Rodriguez closed out the series opener Friday night, when Victor Martinez’s tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning sent the Tigers to a 4-3 victory. Detroit’s Victor Martinez has four hits in his last three games overall, but is 0-for-10 in his career versus Gausman. “Back ends of the bullpens are some of the best pitchers in the game, and you don’t get too many looks at them, like you do starters”. Tonight, Michael Fulmer goes to the mound for the Tigers against the Orioles Kevin Gausman.
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Alex Wilson (3-0) picked up the win in relief and Francisco Rodriguez nailed down his 40th save. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a ideal ninth for his 40th save in 44 chances.
The Orioles fell three games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.
The Indians won for the ninth time in their last 11 games, but a concern came up when starter Danny Salazar was removed after four innings because of tightness in his right forearm.
“It felt (like a) playoff atmosphere, if I knew what it felt like”, Fulmer said with a grin. Though he experienced a drop in velocity, he felt he was able to locate better than in his previous attempt to return, which was derailed after an abbreviated outing on August 4 when he surrendered six runs in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Fulmer was fortunate to walk away with a no-decision in his lone encounter with the Orioles, surrendering five runs on as many hits with three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
WHITE SOX 7, ROYALS 2: Carlos Rodon struck out a season-high nine over six innings, Adam Eaton doubled twice and scored two runs and Chicago won at home.
He is up to 143 2/3 innings for the Tigers this year. Zimmermann comes off the disabled list Saturday to make only his second start since June 30.”It’s probably the worst feeling ever, knowing you’ve wasted two or three months and weren’t able to pitch and help this team”, Zimmermann said of his first season in Detroit. “I feel like I’ve been around long enough that I can be thrown into a situation like this”, he said. J.A. Happ (17-4, 3.44 ERA) hopes to right the ship against the hard-hitting Red Sox in the second game of a critical series. It was 0.91 before the break.
It was the first multihomer game for the rookie, whose two-run drive in the seventh put Washington up 4-1.
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“I thought one of his best innings was the last inning”, Showalter said. “You can make a ideal pitch to him, and end up with exactly that result”. Baltimore RHP Darren O’Day (rotator cuff strain) will pitch a simulated game in the coming days and Showalter is hopeful he’ll be activated from the DL “in the next week or so”. He said OF Joey Rickard (right thumb ligament) hit Thursday, and RHP Chris Tillman (right shoulder) threw Friday.
