Everyone assumes Justin Verlander will again be the Tigers’ Opening Day pitcher in Toronto on April 6. And they are probably right.
        All signs certainly point that way, including the fact that Verlander will start Wednesday’s exhibition opener. Assuming Verlander pitches every fifth day the rest of the spring, his regular turn would fall on April 6.
        However, Jim Leyland, who will ultimately make that decision -- and who lays awake nights thinking about his rotation --  insists it is not quite as cut and dried as people think.
        For one thing, Leyland’s best-laid plans could be disrupted if Verlander is picked to pitch for Team USA in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
        “I truly don’t know right know what I’m going to do,” Leyland insisted. “I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I have no idea.”
        If Verlander starts the Tigers’ season opener on the road, he would  not be available to pitch the traditional home opener against Texas at Comerica Park four days later on April 10.
        And, given the significance of that game, and the festivities that always surround it, fans would hate to see that assignment relegated to the fifth-best pitcher in the starting rotation.
        “Either way would be very exciting,” Verlander said. “I told Skip, whenever he wants me to go out there would be fine with me.”
        Leyland has said he would “feel very comfortable” pitching any of his four known starters -- Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga and Edwin Jackson --  in the season opener or in the home opener.
        But there are pros and cons, regardless of what order Leyland sets for his starters:
        Verlander --  It is critical that the right hander, who is coming off the worst year of his young career, gets off to a good start. If he starts the opener in Toronto on April 6, he would likely face Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, hardly an enviable assignment.
        On the other hand, Leyland could hardly justify keeping his best pitcher on the bench until the fifth game of the season, just so that he could pitch in front of the hometown fans at Comerica Park on April 10.
        Bonderman --  Bonderman was the Tigers’ Opening Day pitcher in 2005 and ‘07. But he is coming off major shoulder surgery and hasn’t pitched since June 1. Bonderman may take things a bit slower this spring until the Tigers are certain he is 100 percent.
        Galarraga -- Galarraga won 13 games for the Tigers last year. But this is only his second season in the big leagues and Leyland is determined not to heap too much pressure on him too soon.
        Jackson -- It might not be appropriate to hand the  newcomer the ball on Opening Day, away or at home, even though Jackson was 14-11 for pennant-winning Tampa Bay Last year.
        The No. 5 starter -- At the moment, Leyland doesn’t even know whom that will be. It could be Dontrelle Willis, it could be Nate Robertson, it could be Zach Miner, it could even be rookie Rick Porcello.
        However, that contest may not be decided until late in spring training. And Leyland can’t afford to wait that long. With the exhibition season starting, Leyland has to set up his rotation soon to get pitchers working in sequence for the regular season.
        “The home opener is an unbelievably beautiful, special day  -- whether the weather is good or not,” Leyland said. “It’s unlike any other day you play all year. It’s a happening.”