Detroit — Who knew Lloyd McClendon had such a tender side to him?
On Sunday, Mother’s Day, the Toledo Mud Hens’ skipper not only called left-hander Joey Wentz into his office, but also invited in Wentz’s parents to deliver the news that Wentz was being called up to the major leagues.
“That was very cool,” Wentz said. “Very emotional.”
The 24-year-old left-hander, two years removed from Tommy John surgery, will make his big-league debut against the Athletics on Wednesday.
“That was very cool for my mom,” Wentz said. “I’m not an overly emotional person, but when I had a minute to myself — pretty cool.”
It was also, he said, a bit overwhelming to wrap his head around at first.
“It felt great, obviously,” Wentz said. “But I told my mom, this is the highest level in the game. When you think about that, I mean, I’ve played baseball since I was six or seven and I used to go to a bunch of MLB games. To be on that field now, just really special.”
So, how did his mother react?
“I think both of my parents were in a bit of shock,” he said. “As much as we maybe think this can happen one day, it’s one of those things that you never know. She was really excited and happy and maybe a little stunned as well.”
Wentz, the No. 12-rated prospect in the Tigers’ system (MLB Pipeline), has pitched well in five starts for Toledo, posting a 1.068 WHIP, 26 strikeouts and 10 walks in 19.2 innings. But it was his last start that was most encouraging because he debuted a new weapon.
“I added a cutter and it was pretty effective for me,” he said. “After my start in Omaha (April 28) I talked to Boch (Toledo pitching coach Doug Bochtler) about maybe adding another pitch, another breaking pitch I can throw for strikes.”
He broke it out against the Worchester Red Sox and struck out a season-high eight over four innings.
“It felt good,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s in the back pocket just yet, but I think it can be a big weapon for me.”
Throwing strikes and commanding pitches has always been the challenge for the 6-foot-5 Wentz, especially so in the aftermath of his surgery.
“Yeah, that was probably the most difficult thing for me,” he said. “But with the reps I’ve had now, my bullpens have been a lot better. I think you can tell when you are going good, when your bullpens between starts are good. I hope I can keep improving.”
Manager AJ Hinch hasn’t committed any more than one start to Wentz at this point, though he made it clear he could earn a second start. Wentz hasn’t finished five full innings in any of his Triple-A starts, either.
“I’m just going to try to treat this just another baseball game,” Wentz said. “I’ve played a lot of them. Obviously, it’s going to have a different feel. But I’m just going to try to stay within myself, try to get ahead of hitters and just pitch.”
About that umpire
Javy Báez was still in no mood to discuss his dispute with umpire Nick Mahrley Monday night. He and Hinch were both ejected in the ninth inning after arguing a series of what they perceived to be missed ball-strike calls throughout the game.
“I don’t want to ruin my day,” Báez said when he was asked if he had a few minutes to talk Tuesday morning.
Hinch basically reiterated what he said postgame, that he thought Mahrley had a bad night. But he also added that he thought Athletics catcher Sean Murphy’s stellar pitch-framing skills played a part in it.
“I would imagine it is a little bit of a challenge with the way guys are framing pitches,” he said. “That was part of my spiel (to Mahrley) last night. Their guy is one of the best in the league at getting pitches, so it’s not all your fault. But that was our reality.
“As pitch-framing has grown it’s probably become more difficult to umpire.”
Hinch was asked if games like that make him more of a proponent of an electronic strike zone.
“I still really like the human element,” he said. “If we go to the automated ball-strike, we’re going to have complaints with that, too. I think guys have bad nights. I voiced what I thought last night and how I thought it went. I don’t know if over-correcting it to a computer system — that’s going to have its flaws, too — is going to make you feel any better.
“What I’ve learned about hitters, regardless of who is calling pitches — a coach standing behind the mound, a catcher or an umpire — they’re going to disagree with calls. Just when it happens against your club, it gets frustrating.”
Around the horn
After Game 2 Tuesday, the Tigers designated right-hander Drew Hutchison for assignment to clear a roster spot for Wentz. Hutchison, who pitched a scoreless inning in Game 1 and had been a workhorse out of the bullpen, was out of minor league options. If he clears waivers, he can re-sign with the Tigers on a minor-league deal.
… Outfielder Robbie Grossman extended his errorless streak to a major league-record 402 games Tuesday. He hasn’t made an error since 2018.
“I know it’s been going on for a pretty long time, I just try not to think about it,” he said. “I guess it’s pretty cool. I’ll just continue to do what I do and be who I am and see what happens. I don’t want to talk about it, though.”
… Tarik Skubal’s ERA went up before he even threw a pitch Tuesday. Major League Baseball made a scoring change from his start at Target Field on April 28. What had been scored a sacrifice and an error on catcher Tucker Barnhart on a bunt by Jorge Polanco was changed to a single. That bumped up Skubal’s ERA from 3.04 to 3.71. After his seven scoreless innings in Game 1, it dropped back to 2.94.
cmccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
Athletics at Tigers
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, Comerica Park, Detroit
TV/radio: BSD, FS1/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
LHP Zach Logue (1-1, 2.84), Athletics: Part of the A’s get-back in the Matt Chapman trade last year, this will be his second big-league start. He throws a slider-curveball-change-up mix off a low-velocity four-seamer (90 mph). Most of the damage against him has come off the heater — two doubles, two home runs.
LHP Joey Wentz (0-0, 0.00), Tigers: The Tigers’ No. 12-rated prospect, per MLB Pipeline, makes his big-league debut. Two years removed from Tommy John surgery, he struck out 26 and walked 10, posting a 1.068 WHIP in 19.2 innings covering five starts at Toledo. The 6-5, 220-pounder features a mid-90s fastball and a plus change-up.