One of my favorite things about Spring Training is the split squad games. In case you are not familiar, here’s how it works. This afternoon, the Yankees make the trip to Lakeland to take on roughly half of the Tigers. Meanwhile, the rest of the Tigers team travels to Port St. Lucie to take on the Mets at the same time.

Let’s tackle the Mets game first.

Right hander Max Scherzer gets the start today, his third of the Spring, and looks to right the ship after getting roughed up in his first two appearances. This shouldn’t be cause for concern yet, but if Scherzer continues to be knocked around as the season draws closer, the Tigers might have bigger questions in the rotation than previously thought.

Joining Scherzer on the road trip are only a handful of regulars, as is the norm for road games during camp.  Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, and Ramon Santiago are the only three players on the trip assured of making the club. Don Kelly will also play, as will Alex Avila, if those two continue to hit as they have so far, they could very well go north when camp breaks. Full lineup at the end of the post.

Meanwhile, the marquee action will take place back at Joker Marchant Stadium, where Brandon Inge is set to make his Spring debut. Inge will play three innings in his initial Grapefruit League contest and if all goes well, will work toward being ready to play full-time by Opening Day.

There is some curiosity in the way the lineup was constructed for this game, full details below, but the odd parts are that Austin Jackson is batting third and Inge is hitting eighth. On it’s face, Inge in the 8-hole is not shocking, but he is obviously going to need as many at bats as possible to get ready for Opening Day. Batting him at the bottom of the order makes it likely he gets just one in his three innings today.

And if you are grooming Jackson to be the lead-off man, a role he really has never had, why drop him to third in the order? Like Inge, Jackson will need as much time as possible to make whatever adjustments are needed to be successful as a lead-off hitter. Moving him down in the order could affect the way he approaches his at bats and might ultimately be detrimental to his development. I just don’t see the logic with either move.

Apart from the return of Inge, the main attraction today will be on the pitcher’s mound. Dontrelle Willis faces his toughest test to date as he tries to comeback from an anxiety disorder and a lack of control. The Yankees are a notoriously selective group, so Willis will have to throw strikes in what is his first start of camp. In two relief outings, Willis has allowed only one hit and no runs, but has walked three in four innings. If Willis can take another step forward in his recovery, he could solidify his chances to make the team.

Joining Willis today will be two other competitors for the rotation in Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson. Bonderman didn’t make it out of the first inning in his last appearance, but was much better in his first start. Robertson struggled in his first effort, but came back with three scoreless innings last time out. Provided each stay under their pitch limits, all three are scheduled to throw three innings versus the Yankees today.

If you want to take in the action today, the Yankee game will be broadcast on the radio on 97.1 FM and 1270 AM, start time is 1pm for both games.

Lineup vs Mets in Port St. Lucie

SS Ramon Santiago

LF Carlos Guillen

DH Magglio Ordonez

1B Ryan Strieby

RF Brennan Boesch

2B Don Kelly

CF Casper Wells

C Alex Avila

3B Audy Ciriaco

P Max Scherzer

Lineup vs Yankees in Lakeland

2B Scott Sizemore

DH Johnny Damon

CF Austin Jackson

1B Miguel Cabrera

RF Clete Thomas

LF Ryan Raburn

C Gerald Laird

3B Brandon Inge

SS Adam Everett

P Dontrelle Willis

Rain washed out the Tigers/Phillies game in Lakeland today but Tigers manager Jim Leyland wasn’t about to let the day pass without getting a few things off his chest. For the past couple of days, Leyland has been hinting through the media about what qualities he’s looking for from his pitchers. Today, he told those pitchers directly.

From Lynn Henning of the News:

“I told them how critical the next 10 days would be, what I expected, and how I went about my judgments, so they’re very aware of my feelings on what good pitchers do,” said Leyland, who has been hammering home the point that any pitcher who expects to make his staff must throw strikes, and get batters out throwing those strikes.

“I think they got the point. I wanted to give them thoughts that I have. I don’t want to surprise anybody. I wanted them to be prepared for expectations.”

With Opening Day still better than three weeks away, the Tigers have some time to figure out what pitchers fit the mold Leyland is looking for. If things continue progressing as they have so far, the Tigers could have a dramatically different look come April 5.

The biggest battle in camp so far has been taking place for the fifth starter’s role. If we assume Jeremy Bonderman is the number four, we are left with Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, and Aramando Galarraga to battle for the final spot. Eddie Bonine, and to a lesser extent Phil Coke, would gain an opportunity should all other options fail.

The bottom line here is that almost assuredly, two of the three high-priced veterans will make the club, if all are healthy. Bonderman and either Willis or Robertson will head North with the club at the end of camp. What happens to the loser of this contest remains to be seen, but it’s not likely that he would land in the bullpen, or even still be a Tiger.

The bigger question is rapidly becoming the construction of the bullpen.

Obviously Jose Valverde will close games, and Ryan Perry has certainly done enough this spring to quiet any doubts about his status. Leyland plans to go north with seven relievers, at least two of them will be left handed. Coke will take one of those spots, leaving the other for Bobby Seay, or a replacement if Seay’s shoulder isn’t ready by then.

Brad Thomas is the early favorite to step in for Seay, and could make the club as a third lefty even if Seay is healthy. Joel Zumaya will take another spot as a set-up man.

You might have noticed that I haven’t yet mentioned Zach Miner. Of all the potential relievers the Tigers have, Miner might be on the shakiest ground.

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By the Numbers is our semi-regular feature where we profile the best, or sometimes just most interesting, current or former Tiger to wear each uniform number. To catch up on earlier installments, click the “By the Numbers” tag at the top of this page.

In the annuls of Tiger history, very few prominent players have worn the number 15 for any length of time. Other than the current No. 15, only pitcher Joe Coleman (P, 1971-76) stands out among a group of role players. Coleman twice had 20 win seasons in Detroit, but was just slightly better than .500 for his career. But even if the crop were stronger, Brandon Inge would still get the call here.

Charles Brandon Inge was the Tigers’ second round draft pick in 1998 out of Virginia Commonwealth University where he starred as a shortstop and relief pitcher. Immediately upon his signing, the Tigers handed him some catcher’s gear and Inge began the transition behind the plate. While Inge accepted the assignment, his desire remained on the infield.

Despite his lack of experience as a catcher, Inge rose quickly through the minor leagues. His defense was never an issue as he took to the position with ease. He showed off his cannon-like arm, throwing out 44% of attempted base stealers in his minor league career. His bat, on the other hand, really never materialized.

Nevertheless, the Tigers were going nowhere in the early part of the 2000s, and Inge was making his major league debut by 2001. Still green as a catcher, Inge split time behind the plate in each of his first three big league seasons. But once again, it was his bat that was holding him back. After posting averages of .180 and .202 in his first two years, Inge was hitting just .150 on June 17, 2003. He was sent back to the minors for the third time in three seasons, and many figured he wouldn’t be coming back, at least not with the Tigers.

But Inge found something in Toledo that summer and played well enough to earn a call-up a month and a half later. While he didn’t set the league on fire down the stretch, Inge batted a very respectable .258 in his last 46 games and posted a .714 OPS, not bad for a catcher of his defensive abilities.

The next career crossroads for Inge came the following offseason, when the Tigers, coming off the worst season in American League history, signed future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez to be their catcher. It seemed that as soon as Inge was able to inspire confidence in his ability to play everyday, the opportunity was gone.

But the 2004 Tigers had another player who was struggling to make it it the big leagues in third baseman Eric Munson. While Inge still served as the backup to Rodriguez, he also saw time in the outfield and at third base. While Munson struggled both offensively and defensively, Inge showed a live bat when he wasn’t behind the plate and his athleticism was on display at the hot corner. His range at third alone was enough to steal the job from Munson, but his .287 average and surprising power didn’t hurt either. By the start of 2005, Inge was the unquestioned everyday third baseman for the Tigers.

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In the middle innings of the Tigers 9-8 loss to the Yankees yesterday in Lakeland, manager Jim Leyland gave the ball to a 19 year old kid and told him to go face the Bronx Bombers. With that, Jacob Turner, the Tigers first round pick in last June’s draft, made his professional debut with the Tigers.

With the Tigers holding a 6-3 lead entering the fourth inning, Turner emerged from the bullpen and took the hill. The first batter he faced was Mike Rivera, a former Tiger catcher who is the definition of a journeyman. Turner struck him out. He hit the next batter with a curveball before rebounding to get a called third strike on another curve to Ramiro Pena before facing the top of the Yankee order.

Again, command was a problem and both Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson battled Turner to each draw walks, loading the bases for Mark Teixeira. How would Turner respond?

By striking out the Yankee slugger to escape the jam and end his day.

The timing of when Turner threw in the game is notable here. Leyalnd could have waited until the Yankees had pulled their regulars and thrown Turner in the late innings, but he wanted to throw the kid into the fire and see how he responded. It was a rough inning, but Turner came away unscathed and turned a lot of heads in the process.

Almost immediately after Turner’s outing had ended, TigsTown’s Mark Anderson tweeted a text message he had recieved from a scout in attendance. It read “That kid has filthy sh**! He’s going to be really, really good!” Anderson later passed along more raves, quoting one scout as telling him “I was seriously just shaking my head; so freakin’ talented!”, and another said “There’s work to do, but he’s going to move quick. You don’t hold guys like that back. Not quite (Rick) Porcello, but not far off either.”

MLB.com’s Jason Beck recapped Turner’s debut as well, offering that Turner didn’t think nerves were a part of it.

“I was confident the whole time,” (Turner) said after his outing. “Even when I had the bases loaded, when I was walking guys, I wasn’t missing by a whole lot. I was just missing a little bit here and a little bit there. I was confident that I could go out there and throw strikes and hopefully get guys out, and that’s what happened.”

snip

“These guys aren’t going to swing at a lot of bad pitches,” Turner said. “You’re going to have to throw it over the plate if they’re going to swing at it. That’s a complement to them, really.”

Regardless of what happens this season with Turner’s progression, you won’t see him in Detroit. Jim Leyland has already been told that Turner is off limits for the Tigers in 2010. It will be interesting to see where the Tigers choose to assign him to start the year. If the follow the mold they used with Porcello, it’s likely he’ll stay in Lakeland this year. If all goes well, he could see a promotion at some point this summer, but even that remains in doubt.

One thing is for certain about Turner; he has a boatload of talent. Tiger fans everywhere are drooling over the thought of watching him join a rotation that would include Justin Verlander, Porcello, Max Scherzer, and left handed prospect Casey Crosby in as few as a couple of years.

When the Tigers take the field to battle the Yankees at Joker Marchant Stadium this afternoon, a couple old friends will be suited up to face them. The Yankees are bringing former Tigers Marcus Thames and Curtis Granderson when they make the trip from Tampa.

Thames, who originally came up with New York, returned to the Yankees on a minor league deal this offseason and is fighting to make the team. With Granderson, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher, and Randy Winn already assured of spots in the outfield, it may take an injury for Marcus to go North with the club. Fortunately for him, Nick Johnson is slated to be the designated hitter this year for the Yankees, and that guy breaks down more often than Carlos Guillen.

With all due respect to Thames, Granderson is the guy that all of Tiger Town will be watching, not only today but the whole season. The trade of Granderson to the Yankees turned the stomachs of many many Tiger fans. If Granderson has a big year (i.e. learns to be even somewhat effective versus left handed pitching), the ire Dave Dombrowski drew at the time of the trade will only intensify. More so if Austin Jackson struggles as Grandy’s replacement.

Speaking of, Jackson will be in the lineup today against his former ‘mates as well, batting lead-off and playing centerfield. Jackson will look to continue his hot start to camp. His 2 for 4 day versus Washington yesterday included his first homer of the Spring and his first double.

One former Yankee that will not play however is Johnny Damon. Detroit’s prized free agent is battling a case of turf toe, and he received treatment yesterday, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck. The injury isn’t believed to be serious, as Damon is currently scheduled to make the trip to Clearwater to face the Phillies on Thursday.

The Tigers lineup for this afternoon:

CF Austin Jackson

RF Ryan Raburn

1B Ryan Strieby

DH Miguel Cabrera

LF Carlos Guillen

C Gerald Laird

3B Jeff Larish

2B Scott Sizemore

SS Adam Everett

Notable here is the return of Sizemore after he was scratched yesterday due to a sore ankle. Larish getting the call at third base is only mildly interesting, as he has virtually no chance to make this club as of right now (injuries could change that, but there would have to be a lot of injuries).

Armando Galarraga will make his first start of the Spring after two lackluster relief appearances. It will be a tough test for Galarraga as the Yankees will have their usual approach and make Galarraga work deep into counts. Command has been the issue for Armando going back to the May of last year, and if he continues to fall behind hitters, he could be fast tracking himself to Toledo.

Also slated to pitch for Detroit is last year’s first round pick Jacob Turner. The young right hander is in camp with the Tigers thanks to signing a major league contract last August, but he won’t be pitching in Detroit in 2010, no matter how impressive he is.

The Yankees will send Joba Chamberlain to the hill as he attempts to win a battle with fellow right hander Phil Hughes for the final rotation spot in New York.

Detroit 9, Washington 4 (box)

Two things struck me as I watched the debut of Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg today. First, this kid just looks like he belongs. There wasn’t any doubts about his stuff, and he showed why, but I was most impressed with his mound presence. He just seems like he should be on the mound.

Mound presence is difficult to define, sort of like pornography I guess. I’ll put it this way; you know how Zach Miner carries himself when he’s pitching? How he nibbles at the corners and looks like there’s about a thousand places he’d rather be? Strasburg is the opposite of that. He is good enough and he knows he is. Miner and some other guys just hope they are good enough.

Of course, all this means nothing if your stuff doesn’t play in the big leagues. No worries there for Strasburg, either. He featured a sinking fastball that sat in the mid to high 90s to go along with a solid breaking ball. The 3-2 slider he froze Brent Dlugach with in the second just wasn’t fair. Strasburg seemed to battle nerves early, falling behind 2-0 on each of the first two hitters. But each time, he gave them the fastball they were sitting on and watched those hitters pound the ball into the dirt, each grounding out. His stuff will definitely play in the show.

What did Miguel Cabrera think about Strasburg, who fanned him in the second? Jayson Stark tweeted this gem from Miggy: “When he throws the ball, it’s like an explosion.”

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The Tigers announced this morning the first cuts of Spring Training when they re-assigned catchers John Murrian and Eric Roof to minor league camp. Both players were in camp as non-roster invitees, so no repercussions on this move. It is not uncommon for extra catchers to start the Spring in big league camp, so they have enough bodies to catch all those pitchers.

It was the first taste of big league camp for both players, but won’t be the last. Roof appeared in two games this Spring, going 0 for 1. He was the Tigers 18th round pick in last year’s draft. Murrian, a ninth round pick in that same draft, did not bat.

For many of us, we get our first chance to see the Tigers today as their 1 pm game with Washington will be broadcast on MLB Network. The big reason to watch, apart form seeing our boys play finally, is the debut of Stephen Strasburg, the Nats’ top prospect and the number one overall pick in last year’s draft. Strasburg signed late and did not pitch in the minors last year, but he did work in the Arizona Fall League, where Casper Wells took him deep for a grand slam. If you can’t get to a tv, this might be a good time to subscribe to mlb.tv. You can do so here.

Dontrelle Willis “tweaked” his elbow on a quick pick-off attempt in the fourth inning of yesterday’s game versus Atlanta. Willis says he’s fine and waived off Jim Leyland as the manager was coming to the mound to check on his pitcher. Willis will play long-toss today to test the elbow. Until this is something to worry about, I’m not going to. My only fear is that if there is some discomfort there, it could cause Willis to lose whatever he has found to help him throw strikes. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious.

Speaking of injuries, the Twins got some bad news today as All-World closer Joe Nathan has torn a ligament in his right elbow. Nathan will wait till the elbow “calms down” before deciding on surgery and will seek a second opinion. Worst case scenario is that he would face Tommy John surgery and be gone for at least this season, and possibly into next year as well.

In his stead, Minnesota figures to look within for a replacement. Jon Rauch closed games in Arizona and Washington prior to coming to the Twins last year, and Matt Guerrier could also be looked at in the ninth inning role. A healthy return of Pat Neshek now become even more important for the Twins, as they will be not only be having to replace the closer, but then replacing the set-up man that takes Nathan’s job.

Obviously, the Nathan injury significantly alters the balance of power in the Central race. If all were healthy, I had pegged Minnesota to win the division again. Nathan isn’t just any closer, he’s probably the best closer not named Mariano Rivera. The importance of this injury cannot be overstated. Nathan’s presence completes that bullpen, and without him the Twins probably lose two to three wins. That could easily be the difference between a division crown and a third place finish.

In his quest to become a major league pitcher again, Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis has a long way to go. Diagnosed with an anxiety disorder last Spring, Willis has made just 14 starts for the Tigers over the past two years. In that time, he has walked 63 batters in just 57.2 innings. Most of us have written him off for 2010, and did so long before anyone reported to Lakeland.

Make no mistake though, Willis is not only a candidate to pitch for the Tigers in 2010, he’s vying for the starting rotation.

In a competition that includes high-priced veterans Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson along with former 13 game winner Armando Galarraga, Willis is the longest of long shots. After watching him struggle with control, not just command, over the past two years in Detroit, it would be difficult to envision the team putting a ton of faith in his abilities, and rightly so.

But so far this Spring, Galarraga has been falling behind almost every hitter he faces, a problem that haunted him last year, Bonderman still must prove he’s healthy, and Robertson must re-establish himself after two seasons of injury and ineffectiveness. If there ever was an opportunity for Willis to step up, it’s in front of him right now.

Willis made his Srping debut last week versus Toronto, and promptly walked the first batter he faced. He got on track quickly to retire the next three hitters in order. In his second frame, he again issued a lead-off walk, but again held the Jays scoreless, allowing only an infield hit. In that same game, Robertson walked three and allowed three runs in 1.1 innings, and Galarraga walked two while yielding four runs in one inning.

This afternoon against the Braves, Willis took another big step, tossing two more scoreless innings. He retired the side in order in the third, then walked Jason Heyward to lead-off the fourth before striking out the next two batters and inducing a ground out to end his day.

I’d still consider Willis a long shot, but a few more good outings and the tone of this conversation changes dramatically. If Galarraga continues to pitch behind in the count, if Bonderman isn’t healthy, if Robertson fails to show he’s ready to take a starter’s role again, then maybe Willis might just make it all the way back. But he needs to continue to show that he can be effective again. So far, so good, but there is still a long way to go.