Detroit Tigers ace Michael Fulmer allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings, though he’s still massaging his slider
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer dominated in his final spring start.
He allowed two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out three. The Tigers scored six runs in the second inning and went on to beat the Atlanta Braves, 10-3, on Sunday at Publix Field.
„He was pounding the strike zone,“ Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. „He had all of his pitching working. We scored some runs, which makes everyone relax. So, it’s a two-part thing. We scored a bunch of runs. You still have to do your thing and he did it.“
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Gardenhire seemed just as impressed Fulmer stuck around for the entire game. Starters typically leave in spring training after they pitch.
„He sat in the dugout and watched everyone else play,“ Gardenhire said. „So, those are always fun things too.“
Fulmer, the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year, had season-ending ulnar transposition surgery last September.
He struck out 15 over 17 innings in four starts this spring. He was 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP.
Fulmer’s fastball was consistently hitting 95-96 m.p.h., according to the Publix Field radar gun, on Sunday.
„I’m definitely ready,“ Fulmer said. „That being said, I feel like I didn’t even do too much today.“
He credited catcher John Hicks for calling a good game and for throwing out a couple runners, and for the defense behind him.
„They saved me a lot of stress today,“ Fulmer said.
Fulmer, 25, said the only negative was he wasn’t throwing his slider for strikes.
„It’s not like I was hanging them,“ he said. „They were all pretty sharp. A couple chased sliders that just finished just out of the strike zone in the dirt. They didn’t bite at them. You have to tip your cap to them.“
Fulmer said the pitches were down in his bullpen before the start and pitching coach Chris Bosio told him not to worry.
Fulmer will have six days before he starts on Saturday against the Pirates at Comerica Park. Veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann will pitch Opening Day for the Tigers on Thursday.
„Everything is good now,“ Fulmer said. „Six days is kind of optimal for me right now. That way I get a couple days to rest and recover. Then throw a bullpen, get two more days off and then pitch.“
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Fulmer said he mixed a change-up early with the fastball. „I’ll take a bunt and an infield single and seven innings will be good,“ he said.
Fulmer said he’s trying to find a slider grip that is „super comfortable and still does what I want it to do.“
„Today, I wasn’t yanking them. I just wasn’t starting them high enough. They had great depth. My slider before was a little shorter, a little sharper, harder obviously. Now it’s getting a lot more tilt, a lot more depth. It’s just realigning my sights. When your slider is down, you can’t really argue with it. You’d rather work down to up, rather than up to down.
„If you’re hanging sliders, they’re going to hit them a long way.“
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