Steve

Sparks

Sparks has a 3.71 ERA in 31 appearances this season. It wouldn’t take much to get him from the Tigers, and he could be helpful as a middle reliever.

Patterson didn’t fare that well in his first spring start yesterday, so the job could fall to Sparks, whose knuckler might do well at setting up opponents to face Randy Johnson’s fastball the next day. It’s still quite possible the D’Backs will look at free agent Pedro Astacio, or make a trade to fill the role.

Expect something to happen soon. Sparks will need to sign by tomorrow night in order to be eligible for the postseason.

It’s likely Sparks’ final start in a Diamondbacks uniform.

''I messed up,’' he said. ''Right now, he might be our first starter. He might be Opening Day. Honestly, he probably is.’' Smart move by Trammell, as the Tigers need one starter they can count on to go six or seven innings every time out. Sparks isn’t much of an option in fantasy leagues this year.

Franklyn German picked up the win with a scoreless 10th. Sparks and German are the two favorites for saves in the Detroit pen right now.

If the Tigers had it to do all over again, they wouldn’t have given Sparks a multiyear contract prior to last season. However, the knuckleballer has been quite valuable to the team as a reliever this year, posting a 3.13 ERA and picking up a couple of saves.

Sparks, a 39-year-old knuckleballer, had a 6.04 ERA for Arizona last season. Petco Park might allow him to be decent if he gets the chance, but there’s no way he should make the team unless injuries strike during spring training.

''He said it’s always looked like I was trying to throw the ball downhill like a conventional pitcher and I did try to do that,’' Sparks said. ''But he said you want to throw it high and let the ball work down, not try to force it down.’' If that’s important, it seems like something Sparks should have known, say, five years ago. Either way, anything that can help him turn his career around is worth trying at this point.