Dontrelle Willis Career Tracker

happy St. Patty's....WATCH YOUR TIGS TODAY! FSND has 2 showings, 1 PM and 7 PM!!

Monday, March 17, 2008
Tigers: Notebook
Dontrelle injured? Nah! He's just eccentric
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- What mattered most of all Sunday to the Tigers was Dontrelle Willis.

Beginning with his health.

After he threw two first-inning pitches to Tampa Bay's No. 2 hitter, Jason Bartlett, Willis shook his left (throwing) arm as if he had some sort of physical problem.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland headed straight for the mound, accompanied by training staff.

The verdict: Willis was fine.

"No, I'm a messed-up individual," he said, after the Rays beat the Tigers, 7-2, in a split-squad game at Progress Energy Park. "I do weird stuff out there."

His words were Willis' self-mocking way of saying he can be spontaneous, animated and, in this case, capable of sending the wrong message. He simply was shaking his arm as part of an impromptu act designed to help him get loose.

Otherwise, Willis -- and Leyland -- thought the outing went just fine.

"I felt good," said Willis, who gave up three hits and three runs in three innings. "I threw some good breaking balls and change-ups.

"I feel good with our defense that I can keep the ball down in the zone. I can bounce a pitch (in the dirt) and get the hitter to react."

Willis struck out one and walked two.

"I actually liked his performance," Leyland said. "He hit 94 (mph with his fastball) and pitched at 91.

"He used some breaking balls and change-ups."

Leyland said Willis had mentioned after his last outing that his forearm was bothering him a tad. It explained the quick response Sunday -- and the relief over a false alarm.

You can reach Lynn Henning at (313) 222-2472 lynn.henning@ detnews.com.

He is a long-legged teddy bear!

Top of the mornin to ya, TIGER fans!!

We missed, and love ya Saint!

Ditto here!

03/21/2008 4:51 PM ET
Willis optimistic about command issues
Left-hander struggles with control against Jays on Friday
By Jim Molony / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Dontrelle Willis couldn't command his fastball Friday, but the newest member of the Tigers' pitching rotation is optimistic he'll find it again before the team breaks camp next week.

"Today I was terrible," Willis said. "Today I had no plan of attack as far as where I was throwing the ball."

The left-hander's frustrating outing -- five earned runs on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings against Toronto -- left his ERA for the spring at 6.59.

Willis has walked 11 in 13 2/3 innings. A veteran pitcher like Willis understands you shouldn't put too much stock in Spring Training statistics, but even so, he knows the problems he encountered Friday need to be fixed before the season begins.

Willis went to the bullpen to work on a few things after Tigers manager Jim Leyland pulled him from the game. While not giving out specifics, Willis did say he has some idea where the problem lies.

"Today in the game, was terrible. I think I was just trying to be too quick to the plate," Willis said. "I just was not as good today. I have to do a better job of going out there focusing and making guys hit the ball."

Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez wanted Willis to throw a few more pitches in the bullpen, particularly four-seam fastballs.

"He didn't have command of the fastball at all," Leyland said. "I can understand sometimes you can't command your breaking ball, but you've got to be able to command your fastball. If you can't do that you're going to have problems. Anybody would."

There didn't appear to be anything missing from Willis' velocity, but as the pitcher pointed out, it's not just about how hard he throws.

"I just want [to force] guys to swing and swing early, and I haven't been doing that," Willis said. "I'm not upset, I'm just calling it how I see it. I just didn't do my job today, that's the bottom line. That doesn't mean I can't do my job. We'll just go back to the drawing board, come in and work tomorrow and go from there."

The fact that Willis was missing the strike zone so badly with his fastball could be a result of many factors. Leyland suggested one key is repetition.

"He's not a mechanical guy, really," Leyland said. "He's got some different pitches in a funky delivery. I would like to see a funky delivery, but a consistent funky delivery without variations of the funk."

At this point, Willis and Leyland aren't concerned.

"It's not a concern if he commands the fastball, but if he doesn't command the fastball he's not going to do very well, nobody does," Leyland said. "In order to win up here you've got to command two pitches, and a lot of times three, and if you're not commanding one you've got problems. And I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about in general."

[i]Jim Molony is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cmon, D-train! Season starts in 1 week!

Quote :

"He's not a mechanical
guy, really," Leyland said. "He's got some different pitches in a funky
delivery. I would like to see a funky delivery, but a consistent funky
delivery without variations of the funk."

MY FAVORITE LELAND LINE.

Soon to be a classic!

Never thought our ol manager thought with those words!

I can't even imagine saying "funky"....

I don't think his lips move in that direction! lol

or

Quote :

without variations of the funk."

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Quote :

"He's not a mechanical
guy, really," Leyland said. "He's got some different pitches in a funky
delivery. I would like to see a funky delivery, but a consistent funky
delivery without variations of the funk."

MY FAVORITE LELAND LINE.

OMG!!!! I think I saw an interview where someone said he had a dry sense of humor and that would totally fit the bill.

we gotta cross-stitch it and frame it!

"We got the funk....gotta have that funk..."

New Tigers theme song!!

or maybe work it into a new team logo...

tigersaint wrote:

"We got the funk....gotta have that funk..."

New Tigers theme song!!

We got the funk...gotta have that funk... without variations of the funk!

who's your funk Tiger? *ugh*

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

tigersaint wrote:

"We got the funk....gotta have that funk..."

New Tigers theme song!!

We got the funk...gotta have that funk... without variations of the funk!

Yeah, that "variations" part has to be in there fo sho!!!!

who'd-a FUNK it?

Jimbo is gonna get FUNK-ified!

This should be an interesting season seeing Mr Funky, bring on the funk without without variations of the funk!

Go D-train :dontrelle: soon to CoPa and a field near you!

6 days and counting for Opening Day!!!

funkin' A

iluvpudge7 wrote:

funkin' A

04/11/2008 9:10 PM ET
Willis leaves with hyperextended knee
Tigers starter stumbles while delivering pitch in first inning
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Tigers starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis left his start Friday night against the White Sox with a hyperextended right knee after slipping off the mound.

Willis was making his second start of the season, facing the White Sox for the second time. The game started on schedule in light showers after heavier rains passed through prior to the game. Grounds crew workers applied drying compound to the mound after taking off the tarp just before game time.

Willis walked leadoff man Carlos Quentin before he slipped off the mound while trying to deliver his first pitch to Orlando Cabrera. Willis stretched out on the mound and grabbed the back of his right knee as manager Jim Leyland and head athletic trainer Kevin Rand came out of the dugout.

Willis stayed in the game after some warmup pitches, but he proceeded to walk Cabrera. With two on and no outs, Willis fell behind Jim Thome, including a wild pitch in the dirt that advanced both runners and put Thome in a 2-1 count.

That's when Rand and Leyland came to the mound again. Although Willis appeared to be pleading his case, the left-hander was removed from the game. Leyland summoned Aquilino Lopez from Detroit's bullpen, which already has taken on a heavy workload this season.

Any lengthy absence for Willis would be another blow to a starting rotation that has struggled in the season's first couple weeks. Jeremy Bonderman is the only Detroit starter to record an out in the seventh inning, and that was in his first start, against Kansas City on April 3. The Tigers went to an eight-man bullpen and 13-man pitching staff last weekend to help provide extra arms.

Detroit acquired Willis, along with Miguel Cabrera, last December from Florida. The Tigers then signed Willis to a three-year, $29 million contract a couple weeks later. His acquisition was intended to provide a proven innings eater to the back end of the rotation, but he struggled with his command in Spring Training and took those woes into the regular season. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his season debut before giving up a hit, but he walked seven batters in the process.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Hopefully his injury won't be a serious or lengthy one!