DETROIT — Ty Cobb would be jealous.

Danny Worth has something that the Georgia Peach does not.

Two strikeouts.

“I think a lot of the pitchers in the dugout were jealous. He struck out two in one inning,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said after the shortstop Worth pitched the ninth inning of Thursday’s game.

“His strikeout-to-innings ratio is pretty good.”

According to research on Baseball-Reference.com, Worth became the ninth different Detroit Tigers position player to enter a game as a relief pitcher. One of them was Ty Cobb, who appeared for two innings each in the second game of doubleheaders on consecutive days in Sept. 1918.

Teammate Bobby Veach, the left fielder, was also called upon for two innings in that second twinbill nightcap in 1918.

Infielder Ben Dyer appeared in two games a month apart earlier in that season.

Cobb came back to throw one inning in the nightcap of a doubleheader late in the 1925 season, earning a save.

None of those guys struck anyone out, though.

Nor did Shane Halter, when he infamously played all nine positions on the last day of the 2000 season. Nor did Don Kelly when he closed out the game against the Mets in June, 2011, the last time a Tigers position player took the mound.

The only two Tigers position players that Baseball-Reference lists as having struck out batters in relief appearances had more extensive pitching experience.

Mark Koenig — normally a reserve infielder, like Worth — started one game in 1930, then made three relief appearances in 1931, striking out one each time.

The last Tigers position player to throw a full inning of relief was “Wonderful” Willie Smith in 1963. Although he’d go on to play nearly 700 games in the field at either left field or first base for four other teams, he was primarily a pitcher for the Tigers, having appeared as a pitcher in 101 of his 431 career minor league games, starting 80.

He started two games for the Tigers in 1963, and relieved in nine other games, compiling 21 2/3 innings in his rookie season.

Obligatorily, Smith had the most success as a reliever, striking out four in five innings on Sept. 18, 1963, when he had to take over for starter Phil Regan in the first inning, then striking out two in two innings a week later.

Even if you classify Smith as a “position player” (he did not appear at any other position other than pitcher for the Tigers in 1963), Worth is still in pretty select company.

If not, he might possibly be the most effective fielder-turned-pitcher in franchise history.

Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde is named the MLB Delivery Man of the Year Award, given yearly to the best relief pitcher in the big leagues. The award is voted by fans.

Valverde was 49-for-49 in save chances in the regular season, posting a 2.24 ERA in 72.1 innings pitched. He led the American League in appearances (75), games finished (70) and saves (49). Valverde was named to the AL All-Star team for the second straight year with the Tigers, after making one All-Star Game appearance with the Diamondbacks in 2007.

The Detroit Tigers announced their 2012 schedule on Wednesday, and will open the season at home on April 5 against the Boston Red Sox, as part of a six-game homestand against the BoSox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Other notable home series include: The New York Yankees twice (June 1-3 and Aug. 6-9) and a four-game set against the Los Angeles Angels (July 16-19), which — barring a postseason meeting this season — will be the rematch from this year's contentious showdown between aces Jered Weaver and Justin Verlander. The Angels return to Comerica on Aug. 24-26, and the Tigers go to Anaheim on Sept. 7-9.

Interleague series include a home-and-home set with the Pittsburgh Pirates (May 18-20 at Comerica, June 22-24 at PNC Park), a home set against the Colorado Rockies (June 15-17) and a three-game matchup between good managerial friends Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa when the St. Louis Cardinals visit (June 19-21).

Key road series include two trips to Boston (May 28-31 and July 30-Aug. 1), a pair of National League Central visits to the Reds (June 8-10) and the Cubs (June 12-14).

Here's the full 2012 schedule on the Tigers' website.

Three weeks ago Friday, the Detroit Tigers fan base was collectively holding its breath, as the Cleveland Indians had cut the Tigers' American League Central lead to 1.5 games. Especially nerve-wracking was the thought that the two teams were about to face off, and Tigers ace Justin Verlander was not going to throw.

A sweep of the Indians that weekend, followed by a sweep of the then-surging Chicago White Sox, followed by a road sweep in Cleveland this week, and the Tigers fans are preparing for the postseason.

That's what happens when you win 16 of 20 games — and five of six series, splitting the other — in that same three-week span. When your "magic number" shrinks to 12 with 19 games left, websites like ESPN.com start listing your playoff chances at 99.5 percent.

And your franchise starts getting ready to host postseason games.

The Tigers announced Thursday that tickets for the Tigers' potential postseason appearance — the franchise's third in a quarter century — will go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. The tickets (limit six per customer) will only be available online (www.Tigers.com) or by calling 866-66-TIGER.

Major League Baseball's postseason is scheduled to start Friday, Sept. 30. The Tigers go into Thursday's games holding a half-game lead over the Texas Rangers for home-field advantage in the American League Division Series. Whichever of those two teams finishes ahead of the other in the overall standings will host the Wild Card team (nearly a foregone conclusion that it will be the second-place team from the AL East), while the other team visits the AL East champion.

Major League Baseball's postseason advertising campaign for this season is "Legends Are Born in October." The spot that MLB released on Wednesday features the home run by Magglio Ordonez that clinched the American League Championship Series sweep of the A's for the Tigers, sending them to the 2006 World Series. With the Tigers sitting atop the AL Central as of right now, it's perfect timing for a little flashback. (The music for the spot, if you're wondering, is "Written in the Stars" by Tinie Tempah, which will be used as the backdrop for memorable moments in this year's postseason.)

The moment, of course, is one of the most memorable home runs in Tigers postseason history, and marks the only postseason appearance by the franchise in the last 24 years.

Here's the clip:


(And just as a side note, I still think my headline that night — "Maggs to riches" — was the best in the state.)

If, when the season started, you figured Alex Avila was the Tigers' best chance for to be a starter for the American League in the All-Star Game, raise your hand.

Then stop lying. Possibly also check yourself into a clinic.

Based on last year's .228 average and relative tame power numbers (seven HRs, 12 doubles, .340 slugging pct.), Avila looked to be a long way away from being a household name nationally. But coming in to Wednesday, he was hitting .280 with 10 doubles and 29 RBI — all of which lead full-time AL catchers — and eight home runs, which is tied for third. His RBI total is best among all MLB backstops.

People are noticing. When MLB released the first fan voting totals for next month's All-Star Game in Arizona, Avila was one of two Tigers among the leaders at his position. The second-year pro had only half as many votes as the Yankees' Russell Martin, who is hitting just .242.

The other Tiger among the league's leading vote-getters is Miguel Cabrera, who finished second in last year's AL MVP race. He's not far behind Boston's Adrian Gonzalez — who could make a case for being the early favorite for this year's MVP — but nearly 250,000 votes behind the Yankees' Mark Teixeira.

If the voting ended today, the Yankees would have starters at every position but DH, including an outfield starter in former Tiger Curtis Granderson. He sits second behind the overall leading vote-getter, Toronto slugger Jose Bautista.

Fans can vote online (click here) through June 30, and at the ballpark through June 12.

Here are the vote totals announced by MLB on Wednesday:
CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 843,459
Joe Mauer, Twins: 593,949
Alex Avila, Tigers: 407,463
Carlos Santana, Indians: 395,892
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 337,737

FIRST BASE
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 827,247
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 685,262
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 657,594
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 278,055
Adam Lind, Blue Jays: 256,782

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,185,952
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 586,361
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 502,012
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 384,004
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 352,904

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 945,127
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 755,551
Evan Longoria, Rays: 588,463
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 491,422
Maicer Izturis, Angels: 199,423

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 931,410
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 672,105
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 560,309
Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays: 320,874
Erick Aybar, Angels: 215,991

DESIGNATED HITTER
Michael Young, Rangers: 646,979
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 618,609
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 414,733
Travis Hafner, Indians: 407,334
Johnny Damon, Rays: 353,340

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 1,261,659
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 994,315
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 748,240
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 674,406
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 514,006
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 494,721
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 465,984
Grady Sizemore, Indians: 457,185
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 440,626
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 407,517
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 370,989
Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: 366,575
Sam Fuld, Rays: 310,520
J.D. Drew, Red Sox: 307,684
B.J. Upton, Rays: 277,173

Tuesday’s series finale with the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed by rain, rescheduled for Monday, June 27, at 7:05 p.m. It was originally scheduled as an off day for both teams.

Since this was scheduled to be Toronto’s only trip into town this year, the two organizations waited as long as possible before deciding on the rainout just after 9 p.m.

It was one of four rainouts in the majors on Tuesday.

The Tigers will keep their starters the same for the Boston series, meaning the Justin Verlander (4-3, 2.91 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett (3-1, 1.75) matchup is still on for Thursday, showcasing two of the American League’s best.

“That’s a nice matchup for everybody, but obviously, we’re trying to win the game. So you don’t get caught up in that so much as a manager,” Leyland said.
“Beckett’s been tremendous. I’ve seen him on TV twice now. He’s been tremendous. I’ve never seen him better, really. So it should be a good matchup. Sometimes those things get all hyped up, and they fizzle out.”

Phil Coke (1-5, 4.54), who flew out early Tuesday afternoon, will start today’s game against Boston, facing Clay Buchholz (4-3, 3.94).

There are ways to use superstition to your advantage.

Well, at least to someone’s advantage.

In this case, the people who will benefit most from Justin Verlander’s superstitious nature will be veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Working through the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Verlander will open his luxury suite at Comerica Park on days he pitches, to host veterans and their families, a program called “Verlander’s Victory for Veterans.”

“What a better way for me to say thank you than to bring you guys out, injured veterans to the ballpark to use my suite with their family to enjoy the baseball game — hopefully which I win for the team,” Verlander said to the disabled veterans who attended Monday’s news conference.
“Who knows where I’d be if I didn’t have the God-given ability to play baseball? I could very well be in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. It means a lot to me, what you guys do for our country and this city, and this is my way of saying ‘Thank you.’ ”

Verlander’s first cousin, Christopher Verlander, is currently deployed in Afghanistan. Both were regaled with stories from their grandfather, Richard, a World War II veteran of the Navy.
The story behind the suite’s lack of use during Verlander’s starts also bears telling.

“The first time I had the opportunity to use this suite, or my girlfriend Emily did, was one of my first starts here at home, and it didn’t go very well,” Verlander said. “So me and Emily, both being somewhat superstitious, decided that is never going to happen again.”

As Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of his designated hitter, Victor Martinez, on Sunday, “Victor has put on a show recently.”

It didn’t go unnoticed, as Major League Baseball named Martinez the American League Player of the Week, edging out teammate Justin Verlander.

Martinez has hit safely in every game since returning from the disabled list on May 4, extending the streak to 13 games, raising his average from .254 to .330 in the process. In five games last week, Martinez hit an AL-best .579 (11-for-19) with six extra-base hits (four doubles, two homers) and 11 RBI.

It’s the first time Martinez has been honored since 2005, when he was with the Cleveland Indians, and the fourth time overall.

Other hot performances that merited consideration for the honor were from the Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista (.429, six HRs) and former Tiger Matt Joyce (.450, four HRs). The two men came into Monday tied for the AL hitting lead with matching .368 batting averages.

Rumors were swirling Monday night that Scott Sizemore might have earned the call-up from Triple-A Toledo after last year’s Opening Day starter at second base for the Tigers last season was a healthy scratch for the Mud Hens’ game vs. Pawtucket.

Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski confirmed the move — calling Sizemore up, and optioning Will Rhymes down — after Monday’s game. Sizemore was leading the International League with a .408 average, while Rhymes was hitting just .221 after the weekend.

"As you know, we’ve been scuffling from an offensive perspective, and Sizemore’s been hitting very well ... We figured it was a way to get a little more pop in the lineup, maybe get some extra-base hits and try to get things going at the top of the order for us," Dombrowski said.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was quick to point out that the struggles of the Tigers' offense — which include leadoff man Austin Jackson hitting just .188, and No. 3 hitter Magglio Ordonez posting an anemic .151 average, a slugging percentage of .164 and just one lone RBI — are not all the fault of Rhymes, normally the No. 2 hitter.

“Sometimes, you’re the victim of a situation of ... you’re not really tearing it up — and we didn’t really expect him to — but sometimes you’re the victim of a situation where a few guys aren’t hitting, and he’s a second baseman, and the guy who’s hitting .400 is a second baseman. So, it’s not like Will Rhymes did so bad,” Leyland said. “I certainly don’t want to indicate to anybody that we’re blaming all of our offensive woes on Will Rhymes. That’s not the case. The case in this matter is, we’re looking for a little punch. ... So he kind of caught the short end of the stick, to be honest with you.”

As highly anticipated as the move has been — there was a populist movement to "free Scott Sizemore" on Twitter — it won't be the cure-all to a team that's struggling in all aspects of the game.

And it might not be the only move coming. Victor Martinez, who will resume his role as the primary DH, is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday. His return will mean that Ordonez will either have to spend more time in the outfield, or possibly sit for a while. Leyland noted after Monday's game that Ordonez could be moved down in the order at times, or out of it.

Sizemore's promotion to the big club will also mean that Ryan Raburn will spend most of his time in the outfield again, rather than splitting his starts between left and second base. That, too, would indicate that Ordonez might be destined for some time off, since Leyland's more likely to leave Brennan Boesch (.300) in the lineup, as either the right fielder or DH.

Finally, Phil Coke's solid start against the Indians — more reminiscent of his first two starts of the season than his last two horrible outings against Seattle — may have staved off the conversations about moving him back to the bullpen, at least for now.

But if he begins to struggle again, it will be hard for Leyland and Dombrowski — both men in the final year of their current contracts with the Tigers — to ignore the seasons that young lefties Andy Oliver (3-1, 3.64 ERA, 31 K/29.2 IP) and Charlie Furbush (2-1, 1.90 ERA, 32 K/23.2 IP) are putting together in Toledo.

If you thought the Tigers’ team batting average — which has crept up to .255 with a pair of nine-run outbursts in the first two games of the series vs. Chicago — was a localized problem, rest assured, it’s not.

The White Sox (8-13) haven’t hit a lick so far, either, contributing to their slide of 1-9 slide. Chicago came into Sunday’s game having hit .197 in their last 11 games, with just 32 runs scored.

The topic came up when Tigers manager Jim Leyland was talking with White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker, who’d played for Chicago when Leyland was a coach there.

“He said they really haven’t hit yet, and they’re fourth in league in runs scored. But he was making the point that, ‘Well, we saw (Oakland’s Brett) Anderson, (Trevor) Cahill, (Anaheim’s Jered) Weaver, (Justin) Verlander ... I mean, that’s got something to do with some of that stuff. I mean, pitching’s pretty good. That’s got something to do with what happens,” Leyland said, pointing to the Tigers’ recent outburst almost being an anomaly.
“What gets lost in the shuffle sometimes is that we beat two good pitchers. We’re going to face another real good one today (John Danks), and then we’re going to face (Seattle’s Felix) Hernandez, and then we’re going to face that new phenom they got (Michael Pineda). It doesn’t let up. That’s just the way it is. Go to Cleveland, we’ll probably see (Justin) Masterson, who’s really tuned it up, going to come home and play the Yankees ... and so, it’s just a never-ending thing."

It’s not just these two teams, either.

If the American League’s current league batting average of .248 held up, it would be the lowest since 1972. MLB’s also on pace to have its lowest-scoring April since 1992.

“I think there’s a lot of factors. The pitchers are good, the weather’s been horse(bleep). ... I don’t think the offense will be what it was, during the slow-pitch time in the American League,” Leyland said.

The trend isn’t a huge concern to the manager, though.

“I don’t care about anybody else in baseball, I only care about my own team. But it’s encouraging to me, because we have track records. That’s what I’ve said all along, and I’m not going to deviate from that. That’s what we have, that’s what we’re banking on, like everybody else is,” he said.
“So I’m banking on track records. Victor Martinez is going to hit, if the book doesn’t lie — and the book doesn’t lie. Magglio Ordonez is going to hit. I think everybody probably has a feeling right now that they’re looking forward to when it happens, because all teams have guys with track records. I mean, the White Sox are going to hit, the Twins are going to hit. I mean, when you say hit, is it going to be back to four or five years ago? Probably not. But they’ll hit. I mean, it’s in the book, and I’m a big believer in the book.”

If you're looking for a conspiracy theory to explain the Tigers' supposedly superior starting staff sadly surrendering a stunning slew of runs to the Yankees (yes, I just got 1,000 bonus points for my alliteration), here's one possible explanation:

The Yankees were cheating.

How else do you explain 23 runs allowed on 29 hits — including nine homers — and 12 walks? (OK, how do you explain it, if you're not willing to use either the shoebox size of Yankee Stadium or simply poor pitching by the Tigers as plausible reasons?)

Well, maybe they were cheating. Keith Olbermann, the ESPN broadcaster-turned-MSNBC broadcaster-turned-freelance journalist, Tweeted out a picture from Opening Day of Brett Weber, a coaching assistant with the Yankees, signaling the type of pitch just thrown to on-deck batters.

By baseball rules (operations bulletin C-4, to be specific), that's a no-no.

It became the subject of news stories here and here. Brought to the attention to the powers that be at Major League Baseball, it became a brief investigation.

While MLB put a phone call in to the Yankees, telling them to cease and desist, and not to allow Weber to signal on-deck batters (giving a report to the dugout is acceptable), Weber continued to be stationed behind home plate for the rest of the series.

The Yankees contended it was because the scoreboard's radar readout was broken. Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's senior VP for standards and on-field operations, who spoke with the Yankees, seemed to buy the explanation.

"I think he (Garagiola) recognizes the fact that there's no real advantage here. But at the same time, there is a bulletin out there that says you're not supposed to do that. We explained to him that the first inning, the scoreboard was reading 912 mph, so normally that stuff's out there," Yankees GM Brian Cashman told the New York Times.
"It's a silly situation. It's not really an issue."

But it makes for good X-Files-style conspiracy theories.

They're words that, every spring, inevitably follow "pitchers and catchers report," almost a rite of spring in their own right.
The words are: Single-game tickets are now on sale.

If the prospect of spring training is getting you geeked for the start of the season, than you'll probably want to head down to the Comerica Park box office (or to participating Meijer stores) on Saturday or log onto DetroitTigers.com, and start picking out tickets for the upcoming season.

That's especially true if you want a ticket to the home opener vs. the Kansas City Royals on Friday, April 8.

In fact, if you want to assure that you'll get your tickets to Opening Day, you might want to head to Comerica on Friday, starting at 3 p.m. While tickets don't officially go on sale until 10 a.m. Saturday, the Tigers — in an effort to keep people from lining up overnight — will be giving out 500 wristbands to fans who come to the box office on Friday. Those 500 fans with wristbands will be first in line Saturday morning, when the box office opens.

Fans will be limited to four Opening Day tickets per person.

Some other key dates to consider (and why):
• April 9 — Miguel Cabrera Magnet Schedule day
• April 22 — Austin Jackson figurine giveaway, modeled on his catch from June 2, 2010
• May 3 — Detroit Tigers Fleece Scarf day (maybe this should have been scheduled earlier)
• May 23 — Detroit Tigers Salsa Bowl day (which is different from Detroit Tigers salsa dancing day — that's usually in the offseason)
• June 12 — Max Scherzer Bobblehead day (wonder if the bobblehead will have varicolored eyes, like the real Max does?)
• Aug. 21 — Victor Martinez Back to School Backpack day (just because it's a really long name)
• Sept. 3 — "Going, Going, GREEN!" Tigers Hat day (is that because there's no game on March 17?)
• Sept. 10 — Detroit Tigers Star Wars Night Acrylic Tumbler (do you really need any more reason than that?)

Key series:
April 22-24 — Chicago White Sox (first home series)
May 2-5 — New York Yankees
May 26-29 — Boston Red Sox
May 30-June 1 — Minnesota Twins (first home series)
June 24-26 — Arizona Diamondbacks (and manager Kirk Gibson)
July 1-3 — Defending World Champion San Francisco Giants
July 15-17 — Chicago White Sox
Sept. 22-28 — final home stand, vs. Baltimore (4) and Cleveland (3)

Miguel Cabrera finally made his belated arrival at spring training Thursday, one week after the story of his much-publicized arrest made headlines, and was so contrite, he apologized in two languages.

In his first public appearance since his arrest in late in the evening of Feb. 16, Cabrera met with members of the Detroit Tigers organization, then spoke to the media for nearly 30 minutes.

“First of all, I want to apologize to everybody. I want to apologize to my teammates, to my fans, to my family, to the Detroit Tigers, to the team,” the superstar said in English, before switching to his native language because of the gravity of the moment. “This is very important to me, that’s why I want to speak Spanish, because I don’t want to make any mistakes with my language.”

Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila acted as his translator for the rest of the news conference. Regardless of the language in use, there were still topics that got a “no comment,” including the reasons behind the still-sketchy incident, as well as concrete details of the outpatient treatment recommended by doctors brought in by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.

Cabrera, who was arrested on one count of suspicion of driving under the influence and two counts of resisting arrest without violence in Fort Pierce, Fla., roughly halfway between his Boca Raton home, and the Tigers’ facility in Lakeland, was on his way to spring training.

The vehicle he was driving, a 2005 Land Rover, hadn’t been driven in three or four months, and broke down at the side of the road.

Saying he “had no desire to drive right now,” Cabrera apologized to the officers who were later required to restrain him before arresting him, thanking them for the handling of the situation, and said that when the justice system takes its course, he believed “at the end, things will be cleared up.”

He also did not feel banning alcohol in the clubhouse or on team flights would be “appropriate,” and that “everybody should be responsible for their own actions, and he’s taking responsibility for his,” Avila translated.

“I just want to say that I’m very sorry for what I’ve done. I want to apologize to all my teammates, my owner, my family, my friends and everybody that I let down. I’ve worked very hard for a period of time in overcoming this, and I just want to get back and play, and have everybody forgive me. I ask for forgiveness,” Cabrera said.

“I also want to regain my reputation. I will work hard to regain that respect and my reputation.”

Some of that work will have to be with his teammates, who voiced their unconditional support for Cabrera in his absence, but had to deal with the aftermath of what he termed “one bad decision.”

Cleared to begin working out with the team as early as today (Friday), Cabrera said he did not plan to hold a group meeting to speak with his teammates, but preferred to meet with them individually, so he could apologize “face-to-face.”

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said Cabrera had been cleared to play, and the choice to do so would be manager Jim Leyland’s.

Cabrera will be able to stay with the Tigers while going through the treatment program, and Dombrowski said they were actively helping Cabrera look for someone to stay with him at all times as a sort of chaperone, much like the one who accompanies Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.

“Any time a problem manifests itself, it probably would have manifested itself at some point, so we’re better off that this was approached at this time,” said Dombrowski, admitting that the incident has the potential to be life-changing moment for Cabrera.

“I think so ... and I hope so. I mean, he’s really — it’s a shame when you have problems ... and there are a lot of good things that come along when you have his ability, but you’re also under the spotlight. And I think it’s a situation where he’s a quality person he has a good heart, he’s very supportive of his teammates, he’s great with kids, he loves his family. And so there’s so many good things, of course when there’s something like this happens it’s under the spotlight. ... It’s a situation where, hopefully we can put these type of things behind him, and all those other things will shine forward.”

Dombrowski also expects Tigers fans to be very forgiving of their star.

“I hope that they see how sincere he is, and that he acknowledges that he has a problem, and that he’s committed to fixing it, making it work. And I hope that they have an open mind to that,” the GM said.

Matthew B. Mowery covers the Tigers for The Oakland Press. E-mail him at matt.mowery@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @matthewbmowery.

Below is the audio from Thursday's news conference (courtesy Tigers media relations):
(Warning: It's long)

Miguel Cabrera reports to camp, apologizes by MMowery23

Now that the brunt of the Cabrera Storm — which as at full fury after Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera's drunken arrest late Wednesday night — have blown over, things are moving at a more sedate pace this week.

The Tigers' brass have said that the slugger won't report to spring training in Lakeland, Fla., until he's been evaluated by doctors to determine the next course of action. He returned home to Boca Raton, Fla., after he posted bail Thursday.

Most of the national coverage of the case has dwindled, too, at least until that plan is announced.

Now, at least, Cabrera knows when he must appear in court. His arraignment, on one count of suspicion of driving under the influence and two counts of resisting arrest without violence, has been set for 9 a.m. March 16, in the St. Lucie County courtroom of circuit court Judge Cliff Barnes. No attorney of record for Cabrera has yet been filed with the court.

The next step appears to be the medical examination, if it has not already taken place. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said this weekend that the organization would work with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, using that medical assessment to determine the course of Cabrera's treatment. Dombrowski told reporters he'd have a better read on the situation by the middle of this week.

As was rumored, the Tigers did indeed pull off the trade we wrote about earlier in the day, sending Armando Galarraga to Arizona in exchange for a pair of low-level pitching prospects.

(Click on the headline above to take you to the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Oakland Press)

Granted, two Class-A pitchers — whom Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski termed "fringe, not blue-chip" — is not a monumental return for a guy that's been a useful member of your rotation for three years, but it is better than getting nothing at all.

The Tigers clearly did not think they were going to have any use for him this season, nor did they feel the need to keep him as "insurance" should there be injuries to the starting pitching staff. 

It appears everyone will get a little bit of what they want in this case.

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman tweeted late Monday night that the Detroit Tigers had reached an agreement with pitcher Armando Galarraga on a 1-year, $2.3 million deal, avoiding the prospect of an arbitration battle.

For Galarraga, who has an astronomical run of bad luck — dating back to his stolen perfect game on June 2, through his inability to win a game for the remainder of the season (he finished 4-9 with a 4.49 ERA), to the likelihood that last week's signing of Brad Penny for the No. 5 starter role making the just-turned-28-year-old expendable — this was finally a bit of good fortune. After making just $438,000 last year, Galarraga got nearly a $2M raise.

For Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski, it's a still clean record of never going to arbitration in his tenure with the franchise. That record was in jeopardy, with the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to exchange offers looming Tuesday.

Now the two sides will have to figure out what Galarraga's role will be on the 2011 squad. With Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello set in stone atop the starting rotation, and the Tiger brass confident that lefty long reliever Phil Coke — a starter for most of his minor-league career — can make the transition back to starter, it appears that there's only one spot open on the starting staff. The Tigers agreed to terms on a one-year, $3 million contract with Penny last week, and even if the club has the two battle it out for the No. 5 spot, the veteran likely has a better chance, if he's back to his form of two seasons ago.

Galarraga is out of options, so the Tigers can't send him back to the minors, meaning — should he lose the battle for the No. 5 spot with Penny — they'll either have to put him in a long relief role in the bullpen, or see if he's got any value on the trade market.

UPDATE: The Tigers didn't let this one linger long, deciding just hours after officially announcing the deal with Galarraga to designate him for assignment. The organization will now try to trade him to a team looking for a back-of-the-rotation starter.
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