Detroit Tigers' Kenta Maeda builds volume but not velocity in 5-4 loss to Toronto Blue Jays

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, in Thursday's split-squad game at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers faced the New York Yankees in the other split-squad game in Tampa, which ended later Thursday night.

The Tigers are 6-6-1 in Grapefruit League play.

What happened

In Lakeland, right-hander Kenta Maeda — who signed a two-year, $24 million contract in the offseason — increased his volume of pitches in his second start, throwing 53 pitches.

That's exactly what manager A.J. Hinch wanted him to do.

"Three innings and 53 pitches is around what we expected," said Maeda, who threw 30 pitches in his first start. "I had to throw a little more than I would have liked to. If anything, I would have liked to surprise A.J. with a lesser count than 50, but it is what it is."

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Maeda allowed two runs across three innings to put the Tigers in an early hole, but the Tigers showed life with a two-run fifth inning. That inning was headlined by a two-run home run from Parker Meadows off a hanging slider from right-handed reliever Chad Dallas.

The ball traveled 399 feet to right.

It was Meadows' second homer in spring training.

Starting off

Maeda changed his volume, but what didn't change was his fastball velocity.

His fastball averaged 89.3 mph in his first start, followed by 89.5 mph in his second start against the Blue Jays. Maeda, who turns 36 in the second week of April, averaged 91 mph with his fastball last season, including 91.4 mph over five starts in August.

The seven-year MLB veteran, who previously pitched eight seasons in Japan, remains confident in his ramp-up process with three spring starts until the regular season.

"Just building endurance," Maeda said in Japanese, through interpreter Dai Sekizaki. "I think I'm expected to pitch one more inning per outing, and then based off of that, more pitch counts. As I pitch more, I feel like my feeling for the pitches will get there. It's just a matter of pitching in spring training games."

Facing the Blue Jays, Maeda allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout. He gave up a solo home run to Kevin Kiermaier on his slowest fastball, an 87.1 mph middle-middle pitch to open the second inning.

Maeda threw 30 of 53 pitches for strikes, improving the command of his fastball compared to his first start. He also had a better splitter, generating two whiffs on five swings.

Maeda tossed three different pitches — fastball, slider, splitter — at the bottom of the strike zone to fool Daniel Vogelbach in the first inning, getting his lone strikeout with a splitter painted on the bottom rail of the zone.

"The sequencing is obviously important," Maeda said, "but at this point in spring, I like to concentrate on how the ball is actually coming off my hand, instead of digging into where the hitters aren't hitting or where the weak contact is to come up with a sequencing to get hitters out."

He threw 20 fastballs, 19 sliders, 12 splitters and two curveballs. He recorded five whiffs with one fastball, one slider, two splitter and one curveball.

At the plate

The Tigers needed four batters to score the first run, thanks to Meadows (single), Riley Greene (single) and Spencer Torkelson (walk). The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when Mark Canha was hit by a splitter from right-hander Bowden Francis.

After that, Colt Keith struck out swinging and Carson Kelly grounded into an inning-ending double play.

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The Tigers didn't score again until Meadows' two-run homer in the fifth inning. Jung hit a solo home run off right-handed reliever Hagen Danner's 95.4 mph fastball in the bottom of the ninth inning, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

On the mound

Right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee gave up two runs in the fourth inning.

Second baseman Jace Jung — recent waiver claim Buddy Kennedy started at third base — kept a third run off the board when he fielded a grounder from Spencer Horwitz and threw to catcher Carson Kelly, putting Eduardo Escobar in a rundown. It was a smart play from the 23-year-old prospect, who came into big-league camp as a developing third baseman but has spent more time at second base in games.

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The two runs off Hanifee extended the Blue Jays' lead to 4-1. The Blue Jay increased their lead to 5-1 with a home run from Vogelbach off left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin's fastball.

The top relievers — right-handers Alex Lange and Jason Foley — posted zeros in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. Lange struck out two batters and filled up the zone, throwing 10 of 16 pitches for strikes.

Right-hander Alex Faedo tossed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He logged eight whiffs with five fastballs, two sliders and one changeup.

Three stars

1. Lange, 2. Meadows, 3. Faedo.

Next up

Friday (6:05 p.m.) vs. Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Kenta Maeda builds volume in 5-4 loss to Blue Jays