MINNEAPOLIS -- Brad Ausmus never has doubted Ian Krol’s arm.
“No,” Ausmus said after the Tigers’ 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings Wednesday night. “Never. I love his arm.”
Ausmus likes the cutter the young left-hander started throwing in spring training, his velocity in the mid-90-m.p.h. range and a bulldog mentality.
“Some players,” he said, “it takes more time to get comfortable at the big league level and understanding what their abilities are. A lot of them underrate their abilities.”
Perhaps in the meaningless mid-September win, behind three-time batting champion Joe Mauer, 3-0, with runners on first and second with nobody out in the 10th, Krol finally — after two seasons of inconsistent pitching — found his ability on the mound.