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Tiger Home Debut Lays An Egg

Rob Sanford

In their first appearance at home in 2011, the Tigers were a disappointment. The Bengals losing 2 of 3 to the Kansas City Royals gave little reason for optimism at this point. For me, the biggest concern is the start of the season for Rick Porcello. He was lackluster in his last few outings in Florida and now he has looked the same in his first 2 starts. After Sunday's game even he admitted he wasn't comfortable and was throwing rather than pitching. The other concern for me is Austin Jackson. I don't believe in the so-called "sophomore jinx" and while I'm not a hitting coach, he seems confused at the plate. Too many times in the series against the Royals he took check swings and  went after pitches that weren't even close to the strike zone. Of course, the harder he tries, the worse it gets and that can lead to an erosion in confidence. Let's hope in both cases, it's a just a matter of mechanics and can be easily corrected.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I just don't think Joel Zumaya will ever live up to the potential he showed in his rookie year. He has suffered yet another set back as he tries to comeback from elbow surgery. After starting throwing again a few days ago, he reported discomfort and has been shut down for a few days. So far doctors have been unable to explain why he isn't getting better. After suffering injury after injury in the past few seasons, it doesn't take a wall to fall on me to convince me perhaps it's time to think about Plan B. I wonder just how much more patience the Tigers will have.

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