Figaro to start Saturday - OCT 3

Figaro to start Saturday
BECK'S BLOG
Posted on September 30, 2009 at 5:11 PM

Jim Leyland announced this afternoon that he'll start rookie Alfredo Figaro Saturday against the White Sox. It'll be his first start at any level since that outing at Houston in late June, when the Astros roughed him up. He was optioned to Triple-A Toledo right after that, but that move was cancelled when he was found to have a sprained right wrist, forcing him onto the DL. He returned in August for a late-season rehab stint at Double-A Erie, but he pitched for the SeaWolves as a reliever then, not a starter. The Tigers will have a few days to stretch him out.

By doing that, the Tigers leave Justin Verlander available on his normal rest to pitch Sunday's regular-season finale if need be.