DETROIT -- New pitching coach Rick Anderson talked in the Tigers' dugout Thursday morning before they capped their four-game series against the A's. He shed light on a tweak to the way the starting rotation will work, what his approach will be in this role and why he accepted the job.
After toying with a six-man rotation, Anderson confirmed that Detroit will go back to a five-man rotation by sending left-hander Blaine Hardy back to the bullpen. Hardy moved into the rotation in the middle of May when the Tigers were dealing with injuries. Former pitching coach Chris Bosio, who was dismissed Wednesday for making insensitive comments to an employee, kept Hardy in the rotation temporarily as a sixth starter.