Willis has a rotation and a team on his shoulders

The 1931 Yankees scored 1,067 runs -- still the major league record -- with a roster that included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and the late and dearly beloved Angels coach, Jimmie Reese. The Tigers could challenge that record, adding Miguel Cabrera to an already star-studded lineup led by Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield. But the 1931 Yankees did not make the playoffs. They finished behind the Philadelphia A’s, with little mystery: The A’s posted a 3.47 earned-run average, with the Yankees at 4.20. The Tigers enter this season with injured setup men Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney unable to support rickety closer Todd Jones, and with two starters -- Jeremy Bonderman and Kenny Rogers -- troubled by elbow injuries last season.

So the Tigers desperately need 200 good innings from Dontrelle Willis, who has pitched 200 innings three years running. Yet indicators are not promising: His ERA jumped from 2.63 three years ago and 3.87 two years ago to 5.17 last year, with his walks rising and strikeouts falling each season.