Las Vegas has set this number because of the bullpen woes that the Tigers might have. I look at the fact that they will likely have the best offense in all of baseball and that they have five quality starting pitchers. With that in mind I would make a small play on the over.

The Detroit Tigers are depending on their starting rotation to get deep into games as the bullpen is hurting right now due to injuries. 25-year old righty Justin Verlander is definately the ace of this group. He started 32 games last season for the Tigers and he was 18-6 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has the best stuff on the Tigers pitching staff and he will make a big run for the Cy Young Award with the Tigers’ offense backing him up.

43-year old lefty Kenny Rogers is back as he attempts to rebound from a tough 2007 season. He only started 11 games last season for the Tigers but he was 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Remember though, the crafty lefty was 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 2006 so he should still have some bullets left in his arm.

26-year old lefty Dontrelle Willis had his worst season of his major league career last year for the Marlins. But, playing for Jim Leyland on a winning team will likely lead him back this season. He started 35 games for the Marlins last season and he was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Willis is a much better pitcher than that however as he has started 162 games in his major league career and he is 68-54 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Look for him to be especially difficult for batters the first time around the league because of his odd, funky delivery.

25-year old righty Jeremy Bonderman appeared to turn the corner in the first half of the season as he was 9-1…but then the roof caved in. He started 28 games for the Tigers last season and he was 11-9 with a 5.01 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. If he can stay healthy in 2008 this could be the season he breaks out.

30-year old lefty Nate Robertson will be the #5 starter for the Tigers this season. He started 30 games for the Tigers last year and he was 9-13 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Look for Robertson to win more games this season due to the added run support.

The Tigers can’t afford any injuries to the starting staff because they moved a lot of the top prospects in trades this off-season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

The Tigers have placed Curtis Granderson on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured finger on his right hand. Freddy Guzman, Ryan Raburn and Brandon Inge will likely fill in until Granderson is ready to return. The Tigers need Granderson at the top of the lineup so they will miss him some, but other hitters will likely pick up the slack in the loaded Tigers lineup.

If Alex Rodriguez didn’t have such a freakish season last year, Magglio Ordonez would have been the MVP in the American League. The 34-year old righty swinging Ordonez played in 157 games for the Tigers last season and he was 216 for 595 (.363 avg, 1.029 OPS) with 117 runs scored, 28 homers and 139 RBIs. He also cracked 54 doubles last season to lead the American League. Ordonez doesn’t have much range in the field but he only made 1 error in RF in 143 games there.

Ryan Raburn will likely be the top backup in RF for the Tigers this season as he didn’t make an error in 16 games there while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

27-year old switch-hitting Curtis Granderson had a breakout 2007 season for the Tigers. He played in 158 games for the Tigers last season and he was 185 for 612 (.302 avg, .813 OPS) with 122 runs scored, 23 homers, 74 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. He also led the American League with an amazing 23 triples! Granderson played in 157 games in CF for the Tigers last season and he made 5 errors while showing outstanding range. He also had 10 assists from CF. There is nothing on a baseball field that Granderson doesn’t excel at so he should have a great 2008 season for the Tigers.

27-year old switch hitting Freddy Guzman will likely be the backup in CF for the Tigers this season. He played in 8 games for the Rangers last season and he was 1 for 6 (.167 avg, .834 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He also played in 133 games in AAA ball last season and he was 144 for 535 (.269 avg, .711 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 4 homers, 34 RBIs and 57 stolen bases.

26-year old righty swinging Ryan Raburn could also get some P.T. in CF for the Tigers. He played in 49 games for the Tigers last season and he was 42 for 138 (.304 avg, .847 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 4 homers and 27 RBIs. Raburn played in 13 error-less games in CF for the Tigers last season but he showed poor range there.

24-year old righty swinging Brett Clevlen regressed in the minors last season for the Tigers. He played in 104 games in AAA + Rookie Ball last season and he was 86 for 370 (.232 avg) with 43 runs scored, 9 homers and 44 RBIs. He also whiffed 121 times! Clevlen played in 13 games for the Tigers last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 2 runs scored. Still, Clevlen is the #16 prospect in the Tigers minor league system according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook so he still has time to turn things around.

If the Tigers don’t trade Brandon Inge before Opening Day he could help them out in CF.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A