| Curtis A. Clark. 8th April, 2006 - 8:02 pm
 The Detroit Tigers can’t stay in the park to start the 2006 season. They have hit a MLB record 15 home runs to start the 2006 campaign, doing so in a great combined effort. 8 Tigers have already gone yard and that doesn’t even include frequenter Dmitri Young who should be scheduled for lift off any day now (Young had 3 homers in last seasons opening game).
Youngsters Chris Shelton (4 HR), Curtis Granderson (1 HR), and Marcus Thames (2 HR) have shown a lot of pop and Vets like Magglio Ordonez (2 HR) and Ivan Rodriquez (1HR, 5 RBI) look reborn. New skipper Jim Leyland and hitting coach Don Slaught should be commended for the Tigers early plate production. Their only complaint can come from the fact that most of the long balls have been solo shots, the Tigers haven’t worked the bases much this season.
The Tigers came into 06 looking like a team that could put up numbers on offense, though they haven’t exactly faced the juggernauts of the pitching world. Facing the Royals 1 and 2 pitchers, who no one can even name, and the Texans in a park that is used to the long ball is a good way to start the season from the plate. When the Tigers return to the confines of “triple city” Comerica Park the power surge should cool down and the Tigers may have to work the bases for some runs.
Another good sign to start the season has to be the efforts of 1 and 2 pitchers Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman looked overpowering in his 8 K win over KC and Rogers looked as cagey and crafty as ever at inducing ground balls. With hitting the only known quantity coming into the season the Tigers have to be happy with their aces pitching. They still have young flamethrower Jason Verlander to hit the mound as the Tigers 5th starter on Saturday, so even more pleasant surprises could be ahead.
The bullpen is yet to be truly tested, with the lone save being picked up by Fernando Rodney. Closer Todd Jones will be inactive for a few weeks with a groin pull so this early action for Rodney will help him as the future set up man this season. Also Joel Zumaya, the Tigers other prized young flamethrower, has seen some early action striking out 3 in 2 innings of work. The Tigers Pen looks to be more solid than in years past.
A 3-0 start to the season against two struggling teams isn’t anything to write home about, but it is still as good as the Tigers could have hoped for. If their bats stay popping and they can get solid innings out of their starters the Tigers may be able to make some noise in the Central, maybe even the wild card race, something Tigers fan have been waiting on for some time.
Curtis A. Clark
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