The Tigers weird inability to win on Saturdays continued in this one.
The Detroit Tigers haven’t won a game on a Saturday since April. That strange pattern continued in this one as Jack Flaherty was mauled by the Reds while the Tigers offense couldn’t get anything going. About the only positive was that the good half of the bullpen got the day off.
Saturday’s game featured Flaherty vs. Brady Singer. The latter’s career hasn’t improved since going from Kansas City to Cincinnati. He’s still just a backend starter, but the Tigers made him look a lot better in this one. Trey Sweeney got the start at shortstop after not playing much over the past two weeks. Javier Báez was at third base, with Colt Keith at first. Spencer Torkelson and Zach McKinstry got the day off, though on an AJ Hinch managed club in particular that just means you don’t play until he wants a pinch-hitter.
Both Flaherty and Singer put up 1-2-3 first innings, all on contact. Flaherty repeated the trick in the second, striking out Tyler Stephenson along the way. Singer allowed a line drive single from Colt Keith, playing first base in this one, but no more in the bottom half.
Flaherty went into two true outcomes mode in the top of the third. He walked the leadoff hitter Jose Trevino, but then carved up Jake Fraley and Matt McLain. A walk to the dangerous TJ Freidl followed. Gavin Lux then pulled a hard grounder down the line to first. It took a twisty hop and Colt Keith had to snag it bare-handed on a chest high bounce before flipping to Flaherty for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom half, Javy Báez led off with a walk. He was dancing off the base to stay in Singer’s head, and Sweeney drilled a double off the right field wall. Unfortunately, this episode of Joey Cora and windmill of destiny did not go well as a perfect relay from Jake Fraley to Elly De La Cruz and home was just in time to cut down Báez at the plate despite a pretty slick swim move. Parker Meadows and Gleyber Torres grounded out, and we were on to the fourth.
De La Cruz made his presence felt at the plate by absolutely roasting a 1-1 fastball middle up into the right field seats. 1-0 Reds.
Flaherty got Stephenson on a fly ball, but walked Will Benson for his third walk issued on the day already. He bounced back to punch out Spencer Steer with a high fastball, leaning into the hard stuff as his velocity ticked up. He pounded Jose Trevino inside with fastballs to work ahead in the count. Trevino hit a foul pop down the right field line but Carpenter couldn’t get there in time. Flaherty then froze him with a perfectly placed 94 mph heater.
The Tigers tied things up the fourth. Riley Greene and then Colt Keith drew walks, and Wenceel Pérez singled in Greene for a 1-1 game. Pérez followed up the single by stealing second on Singer and catcher Jose Trevino, but Báez bounced out to end the inning.
Fraley got the Reds in business with a leadoff single in the fifth. McLain bounced out to Flaherty, but Flaherty issued his fourth walk on the day to put Friedl at first. Flaherty tried to jam Gavin Lux with a fastball up and in but instead a single to right field scored Fraley. The Tigers bullpen got busy loosening up as De La Cruz stepped to the plate. Flaherty pitched him too carefully and walked him as well to load the bases with one out. Not good.
Chris Fetter came out to give Flaherty a break and talk about his location issues. For once it did not help a bit. Tyler Stephenson got a first pitch curveball belt high and launched a grand slam to left field. 6-1 Reds.
Will Benson grounded out to Torres for the second out but another curveball was lifted just into the Tigers’ bullpen for a solo shot by Steer, and that finally ended Flaherty’s day.
Pretty brutal outing. 7-1 Reds. Mama said there will be days like this. Flaherty’s final line was 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 5 K in 94 pitches. His ERA climbed from 3.41 to 4.03 on the year in one outing.
Lefty Matt Gage took over and was greeted by a Trevino double, but he did get Fraley to ground out to end the inning.
Meanwhile, Singer wasn’t having much trouble with the Tigers. Sweeney struck out to start the bottom half. Parker Meadows and Gleyber Torres flew out to end the inning.
Gage got McLain on a fly out to right to open the sixth, but Friedl singled and Santiago Espinal pinch-hit for Lux and dumped a weak fly ball to left in for single on a play Pérez didn’t read well off the bat. Fortunately, at least in terms of the pythag, Gage got De La Cruz to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to turn the Reds away.
Singer hit Kerry Carpenter on the right leg to start the bottom half. That’s the same leg with the sore hamstring that has been hobbling him a bit, but it was a glancing shot and Carpenter shook it off without issue. Riley Greene flew out and Dillon Dingler was carved up on three pitches. Colt Keith ripped a ground rule double to right field, but it may have been for the best as sending Carpenter from first might have finally gotten him hurt. Really not sure why he’s not getting a week off. The Tigers are 20 games over .500 after all. Pérez popped out to end the inning.
Brenan Hanifee took over in the seventh. He struck out Stephenson and got Benson on a liner out to Pérez in left. Spencer Steer got into a full count but Hanifee ran a sinker right in on his hands and sawed him off on a little tapper in front of the plate. The Reds argued that the pitch hit his hand, but it didn’t matter as he swung the bat.
After a really good outing for Singer, right-hander Graham Ashcraft took over in the bottom half of the seventh. Báez grounded out back to him for the first out. Sweeney grounded out and Meadows lined out to first to end the inning.
John Brebbia continued to lobby for his immediate release in the eighth. He walked Trevino, allowed a single to left, and then gave up a three-run shot to left. 10-1 Reds. He got the next three in order and the game mercifully progressed to the Tigers final two frames at the plate.
Tony Santilan took over for the Reds, and other than a catcher’s interference that got Carpenter to first, he had no trouble.
Jake Rogers came on to pitch the ninth and give a disappointed home crowd some entertainment value. Mixing some eephus pitches and a slow breaking ball, Rogers did better than some of Tigers bullpen arms in this one.
Stephenson greeted him with a double to left. Parker Meadows went back to haul in a Benson fly ball for the first out, but a single moved Stephenson to third, where he scored on a Trevino sac fly to left. Fraley flew out, and it was on to the bottom of the ninth. 11-1 Reds.
Think of the pythag, dang it!
Lyon Richardson took over for the Reds in the bottom of the ninth. The only Tigers hitter with plenty of good swings today was Colt Keith, and he started the inning ripping a liner to Fraley in right. Pérez lined out to second base again, and Báez grounded out to the pitcher again to fittingly end this one.
Ok, Saturday is over. Get back to winning tomorrow, Tigers.
RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long will take on veteran LHP Wade Miley in Sunday’s rubber match.