Detroit Tigers: Young Pitchers Dominating the Mound

This Detroit Tigers season is quickly becoming the breakout year for young pitchers. If Matt Boyd and Michael Fulmer continue to pitch like they did against the Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers are going to have some interesting seasons in the near future.

Both Boyd and Fulmer shut out the hot offense in Texas, which is something to say for a pair of pitchers who really shouldn’t even be in the regular rotation.

If they continue to pitch this way, there is little to no reason to hurry veterans Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey back from the disabled list (Well, there is still one reason: Anibal Sanchez).

To put this in perspective, when Sanchez pitched on Friday night against the Rangers, he allowed eight hits and eight runs. He struck out four and walked two. He also gave up four home runs. Fulmer and Boyd combined only allowed seven hits in their two games against the Rangers. They did not allow any runs. Fulmer struck out nine batters and walked no one. Boyd struck out three and walked two.

Fulmer Setting Detroit Tigers Records

These two starts are not flukes. It is common knowledge that Fulmer has been dominating hitters all season. He is currently leading the American League with a 2.25 ERA with 120.0 innings pitched. This puts him in the running for the Cy Young award and most likely for the Rookie of the Year award. The closest pitcher in the AL is Danny Duffy, who has an ERA of 2.82 in 124.1 innings pitched. Justin Verlander is sitting in the 14th spot with an ERA of 3.42 in 160.1 innings.

Verlander is dominating in other categories, like strikeouts and WHIP. He has 170 strikeouts putting him in second only to Chris Archer, who has 177. Verlander’s WHIP is an impressive 1.06 – which is actually slightly higher than Fulmer’s 1.02. Even with the injuries to Zimmermann and Pelfrey, the Tigers pitchers have been putting on a show.

To add to the legendary season that Fulmer is having, his ERA is actually the second lowest in the entire MLB. The only pitcher with a lower one is Clayton Kershaw, who has been out of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation since June 26. Kershaw has remained in the top spot with a 1.79 ERA in his 121 innings pitched. There is a chance that Fulmer could surpass Kershaw after Kershaw returns to the Dodgers.

Matt Boyd Growing into a Reliable Force

Fulmer isn’t the only young pitcher who is looking good on the mound. Matt Boyd put on a show against the Rangers, too. Boyd had his rookie season in 2015, but at 25 years of age and with only two years in the Big Show, he is still considered “young.” In his starts prior to the trade deadline, Boyd clearly had struggles on the mound.

At the end of June, his ERA was over 6.00. He has been quickly recovering since then. His past two starts and his one inning of relief in August have been clearly better. He has held batters to a .174 average. His ERA in August has been a significantly smaller 2.08.

More from Detroit Tigers News

• Detroit Tigers: Victor Reyes finding ways to get the job done
• The Detroit Tigers must cut their losses and release Jonathan Schoop
• Detroit Tigers: Garrett Hill’s new role and changed delivery are excellent
• Detroit Tigers: Joe Jiménez has rebounded in 2022
• Detroit Tigers: Is it finally time to move the fences in at Comerica Park?

Boyd credits his improvement to a small tweak suggested by pitching coach Rich Dubee. According to Evan Woodbery’s article on MLive, Boyd said: “He noticed my arm slot kind of floating around. A lot of credit’s owed to (Dubee) for seeing that and pointing that out to me.”

This arm slot change has increased Boyd’s pitch speed for the better. He has actually been able to increase his pitch speed. According to the same article, Boyd’s “velocity rose from 91.3 mph in his last start a week ago to 93 mph on Saturday. His maximum speed went from 93.6 mph to 96.3 mph.”

Daniel Norris on the Forefront

Even Daniel Norris has been improving. In his last start against the Seattle Mariners on August 9, he only gave up one run in his five innings. Even though the team lost, the loss was not on Norris. He will pitch at home on Monday against the Kansas City Royals. Whether he can continue to have successful starts and remain injury-free is still unknown.

Next: Take the Time to Watch Fastball the Documentary

One thing is certain. The young pitchers are making names for themselves because of their strong performances. Hopefully, they can keep the wins coming, especially if the offense continues to help them out.