Not an ideal outcome to the series opener against the Orioles as the Tigers lost 8-5. But hey, there was wildlife!
After losing their last two games over the weekend to the Royals, the Tigers really needed to win some games. Unfortunately, they were facing off against the Orioles, a sub-.500 team struggling in the AL East, and we know from this season the Tigers just can’t seem to get it together when playing against other struggling teams. So this was going to be a tricky series, because baseball makes no sense and nothing is reasonable. The Tigers had Keider Montero on the mound against Kyle Bradish for the O’s.
Pete Alonso got a one-out double, followed by Gunnar Henderson with a single. This put runners on the corners, so when Taylor Ward hit into a force out, Henderson was eliminated but Alonso scored. The O’s would have to settle for just the one run, but they were on the board first. Kevin McGonigle started the home half with a single. Then, with one out, Colt Keith singled. Two outs followed, though, leaving the baserunners stranded and the Tigers scoreless.
Jackson Holliday opened the second with a double. Then Coby Mayo reached thanks to a fielding error from Keith. This bumped Holliday to third, so a Jeremiah Jackson groundout was all it took to score another run. With two outs Dylan Beavers singled to score Mayo. Alonso got a single, but no additional runs scored. In the home half, Zach McKinstry got things started with a triple. Then a Hao-Yu Lee sac fly brought in the first Tigers’ run of the game. Two outs followed, but the Tigers were on the board.
Taylor Ward walked to start the third but was then eliminated in a force out off the bat of Leody Taveras. Holliday singled, pushing Taveras to third. Mayo then singled to bring in another run for the Orioles. Jackson was hit by a pitch (allegedly), but Chadwick Tromp hit into a double play to end the inning. McGonigle got a leadoff single for the second time in the game, but a lineout, followed by a double play off the bat of Keith, swiftly ended the inning.
Montero got the first 1-2-3 inning of the game for the fourth, which was much-needed. Riley Greene got a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning. Spencer Torkelson singled, but it was only enough to get Greene to third. A wild pitch allowed Torkelson to advance to second, then McKinstry walked to load the bases. Lee came through again with a single to score Greene. With one out, Matt Vierling hit a sac fly, scoring Torkelson. The two runs helped put them within one run of tying at the end of the inning.
In the fifth, Taveras hit a one-out solo home run. Holliday then singled, and that was it for Montero for the game. Usually reliable, it was an unusually rough outing for him. Brenan Hanifee came out to replace him with a runner on first. Coby Mayo then homered, because the Tigers just want to make this last week before the trade deadline the most painful week of our lives. Hanifee got the next two outs, but the home run made Montero’s final line for the game 4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR on 80 pitches. Normally I can pull out some positives even from the most disappointing outings, but this one was just pretty bad. Dillon Dingler got a leadoff single to start the home half. Keith then doubled. With one out, a Torkelson sac fly scored Dingler. McKinstry then singled, scoring Keith. That was it for Bradish, who was replaced by Yennier Cano. Cano got the final out of the inning.
Tyler Holton came in and a pinch-hitting Tyler O’Neill won the battle of the Tylers with a leadoff home run. With one out, Henderson walked, and that was it for the short leash on Holton. Drew Anderson replaced him and got the final two outs of the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, a black squirrel took to the field and became the most appealing part of watching this game. Bless ya, little guy. The O’s made a pitching change while the squirrel ran around the outfield. Someone made a makeshift sign for the squirrel. Grant Wolfram was the new Orioles’ pitcher while the squirrel was joined by a mourning dove. The final out ended the inning which is a bummer because watching the squirrel was truly the most fun I’ve had for this whole game.
In the seventh, the squirrel settled between third and home. After Holliday got a leadoff single, the squirrel moved into the infield for a bit before making its way back to right field. With one out, Holliday got mowed down trying to steal second by some nice, accurate throwing by Dingler. After the O’s were out, the entire Tigers’ ground crew banded together, with help from Leody Taveras, and worked as a dysfunctional and barely capable unit to finally catch the squirrel in a towel and certainly relocate it to some nice patch of trees somewhere downtown. Be well, furry little buddy.
In the bottom of the inning the Tigers went 1-2-3 despite bringing in Gleyber Torres to pinch-hit for Keith.
Jacob Waguespack was the new pitcher in the eighth and gave up a one-out walk to Colton Cowser. Paws brought out a “Free the Squirrel!” sign that got a chant going, and we learned the squirrel escaped and was not free in the belly of the stadium. Cowser stole second, but the Tigers got out of the inning with no additional runs scored.
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Andrew Kittredge came in against the Tigers in the bottom of the inning, giving up a leadoff single to Torkelson. A frustratingly incredible catch by Cowser got the first out of the inning. Torkelson advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Tigers weren’t able to take advantage of a runner in scoring position, though.
Taylor Ward walked to start the ninth but was swiftly eliminated in a double play from Taveras. Waguespack got the final out of the inning, and turned it over to the lineup to try to stage a comeback. Rico Garcia came on for the O’s in the bottom of the ninth. McGonigle got a one-out walk, in theory, but the O’s challenged the ball call and it was overturned for strike three. With that opportunity shot, there wasn’t much left in the tank, and Dingler was the third out of the game. The Tigers dropped their third game in a row.
Final: Orioles 8, Tigers 5
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