the game thread, after finding out Jim "I never saw a screwy batting order I wouldn't try" Leyland had Clete Thomas leading off, I posted a pic of a facepalm (That was really me with the facepalm, by the way). I seem to have a reverse jinx mojo happening, as Clete's Cult had plenty to cheer. Thomas was 2-4, with 2 walks, 1 run scored and a RBI.

Also chipping in at the plate were Scott Sizemore and Miguel Cabrera, each with RBI hits, and the much maligned Brandon Inge got his first hit of the spring. I'm sure it's the first of...well, he's bound to get one more.

On the mound, Nate Robertson kept himself in the battle for the open 4th and 5th spots in the rotation, scattering 4 hits and allowing 2 runs in 4 innings of work. This was a typical Robertson performance when he was at his most effective, pitching well enough to keep the Tigers in the game, while giving the offense a chance to pull out a win in the later innings.

Josh Rainwater pitched a scoreless, hitless 9th to nail down his 2nd save of the spring. Fu-Te Ni and Phil Dumatrait also threw scoreless innings, while Zach Miner was, well, Zach Miner (1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 12.15 Grapefruit League ERA).

Talking to the media after the game, Robertson admitted he's had to change his style of pitching since having surgery on his elbow.

Via the Free Press:

The injuries are behind him, but so are Robertson’s days as a power pitcher. This spring, he said, his fastball has been in the upper 80s.

"I’m a different pitcher," Robertson said. "I feel strong. I can still get in there, as long as I change speeds. You’ve got to get a hitter to look at different speeds and planes and things like that."

Could the Tigers have found the next Frank Tanana? Wishful thinking, I know...

Comment of the night:

After the Pirates gave up their 12th walk of the game, while talking about the Tigers' long-time propensity to swing at anything, Dale S gave us this gem...

Which would probably be 18 walks

Against any other team.

Honoring the Irish Ball-Players on St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T22:11:16Z

Honoring the Irish Ball-Players on St. Patrick's Day

Our sister site covering the Royals has a timely look at Irish ballplayers.

Morning lede: The Detroit Tigers All-Decade Team

2010-03-17T10:00:31Z

What's a Detroit Tigers "All Decade Team" without Rob Fick? Better off... (Image MLB.com)

View full size photo »

The aughts were not a good decade overall for baseball in Detroit. Despite there being only a couple of seasons worth remembering (for the right reasons, that is...), and none ending how we'd have preferred, the Tigers have gone and named their "All-Decade" team anyway.

In fact, the Tigers could have just as easily used the starting lineup and rotation from '06 in its entirety, and called it day. But what's the fun in that?

Selected by play-by-play men Dan Dickerson and Mario Impemba, Tigers baseball media relations director Brian Britten, Tigers baseball media relations manager Rick Thompson, and beat writer Jason Beck, as you might guess, the team was dominated by players who were members of the 2006 AL pennant winners.

Not that Tigers from the days we'd rather not remember, the ugly pre-2006 seasons, were totally ignored.

Everyone's favorite player...to hate...Bobby Higginson, made the team as an outfielder over the immortal Craig Monroe (according to Beck;s article). This news broke my heart.

I had developed a man-crush on Monroe thanks to his '06 heroics. I'll always fondly remember his late August home run to beat the Yankees, when it looked for all the world the season was going to collapse. There was a reason I'd half-jokingly say, "David Ortiz wishes he were as clutch as Craig Monroe!" Monroe's clutchiness was short-lived, but we'll always have 2006!

But Higgy was a better player for a slightly longer time...though his decline was amazingly rapid. Higginson was done as a power hitter after 2000, washed up after 2004, and is still going to the bank today thanks to the $50 plus million (That's NOT a typo) the Tigers paid him over his career.

Jeff "Mike Sweeney kicked my ass" Weaver was named one of the starting pitchers, most likely edging out Mike Maroth. At least Maroth was liked, and more importantly, demanded the ball even when on the verge of 20 losses. That should count for something.

As much as I disliked Dmitri Young (I tend to have issues with men who hit women...let alone abuse drugs), he pretty much took the DH position by default. Even though the Tigers gave up on Da Meat Hook between games of a '06 double-header, who else are you going to put there? Randall Simon? (Though the sausage abuser's '02 wasn't half bad).

If only the Tigers had burned Gary Sheffield's outfield glove in '07. He was a dominant offensive force playing as a full-time DH...till Sheffield talked Jim Leyland into playing the outfield. As we all know, Sheffield collided with Placido Polanco trying to catch a fly ball, grinding his shoulder into dust. Damn, what could have been...

For the most part though, there really isn't much to argue over. But I'll try to anyway, after the jump...

In regard to position players, 1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Polanco, SS Carlos Guillen, C Pudge Rodriguez, OF Curtis Granderson (SIGH) and OF Magglio Ordonez are total no-brainers at their respective positions. Career .236 hitter Brandon Inge takes 3B for no reason other than it's impossible to make an argument for Jose Macias, Chris Truby or Eric Munson. Trust me, I tried and I couldn't. (If only Dean Palmer stayed healthy. What's with this franchise and bad shoulders?)

On the mound, Justin Verlander is unquestionably the best starting pitcher the Tigers have had in over two decades. After Verlander though, there really isn't much. ~~The Gambler~~ Kenny Rogers had a fine career, but only one excellent season (Without a doubt, he was an ace in '06) out of his three as a Tiger. Journeymen Nate Robertson (career 4.92 ERA), Jeremy Bonderman (career 4.78 ERA) and the aforementioned "Cheech" Weaver (4.33 ERA as a Tiger. Respectable, considering the awful teams he was on) being named to the team shows just how starved for starting pitching this team has been.

If the selection committee were going to pick a setup man based on one good season, then I'd go with Brandon Lyon over Joel Zumaya. Sure, Zumaya was electrifying in '06. But so was Fernando Rodney, as the Tigers had a tag-team for setup men. Lyon was literally lights out last season, a one man bullpen at times, and a big reason the Tigers made it to game 163.

Todd Jones as the closer? He made Detroit pharmacists a ton of cash in blood pressure medication and Pepto-Bismol sales, but he deserves his spot on the team.

So there's your team of Tigers legends for the 00's. "Legends" being a relative term, of course.

In all honesty, after looking back at the past decade of Tigers baseball, it'd be much easier to name a Tigers All-Decade team...of suck. Which sounds like a future post to me!

Tigers give up highlight reel of homers to Phillies in defeat

2010-03-16T21:57:54Z

Final - 3.16.2010	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0
Philadelphia Phillies	0	1	0	4	1	0	0	0	X	6	10	1
WP: Cole Hamels (1 - 0) LP: Justin Verlander (1 - 2)

Complete Coverage >

A note to headline writers at MLB.com: Do not begin a headline "Justin Verlander hurt ..." unless you want to cause Tigers fans to hyperventilate by the third word. What's next? "Verlander injured by the longball"?

OK, on to the game.

Nevermind, I just looked at the box score. Can we skip that part of the recap and get straight to the comment of the night?

No?

Darn.

Well, Austin Jackson had a hit and stole a base. Manager Jim Leyland decided to greenlight his leadoff batter to see how his instincts are before the season begins. Jeff Larish had the Tigers' other two hits. Thus concludes the highlights.

The lowlights? Verlander and Phil Coke will be in a lot of Phillies' highlight reels as Phillies prospect Domonic Brown homered off both.

OK, now can we get to the comment of the night? Good.

Comment of the Night

Brandon Inge will make a good politician some day, because you either love him or you hate him. The haters win the day with 4 recs on this one by Scarlet P:

based on the way his knees buckled

he’s fully healthy

Allikazoo's Spring Training Insanity, Day Six

2010-03-16T14:01:00Z

I left the game early to catch a flight home, so I don't have a ton of photos of this one.

Jason and I headed over to the park way early, I mostly did so since I knew it was my last day. We hung around the back field and watched a bit of batting practice, then up to the berm to see some more on the big field, then snuck back around the back field near its dugout area. Wendy and I got ourselves a few autographs, and I got a photo with Miguel Cabrera. I asked him for an auto on his way in and he said he had work to do, and as he exited the field he walked directly towards myself and other fans and nodded to us to come over. I really appreciated him doing that, as it was after noon and he obviously needed to go get dressed for the game. He said he's excited for 2010.. in addition to that Scott Sizemore says his ankle is pretty good, and Austin Jackson has not been thrilled with the high winds in Lakeland lately. Breaking news for us all, I'm sure. But it was fun.

- Like I said, Scott Sizemore was one of the other guys taking extra BP today. They all got some instruction from Mr. McClendon and then Scott hit a leadoff home run. Miggy hit one later in the first inning. Nice!

- Armando is so frustrating. I caught myself saying and/or thinking "whew, nice pitch" on a few of the strikes he threw.. the problem is, he's so inconsistent. Don't know what else to say about that. Thankfully, he didn't fall into that awful snail's pace he gets into when he's having a bad day, otherwise I would have yelled other obscenities at him in addition to "THROW STRIKES!" or something.

- Jacob Turner looked good again. His fastball was around 92-93mph and reached 95 at one point (I paid more attention to the radar reading today since it's out in RF and we sat near 1B). The best part: when he has trouble finding the strike zone, he does not get upset and simply does his best to make the correct adjustments. He doesn't throw harder to try to get out of jams.

- I hope Brad Thomas was just having an off day because he was, uh, not so good. I thought I remembered him doing okay in his last appearance though, but I'm too lazy to look it up.. hoping to see better things from him later.

- Brennan Boesch hit that home run while I was on my way out, in the parking lot. I know I'll have plenty of chances to see him display his power, but damn it, I was hoping to this week!

Today's photos are here. Sneak preev after the jump.

BYB crew! Left to right is Wendy, me, and Jason.

Avila & Lamont

Grounds crew dancing. I am a self-professed "get off my lawn" type, I hate cheesy ballpark stuff after the first time I see/hear them, but at Joker Marchant the grounds crew comes between innings around the middle of the game to tidy up and "YMCA" is played over the speakers. They stop during the chorus to do the YMCA dance and, obviously, party down. It's hilarious.

I want to add a quick thanks to everyone that's commented on my posts about spring training, I can be a bit of a perfectionist (even with my half-assed semi-professional setup) so I'm glad that people like looking at them as much as I like taking them. It also means a lot to me that you're willing to read my weird style of writing, too. :)