If it was a young pitcher, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said, then the team probably would have taken the decision out of the player's hand and made a judgment on their own. But this is Kenny Rogers's 19th year in the big leagues, and so during his rehabilitation, the Tigers listened to him, trusted his instincts. His 42-year-old left elbow probably won't be free of pain the rest of the year, but Rogers is accustomed to working through physical rigors.
"He's continued to get better and better," Dombrowski said Wednesday afternoon, before Rogers made his first start in almost two months. "He says he feels good, and he's pitched with a lot worse."
This is a recurring theme in the pennant races. Pedro Martinez is not close to being his best, but he came back and won on Monday, in his first outing of the year. Mark Mulder started last night -- it was his first outing of the year, as well -- and his experience was more typical of pitchers recovering from shoulder surgery -- he lasted just four innings, struggling for his command in a pivotal sequence in the middle of the game, and losing.
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Buster Olney
