Ross Detwiler had pushed and pushed and pushed to be a starting pitcher again after he spent all of last season with the Washington Nationals as a reliever. Prior to that, he'd been a pretty serviceable starter for the Nats, but their plethora of good starters pushed him to the pen.
When he was traded to Texas this winter, he finally had his shot and he got his chance to be a starter again.
On Wednesday night, he showed that he might actually be best suited to be a relief pitcher when he looked pretty dang solid through the first couple of innings — the first time through the A's lineup — before his wheels came flying off in the third.
When all was said and done, he'd allowed nine hits and eight runs (five earned) with two walks and two strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings after he breezed through the A's order until rookie Tyler Ladendorf, the A's No. 9 hitter, laced a triple for his first big-league hit to start the onslaught in the third inning.
It's by no means time to throw in the towel on the idea of Detwiler as a starter, but it might have been a hint as to how he'll perform as a starter in the American League, where NL pitchers always struggle.
