A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Top talent in Spits’ camp
JON KRAWCZYNSKI
MINNEAPOLIS John Hicks had three hits, including his first career homer, and drove in five runs to lead Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers to a 13-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
One day after the benches cleared when Tigers starter Matthew Boyd threw behind slugger Miguel Sano in retaliation for teammate JaCoby Jones being hit in the face, there was no sign of lingering hard feelings.
Fulmer (2-1) allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings, striking out seven.
Jim Adduci had three hits and two RBIs on the day he arrived from Triple-A Toledo and Alex Avila hit a two-run homer for the Tigers.
Victor Martinez added three hits and two RBIs.
Kyle Gibson (0-3) gave up seven runs — six earned — on eight hits in just 22/3 innings for the Twins, who went 2-7 on the home stand against AL Central opponents.
Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario homered for the Twins, but Minnesota lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Hicks hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, prompting Twins manager Paul Molitor to go to backup catcher Chris Gimenez as his seventh relief pitcher.
Gimenez got Andrew Romine to fly out to end the inning.
Avila went deep in the second inning and Detroit broke the game open in the third with five more runs against Gibson, whose ERA rose to 9.00 after his shortest outing of the season.
Fulmer, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, went three-up and three-down in four of the seven innings he pitched.
Jones was taken to the hospital Saturday after getting a scare when a pitch from Twins reliever Justin Haley left him bloodied and a little dazed.
He needed nine stitches in his lip, but said he was still able to have dinner that night.
Jones said he would have a few more tests when the team returned to Detroit but experienced no signs of a concussion.
“It could’ve knocked out all my teeth or struck me square in the eye,” Jones said Sunday.
“I am lucky it hit me in my big lip and just made it bigger. It’s all good.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Manager Brad Ausmus said he was optimistic that slugger Miguel Cabrera (groin) would be ready to come off the disabled list when he is eligible on May 1.
Ausmus also said OF J.D. Martinez ran outside for the first time since spraining his right foot in spring training and is on track to return some time in May.
ADDUCI’S DEBUT
The 31-year-old Adduci had not played in the big leagues since 2014 when he was with the Rangers, but was recalled to take Jones’ place in the outfield.
His plane landed Sunday morning and he came off it swinging, with a two-run double in the third inning that nearly reached the seats in right-centre field.
He also had a single and a walk.
TWINS MISCUES
Left fielder Danny Santana threw out Ian Kinsler at home in the first inning, but was charged with an error after he couldn’t hold on to a liner from Justin Upton in the second inning.
Avila followed with his home run for a 2-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Michael Tonkin got Nicholas Castellanos swinging to end the inning, but Jason Castro let the ball get by him for a passed ball.
He scrambled to throw Castellanos at first base, but the ball sailed past Joe Mauer into right field, allowing Hicks and Romine to score for a 10-2 lead. Perhaps the Windsor Spitfires will have to make a little more room on the back end.
Defencemen Nathan Staios and Louka Henault were the club’s top picks in this year’s Ontario Hockey League draft and both stood out in scrimmages at the team’s prospects camp at the WFCU Centre on Sunday.
However, free-agent defenceman Joey Trifone was another whose play could not be ignored.
“He’s a big, tall kid and he’s got a heavy shot,” Spitfires head coach Rocky Thompson said.
The 6-foot-3, 206-pound Trifone is a native of Kenosha, Wis., and Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel credits United States scout Mike Kesler with bringing him into the fold for the camp.
“Mike Kesler watched him play and we offered him a tryout,” Rychel said. “He has good size and can really shoot it.”
Trifone admits he is not too familiar with the OHL.
“I’ve watched a few games online, but other than that, not really,” the 16-year-old said.
Most players from that part of the U.S. are normally focused on playing college hockey.
“I’ve looked at (schools), but haven’t talked too much,” Trifone said.
He knew a couple of players in the OHL who recommended he give it a try.
“I have two friends, Brock Hill and Cole Coskey (who both play for the Saginaw Spirit) and they said it’s a good league,” Trifone said.
“It’s always nice to keep your options open, see what’s out there and check it out.”
Staios and Henault are both considered top defencemen with a high offensive upside, but Trifone showed off his big shot.
He scored on a point blast during the three-on-three portion of the scrimmage.
“He shoots it hard,” Rychel said. “A lot of our skills seems to be at the back end right now.”
A right-handed shot, Trifone, who also showed he has a physical side to his game, started playing hockey when he was four. He played triple-A with the Milwaukee Junior Admirals before moving on to Team Wisconsin the past two seasons.
With his Kenosha Thunder high school team last season, Trifone put up 12 goals and 25 points in 23 games along with 42 penalty minutes, but said he enjoyed the competition level at Windsor’s camp.
“It’s fast, good hockey,” Trifone said.
“You’ve got to move your feet and make heads-up plays. If you’re not going to work, you’re going to get beat a lot.”
He also wasn’t disappointed with the way he was able to fit into the play.
“It’s fun to play at this level of hockey against kids who know what they’re doing and can play as fast and as well as they can,” Trifone said. “It’s definitely an option. “If I were to have an option here, I would definitely take it into consideration and look it over.”
As far as Rychel is concerned, he saw enough Sunday to know he wants to have a longer look at Trifone in training camp in August.
“He’ll be coming back to main camp,” Rychel said.