In Jim Leyland’s 18 years as a major league manager he has never had a starting rotation that was entirely right-handed or left-handed. Until now.
        Nevertheless, Leyland is happy with this season’s all-righty rotation of Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Zach Miner, Rick Porcello and Armando Galarraga.
        Nate Robertson, who thought he was going to be the Tigers’ lone lefty starter, disagrees.
        “Maybe my time in this organization is nearing its end,”  Robertson, who will open the season in the bullpen, said Thursday. “I think the cycle of a player’s time in certain places comes and goes.”
        Robertson, who has two years and $17 million remaining on his contract, has been  a starter for all but six games during his six seasons in Detroit. He is 49-65 as a Tiger.
        “In my conversation with Nate, I explained to him the importance of accepting his situation with the attitude of taking this and running with it,” said Leyland, who made it a point on Wednesday to speak with Robertson before he informed the other pitchers who was making the team and who wasn’t.
        “I understand Nate believes he is a starting pitcher. Do I understand his disappointment? Some of it. If somebody had told me in 2006 that Nate Robertson would be in our bullpen this year, I would have told them they were crazy.
        “I think Nate Robertson has an excellent opportunity to be a huge part of our ballclub,” Leyland said. “But the best way to get yourself in the position  you want to be in is to prove that you deserve to be in that position. That will be up to Nate Robertson.
        “In any business, if you don’t like your job, you’re probably not going to be very good at it,” Leyland added. “I don’t think there is anybody on this team right now that has a complaint.”
        Leyland had just finished putting the finishing touches on his pitching staff on Wednesday when looked up at the reporters gathered in his Marchant Stadium office and asked, “Do you disagree with any of these?”
        I don’t.
        I must admit I was a bit surprised that Leyland kept Eddie Bonine, a former starter, in his bullpen, and sent lefty Clay Rapada to Toledo.
        In fact, Leyland  admitted that was the toughest decision he had to make on his pitching staff.
        Leyland hated to have to send Ryan Raburn down. But the last minute addition of speedy utility outfielder Josh Anderson sealed Raburn’s fate.
        “Rapada and Raburn probably  deserved to be on the team,” Leyland admitted. “They both have legitimate complaints.”
        For now, anyway, Zach Miner is in the starting rotation and Robertson will be in the bullpen.
        But some things are going to change. You can count on that.
        “You’ve got (Jeremy) Bonderman lurking down there, and you’ve got (Joel) Zumaya lurking down there, and you’ve got the Dontrelle (Willis) situation,” Leyland pointed out.
        “I think the bullpen will get better before too long,” the manager predicted.
        “Our starters will dictate how good our bullpen will be. If our starters only go five inning and throw 120 pitches, then our bullpen won’t be very good.”
        The Tigers still have one more cut to make, but that may not happen until Friday. If the Tigers are unable to trade Brent Clevlen, who is out of options, they will place him on waivers. Jeff Larish will make the team.