Garrett Whitlock was virtually unhittable over the first six games of his Major League Baseball career, but the right-hander recently has come back down to earth.
After allowing his first run of the season last Sunday in Texas, Whitlock struggled mightily Wednesday in the Red Sox's extra-innings loss to the lowly Tigers. The 24-year-old was given the 10th frame at Fenway Park and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in Boston's eventual 6-5 loss to Detroit. Prior to those two aforementioned outings, Whitlock only surrendered six hits over 13 1/3 innings.
Whitlock didn't hold a pity party after he was dealt the first loss of his big league career, however. Instead, he quickly put his lousy performance in the rearview.
"It's baseball," Whitlock told reporters, per MLB.com. "That's the best thing about it is you always get tomorrow, and like I said, I'm just thankful to be here. So each time (manager Alex Cora) gives me the ball, I'm going to go out and give it the best I can and try and help the team win."
Perhaps Whitlock won't have to wait very long to get back on track. The Red Sox and the Tigers will wrap up their three-game set with a matinee matchup Thursday. First pitch for the series finale -- which can be seen on NESN -- is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.
