• Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced before today’s game Dontrelle Willis will not take his regular turn in the rotation Saturday. He told reporters he would give no further information about Willis’ future with the organization or about who will start in Willis’ place. Tigers fans from coast to coast cheered. Seriously, I heard them.
• This obviously was the only move you could make after Willis walked eight batters in four innings. He has been average to awful in every start since being phenomenal against Texas. He should be optioned to the minors if he will take the assignment, or released. He should not be in the bullpen.
• As I said all along, Zach Miner should start. I don’t know what it is people had against him or why they doubted, but Detroit would likely have a couple of more wins by now if they had tabbed him all along. Jamie Samuelson and FS Detroit play-by-play man Mario Impemba both hopped the bandwagon today.
• Remember when the national media got a barb up its butt about the Tigers having a firesale? Fun times. Like I said at the time, Mike Ilitch is not going to worry about such things. He told Drew Sharp something similar for a column today:

“We’re going to do whatever we’ve got to do. We’re three games in first. What are we going to do? There are a lot of things that we can do. We’re going to try to improve one way or the other.”

• It’s always nice to have an owner who wants to win and is willing to do what it takes. Now the baseball minds just have to make the right decisions.
• So what should the Tigers do? MLB Trade Rumors has a few suggestions, such as Brad Hawpe or Matt Holliday, and asks its readers to chime in as well.
• After a slow start for Oakland, Holliday’s on-base percentage and slugging average have been a lot closer to his career numbers since May, though I suspect Oakland will want a lot.
• You’d be amazed at how hard it is to blog when the Tigers are busy screwing up in the first inning. The Deadliest Catch isn’t even on yet! Oh no!
• OK, so getting back, J Ellet Lambie doesn’t think the Tigers have the trade chips necessary for making any key moves this season.
• He makes a good argument. I think trade partners, unless purely interested in a salary dump, will want a guy like Wilkin Ramirez, maybe an Aflredo Figaro. Although I could probably stomach parting with either. Bird in hand vs. two in the bush, ya know? Still I am not going to put up a strong argument against anyone who doesn’t want to weaken the farm system any more than it already is.
• Fact is, Tigers might just have to improve by eating their own wasted salaries and calling up a couple guys from the minors. Can’t get any worse than Willis and Nate Robertson can you?
• Former Detroit Free Press Tigers beat writer Jon Paul Morosi is continuing to kick butt on the beat, even from afar at FoxSports. He reports Carlos Guillen may miss the rest of the 2009 season. A decision will be made sometime between now and July on whether Guillen needs surgery.  (via Rob Neyer)
• As Neyer notes, the Tigers aren’t really missing the Guillen they’ve seen recently.
• I have to ask, is Guillen done? At least as a servicable major league player? Or — like Gary Sheffield — is he going to bounce back with the proper care for his shoulder? I don’t think anyone really knows the answer to that question, though I lean towards pessimism.
• Because I know you’ve wondered: Yes, the Tigers hit into more double plays than any other team in the majors. They’ve got 66. Toronto is in second with 62.
• But, no, groundout king Magglio Ordonez does not lead the majors, or even the American League. His 11 GIDP is tied for fifth in the majors. Boston’s Mike Lowell has 15. Miguel Cabrera has nine for 20th place tie.
• (Late addition): Scott Sizemore was promoted from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo. Matt of Take 75 North has the goods. I think Sizemore will probably end up the Tigers’ starting second baseman next season and probably puts the ‘D’ on his head at some point this season, even if it’s just in September to see how it looks. (via Detroit Tigers Weblog)

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