Next Game: Wed., April 4 @ 1:05 p.m. ET TV: RSN | Radio: FAN 590
<table bgcolor="#e6e6e6" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="581"><tbody><tr><td height="20"> <table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left">Wednesday, April 4</td> <td align="right"> Comerica Park | 1:05 PM ET </td> </tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr><td></td></tr> <tr><td> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td width="38"></td> <td class="textSm" width="50%"> A.J. Burnett, RHP (0-0, -.--) Blue Jays (1-0) </td> <td class="textXl"> @ </td> <td width="38"></td> <td class="textSm" width="50%"> Nate Robertson, LHP (0-0, -.--) Tigers (0-1) </td> </tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr><td></td></tr> <tr><td class="pad5"> Scouting Report: Blue Jays: Burnett is coming off a healthy Spring Training, which is something he couldn't claim in 2006. Last season, the right-hander spent more than two months on the disabled list with an elbow injury that first flared up during a spring outing. Burnett still managed 10 wins in 21 starts in his first year with the Jays. In '06, he won his only career outing against the Tigers despite giving up five runs in 6 1/3 innings. Tigers: Robertson moved up a couple days in the rotation when Kenny Rogers went on the disabled list, but the shift won't leave him pitching on short rest. He became a relative workhorse last year, topping 200 innings for the first time in his career and trailing only Jeremy Bonderman in innings pitched. More importantly, he held hitters to a .199 average with runners in scoring position, making a major leap in working out of jams. He spent this spring trying to polish his changeup as a more frequent pitch.
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Projected Lineups
Toronto Blue Jays
1. LF Reed Johnson
2. 1B Lyle Overbay
3. CF Vernon Wells
4. DH Frank Thomas
5. 3B Troy Glaus
6. RF Alex Rios
7. C Gregg Zaun
8. 2B Aaron Hill
9. SS Royce Clayton
Detroit Tigers
1. CF Curtis Granderson
2. 2B Placido Polanco
3. DH Gary Sheffield
4. SS Carlos Guillen
5. RF Magglio Ordonez
6. C Ivan Rodriguez
7. 1B Sean Casey
8. LF Craig Monroe
9. 3B Brandon Inge
After his final start of Spring Training, A.J. Burnett stood at his locker and couldn't help but laugh a little at his misfortune. Over his eight-year career, Toronto's No. 2 starter has made eight separate trips to the disabled list. "This is completely different," said Burnett, shaking his head. "What is this, the second or third time I get to break with a team? I'm pretty excited about that, especially with the team that we have here. It feels better to be a part of it."
Actually, this season will mark only the third time in Burnett's career that he's been able to enter the year with a clean bill of health. The same can't be said of last season, when the right-hander -- fresh off signing a five-year deal worth $55 million -- landed on the DL with an elbow injury during Spring Training.
Burnett went on to spend more than two months on the DL in two separate stints on the sidelines. Still, he managed to win 10 games and was especially strong in September, when he went 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA....
Well.. I missed the first 3 innings. According to a friend, AJ Burnett walked a bunch of batters and his curveball ain't working well in the cold.. which led to 8 runs in the 3rd.