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Tigers Beat Mets In Lakeland

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The Associated Press

Published: February 28, 2009

Jeremy Bonderman was unhappy when Tigers manager Jim Leyland scratched the right-hander from his first spring start.

Bonderman was even more downcast Saturday morning when lingering shoulder soreness caused the Tigers cancel plans to have him throw 30 pitches in a simulated game on a back field.

Bonderman's balky shoulder opened the door for prospect Jon Kibler, who allowed one run and two hits over two innings in Detroit's 7-2 victory over the New York Mets.

Kibler admitted struggling with his nerves and mechanics in his first appearance in a big league uniform, walking two batters in each inning. But the left-hander also limited the damage, escaping from a couple of difficult spots.

"I didn't have very good command of anything really. I was able to get out of some jams throwing changeups, some sliders, just mixing it up a little bit," said Kibler, who went 14-5 with a 1.75 ERA with Class A West Michigan last year and was tabbed Detroit's top minor league pitcher.

Last year was a nightmare for Bonderman. He made a dozen starts before he was shut down for the season in June, when he underwent surgery to relieve a condition that caused a blood clot in his pitching arm.

The Tigers plan to be cautious during a spring training extended by the World Baseball Classic, ordering rest and medication for the next few days.

"I'm not sure what to believe right now," Leyland said. "I'm not going to get excited about it. I'm going to let the (medical experts) take care of it and move forward."

Bonderman couldn't help but dwell on the past.

"I feel like I've already missed, basically, one full year," he said. "I don't want to be stupid and try to throw through it. … I hope it's kind of a little bump in the road. Slow it down, take a step back, and then take a couple of steps forward."

Meanwhile, New York starter Jonathon Niese struggled in his bid to impress manager Jerry Manuel. The left-hander, who made his major league debut in September, allowed two runs and two hits with two walks in two innings. He surrendered a solo home run to Brandon Inge that put the Tigers ahead 2-1 in the second.

"I made a mistake to Inge. I sped his bat up," Niese said. "I should have went fastball there, but hindsight is 20-20."

Miguel Cabrera and Mike Hessman also homered for Detroit.

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