Lakeland, Fla. — Loopholes and gray spots.
It’s going to take some time, maybe seasons, before managers, umpires and players work through the vagaries and unintended consequences of the new restrictions on mound visits. It came up Monday in the fifth inning of the Tigers’ 5-4 exhibition loss to the Nationals.
Tigers’ left-hander Ryan Carpenter and catcher John Hicks got their signals crossed up on two straight pitches. Hicks called for a fastball and Carpenter threw a breaking ball. Both times. After the second, he and Carpenter met halfway between the mound and the plate to straighten it out.