Given how he was pitching before he got hurt (four runs, four hits, and four walks in his last two innings), I'm not sure if this is good news or not, but Denny Bautista appears to be working through his shoulder tendonitis nicely.  He began throwing a baseball yesterday, which I imagine is an important first step in rehabilitation.

After reading that Bautista threw a short game of catch with Todd Jones on flat ground, it occurred to me that I don't think I've ever read more - let alone written more - about guys playing catch than I have this season with the Tigers.  Today's Tigers News: Fernando Rodney played catch for eight minutes!  In other news, Joel Zumaya played catch, too!  Up next, Denny Bautista tossed a ball 15 times! 

I apologize; that's kind of snarky of me.  Reading all these stories of playing catch actually gets me feeling kind of warm inside, and misty around the eyes.

Was it mean of me to spring that on you?  I'm sorry about that.  Really.  I mean, you're probably at work.  Now you're sitting there at your computer, sniffling or dabbing at your eyes, lower lip quivering, and your co-workers are passing by wondering what's wrong.  Hey, maybe you can get a free lunch out of it.

Getting back on track here, Bautista should begin throwing off a mound soon, depending on how much soreness he's dealing with.  Before he rejoins the major league club, however, the Tigers want Bautista to take a minor league rehab assignment -  not just to build his shoulder strength back up, but to make sure he's regained the control that he lost sometime in mid-April.

Ah, yes.  So that's why Denny Bautista suddenly couldn't get through an outing without walking a batter.  His shoulder was giving him problems. 

The Detroit Tigers put Bautista on the 15-day disabled list for shoulder tendonitis a day after leaving Friday night's game in the eighth inning, unable to clean up the mess he made.  Before he felt pain in the shoulder and was taken out, Bautista had given up three runs on four hits, with one walk. 

I realize it was unfair of me to say, but in watching the game on TV at a bar without any sound, it almost appeared as if Bautista had enough of the Twins smacking him around and wanted out.  But if his shoulder was barking, maybe that helps explain why he was having so much trouble. 

The tendonitis doesn't appear all that serious, as the Tigers' training staff thinks Bautista will recover with medication and rest (though I'm sure they had similar hopes for Fernando Rodney in the spring), but as was the case with Dontrelle Willis' injury, this might give a struggling pitcher an opportunity to refine his technique and regain his control.  Jim Leyland sounds like a manager who'd grown tired of watching Bautista trying to figure those things out at the major league level.

"I really like Bautista.  I'm not down on Bautista at all, but the fact of the matter is simple.  If you're going to throw a bunch of pitches every time you go out there for an outing and then you can't pitch for two or three days, then you're not worth much."

Somewhere in Colorado, maybe Jason Grilli is smiling at the notion that the Tigers have a bullpen spot to fill so soon after trading him.  Or maybe he's not smiling, since he already seems to be doing what he does best for his new team, having given up two runs on three hits and a walk in just one inning for the Rockies last night.  He's your problem now, Denver. 

With Bautista going to the DL, the Tigers called up Freddy Dolsi from Double-A Erie, who'd been rising fast through the organization, jumping from Lakeland to the Seawolves just last week.  In 12 games (3/4 of those with the Flying Tigers), Dolsi posted a 4.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts (and four walks) in 10 1/3 innings.

Both Armando Galarraga and Aquilino Lopez had been incredible for the Tigers since being called up from Triple-A Toledo, but the antiseptic atmosphere of the Metrodome apparently killed whatever spells they'd been casting in the first month of the season. 

Galarraga gave up more runs and hits than he had in either of his previous three starts, while also striking out the fewest batters.  But his lineup also scored fewer runs for him tonight than in his last three appearances.  Meanwhile, Lopez gave up four runs in just 1/3 of an inning, which is three more than he'd given up in his previous 18 2/3 innings combined.

"I want to give him the heat and announce my presence with authority!"

What exactly was that thing Livan Hernandez froze Gary Sheffield with to strike him out in the fifth inning?  On the radio, Jim Price said it looked like an "eephus pitch," but that's just an attempt to explain a really slow curveball, right?  Whatever it was, the pitch was clocked at 61 m.p.h. and Sheff was mesmerized by its lack of speed.  Maybe he could make out the spin of the ball and was hypnotized.

No wonder Livan could strike out Tigers batters with 87 m.p.h. "heat."  That fastball must have looked like it was coming in at 120, combined with that slop.

He Left the Game with Pulled Feelings?

I caught the last half of the game at a bar with my arch-enemy Samela (the visual evidence of which can be seen here), and when we noticed that Denny Bautista left the game with an apparent injury, we figured he just wanted out becuase he didn't want to get pummeled by the Twins anymore.  Sam's comment was "His feelings are hurt."  In all seriousness, it turns out Bautista felt soreness in his shoulder.  No other word, as of yet.

But Bautista had a chance to straighten some things out and get back in Leyland's good graces in a non-pressure situation, and failed to do so.  Is he ready to take Jason Grilli's old mop-up role?

Remember what you thought the Detroit Tigers might look like before Spring Training began?  Remember that buzz of anticipation you had in your chest, waiting to see this team play?  This lineup was going to knock the ball all over the field and out of the park.  And on most nights, quality starting pitching would keep the other team in check before handing it over to a dependable, albeit not spectacular, bullpen. 

Yes, it was just one game and the Tigers still need to prove they can put a consistent streak together.  But tonight, that vision was almost realized.  Any lingering worries about Placido Polanco could be put to rest with his 4-for-5 night.  And maybe we should still worry about Gary Sheffield, but he showed what he's still capable of and why Jim Leyland keeps him in the lineup with a decisive two-run homer.  Curtis Granderson also provided another reminder of just how much this team missed him, batting 2-for-3 and crushing a ball over the center field fence.

But the guy who may have settled the most fears and temporarily shut down the talk that he was toast was Kenny Rogers.  No, he didn't face the regular Yankees lineup, with Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada sitting out.  And with four walks, Rogers wasn't exactly dominant.  But he was certainly good enough, giving up two runs in six innings.  That, combined with the way the Tigers hit tonight, will lead to plenty of wins this season.

Yes, even when Todd Jones closes a game as only he can, allowing the first two hitters he faced to reach base, throwing a wild pitch, giving up a run, and generally making the ninth inning far more anxiety-inducing than it needed to be.  Just bite down on something soft and it goes away soon enough.

Walking the Bases Loaded is No Way to Get Through Life, Son

Not everything was clicking, however, as Denny Bautista did his best to walk the Yankees into tying the game.  After Bobby Seay gave the Tigers a scoreless seventh inning, Bautista walked Shelley Duncan to begin the eighth.  It didn't look like that walk would haunt him when he got the next two batters out, but then Bautista lost control, figuratively and literally.  Suddenly, all of his pitches veered way outside to the left-handers and far inside to the righties.  Bautista walked the next two hitters to load the bases, and then hit Derek Jeter to walk in a run.

Leyland got Bautista out of there before he could completely melt down, bringing in Clay Rapada to do what he apparently does best: get out left-handed batters - in this case, Bobby Abreu. 

It's surely unfair to penalize Bautista for allowing runs in two straight appearances, but that's a way to lose Leyland's confidence fast.  And with Francisco Cruceta almost certain to join the Tigers soon, Bautista might want to start pitching better if he wants to hold onto that eighth inning set-up role.

  Who is Clete Thomas?  Apparently, he could be the outfielder who replaces Curtis Granderson while he's out with an injury.

Both Jon Paul Morosi and Danny Knobler have reported that the rookie has made quite an impression on Jim Leyland, thus compelling Mack Avenue Tigers and Tiger Tales to post some background on the young man.  A left-handed bat who can play some center field would fit in nicely right now.

  In this morning's Detroit News, Lynn Henning has some revelatory quotes from Jim Leyland on yesterday's release of Tim Byrdak.  The biggie?

"When you're hoping a major-league pitcher throws strikes, in most cases he probably doesn't belong on your team."

  In lieu of that remark, where does that leave Dontrelle Willis?  Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson (who, thankfully, is still in Pittsburgh) had good things to say about the movement on Willis's pitches, though.

  Denny Bautista's excellent spring has been rewarded with some responsibility.  When the Tigers open the season, he'll be the bullpen's eighth-inning man.  (At this point, was there any other place to pitch him?)

  The Daily Fungo has updates on more than a dozen former Detroit Tigers and the teams they're currently with.  When did Milwaukee become a haven for failed Tigers prospects?  

  Sports Illustrated is picking the Tigers to win the 2008 World Series?  Is that good or bad?  Well, at least they're not on the cover of SI's baseball preview, so the jinx is presumably not in effect.  (Isn't it interesting, by the way, that each of the young superstars on the cover play in the National League?)

  Also previewing your 2008 Detroit Tigers is ESPN.com.  Did they really not mention the bullpen as one of the Tigers' weaknesses?  How about that?  (via The Cutoff Man)

  Hey, I think we have a trend!  USA Today has also published its preview of the AL Central, and favors the Tigers nicely while featuring Magglio Ordonez.

  In anticipation of the Opening Day collision between the Tigers and Kansas City Royals, Royals Authority analyzes the Detroit lineup.

  This is a few days old, so maybe you've already seen this, but Big League Stew ranked each of the ballparks they visited this spring, and Joker Marchant Stadium comes out looking good.