DETROIT — While the Tigers were dealing with the
fallout from Delmon Young's arrest and seven-day suspension and a cold rain
fell at Comerica Park, a ray of light appeared in the clubhouse.
Victor Martinez, newly freed from his crutches and sporting longer hair and a
big knee brace, sat smiling at his familiar spot in front of his locker.
Before long, he had new teammate Prince Fielder laughing and the rest of the
clubhouse energized as Martinez resumed his role as team DJ, playing some of
his favorite songs, just as he did all of last season.
"Oh, it feels great," Martinez, who suffered an ACL injury during the
offseason, said about being back with the team. "Oh, man, I can't tell
you. I'm happy.
"Definitely, everybody wants to be part of this. This is something special
that you guys are seeing. I really miss to be out, and not be part of it."
Despite the team's 11-11 record and recent pitching and scoring woes, Martinez
explained what he meant by "something special."
"You have a great team here," Martinez said. "You've got a whole
team here to give you a great show every day, day in, day out. That's what I
call something special.
"You've got a great team, and a team that expects big things to happen
this year."
Originally, Martinez thought that he was going to have to miss the entire season.
But when surgeons determined he did not require reconstruction surgery on his
knee, that changed the outlook.
"The doctor say there is a lot of chance to play again at the end of the
year, just because I didn't need the whole reconstruction," Martinez said.
"I'm going to keep fingers crossed, keep working hard and see what happens.
"He give me 20 percent before, now he give me a good chance to come (back)
by the end of the year, so we'll see."
Although it was obvious the mood was brighter, Martinez downplayed whether he
thought the team had missed his presence.
"If you ask me, I don't think so," Martinez said. "They've been
around a long time. They know what they're doing.
"It's a long season. Every team, every team at some point is going to have
trouble. Like I say, just stay together. That's why it's teamwork. You stay
together and you come out of it together."
Martinez said he has to travel to Colorado next week to have his knee checked
and will also go out there at least one more time after that.
With the happy news that he might be able to play at the end of the season,
Martinez has been attacking his rehabilitation in Orlando.
"I don't think it makes it easier, but it's something that make you work
for," he said. "Like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, you
can see coming.
"Sometimes you think in the offseason, ‘Oh, man, I wanna get back on the
field again.' Just having the whole year (off), and just watching your
teammates play, it's tough."
As it is for most injured players, it's difficult for Martinez to watch the
Tigers play on television.
"I just get desperate watching the games," Martinez said. "I
grab a bat at my house, my wife gonna get crazy: ‘Don't hit me with the bat!
Leave the bat in there!'
"Between my son and I, all baseball. I watch some games, but it's
tough."
Now that he's no longer on crutches — the dreaded sticks that he was able to
ditch 10 days ago and still might use as firewood — Martinez said he plans to
visit the Tigers more often. Whether his son, Victor Jose, joins him on his
next visit, remains to be seen.
"He's in school right now, and he's playing tournaments almost every
day," Martinez said. "So we'll see."
SCHERZER EXPECTS TO BE FINE
Despite a 1-3 record and 7.77 ERA, Max Scherzer is not overly worried about
getting back on track.
"I think Max Scherzer will be fine," manager Jim Leyland said.
"We've done a lot of work (Monday) with Scherzer, comparing the tapes from
when he was on that big roll in the second half a couple years ago, looking at
a lot of things."
Scherzer said this problem is not quite as severe as when he had to go to Triple-A
Toledo a couple of years ago.
"There's just a couple small little tweaks I've got to make to be able
repeat consistently, to be able to have everything fill up the strike
zone," he said. "But this isn't an overhaul. My stuff is right where
it needs to be overall.
"I've got a fastball, slider's there, changeup's there, so I'll just keep
grinding away. I know how it is."
Scherzer said just seeing the positioning of his hands on video showed him
something he could easily correct.
"I know my windup pretty well," he said. "When I do some things
right, I'm able to repeat it.
"Right now my hands are low. I feel like once I'm able to do that, I'll
have a nice, smooth delivery. When I get there, I can repeat it."
Even walking seven batters in 4 2/3 innings Sunday in New York did not faze
Scherzer.
"All I've got to do is go out there, fix it, do it and pitch," he
said. "I know I'm a good pitcher in this league, and I know I'm very
capable. "I believe next start I'll
be right where I need to be."
FISTER SHOULD BE BACK SOON
Doug Fister, out since April 8 with a strained left side, is scheduled to have
one rehabilitation start, Wednesday night in Toledo.
If he's healthy, his next start after that will be with the Tigers.
"The plan is to try to get him to hopefully throw 75 pitches,"
Leyland said. "If everything goes well, the plan would be to start him in
Seattle on Monday. But that's if everything goes well."
Leyland said he plans to go watch Fister after the Tigers' day game against the
Royals.
BEST WISHES TO INGE
Brandon Inge, released last Thursday by the Tigers after 11 years and signed by
Oakland, started Monday night at third base for the A's, who were playing in
Boston.
Justin Verlander reached out to Inge via text message.
"I just told him congratulations and told him it was an honor for me
playing with him all these years and wished him the best of luck,"
Verlander said. "He said thanks. I think he's excited to get off on a new
foot.
"I think it was really tough on him here the last year or so — none of
which was his doing. He worked his tail off. I think everybody could see that
it was tough for him.
"Tough on us, too. You don't ever want to hear one of your teammates get
booed. That's not something you want to be a part of."
Leyland was also very happy for Inge, whom he planned to call later in the day.
"I'm really thrilled for him," Leyland said. "It's a good
situation. He's back at home at third base and hopefully everything works out
great for him."
The A's had a third-base opening when former Tiger Scott Sizemore tore his left
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the A's first full-squad workout in
spring training.
