Willie Eyre (2-3, 3.00) vs. 
Nate Robertson (4-6, 5.07), 7:05 p.m. EST
Last week, Nate Robertson showed that Double-A hitters can't hit what he's throwin', so no more rehab assignments for him. It's back up to the big leagues. And upon returning to the Tigers, Robertson gets to face a Rangers team that he couldn't get out. Not once. After that, and a sit-down with Jim Leyland, it was off to the DL with a "tired arm." But if Nate can pitch a turnaround like Kameron Loe did last night, he might just be okay.
For the Rangers, Willie Eyre is filling in for Vincente Padilla, who's dealing with some triceps inflammation. (Didn't he sit out the last time he was supposed to face the Tigers? I'm not trying to say anything. I'm just sayin'...) John (Honky Tonk) Koronka(donk) was the original choice to go tonight, but Ron Washington apparently noticed that the Tigers pound left-handed pitching, and opted for Eyre out of the bullpen instead. (via Lone Star Ball)
Who's happy to see Eyre on the mound tonight? Craig Monroe. C-Mo kind of owns Eyre, hitting 4-for-5 with one home run against him.
Short Hops:
▪▪ In case you haven't heard, Fernando Rodney is making a second trip to the disabled list. This clears a spot on the roster for Nate Robertson.
▪▪ The Tigers fan vote has surged. Magglio Ordonez now has the second highest vote total among American League outfielders. Voting ends Thursday at midnight.
▪▪ D-Town Baseball has some suggestions for the "player to be named later" in the Mike Maroth trade. I'm totally on board with his #1 choice.
▪▪ And if you're in the mood for listening to a podcast between innings, the SB Nation Sports Report goes live at 9 p.m. EST tonight. NBA Draft talk is the topic du jour with Pradamaster from Bullets Forever, and TheBigLead.com will also be stopping by.