Pitchers will fight for one spot in Tigers' bullpen

Friday, January 25, 2008
Pitchers will fight for one spot in Tigers' bullpen
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Many teams need a No. 1 pitcher.

It shows how far the Tigers have come that they might only need a No. 12.

With less than three weeks to go before the start of spring training, the 2008 Tigers are set almost everywhere -- set more than ever everywhere, as a matter of fact.

Don't bother trying to find a spot in the lineup where there will be job competition. It doesn't exist. The bench could be another matter; then again, possibly not.

By the time the regular season starts, if Vance Wilson hasn't fully recovered from the elbow injury and subsequent surgery that kept him out almost all of last year, there could be a catching job up for grabs.

But if Brandon Inge doesn't get traded and agrees to pick up a catcher's mitt again as part of his new duties, now that he's lost his starting job at third base to newcomer Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers might not have to look far for Wilson's replacement.

In any case, there'll be no vacancy signs posted for position players.

And possibly only one for pitchers. But at least that means something could be up for grabs at spring training.

The Tigers aren't looking for a starter. They're set with Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers.

They're also not in the market for a closer or set-up man. They're comfortable with Todd Jones and Fernando Rodney in those roles. Losing Joel Zumaya to off-season shoulder surgery was a setback, but the Tigers were without him for much of the 2007 season as well.

"The Zumaya thing was a big blow, to be honest with you," manager Jim Leyland said, referring to the freak injury Zumaya suffered while moving personal items at his home near San Diego. "But there's still a lot of talent here. I think our bullpen will be fine. I'm not as concerned about our bullpen as everybody else is.

"What I think we have to do, though, is extend our starting pitchers an extra third or two-thirds of an inning. Let's face it, if the starters don't do the job, it won't matter what the bullpen is like."

Lucky seventh?

As matters stand, the middle-to-long relievers are Jason Grilli and Zach Miner. The lefties are Tim Byrdak and Bobby Seay.

And that makes 11 spots filled or all-but-filled unless something strange occurs in spring training.

So what's missing? Not much. That's the entire point.

What's missing is tuck pointing, a filler pitcher between the middle and late innings -- a seventh-inning pitcher, to be exact, in games that have been turned over earlier to the bullpen.

"We know we're all right long in the bullpen," said general manager Dave Dombrowski. "We also know we're all right middle, and we like our lefties. They're sort of unsung, but they did a good job for us last year. So you're really talking a seventh-inning type guy."

Someone such as Francisco Cruceta, for instance, if he's really as ready as the Tigers believe he is.

Someone also such as Denny Bautista, formerly of a few teams (Baltimore, Kansas City, Colorado), but who still has an impressive arm.

Cruceta, who served a 50-game suspension last year for violating the minor-league ban on steroids, has pitched for both Cleveland and Seattle, but it's what he did for Oklahoma City last year that stands out.

In 65 2/3 innings, he allowed just 38 hits and struck out 70. That his ERA wasn't lower than 3.02 is due in part to the fact he allowed more walks (40) than hits, but if Cruceta improves his command, the Tigers could have a useful new pitcher on their hands.

Touching 100

Bautista, meanwhile, also had a good Triple-A year. At Colorado Springs in the Rockies' organization, he went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 51 appearances.

"You're not going to find many better arms than his," Dombrowski said at TigerFest. "This guy touches 100 at times. I got a call from a couple of organizations afterward asking, 'How'd you pull that off?'"

The Tigers acquired Bautista from Colorado for right-hander Jose Capellan, who didn't figure prominently in their plans.

"Colorado was thinking change of scenery, as we were with Capellan," said Dombrowski. "So I think we already have a couple of guys that could fill in that seventh-inning role. If not, we'll continue to have to watch it in spring training."

Zumaya's expected return in mid-season could rectify a problem if indeed there turns out to be one in the Tigers' search for a set-up to the set-up man, so to speak.

But as they did last year when he missed much of the season with a torn finger tendon, the Tigers will have to work with what they have until Zumaya returns.

And what they have, though potentially interesting, is unproven. Cruceta is well-regarded but has pitched in just two major-league games. Bautista has to prove he's not just a journeyman.

But the cupboard is far from bare anywhere on the Tigers with spring training looming. The bullpen isn't as star-laden as their starting lineup, but that says far more about their lineup than it does their bullpen.

I wish they would just stop with the "Zumaya got hurt moving personal items during the fires" bullshit.....who is buying that crap, anyways??

Saint...What really happened?