Mick Abel threw six shutout innings against the Tigers on Thursday.

Unfortunately the bullpen quickly blew the 1-0 lead he left with, leaving Abel with a no-decision. He allowed four hits, walked three, and averaged 94.9 mph with the fastball. When the secondaries play as well as Abel’s did today -- he generated six whiffs on 31 swings against non-fastballs -- his fastball is hard enough to hit that it ties together well. Now carrying a 6.08 ERA through two starts, Abel is probably a fringe start against the Red Sox next week.