Dontrelle Willis is sticking his foot into a door opened by the other competitors for two open spots in the rotation.

The Tigers have gotten just one victory out of Willis since signing him to a three-year deal after acquiring him from Florida three winters back—before he'd thrown even one pitch for them.

Willis has been stashed on the disabled list for the bulk of two seasons because of an anxiety disorder he denies he feels. An inability to throw strikes on a consistent basis has been the manifestation of his problem.

He's looked sharp at times the last two springs, only to deteriorate once the games began to count. Sure enough, in his first four innings this spring he did not allow a run, allowing only one hit and three walks.

"He's made huge...

Johnny Damon didn't get to play Wednesday, but Curtis Granderson made the play of the day in the first meeting between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers since their winter exchange of outfielders and pitchers. Granderson's catch against the center-field wall robbed Miguel Cabrera of at least an RBI double in the fourth inning, keeping the Yankees in the game before Greg Golson hit a...

Stephen Strasburg battled some nerves and location issues during his spring training debut. Other than those minor hiccups, the top prospect was pretty impressive. Strasburg threw two scoreless innings in the Washington Nationals' 9-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, responding well to the hoopla surrounding his first exhibition start.

Jeremy Bonderman struggled with his control again, and this time it hurt him. Bonderman failed to make it out of the first inning in his second spring start, yielding Randy Ruiz's grand slam in the Detroit Tigers' 8-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. "Rough day, to say the least," Bonderman said.

LAKELAND, Fla. - J.P. Arencibia hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in an exhibition game showcasing the young talent of both teams.

J.P. Arencibia hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in an exhibition game showcasing the young talent of both teams. Arencibia, Toronto's first-round draft choice in 2007, homered off Zach Miner. "He just missed his first one, too," said Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, referring to Arencibia's...

Just being back on the mound was not enough for Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman worked two scoreless innings Wednesday in the Detroit Tigers' 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays after missing most of the last two seasons because of a blood clot in his right shoulder that required surgery. "I was just all over the place.