Tigers heat up with Zumaya
After a slow start marred by injury, Joel Zumaya is starting to find his hard-throwing form for the Detroit Tigers.
Zumaya reached 99 mph on the radar gun during a five-out stint in Monday’s 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins.
“I’m just coming back and trying to do a little bit more than I’m supposed to,” Zumaya said.
Zumaya returned from the disabled list June 20. In his third appearance, he gave up three walks, a hit and a run.
“It seems like I didn’t even go through spring training,” he said.
But he has improved. Since his disappointing game against St. Louis on June 25, Zumaya has not allowed any runs or walks.
“Zumaya’s working his way back,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Obviously, he hasn’t been out there for quite a while. He needs some work.”
Zumaya said he hurt his shoulder moving boxes when wildfires threatened his home in Chula Vista, Calif., during the off-season.
Zumaya, along with fellow setup man Fernando Rodney, played a major part in Detroit’s appearance in the 2006 World Series. Their injury-shortened seasons in 2007 played a part in the Tigers missing the playoffs.
The relievers’ comeback has coincided with the Tigers’ turnaround. The team started 0-7 and reached a low point of 24-36. Since then, the Tigers had won 18 of 24 games through Wednesday.
Seizure caused delay
Baseball’s drug-testing program was threatened when federal prosecutors seized player records and samples four years ago, baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr said in letters to Congress released Thursday.
The seizure of the 2003 test results as part of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative drug investigation contributed to a delay in the start of testing in 2004, Selig and Fehr told Reps. Henry Waxman and Tom Davis, leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The delay lasted until July. Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president for labor relation, had told drug investigator George Mitchell that the stoppage was for a “short period,” a description that could become a matter of contention with the committee.