Verlander said he's been working on mechanics with his fastball but ended up yanking them.
"Really, all three of those pitches, I'm trying to do the exact same thing and ended up with the exact same result. So I guess I'm insane, because that's the definition of it."
Justin Verlander struck out 5 Yankees over 3 1/3 innings in his second spring start, but also gave up 3 home runs, including this 424-foot drive by Seth Brown off the back wall above the bullpen.
Justin Verlander struck out Ben Rice on a buckling curveball to open his second outing of the spring before Jasson Dominguez and J.C. Escarra hit back-to-back homers, both off 93 mph fastballs.
Tigers lineup behind Justin Verlander to face Yankees and Adam Warren. Spencer Torkelson suffered a right forearm contusion when he was hit by a pitch during a simulated game Tuesday but is in the lineup.
First pitch at 1:05 on AM 1270.
Tigers re-assign LHP Bryan Sammons and RHPs Tyler Mattison and Cole Waites to minor-league camp. Sammons will be part of Triple-A Toledo rotation. Mattison has put himself in good position to make his MLB debut and find a spot in Detroit bullpen at some point this season.
Tarik Skubal is back into Spring Training mode after returning to Tigers camp, but the experience of pitching for Team USA has made him a different pitcher and person than when he left.
And if MLB takes part in 2028 Olympics?
“Absolutely,” Skubal said. “I'm in.”
www.mlb.com/tigers/news/...
And he’s 4-for-4 in 2 games vs. Tigers, including steals of 2B and 3B on consecutive pitches today.
Tigers No. 7 prospect Thayron Liranzo has been diagnosed with a right oblique strain and will miss the start of the season at Double-A Erie. He was expected to share catching duties with No. 4 prospect Josue Briceño, who had surgery on his right wrist last week and is out until midseason.
Tarik Skubal will make his next start for Tigers on Saturday, March 14 vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin, per Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.
To make room for De Jesus on 40-man roster, Tigers have placed RHP Troy Melton on 60-day injured list. No setback for Melton according to Tigers, but with him not throwing yet, his earliest timetable for a return was creeping into May. He'll be eligible to return May 25, 60 days from Opening Day.
Tigers have purchased the contract of LHP Enmanuel De Jesus, who was in camp as a non-roster invite and is currently pitching for Venezuela in WBC. He was getting interest from teams in Asia, and this keeps him with Tigers. Doesn't mean he has made Detroit's 26-man roster yet. 3 options left.
AJ Hinch today: "I've talked to him a handful of times and I definitely want him to speak for himself, but he's in a good place, even though I will say I think he's in a really tough spot because he's trying to do everything and accomplish everything at the same time, which is next to impossible."
Tarik Skubal will leave after tonight’s game and return to Tigers camp in Lakeland, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. DeRosa said Skubal will not pitch again in the WBC
Six days after Kevin McGonigle crushed the first pitch of the Tigers’ Dominican visit for a HR, the Tigers’ top prospect jumped on the first pitch of the 7th inning for his first HR of Grapefruit League play.
Tough news for a sneaky good Tigers prospect (who went to Rockies with first pick in Rule 5 Draft) and a good guy.
Dillon Dingler, starting at catcher for the first time this spring following offseason elbow surgery, gets immediately tested and makes a nice throw to retire Will Simpson and end the first inning for Framber Valdez.
Tigers option IF Hao-Yu Lee and C/1B Eduardo Valencia to Triple-A Toledo, and C/1B Thayron Liranzo to Double-A Erie.
OF Max Clark re-assigned to minor-league camp.
Tigers lineup vs. Rays. First game at catcher this spring for Dillon Dingler. First pitch at 1:05. Radio only today on AM 1270.
Wenceel Pérez CF
Javier Báez SS
Dillon Dingler C
Riley Greene LF
Spencer Torkelson 1B
Kerry Carpenter DH
Austin Slater RF
Kevin McGonigle 3B
John Peck 2B
P: Framber Valdez
Anderson and Hadeen teamed up for a double play later in the inning.
Max Anderson did not move from 3B to 2B to SS, but he wandered over there for some reason and nearly collided with Woody Hadeen as he tried to field a Jonatan Clase ground ball to the SS side of the bag.
Parker Meadows' second hit of the spring is a 68.2 mph roller thru the right side between two defenders. Not saying he needed that infield single, but he reached 29.3 ft/sec down 1B line (30.0 is elite).
Max Anderson started this game at 3B, moved to 2B, then ranged into right field to make this catch while looking into the sun.
A second WBC start wasn't in the plan for Tarik Skubal and Tigers. But plans can change.
“I don't know how it all ends," A.J. Hinch said, "but I saw the emotion and I know the human and I know everything matters to him. He's in a tough spot to accomplish everything.”
www.mlb.com/tigers/news/...
Tigers and Jays lineup today in Dunedin. First pitch at 1:07. Game is streaming in and out of market on MLB.TV and MLB app.
Hinch on Skubal/WBC (3/3): "I don't know how it all ends, but I saw the interview and I saw the emotion and I know the human and I know that everything matters to him. He's in a tough spot to accomplish everything."
Hinch on Skubal/WBC: "I talked to him briefly and kind of let him talk through his emotions and let him talk through what's on his mind. We agreed to talk again as things settled down a little bit and he got a good night's sleep. He'll wake up and get a good work day in today. ...
AJ Hinch on Skubal possibly getting another WBC start (1/3): "I don't think anything's been determined. I think he's incredibly emotional about the experience. It's a difficult time that weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all. ...
My goodness, just watch this cut of Darell Hernaiz's walk-off and the ensuing chaos in San Juan
Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle aren’t just baseball’s top 2 prospects. They’re increasingly frequent rivals, friends and admirers.
“When we're on the field, we're competing. We want to beat each other. But off the field, I think it's cool to pull for one another.”
www.mlb.com/news/konnor-...
