Happy Wednesday, and the Tigers were looking to take another game against the Red Sox this fine Bark at the Park Tuesday. However, the Sox weren’t going to make it as easy as it was on Monday. They brought out Brayan Bello, and the Tigers, meanwhile, were up to the tricks they used so well at the end of last season, using Tyler Holton as the opener, before switching over to Keider Montero to take the bulk of the middle innings. It didn’t take long into this game before it was obvious that Bello was no Tanner Houck and the Red Sox weren’t going to be trampled the same way twice.
In the top of the first the Red Sox went 1-2-3. The Tigers started the home half with a Kerry Carpenter walk, then Gleyber Torres singled. A Riley Greene single to center brought Carpenter home, but Torres was tagged out at third. The Tigers had to settle for just the one run.
In the second, Nick Sogard doubled with two outs. Side note, but am I showing my age that every time I see Sogard’s name, I just automatically think it’s Eric Sogard? Is this getting old? Anyway, I digress. Keider Montero came in for Holton with one runner on. Carlos Narvaez then singled, scoring Sogard. The run would got to Holton, but don’t worry, Montero would get some of his own. Montero turned things around to get the final out of the inning, but the game was now tied. It wouldn’t be the last time we’d see a tie score in this game. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the home half.
The Red Sox were three-up, three-down in the top of the third. In the home half, Javier Baez walked, then Carpenter singled pushing Baez to third. As Torres struck out, Carpenter stole second. Then, Narvaez attempted a pick-off move of Baez who had a big lead off third, but there was a throwing error, and Baez realized it quickly, hustling home to score and give the Tigers back the lead. Two outs followed to end the inning.
Alex Bregman homered to start the fourth, so it you think Tigers fans were booing him yesterday, just wait. The game was once again tied. Kristian Campbell walked. Two outs later a passed ball by Dingler allowed Campbell to reach second, but a strikeout ended the inning. In the home half, Spencer Torkelson answered Bregman with his own leadoff home run, and pushed the Tigers back into the lead. Three outs followed and they had to settle for the one run.
In the fifth, David Hamilton hit a leadoff single, then Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to bring him home, tying the game for the third time in five innings. It wasn’t tied long, though, as Jarren Duran singled to score Rafaela and put the Red Sox up by one. Three outs followed in order to end the inning. In the home half Kerry Carpenter got a one-out single, but was eliminated in a force out off the bat of Torres. Then Zach McKinstry singled. Old friend Justin Wilson replaced Bello as the Red Sox pitcher, and he got the final out of the inning.
Brant Hurter replaced Montero in the sixth, and things really didn’t go well just right out of the gate. Wilyer Abreu singled, then Not-Eric-but-Nick Sogard singled. With one out, Hamilton was hit by a pitch. But even with the stress of a bases-loaded scenario, Hurter managed to pitch out of the jam. Garrett Whitlock was the next Red Sox reliever up, and gave up a walk to Torkelson. He was then able to advance to second thanks to a wild pitch. Jace Jung took a two-out hit-by-pitch walk to put two men on for Baez. And Baez came through, belting a three-run homer to left field.
With one out in the seventh, Brenan Hanifee replaced Hurter on the mound, and Hanifee collected the final two outs. Brennan Bernardino came in for the Red Sox in the home half. McKinstry hit a one-out double, then one out later Spencer Torkelson was intentionally walked. No runs scored.
With two outs in the top of the eighth, one of them this insane move from Green…
…Narvaez, singled, which made the Tigers shuffled their relievers again, bringing in Tommy Kahnle. Then Hamilton did not throw away his shot, and hit a two-run homer to tie the game up once again. Rafaela walked, then Duran doubled. Blessedly, Kahnle turned things around and got the last out of the inning. Justin Slaten came on for the Sox and got the Tigers out in order.
It was Will Vest out in the ninth, hoping to keep the game tied. The first out of the inning was a highlight reel catch by Jace Jung.
Abreu singled, but otherwise Vest did precisely what he needed to, and got out of the inning without any runs scoring, turning it over to the Tigers to try to walk things off in the home half. They’d have to do it against Aroldis Chapman. The Tigers couldn’t get anything going against Chapman, however, and the game headed into extras.
Vest continued in the tenth, and Narvaez got a leadoff single that sent ghost runner Sogard to third. Rafaela grounded into a force out that eliminated Narvaez, but allowed Sogard to score. The Sox would just get the one run, but it was putting the Tigers in a position to get something going in the bottom of the inning, or lose. Greg Weissert was the new pitcher, and McKinstry was on base as a ghost runner. With two outs and hope waning, only 21% chance of scoring, Trey Sweeney singled to right field and McKinstry practically burrowed into home plate to score a new tying run and Sweeney ended up on second. They would have to settle for the one run, but it was enough to keep them alive.
Beau Brieske was in for the eleventh, and I hope Tarik Skubal is feeling like he wants to throw a Maddux tomorrow, because the Tigers have used almost their whole bullpen at this point. With two outs, Campbell hit a two-run homer to right. It was the only weak spot in Brieske’s inning, but it was kind of an important one. In the home half, Jung started things off with a single to put runners on the corners. And then obvious Comeback Player of the Year Javier Baez hit an absolute no-doubt homer to left to walk it off. TIGERS BASEBALL I LOVE YOU.
Final: Tigers 10, Red Sox 9
