Tigers News

" What we do know is this: Rasner is the anti-Igawa. And that scores big points in the Yankees clubhouse where players shook their heads when they heard Igawa say he wasn't disappointed in his putrid outing Friday night. Working one game after Igawa delivered a performance everybody but he believed to be awful (but hasn't yet cost him a start Wednesday), Rasner helped the Yankees to a 5-2 victory yesterday over the Tigers in front of 44,580 at a sold-out Comerica Park. "

"Rasner held the Tigers to two runs over six-plus innings Saturday, pitching the Yankees to a 5-2 victory at Comerica Park. It was the Yanks' first win in five games this season against Detroit and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Tigers dating to last season. The two teams finish their season series today. Rasner is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his first two starts of the season"

"Tigers manager Jim Leyland and infield coach Rafael Belliard were thrilled at how Miguel Cabrera played first base Saturday. It might have been Cabrera's best day there since Leyland moved him to the position a few weeks ago. In the fourth inning, third baseman Carlos Guillen went to a knee for an excellent stop. When he got up, he had to rush his throw. It bounced, and Cabrera scooped it cleanly for the out. "He did everything perfectly on that play," Belliard said. "His stretch was perfect, and he kept his glove in the path of the ball perfectly.""

"Dontrelle Willis, on his mother, Joyce A Mother's Day tradition. She gets on the phone and makes fun of me about when I was a kid and stuff I did back then. ... Like, she claims that I used to love fish sticks. And I hate fish sticks. But every day's Mother's Day. ... Were you a mama's boy? Nah. Me and my mom have a different relationship. It's kind of the brother/sister-type thing. We argue like (brothers and sisters). My grandmother took part in raising me as well. I'm a grandmama's boy, I guess. What would you thank her the most for? Just being her. Being tough. I wouldn't change a thing. She was a tough lady. She worked nights. I would thank her for teaching me the work ethic and the sacrifice and everything. "

"Zach Miner and mother Jane A Mother's Day tradition. I usually send her flowers. I think that's kind of standard for a lot of guys. She really likes Turtles, those candies, and obviously a card. I probably (made) the handprint plates (when I was younger). Were you a mama's boy? Everybody is a little bit. Me and my brother were kind of rambunctious and stuff around the house, so we wore her out a little more than we should have. What would you thank her the most for? Being around all those years. You realize when you have kids how important that is compared to other stuff that we thought were real important at the time. It's got to be the toughest job out there, to be a mom and have to raise a kid. "

"What is more confounding for the Tigers about Saturday's game? Is it that their American League-worst problems with right-handed starters arose again? Or is it that their own right-hander, Jeremy Bonderman, had his latest struggle -- one that caused Bobby Seay to warm up in the first and fourth innings, then relieve Bonderman in the fifth inning? Bonderman allowed all the Yankees runs in this 5-2 loss. He's 1-for-8 in quality starts this season. Bonderman, Justin Verlander and Nate Robertson are a combined 2-for-23 in quality starts."

"Over the past several years, the team has purchased disability insurance on players signed to long-term contracts. Sheffield is one of many current Tigers insured, but the team has not disclosed the extent of that coverage. In interviews over the past week, though, people in the baseball and insurance industries have said that policies often exclude areas of the body that have been seriously injured before. And last October's operation was the third on Sheffield's right shoulder. "If they did get disability insurance, because he had multiple surgeries, it's unlikely that a shoulder injury would be covered," said Steve Phillips, an ESPN baseball analyst and former Mets general manager."

"The names suggest the Tigers should have one of the best rotations in the American League. The numbers tell a much different story. Jeremy Bonderman struggled again Saturday, allowing five earned runs over four innings in a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Afterward, he used words like "inconsistent" and "unacceptable" to describe his season (2-4, 4.80 ERA)...There is no single culprit for the Tigers' shortcomings, but the rotation has been perhaps the biggest disappointment -- to the tune of a 9-18 record and 5.55 ERA."

"Before Saturday's game against the Yankees, Miguel Cabrera had not driven a run in his last eight games and batted 3-for-18 for the home stand. In the 5-2 loss to New York, Cabrera went 1-for-4 with a single and extended his RBI-less streak to nine. Tigers manager Jim Leyland is well aware of Cabrera's recent lack of production, but has a feeling the $153.3 million man will bust out of the slump very soon. "

"Think of it this way: Saturday could have been worse, much worse. Remember, Yankees dynamo Alex Rodriguez remains sidelined because of a quadriceps injury and the Tigers did get a double play in the first with the bases loaded. In other words, the Tigers were lucky they only lost 5-2. "

"The Yankees’ 5-2 victory over the Tigers on Saturday at Comerica Park raised their record to .500 again and featured the sort of ensemble pitching that may tempt the team’s ownership, management, fans and news media followers to be patient with the staff. "

"After the Tigers played on opening day, a pickup truck full of guys drove across Woodward Avenue from Comerica Park on the near East Side to old Tiger Stadium on the near West Side, a mile or so away. They entered the abandoned stadium through a large locked door by using an attachment to the front of their vehicle as a battering ram. They crashed the gate and took an unguided tour until approached by a security guard. “My guard said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ ” said Fred Rottach, who supervises the place for the city. “They jumped back in the truck and drove away.”"

"Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman has one quality start, and left-hander Nate Robertson has none. Rookie right-hander Armando Galarraga has three. And the Tigers are a distant last in the American League in quality starts. But neither Bonderman nor Robertson might lose his spot in the rotation to Galarraga when left-hander Dontrelle Willis returns from the disabled list."

"Tigers rightfielder Magglio Ordoñez has done about as well as any current American Leaguer against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Ordoñez is 6-for-12 against Rivera. That gave him the best lifetime average (.500) against Rivera of any active AL player with at least 10 at-bats against him. Baltimore's Brian Roberts is 5-for-9 off Rivera. "

"Tigers manager Jim Leyland started nine right-handed batters Friday night against Yankees left-hander Kei Igawa, who has two career wins... The Tigers scored six runs off Igawa in the first four innings. Rogers held the Yankees to two runs and pitched into the seventh. Then the Tigers hung on for a 6-5 victory at Comerica Park."

"There is a different vibe in the Tigers' clubhouse this season. It is more sour. The players are not as boisterous. It is a palpable difference. And the Tigers, even after Friday's 6-5 win over the Yankees, are the most disappointing team in baseball right now. This brings up a classic chicken-and-egg baseball question: Is the atmosphere bad because the Tigers are struggling? Or are the Tigers struggling at least partly because the atmosphere is bad?"

"Jim Leyland said Dontrelle Willis, who has been recovering from a knee injury, will make two rehabilitation starts next week for Triple A Toledo on Monday and May 17. If he is healthy and effective, Willis will rejoin the Tigers rotation the following week. Willis has been on the disabled list since April 12 then tweaked the knee in his first rehab start. "

"No need for Todd Jones to explain Friday's three-run ninth inning at Comerica Park to teammate Kenny Rogers. Rogers, 43, has experience in a number of pitching roles and understands what it's like to be in a shaky situation. It's especially tough when all the work isn't rewarded with a save, as was the case for Jones in a 6-5 victory over the Yankees. "

"And you thought Ian Kennedy was bad. Kei Igawa was lit up in his first start of the year, as the Tigers hammered him for six runs over three-plus brutal innings Friday night, taking a 6-5 win over the Yankees in the series opener at Comerica Park. "

" No matter what type of positive spin Yankee manager Joe Girardi tried to put on Kei Igawa's outing last night at Comerica Field, the truth can't be avoided: Igawa isn't a big league pitcher. Nor one who understands what is going on around him. Minutes after the Tigers survived a three-run Yankees ninth to hang onto a 6-5 victory in front of 44,062 in which they were out-hit, 14-13, Girardi explained why Igawa struggled. "

"A three-run rally by the Yankees in the ninth inning made Friday night’s final score look respectable: a 6-5 victory for the Tigers, their fourth triumph in four tries over the Yankees this season. But for most of this night in Comerica Park, the Yankees were lackluster at best and perhaps something worse than that. They fell below .500 again at 18-19, and their pitching problems are compounding in the rotation and in the bullpen."

"Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce had lots of company via his phone as he arrived in the majors this week. "I hadn't talked on the phone to that many people in that amount of time in a long time," he said. "I tried to call as many people as I could." After Joyce played his first big-league game Monday night, his cell phone was flooded with text messages and voice mails."

"With his 5-1 loss Thursday night to Boston ace Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander has lost as many games this season as he did all of last season -- six. "This is a real trial period for him," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "(He needs to) mature and not give hitters too much credit and not change your pitching style and not panic. Stay after the basics and use all your pitches. "But you have to execute those pitches.""

"This year's All-Star ballot was compiled before Jim Leyland made his lineup shake-ups. So three Tigers appear on the ballot at positions they no longer play: Miguel Cabrera at third base, Carlos Guillen at first base and Gary Sheffield at designated hitter. Outfielder Jacque Jones is on the ballot, too. The Tigers let him go this week. In his latest pregame learning session at first base, Cabrera took throws from shortstop for 10 minutes Thursday."

"Do you remember just two months ago, when people saw that the World Series champion Boston Red Sox were only scheduled to visit Comerica Park once this year -- and people were actually disappointed? Forget that. When the Red Sox finally and mercifully left Comerica Park on Thursday night, I bet the Tigers changed the locks on the visitors' clubhouse. Heck, right now I wouldn't be surprised if the Tigers changed the locks on the home clubhouse. It has been that kind of season."

"Most hitters remember their first major league hit. Tigers rookie Matt Joyce will never forget his second, either... He went hitless in four at-bats Thursday but made an outstanding catch in their 5-1 loss, however. But what he did in the fifth at-bat of their victory got the ball rolling, literally. Checking his swing against Jonathan Papelbon, Joyce made just enough contact for the ball to roll slowly to short. Slowly enough for Joyce to beat the throw."

"Entering Thursday's games, the Central was a combined nine games below .500, one better than the worst (the top-heavy National League West, at 10 under). Not exactly the changing of the guard, now is it? Especially considering that the "washed-up, overrated" East remains top tier in the AL at five games over, or three better than the Central leader. And do you wanna know a secret? That might not change this year. "

"Something's not right. That's for darn sure. Maybe the lack of run support is getting into his head, but probably not. Maybe the reduction in his velocity is more real than imagined. Maybe it's both, maybe it's neither. But something's not right. Justin Verlander lost again Thursday night. His record dropped to 1-6 as the Tigers fell to the Red Sox, 5-1, at Comerica Park, their sixth loss in the last seven games."

"And he misses us. That's the news from Detroit. It's surprising news in a sense. Cabrera misses the near-empty stadium, misses the awful baseball market, misses the unbearable weather delays, misses the team hamstrung by payroll, misses the guys in the clubhouse, most obviously of all."

"In four of Justin Verlander's five losses this season, the Tigers still hadn't scored when Verlander threw his final pitch of the game. In other words, in only one of his losses has he had any run support. As of Wednesday, Verlander had the fourth-worst run support of any AL starting pitcher -- 2.7 runs per nine innings pitched. Last season, Verlander had the best run support of any AL starter -- 7.3 runs per nine innings pitched."

"Edgar Renteria trotted home from third on Polanco's fifth hit. A lot of other Tigers and manager Jim Leyland surged onto the field. The Tigers had the 10-9 win that ended their losing streak at five games and Boston's winning streak at five games."

"Verlander is 1-5. His ERA is 6.28. If he has actually pitched better than that, it hasn't yet helped him put together the kind of season he expects of himself. But his self-confidence hasn't wavered. And no doubt won't. "Good pitchers and good players are confident players," said manager Jim Leyland. "They know the ability is there. They know it's just a matter of time. I've always kind of believed that." "

"Bonds, baseball's all-time home-run leader with 762, should pick the American League team he wants to be designated hitter for, give it a blank contract and have it fill in the numbers. And that team could easily be the Tigers. They desperately need a left-handed bat in their inconsistent lineup, which has been shut out five times in the first 34 games. Last season, the Tigers were blanked three times. The only thing Bonds -- who earned $15.5 million last season with the San Francisco Giants -- should ask for is an attendance clause. "

"Not many at Comerica Park, at least with Tigers loyalties, could digest that the Tigers, after leading 4-0 and 8-4, were about to lose their sixth consecutive game, this one straight from a Pepto-Bismol commercial. And few indeed, at least among those who knew of Jonathan Papelbon's reputation, could fathom that the Tigers would score twice in the ninth off Boston's imperial closer to win, 10-9 -- as the remnants of a Comerica crowd announced at 38,062 shrieked at the climax of a game that had taken so many turns during its 3-hour, 55-minute staging. "

"It was death by Q-tips. An excuse-me, checked-swing roller. An error by shortstop Julio Lugo, who lost his juggler's license when he failed to transfer a slow-hit tapper from his glove to his bare hand. A sacrifice bunt that rolled 10 feet, tops, from home plate. A tying ground ball by Curtis (0 for 6) Granderson that wheezed its way to second base. A broken-bat floater over Lugo's head, the batter, Placido Polanco, extracting splinters from his hands as he jogged jubilantly down to first base after the last of his five hits on the night brought home the winning run. Tigers 10, Red Sox 9."

"The feeling had become delightfully foreign for Jonathan Papelbon. In the moments after the Red Sox’ 10-9 loss to the Tigers last night at Comerica Park, the closer sat a few feet away from the entrance to the visitors clubhouse, icing and waiting for the sting to dissipate to a tolerable level. He’d need to wait a little longer. Papelbon had executed virtually every one of the 18 pitches he threw in the ninth inning against the Tigers, yet still had to walk off the mound carrying his first blown save of the season."

"Dolsi made his big-league debut with one out in the seventh when he relieved starter Nate Robertson, who'd allowed four runs. Manny Ramirez lined Dolsi's first serve over the distant centerfield fence for his 497th career homer. That blow completed the scoring in the Red Sox's 5-0 victory at Comerica Park. A crowd of 38,564 watched the Tigers' fifth straight loss with only a handful of boos and mostly with some mix of stunned silence and patience."

"Jim Leyland got hands-on Tuesday in trying to make Miguel Cabrera a better first baseman. Leyland supervised a roughly 10-minute pregame drill in which Cabrera, positioned at first, took 35 throws generated by a machine placed at second base. Leyland, who put the balls into the machine, made the throws go high and low to first and to each side of the bag."

"With Gary Sheffield in left, the Tigers no longer have a full-time designated hitter. Rookie Matt Joyce will be the DH tonight, manager Jim Leyland said. "I've got to find out about this little experiment with Sheffield, and I'm not going to put Magglio (Ordoñez) at DH all the time," Leyland said. "I don't know what Sheffield has left. If this is the avenue (having him in the outfield) I have to take to find out, then (I) have to.""

"A knuckleballer can make you look like hell, and the Tigers need no help in that department. So Tuesday night at Comerica Park had potential ugly written all over it -- even before it started. In that way, it did not disappoint. Against Boston's Tim Wakefield, who turns 94 as you read this, the Tigers looked impatient, imprudent and totally imperfect. This is a floundering baseball team. There's no other way to say it. You could say "slump," but that wouldn't explain the bad defense or tepid at-bats. You could say "growing pains," but these are not all young guys."

"Finally, something happened that made sense. At last, a personnel situation became clearer, saner, more uplifting for a team that had been specializing in weirdness and absurdities even before spring camp convened in Lakeland, Fla. Brandon Inge announced before Tuesday's game against the Red Sox that he's agreeable to helping out at catcher. He will catch as often as manager Jim Leyland wants him to catch in 2008. He will work behind the plate if the Tigers want him to become their full-time catcher in 2009, which is going to be the request, you can bet, after Pudge Rodriguez's contract expires in five months. "Inge came to me," Leyland said, talking about the circumstances that led to a stunning reversal. Leyland dropped the bomb during a pregame chat with the media in his office at Comerica Park."

"Can Miguel Cabrera become a Gold Glove first baseman? If work is the most important ingredient, the Tigers like his chances. "His willingness to be the best defensive first baseman he can be," said manager Jim Leyland, "will make him a great first baseman if he wants it badly enough. We'll give him every opportunity to do it, too, because we're going to work his butt off." The Tigers have turned the improvement of Cabrera at first into a daily project -- one that Leyland not only oversees, but personally directs. "

"Just how close to doing absolutely nothingat the plate are the Tigers going to get? Maybe we already have that answer, because the way they flailed away with only three hits against the Red Sox in a 5-0 loss Tuesday night at Comerica Park was close to an offense not showing up at all. This confounding Tigers' team, loaded with muscle but with more more mysteries than solutions, baffled one and all yet again with this caveat to be heeded before you allow yourself to be totally fed up. "

"It certainly isn't his pitching (and if Wakefield ever owned anti-wrinkle cream, it probably would be for his glove). And for Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who watched Wakefield hold his team to two hits in eight innings of Boston's 5-0 win last night, there had to be a turn-back-the-clock aspect to the knuckleballer's dominance."

"First glance didn’t do this one justice. It would have been easy to identify the talking points for the Red Sox’ 5-0 win over the Tigers last night at Comerica Park. When Tim Wakefield allows two hits over eight innings, Kevin Cash boosts his batting average to .361 with three hits including a two-run double, there would appear to be no secrets to the Sox’ success."

"Matsuzaka walked eight batters, a career high, but didn't allow a hit until Curtis Granderson slapped a run-scoring single up the middle in the fourth. By then, the Tigers were trailing the Red Sox in what became a 6-3 defeat -- their fourth in a row -- before 39,478 at Comerica Park."

"On Sunday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland promised "drastic" changes to his lineup. That was no exaggeration. The team cut outfielder Jacque Jones on Monday and summoned Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo to take his place. Jones was moved off the roster and his contract was designated for assignment. That means the team has 10 days to trade, release or outright him to the minor leagues. The Tigers would likely need to include a significant amount of cash in any trade, since they owe Jones $3 million this year. Perhaps the day's most intriguing development, though, came when Leyland said Gary Sheffield would begin playing leftfield regularly."

"It is customary, after announcing something to the press, to ask if anybody has any questions. But after Dave Dombrowski explained his latest roster moves, I really thought he would ask if we had any answers. On Monday at Comerica Park, Daisuke Matsuzaka confounded the Tigers, which was almost rude; the Tigers can confound themselves just fine, thank you very much. Through three innings Matsuzaka was on pace for the never-seen 210-pitch no-hitter. While the Red Sox rolled out Dice-K, the Tigers just rolled the dice. They dumped their non-hitting leftfielder, Jacque Jones, to help save their non-hitting designated hitter, Gary Sheffield."

"Even before Jacque Jones was released Monday afternoon, the issue of who would play left field for the Tigers in 2009 and beyond was worth studying. Matt Joyce ranked as one of the hot tickets there, even before he was called up Monday from Triple-A Toledo. Joyce, 23, a 12th-round draft pick in 2005 out of Florida Southern, was batting .389 in his last 10 games and .299 on the season with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 28 games. "

"Manager Jim Leyland said there would be drastic changes -- and to the extent that Jacque Jones is no longer a Tiger, there were. Jones, hitting .165, was designated for assignment Monday. Also to the extent that Gary Sheffield now is the Tigers left fielder instead of their fulltime designated hitter, there were -- and to the extent, as well, that Sheffield will be hitting sixth instead of third, switching spots in the batting order with Carlos Guillen. But Curtis Granderson still is the leadoff hitter and will be. There will be no tinkering there."