The Tigers have traded reliever Jason Grilli to the Rockies for minor-leaguer Zach Simons. The move creates a roster spot for Francisco Cruceta, who will join the Tigers tomorrow.

I saw a couple of you asked about Vance Wilson while I was off this weekend. His arm is progressing well, Jim Leyland said today, but now he's dealing with foot problems. He has a case of plantar fasciitis, though I'm not sure on which foot.

"The arm's much better," Leyland said. "He can throw. He just can't walk."

Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said that Wilson is still ongoing with his rehab program, and should be able to catch bullpen sessions again in a couple days. They were ready to have him DH in some extended spring games when the foot problems came about, so that would be the next step.

For maybe the first time this season, the Tigers might actually be healthier than their opponent coming into a series. It's Game No. 2 for Detroit's everyday lineup, but it's no A-Rod for the Yankees.

Detroit:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Guillen, 3B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Jones, LF

New York:

1. Johnny Damon, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Hideki Matsui, LF
5. Jason Giambi, DH
6. Shelley Duncan, 1B
7. Morgan Ensberg, 3B
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Chris Stewart, C

On a side note for those of you who have been patient and kept posting through all the quirks of the new system, there should be some relief for you soon. Talking with one of the people who heads up the blogging efforts at the dot-com headquarters here in NY, he said they'll be implementing some improvements to the system starting in the coming days. It's going to be little by little, so don't expect everything to change overnight. But it should start getting better for you.

The Tigers will hold an open tryout camp for players ages 16-25 at Class A West Michigan on Monday, June 16.

The tryout camp will be held at Fifth Third Field in Comstock Park, Mich., with no pre-registration or participation fees. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the workout at 9 a.m. All the Tigers require is for interested players to bring their own glove and workout equipment. The Tigers will provide the wooden bats, helmets and baseballs.

Remember how big a deal it was in spring training to see the projected opening day lineup and how fearsome it would be? Well, that lineup is finally playing together in a regular-season game. Carlos Guillen is playing third base and batting sixth. Add in the rest of the regulars, and you have that batting order.

It's going to be a little different setup than usual because of the Reds Wings. The Tigers-Yankees game will start out at 7 p.m. on both FSN and FSN Plus. If the game is still going on at 10 p.m. ET -- and let's be honest, as long as most Yankees games seem to go and as long as some Tigers games have gone, it's a strong possibility -- Tigers fans will have to switch over to FSN Plus to catch the end of the game from 10 p.m. on. The regular FSN Detroit channel will be showing Game 3 of the Wings-Avs beginning at 10.

If you were at the game Friday night or watching on television in the late innings, you were probably wondering why there were fireworks going off along the skyline beyond the Renaissance Center. Apparently they were part of ceremonies going on across the river in Windsor for something called the Rotary World Peace Summit this weekend.

It wasn't the kind of outright dominance that he showed in his debut Tuesday, but Francisco Cruceta showed he could get out of a self-created jam last night. He gave up a walk and a double to erase the 4-4 score with which he entered to begin the seventh, but he retired the next five batters he faced. That earned him the victory once Toledo scored four in the eighth.

For the sake of the totals, that's now five innings pitched for Cruceta with one hit allowed, two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Gary Sheffield returns to the lineup tonight. He said before the game that he felt good, and that his swing felt good after swinging this afternoon. We'll see how it turns out. Jacque Jones also feels fine after his collision with the railing Thursday. Carlos Guillen is out again, still struggling with the knee but feeling significantly better. Leyland is at least holding out hope he could be back tomorrow.

Here's the Tigers lineup:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Jones, LF
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Inge, 3B

For the Angels:

1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Gary Matthews Jr., LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero, RF
4. Torii Hunter, CF
5. Juan Rivera, DH
6. Erick Aybar, SS
7. Jeff Mathis, C
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
9. Maicer Izturis, 2B

Just when the Tigers were getting close to their full lineup, down goes Carlos Guillen. He was barely able to walk into the clubhouse this morning, manager Jim Leyland said, after that foul ball off the side of his right knee last night. He won't dress for the game today. Because Cabrera is moving to first base and Brandon Inge is giving Pudge a day off at catcher today, Ryan Raburn is starting at third.

"We just can't catch a break," Leyland said.

On the Gary Sheffield front, he had another cortisone shot in his right shoulder, this time in the front of it. He was still feeling soreness in the shoulder getting the shot two days ago.

Meanwhile, they'll be facing Jason Jennings after all. You may remember that Jennings was the Rangers' originally scheduled starter for this game, but was moved back a couple days in favor of Scott Feldman. Well, the Rangers decided late last night to start Jennings today again.

Here's the Tigers lineup he'll be facing:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Thames, RF
4. Ordonez, DH
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Jones, LF
7. Renteria, SS
8. Inge, C
9. Raburn, 3B

And the Rangers, who present a slew of left-handed hitters for Jeremy Bonderman today:

1. Frank Catalanotto, LF
2. Michael Young, SS
3. Josh Hamilton, RF
4. Hank Blalock, 3B
5. Jason Botts, DH
6. David Murphy, CF
7. Adam Melhuse, C
8. Ben Broussard, 1B
9. Ramon Vazquez, 2B

On a side note, it's a happy 40th birthday for Todd Jones.

Since Gary Sheffield is out another day, Miguel Cabrera gets a day at DH while Brandon Inge starts at third. Carlos Guillen thus has another day at first base.

There's a chance Sheffield will be back Thursday, but it's not likely. Placido Polanco, however, is aiming for a Thursday return; he went through pregame drills and workouts and felt fine.

Here's the full lineup:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Rodriguez, C
3. Guillen, 1B
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, DH
6. Jones, LF
7. Renteria, SS
8. Inge, 3B
9. Santiago, 2B

For the Rangers:

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, SS
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Milton Bradley, DH
5. Hank Blalock, 3B
6. Jason Botts, 1B
7. David Murphy, RF
8. Gerald Laird, C
9. German Duran, LF

That's going to be a full-time shift, manager Jim Leyland announced after the game. Guillen said it wasn't a big surprise. Cabrera said he's cool with it.

It was Aug. 1, 2003 off of then-Twin James Baldwin. He went 417 plate appearances in the big leagues without a homer. Or to put it another way, Matt Walbeck was the Tigers' catcher the last time Santiago homered. Now, he's the Rangers' third-base coach.

Neither Placido Polanco nor Gary Sheffield are in the lineup, but the Tigers are hoping for returns in the coming days. Polanco said he's feeling much better today than he was yesterday, and he's planning on taking some early work tomorrow in hopes of getting back into the lineup. He was diagnosed with inflammation in the S1 nerve of his back.

Sheffield's visit with Dr. Stephen Lemos, meanwhile, revealed no structural damage in his shoulder. Basically, the scar tissue tearing from the surgery had been giving him trouble. He took a cortisone shot in the shoulder, and with his left shoulder aching from trying to compensate, he had a shot in that shoulder, too. He might take a few days to return as a precaution.

The plan on Curtis Granderson is for him to return to Detroit after tonight's rehab game for Class A West Michigan. If Polanco returns, that's the first two hitters in Detroit's order back in action, and if somehow Sheff were ready, that would be the top third of the lineup back.

Other injury updates: Fernando Rodney played catch off of flat ground today, and Joel Zumaya is making some throws off of a mound in preparation for bullpen sessions, which are scheduled to start around the end of the month.

Without those guys, here's the Tigers lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Rodriguez, C
3. Guillen, 1B
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, DH
6. Jones, LF
7. Renteria, SS
8. Inge, 3B
9. Santiago, 2B

For the Rangers:

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, SS
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Milton Bradley, DH
5. Hank Blalock, 3B
6. Frank Catalanotto, LF
7. David Murphy, RF
8. Gerald Laird, C
9. Ben Broussard, 1B

I didn't make the trip to West Michigan, but followed online. He faced a left-handed finesse starter and struck out twice on breaking balls that dropped out of the strike zone -- one of them went into the dirt -- but he got a hold of one ball and hit it just inside 1B and down the RF line for a third-inning RBI triple. His acceleration appears to be fine, because he sped into third base without a throw before scoring on a sacrifice fly.

Again, Granderson didn't have an active day in the field, and he didn't have to make a throwing play. He nearly had a chance at a running catch in left-center, according to the radio broadcast, but left fielder Joe Tucker had a diving attempt at it.

UPDATE: The original plan was expected to bring Granderson back to Toledo for Tuesday night's game, but reports out of Grand Rapids suggest he could stay at West Michigan and play another game or two instead. That could be a way around the Tuesday night-Wednesday morning combination the Mud Hens have coming up, which might not be a good turnaround for someone who's still trying to get his legs into regular-season shape.

It's not his hand that's the big issue anymore, he said, but getting his legs under him. They were sore again today by the late innings of a long game, and he was moving around in the outfield just to keep loose.

Granderson is heading to West Michigan tomorrow for another game with the Whitecaps (the Mud Hens are off Monday), and he said today that he expects to be back in Toledo for Tuesday night. The earliest he'll probably be ready for a call-up is Wednesday. It might work out well for him to be ready Wednesday, since the Hens have a 10:30 a.m. game that day.

I'm not in Toronto, as you can probably tell, but I went to Toledo for Granderson's rehab outing tonight. Facing Homer Bailey was a good way to get his timing going, and he managed a single and a double off of him. He still hasn't had to make a throw to a base on a play, and until that happens, he's worried about the arm strength. It's coming into place, but slowly.

Two more notes from Toledo:

1. Francisco Cruceta is going to join the Mud Hens bullpen on Tuesday for his first real game competition with the Tigers, most likely throwing two innings. The reports were solid from his back-to-back appearances in extended spring training on Thursday and Friday, solid enough to warrant bringing him to Triple-A from the outset.
   
2. Look for Michael Hollimon to join the Hens shortly, too. He's progressing from his separated shoulder down in Lakeland. His arrival in Toledo will give the Tigers some infield depth in case they need it.
   

Curtis Granderson had a little difficulty in his first round of batting practice today, mainly dealing with a pad that had been sewn onto his batting glove to protect his hand, but he looked good at the plate after taking the padded glove off and just going without padding. He was slated to do some running and throwing before the game as a final test, but unless something goes wrong with that, he's expected to be sent out tonight on a rehab assignment beginning Friday.

Since Triple-A Toledo doesn't return home until Saturday, Granderson is likely going to play at Class A West Michigan on Friday before joining the Mud Hens for Saturday and Sunday. If he needs another day on Monday (and it's likely he will, since Jim Leyland would like him to get 20-25 at-bats), he would probably do that at West Michigan, since Toledo is off.

UPDATE @ 7:15pm: It's official. Granderson is headed home tonight, then to West Michigan for tomorrow night's game, then to Toledo on Saturday and Sunday unless something goes wrong.

Not much else going on here in Cleveland, other than another warm day. Placido Polanco and Ivan Rodriguez are both getting the day off for rest (though Polanco's hip seems to be sore again), so here's the lineup the Tigers will throw at Fausto Carmona:

1. Thomas, LF
2. Santiago, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Jones, LF
9. Inge, C

For the Indians:

1. Grady Sizemore, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, 2B
3. Travis Hafner, DH
4. Victor Martinez, C
5. Jhonny Peralta, SS
6. Ryan Garko, 1B
7. Franklin Gutierrez, RF
8. Jason Michaels, LF
9. Casey Blake, 3B

He cleared waivers. That's a bit of a victory for the Tigers, who despite Bazardo's struggles need all the pitching depth they can get. This also allows him to work as a starting pitcher rather than as a reliever.

That's the opinion from Dr. James Andrews after examining Rodney this afternoon. He found no structural damage. In fact, he didn't even feel comfortable doing exploratory surgery. He gave Rodney a cortisone shot and said he should be able to resume throwing in 3-5 days. Of course, now they have to start over again trying to figure out why he can't seem to throw the ball off of a mound without pain.

It's a gorgeous day in Cleveland, though it should cool down quite a bit before game time this evening at the Jak, er, Progressive Field.

Good news for the Tigers on two injury fronts. First, Nate Robertson was feeling much more loose on his left side than he was last night, and he said he should be fine for Sunday's start at Toronto.

Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson had another session of batting practice here this afternoon, and it again went well. If he has another good session Thursday, he'll most likely be sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend. The problem is that they don't know. The only one of the Tigers' affiliates with a convenient schedule for an assignment this weekend and early next week low Class A West Michigan. Triple-A Toledo is home this weekend, but they have an off day on Monday. It's uncertain whether the level of competition is going to matter in making the decision.

There's no set timetable on when he'll be playing in Detroit, but it certain looks like he could be playing at Comerica Park during next week's homestand.

"If he passes the test again, I think he'll be playing for the Tigers very shortly," Jim Leyland said.

On the non-injury return front, Francisco Cruceta is schedule to throw back-to-back outings Thursday and Friday in extended Spring Training. If that goes well, he's expected to be assigned to one of the minor-league affiliates. Once he pitches in a minor-league game, the Tigers have 15 days in which to evaluate him.

The Tigers trot out their traditional lefty-hitting lineup for C.C. Sabathia, including Pudge leading off. Here it is:

1. Rodriguez, C
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Thames, LF
9. Inge, CF

For the Indians:

1. Grady Sizemore, CF
2. David Dellucci, LF
3. Travis Hafner, DH
4. Victor Martinez, C
5. Jhonny Peralta, C
6. Ryan Garko, 1B
7. Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B
8. Franklin Gutierrez, RF
9. Casey Blake, 3B

It's basically muscle tightness in his left side.

Nothing big developing in the lineup, but Curtis Granderson took three rounds of batting practice and felt good. He feels like he could play with the level of pain he has now in his fractured right finger, but that it's a matter of getting his timing and his activity level back to game shape. That's why in addition to hitting, he was running the bases. There's every indication the Tigers will take their time with him, but it's at least encouragement.

Without Granderson, here's the Tigers lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Thames, LF

Craig Monroe is at DH for the Twins:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Jason Kubel, RF
7. Craig Monroe, DH
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Matt Tolbert, SS
   

He was slated to throw another bullpen session today, but apparently things didn't go well. Rodney will travel to Birmingham and see noted specialist Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

Both Polanco and Guillen are back in the lineup, while Brandon Inge gets the day off after playing a game each at center field, third base and catcher over the weekend.

The Tigers lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Jones, LF

The Twins loaded up on left-handed batters, which should be a very good test for Bonderman and his ability to throw the changeup. If he can't spot it, he'll have a very hard time winning:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Denard Span, RF
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Jason Kubel, DH
7. Brendan Harris, 2B
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Adam Everett, SS

Miguel Cabrera was doing some early work this afternoon with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, and he got a talk from manager Jim Leyland, too. The message was to simply be himself and play his game, not try to put everything on his shoulder (as it sounded like he might be doing from his postgame quotes Sunday).

Gary Sheffield is dealing with some shoulder soreness (actually, more than a little shoulder soreness, because he tore some scar tissue yesterday), but he said he's fine to play. Placido Polanco gets a day off to rest some soreness in his sore right hip flexor. Carlos Guillen is out as expected to deal with the hamstring; no idea yet whether he could be back Monday. And, of course, Pudge finally gets a day off this season.

Yes, the Tigers are banged up right now.

"We've got a lot of issues," manager Jim Leyland said. "We have to fight through it. We just haven't been able to get in sync."

Here's the lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Renteria, SS
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Jones, LF
7. Thames, 1B
8. Inge, C
9. Santiago, 2B

And for the White Sox:

1. Nick Swisher, CF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jim Thome, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Carlos Quentin, LF
8. Joe Crede, 3B
9. Juan Uribe, 2B

Polanco said on the eighth-inning pop fly from Jermaine Dye, in which Paul Konerko was about halfway between first and second when he caught the ball, that his first reaction was to turn and throw home as soon as he could rather than look at the baserunners. He felt he was deep enough that a sac fly was a possibility. There was no communication, apparently, that Konerko was too far out.

MRI results showed a hyperextended right knee, same as before, but with him missing at least a start for sure, the Tigers decided to play it cautious. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game. Ryan Raburn will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo to take his place for now. Whenever Willis' spot in the rotation comes up (it's scheduled for Wednesday), they'll recall Armando Galarraga from Toledo.

He's day-to-day at the moment. Miguel Cabrera makes the start at first base, but Jim Leyland was adamant (angrily so) to emphasize that it's just a one-time thing for Cabrera, whose sore quad is a concern in weather like this. Meanwhile, Dontrelle Willis was having an MRI exam on his knee this morning to get a better idea how badly injured it is.

The lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 1B
6. Jones, LF
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Inge, 3B

And for the White Sox:

1. Nick Swisher, CF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jim Thome, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Carlos Quentin, LF
8. Joe Crede, 3B
9. Juan Uribe, 2B

As for the weather, well, it's miserable here, and it'll probably get worse. It's not just the cold and the rain, but the wind is picking up. They can try to wait it out since it's such an early start here.

UPDATE @ 12:45pm ET: They've removed the tarp, so it looks like this game will start on time. This could be a miserable day for baseball, certainly not fun for fans. It's bad enough that Chicago native Curtis Granderson only had to get tickets for four family members today. That might be a low.

He suffered a hyperextended right knee, according to the club. He'll undergo further evaluation.

Say what you will about Ivan Rodriguez, but he shows up to work. After catching all 212 pitches from Tigers pitchers Thursday night, not only is Pudge back in the lineup, but he was in the gym Friday morning doing his usual workouts.

Pudge has his training program, and he works out, home and road. Today, after Jim Leyland mentioned it, Pudge said he was in the gym around 9:30 a.m. The Tigers arrived at their hotel in Chicago just before 3 a.m. local time.

"It's part of my routine," Pudge said Friday. "That's why I play every day."

The 212 pitches were the most by Tigers pitchers in a game since the infamous 26-5 loss to the Royals in 2004.

His first bullpen session of greater intensity went off Friday without a hitch. According to the Tigers medical staff, he threw for eight minutes, about 35-40 pitches (all fastballs and changeups) at 80 percent effort. Assuming he feels well tomorrow, he's scheduled to throw another mound session on Monday.

Jim Leyland was already thinking about giving Gary Sheffield the day off, then his injured finger swelled on the flight from Boston last night. Sheffield says he could've played, but there's no reason to take a chance this early in the season. Thus, Clete Thomas gets the start in left and leads off, while Jacque Jones is the DH.

The lineup:

1. Thomas, LF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Guillen, 1B
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Jones, DH
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Inge, CF

For the White Sox, who will try to score some runs in support of Jose Contreras:

1. Carlos Quentin, LF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jim Thome, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
6. Joe Crede, 3B
7. Brian Anderson, CF
8. Juan Uribe, 2B
9. Toby Hall, C

Only one left-handed bat in the lineup, but A.J. Pierzynski is available off the bench. That's where having an extra lefty reliever could be handy. And as you probably heard by now, the Tigers now have that second lefty after calling up Clay Rapada from Toledo today. Yorman Bazardo was designated for assignment to make room. As a side note, Aaron Fultz -- the other lefty reliever pitching at Triple-A Toledo -- asked for and received his unconditional release following the Rapada move.

On the weather front, it's dry and cool right now, and getting colder. Right now it looks like any showers will be scattered tonight before the weather gets progressively worse Saturday and into Saturday night. (Slushy accumulation? Yikes.)

It at least appears to be a possibility with the Twins rained out today at Chicago. What had been an opening in Minnesota's rotation on Sunday is now pushed back to Tuesday's series finale against the Tigers at Comerica Park. That doesn't make the decision any easier on Liriano, who has struggled in two minor-league starts.

If Liriano does start on Tuesday, it would be at the place where he made one of his final starts in 2006 before being shut down and diagnosed with a torn ligament in his elbow.

The lineup gets shuffled a little bit with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Brandon Inge is up in the leadoff spot thanks to his history of hitting knucklers, including 6-for-22 with two home runs lifetime off of Wakefield. Renteria remains in the seven spot after his key RBIs last night.

1. Inge, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Thames, LF

For the Red Sox:

1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Sean Casey, 1B
9. Kevin Cash, C

All of the relievers are available, though it'll be interesting to see if and how Leyland uses Bobby Seay tonight with the White Sox and Jim Thome looming this weekend. That's the caution he has to consider with only one lefty in the bullpen, but it's a situation he hopes to rectify in the next few weeks with a second southpaw. Considering Toledo now has Clay Rapada, Aaron Fultz and Casey Fossum, they have choices.  Leyland would also like to get back to a seven-man bullpen, so those two moves would mean two right-handers being sent back or dropped.

No, really, we mean it this time. Dave Dombrowski was informed today that U.S. Immigration has approved Francisco Cruceta's visa application, allowing him to finally travel from his native Dominican Republic to the states. Cruceta can pick up the application tomorrow and make his travel plans.

He'll report to Lakeland, where he'll pick up his throwing and prepare himself for games. Once he reports there, the Tigers have 30 days to evaluate him, after which they'll have to decide whether to add him to their 25-man roster or outright him, since he's out of minor-league options.

It's a standard lineup against lefties for the Tigers' first matchup with Jon Lester. The only development was the early hitting work of Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, who stuck around to throw to Carlos Guillen and help infield coach Rafael Belliard work with Guillen's footwork at first base before he gets himself hurt.

The lineup:

1. Rodriguez, C
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Renteria, SS
8. Thames, LF
9. Inge, CF

And for the Red Sox:

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
9. Julio Lugo, SS

Leyland noted before the game that while he has received a good number of calls from managers around the game, none of them had any solution for what the Tigers are going through. On the other hand, Leyland said, he received a call on his cell phone from a fan who suggested that he have Ordonez and Cabrera bunt if someone gets on base in front of them. Save your wisecracks, because that was not what the extra hitting was about.

He did end up taking some swings off the tee, as well as some throws from up to 90 feet with and without his finger taped up. He felt some pain, but hitting off the tee felt better than just swinging.

"All I did today was try to swing the bat and see what it felt like," he said.

It took him a while to get his grip down and use all his fingers to hold it, but by the end it felt pretty good.

Back on duty in chilly Boston after having the weekend off in Detroit.

With Monday off to travel and regroup, manager Jim Leyland sounded pretty up-front about his club, but not panicked. His points of emphasis were to make sure players are hearing what they're saying as far as hitting approach goes.

"It's not that the effort's not there," Leyland said. "We've had the effort. We just haven't had the quality at-bats."

With that in mind, there are no surprises in the lineup today. They had a hitters meeting, but they always have a hitters meeting at the start of a series.

"There's a lot of quality players in that lineup today," Leyland said.

It's basically the same lineup as on opening day:

1. Renteria, SS
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Rodriguez, C
8. Jones, LF
9. Inge, 3B

On the Curtis Granderson front, he was gripping a bat this morning, trying to feel comfortable. He planned on taking some dry swings without a ball or a tee to see how it felt, then go from there in the coming days.

Since they're the more recent of the two teams in baseball history that started out 0-6 and still got to the playoffs, I figured it would be worth a history lesson. Not only did they have the misfortune on a bad start, they faced the added disadvantage of a shortened schedule thanks to the lockout that winter.

In fact, that was part of what was working against them when the season began. Because MLB lost the first three weeks or so to the season, they had to pick up the schedule on the fly. So the Reds played their first two games at home against the Cubs, hit the road for San Diego without an off day, then came back to Cincinnati after a three-game sweep to the Padres.

Three of the six opening losses were one-run games. One was an extra-inning loss to the Cubs, another a comeback loss to the Padres, then a getaway day loss in San Diego which the Reds scored three with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie it (including a Barry Larkin home run), then lost it without giving up a hit in the bottom of the ninth.

After a shutout back at home to Curt Schilling and the Phillies, it looked like a low point. Then after the Reds finally won a game, they lost two more, including a five-hit shutout to Bobby Jones, John Franco and the Mets. When they scored runs, they couldn't hold opponents, and when the pitching was decent, they couldn't score. The only thing going right for them was Larkin, who was hitting lights-out and still had trouble scoring runs early.

Two weeks after that blanking by the Mets dropped the Reds to 1-8 and five games out of the NL Central lead, they were back at .500, having run off six straight and 10 of 12. And they kept on winning, largely with great pitching. They won 10 of their next 11 through the end of May, on top of the Central five days later, and they were 29-14 on June 12 after a four-game series sweep at Houston. They got 18 games over .500 by the All-Star break and topped out at 31 games over .500 by the end of August, at which point they topped the Central by 14 1/2 games.

Larkin, you might remember, won NL MVP honors that year in somewhat of a surprise over Colorado's Dante Bichette and his 40-homer season. Statistically, Larkin wasn't lofty that year, but was all-around excellent. The real standout? Pete Schourek somehow won 18 games, the only time he ever finished with double-digit victories.

I'm not saying it'll happen again. I'm just trying to give an idea how the Reds pulled it off. They finished with an 85-59 record and a nine-game lead on the rest of the pack in the division. Considering their 1-8 start, that means they went 84-51 from that point on. That's the record the 2006 Tigers held on Sept. 1 before they limped down the stretch.

Six teams since 1900 have started a season 0-4 or worse and gone on to make the postseason. All of them were in the divisional play era:

1. 1999 Diamondbacks -- NL West champs
2. 1995 Reds -- NL Central champs
3. 1985 Cardinals -- NL Champs
4. 1981 Astros -- NL Wild Card
5. 1977 Phillies -- NL East champs
6. 1974 Pirates -- NL East champs
7. 1969 Twins -- AL West champs

Stretch that out to 0-5, and only the '95 Reds and '74 Pirates pulled that off.

A little behind schedule on the posting today while trying to get the Sheffield injury info out. But here are the lineups if you need them. For Detroit:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Guillen, 1B
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, DH
6. Renteria, SS
7. Rodriguez, C
8. J. Jones, LF
9. Inge, 3B

And for the White Sox:

1. Nick Swisher, CF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jim Thome, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Carlos Quentin, LF
8. Joe Crede, 3B
9. Juan Uribe, 2B

Miguel Cabrera said after the game that he's hoping he can play tomorrow. He confirmed it's the same left quad soreness that was bothering him in spring training. He was, however, available as a pinch-hitter.

Meanwhile, that attempt by Gary Sheffield to take second base on the ball that fell on caused more damage than the out. He injured his left ring finger sliding into the bag. He said he tore a tendon in there, and he couldn't use it to grab a bat later in the game, so he wouldn't have been available. The finger was in a splint after the game to try to contain the swelling, but he's going to try to see how it feels tomorrow and hopefully play.

The only other injury is to the pride.

"We looked like a dead club," Jim Leyland said after the game. "We looked like an old club. And we looked like we're not prepared. ... It's the manager's responsibility to have the club prepared, and we don't look like it."

Leyland did not plan on talking to the club right now.

He has left quad soreness and is listed as day-to-day.

The new Tigers lineup:

1. Thomas, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Guillen, 1B
6. Rodriguez, C
7. Renteria, SS
8. Thames, LF
9. Inge, 3B
   

He's starting in LF in place of Jacque Jones. Leyland emphasized this morning that it had nothing to do with Jones' performance, that he wanted to get Thames a start before the Tigers faced their first left-handed starter this season, which will be White Sox ace Mark Buehrle on Sunday night.

Here's the full Tigers lineup:

1. Renteria, SS
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Rodriguez, C
8. Thames, LF
9. Inge, CF

And for the first-place Kansas City Royals:

1. Joey Gathright, CF
2. Mark Grudzielanek, 2B
3. Alex Gordon, 3B
4. Jose Guillen, RF
5. Billy Butler, DH
6. Mark Teahen, LF
7. Ross Gload, 1B
8. John Buck, C
9. T.J. Pena, SS

It was a good night for Jair Jurrjens and the Braves on Wednesday, who picked up their first win of the season.

In some ways, Jurrjens picked up where he left off last year, going after hitters and showing a poise beyond his age. From the articles:

"He's 22-years-old, and when he's on the mound, you'd think he was a 10-year veteran," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. "He was phenomenal tonight."

Apparently, there was even a cheering section for Jurrjens at Turner Field. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there was a group of fans in surgical scrubs who dubbed themselves Jurrjens' Surgeons.

Jose Canseco, who wrote in his latest book that he injected Magglio Ordonez with steroids, said in a radio interview on the Frank Beckmann show today that he included Ordonez in his book to get back at Ordonez for accusing Canseco of extortion.

"He was a very, very, very late addition to my book," Canseco said, "because of what he did with that article [in the New York Times]. He would've never been in my book if he would've just not done anything at all, or not written or had this article somehow placed in the newspaper about me. That was ridiculous."

When Beckmann asked Canseco why he wasn't originally going to include Ordonez, Canseco said, "Because I didn't need any more players to justify my position. But he basically slit his own throat."

When Beckmann suggested he vindictively included Ordonez in his book, Canseco said, "Just as he vindictively said to the media, or indirectly said to the media, or somehow fixed this to say I was trying to extort money from him. Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous."

Canseco tried to explain the extortion issue earlier in the interview.

"I tried to contact Magglio and his agent and a few other people for an opportunity for an investment. I called them constantly. No one ever returned my phone call. The next thing I hear in the paper is that I'm trying to extort money from Magglio Ordonez. ...

"I truly believe that Magglio is covering his butt. And then it says in the paper that Magglio automatically went to his organization and Major League Baseball and told them I was trying to get a hold of them. Listen, if I was trying to extort money from Magglio, it's very simple. All Magglio would have to do is call the FBI, call Major League Baseball, and record a phone conversation.

"Common sense, let's use it now and then, people. It never happened."

It was a strange recollection, considering he has said before that he hadn't tried to contact Ordonez. The only time he had tried to reach Ordonez, he wrote in the book, was after his first book came out and he was looking for support from someone.

All in all, it was a very strange interview, and it ended abruptly when Beckmann tried to put together a timeline. Canseco and Ordonez were teammates in 2001. Beckmann pointed out that it was the third of four straight 30-homer seasons for Ordonez, and wondered aloud why there wasn't a statistical performance increase.

Canseco's response: "Are you calling me a liar? Are you calling me a liar? Later."

I flipped through Canseco's book over the weekend, and the reference to Ordonez was relatively short, a few pages in the last or next-to-last chapter. Canseco recounted the conversation he says they had when Ordonez asked him about steroids and then when he injected Ordonez.

It's a bright, sunny day in downtown Detroit, albeit still chilly. The ice that was brushed off of the tarp Wednesday morning has melted, but not by much.

Here's the Tigers lineup, same as Monday:

1. Renteria, SS
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Rodriguez, C
8. Jones, LF
9. Inge, CF

David DeJesus is still dealing with a sprained ankle, so that means a change atop the Royals order. Other than that, Kansas City's lineup is the same:

1. Gathright, CF
2. Grudzielanek, 2B
3. Gordon, 3B
4. Guillen, RF
5. Butler, DH
6. Teahen, LF
7. Gload, 1B
8. Buck, C
9. Pena, SS

After looking back on the opener -- and he had plenty of time to do that, since he drove home to Pittsburgh after the game and back on the off day -- Leyland suggested the bullpen wasn't as big of a factor as the offense. "We can't go too often four or five innings without scoring. With our kind of offense, we need to score if we're going to win those games." It'll be interesting to see how this lineup fares against Bannister. He had one good start, another very good start and a mediocre outing in three appearances against the Tigers last season.

Admit it, you knew the Tigers had joined baseball's big spenders, but you didn't realize they were THIS far up:

For the first time, the Tigers, who obtained Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera in a trade with Florida this offseason, are second in baseball at a total payroll of $138.7 million, $5.3 million higher than the defending World Series champion Red Sox ($133.4 million). The Mets were third overall and tops in the National League at $138.3 million.

Now, to be fair, the Red Sox payroll doesn't include all the money spent in the bidding war for Dice-K two winters ago. But consider this: Boston spent to keep Mike Lowell and Curt Schilling (albeit at a decent rate on Schilling), and they still got passed by the Tigers.

I'm interested to hear about Tigers fans look at this. Detroit has always been the team that tried to beat up on the high-payroll clubs. Detroit fans would taunt New York fans in 2006. Now they're one of those big-spending clubs that other teams' fans love to hate. If you're a Detroit fan, is this an awkward place to be in while you root on your team?