effectively wild

Over his last 17 innings of work, Madison Central High product Spencer Turnbull has allowed one earned run and beaten the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. He has also navigated some choppy waters. Detroit’s 26-year-old rookie right-hander has walked 12 batters over those 17 innings. On Tuesday against the Phillies, in a 3-1 win, he yielded just three hits and fanned five but walked two, hit two batters and threw three wild pitches. Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire, the old Jackson Mets shortstop, called it an “effectively wild” performance. “I’m just trying to get outs, and however I have to do that is what I’m going to do,” Turnbull told mlb.com. He yielded a first-inning run to the Phillies but put up five zeroes after that. For the season, he is 2-2 with a 2.53 ERA in six starts, seemingly solidifying his spot in the rotation. As Gardenhire said: “I like watching this kid pitch.”