Edwin Jackson has always had outstanding stuff but has struggled with his control throughout his career. Coming into the year, he had walked 4.5 batters per nine innings for his career. Last year, he was still wild but he improved his walk rate to 3.8 batters per nine innings. This year, under the direction of pitching coach Rick Knapp, he was walked just five batters in his first three games. Today, he walked just one Mariner, the last batter he faced after 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Edwin threw 71 strikes on 98 pitches for an impressive 72 percent strike rate.
Bobby Seay and Fernando Rodney finished off the combined 2-0 shutout with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Seay has now gone 3 1/3 innings without putting a runner on base while Rodney allowed his first base runner in five innings, a leadoff walk to Endy Chavez in the ninth.
The Tigers scored their only runs against a very tough Erik Bedard in the sixth on singles by Miguel Cabrera, Gerald Laird and Brandon Inge and a throwing error by Ichiro Suzuki. Bedard had stymied them for the first five innings getting six called third strikes along the way.
The defensive play of the game for the Tigers was a fly out double play where Curtis Granderson cut down Jose Lopez at the plate in the fifth inning. It was a really nice set and throw by Grandy and an excellent block of home plate by Laird.
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You beat me to him. Guess I was thrown off by your prior analysis about how Jackson was terrible last year.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I've been telling a lot of people how Jackson was pretty bad last year and he was lucky to win 14 games. It would be ironic if he had a great year but won fewer games this year.
ReplyDeleteLee
He's supposed to be talented. I guess you'll see. Meanwhile, I'm trying to turn the fearsome foursome of Glen Perkins, Ricky Romero, Rick Porcello and Jordan Zimmerman into something. Why am I nervous...?
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