THE PREZIDENTIAL ADDRESS
From the desk of the Prez…

Verlander injured?; Granderson close; Sheets injured… again; Oswalt bounces back; Hudson hanging tough; Patterson pathetic; and more…

JUDGING JUSTIN
It's still early, but Justin Verlander has yet to exit spring training. The Tigers No. 1 starter has an ERA of 7.03 and hasn't shown an inch of progression during his first four regular season appearances. In fact he's digressed in his three most recent outings.

In 2008, Verlander has a record of 0-3 and a 14-to-12 strikeout to walk ratio in 24.1 innings of work. This from a pitcher who was 35-15 overall, with 307 strikeouts and just 127 walks in his two previous campaigns.  

After losing to the Royals on opening day, a March 31st start, Verlander was pounded for nine runs -- four earned -- in 5.2 innings by the White Sox o April 6th. Granted the right-hander didn't get much help from his defense but after handling the KC bats early on he seemed to tire, losing velocity and command. One would be justified in assuming he just didn't have his regular season legs in only his second start, and first loss of the season.  

The Tigers ace followed up the loss to the Royals with a start against the White Sox, where he was charged with six runs in 7.2 innings. Again, Verlander was good in the early part of the game allowing just one run and two hits until the eighth, when two singles, two hit by pitches and one walk resulted in five runs and his departure. While he held the Pale Sox in check for the better part of the game, he did so without dominating the hitters and his velocity was down almost five mph on average for the entire game.

In Verlander last start, he yielded five runs in five innings in a loss to the Indians. The April 17th outing offered few positives. The hard-throwing right hander allowed seven hits, walked four (one intentional) and hit two batters. He still doesn't have a quality start in four tries this season, his command is awful and he doesn't look anything like the player that less than a year ago, reached 100 mph on the stadium radar gun.

The Tigers offense has not exactly provided the club's No. 1 starter with run support, something that allows a pitcher more breathing room and confidence from inning-to-inning. In his three decisions, the offense has scored a mere three runs. Yes, Verlander has surrendered 15 earned runs in those decisions, but nevertheless, it is tough to win games in the major leagues when pitching from behind. With little run support, the pressure of being the team stopper, and the weight of a slow start by a club projected to be dominant, a pitcher can often feel like he has to be perfect.

After watching the film of Verlander's first four starts his issues are obvious -- and wide spread. He has no command of either of his staples, the fastball or the slider. In his last three starts, he has issued 11 of his 12 walks. His fastball was registering anywhere from 89-to-93 mph, down from his norm of 94-to-98, and he allowed at least one home run in each of his four outings. Verlander did little in his first four games that would make one believe he can just turn it on and provide a quality start.

If anybody can get Verlander out of his April funk, it appears to be tonight's opponent, the Rangers. In four career starts against Texas, he is 3-1 with a 2.49 earned run average, and the ERA is skewed as a result of one bad start. In his three wins, he's allowed a total of one run in 21 innings.

GRAND RETURN
Curtis Granderson was 2-4 with a double as he continued his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Saturday night. Leyland told the Detroit Free Press that Granderson could return to the Tigers by the middle of this week (Wednesday), barring any setbacks. "He's close," Leyland said.

BEN-JURED SHEETS
Ben Sheets will skip his next scheduled start because of the triceps strain that forced him to make an early exit from his last appearance. Sheets has made no more than 24 starts in each of the last three years, and while there is not definitive answers to his current ailment, it could be yet another major setback for one of the leagues best right-handers.  It seems now as if it’s not a matter of if, but how much time Sheets will miss. The Brewers ace says that it feels like it is an aggravation of the injury that cost him most of 2005-06. Manager Ned Yost says it just a mild strain. Dave Bush will be pressed into service in place of Sheets on Thursday.

OPTOMISTIC OVER OSWALT
Roy Oswalt threw his second straight quality start, allowing three runs in seven innings of work. He offered up six hits and two walks while striking out six. Baseball luck (and let me tell you there is such a thing and it plays a huge role in handicapping) had not been on Oswalt side coming into last nights game (.370 BHIP% - Balls Hit into Play - success rate). Oswalt has needed fewer than 100 pitches to get through seven innings pitched in each of his last two starts and his strike total of 68 in 96 pitches is over-the-top better. Consider the right-hander back!

TRACY’S RETURN TENTATIVE
Infielder Chad Tracy, recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee in September, will not accompany the team on its trip to Los Angeles and San Diego this week. He will go to the minor-league complex in Tucson for some more rehabilitation. If all goes well there, he likely would join the Triple-A Tucson club for an undetermined period. "I'm excited to finally get to play in a game," Tracy told AzCentral.com. "It's been a long road so far, and I still have a long road to go." His return to the 25-man roster has yet to be defined.

TENSIL TIM
Tim Hudson's velocity issues disappeared last night as the right-handed veteran beat up on the Nationals, a team he has historically dominated. The Braves won their fifth game in a row Monday night, beating the Washington Nationals 7-3 behind 6.2 solid innings from Hudson, who bounced back from a 58-pitch start five days earlier. Hudson had topped out in the mid-80s in his previous start and the team is blaming a flu-bug for the poor effort. He was back throwing in his usual low 90s throughout the game Monday and working the Nationals into outs, typical when he faces Washington.

JONESING OFFENSE
Chipper Jones, who left Sunday's game with a strained right quadriceps, was back in the Braves starting lineup on Monday and recorded a hit. His presence in the middle of the order is essential when backing this team, and currently he is day-to-day making handicapping Atlanta, difficult.

SORIANO’S SITUATION
Alfonso Soriano began jogging on Monday and said he's walking normally without any pain. "I hope [Tuesday] I can jog harder," Soriano told the Chicago Tribune.

COOL COREY
Most don’t realize just how much Corey Patterson has been struggling offensively. He's hitless in his last 22 at-bats. In his last 11 games, he's 1-for-29. This, from the Reds leadoff hitter.

BARNES IS BACK
Clint Barmes has moved ahead of Jayson Nix at second base because of a hot bat.  "Barmes is going to get the first shot now, and he needs to be given every opportunity to ride the momentum he's picked up," manager Clint Hurdle told the Denver Post.  Hurdle stopped short of calling Barmes the starter, but the lineup choice has screamed volumes over the past week. Barmes has started six of the past eight games. He hit .394 (13-for-33) and drove in eight runs on the road trip. Nix is batting ..132.

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