There are these habits Zac Houston has developed during three summers of minor-league baseball with the Tigers.
When he debuted two years ago at two Single A stops, Connecticut and West Michigan, his combined ERA was 0.46, his WHIP was 0.86, and hitters had against him a malnourished batting average of .082.
Last season, at West Michigan and Single A Lakeland, the corresponding numbers were: 2.17, 0.98, and .134.
It is July 2018 and Houston has been bumped two more levels, to Double Erie and to Triple A Toledo, and these are the new digits: 2.