With Rick Porcello optioned to Toledo, Jay Sborz gets the call

The only starter you can bump up with the off day is Scherzer.

Alot of incestuous pitching this weekend in Detroit… the Big Potato, D-Train, Edwin Jackson, Scherzer, and Enrique Gonzalez. Maybe not all of them are friendly either.

He’s got a nice smooth motion with some aggression. I wouldn’t mind him starting in place of Porcello. Wasn’t Enrique more of a recent addition to the Tigers as well?

Also, thanks for the link Kurt.

I hope he does well enough to be added to the Venezuelan Mafia pic.

hope he has luck sorting it all out in toledo. but for now, the tigers are minus a starter who was really having issues. that makes four now who have had trips to toledo or just been plain gotten rid of.

Now is not the time to gamble. Bonine can fill in just fine while we wait for Porcello to get his head straight. As much as I’d love to see Oliver come up and get some games in, we don’t really need the risk right now. I’d take Thomas as a second choice and Gonzalez as a distant third choice.

Just because Valverde plays for us and is having a good year doesn’t make the trash he does on the mound right. While I hope for continued success, I personally think his act is complete bush-league horse ****.
Its taunting, pure and simple, apart from actual celebratory joy…and its a step on the road to turning baseball into the NBA or NFL (before all the penalties to eliminate the practice).

Sometimes in tough to throw prospects & rookies in to the wolves of MLB. Some do just fine, most take time for adjustments. A pitcher is usually not one you do that to. I understand they must make thier debut some time., but, now is not the time for Oliver.
I know Leyland doesnt want to mess with his bullpen, but, I believe Bonine deserves his shot. Up untill this year we groomed him as a starter. He now has some big league experience, lets see what he can do. And, I guess Im riding the fence on celebrating. Sports are very emotional. I don’t see PapaV exactly pointing out the opposing play and jumping around. He usually faces right center or center field with his antics. And, if you dont want to see him celebrate DONT LET HIM, do something at the plate. And, how is this different then a"Walk Off". The whole bleeping team waits for the player at home plate to circle the bases to come home and then they ALL celebrate. Isnt that the same thing Mr. Montero? As long as one player doesnt single out an opposing player to “show him up” I think its within the confines of the “good ole boy” rule.

We really needed to make this move. Its sotr of like the Dontrelle move becasue neither guy had been permoring well. Im sure Porcello will be back in a month or so, however we needed to make a move becasue we are trying to win this division. Go Tigers!!!

while it was a needed demotion, it just goes to show how fragile pitchers in particular are in the MLB. Rick looked good last year but a look inside the #‘s tells you he had tons of work to do. Too many balls in play, not enough K’s and it killed him this year. French pitched well for us last year prior to trade, now he’s not doing anything. Andrew Miller was a top guy in organization prior to Cabrera trade, he’s not doing a thing. Perry was up and is down. Scherzer looked good, got rocked and sent down, and now he’s looked better lately. JV had a terrible soph (or was it his third) year and has bounced back since. I’m hoping Porcello comes around, he’s still plenty young, but he doesnt overpower you with anything, and thats a little disconcerting going forward. He desperately needs all 3 pitches, sinker, slider, fastball, to be an effective bigleaguer. Hope he gets there, but I wouldnt bank on those improvements coming this year. Not saying he won’t be back up, but this is not going to be a super short trip down.

Obviously, we are all passinate tiger fans, I see good reasons why Bonine should start and some reasons why he shouldnt. I understand the concept about not wanting to mess with the bullpen. Bonine not stretched out? Not so sure I buy this theory at this point in the season either. How streched out are pitchers at the beginning of the season? Usually they are on pitch counts till the season progresses. Bonine started the end of last year, it would appear at this time he would be the next in line to get a chance at starting. If you leave Gonzales, or Sborz in as a reliever if they get shelled you can pull them out rather quickly without really damaging thier confindence. Thats a lot harder to do when they are a starter, they usually give starters more room to pull out of it. We’re playing 3 first place teams in the next week. That will add the pressure to a rook. I still say Bonine time is now. If your worried about the bullpen, Perry is due to come back this week.

don’t fix what is broken – stay at the status quo……now, as far as, perry, porcella they need to pitch like they can pitch, but, they aren’t doing that thats why perry & porcella has to be seasoned in order, to be effective pitcher in the Major Leagues…I think soon NI should be also in AAA, NI when he come in to game boat load of runs against him in curcial situition the game is on the line so, just my opinion….true 3 teams are in first place , tigers have coming up on the road, NYM, ALT, MINN then comes divisional, opponents, KC,CLEV,CHI,MINN July let’s seewhat the tigers are made of!

I’m not suggesting that this is the motive, or even part of the reason that Rick is being sent down, but this move could have that impact. The players that rank in the highest 17% of all players in service time between two and three years of service will be super two players. If a player is called up from the start of the season in 2009, for example, he’d surely be eligible for arbitration after the 2011 season with three full seasons. But if he’s called up in April or early may, he’d have super two status. That is, two years plus five months of time on the 25 man roster. In Porcello’s case, he has a contract that pays him over $ 1 million in 2010, and a pair of club options in 2011 and 2012. However, he has a clause in his contract that allows him to opt out of those club options if he is eligible for arbitration. If he was never sent down, he’d be arb eligible after the 2011 season. If he’s in the minors for over six weeks, he probably won’t be arb eligible at that time. Just an aside.

I would like to see a four man rotation – verlander , bonderman, galarrado, max, no need to bring up any starter in the rotation, just opinion……yes or no?

that way it limitinates bring up AAA pitchers , it could help the cause! tigers should try it out and see what happen!

good question, but, let’s see if thats works or not, we already know the tigers below 500 in september so no matter, but, if perry and porcella gets it all together back to as far as, the starter pitcher goes in porcella good to go if not eitherway, it goes and works out bonus for the tigers if not back to the drawing board!

From the Arizona Republic blog article that quoted Montero and Valverde above…

So the two players never got along when they were teammates?

"Yeah," Montero said, "because he’s dumb. What do you want me to say? He’s smart? No. He’s just dumb."

What if the Diamondbacks had signed him as a free agent in the off-season?

"I wouldn’t mind having him on my team, I’d just keep telling him he’s dumb," Montero said.

High-larious.

@ the Valverde quote

I LOVE THIS GUY!