Mike Maroth will pitch for the AAA Toledo Mudhens tonight in his first rehab start.
This is big. If Maroth can be the same pitcher he was in April and 1/2 of May, the Tigers are in great shape. Discounting the 1/3 of an inning he pitched against Kansas City the day before he hit the DL, Maroth is 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA, which was, at the time, one of the tops in the American League. If he had enough innings today, he'd be 2nd in the AL between Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander.
This rehab stint couldn't have come at a better time for the Tigers. Verlander's arm is giving him a little trouble, and Kenny Rogers, though promising in his last start, still makes Tiger fans shake when he hits the field. Maroth could make a spot start for anyone in the current Tiger rotation to give that pitcher an extra five days off, or just to push people back a day.
There has been a lot of speculation about Detroit going to a six-man rotation when Maroth returns, and it is a good idea. However, many reports state that the rotation will go only one time through, to give everyone an extra day. Another option would be to give everyone an extra week, and have Maroth, more or less, pitch in the vacated spot. He could start in the first starter's spot, go through the rotation, and then pitch in the second starter's spot the next time through, and so on.
This would accomplish two things: First, it would give every Detroit starter an extra week of rest in September to get strong for the playoff push, while not really giving up much going to the mound. Secondly, Maroth would only have to pitch every sixth day instead of every fifth day, giving him an extra day to recover after spending the greater part of three months on the shelf. By the time October comes around, the Tigers would have six (or seven, if you count Ledezma) fresh starters ready to take the field.
Of course, this all depends on Maroth's ability to rehab, and his success when he returns to the rotation. He is being limited to somewhere around 55 pitches this evening. Hopefully, he'll get through four innings without much trouble. If he can spot his pitches, and get his breaking balls over, it will probably be two more rehab outings after tonight, and back to the majors. Then, if he is pitching well, the Tigers should adopt the above strategy to finish the season.
Yes, Verlander skipped a start this week to rest, Rogers is looking better after an adjustment, Bonderman and Robertson look to be doing fine, and Miner is holding his own, but as we get closer to October, and every other team in the American League is using up their pitchers just trying to get to the playoffs, it would be an added luxury (and very smart) to give everyone an extra five days. Luckily, the Tigers, to this extent, have only one rainout to make up, and get three days off in September as it is, but fresh is fresh, and then the rotation could be set exactly to pitch in any order come October 2nd.
Good luck tonight Mike, and to a speedy return to Mowtown...
