Another strong Faedo start propels Detroit past Pirates
PITTSBURGH » Alex Faedo is trying not to get ahead of himself.
Having two years basically taken away from him — first by the COVID-19 pandemic, the second by Tommy John surgery on his right elbow — has taught the Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher a thing or two about patience.
So even as he breezed through five innings on 82 pitches in what eventually became a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, the 26-year-old didn’t try to talk manager A.J. Hinch into letting him take the mound in the sixth.
The Tigers have a plan for their 2017 first-round pick. It includes meticulously making sure he doesn’t overdo it, no matter how simple he’s made it look during his first seven starts. That meant Faedo’s day was long over before Miguel Cabrera’s go-ahead RBI single in the eighth.
Given the results — both in the game and in his progress — it’s a tradeoff Faedo will take.
“Whatever (the Tigers) think is best for me, I trust them,” Faedo said. “I can only control what I can control, so whenever I’m on the mound, I’m going to try to compete as hard as I can and try to execute as much as I can. Anything besides that is out of my control.”
Faedo surrendered just one run — Jack Suwinski’s
leadoff home run in the fourth — on three hits before exiting. It’s become a pattern. He has gone at least five innings and given up two runs or less in each of his first seven major league starts. Only two other pitchers have begun their career with those types of numbers per the Elias Sports Bureau.
While Faedo admitted his family has been blowing up his phone with each promising start, he’s trying to keep things in perspective.
“I think for me it just lets me know that I’ve been consistent and giving these guys a chance to win,” he said.
Faedo and four relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Tigers took a quick two-game interleague set from the Pirates.
Harold Castro led off the eighth with a single off Wil Crowe (2-3) and Jonathan Schoop followed with a bloop single to shallow center that Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds appeared to track down. Replays showed that Reynolds trapped the ball. Cabrera stepped in and delivered a sharp single up the middle for his 3,038th career hit to score Castro from second.
Schoop and Austin Meadows had two hits apiece for Detroit. Daz Cameron drove in two runs, the first with an RBI triple in the second and the second with an RBI double in the ninth to provide a little insurance for the Tigers, who bounced back after getting swept by the New York Yankees by taking two taut games from the Pirates in less than 16 hours.
Detroit weathered a rain delay of over two hours to pull out a 5-3 victory on Tuesday. The Tigers kept it going in Wednesday’s matinee to win for the seventh time in 11 games.
Will Vest (1-1) earned the win with a perfect seventh inning. Gregory Soto worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the ninth to collect his 12th save.
Suwinski’s home run gave him seven on the season, tops among National League rookies, but the Pirates’ offense mustered little else.
“(Faedo) has some good pitches,” Suwinski said. “With his over-the-top delivery, it’s kind of deceiving for some of those breaking balls that are down. That changeup can run away. The heater can play up as well with that over-the-top. He’s got some pretty good stuff.”
The rebuilding Tigers are banking on it.
The Tigers are off Thursday before beginning a 10game homestand on Friday when Toronto visits for a three-game series.