Funkhouser 'starting to click' in Detroit's 'pen

Tigers reliever Kyle Funkhouser had a dominant performance against the Brewers on Monday afternoon, striking out four batters in two innings in Detroit’s 3-2 loss.

Don’t be surprised if you see Funkhouser in more high-leverage situations. Entering Tuesday’s action, Funkhouser has a 2.13 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .146 in nine games. He is becoming a real matchup strength for the Tigers.

Funkhouser’s value to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is that he can be a long or short reliever. The right-hander doesn’t seem to tire easily. His arm is known to bounce back quickly.

“I’ve been very impressed by his demeanor. Obviously, by his stuff,” Hinch said. “It stands out as being better than he was when we saw him in Spring Training. Things are starting to click for him. That breeds more confidence. More confidence breeds more strikes and I start putting him into more high-leverage situations. He has responded very well this time around.”

Hinch is observing a different pitcher than the one he saw during Spring Training, when Funkhouser was one of the early cuts in camp.

“[He] wasn’t ready to compete, really. Physically and mentally, we felt he was behind a lot of guys,” Hinch said. “He went down and did his work. He got himself in better throwing shape. He started attacking the strike zone. He worked mechanically with our player development people. … He has brought it back to the big leagues and implemented them into games.”

May goes Tigers' way

The Tigers saw signs of progress during the month of May, going 14-13. It was the third winning month for the club in the last five seasons.

It helped that the Tigers had solid pitching and defense. The highlight of the month was sweeping the Yankees in a three-game series last weekend. While he is happy with the progress, Hinch is looking ahead one game at a time.

“May is over and now it’s on to June,” Hinch said. “We need to focus on what we have done here. The Yankees series doesn’t count anymore. The big win against the Cubs doesn’t count anymore. It’s already in the past.

“Good teams have an ability to move forward and not relish in the success from the previous. Just put your attention to where your feet are. … I think good teams have the ability compartmentalize the season -- the bad and the good -- and focus on today.”