Tigersground.com | Detroit Tigers News, tigers Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div> --LHP Dontrelle Willis, diagnosed in spring training with what the club called an anxiety disorder, comes off the disabled list Wednesday to make his first start of the season for Detroit, in Minnesota. "I'm not trying to be a doctor. I'm a baseball player," he said. "Even on the disabled list, I felt fine. I'm not a depressed guy. Maybe I'm hard on myself, but I wouldn't have gotten here if I wasn't." </div>--RHP Rick Porcello came out after five innings of one-run ball Sunday because he'd thrown 95 pitches. "We could have lasted longer," manager Jim Leyland said, "but he wasn't going to. He pitched fine, but he's a young guy, and I'm going to take care of him. That's the promise I made myself in spring training. It's what we all agreed upon. He deserved to be on the team, but he's someone we watched very closely last year. He didn't throw a lot of pitches, and that explains why I took him out. Could he have gone more than 100? Sure, but suddenly you're asking something of him I don't want to ask right now. I'm not going to do it. He's very young, not real experienced, and he's very good," Leyland said. "It will take him time, just like we knew it would. We're not going to get away from the plan, no matter what anybody thinks." --3B Brandon Inge has a modest three-game hitting streak after going three straight games without one last week. Inge reached base in the first 24 games, the most since 1976 for the Tigers, but went 0-for-11 after that streak ended. He hit in each of the Tigers' games in Cleveland during the weekend, however, going 3-for-10. --RHP Edwin Jackson seems in the process of lowering his walk ratio for the third straight year, one of the key reasons manager Jim Leyland cites for his success. Jackson walked just one batter Saturday night in his seven innings in a 4-0 win at Cleveland. He is walking just 2.7 batters per nine innings so far this season after a 3.8 ratio last season. His walks-per-nine-innings mark was 6.2 in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2006, but 4.9 the following season. "The control is about getting more of a feel, more of a rhythm," Jackson said. "It's repetition, and you get better the more you throw. It's no big secret, just getting a feel for throwing strikes." Jackson is 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA. --RHP Fernando Rodney worked consecutive non-save ninth innings on Saturday night and Sunday. His first game wasn't clean but it was scoreless. The second was a little messy because Rodney couldn't put hitters away with two strikes, giving up two runs on an RBI double and a wild pitch in a 5-3 win. "I thought it was perfectly fine to bring him back because we're off (Monday)," manager Jim Leyland said. "If we weren't, it might have been different. Rodney was tremendous, other than the fact that when he got a chance to go for the kill, he tried to run right through them instead of continuing to pitch. He threw a couple of pitches as hard as he could, and that's not good, because he's pitching all year." MEDICAL WATCH: LHP Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder) went on the 15-day disabled list March 29. The disorder was diagnosed through blood tests. He made a rehab start for Class A Lakeland on April 21, and he started for Class AA Erie on April 26. He pitched for Class AAA Toledo on May 1 and May 6, and he will be activated to start for Detroit on May 13. LF/DH Carlos Guillen (left shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list May 5. C Matt Treanor (torn labrum in right hip) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 24. He had surgery April 30, and is likely out for the season. DH/OF Marcus Thames (left ribcage muscle strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. He won't begin any physical activity for two to four weeks, and he will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Tigers. RHP Jeremy Bonderman (right rib removal, blood clot surgery in June 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 30. He might begin a rehab assignment in mid-May. ROTATION: RHP Justin Verlander RHP Edwin Jackson RHP Armando Galarraga RHP Rick Porcello BULLPEN: RHP Fernando Rodney (closer) RHP Joel Zumaya RHP Brandon Lyon LHP Bobby Seay RHP Juan Rincon LHP Nate Robertson RHP Ryan Perry RHP Zach Miner CATCHERS: Gerald Laird Dane Sardinha INFIELDERS: 1B Miguel Cabrera 2B Placido Polanco SS Adam Everett 3B Brandon Inge INF Jeff Larish INF Ramon Santiago OUTFIELDERS: LF Josh Anderson CF Curtis Granderson RF Magglio Ordonez DH Clete Thomas OF Ryan Raburn

--LHP Dontrelle Willis, diagnosed in spring training with what the club called an anxiety disorder, comes off the disabled list Wednesday to make his first start of the season for Detroit, in Minnesota. "I'm not trying to be a doctor. I'm a baseball player," he said. "Even on the disabled list, I felt fine. I'm not a depressed guy. Maybe I'm hard on myself, but I wouldn't have gotten here if I wasn't."

--RHP Rick Porcello came out after five innings of one-run ball Sunday because he'd thrown 95 pitches. "We could have lasted longer," manager Jim Leyland said, "but he wasn't going to. He pitched fine, but he's a young guy, and I'm going to take care of him. That's the promise I made myself in spring training. It's what we all agreed upon. He deserved to be on the team, but he's someone we watched very closely last year. He didn't throw a lot of pitches, and that explains why I took him out. Could he have gone more than 100? Sure, but suddenly you're asking something of him I don't want to ask right now. I'm not going to do it. He's very young, not real experienced, and he's very good," Leyland said. "It will take him time, just like we knew it would. We're not going to get away from the plan, no matter what anybody thinks."

--3B Brandon Inge has a modest three-game hitting streak after going three straight games without one last week. Inge reached base in the first 24 games, the most since 1976 for the Tigers, but went 0-for-11 after that streak ended. He hit in each of the Tigers' games in Cleveland during the weekend, however, going 3-for-10.

--RHP Edwin Jackson seems in the process of lowering his walk ratio for the third straight year, one of the key reasons manager Jim Leyland cites for his success. Jackson walked just one batter Saturday night in his seven innings in a 4-0 win at Cleveland. He is walking just 2.7 batters per nine innings so far this season after a 3.8 ratio last season. His walks-per-nine-innings mark was 6.2 in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2006, but 4.9 the following season. "The control is about getting more of a feel, more of a rhythm," Jackson said. "It's repetition, and you get better the more you throw. It's no big secret, just getting a feel for throwing strikes." Jackson is 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA.

--RHP Fernando Rodney worked consecutive non-save ninth innings on Saturday night and Sunday. His first game wasn't clean but it was scoreless. The second was a little messy because Rodney couldn't put hitters away with two strikes, giving up two runs on an RBI double and a wild pitch in a 5-3 win. "I thought it was perfectly fine to bring him back because we're off (Monday)," manager Jim Leyland said. "If we weren't, it might have been different. Rodney was tremendous, other than the fact that when he got a chance to go for the kill, he tried to run right through them instead of continuing to pitch. He threw a couple of pitches as hard as he could, and that's not good, because he's pitching all year."

MEDICAL WATCH:

LHP Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder) went on the 15-day disabled list March 29. The disorder was diagnosed through blood tests. He made a rehab start for Class A Lakeland on April 21, and he started for Class AA Erie on April 26. He pitched for Class AAA Toledo on May 1 and May 6, and he will be activated to start for Detroit on May 13.

LF/DH Carlos Guillen (left shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list May 5.

C Matt Treanor (torn labrum in right hip) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 24. He had surgery April 30, and is likely out for the season.

DH/OF Marcus Thames (left ribcage muscle strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. He won't begin any physical activity for two to four weeks, and he will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Tigers.

RHP Jeremy Bonderman (right rib removal, blood clot surgery in June 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 30. He might begin a rehab assignment in mid-May.

ROTATION:

RHP Justin Verlander

RHP Edwin Jackson

RHP Armando Galarraga

RHP Rick Porcello

BULLPEN:

RHP Fernando Rodney (closer)

RHP Joel Zumaya

RHP Brandon Lyon

LHP Bobby Seay

RHP Juan Rincon

LHP Nate Robertson

RHP Ryan Perry

RHP Zach Miner

CATCHERS:

Gerald Laird

Dane Sardinha

INFIELDERS:

1B Miguel Cabrera

2B Placido Polanco

SS Adam Everett

3B Brandon Inge

INF Jeff Larish

INF Ramon Santiago

OUTFIELDERS:

LF Josh Anderson

CF Curtis Granderson

RF Magglio Ordonez

DH Clete Thomas

OF Ryan Raburn