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Tigers’ Turnbull tries to end slump vs. White Sox

Field Level Media

September 29, 2019 at 8:01 am.

Detroit Tigers rookie right-hander Spencer Turnbull enters Sunday’s season finale against the host Chicago White Sox with a 3-16 record, 4.59 ERA and, it turns out, a good deal of perspective.

“The biggest thing, this has been a huge learning experience,” Turnbull told reporters of his 2019 season despite his less-than-desirable statistics. “I think I’ve grown a ton as a person and a player.

“I might’ve been a little stubborn, a little youthful-minded at first. Too cocky and not open to listening to other guys at first. Then you go through some struggles and you get humbled maybe a little bit more than you expected to. I had some really high highs and some really low lows this year. I just have to take the good with the bad, stay steady and keep going.”

Turnbull took a no-decision in his lone appearance against the White Sox this season, allowing two runs on two hits in three innings with three walks and seven strikeouts in a 7-4 Tigers loss on Aug. 5.

Winless since May 31, Turnbull has worked to maintain his mental stability as the Tigers (47-113) endured a difficult season in tandem with his personal struggles.

“If he starts reading the paper and seeing the numbers, it could wear on him,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “But if he doesn’t pay attention to that stuff and really watch what he’s done — he’s started all year in the big leagues. It’s been a year of experience and it’s going to make you grow.

“That’s what you’ve got to look at. He’s had ups and downs and he’s learned from all of them. The last two or three starts, he’s really been throwing the baseball again.”

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson went 0-for-1 against Turnbull in that August game but turned things around against the Tigers bullpen, finishing with three hits. Anderson enters Sunday in strong position to earn the American League batting title, as he brings a major league-best .337 batting average into the game.

Aiming to become the first White Sox player to win a batting crown since Frank Thomas accomplished the feat in 1997, Anderson was eight points ahead of his nearest pursuer, New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu.

Anderson has closed the season strong, hitting .381 in September.

“He’s obviously in an aggressive mode,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “Not only is he getting base hits, he’s still driving the ball, as well. As he continues to grow as a hitter, we’ll take everything he can give us.”

Veteran left-hander Ross Detwiler (3-5, 6.85) is set to start for the White Sox (71-89), who are closing the third year of their organizational rebuild.

“We’ve paid our dues for the last three years,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “These things tend to take longer than three years, so we are not out of the woods yet. But we are ready for that next stage when we get much closer to competitiveness to start ramping up here in the next weeks and months into next season.”

Detwiler is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in one start against the Tigers this season, his lone career appearance versus Detroit.

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