Five things we learned Wednesday: Marlon Byrd proves cheating does pay

12:10 AM ET

Mookie Betts can’t stop hitting home runs, Max Scherzer can’t stop striking out hitters and a longtime big leaguer apparently can’t stop getting caught for PEDs. Well, one of those things can and will stop, actually. Five things we learned Wednesday:

Michael Fulmer could be that third solid starting pitcher that the Tigers desperately need. Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

1. Full of promise. The Detroit Tigers desperately need pitchers to, well, pitch better. The lineup scores runs but the rotation and bullpen each entered Wednesday with ERAs closer to 5 than 4. We saw manager Brad Ausmus finally lose patience with struggling Anibal Sanchez, dumping him in the bullpen, but hey, Michael Fulmer can save the season! The rookie took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Anaheim before C.J. Cron broke it up, and eventually Fulmer won his third consecutive outing. Over those 22 1/3 innings he has permitted nine hits and one run. Sounds like a reliable starter, potentially an ace, for a team that needs one. Sure, Justin Verlander looks good again and Jordan Zimmermann should be fine from his groin injury to start Friday but, well, there’s a rather large void after that. Fulmer’s finally filling it.

2. Chicago’s Bartolo Colon. Prior to Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field, Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Matt Albers, still hanging around after 11 MLB seasons and a 4.20 ERA, last batted in a game in 2009. His last hit came in 2007. And Albers doesn’t really look like someone who should hit well, but in the 13th inning of a game the Mets really should have won a few times earlier, he laced an opposite-field double into the left-center field gap, moved up a base on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly. Google the awkwardness of his running and failure to slide! He then pitched his second inning to finish things off for the unlikely 2-1 win. Older …

continue reading in source espn.go.com