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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Byron Buxton homers in the Twins' 4-1 victory over the Tigers
DETROIT — Byron Buxton homered and scored twice to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. David Festa (2-2) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Jhoan Durán pitched the ninth for his 12th save. Brooks Lee drove in a pair of runs for the Twins. Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Matt Wallner and Lee, then made it 2-0 an inning later on Buxton's long homer to left. The Twins made it 3-0 in the sixth. Reliever Brant Hurter replaced Gipson-Long with one out and a runner on first. After a wild pitch, Hurter walked Ty France before Lee hit an RBI single. Hurter then hit former Tiger Kody Clemens to load the bases, but Carlos Hernández replaced Hurter and got out of the inning when Harrison Bader struck out and Christian Vazquez grounded out. Buxton led off the seventh with a walk, stole second, took third on Trevor Larnach's groundout and scored on Willi Castro's squeeze bunt. The Tigers had two runners on in the seventh, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a force at third and Parker Meadows popped out, but they finally scored when Colt Keith tripled in the eighth and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Zach McKinstry singled to put runners on the corners, but Griffin Jax struck out Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning. The Tigers had a chance to rally after Torres got their second hit with two out in the sixth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Festa with Danny Coulombe and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch countered with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones. Baldelli won the duel, as Jones grounded to Lee at third for a force at second. Lee had prevented a bigger rally earlier in the inning, going behind the bag to field a Javier Báez grounder and make the play at first. The Tigers came into the game with a 21-5 record in series-opening games this season, including 12-1 at home. Detroit RHP Casey Mize (7-2, 2.88) was set to face RHP Bailey Ober (4-5, 4.90) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Byron Buxton homers in the Twins' 4-1 victory over the Tigers
DETROIT (AP) — Byron Buxton homered and scored twice to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. David Festa (2-2) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Jhoan Durán pitched the ninth for his 12th save. Brooks Lee drove in a pair of runs for the Twins. Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Matt Wallner and Lee, then made it 2-0 an inning later on Buxton's long homer to left. The Twins made it 3-0 in the sixth. Reliever Brant Hurter replaced Gipson-Long with one out and a runner on first. After a wild pitch, Hurter walked Ty France before Lee hit an RBI single. Hurter then hit former Tiger Kody Clemens to load the bases, but Carlos Hernández replaced Hurter and got out of the inning when Harrison Bader struck out and Christian Vazquez grounded out. Buxton led off the seventh with a walk, stole second, took third on Trevor Larnach's groundout and scored on Willi Castro's squeeze bunt. The Tigers had two runners on in the seventh, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a force at third and Parker Meadows popped out, but they finally scored when Colt Keith tripled in the eighth and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Zach McKinstry singled to put runners on the corners, but Griffin Jax struck out Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning. Key moment The Tigers had a chance to rally after Torres got their second hit with two out in the sixth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Festa with Danny Coulombe and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch countered with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones. Baldelli won the duel, as Jones grounded to Lee at third for a force at second. Lee had prevented a bigger rally earlier in the inning, going behind the bag to field a Javier Báez grounder and make the play at first. Key stat The Tigers came into the game with a 21-5 record in series-opening games this season, including 12-1 at home. Up next Detroit RHP Casey Mize (7-2, 2.88) was set to face RHP Bailey Ober (4-5, 4.90) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers Today: Tigers shake off 3-game losing streak
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Tigers have bounced back after their first real stretch of adversity for the first time in a while. Starting with the second half of Thursday's doubleheader with Pittsburgh and the first two games of the series against the Rays, Detroit lost three in a row for just the third time all season. Advertisement Tigers end 3-game slide with rout of the Rays It sounds kind of bizarre when you think about it. The Tigers (49-30) have only lost three consecutive games three times as we head toward the All-Star break. Even crazier? One of those streaks was the first series of the season when they faced the reigning champion Dodgers on the road. Better yet? They have yet to drop four in a row. Speaking of bizarre, the team is coming off a bit of a weird stretch and a whirlwind series in Tampa Bay. With Wednesday's rain out, the Tigers and Pirates played a split doubleheader on Thursday — one that featured two rain delays of its own. The final delay came in the ninth inning in a 4-4 tie, which ultimately ended in a flop, an 8-4 loss in extras. So, what should have been an early getaway day to get into Florida, ended up being a late night. Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti says the team landed in Tampa around 2:30 on Friday morning. Advertisement Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter Jack Flaherty got roughed up Friday night in a 14-8 loss and Tampa's bats handled Brant Hurter and Sawyer Gipson-Long for an 8-3 loss on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers scored six runs in the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon to put away the Rays and avoid a sweep with a 9-3 win. But things look a little different with a big-picture view. From the start of the doubleheader to the end of Sunday's game, the Tigers went 2-3 and packed in a late-night flight in less than 75 hours. Not too bad, all things considered. Detroit Tigers reliever Brant Hurter adds some rosin to his arm during a game against Tampa Bay on June 21, 2025. (Getty Images) ROUGH WEEK FOR HURTER It was a week to forget for Brant Hurter. The reliever took two losses and gave up 10 total runs in three appearances. Advertisement It started with the 10th inning in the finale against Pittsburgh. After a brief rain delay, the Tigers couldn't generate the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, so A.J. Hinch sent Hurter out to keep the Pirates at bay. But the Buccos came out swinging, touching up Hurter for four runs, three earned, on four hits and a walk. Hurter served as the opener for Saturday afternoon's game in Tampa, and once again he got hit around. The 26-year-old lefty gave up four runs, all unearned, on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. With a 9-1 lead in the ninth on Sunday, Hurter was called on once again. This armchair manager suspects Hinch wanted to give him an opportunity to get his confidence back after two rough outings. It didn't work. He walked two batters and hit another to load the bases before being pulled. Two of those runners came around to score before Brenan Hanifee finished it out. Prior to this week, Hurter had been a solid option for the Tigers' bullpen. Before Thursday, he had a 1.67 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) in 37.2 innings. Advertisement The Tigers do have two other lefties in the bullpen: Tyler Holton and Matt Gage. Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize leaves the field with a trainer in the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 22, 2025. (Getty Images) MIZE AVOIDS INJURY The Tigers have already lost Jackson Jobe for the season and are still waiting for Alex Cobb and Reese Olson to get back, so it was a big relief when the team announced that Casey Mize did not suffer a serious injury during Sunday's game. Mize was pulled in the sixth inning with an apparent leg injury, but Hinch clarified afterward that it was just a cramp and the team was being cautious. The former No. 1 pick already missed two weeks last month with a hamstring strain, and spent two months on the injured list last year with a similar injury. Advertisement Sunday was one of Mize's best starts of the season. He gave up six hits but were able to pitch around trouble. He allowed just one run on a solo home run. INJURY UPDATE Speaking of Olson and Cobb, the two starters are getting closer to a return. Hinch told reporters on Friday that Olson will take one more rehab start before being activated from the 15-day injured list. The 25-year-old went down in mid-May after inflammation in the ring finger on his throwing hand. He has completed some rehab starts in the minors, initially avoiding his changeup, which places the most pressure on the injured finger. He pitched 3.2 scoreless innings on Thursday for Triple-A Toledo on 58 pitches. Advertisement We should also see more action this week from Cobb. The veteran got another pain injection in his left hip on June 13 and was shut down for a week. He has been approved for restarting bullpen sessions. He has made a handful of rehab appearances for High-A West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo, where he has been effective, but the timeline has yet to shake out. UP NEXT The Tigers have another day off on Monday before returning to Detroit for a six-game homestand. Tarik Skubal will take the mound Tuesday against the Athletics (32-48) and likely again on Sunday against the Twins (37-40). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers won't abandon 'pitching chaos' strategy. Here's why
TAMPA, FL — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch isn't going to dump the "pitching chaos" strategy. The Tigers have been using a reliever as an opener followed by a starter as a bulk reliever roughly twice every five or six days recently. Advertisement Hinch believes in the approach. "The strategy is sound," Hinch said Sunday, June 22, before the Tigers' series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays. "I think the opener part is a little bit misconstrued as to, it's good when it works and it's bad when it doesn't." BEST 2B IN AL: How Gleyber Torres became an All-Star Game lock again with Tigers Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch walks off the field after a pitching change during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Monday, May 19, 2025 in St Louis. The goal of the strategy is to limit how many times the primary pitcher faces the top hitters in the opposing lineup. In 2025, the Tigers have used Brant Hurter, Tyler Holton, Beau Brieske and Sean Guenther as openers, with starters Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long serving as bulk relievers. Advertisement The Tigers don't apply the strategy on days that Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize start. "It impacts things that you don't necessarily see all the time," Hinch said. "It'll affect lineup construction. It'll impact how they space their hitters, which can impact decisions later in the game." The data proves the opener-bulk strategy is effective — but it's not perfect. In 2024, openers had a 2.05 ERA in 30⅔ innings and bulk relievers had a 3.65 ERA in 103⅔ innings. In 2025, openers have a 4.50 ERA in 14 innings and bulk relievers have a 4.89 ERA in 38⅔ innings. This year, is the strategy the problem? Advertisement Or just poor performance? "When you don't execute, it's hard," Hinch said. [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Don't be surprised if the Tigers use the opener-bulk strategy again as soon as Thursday, June 26, against the Athletics — starting with a lefty reliever like Hurter or Holton to face left-handed hitters Lawrence Butler, Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom and JJ Bleday, who typically occupy the top seven spots in the lineup, before handing the bulk of the innings to Gipson-Long. Advertisement Or the Tigers could give Gipson-Long a traditional start. Or the Tigers could promote left-hander Dietrich Enns from Triple-A Toledo. Unpredictability is another benefit of the "pitching chaos" strategy — from not knowing who will start to not knowing how long the "starter" will pitch. The uncertainty makes opposing managers uncomfortable as they try to prepare for games against the Tigers. "It's not perfect, but it is a strategy," Hinch said, "and it's been effective for a while now. There's no reason to really abandon it." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Advertisement Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers won't abandon 'pitching chaos' despite 2025 struggles
CBS News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Detroit Tigers bested by Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in rubber match
Woman accused of firing on repo man; Michigan man accused of threats to president; other top stories Woman accused of firing on repo man; Michigan man accused of threats to president; other top stories Woman accused of firing on repo man; Michigan man accused of threats to president; other top stories The Detroit Tigers blew a late lead in an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon. Elly De La Cruz homered, scored three times and drove in three runs for the Reds. De La Cruz singled and scored in the fourth, had an RBI single before scoring in a four-run eighth and hit a two-run homer in the ninth. He has homered in a career-best four straight games. Three Tigers' errors led to five unearned runs. With the Tigers leading 4-2, TJ Friedl led off the eighth with a grounder to the mound, but Brant Hurter misplayed it into a two-base error. Tigers closer Will Vest (5-1) came in, but Matt McLain singled, putting runners on the corners, and De La Cruz followed with an RBI single. A failed double-play attempt left the bases loaded, and Will Benson tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Gavin Lux followed with an RBI single and the fourth run scored on a wild pitch. Vest left the game after the play with a possible injury. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the third on Jahmai Jones' home run, but the Reds scored twice in the fourth. De La Cruz led off with a single and took second on a throwing error by Sawyer Gipson-Long. He scored on a single by Tyler Stephenson, and an error by Javier Báez led to a sacrifice fly by Connor Joe. Key moment The Reds had runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth and seventh innings, but McLain and Spencer Steer hit into inning-ending double plays. Key statistic De La Cruz hit .462 with four homers, six RBIs and eight runs scored on Cincinnati's 4-2 road trip. Up next Both teams start three-game series on Tuesday. Detroit remains home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates, with RHP Casey Mize (6-2, 2.95) scheduled for the opener against Pirates LHP Bailey Falter (5-3, 3.36). The Reds return home to face the Minnesota Twins. LHP Andrew Abbott (6-1, 1.87) will start for Cincinnati on Tuesday against RHP David Festa (1-1, 4.76).
