Zumaya entered in the sixth inning and left after the seventh, tallying a relatively low total of 33 pitches, 21 of them strikes, before Chad Durbin entered in the eighth. By comparison, he tossed three innings and faced 13 batters in his previous outing last Tuesday against the Indians. It looked a lot like a relief test for the young right-hander who's simultaneously a candidate for the rotation and bullpen.
"I got up [to throw] and they told me to start hurrying up," said Zumaya, who knew ahead of time to expect two or three innings. "It's kind of weird, but hey, I got warmed up real quick. It's just all about being relaxed and doing your work out there."
Manager Jim Leyland wouldn't say when Zumaya will be scheduled to pitch next or in what role, suggesting he could start his next time out. After Justin Verlander and Jason Grilli stretched out to four innings apiece Saturday against the Dodgers, however, Zumaya's best chance of making the Major League roster might well be as a reliever.
"We don't know whether he's going to make the team," Leyland said. "We don't know whether he's going to start or relieve."
Zumaya said he's fine with whatever role. "It's all in the work ethic," he said. "If you're in the bullpen, you've got to work twice as hard, because you've got to recover real fast. They might need you three or four games in a row and you only get a day [of rest]. It's not going out there, throwing seven innings and getting five days' rest in between.
"I think pitching's all the same. You're going to go out there and pitch. You're going to face batters. It's just the role. "
*** It's looking more and more like Zumaya will start the year in the majors!!! ***
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Go Tigers!!!
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