Verlander said he sometimes played catch with Zumaya.
"It's not too fun, especially if we get firing back and forth," Verlander said. "We get a little competitive."
Zumaya agreed, but added, "Oh, yeah, but I throw harder than Justin."
Less speedy but more experienced is Kenny Rogers, 41, who was obtained as a free agent. Rogers (4-2) is scheduled to start in Minnesota on Friday night, when the Tigers begin a nine-game trip.
Nate Robertson (3-2) said that Rogers was "one of the best communicators I've ever been around" and that they talked about "situational pitching." Granderson said Rogers talked to fielders about proper positioning for individual hitters.
Dombrowski said he had signed Rogers primarily to pitch but added: "We also felt he would be a great mentor for our young pitchers. I see him talking to the pitchers after the game and going to lunch with guys on the road, and they are like sponges around him. He's been a great addition."
Rogers is hardly the oldest man in his section of the clubhouse. The locker next to his belongs to Al Kaline, 71, the Hall of Fame right fielder, who is a special assistant to Dombrowski. Kaline is an institutional presence throughout the ballpark, including a bronze statue of him behind the center-field wall.
Kaline attends executive meetings, Dombrowski said, and visits with Mike Ilitch, the team owner, at Ilitch's country club. Kaline can be seen speaking before games with players in their lounge and with Leyland in his office.
"He's a pretty good guy to listen to," Leyland said. "He knows what makes player tick. I like to ask him questions."
In a curious way, the Tigers are a bigger story nationally. When asked about crowds of 9,597 on Monday and 12,415 on Tuesday, Inge said the fans were "probably still mourning the Red Wings," who finished first in the NHL but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
For the first half of this week, hockey dominated the sports sections in the local newspapers. By midweek, the attention shifted to the Pistons, who clinched their first-round NBA playoff series Wednesday and aim to reach the finals for the third consecutive season.
"We're trying to get in that class," Leyland said of the Red Wings' and the Pistons' success. "I hope some of what they've done over the last few years rubs off on us. My only goal is the hope we get people interested in our ball club and play well enough to earn their dollar."
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