Newcomer Jake Marisnick has winning RBI as Detroit Tigers scrape by Texas Rangers, 3-2
There’s life for the Detroit Tigers after Riley Greene, after all.
On the same day that the second-year outfielder went on the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture in his left leg, his replacement in center field, Jake Marisnick, made a big catch to open the game and delivered an RBI single in the sixth as the Tigers avoided a sweep by the Texas Rangers with a 3-2 victory Wednesday at Comerica Park.
“I said it the other day, the strength of this organization is its depth, and I think we showed today, some guys come through in big spots," said Tyler Nevin, who scored the winning run and went 2-for-4. “It was a great win. You hate to lose guys like that, but you gotta keep going.”
Marisnick, who finished 2-for-4 with a strikeout, wasn’t the only surprise for the Tigers.
After two straight rough starts left his spot in the Tigers’ rotation in question, left-hander Joey Wentz frustrated the Rangers offense for 4⅓ innings, scattering seven hits and one walk. The Rangers — who entered Wednesday averaging 6.4 runs a game — mustered just one run off Wentz while striking out five times.
“Given where we’ve come from, I think Joey should be very proud, against a very good team, to keep us in the game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.
BIG LOSS: Tigers' Riley Greene sent to injured list with stress fracture in left fibula
WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Tigers promote prospect Reese Olson, will start Friday vs. White Sox for MLB debut
Taking the lead late
The Tigers’ bats didn’t fare much better off Texas right-hander Dane Dunning for most of the day. The 28-year-old continued his breakout season with five innings of one-run ball but ran into trouble in the sixth. He gave up two quick hits — singles by Nick Maton and Tyler Nevin — to open the inning and was pulled by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy.
After Zack Short beat out a sac bunt off reliever Jonathan Hernández to load the bases, Jake Rogers hit a sacrifice fly and Marisnick followed with a single to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
That was enough for Detroit’s bullpen, as Chasen Shreve, Jason Foley and Alex Lange kept the Rangers mostly in check for the final three innings, helped by a sharp defensive play by right fielder Zach McKinstry in the seventh. The infielder-by-trade fired a strike to second on a one-out single by Corey Seager to catch the $325-million man trying to stretch out a double.
The win improved the Tigers’ record to 26-28; they’re off Thursday, followed by a three-game series against their American League Central rivals, the Chicago White Sox, from Friday-Sunday.
“I think when you have a team come in and put up as many runs as they did, despite the fact we pitched really well in the month of May, this win feels pretty good,” Hinch said. “When you’re in a series and you’re backed up against the wall a little bit, have a little adversity — or a lot of adversity, when it comes to us the last 48 hours — that win makes us feel good going into an off day.”
Welcome to the CoPa
Marisnick, acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and pressed into service Wednesday because of IL stints for Greene and Matt Vierling, was tested in the first inning.
The 11-year veteran's first play as a Tiger at Comerica Park: A 417-foot blast off the bat of Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien, who sent Wentz’s four-seam fastball toward the flagpole in the bullpen in left-center field. Semien’s shot would have been a home run in 26 of 30 MLB parks, according to Statcast, but Marisnick chased it down as he hit the wall for the game’s first out.
“I haven’t been back since they moved the fences in, so that’s a little different,” Marisnick said. “Kinda looking around, seeing that fence — what is it, about 8 feet closer? — a little different, but still a lot of green out there to cover.”
Comerica Park's outfield fences, which were redone in the offseason to add more padding, received a positive review from the outfielder.
“Wasn’t bad,” Marisnick said. “Had a little give to it. Wasn’t too bad.”
Hinch said he wasn't surprised by Marisnick's ability to step in right away.
“He’s been at this level for a long time, so I think the level wouldn’t bother him,” Hinch said. “Flying cross-country, changing your life a little bit, contributing in a day game, y’know, is a lot. Once the game starts, I think he was gonna be fine. It is a nice way to introduce yourself to a lot of guys he doesn’t know, or at least doesn’t know as teammates.”
Marisnick’s first at-bat as a Tiger came leading off the bottom of the third inning: On a 2-2 count, he watched an 83.5 mph slider into the glove of catcher Jonah Heim for a called third strike. Marisnick singled to right in the fourth inning off an 89.9 mph sinker from Dunning for his first Tigers hit.
JEFF SEIDEL: Make it stop! Injuries leave Tigers in limbo just as AL Central seems within reach
CARLOS MONARREZ: Fans are showing up to watch Detroit Tigers win … and not talk about playoffs
A short-lived lead
The Tigers scored first, grabbing a 1-0 lead on Javier Báez’s RBI grounder to third with one out in the third inning. With runners on the corners thanks to back-to-back singles by Akil Baddoo and McKinstry, Báez made contact with an inside sinker from Dunning as the head of his bat flew into the infield. The throw from Josh Jung erased McKinstry at second, but Báez was safe at first and Baddoo scored when Semien’s throw was high at first base.
Spencer Torkelson followed with a two-out single to right and Maton worked a nine-pitch walk to give the Tigers another pair of runners in scoring position, but Nevin — in his second game after being called up from Triple-A — struck out swinging on four pitches to strand them.
But the Rangers answered in the next half inning as Jung doubled on the first pitch he saw with one out, and Heim singled to center two pitches later to even it. Heim advanced to second on Marisnick’s off-target throw home, and the Rangers then loaded the bases on a walk and a bunt single. With reliever Will Vest warming up in the bullpen, Wentz got Semien to pop up to Torkelson at first base on a 3-2 changeup – the sixth pitch of the at-bat.
“The strike to Semien with the bases loaded," Hinch said, "It’s really easy to vacate the strike zone there – and he didn’t, and he executed the out.”
No silver bullet on the bases
Wentz faced trouble early, with a one-out single by Seager and a two-out double by Adolis García putting runners on second and third, though he was spared an early run by Seager’s slow start on the bases.
The Rangers DH wasn’t running right away from first on García's shot off the wall in left and was unable to take advantage of Baddoo’s initial throw, which spiked into the ground a few feet in front of the outfielder. Baddoo collected the ball quickly and got it into the infield in time to keep Seager from scoring. The next batter, Jung, grounded out sharply to Báez at short to end the threat.
“I think getting out of the first with zeros was important for me,” Wentz said.
Hinch agreed, saying, “He’s still really hard on himself. I could feel it every time he came in, and my little knuckles got a little harder and a little harder as the game went on.”
From there, Wentz was mostly effective, generating four swings-and-misses apiece on his cutter and four-seam fastball.
“He did execute a little better. His breaking ball was better early; he threw a lot of ‘em,” Hinch said.
He pitched into the fifth inning for the first time since May 8, departing after a one-out single to center. Vest entered and needed just five pitches to retire García (swinging strikeout) and Jung (flyout to center).
Wentz finished at 82 pitches, with 50 thrown for strikes.
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers avoid sweep with 3-2 win over Texas Rangers
