We’ve been pretty frustrated with the Tigers lack of high leverage relief this season, but with the pitching staff racked with injuries it’s impressive that they continue to keep them in games. Problem is the lineup is full of Triple-A players again, and the Giants had little trouble shutting them down on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the three-game series.
Another day, another bullpen game as A.J. Hinch and Chris Fetter continue to deal with a pitching staff shot full of holes. Meanwhile things keep getting worse for the lineup as well. Wenceel Pérez hit the injured list with an abdominal strain after Friday night’s game, and Akil Baddoo had to fly to San Francisco early in the morning, presumably getting little or no sleep to get to the game on time.
They had a tricky opponent in right-handed sinkerballer Logan Webb. He had no trouble with the Tigers in the early innings at all.
Alex Faedo started the game for the Tigers, and they no doubt hoped to get two innings or more out of him. That didn’t work out, as Faedo started the game yanking a ton of pitches well off the plate gloveside. He walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, but miraculously escaped with a strikeout, pop-up, and a fly out to strand all three baserunners.
That lack of control meant that Faedo was out of the game after one inning. Big lefty Brant Hurter took over and was in much more command of his stuff. Hurter hit 95 mph and showed off his good slider and changeup combination for a 1-2-3 second inning. Webb mowed through the Tigers again for a third perfect frame, and it was back to Hurter in the bottom half.
The Giants lineup turned over to their two hottest hitters atop the order. Hurter got leadoff man Tyler Fitzgerald to fly out to Ryan Vilade in right field, and then blew away Heliot Ramos with a high fastball and froze Michael Conforto with a nasty sweeper for strike three.
Baddoo spanked a one hopper off Webb’s glove for a leadoff single to open the fourth inning to give the Tigers their first baserunner. Colt Keith grounded out, moving Baddoo to second. Justyn-Henry Malloy struck out after a tough called strike off the plate away, and Gio Urshela hit the ball hard but flew out to right center field to strand Baddoo.
Hurter did his best Webb impression, quickly racking up three ground outs, one to each infielder other than Bligh Madris at third base, for an eight pitch inning.
The fifth inning starting with Madris flying out to center field. Parker Meadows then ripped a drive deep to right center field and roared around the bases for a triple. Dillon Dingler fell behind 0-2 as the Giants pulled in their infield then hit a little bouncer just past the mound. The Giants tried to get Meadows at home but he was too fast running on contact, and everyone was safe. 1-0 Tigers. Javy Báez was frozen by a front door slider for strike three and Vilade struck out swinging to end the top half of the inning.
PARKER MEADOWS TRIPLE!! HE CAN ABSOLUTELY FLY!! #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/fkQDMk95ZF
— Allen Couet (@TampaBayCouet27) August 10, 2024
Mike Yastrzemski led off the bottom half with a bliner just over the outstretched glove of Colt Keith for a single. Jerar Encarnacion lined a single to left, and a poor throw from Baddoo into third base allowed Encarnacion to take second base. Brett Wisely followed with a line drive off Madris’ glove for a two-run double. Hurter struck out Fitzgerald for the first out of the inning, but Ramos singled up the middle to make it 3-1. There wasn’t much hard hit, but everything seemed to find a hole.
Hurter got a pair of wild chases from Conforto on sweepers away to strike him out. Chapman then smoked a ground ball to Báez and it skipped up into his chest. He recovered the ball but had to rush and one hopped the ball to Madris at first, who couldn’t pick it. Between Baddoo’s throw and Báez failing to make that play, they were really putting their rookie pitcher behind the eight ball. There were a few hard hit grounders in the inning, but there still wasn’t anything driven in the air. Hurter got Patrick Bailey to ground out to Báez to finally end the inning.
Webb got the first two outs in the sixth, and then Malloy smoked a drive to the left center field gap for a double. Gio Urshela fell behind 0-2 but Webb got a little wild and walked him. So Madris had a chance to drive in a run but a liner the opposite way was snatched out of the air on a great play by Matt Chapman at third to turn the Tigers away. That was the Tigers last shot to mount a comeback.
Hurter issued a two-out walk to Encarnacion in the bottom half, but got Wisely to fly out to end the sixth.
Báez singled to right center with two outs in the top of the seventh, but even beyond 100 pitches, Webb had no trouble with Ryan Vilade. The right fielder flew out to right field to end the Tigers’ half of the inning.
Shelby Miller took over in the bottom half, and Tyler Fitzgerald greeted him with a single. Miller didn’t hold the runner and Fitzgerald stole second base easily. Heliot Ramos struck out watching a fastball at the bottom of the zone. Fitzgerald got another great jump and stole third base, but Miller struck out Conforto and popped up Chapman to escape without allowing a run.
Tyler Rogers took over for Webb in the eighth. Mark Canha robbed Baddoo on a diving stop of a sharp ground ball to start the inning. Colt Keith scorched a one-hopper to third, and Chapman made another great play to snag it and fired a strike to first base. You started to feel like the Tigers weren’t going to win this game. More likely you felt that way to start the game. Malloy struck out and the Tigers were down to their final three outs.
Joey Wentz, who still exists apparently, took over in the bottom of the eighth. Patrick Bailey pulled a hot grounder to third, and the Tigers poor defense continued as Urshela let that ball go right under his glove into left for a single. Canha popped out, but Yastrzemski ripped a line drive the opposite way for a single. Dillon Dingler, for maybe the fourth time in the game, went out to try and settle down his pitcher. They got Encarnacion to ground out to shortstop, and then Wentz punched out Wisely swinging on a cutter down and away to strand both runners.
New Giants closer Ryan Walker took over to end this thing, and when a drive by Urshela found Ramos’ glove in center field, the Tigers chances seemed nil. However, Madris drew a walk, and Meadows singled into center field to give them at least a chance at a comeback. Dillon Dingler was frozen by a tough fastball that swung back to catch the outer edge, and that left it up to Javy Báez. Javy took a pair of close pitches for balls to get ahead in the count, and then took a pair of called strikes. He got a hanger 2-2 and smoked it foul, and then chased a slider down for strike three.
RHP Keider Montero will take on RHP Hayden Birdsong in a duel of rookies, with the Tigers looking to earn a .500 road trip on west on Sunday.
