Last night was a big night in the life and career of Dontrelle Willis. It was his chance to prove he had sorted through his issues and was ready to re-enter the Tigers' starting rotation.
The Tigers need him now more than ever, especially when you consider Jeremy Bonderman is lost for the rest of the season. Armando Galarraga replaces Bonderman in the rotation, meaning Dontrelle had his chance to grab the last remaining spot.
But instead, disaster!
Dontrelle lasted 1.1 innings, allowing 8 earned runs on just 3 hits. He walked 5 and struck out only 2 hitters. Basically, his he had no control, and had no idea where home plate was located. For normal pitchers home plate is 60 feet 6 inches away. Dontrelle was was no where close to that last night.
What hurts even more is that the Tigers can't just give up on Dontrelle. They're committed to him, to the tune of 29 million bucks over the nest three seasons. They just should've never given him a long-term deal before they knew he'd got it right. The Tigers gambled and lost, which seems to be the running theme for Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland these days.
They need to fix him. Problem is, that's clearly easier said than done.
So, what do the Tigers do with him. Keeping him in the rotation isn't an option. Do they send him back to the bullpen? That's probably the best bet right now. Bring him in to face lefties along with Bobby Seay.
Dontrelle Willis is going to have to start over from scratch and re-invent himself as a pitcher. Hopefully Tigers' pitching coach Chuck Hernandez has what it takes to make that happen. If not, it's a 29 million dollar investment wasted.
Tigers traded away all their good minor league pitchers last fall and winter. Boy would Jair Jurjjens be a life saver right now, and I haven't heard of any starters in Toledo who are ready to jump up to the bigs and hold down a spot in the rotation. Do the Tigers try to convert a Denny Bautista or an Aquilino Lopez into being starters? I'm not sure that's the best course of action either. Then there's Zach Miner, who enjoyed some spot starts a few years ago. Miner has had very few good outings this season so what's to say making him a starter will make him better?
I think the Tigers will be making a trade soon. They need to find a proven starting pitcher who can win games for them right now. Who do they give up? Probably more young guys like Clete Thomas, Matt Joyce, Brent Clevlen, etc... Nobody's gonna want Edgar Renteria or Gary Sheffield or any of the older guys. In fact, I would argue that most of the Tigers' everyday players don't have much trade value these days because of the season they've had thus far.
Dontrelle Willis' poor outing last night means the panic button is now being pressed by the Tigers' brass. They now know they can't run that guy out there every 5 days. They need to start trolling for a trade to find somebody who can win games now.
Don't be surprised if Dontrelle Willis goes on the DL again soon with a "tired arm" or "tendinitis" or some other phantom injury or ailment that baseball managers use to make roster moves.
When do the Red Wings and Pistons start playing again?