So far, the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation has seen several players fall flat on their faces at the starting line.  Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson and Zach Miner have all been roughed up so far this spring and the lone standout has been Rick Porcello.  Keep in mind though, Porcello has yet to be really tested.  Panama has some solid players but it’s not like he was going up against a top tier team like Japan or the US.

Still, Porcello pitched two shutout innings and he struck out three so his progress bears watching.  I know he’s probably a fan favorite, but the Tigers would probably rather go with their veterans then rush Porcello.  Of course if Jeremy Bonderman can’t bounce back, then all bets are off.

The Story of Us psp Wilkin Ramirez had a nice day at the plate.  He went two for five with a triple, and RBI a run and a stolen base.  No other Tiger had more then one hit and as a team, the Tigers struck out ten times (Wilkin Ramirez also struck out twice).

Grapefruit league action continues today as the Tigers take on the Nationals.  There’s no coverage so I’ll probably listen to the USA team take on the Philles.  Zach Miner gets his first start of the season and a slate of relievers follow him.  I’m particularly interested in seeing how Scott Williamson does.  I’ve always been a fan of his.

Make sure you stop by Baseball Musings.  David Pinto is having his annual pledge drive and if you want to help out one of the top notch bloggers out there, try to give whatever you can.  His site makes working on mine a lot easier.  Make sure you check out his lineup analysis of the Tigers.  Looks like the projected linup is almost in line with the optimal lineup so hopefully that sticks.

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