Max Anderson walks it off for Erie, Toledo also pulls off comeback

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Friday, July 25, 2025.

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Indianapolis Indians 3 (box )

A total meltdown from the Indianapolis bullpen was needed, but the Toledo Mud Hens came out on top Friday night against the Indianapolis Indians, 4-3.

Troy Watson made his first Triple-A start on Friday after being called up from Erie the day before. He posted a 2.39 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 22 walks over 52.2 innings with the SeaWolves. Watson went five innings against Indianapolis, giving up just two runs on a home run in the first.

He retired 10 of the next 11 batters after that, going 1-2-3 in the second and fourth frames. He only struck out three (two on the fastball and one on a sweeper), but the zero walks is the more important figure to focus on.

Toledo had opportunities to score early but failed to capitalize on them. Hao-Yu Lee opened the game with a double, but a rehabbing Kerry Carpenter, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jace Jung couldn’t drive him.

Andy Ibanez and Akil Baddoo hit back-to-back singles in the second. Both moved up a base on a wild pitch with one out, but Lee eventually left the bases loaded with a strikeout. Ibanez had a three-hit, singling again in the fourth and eighth. Ryan Kreidler also had a multi-hit day, reaching in the fourth and ninth.

Trevin Michael took over for Watson in the sixth. He wasn’t getting any swing and misses on his primary pitch, the slider, but he dotted six called strikes with the same pitch. His sweeper drew a few whiffs, however.

Michael got into serious trouble right away, allowing a leadoff double and walking the next batter. A single loaded the bases after the first out, and Brett Sullivan followed with an RBI single. Things could have been much worse had he not induced a pair of groundouts to escape the jam.

The seventh and eighth went much better for Michael. A hit batter stopped him from recording back-to-back 1-2-3 frames, but it was still a strong bounce back.

Toledo’s offense rewarded Michael with a win, scoring two runs in each of the final innings. In the eighth, Ibanez drove in Lee and Malloy, who reached on a walk and a double, respectively.

Lee tied the game in the ninth on a tapper back to the mound that left no chance to make the tag at home, and Jace Jung eventually walked to score the winning run.

Matt Seelinger went 1-2-3 in the ninth for his second save of the season.

Carpenter: 0-4, 2 K

Lee: 1-4, 2B (13), R, RBI, BB, K

Ibanez: 3-5, 2 RBI, 2 K

Watson: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K; 68 pitches (49 strikes)

Erie Seawolves 5, Somerset Patriots 4 (box )

It looked like a game destined for double digits, but both bullpens found their footing, forcing a walk-off scenario for Max Anderson. The Erie infielder (third base today) came up big for the SeaWolves, just as he has all season, delivering a 5-4 win over the Somerset Patriots.

Both teams traded runs through the first four innings, coming out of it all tied up at four apiece. Anderson hit his 12th home run of the year to open the scoring in the first.

Max Alba got through the first frame of his first Double-A start just fine, but he gave up back-to-back home runs in the second. Another homer came in the third, a solo shot, and Alba also gave up a fourth run on a triple.

Five of the seven hits off him went for extra bases. It’s not the warmest welcome to perhaps the toughest level of the minor leagues, but Alba got through it without too many scars.

Josue Briceno sparked the three-run fourth inning for Erie with a single. Jake Holton doubled him and Justice Bigbie (walk) in to bring the SeaWolves within one, and Roberto Campos tied it up with a sacrifice fly. Anderson had a chance with the bases loaded later on in the inning, but he lined out to center to end the inning.

Alba finished off his start with a hitless fifth inning. He walked a batter with one out and let him advance on a steal, but no harm was done.

Both bullpens locked in from there. Tanner Kohlhepp gave up one hit over two innings, striking out three, and Richard Guasch went six up, six down, while striking out the side in the ninth.

Facing extra innings, Erie’s big prospects came up clutch. Clark singled to left, Thayron Liranzo doubled to put men on the corners and Anderson called game with a fly ball to right that just stayed inside the line.

Clark: 2-4, R, BB

Briceno: 2-3, R, BB, K

Anderson: 2-5, HR (12), R, 2 RBI

Liranzo: 1-4, 2B (10), K

Alba: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 K; 74 pitches (49 strikes)

SUSPENDED — West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Peoria Chiefs 0

West Michigan only made it to the top of the fifth inning before the rains came and washed away the rest of Friday night’s game against the Peoria Chiefs. The game will resume tomorrow at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s regularly scheduled contest will follow as a seven-inning affair.

Andrew Jenkins hit a three-run bomb to give West Michigan a first-inning lead. Jenkins scored Peyton Graham, who singled, and Izaac Pacheco, who hit his 21st double of the season.

That’s pretty much all the Whitecaps did at the plate until Graham singled and scored again in the fifth. Jack Penney got the RBI with a sacrifice fly after Jenkins got hit by a pitch.

Fortunately, Peoria’s offense did even less. Preston Howey only allowed three hits, a single in the first and back-to-back base knocks to open the second. One of those baserunners got picked off, too. Howey walked one and struck out one over three innings.

Colin Fields took over in the fourth, striking out two and walking one, bringing us up to date. Things look good for the Whitecaps, but the job’s not finished yet.

Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 8, Lakeland Flying Tigers 6 (box )

It wasn’t Tyler Owens’ night. He got shelled for four runs and only recorded one out in his rehab appearance with Lakeland. Fort Myers got to him right away for back-to-back singles. A walk loaded the bases, and two more singles meant it was time for the bullpen to come out.

Owens is a relief arm, so he wasn’t going to go more than one inning. It’s still not the way you want to start a game. Luke Stofel took over for his planned bulk role. He lasted 4.2 innings but gave up a two-run homer to put the Mighty Mussels up, 6-0.

Lakeland fought back, scoring in each of the next three innings. Bligh Madris, who is also rehabbing in Single-A, hit his first homer since returning. Junior Tilien and Abel Bastidas set up a three-run homer from Enderson Delgado with back-to-back singles in the fourth.

Ricardo Hurtado drove in the sixth Lakeland run of the night with a single up the middle, scoring Carson Rucker.

During all that, Stofel gave up another run, so Lakeland was still trailing despite scoring six runs. The Flying Tigers turned to Haden Erbe in relief of Stofel heading into the sixth. That was a mistake.

Erbe gave up a double and threw two wild pitches, giving Fort Myers a free run. The run ended up being inconsequential, though, as Lakeland failed to score again. A couple of walks and a single from Madris kept hope alive, but teams probably shouldn’t be winning games they go down 6-0 in the first two innings anyway.

Ethan Sloan had a nice outing in relief of Erbe. He almost faced the minimum through two innings, but a walk made it seven batters faced. Three strikeouts are a nice feather in the cap, too.

Rucker: 1-5, 2B (10), R, 3 K

Delgado: 1-3, HR (2), R, 3 RBI, 2 K

Madris: 2-4, HR (1), R, 2 RBI, BB

Owens (L, 0-1): 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, K; 25 pitches (12 strikes)