While recovering from an injury, one of the more prominent members of the Detroit Tigers made his way through the Mud Hens lineup this week.

Detroit starting center fielder Austin Jackson played in two games this week for Toledo as he began his return to the major leagues on a rehab assignment.

“It felt pretty good getting back into the swing of things and kind of getting the blood flowing again,” Jackson said. “It was tough trying to get the timing back and I definitely wanted to see some pitches and wanted to swing a little bit too just to see if I felt anything. I didn’t have any pain so that’s definitely a good sign.”

Jackson was placed on the 15-day DL after he suffered an abdominal strain on May 16 at home against Minnesota. With Jackson in the lineup this season, Detroit boasts a record of 19-18. Without Jackson, the Tigers are just 8-14 in 2012.

“I thought Austin looked good,” Toledo starter Adam Wilk said. “He ran down balls where it just looks like he’s cruising but he’s flying around the outfield covering a lot of ground. Our outfield isn’t as big as it is in Detroit but it looks like he will be able to cover that ground again. He’s got his speed back and he looks fine in the outfield and at the plate.”

In 2012, Jackson is hitting .321 in the majors with 29 runs and 17 RBI. He has also hit five home runs and walked 20 times while striking out 30 times in 140 at bats. That walk-to-strikeout ratio of 0.67 is a career-high, over double that of last season’s mark of 0.31.

In his time at Toledo, Jackson went 1 for 8 at the plate with two strikeouts and was caught stealing once in two losses for the Mud Hens to Charlotte. His time in the lineup, however, was more about testing his body to see if he was ready. That test included seeing his reaction to swinging and missing on a pitch, running down fly balls and attempting to steal a base.

“His first at bat was probably the most telling one for us,” Toledo head coach Phil Nevin said. “To start out the game and swing and miss a couple times with those obliques, those are the ones that are going to get you some times. To see him swing and miss and feel fine his next at bats, he looked fine to me. He ran after a couple balls in the outfield and reached for them. He looked fine.”

With Jackson returning to Detroit he was immediately inserted back into the leadoff spot on June 9 against the Reds. Despite going 0 for 4 at the plate, Jackson and the Tigers edged out Cincinnati 3-2, grabbing their second win in the last six games.

Tags: Adam Wilk, Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers, Phil Nevin, rehab assignment, Toledo Mud Hens

This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2012 at 2:06 am and is filed under Baseball, Mud Hens, Sports.
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Fresh off nearly being no-hit the night before, Toledo’s Adam Wilk responded with a strong pitching performance of his own.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough.

Wilk and the Mud Hens lost their sixth straight game on July 8 falling 3-2 to Charlotte as the Knights took the four- game sweep.

Against the Knights, Wilk had a career game. The 24-year-old starter struck out a personal record of nine batters and threw the team’s first complete game of the season.

“I definitely think this was a good outing,” Wilk said. “I’ve had a couple good ones and this was probably one of my top. I made a couple mistakes including that two-run home run and put myself in a little trouble in the sixth inning with a run on that double. I was very efficient and getting outs very quickly and even with nine strikeouts the pitch count was at exactly 100. It was definitely a strong outing and I just have to keep building.”

For Wilk, it was another solid performance on the year. The Anaheim native is second among the team’s starters with a 3.34 ERA and has racked up 46 strikeouts with just 11 walks in his 59.1 innings of work.

Still, despite his success, the team has struggled at the plate on his starts. After winning his first two outings of the year, Wilk has lost six of his next seven starts. Other than a seven-point outing on May 29, Toledo has averaged just 1.67 runs a game in those six outings.

Among the reasons for Wilk’s success is a key adjustment he’s made on the mound. Per the instructions of head coach Phil Nevin and his staff, Wilk has moved from pitching on the first base side of the rubber to the third base side. While he is still trying to fully adjust, Wilk has seen improvements highlighted by his nine-strikeout shutout.

“Adam’s made some adjustments in his delivery, we have moved him over to the other side of the rubber,” Nevin said. “We think that will help him at the next level. It’s a different look for hitters and he can reach different parts of the plate with his stuff. I really think this will help him and I think he’s starting to get comfortable with it. It’s just creating better angles with his stuff and I’ve noticed a big difference.”

“The biggest thing is the visual,” Wilk said. “It’s just the visual difference of everything, that was the weirdest thing for the first couple starts along with the release point being different but I’m definitely getting more comfortable. The pitches are coming around and I’m starting to understand where to put the ball to get guys out.”

Wilk will make his next start on June 14 when the Mud Hens travel to Norfolk at 7:15 p.m.

Tags: Adam Wilk, Charlotte Knights, Phil Nevin, Toledo Mud Hens, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 9th, 2012 at 11:12 pm and is filed under Baseball, Mud Hens, Prep Sports, Sports.
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