Lakeland, Fla. — The first thing that went wrong for Michael Fulmer on Wednesday was he and catcher Tucker Barnhart got crossed up on a 3-2 pitch to his first batter.
“Tucker hadn’t caught me very much and we were trying to get on the same page,” Fulmer said Thursday morning, reflecting on his rough 19-pitch, one-third of an inning against the Pirates. “He gave me one sign and thought the cutter was coming. I threw a sinker.”