Plus a nice outing for Jack Flaherty
The Tigers continued their series against the Tampa Bay Rays in the final week before the All-Star Break. Jack Flaherty was on the mound for the Tigers, while the Rays were hoping to get the best out of Ryan Pepiot.
In the top of the first with one out, Jonathan Aranda got a solo home run to put the Rays on the board early. Two outs followed, but the Tigers were working in a deficit right out of the gate. They didn’t do much to help themselves in the home half, going down in order.
Back-to-back singles opened up the second as Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Mangum both reached. However, Flaherty course-corrected and got the next three batters out in order. The Tigers once again went 1-2-3 in the home half.
In the third, Aranda struck again, this time with a one-out double. Then with two outs, Josh Lowe singled, bringing Aranda home, and putting the Rays up 2-0. In the home half the Tigers finally got their first baserunner, as Matt Vierling was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Vierling stole second, then Colt Keith walked. However Gleyber Torres hit into a force out to end the inning.
Jake Mangum started the fourth with a walk, but three outs followed to leave him stranded. In the home half, with one out, Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer to get the Tigers on the board. It was the only run of the inning, but it was a vital one.
Yandy Diaz singled to start the fifth, but then Aranda hit into a rare unassisted double play by Torkelson.
Zach McKinstry walked to start the bottom of the fifth, then he stole second. Matt Vierling was hit by his second pitch of the game. With one out, Keith singled, scoring McKinstry. Vierling got caught in a rundown between second and third.
Gleyber Torres singled, but no additional runs scored. However, the Tigers had eliminated the Rays’ lead and now the game was tied up 2-2.
In the top of the sixth, the Rays went 1-2-3. Spencer Torkelson opened the home half with a walk, but a flyout and double play soon ended the inning.
With one out in the seventh, Jose Cabellero singled, then advanced to second on an error by Javier Baez. That was the end of the day for Flaherty, whose final line was 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR on 93 pitches. Tommy Kahnle came in from the Tigers’ pen. He got the final two outs of the inning, pitching out of the jam and keeping the score tied. Edwin Uceta replaced Pepiot in the bottom of the inning. McKinstry walked to open the inning, then one out later he stole second. On a Baez flyout, McKinstry moved to third, and then Colt Keith hit a home run, bringing two runs in.
Tyler Holton was next out of the Tigers’ pen for the eighth, and got the Rays to go three-up, three down. Eric Orze replaced Uceta for the bottom of the inning. Spencer Torkelson and Wenceel Perez (with his parents in the crowd for the first time ever) walked. Dillon Dingler then took a pitch off the helmet. It was clearly an accident; you could see how distressed Orze was (and his two previous walks were a good indication of his command), but Dingler walked it off and took a free bag to load the bases. Unfortunately, the Tigers did not capitalize on their bases loaded opportunity and two outs in a row ended the inning.
Will Vest came out of the bullpen to get the final outs of the game, and he wasted no time with the first two. Then Chandler Simpson hit a perfectly located single between third and second. The speedy skills of Simpson didn’t get a chance to shine, as Vest shut down the Rays at took the save.