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KANSAS CITY -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland says he doesn't have "one iota" of an idea how the postseason roster is going to play out, other than the obvious names. But his other announcements Tuesday seemed to show a potential postseason roster and rotation taking shape.The first was a rotation change. Top prospect Jacob Turner, who has been with the team all month and has been keeping his arm fre afl football sh since starting Sept. 1, will make one more regular-season start on Thursday at home against the Orioles. Doug Fister, who had been on turn to start Thursday, will pitch in relief Wednesday night against the Royals once starter Max Scherzer has finished.By doing that, the Tigers put both Fister and Scherzer on turn to potentially pitch Game 2 of their American League Division Series on normal re afl football st. Whoever it is would likely start on turn next Monday against Cleveland at Comerica Park.Justin Verlander, Leyland confirmed, will start Game 1 and would start Game 5 if necessary. He will not start on short rest.Tigers starters will be throwing to catcher Alex Avila, but the Tigers have to decide who will back up Avila in case of injury. It's looking highly unlikely it'll be Victor Martinez, w afl football hom Leyland doesn't believe will catch another game before the end of the regular season. Martinez hasn't caught since early August, before he sprained his left knee on a play at the plate on the Tigers' last trip here.That could improve Omir Santos' chances of making the playoff roster. The Tigers could go with Brandon Inge as an emergency backup and leave Santos off the roster as a potential mid afl football -series roster move if Avila is injured, but the rules state anyone replaced mid-series for injury must sit out the next postseason series as well.The Tigers will have an extra spot to play with, as it looks now. With just four starters needed for the postseason, Leyland said he's 95 percent certain he'll use that extra spot for a position player, leaving him with 11 pitchers.After that, Leyland w afl football asn't leaving many hints."There's no sense trying to figure out the postseason roster," Leyland said, "because we don't know. ... I do not know one iota of what my postseason roster is going to look like." Turner hoping to crack rotation next season KANSAS CITY -- No matter what happens down the stretch, Jacob Turner knows he's not going to be on the postseason roster. But he's hoping his Sept afl football ember callup, which essentially ends with his start Thursday against the Orioles, will put him in position for a strong Spring Training and a much longer stay next season."Being here for the month of September, it makes you more comfortable with everything that goes on with being in the big leagues," Turner said. "It kind of just gives you a better idea. Hopefully next year, I can go into Spring T afl football raining and perform well and make them make the tough decision."Turner's last start came on Sept. 1 in a loss to the Royals, better known as the game before Detroit went on its 12-game winning streak. Since then, he has been throwing side sessions every few afternoons to keep his arm fresh, then watching games from the dugout every night.Along the way, he got to watch the Tigers run away with the afl football American League Central and celebrate Detroit's first division title since 1987. He also got to watch and learn."It's still just baseball, but everything else that goes along with it, everything's just so magnified," Turner said. "Obviously, you're playing in bigger stadiums. You're playing in front of a lot more people. Everything means a lot more. Obviously, being in a playoff race, every game, afl football every out really matters. To be able to see that, and be able to see how these guys are handling it, is going to help me in the future."How soon that future includes Detroit is a fair question. With Brad Penny a free agent in the coming offseason, the Tigers have a potential rotation opening. If they so choose, they could give Turner a chance to win it. That could be a question that pops up in the afl football team's end-of-season organizational meetings here this week.For now, however, manager Jim Leyland called the experience Turner is getting "priceless." Betemit nears return, but Guillen still ailing KANSAS CITY -- Both Wilson Betemit and Carlos Guillen said they were feeling better Tuesday than when they injured their left knee and right calf, respectively. But while Betemit appears to be much afl football better, Guillen is still seriously hobbled, and his postseason availability is in question.Betemit, who tweaked his knee on a slide at home plate at Oakland, sounded cautiously optimistic about his status Tuesday before he went out for pregame batting practice."I feel much better right now," Betemit said. "I just did a workout and I feel OK, but I want to go outside and take ground balls."That's afl football a much better feeling than he had when he first injured the knee."Something popped and I thought, 'Oh my god,'" Betemit said.Guillen was walking around, but still had a significant limp. When asked if he thought he could be ready by the end of the regular season next Wednesday, Guillen shrugged."I don't know," Guillen said. "We'll see." Manager Jim Leyland said Guillen would have to play in anothe afl football r regular-season game if he's going to be part of the Division Series roster. Tigers continue shift in scouting department KANSAS CITY -- Tigers assistant scouting director James Orr, David Chadd's top lieutenant in the club's Draft efforts for several years, was named as the team's East Coast regional crosschecker, the team announced on Tuesday.The move comes a year after Chadd became a speci afl football al assistant, and Scott Pleis was named scouting director. Orr was hired as assistant scouting director in 2004 at the same time Chadd was hired. For the moment, that leaves the assistant position open; the Tigers are actively searching for someone to fill the job.The shift was part of a series of moves in the scouting department announced Tuesday, the day after the Tigers named Dave Owen as their afl football new player development director. Murray Cook, who had been the East Coast crosschecker, has been named as an area scout in charge of central Florida and the Northeast.Matt Lea, an intern with the Tigers scouting department this summer following the end of his pitching career at the University of Louisville, has been hired full time as an area scout covering Southern California and Hawaii. He's th afl football e son of former Major League pitcher Charlie Lea. Worth noting #149; Reliever Al Alburquerque is available to pitch after missing last weekend's series at Oakland with soreness around his right hip and quadriceps. Alburquerque originally was available Tuesday, but was given one more day. Manager Jim Leyland said he would like to get him into a game Wednesday if he can find an inning, which co afl football uld be difficult with both Max Scherzer and Doug Fister slated to pitch. #149; The Tigers had the first of their end-of-season organizational meetings on Wednesday, but Leyland said they "really didn't discuss much" about the postseason roster. #149; Sunday's win from Justin Verlander was his 16th after a Tigers loss. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it's the highest such total by a Major League afl football pitcher since Steve Carlton won 19 games following Phillies losses in 1972. afl football
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