The Long Awaited Return of D-Train

[love_that_reefer]

Dontrelle Willis will rejoin the Tigers rotation on Wednesday with a start against the Twins, reports the Detroit Free Press' Steve Kornacki.
Willis has been on the disabled list since March 29 with an anxiety disorder. He has pitched well on a minor league rehab assignment. "This is not experimental and it's not developmental," Jim Leyland said. "This is the big leagues. He's going to the rotation and we expect everybody there to help us win games. The expectations are no higher on him than anyone else." Zach Miner will shift to the bullpen to make way for Willis.

Prediction- 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 BBs, 1 K, 11 hits.

[catman]

Right now, I would call the trade that brought Willis and Cabrera successful, because Cabrera has become a pretty decent 1B. Any production from Willis will be icing on the cake.

[DirtyKash]

Dontrelle's ERA this year: Over/under 6.50

Give me the over.

[love_that_reefer]

Prediction- 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 BBs, 1 K, 11 hits.

I wasn't far off. 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 0 BBs, 2 Ks and 8 hits.

[catman]

Tonight, Willis looked OK, but not good. He allowed 5 runs in 5 IP, and walked too many.

[love_that_reefer]

Says he only gave up four in 4.2

[catman]

I guess you're right. I'm watching the game, not looking at the box score.
He was effective at times. Looks like he'll be OK again.

[missionhockey21]

catman, based on what you saw, do you think once (assuming he is) stops worrying about finding the strikezone so much that he has a chance to be perhaps #4 type of effective? I ask because I know the control has been a problem and I am guessing by looking at his high hit total that some of that perhaps came from making pitches to find the zone rather than to hit his spots to make outs. Of course I haven't looked at the pitch F/X yet, but I am curious to hear a bit more about his overall mound presence as that and perhaps nerves were affecting him tonight.

DTrain will never be what many thought he could be, but it would be nice if he can find some level of effectiveness so Detroit won't have to eat yet another contract eventually.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

This really is such a sad story. He had so much promise and lived up to it for a year or two. I loved him too. Young, fiery, awesome windup. Too bad it all just disappeared on him.

[DirtyKash]

6 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K.

stud

[missionhockey21]

And against Texas no less. That's is quite a feat.

[browntown653]

What a great story for this team...he retired 17 in a row and got a standing ovation from the fans. It was one of those starts that made you realize exactly why you watch baseball - a guy who hadn't won a game for this team, pitching against a team that won 7 in a row...you thought his career might never get back on track and at least for one night he turns things all the way around. Congrats to Dontrelle.