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Detroit Tigers' Alex Faedo: Changeups to right-handed hitters can 'make me a lot better'
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- Detroit Tigers' Alex Faedo: Changeups to right-handed hitters can 'make me a lot better'
MINNEAPOLIS — Before Tuesday's start, Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo had thrown just 43 of his 215 changeups — 20% — to right-handed hitters in the first 20 starts of his MLB career.
The 27-year-old threw five of his 13 changeups, or 38.5% of his changeups, to right-handed hitters in his 21st start, a brilliant 81-pitch performance of five scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
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The Tigers lost, 5-3, to the Twins in Tuesday's opener of the two-game series at Target Field, but Faedo wasn't to blame. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 draft, still trying to find his way at the highest level, turned in his best big-league start.
"That's not my decision," Faedo said of not pitching the sixth inning, in which the Tigers' bullpen surrendered five runs. "I throw until I'm told not to. I thought I was throwing the ball good, but I haven't seen as much baseball as other people. I just do what I have to do, and that's all I can do."
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Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Twins on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Minneapolis.
Manager A.J. Hinch removed Faedo for a variety of reasons, including a short leash for his pitch count, the third time through the batting order and a fresh bullpen. The primary reason was that Faedo faced the Twins last Wednesday at Comerica Park , with only six days between starts against the same team.
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After the fifth inning, Faedo received a fist bump — not a handshake — from Hinch, which indicated he would return for the sixth inning. But that never happened, as the Tigers turned to right-handed reliever José Cisnero .
"We waited and talked about it a little bit," Hinch said.
Faedo, who owns a 5.16 ERA in nine starts this season, looked as sharp as ever because he showcased all three of his pitches to both right-handed and left-handed hitters. He threw 44% sliders, 39.5% four-seam fastballs and 16% changeups.
Typically, Faedo throws two pitches (fastball and slider) to righties and three pitches (fastball, slider and changeup) to lefties. The increased usage of changeups to righties is a new development.
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"If I can really master the right-on-right changeup, I think it's going to make me a lot better pitcher," Faedo said. "That's something we're trying to work on. The more I can throw the better I think it'll make all my other pitches."
Facing the Twins for the second time in six days, Faedo utilized a slew of changeups against right-handed hitters, specifically during the second time through the batting order, for the first time this season.
Donovan Solano , a right-handed hitter, struck out looking on a changeup for the second out in the fifth inning.
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"That's a big pitch for him, especially trying to turn over these lineups two or three times," said catcher Eric Haase . "The more comfortable he got with it, the more comfortable we felt throwing it later in counts. It was a big pitch for him."
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Alex Faedo throws during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.
Faedo hadn't thrown more than four changeups to right-handed hitters in a single start until throwing five of them in Tuesday's start against the Twins. The usage — compared to all of his pitches to righties — has jumped from 4.5% over five starts in May to 6.2% over two starts in June to 9.9% over two starts in August.
Expect to see more changeups to righties in the future.
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It could be the key to unlocking the best version of Faedo as a starting pitcher. The Tigers need to figure out the plan for Faedo's future within the organization — starter or reliever — before the end of the 2023 season.
"I think it's just executing it, getting comfortable doing it more and more," Faedo said. "Just repetition, really."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Alex Faedo: Why changeup will 'make me a lot better'
