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Detroit Tigers Clips

Friday, March 18, 2016

Detroit Free Press

Windsor: Jim Leyland thinks Brad Ausmus has ‘chance to be a great one’ (Windsor)

Detroit Tigers' Mike Pelfrey already eating up solid innings (Fenech)

Detroit Tigers' Bruce Rondon looks good, but needs consistency (Fenech)

Detroit Tigers 5, Cardinals 4: Mike Pelfrey goes five scoreless (Fenech)

Detroit Tigers' Angel Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks (Fenech)

The Detroit News

McCosky: Fathers and sons in baseball: Who does it hurt? (McCosky)

Pelfrey puts away Cardinals as solid spring continues (Henning)

Victor Martinez and son have no problems with Tigers (Henning)

Tigers’ Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks with ankle sprain (Henning)

MLive.com Miguel Cabrera, JaCoby Jones star as Detroit Tigers earn 4th straight win (Iott)

Detroit Tigers notes: In third season, Brad Ausmus calls this 'best camp so far' (Iott)

Ankle injury ends Angel Nesbitt's bid for spot on opening day roster (Iott)

MLB.com

Pelfrey labors early before cruising to the finish (Kerr)

Miggy, homers back strong Pelfrey vs. Cards (Kerr)

Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks with right ankle sprain (Beck)

Salty working on bunting against shift (Beck)

Associated Press

Pelfrey tosses another five scoreless innings; Tigers top Cardinals 5-4 (Berlinicke)

Daily Transactions

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Windsor: Jim Leyland thinks Brad Ausmus has ‘chance to be a great one’

March 18, 2016

By Shawn Windsor/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. – It still gets him, pops up when he’s fading out on his couch, chilling, or when he’s driving

from Sarasota, Fla., back to Lakeland, and it’s 5:30 in the morning, and the sun hasn’t risen yet and his best

friend in baseball is sitting next to him.

“We had some good numbers in ’06, didn’t we, Geno?” Jim Leyland might say to Gene Lamont, his former

bench coach and confidant, and current best bud for life.

It’s a low-grade sting when it happens, when Leyland thinks about how close he was to that ring. Some things

never leave you, even for a guy like him, not by nature a brooder. Baseball doesn’t allow for it. Too many

games. Too many decisions. Too mistakes.

“I made a lot of them, obviously,” he said.

Every manager does. A pitcher stays one batter too long. A runner gets thrown out. A pinch-hitter flails. The

hit-and-run goes nowhere. The lineup gets shut out. Whatever. It happens. Every day.

And it’s all so easy to dissect, to second-guess, to assume that the “other” decision was the right one. Leyland

could always live with that. Understood that as part of his job.

But here? Now? In the warm breeze at Joker Marchant as he strolls the grounds decked in shorts and boat shoes,

taking a drag on a cigarette and telling stories, eyeing prospects, serving as general manager Al Avila’s special

assistant, yeah, he thinks about what almost was every once in a while.

You can bet he thinks about the triumphs, too, both minor and otherwise, about the ride on his players’

shoulders after Magglio Ordoñez’s walk-off in the ALCS in 2006 and about dancing in a champagne-drenched

clubhouse to celebrate a division title.

His favorite memory — aside from getting to the World Series — is the time he told backup outfielder Alexis

Gomez he was gonna play him in Game 2 of the 2006 ALCS because the game started at 5 p.m., California

time. And 5 p.m. back home was batting practice time.

“And Gomez hit more home runs in batting practice than any (expletive) I’ve ever seen,” Leyland said.

He told Gomez about his start while standing at the indoor batting cage in Oakland earlier that day, loud enough

for the rest of the team to hear. Sure enough, Gomez hit a three-run shot to help the Tigers win.

“The dugout went crazy,” Leyland said.

He’d guessed right. More than that, he’d had fun with Gomez and the team in setting it up. It was his best

quality as a manager, really, handling players in an exceedingly difficult game.

He sees a similar trait in his successor, Brad Ausmus, and believes the third-year manager is ready to take off.

“I sincerely think he’s got the chance to be a great one,” Leyland said. “He’s got a feel for it. Not afraid to try

stuff. The players respect him. Kept playing for him last year even when they were out of it.”

Leyland studies teams and how they play, how they interact. He learned something about Ausmus watching the

team bottom out a year ago. Surviving that, Leyland thinks, freed up Ausmus more this year.

“He’s seen the really good and the really not-so-good now, after managing only two years,” he said.

Ausmus put it another way.

“There is something about this year — I can’t really put my finger on it — something about this year that is a

little bit different,” he said Thursday. “Quite frankly, I think it’s been the best camp so far. What that means I

couldn’t tell you.”

Leyland sees it just about everywhere, and hears it in their own conversations, too. Ausmus still talks to

Leyland frequently.

“But he’s his own man,” Leyland said. “I tell him to listen to his coaches, to his players, to everyone, and then

make whatever decision he thinks is best.”

Leyland did the same. It’s how he survived all those years, how he survives still, finding a way to revel in what

went right, even when what went wrong intrudes into a conversation, and he’s on the road to paradise with his

life-long friend.

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Detroit Tigers' Mike Pelfrey already eating up solid innings

March 18, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mike Pelfrey has been throwing well this spring. But he threw too well today at Joker

Marchant Stadium.

In his fourth start of the spring, the Detroit Tigers right-hander had a pitch limit of 75. And after he mowed

down the St. Louis Cardinals in the first four innings, he asked pitching coach Rich Dubee how close he was to

that limit.

“He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, this is the last inning for you,’” Pelfrey said. “I was like, ‘How many do I

got? I’d rather throw them in the game (and not finish in the bullpen).’”

He would get them on the field, he joked.

“Don’t do that,” Dubee said. “Don’t jack around.”

So after Pelfrey extended his scoreless innings streak to 10 with five shutout frames in the Tigers’ 5-4 win, there

he was, throwing extra pitches in the bullpen.

He hasn’t been a surprise, manager Brad Ausmus said. He’s been about what the Tigers expected. But so far

this spring, Pelfrey has allowed two earned runs in 20 2/3 innings.

On this day, his sinker was spot on: He induced seven ground-ball outs and retired the final 12 batters he faced.

He walked two and struck out three.

“It’s good,” he said of his sinker. “I get those ground balls, it tells me the ball is moving and it’s got life on it,

which is always going to help. I always say, when I’m on, I get a lot of ground balls, and with this defense

behind you, that’s a good thing.”

Pelfrey signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Tigers in the off-season, counted on to eat up innings in the

back end of their rotation, and thus far, he has done just that.

“He’s looked like we’ve expected,” Ausmus said. “Sometimes the numbers will be better or worse depending

on a little bit of luck or a little bit of consistency.”

Pelfrey believes the team’s infield defense — anchored by shortstop Jose Iglesias and second baseman Ian

Kinsler up the middle — will help him, and so, too, could his curveball, with which he is searching for

consistency in the strike zone.

He threw six or seven curveballs, he estimated, but only one for a strike. Still, the sinker remains his bread-and-

butter pitch, which will determine how consistent a contributor he can be this season, his second after

undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in 2014.

“I feel good,” Pelfrey said. “I had a normal off-season. There wasn’t any rehabbing or anything like that, so I

feel healthy. I just want to continue to be healthy. I think this team has a chance to be special, and I want to do

my part, and obviously if we all stay healthy, we can accomplish our goals.”

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Detroit Tigers' Bruce Rondon looks good, but needs consistency

March 18, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. – Bruce Rondon was good today.

The Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one. It was the latest ‘up’ on the

Rondon roller coaster this spring, from a scoreless inning in his debut against the Pirates on March 2, to back-

to-back outings allowing multiple runs last week.

With so much potential in his right arm, and with his maturity issues seemingly in the rearview mirror, it’s that

inconsistency that needs to reverse course if he wants to capture one of the Tigers’ remaining bullpen spots on

the Opening Day roster.

“He’s had a few really good outings and a few really rough outings,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Again, it’s

the consistency you see in spring training, but as we move deeper into training camp, you hope to see a little bit

of that go away for everyone involved.”

In an inning of work against the Cardinals, he induced a soft popout, a weak groundout and struck out a batter

looking on a breaking ball to end the sixth inning.

He has allowed six earned runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings this spring, with seven strikeouts and two walks. He

has the stuff, but hasn’t shown it consistently enough to separate himself from the pack.

Still, the most encouraging sign for an organization that still holds high hopes for him has come off the field.

Said Ausmus a day earlier, “It’s been the way he’s gone about his business.”

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Detroit Tigers 5, Cardinals 4: Mike Pelfrey goes five scoreless

March 18, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

At Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland, Fla.

What happened: The Tigers beat the Cardinals, 5-4. … Mike Pelfrey extended his scoreless innings streak to 10.

He allowed three hits in five innings. … Miguel Cabrera hit his third home run of the spring. … Bruce Rondon

pitched a three-up, three-down sixth inning. ... Mark Lowe gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. … There were

no injuries.

Starting off: Pelfrey stumbled out of the gate with a lead-off walk followed by a single, but cruised from there,

inducing seven groundball outs. … He retired 12 in a row to finish his fourth outing of the spring. … Pelfrey

has allowed two earned runs in 20 2/3 innings this spring.

At the plate: J.D. Martinez opened the scoring with a RBI double in the first inning. … Cabrera’s home run

came off a 96 m.p.h. fastball in on the hands from Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez. It went to the

opposite field. … JaCoby Jones hit his third home run of the spring. … Nate Schierholtz hit his second. … Mike

Aviles had three hits.

On the mound: Rondon’s inning was his cleanest of the spring. He induced a soft popout, easy groundout and

struck out a batter looking to end the inning. … Mark Lowe allowed three runs on three hits and a walk,

including a three-run home run.

Injury report: Angel Nesbitt will miss 4-6 weeks with a third degree right ankle strain. … James McCann was

out of the lineup for a second consecutive day with a fever.

Overheard: “He gave me the thumbs up,” manager Brad Ausmus said before the game, when asked how righty

Anibal Sanchez felt a day after his throwing session.

Three stars: 1. Pelfrey, 2. Cabrera, 3. Rondon

Up next: Friday afternoon at the Cardinals in Jupiter.

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Detroit Tigers' Angel Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks

March 18, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remove Angel Nesbitt from the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen competition.

The right-hander injured himself during pitcher’s fielding practice Wednesday morning and will miss four to six

weeks with a third degree right ankle sprain, manager Brad Ausmus said today.

“It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do,” Nesbitt said.

He was helped off of the practice field by teammates Mike Pelfrey and Justin Verlander and will walk on

crutches and wear a protective boot for a few days.

Nesbitt, 25, was last spring’s surprise, making the Tigers' Opening Day roster. After starting off strong, he

struggled and was sent to Triple-A Toledo for the remainder of the season.

This spring, he was headed in the same direction, making four scoreless appearances with four strikeouts and no

walks before allowing three runs on four hits against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

“He was throwing well,” Ausmus said. “He looked like the off-season had done him some good and he was

refocused and confident.”

Nesbitt had a 5.40 ERA with the Tigers last season, and 6.25 with the Mud Hens.

“I will be back,” he said.

Following his lead: After two appearances, veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez will stay back in Tiger Town

while the Tigers head east this weekend to throw in a minor-league game. Rodriguez, a 14-year veteran,

prepares according to his plans, Ausmus said. “It’s pretty rare,” he said. “It’s gotta be a veteran guy who’s

established that this style of preparation works for him.”

Injury report: James McCann was out of the lineup for a second consecutive day with a fever. He is scheduled

to play Friday against the Cardinals, depending on his health. … Anibal Sanchez “gave me the thumbs up,”

Ausmus said, and is on track to make his spring debut on Monday against the Phillies. Sanchez threw a 45-pitch

simulated game on Wednesday. … Alex Wilson threw from 120 feet today and is expected to throw a bullpen

session on Saturday.

Note: Major League Baseball umpire Tim Welke, 58, is calling it a career after 33 seasons. The Coldwater

native and Michigan resident told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he had one knee replacement surgery

in January and will have another in June. Welke worked the World Series four times and was the plate umpire

for last year’s All-Star Game.

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McCosky: Fathers and sons in baseball: Who does it hurt?

March 18, 2016

By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – I walked out of the clubhouse the other day following a game and just happened to look out

into right field.

There was Bryan Holaday doing some post-game conditioning drills with one of the strength coaches.

Alongside him, trying to do the same drills was his Thomas, who is 3 and a half years old. I wish I would have

filmed it because it was priceless.

Little Doc was trying to do exactly what his pops was doing, but he’d invariably fall behind and then fall down

from trying too hard to catch up. His plucky spirit never wavered, though. He picked himself up and got back

after it.

After every spring game at Marchant Stadium, Alex Wilson walks from the bullpen toward the picnic tables

outside the clubhouse. His family is sitting there waiting for him and the look on his son’s face when he sees his

father, I mean, you’d have to be a pretty cold person not to be moved.

One day after a game the clubhouse was empty except for Wilson sitting in front of his locker with his son in

his lap.

Last year, former Tiger Hernan Perez would pitch plastic whiffle balls to his son, who was wielding a plastic

bat bigger than he was. It was inside the clubhouse, but nobody was worried about little Hernan connecting. A

couple of stalls over, Tyler Collins would woof on the kid’s swing in Spanish.

Who’s mad about this? Who thinks it’s a bad thing for players to have their kids with them in the clubhouse or

at the yard? Who does it hurt? What does it hurt?

Anybody who has been around the Tigers the last three or four years has watched Little Victor Martinez grow

up – to the point now where it feels a little funny calling him Little Vic. We joke that we kind of feel like we’ve

helped raise him – though that’s ridiculous. Victor and wife Margret get all the credit for that.

But you get the point. Little Vic has become as much a part of the clubhouse as any of the players. They all love

him – as far as I can tell. We in the media love him, too. The kid is personable, smart, polite and a helluva

player.

During the season, he comes to the park with his dad, has a clubhouse stall next to his dad’s (it’s actually Big

Victor’s auxiliary locker), puts his pre-game uniform on just like his dad, complete with batting gloves.

He warms up with players, even does long toss with them. He shags balls in the outfield.

Again, who does it hurt? He’s not in anybody’s way. He’s not disrupting anybody’s routine. He’s old enough

and skilled enough that he’s not in danger out there.

To me, that these guys get to have their kids around them at the ballpark is part of what makes playing for the

Tigers (and other teams with similar policies) so desirable for them. When they say it’s a family, they mean it

literally.

The argument that White Sox general manager Kenny Williams used in the case of Adam LaRoche and his son

Drake -- that there aren’t many businesses that allow their employees to bring their kids to work, and that is

why day care was invented – doesn’t wash for me.

We’re not talking about working in a law office or accounting firm. We’re not talking about employees who

work 9 to 5 and have weekends off. Baseball players are away from their families way too much. They are gone

for two months for spring training, then once the season starts, it’s a 162-game grind with 81 road games.

That’s a nine-month span where players get very little quality time with their families.

Unless they can bring their kids to the park for home games. That should not only be allowed, but encouraged.

Sure, there are times when the clubhouse needs to be closed to everybody except the players. That’s happened

plenty of times and the kids just go out and hang with their mothers until dad is ready for them.

Sure, there may be instances where a kid is too immature or bratty. There could be instances when somebody’s

kid was a distraction in the clubhouse. But those could be dealt with on an individual basis.

To me -- a father of three who had to travel a lot when my kids were young and missed out on way too many of

their special moments – I get vicarious pleasure out of seeing these father-son moments every day at the

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ballpark. I want to tell these guys how lucky they are to get to share these moments with their kids – but they

already know.

You can think what you want about Adam LaRoche, that he’s crazy for walking away from $13 million or

whatever – but I applaud him. When he says there is nothing more important to him than fatherhood and raising

his son, well, he put his money where his mouth is, didn’t he.

Good for him. And good for the Tigers for facilitating some quality family time for their players.

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Pelfrey puts away Cardinals as solid spring continues

March 18, 2016

By Lynn Henning/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – When they wrote him a $16 million check in December, wedding him to two years in Detroit,

the Tigers thought of Mike Pelfrey as a starting pitcher who could surprise. On the plus side.

Thursday showed why: Five scoreless innings, no hits after a two-single first, three strikeouts, 12 consecutive

batters put away with scarcely anything hit more firmly than a grounder or lazy fly.

Pelfrey ran his Grapefruit League ERA to 1.17 as the Tigers beat the Cardinals, 5-4, all while the biggest home

crowd of the season (9,057) took in a lovely day of baseball at the Tigertown complex.

“He was a first-round pick for a reason,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who no doubt knows the Tigers

were one spot from grabbing Pelfrey in the 2005 draft, all before the Mets nabbed him. “We’re happy to have

added a talented pitcher at the right time.”

The Tigers got scoreboard help via three home runs: Miguel Cabrera torched a pitch on a line into the right-

center field bullpen in the third, outfield reserve Nate Schierholtz blasted his second of the preseason beyond

the right-field wall in the fourth, while all-positions rookie JaCoby Jones also hit his second of the Grapefruit

League schedule, a long liner onto the berm in left field.

Pelfrey, however, was Thursday’s overarching story for a Tigers team that is depending heavily on a 32-year-

old right-hander to be a steady, innings-chewing warhorse.

His sinker, the pitch that has best-explained Pelfrey’s long big-league career and his Tigers attraction, was

behaving Thursday. And it wasn’t alone.

“I thought his split was good today,” Ausmus said. “His breaking balls were a tick behind. But he does have

four pitches he can throw.”

J.D. Martinez’s long double to left-center scored Cabrera with the game’s first run. Dominic Ficociello

accounted for a fifth run with a RBI-single in the seventh.

Pendulum swing

Bruce Rondon had a handsome 1-2-3 inning as he fought back from some back-to-back bad stints. He put away

his final batter on a called-strike, 97-mph fastball.

“A couple of really good outings,” Ausmus said, speaking of a right-handed reliever’s early ups and downs.

“And a couple of rough outings.”

Rondon’s clean shift Thursday dropped his Grapefruit League ERA to 8.53.

Flip side

The afternoon was not as pleasing for two Tigers relievers whom the team is not for a moment concerned about:

Justin Wilson and Mark Lowe.

Wilson allowed a run on a hit and a walk, while Lowe pitched only two-thirds of an inning and was socked for

three runs on a walk and three hits, one of which was Jeremy Hazelbaker’s three-run blast to the Marchant

berm.

“Didn’t have the Mark Lowe slider today,” said Ausmus, who doesn’t expect Lowe’s off-day to create any

lasting trauma, for Lowe, or for the Tigers.

Raw talent

When the Tigers pried Jones from the Pirates last July in a deadline trade for Joakim Soria, they liked the

thought of Jones’ multi-position flexibility, as well as a former LSU star’s size and power.

They haven’t changed minds.

Jones is batting .286 on the Grapefruit League season and Thursday slammed his second homer in March.

“He’s a strong, athletic kid,” Ausmus said. “A little raw.”

Jones must sit for 38 games because of a suspension for taking a non-addictive drug. He’ll continue to work at

Tigertown until he reports in May to his minor-league stop, which could be Triple-A Toledo.

Jones, 23, is 6-foot-2, weighs 205, and bats right-handed. Ausmus can play Jones at third base, shortstop, or

second base, and anywhere in the outfield, including center field, which the Tigers skipper believes might be his

best position.

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Headed east

The Tigers will travel three hours to Jupiter for a Friday-Saturday series against the Cardinals and Marlins at

their two-team facility. They return to Marchant on Sunday for a split-squad game against the Nationals. They’ll

take a separate squad to Kissimmee to play the Braves.

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Victor Martinez and son have no problems with Tigers

March 18, 2016

By Lynn Henning/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – Adam LaRoche’s tense squabble with the White Sox, spawned by a club’s sudden discomfort

with LaRoche’s son, is a problem foreign to the Tigers and Victor Martinez.

LaRoche announced earlier this week he would forgo his $13-million contract for 2016 after club executives

complained his 14-year-old son, Drake, was showing up too frequently in the White Sox clubhouse.

The Tigers have had no such irritation with Martinez and his 11-year-old son, Victor Jose, who for years has

been a semi-regular partner in the clubhouse at home and away games. Victor often is seen throwing batting

pre-game practice to his son on the outfield turf.

“They’ve been great,” Martinez said Thursday, speaking of the Tigers as he and his teammates got ready to play

the Mets at Marchant Stadium. “I haven’t had any problems.

“I try to do my best and not get in anybody’s way. But it’s part of life. You’re never gonna please everybody.”

LaRoche’s son is a steady companion to his father and is home-schooled, as is Victor Jose.

The White Sox’s fatigue with Drake’s presence has been viewed as suspicious, given LaRoche’s dismal 2015

season, when a supposed power-hitting first baseman batted .207, with only 12 home runs and a .634 OPS.

Martinez, of course, is, when healthy, one of the game’s best hitters, as well as a Tigers clubhouse statesman.

The Tigers have been accommodating when it comes to sons and fathers. And not only with respect to players.

Dave Dombrowski, the team’s former front-office general, allowed his son, Landon, open clubhouse access. He

and Victor Jose were friends and wore Tigers uniforms, as does Victor Jose when he is with his dad, which is

semi-regularly.

White Sox president Ken Williams argued that in no other business arena are parents allowed to regularly bring

their kids to work. The standoff between him and LaRoche, which has led to an uncomfortable public squabble

made more messy by family blood, is still being sorted out. But, for now, LaRoche, 36, is distancing himself

from the White Sox and the 2016 season.

“They say you can’t take your kid every day to work,” Martinez said Thursday, indirectly quoting Williams. “I

don’t care what people think. I know every kid’s different. Some can be tough. But if the kid is behaving, I

don’t see why it’s a problem.

“For me, I’m talking for myself. But I lost my dad when I was 6 or 7. I don’t have many memories of him.

Now, if you have a daughter, obviously, you can’t bring her into the clubhouse. But anyone who has a son

would like to bring him here anytime.”

Tigers general manager Al Avila preferred not to comment on the situation, out of deference to the White Sox

and to their internal business.

The Tigers, meanwhile, prepared Thursday for a St. Patrick’s Day assignment against the Mets.

There was only one injury update available: bullpen candidate Angel Nesbitt will miss the next few weeks with

an ankle sprain that happened during a Wednesday workout.

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Tigers’ Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks with ankle sprain

March 18, 2016

By Lynn Henning/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – Another blemish on what had been a relatively healthy spring camp has cost the Tigers reliever

Angel Nesbitt for 4-6 weeks.

Nesbitt has a third-degree ankle sprain, which came during a Wednesday morning workout at the Tigertown

complex. He was a long shot to make the Tigers bullpen. But his time at Triple-A Toledo might have been brief,

given the nature of bullpen shuffling and Nesbitt’s high-velocity repertoire.

That timeframe has been altered, significantly.

“I thought he was throwing well,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said before Thursday’s game against the Mets

at Marchant Stadium. “I think the offseason did him some good. He was refocused.”

The Tigers are dealing with a sudden list of medical issues, most of which are minor.

Victor Martinez is still shelved with a strained left calf muscle. But he is expected back as early as this

weekend.

Anibal Sanchez reported no problems after his 45-pitch session Wednesday. Ausmus believes Sanchez is on

track to make an opening-week start when the regular season begins April 5.

Alex Wilson, likewise, is on schedule, although with two weeks of spring camp remaining, a right-handed

reliever’s timetable is tight when he has yet to throw a game-caliber pitch.

Tigers catcher James McCann remained out of the lineup Thursday with a virus.

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Miguel Cabrera, JaCoby Jones star as Detroit Tigers earn 4th straight win March 18, 2016

By Chris Iott/ MLive.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Detroit Tigers continue to pile up home runs ... and wins.

Miguel Cabrera, Nate Schierholtz and JaCoby Jones homered Thursday afternoon as the Tigers earned a 5-4

win over the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the fourth consecutive win for the Tigers, who are now 11-6-1 in

Grapefruit League play.

The Tigers have hit 35 home runs in 18 games this spring.

Jones, who entered the game as a replacement for Anthony Gose, made a nice catch on a ball hit to the wall in

the top of the seventh inning before homering to lead off the bottom of the inning.

Right-hander Mike Pelfrey continue his strong spring showing for the Tigers with five shutout innings. He has

allowed two earned runs in 15 1/3 innings this spring. He has a 1.17 ERA in four starts.

Game notes

• The first three batters of the game reached base against Pelfrey, but he escaped without allowing a run. Matt

Carpenter led off with an infield single, but he was out after he turned toward second on an errant throw from

second baseman Mike Aviles and was tagged out trying to get back to the bag after a heads-up play by catcher

Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Pelfrey then walked Stephen Piscotty and allowed a single to Matt Holliday, but he

stranded both runners when Brandon Moss flied out to the warning track to end the inning.

• Pelfrey was rock solid after the rough first inning. His line: 5IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 3SO.

• Cabrera scored the first two runs of the game. He reached on a fielder's choice in the first inning and scored all

the way from first when J.D. Martinez doubled to the wall in center. Cabrera made it 2-0 when he homered to

right-center with two outs in the third inning.

• Nick Castellanos just missed on a home run to right field to lead off the fourth inning. Schierholtz followed by

hitting one a bit further for his second home run of the spring. That gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

• Bruce Rondon bounced back from a rough outing his previous time out to make quick work of the Cardinals

in a 1-2-3 sixth inning.

• Mike Aviles singled in each of his three at-bats.

• Right-hander Mark Lowe was roughed up for three runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

Jeremy Hazelbaker smacked a line drive over the wall in right field for a three-run home run with one out to cut

Detroit's led to 5-4.

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Detroit Tigers notes: In third season, Brad Ausmus calls this 'best camp so far' March 18, 2016

By Chris Iott/ MLive.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- It was a question about Brad Ausmus and how spring training is different in his third

season at the helm. The answer was about the team as a whole.

And Ausmus likes what he sees.

"There's something about this year," Ausmus said. "I can't really put my finger on it, but there's something

about this year that's a little bit different. Quite frankly, I think it's the best camp so far. What that means, I

couldn't tell you."

The roster has undergone a major turnover since a year ago, but Ausmus said the new players have fit in well.

"It's been crisp," Ausmus said when asked to clarify his thoughts. "We've got a bunch of new guys and they

seemed to have meshed in pretty seamlessly. It just has a good vibe to it."

TIGERS NOTES

Irish Ausmus? In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the list of hitting groups for batting practice was a bit more colorful

than normal Thursday morning. The list, which is posted each day on the bulletin board in the clubhouse,

included Ausmus's face superimposed on six dancing cartoon leprachauns. "Are you Irish?" someone joked.

"Wally does that," Ausmus said sheepishly, referring to hitting coach Wally Joyner.

Still ill: James McCann, who missed the game Wednesday due to illness, was still under the weather Thursday

morning, Ausmus said. McCann is in the lineup for back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, but Ausmus said

whether or not he will play remains to be seen.

Thumbs up: The final test for Anibal Sanchez was how he felt the day after the simulated game he threw

Wednesday. "He gave me the thumbs up," Ausmus said Thursday morning. Sanchez will make his first

Grapefruit League start this spring Monday and is scheduled to make three Grapefruit League starts before the

end of spring training.

Beating the shift: Jarrod Saltalamacchia bunted a bit in a simulated game Wednesday. There was a very clear

purpose for that, Ausmus said. "He's a guy that they shift against," he said. "If he can take advantage of the shift

at times, we want him to have practiced it rather than just trying it in a game."

Starting lineups: The Tigers will play back-to-back games in Jupiter -- a nearly three-hour drive from Lakeland

-- on Friday and Saturday. The starting lineups for both games were posted in the dugout Thursday morning.

Here they are:

• Friday (vs. Cardinals): 1. Ian Kinsler, 2B; 2. Jose Iglesias, SS; 3. Miguel Cabrera, DH; 4. J.D. Martinez, RF, 5.

Nick Castellanos, 3B; 6. Tyler Collins, CF; 7. Casey McGehee, 1B; 8. James McCann, C; 9. John Mayberry Jr.,

LF.

• Saturday (vs. Mets): 1. Anthony Gose, CF; 2. Justin Upton, LF; 3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B; 4. J.D. Martinez, RF;

5. Nick Castellanos, 3B; 6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C; 7. James McCann, DH; 8. Mike Aviles, 2B; 9. Jose

Iglesias, SS.

K-Rod's schedule: While the Tigers are playing games in Jupiter, closer Francisco Rodriguez will stay back in

Lakeland and pitch in a minor-league game. Rodriguez reported to camp late, as he does basically every year,

and didn't start throwing bullpen sessions or appearing in games until later than the rest of the Tigers pitchers.

Ausmus was asked how rare it is to have a player who he trusts enough to basically set his own agenda. "It's

pretty rare," Ausmus said. "It's got to be a veteran guy who has really established that this style of preparation

works for him."

15

Ankle injury ends Angel Nesbitt's bid for spot on opening day roster March 18, 2016

By Chris Iott/ MLive.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Angel Nesbitt was making his case for a spot on the opening day roster for the Detroit

Tigers.

That bid ended Wednesday.

Nesbitt is out four to six weeks with a third-degree right ankle sprain that he suffered during pitchers' fielding

practice Wednesday morning.

Nesbitt's right foot was encased in a walking boot and he was using crutches to get around the clubhouse

Thursday morning.

"It's hard," Nesbitt said. "I was feeling good. What can you do?"

Nesbitt pitched extremely well last spring and earned an opening day roster spot with the Tigers. But he

struggled in the majors, then had a rough season after being sent to Triple-A Toledo. Nesbitt went 1-5 with a

6.25 ERA and a 1.860 WHIP in 27 appearances for Toledo.

Nesbitt was pitching well this spring prior to the injury and had a shot at an open bullpen spot for the Tigers. He

threw four scoreless innings before being roughed up for three runs Tuesday in his final Grapefruit League

outing this season. He struck out four and did not issue a walk in five spring innings.

"He was throwing well," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He looked like the offseason had done him some

good and he was refocused and confident."

Nesbitt said he was taking a ground ball during pitchers' fielding practice when he suffered the injury. He said

he didn't field a ball cleanly, then rolled his right ankle while lunging for the ball while it was still in the air.

16

Pelfrey labors early before cruising to the finish

March 18, 2016

By Zak Kerr/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey took some time to settle in during the first inning, but he

escaped that jam unscathed en route to five shutout innings in a 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Thursday at Joker

Marchant Stadium.

"The first and second inning, [I was] all over the place," Pelfrey said. "I think it took my second walk there to

lead off the second to finally tell myself to finish down instead of rotational. I thought I was a lot better after

that."

Pelfrey, who signed a two-year deal worth $16 million in December, retired seven straight Cardinals and 12 of

13 batters to finish his fourth start of the spring and earn his second win.

Pelfrey now has thrown five shutout innings in back-to-back starts, the previous coming against the Pirates on

Saturday. He also threw three perfect innings on just 13 pitches in his first start, March 2 against the Yankees.

Unlike that outing and his 29-pitch start vs. Pittsburgh, Pelfrey took 59 pitches to get through five innings

against St. Louis -- still a respectable rate of almost 12 pitches per inning.

"His pitch count is ultra-efficient," manager Brad Ausmus said. "It worked out well today. ... He's looked like

we've expected. ... His sinker's been good. The split was good today. Breaking ball's probably a tick behind

these two, but a start from now, it might be the opposite -- that's what Spring Training is about."

The Cardinals' first three batters of the game reached, but catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught leadoff man

Matt Carpenter overrunning first base on an infield hit. With two outs and runners at the corners, Brandon Moss

flied out to center to end the inning.

A leadoff walk to Tommy Pham in the second inning and a two-out single to Matt Holliday in the third were the

only baserunners Pelfrey allowed the rest of the way.

Pelfrey said he wanted to continue to sharpen his offspeed pitches and build arm strength after a bullpen session

gave him 75 total pitches for the day, which he said he would have preferred to have finished in the game.

"I was joking around with [pitching coach Rich Dubee]: 'I'll get [the pitches in] out there,'" Pelfrey said, when

Dubee told him the fifth inning would be his last. "He said, 'Don't do that, don't jack around.' ... He made me go

to the 'pen and throw another 15 or so."

Pelfrey plans to make three more starts this spring. He said he has felt healthy this spring and last after season-

ending surgery June 10, 2014, to clean scar tissue in his right elbow. Having an assured rotation spot has added

comfort, too.

"But I think you always want to try to keep that edge about yourself and not be complacent," Pelfrey said.

"Keep working, keep striving to get better."

17

Miggy, homers back strong Pelfrey vs. Cards

March 18, 2016

By Zak Kerr/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Make it 10 consecutive shutout innings for new Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey, who helped

Detroit to a 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Thursday at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Pelfrey, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal in December, threw five scoreless innings for the second

straight start, allowing the Tigers to build a lead.

"When I'm on, I'm going to get a lot of ground balls, and with this defense behind me, that's a good thing,"

Pelfrey said.

Miguel Cabrera scored on J.D. Martinez's two-out, first-inning double to left-center, barely beating an offline

relay. Cabrera had reached on a fielder's choice.

The second run of the game was also courtesy of Cabrera, who launched a homer into the St. Louis bullpen

beyond the right-center-field fence with two outs in the third inning. Martinez followed with a walk, chasing

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez.

"The changeup was great," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Martinez's second spring start. "The slider

was good. It was just fastball command that was a little off. But everything is coming out of his hand very nice.

If he keeps doing that and is able to throw 3-2 changeups and 3-2 sliders for strikes, he's going to be tough to

face. The fastball command will be there."

Nate Schierholtz blasted a no-doubt line-drive homer -- his second this spring -- to right field off Seung Hwan

Oh in the fourth inning to increase the Tigers' lead to 3-0. JaCoby Jones added a solo homer to left off Marco

Gonzales in the seventh for the fourth Detroit run.

Tigers reliever Justin Wilson faced a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the top of the seventh, but a sacrifice fly

was all he allowed.

Cardinals left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker launched a three-run homer in the eighth inning to pull St. Louis

within a run, but Tigers righty Buck Farmer pitched a scoreless ninth to close it out.

Up next for the Cardinals and Tigers: After playing against one another in Lakeland on Thursday, the Cardinals

and Tigers will square off again on Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET, this time at the Cardinals' home complex in Jupiter.

Adam Wainwright, who has already been named the Cardinals' Opening Day starter, will make his third spring

appearance. Brayan Pena, who hasn't played since Saturday due to arm tightness, is expected to be back behind

the plate.

Matt Boyd will take the mound as he continues his quest for the fifth-starter job for the Tigers, who will bring

Cabrera, Martinez, Nick Castellanos and Ian Kinsler for the game. Fans can tune in to watch live on MLB.TV.

18

Nesbitt out 4-6 weeks with right ankle sprain March 18, 2016

By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Angel Nesbitt pitched well enough that he had a case to be considered for a return to the

Tigers' bullpen. A bad step in pitchers fielding drills Wednesday morning wiped that out.

Nesbitt, the hard-throwing young right-hander who made last year's Opening Day bullpen, will miss the next 4-

6 weeks with a third-degree sprain of his right ankle.

Nesbitt tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings over his first four outings before giving up three runs on four hits Tuesday

against the Braves. That misfortune was nothing compared to Wednesday morning, when his ankle gave out

while fielding a comebacker.

"The ball hit my glove, and I tried to catch it again," Nesbitt said.

That lunge forward was when Nesbitt's ankle gave out. He had to be helped off the back fields.

Nesbitt was in the Tigers' clubhouse Thursday morning, but his lower right leg is in a walking boot. His spirits

were understandably down.

"I was feeling good," Nesbitt said. "I was trying to show that I can come back up here. And then this happens."

??the things happens because GOD wants .!! ????????blessed

A photo posted by Angel Nesbitt (@angelnesbitt) on Mar 16, 2016 at 1:17pm PDT

"I thought he was throwing well," manager Brad Ausmus said. "It looked like the offseason had done him some

good and he was refocused."

19

Salty working on bunting against shift

March 18, 2016

By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers had to do something with the other half of the simulated game Anibal Sanchez

pitched in Wednesday morning. They turned it into bunting practice for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Yes, backup-catching candidate Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

One by one, he dropped bunts toward the third-base side. Some petered out in front of the mound. Some

swerved foul. One rolled down the line and kicked over third base, drawing a cheer from the small crowd that

included manager Brad Ausmus.

It was bunting practice with a backup catcher. But to Ausmus, it was a small step in a larger battle.

"He's a guy that [opposing defenses] shift against," Ausmus said Thursday morning. "If he can take advantage

of the shift at times, we want him to have practiced it rather than just trying it all of a sudden in the middle of

the game."

Saltalamacchia is a switch-hitter, but if he backs up right-handed-hitting James McCann, he'll be batting left-

handed in the majority of his starts. Saltalamacchia is a .251 career hitter against right-handed pitchers, but he

batted .208 (33-for-159) off righties last year after hitting .221 (63-for-285) off them in 2014. That said, he was

15-for-37 (.405) last year when he pulled the ball as a left-handed hitter.

Still, even if the bunt looms as a threat more than a weapon, it might be worth the trouble.

"I've done it in the past," said Saltalamacchia, whose last bunt single was in 2012 according to STATS LLC.

Ausmus has warned for at least two years that the counterattack to the shift is coming.

"I thought we would've seen it last year, but I was wrong apparently," he said. "At some point, I feel like the

pendulum's got to swing back the other way."

Part of the reason it hasn't swung for the Tigers is that Ausmus doesn't have many left-handed hitters to employ

the bunt against a shift. Speedster Anthony Gose, who has been working on the bunt, and utility infielder

Andrew Romine don't see the shift. Switch-hitting Victor Martinez saw the 30th-most shifts (238) among Major

League hitters last year -- he batted just .190 on grounders and short liners against the shift -- but doesn't have

the speed to run out a bunt.

Saltalamacchia could be an exception.

"We want him to work on it," Ausmus said.

20

Pelfrey tosses another five scoreless innings; Tigers top Cardinals 5-4

March 18, 2016

By Jeff Berlinicke/ Associated Press

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- Miguel Cabrera hit his third homer of the spring and Mike Pelfrey pitched five

scoreless innings for the second straight time to lead the Detroit Tigers past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on

Thursday.

JaCoby Jones and Nate Schierholtz also homered for the Tigers.

Pelfrey struck out three and allowed three hits in his fourth start of the spring. He lowered his ERA to 1.17.

"I feel good," said Pelfrey, who came to Detroit as a free agent after making 30 starts with Minnesota last

season. "My goal was to come down here and build arm strength and endurance, but I am really not paying

attention to the (shutout) streak. I just want to make the rotation."

The Tigers are set at the top of the rotation with Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and newcomer Jordan

Zimmerman. The last two spots could go many ways, but Pelfrey and Daniel Norris are considered the leading

candidates. Matt Boyd and Shane Greene, both established major league starters, are also in the mix.

Manager Brad Ausmus said he isn't making any decisions yet with two weeks left in spring training.

Pelfrey was 6-11 with a 4.26 ERA last season with the Twins.

"I'm getting ahead of hitters," he said. "I'm getting ground balls and it is letting me go deep into the game."

Pelfrey wanted to go an extra inning and that was nixed, but he went out and threw 15 more pitches in the

bullpen.

"This is a team with high expectations," Pelfrey said of Detroit, which finished in the AL Central basement last

season after four straight division titles. "We have big goals and I want to be a part of this rotation and what we

want to do."

STARTING TIME

Carlos Martinez started for the Cardinals and went 2 2-3 innings, allowing two earned runs while walking one.

His spring ERA is at 5.79. Martinez went 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA last year and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny

said he isn't worried.

"His change-up was good, his slider looked good, and when he can throw the change and the slider on a 3-2

count for strikes, he's going to be tough to hit," Matheny said. "His slider is only getting better."

RUNNING REDBIRDS

The Cardinals lead the majors in stolen bases this spring with 25 in 32 attempts. Tommy Pham stole his fourth

base of the season. Charlie Pilson leads the team with five.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright will start his third game of the spring on Friday against the Tigers in Jupiter.

Tigers: Matt Boyd will make his fourth start of the spring against the Cardinals. He is battling for the final spot

in the crowded Tigers' rotation.

21

LAST UPDATED: FRI, MARCH 18, 2016, 00:19 EST

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Cincinnati Reds Alfredo Sim??n Signed as Free Agent, ( 2016)(one-year contract)

Cleveland Indians Marlon Byrd Signed to a Minor League Contract

Los Angeles Dodgers Micah Johnson Sent to Minors

Los Angeles Dodgers Ian Thomas Sent to Minors

San Diego Padres Mike Olt Signed to a Minor League Contract

Seattle Mariners Steve Johnson Signed to a Minor League Contract

Toronto Blue Jays Rafael Soriano Retired

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Cincinnati Reds Carlos Contreras Released

Cleveland Indians Giovanni Soto Sent to Minors

Miami Marlins Tim Berry Sent to Minors

Miami Marlins Kendry Flores Sent to Minors

Miami Marlins Scott McGough Sent to Minors

22

Miami Marlins Jarlin Garc??a Sent to Minors

Miami Marlins Nick Wittgren Sent to Minors

New York Mets Rub??n Tejada Released

Pittsburgh Pirates Jesse Biddle Released

Seattle Mariners Justin De Fratus Released

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Boston Red Sox Edwin Escobar Sent to Minors

Boston Red Sox Bryce Brentz Sent to Minors

Chicago White Sox Mike Olt Released

Chicago White Sox Daniel Webb Sent to Minors

Chicago White Sox Adam LaRoche Retired

Kansas City Royals Mike Minor Placed on 60-Day DL, (Recovery from left shoulder surgery)

Kansas City Royals Dillon Gee Purchased From Minors

Los Angeles Angels Rob Rasmussen Retired

New York Mets Gabriel Ynoa Sent to Minors

New York Mets Robert Gsellman Sent to Minors

23

New York Mets Dilson Herrera Sent to Minors

New York Mets Brandon Nimmo Sent to Minors

Philadelphia Phillies David Buchanan Sent to Minors

Philadelphia Phillies Alec Asher Sent to Minors

Pittsburgh Pirates David Freese Signed as Free Agent, ( 2016)(one-year contract)

Pittsburgh Pirates Jesse Biddle Designated for Assignment

San Diego Padres Manuel Margot Sent to Minors

Tampa Bay Rays Taylor Guerrieri Sent to Minors

Tampa Bay Rays Blake Snell Sent to Minors

Tampa Bay Rays Ryan Brett Sent to Minors