Nate Robertson pitched five sharp innings Sunday, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-0 victory over Tampa Bay in a split-squad game. The left-hander limited the Devil Rays to a pair of singles while reducing his ERA to 0.73 through four spring starts. He struck out four and walked one. "You have to be careful in spring training not to put a lot of stock into when somebody does good," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said, "but he's throwing the ball extremely well."
Robertson was most pleased with his efficiency, which enabled him to put in more work in the bullpen before calling it a day.
"As long as I'm not going deep in counts and issuing free passes," he said, "and keeping my pitch count down -- those are all good things."
Last season, Robertson posted career bests with 13 wins and 208 2-3 innings to help the Tigers win the AL pennant. Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez attributes the improvement to experience.
"He came a long way in one year, I think more than anything from the mental aspect of the game," Hernandez said. "A lot of times, it takes those three or four years to really feel like you know exactly what you want to do and what your plan is when you go out there."
Source: AP
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