Liriano strong in Tigers’ debut
Detroit left-hander Francisco Liriano threw two scoreless innings against the Yankees in his first start with a new team.
Liriano allowed one hit, walked two and struck out three in the Tigers’ 7-2 loss Tuesday.
Liriano, 34, worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first by striking out Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez. Liriano induced a double-play grounder from Miguel Andujar to end the second.
“My main focus this year is to eliminate the walks and make something happen in three pitches or less,” Liriano said. “That’s what I’m working on right now. I missed my spots a little bit in my first outing. Trying too hard to prove something in the first outing, but I got the first one out of the way and hopefully, I’ll be better in the next one.”
The Tigers agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract with Liriano on Feb. 23. Bullpen cart resurfaces: The Diamondbacks are bringing back the bullpen cart.
The Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that the team will use an OnTrac bullpen cart to transport relief pitchers from both bullpens at Chase Field prior to entering a game.
The last known use of a motorized vehicle in MLB was in 1995, when the Brewers used a motorcycle with a sidecar. Mike Fetters, Arizona’s bullpen coach, was the closer for the Brewers that season. Briefly: Outfielder Jon Jay agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Royals, a deal that allows him to earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses. To open a roster spot, right-hander Jesse Hahn — acquired from the A’s in the offseason — was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Hahn has a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament . ... Seth Romero, a top pitching prospect selected by Washington with the 25th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, was sent home from spring training by the Nationals for violating curfew. Washington said the lefthander violated team policy but did not go into details. A person familiar with the situation said Romero’s girlfriend was at spring training and he stayed out late.