Asked to assess the outing, Ausmus said “he got three outs”.
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Both Saturday and Monday, his velocity was down, something the Tigers had addressed with him earlier in the season, when he was throttling back on his fastball, in an attempt to gain more control.
Rondon declined to talk to reporters after the game.
The organization wanted to ease Rondon into the closer’s role, then accelerated the process after Soria was moved to Pittsburgh for a minor-league prospect.
Rondon, 24, has been handling closing duties for the Tigers, though he hasn’t been doing it well.
“Nothing different than anyone else”.
– Catherine Slonksnis (@CSlonksnis) September 22, 2015Alex Avila wouldn’t say much about Rondon but did say “to be a big part of this team you have to be here”.
He pitched a scoreless inning in the nightcap Monday, again with his fastball averaging 93 miles per hour . After missing the 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, he seemed to have won a spot on the 25-man roster – only to incur biceps tendinitis. He wasn’t immediately recalled to Detroit after he was cleared, either.
The Tigers have plenty of guys who can get a head start on consolidating positions come spring. In some of his recent outings, he’s thrown too many fastballs.
Ausmus was asked what he saw specifically in Rondon’s stuff.
The powerful right-hander has blown his last two save opportunities, inflating his ERA and WHIP to 5.81 and 1.61, respectively, but it sounds like this decision may have more to with Rondon’s work ethic and attitude in the clubhouse than performance. He walked 19 in 31 innings.
Avila also noted via text message that he and Ausmus “agreed in the long run that this course of action is best for Bruce and the club”, according to Fenech. There is, however, some reason for Tigers fans to be hopeful heading into the future. Youngster Drew VerHagen has been a pleasant surprise with his 75.8 percent ground ball rate through 21.1 innings as well.
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“That I don’t know”, Ausmus said.
