Three errors come back to bite Detroit Tigers in 5-4 loss to Texas Rangers

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson couldn't make the routine play.

Evan Carter reached safely on a fielding error by Torkelson, who failed to field a bouncer down the first-base line, with one out in the top of the ninth inning. After that, Josh Smith hit a double off right-handed reliever Shelby Miller to right-center field that drove in the game-winning run.

The Tigers lost to the Texas Rangers, 5-4, in the third of four games at Comerica Park, making three errors.

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Left-hander Tarik Skubal, who owns a 2.28 ERA through four starts, allowed four runs (two earned runs) on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts across 6⅓ innings, throwing 86 pitches. All four runs scored during two innings in which the Tigers allowed the first batter to reach safely on an error.

The game-winning run also scored after Torkelson's error in the ninth inning.

Errors ultimately helped the Rangers score all five runs.

The Tigers (10-8) can split the four-game series with a win over the Rangers in Thursday's series finale.

Tarik Skubal haunted by errors

Facing Skubal, the Rangers scored one run in the first inning and three runs in the sixth inning. In both innings, the leadoff hitter reached safely on a fielding error.

The two teams were tied, 1-1, entering the sixth inning, when second baseman Colt Keith fumbled a routine ground ball off the bat of Marcus Semien. The error in the sixth, just like the error in the first inning, led to damage on the scoreboard.

Corey Seager, a left-handed hitter who has put just 16.7% of balls in play to the opposite field this season, took advantage of the Tigers shading their infielders toward the right side of the field. He tapped a sinker down the third-base line and into left field.

With one out, Adolis García skied a first-pitch changeup to right-center field. The ball bounced off the yellow line at the top of the wall and deflected back into the outfield, leaving García with an RBI double instead of a three-run home run.

The RBI double put the Rangers ahead, 2-1.

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The Rangers extended the lead to 4-1 with Jonah Heim's two-run single past the infielders. The Tigers pulled the infield in with two runners in scoring position, and Heim snuck the ball past a lunging Keith and into center field. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough to drive in both runners.

In the first inning, the Rangers scored their first run after Semien reached safely on a throwing error by Skubal. The ball knocked off Skubal's glove and ricocheted to the third-base side of the mound, and although Skubal picked up the ball, his throw pulled Spencer Torkelson away from first base.

Semien later scored on García's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

Skubal, who generated 14 whiffs on 54 swings, threw 22 pitches in the first inning and 15 pitches in the sixth inning, needing just 49 pitches in the other four-plus innings for an average of 9.8 pitches in the errorless innings and 18.5 pitches in the innings with the key errors.

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Parker Meadows snaps slump

The Tigers never took the lead away from the Rangers, but a pair of runs between the sixth and seventh innings put them in a position to have a chance late.

Parker Meadows, who had two hits in his first 38 at-bats this season, snapped an 0-for-18 slump with a solo home run to right field in the seventh inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

Meadows, an above-average defender in center field, turned on a 90.7 mph fastball from right-handed reliever Austin Pruitt and hit the ball with a 108.7 mph exit velocity.

It was Meadows' first homer of the season.

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The Rangers helped the Tigers with an error in the sixth inning, as Seager threw the ball too high for the first baseman with two outs. Keith should have grounded out, but instead, he raced to second base while Torkelson — who hit a leadoff double — scored for the Tigers' second run.

In the second inning, Kerry Carpenter blasted a solo home run to right field off right-hander Dane Dunning's up-and-in sinker. He hit the ball 426 feet with a 108.3 mph exit velocity.

Carpenter has three homers this season.

Dunning allowed two runs (one earned run) on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts across five innings, throwing 97 pitches. He generated 11 whiffs on 37 swings.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 errors come back to bite Detroit Tigers in 5-4 loss to Texas Rangers