One out from a win, Detroit Tigers suffer crushing 4-3 loss to Toronto Blue Jays
The Detroit Tigers — players or staff — didn't hide it: They're ready for the All-Star break.
Prior to Sunday's game, talk in the clubhouse was of fishing trips, vacations, family time and much-needed time off; there appeared to be even more tomfoolery than the usual light-hearted nature of a pregame locker room.
Before any of that could be enjoyed, however, Riley Greene acknowledged there was business to attend to.
"Yeah," he said. "Have to win today, first."
Indeed, that turned out to be the challenge, as the Tigers went scoreless over the final five innings of a 10-inning 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
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For much of the day, the Tigers looked like they'd do just that, but with a two-run lead and two outs in the ninth, Alex Lange couldn't close it down. A walk to Matt Chapman left the door open for Danny Jansen, who smashed a two-run shot over the left-field wall. It was the first home run Lange has allowed at Comerica Park since August 2022.
The Tigers then went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame to send it to extra innings
After Zack Short made an exceptional play to get the free runner at third base in the 10th, pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes sent the next pitch from José Cisnero into the left field corner for a double, giving the Blue Jays their first lead of the day.
Greene, who had two hits including a home run in the third, led off the 10th, but grounded out to the pitcher. Spencer Torkelson, who also had multiple hits and an RBI, then struck out. Finally, Matt Vierling grounded out as the Tigers closed the first half with a gut-punch of a loss.
The Tigers (39-50) were unable to pick up a game on Cleveland or Minnesota, who both lost on Sunday, and remain 5½ games back in the AL Central.
While the loss was a brutal way to start the day, the organization's work remained far from over. On the other side of the country, Tigers brass simultaneously gathered in their temporary WAR room in Seattle, where the team holds the No. 3 pick in tonight's 2023 MLB Draft. It's the fifth time in six years that the Tigers will draft in the top five; two of those picks — Greene and Torkelson — provided the bulk of the Tigers' offense Sunday.
Getting started
In the second inning, the Tigers picked up their first run on a string of soft hits.
Javier Báez (with an 85.7 mph exit velocity) hit a soft liner up the middle, Akil Baddoo (87.5 mph) sent a seeing-eye single through the right side and Miguel Cabrera (70.1 mph) dropped in a blooper into center to put the Tigers up 1-0 with no outs. But they didn't keep going.
With runners on second and third, a slumping Eric Haase struck out on a high fastball before Zach McKinsitry popped out to end the threat.
Greene then led off the third, which resulted in a 10-pitch battle with Chris Bassitt. The 22-year-old fouled off five total pitches, including pitch Nos. 7, 8 and 9, before he sent a 92.7 mph fastball 408 feet over the wall in right-center to make it 2-0.
The next time the Tigers scored, Greene was in the middle of it again.
McKinistry led off the fifth with a sharp single before Greene roped a 105.5 mph single into right-center; had he not been coming back from injury, he might have tried to stretch it into a double.
No matter. Torkelson, who finished the day 2-for-4, followed and rocketed a 105.8 mph single the other way to extend the Tigers lead to 3-0.
On the mound
That was more than enough for Tarik Skubal, making his second start of the season on a pitch limit.
In the first inning, Skubal allowed a leadoff bloop single by Whit Merrifield. A one-out walk set up a jam, but Skubal struck out Matt Chapman on a 96.6 mph fastball, then got Danny Jansen to bounce out.
He was in cruise control over the next three innings, striking out another two batters in the second and allowing just one more hit the rest of the day, another single by Merrifield.
Skubal, who allowed two walks and struck out five on 63 pitches (43 strikes) hasn't allowed a run in eight innings this season.
Tyler Holton needed just 14 pitches to strike out two batters and work a perfect fifth inning, before Reese Olson came on in the sixth. He didn't allow a baserunner in his first inning, but allowed one run to score in the seventh after Chapman led off with a triple and scored on an Alejandro Kirk groundout.
Chasen Shreve allowed a leadoff walk in the eighth, but Short and Báez turned a double play (after video review) to end the threat.
In the ninth, Alex Lange appeared on his way to his second save in as many days, striking out Bo Bichette and inducing a groundout to third by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. But Chapman worked a two-out walk to bring Jansen, the game-tying run to the plate.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers blow 2-run lead in 4-3 loss to Blue Jays in extras
