Tigersground.com | Detroit Tigers News, tigers Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div> --RHP Brandon Lyon has been compared to the Detroit closer he is hoping to succeed this spring, RHP Todd Jones, in that he makes batters hit the ball. Lyon has walked only four batters in the 51 major league games he has saved over his career. "Going out there and beating yourself is not the way to go about it," Lyon said. "Make the other team beat you." Allowing hits but few walks was a trait of Jones as he wound up his baseball career with the Tigers. Lyon said he learned from Jones when both were with Boston in 2003. Lyon also said he turned down a multi-year contract to sign a one-year deal with Detroit because, "I don't see a better team on paper in the major leagues. I want to win. I want to be on a winning team. That was the bottom line about where I was going to go. The situation just suited me better. I heard from other players that it's great to play in Detroit and that weighed in my decision." </div>--RHP Joel Zumaya expects to return to throwing off a mound the first week of February. He's been throwing long distances with no discomfort in his right shoulder. A stress fracture ended his 2008 season prematurely. "If I'm feeling some tightness or any slight discomfort, I can go in there, they'll scope it, and I'll be just fine," Zumaya said. "I could have gotten it fixed. But the way I'm feeling, I don't need surgery. I'm feeling fine. I'm ready to go." He wants to be included in the competition between RHPs Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney for the role as Detroit's closer. "I have a lot of respect for Brandon Lyon," Zumaya said. "He'll be a major help for our bullpen. But I'm still going to go out there and fight for that closer spot. I know I haven't been the healthiest the last couple of years. But I'm only 24 years old. I haven't lost anything. I haven't lost any velocity. I want all the fans to know that." --LF Carlos Guillen will be a solid addition to the Detroit outfield, coach Andy Van Slyke said. Guillen should be "the best we've had since I've been here," said Van Slyke, who is in his fourth season as the Tigers' outfield coach. "I'm a pretty harsh critic, so I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't believe it, but with his athleticism, I think Carlos will be an above average left fielder for us." Guillen was signed by Houston as an outfielder but quickly switch to the middle infield. He had limited work in the outfield last year and was being switched to left when he got hurt, which led to his returning to the infield and then his season ending because of back problems. Van Slyke said Guillen should be above-average defensively "compared to other major-league left fielders." --RHP Ryan Perry, the Tigers' top draft choice last summer, is a reliever Detroit feels could move quickly to the majors. "When you see Ryan Perry and you see him for the first time in Spring Training, you are going to say, 'Wow,'" said general manager Dave Dombrowski. "I guarantee you that. I have seen him throw 100 mph myself. This guy is very close to the arm strength of a Joel Zumaya. He is right there." RHP Joel Zumaya and RHP Justin Verlander both made the Detroit roster from the minors in 2006 off impressive spring showings. There was a need for pitching at that time and there's a need now. Perry, who didn't start pitching seriously until college, does not have the experience Zumaya did. "He is continuing to develop," Dombrowski said of Perry. "He hasn't pitched that long. He is the type of guy that could come extremely fast. I have no doubt about that. And when you have that type of ability, your mind is always open." --RHP Scott Williamson is on a minor league contract but Detroit feels he has a chance to make a bullpen in need of help -- if he's healthy. Williamson has not pitched in the majors since 2007, when he was with Baltimore, because of lingering problems following elbow reconstruction. He pitched only a double-handful of games at the Triple-A level for two organizations last season. "We sent Bruce Tanner (Tigers scout) to see him and he said, for the first time, he's healthy," general manger Dave Dombrowski said of Williamson, who came up as a high-90s thrower. He was the National League's top rookie pitcher in 1999 and had his best season in 2002, when he was 3-4 in 63 games with a 2.92 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings. --OF Timo Perez returned for a third season in the Detroit organization Jan. 26 by signing a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Perez, 33, spent last season at Triple-A Toledo but batted .389 during a brief stint with Detroit in 2007. He could earn $12,000 per month in the minors or $525,000 if he spends all of 2009 in the majors. Perez was with Toledo in 2008, when he hit .302 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 112 games. Perez hit .391 this winter for Licey in the Dominican Winter League. --OF Bronson Sardinha, whose brother Dane is a catcher in the Detroit system, has signed a minor league contract with the Tigers. Bronson, who signed without an invitation to major league spring training, is a 25-year-old outfielder who went 3-for-9 with the New York Yankees in 2007 for his only big league experience. Dane Sardinha returned for a third year to the Tigers' system after electing free agency when he was bumped off the major league roster last fall. He played 17 games for Detroit as a backup catcher last season but did not hit well. Bronson spent most of last year at Double-A Akron in the Cleveland organization, hitting .271 with six home runs and 46 RBIs. BY THE NUMBERS: 20 -- Letters in Bronson Sardinha's middle name, most in major league history and one more letter than in his brother Dane's middle name. The Sardinha brothers were born in Hawaii. Bronson was recently signed to a minor league contract by Detroit and his middle name is Kiheimahanaomauiakeo. Dane re-signed a minor league deal with the Tigers and his middle name is Kalahanauokekainalu. Both brothers have limited Major League experience. QUOTE TO NOTE: "Going out there and beating yourself is not the way to go about it. Make the other team beat you." -- RHP Brandon Lyon, recently signed by the Tigers to compete for the job as closer, on why he doesn't walk many batters.

--RHP Brandon Lyon has been compared to the Detroit closer he is hoping to succeed this spring, RHP Todd Jones, in that he makes batters hit the ball. Lyon has walked only four batters in the 51 major league games he has saved over his career. "Going out there and beating yourself is not the way to go about it," Lyon said. "Make the other team beat you." Allowing hits but few walks was a trait of Jones as he wound up his baseball career with the Tigers. Lyon said he learned from Jones when both were with Boston in 2003. Lyon also said he turned down a multi-year contract to sign a one-year deal with Detroit because, "I don't see a better team on paper in the major leagues. I want to win. I want to be on a winning team. That was the bottom line about where I was going to go. The situation just suited me better. I heard from other players that it's great to play in Detroit and that weighed in my decision."

--RHP Joel Zumaya expects to return to throwing off a mound the first week of February. He's been throwing long distances with no discomfort in his right shoulder. A stress fracture ended his 2008 season prematurely. "If I'm feeling some tightness or any slight discomfort, I can go in there, they'll scope it, and I'll be just fine," Zumaya said. "I could have gotten it fixed. But the way I'm feeling, I don't need surgery. I'm feeling fine. I'm ready to go." He wants to be included in the competition between RHPs Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney for the role as Detroit's closer. "I have a lot of respect for Brandon Lyon," Zumaya said. "He'll be a major help for our bullpen. But I'm still going to go out there and fight for that closer spot. I know I haven't been the healthiest the last couple of years. But I'm only 24 years old. I haven't lost anything. I haven't lost any velocity. I want all the fans to know that."

--LF Carlos Guillen will be a solid addition to the Detroit outfield, coach Andy Van Slyke said. Guillen should be "the best we've had since I've been here," said Van Slyke, who is in his fourth season as the Tigers' outfield coach. "I'm a pretty harsh critic, so I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't believe it, but with his athleticism, I think Carlos will be an above average left fielder for us." Guillen was signed by Houston as an outfielder but quickly switch to the middle infield. He had limited work in the outfield last year and was being switched to left when he got hurt, which led to his returning to the infield and then his season ending because of back problems. Van Slyke said Guillen should be above-average defensively "compared to other major-league left fielders."

--RHP Ryan Perry, the Tigers' top draft choice last summer, is a reliever Detroit feels could move quickly to the majors. "When you see Ryan Perry and you see him for the first time in Spring Training, you are going to say, 'Wow,'" said general manager Dave Dombrowski. "I guarantee you that. I have seen him throw 100 mph myself. This guy is very close to the arm strength of a Joel Zumaya. He is right there." RHP Joel Zumaya and RHP Justin Verlander both made the Detroit roster from the minors in 2006 off impressive spring showings. There was a need for pitching at that time and there's a need now. Perry, who didn't start pitching seriously until college, does not have the experience Zumaya did. "He is continuing to develop," Dombrowski said of Perry. "He hasn't pitched that long. He is the type of guy that could come extremely fast. I have no doubt about that. And when you have that type of ability, your mind is always open."

--RHP Scott Williamson is on a minor league contract but Detroit feels he has a chance to make a bullpen in need of help -- if he's healthy. Williamson has not pitched in the majors since 2007, when he was with Baltimore, because of lingering problems following elbow reconstruction. He pitched only a double-handful of games at the Triple-A level for two organizations last season. "We sent Bruce Tanner (Tigers scout) to see him and he said, for the first time, he's healthy," general manger Dave Dombrowski said of Williamson, who came up as a high-90s thrower. He was the National League's top rookie pitcher in 1999 and had his best season in 2002, when he was 3-4 in 63 games with a 2.92 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings.

--OF Timo Perez returned for a third season in the Detroit organization Jan. 26 by signing a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Perez, 33, spent last season at Triple-A Toledo but batted .389 during a brief stint with Detroit in 2007. He could earn $12,000 per month in the minors or $525,000 if he spends all of 2009 in the majors. Perez was with Toledo in 2008, when he hit .302 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 112 games. Perez hit .391 this winter for Licey in the Dominican Winter League.

--OF Bronson Sardinha, whose brother Dane is a catcher in the Detroit system, has signed a minor league contract with the Tigers. Bronson, who signed without an invitation to major league spring training, is a 25-year-old outfielder who went 3-for-9 with the New York Yankees in 2007 for his only big league experience. Dane Sardinha returned for a third year to the Tigers' system after electing free agency when he was bumped off the major league roster last fall. He played 17 games for Detroit as a backup catcher last season but did not hit well. Bronson spent most of last year at Double-A Akron in the Cleveland organization, hitting .271 with six home runs and 46 RBIs.

BY THE NUMBERS: 20 -- Letters in Bronson Sardinha's middle name, most in major league history and one more letter than in his brother Dane's middle name. The Sardinha brothers were born in Hawaii. Bronson was recently signed to a minor league contract by Detroit and his middle name is Kiheimahanaomauiakeo. Dane re-signed a minor league deal with the Tigers and his middle name is Kalahanauokekainalu. Both brothers have limited Major League experience.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Going out there and beating yourself is not the way to go about it. Make the other team beat you." -- RHP Brandon Lyon, recently signed by the Tigers to compete for the job as closer, on why he doesn't walk many batters.