Notes: Vierling 'shocked' about injury, grateful for timing
This browser does not support the video element.
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Matt Vierling said he was ¡°shocked¡± that what began as lingering discomfort in his right shoulder turned out to be a muscle strain in his rotator cuff. Still, the Tigers outfielder is trying to take a glass-half-full approach to a frustrating injury that will sideline him for Opening Day.
¡°I'll be OK,¡± Vierling said Saturday. ¡°I'm telling you guys, it could've been way worse, and it could've happened in the middle of the year. If we're going to take any positives from this, I'm in a good spot knowing that I'm gonna be back and it's not going to hinder too much of the season, at least right now. We'll be good. I'm pretty positive about all that and feeling grateful that it wasn't worse.¡±
Had the injury been a torn rotator cuff, or had it happened midseason, Vierling said, it would¡¯ve been ¡°way worse¡± emotionally for him. As it is, he¡¯ll rest for the next few weeks before being re-evaluated for a return to baseball activity.
It¡¯s still much worse than Vierling expected when he reported lingering discomfort in his shoulder following Detroit's Feb. 23 game against the Yankees. The shoulder had been ¡°a little cranky¡± all week leading up to it, but Vierling believed it was no different than the typical aches and pains many players endure throughout a season, even though it happened before the season.
This browser does not support the video element.
¡°Had a hit and everything [Sunday], and then the next day, we had a rainout, and it still didn't feel great,¡± Vierling said. ¡°So [we decided] let's take a look. And then [I] went home that night thinking it wasn't much, and then all of a sudden it's like, 'Hey, it's a little bit more.' So I'm like, 'What?'¡±
Asked what might have caused it, Vierling said, ¡°I've been trying to figure that out. There hasn't been like one throw or anything that caused the whole thing. I'm just trying to figure out what it could've been. I don't really have an answer as to what might have caused this. From what I'm told, it probably just built up over time. I personally think the way I play might have had a little to do with it. I'm kinda fishing for reasons here. I've kinda just been told it's out of my control and probably was going to happen regardless.¡±
Sweeney, Lee break through
This browser does not support the video element.
Trey Sweeney entered Sunday 0-for-9 with two walks and four strikeouts for the spring. He ended his hitless stretch with a broken-bat double off Pirates starter Jared Jones that fell into right field to lead off Sunday¡¯s 10-4 win. His home run off a lefty in the fourth was even more impressive.
¡°I knew my timing was off,¡± Sweeney said. ¡°That¡¯s usually always the thing in spring is just getting back on time. I wasn¡¯t losing confidence, just trusting myself and letting it come.¡±
Sweeney wasn¡¯t the only Tiger with a first hit Sunday. Hao-Yu Lee, whose 0-for-10 stretch included some hard contact that went unrewarded, hit a seventh-inning double into the gap to get on the board.
Montero makes an impression
This browser does not support the video element.
After two strong outings this spring as the first pitcher out of the bullpen, Keider Montero is expected to get a start in his next outing, likely on Friday against the Orioles. His two hitless innings on Saturday included four strikeouts. His velocity continues to play up across his arsenal, while his spin rate is up on his breaking pitches, topping out with a 3,073 rpm curveball.
The key, both Saturday and in general, is throwing that arsenal in the strike zone.
¡°He¡¯s a young pitcher who has a ton of energy in his delivery,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°And when he¡¯s locked in, his stuff beats any lineup. And when he sprays it, he finds himself in bad counts, and that just mitigates a little bit of his arsenal. What creates chase is pounding the strike zone and then using your stuff correctly.¡±
Jersey watch
This browser does not support the video element.
When Gleyber Torres signed with the Tigers in December, he asked about getting No. 25, his old jersey number from the Yankees. That number belonged to Tigers right-hander Matt Manning, but when Manning volunteered to give it up, Torres raised the prospect of a gift in return. That gift has been delivered.
¡°Yeah, a Rolex,¡± Torres said.
It was a nice trade for Manning, who now wears No. 15. It¡¯s the same number his dad, Rich Manning, wore when he broke into the NBA with the Vancouver Grizzlies in the mid-1990s.