Seems to be some mixed messages coming out of the Tigers today. The Free Press’s Jon Paul Morosi ran an article suggesting that the Detroit Tigers are interested in Brian Lawrence. Wait, you mean that you don’t know who he is? Well there really is no need to:

Lawrence, 30, went 49-61 in 162 games (146 starts) with San Diego between 2002 and 2005. He last pitched in the majors two years ago, going 7-15 with a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts. He was traded to Washington before last season, but never pitched for the Nationals after undergoing surgery on his pitching shoulder.

I’d assume this would be to fill a role they need now but somehow Mr. Lawrence doesn’t seem to fit the bill. He’s coming off of surgery last year and hasn’t proven himself in the big leagues. I’m also assuming this would be to fill in for Chad Durbin who has struggled with consistency this year.

At the same time Leyland has been clear that, for now, he’s sticking with Chad Durbin:

Though the Tigers have two off-days coming up before next Tuesday, Leyland will not skip any members of his rotation through this next turn. He will, however, flip Chad Durbin and Nate Robertson when the Tigers return home for next week’s series against the Mariners.

These both don’t go together as it seems as if there are other options in the Tiger farm system to cover for Durbin should a more immediate need present itself. At the same time they’ve made it clear there is no immediate need. Go figure. For now I’ll assume they are rational enough that there is no Brian Lawrence in the future for the Tigers.