Fister’s Hurt, But No Worries

The Tigers number 2 starter, Doug Fister, got the start for the Tigers today, but did not get out of the 4th inning.

Fister left the game early, with some apparent soreness in his side. That soreness has been identified as a costochondral strain, which can be in simple terms, explained here. Duane Below was sparkling as his replacement, going 2 1/3 innings, giving up only a hit while striking out 2. That sparkling (yet short) outing might put Tigers fans at ease enough if Below is to take Fister’s spot in the rotation while he is on the 15-day DL. Brayan Villarreal was called up to replace Fister on the roster.

As for the rest of the game, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder both homered twice off of Josh Beckett, and Avila added a HR himself as the Tigers hammered the Red Sox 10-0. Miggy defensively was the story too, with a 4 assist day, and a putout on a liner. Octavio Dotel made his debut with the Tigers (his record setting 13th different ballclub) going an inning and 1/3 striking out 3, while Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit helped finish the shutout. The Tigers are 2-0 to start the season, with the finale against the Red Sox tomorrow pitting Max Scherzer against Clay Buchholz.

In the meantime with Doug Fister, there’s probably nothing to worry about. Early in the season, plenty of time to heal, and certainly plenty of offense to help out what should for the time being be a younger rotation.

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