Spencer Torkelson mashes, Detroit Tigers bullpen competition heats up in win over Yankees

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees, 11-6, in Saturday's split-squad game at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.

The Tigers also nipped the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-7, in the other split-squad game at TD Ballpark in Dunedin. Kenta Maeda threw 90 pitches across 3⅔ innings and was lit up by the best hitters in the Blue Jays' lineup, surrendering six runs on 10 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

The Tigers are 19-9-3 in Grapefruit League play.

What happened

The bullpen battle was on full display against the Yankees in Lakeland, with right-hander Alex Faedo, left-hander Joey Wentz and right-hander Miguel Díaz taking the mound.

Those are three of the four pitchers — along with right-hander Beau Brieske — competing for the final two spots in the bullpen.

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Faedo and Brieske have minor league options remaining, which means they can be sent back and forth between the minors and majors this season. Wentz and Díaz don't have any minor league options, so the Tigers would risk losing them to other teams through the waiver process if they're not on the Opening Day roster.

Faedo, who added a new changeup in the offseason, entered the game in the fourth inning, and threw 2⅓ scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and three strikeouts. One strikeout came on an automatic strike from a pitch-timer violation.

The Tigers stretched Faedo to 41 pitches: 19 sliders, 18 fastballs and four changeups, generating five whiffs (four sliders, one fastball).

Wentz replaced Faedo in the sixth, and inherited two runners with one out. He cleaned up the mess and covered 2⅔ innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts.

He struck out two batters in the seventh: Austin Wells (foul tip, 95.8 mph fastball) and Jahmai Jones (swinging strike, 96 mph fastball). His fastball averaged 95.1 mph, up from 93.4 mph last year.

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Caleb Durbin, who hasn't played above the Double-A level, hit a solo home run off Wentz's first-pitch cutter with one out in the eighth inning. A two-out double from Roderick Arias ended his outing after 46 pitches.

Díaz finished the eighth and completed a scoreless ninth.

Starting off

The Tigers offense scored three runs in the first inning, two in the second and three in the third.

The Yankees, also running a split-squad game, brought minor league pitchers to Lakeland. Right-hander Cody Poteet allowed eight runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 2⅓ innings.

The first five batters reached safely: Parker Meadows (single), Riley Greene (walk), Spencer Torkelson (RBI single), Kerry Carpenter (RBI single) and Mark Canha (walk).

Colt Keith put the Tigers ahead, 3-0, with a sacrifice fly.

In the second inning, Meadows cranked a two-run home run off a changeup. In the third inning, Zach McKinstry delivered an RBI single and Carson Kelly blasted a two-run home run for an 8-5 lead.

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At the plate

After eight runs in three innings, the Tigers didn't score again until the seventh inning, when Carpenter launched a solo home run to right field off right-hander Clayton Beeter's down-and-in slider.

Meadows, Torkelson and Carpenter each had multiple hits.

Torkelson finished 3-for-4 with two singles and one triple. He had a bloop single to center in the first inning to score Meadows from third base for a 1-0 lead, while Greene showcased smart base-running when he advanced from first to third. Greene scored on Carpenter's line-drive single to right field.

Torkelson ripped a triple to the wall in center against Beeter's middle-away 95.4 mph fastball in the fourth. Torkelson's hit had an 107.8 mph exit velocity.

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On the mound

Left-hander Brant Hurter started and allowed five runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts across three innings, throwing 39 of 67 pitches for strikes.

He struck out all three batters in a 13-pitch first inning.

The Yankees took advantage of his mistakes in the second and third innings, but Hurter bounced back from Jones' two-run home run — tying the game at five — by sending down the next three batters to complete his start.

Hurter, expected to begin the season in Triple-A Toledo's starting rotation, threw 32 sinkers, 26 sweepers, five changeups and four four-seam fastballs.

Three stars

1. Faedo, 2. Torkelson, 3. Wentz.

Next up

Sunday (1:05 p.m.) vs. Tampa Bay Rays in Lakeland.

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

Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers bullpen competition heats up in 11-6 win over Yankees