Casey Mize didn’t have his best outing, and the opposing pitcher was a tough test in this one. Cristopher Sanchez won that contest, and while the Tigers actually swung the bats reasonably well, they fumbled a few opportunities and the Phillies won 4-2 to even the series at a game apiece.
This was going to be a tough matchup no matter what as Casey Mize squared off against ace lefty Cristopher Sanchez. The Tigers did have some good news pre-game as Dillon Dingler was cleared to DH in this one. Eduardo Valencia was set to make his debut behind the plate as well.
Things started off auspiciously as Mize walked leadoff man Trea Turner, popped up Kyle Schwarber, and then allowed a double down the right field line from Bryce Harper. Mize dug in and got Brandon Marsh to ground out, and Alec Bohm popped out to Hao-Yu Lee at second. When Mize struggles through the first but escapes, typically things go well the rest of the way.
Matt Vierling immediately welcomed Sanchez to Comerica Park with a sharp single to center field, but then he was picked off by an outstanding move to first from the lefty. Kevin McGonigle flew out and Dillon Dingler struck out, and you hate to squander any chance against one of the top pitchers in the game this season.
Mize seemed to work well with Valencia, and while the latter’s arm strength and accuracy remain in some doubt, he looked pretty solid behind the plate. Mize whiffed Bryson Stott on a slurve and Gabriel Rincones Jr. on a splitter in the second.
The Tigers went quietly in the bottom of the second, and then old friend, reclaimed by his original draft GM, Dave Dombrowski, struck with his speed. Hill grounded one to McGonigle and the third baseman let the ball play him a bit, staying back and waiting on the hop. That required a lighting fast transfer and release to get Hill, and the throw was a little wild. The error was promptly followed by Hill testing Valencia as you’d expect. He stole second and just barely stole third by a hair, with an accurate throw from Valencia the second time. A Turner sacrifice fly made it a 1-0 game.
Ben Malgeri singled with one out in the bottom of the third, and Zach McKinstry drilled a slicing drive up the left center field gap, but it was Derek Hill flying through the air to make a diving catch on the warning track. Vierling singled with two outs, but Sanchez punched out McGonigle on a lethal changeup to snuff the developing rally.
Mize has been so sharp this year that maybe he was a little due for a shakier outing. He walked Marsh to open the fourth, missing pretty wildly. He pulled it together and struck out Bohm with a slider for a called strike three, but Stott singled, and J.T. Realmuto cashed in both runners with a double to left. Rincones Jr. grounded out, and Mize was close to an escape, but Derek Hill came through again, ripping an RBI single to left to make it 4-0.
Valencia threw out Harper trying to steal second in the top of the fifth inning, turning away the Phillies.
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In the bottom half, Valencia cracked a solo shot to right center field. His second major league homer made it a 4-1 game, and the young catcher is showing out with the bat early on.
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Hao-Yu Lee followed Valencia with a single to third base that he beat out after a review overturned the initial out call. Malgeri and McKinstry flew out before Vierling singled to left. Once again there were two on, two out for McGonigle, but he drove one out to Hill in center for the final out.
Mize got the first two outs of the sixth before giving way to Drew Anderson, who punched out Realmuto with an absolutely diabolical 92.2 mph kick changeup. Mize finished his day with 5.2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K. It wasn’t really a bad start, as he didn’t give up too much hard contact and racked up plenty of whiffs. He just his command briefly in the fourth and it really bit him hard.
Dillon Dingler singled to lead off the bottom half, but the magic wasn’t activated and Spencer Torkelson grounded into a double play. Riley Greene struck out, and we were into the late innings.
Anderson continued to deliver with a 1-2-3 seventh. He challenged a curveball at the top of the zone to Hill that was ruled a ball successfully, helping his rookie catcher out, and then got him to fly out before punching out Turner.
So it was still 4-1 Phillies, and Jhoan Duran lurked ahead, so a comeback right here in the seventh and eighth was advisable, but first they had to get Sanchez out of this game. It took some doing.
Valencia got a 1-2 sinker and smoked it to center for a leadoff single, and Lee paddled a grounder up the middle to put two on for Malgeri. He struck out, and McKinstry grounded Sanchez’s 97th pitch to Stott at second base. They got Lee at second, and while McKinstry was initially ruled safe, it was overturned, ending the inning.
Tyler Holton took over in the top of the eighth and promptly gave up a screaming drive to Kyle Schwarber. However, Warbird, as he was once known in his Cubs days, tried to turn the single into a double and Vierling got a good throw into Lee, who made a slick tag at second to get the out. Harper grounded out, and Holton punched out Marsh to end the frame.
Of course, I forgot that Don Mattingly is the Phillies manager, and understandably, he wanted Sanchez to face McGonigle. It didn’t work out for him as Sanchez walked Vierling, and with his pitch count over 100, McGonigle ripped an opposite field single. That finally knocked out Sanchez, as right-hander Johathan Bowlan took over. Bowlan immediately clipped Dingler with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
The magic appeared to be on the verge of returning, but instead Torkelson got a 1-0 slider that was actually pretty mashable, and grounded into a double play. Vierling scored to make it a 4-2 Phillies lead, but now there were two outs with McGonigle at third.
Bowlan pitched around Riley Greene a bit and put him on, and that brought the rookie sensation to the plate. Yes, I mean Eduardo Valencia. Unfortunately, Boylan tied him up and he grounded one off the label to Stott for the final out.
So it was still a two-run deficit, and even if they shut down the Phillies in the top of the ninth, Duran is just really tough to get anything going against.
With a set of right-handers due up, A.J. Hinch turned to Kenley Jansen to hold the Phillies in place. He blew away Bohm with three cutters after missing first pitch to collect the first out. The left-handed hitting Stott wanded a 1-2 slider to left for a single, and then he quickly stole second base on a pretty easy battery to run on. Realmuto grounded out to McKinstry at shortstop, and Stott held at second base. Rincones Jr. flew out harmlessly to Vierling in center field, and so it was last call for the Tigers’ offense.
Duran got Colt Keith, who was pinch-hitting for Lee, to ground out to start the frame. Kerry Carpenter hit for Malgeri, quickly seeing a bunch of triple-digit heat. Down 0-2, Carp fouled off a breaking ball, but popped out on the next pitch. McKinstry also got tied up and popped out, and that was the ballgame.
We’ll have another good pitching matchup on Sunday to decide the last series before the All-Star break. Tarik Skubal will duel Zack Wheeler, and it sounds as though Dingler should be back behind the dish for that one.
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