After walking his first batter on four pitches, the D-Train looked headed for another derailment.  But Dontrelle Willis threw 54 of his nest 84 pitches for strikes and hit 94 mph on the radar gun. giving the Detroit Tigers six solid innings in a 7-3 victory at Kansas City.  "With the encouragement of my team I was able to battle, make some good pitches and get us back in the dugout," said Willis, after what was only his 16th appearance for Detroit after signing a three-year contract with the Tigers in 2008.  Willis didn't get credit for the win, but the important thing was that it was a huge step forward for a pitcher who'd walked eight batters in a start last June, then gone on the disabled list for the remainder of the season, battling a social anxiety disorder.  "He's got to build on this one," Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "This one was OK. It wasn't great, but it was OK. I've kind of stayed away from making any fuss one way or the other. Treat him the way you do everybody else. If you do the job, you pitch. I'm excited. I'm happy for him."  Miguel Cabrera, acquired from Florida in the same trade that brought Willis to Detroit, was the hitting star for the Tigers, going 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI.  In other American League action Thursday:  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
AL Quick Pitch: With Dontrelle Willis in control, Tigers ride Cabrera's bat - Daily Pitch: MLB News, Standings, Schedules & More - USATODAY.com