Athletics at Detroit Tigers

DETROIT – One of the first signs of Justin Verlander fitting in with a younger Tigers roster was a chessboard in the middle of the Spring Training clubhouse. There sat a future Hall of Famer, matching wits with Troy Melton, 18 years his junior. It was a perfect icebreaker for Melton to pick the brain of one of the greats of his profession. More important to the moment, it was a chance for Melton, who normally prefers playing on his phone to playing in person, to see how good he was at chess. Those games have continued into the season, involving about half the pitching staff. “We played yesterday. I got crushed,” Melton lamented after Wednesday’s 6-1 win over the Athletics at Comerica Park. “I made a mistake in the first 10 moves, and it cost me. It was bad. It was really, really bad. “It’s going worse for me now. He’s getting better. He’s really good.” * X-rays negative after Dingler takes foul tip off right hand