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Ivan Rodriguez appears to be getting used to hitting in the eight slot.  He led the way in an eleven run, twenty hit attack that saw the Tigers demolish the Astros 11-4.  Rodriguez finished with three RBIs and the two homers bring his spring total to six.  Carlos Guillen had a team high three hits while Placido Polanco and Edgar Renteria both went yard.

Kenny Rogers pitched five strong innings.  He gave up just one run on three hits with two strikeouts.  Virgil Vasquez was touched up for two runs in his two innings while Tim Byrdak gave up a run in the final two frames.

The Braves come to town this afternoon.  Jeremy Bonderman gets the start and with this being his fourth time on the mound, you’d expect him to go five innings like Kenny Rogers did.

Miguel Cabrera and Ivan Rodriguez both belted solo shots in the Tigers 4-3 win over the Nationals today but it was Joe Bowen who was filling in at catcher and who came up with the late inning heroics.  His ninth inning RBI single broke a 3-3 ties that gave the Tigers the win.  Cabrera finished the day with two hits and two RBIs while the Brandon Inge watch saw him getting the start out in centerfield.

Justin Verlander and Armando Galarraga both threw three shutout innings in the win.  Zach Miner gave up all three Nationals runs in his two innings of work while Freddy Dolsi threw a shutout ninth and he picked up his third save of the spring.

The Tigers split things up tomorrow.  Dontrelle Willis gets the start at home against the Reds while Yorman Bazardo hits the road to take on the Indians.  Rick Porcello is supposed to throw in that Indians game as well.

It took ten innings and nine runs but the Tigers walked away with a 9-7 win over the Pirates this afternoon.  Nate Robertson did his job and he gave up just one hit in four shutout innings but the pen was less then stellar.  Four of the six relievers used gave up runs with Todd Jones having another tough outing.  He gave up four runs in just 2/3 of an inning while Aquilino Lopez struck out two in a shutout frame in relief of Robertson in the fifth inning.

Freddy Guzman had the big hit with a walk off three run blast in the bottom of the tenth.  Carlos Guillen also went yard with his third of the spring.  He finished two for three with two runs and two RBIs.  Brandon Inge played both third base and right field and he doubled and drove in a run.

Justin Verlander gets the start tomorrow.  It’s another day game and their first night game isn’t until this Friday.  Their first televised game is a week from tomorrow but that week, they have three games on the tube.  Monday and Friday are on FSN while Tuesday’s is on ESPN.

I got my Baseball Book Blog up and running and I’d appreciate any comments.  There’s not much there at the moment but hopefully over time I’ll find the time to get some quality content up.

I just got my copy of the Bill James Goldmine and after flipping through it, it looks like a solid buy.  It’s supposed to harken back to his Baseball Abstract days and while I only have a few of those, it’s a welcome addition to a growing “Annual” book market.  There’s also a new website, Bill James Online.  I took the tour and for $3 a month, I’ll probably sign up and check it out this season.

I’m listening to the game.  Tigers and Jays are tied 3-3.  They’ve been held to just two hits both of which are solo homers.  Mike Hessman and Placido Polanco both hit their first homers of the spring.

Ivan Rodriguez broked out of his spring slump in a big way with three extra base hits in the Tigers 9-6 win over the Braves.  He doubled twice, homered, drove in two and scored three times.  Brandon Inge got the start at third base and he homered for the first time this spring while Carlos Guillen, Ryan Rabun and Freddy Guzman all had a pair of hits.

Kenny Rogers had a tough start and he didn’t even make it through his three innings.  He gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings while Virgil Vasquez both blew his second save and won his second game with 2 2/3 innings.  Tim Byrdak didn’t allow a baserunner in his inning of work.

The Tigers continue their afternoon games tomorrow against the Jays.  Jeremy Bonderman gets the start and with this being his third start, he should throw more then just a cursory three innings.  It’ll be on the radio.

It looks like quite a few Tigers have their share of nicks.  The leg injury to Gary Sheffield is particularly troubling.

The Tigers split their pair of games yesterday but the big news was a near no-hitter by the Braves.  Former Tiger Jair Jurrjens led the way with three shutout innings and it wasn’t until the ninth inning when the Indians finally picked up a hit.

After winning their first three spring games, the Tigers have now dropped their last three with the last one being an 11-10 loss to the Astros.  Ivan Rodriguez and Wilkin Ramirez both homered and Placido Polanco and Freddy Guzman had three hits a piece.  Magglio Ordonez pitched in with two RBIs despite not getting a hit.

Nate Robertson threw three shutout frames in a nice start but it went downhill from there.  Todd Jones gave six runs in his one inning while Macay McBride gave up four.

This afternoon, the Tigers play split squad games with Justin Verlander getting the start against the Phillies and Yorman Bazardo pitching against the Pirates.

Brandon Inge has always been one of my favorite players but you wonder how many fans he’s going to keep if he doesn’t keep quiet.  He’s not helping his trade situation any and now he’s saying that, while he doesn’t want to catch, he actually does.  Or at least he’s willing to.  Also, Matt Mantei has ended his comeback attempt and he’s going to call it a day after another injury.

Also some book news.  I got two boxes yesterday and it turned out to be both my copies of Baseball Prospectus 2008and the 2008 edition of the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. I started flipping through both but that’s over 2,400 pages of baseball. Now I just have to make room for them on my shelf. My copy of the Bill James Goldmine is on the way. And with all of the baseball books I’ve been reading, I think I’m going to start a new blog about baseball books. Hopefully I’ll get it ramped up before the start of the season.

Finally, Tigers Corner 2008 is out.  I got to work with a lot of great people on this and I think the final product turned out to be a success.  You’ll notice some familiar names in the table of contents (not just mine) including several local bloggers.  Being on the inside of the process for a book like this was definitely a learning experience and if you ever plan on putting together a book like this, drop me a line because I can tell you both some of the pitfalls as well as the many pros.

David Pinto over at Baseball Musings is having his annual fund drive in the month of March.  David is one of the pioneer baseball bloggers and his website is an invaluable tool for not just me, but for a ton of fans and bloggers.

It seems like everytime someone brings up the Tigers, the conversation steers to the bullpen.  Joel Zumaya and now Fernando Rodney are both out and Todd Jones, love him or hate him, is still the closer.  The Tigers have some guys who could step in to those vacant key roles, but for now, you have a lot of untested pen warriors.

I have a different concern though, and that’s the rotation.  In 2006, when the Tigers had arguably the best pitching staff in baseball, their starters threw 976 1/3 innings while their relievers threw 471 2/3.  That’s almost a two to one ratio.   Last year, despite a bullpen that didn’t perform as well as in 2006, the pen threw 515 innings compared to 932 innings for the starters so that ratio narrowed.  A less effective rotation means some back end relievers see more time then is neccesary.  Combine that with the injuries to the Tigers pen last year and it makes for a tough combo.

Anyway, if you’re a glass half empty kind of guy, here’s what the Tigers rotation looks like heading into 2008…..

1)  Two pitchers who had an ERA in 2007 north of 5.00 (Bonderman and Willis)
2)  One pitcher who logged all of 63 innings because of two stints on the disabled list (Rogers)
3)  One pitcher who’s had just one winning record in four seasons as a starter and has never had a WHIP lower then 1.300 (Robertson)
4)  Justin Verlander, who has had two solid seasons but has also thrown more then 200 innings in the past two years (counting the 2006 playoffs).   Verlander’s career first half ERA is 3.16 and is second half is 4.50.  If he ever gets off to a tough start to the season and shows the wear of a young pitcher in the second half, it could make for a rough season.

Not to get too negative, I just think way too many people are taking the rotation as a forgone conclusion.  Throw in the fact that we don’t have an established sixth starter to fill in if someone goes down and what should be a less effective defense then in 2007 and it makes for a brutal combination.

Will the Tigers a lot of games with that lineup?  I bet they will but what will determine whether they make the playoffs will not be the pen or the lineup, it’ll be those five guys throwing on a regular basis.

Kenny Rogers gave up three baserunners but didn’t allow a run in his two innings of work as he finished off the Tigers rotation circuit today.  Four other Tigers threw shutout innings in the 3-1 loss and it was Matt Mantei who was tagged for a pair of runs.  Jason Grilli also had a tough time in the eighth inning and he gave up the final of the three runs.

Brandon Inge got the start at catcher and he also led off the game.  Matthew Joyce drove in the lone run and Michael Hollimon had the lone extra base hit with a double and he scored the only Tiger run.

Jeremy Bonderman gets the start tomorrow against the Rays.  The Tigers will still be playing in the afternoon so it’s a 1 pm start. 

The Tigers are still undefeated but they didn’t win today.  They finished a ten inning 3-3 tie that saw Dontrelle Willis get tagged for a run but Denny Bautista, Preston Larrison and non-roster invitee Chris Lambert each threw two shutout frames. 

I listened to most of the game on the radio and there was a little scare in the sixth inning when Miguel Cabrera came off the field gingerly.  The announcers didn’t think it was a huge deal because there wasn’t a mad scramble in the dugout to see what was wrong.  Jim Price seemed to think Cabrera was just annoyed because he shattered his bat on the swing.  Cabrera did double in a run in the contest.

Brent Clevlen and Ramon Santiago were the two Tigers with two hits.  I wasn’t able to see it (again, the radio) but Clevlen made a nice play out in centerfield.

Tomorrow is a rematch that’ll see Kenny Rogers make his spring debut.  Quite a few Tigers starters will be making the road trip to Winter Haven for the game.

The reason I was in the car during most of the game was I took my son to the Plymouth Historical Museum to see a neat baseball exhibit.  There was plenty of Tiger memorabilia as well as some information on a semi-pro team that played in Plymouth in the 19th century.  One of my favorite local baseball authors, Peter Morris, is going to be presenting at the museum on April 13th.  Morris has a new book out called But Didn’t We Have Fun which deals with the very earliest days of baseball.

I finally splurged and picked up the MLB.TV premium package.  I’m watching the Red Sox/Twins game on my desktop computer right now while I write on the laptop.  Very nice and this game doesn’t even have the premium feed.

Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello both threw two shutout innings as the Tigers took another spring training game against the Blue Jays today.  Verlander gave up just one hit while Porcello threw two perfect frames in the 3-1 win.  Nate Robertson gave up the only run and Freddy Dolsi pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to pick up the save.

Ryan Raburn had three hits in the contest and Placido Polanco and Jacque Jones each singled twice.  Curtis Granderson homered for the second time in as many days while Raburn, Marcus Thames and Matthew Joyce all doubled.

Tomorrow will be the Tigers first taste of their nemesis this year as they take on the Indians in back to back games over the weekend.  Dontrelle Willis gets the start tomorrow while C.C. Sabathia goes for the Indians.

Justin Verlander was named the opening day starter.  No big surprise as he’s been the Tigers best pitcher the past two years. 

Virgil Vasquez made the most of his surprise start today as the Tigers took care of the Blue Jays 4-1.  Vasquez pitched in place of Nate Robertson, who’s wife had a baby boy earlier in the morning.  Congratulations to Nate and his wife. 

Vasquez threw two no-hit frames to start the game and he gave up a walk.  Aquilino Lopez struck out three in two shutout innings and the only pitcher to give up a run was Macay McBride, and even that was unearned.  Matt Mantei walked two and struck out one in his one inning.

Curtis Granderson went yard with a two run shot in the second inning.  Magglio Ordonez had a pair of hits including a two run double that put the Tigers on the board in the first inning.

Tomorrow, you’ll have two starters getting time with Justin Verlander and Nate Robertson pitching a couple of innings.  All eyes will probably on Rick Porcello though, who makes his spring debut in a rematch against the Blue Jays.

I know these games don’t mean anything and I know it’s Jeremy Bonderman’s first time against real competition but this afternoon’s spring game was a microcosm of his 2007 season.  Against the Mets B team, Bonderman was tagged for two runs including one in the first inning in a pretty mediocre start.  Jason Grilli and Zach Miner both threw a pair of shutout frames though and Denny Bautista picked up the save despite giving up two baserunners in the ninth.

Wilkin Ramirez had the big hit of the game with a two run single.  Brandon Inge singled home a run and he was a late replacement for Curtis Granderson in centerfield.  No Tiger had more then on hit in the contest.

Nate Robertson gets the start tomorrow.  One of the pitchers will be Matt Mantei, who is trying to make a comeback.

In other news, Joel Zumaya appears to be making progress in rehabbing his shoulder while Fernando Rodney has been shut down until next week because of shoulder tendanitis.  It’s not a good start for the Tigers pen.

The Tigers dismanted Florida Southern today, as they should have.  The final was 17-4 with five Tigers going yard in the game.  Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco both homered in the first inning and then Brandon Inge (who played DH), Michael Hollimon and Scott Sizemore all went yard in the contest. 

On the pitching side, Jordan Tata was touched up for four runs after Todd Jones threw a shutout first frame.  Chris Lambert got the Tigers out of a jam and went on to throw 2 1/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts.

Tomorrow, the games count.  Sort of.  The Tigers open up their spring season at home against the Mets.  Jeremy Bonderman will get the start with Jason Grilli, Zach Miner, Yorman Bazardo, Denny Bautista and Tim Byrdak all getting some throws in.

Just a few odds and ends from over the weekend.  Dontrelle Willis made a solid first impression in camp this weekend.  With some pinpoint accuracy, the story yesterday was how Willis picked apart his Marlins teammate Miguel Cabrera.  Also impressive is one of the guys who I think could make a solid contribution to the pen this year, Denny Cabrera.  He let one pitch get away from him but overall, he threw the ball well.  I really think guys like Denny Cabrera Bautista and Francisco Cruceta could bolster the Tigers pen without them having to hit the trade market.

In other news, Todd Jones was announced as the Tigers starter tomorrow in their exhibition game against Florida Southern and Ivan Rodriguez is going to hit eight this year.  Be sure to check out Billfer’s analysis of how the Tigers lineup should shake out heading into opening day.

It looks like Brandon Inge worked on his swing this offseason.  In an interesting look, Jason Beck breaks down what he did to refine things.  What’s interesting is, way back in 2003, Brandon Inge had a horrible first half and was eventually sent to the minors.  When brought back up, his attitude was to swing away and he had one of the best months of his career.  Now he’s come full circle and it’ll be interesting to see how things work out.

Reports have surfaced that Fernando Rodney has some pain his pitching shoulder.  The Tigers weak point is their pen and while they do have some potential darkhorses, Rodney was one of the guys the Tigers were banking on in the eighth inning.  For now, Rodney has shut himself down to see if a little rest fixes the problem.

I missed this, but Justin Verlander turned 25 yesterday.  Happy Birthday.

I’ve mentioned Tigers Corner 2008a number of times on this site so I just wanted to pass on a glitch with that book and Amazon.com.  Apparently, the publication was initially listed as a book on Amazon and it has since been changed to a magazine (it’s sort of a hybrid but that’s another story) in their system but the magazine page isn’t showing up.  In short, the problem is that if you preordered the book, you might not get it and if you do, it won’t be timely.  For now, Maple Street Press is recommending you buy the book through their website until the problem is resolved.

Also, the Hardball Times Season Preview 2008 has come back from the printer.  I don’t have my copy yet but I’ve seen a scan and it’s a pretty neat publication.  They’ve improved on last year’s edition and I really think we (I wrote the Tigers section) did a good job of differentiating the book from the other preseason annuals.

Growing up, Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker was my favorite player.  I thought it was cool how he was a right handed fielder yet hit left handed and he was as smooth as anyone out in the field.

In a flashback column, Mitch Albom goes back to August 5, 1985 to look at what he wrote about Whitaker in the season following the Tigers historic 1984 season.  Also, this was Albom before he stretched himself out with books and television and everything else and in my opinion, he was definitely on top of his game.

And in another flashback, here’s a piece I wrote over three years ago about how I think Whitaker got the shaft by the Hall of Fame voters.  When Robbie Alomar gets voted in, we’ll be having a similar discussion.

First off, I’m going to pose a question.  Is this the most anticipated Tigers season ever?  There was a lot of buildup in 1968 after the Tigers near pennant in 1967 and 1984 had it’s share of hype after what was then the biggest free agent signing by the Tigers in Darrell Evans.  Here we are though, over two months removed from the winter meetings, and we’ve been salivating over the prospect of seeing this Tiger team on the field.  Well, the spring season is here and while games don’t start until next week, it’s nice to see all of the good news coming out of camp.

The first bit of news is the fact that Miguel Cabrera came into camp 15 pounds lighter then last season.  It also looks like one of his goals is to improve his fielding at third base and in that regard, he has some tall shoes to fill in Brandon Inge.  Still, I’d take his stick over just about anyone in the Tigers lineup outside of Gary Sheffield.  I’ve seen Cabera’s name popping up quite a bit as a preseason AL MVP winner.

There’s also a nice story on Kenny Rogers.  At 43, he’s the senior statesman and you hope some of that experience rubs off on the kids.

Until then, we’ll have to wait until the Tigers play their first spring game.  They have their annual exhibition game against Florida Southern a week from tomorrow (Tuesday) and then the next day they take on the Mets at 1:05.  I’m a little annoyed because I’m working again and won’t be able to stream the game.  I’ll be sure to catch an inning or two in the car though.

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