Turnbull no stranger to high-pressure starts

TORONTO -- Spencer Turnbull received a text message the other day from an old coach and family friend from Alabama who happens to be an old Tiger. The message from former Tigers closer Todd Jones was positive reinforcement as Turnbull prepared to take a spot in Detroit’s rotation.

“He said, 'You just have to kind of dig out that greatness within you,'” Turnbull said, “but you have to really be able to make the sacrifices that other people aren’t willing to make, working hard and being willing to put in the extra and being willing to kind of reinvent yourself every year because stuff changes all the time.

“You have to keep getting better all the time. You can’t ever really get lazy with this game. You have to continue to get better, because everybody else is always getting better around you. Everybody is making adjustments to you, so you have to make adjustments to them. I’m just starting that process right now, hoping and praying that I’ll be able to do it for a long time.”

Jones reinvented himself as a pitcher a few times over the course of his 16-year career, half of it with the Tigers. Turnbull isn’t at that stage yet, not at age 26 with four Major League appearances on his resume. But as he prepares to take his rotation turn Saturday against Toronto (3:07 p.m. ET on MLB.TV), with potentially a full season of starts to come with Michael Fulmer out, he’s learning to take what he learns and adjust.

The last time Turnbull started for the Tigers in a regular-season game, he was pitching in front of a loud sellout crowd in Milwaukee with a Brewers division race on the line. He took the loss, but with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings, he made an impression by pitching under pressure.

“I think it set the tone for what I can expect a high-pressure environment to feel like,” Turnbull said. “Up to that point, I’d never experienced quite that level of pressure. I like to feel over my lifetime I’ve typically performed better in pressure situations, but you just never know. You like to test yourself.

“I think it was a really good test for me, kind of proved some things to me internally. Just having that taste, you’re able to prepare more for it, know what to expect and how to do it. Your body might feel a little different that day. You might have a little extra something on it. But if you know how to control it, I think that’s a big part of it, being able to slow it down a little bit. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow.”

He has a big believer in his corner in manager Ron Gardenhire, who went to bat to argue for Turnbull making the team. But Gardenhire expects Turnbull to feel some of that pressure.

“He’ll be amped up,” Gardenhire said. “And hopefully he’ll be able to slow it down. He’s pitched in big games. He pitched in Milwaukee, probably as big a game as it could be because they were battling for the division, and he handled it. …

“I think, honestly, he has a pretty good head on his shoulders. He’s a little nuts like most pitchers, which is a good thing. He has some of those crazy little ideas and all that stuff. But I trust him with the ball. He’s one of our best pitchers. I really believe that, as far as stuff goes. And now he has to go out, get on the mound and hopefully he’ll be in control. I trust the guy. This is a good stage for him.”

Alcantara handles the pressure

Lost in the amazement over Jordan Zimmermann’s perfect-game bid in a no-decision Thursday was the solid inning Victor Alcantara delivered in gathering the win. With a scoreless duel entering next-run-wins territory in the bottom of the ninth, Gardenhire turned to his 25-year-old right-hander with the top of the Jays order due up and got three outs, including a strikeout of Randal Grichuk with Brandon Drury on first.

“I like the kid,” Gardenhire said of Alcantara. “I think he handles it pretty good. I don’t think he worries about when I put him in.”

That ability to handle high-pressure situations could make Alcantara a flexible part of Gardenhire’s bullpen plans. In Thursday’s case, Alcantara bridged the gap between All-Star setup man Joe Jimenez and closer Shane Greene.

Home opener ceremonies announced

Former Tigers closer Guillermo Hernandez, the 1984 American League MVP, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Tigers’ home opener next Thursday, the team announced as part of its schedule of ceremonies.

Mary Wilson, a Grammy Award-nominated performer and original member of The Supremes, will perform the national anthem in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Motown Records. Four A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” aircraft from the 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base will perform a flyover. Brigadier General John D. Slocum of the 127th Wing at Selfridge will deliver the game ball.

Gates will open at 10 a.m. for the 1:10 p.m. ET start. Pregame ceremonies will begin around 12:40 p.m.