As Rick Porcello makes the start in Jupiter tonight, the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation continues this spring.  At the start of spring camp, Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson and Zach Miner were considered the front runners for the gig.  Porcello was a long shot.  However, the early numbers on Willis and Robertson have not been very encouraging.  The two lefthanders have combined for eight walks in seven spring innings so far.  Miner, meanwhile, has allowed seven runs in seven innings.

There is a thought that even though Porcello hasn't pitched above "A" ball, the young right hander has a shot to make the staff.  While Porcello has clearly pitched the best among the candidates so far, he is still only 20 years old and pitched only 125 innings at Lakeland last year.  Can you realistically expect him to make the jump to the big leagues and contribute 170 to 190 innings next year?  Well, it has been done before. When Justin Verlander won 17 games for the big club in 2006, he was coming off a year in which he pitched only 129 innings the previous season.  Verlander went on to throw 186 innings in the big leagues and won Rookie of the Year honors in '06.  Of course there is one major difference: Verlander pitched three seasons of college ball at Old Dominion while Porcello came to the Tigers straight out of HS.  If Porcello defies the odds and make the big club, the Tigers would have to monitor him closely and limit his innings as they did last year in the minors.

Then there is the issue of having an all right-handed rotation.  Not the most desired situation.  I think the Tigers would love to see Robertson or Willis win the job, especially in light of the amount of cash they a paying each.  However, if Porcello has the best spring, don't you have to take him?

By the way, Porcello tonight against the Marlins:  3ip 5h 0r 0bb 1k

Hmmmmmmmmm.