Bosio preaching patience, has staff competitive

DETROIT -- Chris Bosio remembers pitching in wintry weather as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, back when they played outdoors at County Stadium. The Tigers' pitching coach does not remember pitching in weather like what his team encountered for much of the season's first three weeks.
Because of that, Bosio said it's difficult to draw conclusions on individual pitchers. He's encouraged by a staff that entered Thursday's series finale against the Orioles ranked in the middle of the pack among American League teams in ERA, a vast improvement on what was statistically the league's worst staff in 2017.
"I believe in the system that we have in place. It's just getting them in a position to where they can succeed," Bosio said. "In the games that we've lost, we literally beat ourselves. We've been in just about every game, and that's all you can ask for with a young team is trying to take it to the last at-bat and have an opportunity to win on a daily basis."
Bosio did not take questions on his health, which began with a medical issue last week in Cleveland and kept him away from the team for about a week before he rejoined the club on Tuesday. His observations, however, made it clear he was following the team closely while he was away.
More importantly, the team was following the information Bosio was still providing. In discussing the encouraging early work of starter Matthew Boyd and reliever Joe Jiménez, he noted both have been among the early adopters of the analytics they've been provided.
"They have more information," Bosio said. "Information is a very powerful thing, and when applied properly, you get great results. Some guys have used it. Some guys have had quicker adjustments than others."
On Jimenez, Bosio said: "He's matured a little bit as a pitcher, and he's going to mature a lot more, but he's all-in on the information and has applied it really good. So I'm looking for a lot more improvement out of him."
Bosio did not shed much insight on the future of Daniel Norris, who will make his first start of the season Friday night against the Royals.
"I don't know if Daniel Norris is going to be a starter or a reliever," he said. "Daniel Norris will tell us based on his performance. These guys make our decisions for us based on how they play, not because we sit around and [discuss it]. Ultimately they force our hand based on how they perform. It's always going to be that way."

Cabrera feeds off youth movement
While Miguel Cabrera celebrated his 35th birthday on Wednesday by turning back the clock on his swing with a home run and a double, he said he has also fed off the younger clubhouse around him.
Asked if Cabrera has felt any extra responsibility as the Tigers' rebuild changed the clubhouse around him, he said: "I think it's the opposite. I think the young guys help us to go out there and feel young again. They bring a lot of energy to us. They always listen. They always ask."
The main thing Cabrera said he has tried to relay to younger teammates is preparation before the game and focus during it.
"When it's game time, we have to go out there and play baseball," he said. "It's not time to think, because we already think about it before the game, a lot of hours thinking about the pitcher or how we're going to play defense."
Quick hits
• Manager Ron Gardenhire said the Tigers have yet to decide whether to bring up a pitcher or a position player as the 26th man for Friday's day-night doubleheader against the Royals.
• The Tigers began their Class Outside series of pregame educational seminars with Journalism Day on Thursday morning, introducing local students to personalities in the field, who provided insight on the business and how to pursue a career in it. Among the speakers were NBC Sports broadcaster Mike Tirico, FOX 2 Detroit morning anchor Amy Andrews, Detroit News photographer Robin Buckson and Tigers media relations member Bryan Loor-Almonte.