Fixing a Pitchers Quirk - WSJ.com
Jeremy Bonderman of the Detroit Tigers is one of the best young starting pitchers in baseball — from the second inning on. Throughout his career, Mr. Bonderman has exhibited one of the games most puzzling quirks. Last season, his earned run average in the first inning was a nightmarish 11.57. For all other innings, it was an admirable 3.75.

In 151 first innings in his career, Mr. Bonderman has given up 200 hits, 47 doubles, 27 home runs and 66 walks with an ERA of 7.09. Hitters facing him in the first have an All Star-caliber .316 batting average. In the second inning, their average drops to .216.

ESPN - Tigers center fielder Granderson to start season on DL with broken finger - MLB
Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and will miss Opening Day.

A finger on his right hand was broken Saturday when he was hit by a fastball from Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Travis Blackley in the fourth and final inning of a rained-out game.

Tigers talking trade with Cubs? - Detroit Tigers Cutoff Man - MLive.com
The Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs have made a number of trades with one another over the past few years, and they may be working on another one, with the Tigers in the market for bullpen help and the Cubs looking for a right-handed bat.

March 21, Post-Bulletin: Chicago Cubs right-hander Michael Wuertz, an Austin native, has emerged as one of the Tigers’ targets. Wuertz, 29, appeared in 73 games last year, with a 2-3 record and 3.48 ERA.

The Cubs have considered adding another right-handed hitter, and they are believed to have some interest in Brandon Inge and Marcus Thames. The San Francisco Giants have also asked about Inge.

Leyland’s gut says Tigers may make a trade soon | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
-Although he stressed the Tigers didn’t have any trade in place as of this morning, manager Jim Leyland said today that he has a “gut feeling” that the Tigers could make a trade for a relief pitcher in the next few days.
“I think there is a strong possibility that something could happen in the next few days,” Leyland said. “I think that’s a strong possibility. I don’t know if anything will happen. It’s kind of my gut telling me it’s going to happen, somehow, some way.”

He bases his feeling in part on how the season is now only about a week away and how big-league clubs typically increase their trade talks as their openers draw closer.

ESPN - Cabrera set to ink Tigers biggest pact: $153.3 million - MLB
Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers reached a preliminary agreement Saturday on an eight-year, $153.3 million contract extension, a source close to Cabrera told ESPNdeportes.com on condition of anonymity.

The All-Star third baseman will undergo a physical on Monday to complete the deal, the source said.

“Miguel just signed a big contract,” said the source. “The contract will be completed when Miguel takes a physical on Monday.”

Scouts: Tigers Justin Verlander has best fastball in majors | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander has the best fastball in baseball, just ahead of todays spring foe, the Yankees Joba Chamberlain, according to a polling of scouts by mlb.com.
The results:

SPORTSbyBROOKS » Tigers’ Tata Starts Fight with Door, Loses Quickly
Jordan Tata has become the latest to come down with the disorder that overcame Joel Zumaya in 2006 in the form of Guitar Hero addiction and manifested itself again in 2007 with a ruptured tendon in his finger caused by wiggling his hand too fiercely.

The most recent manifestation with Zumaya came last winter when he did not pay proper attention to the Tigers’ latest pamphlet, “Avoid Being Crushed by Large Falling Objects“. This must have been disheartening for Tigers trainers and doctors that thought they had worked out the ‘Duh’ virus (working name) from his system.

No Inge trade to L.A.? One expert says it wont happen | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Foxsports.coms Ken Rosenthal, an authority on trade talks and issues, reported late Sunday that the Dodgers are seeking to trade for a low-salary player to help fill their infield gaps instead of high-salary players such as the Tigers Brandon Inge. Rosenthal added, “Even for high-revenue teams” such as the Dodgers, “significant payroll increases are rare during spring training.”

Verlander unscored on in 8 innings during spring training - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Justin Verlander is looking good.

The Detroit Tigers’ ace threw three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking none in Monday’s 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.

“He used all of his pitches and he had a very good curveball today,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.

Verlander has pitched eight scoreless innings during the exhibition season. Monday marked the first time this spring Verlander threw his breaking ball with regularity. The 2007 All-Star pitched out of a jam in the third inning, striking out his final batter— Austin Kearns—with two men on and the Tigers ahead 2-0.

“When he got in a little trouble and Kearns came up, who’s a very good big league hitter, he really was bearing down on him,” Leyland said. “Fortunately, he put him away. He turned it up a notch.”

Bonderman pleased with pitching despite Tigers’ loss
He gave up three runs on five hits in four innings. So why was Jeremy Bonderman in an excellent mood on Saturday after his start in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays?

His change-up, that’s why.

It’s the pitch that will elevate him, in manager Jim Leyland’s opinion, from being a good major-league pitcher to something special — but he has to improve it first.

On Saturday, he improved it.

“I’m not happy about giving up three runs,” Bonderman said, “but my change-up was probably the best I’ve ever had. I’m very happy with the way I threw it.”

Said Leyland: “We gave him a few more to throw. That’s the only way you’re going to learn.”

Bonderman couldn’t recall how many change-ups he threw, “but I threw it a lot,” he said. ” I got Vernon Wells with one. I felt really good about it.”

Was it good enough to throw in the regular season?

“One hundred percent,” said Bonderman, who’s impressed Leyland with the way he’s approached this spring.

Tigers’ infield not just full of All-Stars, but Latin Americans, too - Detroit Tigers Baseball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com
The Tigers would like to do better signing players out of Latin America. None of the four starting Latin infielders came up through the Tiger system, and the only home-grown Latins who figure to be on the opening day roster are reliever Fernando Rodney and utility infielder Ramon Santiago (who was traded away, then later returned as a free agent).

Like other teams, the Tigers run a complex for young players in the Dominican Republic. They offer English lessons and other life skills to the kids who are headed into a complete different culture, teaching them how to order food in restaurants and how to open a bank account.

It wasn’t always that way.

John Young, who played in the Tigers organization in the early 1970s and later worked as the club’s scouting director, said Latin players of his generation faced long odds.

“The language barrier was huge,” Young said. “We had a kid named Mickey Medina, and he had tremendous skills. He was a Mickey Stanley-type player, but with better skills.

“It was tough on him, because he was a dark-skinned Puerto Rican, and Lakeland was segregated then. I had guys like Gates Brown and Willie Horton to show me around, but he didn’t have anyone.

“If there was a kid like Mickey Medina today, he’d be a starting center fielder in the big leagues. But he was not a happy camper, and he never made it.”

Public enemy? Inge doesnt deserve wrath of fans | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Theres never any public compassion for a professional athletes disappointment and frustration. All anybody sees are the dollar signs, justifying fan contempt for a guy making millions complaining about any aspect of his life.
Brandon Inge is quickly becoming a public villain.

And its not fair to him.

Anybody who competes at anything doesnt want to be told hes been sacrificed or diminished for somebody better.

Try forgetting for one second that hes making $6 million a year. Try putting the loss of his job as the Tigers third baseman within the context of any average person who works hard at his job only to be told he has been demoted. Pride conflicts with reality and the adjustment takes some time.