the Wolverines, who are trying to improve their defense this season

DETROIT -- Daniel Norris battled cancer, fought through a back injury and spent an extended period in the minor leagues. Hes finally in the place he expected to be this season -- the Detroit Tigers starting rotation.Norris makes his second start for the Tigers in the finale of a nine-game homestand Wednesday afternoon against Miami. Detroit is 5-3 on the homestand after defeating the Marlins 7-5 on Tuesday.The second-year left-hander got a no-decision against Seattle on Thursday, allowing three runs -- all solo home runs -- in five innings with five strikeouts. Hes trying to solidify a spot in the five-man rotation.As of right now, I just appreciate every day that Im here, said Norris, who will be making his first career appearance against the Marlins.Its understandable he feels that way after a rocky road back to the majors. Norris was the top prospect the Tigers acquired in the non-waiver deadline deal that sent ace David Price to Toronto last season. He made eight starts with Detroit last season, going 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA.Norris was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after the season and underwent surgery in late October. He was pronounced cancer free but suffered a back injury in spring training.He was sent to the minors during his recovery and wound up making 11 starts for Triple-A Toledo before he was recalled.I felt like I couldnt catch a breath for awhile, he said. It was just one thing after another. I just tried to wake up thinking good thoughts and being positive about it. Sure, I had some days where I said Whats going on here? When I hurt my back in the spring, it was really hard to focus because I had so many expectations for this year. Those had to be delayed but I knew my time would come at some point.Detroit manager Brad Ausmus believes Norris biggest challenge now is not dwelling on his mistakes.The progress Id like to see from him is not beating himself up so much when he gives up a hit or a home run, Ausmus said. Youve got to learn to put it behind you because it might affect the next batter youre facing.Miami altered its rotation for the next two games. Right-hander Tom Koehler starts against the Tigers while lefty Wei-Yin Chen will pitch the series opener at Atlanta on Thursday. Left-hander Adam Conley started Tuesday and couldnt get out of the fifth after tossing four scoreless innings.Its really a chance to give (Chen) a little bit of a breather but Atlanta is just stacked with lefties and these guys (the Tigers) are stacked with righties, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. It makes a little sense for us to flip those two guys and it also allows us to split our lefties, rather than having them back-to-back.Koehler has only faced Detroit once -- a late September start in 2013 when he pitched 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 victory.Miami is 9-5 over its last 14 games with the aid of some stellar defense. Its infield has not committed an error since May 29, a 27-game streak. Its the longest such streak since at least 1913.In general, I think were a good defensive team, Mattingly said. Weve got a lot of guys that catch the ball well. It was a trademark before we got here. Its one of our strengths that were usually in the right spot. We were a little rough early but for the most part, we havent given up a bunch of extra bases or extra outs.Fake Jerseys China . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. 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A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There would be no easing into the season opener for Michigan. The Wolverines were held scoreless for over five minutes at the beginning of their game against Howard.Ive been coaching a long time, and what Howard did defensively, was something, I dont recall seeing it, actually, Michigan coach John Beilein said. Its an aggressive matchup zone, and theyre taking things away, and theyre really flying around with great quickness.The Wolverines eventually overcame that tough defense. Derrick Walton scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, and Michigan fought through a poor shooting night to beat Howard 76-58 on Friday.The Wolverines ended up shooting just 42 percent from the field. The Bison trailed 41-36 with under 12 minutes remaining in the game before Michigan asserted itself.Mark Donnal scored 12 points for Michigan, and Zak Irvin added 11.Damon Collins scored 12 points for Howard, which was without guard James Daniel, the nations leading scorer last season. He is expected to miss about another month with a high ankle sprain.Free throws helped boost Michigans margin in a foul-filled game. The Wolverines went 23 of 26 from the line, while Howard was just 14 of 29.Were so used to Daniel making that play for us, Howard coach Kevin Nickelberry said. Hes an 80 percent free-throw shooter. He makes big 3s. ... Weve got to get used to, those moments are not just his moments anymore. For six or seven games, its their moments.Michigans scoreless stretch to open the game was finally broken when Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman made a couple 3-pointers. The Wolverines led 34-25 at halftime.It was 41-36 whenn Howards Solomon Mangham missed two free throws.ddddddddddddIrvin made a jumper at the other end, and Michigan slowly began extending the lead. It was 49-38 after a 3-pointer by Irvin.BIG PICTUREHoward: The Bison were picked to win the MEAC in a preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors, and they did a good job staying in the game against Michigan despite Daniels absence.Michigan: It wasnt the prettiest game, but perhaps thats not the worst thing for the Wolverines, who are trying to improve their defense this season and show they can grind out wins even when their offense isnt clicking.ENERGYDonnal had six rebounds to go along with his dozen points, and fellow backup D.J. Wilson had nine points and eight rebounds.Thats our job, is be energy guys off the bench, Donnal said. D.J. did a good job of getting a few offensive rebounds and keeping a lot of plays alive.NEW ADDITIONSMichigan announced the signing of guard Eli Brooks (Spring Grove, Pennsylvania), forward Isaiah Livers (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and guard Jordan Poole (Milwaukee) to letters of intent for 2017-18.UP NEXTHoward: The Bison take on Marquette on Monday night in Milwaukee. That game -- along with the Howard-Michigan game -- is part of the 2K Classic, which benefits Wounded Warrior Project.Michigan: The Wolverines host IUPUI on Sunday in another 2K Classic game.---For more college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '