Closing February with a boom!

On Monday, February 25^th, the Tigers broke out the sticks yet again, as they tallied 15 hits at the Orioles’ Ed Smith (that’s right, Ed Smith) Stadium in Sarasota.  A weird collision at home plate between Jeimer Candelario and O’s pitcher Kevin Gausman in the first nearly marred the otherwise successful day.   Fortunately, it has been called a bruised knee, and Candelario is listed as day-to-day.  Leonys Martin continued his bid for a roster spot by lacing three singles in four at-bats, while James McCann, JaCoby Jones, and Jim Adduci each drove in a pair of runs.  The best news of the day was that Michael Fulmer was popping 94 mph pain-free sinkers in his Spring debut.  Despite giving up a solo shot in the first, the Tigers’ ace needed just 14 pitches, 10 of which were strikes, to get through two innings of work.  Baltimore’s stud 2B Jonathan Schoop smashed a 3-run jack off Tigers 2014 2^nd round draft pick Spencer Turnbull his first ever MLB Spring Training action, but the Tigers never trailed and improved to 3-1 this in Grapefruit action.

The Tigers stayed hot at the plate on Tuesday, as they traveled to Clearwater and blasted out eight runs in the opening three frames, cruising to an 11-6 victory over the Phillies.  Journeyman catcher Derek Norris smoked a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for a 3-run jack in the 3^rd, en route to a 3 for 3 day.  Chad Huffman and longtime Twins outfield prospect Niko Goodrum added solo shots in the 6^th.  Newcomer Mike Fiers picked up his first win of the spring, opening the game with two shutout innings.  Alex Wilson’s spring debut was a disaster, as he was torched for six earned on six hits and two long balls in just an 1-1/3 innings of work.  Drew VerHagen looked sharp, whiffing four batters in his two innings.

On the final day of February, Detroit headed back to Tampa for a rematch with the Yankees, this time coming away with a 9-6 win.  Daniel Norris gave up a 2-run bomb to Yankee catcher Gary Sanchez in the first.  The Tigers answered with a 4-run third, anchored by a 3-run long ball by John Hicks.  The Yanks tied it up 6-6 in the 8^th with four of their own, three of which were charged to 27-year old reliever Enrique Burgos, who had 73 lackluster appearances with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015-16.  Dominic Ficociello, working his way up the Tigers’ farm system since 2013, doubled in a pair of runs in the top of the 9^th to reclaim the lead.  Former Rice Owl Dane Myers, in his first professional Spring Training, walked the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning, before Venezuelan prospect Anthony Castro induced a popout and struck out the final batter on three pitches to earn the save.  The Tigers improved to 5-1 heading into March.