Washington, D.C. — Tigers lefty reliever Tyler Alexander is stuck in a Catch-22 no pitcher wants to be in.
He needs more work to pitch better, but he needs to pitch better to earn more work.
“There’s always these lulls in the season where you don’t throw a lot and other times when you do throw a lot,” said Alexander, who before Sunday had worked just 4.1 innings this month, and twice since May 9. “I remember last year, too. When you don’t have a role, sometimes it takes me a while to find my slot in what we have in the bullpen.
“I feel like I’m going through that stage right now, just trying to figure out where I fit in.”
The Tigers’ bullpen has been constructed differently than it was the last two seasons, when Alexander was used as a spot starter and the primary long reliever out of the bullpen. This year, he is one of three bulk relievers, vying for opportunities with lefty Tyler Holton and right-hander Mason Englert.
“The emergence of Tyler Holton has been really impactful on the usage of Tyler Alexander,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We always seem to have a length guy available and you always want to leave a length guy for the following day, just in case something happens.”
Holton and Englert have both been used in this series, so for the finale Sunday, Alexander was expected to be the first long man up, if needed. If he gets the call, it will be his first work in four days. His first three appearances this month, on May 3, May 7 and May 9, were one-out stints. He faced a total of five batters over those seven days and threw 12 pitches.
Tough for any pitcher to stay sharp, particularly for somebody like Alexander who relies on precise command of five pitches.
“You just throw your touch-and-feel (sessions between outings),” he said. “It is what it is. Sometimes, you go a few days without pitching and you’re not sharp. But, you can also go eight days wthout pitching and you’re really sharp. Sometimes, you go out and dominate and sometimes you suck.”
He’s given up two runs in each of his last two outings and his ERA is pushing 7.0. But, this is the same pitcher who, during a two-week stretch in April, allowed just one run in 7.2 innings with six strikeouts, holding hitters to a .174 batting average.
He’s also the same pitcher who came in with runners at the corners Sunday and punched out Dominic Smith looking at a cutter and pitched a scoreless seventh.
“Execution is very key for Alexander,” Hinch said. “It’s wavered a little bit in his last couple of outings. But, he also has a track record of throwing strikes and holding this role down very well. We will continue to make decisions.”
Alexander said his body and arm feel as good as they have in a long time. He likes where his stuff is, too. He’s pitched in some bad luck and he’s made some mistakes that weren’t missed.
“This game is very frustrating,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay dialed-in. It’s a long season. At some point, I’ll find a rhythm and I’ll find a good role.”
Learning curve
Speaking of wavering production, Englert is grinding through a rough stretch, as well.
The rookie right-hander had given up 11 runs (seven earned) with five walks and three homers in his previous six outings, covering eight innings. Opponents hit .316 with a .632 slugging percentage during that stretch.
The culprit, in this case, isn’t a lack of work. His fastball has been getting whacked. Five of the seven homers he’s allowed have come off his 91-92 mph four-seamer. Opponents are hitting .375 off the pitch and slugging 1.083. The average exit velocity on fastballs put in play against him is an untenable 95 mph.
“His fastball can be effective when he locates it,” Hinch said. “His velocity has wavered a little bit and the only reason I say that is because it impacts the action of his other pitches. His slider plays off that and his changeup plays off that.
“Generally, he’s been able to locate his secondary pitches effectively, but when he hasn’t, he’s tried to reach back for a little more fastball, and that has impacted his ability to command it.”
Some performance swings were expected, of course. Englert, a Rule 5 draftee, is 23 and hadn’t pitched much above High-A before this season. And he never pitched out of the bullpen before this season.
“As coaches, we have to remind ourselves that he’s still a very young kid learning how to pitch,” Hinch said. “We often grandfather him in to the big leagues based on a few good outings. But, we still need to make sure he stays locked-in on his delivery and his health and preparation.
“He’s not pitched this much or this often ever in his career, or in this role. We need to be cautious with him.”
Englert had a nice bounce-back outing Sunday, allowing three hits with two strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings.
Beast mode
Alex Lange came into the game Sunday on the best roll of his young career.
He hadn’t given up a run in 15 straight games covering 14.2 innings. That’s the longest streak of his career and the longest active streak among big-league relievers.
On Friday night, he earned his eighth save and the first-ever multi-inning save of his career. He was summoned with two outs in the eighth inning after Jason Foley issued a two-out walk. The Tigers were up, 8-6, and Nationals manager Dave Martinez sent left-handed-hitting Corey Dickerson up to hit.
Hinch liked the matchup — Lange’s curveball against Dickerson, who is a superior fastball hitter.
But Lange changed the script. He threw three straight curveballs to get ahead, 1-2, then blew a 96.7-mph sinker right by him.
“You just let the at-bat dictate it,” Lange said. “The way he was taking pitches, the way he was swinging at pitches, he showed us what he was looking for and we executed. (Catcher Eric) Haase made a great call.”
Lange is holding hitters to a .175 average with 20 strikeouts and a 49% whiff rate with his curveball. But, his 95-97 mph sinker is no joke. Hitters are 2-for-19 against it.
“A lot of times, you let the hitter tell you what they’re looking for,” Lange said. “And you just execute. Whatever it takes.”
On deck: Royals
,Series: Three games at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
Tigers <QL>at Royals
Series: Three games at Kauffman Stadium
First pitch: Monday-Wednesday, 7:40 p.m.
TV/radio: Monday-Wednesday, BSD/97.1.
Probables: Monday – RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 3.44) vs. RHP Brady Singer (3-4, 7.09); Tuesday – LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 2.06) vs. TBA; Wednesday – LHP Matthew Boyd (3-3, 6.21) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (1-5, 4.82).
Lorenzen, Tigers: He’s having himself a month. In three May starts, he’s allowed two runs in 20 innings, holding hitters to a .200 average with 11 strikeouts and four walks. He’s been controlling at-bats with a pared-down, three-pitch mix (four-seam, changeup, slider, with a sprinkling of two-seamers).
Singer, Royals: Very unusual season for Singer. He’s given up eight runs in an outing twice and five runs twice. Opponents are hitting .295 with an average exit velocity on balls in play of 93 mph. His strikeout rate (19%) is a career low and his walk rate (7.8%) is a career high. The velocity on both his sinker and slider is down by 2 mph.
Singer, Royals: Very unusual season for Singer. He’s given up eight runs in an outing twice and five runs twice. Opponents are hitting .295 with an average exit velocity on balls in play of 93 mph. His strikeout rate (19%) is a career low and his walk rate (7.8%) is a career high. The velocity on both his sinker and slider are down by 2 mph.
Twitter: @cmccosky