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Shane Greene Shows Promise, But Struggles To Find Early-Season Form

By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) -- Just one inning into Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners, it looked like the same old story for the Detroit Tigers' Shane Greene.

Greene retired Austin Jackson to start the game, but would go on to give up four runs on four hits while hitting a batter in the first inning.

Greene bounced back nicely over the next 3 2/3 innings, allowing only one hit -- a home run to Nelson Cruz -- and retiring eight of the last nine batters he faced.

"I just kept attacking," Greene said. "I believe in myself and I believe in the process enough to make my pitches -- more often than not I'm going to come out on top, so I just have to keep working."

The Tigers would go on to lose, 11-9, on Tuesday night after Franklin Gutierrez hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning when the Tigers led 8-7. Even though he recovered after the first inning, Greene still believes there's room for improvement.

"The results obviously aren't there right now, but I don't feel like myself right now either, so I have to just keep working," Greene said. "I've obviously have been a little bit off all year. I'm working in bullpen sessions and I'm making strides, but I'm still not there."

After starting the season throwing like a Cy Young candidate in his first three games (3-0, 0.39 ERA, .160 BAA), Greene fell apart over his next 10 starts (1-6, 8.60 ERA, .339 BAA) and the Tigers sent him down to Triple-A Toledo.

"You have to take some positives, he (Greene) did battle after that first inning," catcher Alex Avila said. "He is just going to have to be able to build off of that. His stuff is good, he's got to hone in that command a little bit with the fastball and some of his offspeed pitches. He can regain that form because his stuff is there. Once he does that -- gets that confidence -- he's got good stuff to get big league hitters out.

"He just has to keep taking positives from each start and building on that," Avila said.

Greene returned to the Tigers just before the All-Star break to pitch against the Minnesota Twins. His time in Toledo didn't seem to help much, as he gave up seven earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings against the Twins.

Greene downplayed any effect that an earlier elbow injury could be playing in his struggles.

"My slider felt pretty good, especially in the first inning," Greene said. "I went back and watched video, I felt like I had a good downward angle that I've been lacking."

The Tigers put quite a bit of responsibility on Greene when he was sent over from the New York Yankees in the offseason, as he was expected to fill the void left by Rick Porcello, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

As for whether or not there's added pressure on players with the trade deadline looming on July 31, Greene and other players remained adamant that the club is trying to keep winning at the forefront.

"We're just trying to win a ballgame every day," Greene said.

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