"They have great looks in their eyes now," said new Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp, who has been with them for most Monday and Friday throwing sessions. "Dontrelle is in very good condition. Jeremy is, too."

Bonderman's 2008 season was finished June 6, the day a blood clot was discovered. The vein carrying blood from his right arm to his heart was plugging. A thrombolysis was required to break up the clot, followed by an angioplasty. Later that month, his first rib was removed to remedy the clot causing vein pinching, and a vein was replaced.

"I wondered if I had pitched my last game in the big leagues and I was scared," said Bonderman, pausing to wipe his brow. "I got a piece of the rib. They wanted me to take it. But after I saw it, I threw it away."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Bonderman has regained velocity lost from his fastball. Bonderman had 347 strikeouts in 388 1/3 innings in 2006 and 2007, but fanned 44 in 71 1/3 innings last season.

"I do not want to use this as an excuse," Bonderman said. "But my arm felt like a piece of wood, and now I have the whipping action back. I'm better -- the way I used to be. I feel the seams on the ball again. The feel went away slowly for so long."

Willis is in search of what he had once, reaching for the control and stuff that made him a 22-game winner for the Florida Marlins in 2005. He was 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA in eight games for the Tigers, spending most of last season in the minors with a simple mission: throw strikes.

"The workouts and throwing have been very good," Willis said Friday, after a bullpen session. "My knee (injured in April) feels good again, and everything feels strong."

He has enjoyed working with Knapp, the minor-league pitching coordinator of the Minnesota Twins.

Bonderman and Willis said they have gained strength from one another.

"I want to make sure I'm ready, like all of these guys," Bonderman said. "We were all disappointed in the year we had or didn't have. We have an owner (Mike Ilitch) who put all that money into us. And the fans were so disappointed.

"We have to put together a good year, for ourselves and everybody."