Inside the Article:
The Detroit Tigers brought in a valuable addition to their starting pitching rotation, luring RHP Michael Lorenzen away from the Los Angeles Angels with a one-year contract worth $8.5 million. And while his first two outings with his new team didn't exactly work out the way that either side had been wanting, Lorenzen admits that a more “simplified” approach to taking the mound has been beneficial of late.
Michael Lorenzen has simplified things
Lorenzen bounced back for the Tigers on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, throwing five scoreless innings while only walking one.
“It was good,” Lorenzen said. “I simplified my attack with these guys more so than last start. I felt like I attacked the (strike) zone pretty good, and I had some good defensive plays behind me to make some innings efficient.”
“The walks for me, I'm not struggling to throw strikes during the game,” Lorenzen ccon tinued. “The walks for me come like with (Cedric) Mullins. I just lost it for a hitter and walked a guy. It's not like every hitter that comes up I'm struggling to throw strikes. I'm usually generally around the zone, and then for a hitter, I'll spray four fastballs. And then it shows up I have three walks, when really, I wasn't wild at all. I just lost it for three hitters.”
Of the 68 pitches that he threw against Baltimore, 45 of them were strikes.
“That's generally my attack,” Lorenzen said. “I'm pretty good at getting to 1-2 (counts). I take that to heart, getting ahead. Big targets early, then expanding late. But sometimes, it may not look like that because I'll lose it for a hitter.”
A focused Michael Lorenzen is key for the Tigers
The Tigers know that a focused Lorenzen works big-time benefits for them, and they know he has it in him.
“He did great,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “The ball was coming out good, and he was mixing his pitches well. He was throwing inside to guys, keeping guys honest in, and then going soft away. He did a really good job of mixing all stuff and making quality pitches.”
