Inside spring training camp:
Zumaya mixes it up: Joel Zumaya threw a half-dozen breaking balls and a changeup during his 1-2-3 inning against Florida Southern in the Detroit Tigers' 7-1 exhibition game win. "I'm keeping them off-balance that way," said Zumaya, who pretty much tried to live on his fastball last year. "It's all about keeping them honest instead of cheating on me. And they were cheating, sitting on my fastball." New pitching coach Rick Knapp stresses that approach. "Knapper's goal is to get my breaking ball good enough to set up my fastball," Zumaya said. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "He threw more good breaking balls today than he had the whole year (in 2008). It he's healthy, he's going to be good. It's that simple. His arm slot is very good. He looks like a million bucks." Signings: Pitchers Armando Galarraga and Zach Miner, infielders Jeff Larish and Mike Hessman, and outfielder Clete Thomas have signed, putting the entire 40-man roster under contract. The only players in that group assured a 25-man roster spot are Miner, who will make $437,000 in 2009, and Galarraga, who will earn $435,000.
Kaline in lineup: Colin Kaline, grandson of Tigers Hall of Famer AL Kaline, started at third base for Florida Southern. He had a walk in his first at-bat and a called third strike in his other at-bat. The sophomore second baseman, whom the Tigers drafted in the 25th round out of Birmingham Groves High in 2007, is hitting .255 with a .433 on-base percentage with help from 16 walks.
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