Bonderman adding third pitch -- not a changeup

Just a bit of a follow-up this morning now that we've got some quotes from Jeremy Bonderman after his two-inning, three-strikeout performance on Wednesday.

Bonderman acknowledged in an article by MLB.com's Jason Beck that one performance probably doesn't -- and shouldn't -- mean much.

But Bondo's pretty happy about it anyway. It beats the alternative.

"Sometimes it feels like I haven't been gone at all, and then other times I feel like I've been gone a long time. Coming into today, I didn't really know what to expect. I was nervous. I had that excited feeling again. It's just fun to get that first one out of the way where you're just like, 'OK, I can still do this.' Now it's just going out and trying to earn a spot."

Some good news / bad news to report on his changeup, however. Bonderman has finally ditched the effort to add one. After about what -- is it six years now? -- a half-dozen years of reading stories about it, he's giving it up. In its place, he will use the splitter, regardless of the results.

The Detroit News has a video of Bonderman talking with FS Detroit's John Keating, too.

Hopefully Bonderman feels more comfortable with this pitch. I think there's a lot to be said for a pitcher throwing something he just doesn't believe in. The more Bonderman tried to add the third pitch, the more he saw batters tee off on it. And the more he saw batters tee off on it, the more he didn't trust the pitch and didn't like throwing it. It was like a cycle of failure.

Bonderman is saying all the right things. There's not a whole lot we, as fans, can read out of this performance or the post game, either.

But i do expect good things -- relatively speaking -- out of Bonderman this year. So a good start is nice to see.

In other news:

• Beck: Scott Sizemore takes first step back at second. The good news is, Sizemore already turned a double play. After having his ankle/leg broken turning the DP in the Arizona Fall League, he's got back on the horse and taken care of things.

• Tom Gage: 'Family issue' prevents ex-Tiger Kenny Rogers from helping pitchers. Gage also writes OF Brennan Boesch needed 11 stitches after a ball hit him in the face.

• Jon Paul Morosi: Miguel Cabrera wants to drop 10 pounds before Opening Day

• Jamie Samuelsen: Tigers don't look like a playoff team to me
• Steve Kornacki: Multi-lingual Brad Thomas returns from Australia to pitch for Tigers

• Lynn Henning: Curtis Granderson is adjusting to life with Yankees

• What puts butts in the seats? Sky Andrecheck of Baseball Analysts looked into that question and came up with the obvious answer: winning. But if you can't do that, built a new stadium and you'll be just fine. For a few years, anyway. More interesting is that some things we think affect attendance don't as much as we think.