DETROIT: When the Tigers last came back from a six-run hole to win a game, it was because to six home runs from the Yankees, even though they only had two extra-base hits. That thrilling victory on September 10, 2019, served as one of the season’s few bright spots after 114 losses.
But for a brief moment on Tuesday night, the Tigers believed they had a chance to match that when Justyn-Henry Malloy’s fly ball off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the 10th inning drifted into Comerica Park’s expansive center field, potentially tying the game.
Following the Tigers’ 9-8 defeat, Malloy remarked, “I thought maybe, if I was lucky.” However, I’ll say a few more prayers tonight. I hope it drops tomorrow.
Simply getting to that point was arguably a step forward. The Tigers had won four in a row since Kenta Maeda’s disastrous start in Minnesota last week resulted in a fairly humdrum 12-3 loss. Tuesday’s outing could have easily unfolded similarly with Detroit staring at a 6-0 deficit in the middle of the third. This Tigers offense isn’t accustomed to putting up seven runs in a game very often, let alone when trailing big early.
The Tigers picked themselves up with help from three home runs. And while Tuesday’s loss leaves a lot to sort out with five games before the All-Star break, it also shows a lot of fight compared to the difficult stretch Detroit endured in June.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group for tonight,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We kept chipping away, which is what we were saying in the dugout: Just keep giving yourself a chance. And then we had a big inning and, man, the adrenaline kicked in, the fans got loud and then we had a chance at the end, both in the ninth and the 10th.”
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s comeback and what necessitated it:
1) Young bats picking up the power
The patience with rookie hitters continues to show signs of paying off. Colt Keith, who seemed to benefit from batting in front of red-hot All-Star Riley Greene over the last couple weeks, is becoming a presence in his own right. His two-run homer in the third inning started Detroit’s comeback off Guardians starter Ben Lively before his opposite-field ground-ball single led off a game-tying four-run sixth.
Malloy, meanwhile, is batting .320 (8-for-25) with three home runs in seven games since June 29, matching his hit total from his first 21 big league games before that. After Gio Urshela’s three-run homer chased Lively in the sixth, Malloy’s solo homer tied it off Nick Sandlin.
“I think it’s just trying to stack up good at-bats and good days,” Malloy said, “doing the little things right in my at-bats and winning at the margins. If I continue to do that, it’s just stacking that confidence up. That’s all I want.”
2) Bullpen saves the day
The Tigers had a chance to chip away at Lively because Detroit’s bullpen quieted Cleveland’s explosive offense after Maeda’s third-inning exit. Joey Wentz and Beau Brieske combined for five innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts, saving Detroit’s leverage relief corps for the eighth inning in a tie game. It was the first multi-inning scoreless game for Brieske since June 21, and Wentz’s longest outing with one earned run or less since he tossed 2 1/3 scoreless on April 13.
3) What’s next for Maeda?
For now, it sounds like at least a break from the rotation for Maeda, who has given up 15 runs on 16 hits in his last two starts, covering just 6 1/3 innings as his ERA has jumped to 7.26. He gave up three runs within his first four batters Tuesday.
