Dontrelle Willis is gone. The question, still a sticking point from spring training, is why he was ever brought north, why the Tigers believed a man with heartbreaking control challenges was viewed as having any reasonable chance for success in 2010.

The answer, of course, is that the Tigers didn’t opt for a pitcher as much as they opted for a contract when they decided to make Willis part of their five-man rotation.
Nothing about his performance in Florida seriously stated that Willis should have made the team, let alone be entrusted with a fifth rotation spot.
He still battled the strike zone. He was still prone to back-to-back walks, if not worse. The double play was his godsend any number of times an inning, and his place in the rotation, were perhaps one batted ball, or one more walk, from blowing to pieces.

Click here to read the full article – By Lynn Henning of The Detroit News

On Monday, the Detroit Tigers pitching staff seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Three days later, everything is fine.
Justin Verlander kept up a much-needed success streak for the Detroit rotation, throwing 6 2/3 shutout innings in the Tigers’ 6-0 victory over CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees on Thursday.
Miguel Cabrera homered, doubled and drove in three runs for the Tigers, who took three of four from New York. The Yankees had only lost one other series this season.
“I thought we pitched very well against a team with a relentless offense,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “There’s no place to relax against the Yankees from one to nine.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Following one baseball team exclusively is a little like relying solely on your vehicle’s side mirrors. You don’t always get the big picture.


Geography made it tough to get fresh insight into the Tigers’ division rivals.

The Twins trained in Ft. Myers, Fla., and never played the Tigers in the Grapefruit League. The White Sox, Indians, and Royals tuned up in Arizona’s Cactus League.

I call it Marchant Myopia: the tendency to magnify the Tigers’ pluses and minuses while sometimes failing to remember other rosters have their hot shots and soft spots, as well.

So, here’s the case for how Jim Leyland’s team could steal a division title, based solely on how the Tigers stack up against the rest of the Central:

Click here to read the full article – By Lynn Henning of Detroit News

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Reliever Jose Valverde and the Detroit Tigers finalized their $14 million, two-year contract on Tuesday.

The agreement, which was reached last week pending a physical, includes a $9 million option for 2012.

Valverde saved 25 games in 29 chances for the Houston Astros last year before filing for free agency. The 30-year-old right-hander was 4-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Valverde led the NL in saves with Arizona in 2007 and Houston in 2008.

Detroit needed a closer after choosing not to re-sign Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon.

“We think Jose is one of the premier closers in the game,” Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said. “He addresses to us what was our biggest need on our ballclub and gives us a chance, we think, to have a very solid pitching staff.”

Rodney received an $11 million, two-year contract from the Los Angeles Angels, and Lyon signed with Houston for $15 million over three season.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

This is when seasons are defined and careers are shaped. This is when the best have to deliver, or you’ve got no shot.

The Tigers were teetering, no doubt about it. And then in the biggest game of the year, their best stepped up and saved the season. Am I being overly dramatic? Not really.

Justin Verlander pitched with nasty feistiness Tuesday night, and that’s where it started for the Tigers, just a few hours after their toughest loss of the season. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez had the big early hits and the Tigers temporarily quelled gigantic pressure with a 6-5 victory over the Twins, after dropping the opener of the doubleheader, 3-2 in 10 innings.


Click here to read the full article – By Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News

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The Tigers are back to scoreboard-watching for a week now that they’ve left Minnesota, but they’re also watching the calendar as the games count down.


The Tigers didn’t go to Minnesota with the goal of simply avoiding disaster, but as they left the Metrodome for the final time on Sunday with one win out of the three-game series, they could be excused if they breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

They didn’t put away the race the way they would’ve hoped, but now 2 1/2 games up with 13 games to play, they didn’t let it slip into a neck-and-neck race, either. Their lead is slimmer than it had been on Thursday, but the Twins have one fewer games in which to catch them.

Click here to read the full article – By Jason Beck of MLB.com

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The Tigers avoided facing Zack Greinke in their series finale at Kansas City last week, and lost the game. Greinke had been pushed back.


Likewise, the Blue Jays pushed back Roy Halladay a day, avoiding a meeting with Detroit on Monday. The Tigers had to come back in the ninth to win that one.

They couldn’t avoid facing Greinke again, but the way their past series finales have gone, maybe that isn’t totally a bad thing.


Click here to read the full article – By Jason Beck of MLB.com

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Slugger Miguel Cabrera is one of three Tigers nominated for Major League Baseball’s annual Hank Aaron Award.

The Hank Aaron Award, presented by Sharp, is presented annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league, with each club having three nominees. This is the seventh consecutive year that fans have had a voice in selecting the award winners.

Fans can vote through Sept. 15 to determine the club nominee, and then voting will be held Sept. 16-30 to select the winner in each league. The winners will be announced during the World Series.


Click here to read the full article – By Jason Beck of MLB.com

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Rick Porcello’s time in the penalty box — or club box, in this case — is finally over. That’s good, because he’s getting bored watching games from up there.


After serving a five-game suspension for last week’s altercation with Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis, Porcello is free to pitch, and the Tigers aren’t wasting any time getting him back on the mound. Though they could’ve used Monday’s off-day to skip Porcello and use him later in the week, the Tigers wanted to slot him in for Tuesday’s series opener against the Mariners and get him back throwing without too much rust.

His 15-pitch outing Tuesday ended up providing plenty of rest in itself, though his 15th and final pitch provided most of the highlights that night from Fenway Park. Take away that one-plus innings, and he hasn’t thrown a full outing since Aug. 6. He ended up throwing an extra bullpen session once the Tigers got back to Detroit to make up for it. Now, he’s ready to go back to work.


Click here to read the full article – By Jason Beck of MLB.com

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