Detroit Tigers: Buck Farmer is in the starting rotation to stay
By Matt Snyder
Buck Farmer has been made a permanent fixture in the Detroit Tigers starting rotation after two impressive big league outings.
The Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 on Wednesday night, but the big story of the night was the pitching performance by Buck Farmer. Farmer had his second impressive outing of the season, keeping the Angels off the scoreboard for 6.2 innings on just three hits to go with five strikeouts and just one walk.
In 13 innings of work at the major league level this season, Farmer has struck out 16 potential hitters and has allowed just nine runners to reach base. He has not yet allowed a run to score.
The Detroit Free Press confirmed after the game that manager Brad Ausmus indeed views Farmer as a member of the rotation now and not merely a spot starter.
"At 13 innings, his scoreless innings streak is the longest on the team this season, besting lefty Matt Boyd’s 11 innings. Farmer has taken Boyd’s spot in the rotation.“Yeah, pretty much,” is how Ausmus put it before the game. Hours later, he left no doubt."
Farmer has spent the early season in AAA where he’s compiled a 3.86 ERA in 60 innings with a strikeout rate just shy of a batter per inning. It’s unreasonable to expect Farmer to continue pitching anything like an ace, but he has the ability to solidify the number five spot in the rotation and produce an ERA in the fours.
Farmer has shown flashes of brilliance ever since he made his MLB debut in 2014 but has lacked the consistency to sustain success at the highest level and has bounced between starting and relief.
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The Tigers’ rotation for the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox is still up in the air as the wait to see if Justin Verlander‘s groin tightness will allow him to make his normal start.