145 14 The Olde English Ds's Blog Thread Ghost of Chet Lemon Re: Upcoming Schedule and Starting Pitching [Reply to #14] 2/24/06, 4:07pm Ahh, the Tigers pitching staff. Oh Dave Rozema, where have you gone! 1. The Gambler - Not sure if that should be Rogers nickname or Dombrowski's. But I digress. Check out this stat line W L BB K ERA 21 7 66 129 3.27 Sounds like a pretty good season, huh? That belonged to a Mr. Jamie Moyer, an aging but dependable crafty lefty, in 2003 when he was (drum roll please) 41. Will he come close to these stats? Anything close would be worth the relatively minimal investment. My guess is closer to OE's, but I wouldn't bat an eye at an 18 win season with an ERA around 3.50. 2. Bondageman - I thought last year was the breakout season, but coach Cluck said we'd have to wait until 2006 to see the full package. The only thing that concerns me is the high support (5.67 runs per game) the Tigers gave him last year that made his season look slightly better than it was. I think that Bonderman will benefit most from having Rogers around, and not having to be the "ace," which he'll become anyway. Now if Rogers could just teach him how to deal with the media. 3. Kingman - My prediction is that Maroth will be traded by the deadline. He's a great pitcher and all, but the three lefties, especially with two in the "crafty" mold, is a glaring problem. None-the-less, untill he's gone, you can pencil Mr. Average in for 8 wins (and 8 losses), and an ERA around 4.5. 4. Robertson - 4.90, 4.49. If run support helped Bonderman, it killed Robertson. Despite averaging nearly half a run less a game, Robertson went from 12-10 to 7-16. It wouldn't surprise me if he wins 16 games this year with an ERA around 4. He will benefit from Rogers not from his leadership, but from his completely different stlye of left handed pitching. They will compliment each other beautifully. 5. Yellow Number 5 - Verlander, Zumaya, Colon, Ledezma, Grilli (yes, he was good in AAA last year). I will be the first to say this shoud not be Verlander's spot. Yes, he will be good. No, he is not the only missing piece for the Tigers to make the playoffs. Does anyone remeber how frustrating it was when the Twins wouldn't put Santana in the rotation? I would welcome that frustration right now, just to be sure that the Ace that will be Verlander is not rushed. Never the less, if Verlander is given a chance to win this spot, it will be his. I project him to win 10 games, and to slump badly come mid season. [Ghost of Chet Lemon from Milan/MI] Replies: