Right-hander Jason Jennings is hoping to return to the starting rotation, but for right now, the emergency member of the bullpen is doing a pretty good job imitating a set-up man.
On Saturday, he entered a one-run game in the sixth and deftly pitched through the heart of the Detroit lineup -- a lineup that had a composite .378 batting average and four homers in 45 at-bats against him -- in just the third relief appearance of his life. Quite a contrast from his appearance in Detroit last year when he allowed three homers in five innings barely a week before his season was ended by renewed pain in his forearm.
"Yes, the numbers were bad, but other than (Miguel) Cabrera, they only got those numbers off him last year when he wasn't the guy he was out there today," manager Ron Washington said. "I think he is a different pitcher out there."
Jennings demonstrated that immediately by striking out Magglio Ordonez. Last year, Ordonez had three at-bats against Jennings. He singled softly in the first one, then hit the next two out of the park.
Saturday, Jennings threw Ordonez nothing but sliders in a tight situation and walked off the mound with a strikeout. It was the first time Ordonez was retired Saturday.
He began the seventh by striking out Cabrera with more sliders, then pitched around Carlos Guillen on his way to a scoreless inning.
"I have more life on my ball," Jennings said. "I've got later break on my slider. Last year, everything was flat. Nobody was scared of it. Everything is just sharper and I think that's because my arm is stronger. Hopefully, I can take what I did today and roll with it. It certainly gives me confidence that I can succeed in this role."'
It may give the Rangers more confidence in him, too.
TIGERS 6, RANGERS 4: LHP C.J. Wilson, one of the few supposedly reliable pieces in the Rangers' struggling bullpen, blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning to waste a sparkling start by RHP Kevin Millwood as the Tigers clinched a sweep of Texas.
Wilson, who breezed through the Tigers in just seven pitches while trailing by a run on Saturday, was asked to protect a 4-0 lead in the eighth Sunday. He immediately gave up a homer to Brandon Inge, then couldn't put the Tigers away. A couple of soft hits and an error by SS Elvis Andrus left Wilson facing Carlos Guillen with the bases loaded and a 4-2 lead. Wilson then missed badly with a cut fastball that was supposed to work its way back to the outside corner, but instead drifted to the inner half of the plate. Guillen rocketed the pitch past third base to drive home the tying runs.
After Wilson was removed, RHP Warner Madrigal gave up a two-out, two-run single to Brandon Inge to clinch the game for Detroit.
