21st
April
2008
Infirmary report
posted in 2008 season |We’re getting way too much injury news lately. A quick recap.
Curtis Granderson
- He played Friday for Single-A West Michigan, Saturday and Sunday for Triple-A Toledo and he was back in Single-A West Michigan today.
- He’s 2-for-9 in the past two days with a triple and double. But he says he’s not in game-shape yet. He will play another game for the Whitecaps Tuesday and may return to Detroit Wednesday.
Placido Polanco
- Polanco obviously wasn’t right this year. A guy who gets on base quite a bit whether by walk or by hit, he has just 11 hits and a .292 OBP. He has just three hits since April 10.
- His back is the problem.
- Following Friday’s game, he returned to Detroit, where they found no structural damage, which is good. They gave him some medication and he’s listed at day-to-day.
- I’m figuring they won’t rush him, but he could be back in the lineup Tuesday, Danny Knobler reports. Ryan Raburn is capable at second base and certainly as good or better as a hurting Polanco.
Gary Sheffield
- Sheffield took the day off again Monday with shoulder problems, and Carlos Guillen batted third and DH’d.
- That helps the team in more than one way, really, as it gets Brandon Inge to third base to help the defense, and because Sheffield’s offense isn’t all that great this season (.192/.364/.308), it’s not sacrificing the offense.
Joel Zumaya
- Will start throwing off the mound in Lakeland, Knobler also reported. He’s a week ahead of schedule.
- If he’s back by July, that’s great news. He’s said to be a week ahead of schedule.
- Let’s hope for no setbacks.
Dontrelle Willis
- Willis, too, threw off the mound today.
- He hurt his knee against the White Sox when he slipped throwing off the mound on April 11.
- Willis did tell Gregor Chrisholm at MLB.com the knee felt stronger, though still hurt.
- Willis is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday but probably won’t, right away.
- Jason Beck adds Willis will likely tune up in Toledo before returning to the Tigers.
Oh that frakkin’ rotation.
As much as I want this team to win, does anybody get scared like a 5 year old girl that the Tiger’s best hurler is Galarraga? It’s great that the kid is throwing well (and his name is sorta like Galaga so that’s fun) but unless the so-called “big-boys” start to warm up, I wonder if they’ll start to rip apart the rotation.
I’m curious to see how the return of the D-train will change the rotation. The stuff with Willis is scary. The guy’s location seemed really iffy even before the chi-town tumble.
And as much as Renteria has a nasty bat, I still think the Jair Jurrjens trade is going to come back to haunt the team. The kid’s going to be a solid two in the NL I think.
Anyway, good to split against the Jays. They’re a great team. I hope the Tigs jump on the Rangers. Texas is awful this year and a sweep would get us within breathing distance of .500.
I’m thinking that as soon as Granderson comes back, the Tigers should put Sheff on the 15-day DL and go with a Cabrera/Guillen platoon between 1B and DH, with Inge playing 3B most days. The order could look something like this:
1. Granderson CF
2. Polanco 2B
3. Guillen 1B
4. Ordonez RF
5. Cabrera DH
6. Renteria SS
7. Jones LF
8. Rodriguez C
9. Inge 3B