Detroit Tigers outclass Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 to win the series – MLB Update
Detroit Tigers outclassed Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 at the Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday, April 12 in their regular season encounter of the 2012 Major League Baseball.
Drew Smyly will be very pleased with the way he pitched in his first ever MLB start. The 22 year old struggled to pitch with control and accuracy in his only Triple A league start a few days ago and he would never have imagined how hard it will be to pitch
in majors.
After making a poor start, Smyly settled down with the bases loaded. Striking out Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez, he somehow managed to escape the inning. The outing proved to be a decent one for Smyly at the end as he allowed one run and four hits in just
over four innings.
Smyly looked a bit disappointed by the fact he was unable to pitch deep into the game. However, considering he is new to the MLB world, Manager Jim Leyland would have loved what he saw from the starter.
"I had an awesome time out there," he said. "Obviously, only going four innings isn't good. You want to go deep into the game, but I threw too many pitches. With everything going on, though, I feel pretty good about it."
Striker Brennan Boesch made a useful contribution in the offence as he drove in four runs on his birthday to help the Tigers win the three match series 2-1. Tigers’ relief pitcher Collin Balester also had a great time on the mound, allowing one run in two
innings. Overall, Tigers’ relievers allowed just one on three hits in five innings.
"Today was a lot of fun," Boesch said. "It's my birthday, and we're going to have a fun flight to Chicago."
"They did an excellent job out there," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "When you have a young starter out there, you know you are probably going to be into your bullpen. You might as well just accept that."
With their win over the Rays, the Tigers completed their second series win of the season. The Tigers demolished the Boston Red Sox 3-0 in their previous three game series.
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