4 unearned runs is never good; it’s even worse in an 8-5 ballgame.
On Monday night, the Detroit Tigers took on the Houston Astros going for their 5th straight win as they open a 10 game road trip. On the bump for the visiting Tigers was Jack Flaherty, coming into the game with a sterling 2.63 ERA. Opposite him was 2024 breakout righty Ronel Blanco, who has struggled to a 5.01 ERA so far. The Tigers loaded up on lefties to take advantage of the struggling righty; all Hinch’s lefties but McKinstry cracked the starting lineup. Unfortunately, a few squandered opportunities and some awful defense led to the game getting out of hand late.
The new-look lineup featured Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Colt Keith in the top three spots. It’s safe to assume this is a stab at getting Keith some better pitches to hit and jumpstarting his bat. Unfortunately, it didn’t work; they went quietly 1-2-3 in the top of the inning.
Flaherty took the bump facing Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez. He dispatched them in a brisk 13 pitches. Altuve snuck a bunt down; Dillon Dingler made a fine play, just a step too slow and Houston successfully challenged to put him at 1st base. It didn’t end up mattering, since Altuve was thrown out at 2nd on a failed stolen base. We see you, Dillon. Torres also made a ranging play up the middle to throw out Alvarez by a half-step and cut the inning short.
The top of the second went much the same as the first. Riley Greene flew out, Spencer Torkelson struck out on a painted slider, and Jace Jung popped up to catcher in 12 total pitches. Hopefully Flaherty had enough time to get a drink before coming back out. Old friend Isaac Paredes lined a single to left, and then my feed cut and I missed the rest of the inning. Thanks, MLB. Supposedly, Christian Walker hit into a double play and Yainer Diaz struck out to end the inning. Thankfully, switching to Houston’s broadcast solved this, but it sadly meant no more Jason Benetti.
Trey Sweeney led off with a walk to end the brief perfect game attempt. Hot-hitting Javy Baez roped a line drive just foul that would’ve almost been a home run, but then immediately struck out. At this point, Blanco had his changeup working well and had most Tigers flailing as they dropped just out of the zone. Fortunately for Detroit, he left a fastball up and away to Carpenter who lofted it just over the tall, close wall in left field for a 2-run home run. 2-0 Tigers! Flaherty came out and promptly gave up a double to the wall. Torkelson made a leaping play on a liner destined for the RF corner, saving a run. From there, Flaherty buckled down, getting two strikeouts to strand the runner.
In the top of the fourth, Keith quickly struck out before Greene flared a fastball over the same wall as Carpenter. 3-0 Tigers! Torkelson struck out and Jung walked, cementing the Tigers as a three-true-outcomes offense. No, really; 3 runs on 2 hits is an interesting night at the plate. Sweeney ended things with a grounder to first. Flaherty returned and quickly got 2 pop-ups, but a walk to Paredes kept things alive. They just weren’t chasing the slider out of the zone, and then Walker smashed a fastball down the middle for a 2-run homer, slimming the lead to 3-2 Tigers. Diaz grounded out to take us to the fifth.
Blanco had really settled into his rhythm now. Dingler struck out on high fastballs before Javy roped one off the wall for a double. A nifty swim move let him sneak under a strong throw and tag from newly minted left fielder Jose Altuve. Unfortunately, he was stranded. Flaherty bounced back for an easy 1-2-3 inning with a dotted curve for a K ending it.
Lefty reliever Steven Okert replaced Blanco for the 6th, so naturally Justyn-Henry Malloy replaced Keith. He promptly struck out. Greene and Torkelson went quickly as well, each pulling a line drive for a hard-hit out. Flaherty came back out to face the top of the order again for the 6th, and that was a mistake. Pena singled to set the stage for Altuve’s towering home run made it 4-3 Astros. Alvarez then walked, and it was Brennan Hanifee’s time to come in from the pen. Parades forced Alvarez at 2nd, then Walker hit an easy 6-4-3 double play to send it to the 7th.
Fellow lefty Bryan King replaced Okert and got Andy Ibanez, who was pinch hitting for Jung, to lineout. Sweeney then walked again before Dingler struck out and King was replaced by RHP Bryan Abreu, because the Astros didn’t want Javy facing a lefty. If anyone expected managers to gameplan around Baez in 2025, say it proudly down below. Abreu was deservedly worried about Sweeney at first; despite a pickoff attempt, Sweeney easily stole second to get into scoring position. It mattered not as Abreu dusted Baez with 98 up and in.
Hanifee got a grounder to short for Sweeney to open the bottom half, but he threw it away to let the leadoff man on. On the next pitch, Hanifee got another grounder to short for an easy double play, but he threw that away too to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. A bloop single scored both, making it 6-3 and all but icing the game. Pena’s ensuing double pushed the runner to 3rd and chased Hanifee from the game. Chase Lee followed and a squib up the middle ate up Torres; he got the out at first but the run scored. Things continued to unravel as Alvarez lined an RBI single and it was 8-3. Greene made a diving catch to end it; the umpires initially ruled it a trap, but it was quickly reversed. Still, the damage was done.
Low-leverage righty Kaleb Ort came on in the 8th to keep the Tigers in check. Carpenter popped up before Torres walked. Malloy drove one to the warning track in center for a moderately interesting out. Greene then scorched a line drive just over the wall in left field to make it a respectable 8-5 ballgame, and all those unearned runs really loomed large. Tyler Holton came on to keep things within striking distance and promptly got 3 quick outs around a single to Diaz.
It was time for the 9th against lefty relief ace Josh Hader. That somehow went the Tigers’ way in the 2024 AL Wild Card, but they’d need some luck for lightning to strike twice in a spot like this. Ibanez popped out to right and then Sweeney struck out on 3 pitches. Last call, Tigers. Dingler scalded a double into the gap that Jake Myers almost made a fantastic catch on to keep a faint hope alive. Javy drilled a foul ball into his leg and collapsed; he went quietly for a K to rub some salt in the wound.
Outside of a terrible defensive showing in the 7th, the Tigers played well. Unfortunately, unearned runs count too, and those 4 unearned runs were the final margin of error. It was good to see Greene hit the ball hard and get rewarded; they’ll need him to help carry the offense moving forward. Tomorrow’s game pits Reese Olson against Ryan Gusto as the Tigers try to even the series.