April in the D

The Detroit Tigers travel to Kansas City to open up the 2010 MLB season today at 4:10 PM. Super-star Justin Verlander will go head to head with Royal ace Zach Greinke. Verlander posted a 19-9 record in 2009 with a ERA of 3.45. Here is a look at the 2010 starting rotation for Detroit.

1. Justin Verlander
The 2006 AL Rookie-of-the-Year is coming off an All-Star season in 2009. Verlander is looking to pick up where he left off and in his 6th season as a Tiger and has become the face of the franchise. Verlander signed a 5 year, $80 million dollar contract over the summer that will keep him pitching in Detroit through 2015.

2. Rick Porcello
Porcello is looking back up his stellar 2009 rookie campaign, where he pitched to a 14-9 record with a 3.96 ERA. Rick joins Justin Verlander to give the tigers a dangerous top 2 spots in their rotation. Porcello is a bright spot in the organization and the sky is the limit for this young star.

3. Max Scherzer
A newcomer to the Tigers, Scherzer was aquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks over the summer in a trade for RHP Edwin Jackson. Scherzer is also a Right-hander and will fill the 3rd spot for the Tigers in their rotation. 2010 will be Scherzer's 3rd season as a major, 2009 saw him post a 9-11 record with a 4.12 ERA. Scherzer is known for his ability to attack the strike zone with his fastball and change-up.

4. Jeremy Bonderman
After pitching 14 wins in both 2005 and 2006, Jeremy Bonderman ran into a rough string of injury and confidence issues the past 3 seasons. Finally healthy and armed with a new attitude, Bonderman is looking to get back to his old form in 2010. Bonderman is a RHP and saw only 1 start in 2009 before missing most of the season with injury. Jeremy will be unavailable until April 10th as he is serving a 3 game suspension for throwing at a Minnesota Twins batter last year.

5. Dontrelle Willis
Willis lead the Florida Marlins to a 2003 World Series Championship, in a season where he was named NL Rookie of the Year going 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA during 27 starts. Willis posted 22 wins in 2005 earning him a spot as the runner-up for the Cy Young Award. After a smoking hot start the "D-Train" hit a rough patch in 2007 when he went 10-15 in his last season as a Marlin. Traded to Detroit in 2008, Willis has only 1 vicory in only 14 starts over two years. Willis will be fighting to stay in the rotation through the first month of play as he attempts to find the player he once was.