Pineda excited to be veteran leader in Detroit

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Michael Pineda was a hard-throwing, dynamic young hurler, an All-Star and a Rookie of the Year candidate 11 years and three teams ago. He was a 207-strikeout pitcher six years ago. It feels like a lot longer for both.

He has been through plenty since then, including rotator cuff surgery that cost him 2012 and 2013 to Tommy John surgery that sidelined him in 2018. But he also changed his way of pitching, from high-powered fastballs and strikeouts to contact and efficiency.

“Every year you get some experience, you learn something different,” Pineda said Sunday morning before the Tigers’ 8-7 win over the Yankees. “In my last couple years, I’ve tried to focus on getting quick outs. I don’t really focus on velocity, but I want to focus on throwing five, six, seven innings and giving my team the opportunity to win. This is my goal.”

This is what the Tigers see in the 33-year-old Pineda, whom they signed to a one-year, incentive-laden contract this week. He isn’t going to rise up and be an ace on a staff that features Eduardo Rodriguez and three gifted youngsters. If Pineda can provide reliable starts at the back end of Detroit’s rotation and give the Tigers an opportunity for victories, his one-year contract will seem well-earned.

“I’m so excited and I’m happy to be here,” Pineda said, “and I want to help the team win games and get into the playoffs.”

While Pineda will spend the coming days learning about most of his teammates, he’s quite familiar with the Tigers as an opponent following seven meetings over three seasons with the Twins. He held Detroit to a run on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in his final start in Minnesota.

That not only closed out his Twins tenure, it finished off a dominant final month of 2021, which featured a 5-0 record and a 1.85 ERA over four starts and one relief appearance. He struck out just 15 batters over 24 1/3 innings and gave up 26 hits. Pineda didn’t finish six innings in any of the starts, but he proved efficient at limiting damage.

“We always try to learn something,” Pineda said. “Last year I had really good success with the changeup, and I used it a lot. I always threw a lot of sliders and fastballs, but last year I tried to work a little more with my changeup, and I think it helped me a lot.”

Those improvements didn’t help him avoid a waiting game as the pitching market played out following the resumption of transactions a week and a half ago. He was admittedly nervous as he waited for offers, but as the bigger names signed or were traded, he landed in a spot with a chance to contend.

“I know they have a really good group here,” he said. “I signed here yesterday and I’m bringing my experience, and I’m open for whenever young guys want to talk to me. If I can help, I’ll be happy to do that.”

Báez bolts
Sunday’s win marked just the Tigers’ third game of Grapefruit League play, but it wasn’t too early for Javier Báez to show the value of two-strike hitting and opportunistic baserunning.

After taking a 97 mph fastball low in the zone for a 1-2 count in the first inning, he was ready when Yankees starter Luis Severino followed with a changeup in the same spot, lacing a line drive to right-center. While Robbie Grossman scored, Báez sped up rounding first as center fielder Ender Inciarte collected the ball, legging out a double. That put him in position to score two batters later on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out single.

“Two-strike hitting really matters,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s not giving anything away. He’s going to hit in the middle of our order.”

Báez struck out in his other at-bat on three pitches, all called strikes, against Wandy Peralta to lead off the third inning.

Baddoo miscue
Though Akil Baddoo wasn’t charged with a throwing error Sunday, his throw home on a second-inning flyout from Inciarte allowed a runner to advance.

Baddoo, who started in center field, called off Victor Reyes on the ball to left-center with runners at the corners and one out, then whirled and fired home. The ball sailed on him and would have hit the backstop if not for Tarik Skubal’s sno-cone catch. Isiah Kiner-Falefa advanced to second on the play, but Skubal struck out José Peraza to end the threat.