A's Hahn seeks more success against Tigers (May 06, 2017)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Almost nothing went right for Oakland A's right-hander Jesse Hahn last season, but when he faced the Detroit Tigers on May 28 at Oakland Coliseum, he gave up three runs in six innings of a 12-3 victory.
Two years ago on May 25 in Oakland, Hahn blanked the Tigers 4-0 on four hits for his only career shutout and complete game. He beat the Tigers 7-5 that season on June 4 at Comerica Park, allowing one run in seven innings.
Hahn is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in three career starts against the Tigers, and he'll try to beat them again Saturday night at the Coliseum when he faces right-hander Jordan Zimmermann in the second game of a three-game series.
The Tigers won the opener 7-2 on Friday night when they pounded out 11 hits and right-hander Michael Fulmer held the A's to two runs (one earned) in eight innings and struck out a season-high nine..
"They're really good," Hahn said Friday of the Tigers. "They have a great lineup. ... I've pitched to these guys three times now and I've done well. I'm going to go out there with the same game plan and try to do the same things I've been doing."
Hahn went 2-4 with a career-high 6.02 ERA in nine games during four stints with the A's last season. That nightmare came on the heels of a solid 2015 season, his first with Oakland, when he went 6-6 with a 3.35 ERA. As a rookie in 2014 with San Diego, Hahn went 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA.
This year, Hahn has recaptured his old form and is 1-2 with a 2.53 ERA in five appearances, including four starts. He has thrown at least six innings in all five appearances.
"I feel confident in everything I'm doing right now," Hahn said. "I take pride in my work ethic. I worked really hard this offseason. I mean, every year I do to try to fix things and get back to my normal form where I believe I'm at right now.
"Last year was frustrating, but I put that behind me and I learned from it, learned from a lot of mistakes. I came into this year with a clear head, a clear mindset. I'm staying positive, staying confident and just doing what I've always known to do on the mound."
Zimmermann is coming off a rough debut season with the Tigers, who signed with Detroit as a free agent on Nov. 30, 2015, after spending his first seven big league seasons with the Washington Nationals. He went 9-7 with a 4.87 ERA and battled a neck injury that sent him to the disabled list twice.
Zimmermann is 3-1 with a 6.18 ERA in five starts this year, and he's still trying to recapture the form that helped him go 70-50 with a 3.32 ERA for the Nationals. After giving up 11 hits, including three homers, and five runs in six innings to Seattle on April 25 in a 19-9 victory, Zimmermann watched game video of himself with the Nationals and realized his mechanics had changed last year while he dealt with neck pain.
"I just looked at some old video and noticed my mechanics were a little bit off," Zimmermann said. "So I switched some things up and I took it out to my last start and I felt better.
"I'm not right where I want to be yet. I got a ways to go, but I definitely felt better, felt like I had better control and the ball was coming out a little better."
Zimmermann gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings of a 7-3 victory over the White Sox on Sunday in Detroit. He struck out five and walked two.
"It's going to take some time," Zimmermann said. "You just don't change something you've been doing for a long time overnight. I feel like it will get better every time out. Hopefully, it clicks and then I don't have to think about it as much."
The Tigers were without second baseman Ian Kinsler (strained left hamstring) for the opener. He remains day to day.
