One bad inning seems to spoil every Michael Fulmer start.

The Detroit Tigers right-hander can look overpowering most of the time Adidas Jaden Schwartz Jersey , but the opposition catches up to him at some point.

In Cincinnati three starts ago, he dominated for five innings before giving up two home runs in the sixth.

Against Oakland in his next outing, he lasted eight innings but gave up three runs in the third. Facing the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, Fulmer tossed four scoreless innings but allowed three runs in the fifth.

He wound up with two losses and a no-decision in those starts. He’ll try to break the habit in the finale of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

“Overall, it’s just kind of eliminating that one big inning,” Fulmer said of his struggles. “I feel like that’s what it is every start. If I can just keep the crooked numbers off the scoreboard every inning and just try to put up zeroes the best I can, the results will come eventually. I know I’ve been saying that for a while, but I feel like we’re close and I’m still happy with my stuff right now.”

Fulmer (3-7, 4.22 ERA) has posted one victory in his last seven outings. Run support has been spotty at best for him this season — he has given up two or fewer runs in eight starts — but he’d rather make things easier on his team.

“I feel like any given start, it just needs one complete game and we’re going to turn the corner,” he said. “Everything else feels good. I feel healthy, I feel strong and you can see that by the way I’m executing my pitches.”

Fulmer is 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA in three career starts against the Rangers. He can take inspiration from Jordan Zimmermann’s performance Friday after the veteran right-hander limited Texas to one run in eight innings and struck out 11.

“His command (Friday) was impeccable,” Fulmer said. “The biggest key for myself is trying to command the ball a little better.”

Detroit got another strong start Saturday from Mike Fiers, who gave up one run in six innings of the Tigers’ 7-1 win.

Right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-2, 4.40) will oppose Fulmer. He has made three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.

Bibens-Dirkx gave up five runs in six innings against Houston in his last start Mason Rudolph Color Rush Jersey , but it could have been worse. All the runs came in the first three innings, but he settled down and retired nine of the last 12 batters he faced.

This will be Bibens-Dirkx’s first career start against the Tigers, but he tossed 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief last season. He’s 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 14 road appearances (five starts) since making his major league debut as a 32-year-old last season.

Texas designated hitter Shin-Shoo Choo can establish a franchise on-base record Sunday. He tied Julio Franco’s 1993 mark by reaching base for the 46th consecutive game Saturday.

He had two doubles after homering Friday despite dealing with a quad injury.

“Very impressive what Choo’s doing,” manager Jeff Banister said. “Any time a player is battling through some nagging things and continuing to go out and perform is highly impressive. He’s a tremendous player. For me, it’s not just the on-base (streak), it’s how he’s playing, how he’s swinging the bat, the power, the extra-base hits and the walks.”

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott barks at his teammates a little more now that he’s a couple of years removed from a sensational rookie year with the Dallas Cowboys.

At least that’s the way tight end Geoff Swaim put it, and he didn’t mean it in a negative way. The star quarterback sure hopes so.

“I may be a little bit more vocal,” Prescott said. “But when you say ‘barking,’ it’s almost like at a negative tone. Like, you’re going out at them hard. I’d say if anything, I’m trying to be more encouraging and bring more out of them.

“When you have a young team and different personalities Cassius Marsh Color Rush Jersey , it’s hard just to be negative and be critical the whole time. For me, it’s a lot about coaching the guys up. And then the guys that I know I can be critical on, yeah, sure I am.”

The 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, who opens the season Sunday at Carolina trying to get the Cowboys back to the playoffs after they missed during his less-than-stellar encore , just illustrated offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s take on leadership from Prescott.

Sure, this 25-year-old with a master’s degree in workforce education leadership from Mississippi State is the unquestioned commander of the offense — and that includes over running back Ezekiel Elliott, his fellow first-year standout from 2016.

But it’s not necessarily because of the retirement of Tony Romo, the quarterback he replaced with one of the best debuts for a quarterback in NFL history.

Or because 15-year tight end Jason Witten joined Romo in the broadcast booth this year. Or because the Cowboys dumped boisterous receiver Dez Bryant, the franchise leader in touchdown catches, in a cost-cutting move.

Since Prescott showed up as the forgotten third-teamer on Romo’s team two years ago, he has shown the leadership qualities that suddenly became more pronounced. He was a natural to become the face of the franchise , and would be by himself if not for linebacker Sean Lee.

“He’s always been a guy that, even as a rookie, he was not afraid to speak up and give his two cents on the field and encourage guys Brian O'Neill Color Rush Jersey ,” Linehan said. “He’s a natural when it comes to that.”

Prescott led the Cowboys to 11 straight wins after Romo injured his back in the preseason in 2016, when Dallas had an NFC-best 13 victories before losing to Green Bay in a divisional playoff.

Elliott’s six-game suspension marred their second season together, and Prescott felt the burden of the absence.

The poor decisions he avoided as a rookie were more frequent, including an ill-advised throw that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown in a late-season loss to Seattle that finished off Dallas’ playoff hopes in Elliott’s first game back.

The theme last season was whether Prescott could avoid a sophomore slump, a term he brushed off. Now it’s whether he can have a bounce-back season, if there is such a thing for a young quarterback.

“You can call it whatever you call it,” he said. “I’m excited for what we’re going to have and the year we’re going to have and I feel very, very confident in the players we have and the team we have and what we’re going to do this season.”

There are questions, starting with a revamped receiving corps that lacks the star power brought by Witten and Bryant.

The Cowboys say they’ll attack the passing game with versatility, hoping to take advantage of one-on-one matchups with opponents focusing first on stopping Elliott, the league rushing leader when Prescott was voted the top offensive rookie.

There are two new starters on Dallas’ vaunted offensive line. Joe Looney is replacing Travis Frederick at center while the four-time Pro Bowler recovers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disease that attacks nerves. He doesn’t know when he will return. Rookie second-round pick Connor Williams is at left guard.

Despite the questions, Prescott is determined not to try to do too much again.

“I know I’ll be better,” he said. “I just learned so much from last year, just moving forward Youth Nyheim Hines Jersey , mature within the game, just learned a lot more that I didn’t know last year that I wasn’t as comfortable with. Just reads, my game on footwork, accuracy and consistency, everything.”

Learning isn’t stopping him from coaching, as he put it.

“I think as a rookie it was more encouraging and that kind of thing,” Swaim said. “This year, the barking, it’s not like he’s screaming and yelling. That’s not his thing. It’s more just, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do here.’ And it’s good because it keeps everyone focused and in their role and doing their job.”

Prescott just wants you to know it’s not negative.

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