Ni's value out of bullpen unquestioned http://tinyurl.com/lfr9e7 By Jason Beck / MLB.com http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/images/2009/08/08/eYEFoXqY.jpg Fu-Te Ni's three August outings have totaled 4 1/3 innings of hitless ball. (David Richard/AP) DETROIT -- Fu-Te Ni does a very good impression of Bobby Seay, as he showed in the Tigers clubhouse Friday afternoon. From Seay's walk to the mound, to his hand on the bill of his cap, to his foot-tapping as he waits to deliver, Ni has it down, much to the amusement of his teammates and his manager. "He's a very comical guy, very funny," manager Jim Leyland said. "They had him come in and do [his impersonation] for me the other day. I laughed my tail off." So far, Ni's rendition of a Major League lefty reliever looks real. And the Tigers are getting a lot more than a kick out of that. Six weeks after Detroit gave the Taiwanese southpaw a chance in the bullpen, Ni has established himself as a valuable piece of the Tigers' middle relief corps. With Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau looming as important threats for the Twins this weekend, Ni is all the more critical. After going through several candidates over the last couple years, from Tim Byrdak to Clay Rapada to Casey Fossum, the Tigers could have a second lefty reliever with whom they'll stick. They just had to go all the way to the Far East to find him. It isn't just the thriftiness, the three runs allowed on 12 hits over 14 1/3 innings, or the fact that Ni has allowed only one of 13 inherited runners to score. He has been a strikeout lefty who has pounded the zone with more than one pitch, from a low-90s fastball to a dead-fish changeup that often drops below 80 mph. While right-handed hitters are 7-for-25 (.280) against Ni, they're just 6-for-31 (.194) from the left side. Four of those hits by lefties have gone for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, but he has struck out eight. More recently, though, nobody's hitting anything off him. His three August outings have totaled 4 1/3 innings of hitless ball, the lone runner in that span being a walk Sunday at Cleveland. He has retired his last 11 batters, including all four Orioles he faced Thursday afternoon. The first of them, Luke Scott, was what Leyland called the biggest out of the game, with a runner on second and two outs in the sixth inning of a 5-2 game. "I like him," Leyland said. "I wish his breaking stuff was a little better, but we're working on it. His changeup's improved. He's all right, and he's not scared. I like that about him. He's doing OK." While Leyland doesn't believe in chemistry's impact on a team, he does believe that Ni's comfort level has played a role in his success. He arrived in Spring Training not knowing a word of English, needing an interpreter for even basic answers. He's now understanding more words and phrases, and can understand instructions on the mound. With and without words, he's interacting with his teammates, and making an impression. "I'm impressed with how much he cheers on his teammates, things like that," Seay said. "He's into the game 24-7. He knows that he has to come in and get big outs at big times. He knows how to be a professional here, which you can't always teach." --

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