Saturday was supposed to be a key day in Tigers camp, as Joel Zumaya and Jeremy Bonderman were to throw in an intrasquad game. If both could get on track from their injuries, the Detroit pitching staff might have started to come together.Now Zumaya has been scratched. The bullpen is a bit shaky, with Fernando Rodney the likely closer and Brandon Lyon there to set up or take over if he falters. A healthy Zumaya would have solidified the group.
So now the Tigers hold their breath on Bonderman. His recovery from shoulder surgery has become more important because Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson have struggled this spring. (If Detroit hadn't acquired Edwin Jackson over the winter, it would be even messier.)
It's been a strange spring for the Tigers. Four of the top five hitters in their lineup are still away from camp and in the WBC: Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen. Add in the two injured pitchers and that's a quarter of the ideal 25-man roster unavailable.
Earlier this week, manager Jim Leyland said:
"We're going to have to put it all together at the end, but I like our team a lot, to be honest with you. If Bonderman and Zumaya and some of those guys aren't healthy, I won't like it as much."We're guessing this isn't the spring for him to try to quit smoking.
