Tigers bullpen blows another late lead

Framber Valdez was mediocre at best once again on Sunday. Despite not swinging the bats well in this series, the Tigers did fight back and take a lead into the late innings, but once again their makeshift bullpen couldn’t lock it down. The Royals came back on a two-run homer by Michael Massey in the eighth, and held on to split this four game set with a 5-4 victory over the Tigers.

With the Tigers in their home whites, with this strange D logo on their caps, once again we got the shaky version of Framber Valdez to start this one off. Fortunately he bent in this one, but never came completely unglued. He gave up a solo shot to Lane Thomas to start the game on a 3-2 sinker that was up on the outer edge. The misses were non-competitive. Nick Loftin singled, and Valdez hit Salvador Perez. Jac Caglianone grounded into a force of Perez, and Valdez bounced back to punch ouf Starling Marte with a good curveball, but he was still struggling to find the handle.

Chris Fetter came out for a chat and AJ Hinch had Brenan Hanifee warming in the bullpen. Tyler Tolbert was next, and the Tigers got just what they needed least when the outfielder grounded one to Hao-Yu Lee at second and the rookie clanged it off the heel of his glove. Loftin scored, and this game was teetering on the brink of disaster already, but Luke Maile flew out to Kerry Carpenter in right to end the inning with the Royals up 2-0.

Luinder Avila was on the bump for the Royals, and the 24-year-old right-hander’s numbers were pretty miserable coming into this one. He clearly has the stuff to succeed with a high 90’s heater and good breaking stuff, but his control is a work in progress and his walk rate is a somewhat grisly 12.8 percent. Colt Keith popped out to lead things off, and Kevin McGonigle and Gleyber Torres flew out to left to end the first.

Valdez bounced back with three quick ground ball outs in the second, starting to get his pitch count a little back in order.

Riley Greene grounded out to start the bottom of the second. Dillon Dingler walked, but Carpenter flew out. Spencer Torkelson worked a lengthy AB and drew a walk as well, but James Outman struck out on a 98 mph sinker up to send us to the third.

Sal Perez grounded a first pitch curveball down the third base line to open the third inning. Colt Keith made a nice diving stop, popped up, and fired a strike to Torkelson for the first out. A nice play, aided by the fact that Perez runs like he’s wading through a pool of molasses. Caglianone worked a full count, but he bit on a sweeping curveball down and away to strike out. Valdez was feeling the curveball now, and Marte chopped a bender to McGonigle for the third out. Valdez was at 50 pitches, but at least had righted the ship after the wildness and Lee’s error in the first.

Lee and Keith grounded out to start the bottom of the third, while McGonigle flicked a single into left field. At this point, Dan Dickerson and Andy Dirks were interviewing Mark “the Bird” Fidrych’s widow. Fidrych’s grandson also threw out the first pitch in tribute to the right-hander’s amazing rookie season 50 years ago. Meanwhile, Avila’s early velocity was starting to creep down to 95-96 mph, but it didn’t help Torres, who flew out to end the inning.

Isaac Collins was up first in the fourth, and Valdez got him out in front with a changeup and popped him up. Tolbert battled through a lengthy at-bat and Valdez missed with a 3-2 curveball and walked him. Another long at-bat against Luke Maile ended with a sinker that was pulled down the left field line. Tolbert was off and running of course, and cruised all the way around from first to score as Maile cruised into second base. Valdez just could not spot anything with enough consistency to set anyone up, and he was behind in counts again and again. Very frustrating outing to watch. Andrew Velasquez struck out, but Valdez’s pitch count was approaching 80 pitches as he walked Thomas on six pitches.

While I attempted not to break any household items in frustration, Fetter came out once again to try and give Valdez a moment to pull it together. It was just one long at-bat after another with Valdez looking lost and wasting a lot of non-competitive pitches. His 82nd pitch was a good curveball down and in and Loften struck out to end the inning without further damage, but Valdez wasn’t likely to make it through the fifth inning at this point, and the Tigers were down 3-0 and once again struggling with a mediocre starter with good stuff and mediocre command.

Avila started spotting his stuff more as he worked into his outing. Riley Greene grounded out to start the bottom of the fourth. Dillon Dingler lined a single the opposite way for the Tigers second hit of the game, but Carpenter was out in front of a curveball and wanded a solid fly ball to Thomas in center for the second out. Spencer Torkelson drew a four pitch walk, and that brought Outman to the dish. He rolled over a slider to first base and we were on to the fifth inning with the score still 3-0 Royals.

Ben Malgeri made a nice catch on a liner from Perez to open the fifth. That was a surprise, as it meant that Carpenter was out of the game. He’s been dealing with a foot issue that was apparently flaring up. Caglianone grounded out to Torkelson for the second out. Marte pulled a ground ball single through the left side, and Ty Madden was warming in the pen. Fittingly, yet another seven pitch at-bat, this time from Collins, led to a ground out to Keith to mercifully end the left-hander’s day.

Hao-Yu Lee got a curveball and smoked it to center field for a leadoff double and finally the Tigers had a little something started. The lineup turned over and Avila walked Colt Keith. The Royals started warming up their pen, and the Tigers needed to pounce. Kevin McGonigle got one off the label and flicked a single into center field, but Lee was held up at third by Billy Boyer on a bad decision as he was going to score and center fielder Thomas was already throwing it in to third base. Lee actually had to slide to a stop down the third base line and retreat. So, the bases were loaded with no outs, but the Tigers really needed to come through.

Gleyber Torres worked a full count, but swung at a ball four sinker in and fouled it off. A high fastball was also fouled off that would’ve been ball four. Avila lost the handle on a slider and threw it high, dropping it just into the zone for a swinging strike three. That was it for Avila as lefty Matt Strahm came on looking to shut down Riley Greene and escape the bases loaded jam.

Greene worked a full count and then fouled off a pair of sinkers. Strahm came in with a sinker and Greene slapped a little spinner toward second base. Tolbert at shortstop and Velasquez at second converged on the ball together and flinched away from each other. The would-be double play ball bounded between them into center field, plating Lee and Keith. Greene didn’t stop running and slid into second just ahead of the tag as Thomas threw the ball in from center field.

Dillon Dingler got a 1-2 fastball away and lined a single back up the middle and that extra 90 feet paid off as McGonigle and Greene scored. Just like that the Tigers had brought it back and now held a 4-3 lead.

Ben Malgeri battled through a long at-bat, but bit on a two-strike changeup and struck out. That left it to Torkelson, who flew out to center field, but the Tigers had a slender lead to work with. Now, the question was how to navigate four innings with this bullpen.

Ty Madden walked Carter Jensen to start his outing, which was less than ideal. Massey flew out to Malgeri, and Velasquez had to offer at a 2-2 slider on the outer edge and flew out to Greene, holding Jensen at first base. Madden was throwing everything but the kitchen sink up there, and got Thomas to ground out to Lee to end the inning as lefty Drew Sommers warmed up in the pen.

Former closer Lucas Erceg took over for KC in the sixth. Outman lined a single to right to greet him. Lee chopped a grounder to Velasquez at shortstop after he’d moved there with Massey taking over second base and Tolbert out of the game. They got Outman, but Lee beat out the double play turn, so it was one-out with Lee at first for Colt Keith. Keith got into an 0-2 count and lined a sharp one-hopper up the middle, but Velasquez was there and they turned a snappy double play to end the inning. On to the seventh. 4-3 Tigers.

Madden popped up Loftin to start the inning. The right-hander was dumping in splitters, curveballs, sliders, and cutters to go with his two fastball types. Perez bit on a 2-2 slider and struck out, and that was a nice outing from Madden. He avoided any telltale fastballs and junk balled the Royals very effectively. With two outs and a lefty coming up in Caglianone, Hinch turned to Sommers to wrap up the seventh. The big fella blew the dangerous slugger away with 95 mph above the zone.

Right-hander Nate Pearson, who prospect watchers will remember from his days as a triple digit top 100 prospect for the Blue Jays, took over for the Royals in the bottom half. He was acquired just a few days ago, and suffice it to say his career has not panned out as hoped after a long stretch of injury plagued years, though he still hits 98-99 mph pretty regularly. He walked Kevin McGonigle to open the inning but Torres quickly grounded into a double play. Greene lined one sharply the opposite way, but Loftin made a leaping grab to send us to the eighth inning.

Zack McKinstry entered the game in right field for Malgeri, while Sommers popped up Marte to Lee to open the inning. Collins managed to fist a two-strike sinker for a bloop single to right field. Sommers fired a 96 mph dart on the outer edge for strike three to Jensen, but disaster was lurking. The lefty got ahead of Massey with good sinkers up and in, but in a 1-2 count Dingler called a slider down and away but it was left in the middle of the zone down and Massey launched it to right for a two-run shot and a 5-4 Royals lead. Sommers got Velasquez, but now the Tigers had six outs to come back.

John Schreiber took over for the Royals and got Dingler to ground out to start the bottom of the eighth. McKinstry drew a walk, and Torkelson lined a sharp single to left field to Collins. McKinstry tried to go first to third, but Collins threw him out at third. The Tigers challenged the close play, but they were unsuccessful. Outman flew out to center and we were on to the ninth.

Brenan Hanifee took over for the Tigers in the top half of the ninth. Thomas grounded out, and Loftin took a good sinker on the edge for strike three. He walked Sal Perez, getting cute with breaking stuff after getting ahead quickly with the sinker. That brought Caglianone up, but he grounded out and it was last call for the Tigers.

RHP Steven Cruz entered looking to save this one for the Royals. He nearly took Lee’s head off with a 99 mph sinker in a 1-2 count. Lee hit the deck, just escaping in time, and took a moment to collect himself. He then took a pair of fastballs for balls and drew a leadoff walk. Great at-bat from the rookie once again. Colt Keith fought off a cutter and dumped it into shallow center field. Thomas froze and couldn’t get there while Velasquez slid and had the ball in his glove, but it rattled loose and the Tigers were in business with runners on first and second and no outs. However, McGonigle popped out to left field and Cruz dialed up 101 to jam Torres for a first pitch foul. Torres took a cutter at the bottom of the zone for strike two and flailed at a cutter away to strike out. He just doesn’t look right since returning from the oblique strain.

So, it was up to Riley Greene. Cruz just jammed him repeatedly with mid to high 90’s cutters. Greene fell behind 1-2 and then fouled one off his leg. He needed a minute after that one. Greene fouled off 99-100 mph away twice, and then a cutter over the middle. One more cutter down and in drew the whiff, and the Royals had managed a split after losing the first two of this series.

That’s tough in a series in which the Tigers really needed to keep their winning ways going. They’re 6-4 out of the All-Star break, but these were very winnable games and the Royals pitching staff was running on fumes coming into this series. Another disappointing start from Framber Valdez started this one off, and the bullpen’s yearlong struggles to hold close games continued as Massey got to Sommers for a game changing homer in the top of the eighth.

There’s no rest on tap either. The Orioles come to town for three starting on Monday night, and then the Tigers will be off Thursday as they head out west for three against the Athletics before the trade deadline on Monday, August 3.