DETROIT -- Not only did shortstop Danny Worth take the mound Thursday afternoon in Detroit's 9-2 blowout loss to Texas, but he was arguably their best pitcher.

Short on relievers, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus made an odd, but understandably wise decision to bring in Worth in the ninth inning against the Rangers with the Tigers trailing by seven runs.

"The odds of coming back from a seven-run deficit are slim," Ausmus said. "And our bullpen was thin enough that I just thought it was better to bring Danny in."

Worth took to the challenge and surprisingly worked a clean, scoreless frame -- showcasing a fastball that touched 87 mph and a impressive knuckleball that helped account for two strikeouts.

His only blemish? A single off the bat of Chris Gimenez after he tried to sneak an 88 mph fastball past the Rangers catcher.

"I wish I didn't throw that heater to Gimenez," Worth said. "I wish I could have that one back."

It was such an impressive inning of work that Ausmus was left wondering whether the 28-year-old right-hander should be put on a pitching schedule of sorts.

"He pitched well," Ausmus said. "Maybe to the point where you think, do we have this guy throw a bullpen every once in a while, just to give our relievers a break?"

For now, Ausmus said he wants Worth to focus on his shortstop responsibilities, but he didn't dismiss the idea of using Worth in similar situations down the road.

He also suggested Worth throw a bullpen session once every 10 days or so in an effort to prevent his fingers from cramping.

"During the last hitter, he kept pushing his fingers to the side," Ausmus said. "The tips were starting to get sore on him. Throwing a pen every once in a while might alleviate that, in case we do have to use him in an emergency situation."

Worth's relief appearance marked the first time since June 29, 2011 that a position player has pitched for the Tigers. Don Kelly induced an inning-ending fly ball off the bat of Scott Hairston of the New York Mets -- the lone batter he faced.

It's highly unlikely Worth will be asked to pitch on a consistent basis, but he proved Thursday that he's more than capable of filling the mop-up role if needed.

"Danny does a pretty good job at short. He's given us some good at-bats, so I certainly wouldn't recommend that Danny go to the bullpen," Ausmus said. "But if he can do this on a very part-time basis, we might take advantage of it."

-- Download the Detroit Tigers on MLive app for iPhone and Android.

-- Like MLive's Detroit Tigers Facebook page.