Weaver Makes Minor Detour

Major league promise. Major league arm. Minor league start.

Jeff Weaver didn’t envision opening the season in Lakeland, Fla., but he understands the rationale.

The Detroit Tigers are counting on him to be ready April 15 for a start against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Making two minor league starts first is the best way to do it.

Weaver, a right-hander who was 9-12 with a 5.55 earned-run average as a rookie last season, is the Tigers’ fifth starter. Detroit has two off days in the first week of the season and only needs four starters.

“I’ve been developing a cut fastball that is helping against left-handed hitters,” said Weaver, who attended Simi Valley High. “The more innings I get, the better.”

Weaver’s three-quarter delivery is tough on right-handed hitters but doesn’t bother left-handers. The cut fastball runs in on the hands of left-handers and his a good complement to his best pitch, a sinker.

Earlier this week, Weaver used the cut fastball to strike out Carlos Beltran of the Kansas City Royals, a left-handed hitter who was the American League’s rookie of the year last season.

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Although he possesses similar potential, Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox was demoted for a different reason than Weaver.

“When I take Garland with us, he’s never going back,” General Manager Ron Schueler said. “We gave Jon a couple of new things last year that he needs to keep working on, and he’s the kind of kid who will do it.”

Garland, 20, was a first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1997 out of Kennedy and rocketed up the ladder after being traded to the White Sox in 1998. He had an impressive spring, capped by five shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Garland said. “I hope I opened some eyes and they’ll recognize what I have,”

Garland will open the season at triple-A Charlotte.

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With Kerry Wood and Ismael Valdes on the disabled list, Andrew Lorraine of the Cubs is getting another opportunity to crack a major-league pitching staff.

Lorraine, a left-hander from Hart and Stanford, has been a consistent winner at triple-A for seven years, but has failed in efforts to stick with the Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox. His lifetime major-league record is 5-8 with a 6.39 ERA.

Lorraine, 27, started the Cubs’ exhibition against the Tokyo Giants on Monday in Japan, surrendered three runs in the second inning and lost, 6-0.

Although Lorraine’s spring has been rocky, he has pitched better than Scott Downs, a left-hander also competing to be the fifth starter. Manager Don Baylor said Lorraine will be in the rotation at least until Woods or Valdes returns in late April

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Rudy Jaramillo and Gabe Kapler are tight. In a relaxed sort of way.

Jaramillo is the Texas Rangers’ batting coach. Kapler is the new right fielder, acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers during the off-season.

Kapler hit .400 this spring and attributes much of his success to daily workouts with Jaramillo, whose main message to Kapler was to relax his hands.

“He’s more relaxed in his stance,” said catcher Bill Haselman of Texas, Kapler’s teammate in Detroit. “I see a guy who looks a lot freer at the plate. There were times last year when he looked almost uncomfortable.”

Kapler, who batted .245 with 18 home runs last season, homered in three consecutive games last week.

“I am such a different player and such a different person,” Kapler said. “To me, last year was irrelevant.”