Some 26,818 fans showed up at Comerica Park on Saturday to see the Tigers face the Minnesota Twins in the second game of the team’s three-game weekend series. But few knew who the starting pitcher would be. Then, trotting out of the dugout came Buck Farmer . He hasn't been a full-time starter since 2017, but he pitched like he wanted to be one. “It felt a little strange coming out of the dugout instead of the bullpen,” Farmer said. “But I’ve been there a couple times before.” In two innings, the right-hander gave up one run on two hits and a walk, but struck out four batters. He didn’t get credit for the Tigers 9-3 blowout win over the Twins , but he managed to turn some heads in the process. “I thought Buck got off to a little bit of a bad start, but he settled in really nice,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. Farmer started the game by walking Max Kepler, and gave up a run off of Jorge Polanco’s double to left field. Gardenhire knew he was going to have to use his bullpen, but he needed Farmer to collect himself. The 28-year-old did. Farmer struck out the next three batters swinging, and put the Tigers in position to come back, which thanks to JaCoby Jones’ monster day , they did. Nick Ramirez (2-0) relieved Farmer starting in the third inning, after the Tigers gained the lead, and earned the win with three erratic innings of one-run ball. With the win, the Tigers broke their three-game losing streak. And with the blowout, did so in style. “We feed off our fans, so today was a lot of fun,” Farmer said. “It’s been a tough year, and we haven’t given our friends much entertainment.” In Farmer’s short performance he showed poise, something the Tigers' unknown fifth starter would need. Could he be the guy? Gardenhire hasn’t thought that far yet. It’s not out of the question, though. “We’re just kinda working day-to-day,” he said. “We did make a roster move, we sent out (Zac) Reininger and we’re bringing up Mr. (Carlos) Torres , a guy we picked up.” Farmer (3-4) has pitched 25⅓ innings this season , allowing 26 hits and 14 runs with a 4.97 ERA. He could possibly be an "opener" option for Gardenhire in the near future. The Tigers finish the three-game series against the Twins on Sunday (1:10 p.m.) with Ryan Carpenter (1-2) going up against Jake Odorizzi (8-2). Windsor: Miguel Cabrera reminds us watching decline of future HOF's never easy