Drew Smyly prepares to return to the mound on Saturday – MLB Detroit Tigers’ Update
According to a leading sports website, Tigers’ starting pitcher Drew Smyly is prepared to return to the mound on Saturday in a crucial series against the American League Central Division leaders Chicago White Sox. Smyly is expecting to have a decent outing
as he did on his debut. It is unclear what the Tigers will get out of the left hander starter, who is filling in for Doug Fister.
Smyly said, "The Angels have a good lineup. I'm looking forward to the challenge. My arm is feeling good. My side hasn't been bothering me. I'm ready to go."
Smyly showed great promise and determination in his first six starts of the season but he lost concentration in his last nine starts. It will be interesting to see if he can produce a match winning performance on Saturday to have any chance of cementing
his place on the Tigers’ big league roster.
"I feel at home in the locker room," Smyly said. “It feels like a little bit of both. Like I was just here, but also that it's been a while."
"I know what to expect, I know how to go about it," Smyly said. "But this late in the season, in front of 40,000 people, you're still going to be excited about it.”
Manager Jim Leyland is also unsure if it is going to be Smyly’s only start. Fister, who has a strained groin, will need some time to recover from his injury, which may allow Smyly to make more than one start. In an interview, answering a question, Leyland
stated that he did not tell Fister that he will miss just one start but that does not mean he will miss more than one start. It will depend on how quickly Fister fully recovers from a strained muscle.
A day off can be also be helpful in this regard for the Tigers, They have Monday off next week, which means they will not need Smyly or Fister until Saturday, September 1. So far, Smyly is 4-3 with a decent 4.22 ERA and 81 strike-outs. He will definitely
be looking to improve his numbers in this last quarter of the season.
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